FORMULA 1 - 2014

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Mercedes W05 unveiled at Jerez

Press Release: The Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team today unveiled the F1 W05, its 2014 challenger, at the Circuito de Jerez in southern Spain. Ahead of the first morning of official winter testing, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton took the wraps off the first all-new Silver Arrow to hit the track since 1954. Designed from the ground up as an integrated project between the Mercedes-Benz teams based at Brackley and Brixworth, this new car marks an historic milestone in a landmark year when Mercedes-Benz celebrates 120 years of Motorsport and the 80th anniversary of the Silver Arrows.

A Landmark Year for F1 and Mercedes-Benz

The 2014 F1 season marks the biggest change in regulations in the sport’s history and the F1 W05 has been designed to meet the challenge of this technical revolution. The initial engineering conversations between the teams at Brackley and Brixworth around both the regulations and potential solutions date back to late 2010. Since mid-2011, when the rules for the new V6 Hybrid Power Unit were officially published, Mercedes-Benz has taken a fully integrated approach to every major performance decision with a clear-sighted focus on maximising overall car performance.

The result is the new F1 W05 and, at its heart, the PU106A Hybrid Power Unit, both designed to meet the challenge of a fundamental change in the philosophy of F1. The introduction of a demanding maximum race fuel allowance of just 100 kg per race, coupled with a maximum fuel flow rate of 100 kg/hour, have focused the efforts of the sport’s engineers on delivering performance with a set of innovative new technologies that achieve an efficiency gain of more than 30%.

The F1 W05 will therefore deliver over one third more performance from every unit of fuel consumed, a development story that places the new Hybrid F1 at the cutting edge of automotive technology – and puts the sport on the same development path as the wider automotive industry.

Toto Wolff, Executive Director (Business) of Mercedes AMG Petronas and Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, commented: “It is always exciting to pull the wraps off a new car for the first time but even more so at the start of this momentous 2014 season. Our new Silver Arrow is the result of a single-minded, integrated approach between our engineering teams. My compliments and thanks go to every team member in Brackley, at Brixworth and also at our key partner, PETRONAS, for their hard work to deliver this new car and the Power Unit at its heart; it is the result of several years of intense effort. But we know that the adventure has only just begun. We have a busy winter testing period ahead of us and a long season where both performance and reliability will be critically important. Lewis and Nico begin the season hungry for success and I am confident that our team will benefit thanks to the continuity of their work during the winter period. We have positive momentum after our second-place finish last season. Our clear target is to continue building up our team, and we aim to deliver on every single race weekend in 2014.”

“For 2014 we have probably the greatest change in regulations in F1 history and the start of a new era for our sport,” continued Executive Director (Technical) Paddy Lowe. “From a technical and also a racing perspective, this is an incredibly exciting time for F1. We are introducing technologies that are new not just to racing but to the wider automotive world as well. The headline is that of improved efficiency and the fact that we will be completing races with advanced Hybrid systems on just 100 kg of fuel sends a great message about the technology that F1 can deliver. But it is also about the technology that Mercedes-Benz can develop compared with our competition, both for the chassis and the new Power Unit. The whole team has done a fantastic job on the management of the project and its delivery. We have hit our milestones and hit our targets but, as ever, we will only begin to understand how successful we have been once we begin running in anger on track. The new car is an elegant but aggressive design and, as is often the way, its beauty is much more than skin deep; the internal engineering of the car is extremely innovative and intelligent. Our team can be justifiably proud of its work so far – but none of us are under any illusions about the amount we still have to do before the first race in six weeks’ time.”

A Technical Revolution

The F1 W05 is the most complex F1 car ever produced by the team at Brackley powered by the PU106A Hybrid Power Unit, the most complex power unit developed in the history of Brixworth. The Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) at the heart of the new Power Unit has been down-sized to a 1.6 litre V6 configuration and down-speeded to a maximum of 15,000 rpm. To achieve high power delivery and therefore efficiency from the ICE, a pressure charging system has been introduced, in the form of a single stage turbocharger and compressor.

The new Hybrid Energy Recovery System (ERS), which incorporates electric motors capable of recovering both kinetic and waste heat energy, presented a ten-fold greater challenge than its predecessor, KERS, which was pioneered by Mercedes-Benz in 2009. This advanced Hybrid system is integral to car performance and marks a significant step forward in both system performance and durability. Each driver is permitted to use just five Power Units per season without penalty.

The lifeblood of the new Power Unit is the fluid technology delivered by Petronas. New tailor-made fuel and lubricants have been developed molecule-by-molecule by PETRONAS technologists to meet the challenges of the 2014 Power Unit. This year, fuel energy density has become one of the controlling performance parameters of the sport and improving efficiency is for the first time in F1 fully aligned with improving performance. The contribution of Petronas in delivering total Fluid Technology Solutions has been essential to the delivery of the 2014 Power Unit. Never before in the history of F1 have a Power Unit and its fuel and lubricants been developed so closely.

The Power Unit has been designed for optimum installation in the F1 W05 chassis. This new car is the product of an aggressive development philosophy targeted at optimising the packaging of new on-car systems, such as the increased cooling demands of the Power Unit, in order to give the team’s aerodynamic group maximum freedom to respond to a significantly different regulatory framework. Compared to 2013, the regulations impose a narrower front wing; the removal of the lower rear wing and a reduction in size of the upper wing; and a central exhaust exit, thereby negating the effect of ‘exhaust blowing’ which powerfully contributed to performance in the past three seasons. Every component has been reviewed and redesigned to get as close as possible to the challenging overall minimum weight limit of 691 kg. The result is an exceptionally tightly packaged vehicle which sets new standards in terms of overall integration.

