Rewind to 2002. Prost Grand Prix (formerly Ligier) have fallen off the grid, as has Jos Verstappen, who cannot find a drive for the season. Something must be done!
Autosport wrote:Phoenix Finance provides backing to Bleek F1 Team Staff Reporter
The Phoenix Finance consortium, which bought the remains of Prost Grand Prix as the team was liquidated last season, has backed the late entry of an all-new Formula One team based in Randstad, Netherlands.
Bleek Formula One Team, a hitherto unknown organisation claims to have received unanimous backing from the other eleven 2002 teams, including fellow rookie team Toyota, to join the grid just hours before the FIA publishes its final entry list for the season. With former Formula One driver Michael Bleekemolen as team principal, the team claims to have signed the all-Dutch line-up of Christijan Albers and Jos Verstappen to race in Melbourne on March 3rd. Bleekemolen's 20-year-old son Jeroen will serve the team as a test driver for this season when required.
In Detail... Jos Verstappen is a respected Grand Prix veteran, with 91 entries to his name for Benetton, Simtek, Footwork, Tyrrell, Stewart and Arrows; the Australian GP will take place just a day before his 31st birthday, but it has been some time now since he burst onto the scene as a 23-year-old podium finisher for Benetton.
Christijan Albers has some experience of driving Formula One cars, as he performed testing duties for Minardi last year. At only 22 years of age, and already a German F3 champion, his future in motorsport appears to be bright.
Jeroen Bleekemolen has limited racing pedigree, but will be coupling testing duties with a campaign in British Formula 3. Although he clearly has this job because it's easier for his dad, he did win Dutch Talent of the Year as a 17-year-old in '98.
Asiatec, who are expected to supply engines for Bleek F1, were the engine suppliers for Verstappen's Arrows team last year. Arrows finished tenth, only above Minardi. This year, Minardi will be using Asiatec engines, but Arrows will not.
Clearly, this is a team that will be scrabbling around at the rear of the field to start with, but hopefully it can do better than its Team Principal did on the track (1 retirement, 3 DNQs and 1 DNPQ from five entries).
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Revision: After this article was published, it was confirmed that Bleek would compete as Bleek Phoenix-Asiatec, and that they would be on the grid for Melbourne (107% notwithstanding).
OOC: This will provide more of a creative writing outlet than my BRDC alternate championship, which will become less wordy and hopefully get updated more regularly.
BBC Sport wrote:Ferrari dominant at Jerez testing Staff Reporter
Ferrari, the reigning World Champions, put on a dominant display in Jerez at winter testing. The fastest lap time of all was set by the mighty Michael Schumacher, more than three tenths faster than his teammate Rubens Barrichello. However, the McLaren of Kimi Raikkonen was close on their tail, while Coulthard's McLaren and, surprisingly, Jenson Button's Renault also made it round in less than 83 seconds.
There was also an unusual amount of interest in the back-end of the field, with two new teams in Toyota and Bleek fighting with established backmarkers Arrows and Minardi. For most of these teams, it was a case of one teammate being significantly faster than the other: Heinz-Harald Frentzen comprehensively outclassed Enrique Bernoldi for Arrows, while Mark Webber was significantly faster than Malaysian Alex Yoong. Although Bleek have arguably the slowest car in the field, they do not have to carry a sub-standard second driver. This may be enough to earn them some valuable prize money for their achievements as constructors.
BBC Sport wrote:Barrichello wins season opener at Albert Park Staff Reporter
Rubens Barrichello took a surprise victory in the first Grand Prix of the season, with the McLarens of Raikkonen and Coulthard in second and third on what can only be described as an excellent day for the bookmakers.
For his victory, Barrichello can largely thank the Turn One incident which saw Juan Pablo Montoya lock up his brakes and gently tag Michael Schumacher's right rear tyre. Although it was not a serious shunt, it did break Montoya's endplate and leave Schumacher with a slow puncture, so they both had to pit at the end of the first lap. Barrichello was safely out of the way because he'd beaten his teammate off the line.
Aside from Schumacher climbing through the field, the rest of the race passed largely without serious incident until the final lap, when Villeneuve and Trulli made contact through the fast chicane. Eddie Irvine, who was following them, collided with a wall as he tried to take evasive action, obliterating his suspension. The vast majority of the field was able to avoid his stricken car (and the mobile chicanes of Trulli and Villeneuve) but the Minardis of Webber and Yoong, doing battle over a minor place, used too much road and wrecked themselves.
