F1 - Susie Keeps Wolff from Door

Susie Wolff - Getty Images

Former Williams test driver Susie Wolff has defended Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone after his controversial comments about female drivers.

Ecclestone said they would "not be taken seriously" and are "not physically" able to drive a car fast.

Wolff set up Dare to be Different, an initiative which aims to increase the number of women in motorsport.

"After hearing Bernie's comments in context and speaking to him it's clear we both have the goal," she tweeted.

"Last week he agreed to come onboard with @D2BDofficial and support the next generation of girls aiming for the top, on and off the track.

"Through my years in motorsport he was supportive of my mission to make it onto the starting grid. For me, actions always speak louder than words. @D2BDofficial is about driving female talent and Bernie is with us."

In so-far unreported comments in the interview, after being challenged by interviewer Sir Martin Sorrell on his remarks, Ecclestone went on to say that he would "love" to see a woman driver in F1 and that he would even be prepared to financially contribute to making it happen.

Meanwhile, USA's Leilani Munter, who races stock cars in the ARCA Racing Series, described Ecclestone as "an embarrassment" and "just a sad, pathetic, sexist old man with pre-historic views of women".

Wolff, 33, started working with Williams in 2012, after racing for seven years in the German Touring Car Championship, before retiring last year.

She spent three years involved in test and development work and drove in four practice sessions over the 2014 and 2015 seasons - becoming the first woman to take part in a grand prix weekend for more than 20 years.

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Ecclestone Talks F1, V8's, Jagger and Drivers

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Bernie Ecclestone says Formula 1 is "cheating" its fans because the quality of the show is poor.

The 85-year-old F1 supremo likened the sport to a rock concert at which the band turned up but could not perform.

"We are not putting on a very good show," he said, in the build-up to Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix.

"Imagine if people turned up to watch the Rolling Stones and Mick (Jagger) couldn't sing and the others couldn't play their instruments."

In a wide-ranging interview with BBC Radio 5 live, Ecclestone also questioned the motives of the drivers in writing their open letter criticising the governance of F1

He refused to criticise the controversial new qualifying system that is still in place for Bahrain, despite the teams agreeing to drop it

Ecclestone also said the new turbo hybrid engines introduced in 2014 were a "disaster".

Last week, the drivers wrote an open letter saying the decision-making process in F1 is "obsolete and ill-structured".

Responding the following day, Ecclestone said he agreed with the drivers. But he told BBC Sport he thought the drivers were saying "probably what their teams had told them to say".

Alex Wurz, the chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, was not immediately available to respond to Ecclestone's claims. Ecclestone added the governance of F1 was "nothing to do with me".

On the issue of qualifying, Ecclestone blamed governing body the FIA for the new format, which was supposed to spice up race weekends.

It did the opposite at the season-opening race in Australia, prompting teams to call for a return to the 2015 system.

However, the move was blocked by FIA president Jean Todt.

Asked if the new qualifying system worked, Ecclestone said: "Depends how you looked at it. The whole idea is we were hoping one or two of the hot shoes would be in trouble in Q1 and Q2. It didn't happen."

He added the idea "wasn't mine at all" but the FIA's. However, he rejected calls for a return to the 2015 format because he felt that did not work well either.

There will be a meeting of team bosses on Sunday before the race in Bahrain to discuss the qualifying system again.

Ecclestone has said he would like to switch to a different system that either decides the grid by ballot or shuffles the order by adding "time ballast" to drivers' times based on either the result of the previous race or the championship order.

He also discussed the new fuel-efficient turbo hybrid engines, arguing he would prefer a return to the naturally aspirated V8s in use until 2013.

"I said this engine would be a disaster and was criticised for that," he said, claiming the lack of noise meant F1 had lost some of its appeal.

He also claimed only one engine manufacturer - Mercedes - managed to adapt well to the new engines, which meant competition had suffered.

Mercedes have dominated F1 since the new engine came in, winning both the drivers' and constructors championships for the past two years.

"Mercedes have done an incredible job with that power unit," he said. "It is unbelievable. but it is not F1."

Asked what F1 should be like, he said: "Like it used to be. I didn't find anything wrong with the V8s and neither did anyone else."

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F1 New Qualifyng System Delayed

The introduction of Formula One’s new qualifying system will be delayed until the fifth race of the season because of technical issues, the sport’s commercial supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, said on Saturday.

