Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/button-steps-up-pre-season-training-with-lance-armstrong/
Friday, January 31, 2014
F1: Massa happier than expected at Williams
Felipe Massa says he is happier than even he expected to be after his first taste of the new Williams Formula 1 car at Jerez in Spain.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Hamilton upbeat despite testing crash
Lewis Hamilton was in an upbeat mood after sampling Mercedes' new F1 W05, despite his first day of running in Jerez being cut short by a front wing failure.
The British driver had completed the most laps of any driver on Tuesday when he was pitched into the barriers, badly damaging the front end of the new car and bringing his session to an early end
The British driver had completed the most laps of any driver on Tuesday when he was pitched into the barriers, badly damaging the front end of the new car and bringing his session to an early end
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/1/15431.html
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Police to hold Schu press conference
French police will hold a press conference on Wednesday to reveal the progress they have made with their investigation into Michael Schumacher's accident...
Source: http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3370/9104103/Police-to-hold-Schu-press-conference
F1: McLaren fails to run on first day
McLaren missed the first test day of the 2014 Formula 1 season as electrical problems with the new MP4-29 kept it in the Jerez garages on Tuesday
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Monday, January 27, 2014
Raikkonen favourite to taste victory in Belgium
At Spa-Francorchamps
In this remarkable season of unpredictability and uncertainty, of seven winners in 11 races, of the most open title battle in years, Formula 1 is still waiting for one big result.
A victory for the revived Lotus team has looked inevitable since the start of the year. And as the world championship re-starts in Belgium this weekend following a month-long summer break, the expectation is that this could be their race.
The car, from the team formerly known as Renault that won two world championships with Fernando Alonso in 2005-6, has been fast all season. Its best result has been four second places. But the momentum seems to be with them.
Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus pushed Lewis Hamilton's winning McLaren all the way in Hungary five weeks ago. The Finn has a stunning record at the stunning Spa-Francorchamps track that hosts this race and Lotus have been working on a technical trick that could give them a key advantage on the demanding track that swoops and twists around the contours of the Ardennes mountains.
Kimi Raikkonen has won the Belgian Grand Prix four times. Photo: Getty
The 32-year-old Finn seems to have a special affinity with the circuit regarded as arguably the biggest test for a racing driver anywhere in the world. He has taken four victories here - and either won or retired from every single race he has competed at Spa since 2004.
Raikkonen's all-action style, based on fast corner entry in a car with good front-end bite, seems perfectly suited to Spa's cascade of long, fast corners.
Two of his wins - for McLaren in 2004 and Ferrari in 2009 - came in years when his machinery was otherwise uncompetitive. The other two were dominant victories from the front in 2005 and 2007.
But Raikkonen's position as arguably the favourite for victory this weekend is not founded just on his renowned Spa specialism. He is widely expected to have the car to do the job.
Lotus have come agonisingly close to victory twice already this year - in Bahrain in April and at the last race, in Hungary at the end of July.
Both times it was Raikkonen who challenged only to just fall short, behind Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel in Bahrain and Hamilton in Hungary. But the Finn, who returned to F1 this season after two unproductive years in world rallying, has actually been Lotus's weaker driver for most of the year.
His team-mate, the Franco-Swiss Romain Grosjean, who is in his first full season, has generally had a marginal advantage - to the point that around the European Grand Prix in Valencia at the end of June there were murmurings of dissatisfaction with the Finn, who won the world championship for Ferrari in 2007.
Raikkonen ultimately finished second to Alonso in Valencia, but had been off the pace of Grosjean all weekend - indeed the younger man was pushing the Ferrari hard when his alternator failed late in the race.
When, following the race, Raikkonen expressed his frustration at it taking so long for Lotus to win, one team member privately expressed the view that he would be better focused on beating Grosjean before moaning about not winning yet.
Since then, though, Raikkonen has upped his game and in the race in Hungary he was fantastic, the middle stint there that lifted him from fifth place to potential victor one of the most impressive pieces of driving all season.
Had Raikkonen not made a mess of qualifying, and taken the front row slot he should have earned rather than the fifth place he did, he might well have won. The same can be said of Bahrain, where a decision to save tyres for the race left him down in 11th place on the grid and with too much to do.
Grosjean, too, must be considered a potential Spa winner. Despite making too many errors, he has been all confidence and commitment this year.
He has looked a different driver on his return to F1 in 2012 from the haunted figure who was demoralised by Alonso during his first half-season at Renault in 2009, after which he was dropped.
The high expectations for Lotus at Spa are partly based on the car's inherent qualifies - a factor in its general competitiveness this year has been strong performance in fast corners, and Spa is full of them.
As well as that, though, is that innovation mentioned earlier. In Hungary, and in Germany the week before, Lotus trialled a clever system aimed at boosting the team's straight-line speed without compromising its performance in other areas.
Like the DRS overtaking aid featured on all the cars, the Lotus system affects the rear wing to reduce drag.
It works by channelling air from scoops behind the driver's head to the rear wing, which this extra air then 'stalls', reducing the downforce the wing creates and therefore its drag, boosting straight-line speed.
What is not clear is when exactly the Lotus system comes into play.
Is it independent of the DRS, as some believe, and therefore active above a pre-set car velocity and usable at all times, including in the race when DRS use is restricted to a specific zone?
Or is it, as BBC F1 technical analyst Gary Anderson believes, linked to the DRS and simply an extra boost to the car's speed when that system is employed, like the system Mercedes have been using but without the inherent compromises that team have discovered?
Either way, it could be a significant boost to Lotus's chances in Spa. Lotus have yet to use the system outside free practice, and this weekend they will again try it out on Friday before making a decision whether to race it.
For all the talk of Lotus, though, a win for them is a very long way from a foregone conclusion. Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren will be as strong as ever on a track that should suit all their cars.