Andy Cowell, Managing Director of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains in Brixworth, explained: “The 2014 regulations are a game changer for F1. In the V8 era, the power potential of the normally aspirated engine was controlled by the flow of air into the engine – and therefore engine capacity and rpm. For 2014, that has been fundamentally turned on its head. The wider automotive industry is focused on the amount of fuel going into an engine, and the amount of CO2 it emits, and these are now our controlling parameters, with a maximum fuel flow rate and race fuel allowance. The fundamental question is now: how can we best convert 100 kg of fuel energy into useful mechanical energy? This challenge has pushed us to develop cutting-edge new technologies, both within the Internal Combustion Engine itself and in the ERS Hybrid system, with the valuable support of our Research and Development colleagues in Stuttgart. These will enable us to develop over 30% more power per unit of fuel than we did with the V8 engine. It has been an exciting and rewarding challenge so far, characterised by a strong competitive spirit and the common objective of building a winning Silver Arrow. But the hardest work is undoubtedly still to come. We will keep our feet on the ground and methodically work through our winter testing programme in order to arrive in Melbourne as well prepared as we possibly can be.”

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Hamilton first casualty at Jerez as front wing failure results in crash

Lewis Hamilton was the first driver this season to do a timed lap in the new generation Formula 1 cars, but shortly afterwards became the first driver to slam the wall after an apparent front wing failure resulted in and unplanned departure from the circuit at in Turn 1 of the Jerez circuit.

Hamilton climbed out of the severely bent W05, which only hours earlier was revealed to the world for the first time in the pit lane, without apparent injury. The under part of the car’s front wing, which appeared to have worked loose, was retrieved from the track.

The team wrote on Twitter: ”We can confirm a front wing failure on car 44. The reason is now being investigated. Lewis is fine, thank you all for asking!”

The Mercedes driver was top of the timing screens when the incident happened with a best lap of 1:27.820.

Nico Rosberg is scheduled to take over the cockpit of the W05 tomorrow, day two of the test in southern Spain.

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Mercedes: Incidents like this happen and that’s why we are here

Mercedes AMG Petronas kicked off its pre-season testing programme at the Circuito de Jerez earlier today, with Lewis Hamilton taking the wheel of the F1 W05 for the first time. Lewis’ best time of 1:27.820 set the early pace at the Spanish circuit, before a front wing failure on the following lap, shortly before midday, curtailed his track time.

The F1 W05 emerged for its first run at precisely 09:00 CET when the track was declared open.

Lewis completed four single-lap install runs in the early stages, before gradually building into longer stints.

A front wing failure on his 18th lap ended Lewis’ running for the day early.

Hamilton said, “For me it’s an incredibly positive start to be the first car out on track and completing a good number of laps. Other teams have been going out for single-lap runs, starting a few hours after we had first hit the track, so to have started running through our test programme was very encouraging. The car feels quite good, especially considering it’s so early in our programme, so overall it’s been a positive day.”

“Of course, it’s unfortunate to end the day early when everyone has worked so hard and we had looked like easily completing the most mileage of anyone here today, but we’ll make that track time back and it’s better to have these things happen now than in Melbourne. I’m really proud of the team for what they’ve achieved in getting us here and we’ll keep pushing. “

Toto Wolff: “Incidents like this happen and that’s why we are here, to find them before we go racing. We completed 18 laps and got through our system checks successfully. The car now needs to be repaired, which is a challenge in itself at the start of winter testing with regards to the number of spare parts available. However, it’s our job to cope with those challenges.”

Paddy Lowe” “To conclude our day’s running with a front wing failure was an unfortunate end to what had, to that point, been a very positive start to our winter. We were the first team to send a car out on track, on the dot at 09:00 this morning, and were gradually extending the length of the runs when the incident occurred. Lewis’ initial feedback was positive once he was able to complete some timed laps, which is a promising indicator for the basic package.”

“Concerning the failure itself, we are still analysing its cause, and this process, coupled with the repairs to the car, has brought an end to our running today. The teams at Brackley and Brixworth did a fantastic job to prepare the car for running this morning and tomorrow we hope to start adding to what is already a useful number of laps completed. There is a lot of data for us to analyse overnight and the learning curve this winter will be very steep.”

Nico will be in the car tomorrow [Tuesday] for the second day of pre-season testing at Jerez.

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Jerez Test Day 1: Raikkonen and Ferrari fastest but 10 seconds slower than last year

Kimi Raikkonen, in his first day back in a Ferrari, ended day one at Jerez fastest of all in the F14T in a day when the sport’s new turbo era finally dawned, but also where the state of readiness of Formula 1 was brought into question.

Raikkonen powered around the former grand prix track in a time of 1:27.04 in the V6 turbo charged Ferrari, which was nearly ten seconds down on the times set at the same point last year, at the same venue with the V8 normally aspirated cars Jenson Button was fastest on that day with a best time of 1:18.861 in the McLaren. The GP2 lap record stands at 1:24.262, set by Kamui Kobayashi in 2008.

Raikkonen did 31 laps during the course of the day, but was the first to have a problem out on track when, 42 minutes into the morning session, the Ferrari came to halt on track and required a tow truck ride back to the pits.

The Finn said afterwards, ”It’s just the first day, there is still a long way to go. Lap times don’t mean anything, I was just learning about the car. We have started ok.”

Biggest talking point of the day was Lewis Hamilton’s crash into the tyre wall at Turn 1, when he was setting the early pace in the Mercedes W05. A front wing failure caused the incident, which in turn curtailed his day out on track. Nevertheless he ended up second fastest with a time of 1:27.820, and racked up 18 laps in the process which was only less than Raikkonen.

Williams were among the late starters and only got one hour of running all day, but will be buoyed by the fact that Valtteri Bottas popped the third fastest lap of the day in his first attempt at a full flying lap in the FW36, although it was three seconds down on the top time. He did seven timed laps in the hour.

Next up on the timing screens was Sergio Perez in the Force India VJM07, ahead of Jean Eric Vergne in the Toro Rosso STR9 followed by Esteban Gutierrez at the wheel of the Sauber C33. The trio set times but were way off the pace.