All of which meant that the Bleek of Christijan Albers started the last lap in 18th and finished it in 13th on debut, while his teammate Verstappen climbed all the way up to ninth place.
1 Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari) 1:26:14.981 2 Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren-Mercedes) 1:26:48.913 3 David Coulthard (McLaren-Mercedes) 1:26:55.603 4 Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) 1:26:56.649 5 Nick Heidfeld (Sauber-Petronas) 1:27:06.466 6 Jenson Button (Renault) 1:27:10.115 7 Ralf Schumacher (Williams-BMW) 1:27:11.939 8 Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Arrows-Cosworth) 1:27:15.318 9 Jos Verstappen (Bleek-Asiatec) 1:27:18.372 10 Olivier Panis (BAR-Honda) 1:27:21.953 11 Giancarlo Fisichella (Jordan-Honda) 1:27:22.937 12 Allan McNish (Toyota) 1:27:24.266 13 Christijan Albers (Bleek-Asiatec) 1:27:26.195 14 Pedro de la Rosa (Jaguar-Cosworth) 1:27:27.963 15 Jacques Villeneuve (BAR-Honda) 1:27:29.429 16 Jarno Trulli (Renault) 1:27:36.848 — Eddie Irvine (Jaguar-Cosworth) DNF lap 58 Mark Webber (Minardi-Asiatec) DNF lap 58 Alex Yoong (Minardi-Asiatec) DNF lap 58 Enrique Bernoldi (Arrows-Cosworth) DNF lap 37 Takuma Sato (Jordan-Honda) DNF lap 25 Juan Pablo Montoya (Williams-BMW) DNF lap 24 Mika Salo (Toyota) DNF lap 19 Felipe Massa (Sauber-Petronas) DNF lap 16
DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP ------------------------------- Rubens Barrichello 10 Kimi Raikkonen 6 David Coulthard 4 Michael Schumacher 3 Nick Heidfeld 2 Jenson Button 1
CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP ------------------------------- Scuderia Ferrari 13 McLaren-Mercedes 10 Sauber-Petronas 2 Renault 1
BBC Sport wrote:Schumacher breezes Malaysian Grand Prix Staff Reporter
Michael Schumacher has won the 2002 Malaysian Grand Prix by over half a minute to his nearest challenger, and moves into the Championship lead at this early stage in the season.
From very early in the race, it appeared that the race for places went no higher than third, as Schumacher pulled rapidly away from the field in a faultless pole-to-flag performance, his team-mate in second. This time it was Williams, not McLaren, who were the best of the rest, and they inherited second and third once Barrichello damaged his suspension trying to enter the pit-lane for the second and last time.
McLaren, meanwhile, dropped back a little in pace as they tried to find the right set-up on a very different kind of track to the last Grand Prix. Kimi Raikkonen could only manage fifth place, while David Coulthard languished a long way back due to mechanical challenges. This, and Renault's twin retirements, allowed a couple of different faces into the points: Eddie Irvine, the 1999 runner-up, eked his way to sixth in the Jaguar, but more significant was Takuma Sato's fourth-place for a Jordan team that was rumoured to be suffering financially before the season even started.
The hero of the day, though he has nothing to show for it, was Mika Salo; the Finn managed to manufacture seventh place for the new Toyota team thanks to a brave one-stop strategy and a well-timed safety car. This perhaps illustrates the difference between them and Bleek, who suffered a double-retirement.
