Grand Prix Rejects

Sammy Jones wrote:Well what can I say? Delighted to finally get my first points of the year with 5th place, though I think a better finish may have been possible, but Steele drove a great race, so he fully deserves the podium. I feel sorry for Daniel, the car whilst reliable and relatively easy to drive, is inconsistent with our differing driving styles, and I think that is the main issue we need to address with the update to the car which we'll bring in time for the next race. Hopefully that'll mean we're both able to challenge for points finishes at every race which will put us in a great position for the constructors' championship.

Daniel Melrose wrote:Sammy is right about the driving styles comment. He has a much smoother driving style than I do which meant while he had trouble building up temperature in the unseasonably cold races in Australia, he didn't have the blistering problem here that I was having in the other car. Speaking of problems, I'm going to have a word with Mario and the guys back in the workshop in Cologne about these engine problems because by my calculations, Phillippe's engine was the third BMW powerplant we've lost this year and that's simply unacceptable. And to think my workload will increase yet again in two weeks from now when the F2RWRS season starts in Istanbul. I wish the very best of luck to Mitchell and Marie for the upcoming season.

Post-Race Interview wrote:Q: Nicolas, your first F1RWRS podium, tell us how you fell.

Nicolas Steele: I'm absolutely speechless, it's a dream result for me. The car is absolutely fantastic, I couldn't thank these men and women enough. It's fantastic right now, we're finally on the podium, it's quite obvious that Kamaha is on my long-term plans. This is a great way to restart the season after the disastrous start, especially after retiring quite clumsily.

Q: Nicolas, obviously a good result, can you tell us about after the qualifying?

N: I was quite pleased with it, I didn't say much, I think that qualifying means nothing in the race, I try and focus on the race more than the qualifying, but obviously any place near the front of the grid is very good. Kamaha is obviously maturing and I think I can step up and take the challenge for more points for the team. I'm not sure we'll get a win but I am sure there's at least one more podium in the near future.

Q: You seem very optimistic, Nicolas. This was quite the same way you felt after your first race with ArrowTech. Do you think it will be the same thing again?

N: No, I don't think so, ArrowTech are permanent backmarkers, their last season was an entire fluke, they should have given that Melrose guy a raise, but they mistreat him and so he left. Good for him, he's going to excel in F1RWRS now, it looks like even with that Martins guy scoring that ArrowTech looks down in the crapper.

Q: Now that the race is over, where do you and your team go from there?

N: Obviously we move on and focus on the next race. It's the best thing we can do now.

Q: Thanks, Nicolas.

N: Not a question...

The Fox wrote:Good that Daniel finally scored today. He picked up the pace and soundly beat Mirko. Mirko had a nagging hydraulics problem, thankfully he did not retire from the race but he finished in 10th. We obviously need to pick up on the speed, I'm letting Mirko down, I hope he doesn't mind this very slow start... Oh, and Nicolas' podium was a fluke. There was a lot of retirements today, he just got very lucky. The same goes for his qualifying performance. It was a lucky lap. You'll know this when he struggles next weekend.

Andrea Acuri wrote:Obviously we're doing very well, better than I expected. Ron's been absolutely amazing, I can't think of anything else to say about him. I've been enjoying the free waffles from him Anyways, I've been enjoying his progress so far, I can't wait until the next weekend

Internazionale Corse S.p.A. enters litigation against Virgin MRT
In a surprise move, Internazionale Corse - who ran a team in F1RWRS last season and failed to qualify for a single race - is suing both MRT & Virgin for breach of contract.

"Virgin and MRT were not authorised to become partners whilst the aforementioned organisation's contract with Internazionale Corse S.p.A was still valid. The team was not in F1RWRS but was still in existence. Therefore we are forced to pursue this case for damages totalling $60 Million in due sponsorship payments and compensation for breach of contract.

"We believe Virgin were duped by MRT, rather than any deliberate foul play on their part. Perhaps their inexperience led to these circumstances, but once this is resolved we will welcome back Virgin to the Inter fold."

Group Lotus PR wrote:Group Lotus to re enter F1RWRS in 2015
In a shock announcement today, CEO Dany Bahar has said today that Group Lotus will return to F1RWRS in 2015. They also have announced that they will hold an open test to determine who will drive for them in 2015. In a statement released today Dany Bahar also said that " We (Group Lotus) are preferably looking for a driver with previous F1RWRS experience but we will take any driver who proves himself fast in our tests, We have sufficient sponsorship to race so we don't need a paydriver but if one proves himself to be fast enough we will have no problems in using one. Overall, with the right driver combination (two drivers that are both fast and experienced enough to develop the car) I see no reason why we can't be on the podium from race one.