In fact, it will be a particularly interesting weekend all round.
Which teams have made best use of the mid-season break to develop their cars?
Have Ferrari made the step forward in performance they seemed in Hungary to need if Alonso - unquestionably the stand-out driver of the season so far - is to hang on to his championship lead?
Can McLaren maintain the upward momentum they showed in Germany and Hungary after a brief slump?
Will Red Bull finally unlock the potential of what has looked, on balance, overall the fastest car?
The climax of one of the sport's greatest seasons, a hyper-intense period of nine races in three months, starts here.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/08/raikkonen_favourite_to_taste_v.html
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Hamilton saga nearing endgame
Only Lewis Hamilton truly knows where he wants to drive next season - and perhaps not even he does just yet. But the signs are that the saga that has been occupying Formula 1 for months is nearing its endgame.
Hamilton has two competing offers on the table for his future - one to stay at McLaren and one to move to Mercedes.
The word at the Singapore Grand Prix - for what it's worth - was that he is leaning towards staying where he is; one McLaren insider even suggested that a deal could be inked within days.
At the same time, there may be a complication. There are suggestions that earlier this year Hamilton signed something with Mercedes - a letter of intent, a memorandum of understanding, perhaps - that he would need to get out of before he could commit to McLaren. His current team have heard talk of this, too. Hamilton's management deny this.
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.
The conventional wisdom is that Mercedes are offering Hamilton more money and that the deal is sweetened further by greater freedom over personal sponsorship deals. Those are highly restricted at McLaren because of the team's breadth of marketing tie-ups.
But BBC Sport understands it is not quite as simple as that.
For one thing, some sources say the figures quoted for the Mercedes offer in the media so far - of £60m over three years - are significantly larger than what is actually on the table.
Of course, in theory, as one of the largest car companies in the world, Mercedes can afford to pay almost any figure it wants.
But the board's commitment to Formula 1 has been in question all year. While it is understood that the company has now reached an agreement with the sport's commercial rights holders defining the financial terms under which they have committed for the next few years, F1 is not a money-no-object exercise for them.
McLaren believe their offer to Hamilton is broadly similar to Mercedes', and that in terms of total remuneration he could actually end up earning more money if he stays where is.
How so? Well, it seems the headline salary figures may not differ that much - although I understand Mercedes' offer is larger.
Mercedes offer greater freedom in terms of new sponsorship deals with which Hamilton can top up his income, and out of which his management group - music industry mogul Simon Fuller's XIX - would take a cut that some sources say is as great as 50%, a figure XIX say is wildly exaggerated.
McLaren, by contrast, have strict rules around their driver contracts - they do not allow any personal sponsorship deal that clashes with any brand owned by a company on their car.
So deals with mobile, fashion, household products, perfumes, oil and so on are all out. Jenson Button is allowed to have his deal to endorse shampoo because it was signed before McLaren had GlaxoSmithKline as a partner.
McLaren, I'm told, have loosened some of their restrictions in an attempt to give Hamilton more freedom.
And in their favour is that all contracts contain clauses that define bonuses for success; in McLaren's case for wins and championships. These amount to significant amounts of money and on current form Hamilton would earn more in bonuses with McLaren than with Mercedes.
Financially, it is in XIX's interests for Hamilton to move to Mercedes - that is where they will earn most money.
But that may not be the case for Hamilton, which of course begs the question of whether the driver and his management group actually have conflicting interests.
While Hamilton has steadfastly refused to discuss his future with the media, he has been consistent in one thing. As he put it at the Italian Grand Prix earlier this month: "I want to win."
He knows exactly how good he is and it rankles with him that he has so far won only one world title.
In which case, the last few races will have given him pause for thought.
McLaren started this season with the fastest car in F1, the first time they have done that since at least 2008 and arguably 2005.
But Hamilton's title bid was hampered by a series of early season operational problems that prevented him winning until the seventh race of the season in Canada. Was it during this period that he signed that "something" with Mercedes?
After a slight mid-season wobble through the European and British Grands Prix in late June and early July, though, McLaren have come on strongly.
Upgrades introduced at the German Grand Prix gave them a big step forward, making the McLaren once again the fastest car.
Progress was disguised in Hockenheim by a wet qualifying session, which allowed Alonso to take the pole position from which he controlled the race.
Even then, though, with Hamilton out of the reckoning after an early puncture, Button ran the Spaniard close.
Since then, it has been all McLaren. Hamilton won from pole in Hungary and Italy; Button the same in Belgium. Then in Singapore Hamilton lost an almost certain victory, also from pole, with a gearbox failure.
Meanwhile, Mercedes have floundered. And while rival teams agreed that a big upgrade to the silver cars in Singapore did move them forward a little, Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher only just scraped into the top 10 in qualifying and were anonymous in the race until Schumacher's embarrassing crash with Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne.
Undoubtedly, Mercedes will have given Hamilton the hard sell.
They'll have pointed out that they have won the world title more recently than McLaren - in their previous guise of Brawn in 2009.
They'll have said they are a true works team backed by a huge car company, whereas McLaren are from next year paying for their "customer" Mercedes engines.
They'll have argued that, in team boss Ross Brawn, Mercedes have the architect of the most dominant dynasty in F1 history - the Ferrari team of the early 2000s - who is determined to do it again. Triple world champion Niki Lauda, who is expected to be given a senior management role at the Mercedes team, has also been involved in trying to persuade Hamilton to join the team.
And they'll have said Hamilton has relative commercial freedom with them to make as much money as he wants.
What they won't have said is that the 2009 world title came about in rather exceptional circumstances and that at no other time has the team looked remotely like consistently challenging the best - whether as BAR, Honda or Mercedes.
