Rob Veenstra

Rob founded GPToday together with Danny. He started as an intern at the end of 2004, after which he became the first journalist to be hired and wrote articles and various interesting columns for many years. He was regularly the daily hub of the news, but also provided live coverage of the test sessions.

News

Display:

Drunk, sacked HRT mechanics brawl at factory in Madrid
A brawl broke out at ailing F1 team HRT's Madrid headquarters after staff returned from Sao Paulo, El Mundo newspaper reports. The report said the fight involved drunk mechanics...

28 Nov 2012 13:47
- 0
Williams announces Bottas and Maldonado as drivers for 2013
The Williams F1 Team is pleased to announce that Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas will be the team's race drivers for the 2013 FIA Formula One World Championship season. ...

28 Nov 2012 13:17
- 0
2015 could be last Malaysian GP Sepang boss
Razlan Razali, the boss of the Malaysian grand prix, has admitted that 2015 could be the Sepang circuit's last formula one race. He told Isportconnect it is "too early to even t...

28 Nov 2012 11:39
- 0
Horner predicts 'weaker' McLaren without Lewis Hamilton
Christian Horner, the boss of the triple constructors' champions Red Bull, thinks he will be facing a "weaker" rival in the form of McLaren next year. "McLaren are a weaker team...

28 Nov 2012 10:28
- 0
Pirelli wants early decision over contract beyond 2013
Pirelli is pushing for an early decision as to whether it will remain F1's official tyre supplier beyond 2013. The Italian marque's initial three-year tenure finishes at the end...

28 Nov 2012 09:12
- 0
Kamui Kobayashi raises over 600,000 Euro for 2013 seat
Kamui Kobayashi has already raised more than 600,000 Euro as he bids to pay for a formula one seat in 2013. Having lost his Sauber seat, the Japanese set up a website asking for...

28 Nov 2012 08:52
- 0
2013 news could wait until January Jaime Alguersuari
Jaime Alguersuari is continuing to wait on his future, admitting it might be January before he knows what he will be doing in 2013. "Not yet," the former Toro Rosso driver, and ...

27 Nov 2012 16:54
- 0
Lotus owner Lopez has 'desire' to keep Romain Grosjean
Despite looking safe to keep his seat for 2013, Lotus is making Romain Grosjean wait. The team rates the Frenchman's raw speed very highly, but he has had a tumultuous season. T...

27 Nov 2012 16:07
- 0
Ferrari switch for Vettel 'absurd' now Dietrich Mateschitz
Reports that Sebastian Vettel is considering a switch to Ferrari sometime soon are "nonsense". That is the claim of Dietrich Mateschitz, the reclusive billionaire owner of the e...

27 Nov 2012 14:27
- 0
Lewis Hamilton to work with Mercedes before McLaren deal ends
McLaren will allow Lewis Hamilton to speak to engineers at his new team Mercedes even before his 2012 contract expires. It is believed Hamilton's deal with McLaren actually runs...

27 Nov 2012 13:50
- 0
No more Spanish team in F1 Pedro de la Rosa
Pedro de la Rosa has admitted he left Brazil after Sunday's 2012 finale with a real sadness. HRT's owner Thesan Capital is no longer prepared to fund the Spanish backmarkers, ma...

27 Nov 2012 12:14
- 0
Felipe Massa cried after 'taking punches' in 2012
Felipe Massa has revealed that amid his tumultuous 2012 season, he thought about quitting. When the Brazilian mounted the podium in his native Brazil on Sunday, he openly cried....

27 Nov 2012 10:54
- 0
Red Bull Racing to spend millions on staff title bonus
F1 team Red Bull will pay a 10,000 British pound (US $16,000) bonus to every staff member, after winning the drivers' and constructors' championships for a third consecutive tim...

27 Nov 2012 09:33
- 0
Luiz Razia talking to Force India, Caterham and Marussia
Luiz Razia, the 2012 GP2 runner-up, is reportedly in talks over a 2013 race seat with Force India, Caterham and Marussia. "I am negotiating with all three," the Brazilian told A...

27 Nov 2012 08:41
- 0
Renault open to supply F1 engines to more teams - Ghosn
Renault is open to supplying more formula one teams with engines. That is the news, after the French carmaker's president Carlos Ghosn made a visit at the weekend to the Brazili...

26 Nov 2012 16:21
- 0
Champion Sebastian Vettel slams rivals' 'dirty tricks'
After sealing his third consecutive drivers' title on Sunday, Sebastian Vettel bemoaned the "dirty tricks" his rivals deployed to try to stop him. "A lot of people tried to play...