Valtteri Bottas in the Williams FW36

Red Bull and Caterham were very late out on track and thus neither Sebastian Vettel nor rookie Marcis Ericsson clocked a time.

The McLaren MP4-29 did not even make it out the pit garage, while the Marussia MR03 was being trucked down from the UK, the team hoping to get it running on day two. Lotus of course were absent.

Day two of testing continues on Wednesday.

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Red Bull: We spent most of the day correcting a problem we discovered overnight

As widely expected, Formula 1’s first day of pre-season testing got off to a slow and cautious start as teams opted to work their way gingerly into proceedings with all-new, and radically different 2014 cars.

That was certainly the case at Infiniti Red Bull Racing, as after the early-morning launch of the RB10 the team kept the car in the garage for most of the day, correcting a technical issue discovered overnight. The new challenger eventually made it on track 15 minutes before the session ended however, with Sebastian Vettel completing an installation lap and two more runs past the pits.

“We did a total of three laps today so it was difficult to get an impression of what the new car is like,” said Sebastian. “We weren’t quite ready this morning and things took a little bit longer than expected. But considering the total amount of running we saw today I think everybody is in a similar position. The laps we did were just to run the car and get everything up to temperature, but it was impossible to get a feeling for it today. There’s still a lot we can go through tonight. Even if you don’t do much running there’s plenty of work.”

Of the first day of testing, Race Engineering Co-ordinator Andy Damerum said: “The packaging of these new cars is obviously vastly different to what we’ve had in the past, so working on them is a learning curve and we spent most of today correcting a problem we discovered overnight. We eventually got it sorted in time to get out on track and we put in a handful of laps, with Seb doing his installation lap on Inters because of a brief shower beforehand. While that might not sound the most successful outing, even those few laps have given us a wealth of data to have a look at, so it’s been a valuable, if tricky, day. I think it’s been a similar story up and down the pit lane. It’s a voyage of discovery for everyone and it will take time to get up to speed with the cars. Seb will be back in the car tomorrow. It’s forecast to rain, though that won’t affect what we’re looking to get done.”

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Force India: We’ve already learned a great deal in just one day

Sahara Force India unveiled its 2014 F1 World Championship contender today as the VJM07 made its testing debut in Jerez.

Day One Statistics:

• Chassis: VJM07-01
  
• Laps: 11 laps
  
• Mileage: 48.708 km
  
• Fastest lap: 1:33.161
  
• Classification: P4
  

Sergio Perez: “As expected it has been quite a slow day for everybody in Jerez. The main job was to learn as much as possible each time the car went out so that we could identify and solve any issues. It was not really possible to get a feeling for the car because we only did a small number of laps, but the important thing is that the car is up and running.”

Andrew Green, Technical Director: “Today’s laps were a key first step for the development of the VJM07. There’s still a long way to go, but we have been able to start checking all the new systems on the car, especially the Power Unit and the gearbox. There have been a few teething problems, which is to be expected with a new car, but we’ve already learned a great deal in just one day. The plan for tomorrow is more of the same as we continue to get miles on the car.”

Test driving schedule: Sergio Perez will be back in the VJM07 tomorrow. Nico Hulkenberg will drive on Thursday and Daniel Juncadella will get behind the wheel on Friday.

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Williams: The team worked well to address the problems we had

Williams F1 team report from the first day of testing at Jerez de la Frontera in southern Spain.

• Driver: Valtteri Bottas
  
• Chassis / Engine: FW36-01 / PU106A Hybrid
  
• Location: Jerez de la Frontera 4.428 km
  
• Objectives: New component, systems and reliability checks
  
• Weather: Dry and sunny
  
• Maximum air & track temps: 17ºC / 21ºC
  

Rod Nelson, Chief Test & Support Engineer: We had a few electrical issues today which, combined with needing to replace a sensor critical to the functioning of the Internal Combustion Engine, delayed our running. Despite this, we were able to complete a number of installation laps and one timed lap, and I now feel we are in good shape for tomorrow. The team have worked well to address the problems we had today and we are now focused on working through our programme for the remaining days.

Valtteri Bottas: It wasn’t an ideal start to the day but the positive thing is that the team did a great job to fix the problems we found overnight and we got the car working well to complete a few laps this afternoon. The car matched my expectations on track with more torque. It feels like a very different car compared to last year in the way it handles as well as the power. After only a few laps we found a few things we can improve which is also good, so we need to start working on those things tomorrow.

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Sauber: A big achievement to get our car on track on the first day of testing

The Sauber F1 Team enjoyed a successful roll-out of the Sauber C33-Ferrari in Jerez. At about 20 minutes past 11.00 this morning, Esteban Gutiérrez took to the track for the very first time in the C33 with the V6 turbocharged engine. During the day he completed seven laps.

• Circuit: Jerez de la Frontera / 4.428 km
  
• Driver: Esteban Gutiérrez
  
• Weather: Sunny, then overcast, air 13-17 C, track 16-20 C
  
• Chassis / engine: C33-01 / Ferrari
  
• Laps today: 7 laps, 30.991 km
  
• Fastest lap: 1:37:828 min
  

Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering: “The main target today was to get the car on track and the team has done a brilliant job over the winter to accomplish that on time. Obviously with the significant changes there were issues that needed to be solved throughout the day. We have to understand and analyse those properly, which is why we couldn’t run that much today. What we did today was a good achievement for the team and now we have a lot to work on for tomorrow.”

Esteban Gutiérrez: “It was a big achievement to get our car on track on the first day of testing, and I am proud that I was the first one to drive it. Especially because of all the rule changes, it is very complex but the team has done a good job. The feeling in the car is not what I have been used to. The engine and the power it produces and the sound are very different, but we will get used to that. It’s just a different characteristic. It was important to get some running today. These four days of testing are to see if all the systems are working, and that’s the most important. It is way too early to comment on the drivability. We will get there during the second and third pre-season tests in Bahrain. We will get the electronics and everything else sorted first and I think we are going in a good way to achieve that.”

