FORMULA 1 - 2014

[MIKA27]

LEWIS HAMILTON 2014 F1 WORLD CHAMPION

A tearful Lewis Hamilton joined the elite ranks of double Formula One world champions on Sunday after a nerve-racking drive to victory in the floodlit season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

In a race overshadowed by the ever-present spectre of mechanical failure after the Briton’s Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg suffered an early loss of power, Hamilton powered to his 11th win in 19 races.

The 29-year-old, who took his first title with McLaren in 2008, became Britain’s first multiple champion since Jackie Stewart in 1971 and only the country’s fourth.

“Lewis, thank you very much for not letting the British public down,” Britain’s Prince Harry told him over the radio from the pit wall as the chequered flag came down. “You are an absolute legend.”

Hamilton, crying on the podium as the anthem sounded and with his voice cracking in later interviews, performed a slowing down lap with the British flag fluttering from the cockpit and the words ‘Hammer Time’ written on it.

The victory was a record 16th of the season for Mercedes, who had already collected the constructors’ crown, and for the first time the winner took 50 points in an unprecedented and controversial double points finale.

“This has been just an incredible year. I can’t believe how amazing,” said Hamilton. “This is the greatest moment in my life. It feels very surreal, 2008 was special but the feeling I have now is above and beyond. It’s the greatest feeling I’ve ever had. Thanks so much everyone.”

Rosberg finished 14th after starting on pole position and 17 points adrift, the much-vaunted ‘duel in the desert’ becoming a nightmare after dark for the German son of Finland’s 1982 champion Keke.

He had suffered problems from the 25th of 55 laps, then complained about losing brakes as he fell down the order, still hoping against hope that a similar misfortune might befall Hamilton and revive his chances.

When the team asked him to pit and retire with only a handful of laps to go, Rosberg asked to stay out so he could at least end the season on track.

“Sorry it didn’t work out but you drove like a champion,” said Mercedes technical head Paddy Lowe. “We come back next year to have another go.”

Rosberg, who gallantly shook Hamilton’s hand afterwards, did not need to tell anyone that he was disappointed but he said it anyway.

“All in all, Lewis deserved to win the championship. What happened to me had no impact, it did not change anything so there is no point focusing on that,” he said.

“He did just a little bit better than me. The positive is I’ve been the better qualifier over the last two years and that gives me a good base. I came very close and it is a pity it did not work out.”

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale podium

Brazilian Felipe Massa finished second for Williams in the race, after looking like he could win it, with Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas third.

“Not bad for an old man,” said a delighted Massa after his best result since 2012, when he was at Ferrari.

Behind them, Australian Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth for Red Bull with Hamilton’s former McLaren team mate Jenson Button fifth in what may have been his last race in Formula One.

Force India duo Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez were sixth and seventh while outgoing four-times champion Sebastian Vettel was eighth in his last race for Red Bull before moving to Ferrari.

The man he will replace at the Italian team, double world champion Fernando Alonso, was ninth and ahead of Finnish team mate Kimi Raikkonen.

http://youtu.be/UeS0lKZP3-0

[MIKA27]

Great race. Happy to see Hamilton win the WDC. Massive respect to Rosberg who handle a tough day and bitter loss with great class. Deciding to finish the race rather than parking it really impressed me. Looking forward to 2015 already.

It'll feel like a life time but really, the 2015 season is only 4 months away!!

[MIKA27]

Ex-king of Spain: Alonso joining McLaren

Now here's a driver announcement you won't often get as the former King of Spain Juan Carlos has confirmed Fernando Alonso is joining McLaren

It's hardly breaking news, but Alonso has refused to confirm that he will return to McLaren next year since announcing that he will leave Ferrari at the end of the season.

However, Juan Carlos did it on his behalf ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi and Alonso admitted after the race that the king is "always right".

Asked about the revelation, the two-time World Champion replied: "What the king says I cannot go against. The king is the king. He is always right."

Alonso finished a poor 2014 campaign for Ferrari with a night place at the Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday.