The season starts in Australia on 20 March but the new qualifying format, announced by the governing FIA last week, will require changes to the software controlling the timing system.

“My guys who do the timing said ‘Mr E, we don’t want to be put in the position because we don’t think we can get it done properly in time’,” Ecclestone told the BBC.

He said the new format would probably be introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix in May. The season is due to feature a record 21 races.

Ecclestone’s Formula One Management handles the timing software, along with screen graphics and data, and he said the changes involved in the new elimination format were not straightforward.

“If you’re going to try and explain it to the public properly, it’s not just a case of ‘OK, the guy was the last one, bye-bye’,” he said.

“We’ll have to deal with it. I’ve told the FIA this and asked them what they’d like to do with it but the bottom line is there’s not a lot they can do with it because we do all the timekeeping.“

Under the new procedure, the slowest drivers will be eliminated as the three sessions progress rather than at the end of each phase.

After seven minutes of the first session has elapsed, the slowest driver will be eliminated, with others following at 90-second intervals.

Fifteen of the 22 will go through to the next phase, with the slowest eliminated after six minutes. The same 90-second sequence ensues until eight drivers are left.

In the final session one driver will be eliminated after five minutes and then one every 90 seconds until two are left fighting for pole position with one-and-a-half minutes remaining.

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Don't Cry Wolff Bernie - F1

Bernie Ecclestone has claimed a female driver “would not be taken seriously” in the sport. The Formula One chief executive, who last year called for a women’s series to run in tandem with the main grand prix schedule, also suggested the sport may never see a female racer again.

It is now almost 40 years since the Italian driver Lella Lombardi became the last woman to start a Formula One race at the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix.

In an interview on the Canadian network TSN, when asked if he anticipated the return of a female driver to the grid, Ecclestone said: “I doubt it. If there was somebody that was capable they wouldn’t be taken seriously anyway, so they would never have a car that is capable of competing. There was a girl that was driving in GP3 for a whole season so it is not something that hasn’t happened.”

The reporter then asked: “But it is not going to happen in the main event?” Ecclestone replied: “No. I don’t think so.”

The British driver Susie Wolff became the first woman to compete at a Formula One race weekend in more than two decades when she took part in practice for Williams at the 2014 British Grand Prix. But the 33-year-old, who is married to Mercedes’ director, Toto Wolff, retired from motor racing last year after claiming her dream of reaching the starting grid was “unachievable”.

On Thursday, the Scot launched the Dare to be Different initiative – a scheme that is aimed at increasing the number of women involved in motor sport.

Alice Powell, the 22-year-old Briton who became the first female winner of the Formula Renault series in 2010 and has subsequently competed in GP3, is an ambassador for the initiative. She said: “Someone needs to prove Bernie wrong. It would be a shame if a team would turn down a female to race in F1 because they would not be taken seriously.

“That is one of the issues though, that people don’t take the chance as they think it will be a joke. We’re not a joke and it is just another factor which makes it harder for females to race at the highest level.”

The Spanish driver Carmen Jordá was employed as a development driver for Lotus last year but is yet to compete for the team.

The highly-rated Simona de Silvestro tested for Sauber in 2014 before running out of funds. She now competes in the FIA-approved electric series Formula E.

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Jenson has Finger on Button

Jenson Button believes the Formula One calendar should not go beyond the record-breaking 21 races scheduled for 2016.

The addition of the European Grand Prix in Azerbaijan and the return of the German Grand Prix – absent this year due to financial reasons – means Button and his fellow drivers are set to compete in 21 races for the first time in the sport’s history. Australia will play host to the first race in Melbourne on 20 March before the season ends in Abu Dhabi on 27 November. There will be six pairs of back-to-back races.

“For me it is fine because I love racing and I wish there was another race next weekend,” said Button, who will take his grand prix career into a 17th season in 2016. “I fly in on a Thursday to the European races and leave on a Sunday night, whereas the mechanics work such long hours and they spend so much time away from home that 21 races is going to be tough.

“I think it is difficult for any mechanic or engineer to have a relationship right now, for those guys it is not going to be easy. I just hope that it doesn’t grow in terms of races for 2017 because I think it will be too much.”

During his debut Formula One campaign in 2000, Button competed in 17 races – only six of which were staged outside Europe. But 11 of next year’s 21 grands prix – not including the races in Azerbaijan and Russia – will take place away from the sport’s traditional homeland.

