Descending from Scottish heritage I can tell you that laying out hundreds of dollars for a ticket to an F1 race causes my heart to ache. I take some consolation though when a race is as exciting as the 2007 Montreal Grand Prix but decidedly not from a race like the catastrophe that was the 2005 USGP.

But, imagine yourself having to shell out nearly a quarter million euro to get through the gates. That’s exactly what Kimi Raikkonen will have to pay this year to race in F1. Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso will be paying nearly as much. Its all because of the new costs for an FIA issued super-license.

For the privilege of racing in the upcoming season, drivers will have to pay a flat fee of €10,000 plus an additional 2000€ for each point they scored during the 2007 season. The previous rates were €1690 plus another €447 for each point earned the previous year. For Raikkonen, that works out to €230,000 in super-license fees for 2008 while under the old licensing model, Kimi would only have had to pay €50,860. For the entire grid to license itself this season (22 drivers including 3 rookies) the total will be €1, 504,000. Quite the cash cow for the FIA.

The speculation behind this raise in fees is that it will help deter unqualified drivers from obtaining a super-license. I think that the FIA could prevent unqualified drivers from obtaining a super-license by just saying “No” to the applicant. In 2001, the FIA did this in the case of then rookie, Kimi Raikkonen whom they considered to be too inexperienced to race in F1. They ended up only issuing him a probationary license.

Even if they looked rather stupid after the fact in the case of Raikkonen - he scored a point in his debut, the FIA still stepped in as the regulator of the sport and evaluated the driver regardless of whether or not the fee had been paid. Could they not carry out the same process with any driver who applied to race in Formula 1?

Instead of consistently enforcing rules that would only allow the qualified onto the grid, the FIA has happily allowed the likes of Gaston Mazzacane, Alex Yoong and Yuji Ide into the exclusive ranks of Formula 1 drivers. Pay drivers like these three typically bring millions of dollars into a backmarker F1 team each year through their personal sponsorship deals with companies. Raising licensing fees, even as drastically as the governing body have done for 2008 will not keep pay drivers out of F1, it only insures a bigger slice of the pie for the FIA.

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WilliamsF1 announced today a new partnership with Dutch clothing design company MacGregor.  The clothier will be responsible for the design of an all new team uniform as well as as a custom clothing line for the 500+ factory staff.

One of the first projects announced for the three year partnership is the introduction of a retro collection to commemorate the team’s 30 years in F1. The retro line will highlight the WilliamsF1 team’s colors, logos and designs from some of the most famous and successful WilliamsF1 cars of the past 30 years.   WilliamsF1 have had several distinctive liveries over the years including the Saudia, Camel and Rothmans eras that all produced championships for the team.

The WilliamsF1 partnership is not the first foray into Formula one for the Dutch company. MacGregor was responsible for the design of the now defunct Spyker F1 team’s race wear.  If the previous designs for Spyker are any indication of where the new partnership will go,  WilliamsF1 fans may soon be amongst the most stylish in the paddock.

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Max Mosley has seen the light…or jumped on the budget capping bandwagon. In either case it looks like F1 is going to follow other major league sports by trying to manage how much teams can spend to win. No specific details have been released but according to Autosport.com it is known that engine costs, marketing and promotion and team principle salaries will not be part of the cap.

The F1 fraternity has 1-2 years to work out the system but you can believe that the devil will be in the details. F1 teams are notorious for finding loopholes in technical regulations and they will no doubt expend huge amounts of money and energy looking for ways around the budget cap. Its just in their nature.

Interestingly, Ferrari initially opposed the idea of budget caps and may still be against the idea. They were in favor of other cost saving initiatives like capping the number of wind tunnels a team could have. Ferrari are the only front running team with just one wind tunnel while Williams, Honda and McLaren all have two. Convincing the Italian marque to change its position could not have been easy and its possible that concessions needed to be made to get them to agree to a cap -or still need to be made.

