FORMULA 1 - 2014

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Sainz out to surprise bosses

Carlos Sainz says it "means nothing" that Max Verstappen was Toro Rosso's first pick for a seat for the 2015 season.

Next season the duo will team up together at Toro Rosso, who confirmed Sainz on Friday night.

The Spaniard's signing comes months after Verstappen's, whose early announcement meant he had the opportunity to take part in several FP1 sessions in 2014.

But despite his team-mate being the first pick, 20-year-old Sainz says that won't count for anything when the racing begins in March.

He told Autosport: "Red Bull has the same pressure for both of us to do a good job. Just because he was announced first, it means nothing.

"In March we are both starting from scratch and that's why I'll have to do better than him from the first race, and to try to surprise the bosses more than he does. That's the target."

And although many are eager to see how the battle between the two Red Bull junior drivers pans out, for now Sainz says all is well in their new partnership.

"I met him on Sunday in Abu Dhabi and we talked for an hour and it went really well - better than you could imagine because there was no tension whatsoever.

"Both of us have a lot to learn to develop the car during the year, and also to try to beat each other, which will be the fun part."

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Barrichello wins first title in 23 years

Ex-Formula 1 driver Rubens Barrichello has won Brazil's V8 Stock Car Championship, his first title since taking the British Formula 3 crown in 1991.

The Brazilian needed to finish in the top four in Sunday's season finale at Curitiba to clinch the title, even if title rival Atila Abreu won.

After taking pole position, Barrichello led from the start in his Chevrolet-bodied machine, but slipped to fourth after a half-spin on the second lap.

This was a result of wreckage from a first-lap incident that had happened behind him, with the unsighted Barrichello running wide in avoidance at the exit of the right/left/right esses at the start of the lap.

He recovered to finish third after jumping Allam Khodair during the mandatory pitstops, more than enough to take the title given that Abreu could only manage second place behind Daniel Serra, the son of ex-F1 racer Chico Serra.

It is the first time that the 11-time grand prix winner has taken a championship title in cars in his native country.

"Only now Brazil starts to know me, and I am loving being in my country, in front of such an emotional public," said Barrichello after the race.

"My team is perfect, they have been improving all the time."

While the championship only runs at national level, it attracts grids of over 30 cars, with 15 different drivers winning races in 2014.

Barrichello's rivals include ex-F1 racers Luciano Burti, Antonio Pizzonia, Ricardo Zonta and former Williams test driver Max Wilson, as well as established Brazilian stars such as five-time champion Caca Bueno.

MIKA: Would love to see Rubens back in F1 but that won't happen.

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Sebastian Vettel says start of Ferrari F1 career is a "fairytale"

Sebastian Vettel has labelled his first experience of Ferrari as a "fairytale" after completing a four-day session with the Maranello Formula 1 team.

With his Red Bull contract having come to an end last week, Vettel wasted little time in getting down to work with his new employer.

Having arrived at the Ferrari factory on Friday, Vettel drove a 2012 F1 car at Fiorano on Saturday, spent a whole day in the simulator on Sunday and then met senior team figures including Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne, team boss Maurizio Arrivabene and technical chief James Allison for meetings on Monday.

Speaking after his first run in the 2012 car - which bore his chosen #5 that he will switch to now his use of the champion's #1 is over - Vettel confessed to feeling special emotions.

"There are a lot of fairytales about Ferrari and how it feels to drive a red car," said Vettel, who ran with a white helmet.

"In the end I can only confirm these fairytales.

"It's not just a story; it's a true legend that exists.

"And it feels really, really special to become part of that and to be inside the car, to see the people coming, running to the track and trying to climb the walls to see the car.

"There is definitely something very magical and something that happened today which I will never forget."

VIDEO: VETTEL STARTS WORK AT FERRARI

Vettel said his first taste of driving at Fiorano also reminded him of visits he made to Maranello as a child - when he hoped to catch a glimpse of then hero Michael Schumacher.

"I remember I was here a long, long time ago as a little child, driving through Maranello and trying to look over the fence," he said.

"So to be here officially as part of the team, it felt fantastic to have the possibility to drive the car, and get to know the team. It was a unique experience.

"Obviously it's a very different colour for me. Everybody is dressed in red, everything is red, but it's really something special and I'm very much looking forward to the challenge that we took on for the next years."

Although F1's testing restrictions mean Vettel will have to wait until the first pre-season test at Jerez next year to try a contemporary Ferrari, his experience at Fiorano has at least helped familiarise him with the way the team works and how its steering wheel controls are placed.

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Kimi Raikkonen set to get new race engineer at Ferrari F1 team

Kimi Raikkonen is set for a change of race engineer at the Ferrari Formula 1 team next year, with former Marussia chief engineer David Greenwood likely to get the role.

Greenwood has already been recruited by Ferrari following the recent collapse of Marussia.

He made his first appearance with his new Maranello team at last week's Abu Dhabi test, although his exact role for 2015 is still being specified.

AUTOSPORT understands, however, that Greenwood is likely to replace Antonio Spagnolo as Raikkonen's race engineer. Spagnolo is set for a factory role.

Raikkonen is known to get on well with British engineers, and amid his difficult 2014 campaign, Ferrari called upon David Lloyd mid-season to try to help improve communication between the Finnish driver and his engineers.

It has already been confirmed that new Ferrari signing Sebastian Vettel will be engineered by Riccardo Adami, who previously worked with the German at Toro Rosso.