"You want to be on the podium at least," he said. "I knew it would be tough. It summarises our season a little bit. It's mixed feelings leaving Ferrari. There are great people here.

"It was a nice experience but I'm looking for better results than 10th. You will find out very soon where I will be driving - you are close!"

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Wolff hails Rosberg's sportsmanship

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff admits there are conflicting emotions at the team following the title decider and also promised to open contract talks with Lewis Hamilton on Monday.

Hamilton secured his second Drivers' Championship on Sunday when he won the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with his title rival and team-mate Rosberg's challenge ending with a mechanical problem.

Mercedes wanted to retire Rosberg's car during the final few laps, but the German decided to continue until the end and he eventually finished P14.

"It's bittersweet. Nico did not have a great start but he showed great sportsmanship," Wolff said. "He will have a lot of new fans. We have a World Champion who deserved to be a World Champion.

"Nico probably had the strongest team-mate you can have. Nico scored more qualifying points which was Lewis' discipline. We expect the battle to continue."

Rosberg will remain with the team next year though as Mercedes extended his contract earlier this year, but they opted to delay talks with Hamilton until after the 2014 season and with the campaign now over, it's back to the negotiation table.

Wolff added: "We would like to sign Lewis up for a long time. He fits in so well with the team. When he wakes up tomorrow after a long night we will talk contracts."

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Seb sad to leave on a low

Sebastian Vettel finished his Red Bull career with a disappointing eighth place in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Having confirmed that he will join Ferrari next year, the German was hoping to end on a high but it has been a difficult couple of days as he started from the back of the grid with Red Bull excluded from qualifying.

Vettel made his way through the traffic, but his charge was halted when he got stuck behind the McLaren of Kevin Magnussen for a long period.

"I felt there was more, but once I got stuck behind Kevin at the beginning it was quite tough, so I can't be completely happy with today; when you race you want to finish as high up as you can and today I think we had the pace to finish higher," he said.

Despite a poor finish, Vettel leaves Red Bull with four Drivers' Championship and plenty of experience.

He added: "I think the last six years have been an incredible journey, obviously we didn't expect that when we started working together - you can never expect four Driver titles and four Constructors' Championships in a row.

"You get to know some people in a very good way and build friendships that will last a long time. You go through happy days and sad days, you go through them together and I think I learned a lot. I'd like to thank Red Bull and the Team for everything they did and I will miss them. I feel ready for the next step."

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Button: I am not finished yet

Jenson Button insists he wasn't treating the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix "like a last race".

The 2009 World Champion continues to face an uncertain future with McLaren yet to decide if Button or his team-mate Kevin Magnussen will partner Fernando Alonso in 2015.

The team have decided to delay the announcement until December 1, leaving their current drivers in limbo at the season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Button, though, put all the talk about his future to one side and finished fifth on Sunday.

"It was tough," he told BBC Sport. "I don't think we had much pace but made the best of what we had.

"That was as good as it was going to be - that's all you can ask. I don't need to say anything to the team. The support has been unbelievable, overwhelming and hopefully I put on a good show.

"One race should not define my career or show whether I have a future in Formula 1. I've not been treating it like a last race. You just focus on what you are doing. I always live in the moment but for people around me there is more time for them to think.

"I haven't finished yet! It's been a good day for me but a much better day for my old team-mate and buddy Lewis Hamilton so congratulations."

http://youtu.be/vsC8Hy-Qttc

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Massa proud of Williams achievement

Felipe Massa has promised that it's "just the beginning" after he finished second at the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP to help Williams to third in the Constructors' standings.

Having started fourth at the Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday, the Brazilian was quick off the line to slot in third behind the two Mercedes drivers, and with Nico Rosberg suffering a mechanical problem midway through the race, he moved up to third.

He then produced a superb late charge on the supersofts and came close to hunting Lewis Hamilton down for the victory, but he came up just short in the end.

