Singapore eyes street circuit work

Singapore will begin road works on its street circuit next month before hosting its debut Formula One Grand Prix event next year, the government and the promoter said.

They said the 5.05-kilometre (3.13-mile) street route would offer "a number of overtaking opportunities, fast turns and technically challenging sections."

More than 70 percent of the circuit is made up of the city-state's existing road network.

The world motorsport's governing body FIA in July set the date for the Singapore Grand Prix for September 28 next year.

The design of the paddock, which will house the control tower, garages for the teams, hospitality lounges, the press room and other facilities, is also being finalised, it said.

"We are confident that both the circuit and paddock building will be officially endorsed very soon," said tourism board chief executive Lim Neo Chian, who chair's the event's working committee.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has said the Singapore race may be held at night in a bid to boost global TV ratings, although there are still safety issues that needed to be resolved.

Stepney hits back against Ferrari

Former Ferrari employee Nigel Stepney has turned the legal spotlight on the Italian team after he was forced to flee the country earlier this month.

Stepney, formerly head of performance development, was sacked after being accused of leaking secrets to McLaren.

But lawyers are investigating whether Ferrari were involved in the high-speed car chases that dogged the Briton.

Ferrari could be the subject of criminal proceedings if evidence suggests they have been spying on him.

Stepney told the Observer newspaper that he had been followed by more than one car, with Italian plates, and when he cornered one of them, the men inside refused to speak to him.

His lawyer Sonia Bartolini told Italian newspaper La Repubblica: "At the right time we'll draw our conclusions. At the moment we're trying to trace the car plates to the subjects that followed Stepney, and then we'll file a complaint.

"Obviously, if it is confirmed that Ferrari are behind this, it would be very serious. It's one thing to keep an employee under control at the workplace, but it's quite another to spy on him at his home and to follow him at night.

"If that was the case, the Maranello [Ferrari] people will be called to answer for it in court."

Ferrari's legal representatives have launched an investigation into alleged espionage and sabotage involving Stepney and McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan.

McLaren have been summoned by the FIA, Formula One's governing body, to an extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council to explain how Coughlan came to be in possession of a 780-page document relating to Ferrari's 2007 car.

An FIA spokesman would not comment when asked by the BBC to confirm a report in La Repubblica that McLaren chief Coughlan had shown the documents to several colleagues at McLaren.

The newspaper quoted from what it claimed to be the affidavit Coughlan had submitted to Ferrari as part of legal proceedings brought by the team against him in the UK.

According to the newspaper, Coughlan said in the affidavit that all his McLaren colleagues distanced themselves from the documents and advised him to destroy them.

La Repubblica said Coughlan had not confirmed that his source for the documents was Stepney, who has denied supplying them. The report said Coughlan had only said he had received them via a courier service.

McLaren could be docked points or even disqualified from the world championship this year if they are found guilty under article 151c of F1's International Sporting Code.

This deals with "any fraudulent conduct, or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition, or to the interests of motor sport generally".

McLaren issued a statement last week expressing their "extreme disappointment" at being charged and denying all the allegations.

They say the dossier at the centre of the controversy was solely Coughlan's responsibility.

"The documents and confidential information were only in the possession of one currently suspended employee on an unauthorised basis and no element of it has been used in relation to McLaren's Formula One cars," the statement said.

But Ferrari lawyer Massimiliano Maestretti told RAI television there was still some uncertainty over who knew abouyt the documents and when some were delivered to Coughlan.

"The McLaren statement mentioned the documents were received at the end of April," he was quoted as saying, "but we have proof that there were more later than that with a May date."

F1 in India, can u believe it???

Well well well seems like we don't have to go far to watch f1, in India by 2009, thats a very ambitious plan. Me not an Indian but India is not far away from here, Nepal that is. And I am stunned by the progress India is making.
Well as far as I am know, its going to be a street circuit they say, but there is also plans for a complete circuit, don't think they will manage that by 2009. Well the f1 races are becoming crazier and crazier, you can do with street circuit, and even night races, well are they going to put head lights on the car too for that? well these cars change every few years and that too may be possible, lets see.

Hello f1 crazee people

Heyyy here you are in my f1 blog, me myself a great mclaren faaan, and if you are a ferrari fan beware, you are going to be crushed. Don't worry though my brother here is a ferrai fan and hopefully he'll write too. Think it'll be great fun writing for you guys.