And they won't have said that McLaren - for all Hamilton's frustrations over the cars he has had since 2009 and the mistakes that have been made in 2012 - have a winning record over the past 30 years that is the envy of every team in F1.
Of course, the past does not define the future, but the future is built on the past.
It's possible that the near future of F1 is one of Mercedes hegemony, but it would be a hell of a gamble to take for a man who professes he just "wants to win".
If the latest indications about his mind-set are correct, perhaps that is what Hamilton has now realised.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/09/hamilton_saga_nearing_endgame.html
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Friday, January 24, 2014
Would Vettel or Alonso be more deserving champion?
On the surface, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso seem very different. Alonso is all dark, brooding intensity; charismatic but distant.
Vettel is much sunnier - chatty, long answers, always ready with a joke and, as the Abu Dhabi podium ceremony proved, a salty English phrase.
Underneath, though, they share more than might at first be apparent. Both are highly intelligent, intensely dedicated to their profession, and totally ruthless in their own way.
Equally, although Alonso’s wit may be less obvious than Vettel’s, it is highly developed, bone dry, effective, and often used to tactical ends.
Sebastian Vettel (right) leads Fernando Alonso in the Championship going into the penultimate race of the season. Photo: Reuters
And they are both, of course, utterly fantastic racing drivers.
These two all-time greats head into the final two races of a marathon and topsy-turvey 2012 Formula 1 season separated by a tiny margin. Ten points is the same as a fifth place - or the margin between finishing first and third.
Vettel, on account of being ahead and having comfortably the faster car, is favourite. But within F1 there is a feeling that Alonso would be the more deserving champion, so well has he performed in a car that is not the best.
But is that a fair and accurate point of view? Let's look at their seasons, and you can make your own judgement.
THE GOOD
Vettel
It seems strange now, in the wake of Red Bull's recent pulverising form, but at the start of this season the world champions were struggling.
The car always had very good race pace - it was right up with the quickest from Melbourne on - but qualifying was a different matter.
In China, Vettel did not make it into the top 10 shoot-out in qualifying; in Monaco he did – just - but then did not run because he didn’t feel he had the pace to make it worthwhile.
In both races, though, he was competitive, taking a fifth place in China and fourth in Monaco, where he nearly won.
That was the story of the first two-thirds of Vettel’s season. He kept plugging away, delivering the points and keeping himself in contention in the championship.
He took only one win – in Bahrain, from pole – and he should have had another in Valencia, when he was as dominant as he ever was in 2011 only to retire with alternator failure.
Then, when Red Bull finally hit the sweet spot with their car, he delivered four consecutive wins (one of them inherited following Lewis Hamilton’s retirement in Singapore), the last three from the front row of the grid, including two pole positions.
And in Abu Dhabi there was an impressive comeback drive to third after being demoted to the back of the grid, albeit with the help of a significant dose of luck.
Alonso
It is hard to think of a race in which, assuming he got around the first corner, Alonso has not been on world-class form.
In Australia, when Ferrari were really struggling with their car at the start of the season, he fought up from 12th on the grid to finish fifth (including getting up to eighth on the first lap).
His three victories have been among the best all year –in the wet in Malaysia from ninth on the grid; in Valencia from 11th, including some stunning, clinical and brave overtaking manoeuvres; and a superbly controlled defensive drive in Germany, holding off the faster cars of Vettel and Jenson Button for the entire race, by going flat out only where he needed to, lap after lap after lap.
Then, to pick out some other highlights, there was beating the Red Bulls to pole in the wet at both Silverstone and Hockenheim; his rise from 10th on the grid to third in Monza, including a courageous pass on Vettel a couple of laps after being forced on to the grass at nearly 200mph; and splitting the Red Bulls to finish second in India.
THE BAD
Vettel
Impressive Vettel has been this year, flawless he has not.
In Malaysia, he cost himself a fourth place by sweeping too early across the front of Narain Karthikeyan’s HRT while lapping it. There was a hint of frustration and a sense of entitlement about the move – as there was in his post-race comments in which he called Karthikeyan an “idiot”.
In Spain, he was penalised for ignoring yellow caution flags.
In Hockenheim he overtook Jenson Button’s McLaren off the circuit, earning himself a demotion from second to fifth place, despite the drivers being warned only a month or so before that they could not benefit by going off the track.
In Monza, he earned a drive-through penalty for pushing Alonso on to the grass at nearly 200mph, in presumed retaliation for a similar move the Spaniard had pulled on Vettel in the same place the previous year. Again, this was despite the drivers being warned that they had to leave room for a rival who had any part of his car alongside any part of theirs.
In qualifying in Japan, he got away with blocking Alonso at the chicane, despite Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne being penalised for doing the same thing to Williams’s Bruno Senna earlier in the session.
And in India he appeared to break guidelines about having all four wheels off the track at one of the chicanes on his only top-10 qualifying lap, but kept his time because the only available footage was from outside the car, and showed only the front wheels. So the FIA had to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Alonso
Er… Has Alonso made any errors at all this year?
Well, he did cost himself a couple of points in China when he ran off the road attempting to pass Williams’s Pastor Maldonado around the outside of Turn Seven – a move that Vettel did pull off against Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen.
He spun in a downpour in second qualifying at Silverstone, just before the session was red-flagged because it was too dangerous.
And some argue that, defending a championship lead, he should not have put himself in the position he did at the start in Japan, where his rear wheel was tagged by Kimi Raikkonen’s Lotus on the run to the first corner, putting Alonso out of the race.
The claim is that Alonso had everything to lose and that, while he did nothing wrong, trying to intimidate Raikkonen into backing off, and squeezing him twice, was too big a risk.