With his team-mate Valtteri Bottas finishing third to give Williams their first double podium of the campaign, it was a brilliant end to the season for the Grove squad.

"Thank you everyone and Lewis well done, congratulations, you deserve it," he said in the podium interviews. "It was a very good race for us. I did not expect to have that pace. I was able to keep the tyres for long parts of the race.

"We tried an option tyre [at the end] and unfortunately Lewis was a bit too far. We were close. With 10 laps to go I was a second quicker and I thought I could win the race. But the tyres degraded a bit and did not have enough of a gap.

"It was a fantastic job for the team and I'm so proud to be racing for Williams. This is just the beginning."

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Bottas: That'll do

Valtteri Bottas capped off an amazing year for Williams with third in Abu Dhabi and fourth in the Drivers' Championship.

After a sluggish start saw him drop from third to eighth at the Yas Marina Circuit, the Finn fought his way back brilliantly to help Williams to secure their first double podium of the season as his team-mate Felipe Massa was second behind Lewis Hamilton.

His podium also meant he secured fourth in the Drivers' standings as he finished ahead of former World Champions Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso.

"I always like to be here [on the podium]," he said. "It would do for us this season. It's been an amazing year, we are improving and getting stronger. This last race shows just how far we are going.

"I'm really thankful I can be part of this team and I can drive this car."

MIKA: IMO - The best driver of the year outside of Mercedes. So consistent, well deserved and great to see Williams back at the top.

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Stevens: Objective achieved

Completing his maiden F1 grand prix, Will Stevens has thanked fans for helping Caterham back onto the grid "where we belong."

Having gone into administration, Caterham turned to crowdfunding to raise the money needed to head to Abu Dhabi for the season finale.

Fans gave donations, bought souvenirs and even had their names on the cars all in a bid to see the team race at the Yas Marina circuit.

The team's revival signalled the beginning of Stevens' F1 career as the British racer lined up on the grid alongside Kamui Kobayashi.

But while the Japanese driver failed to reach the chequered flag, Stevens brought his car home, albeit a lap down on race winner Lewis Hamilton.

The rookie said: "We completed the objective of the day, and that was to finish the race, which is good not only for me but also for the team - we can be pleased.

"I struggled quite a bit during my first stint on the Option tyre, trying to keep it up to temperature at the start during the formation lap, so I had a lot of graining on the front. But the middle stint wasn't too bad and I was able to get into more of a rhythm.

"Towards the end I was feeling good in the car and it feels really good to have completed my first Formula 1 race!

"I want to thank all the fans once again for giving this team another chance to race, this is where we belong."

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Lewis deserves the title, says gracious Rosberg

Nico Rosberg failed to win the championship and suffered ERS issues in the finale.

Nico Rosberg says he never gave up on his title hopes in Abu Dhabi despite dropping down the order after he hit ERS problems.

The German could still win the title by finishing fifth if Lewis Hamilton retired, and did everything he could to keep on target until he finally tumbled out of the points.

Never stop believing

“I still believed in it for a long time, because there was still always the hope... there was always the possibility that also gets a problem or something, and then I only need to finish fifth or sixth. I believed until the end. The very last lap I was still pushing, because that's what I do, I don't give up, I just push all the way. That's also why I wanted to finish the race.

“I'm very disappointed. All in all Lewis deserved to win the championship today, that's clear.

Lewis won it because he won it, and whatever happened today didn't make any difference to his championship win. So there's no point to really focus on that at all.”

Rosberg said that despite the outcome, it had been a great year.

“All in all it's been a great season for the team, I'm proud to be a part of that. Lewis was that little bit better driver this year, a tiny bit, in the races only. So he deserves the win. For me there's some great things about this year, I've been quicker in qualifying over the two years, and that's a very good base to work on. I need to work on my racing a tiny bit, and then I'm good to go.