26 Nov 2012 15:55
- 0
Adrian Sutil returning to F1 with Force India - report
Adrian Sutil is on his way back to formula one and Force India, according to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. However, the Silverstone based team's sporting boss Otmar Szafnauer ...

26 Nov 2012 15:07
- 0
Caterham link 'just rumours' Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Barrichello has dismissed as "just rumours" suggestions he could return to formula one next year with Caterham. The veteran was bitterly disappointed to end his record-se...

26 Nov 2012 13:52
- 0
Valtteri Bottas certain to secure Williams race seat - sources
According to authoritative media sources, Valtteri Bottas will definitely replace current Williams race driver Bruno Senna in 2013. The news was reported from Brazil not only by...

26 Nov 2012 12:13
- 0
Red Bull Racing title sponsorship worth 15 million Euro
Red Bull's new title sponsorship for 2013 and beyond is worth an additional 15 million Euro per year, according to the German magazine Sport Bild. Just before Sebastian Vette...

26 Nov 2012 11:22
- 0
Mastercard set for return as F1 sponsor - report
American multinational Mastercard could be set to return to formula one, according to the latest rumour from Brazil. Russia's f1news.ru reported that Mastercard - having sponsor...

26 Nov 2012 10:40
- 0
Kamui Kobayashi asks fans for money to save F1 career
Kamui Kobayashi is hoping a new website will help him raise the money to stay in formula one beyond Sunday's Brazilian grand prix. Sauber announced on Friday that it will pair N...

26 Nov 2012 09:51
- 0
Sebastian Vettel wins third title in epic 2012 finale
Sebastian Vettel on Sunday won his third consecutive drivers' world championship. After an epic finale to the 2012 calendar in Brazil, Red Bull's Vettel finished off the podium ...

26 Nov 2012 08:41
- 0
FP2: Hamilton has the edge over Red Bull Racing in Brazil
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton continued to dominate in Sao Paulo on Friday afternoon, finishing Practice Two 0.274s ahead of Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel as the top nine cars were aga...

23 Nov 2012 19:54
- 0
Interlagos needs 'some plastic surgery' Bernie Ecclestone
Bernie Ecclestone is pushing organisers of the Brazilian grand prix to improve the ageing facilities at Interlagos. The circuit is regarded as one of the most outdated on the en...

23 Nov 2012 18:00
- 0
Ferrari clamp down on Alonso's social media activity
Ferrari has clamped down on Fernando Alonso's activities on social media websites Facebook and Twitter, according to the German magazine Focus. It is reported the clampdown i...

23 Nov 2012 16:44
- 0
FP1: Hamilton just ahead of Vettel, Webber and Button
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton carried on where he left off last week in Texas, on top of the pile after first practice here at Interlagos on Friday morning. But the times were incred...

23 Nov 2012 15:28
- 0
Red Bull Racing chose against new alternator in Austin
Red Bull chose not to use a new specification of alternator last weekend in Austin, it has emerged. Engine supplier Renault's Magneti Marelli units have been troublesome in 2012...

23 Nov 2012 15:10
- 0
Charles Pic signs multi-year deal with Caterham F1 Team
Charles Pic has today been announced as one of Caterham F1 Team's race drivers for the 2013 season and beyond. The talented French driver joins the Anglo/Malaysian team on a mul...

23 Nov 2012 13:53
- 0
Aabar buys into Scuderia Toro Rosso - report
Aabar, the Abu Dhabi state investment arm, may have withdrawn at Mercedes in order to buy into the Toro Rosso team. It emerged this week that Aabar had sold back its 40 per cent...

23 Nov 2012 13:15
- 0
Sauber completes line-up for 2013 with Gutierrez and Frijns
The Sauber F1 Team has finalised its line-up for the 2013 season: Esteban Gutiérrez is confirmed as the team's second race driver. The 21-year old Mexican will be driving along...

23 Nov 2012 12:58
- 0
Angry Ron Dennis absent for Hamilton's McLaren farewell
Ron Dennis did not attend a farewell party for Lewis Hamilton last week in Austin, and he will not be in Brazil for his former protege's last race for McLaren. The news adds to ...

23 Nov 2012 11:07
- 0
Lotus F1 Team starting to use new driver simulator
Lotus is finally getting up-and-running with a state of the art driver simulator. Romain Grosjean said he got his first taste of the new technology whilst preparing recently for...

23 Nov 2012 10:46
- 0
Brazil could be last Grand Prix for dying HRT team
According to strong paddock rumours, Sunday's Brazilian grand prix will be the last lap for ailing backmarkers HRT. Publicly looking for a buyer, it is reported that staff have ...

