The Silverstone-based outfit claimed that due to a non-payment by one of his main sponsors, the Ferrari-powered team were left with no alternative but to terminate his contract with immediate effect.
"This has been a very difficult decision," said team principal Colin Kolles in a statement released on Tuesday.
"Christijan has started to find some form in the car but the team's ambitious development programme has been seriously compromised by non-payment of one of his sponsors and we are faced with no other option."
Spyker's director of Formula One, Michiel Mol, added that the decision to replace Albers was one of the toughest he had had to make since arriving at the team last year.
But insisted the team’s future funding had not been compromised and that the possibility of entering into a new contract with another driver would safeguard the team's financial position.
"We do not expect this will have any adverse effect on Spyker F1's financial result this year," said Mol.
"We would also like to stress this decision has nothing to do with Christijan's recent performances - we still have faith in his contribution as a driver - but the long term future of the team is of paramount importance."
However, as reported in last week’s Inside Paddock, Albers’ days appeared to be numbered after having been outperformed by rookie team-mate Adrian Sutil for most of the season and his mistake in Magny-Cours two weeks ago after driving off with the fuel hose still attached to the car incurred him a five thousand Euro fine.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Albers dumped by Spyker
Räikkönen very happy
Kimi Räikkönen’s back-to-back victories in France and England have rejuvenated the Finn’s hunger for further success.
The Ferrari driver was blisteringly quick all weekend but knows his pace will be hard to maintain.
"It was a great race for me. After my mistake in qualifying I was very disappointed, but today I was able to make up for it,” he said.
“If I had managed to start from pole though, things would have been much easier. The car worked very well both on the soft and harder tyres. We were strong all weekend and I hope this trend continues over the coming races, but I know how difficult that will be.”
Räikkönen who closed the gap to 18 points behind championship leader Lewis Hamilton, stressed the team were pushing in the right direction.
“I am very happy. We have made up ground in the Drivers' Championship and there is plenty of the season still to go,” he said. “We must continue to push on the development of the car and we are working in the right direction."
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Raikkonen gatecrashes Hamilton party
All the hype had surrounded Hamilton in the build-up to the race, in particular after the world championship leader put his McLaren on pole.
But it was Ferrari star Raikkonen who stole his thunder, claiming back-to-back victories for the first time in almost two years.
Hamilton was forced to settle for third - extending his run of podium finishes to nine - as a combination of one bad pit stop and seemingly poor tyre choice allowed team-mate Fernando Alonso to take second.
But with eight grands prix remaining, Hamilton still has a 12-point lead over Alonso, with Raikkonen now third in the title race and 18 points adrift.
Felipe Massa has dropped to fourth in the standings as he could only take fifth after an aborted start led to him beginning the race from the pit lane instead of from fourth on the grid.
The Brazilian, though, still managed to blitz his way through the field to claim four precious points.
As such, if he had managed a clean getaway, he would almost certainly have knocked Hamilton off the podium for the first time.
But what a shame for Hamilton, in particular after making the start he would have dreamed about overnight.
McLaren, though, gambled by preferring the harder compound tyre from the off, compared to the soft option for the Ferraris, so giving them extra grip.
Once the five red lights disappeared at least there was no repeat of Hamilton's poor start in the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours a week ago.
On that occasion Hamilton was overtaken - for the first time in his Formula One career - by Raikkonen, helping the Finn to his second win for the Maranello marque.
This time around Hamilton was clean away, cutting from left to right across the track to defend the inside line heading into the first corner at Copse.
It was perfect, but at no stage over the following 16 laps was Hamilton able to open any kind of gap on Raikkonen, who remained within a second as he hounded the young Briton.
At one stage on lap 14 'The Iceman' was virtually alongside his McLaren rival, whose first stop two laps later did not go to plan.
Hamilton went to pull away as the lollipop man flicked the sign telling him to engage first gear, despite the fact his car was still being refuelled.
With clean air for two laps Raikkonen put his foot to the floor, and it proved crucial as he emerged from the pit lane ahead of Hamilton.
That battle, though, had deflected the attention off Alonso, who had managed to stay on the coat-tails of the leading duo over the first third of the race.
When he pitted on lap 20 for a 6.3secs stop, it came as a major surprise when he grabbed the lead, with Raikkonen and Hamilton in his wing mirrors.
From that moment hopes of a win on home soil disappeared for the 22-year-old because as the laps ebbed away, so he dropped further and further behind Alonso.
It then became a battle between Alonso and Raikkonen, who held a gap of around five seconds to the Spaniard throughout the middle stint until the second round of pit stops.
Raikkonen stayed out six laps longer than Alonso, providing the second turning point of the race as the Ferrari star reversed the positions, and with it ultimately taking the victory by 2.4secs.
Robert Kubica was fourth for the second successive race for BMW Sauber, holding off Massa in the final third of the race in an enthralling battle.
The remaining points places were taken by the second BMW Sauber of Nick Heidfeld, followed by the Renaults of Heikki Kovalainen and Giancarlo Fisichella.
In the constructors' battle, McLaren hold their 25-point cushion to Ferrari.
British Grand Prix Results
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Silverstone bosses hold course
Silverstone's owners are determined to plough ahead with their own redevelopment plans for the Formula One circuit.
Plans are continuing despite the receipt of a joint venture proposal from two prominent businessman.
The British Racing Drivers Club, who own the Northamptonshire circuit, believe they are equipped to carry out the improvements required by F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone in order to secure the future of the British Grand Prix beyond the current contract, which ends in 2009.