“His level is massively high, his driving out there, he was the best on the grid this year. I was against him, the best on the grid. It was very close, a pity it didn't work out. But I'm proud to be in this moment with the team, it's a very special year, the car has been incredible. To be able to fight with for wins all the time and battle it out with Lewis has been great. Very intense was at times. It was an intense battle, but a great battle.

“That's what I race for, the battles like that. Lewis has been the best driver on the grid this year, and to be up against him, and battling it out, the level was incredibly high. But I also have to find and deliver and be on a level playing field with him, and that's been a great challenge for me. Most of the time it's been enjoyable. Of course sometimes it's not been enjoyable, but all-in-all, a great year.”

http://youtu.be/jT6AxekFVmw

[Bartolomeo]

Congrats Lewis, he earned it this year

I enjoyed this year overall and look forward to 2015 around the corner

Thanks Mika for the posts!

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Ricciardo beats Vettel in Red Bull’s fight from the pits

In their final race as team mates, Daniel Ricciardo decisively beat Sebastian Vettel after the two Red Bull drivers started from the pit lane following their qualifying infringement.

Ricciardo brought his car home in a remarkable fourth position – one place higher than he had qualified before both drivers were stripped of their times when their front wings were found to contravene the rules.

Ricciardo lined up first at the pit lane exit. After the start he and Vettel were soon making their way past the midfield runners. But on lap seven came the crucial moment which decided the outcome of their races. Ricciardo passed Kevin Magnussen – who like the Red Bull drivers had also started on the soft compound tyres – but Vettel was unable to get past the McLaren.

Red Bull eventually brought Vettel into the pits on lap 21, allowing him to jump ahead of the McLaren. But Ricciardo extended his stint by another eight laps, allowing him to consolidate his position among the front-runners.

While Vettel’s last pit stop dropped him behind the Force Indias, Ricciardo emerged on the tail of the Williams drivers, who he would have started immediately behind anyway had he lined up on the grid in his original qualifying position.

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Caterham close to Ferrari’s pace in Abu Dhabi

Ferrari’s poor pace in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was highlighted by the fact Fernando Alonso’s best lap time was only seven-thousandths of a second faster than Kamui Kobayashi’s.

The Caterham driver used the super-soft tyres at the end of the race while Alonso was on the harder softs. Nonetheless Kobayashi retired four laps after setting his quickest tour, and so did not set a time when his car was low on fuel, and was at the wheel of a car which was being run by a skeleton crew and hadn’t seen action in the last two races.

Ferrari’s technical director Pat Fry revealed both the team’s drivers had been beset by technical problems during the race.

“Over all 55 laps, both Kimi [Raikkonen] and Fernando struggled with little reliability problems which affected their cars,” he said. “Having gained two places at the start, we had to make the first stops very early because of tyre degradation.”

“That put us back out in traffic and unfortunately, our management of the power units and the tyres meant it was difficult to make any overtaking moves.”

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Sauber’s point-less year “a huge disappointment”

Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn described the team’s 2014 campaign, in which it failed to score any points, as “a huge disappointment”.

The team has never before failed to score a point during an F1 season since it entered the championship in 1993.

The teams’ cars finished in 15th and 16th places in Abu Dhabi, with only the Caterham of Will Stevens behind them at the end. Kaltenborn said this was “typical of the 2014 season, which was a huge disappointment”.

“Everyone within the team worked very hard, but we could not achieve the results we aimed for. We were not able to score points, which has never happened before in the history of the team.

“There are many reasons for this. However, it does not make sense to point fingers. We will draw our conclusions and will initiate the right actions. We will move on and use our entire energy to bring the team back to where it was before, and where it should be.”

Sauber is parting company with both its drivers as it brings in Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr for 2015.

“A special thanks goes to Esteban Gutierrez who was part of this team for five years, first as an affiliated driver and afterwards for two years as a race driver,” said Kaltenborn. “We were with him through good and bad times. Esteban was always loyal to the team.”

“Adrian [sutil] surely expected more from this season, as we also did. With the issues we had with the C33 he was not able to deliver results which we as a team and he wished for.”

