Formula One

. Two pop stars, Ricky Martin and Britney Spears, make cameo appearances. They are expected to sign former BAR driver Takuma Sato to drive for their team, their engines would be supplied by Honda, and as of November 2005 they are in negotiations with former Minardi chief Paul Stoddart to buy chassis for their cars, which would be the 2002 Arrows model^[14]. The distributors expressed unhappiness and suggested potential legal action, but according to the Sunday Herald, Moore's own response was, "I don't have a problem with people downloading the movie and sharing it with people as long as they're not trying to make a profit off my labour".[15] Moore had expressed similar sentiments before the film's theatric release. The team is named after its founder, Aguri Suzuki, who was a Formula One driver himself and participated in 88 races. The anti-Moore site moorewatch.com posted a link to a BitTorrent file containing a version of the movie taped at a cinema. Another team, Super Aguri F1 is set to join the F1 course in 2006, after gaining the unanimous agreement of the ten existing team ^[13]. In the UK, the film was shown on Channel 4 on January 27, 2005.

In 2006, the Faenza-based team will be run as a junior team named Scuderia Toro Rosso (initially known as Squadra Toro Rosso), although technically the team is a separate entity to Red Bull Racing. This is especially curious as it has neither been released on DVD officially in Germany yet, nor was it shown on premium channels. Arguably, the final small team disappeared with the September 2005 purchase of Minardi by Red Bull. The movie was also shown on basic cable television in Germany and Austria on November 1, 2004 and November 2, 2004. The Williams team will cease their partnership with BMW as a result, instead opting to run Cosworth engines for 2006. Moore later on arranged for simultaneous broadcasts on November 1st at 8:00 PM (EST) on DISH Network, TVN and the Cinema Now website. In June 2005, BMW bought a majority stake in Sauber and intends to run the team as a factory entry in 2006. The two-hour film was planned to be shown as part of the three-hour "The Michael Moore Pre-Election Special" on iN DEMAND, but iN DEMAND backed out in mid-October for "legitimate business and legal concerns." In a statement Michael Moore said he believes iN DEMAND decided not to air the film because of pressure from "top Republican people".

For 2006, Jordan will be rebadged as Midland F1. All of these depictions of servicemen have been described by some as contradicting Moore's "final thoughts" segment, where he praises the troops as noble for volunteering and serving America so loyally, wondering out loud if they "will ever trust us again?" However, most footage of American troops was taken from other documentries, including the "heavy metal music" scene from Soundtrack to War. Jordan then signed deal to use Toyota engines, while Minardi continued to use Cosworth engines under Cosworth's new owners. By extension, Moore illustrates those who do actually join up as either extremely gullible or as only interested in money and not desirious of serving their country. Jordan and Minardi both relied on Ford's Cosworth engines. Finally, in the film's segment on the tactics of military recruiters, Moore depicts military personnel as underhanded and deceptive in their efforts to get people to enlist. Jaguar Racing was sold to Red Bull and is now known as Red Bull Racing. Additionally, in footage depicting the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Moore uses footage of Americans blasting heavy metal music from the PA system of their armored vehicles, implying they are immature and bloodthirsty.

The Ford Motor Company's decision to pull out of Formula One at the end of 2004 exposed the vulnerabilities of some small teams. One notable scene, for instance, showed American soldiers raiding an Iraqi home for suspected insurgents, and dealing with the suspect and his family in a particularly harsh fashion. Drivers must make a final choice of dry-weather compound ahead of qualifying. One other major criticism of Moore's film include his depiction of American soldiers during the war, and the seeming incompatibility of these depictions with the overtures of support for them he makes in his conclusion. Drivers also have access to slightly more tyres than in 2005 - seven sets of dry-weather, four sets of wet-weather and three sets of extreme-weather. He claims that Moore altered the footage in a deceptive and underhanded fashion. Also,the 2006 season will see the return of the tyre changes during the pitstops.The thinking behind this is that the reduced engine size will offset any performance gain. Both of his arms were blown off in the line of duty, and he insists that his description of phantom limb pain used in Moore's film were not meant to imply that he blamed the administration for his wounds or that he disagreed with the mission in Iraq.

[12]. An American serviceman wounded in Iraq and featured in Fahrenheit 911 has also spoken out against Moore and his message. These changes will be applicable for the 2006 season. Glenn Chastain, went further, stating that coastal patrols were not the responsibility of the Oregon State Police, but rather the United States Coast Guard. For the final period, lasting 20 minutes, the cars will be arranged on the grid in positions one to ten in the order of their times, the fastest occupying pole position. The trooper's commander, Lt. The times for the ten remaining cars will be reset for the next session. Furthermore, Kenyon insists his statements to NBC news, although they were eventually used by Moore, did not mean he supported any of Moore's other views on the Bush Administration.

These cars will make up the grid in positions eleven to fifteen in the order of their times, the fastest occupying 11th position. The trooper has been quoted, however, as saying that his statements were not meant to imply that the Bush Administration was at fault for Oregon state budget cuts, nor that terrorism was a particular threat to Oregon's coastline. At the end of the second 15-minute period the slowest five cars can take no further part in qualifying. This segment was picked up and used by Moore to try and prove his assertion that budget cuts enacted by the Bush Administration, thereby exposing Oregon and its vast coast to terrorist infiltration. The times for the fifteen remaining cars are reset for the next session. The Oregon State Police segment featured a Trooper Andy Kenyon, who was interviewed by NBC news on the detrimental effects of state budget cuts on the operational capabilities of his department. These cars will make up the last five grid positions in the order of their times, the fastest occupying 16th position. The most glaring examples of this manipulation includes footage of interviews with an Oregon State Trooper and an interview with a wounded and an American serviceman wounded and subsequently disabled in Iraq.