The principal businessmen behind the partnership, Mike Rockall and Bill Archer, have promised "immediate funds" to redevelop the circuit and secure the independence of the BRDC.
But BRDC chairman Robert Brooks believes his organisation do not need any outside financial backing at this stage.
He said: "We, the BRDC, are very flattered to receive such a substantial offer, but it's one of many and we would reiterate that Silverstone is not for sale.
"We are pressing ahead for the redevelopment of Silverstone which is well down the line in the planning process.
"We are delighted with the help and assistance we are receiving from the local government authorities and the local community.
"Obviously, we will review any joint venture proposal but much further down the road as they may help us fulfil our future objectives."
The BRDC have plans for a £25million overhaul, which go before an EGM at the end of July for approval.
A planning application has already been submitted to the local council and the BRDC are hopeful of approval before the end of the year.
This year's British Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, with rookie sensation Lewis Hamilton carrying home hopes in the race having already established a 14-point lead in the drivers' championship.
The British Grand Prix Preview
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton firmly believes that he can win this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone - the first time he will ever race a Formula One car in front of his fellow countrymen.
That is despite Ferrari’s speed here in recent testing and sudden return to form in Magny-Cours - and in spite of all the scandal that has blown up following allegations that a senior McLaren engineer received stolen intellectual property from Ferrari and the ensuing suspension of that engineer.
Both of these factors will add to any pressure Hamilton feels racing at home, but he is convinced that he can join a long list of Britons who have won the British Grand Prix: Sir Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks, Peter Collins, Jim Clark, David Coulthard, Sir Jackie Stewart, James Hunt, Nigel Mansell, John Watson, Damon Hill, Johnny Herbert.
“You can’t win every race, and the most important thing is to be consistent, which I think we are,” he said after finishing third at Magny-Cours. “Both the Ferrari drivers said they made a good step forward, but when you are behind people, as we were in Magny-Cours, it’s a lot harder to show your true pace. I don’t think they were as quick, as much faster than us, as it looked today. Traffic and strategy had a lot to do with that, so I still think we can bounce back at Silverstone, without a doubt.
“I don’t think Ferrari’s sudden speed is worrying. It just shows they’ve made a great step forward and had a slightly better strategy than us. We were always on a three-stop strategy but what happened at the start affected that. After I had made my third pit stop I was a long way behind Felipe so there was no point in me wrenching the neck out of the engine trying to catch him. Throughout the race we were quite consistent on speed, but we need a little more. I am sure that we will make another improvement before Silverstone.
“To be honest, in France I was not disappointed. I don’t like to be overtaken, but that’s the same for everyone. But I was on the podium again and we are the most consistent team and I think we are doing a better job. I have extended my lead in the World Championship, so I couldn’t be happier.
“It is a great feeling to go to Silverstone as the World Championship leader. To do so certainly seemed unimaginable at the start of the season. I’m very, very happy with the job I’ve done and the team have done and I go into my first British GP with the team I always wanted to drive for, and that’s one of the greatest feelings a driver can have.”
After scoring his (and Honda’s) first point of the season, Jenson Button is also feeling a little more upbeat ahead of his home race. “Silverstone will be fun because I have a lot of friends and family coming and the fans treat you the same way even when things are tough. The fans at Silverstone have always been fantastic and there are four Brits to cheer on, so the lead-up will be hectic.”
David Coulthard and Anthony Davidson (in his first British Grand Prix) are both seeking points finishes for Red Bull and Super Aguri respectively, while BMW Sauber and Renault will re-engage their battle for third place overall as Williams look to do well on home ground, Toyota hope to reproduce the speed Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher displaced in the test here in June, and Toro Rosso hope their seamless shift gearbox will translate into Red Bull-matching lap times. With their factory just over the road from the circuit, Spyker would also like to take something good home from this one.
On paper, however, Ferrari are looking very strong. “We are back where we expect to be. You could feel the improvement in the car everywhere, really. In every corner,” Raikkonen said after his second win of the season, which brought the score to two apiece for the four leading contenders.
One thing that may well bring in a degree of uncertainty to the overall equation is the weather, with rain forecast for each day.
Ferrari accuse McLaren of espionage
Ferrari have accused rivals McLaren of espionage after they confirmed that former technical manager Nigel Stepney had passed secrets to a senior McLaren employee in England.
The announcement which comes on the eve of the British Grand Prix, will send shockwaves through the Formula One community as the British team prepare for their home race on Sunday.
"Ferrari confirm that we have brought an action against Nigel Stepney and a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes technical engineer in a court in Modena regarding the theft of technical information," said a spokesman for the Italian team.
Stepney, who has denied any wrongdoings and is currently on gardening leave in the Philippines, accused Ferrari of a dirty tricks campaign against him.
However, McLaren confirmed that an unidentified employee had been suspended pending an investigation into the receipt of classified information, but insisted they only found out on Tuesday of the involvement of their employee.
"McLaren became aware on July 3, 2007 that a senior member of its technical organisation was the subject of a Ferrari investigation regarding the receipt of technical information," they said in a statement.
"The team has learnt that this individual had personally received a package of technical information from a Ferrari employee at the end of April.
"Whilst McLaren has no involvement in the matter and condemns such actions, it will fully co-operate with any investigation."
The McLaren employee was suspended after Ferrari announced that they had dismissed Stepney and that they had taken legal action in England and obtained a search warrant.
"A search was carried out of the (McLaren) engineer's house, where we found this information," the Ferrari spokesman confirmed.