“Giedo van der Garde did a great job as test and reserve driver. We thank all of them, and wish them all the best for the future.”

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Insane Video Of A Truck Jumping Over A Formula 1 Car At Full Speed

Holy mother of God, this has to be one of the craziest vehicle stunts I’ve ever seen: The Formula 1 team Lotus got one of their giant trailer trucks to jump over one of their race cars running at full speed. It is absolutely insane.

Lotus claims this is a new distance world record for a truck jump: 25.5m.

According to Raphael Orlove at TruckYeah! the stunt was coordinated by Mike Ryan — an stuntman who worked on Terminator 2. He also drove the truck. I love crazy people.

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NEW REPORTS LINK BRAWN, COSTA, BOTTAS WITH FERRARI

The latest names linked with Ferrari are Ross Brawn and Valtteri Bottas, as in Abu Dhabi, reports emerged that amid its thorough 2014 shakeup, the beleaguered great Ferrari could now be set to oust its new boss Marco Mattiacci.

The name linked with the job was Marlboro executive Maurizio Arrivabene, but not only him. Britain’s Sky and Auto Motor und Sport – as well as several other authoritative sources – are mentioning Briton Brawn.

Also linked with a sensational return to Maranello is Aldo Costa, who left Ferrari in 2011 and was responsible for the design of the dominant 2014 Mercedes.

The German newspaper Bild said: “We have learned that Arrivabene is not coming alone. Ross Brawn could be the new technical director.”

Brawn, who has been enjoying his sabbatical since stepping down as Mercedes team boss, reportedly denied the news on Saturday.

But Bild said that is “only because Ferrari is yet to meet some of his conditions”.

Italy’s La Stampa said Ferrari insists it is all “just reports”.

Finally, Italiaracing reports that Ferrari is eying the impressive Williams driver Valtteri Bottas to replace his Finnish countryman Kimi Raikkonen in 2016.

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MAGNUSSEN AND ALONSO LOOKING LIKE 2015 MCLAREN LINE-UP

The next worst kept secret in Formula 1 is Fernando Alonso’s move to McLaren-Honda for 2015 and beyond, but the identity of the Spaniard’s teammate at Woking is still uncertain, although it appears that Kevin Magnussen will be retained by the team.

Former team driver Martin Brundle on Saturday told McLaren supremo Ron Dennis that everyone in the paddock knows Alonso has now inked a deal for 2015.

“Which driver are you talking about?” Dennis told the commentator for British television Sky.

In truth, despite Dennis’ insistence, the only true question-mark is over the identity of Alonso’s teammate.

Conventional Dennis logic would suggest McLaren will put together the best and most experienced drivers it can muster — and that might be Alonso and the 2009 world champion Jenson Button.

But paddock reports suggest the Woking based team is in fact more likely to keep the in-house rookie Kevin Magnussen on board.

Dennis told Brundle: “You presume that there are three people involved in this choice. But I think you should stretch your imagination to four.”

The most logical fourth candidate would be the McLaren-contracted GP2 driver Stoffel Vandoorne, who commandingly won Saturday’s Abu Dhabi race from pole.

He will also drive the Honda-powered interim McLaren in next week’s post-race Abu Dhabi test.

“‘Might’ is an interesting word,” answered Dennis, when asked if Belgian Vandoorne might be a candidate.

Later, however, team boss Eric Boullier played down the Vandoorne reports, suggesting the 22-year-old will spend another year in GP2 to try to win the title.

The smart money now is on McLaren fielding an Alonso-Magnussen lineup in 2015.

“I have a strong desire for Denmark to wake up,” Dennis told Danish television TV3, “and realise that they have an unique opportunity to support someone who could easily become a sporting legend of the country.

“I hope that one of the multinationals realises that life is not always about money but also national pride. I’ve done my part,” added Dennis, “and I think it’s time that Denmark does the same.”