At the end of the first 15-minute period the slowest five cars can take no further part in qualifying. Another point of criticism often leveled against Moore is his use of stock footage taken from American newscasters. All cars are permitted on the track. This contention, it should be noted, has been debunked by a coalition of top American newspapers, including the Washington Post and New York Times, which concluded after a lengthy recount of their own that George Bush would have won, even if the comprehensive recount requested by Gore hadn't been rejected by the US Supreme Court. Also, in 2005-10-24, the Formula One commission decided to switch the competition to the "KO" system. Bush had "stolen" the election. [11]. The letter's new "headline" insisted that Al Gore had won the recount, supporting Moore's premise that George W.

These changes are due in 2007. The text of the letter was digitally inflated and rearranged, creating the illusion that it was a factual article written by an actual reporter. In 2005-10-05, the FIA proposal of enhancing overtaking won the support of the teams by agreeing about the new rear wing concept -that would eliminate the current single rear wing and replace it with two box-like wings, one behind each rear wheel. Perhaps the most blantant and oft-cited example of Moore manipulating his audience is the use of a letter to the editor from a Florida newspaper during Moore's segment covering the 2000 Presidential election recount in Florida. Over the coming years, radical changes will be made to the rules. Others even contend that Moore's premises and evidence contradict his conclusions. In the long run, the FIA intends to introduce greater restrictions on testing and the introduction of standardised electronic units and tires. Accusations leveled against Moore using deception, propaganda, and even employing outright falsehoods and fabrications to make his point.

However, some teams will be allowed to continue using the V10 with a rev limiter in order to cut costs. Moore has been criticized by conservatives and even liberals (such as Christopher Hitchens) for both the content and conclusions of his film. Beginning with the 2006 season, engine displacement will be decreased, a 2.4L V8 replacing the current 3.0L V10. Due to the highly political nature of the film, criticism was inevitable. Both the teams and the drivers are still unhappy with the qualifying system, however, and several alternative formats have been suggested for use from 2006 onwards.^[10]. [14]. This was ditched after complaints from spectators, who felt that the Saturday session was meaningless, and broadcasters, who did not want to broadcast so much Formula One on a Sunday. Bush won Worst Actor, Bush with either Condoleezza Rice or his pet goat won Worst Screen Couple, Donald Rumsfeld won Worst Supporting Actor, and Rice and Britney Spears were both nominated for Worst Supporting Actress, with Spears winning the award.

The current qualifying format, a single flying lap on race fuel, replaced one which was used for the first part of the 2005 season (until the 2005 European Grand Prix) which involved two separate sessions, one on Saturday and a second on Sunday morning, with the starting grid drawn up according to the fastest aggregate time of each driver. George W. These two issues, safety and cost, are paramount in all rule-change discussions, and the FIA has made public its intention to continue to modify the rules with these goals in mind. The film also won four Razzies, not for its lack of quality but rather as a 'joke' about the "actors". In an attempt to reduce costs, a new rule requires each engine to be used for two consecutive races. However, the film won other awards such as the People's Choice Award for Favourite Motion Picture, an unprecedented honor for a documentary. In the interest of safety, the FIA instituted a number of rule changes at the start of the 2005 season, including restrictions on the changing of tyres. The film received no Oscar nominations when they were announced on January 25, 2005.

These newer circuits, however are generally agreed upon to meet the safety standards of modern Formula One better than the older ones. 2." Moore had previously won a Best Documentary Oscar for Bowling for Columbine and noted that in the current situation, the above priorities take precedence to winning a second Oscar and that he would prefer his fellow documentarians to have a chance to win the Oscar themselves. His redesign of the Hockenheim circuit in Germany for example, while providing more capacity for grandstands and eliminating extremely long and dangerous straights, has been frowned upon by many who argue that part of the character of the Hockenheim circuits were the long and blinding straights into the Black Forest. Moore planned instead to submit and promote his film for the Best Picture Oscar, commenting: "For me the real Oscar would be Bush's defeat on Nov. Several of the new circuits in F1, especially those designed by Herman Tilke, have been criticized as lacking the "flow" of such classics as Spa-Francorchamps and Imola. On September 6, 2004, Moore announced that, because he was seeking a television airing of Fahrenheit 9/11 prior to the November presidential election, the film would not be submitted for consideration for a Best Documentary Oscar (from which a broadcast within nine months of release would disqualify the film under Oscar rules). The US Grand Prix has been offically scheduled to occur again at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 2, 2006. It contains Moore's sources for his allegations, audience e-mails about the film, film reviews, articles and political cartoons pertaining to the film.

The future of the United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is also in doubt after only six cars started the 2005 race due to concerns about the safety of the supplied Michelin tyres. A companion book, The Official Fahrenheit 9/11 Reader, was released at the same time. The inaugural Turkish Grand Prix took place in 2005 in IstanbulPark, and Ecclestone has asserted publicly that F1 will return to South Africa within five years.^[7] He has also expressed interest in a Russian Grand Prix in Moscow or St Petersburg in the near future.^[8] The European Union's ratification of laws prohibiting tobacco advertising went into effect on July 31, 2005, providing another incentive for the heavily tobacco-sponsored sport to find venues outside of Europe.^[9]. [13]. As of 2005, this expansion has resulted in the disappearance of only one race, the Austrian Grand Prix, which was last held in 2003; however, several teams have expressed their preference for a shorter calendar^[6], and the future of such races as the British, European and San Marino Grands Prix has recently fallen into doubt. About 2 million copies were sold on the first day. In the interest of making the sport truer to its designation as a World Championship, FOM president Bernie Ecclestone has initiated and organized a number of Grands Prix in new countries and continues to discuss new future races. In the first days of the release, the documentary broke records for the best-sold documentary ever.