An early suspicion is that driver salaries will quickly fall under the ‘marketing and promotions’ umbrella and be exempt from the cap. Its easy to imagine Kimi Raikkonen or Lewis Hamilton being paid a pittance to drive but millions to be in ads, to wear team logos and to attend sponsor events.

Its too soon to say how serious Formula 1 is about a budget cap but like the ‘green’ movement, there is a lot of political mileage in the idea. Getting rid of the perception that F1 is about how much money you spend can only be a good thing for the sport’s image.

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Lewis Hamilton started his 2008 campaign much like he ended the2007 season, off course! The runner-up in last year’s Championship got off to a rocky start testing at Jerez, Spain today, finding himself beached in the gravel. Twice.

The first time it was just wet,” Hamilton said.

I touched the kerb and just went on to the edge of the gravel - it would be good if there were some proper run-off areas here - and then it was the same again in the afternoon.

“Without these controls helping you on the entry to corners there is a lot more locking of the rear wheels, and when you are on the limit and pushing that is what happens.

Pardon me for saying so, but shouldn’t driving a Formula 1 car at the limit be difficult? I understand that not having driver aids like traction control and engine braking available will make driving more difficult but really, F1 is a sport of supreme skill and control. If it was a piece of cake every cab driver and dentist from Pensacola to Piccadilly would be out there setting fastest laps and looking for a multi-million dollar contract.

Hamilton’s suggestion that larger (proper?) run off areas should be set up is a statement that leaves me wondering about the new generation of race drivers who are in F1 before most of us are out of college. I’m solidly in favor of safety in racing and I don’t want to see a race driver die. But, there must be consequences when a driver makes a mistake. If there are no consequences what will stop some idiot from driving beyond his abilities and hurting himself or someone else? I’d rather Lewis was a bit embarrassed to be sitting in the gravel than dead because he put his trust in a run off area.

Lewis had two trips beyond the limits of the car and lost valuable testing time stuck in the dirt. In a race the same mistakes would have ended his race - a consequence worth thinking about as you approach a corner. If that had been a run off area instead of gravel would he have pushed even deeper on the next lap, and the next until he had a massive accident? Hopefully the consequences of a mistake sunk in as he sat there waiting for a tow.

Today is a indication that traction control and other ‘driver aids’ made it too easy for drivers to get in a car and race - never needing to find the limit through experience. No disrespect to Lewis Hamilton but how much of his success was the man and how much was the computer in 2007? From today’s performance, I think the computer played at least a minor role in his unprecedented debut.

Here’s to 2008, year of the driver, not the driver aid.

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Renault’s wayward son returned home today. Fernando Alonso stepped back into a Renault uniform this morning at Jerez, Spain for a run in the team’s R27 race car. The Spaniard’s return to the French team from McLaren closes an ugly chapter in his career that tarnished an otherwise stellar image.

For both the team and driver the focus in 2008 will be on rebuilding reputations. Renault was fortunate to only drop as far as third in the team championship last year, thanks to the McLaren disqualification, and will be eager to get back to the top on merit. The team had achieved great success in 2005 and 2006 when they beat McLaren and Ferrari respectively to the titles.

Similarly, Alonso will be desperate to rebuild his reputation as the world’s best driver. He will need to get on top of his rookie teammate, Nelson Piquet Jr., quickly if he is to erase the memory of being beaten by Lewis Hamilton last year. The Spaniard cannot afford to play the childish political games that went on in 2007 at McLaren. On-track results are all that matter and they need to be accomplished fairly.

Needing to restore their pride will be a powerful motivator for both driver and team. Fernando and Renault are wounded animals and writing off either would be a serious mistake. If Renault build a reasonable car, Alonso will use it to great effect, especially against McLaren if given the chance.

*Alonso finished the day at the top of the timesheets. Though this is winter testing and lap times alone cannot determine who will be fastest when the season starts, there should be no doubt that today’s performance was a message sent to and understood by the rest of the paddock. Fernando is still a threat.

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