STELLA SWITCHING TO MCLAREN

Former Ferrari race engineer Andrea Stella, who worked with Fernando Alonso, is switching to McLaren with the Spanish driver.

Although Stella will work in a race engineering role initially, it is understood that the long-term plan is for him to take on a wider role within the Woking-based team.

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DECEMBER 1 PASSES AND NO WORD ON MCLAREN DRIVERS

The McLaren Formula 1 team said that they would name their drivers “not before December 1″, having earlier stated that they would name them before the final race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Today the team was clear that no announcement is imminent and so one of the more curious sagas of this season drags on. According to Press Association the matter could be resolved at a meeting of the McLaren board on Thursday.

So what has been going on?

First there is the Fernando Alonso question. The Spaniard is believed to have signed his contract on or just before the Abu Dhabi weekend, according to sources. This leaves the identity of his team mate to be resolved and the impression is that this is not yet decided at the top within McLaren.

The candidates are the same: Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen with an outside bet, Stoffel Vandoorne, the young Belgian GP2 racer, also a protege of the McLaren young driver programme. Vandoorne finished the GP2 season strongly with a win in the Abu Dhabi feature race and second place in the Drivers’ championship behind Jolyon Palmer.

To confuse the picture somewhat Vandoorne is managed by Richard Goddard, who also looks after Button’s affairs.

Neither Button nor Magnussen had a standout season, which is why neither made the decision an easy one for the McLaren management; Button finished well with a strong series of results in Japan, Russia, Brazil and Abu Dhabi, while Magnussen qualified well, but didn’t come through with the points in races. Button closed with 126 points to Magnussen’s 55 for the season, as McLaren laboured to fifth in the Constructors’ championship, only 26 points ahead of Force India.

Alonso was asked in the final drivers’ press conference of the season, “If you have the possibility to chose your teammate for next year, would you chose Jenson?” Alonso fudged the answer, but privately admitted “yes” after the conference had ended.

McLaren’s Ron Dennis has said that the decision is not his alone and discouraged observers from concluding that the hold-up was due to indecision and dithering, but rather to the desire to get the choice right.

“I don’t like stressing anyone out and I certainly don’t like stressing our drivers out,” said Dennis. “But my job – and it isn’t my job alone – is that we return to not just winning, but we are going to try and dominate. We are here to try and put together the best possible team to get us back to winning as fast as possible.”

Button’s superior experience and technical ability would help the development of the new technical package with Honda, but he’s more expensive than Magnussen.

Button completed the most laps this year, with Magnussen just nine laps behind, showing that the McLarens were reliable, but just lacked pace. Both had an average grid slot around 8th/9th. The pair were close on pace overall, Button out-qualified the Dane this season 10-9.

Another complication has been the interaction between the McLaren shareholders and Dennis’ drive for fresh investment, which has been taking a lot of his time. The initial deadline by which he was to have found funding for a buyout of other shareholders was the end of October, but there were suggestions in Abu Dhabi that he had paid a figure in the region of €30 million to extend that deadline into January.

Either way, it’s an unusual situation to have going on in the background of a driver line up choice and along with the particular circumstances around Alonso’s return to a team with which he fell out spectacularly seven years ago and Honda’s return as a force in F1, goes some way to explaining the delays around this announcement.

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MCLAREN BOARD MEET THIS WEEK TO DECIDE 2015 DRIVERS

McLaren’s protracted driver deliberations are expected to come to a head later this week, as they remain one of few Formula 1 teams yet to name their driver line-up for next season.

With Fernando Alonso almost certainly joining in 2015, the British team said recently that the full driver lineup will only be decided no earlier than December 1st.

December 1 came and went on Monday without an announcement being made, but a spokesman told us: “Our press release did not stipulate a December 1st announcement”.

With 2014 drivers Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen at the top of the list, we reported on Monday that a decision on either Thursday or Friday is now likely.

“Since we issued that press release,” the spokesman continued, “Ron [Dennis] has said: Any decision has to be supported by the shareholders and the board.”

And the spokesman clarified: “There is a McLaren Group board meeting later this week.”

Widespread reports indicate it is actually taking place on Thursday. Team supremo Dennis added: “It’s pretty understandable we’re looking chiefly at two people, but there’s a broader choice than Kevin and Jenson. Nevertheless, whatever the decision, it won’t be taken until then.”

Germany’s Sport Bild claims McLaren is split into two camps, with Dennis favouring Magnussen but shareholders Mansour Ojjeh, the Bahrainis and perhaps even Alonso pushing hard for 2009 world champion Button to be retained.

Robert Kubica with Fernando Alonso in 2010

Meanwhile, Alonso’s old friend Robert Kubica has wished the Spaniard well as he prepares to embark on his new Honda-powered adventure, “I think Fernando’s choice is interesting.”

“I think his experience with the team and with Ron Dennis in 2007 made him a better driver, and he has matured a lot in the seven years afterwards,” he added.

Referring also to Alonso’s Ferrari successor Sebastian Vettel, Kubica concluded: “What I do know is that it will be very difficult for either of them to reduce the gap to Mercedes. At the same time, that is also the beauty of Formula 1 — even insiders are never quite sure what is going to happen.”

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GROSJEAN ADMITS HE HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH FERRARI

Romain Grosjean revealed he was in talks with teams including Ferrari until the 2015 Formula 1 driver market was shaken up by Sebastian Vettel’s move to Maranello.