The opposing view of that incident is that Raikkonen, who was behind Alonso, had a better view of the situation and should have realised he wasn’t going anywhere from where he was and backed off.
THE MISFORTUNE
Vettel has lost points from two alternator failures, one in Valencia when he was leading and one in Italy when he was running sixth. And third became fourth in Canada when a planned one-stop strategy had to he aborted. That’s 36 points lost.
Alonso was taken out twice at the start – once definitely not his fault (Belgium, when Romain Grosjean’s flying Lotus narrowly missed his head); and once arguably not (Japan).
He lost a possible win in Monaco because Ferrari didn’t realise that if they left him out a bit longer before his pit stop he could have overtaken leader Mark Webber and second-placed Nico Rosberg as well as third-placed Lewis Hamilton.
He should have finished second in Canada and probably won in Silverstone - rather than being fifth and second - but for errant tyre strategies, and he would have been on the front row and finished at least second in Monza had his rear anti-roll bar not failed in qualifying.
That’s 60-odd points lost.
A POST SCRIPT
While we’re analysing Vettel and Alonso, spare a thought for Lewis Hamilton.
The McLaren driver finally lost any mathematical chance of the title after his retirement from the lead in Abu Dhabi. He is 90 points behind Vettel.
Hamilton has said that he has driven at his absolute best this season, and it’s hard to disagree – he has not made a single mistake worth the name.
But his year has been a story of operational and technical failures by his team.
At least three wins have been lost (Spain, Singapore and Abu Dhabi), as well as a series of other big points finishes, as detailed by BBC Radio 5 live commentator James Allen in his blog.
Without that misfortune, Hamilton would be right up with Vettel and Alonso, if not ahead of them.
So, if you’re thinking about ‘deserving’ world champions, if such a thing exists, spare a thought for him too.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/11/benson.html
Thursday, January 23, 2014
F1: Fernandes issues Caterham quit threat
Caterham owner Tony Fernandes has warned he will turn his back on Formula 1 at the end of this year unless his team makes progress
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
F1: Force India reveals new 2014 F1 car
Force India has become the first team to reveal its 2014 Formula 1 car by releasing an image of the Mercedes-engined VJM07
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Confusion remains over 2010 entry list
There remains confusion over how many teams will be on the grid in the season-opener in Bahrain next wee
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/teamus/motorsport/story/10015.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Ferrari plan 'respectful' Schumi event
Ferrari have called on fans to show Michael Schumacher their support on Friday, his 45th birthday...
Source: http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3370/9098562/Ferrari-plan-respectful-Schumi-event
Monday, January 20, 2014
Horner thinks Red Bull has edge for 2014
Christian Horner believes Red Bull has already stolen a march on the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes for 2014
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/redbull/motorsport/story/137763.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Double points “will make things exciting” – Hill | F1 Fanatic Round-up
In the round-up: Hill likes double points plan • Investors wary over Ecclestone's role change • McLaren may miss start of testing 
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/6YHU_5BKtqU/
Sunday, January 19, 2014
FIA re-opens team selection process
The FIA has re-opened the selection process to allow a 13th team to join the grid in 2011
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/10817.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Friday, January 17, 2014
Red Bull to launch RB10 on first day of Jerez test
Reigning world champions Red Bull will join Mercedes and Caterham in unveiling their new car, the Renault-powered RB10, on the first morning of the Jerez test on January 28.
The Adrian Newey-penned car, which will be driven by four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and his new team mate Daniel Ricciardo, will be rolled out into the Spanish circuit's pitlane at 0840 CET for a photo call ahead of a normal day of testing
The Adrian Newey-penned car, which will be driven by four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and his new team mate Daniel Ricciardo, will be rolled out into the Spanish circuit's pitlane at 0840 CET for a photo call ahead of a normal day of testing
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/1/15384.html
F1 dream lives on for Lopez
A disappointed Jose Maria Lopez has not ruled out mounting a new Formula One foray in the future
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/teamus/motorsport/story/11489.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
INDY: Huertas gets Panther IndyCar audition
Carlos Huertas will join Panther Racing for Friday's Chevrolet manufacturer IndyCar test at Sebring
Thursday, January 16, 2014
FIA re-opens team selection process
The FIA has re-opened the selection process to allow a 13th team to join the grid in 2011
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/10817.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
LEMANS: New British team gears up for ELMS P2
A British team new to endurance racing in Europe is set to get the go-ahead for its plans to enter the European Le Mans Series in LMP2 this season
F3: Double R gets Chang for British F3
Macanese teenager Andy Chang is to step up to the British Formula 3 International Series this year after just four race weekends in cars
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
US F1 loses sponsor
The beleaguered US F1 outfit has taken another hit after one of its sponsors, Locstein, confirmed it had withdrawn its support
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/9485.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
BTCC: Austin 2014 BTCC future secured
Rob Austin's British Touring Car future has been secured after signing a new title sponsor.
Details of Schumacher crash investigation revealed
Investigators in France have revealed details about the skiing accident suffered by seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher at the Alpine resort of Meribel in December.
It was confirmed that Schumacher, who is currently in a critical but stable condition in hospital in Grenoble having sustained severe head injuries, was wearing a helmet-mounted video camera at the time of his accident
It was confirmed that Schumacher, who is currently in a critical but stable condition in hospital in Grenoble having sustained severe head injuries, was wearing a helmet-mounted video camera at the time of his accident
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/1/15367.html
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Button's father passes away
John Button, father of McLaren driver Jenson and one of the most familiar faces in the Formula One paddock, has died, aged 70, of a suspected heart attack. He passed away at his home in the South of France on Sunday.