The sport's rapid expansion into new areas of the globe also leaves some question as to which races will be cut. presidential election, in order to maximize its political impact. At present, the FIA has been taxed with the responsibility of making rules to combat the spiralling costs which affect the smaller teams and to ensure that the sport remains as safe as possible. Moore stated that he wanted to release the movie for home viewing prior to the 2004 U.S. However, viewing figures are seeing some signs of recovery due to the varied 2005 season, with the Canadian Grand Prix attracting the third largest global TV audience of any sporting event in 2005, behind only the Super Bowl and the UEFA Champions League final.^[5]. Fahrenheit 9/11 was released to DVD and VHS on October 5, 2004, an unusually short turnaround time after theatrical release. Viewing figures dropped, and fans expressed their loss of interest due to the dominance of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari. He also gave permission for the film to be downloaded onto personal computers.

Formula One went through a difficult period in the early 2000s. That issue is moot, anyway, since Moore decided consciously to forego Oscar eligibility in favor of a DVD release of the film — reportedly because he felt that it was more important to spread his message as widely as possible amongst American voters than to win another award. Whilst circuit safety is of prime importance, this can often be achieved without the reduction of the modern circuit to parade route status. However, soon after that story had been published, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued a statement denying this, saying, "If it was pirated or stolen or unauthorized we would not blame the producer or distributor for that." [12] In addition, Wild Bunch, the film's overseas distributor for Cuba, issued a statement denying a television deal had been struck with Cuban Television. An ongoing complaint of long time F1 fans is the emasculation of the world's greatest circuits in order to satisfy sometimes arbitrary demands from the FIA. It had been widely reported that this might affect its Oscar eligibility. These were mostly aimed at better matching the speed of a car with both the available space to slow down in before reaching a barrier and the ability of those barriers to safely absorb the energy of a crash. In Cuba, bootlegged versions of the film were shown in 120 theaters, followed by a prime-time television broadcast by the leading state-run network.

This is an ongoing task – after the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger at Imola during the 1994 season, the FIA mandated further changes to circuits. I think it's quite natural." By refusing to condemn his film's use by Hezbollah, an organization that has been implicated in the killing and kidnapping of American civilians abroad and has been labeled a terrorist organization by the United States and European Union, Moore has been accused of de facto treason by some. Whereas in the 1950s a driver was lucky to find a strategically placed bale of straw to absorb an impact, modern Formula One circuits feature large run-off areas, gravel traps and tire barriers to reduce the risk of injury in crashes. Having the support of such an entity in Lebanon is quite significant for that market and not at all controversial. Circuit design to protect the safety of drivers is becoming increasingly sophisticated, as exemplified by the new track in Bahrain, designed – like most of F1's new circuits – by Hermann Tilke. Gianluca Chacra, managing director of Front Row Entertainment, the Middle East distributor for Fahrenheit 9/11, has stated, “We can't go against these organizations, as they could strongly boycott the film in Lebanon and Syria. Three-time World champion Nelson Piquet famously described racing in Monaco as "riding a bicycle around your living room.". In Lebanon, some student members of the group Hezbollah have asked if there was any way they could support the film.

The glamour and history of the Monaco race are the primary reasons why the circuit is still in use, since it is thought not to meet the strict safety requirements imposed on other tracks. The film has been banned in Kuwait. Several other circuits are also completely or partially laid out on public roads, such as Spa-Francorchamps. In certain countries, the film was received as a confirmation of what informed people already knew, but critics still found the film effective because it had managed to cause controversy in the US. The only real street circuit is the Circuit de Monaco, used for the Monaco Grand Prix, although races in other urban locations come and go (Las Vegas and Detroit, for example) and proposals for such races are often discussed – most recently for London. The film was a major success in most European countries. Most of the circuits currently in use are specially constructed for competition. Bush is prohibited by law from running [for presidency] again.".

Also particularly lamented are the circuits at Zandvoort in the Netherlands and Kyalami in South Africa, neither of which are now used by F1. The official mourning period is over today and there is a silver lining — George W. Many corners have become well known in their own right, such as the high-speed Eau Rouge at Spa-Francorchamps, and before the addition of chicanes to tame it, the Tamburello corner at Imola and the Curva Grande at Monza, as well as in recent years the thirteenth turn at Indianapolis (road course configuration), known as the fastest corner in the sport. We're communicators and it's up to us to start doing it now. Those few circuits that run anticlockwise (and therefore have predominantly left handed corners) can cause drivers neck problems due to the enormous lateral forces generated by F1 cars pulling their heads in the opposite direction to normal. They weren't told the truth. The layout of the rest of the circuit varies widely, although in most cases the circuit runs in a clockwise direction. Fifty-one percent of the American people lacked information [in this election] and we want to educate and enlighten them.

The pit lane, where the drivers stop for fuel during the race, and where the teams work on the cars before the race, is normally located next to the starting grid. We want to document it. A typical circuit usually features a stretch of straight road on which the starting grid is situated. On November 12, 2004, Moore announced his intention to produce a sequel to the film, to be entitled Fahrenheit 9/11 1/2. In an interview with Daily Variety, he stated, "We want to get cameras rolling now and have it ready in two, three years. The Bahrain Grand Prix, along with other new races in China and Turkey, present new opportunities for the growth and evolution of the Formula One Grand Prix franchise whilst new facilities also raise the bar for other Formula One racing venues around the world. Furthermore, it was hoped that it would give heart to people who disagreed with Bush's policies, but felt their views were being marginalized. One of the newest races on the Grand Prix, held in Bahrain, represents Formula One's first penetration into the Middle East with a high tech purpose-built desert track. Nonetheless, Bush's critics hoped that the success of the film was an indication of wide public support for more open debate on the Bush administration's policies.