What comes next: Tomorrow Esteban will be driving the Sauber C33-Ferrari again. Adrian Sutil will take over on Thursday and Friday.

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Toro Rosso: A positive day, because just getting the car on track was an achievement

A new Formula 1 season got underway today at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit with the first of twelve days of pre-season testing. In the past, the first test was very much a case of business as usual, but with the massive changes to the technical regulations, just getting a car to run on track was a major achievement.

Scuderia Toro Ross did a bit better than that, with Jean-Eric Vergne managing to complete 15 laps, the third longest distance of the day. There were the inevitable teething problems and the car stopped out on track with a software issue, which brought the day to an early end. However, overall this was a positive start and tomorrow, after a long night analysing data, the STR9 will take to the track again, this time with Daniil Kvyat having his first official day at the wheel.

“It would be easy to say things did not go well today, because the car stopped, because we didn’t use full power and therefore I did not get a chance to see what the car feels like. However, that is the wrong way to look at things, because we expected plenty of difficulties, especially learning about how the new type of Power Unit works. In fact, I would say this was a positive day, because just getting the car on track was an achievement, so the team can be pleased with that as it was down to their hard work. From my point of view, it was also interesting to work with my new race engineers for the first time and to be back enjoying the atmosphere of the Formula 1 paddock. Now, we will spend a lot of time looking at all this data tonight and then Daniil will move the programme forward tomorrow. Overall, a satisfactory start to the season in very difficult conditions.”

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McLaren: The MP4-29 was predominantly affected by electrical issues

McLaren failed to put in a single lap on the opening day of pre-season testing due to "electrical issues" with the new MP4-29.

The Woking team was schedule to run on Tuesday with Jenson Button entrusted with the driving duties.

The Brit, though, wasn't able to put in even a single lap of the Jerez circuit as his team worked furiously on the car.

"Today was a challenging start to the MP4-29's test and development programme," McLaren said in a statement. "Along with other teams, we faced difficulties readying our new car for the first winter test of 2014.

"Despite firing up successfully at the MTC last week, the car was predominantly affected by electrical issues during the day.

"The subsequent dismantling, inspection and re-installation of several major components ultimately meant we were unable to conduct any running today.

"We're re-installing key systems on the car overnight, with the expectation that Jenson will begin the car's installation programme tomorrow."

McLaren, though, weren't the only team running into trouble.

Red Bull and Williams only ventured out late in the day as did Caterham while Marussia didn't even make it to the track.

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Vettel: I pray for a miracle that Schumi will return and be the person he has always been before

Sebastian Vettel kept Michael Schumacher in his thoughts on Tuesday as Formula One returned to the track after a long winter break with the German great still in a coma one month after a skiing accident.

Red Bull’s quadruple world champion, who struck up a close friendship with his compatriot before the 44-year-old retired in 2012, said he was still shocked by what had happened to the sport’s most successful racer.

“I pray and hope he will just come back and a miracle will happen and he will be the person he has always been before,” the 26-year-old told reporters on the first day of pre-season testing.

Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher in 2006

Schumacher, a seven times world champion and winner of a record 91 races, suffered brain injuries when he fell and hit his head on a rock while skiing off-piste in the French Alps resort of Meribel on 29 December.

“I have known him for a long time and have been looking up to him all my life… he became a friend,” said Vettel, who paired up with Schumacher in the annual Race of Champions event as Team Germany.

“He is still in a coma and we still don’t know in what shape he will be when he wakes up, which is horrible for his family and close friends.”

Sebastian Vettel with Michael Schumacher at the end of the seven times world champion’s final F1 race in Brazil 2012

Vettel said he had not visited the former Benetton, Ferrari and Mercedes driver in hospital in Grenoble so as not to add to unwanted media attention.

Schumacher’s family have urged the media to respect his privacy and the hospital and his agent have not issued a medical update for some time.

Mercedes paid their own tribute to Schumacher when they unveiled their 2014 car at the Jerez circuit on Tuesday with the Twitter hashtag #KeepFightingMichael prominent on the side of the airbox.

“As a team we want to show we are thinking about him, and hoping for the best every day,” German driver Nico Rosberg, Schumacher’s former team mate, told reporters.

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Former Lotus Team Principal Boullier joins McLaren as Racing Director

Former Lotus Formula 1 Team Principal Eric Boullier is joining McLaren in the newly created role of Racing Director.

McLaren said in a statement released during pre-season testing in Spain that the Frenchman would start work at Woking on 3 February.

The team said that Boullier would report to a yet-to-be-appointed McLaren Racing Chief Executive Officer, who would in turn answer to chairman Ron Dennis.

Jonathan Neale will fill the Chief Executive Officer role temporarily. There was no mention in the statement of Martin Whitmarsh, who was Team Principal last season but has lost overall control to Dennis.

The team said in a statement: “Eric is one of the most capable trackside leaders in Formula 1. He has played the central role in Lotus F1 Team’s recent successes, and brings with him extensive single-seater motorsport experience, having worked in senior positions in World Series by Nissan and A1 Grand Prix before moving up to Formula 1.”

Eric Boullier said, “First of all, I regard this appointment as an honour, a privilege and a wonderful opportunity. The McLaren Racing workforce and the facilities at the McLaren Technology Centre are world-class, and I’m hugely excited about the prospect of joining such an outstanding team.”

“I’m both eager and determined to play an active part, working alongside McLaren Racing’s other senior managers and directors, within a new operational structure, to bring about the changes that will deliver success. Last, I want to take this opportunity to assure the McLaren Racing workforce that I’m utterly determined to match their famous passion and commitment to win,” added the Frenchman.

Ron Dennis commented, “Eric’s appointment is an integral part of a senior management restructure within McLaren Racing. I’ve already personally conveyed to the entire workforce of the McLaren Group, which includes McLaren Racing, the values, principles and mindset that I intend us all to adopt, going forward.”

