Williams ditch Barcelona tests after Nakajima crash


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Posted Feb 4th 2008 10:21AM by Noah Joseph
Williams F1 had to cut things short yesterday in Barcelona, where Formula One teams were undergoing developmental testing in advance of the upcoming F1 season. While testing the promising new FW30 on Friday, Williams driver Kazuki Nakajima went off course and hit a barrier at full speed, destroying the front of the car. The gravel run-off area had been paved over. Fortunately, in a testament to the safety structures of a modern grand prix car, Nakajima was able to get out of the car and walked away unscathed.

The problem was attributed to aerodynamic issues with that odd-looking front wing. The team flew in replacement parts from its headquarters in the UK on team principal Frank Williams' own private jet in an attempt to rectify the problem and get back on schedule, but after several laps, both Nakajima and his team-mate Nico Rosberg reported unstable front-end handling, so the team packed it up. You can bet Williams will be working hard at getting the front wing issue rectified so that they can continue motoring ahead towards the start of the season in Australia in 41 days and counting.

[Source: Autosport, Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty]

FIA warns of sanctions over racial abuse


Barcelona circuit security guard escorts Lewis Hamilton during testing

By Jonathan Noble Sunday, February 3rd 2008, 19:01 GMT
The FIA will not tolerate a repeat of the racial abuse directed at Lewis Hamilton by Spanish fans at Barcelona this weekend, after it warned of 'sanctions' being taken if the matter is not dealt with.

Hamilton and his McLaren team found themselves on the receiving end of jeers and insults throughout the test at the Circuit de Catalunya as Spanish fans vented their feelings against them in public.

Reports in the Spanish papers suggested that some of the insults against Hamilton even had a racial element - with Marca claiming that shouts of "puto negro" (fucking black) and "negro de mierda" (black shit) were clearly heard, and that large sections of the crowd were involved.

Spanish fans believe that Fernando Alonso was treated unfairly by McLaren last year when he raced alongside Hamilton.

Circuit de Catalunya officials tried their best to respond to the situation, by putting fences up around the McLaren area in the paddock and removing abusive banners from the grandstands. Extra security guards were also put in place in the grandstands to deal with the fans.

But the FIA has made it clear that it is still unhappy with the events of the weekend, and warned that action will be taken if there is a repeat of the racial abuse in the future.

An FIA spokesman told autosport.com: "The FIA is surprised and disappointed at the abuse directed at Lewis Hamilton.

"Abuse of this kind is a clear breach of the principles enshrined in the FIA statutes and any repetition will result in serious sanctions."

The FIA's intolerance of racism is enshrined in its Statutes, with Article 1 stating: "The FIA shall refrain from manifesting racial, political or religious discrimination in the course of its activities and from taking any action in this respect."

Although there has been no official clarification of what sort of sanctions could be taken by the FIA, autosport.com understands that it may extend as far as stripping the Circuit de Catalunya of its Grand Prix.

It will now be up to Barcelona track officials to ensure that a response is taken to guarantee no repeat of the events at either tests or the Spanish Grand Prix in April.

The Circuit de Catalunya currently has a deal to host the Spanish Grand Prix until 2016, having extended its contract with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone last year.

Moreover, repeats of such abuse at other Spanish test tracks - including Valencia and Jerez, where the Formula One teams test repeatedly prior to the season's start - could even lead to sanctions against the Spanish motorsport authorities overall.

Speaking about the situation on Saturday, a McLaren spokesman pointed out the team's respect for Spain.

"McLaren has raced and tested on Spanish circuits for many years and everyone connected with the team regards Spain and the Spanish people with great affection, Lewis included," the spokesman said.

SamoK je napisal/-a:lani sta mela ferrari pa mclaren* taksna sprednja krilca, letos jih majo ze vsi.. šiptari!

Z_oka_lo!! je napisal/-a:Mclarnu sao vrjetno se še takrat ti rodil nisi malo idi pogledat zgodovino f1 lp

daks je napisal/-a:no mene tut zanima kdaj je ferrari mclarnu kradu?