Autosport wrote:BMW, MRT, Virgin launch class counter-action against Internazionale Corse S.p.A.

Internazionale Corse S.p.A. earlier today announced they were launching a legal action against Melrose Racing Team and the Virgin group, the two organisations, as well as German car manufacturer BMW, have announced their intentions to launch a counter-action against Internazionale Corse S.p.A. over claims that Virgin breached their contract with the Italian organisation.

"These claims that we breached our contract are simply preposterous" said Richard Branson upon hearing the news. "We had heard nothing from the owners of the team for well over 6 months and that alone was valid reason enough to look for alternative options to the sinking ship that the team was looking destined to be. Daniel (Melrose) and his group of men proved to be that other option as, while they were in a similarly dire situation, they were trying to turn that around and I wanted my company to be part of an organisation that was as progressive as we at the Virgin Group are."

"I got notification on the 25th of April, 3 days before last year's United States Grand Prix that Qantas would not be renewing their deal with us beyond 2013" said Melrose to Autosport journalist Jonathon Noble. "A chance meeting with Richard Branson at the April 30th test at Laguna Seca set the ball rolling for this current deal as he told me that he was increasingly unhappy with the deal with Internazionale Corse S.p.A. and he told me about how he felt that he was throwing $50 million a year into what seemed to be a black hole. I told him about our situation with Qantas and for the next 2 months the Virgin Group and Melrose Racing Team were in negotiations over the potential of the Virgin Group becoming title sponsors of Melrose Racing Team.

We found over the course of those two months that Internazionale Corse S.p.A. had broken two clauses in the contract, one performance related, and the other related to Mr Branson having a say in how the team would be run or at least some influence or contact with senior management at the team which, at the time the contract was terminated on the 11th of November, the day after the season ending Brazilian Grand Prix, was almost a year without any word from management. As a result, MRT and Virgin signed the 5 year contract on the 26th of June, 3 days after the German Grand Prix and announced the deal to the world the day after. Therefore we feel that we have no case to answer concerning this issue."

Group Lotus wrote:Aerond, Please check your emails

dr-baker wrote:And this time, Group Lotus is NOT me - this is NOT a backdoor way of me getting a Foxdale A.R.T. B-team...

Internazionale Corse S.p.A launches second lawsuit against BMW/MRT/Virgin group

The legal wrangling over Inter Corse's financial situation has taken another unexpected turn, after the Italian squad put forward a second lawsuit for libelous comments by MRT principal Daniel Melrose.

"What has been said by Mr Melrose is complete nonsense, he has invented these so called 'clauses' in our contract with Virgin," said COO Gennaro Da Mosto. "There were no such clauses in existence. And, even if somehow he has found evidence to substantiate these false claims, members of his business would be open to criminal charges for breaking and entering - the contract information never left the VIC headquarters at any point. This information is not freely available to the public, the only way any information could be obtained about our financial accounts is by illegal methods."

"Therefore, we are confident of winning both our original lawsuit and the subsequent case of libel launched today. While MRT operates on a cloud in a land of fiction where they do whatever they feel like, we are simply fighting for the letter of the law to be enforced."

Prospec sign Schiller; Du Lei to get chance

Struggling F1RWRS team Pemberton Prospec Racing have announced the signing of Swiss driver Jean-Luc Schiller as their replacement for Dave Simpson, who left the team by mutual consent after the Brazilian Grand Prix. The Zurich-born 26-year-old brings funds to the team in the form of sponsorship from Credit Suisse, as well as his own personal wealth.

In announcing the signing of Schiller, team officials also revealed that Chinese youngster Du Lei, currently racing for Trueba in F2RWRS, had been considered for the drive, and that she would most likely be given an opportunity with Prospec towards the end of the 2014 season.

BREAKING: Alasdair Lindsay backs out of Inter Corse

Inter Corse founder and Team Principal Alasdair Lindsay has left the beleaguered outfit with immediate effect, amidst a legal storm with current F1RWRS team MRT.

"I am fed up with this crappy team and it's crappy staff," he moaned. "Where I'm from, we don't litigate like a bunch of f***ing pansies, we go and glass the c**t so we get what we want. But if I do that again my suspended sentence will get put into effect. I can't run a racing team from a jail cell."

"What will I do next? Well, luckily for me, the administration staff at VIC are a bunch of f***ing morons, so I own the entry to the 2015 F1RWRS instead of the organisation. So, expect to see a brand new team on the grid very soon. I will announce more details at a later date."

