The Weekly Grapevine: Annual Inventory

The Hits

What a year this has turned out to be for the Weekly Grapevine. No sooner had clocks turned their backs on 2004 than the first major surprise hit Formula One: Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo sold out the Italian team's medium-term future (until 2012) in Formula One for a few bags of immediate gold, worth an estimated $100m, from Bernie Ecclestone.

In the process Ferrari alienated themselves more than was ever thought possible, but that in itself was no surprise, for Ferrari had long been the only team marching in step when it came to operational activities.

What did, though, shock most observers was the abrupt manner in which the Rampant Stallion turned its rump upon political allies, then widely denounced them. Maybe it was not at all surprising, though, for this column had seven months before predicted the precarious financial situation Ferrari was to find themselves in, going as far as suggesting that a departure from Formula One could be on the cards. To their credit, Ferrari chose the lesser of the two evils...

January also brought speculation about the introduction of 2400cc V8 engines, and the technical challenges facing engineers in converting prevailing 3.0 litre V10s to meet the 2006 regulations. It was not simply a matter of chopping two 300cc cylinders off a current engine (as suggested by the sport's controlling body, the FIA), said Toyota's engine director Luca Marmorini, for new generation power units thus converted would be chronically unbalanced.

Much later (in September, in fact), the Weekly Grapevine returned to the question of rev-limited 'equivalence' for V10s, suggesting that a Cosworth fitted to a Minardi (now named Scuderia Toro Rosso) could win a race in 2006, particularly as rev limits would be arbitrarily set, and Toro Rosso appeared to be on the 'correct' side of the political divide.

In early February the question of tobacco livery was analyzed. Ferrari was set, we wrote, upon continuing with nicotine money regardless of European Union laws and guidelines, and so it turned out to be, come Monza in September, when a new long-term deal with Philip Morris was announced.

The following week we brought news of one aspect of FIA President Max Mosley's meeting with the British media, during which he felt teams would not exploit loopholes regarding engine replacements. "If somebody did it habitually we would know. The advantage you get isn't that big," he said in response to suggestions that cars running out of the points would be 'retired' on the last lap in order to qualify for fresh engines at the next event. In Australia, BAR-Honda certainly believed the advantage 'big' enough to do just that. The loophole was plugged after a complaint from Toyota, which was interpreted as a sign of the Japanese team's increasing muscle...

In the run-up to Melbourne's Grand Prix, the Weekly Grapevine speculated that Sauber would be forsaking Ferrari engines in favour of BMW's best, and wrong the speculation was certainly not, as BMW's purchase of the Swiss team, announced in June, proved! Ferrari, we suggested, could end up filling the capacity and financial voids by supplying Midland, and, although the team is sticking to Toyota power for the coming season, in May Midland boss Colin Kolles admitted that serious consideration had been given to using Maranello's engines.

That, of course, led to a questioning of the BMW/Williams contract, and we quoted a paddock source, which said: "It really depends how disillusioned BMW are with Williams. If they are really anti, there is no reason why they can't break the contract and pay Williams appropriate compensation. It has happened before (Williams and Honda in 1987, for example), and will happen again in Formula One in the future."

A month later, after Red Bull announced their Ferrari engine deal, we forecast that Williams would be running Cosworths in 2006 after being dumped by BMW, and that arrangement was, of course, announced in August...

Immediately before the Malaysian Grand Prix this column expressed doubts over Ecclestone's claims that two teams had already signed up to join Ferrari in the 'new' (still undefined) Concorde Agreement - and so it turned out: Red Bull signed up two months later and Midland in July, with Williams committing last month. There are still only four team signatories...

Jacques Villenueve's unease with Sauber (or the reverse, or both) received plenty of coverage. Yes, we wrote, there was mutual dissatisfaction; no, we decided, Sauber, which hardly had a car befitting an ex-World Champion, would not be dumping the Canadian - and so it was. In fact, JV has been confirmed for another year, although, it is now rumoured, Alex Wurz will be departing McLaren for BMW-Sauber (as third driver and ready replacement for Villeneuve)...

In the aftermath of BAR-Honda's (defeated) disqualification appeal we campaigned, along with many others, for a change to the structure of the International Court of Appeal. Hence, a sense of relief was certainly felt when substantial changes to the ICA's structure were recently announced.