It has always taken place at Monza, with one exception in 1980 when it took place at Imola (which now hosts the San Marino Grand Prix). Despite Moore's energetic campaign in favor of Democratic challenger John Kerry, Bush was re-elected to a second term on November 2, 2004, albeit with a narrower margin of votes than any sitting US president in American history. The only other race to have been included in every World Championship season is the Italian Grand Prix. Bush's chances of re-election. The British Grand Prix, for example, though held every year since 1950, alternated between Brands Hatch and Silverstone from 1963 to 1986. Partly because of the success of the film, it was widely debated what effect it would have on George W. The grands prix, some of which have a history that predates the Formula One World Championship, are not always held on the same circuit every year. There were also efforts by liberal groups such as MoveOn.org to encourage attendance in order to defy their political opponents' contrary efforts.

For example, every year two grands prix take place in Germany, one of which is known as the European Grand Prix. Moore credited part of this success to the efforts of conservative groups to pressure theaters not to run the film, conjecturing that these efforts backfired by creating publicity. If a single country hosts multiple grands prix in a year, they receive different names. During the weekend of July 24, 2004, the film passed the $100 million mark in box-office receipts, again an unprecedented amount for a feature-length political documentary. Traditionally, each nation has hosted a single grand prix that carries the name of the country. The film was released in France on July 7, 2004 and in the UK on July 9, 2004. The current nineteen races are spread over the continents of Europe, Asia, Oceania, North America, and South America. theatrical run of any other feature-length documentary (including Moore's previous film, Bowling for Columbine).

Asia (Japan in 1976) and Oceania (Australia in 1985) followed. Its opening weekend earned more than the entire U.S. Argentina hosted the first South American grand prix in 1953, and Morocco hosted the first African World Championship race in 1958. and Canada, making it the weekend's top-grossing film, despite having been screened in only 868 theaters (many of the weekend's other top movies played on over 2,500 screens). The F1 championship gradually expanded to other non-European countries as well. On its opening weekend of June 25–June 27, this film generated box-office revenue of $23.9 million in the U.S. Six of the original seven races took place in Europe; the only non-European race that counted towards the World Championship in 1950 was the Indianapolis 500, which, due to lack of participation by F1 teams, since it required cars with different specifications from the other races, was later replaced by the United States Grand Prix. He also said that, despite the fact that Moore's talent was "not in doubt," he had won the award "for political rather than cinematographic reasons, no matter what the jury said." [11].

Though the number of races had stayed at sixteen or seventeen since the 1980s, it reached nineteen in 2005. In comments to the prize-winning jury in 2005, however, Cannes director Gilles Jacob said they should make their decision based on film-making rather than politics — a clear reference to Fahrenheit 9/11. Only seven races comprised the inaugural 1950 season; over the years the calendar has more than doubled in size. We awarded the art of cinema, that is what won you this award and we wanted you to know that as a fellow filmmaker.'". The number of Grands Prix held in a season has varied over the years. Some of us have no politics. Jochen Rindt has the distinction of having been the only posthumous World Champion. We are not here to give a political award.

Michael Schumacher holds the record for having won the most Drivers' Championships (seven) and Ferrari holds the record for having won the most Constructors' Championships (fourteen). He also responded to claims that the award was political: "Quentin [Tarantino] whispered in my ear, 'we want you to know that it was not the politics of your film that won you this award. As privateer teams quickly folded in the early 1990s, numbers were frequently shuffled around, until the current system was adopted in 1996. [...] This is not a French award, it was given by an international jury dominated by Americans.". For many years, for example, Ferrari held numbers 27 & 28, regardless of their finishing position in the world championship. Four out of nine were American. Before 1996, only the world championship winning driver and his team generally swapped numbers with the previous champion – the remainder held their numbers from prior years, as they had been originally set at the start of the 1974 season. Some conservatives in the United States, such as Jon Alvarez of Patriotic Americans Boycotting Anti-American Hollywood (PABAAH), commented [10] that such an award could be expected from "the French" (see Anti-Americanism, Anti-French sentiment in the United States); Moore responded: "There was only one French citizen on the jury.

The number 13 has not been used since 1974, before which it was occasionally assigned at the discretion of individual race organizers. Just like his much-publicized Oscar acceptance speech, Moore's speech in Cannes included some opinionated statements:. In this case the drivers for the team of the previous year's champion are given numbers 0 and 2. It was the first documentary to win that award since Jacques Cousteau and Louis Malle's The Silent World in 1956. There have been exceptions to this rule, such as in 1993 and 1994, when the current World Drivers' Champion was no longer competing in Formula One. On May 22, 2004, the film was awarded the Palme d'Or. Numbers are then assigned according to each team's position in the previous season's World Constructors' Championship. After its first showing in Cannes in May of 2004, the film received a 20-minute standing ovation, which Cannes artistic director Thierry Frémaux declared "the longest standing ovation in the history of the festival." (According to French news the standing ovation was over 23 minutes long).

The previous season's World Drivers' Champion is designated number 1, with his teammate given number 2. In April 2004 the film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 57th Cannes Film Festival. Each car is assigned a number. The film is also dedicated to "countless thousands" of civilian victims of war as a result of United States military activities in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a consequence, constructors desiring to enter Formula One often prefer to buy an existing team: B.A.R.'s purchase of Tyrrell and Midland's purchase of Jordan allowed both of these teams to sidestep the large deposit. The movie is dedicated to Moore's friend who was killed in the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001, and to those servicemen and women from Flint, Michigan, who have been killed in Iraq. Entering a new team in the Formula One World Championship requires a £25 million (about US$50 million) up-front payment to the FIA, which is then repaid to the team over the course of the season. President, we agree with you.".

Although teams rarely disclose information about their budgets, it is estimated that they range from US$75 million to US$500 million each. Fool me twice, shame on me." What he came up with combined part of that maxim with the title of The Who song "Won't Get Fooled Again." In the context of the film, Moore is tying the clip back to the beginning of the film to imply Moore's hope that the American public would not be "fooled again." After the clip, Moore is heard saying, "For once Mr. Ferrari is the only still-active team which competed in 1950, and as of 2005 only ten teams remain on the grid, each fielding two cars. You fool me you can't get fooled again." He was presumably trying to say, "Fool me once, shame on you. In fact, such was the scarcity of competitive cars for much of the first decade of Formula One that Formula Two cars were admitted to fill the grids. Bush stumbling through the saying: "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, it's probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. The sport's 1950 debut season saw eighteen teams compete, but due to high costs many dropped out quickly. The film ends with a clip of George W.