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NEWEY SAYS ALL F1 CARS’ FRONT WINGS FLEXING

Red Bull cried foul on Saturday after its cars were disqualified from qualifying in Abu Dhabi, after television replays appeared to show the ends of the front wings flexing significantly towards the ground.

According to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, FIA inspectors checked all the top teams after qualifying, but only Red Bull emerged with penalties.

“We are disappointed that we have been singled out for a front wing deflection test when it is clear that other teams are interpreting the rules in a similar fashion,” Red Bull said in a statement. “The team accepts the decision of the stewards and will start the race from the back of the grid.”

Adrian Newey, in Abu Dhabi for his last race as the team’s full-time technical boss, confirmed that the wing used this weekend is an updated one.

“Frankly,” he told Italy’s Autosprint, “if you look at the other cars, you will notice that they are all doing the same thing.”

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SAD FAREWELL FOR VETTEL AS AN ERA ENDS FOR RED BULL

Sebastian Vettel bade a sad farewell to Red Bull and a disappointing 2014 season on Sunday when he finished eighth in the championship-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The 27-year-old German won his first title as the youngest world champion in Abu Dhabi in 2010 and went on to take three more in a four-year cycle of glory and success and wanted to claim a strong finish ahead of his move to Ferrari next season.

But the race delivered disappointment as he had to start from the back of the grid, after Red Bull were excluded from qualifying for running an illegal car on Saturday.

“I think the last six years have been an incredible journey,” he said.

“Obviously we didn’t expect that when we started working together – you can never expect four driver titles and four constructors’ championships in a row.

“You get to know some people in a very good way and build friendships that will last a long time. You go through happy days and sad days, you go through them together and I think I learned a lot.

“I’d like to thank Red Bull and the team for everything they did and I will miss them. I feel ready for the next step.”

Vettel was also out-performed throughout the season by his Red Bull teammate Australian Daniel Ricciardo who won three races, to Vettel’s zero.

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WILLIAMS CELEBRATE BEST FINISH FOR 11 YEARS

The Williams team had every reason to party on Sunday after Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas finished second and third in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to clinch third place in the constructors championship ahead of Ferrari.

“I thought I could win, but not in the end,” said Massa, after coming home as runner-up behind race winner and new world champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes.

“It has been a great day. It’s fantastic to be a part of it. Today was so nice to see we are there, we can win a race, we can fight for victory.

“It’s been such a difficult time for so long and we are still there, we had opportunity to fight for the victory and that is what makes me proud, makes me happy and makes me even more motivated to carry on and push hard every day.”

Massa added: “I didn’t expect that, to have that pace. We tried, but Lewis was just a little bit too far ahead. When there were 10 laps to go, I said ‘if the tyres stay like that, I can win the race’, but the tyres were degrading a little bit.

Felipe Massa on his way to second in Abu Dhabi

“In the last four laps, I didn’t have (enough) compared to him to catch like I was catching him before. I wanted that victory so much, but we were close and I hope that’s just the beginning for next year.”

Second for Massa and third for Bottas delivered Williams a first double podium since 2005 and confirmed third place in the constructors’ championship, their best result since finishing second in 2003.

Bottas’s third place propelled him to fourth in the final drivers’ standings and the Finn echoed his teammate’s view that Williams are well placed for the future.

“Like Felipe said, an amazing end to the season and from last season it has been just incredible how much we have improved, as a team,” he said.

“It really shows how much we have also been improving during the season which is the main thing as next year things are going to be very tricky.

“All I can say now is I am happy to be part of this team now as we are really on the up – from us and my side there is definitely more to come.”

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RED BULL PLAY HARDBALL BLOCK VETTEL’S FERRARI TEST

Sebastian Vettel has hit out at Red Bull for blocking him from making his Ferrari test debut in Abu Dhabi this week.

As soon as the German’s impending departure from Red Bull was announced, team owner Dietrich Mateschitz said Vettel will only be free to go in the days after the post-race Abu Dhabi test.