Button, himself an accomplished rallycross driver in his younger years
Button, himself an accomplished rallycross driver in his younger years
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/1/15378.html
Doctors use Formula One pit crews as safety model
American Medical News reports hospitals in at least a dozen countries are learning how to translate the split-second timing and near-perfect synchronisation of Formula One pit crews to the high-risk handoffs of patients from surgery to recovery and intensive care.
"In Formula One, they have checklists, databases, and they have well-defined processes for doing things, and we don't really have any of those things in health care."
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/10/doctors_use_formula_one_pit_cr.php
Schu manager: Speed not a factor
Michael Schumacher's official spokesperson Sabine Kehm has shed some light on his accident, revealing that he was not going at speed when he fell...
Source: http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3370/9096320/Schu-manager-Speed-not-a-factor
Exclusive Q&A with Adrian Sutil: Podiums the target with Sauber
Having spent his entire Formula One career to date with the Silverstone-based Force India and Spyker teams, Adrian Sutil will get to experience life inside another outfit in 2014 having made an off-season switch to Sauber.
We caught up with the 30-year-old German to discuss the move, his hopes for next season and why visiting the Swiss team's factory will be significantly more convenient for him
We caught up with the 30-year-old German to discuss the move, his hopes for next season and why visiting the Swiss team's factory will be significantly more convenient for him
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2013/12/15350.html
Monday, January 13, 2014
McLaren to unveil new car online ahead of Jerez test
McLaren will unveil their 2014 Formula One car, the Mercedes-powered MP4-29, in a digital-only online launch on Friday January 24, four days ahead of the first pre-season test of the year in Jerez, Spain.
Images, videos and information about the car will be revealed to the public and media at 1200 hours GMT
Images, videos and information about the car will be revealed to the public and media at 1200 hours GMT
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/1/15366.html
Bernie Ecclestone - No plans to put the brakes on
 |
The way I feel at the moment, why stop? I do it because I enjoy it. And yesterday is gone. I don't care what happened yesterday. What else would I do? People retire to die. I don't get any individual pleasure because we don't win races or titles in this job. I'm like most business people. You look back at the end of the year and you see what you've achieved by working out how much money the company has made. That's it.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/10/bernie_ecclestone_no_plans_to.php
Coulthard slams 'irresponsible' approach to new teams
David Coulthard has added his voice to those expressing concern about the presence of three new Formula One team on the grid this season
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/10465.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Vettel ready to adapt in 2014
Sebastian Vettel says he is ready to adapt to the new 2014 regulations in order to chase his fifth consecutive drivers' championship
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/redbull/motorsport/story/138909.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Downforce cut ‘has been successful’ – Paffett | F1 Fanatic Round-up
In the round-up: Paffet believes downforce has been cut • Liuzzi wins Massa's kart race • Sutil not fazed by Hulkenberg 
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/li7lTlhmKiM/
McLaren drivers out of title race
 Is it now a three-way battle for the title? |
“Focus and concentration will be of paramount importance and there is none stronger in this regard than Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.”The Guardian’s Oliver Owen thinks that it is Mark Webber’s title to lose now, and that this may be the Australian’s last realistic chance of winning the title.
“He has driven beautifully. Monaco and Silverstone spring to mind. He has been an uncompromising racer, not giving Vettel or Lewis Hamilton an inch in Turkey and Singapore respectively. Most importantly, he has largely avoided the bouts of brain fade that can wreck a season – his on-track hooning in Melbourne when racing Hamilton being the only exception. But there is a feeling that for Webber it is now or never, that a chance of a tilt at the title may never come again. He is certainly driving as if that is the case and that has been his strength.”According to The Mirror’s Byron Young, both McLaren drivers are now out of the title hunt after their fourth and fifth place finishes in Suzuka.
“McLaren's title hopes died yesterday in a weekend from Hell at Suzuka. Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and fifth in a Japanese Grand Prix they had to win to have the remotest chance of keeping their title bid alive."The Sun’s Michael Spearman was of the same opinion, saying “Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button's title hopes were in tatters after a shocker in Japan.”
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/10/mclaren_drivers_out_of_title_r_1.php
LEMANS: Nissan committed to LMP1 WEC entry
Nissan is fully committed to entering the LMP1 class at the start of the 2015 World Endurance Championship, the Japanese manufacturer has revealed
Lopez rules out F1 in 2010
Jose Maria 'Pechito' Lopez will not take part in Formula One this year after his manager revealed that he had not been able to land a reserve driver role at HRT
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/teamus/motorsport/story/10165.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Saturday, January 11, 2014
No significant change in Schumacher's condition
Michael Schumacher remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital in Grenoble following his skiing accident in France, his manager reported on Wednesday.
"Michael's condition has been carefully supervised all night and has remained stable this morning," said Sabine Kehm. "For the moment, the good news for today is that we will not hold a press conference because there are no significant changes
"Michael's condition has been carefully supervised all night and has remained stable this morning," said Sabine Kehm. "For the moment, the good news for today is that we will not hold a press conference because there are no significant changes
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/1/15358.html
Caterham to reveal new car at first test in Jerez
Caterham have announced that they will unveil their Renault-powered 2014 car on the morning of January 28, the first day of pre-season testing, in Jerez.
As well as the four-day Spanish session, the team confirmed they will also attend the other two pre-season tests in Bahrain, the first of which runs from February 19-22
As well as the four-day Spanish session, the team confirmed they will also attend the other two pre-season tests in Bahrain, the first of which runs from February 19-22
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/1/15369.html
Sergio Perez Q&A: Big potential at Force India
For a while it looked like Sergio Perez might lose his place on the 2014 grid after McLaren opted not to retain his services for next year.