The only remaining commercial engine manufacturer is Cosworth. In the beginning of the documentary, Moore focuses on the 2000 election with footage of a hypothetical Gore victory and in the process states his opinion that the public was fooled. Others, such as DaimlerChrysler, provide engines and sponsorship for privately owned teams in return for prominent advertisement on their team clothing and car livery. Will they ever trust us again?" However, earlier in the film, he asserts that the large proportion of working-class people in the military can be mainly attributed to a lack of other career options. Honda has also recently gained control over what was once British American Racing. And all they ask for in return, is that we never send them into harm's way unless it's absolutely necessary. After having virtually disappeared by the early 1980s, factory teams made a comeback in the 1990s and 2000s, with Toyota, Ferrari (FIAT), and Renault owning their own teams and BMW following suit by purchasing the former Sauber team. It is remarkable — their gift to us.

As the manufacturers' deep pockets and engineering ability took over, these collaborations largely died out in favour of the present system in which a manufacturer supports a single team. They offer to give up their lives so that we can be free. Companies such as Climax, Repco, Cosworth, Hart, Judd and Supertec, which had no direct team affiliation, often sold engines to teams who could not afford to manufacture them. They serve so that we don't have to. Early manufacturer involvement came in the form of a "factory team" (that is, one owned and staffed by a major car company), such as those of Alfa Romeo, Ferrari (FIAT) or Renault. Near the end, tying together several themes and points, Moore compliments those serving in the US military, "I've always been amazed that the very people forced to live in the worst parts of town, go to the worst schools, and who have it the hardest, are always the first to step up, to defend that very system. In its early years, Formula One teams sometimes also built their engines, though this became less common with the increased involvement of major car manufacturers such as BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Renault, Toyota, and Honda, whose large budgets rendered privately built engines less competitive (and redundant). He accosts Congressmen on the sidewalk to give them United States armed forces pamphlets and to urge them to have their children enlist.

This requirement distinguishes the sport from series such as IRL, Champ Cars, and NASCAR, which allow teams to purchase chassis, and "spec series" such as GP2, which require all cars be kept to an identical specification. He also comments that only a single Congressman has children serving in Iraq. Formula One teams must build the chassis in which they compete, and consequently the terms "team" and "constructor" are more or less interchangeable. Upon learning that most members of Congress had not read the USA Patriot Act before passing it, Moore drives around the Capitol in an ice cream truck, reading the statute over a loudspeaker. The winner of the two annual championships are the driver and the team who have accumulated the most points at the end of the season. As in his other movies, Moore uses humor to enliven his argument. The FIA awards points to the top eight drivers and their respective teams of a grand prix on a 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis (the race winner receives ten points, the first runner-up eight, and so on). As she talks with a protester in a tent, they are confronted by a woman who claims that the protester's exhibits are "all staged." Lipscomb asks her if her son's death was staged also.

Throughout the race, drivers may make one or more pit stops in order to refuel, although they are currently not allowed to change tires unless the change is essential (for instance, due to a puncture). Toward the end of the film, Lipscomb was shown walking up to the security barrier surrounding the White House, (she had invited Moore's crew to join her on a job conference to Washington, DC.) She expressed her difficulty in coming to terms with the place and in realizing how the decisions made there would ultimately bring about the death of her son. Races are a little over 300 kilometres (180 miles) long and are limited to two hours, though in practice they usually last about ninety minutes. Anguished and tearful, she expressed questions about the war's purpose and how that came to take the life of her son. A light system above the track then signals the start of the race. Later in the film, Lipscomb reappears, this time in tears with her family, after hearing of the death of her son, Michael Pederson, who was killed on April 2, 2003, in Karbala. As long as he moves off and at least one car is behind him, he can retake his original position. She praised the Army's active recruitment in the low-income town, saying enlistment was a good option for young people to get a start on life.

If a driver stalls before the parade lap, and the rest of the field passes him, then he must start from the back of the grid. The Flint segment also focused on a strong war supporter named Lila Lipscomb, who had a daughter in the 1991 Persian Gulf War and now had a son serving in Iraq. The race begins with a warm-up formation lap, after which the cars assemble on the starting grid in the order they qualified. The segment showed the techniques and minor flatteries by which they made personal contact with people, asking questions and making suggestions that interests such as music and basketball would be avenues available to pursue through the military. After these practice sessions, a qualifying session consisting of one "flying lap" (whereby the driver is given an empty track to set his time on, with time measured from a rolling start) determines a driver's position on the starting grid for Sunday's race, with the fastest driver during qualifying given "pole position" and the slowest driver starting last. In the economically hard-hit town, Moore explained that Flint's low-income neighborhoods were a prime target of military recruiters, and followed two Marine recruiters in uniform, during the course of actively recruiting young men for enlistment. Third drivers are allowed to run on Fridays for teams that finished the preceding season in 5th place or lower. Like all other Moore films, Fahrenheit 9/11 featured extensive focus on the impact of the Iraq War on Flint.