1 Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) 1:35:37.422 2 Juan Pablo Montoya (Williams-BMW) 1:36:07.628 3 Ralf Schumacher (Williams-BMW) 1:36:14.695 4 Takuma Sato (Jordan-Honda) 1:36:15.790 5 Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren-Mercedes) 1:36:18.304 6 Eddie Irvine (Jaguar-Cosworth) 1:36:20.971 7 Mika Salo (Toyota) 1:36:22.136 8 Felipe Massa (Sauber-Petronas) 1:36:25.030 9 Enrique Bernoldi (Arrows-Cosworth) 1:36:26.823 10 Jacques Villeneuve (BAR-Honda) 1:36:26.982 11 Nick Heidfeld (Sauber-Petronas) 1:36:27.815 12 Olivier Panis (BAR-Honda) 1:36:31.264 13 Giancarlo Fisichella (Jordan-Honda) 1:36:35.365 14 David Coulthard (McLaren-Mercedes) 1:36:42.441 15 Alex Yoong (Minardi-Asiatec) 1:36:47.216 16 Mark Webber (Minardi-Asiatec) 1:36:47.455 — Jenson Button (Renault) DNF lap 50 Jarno Trulli (Renault) DNF lap 49 Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari) DNF lap 39 Pedro de la Rosa (Jaguar-Cosworth) DNF lap 36 Jos Verstappen (Bleek-Asiatec) DNF lap 30 Christijan Albers (Bleek-Asiatec) DNF lap 19 Allan McNish (Toyota) DNF lap 16 Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Arrows-Cosworth) DNF lap 1
DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP ------------------------------- Michael Schumacher 13 Rubens Barrichello 10 Kimi Raikkonen 8 Juan-Pablo Montoya 6 David Coulthard 4 Ralf Schumacher 4 Takuma Sato 3 Nick Heidfeld 2 Jenson Button 1 Eddie Irvine 1
CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP ------------------------------- Scuderia Ferrari 23 McLaren-Mercedes 12 Williams-BMW 10 Jordan-Honda 3 Sauber-Petronas 2 Renault 1 Jaguar-Cosworth 1
BBC Sport wrote:de la Rosa wrecks as Schumacher triumphs Staff Reporter
Michael Schumacher has won his second Grand Prix of the season as the Ferrari team makes it three out of three, but it was the plight of Pedro de la Rosa that was of more concern to F1 followers.
Just a few laps into the Brazilian Grand Prix, Formula One fans in Sao Paolo witnessed one of the most distressing crashes in recent memory as the Jaguar of Pedro de la Rosa smashed into the barriers at the start of the back straight. He also took out Enrique Bernoldi's Arrows, but while the Brazilian was able to coast back to the team garage, de la Rosa was stricken on the track. Although he appears to have suffered no lasting injuries besides whiplash, bumps and bruises - testament to modern chassis design - but he was unconscious when marshals first reached him. It remains to be seen whether he will take his place on the grid for the coming race at Imola. Footage of the crash can be found here.
Once the marshals had done their job and cleared the crash site of debris, the safety car got well out of Michael Schumacher's way allowing him to pull away from the rest of the field and claim the win. With the extended safety car period (during which Salo's gearbox failed), Schumacher instructed the team to put him onto a one-stop strategy. While this worked for him in the end, he was very nearly caught by the McLaren of Raikkonen, who had more fuel in his car and rubber on his tyres with which to chase the German in the closing laps.
Nonetheless, it was a good day for everyone at Maranello, as they extended their lead their lead in the Drivers Championship by six points and the Constructors Championship by three. Bleek remain without a point in either classification.
1 Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) 1:35:26.372 2 Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren-Mercedes) 1:35:30.604 3 David Coulthard (McLaren-Mercedes) 1:35:46.860 4 Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari) 1:35:59.037 5 Giancarlo Fisichella (Jordan-Honda) 1:36:06.875 6 Eddie Irvine (Jaguar-Cosworth) 1:36:14.587 7 Jenson Button (Renault) 1:36:16.346 8 Jacques Villeneuve (BAR-Honda) 1:36:25.787 9 Takuma Sato (Jordan-Honda) 1:36:27.419 10 Alex Yoong (Minardi-Asiatec) 1:36:45.269 — Juan Pablo Montoya (Williams-BMW) DNF lap 70 Nick Heidfeld (Sauber-Petronas) DNF lap 69 Olivier Panis (BAR-Honda) DNF lap 66 Christijan Albers (Bleek-Asiatec) DNF lap 64 Jos Verstappen (Bleek-Asiatec) DNF lap 53 Felipe Massa (Sauber-Petronas) DNF lap 38 Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Arrows-Cosworth) DNF lap 36 Allan McNish (Toyota) DNF lap 23 Ralf Schumacher (Williams-BMW) DNF lap 20 Jarno Trulli (Renault) DNF lap 20 Mika Salo (Toyota) DNF lap 10 Enrique Bernoldi (Arrows-Cosworth) DNF lap 6 Pedro de la Rosa (Jaguar-Cosworth) DNF lap 5 Mark Webber (Minardi-Asiatec) DNF lap 2
DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP ------------------------------- Michael Schumacher 23 Kimi Raikkonen 14 Rubens Barrichello 13 David Coulthard 8 Juan-Pablo Montoya 6 Ralf Schumacher 4 Takuma Sato 3 Nick Heidfeld 2 Giancarlo Fisichella 2 Eddie Irvine 2 Jenson Button 1
CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP ------------------------------- Scuderia Ferrari 37 McLaren-Mercedes 22 Williams-BMW 10 Jordan-Honda 5 Sauber-Petronas 2 Jaguar-Cosworth 2 Renault 1
Jaguar Racing Press Release wrote:Alonso to replace de la Rosa at Imola
Jaguar Racing can confirm that Fernando Alonso will be loaned from Renault to fill in for Pedro de la Rosa for so long as he is on the sidelines through injury. As we all know, head injuries are very serious, and as a result, Pedro will be out of action for as long as it takes until the symptoms of his concussion have completely cleared.