The Frenchman, who could have left Lotus due to a team performance-related clause in his contract, has now re-committed to Enstone for another year.

He admitted to France’s RMC: “There were some discussions (about my future). Eventually I think the market was quite shaken when Sebastian Vettel said he is leaving Red Bull. It surprised everyone.”

“We are still waiting to see what McLaren will do, but there are other big names in Formula 1 like Ferrari and Mercedes. There were discussions,” Grosjean added.

Now, the 28-year-old is looking ahead to the 2015 season, when Lotus will enjoy title-winning Mercedes power after struggling this year with Renault.

But he cautions: “We will not know until after the first winter test, although even early this year, we really thought we had a good car. You never really know how it is going to be. There are ups and downs but this is still a good team.”

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Vettel bids farewell to Red Bull in final factory visit

Sebastian Vettel bid an emotional farewell to Red Bull on Tuesday as he embarks upon a new challenge with Ferrari next season.

The German won four titles with the Milton Keynes team and has spent almost his entire F1 career with them - two years with Toro Rosso and six with Red Bull.

However his decision to depart to replace Fernando Alonso brings an end to the special partnership, but he couldn't leave without saying goodbye.

"You're not making this any easier," was his opener, following a speech from team principal Christian Horner and chief technical officer Adrian Newey.

"The last six years have been incredible. What we've achieved, the work that's gone in. So much passion, so much dedication. It will always stay in my heart. Big, big thank you to everyone. In the end we had the better car because we were the better team.

Thank you really doesn't really describe enough what I feel."

Horner later presented Vettel with some parting gifts, which included; an espresso cup, some very tight red Speedos, a pair of sunglasses and a few ruder gifts.

He was also gifted a 50 per cent scale model bull with his championship laurels engraved on the plinth. He will also receive one of his championship-winning cars, but Horner was keen to mention that delivery would be delayed as Red Bull "don't want it turning up in Maranello."

Before signing gifts for staff, he added: "There's a lot of happy memories from this place that I'm holding onto. It's been a great journey and I've very grateful for what all of you did for me. I'll shut up now."

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Virtual safety car gets green light for 2015 season

The FIA will push ahead with the idea of a virtual safety car (VSC) for the 2015 season following successful trials during the final few races of 2014.

The system won't replace the safety car, which will still be used for large accidents which require a pace car, but it could result in fewer safety car periods as the VSC system will force cars to slow down for safety reasons.

The change comes after Jules Bianchi's accident in Japan where Adrian Sutil span off, but with his car clear of the circuit, the FIA saw no reason to deploy the safety car and instead used double waved yellow flags.

Drivers must therefore slow, but by how much is completely up to them. That may have played a role in Bianchi's accident when he span off at the same point as Sutil and hit a recovery vehicle.

It's hoped the VSC, which will be used whenever a recovery vehicle or marshal is on the circuit, will resolve this problem as drivers must stick to an exact speed limit until the track is cleared, otherwise they will face a penalty.

Extensive testing was carried out during practice for the United States GP, and then again in Abu Dhabi where a few tweaks were made to satisfy driver concerns.

During a meeting in Abu Dhabi, the teams and the FIA agreed it should be introduced for the start of the new season next year.

Draft regulations have been written and submitted where they will be signed off and written into the sporting regulations.

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FIA REPORT: BIANCHI DID NOT SLOW SUFFICIENTLY

French Formula 1 driver Jules Bianchi did not slow sufficiently under warning flags before crashing at the Japanese Grand Prix, an International Automobile Federation (FIA) report found on Wednesday.

“Bianchi did not slow sufficiently to avoid losing control at the same point on the track as (Adrian) Sutil,” the report, released on the FIA by the FIA.

Bianchi suffered the most serious F1 race injury since the death of Ayrton Senna in 1994 when he crashed into a recovery tractor in a wet Japanese Grand Prix on Oct. 5.

The Marussia driver, whose British-based team is no longer in business, remains unconscious and in a critical condition in hospital in southern France after being flown home last month.

“The car hit the crane at 126 kph”, and that medical services were not at fault,” the report added.

“All rescue and medical procedures were followed, and their expediency are considered to have contributed significantly to the saving of Bianchi’s life,” the 396-page report said.

In October, Marussia said they were ‘shocked and angered’ by media reports suggesting that Bianchi had not slowed down enough under caution flags.

“If drivers adhere to the requirements of double yellow flags, as set out in Appendix H, Art. 2.4.5.1.b, then neither competitors nor officials should be put in immediate or physical danger,” the report added.

“Bianchi over-controlled the oversteering car, such that he left the track earlier than Sutil, and headed towards a point ‘up-stream’ along the barrier.

“Unfortunately, the mobile crane was in front of this part of the barrier, and he struck and under-ran the rear of it at high speed along the barrier.”

Jules Bianchi is treated at the scene of the accident at Suzuka

FIA Accident Panel Full Report:

On lap 43 of the Japanese GP, Jules Bianchi lost control of his Marussia in Turn 7, and struck a mobile crane that was recovering Adrian Sutil’s Sauber, which had crashed the lap before. Bianchi suffered life-threatening injuries to his head, and was evacuated to hospital by ambulance.

The weather conditions at the time were rain and a deteriorating track condition, and the section of the track where the accident occurred was subject to double yellow flags, due to Sutil’s crash.