A Formula One Grand Prix event spans an entire weekend, beginning with two free practices on Friday, and two free practices on Saturday. Moore obtained footage of the preparation for the televised announcement of the Iraq war, where Bush "mugs" for the camera, seconds before uttering "My fellow Americans...". The effects on the already low viewing figures are to be seen as the sound produced by V8 engines is expected to be different and perhaps not as loud as their V10 counterparts. It also shows a business convention where numerous corporate representatives attend and hear a pitch about how much money companies can make through the conflict in Iraq. The new 2.4 litre 8 Cylinder Formula is set to be introduced as early as the beginning of 2006 season allowing smaller teams to run rpm-limited V10 3-litre engines. The documentary touches on other themes as well, discussing reduction in the number of people enlisting in the military because of the war, and US military recruiters using some questionable pledges to get new sign-ups; particularly targeting poorer neighborhoods. Other Championship winning engines are those from Mercedes Benz, BMW, Porsche and Ford Cosworth. Moore's uncensored copy was from 2000, and the restrictions did not take effect until 2003.) Moore contends that Bush's dry-hole oil well attempts were partially funded by the Saudis and, in fact, by bin Laden family money.

but not only Renault was successful, Ferrari and specially Honda enjoyed great success with multiple championships with several teams, most notable McLaren and by a lesser extent Williams with whom Honda engines reached the highest levels of power in F1 history in the late 80's exceeding, in some circumstances, the 1200 bhp limit in qualifying. (This may have been due to HIPAA restrictions on the release of medical records, in this case the record showing Bath's suspension for not taking an exam. Renault was innovative during this period producing out of the standard designs as the 111º 10 cylinder engine for the 2003 RS23. Bath, a Guard friend of Bush's who went on to work as a financial agent for the Saudis and helped channel Saudi money to one of Bush's businesses. At the end the statistics show a raw supremacy of the Renault engines having clinched several championships as engine suppliers and their first ever Drivers and Constructors Championships in a 100% Renault car in 2005. The difference between the versions is that the White House blacked out the name of James R. The year 2005 marks the end of an era, the end of the 10 cylinder powerplants which saw both normally aspirated and supercharged engines being deployed in F1 cars for more than two decades. Bush's Air National Guard service record — first the censored copy produced by the White House, then an uncensored copy that Moore had obtained a few years earlier.

It was introduced in many countries over the years, but was shut down after the 2002 season for financial reasons. Moore shows a Vietnam war-era document of George W. Bernievision offered the viewer several simultaneous feeds (such as super signal, on-board, top of field, backfield, highlights, pit lane, timing), which were produced with cameras, technical equipment and staff different from those used for the conventional coverage. The next scene is of Bush sitting in a Florida classroom, holding a book called Reading Mastery 2, for seven minutes after being told there was a second airplane crash into the World Trade Center. Ecclestone experimented with a digital television package (known colloquially as Bernievision), which was launched at the 1996 German Grand Prix in cooperation with German digital television service "DF1". Many of the scenes also depict Bush playing golf with family, fishing, and feeding his dog, and other scenes show him being heckled by reporters over his poor productivity during the time before September 11th. During the early 2000s, Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Administration created a number of trademarks, an official logo, and an official website for the sport in an attempt to give it a corporate identity. [9].

^[3] In 2005, the United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis saw only three out of ten teams race in a bizarre mishap when it turned out that the Michelin tires for the other seven teams could not be safely used on the surface of the track, causing them to pull out ^[4] when the FIA refused a change for safety reasons, insisting on keeping to the letter of the regulations. The figure comes from a Washington Post article that concludes Bush spent "a whopping 54 days at his Texas ranch, 38 days at the presidential retreat at Camp David and four more at his parents' place in Kennebunkport, Maine." Critics dispute this figure as misleading, remarking that it includes visits by foreign dignitaries as vacation time. The ensuing scandal saw Ferrari slapped with a fine by the FIA, who also banned any further use of team orders in the new rules and regulations. Bush's ascension to power and alleges a 42-percent vacation rate before September 11, 2001. At the Austrian Grand Prix in 2002, Rubens Barrichello, Schumacher's teammate at Ferrari who was leading the race, was ordered to allow Schumacher to overtake him. The film begins with George W. The first few years of the 21st century in F1 also saw some controversies and scandals. In it, he stated that he was obtaining footage directly from Iraq:.

In 2005, drivers were no longer allowed to change tires during the race, unless the tires are deemed to be dangerously worn. In April 2004, Moore posted a note on his web site regarding the progress of the film. Other new restrictions included one making it mandatory for each engine to last two races; a driver that had to have his engine replaced would be penalised by starting at a lower position in the starting grid of the race. By contrast, Moore refrained from using the familiar footage of the September 11 attacks, but instead presented a blank screen with only the sounds of the incident, then cut to reactions of onlookers of the attacks. Another new regulation made drivers start each race with the same level of fuel they had during qualifying, introducing a new tactical element to each team's strategy. One brief clip shows a public beheading filmed in Jidda, Saudi Arabia. Most notably, the qualifying format has changed several times since 2003. The film also shows US soldiers with amputations and nerve damage.

Meanwhile, several changes to the rules were made in a bid to improve the on-track action and cut spiralling costs. The film contains numerous graphic clips of military and civilian casualties in the Iraq war, including dead and mutilated bodies, as well as footage of American soldiers deployed to Iraq who use music as a "Soundtrack to War". In the rulebook, several driver aids returned due in part to developments that allowed teams to evade the FIA "restrictions". One of his primary sources for these claims is the book House of Bush, House of Saud by Craig Unger. Michael Schumacher had been world champion for more than 1,800 days. In this vein, he also examines the government-sponsored evacuation of relatives of Osama bin Laden after the attacks. Ferrari's championship streak finally came to an end on September 25, 2005 when Fernando Alonso clinched the 2005 championship with a third place finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix to become the youngest champion to date, replacing previous record holder Emerson Fittipaldi of Brazil. Although the business connections between the Bush family and various high-ranking Saudis are not disputed, they are not widely known, and Moore has previously alleged that the Bush administration turned a blind eye to Saudi links to terrorist groups, (most of the September 11 hijackers were Saudis).