“My intention is that from now on everyone at McLaren Racing will understand their responsibilities and accountabilities, focusing on their specific areas of expertise, in keeping with those values, principles and mindset.”

“In due course we’ll announce the identity of McLaren Racing’s new Chief Executive Officer, who’ll report to me, and to whom Eric will report.”

“I’m firmly of the belief that, once McLaren Racing’s restructured senior management team has been assembled, together we’ll begin the march back to full competitiveness, quickly and professionally, harnessing the fantastic depth of talent that exists within our organisation,” concluded Dennis.

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Wolff: We did not expect the sh!tstorm we got after double points was announced

Double points for the final round of the Championship is still an issue that irks many Formula 1 fans, and the fact that a recent F1 Strategy Group meeting basically ignored the outcry suggests that the powers that be are ignoring the sentiments of those who follow the sport, a perception which team bosses are eager to dispel.

At Jerez, Mercedes motorsport chief Toto Wolff spoke with media about the controversial rule, “I think the shitstorm we got afterwards was something not expected. Was it the right move or not? 99 per cent of our fans and spectators, and this is what counts, told us it was the wrong move so perhaps it is something to revisit.”

“There are arguments [in favour] if for whatever reason we have the same kind of power situation with one of the teams [Red Bull in 2013], you add a little spice towards the end of the season. There is a lot to criticise, but things need to be done and with the audience dropping you need to try out things. This maybe wasn’t the right thing, but maybe we need to find out,” added Wolff.

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner agrees that fans cannot be ignored, “I think of course [that] the fans opinions matter but I don’t think it’s any secret that I wasn’t particularly in favour of it. I can understand why the governing body and the promoter are keen to keep the Championship alive, or hoping the Championship is kept alive until the end of the last race. But two out of the last four years have gone to the last race under the previous points scoring system.”

Horner would be in favour of awarding double points to the final three or four races as opposed to only the last race. He said, “We need to look at three [races for double points] for argument’s sake, to take away an element of lottery over that last race.”

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Jerez Day 2: Button fastest as Mercedes powered teams have upper hand

After missing out on doing any running on the first day of Formula 1 testing at Jerez, Jenson Button topped the timing sheets in the Mercedes MP4-29 at the end of the second day of testing in Spain, where Mercedes engine power appears to have the edge over rival Power Unit makers Renault and Ferrari.

Collectively all four Mercedes powered teams amassed 212 laps on the day at a theoretical average of 53 laps per team. With Marussia absent, there were only two Ferrari powered cars in action on the day – Sauber and Ferrari – who between them notched up 100 laps at an average of 50 laps.

But it was the Renault powered teams, including World Champions Red Bull, who have really suffered with only two of the four out on track on day two and the two only managing 19 laps – Caterham with 11 and Red Bull with 8. Toro Rosso were unable to any running at all “because of electrical problems that could not be repaired in time”- the Italian team ditched Ferrari power for Renault this year.

Not a good start to the new Formula 1 era for the French engine builder whom many expected to have the edge with regards to high performance turbo technology.

At the sharp end Button racked up 43 laps and finished the day with the best time of 1:24.165 which he set late in the day on Pirelli Mediums, three seconds up on the best time set on day one, and thankfully faster than a GP2 car has ever been around the former grand prix circuit, albeit six seconds adrift of the best time of 1:18.218 by Romain Grosjean on the same day last year.

Nevertheless Button and the McLaren crew would have been encouraged by their day in southern Spain, as 24 hours earlier they were rushing against time to be ready. Topping the timing screens is perhaps relatively meaningless to most, but on the day it is sure to have given the Woking outfit a mighty boost.

Ferrari enjoyed another fruitful day with Kimi Raikkonen managing 47 laps on his way to setting the second best time of the day, a tad over half second down on Button’s best.

After only completing seven laps a day earlier, Valterri Bottas and Williams will have been relieved add another 35 tours to their tally, and end the day third fastest on the harder Pirelli tyres.

Busiest man out on track was Nico Rosberg who did a whopping 97 laps on his way to setting the fourth fastest lap. Notably, he did a couple of very long trouble free stints during the course of the day.

The team did well to repair the W05 in time for the morning start after it was damaged, the previous day, when a front wing failure caused Lewis Hamilton to crash into the wall at Turn 1.

Sergio Perez was fifth fastest in the Force India, but it was not all plain sailing for the Mexican on the day as the VJM07 stopped out on track, with smoke swirling out the back, shortly before 15:00 local time.

Earlier in the day,just before noon, Esteban Gutierrez prompted the first red flag stoppage when he spun the Sauber and ended up in the gravel. He returned to action and ended the day sixth fastest with 53 laps on his board, but over nine seconds off the top pace.

Marcus Ericsson could only manage to add 11 laps to his single lap he did a day earlier in the Caterham, with Vettel slowest of all in the Red Bull and only managing eight laps, making that a grand total of 11 laps for the world champion over the course of two days in Spain.

Both teams suffering with what was described as a ‘Renault energy [storage]‘ problem.

The day began on a damp track, whereupon Pirelli decided to turn the morning session into a wet test to evaluate the all new Wet tyre which features a different tread and compound to last year’s version.

Day three of testing continues on Thursday.

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Vettel flies home early as problems continue to plague Red Bull’s new car

Sebastian Vettel cancelled his media engagements, packed up and flew home early after problems continued to plague the World Champion team’s brand new Red Bull RB10 during the first two days of Formula 1 pre-season testing at Jerez.

After only completing three timed laps on the opening day, and just eight on the second day, Vettel’s title defence has started in the worst way possible.

Although it is not clear what has been afflicting the Adrian Newey penned RB10, it has emerged that on the first day an assembly mistake curtailed their running severely, while on day two the problem appears related to an electrical issue which was described as a “Renault energy stor[age] problem.”

Red Bull crew were photographed peering at a steaming back end of the RB10, in their pit garage, after the engine reportedly caught fire, whereupon the team decided to call time on Vettel’s stint in the cockpit.