A review of all the evidence and other information about the events leading up to Bianchi’s accident has been carried out by the 10-man Accident Panel, appointed by the FIA. The Panel has issued a 396-page report on their findings with recommendations for improvements, many relevant to all of motorsport. This has been presented to the FIA World Motorsport Council.

Conclusions:

The review of the events leading up to Bianchi’s accident indicate that a number of key issues occurred, which may have contributed to the accident, though none alone caused it:

1. The semi-dry racing line at T 7 was abruptly narrowed by water draining onto the track and flowing downhill along it. Both Sutil, and Bianchi one lap later, lost control at this point in T 7.

2. Sutil’s car was in the process of being recovered by mobile crane when Bianchi approached Sectors 7 and 8, which include the part of T 7 where the recovery was taking place. Sectors 7 and 8 were subject to double yellow flags.

3. Bianchi did not slow sufficiently to avoid losing control at the same point on the track as Sutil.

4. If drivers adhere to the requirements of double yellow flags, as set out in Appendix H, Art. 2.4.5.1.b, then neither competitors nor officials should be put in immediate or physical danger.

5. The actions taken following Sutil’s accident were consistent with the regulations, and their interpretation following 384 incidents in the preceding 8 years. Without the benefit of hindsight, there is no apparent reason why the Safety Car should have been deployed either before or after Sutil’s accident.

6. Bianchi over-controlled the oversteering car, such that he left the track earlier than Sutil, and headed towards a point “up-stream” along the barrier. Unfortunately, the mobile crane was in front of this part of the barrier, and he struck and under-ran the rear of it at high speed.

7. During the 2 seconds Bianchi’s car was leaving the track and traversing the run-off area, he applied both throttle and brake together, using both feet. The FailSafe algorithm is designed to over-ride the throttle and cut the engine, but was inhibited by the Torque Coordinator, which controls the rear Brake-by-Wire system. Bianchi’s Marussia has a unique design of BBW, which proved to be incompatible with the FailSafe settings.

8. The fact that the FailSafe did not disqualify the engine torque requested by the driver may have affected the impact velocity; it has not been possible to reliably quantify this. However, it may be that Bianchi was distracted by what was happening and the fact that his front wheels had locked, and been unable to steer the car such that it missed the crane.

9. Bianchi’s helmet struck the sloping underside of the crane. The magnitude of the blow and the glancing nature of it caused massive head deceleration and angular acceleration, leading to his severe injuries.

10. All rescue and medical procedures were followed, and their expediency are considered to have contributed significantly to the saving of Bianchi’s life.

11. It is not feasible to mitigate the injuries Bianchi suffered by either enclosing the driver’s cockpit, or fitting skirts to the crane. Neither approach is practical due to the very large forces involved in the accident between a 700kg car striking a 6500kg crane at a speed of 126kph. There is simply insufficient impact structure on a F1 car to absorb the energy of such an impact without either destroying the driver’s survival cell, or generating non-survivable decelerations.

It is considered fundamentally wrong to try and make an impact between a racing car and a large and heavy vehicle survivable. It is imperative to prevent a car ever hitting the crane and/or the marshals working near it.

Recommendations:

A number of recommendations for improvements have been proposed, relevant in many cases to all of motorsport. They include the following:

1. A new regulation for double yellow flags:

Proposed new Appendix H Article (possibly under 2.4.5.1 :

The Clerk of the Course will impose a speed limit in any section of track where double yellow flags are being displayed.

It is proposed that a Working Group, made up of FIA Race Directors and Stewards should meet and draw up detailed regulations and guidelines for the application of this new regulation, in time to apply it in 2015 across international circuit racing.

2. Safety critical software:

A review of safety critical software and measures to check its integrity will take place.

3. Track drainage:

Guidelines on circuit drainage will be reviewed, to include drainage off access roads.

4. 4-hour Rule:

Article 5.3 of the F1 Sporting Regulations states that:

However, should the race be suspended (see Article 41) the length of the suspension will be added to this period up to a maximum total race time of four hours.

It is proposed that a regulation or guideline be established such that the Start time of an event shall not be less than 4 hours before either sunset or dusk, except in the case of night races.

It is also recommended that the F1 Calendar is reviewed in order to avoid, where possible, races taking place during local rainy seasons.

5. Super Licence

It is proposed that drivers acquiring a Super Licence for the first time should undertake a course to familiarise themselves with the procedures used by F1 in running and ensuring the safety of an event.

It is also proposed that new licence holders pass a test to ensure that they are familiar with all the relevant regulations.

6. F1 risk review

Consideration will be given to a review of F1 risk, in order to ascertain whether there are any significant holes in the safety defences, such that an unforeseen combination of circumstances could result in a serious accident.

7. Tyres

It is part of the challenge of a racing driver to drive his car as fast as possible given the track conditions combined with the characteristics of his tyres. Although the characteristics of the wet weather tyres provided by Pirelli did not influence Bianchi’s accident or its outcome in any significant way, it is recommended that provision is made for the tyre supplier to develop and adequately test wet weather tyres between each F1 season, such that it is able to supply the latest developments to the first event.