“The first race next year starts later so it means there are a lot of back-to-backs and that is two weeks away from home for a lot of guys,” Button said. “I think you will probably have people hanging around less in terms of their role on the race team. You are going to get new people coming in after one year, which is a shame because it is nice having that atmosphere with people that you know and that you have worked with for years.”

One of next year’s scheduled races – the United States Grand Prix – is in serious doubt after the state of Texas announced it is to reduce its funding of the event by 20%. The Austin meeting, popular on the calendar since its debut in 2012, played host to Lewis Hamilton’s title triumph in October.

“It was the best race in 2015 and that is the one that might not be around next year,” Button added. “It will be a real shame if it is not around. It is a fun circuit, a fun city and it is nice to be racing in the States.”

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F! Faces Possible EU Probe

Formula One faces a possible investigation by the European Union after both Force India and Sauber lodged official complaints into how the sport is governed.

The two teams are unhappy with how prize money is distributed and believe it to be skewed in favour of the sport’s most-established teams. Both are also reportedly unhappy not to be included in the rule-making F1 strategy group which consists of Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Williams, as well as Bernie Ecclestone, chief executive of the Formula One Group, and the FIA president Jean Todt.

A team statement released by Force India on Tuesday morning read: “SaharaForce India is one of two teams to have registered a complaint with the European Union questioning the governance of Formula One and showing that the system of dividing revenues and determining how Formula One’s rules are set is both unfair and unlawful.

“Due to the ongoing legal discussions, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”

Force India are fifth in the constructors’ standings with 77 points while Sauberare eighth with 26 points. Both have out-scored McLaren this season.

If the European Union take on the case it could change how the sport is governed and the distribution of prize money.

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London Street Race on Button

Jenson Button believes Formula One's "dream" of a grand prix around the streets of London could yet become reality. Twenty months ago plans for a race through the streets of the capital were aired by British Grand Prix sponsors Santander.

Using CGI technology, a 14-corner, 5.1km circuit was unveiled, incorporating notable landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and Trafalgar Square.

Many believed it to be a publicity stunt, although F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone threw his weight firmly behind the idea, adamant it was "no joke".

The 83-year-old even suggested putting the money up, with estimates then it would likely cost in the region of £35m. Such an event would, however, pose enormous problems, although one of those could yet be removed at some point in the near future.

The government on Thursday announced a consultation on closed-roadmotor sport events on mainland Britain which is due to run for six weeks through to 10 April.

While the primary objective is to pave the way for events such as stage rallies, sprints and hill climbs to take place on a limited number of British roads, it may also prise the door open to F1 taking to the capital.

There would still be considerable logistical and environmental issues to contend with, and understandable objection from many campaigners. But Button, who along with former McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton helped front the campaign in June 2012, is hoping something will eventually come to fruition.

"When I first saw the plans for a London Grand Prix I knew they were ambitious, but fantastic," said Button. "The thought of a race through the capital's streets was only a dream when they initiated the project, but this week's changes to the law bring the idea a step closer to reality.

"When you really picture what it would look like it's truly mind blowing. You could create such a unique grand prix through the streets of London – the roads are naturally very wide and long, so straightline speeds would be high, and you could create a real blend of corners.

"When you combine all of that with the world-famous monuments that would feature in the backdrop you can see why it would be an awesome addition to the calendar."

The new FIA-sanctioned series Formula E, with cars run via electric power, is due to take to the streets of Wembley and Stratford in June 2015 as the conclusion to the 10-race championship that commences in Beijing.

The Motor Sports Association (MSA) has campaigned long and hard for Britain to follow the lead taken by many overseas countries who have staged closed-road events for years.

The MSA acting chief executive Rob Jones said: "This is the news British motor sport has been waiting for. It represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the landscape of our sport, allowing local communities across the country to host motor sport events and enjoy all the excitement and economic benefit they bring.

"However, to make that vision a reality we need everybody involved in our sport, from competitors and volunteers to clubs and organisers, to respond positively to the government consultation before the 10 April deadline.

"The government's enthusiasm for closed-road motor sport, and its launch of a public consultation, is the culmination of years of hard work behind the scenes.

"We now have to demonstrate the support that exists for closed-road motor sport around the country."

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