Renault is having a troubled start to its season, lagging way behind their rivals – Mercedes and Ferrari - in terms of mileage covered thus far with the teams they service. By 14:00 Jerez time, on day two, Mercedes powered cars had completed 123 laps, the Ferrari brigade 56 laps and Renault’s teams a mere 13 laps in total.

Renault’s engine operations boss Rob White admitted after the first day in Spain, “I honestly expected there to be more laps on the board right now, but without real up close knowledge of what has been going on in the garage I don’t know what has been happening.”

“It is kind of a no brainer, but the pace has to ramp up substantially over the coming days and week,” added White.

Red Bull’s design guru Adrian Newey mused after the first problem packed day, “Road cars, hybrid road cars, aeroplanes, by the time we see them in public they’ve had a huge amount of running and private testing – obviously in Formula 1 we don’t have that luxury and we have to come out and get these complicated machines to work in the public arena.”

Vettel will probably only get to drive the RB10 again in a month’s time when the teams gather in Bahrain for the second preseason testing sessions.

He said before leaving for the airport, “Obviously we’ve not had a lot of running and have a few problems to sort out, but with such big rule changes it is usual to have some teething problems. That’s what tests are for, to sort those issues out. The next two days will be important to get some track time to prepare for the tests in Bahrain.”

Thus reigning World Champion Vettel departs southern Spain with the knowledge that last year he racked up 198 laps around Jerez, compared to a mere 11 laps this time around…

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Raikkonen: The cars are much slower? It’s pointless making comparisons with the past

After having been entrusted with the Ferrari F14 T’s track debut Kimi Raikkonen’s evaluation of his first day ‘back at the office’ was short and to the point, but did make a point of saying that the much slower new era Formula 1 cars did not concern him.

The Finn, on his return to Ferrari, completed 32 laps on the Andalusian track, which was more than anyone else on the day, set the best time of 1:27.04 (which happened to be 10 seconds down on the best time set last year on day one of testing at Jerez, and three seconds adrift of the best GP2 time) around the former GP venue.

Granted, it was a very unusual day, and perhaps inevitable that, with brand new cars designed to all new rules and powered by V6 turbo engines for the first time, there would be teething troubles which would slow down the development work.

Although the Maranello outfit did rack up the most laps, the team had its troubles, especially in the morning. But in the afternoon, Raikkonen was able to do more consistent running.

“The biggest challenge now is to ensure [that] everything works. The new cars are much more complicated than the previous ones and there are a thousand details that can slow down the work. This morning, we’d have liked to do a few more laps but in the afternoon I think we did a good job. From a driving point of view, I didn’t feel any amazing difference, although it’s much too early to give an opinion on this,” said Raikkonen at the end of the day.

“Overall, we can say it was a good start. We have a solid base from which to work over the coming days. The times from this test mean nothing and we will only begin to understand something … in Bahrain. The cars are much slower? It’s pointless making comparisons with the past because everything is completely different,” added the 2007 World Champion.

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Ricciardo: The season ahead is something I’ve been looking forward to my whole life

The 2014 Formula 1 season is arguably the most important year in Daniel Ricciardo’s life as it will determine his future. Super-stardom may beckon but so too may obscurity. The ever smiling Australian spoke on the occasion of the launch of the Red Bull RB10.

It’s all change in F1 this year. You’ve a very different car to contend with and a new team. How big a challenge is this season going to be for you?

“The season ahead is going to be very challenging, but very exciting. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to for a few months now; my whole life in a way as well. It’s another big step in my career. With all the rule changes, it’s exploring new ground, so it’s challenging for everyone, but I’m sure we’re all ready and excited. I think it’s a good time to change team what with all the changes happening in F1 in 2014. I think it’s going to level things out and give me the best chance possible to shine…I hope!”

You’re racing alongside a four-time World Champion. How do you feel about that?

“I’m really excited to be alongside Sebastian this year; he’s achieved so much, in so little time as well. To be a four-time World Champion is an amazing thing and I have a lot of respect for that and a lot of respect for him. I’m hoping to learn as much as I can, and hopefully challenge him of course.”

In the past your helmet has featured a graphic of a creature called the Honey Badger. Are you keeping that this year and what does it mean?

“It’s supposed to be the most fearless animal in the animal kingdom. When you look at it, he seems quite cute and cuddly, but as soon as someone crosses his territory in a way he doesn’t like, he turns into a bit of a savage and he’ll go after anything – tigers, pythons – he turns very quickly, but he’s a good guy.”

Are you prepared for just how crazy things might get in Australia? Does the level of attention you might receive scare you at all?

“I’m prepared and excited. It’s going to be something I’ve never experienced before. Being the sole Australian driver and having moved up to the top team on the grid there’s going to be more attention around me. I’m aware of that and I just have to use it to my advantage. There will be a lot of positive energy and I have to surround myself with that and use it on track.”

What are your expectations of your first season at the team?

“‘Expectations’ is not a word I like to use that much, I think it can create a bit of an illusion. I definitely want to get the most out of myself this year, so the way I see it is that instead of having expectations, I don’t want any regrets. I would like to finish this year with some victories – that would be great – but knowing that I put everything on the table, that’s my aim.”

How did it feel to see that car being built today?

“Seeing all the team around the car being built today was an exciting moment. It gives me a few goose bumps, knowing that the car is now mine to use to my full potential this year, so that’s exciting and definitely a proud moment.”

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Mercedes: We achieved a total of 97 laps without any major issues

Mercedes AMG Petronas continued its pre-season testing programme at the Circuito de Jerez earlier today, with Nico Rosberg taking the wheel of the F1 W05 for the second day of running in Spain. Nico’s best time of 1:25.588 from 97 laps was good enough for fourth on the time sheets, and first in the lap count.

• Running of the F1 W05 was initially delayed, as the team awaited the delivery of parts following a front wing failure during yesterday’s session
  
• Nico emerged for his first run at 11:35 CET, completing two install laps before midday
  
• During the afternoon Nico completed a series of longer runs, with the longest a 24-lap stint on the Hard tyre.
  