Internazionale Corse S.p.A lose two court cases and file for administration
The MRT/BMW/Virgin group lawsuit against Internazionale Corse has gone in the former's favour, after a paper trail of lies and deceit was uncovered in the Anglo-Italian team.

Just hours after team founder Alasdair Lindsay ended his involvement with the team, the jury found Internazionale Corse S.p.A. to have no legal entitlement to any money from Virgin Group or MRT, and in the process uncovered several unpaid tax bills and fraudulent transactions - including alleged dealings with the Camorra.

As a result Internazionale Corse have gone into administration, with Lindsay rumoured to be purchasing most of the team's assets to set-up his own brand new team.

kostas22 wrote:

Internazionale Corse S.p.A lose two court cases and file for administration
The MRT/BMW/Virgin group lawsuit against Internazionale Corse has gone in the former's favour, after a paper trail of lies and deceit was uncovered in the Anglo-Italian team.

Just hours after team founder Alasdair Lindsay ended his involvement with the team, the jury found Internazionale Corse S.p.A. to have no legal entitlement to any money from Virgin Group or MRT, and in the process uncovered several unpaid tax bills and fraudulent transactions - including alleged dealings with the Camorra.

As a result Internazionale Corse have gone into administration, with Lindsay rumoured to be purchasing most of the team's assets to set-up his own brand new team.

F1RWRS Commission speaks about Inter Corse vs MRT litigation

The F1RWRS Commission capo Daniel Prieto has spoken today about the recent litigation cases between Inter Corse and MRT: "We find everything completely nonsense. Those italians came last year, did nothing and we can understand why Mr. Branson left for better exposure of his brand, there´s nothing bad in it." About a possible comeback of former team founder Alasdair Lindsay the representative said: "He can come back if he wants to, but if he´s back, it´d better be serious this time, we can´t afford to have teams run like that again. Anyway, it´s a lot of money to run a F1RWRS team and we don´t understand why somebody would ignore the needs of a team like that after all the money invested".

XBOX365 wrote:F1RWRS Video Game Confirmed!

A teaser that recently ran on Australian TV stations have confirmed that the first official F1RWRS video game will be released on XBOX 360, PS3, PC and Nintendo DS in "October 2014". According to said teaser, the game will be sold with the tag line "Cult Of Personality" (a part of the song named the same played in the background), which possibly means that there will be a certain focus on the personalities which are widely credited with giving the F1RWRS its appeal to the crowd, especially the younger one. This clip showed a few things which we have decluded from each shot:

* The F2RWRS and F3RWRS will be included.
* There may be a career mode, an interview from first person was shown.
* In said career mode you can at least talk to certain drivers (it showed both Kay Lon and Daniel Melrose talking to "you" in the garage).
* The F1RWRS Indianapolis 500 will be in the game.
* Driver changes during the season are included (it showed Ben Fleet in the GRM)

Aerond wrote:Mexican GP Weather Report: (this ISN´T the post for the Round 4, which will be run next weekend, you can still make your changes and talk nonsense as usual, it´s just I´ve already decided the weather for this GP)

PreQ: Light Rain

Klon wrote:

XBOX365 wrote:F1RWRS Video Game Confirmed!

A teaser that recently ran on Australian TV stations have confirmed that the first official F1RWRS video game will be released on XBOX 360, PS3, PC and Nintendo DS in "October 2014". According to said teaser, the game will be sold with the tag line "Cult Of Personality" (a part of the song named the same played in the background), which possibly means that there will be a certain focus on the personalities which are widely credited with giving the F1RWRS its appeal to the crowd, especially the younger one. This clip showed a few things which we have decluded from each shot:

* The F2RWRS and F3RWRS will be included.
* There may be a career mode, an interview from first person was shown.
* In said career mode you can at least talk to certain drivers (it showed both Kay Lon and Daniel Melrose talking to "you" in the garage).
* The F1RWRS Indianapolis 500 will be in the game.
* Driver changes during the season are included (it showed Ben Fleet in the GRM)

DanielPT wrote:Let me guess... Kay Lon will make the cover?

Klon wrote:

DanielPT wrote:Let me guess... Kay Lon will make the cover?

No, I was thinking about a trio of Nathanael Spencer, Mark Dagnall and Barii Mori so that Kay Lon has something to be cheesed off about.

Barii Mori wrote:Woohoo, I am really pleased for Nicolas Steele, he fully deserves that podium, he worked hard for it and I believed that he did have the talent to go forward and I am really pleased that I signed him until the end of the 2015 season, all those doubters who said he was a talentless nodbody who got luck in his first race. I believe without his forced stop he could have been on the same lap as the leaders and maybe even challenged for 2nd. My race was steady and I beleive I could have got a point but a puncture scuppered my chances. Still onwards and upwards. The 4 points should be enough to get us out of the mid season prequalifying lottery.