But the 23-year-old Mexican was soon snapped up by Force India, establishing, with Nico Hulkenberg alongside him, one of the most exciting driver pairings in Formula One racing
But the 23-year-old Mexican was soon snapped up by Force India, establishing, with Nico Hulkenberg alongside him, one of the most exciting driver pairings in Formula One racing
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2013/12/15346.html
Friday, January 10, 2014
'The point of no confidence is quite near'
 The wreckage of Jochen Rindt's car at Barcelona |
“Colin. I have been racing F1 for 5 years and I have made one mistake (I rammed Chris Amon in Clermont Ferrand) and I had one accident in Zandvoort due to gear selection failure otherwise I managed to stay out of trouble. This situation changed rapidly since I joined your team. “Honestly your cars are so quick that we would still be competitive with a few extra pounds used to make the weakest parts stronger, on top of that I think you ought to spend some time checking what your different employes are doing, I sure the wishbones on the F2 car would have looked different. Please give my suggestions some thought, I can only drive a car in which I have some confidence, and I feel the point of no confidence is quite near.”A little more than a year later Rindt's Lotus suffered mechanical breakdown just before braking into one of the corners. He swerved violently to the left and crashed into a poorly-installed barrier, killing him instantly.
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/09/the_point_of_no_confidence_is.php
Stefan GP considers US F1 takeover
Serbian businessman Zoran Stefanovic has not abandoned his ambition for his Stefan GP team to race this season, according to a report on Autosport
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/11874.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Thursday, January 9, 2014
US F1 and Stefan GP reportedly in merger talks
US F1 and Stefan GP are rumoured to be in merger talks to ensure a thirteenth team is present at the first race of the season in Bahrain
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/9681.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
'1' documentary set for London opening
The spectacular new Formula One documentary '1' makes its London debut this week. The film tells the story of the drivers who competed during F1 racing's most dangerous era in the 1960s and '70s and those who stood up to improve safety standards.
Using rare archive footage, '1' features the largest list of F1 interviewees ever assembled for a single film, among them 12 world champions. Contributors include Bernie Ecclestone, Max Mosley
Using rare archive footage, '1' features the largest list of F1 interviewees ever assembled for a single film, among them 12 world champions. Contributors include Bernie Ecclestone, Max Mosley
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/1/15370.html
Stefan GP considers US F1 takeover
Serbian businessman Zoran Stefanovic has not abandoned his ambition for his Stefan GP team to race this season, according to a report on Autosport
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/11874.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
2014 driver line-ups - the story so far
With the recent announcements that Pastor Maldonado is to race alongside Romain Grosjean at Lotus next season, that Nico Hulkenberg is to return to Force India to partner Sergio Perez, and that Adrian Sutil will move to Sauber alongside Esteban Gutierrez, the final pieces are falling into place in the jigsaw that is Formula One racing's 2014 team and driver line-up
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2013/12/15324.html
F1: Schumacher inquiry plays down speed
Investigators looking into former Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher's skiing accident are confident that speed was not a key contributor
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
F1: Analysis: Test absence will hurt Lotus
AUTOSPORT technical expert Craig Scarborough analyses the implications of Lotus missing the first Formula 1 test of 2014
ERC: Kubica's 'feet on ground' after win
Robert Kubica says his Janner Rally victory has not deluded him about the scale of the challenge ahead in his 2014 World Rally Championship campaign
Fry: Little room for error in 2014
According to Ferrari engineer Pat Fry, a 'massive opportunity' exists for the Formula One teams to get their 2014 designs drastically wrong...
Source: http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3370/9105218/Fry-Little-room-for-error-in-2014
FIA re-opens team selection process
The FIA has re-opened the selection process to allow a 13th team to join the grid in 2011
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/10817.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Red Bull under the spotlight
 Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel celebrate with Red Bull boss Christian Horner on the podium |
Source: http://blogs.espnf1.com/paperroundf1/archives/2010/11/red_bull_under_the_spotlight.php
Magic numbers - a statistical look at the 2013 season
Formula One racing enjoyed another record-breaking year in 2013, thanks in no small part to the extraordinary exploits of Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing, who clinched their fourth successive championship double.
As the year draws to a close, we look back over some of the amazing facts and figures that helped make it such a fascinating season
As the year draws to a close, we look back over some of the amazing facts and figures that helped make it such a fascinating season
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2013/12/15356.html
Schumi 'fighting for his life'
Michael Schumacher "is fighting for his life" and remains in a medically induced coma after suffering head trauma in a ski accident...
Source: http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3370/9094030/Schumi-fighting-for-his-life-
F1: Lotus to miss first 2014 F1 test
Lotus is to miss the first 2014 Formula 1 pre-season test at Jerez in Spain
FIA: The entry list will be published soon
The FIA has finally broken its silence over concerns surrounding the 2010 championship, with a spokesman saying that the entry list will be published "soon"
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/10054.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Monday, January 6, 2014
Lotus to miss first pre-season test of 2014
Lotus, fourth-place finishers in the 2013 constructors' championship, will not attend the first official test of 2014 in Spain at the end of this month, the team have revealed. Instead their new car, the E22, is expected to debut at the second test in mid February in Bahrain.
“We're going to keep our car under wraps a little longer than some other teams,” said Lotus technical director Nick Chester
“We're going to keep our car under wraps a little longer than some other teams,” said Lotus technical director Nick Chester
Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/1/15365.html
Red Bull 'stands to lose the most again' - Newey
Adrian Newey admits the regulation changes for 2014 are likely to hurt Red Bull more than any other team
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/redbull/motorsport/story/140733.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Leading neurologist rushes to Schumi's aid
A leading neurologist, Gerard Saillant, has arrived at the hospital in Grenoble where Michael Schumacher is undergoing tests...
Source: http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3370/9093452/Leading-neurologist-rushes-to-Schumi-s-aid
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Schu manager: Speed not a factor
Michael Schumacher's official spokesperson Sabine Kehm has shed some light on his accident, revealing that he was not going at speed when he fell...