23 Nov 2012 09:55
- 0
Sauber set to announce Esteban Gutierrez for 2013
According to team boss Monisha Kaltenborn, Sauber will announce the identity Nico Hulkenberg's 2013 teammate this weekend. "We have always said it will be announced during the s...

23 Nov 2012 08:55
- 0
Williams race deal won't change my life Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Bottas insists securing a contract to race a Williams in 2013 would not change his life. The young Finn, who this year has been testing on Fridays for the famous Britis...

22 Nov 2012 16:42
- 0
Brazil 2012 preview quotes: Caterham F1 Team
Giedo van der Garde (driving FP1 in Heikki Kovalainen's car): "This will be my final FP1 run of the season and it's on another track I haven't driven on before, but I've done th...

22 Nov 2012 16:03
- 0
Lotus teams up with Coca-Cola Company and Burn
The Coca-Cola Company will return to Formula 1 in January 2013 through its global energy brand Burn in a multi-year sponsorship of Lotus F1 Team. Details of the sponsorship will...

22 Nov 2012 15:32
- 0
Formula 1 heads to Brazil amid Sao Paulo crime wave
A nervous F1 circus has travelled to Sao Paulo for F1's 2012 finale, amid reports of more than 1000 murders in the Brazilian city this year. Britain's Guardian said the worse-th...

22 Nov 2012 15:11
- 0
Brazil 2012 preview quotes: Red Bull Racing
Sebastian Vettel: "The 4.3km circuit will this year stage the World Championship final. That will be exciting because at Interlagos you have a combination of passionate fans, dr...

22 Nov 2012 13:28
- 0
Lotus waiting to pay staff and Kimi Raikkonen - report
Rumours of 'financial difficulty' at Lotus are continuing. Early this week, it was claimed Kimi Raikkonen's place at the Enstone based team might actually be in doubt for 2013. ...

22 Nov 2012 12:14
- 0
Brazil 2012 preview quotes: Marussia F1 Team
The Marussia F1 Team have hotfooted it from Texas to South America for the Last Samba of the season - the Brazilian Grand Prix. The race takes place at one of the sports f...

22 Nov 2012 11:45
- 0
Video: A lap around Interlagos with Fernando Alonso
Brazil will play host for the last Grand Prix of this season. As preview for that race a video of a lap around the Interlagos with Fernando Alonso. ...

22 Nov 2012 10:50
- 0
Vijay Mallya to pump $80m extra into Force India
Vijay Mallya is pumping an extra $80 million into his formula one team. The news comes amid the well-documented financial struggles of his other business, the Indian airline Kin...

22 Nov 2012 10:23
- 0
Another big loss for Korean Grand Prix
There are worrying signs for the future of the new Korean Grand Prix, with organisers admitting yet another big financial loss for the October race. The 2012 edition of the Yeon...

22 Nov 2012 08:34
- 0
Sebastian Vettel lacks 'charisma' Bernie Ecclestone
Sebastian Vettel lacks "charisma", his friend Bernie Ecclestone has acknowledged. But the F1 chief executive, who plays backgammon with the 25-year-old reigning world champion a...

21 Nov 2012 16:34
- 0
Rubens Barrichello admits little chance of F1 return
Rubens Barrichello has all but ruled out a return to formula one in 2013. Until now, F1's longest-serving veteran has refused to call time on his grand prix career, despite swit...

21 Nov 2012 15:19
- 0
Whiting clears Red Bull Racing over 'rubber' nose
Charlie Whiting has played down claims Red Bull Racing has pushed the rules further than any rival with its supposedly 'rubber' front nose. Video footage of a mechanic removing ...

21 Nov 2012 14:55
- 0
Romain Grosjean admits 'no signature' yet for 2013
Romain Grosjean has admitted he is yet to sign on the dotted line for 2013. Early this week, as publications mused the likely shape of the 2013 grid, it emerged there could stil...

21 Nov 2012 13:52
- 0
Paddock figures back Ferrari's gearbox penalty 'trick'
Bob Fernley, the day-to-day team boss at Force India, has backed Ferrari's decision to deliberately penalise Felipe Massa in Austin. The Italian team was roundly criticised for ...

21 Nov 2012 12:47
- 0
Brazil 2012 preview quotes: Williams
Mark Gillan, Chief Operations Engineer: "The 71 lap long high altitude Interlagos circuit is one of the highlights of the season and one where overtaking is possible. Setting th...

21 Nov 2012 12:09
- 0
Runner-up position means $10m extra for McLaren
McLaren's battle for the 2012 drivers' and constructors' crowns is over. But Jenson Button said the Woking based team, whose 'supremo' Ron Dennis once famously declared that sec...