Spokesman for Prince Falik wrote:His royal highness can not be with the media today as he is currently in Nigeria dealing with urgent royal matters but he has said "Well done to Martins for getting the first point of the season, but you should have done better, there was a Kamaha in front of you for nobiums sake, pull your finger out man drive the Arrowtech like it means something.". He also offers the press a glass of this fine champagne by his compliments. Oh no sir, I can assure you this is a fine champange, the fact the label has been removed is more to do with the fact that the Prince does not advertise products that he is not being paid for.

Autosport wrote:Nissan give Sunshine Infiniti a few races to sort problems out.

We hear from a source close to the team that the Nissan sporting side of the company have given Sunshine a few more races to sort out the problems they had, they were shocked at how off the pace the car was and have said they will not throw good money after bad for the rest of the season. This seasons car was a slight upgrade of the fast but fragile car from last season, which gave Shinobu Katayama a win and two podiums, the chassis had a number of upgrades to make it more reliable with the engine being the same with a slight power boost. The team management are said to be preparing for the worst and are opening talks with interested parties for the team. The team have instructed no one from the team (which includes KAY LON from talking to the press. More news as it breaks during the season.

Klon wrote:

DanielPT wrote:Let me guess... Kay Lon will make the cover?

No, I was thinking about a trio of Nathanael Spencer, Mark Dagnall and Barii Mori so that Kay Lon has something to be cheesed off about.

Radio 5 Live wrote:Natalie Pinkham: Is it true you have just done a photoshoot mere minutes after the race had finished?

Mori:Yes, I am pleased to announce that I just finished a photoshoot with the publishers of the new F1RWRS game. They took looks of me in the Kamaha car, I mean Kamaha is the oldest surviving team with one of the most races entered record so I am not surprised they asked me. I even donated my fee to charity as that is the kind of guy I am.

Natalie Pinkham: Did any other drivers get photographed with you?

Mori: Yes, Spencer, Dagnall and Me were arm in arm smiling for the cameras, just to show how great F1 Drivers are and how we are all good friends. Although that cheeky scamp Nicolas Steele turned up in the background.

Natalie Pinkham : But don't you have a feud with Kay Lon and Sammy Jones?

Mori: haha, that is just playful banter, yes really, haha. Is that the time, sorry must go and help pack up.

Sammy Jones wrote:I cannot believe that useless, talentless rookie Barii Mori was chosen to be on the front of this new computer game! In what way does he deserve this sort of accolade? What's he done in the sport that everyone else hasn't that makes him worthy of this? It's a bloody outrage...

Daniel Martins wrote:I am so happy for finally having a well put weekend! I always said that this car, if reliable could bring us points in the odd race and that happened. I am glad that after a miserable start to the season I was the one bring in some well deserved points. Nevertheless I wish and know that my team mate will also manage this and that both of us can bring some points more often. Oh, and I don't care about what Falik said. If he thinks it is so easy then why didn't he jumped at the wheel when ArrowTech was looking for a driver at the beginning of the season?

Shonan DMS Press Release wrote:Shonan - 2014 given up, 2015 is important

One of the new teams, namely Shonan DMS Racing are found in the prequalifying bottom lot. As team owner and driver Hagane Shizuka says, "it's completely my fault that this season is messed up. I'm not forcing Albertini to stay on board for the entire season, so if he wants to go, I will not say no." He also commented on the Sunshine Infiniti happenings, saying "That is actually sad. I was having at least two retirements from the first place when I was driving for them. If they will be in trouble, I'd help in any way as I feel it's partly my fault too." After this, he also mentioned the Foxdale team's current situation: "Oh, Foxdale. I have been talking to Douglas and he seemed determined after our potato waffles. I wouldn't like to see them to be in a situation like ours, I hope the best for them too."
"So what is our plans for this year? Basically nothing. As far as I know, we cannot get more than a 1000 credits. We will need to get this maximum to have a bigger chance to be competitive next season. If this means I will have to let Albertini go and give my seat to a paydriver, I will do so. If Shinobu or Douglas will not have a race seat next season, I'd gladly give them one each."

kostas22 wrote:Scuderia Alitalia would like to know from the F1RWRS Comission if Phil McCracken could be eligible for a Superlicense for next season.

Shizuka wrote:

Shonan DMS Press Release wrote:Shonan - 2014 given up, 2015 is important

"If Shinobu or Douglas will not have a race seat next season, I'd gladly give them one each."