Composition of the Accident Panel

Presidency

• Peter Wright, President of the Safety Commission

Members

• Ross Brawn, former Team Principal of Mercedes F1 Team, Brawn Grand Prix and former Technical Director of Scuderia Ferrari
• Stefano Domenicali, former Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari
• Gerd Ennser, Chief Stewards’ representative
• Emerson Fittipaldi, President of the FIA Drivers’ Commission, F1 Steward
• Eduardo de Freitas, WEC Race Director
• Roger Peart, President of the Circuits Commission, President of the ASN of Canada, F1 Steward
• Antonio Rigozzi, Advocate, Judge at the International Court of Appeal of the FIA co-opted by the teams
• Gérard Saillant, President of the FIA Institute and President of the Medical Commission
• Alex Wurz, President of the GPDA, drivers’ representative

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FIA RELEASE 2015 F1 CALENDAR WITH 21 RACE DATES

South Korea’s Formula 1 grand prix has been reinstated provisionally on a record 21-race calendar for 2015 while double points have been scrapped for the final round in Abu Dhabi, the sport’s governing body said on Wednesday.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) listed the Korean race as the fifth round of the season on May 3, with the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona scheduled for the following weekend.

The tight turnaround, and teams’ previous reluctance to have more than 20 races, immediately raised doubts about the likelihood of the Korean race happening however. The season will start in Australia on 15 March 15.

Mexico will also return to the calendar after a 23-year absence, with a race scheduled for 1 November in Mexico City.

China becomes the third race of the season on April 12, taking the slot initially assigned to Bahrain on a previous draft calendar. Bahrain is now pushed back to April 19. (Reuters)

The 2015 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar is confirmed as follows:

15 March AUS Grand Prix of Australia

29 March MYS Grand Prix of Malaysia

12 April CHN Grand Prix of China

19 April BHR Grand Prix of Bahrain

3 May KOR Grand Prix of Korea (TBC)

10 May ESP Grand Prix of Spain

24 May MCO Grand Prix of Monaco

7 June CAN Grand Prix of Canada

21 June AUT Grand Prix of Austria

5 July GBR Grand Prix of Great Britain

19 July DEU Grand Prix of Germany

26 July HUN Grand Prix of Hungary

23 August BEL Grand Prix of Belgium

6 September ITA Grand Prix of Italy

20 September SGP Grand Prix of Singapore

27 September JPN Grand Prix of Japan

11 October RUS Grand Prix of Russia (Sochi)

25 October USA Grand Prix of USA (Austin)

1 November MEX Grand Prix of Mexico

15 November BRA Grand Prix of Brazil

29 November ARE Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi

MIKA: Not a big fan of the South Korean GP

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DOUBLE POINTS SCRAPPED AS VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR GETS THE NOD

The FIA Have announced changes to the Formula 1 sporting regulations which will come into effect for the 2015 season, including the decision to abandon the controversial double points season finale introduced this year.

The format was unpopular with fans and risked making a mockery of the season, with eventual champion Lewis Hamilton in danger of losing out to Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg despite winning 10 races compared to the German’s five.

A plan to introduced standing re-starts after the introduction of a safety car was also jettisoned after teams raised safety concerns. However a ‘virtual safety car’ system was agreed.

“It will normally be used when double waved yellow flags are needed on any section of track and competitors or officials may be in danger, but the circumstances are not such as to warrant use of the safety car itself,” the FIA said.

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FORMULA 1 INTRODUCES MINIMUM AGE LIMIT OF 18

Formula 1 will impose a minimum age limit of 18 years old from 2016, the sport’s governing body said on Wednesday in a change that would have kept out Dutch teenager Max Verstappen if introduced for next year.

Verstappen was signed by the Toro Rosso team while still only 16 and turned 17 last September. He will become the youngest ever Formula One driver when he makes his debut in Australia in March.

His Spanish team mate Carlos Sainz, son of the former world rally champion who shares the same name, is only 20 years old in what will be the youngest team lineup the sporthas seen.

The governing International Automobile Federation said after a meeting of its World Motor Sport Council in Doha that new rules would apply to the awarding of the mandatory super licence.

They included the driver having a valid regular driving licence, something Verstappen was still too young to obtain, being over 18 and demonstrating knowledge of the sporting regulations.

Drivers must also have spent at least two years in minor Formulas, a clause that would have denied Finland’s 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen his debut with Sauber in 2001, and accrued a number of points from that experience.

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LAUDA: I PRAYED FOR HAMILTON’S MCLAREN TO BREAK

The moment Niki Lauda prayed for: Lewis Hamilton breaks down at the 2012 Singapore GP

Niki Lauda has recalled how one important piece of Mercedes‘ total dominance of Formula 1 this year was actually put in place in 2012, and the Formula 1 legend, now Mercedes’ team chairman, credits not only McLaren but also god.

It was in late 2012 that Lauda was trying to convince the British driver Lewis Hamilton, now the 2014 world champion, to quit McLaren and join the burgeoning Mercedes team.

“McLaren wanted to keep him and had offered him a contract,” Lauda told Austrian radio O3 this week. “So I asked if I could see him the next day. That was the day of the race on Sunday.”

The triple world champion is referring to Singapore 2012, where Hamilton was driving one of the best cars in the field, and on Sunday was cruising to the win, “Before the race I said that I needed to watch Lewis get off the (drivers’ parade) truck and look in his eyes.

“I had sent him a text message in the morning asking if he wanted to come to us or not, but he didn’t even look at me. He ignored me and walked straight past. I thought ‘Oh dear’,” Lauda admitted.

Then in the race, Hamilton was easily leading when Lauda, standing in the paddock, resorted to a plea for divine intervention, “I said to myself ‘Dear god, if you want to help me just once, then please let the McLaren break down now’. I thought it twice and then bang!”