• The F1 W05 completed over 400 km and Mercedes-Benz Power Units completed a total of 212 laps between all teams.
  

Lewis will be in the car tomorrow for the third day of pre-season testing at Jerez.

Nico Rosberg: That was a great team effort today. We had to fix a problem on our car overnight. The guys worked through the night back at the factories and flew in the parts just in time this morning, so we were able to do a lot of mileage today which is great for our learning process. It was a great feeling to put some good miles on the new Silver Arrow and there’s a lot of new stuff to clear because it’s very different to the old car. It’s heavier, you have less downforce and the steering wheel is completely different; it’s almost like a smartphone with all the information on it! Every lap is important to get used to the new systems and it helped a lot that I have worked on this already in the simulator. We don’t know yet where we are compared to the other teams, but we can be quite happy after the first two days of testing here in Spain. Now I look forward to getting back in the car on Friday.

Paddy Lowe: The team worked very hard overnight, both at the circuit and in the UK, to recover from yesterday’s wing failure. We had a slow start to the day, waiting for components to arrive from base, but we are happy with the solution that we found. The car left the garage just before midday and after resolving some minor issues, we began our planned programme at 13:00. Our objective was to put mileage on the car and we achieved a total of 97 laps without any major issues, which is a great credit to the teams at both factories and those trackside, here at Jerez. We have a lot of data to analyse overnight and look forward to continuing our learning tomorrow.

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Force India: Encouraged with the progress we have made so far

Sahara Force India completed a second day of testing in Jerez as Sergio Perez completed 37 laps in the VJM07. Nico Hulkenberg will get his first run in the car tomorrow.

Day two Statistics:

• Chassis: VJM07-01
  
• Laps: 37 laps
  
• Mileage: 164 km
  
• Fastest lap: 1:28.376
  
• Classification: P5
  

Sergio Perez: “Today was a lot more productive than yesterday so in that respect we are making progress as we learn about the car. We still have a long way to go with understanding the complexity of all the systems so it’s important that the next two days with Nico and Daniel give us the information we need before we arrive in Bahrain. It will be only then that we can hopefully start to work on performance.”

Andrew Green, Technical Director: “Our second day in Jerez has been positive as we have continued to build on the work we completed yesterday. We remain on a very steep learning curve, but I’m encouraged with the progress we have made so far and every lap we complete gives us more valuable information. With each run we’ve taken a step forward and been able to build up to doing longer and longer runs. The focus tomorrow will be for more of the same as we give Nico his first day in the car.”

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Sauber: We are rather pleased with our achievement

The Sauber F1 Team had a productive second day of testing. The team continued assessing the reliability and performance of the Sauber C33-Ferrari. The track was damp in the morning, allowing running on Wet and Intermediate tyres. Esteban Gutiérrez completed a total of 53 laps overall.

• Circuit: Jerez de la Frontera / 4.428 km
  
• Driver: Esteban Gutiérrez
  
• Weather: light rain, cloudy, air 10-17 C, track 10-20 ° C
  
• Chassis / engine: C33-01 / Ferrari
  
• Laps today: 53 laps, 234.684 km
  
• Fastest lap: 1:33.270 min
  

Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering: “Today we continued assessing reliability and performed a number of functions checks. At this stage of the development progress follows a steep curve and, while we keep working hard, we are rather pleased with our achievements.”

Esteban Gutiérrez: “Today we were able to do a lot of laps, which is very positive. Considering the circumstances, it is very important to put in this mileage. We found some issues in the systems, which is something to work on and part of the process.

Obviously at this stage I was not able to push. Before we can take it to the limit our priority is reliability. We had some issues with the brakeing system, where it was better to go easy in the braking zones, figure out how the system reacts, get mileage and sort it out.”

What comes next: This was the final day of testing in Jerez for Esteban Gutiérrez. Tomorrow and Friday Adrian Sutil will be driving the Sauber C33-Ferrari.

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Higher top speeds expected from turbo engines in 2014

The new V6 turbo engines may be smaller and quieter, but Formula 1 cars will actually be faster in a straight line in 2014.

This was the expectation of Force India’s technical boss Andy Green, when contemplating the mammoth rule changes over the winter.

Not only the engine rules have changed, the FIA has also dramatically reduced the amount of downforce.

But although downforce levels were similarly attacked in 1998 and again in 2009, Green said that the huge changes for 2014 are “crucially different”.

“The downforce loss is in the same region and is quite significant,” he told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

“But this time the drag has also been dramatically reduced, where in the past the drag stayed the same while downforce was going down.”

Asked if that means that top speeds will be higher in 2014, Green agreed: “Yes. I expect the cars to be about 15km/h faster.”

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Kehm denies reports claiming doctors to end Schumacher coma

Michael Schumacher’s spokesperson Sabine Kehm has played down reports the Grenoble hospital is preparing to bring the great German out of his month-long coma.

The news was reported by France’s influential sports daily L’Equipe, following an extended period in which official information about former F1 great Schumacher, 45, had dried up as his medical condition stabilised.

But L’Equipe on Wednesday reported that Schumacher has now entered a recovery phase, with doctors aiming to gradually ease the seven time World Champion out of his deep state of induced coma.

“I stress again that any statements about Michael’s health that do not originate from the treating medical team or his management are to be regarded as speculation,” Kehm said in a new press statement.

“I repeat that we will not comment on such speculation.”

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F1 Biography- Roberto Moreno

Few people in F1’s history can have only qualified for forty-two races from seventy-seven attempts, barely a fifty percent hit rate, and still remain as liked and respected as Roberto Pupo Moreno. Affectionately known as “Super Sub”, Moreno drove for no less than nine teams, more often than not with two to three in a single year, across six full or partial seasons in Formula One.