Source: http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3370/9096320/Schu-manager-Speed-not-a-factor
WRC: Ostberg revitalised by Citroen move
Mads Ostberg says he feels ready to fulfil his World Rally Championship potential with the Citroen team following his move from M-Sport
F1: Horner predicts rapid development rate
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner expects to see a rapid rate of car development in the early stages of 2014.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Cool, canny Alonso seems to have all the answers
The remarkable story of Fernando Alonso and Ferrari's incredible season continued at the German Grand Prix as the Spaniard became the first man to win three races in 2012 and moved into an imposing lead in the world championship.
Those three victories have all been very different, but equally impressive. And each has demonstrated specific aspects of the formidable army of Alonso's talents.
In Malaysia in the second race of the season, at a time when the Ferrari was not competitive in the dry, he grabbed the opportunity provided by rain to take a most unexpected first win.
In Valencia last month, it was Alonso's opportunism and clinical overtaking abilities that were to the fore.
Other drivers may wonder how to stop Alonso's relentless drive to a third title. Photo: Getty
And in Germany on Sunday his victory was founded on his relentlessness, canniness and virtual imperviousness to pressure.
Ferrari, lest we forget, started the season with a car that was the best part of a second and a half off the pace. Their progress since then has been hugely impressive.
But vastly improved though the car is, it was not, as Alonso himself, his team boss Stefano Domenicali and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel all pointed out after the race on Sunday, the fastest car in Germany.
Vettel's Red Bull - which finished second but was demoted to fifth for passing Jenson Button by going off the track - and the McLaren appeared to have a slight pace advantage over the Ferrari, given their ability to stay within a second of it for lap after lap.
But Alonso cleverly managed his race so he was always just out of reach of them when it mattered.
He pushed hard in the first sector every lap so he was always far enough ahead at the start of the DRS overtaking zone to ensure his pursuers were not quite close enough to try to pass him into the Turn 6 hairpin.
After that, he could afford to back off through the middle sector of the lap, taking the stress out of his tyres, before doing it all over again the next time around.
Managing the delicate Pirelli tyres in this way also meant he could push that bit harder in the laps immediately preceding his two pit stops and ensure he kept his lead through them.
Equally, he showed the presence of mind to realise when Lewis Hamilton unlapped himself on Vettel shortly before the second stops that if he could, unlike the Red Bull driver, keep Hamilton behind, it would give him a crucial advantage at the stop.
It was not quite "67 qualifying laps", as Domenicali described it after the race, but it was certainly a masterful demonstration of control and intelligence.
And there was no arguing with another of the Italian's post-race verdicts. "(Alonso) is at the peak of his personal performance, no doubt about it," Domenicali said.
It was the 30th victory of Alonso's career, and he is now only one behind Nigel Mansell in the all-time winners' list. The way he is driving, he will surely move ahead of the Englishman into fourth place behind Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna before the end of the year.
At the halfway point of the season, Alonso now looks down on his pursuers in the championship from the lofty vantage point of a 34-point advantage.
That is not, as Red Bull team principal Christian Horner correctly pointed out in Germany, "insurmountable" with 10 races still to go and 250 points up for grabs. But catching him when he is driving as well as this will take some doing.
Alonso is clearly enjoying the situation, and is taking opportunities to rub his rivals' noses in it a little.
He is not the only driver to have been wound up by the index-finger salute Vettel employed every time he took one of his 11 wins and 15 pole positions on the way to the title last year.
So it was amusing to see Alonso do the same thing after he had beaten the German to pole position at Vettel's home race on Saturday.
The exchange between Alonso, Button and Vettel as they climbed out of their cars immediately after the race was also illuminating.
After standing on his Ferrari's nose to milk the applause, Alonso turned to Button and said: "You couldn't beat me?" He then pointed to Vettel and said: "He couldn't either."
All part of the game, but a little reminder to both men of what a formidable job Alonso is doing this season.
The race underlined how close the performance is between the top three teams this year.
Red Bull had a shaky start to the season by their standards - although to nowhere near the extent of Ferrari - but have had on balance the fastest car in the dry since the Bahrain Grand Prix back in April.
And while McLaren have had a shaky couple of races in Valencia and Silverstone, they showed potential race-winning pace in Germany following the introduction of a major upgrade.
Despite a car damaged when he suffered an early puncture on debris left from a first-corner shunt ironically involving Alonso's team-mate Felipe Massa, Hamilton was able to run with the leaders before his retirement with gearbox damage.
And Button impressively fought his way up to second place from sixth on the grid, closing a five-second gap on Alonso and Vettel once he was into third place.
This has not been Button's greatest season, as he would be the first to admit.
Germany was the first race at which he has outqualified Hamilton in 2012 and even that may well have been down to the different tyre strategies they ran in qualifying.
Nevertheless, he remains a world-class grand prix driver and Germany proved the folly of those who had written him off after his recent struggles.
And despite Alonso's lead in the championship, the season is finely poised.
Germany was a low-key race for Mark Webber, who was unhappy with his car on the harder of the two tyres but remains second in the championship. And Red Bull's two drivers clearly have the equipment to make life difficult for Alonso.
The McLaren drivers are determined to make something of their season still and Lotus are quick enough to cause the three big teams some serious concern.
Mercedes, meanwhile, have a bit of work to do to turn around their tendency to qualify reasonably well and then go backwards in the race.
"It's going to be a great, great season," said McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh on Sunday. "It already has been a great season."
And the next instalment is already less than seven days away in Hungary next weekend.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/07/cool_canny_alonso_looks_diffic.html
Warrior Alonso bides his time
Almost Fernando Alonso's first act after what must have been the huge blow of seeing Sebastian Vettel slash his world championship lead to just four points at the Japanese Grand Prix, was to quote that country's great swordfighter and philosopher Miyamoto Musashi.