“I immediately bombarded Lewis with text messages. Three weeks later, we signed the contracts,” Lauda beamed. “This was one of the important pieces in the puzzle of why we were so successful this year.”

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KVYAT: I AM CONFIDENT AND FEEL RELAXED

Daniil Kvyat insists he is relaxed and confident as he steps up into quadruple Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel’s shoes at Red Bull next season.

Now just 20 years old, the Russian made the meteoric leap from GP3 champion last year into Formula 1 for Toro Rosso, and now he is replacing the Ferrari-bound Vettel at the energy drink company’s main Grand Prix team. But Kvyat insists he is ready for the move.

“Helmut Marko and Christian Horner saw my work,” he is quoted by Speed Week, “and they liked it. They had to make a choice and, apparently, they had confidence in my abilities.

“I am sure that if they had any doubts, I would have stayed at Toro Rosso in 2015 to gather more experience. So it’s a very good feeling when people believe in you,” Kvyat added.

Although, on paper, Kvyat is stepping into Vettel’s cockpit, it is Daniel Ricciardo who will have nominal ‘number 1′ status next year after his impressive first year at Red Bull alongside the struggling Vettel.

Kvyat says he is therefore not setting any concrete targets for 2015, “In our sport it is quite difficult to predict what will happen, so at this point it is no more than talk. I am confident, as far as possible, and I feel relaxed. But who knows what problems might be waiting for me.”

“I want to have a calm season in which I have the opportunity to attack. I want to make as few errors as possible but at the same time I need to show the best that I am capable of.”

“Let’s see how things develop. I believe in myself and I intend to confirm this belief. If I fail to do so, I will not have a seat in a top team for long,” he acknowledged.

Asked how he is able to feel so confident, Kvyat answered: “I have had the opportunity to compare myself with top drivers. Several times I fought with Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen, even if McLaren and Ferrari were not in the best shape but a fight is a fight.”

“For 2015 I am not setting any specific goals, such as an amount of points or, say, six podiums, or my first victory by a certain point. I just want to show my best. I started my first season in Formula 1 with Toro Rosso with this attitude and everything has turned out well so far,” Kvyat added.

Red Bull’s second team, Toro Rosso, is also heading into 2015 with an audacious driver lineup, featuring two rookies with famous fathers, Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz jr.

Verstappen told Austria’s Servus TV this week: “A year ago at this time I was coming out of karts and looking forward to establishing myself in Formula 3 for two or three seasons. Formula 1 was infinitely far away. And now I’m a race driver in Formula 1 – I still can’t believe it.”

Spaniard Sainz, meanwhile, added: “The [Toro Rosso] decision came very late, probably only after the Abu Dhabi test, and by then I had no alternative. Honestly, I had no plan B.”

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ALONSO TO JOIN HULKENBERG AT LE MANS IN 2015?

Fernando Alonso could follow Nico Hulkenberg’s lead in splitting his Formula 1 duties with a sensational debut at the legendary Le Mans 24 hours next year.

Last week, the sports car prototype manufacturer Porsche announced it has signed Force India’s Hulkenberg to race not only at Le Mans next June but also the Spa six hours.

It was said Hulkenberg would drive a third three-driver Porsche prototype in 2015. His teammates for the Le Mans entry were not announced. This year, Porsche returned to prototype Le Mans competition with Mark Webber leading one of the two 919 Hybrid cars.

Now, Italy’s Autosprint is reporting that with Alonso now close to having his full-time Formula 1 seat with McLaren finally announced, it could be followed by a shock round of extra news.

The publication cited sources close to the German marque as saying Spaniard Alonso, who famously officially started this year’s edition of the Le Mans 24 hours, could also sign up with Porsche for 2015.

“Porsche would not be an alternative to McLaren-Honda for Alonso,” agreed El Mundo Deportivo, “but a complement.”

The report said Alonso would join Hulkenberg in the third Porsche entry, along with another unknown driver, “Despite their friendship. Fernando would not race in the same car as Mark Webber.”

The report said the biggest stumbling block to a Le Mans deal for Alonso is the fact that McLaren is a direct sports car-making rival of Porsche.

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ROSBERG CAN BEAT HAMILTON IN 2015 PREDICTS HAKKINEN

Double Formula 1 world champion Mika Hakkinen thinks Nico Rosberg can bounce back from title defeat in 2015 and take the title from teammate Lewis Hamilton.

With Hamilton winning the intense teammate battle for the 2014 championship, many might assume the Briton will now stamp a Schumacher-esque authority over the entire Mercedes team.

But Hakkinen, who was once managed by Rosberg’s father Keke, is not so sure, “Only one driver can win the championship each year and this time it was Lewis. But in no way should anyone now discount Nico. He also drove very well throughout the season and still in Abu Dhabi was again the best in qualifying.”

Many are now tipping Mercedes to maintain its technical dominance heading into 2015, Hakkinen said: “That is difficult to answer at this time, because we have not seen the cars for next season on the track.But I think at least we will see the rivalry between Lewis and Nico continue for now.”

“I know that Nico is highly motivated and wants to win the championship next year,” he insisted. “So it will be interesting to see if the Mercedes car next year suits one of the two drivers better.”