Juan Pablo Montoya driving for Williams also came close in 2003. [7] (See Bush family conspiracy theory.). Despite Ferrari's dominance, Kimi Räikkönen driving for McLaren had a theoretical chance of claiming the championship in 2003 right until the end of the season at the Japanese Grand Prix. The links form a relationship spanning three decades, supposedly worth $1.4 billion to the Bush family and their friends and associates. Later that year he became the youngest ever winner of a Grand Prix when he took the chequered flag in Hungary. In the film, Moore also describes the links between the Bush family and associated persons, such as prominent Saudi Arabian families, including the Saudi royal family and the family of Osama bin Laden. In 2003 Fernando Alonso became the youngest ever pole sitter by qualifying first at Malaysia. The film discusses the causes and aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, including the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq.

His record now stands at 7 championships. . In 2002, Schumacher also set a new record by claiming the championship earlier in the season than any previous driver by winning the French Grand Prix in July that year.^[2] In 2003, Schumacher claimed his sixth championship title, beating the earlier record-holder, Juan Manuel Fangio with five championships. [5] The film has grossed a further $99 million overseas.[6]. In 2001, Schumacher set the new record for the most Grands Prix ever won; the earlier record holder was Alain Prost, with 51 wins to his name. box office, and over US$220 million worldwide, an unprecedented amount for a political documentary; Sony reported first-day DVD sales of two million copies, again a new record for the genre. The early 2000s were dominated by Michael Schumacher and a resurgent Ferrari. As of January, 2005, the film has grossed nearly US$120 million in U.S.

Many records have been broken in the 21st century especially in the hands of German Michael Schumacher and recently the young Spaniard Fernando Alonso. The film debuted at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival in the documentary film category and was awarded the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm), the festival's highest award, by an international jury (four Americans, four Europeans, and one Asian). This has prompted former Jordan owner Eddie Jordan to say that the days of competitive privateers are over.^[1]. [2][3][4]. Since 1990, 28 teams have pulled out of Formula One. Moore himself has called it an "op-ed piece" while vehemently defending its factual accuracy. Financial troubles forced several teams to withdraw. The film has been denounced by some as misleading propaganda, and praised by others as a valuable perspective on the Bush administration's response to 9/11 that the American media have not broadcast.

This increased financial burden, combined with four teams' dominance (largely funded by big car manufacturers such as DaimlerChrysler), caused the poorer independent teams to struggle not only to remain competitive, but to stay in business. One of Moore's stated aims in making the documentary was to prevent Bush from being reelected in 2004. Due to the technological advances of the 1990s, the cost of competing in Formula One rose dramatically. political scene." [1] The documentary has another theme of criticizing the American corporate media for being "cheerleaders" for the war in Iraq, and not providing an accurate and objective analysis of what led to the Iraq invasion and the resulting civilian casualties there. Drivers from McLaren, Williams, Renault (formerly Benetton) and Ferrari, dubbed the "Big Four", have won every World Championship from 1984 to the present day. The Los Angeles Times described the film as "an alternate history of the last four years on the U.S. The FIA vowed to improve the sport's safety standards; since that weekend, no driver has died on the track during a race. Bush and the War on Terrorism.

Tragically, Ayrton Senna died in a crash at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix having taken over Prost's lead drive at Williams that year. It presents a critical look at the administration of George W. The rivalry between racing legends Senna and Prost became F1's central focus in 1988, and continued until Prost retired at the end of 1993. The film generated a great deal of controversy. Honda and McLaren dominated much of the 1980s, whilst Renault-powered Williams drivers won several world championships in the mid 1990s, with a McLaren comeback in the late 1990s. It was named after Ray Bradbury's dystopian Science Fiction novel Fahrenheit 451. On the track, the McLaren and Williams teams dominated the 1980s and 1990s. The film has since been released in 42 more countries and holds the record for highest box office receipts by a general release documentary.

The teams signed a second Concorde Agreement in 1992 and a third in 1997, which is due to expire on the last day of 2007. Fahrenheit 9/11 is a high-grossing, award-winning documentary film by American filmmaker and liberal activist Michael Moore, which had a general release in the United States and Canada on June 25, 2004 in the run up to the presidential election. However, many observers felt that the ban on driver aids was a ban in name only as the FIA did not have the technology or the methods to eliminate these features from competition. The FIA, due to complaints that technology was determining the outcome of races more than driver skill, banned many such aids in 1994. Some, like active suspension, were primarily developed for the track and later made their way to the showroom.

Some were borrowed from contemporary road cars. In the early 1990s, teams started introducing electronic driver aids such as power steering, traction control, and semi-automatic gearboxes. To reduce engine power output and thus speeds, the FIA limited fuel tank capacity in 1984 and boost pressures in 1988 before banning turbocharged engines in 1989. These cars were and still are the most powerful open-wheel circuit racing cars ever.

In later years, notably 1987, the Formula One turbo cars produced in excess of 1,000 bhp in racing trim (and perhaps as much as 1,250 bhp in qualifying trim). By then, however, turbocharged engines, which Renault had pioneered in 1977, were producing over 700 bhp (520 kW) and were essential to be competitive. The FIA imposed a ban on ground effect aerodynamics in 1983. 1981 saw the signing of the first Concorde Agreement, a contract which bound the teams to compete until its expiration and assured them a share of the profits from the sale of television rights, bringing an end to the FISA-FOCA War and contributing to Bernie Ecclestone's eventual complete financial control of the sport, after much negotiation.

The formation of the Federation Internationale du Sport Automobile in 1979 set off the FISA-FOCA War, during which FISA and its president Jean Marie Balestre clashed repeatedly with the Formula One Constructors Association over television profits and technical regulations. In the late 1970s Lotus introduced ground effect aerodynamics that provided enormous downforce and greatly increased cornering speeds (though the concept had previously been tested by Jim Hall's Chaparral IndyCar team in the 1960s). Aerodynamic downforce slowly gained importance in car design from the appearance of aerofoils in the late 1960s. In 1968, Lotus painted an Imperial Tobacco livery on their cars, thus introducing sponsorship to the sport.

