Finding out via the media that your co-owner has put his slice of the team up for sale is not common business practice, so Gerhard Berger must have been surprised to learn of Dietrich Mateschitz's decision to seek a 'suitable buyer' for his half of Toro Rosso.
With customer cars ruled out from 2010, for Mateschitz, focusing exclusively on Red Bull Racing makes perfect sense. But what now for Toro Rosso - and for Berger?
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2008-03-21 05:12:00
Source: formula1-interviews
Fighting for fourth place at last weekend's Australian Grand Prix seemed to be as big a challenge for Renault's Fernando Alonso as his numerous wins of the past. And strangely, Alonso seemed to enjoy every second of that fraught Melbourne struggle, even though the rewards were much smaller.
The question now is how long will the double world champion find pleasure in the nitty-gritty of gathering the occasional point, before frustration gets the better of him
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2008-03-21 03:15:00
Source: formula1-interviews
The first time is always special, especially your first Grand Prix as a team owner. For Force India's maiden race, Dr Vijay Mallya's only wish was to avoid the back row of the grid. With that mission accomplished, the Australian weekend was a winner before the race had even begun.
And while that race could have gone better, there were plenty of more experienced teams also left with double DNFs, and Mallya came away feeling quietly confident about the team's future
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2008-03-19 12:57:00
Source: formula1-interviews
As debuts go, Nelson Piquet's was one to forget. Renault's new recruit qualified a lowly 21st - nine places behind his team mate - and then retired barely halfway through the race with accident damage.
However, there is more to a Formula One weekend than bare statistics. We caught up with the young Brazilian to get some more background information on his time in Melbourne
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2008-03-19 11:57:00
Source: formula1-interviews
With both their cars making it into the final qualifying shoot-out in Melbourne on Saturday, it looked as if the Toyota team had finally made a step towards realising their long-held ambitions.
But come Sunday evening, the Japanese team left Albert Park with no world championship points and a technical issue to resolve. For driver Jarno Trulli, who had run as high as fifth during the Australian Grand Prix, the result was especially disappointing...
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2008-03-18 15:09:00
Source: formula1-interviews
While Renault may not have shone during qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix, the French team left Melbourne relatively happy with their haul of five world championship points, courtesy of Fernando Alonso, who finished in fourth. Executive Director of Engineering Pat Symonds, however, believes there is a great deal more work left to do. Here Symonds reflects on the race at Albert Park and looks ahead to this weekend's Malaysian event...
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2008-03-18 12:44:00
Source: formula1-interviews
Honda came painfully close to points in Australia, the team's first race under Ross Brawn's leadership. Although Jenson Button crashed out on lap one, Rubens Barrichello finished sixth, only to then be excluded for running a red light.
A DNF and a disqualification may not have been the result Brawn was hoping for, but he is positive that the very fact they were in contention for points - a rarity last season - means things are heading in the right direction...
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2008-03-17 12:11:00
Source: formula1-interviews