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MOSLEY READY TO HELP F1 AMID EU INVESTIGATION

Max Mosley has not ruled out returning to Formula 1 amid the risk that the sport’s commercial contracts could be torn up, after it emerged last week that, as the small teams express anger about the distribution of power and income within the sport, a British politician met with the European Commission’s competition chief to discuss Formula 1.

Also in the spotlight is the governing FIA’s controversial new 1 per cent ownership of the sport, with Formula 1 business journalist Christian Sylt saying last week the commissioner had vowed to “look into it”.

The Times newspaper now claims that a European investigation into Formula 1 is much more advanced than previously thought. The report said Force India, Lotus, Sauber and Marussia have all been asked to make legal submissions to the commission.

“If the EU come in,” warned Todt’s predecessor Mosley, “they can rip the whole thing up. I am flattered by the idea that I could be involved. I am out of touch, but I would do anything I could to help if all of the relevant parties agreed.”

Mosley, 74, was a long-serving FIA president whose confrontational management style has been contrasted with the ultra low-profile Todt’s. Under the Todt reign, Formula 1 officials collectively failed once again to tackle the thorny question of costs and collapsing teams in the most recent high-level meetings in Geneva last week.

But it has emerged that the bosses will get together once again later this month.

“Worryingly for Formula 1,” said Times correspondent Kevin Eason, “it appears that EU officials have been building up a file for the past 18 months. They would be bound to put every aspect of the way the sport is run under the microscope if they move in.”

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WILLIAMS SCOOPS ANOTHER LOTUS SPONSOR

Lotus has lost yet another sponsor to the resurgent Williams team, after it was recently announced that Rexona, a brand of the Anglo-Dutch multinational Unilever, will switch to the Williams livery for 2015 after featuring on struggling Lotus’ car this season.

“It [the interest of sponsors] really is picking up,” deputy boss Claire Williams said, after the Grove team completed its impressive climb from the bottom of the points table in 2013 to taking on Mercedes by the end of 2014.

“People want to be a part of it,” she added. “We’ve got lots of really positive conversations going on in the pipeline.”

One of those conversations was apparently with Avenade, an IT services company focused on the Microsoft platform — yet another visible Lotus sticker in 2014.

Williams said the Avanade logo will now appear on the Formula 1 car’s sidepods and team overalls in 2015 and beyond.

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HORNER: IF THINGS ARE LEFT AS THEY ARE RENAULT COULD BE PUSHED OUT

Formula 1’s current engine regulations could push manufacturers out of the sport and convince others not to press ahead with projects in the future claims Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, even though his proposal to modify and simplify the 2.4 litre, ERS-boosted turbo V6 rules have been denounced as “nonsense” by FIA president Jean Todt.

And Mercedes, so dominant in 2014, has warned that it might quit the sport if the rules are now changed as a knee-jerk reaction to complaints and defeats. But Horner insists that Formula 1 needs to think hard about the shape of the rules for 2016, given that consensus to change the rules for next season was not reached.

“If the development costs stay at where they are, we will not attract new manufacturers into the sport and we may well drive current manufacturers out of the sport,” he warned.

While El Confidencial now quotes him as adding: “If things are left as they are, Renault and one or two manufacturers could be pushed out. We need to do what is best for the sport above what is best for an individual manufacturer.”

Horner’s attitude has been dismissed by some as self-interest, but he insists that he is driven more by the sustainability of the sport,”I think globally, viewing figures have fallen and, in general, interest has as well. These engines are not the best ‘racing engines’ we can come up with.”

“We can’t afford to leave it like this for 2016. We need to reduce the amount of communication (to the driver) that is required for energy management so that it is the driver once again who is driving the car,” he added.

Mercedes’ Toto Wolff, however, hit back by suggesting Horner should not be making quit threats on behalf of Red Bull’s supplier, Renault, “Maybe Christian is talking more about his team than about Renault.”

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DOES THE NEW FORMULA 1 CHAIRMAN SPELL THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF BERNIE ECCLESTONE’S REIGN?

A report in the Financial Times suggests that F1 is lining up a new chairman, Paul Walsh and that that this could signal the beginning of the end of Bernie Ecclestone’s control of the sport he has run for over 30 years.

Walsh, formerly CEO of drinks firm Diageo, which has sponsorship deals with McLaren and with F1 Management via its Johnnie Walker brand, met Ecclestone and CVC boss Donald Mackenzie at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and has been lined up by Mackenzie to replace current chairman Peter Brabeck, of Nestle, who is to step down.

According to the FT, “Mr Ecclestone’s position as chief executive is not under immediate threat. But one person said if Mr Walsh is chosen to become a more hands-on F1 chairman, that could see Mr Ecclestone’s role as chief executive marginalised.”

Clearly much will depend on the chemistry between the two men once Walsh (above) takes up his position.

“Donald said there was a possibility of him being in the chair in the event that Peter decided to stand down,” Ecclestone told the FT today.

“I wouldn’t have a problem with that [Walsh taking on some executive duties] If it was something positive, I’d be delighted.”

CVC controls 35% of Formula 1 and is in the driving seat in terms of next moves for the sport. Mackenzie stood by Ecclestone through this year’s bribery trial in Munich, having earlier said in another court case last year that if the F1 tycoon was found to have done anything wrong or illegal he would be replaced. The Munich case ended when the charges were dropped by the prosecutor in exchange for Ecclestone paying the court US$100 million.

Ecclestone stepped down from the F1 board prior to the Munich trial.