21 Nov 2012 10:29
- 0
Alonso toughest possible rival for Vettel Damon Hill
Fernando Alonso still has a significant chance of winning the 2012 world championship this weekend. That is the view of 1996 title winner Damon Hill, who named the Spaniard as p...

21 Nov 2012 09:05
- 0
Video: Man City striker Aguero takes on Rosberg in race off
What happens when you put an Argentinean international footballer on a race track in a DTM car with a seasoned Formula One driver? The answer is a lot of screeching, sliding an...

21 Nov 2012 08:36
- 0
Brazil 2012 preview quotes: Mercedes
Michael Schumacher: "Interlagos is the right place to round off my career because so much of the fascination of Formula One is rooted there. I always enjoy the enthusiasm of the...

20 Nov 2012 17:02
- 0
Bernie Ecclestone happy F1 to get 2012 title showdown
Bernie Ecclestone has admitted he is happy the 2012 world championship will be decided only at this weekend's twentieth and last race of the season in Brazil. As Christian Horne...

20 Nov 2012 15:52
- 0
Brazil 2012 preview quotes: Sauber
Next Sunday a world champion will be crowned at the end of a very exciting and diverse Formula One season. The Sauber F1 Team has experienced highs and lows four podiums but ...

20 Nov 2012 15:19
- 0
Kristensen and Priaulx sign up for Race of Champions 2012
The 2012 Race Of Champions will feature the most successful drivers in the history of Le Mans and the World Touring Car Championship as Tom Kristensen and Andy Priaulx MBE have ...

20 Nov 2012 14:01
- 0
Brazil 2012 preview quotes: Pirelli
For the first time in its history, Pirelli will approach the final round of the Formula One season as sole tyre supplier with the championship yet to be decided, thanks to eight...

20 Nov 2012 12:16
- 0
Button doubts Perez to fight for early wins in 2013
Jenson Button thinks Sergio Perez could struggle to fill Lewis Hamilton's winning boots at McLaren next year. Mexican Perez has been signed to replace 2008 world champion and F1...

20 Nov 2012 11:33
- 0
Massa's old diffuser faster than Alonso's new in Austin
As was rumoured before F1 arrived in Austin last week, the latest developments for Fernando Alonso's title-contending Ferrari did not work. New pieces, including a new diffuser,...

20 Nov 2012 10:58
- 0
Brazil 2012 preview quotes: HRT F1 Team
The 2012 Formula 1 World Championship draws to a close in Brazil as the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace stages the 20th and final Grand Prix of the season. HRT Formula 1 Team and its...

20 Nov 2012 09:40
- 0
Daimler takes full control of Mercedes F1 team
Mercedes-Benz has taken back total control of its formula one team by buying the 40 per cent stake held by Aabar, the Abu Dhabi investment arm. We reported in April that Aabar, ...

20 Nov 2012 08:26
- 0
No decision yet over Bernie Ecclestone bribery charge
Contrary to the latest media speculation, German prosecutors have not yet decided to charge Bernie Ecclestone with bribery. The German news magazine Focus had claimed the Munich...

19 Nov 2012 16:29
- 0
Narain Karthikeyan says FIA on his side after Vettel criticism
Narain Karthikeyan has hit back at Sebastian Vettel, following the latest bout of criticism from the reigning world champion. Vettel's Red Bull boss, Christian Horner, pointed t...

19 Nov 2012 15:57
- 0
Bruno Senna sounds downbeat on 2013 future
Bruno Senna's bad mood in Austin may have given away the game when he was asked about his plans for 2013. It is believed Williams plans to oust Brazilian Senna so that the Briti...

19 Nov 2012 15:05
- 0
Force India decision would almost complete 2013 grid
F1's grid for 2013 is almost complete, with the vacancy at Force India now the most sought after job in the paddock. On paper, only Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes and Toro...

19 Nov 2012 13:39
- 0
Dire mood as HRT staff plead 'we are unemployed'
The mood at HRT this weekend is dire, with the ailing Spanish team's staff making it known "we are unemployed and available", according to the sports daily Marca. At the beginni...

19 Nov 2012 12:16
- 0
Mark Webber not keen on new podium procedures
Mark Webber has admitted he is no fan of the new podium procedures in 2012. This year, the top three drivers stand on an elaborate new podium featuring electronic flags and are ...

19 Nov 2012 11:47
- 0
F1 considers super license points-system for driver offenses

Formula one is considering a demerit-point scheme to penalise both on and off-track driver offenses from 2013, it has emerged. Journalists were reportedly briefed about the pote...

19 Nov 2012 10:38
- 0
<< Previous Next >>