"If the enemy thinks of the mountains," Alonso wrote on his Twitter account, "attack by sea; and if he thinks of the sea, attack by the mountains."
That the Ferrari driver can reach for the words of a 17th century kensei warrior and strategist in a moment of such strain reveals a lot about the manner in which he combines an indomitable fighting spirit with a status as possibly the most cerebral Formula 1 driver of his generation.
But it will take more than relentlessness and clever strategy for Alonso to hold on to a lead for which he has struggled so hard this season, but which has now dwindled to almost nothing.
The 31-year-old, who spun out at Suzuka with a puncture after being tagged by Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus on the run to the first corner, has carried his Ferrari team on his back this year.
Alonso has won three races and taken a series of strong points finishes to establish what was until recently an imposing championship lead in a car that has never once been quick enough to set pole position in the dry.
He did so by driving, in terms of consistency and lack of mistakes, one of the most perfect seasons there has ever been - a feat made all the more impressive because it was done in not the best car.
Fernando Alonso leads Sebastian Vettel in the Championship by four points. Photo: Getty
Yet now, through no fault of his own, Alonso has failed to finish two of the last four races and in that time Vettel has made hay, taking 37 points out of his rival's lead.
Heading into Japan, it was already beginning to look as if Vettel was going to be hard to resist.
While the Red Bull has been a forbiddingly quick race car all season, the team did not in the first half of the season find it very easy to get the best out of it in qualifying.
But since mid-summer they have found consistency, and started to qualify regularly at the front of the grid as well. At the same time, luck has deserted Ferrari and Alonso.
More than that, Red Bull also appear in recent races to have made a significant step forward in the performance of their car.
Vettel looked very strong in Singapore two weeks ago, trading fastest times with Lewis Hamilton throughout the weekend and taking victory after the Englishman's McLaren retired from the lead with a gearbox failure. And in Japan the Red Bull looked unbeatable from as early as Saturday final practice session.
How much of this is to do with the new 'double DRS' system which came to light in Suzuka is unclear.
Team boss Christian Horner said he thought it was more to do with the characteristics of the track suiting those of the Red Bull car. Perhaps, but the 'double DRS' certainly won't be doing any harm.
Unlike the system that Mercedes have been using since the start of the season, which uses the DRS overtaking aid to 'stall' the front wing, Red Bull's works entirely on the rear wing.
What it means is that they can run the car with more downforce in qualifying without the consequent straight-line speed penalty caused by the extra drag, because the 'double DRS' bleeds off the drag.
This does bring a straight-line speed penalty in the race, when DRS use is no longer free. But as long as the car qualifies at the front, this does not matter, as it is quick enough over a lap to stay out of reach of its rivals.
It is not clear how long Red Bull have been working on this system at grand prix weekends, but to the best of BBC Sport's knowledge, Japan was the first time they had raced it. Coupled with a new front wing design introduced in Singapore, it has turned an already strong package into an intimidating one.
Vettel used it to dominate the race in the fashion he did so many in 2011 on his way to his second-consecutive title. As he so often does in the fastest car when he starts at the front of the grid, he looked invincible.
Alonso, though, is not one to be intimidated easily and will take solace from the fact that Ferrari's pace compared to Red Bull was not as bad as it might appear at first glance.
Alonso may have qualified only seventh, but he reckoned he was on course for fourth place on the grid before having to slow for caution flags marking Raikkonen's spun Lotus at Spoon Curve.
And judging by the pace shown by his team-mate Felipe Massa in the race, Alonso would have finished in a sure-fire second place had he got beyond the first corner. He might even have been able to challenge Vettel, given how much faster the Ferrari has been in races than in qualifying this year.
Alonso's problem for the remainder of the season is that salvaging podiums is no longer enough - he needs to start winning races again. Which means Ferrari need to start improving their car relative to the opposition.
Meanwhile, spice has been added to an already intriguing final five races by a seemingly innocuous incident in qualifying in Japan.
After slowing as he passed Raikkonen's car, Alonso continued on his flying lap, but when he got to the chicane, he came across Vettel, who blocked him.
Ferrari reckoned this cost Alonso somewhere in the region of 0.1-0.2secs, which would have moved him up a place on the grid. The stewards, though, decided to give Vettel only a reprimand.
They justified this on the basis that they believed Vettel had not known Alonso was there - and they let him off not looking in his mirrors because they felt he had reason to believe no-one would be continuing on a flying lap following the Raikkonen incident.
But some would see that as flawed thinking. Alonso was one of several drivers who had at that point not set a time in the top 10 shoot-out, and all of them were likely to be continuing their laps because whatever time they did set was going to define their grid slot.
Although there is no suggestion Vettel held up Alonso deliberately, the Red Bull driver is a sharp cookie, and almost certainly would have known this.
Even if he did not, his team should have warned him. And on that basis, it can be argued that Vettel's offence was no less bad than that of Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne, who was given a three-place grid penalty for delaying Williams's Bruno Senna in similar fashion earlier in qualifying.
Ferrari were distinctly unimpressed by the stewards' verdict, but Alonso being Alonso, he has not mentioned any of this publicly. Alonso being Alonso, though, he will have lodged it away for the future.
In the meantime, before heading to Korea for another potentially pivotal race next weekend, might he be studying Musashi a little more?
You must "know the times", Musashi wrote. "Knowing the times means if your ability is high, seeing right into things. If you are thoroughly conversant with strategy, you will recognise the enemy's intentions and thus have many opportunities to win.
"If you attain and adhere to the wisdom of my strategy, you need never doubt that you will win."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/10/post_4.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)