Hailing from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Pupo very nearly made is GP debut at the young age of twenty-three. With Nigel Mansell having broken his wrist during the 1982 Canadian Grand Prix, Lotus brought the young Brazilian into the fold three weeks later at the Dutch GP. However, having been thrown in at the very deep end, Moreno was unable to qualify. Mansell was back at the next round and it appeared that Roberto’s shot at the top level of motorsport was over before it began.

Moreno returned to the feeder series ladder, where he finished 2nd in the 1984 European F2 Championship, taking two wins and finishing on the podium in all seven races that he finished. The next four years saw full or partial seasons in F3000, culminating in the 1988 series title. During 1985 and 1986, Roberto also took part in twenty-one CART races in the States with Galles Racing, retiring from all but six events. 1987 saw Moreno was once again given a chance at F1 when the underfunded AGS team sought to replace Pascal Fabre for the final two rounds of the season. He retired in Japan but would finish 6th in Australia, scoring in only his second GP start, as well as taking the first points for the AGS team.

Following his F3000 championship in ‘88, Pupo was once again given a shot at F1, when Ferrari both signed him as their test driver AND helped him into a full time race seat with Coloni. However, he would only qualify for four rounds and would retire from each of them. 1990 saw a move to the equally inept Eurobrun squad. Here, Roberto would qualify for just two of fourteen rounds before being informed that the team would not even attempt the last two races of the season.

Roberto was then drafted in by Benetton to drive the final two races of the season following Alessandro Nannini’s horrific helicopter accident. His debut with the team would see Moreno take 2nd in Japan behind teammate Nelson Piquet, resulting in the only podium of Pupo’s Formula One career. He would follow this up with a 7th at the season ending Australian GP.

His showing in these two races would garner Roberto a full time seat with Benetton for 1991, though two 4th places would be his best results before unceremoniously being dropped by the team before the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix in favor of a certain German.

Moreno would then take over the newly vacated seat at Jordan for two rounds before racing in Australia with Minardi.

1992 would see a partial season of ten rounds with Andrea Moda’s team in which Pupo would only qualify for one race before the team owner was arrested for forging invoices and the squad went under. The next two seasons would be spent in touring cars while a full season return to F1 with Forti in 1995 would yield nothing better than a 14th place finish. Pupo’s F1 career would end with a crash into the pitlane wall in the season ending Australian GP.

Moreno would return to racing in the States for 1996, racing with five separate Champ Car teams over the next four seasons, often subbing for other drivers. 2000 with Patrick Racing saw Moreno win in Cleveland and finish the season in 3rd place and he would take a second victory the following season in Vancouver. Pupo would continue on for partial seasons or one off races in both CART and the IndyCar series until 2008.

Other than his brief time with Benetton, Roberto Moreno never got the opportunity which may have shown his true speed. However, his ability in a car was evident by the racing world making him the go to driver in times of need year after year.

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Ricciardo: Adrian Newey has gone back to the drawing board definitely

The headline grabbing problems Red Bull have faced at Jerez have plunged the team into a crisis which according to Daniel Ricciardo has prompted Adrian Newey to return to base and get back to the drawing board to resolve the issues that have plagued the RB10.

A day after Sebastian Vettel departed Jerez early, with a mere 11 laps to his credit over two days, Ricciardo suffered a similar plight on his first day in the world champion team’s new car. He only managed three laps on day three in southern Spain.

Ricciardo told reporters afterwards, “Adrian has gone back to the drawing board definitely, because there is only so much they can do at the track. He is pretty happy working in his office back at Milton Keynes and will definitely be getting involved, trying to sort out the next step.”

The world champion team have worked around the clock to try resolve what is being described as a ‘Renault energy store problem’ which has struck all the Renault powered teams and it appears that there is no quick fix.

“They assume it is going to be something that they will have to go back to the factory and sort it all out. But at the same time they are trying and hoping that a quicker fix is ready for tomorrow. We will see,” said Ricciardo. “For nearly 36 hours they pretty much have worked on the car to try to get it running. We’re a bit unsure right now…”

For now the Australian is not panicking, “We have still got a lot of time. Time is on our side still. Even if we go to Melbourne still a bit whatever… it is a long season. These guys know how to win, that is important. I am sure sooner rather than later we will get it all together. It is still really early days.”

Earlier Red Bull’s race engineering co-ordinator Andy Damerum explained what went wrong on day three, “We worked hard yesterday to make the changes it was felt were necessary to overcome the problems we identified and we were hopeful of a more successful day today. Unfortunately, the measures we took only partially solved the issue and, as with yesterday, it’s more sensible to stop and dig deeper into finding a solution.”

Ricciardo is due to spend the final day, of testing at Jerez, on duty in the cockpit of the RB10, provided they can get it to run more than a lap or two.

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Button: The power is nice, it feels like the most powerful engine I’ve driven

Amid all the negative debate surrounding the sound and power of new era Formula 1 cars, it was refreshing to hear Jenson Button praise the new Mercedes V6 turbo engines at the end of his first full day of testing at Jerez on Wednesday.

After a trouble packed first day in Spain, Button in the McLaren MP4-29 was on track for day two which ended with him top of the timing sheets.

Button told media afterwards, ”The power of the [Mercedes] engine is nice. It’s very torquey, it feels like the most powerful engine I’ve driven. It obviously isn’t in terms of outright power, but as a racing driver you feel the torque and power at the low speed and at 300 km/h you don’t really feel the difference.

“It’s coming out of the corners when you have so much torque that it’s exciting. A lot to improve with the car in that area, but with so many tools at our disposal I know exactly how we can improve the car,” explained the 2009 F1 World Champion.

“I think the positive thing is we have the ERS unit to fill in the gaps. I would say it’s a very drivable engine at this early stage. There are moments when you are part throttle through the corner and there’s all sorts going on. We’re used to revs, we’re used to downshifting but this is so, so different,” said Button.

Testing continues at Jerez for another two days – Thursday and Friday – before teams return to their bases for almost a month. The second chapter of testing begins in Bahrain later next month.