Breaking News: Tuesday 12th March 2013

This page will be updated throughout the day as news stories ae breaking. Follow @thejudge13 for the tweets that announce  a new story has been posted.

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Changes to Albert Park

There has been little in the way of modifications since 2012 – no Massa kerb etc. However, the kerbs on the exit of turns 14 and 16 had sunk due to subsidence prior to last year’s race; they have been repaired and will appear comparatively taller to the drivers this weekend.

Shade cloth was introduced last year to reduce glare and will be installed again behind the debris fence in the section of track between turns two and three.

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Breaking News: Monday 11th March 2013

This page will be updated throughout the day as news stories break. Follow @thejudge13 on twitter as each new story will be tweeted when posted.

Wolff appeals to shareholders

TJ13 reported recently that Daimler Benz has received heavy criticism from a number of its institutional investors for running a team in Formula 1. They object to racing in certain countries where human rights are not respected and further at the cost they see as diminishing shareholder value.

Toto Wolff speaks out in defence of the Stuttgart board. Whilst recognising that the views of shareholders should be considered he argues from a cost/value benefit the global car manufacturer will eventually benefit.

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Daily #F1 News and Comment: Saturday 9th March 2013

This page will be updated throughout the day as news is released. Click on the ‘breaking news’ tab above for the latest updated version. If you follow @thejudge13 on twitter you will see when I tweet a new headline and know the post has been updated.

A busy time in Paris

not only did we get the official calendar for 2013 from  the FIA Council yesterday, but they offered up a draft calendar for the new 2014 FIA Formula E Championship – to be run in city centres across the world.

10 races are targeted with 10 teams and 2 drivers with 2 cars each. There will be 2 compulsory pit stops per driver, with him jumping out of one car and into the next. One of the cars must be charged during the 45 minute race.

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Breaking News: Friday March 8th 2013

Will we see Marussia in Melbourne

untitledA cheeky headline I know, because the team are going to Melbourne but it appears they have amusingly got Mr. E by the short and curlys. Ecclestone claimed recently that bi-lateral deals were done under the Concorde banner with all the teams including Marussia

Mr. E’s platoon of highly paid lawyers seems to have missed something. Marussia are saying they have no deal in place with Bernie et al because it does not include provisions for the broadcasting of the team/drivers/sponsors image rights.

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Breaking News: Thursday 7th March 2013

This page will be updated throughout the day as news is released. Click on the tab above for the latest updated version. If you follow @thejudge13 on twitter you will see when I tweet a new headline and know the post has been updated.

Quick Question: Did anyone notice the make of Lewis Hamilton’s motor home in the paddock in Barcelona?

Renault lobbying FIA

In my article “Evidence mounts that the Renault engine mapping fiasco is hurting Red Bull and Lotus” James Alison attempts to persuade us that the engine mapping set back suffered by Renault is of no importance to them. “We were experimenting in testing, on the last day of the last test [Barca 1], with an engine map and we explained to the FIA what we were doing. But having run it on the track we found it did not work very well anyway. We learned from the FIA that they were not so happy with what we proposed, so we are not doing it.”

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Breaking News: Wednesday 6th march 2013

This page will be updated throughout the day. Click on the tab above for the latest updated version. If you follow @thejudge13 on twitter you will see when I tweet a new headline and know the post has been updated.

Maldonado’s Sponsor dies

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has lost his two-year battle with cancer, it was announced today. Chavez spent the bulk of his final months in Cuba, undergoing medical treatment and returned to Venezuela only last week.

untitledNews of Chavez’ death was confirmed by Venezuelan vice president – and chosen successor – Nicolas Maduro. In his remarks, Maduro alleged that Chavez’ cancer had been the result of a plot by the controversial South American leader’s enemies.

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Breaking News: Tuesday 5th March 2013

This is a new section and due to our present site software will only send out a ‘posted notification’ on the first post of the day. However, it will be updated throughout the day as stories break.

FIA swoop on F1 drivers with surprise drugs tests 17:21 GMT

untitledTiming huh. I was chatting to a couple of well known twitter characters last night, following the Usher advertising a post I wrote in November about drug testing being a joke in F1. Today the FIA have demonstrated how speedily they can respond to a judgement. McLaren’s Sergio Perez received a very “early morning” visit and was requested to give a urine test before he had a day out in Geneva with big Ron.

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