Vettel said he understood the decision. Since then, however, something must have changed, because after qualifying in Abu Dhabi, Vettel was freshly bemoaning the fact he cannot drive Ferrari’s 2014 car next week.

“The (Red Bull) engineers suddenly panicked that I will take all these secrets to Ferrari,” he is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport. “But if I want to do that, I can also do it in January.”

Helmut Marko defended Red Bull’s defiance: “Why should we give a direct advantage to our competitor? If he is able to drive a Ferrari only a few days after the last race, he gives them a direct comparison.”

MIKA: It's funny RBR are behaving this way, if this is their attitude, they should have placed on Sebs farewell board: "Danke Seb and F**k you!"

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VERGNE SET FOR TORO ROSSO EXIT

Reports have emerged during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix suggesting that, Jean-Eric Vergne appears to have missed out on a Toro Rosso seat for 2015.

Prior to Sebastian Vettel’s shock Red Bull exit, Frenchman Vergne had already been left of junior team Toro Rosso’s plans for 2015. The Faenza based team had announced that 17-year-old rookie Max Verstappen will join Daniil Kvyat next year.

But when the Vettel news struck, Red Bull quickly promoted Russian Kvyat, leaving 24-year-old Vergne still in the running to keep his Toro Rosso seat.

Although he had seemed upbeat about his chances in recent weeks, however, French reporters on Saturday noticed that at the Abu Dhabi finale, Vergne’s body language has suddenly changed.

When asked if double points on Sunday will change the team’s approach to the race, Vergne answered: “Apparently there are things that are more important to Red Bull than points.”

He is probably referring to the fact that, despite the promotion of teammate Kvyat to the senior team, Vergne’s current teammate has actually scored less points in 2014.

The French publications RMC and L’Equipe surmised that Vergne’s attitude indicates he has been overlooked for the 2015 seat at Toro Rosso, perhaps in favour of Carlos Sainz jr.

L’Equipe quotes Vergne as saying: “No matter what happens in this Grand Prix, whether I score 1 point or 10 points, nothing will change.”

Sainz is not the only contender to replace Vergne. New GP3 champion Alex Lynn is clearly in the running, but RMC reports that 18-year-old Pierre Gasly, runner-up to Sainz in the Formula Renault 3.5 series, could make his debut next year if Red Bull is asked to run a third car.

The report said Formula 1’s Strategy Group will discuss the issue of third cars on Tuesday.

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MALLYA: RED BULL CHEATS ON THE REGULATIONS

Force India boss Vijay Mallya has blasted outgoing Formula 1 world champions Red Bull and labelled them cheats of the sport.

“Red Bull gives you flexible wings,” team supremo and co-owner Vijay Mallya said on Twitter on Sunday.

The former Indian billionaire’s attack on the energy drink-owned team follows not just the latest flexible wing saga, but also team boss Christian Horner supposedly enraging his counterparts in a recent meeting.

Not only Mallya, but also Lotus owner Gerard Lopez have intimated to members of the Formula 1 media that it was Horner who openly laughed at the demise of backmarkers Caterham and Marussia.

The next most endangered teams – Lotus, Force India and Sauber – have been arguing ferociously in recent weeks that the sport should more fairly distribute its almost $1 billion in annual income among the teams. But Horner is quoted by the Times as “categorically” denying that he scoffed at their plight.

“I would never decry other teams,” he said. “They have my respect. For example, we have helped Caterham get into the paddock. They got gearboxes from us [in Abu Dhabi] even though we are owed money.”

But something has obviously enraged Mallya, who launched a tirade of anti-Red Bull sentiment on his official Twitter page ahead of Sunday’s 2014 finale in Abu Dhabi.

“Arrogance and a superiority complex on the part of those who are paid to be in Formula 1 should not dilute or colour those who pay to be in Formula 1,” he said.

“A big Formula 1 team that says we small outfits should not come with bananas to a gun fight, grabs maximum money and cheats on the regulations,” Mallya added.

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo were disqualified from qualifying on Saturday after the FIA deemed their front wings were illegal.