Douglas Mann wrote:Thanks for the offer, Shizuka-san. Pippa, I know, has never formally announced her retirement from this series, Jack is currently driving for us, Ben Fleet's paydriver status might come in useful at some point for competitive reasons, so who knows if there's space in the family team for me (one of the few to have been entered for every F1RWRS race so far...)?

www.sportschau.de wrote:Tropico Wanting Albertini

Following the announcement by Hagane Shizuka saying that Shonan DMS Racing have joined Tropico Grand Prix powered by CR Motorsport in giving up on their current season and that he would allow Francois Albertini to leave the team, rumors grew that Tropico GP are interested in signing Albertini, since he brings copious amounts of sponsorship which the team is rumored to need badly to afford building a new and improved race car.

As with Mirko Glotch the question is whether Albertini would make the jump now or for the 2015 season. While cynics may note that switching from Shonan to Tropico is like switching from cancer to AIDS, Albertini has obviously interest in continuing his career in the F1RWRS and he failed to make an impression in the pre-qualifyings therefore forcing him to consider all options.

Phoenix McAllister wrote:I've been thinking thoroughly... My team's situation is really dire, my sponsors are beginning to be impatient... My team's a failure, I have to acknowledge. I'm the new Alain Prost, but sadly right now it's not because of my results or because of my smooth driving style, but because my own team is unsuccesful, just like his was... I can't do that for next season, but I can pull enough strings to start from scratch in 2016 with a mate I know if things don't improve. But this is a secret, I don't want it to be leaked to the press...

AndreaModa wrote:

Sammy Jones wrote:I cannot believe that useless, talentless rookie Barii Mori was chosen to be on the front of this new computer game! In what way does he deserve this sort of accolade? What's he done in the sport that everyone else hasn't that makes him worthy of this? It's a bloody outrage...

Barii Mori wrote:Well maybe it is because I am running the oldest team in the paddock as well as the one with the most enteries, and also I am a Japanese driver and Japanese drivers sell video games in Japan, I mean look at the great Aguri Suzuki and Satoru Nakajima. Plus Shinobu Katayama could not do it as her contract won't allow her to and Poor hagane Shizuka is stuck in prequalifying, so I was the obvious choice.

Dave Simpson wrote:So who's developing this game? I ask this as I've already arranged sponsorship with Codemasters for next season and in F2RWRS this season, and they have already confirmed to me that their not making it and in that case our team will not feature in the game.

Also, for those whinging about Mori being the star driver on the cover of this game, just remember that most sports games have a different cover athlete for each region - I remember the 2008 MotoGP game did this, for example Stoner was on the Australian cover, while James Toseland was on the UK cover.

MA-Racing: Pre-qualifying taking it's toll.

Mr.Alexander today spoke to journalists about the pre-qualifying stress, and spoke about Shonan DMS and Tropico. "Pre-qualifying is always a pain, as you can sometimes go months and months without a hope in hell of making the grid. That's why I'm not surprised to hear Shonan and Tropico are already planning for next year."
And what about his own teams chances? "We are planning three packages for the car throughout the year. The engine package has already been applied. We have a new aero package being designed back in Sevenoaks now. That should be tested and applied to the cars by mid-season. Then towards the end of the year another engine upgrade should be available. We won't give up on the year yet, we have four drivers who are full of conidence, and this reflects on the teams gradual improvements since the first test."

Daniel Melrose wrote:I've just had a talk with the developer of the game, who turned out to be a Mr G. Crammond, about the issue with Codemasters and he said he'll find a way to include the Simpson Motorsport team in the game, possibly with the old carbon and fluro livery however rather than the Gulf colours. He also said that there will be different covers for each region to stop the squabbling between the drivers over the issue. Finally, he said that he'll make regular appearances to the paddock for race weekends and visit the team factories often to help fine-tune the game.

Wizzie wrote:

Daniel Melrose wrote:I've just had a talk with the developer of the game, who turned out to be a Mr G. Crammond, about the issue with Codemasters and he said he'll find a way to include the Simpson Motorsport team in the game, possibly with the old carbon and fluro livery however rather than the Gulf colours. He also said that there will be different covers for each region to stop the squabbling between the drivers over the issue. Finally, he said that he'll make regular appearances to the paddock for race weekends and visit the team factories often to help fine-tune the game.

tristan1117 wrote:Jesus Plaza on the American edition? Please?

Wizzie wrote:

tristan1117 wrote:Jesus Plaza on the American edition? Please?

I believe Steele's on the North American edition and Plaza's on the South American.