Fernando is obviously very pleased to get this opportunity to race in a more competitive car and will learn everything he can from a driver of Eddie Irvine's undoubted calibre.
Bleek F1 Press Release wrote:We are confident that points are around the corner
Over the first few rounds of the season, we have encountered the issues that are typical for any new Formula One team. Put simply, they are teething issues. While Jos may be somewhat frustrated to be stuck at the back of the pack, we wish to make it clear that we have every faith in his ability to deliver points in the near future. With Sauber and Jaguar in the points quite regularly, and Toyota also challenging, we see no reason that we cannot join that lower-midfield group and for some all-important points.
We are also pleased to confirm that both Christijan and Jos are signed on for next season already, and Jeroen has agreed to continue his testing duties for as long as the team needs him.
BBC Sport wrote:Coulthard breaks Ferrari stranglehold at Imola
If the 2002 season had seemed almost too perfect for Ferrari, then the San Marino Grand Prix will have brought them back down to earth with a mighty thump.
In the first of their two home races this season, the Prancing Horse managed just one point, courtesy of a Rubens Barrichello sixth place. Meanwhile, Michael Schumacher failed to finish. This opened the door for Scotsman David Coulthard to claim the first non-Ferrari Grand Prix win of the season in his McLaren-Mercedes car, with Jarno Trulli finishing a surprise second for Renault. Eddie Irvine made a long-awaited return to the podium for Jaguar in third place.
Barrichello, meanwhile, put in a superb drive to finish in sixth place, as both Ralf Schumacher and Felipe Massa were within a quarter of a second, with Kimi Raikkonen another second back. Also exceeding expectations was Jos Verstappen in the Bleek car, finishing in a superb eleventh place, ahead of both Minardis, both Jordans, a Renault and the sole remaining Toyota. It was a gratifying result for a team that was beginning to face awkward questions from the Formula One press.
Grand Prix 1 David Coulthard (McLaren-Mercedes) 1:34:44.406 2 Jarno Trulli (Renault) 1:35:04.614 3 Eddie Irvine (Jaguar-Cosworth) 1:35:12.118 4 Juan Pablo Montoya (Williams-BMW) 1:35:14.663 5 Fernando Alonso (Jaguar-Cosworth) 1:35:33.954 6 Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari) 1:35:40.119 7 Ralf Schumacher (Williams-BMW) 1:35:40.285 8 Felipe Massa (Sauber-Petronas) 1:35:40.351 9 Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren-Mercedes) 1:35:41.991 10 Nick Heidfeld (Sauber-Petronas) 1:35:57.486 11 Jos Verstappen (Bleek-Asiatec) 1:36:01.723 12 Giancarlo Fisichella (Jordan-Honda) 1:36:07.402 13 Jenson Button (Renault) 1:36:11.901 14 Takuma Sato (Jordan-Honda) 1:36:13.010 15 Mark Webber (Minardi-Asiatec) 1:36:18.043 16 Mika Salo (Toyota) -1 lap 17 Alex Yoong (Minardi-Asiatec) -1 lap — Allan McNish (Toyota) DNF lap 60 Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Arrows-Cosworth) DNF lap 33 Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) DNF lap 29 Jacques Villeneuve (BAR-Honda) DNF lap 21 Enrique Bernoldi (Arrows-Cosworth) DNF lap 21 Olivier Panis (BAR-Honda) DNF lap 17 Christijan Albers (Bleek-Asiatec) DNF lap 5
DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP ------------------------------- Michael Schumacher 23 David Coulthard 18 Kimi Raikkonen 14 Rubens Barrichello 14 Juan-Pablo Montoya 9 Jarno Trulli 6 Eddie Irvine 6 Ralf Schumacher 4 Takuma Sato 3 Nick Heidfeld 2 Giancarlo Fisichella 2 Fernando Alonso 2 Jenson Button 1
CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP ------------------------------- Scuderia Ferrari 37 McLaren-Mercedes 32 Williams-BMW 13 Jaguar-Cosworth 8 Renault 7 Jordan-Honda 5 Sauber-Petronas 2
Ik zal zeer geïnteresseerd in dit zijn. Maar ik hoop dat Bleekemolen Sr heeft niet al te veel waterpijpen rookwolken moest alvorens te beslissen om F1 te voeren . Zal zeker interessant zijn.