The FT believes that Mackenzie is reviving plans to float F1 on the Stock Market and is in the process of organising the business in readiness to move towards that goal.

“Advisers to CVC have previously told the private equity group Mr Ecclestone’s controversial leadership is an obstacle to its long-intended plan to float Formula 1,” says the FT’s Roger Blitz.

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MCLAREN UNDER FIRE FOR DITHERING OVER DRIVER LINE-UP

A former long-serving McLaren driver and a team insider have criticised the Woking based outfit for its handling of their 2015 Formula 1 driver lineup deliberations.

While it is now clear Fernando Alonso is definitely headed to the team, the announcement has been delayed while McLaren considers keeping either Jenson Button or Kevin Magnussen as the Spaniard’s first Honda-powered teammate.

If Button is ousted, the 2009 world champion’s long and illustrious Formula 1 career will have ended without an appropriate farewell. And a decision against Dane Magnussen, despite his solid debut in 2014, could end the 22-year-old rookie’s Grand Prix career after just a single season.

McLaren supremo Ron Dennis acknowledged on Sky the dilemma at the Abu Dhabi finale recently, “Everyone feels – understandably – that we are not being too fair to Kevin and Jenson.”

“But they are contracted to the end of the year and the only pressure we have is from the fans and the media and they are going to be the first ones that jump on us if we make the wrong decisions for the future,” Dennis added.

Former long-time McLaren driver David Coulthard told Daily Mail he thinks the delayed decision is tied up with a “behind-the-scenes shareholding wrangling”.

But he also thinks the team has mismanaged the driver choice process this year, “McLaren are in a public sport and the heroes of the sport are the drivers. With that in mind I can’t help but think it hasn’t been McLaren’s best year of PR.”

He said one of the biggest issues is that Button has been potentially denied the opportunity to properly farewell the sport he served for 15 years.

“Did he deserve to be treated with a little bit more respect given his time in the sport? Yes, I certainly think that is a valid argument,” said Coulthard.

Button, 34, told his almost 2 million Twitter followers this week that he still “can’t answer your questions about my future just yet. Hopefully soon.”

Daily Express newspaper said the situation is being felt throughout the McLaren team, quating a team insider as saying: “Ron has lost a lot of respect over his dithering on the driver lineup.”

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NO LEGO DEAL FOR MCLAREN

Kevin Magnussen’s hopes of retaining his McLaren seat for the 2015 Formula 1 season may have taken a hit on Thursday.

Reports indicate the British team’s board is meeting on Thursday to decide the identity of Fernando Alonso’s Honda-powered teammate for 2015.

Danish rookie Magnussen had earlier seemed the favourite, particularly following reports team supremo Ron Dennis had been in Denmark recently for talks with local companies Bestseller as well as Lego, the famous toy brand.

Dennis told local media: “I wish Denmark woke up and realised what a unique opportunity they have to endorse someone (Magnussen) who could easily become a sporting legend in this country.”

But Lego chief executive Jorgen Vig Knudstorp on Thursday was quoted by the Copenhagen Post as saying Formula 1 sponsorship “did not fit Lego’s brand”.

Magnussen’s teammate in 2014 was the former world champion and Formula 1 veteran Jenson Button, who told his almost 2 million Twitter followers this week that he still “can’t answer your questions about my future just yet.

“Hopefully soon,” the Briton added.

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TOMBAZIS NEXT IN LINE TO BE AXED BY FERRARI

The next high-profile departure at Ferrari will be chief designer Nikolas Tombazis, according to the well-informed Ferrari specialist and media insider Leo Turrini.

As Ferrari faltered yet again in 2014 despite the start of the all-new ‘power unit’ era, the red-coloured exits have flowed like wine at Maranello.

Stefano Domenicali, Luca Marmorini and even Luca di Montezemolo, Fernando Alonso and Marco Mattiacci have all now gone, and reports suggest Pat Fry has been marginalised by the promotion of the 2015 car project leader, James Allison.

Not only that, Ferrari’s Greek designer Tombazis, 46, also looks set to depart.

Writing on his reliable Quotidiano blog, Turrini said the end of Tombazis’ “Ferrari experience” is now sealed with the exception of “formalities and technicalities”.

Notwithstanding the period of turmoil at Maranello, however, continuing Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen is confident about the future.

Backing the arrival of new teammate and friend Sebastian Vettel, and new boss Maurizio Arrivabene, the Finn said: “It’s not easy to change things.

“But we have a clear plan of where we need to improve,” Raikkonen is quoted by Speed Week. “I feel that the things that have been changed within the team will bring a very, very big improvement.”

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GERMAN BROADCASTER RTL MAY DITCH F1 COVERAGE

Formula 1 could be set to lose one of its major free-to-air television broadcasters in a key market, according to reports in Germany.

Last week, RTL blamed “incomprehensible rules” and “counterproductive external representations” for a significant ratings decline in Germany this year.

Although the German Nico Rosberg, driving a works Mercedes, was in the hunt for the title to the very end, RTL said its average audience had dropped by almost a million viewers per race this season compared to 2013.

Reportedly, they were the worst ratings in 20 years, when Michael Schumacher won his first world championship in a Benetton.

Now, Sport Bild claims RTL is contemplating not renewing its Formula 1 deal beyond 2015, with its current contract said to be worth some €50 million per season.

“We are still achieving a market share of 30 per cent,” spokesman Matthias Bolhofer said, “but overall, the development of the audience is not satisfactory.”