In 1962, Lotus introduced a car with aluminium sheet chassis called a monocoque in place of the traditional tubular chassis; this proved to be the next major technological breakthrough since the introduction of mid-engined cars. Between Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Jack Brabham, Graham Hill, and Denny Hulme, British teams and Commonwealth drivers won twelve world championships between 1962 and 1973. However, when Colin Chapman entered F1 as a chassis designer and later founder of Lotus, British racing green came to dominate the field for the next decade. The first British World Champion was Mike Hawthorn, who drove a Ferrari to the title in 1958.

By 1961, all competitors had switched to mid-engined cars. Jack Brabham, champion in 1959 and 1960, soon proved the new design's superiority. The first major technological development, Cooper's re-introduction of mid-engined cars (following Porsche's pioneering and all-conquering Auto Unions of the 1930s), which evolved from the company's successful Formula 3 designs, occurred in the 1950s. Fangio is remembered for dominating Formula One's first decade and has long been considered the "grand master" of Formula One.

Though Britain's Stirling Moss was able to compete regularly, he was never able to win the World Championship. However, Fangio won the title in 1951 and four more in the next six years, his streak interrupted by two-time champion Alberto Ascari of Ferrari. The inaugural Formula One World Championship was won by Italian Giuseppe Farina in his Alfa Romeo in 1950, barely defeating his Argentine teammate Juan Manuel Fangio. The sport's title, Formula One, indicates that it is intended to be the most advanced and most competitive of the many racing formulae.

Non-championship Formula One races were held for many years, but due to the rising cost of competition, the last of these occurred in the early 1980s. A championship for constructors followed in 1958. A number of Grand Prix racing organisations laid out rules for a World Championship before World War II, but due to the suspension of racing during the war, the World Drivers Championship was not formalised until 1947, and was first run in 1950. The Formula One series has its roots in the European Grand Prix motor racing (q.v. for pre-1947 history) of the 1920s and 1930s.

. Its present President is Max Mosley, and is generally promoted and controlled by the official commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone through a variety of corporate entities. The sport is regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile,with its headquarters in Place de la Concorde, Paris. In recent years, it has also become known for glamour.

As the world's most expensive sport, its economic impact is significant, and its financial and political battles are widely observed. Europe is Formula One's traditional centre and remains its leading market; however, Grands Prix have been held all over the world, and with new races in Bahrain, China, Malaysia and Turkey, its scope is continually expanding. The cars race at speeds often in excess of 300 km/h (185 mph) with engines that produce, as of 2005, around 950 bhp at just over 19000 rpm. It consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held on purpose-built circuits or closed city streets, whose results determine two annual World Championships, one for drivers and one for constructors.

Formula One, abbreviated to F1 and also known as Grand Prix racing, is the highest class of single-seat open-wheel formula auto racing. Parragon. The Concise Encyclopedia of Formula One. Tremayne, David & Hughes, Mark (1999).

BBC Sport. (June 19, 2005). Seven teams boycott US Grand Prix. Referenced 5 January 2006.

F1 third biggest global TV draw. Retrieved 1 September 2005. BBC Sport. Schumacher makes history (2002).

Retrieved 1 September 2005. itv.com/f1. Sauber: 19 races is too many (2004). The Sportstar.

It was Ferrari all the way. 28, 2002). (Dec. Rajan, Sanjay.

Retrieved 1 September 2005. itv.com/f1. Mexican GP back on track (2005). Carlton.

The Guide to 2005 FIA Formula One World Championship : The World's Bestselling Grand Prix Guide. Jones, Bruce (2005). Retrieved 1 September 2005. itv.com/f1.

Jordan: Privateer era is over (2005). Includes foreword by Martin Brundle. Carlton. The Official ITV Sport Guide: Formula One Grand Prix 2003.

Jones, Bruce (2003). Parragon. Formula One: The Complete Stats and Records of Grand Prix Racing. Jones, Bruce (1998).

Hodder & Stoughton. The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Formula One. Jones, Bruce (1997). Retrieved 25 October 2004.

The Official Formula 1 Website. Insight. (2004). Parragon. 55-84).

In, 100 Years of Change: Speed and Power (pp. Grand Prix Motor Racing. Gross, Nigel et al (1999). Retrieved 23 October 2004.

Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. Formula One Regulations. (2004). Retrieved 25 October 2004. Federation Internationale de l'Automobile.

FIA Archive. (2004). Retrieved 1 September 2005. itv.com/f1. Drivers suggest qualifying plan (2005).

Retrieved 1 September 2005. itv.com/f1. Confusion over tobacco laws (2005). Retrieved 1 September 2005.

itv.com/f1. Bernie promises Russian race (2005). Retrieved 1 September 2005. itv.com/f1.

Bernie in South Africa pledge (2004). Retrieved 1 September 2005. itv.com/f1. Bernie confident of Indy future (2005).

Motorbooks International. The Complete Book of Formula One. Arron, Simon & Hughes, Mark (2003). ^  Super Aguri could run Arrows cars from BBC Sport, published 23 November 2005.

^  F1 gives Super Aguri green light from BBC Sport, published 21 December 2005. ^  Drivers suggest qualifying plan. ^  Bernie confident of Indy future. ^  Confusion over tobacco laws.

^  Bernie promises Russian race. ^  Bernie in South Africa pledge. ^  Mexican GP back on track. ^  Sauber: 19 races is too many.

^  Seven teams boycott US Grand Prix. ^  F1 third biggest global TV draw referenced from ITV-F1, published 31 December 2005. ^  It was Ferrari all the way. ^  Schumacher makes history.

^  Jordan: Privateer era is over. ^  Red Bull confirms Minardi purchase.