aerond wrote:Yes RDD, but we always knew you never had any sort of taste either
tommykl wrote:I have a shite car and meme sponsors, but Corrado Fabi will carry me to the promised land with the power of Lionel Richie.
BBC Sport wrote:Near miss for Bleek as Schumacher is back on top
Michael Schumacher earned himself another Grand Prix victory to stretch his Championship lead, but it was the near-miss of rookie team Bleek F1 that broke the hearts of F1 fans.
The reigning World Champion led from start to finish for Ferrari, even as his team-mate Rubens Barrichello limped home a full lap down in a car that had been wounded from the very first lap. However, the most spectacular action in the race occurred after the Ferrari man had crossed the finish line for the last time.
Almost ninety seconds back from the leader, saved from finishing a lap down only because Schumacher chose to coast around for the two closing laps, was a titanic four-way battle for fifth place between Ralf Schumacher, Takuma Sato, Eddie Irvine and, most surprisingly, Jos Verstappen for Bleek. Verstappen was stuck in seventh place and growing desperate, so he attempted to dive-bomb Irvine at La Caixa. Unfortunately, he locked up and beached his car. This also forced Irvine wide and allowed Sato through to take the final points-paying position.
After the race, a clearly angry Irvine described Verstappen as a "desperate prick."
Grand Prix 1 Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) 1:30:49.890 2 Jarno Trulli (Renault) 1:31:38.801 3 Nick Heidfeld (Sauber-Petronas) 1:31:52.141 4 Olivier Panis (BAR-Honda) 1:31:54.820 5 Ralf Schumacher (Williams-BMW) 1:32:12.071 6 Takuma Sato (Jordan-Honda) 1:32:12.170 7 Eddie Irvine (Jaguar-Cosworth) 1:32:14.665 8 David Coulthard (McLaren-Mercedes) -1 lap 9 Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari) -1 lap 10 Juan Pablo Montoya (Williams-BMW) -1 lap 11 Mark Webber (Minardi-Asiatec) -1 lap 12 Felipe Massa (Sauber-Petronas) -1 lap 13 Allan McNish (Toyota) -1 lap 14 Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Arrows-Cosworth) -1 lap 15 Enrique Bernoldi (Arrows-Cosworth) -1 lap — Jos Verstappen (Bleek-Asiatec) DNF lap 65 Mika Salo (Toyota) DNF lap 62 Alex Yoong (Minardi-Asiatec) DNF lap 56 Jacques Villeneuve (BAR-Honda) DNF lap 38 Giancarlo Fisichella (Jordan-Honda) DNF lap 32 Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren-Mercedes) DNF lap 17 Fernando Alonso (Jaguar-Cosworth) DNF lap 4 Jenson Button (Renault) DNF lap 4 Christijan Albers (Bleek-Asiatec) DNF lap 2
DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP ------------------------------- Michael Schumacher 33 David Coulthard 18 Kimi Raikkonen 14 Rubens Barrichello 14 Jarno Trulli 12 Juan-Pablo Montoya 9 Eddie Irvine 6 Nick Heidfeld 6 Ralf Schumacher 6 Takuma Sato 4 Giancarlo Fisichella 2 Fernando Alonso 2 Jenson Button 1
CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP ------------------------------- Scuderia Ferrari 47 McLaren-Mercedes 32 Williams-BMW 15 Renault 13 Jaguar-Cosworth 8 Jordan-Honda 6 Sauber-Petronas 6
My dearest sympathies for having to deal with the consequences of Verstappen's idiocy.
Manager of Calsonic Team Impul in Formula E, K-Apex in PES & Eurasian F3 and Mitsuoka in Alt-F1 '76. My career mode thread -1988: AGS (19pts, 9th)//1989: Arrows (25pts, 8th, 1 win!) You'll never DNF if you always DNPQ. #RollSafe