A BBC report that revealed a concealed spring was specifically designed to allow the wing to illegally bend was also ‘retweeted’ by Mallya.

Former Caterham technical boss Mike Gascoyne also attacked the Red Bull chief on Sunday, tweeting before the race: “Wonder if Christian Halliwell will visit the back of the grid? Will remind him of his first few years in Red Bull.”

He signed off with the hashtag: “Whatgoesaroundcomesaround”.

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ROSBERG: HAMILTON WAS THE BEST DRIVER ON THE GRID THIS YEAR

As their fierce rivalry this year peaked on Sunday under the bright flood-lights of Yas Marina Circuit, Nico Rosberg was notably gracious in defeat and his sportsmanship shone brightly on the night.

The bullish German had spent the Abu Dhabi weekend firing psychological barbs at Lewis Hamilton, but on Sunday he was beaten off the line by the Briton before technical problems began to strike and destroy his title hopes.

Rosberg and Hamilton, old friends and boyhood karting teammates, have clashed memorably in 2014 as their in-house title battle intensified, but as the non-alcoholic rose water flowed on the podium amid fireworks in the sky, the defeated Rosberg was gracious in defeat.

“He [Hamilton] did a little bit of a better job than me in the races this year. Tiny bits that I need to find,” he said.

Earlier, although he finished the race just 14th, Rosberg even made his way into the pre-podium room to congratulate his rival, and the pair embraced and shared some of the first words they have uttered to one another for weeks.

“He just came into the room, very, very professional,” said Hamilton, “and he just said: fantastic. He said: you drove really well. “And the same to him — all year long he drove incredibly well, especially in qualifying, so hats off to him.”

Rosberg also graciously attended Mercedes‘ post-race team party, even though he said watching the champagne flow for Hamilton was a bit hard.

But the pair once again came face to face, with Rosberg explaining: “I said you deserve it. He was the best driver on the grid this year, and it was a great battle between us. And I race for battles such as this.”

Rosberg’s disappointment will be compounded on Tuesday when he must return to the cockpit of his recently-malfunctioned car for the post-race Abu Dhabi test, but admitted, “Right now I have to say that I am not really in the mood for it.”

Nico Rosberg thanks his crew after the Abu Dhabi GP

Hamilton admitted that their embraces and handshakes may “ease” some of the tension that has characterised their rivalry in 2014.

He said: “He was graceful enough to come up to me and see me after, which I really appreciated. It was really big of him to be able to do that. It’s very, very tough, I know what it’s like losing a championship so, for sure, we’ll keep working at it.”

Team boss Toto Wolff said he was also happy to see how gracious Rosberg was in defeat, “The most emotional I felt today was when I saw Nico going up to congratulate him.”

“That’s outstanding by Nico because I know the discussions we had after Spa, where the relationship was exactly the opposite. So I’m very happy for both of them because it needed Lewis to accept Nico’s congratulations,” he added.

“It probably would have been exactly the same the other way around,” Wolff told the RTL broadcaster. “For us it is great that we have two such great sportsmen in the team.”

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TORO ROSSO SET TO CONFIRM SAINZ THIS WEEK

Carlos Sainz jr could be confirmed as Toro Rosso’s new driver for the 2015 Formula 1 season within a few days, according to Marca, following reports that Jean-Eric Vergne now seems resigned to leaving Faenza after three full seasons with the Red Bull-owned junior team.

Marca said the probability is now “99 per cent” that 20-year-old new Formula Renault 3.5 champion and Spaniard Sainz will be teenager Max Verstappen’s teammate.

“The announcement could even take place this week,” added the newspaper.

Marca said Sainz, whose father is the well-known world rally legend of the same name, will touch down in Abu Dhabi on Monday where he will test in the coming days for Red Bull.

Sainz snr is tipped to be travelling with him. In their pocket could be a new sponsor for Toro Rosso, with the team’s existing Spanish backer Cepsa said to be departing, the newspaper reported.