'Indygate' brought speculation of another type - about Michael Schumacher's continued presidency of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association. Having put to the German some direct questions about the situation and received only vagueness in reply, the Weekly Grapevine suggested that his peers propose a vote of no-confidence in his leadership. At the next Grand Prix, in France, Jarno Trulli and David Coulthard are said to have done just that...

At the same time we hazarded that a non-championship Indianapolis Grand Prix, proposed by certain team bosses as a means of compensating fans, would not happen, and so it was.

After Turkey's inaugural grand prix, during which Schumacher crashed with Mark Webber after allegedly not seeing the Australian behind him, the siting of the Ferrari driver's mirrors, which the seven-time champion focused upon his rear tyres to monitor wear, was highlighted. Was not a regulation to prevent such practice required, this column asked? Five events later, Schumacher took out Christijan Albers after failing to see him, and still the regulations remain the same for 2006.

When news broke of Aguri Suzuki's desire to field a team in 2006, his situations, seen from political, sporting and technical perspectives, were analyzed over two issues. He could, as eleventh team, hold decisive (and divisive) political power, but only if he got his $48m bond together and made the Bahraini grid via wholly-owned intellectual property.

As is known, Super Aguri failed to get their deposit to the FIA in time, relying instead on the goodwill of ten teams, and the persuasive powers of Mosley and Ecclestone - who no doubt squeezed Aguri politically - to have his entry accepted. Which way Super Aguri jumps will be come clear in the very near future...

The Misses

If the foregoing implies that every edition of the Weekly Grapevine was totally on the money - not so! As in any speculative endeavour, things can (and did) go horribly wrong.

For example, in the wake of the Boxing Day tsunami the running of Malaysia's Grand Prix was said to be in danger, whilst Spa was also said to be in jeopardy. Of course, the latter is now on the 'threatened' list again, while the Asian country's race is under re-negotiation, but in 2005 both ran as planned, even if not as profitably as was hoped.

Also on its way out, according to a late March edition of the Weekly Grapevine, was the concept of third drivers, while amendments to qualifying's format, first mooted in April, failed to materialize as predicted. But a change was eventually introduced...

For Monaco a floating hospitality facility, to be used by BAR after the team was banned for three races and thus had no guaranteed entry to the Principality's paddock, was detailed. Common sense prevailed and BAR was allocated space in the cramped area, but only after Red Bull floated their elaborate palace.

Also off the mark (well, half off the mark), were predictions that no car would run tobacco advertising in Hungary. As it turned out, at varying times during the weekend, teams ran different liveries, and in the end Ferrari and Renault promoted the weed, Jordan did so half-heartedly, and BAR chose the soft option. McLaren, though, dumped West, as predicted after Friday's runnings.

Talking of Jordan, in June we questioned whether the team would be around at season's end. Sure, sufficiently strong rumours of cash-flow problems and unpaid debts circulated to permit such questioning, but history has proven this column wrong, undoubtedly much to the delight of fans of the yellow outfit.

Our suggestion that cash-rich Red Bull would purchase debt-laden Ferrari was equally wrong - although, as it turned out, the drinks company did purchase a second team, and an Italian one based within 30 kilometres of Modena at that...

During the summer break it was ventured that Flavio Briatore-managed Mark Webber would depart Williams for Renault, with Giancarlo Fisichella heading the other way. Dead wrong, as it turned out.

2006 calendar predictions, too, were wrong. Rumours that Japan would host two Grands Prix have remained unfounded, whilst beliefs that Malaysia would host the opening round were equally incorrect. Also incorrect, as proven by Ferrari's test schedule since China closed the season, were suggestions that Ferrari would accept a cut in private testing. If anything, the team has intensified these efforts, running outside of Europe (Bahrain) for the first time in twenty-odd years.

In late October, the Weekly Grapevine had Suzuki purchasing the rights to BAR's 005 chassis - engineered by the team before being placed into technical liquidation as a means of squeezing founder team principal Craig Pollock off the shareholder list, and as such not the intellectual property of the company presently trading as Honda Racing F1 Team.

Such a move would be, we wrote, within the FIA rules requiring an entrant into the championship to own the intellectual rights to the chassis design. Indications are that the Japanese former Grand Prix driver has elected to run an even older Arrows chassis. Why, is not known, but, certainly, this column has been proven wrong.

the Weekly Grapevine's biggest faux pas of 2005, though, was believing a release crafted by Ecclestone's favourite PR agency, which stated that shares in SLEC were categorically not for sale.

As time has proven, that was not quite correct...