FORMULA 1 - 2014

[MIKA27]

Force India to use Toyota wind tunnel

Force India's efforts for 2015 are to be bolstered by the use of Toyota Motorsport's wind tunnel facilities.

From next year onwards, Force India will have use of the wind tunnel facilities which are located in Cologne, Germany.

Force India's own facilities in Brackley will remain open and 'available for external customers.'

Speaking about the decision, team principal Vijay Mallya explained: "The decision to use Toyota's facility in Cologne is indicative of our ambitions to continue as a competitive force in Formula One.

"It's one of the most significant decisions in our history and gives us access to what is regarded as one of the finest wind tunnels in the world.

"We have used the facility previously on an ad hoc basis and we are aware of the advantages of basing all our aerodynamic research in Cologne.

"It will strengthen our approach and give us a solid base to build upon for the years to come."

[MIKA27]

Lotus split from Renault after dire season

When the reality of F1’s financial crisis hit hard at the end of the season and two teams filed for administration, Lotus team chairman Gerard Lopez won many admirers for his clear-headed explanation of the threat faced by his team and others.

With that in mind, his pre-season warning about the difficulties Lotus faced in the year ahead makes interesting reading with the benefit of hindsight.

“We face an extremely well-resourced rival in Mercedes who have dedicated considerable efforts to their power units for the 2014 season,” said Lopez in March.

“We are doing everything we can to enable Renault Sport F1 to respond to this strong rival and our resources are at their disposal,” he added. “The bar has been raised and we all need to react.”

The good news for Lopez was an avenue existed for Lotus which wasn’t open to the likes of Ferrari and – according to Christian Horner – Red Bull. This was to obtain Mercedes engines of their own. With McLaren switching to Honda power units for 2015 an opportunity presented itself, and Lopez ensured his team was at the front of the queue.

Lotus therefore enjoyed their greatest success in a season of otherwise unrelenting disappointment on October 9th, when they announced they will use Mercedes power next year.

The importance of this can hardly be understated given the scale of Lotus’s decline this year. Race winners in the two previous seasons, they made just three appearances in the points this year. Having spent 81.5% of all their laps in top ten positions last year, that figure fell to 12.5% in 2014.

This was partly to be expected given the team’s turbulent end to the previous year. Lotus began 2014 having lost star driver Kimi Raikkonen plus designers James Allison and Dirk de Beer to Ferrari, endured the public embarrassment of a failed potential deal with Quantum, and shortly after the new year saw team principal Eric Boullier defect to McLaren.

Although losing Raikkonen was always going to be a setback, it would be unfair the level much of the blame for their problems at the feet of their drivers – even Raikkonen’s incident-prone replacement Pastor Maldonado. The car wasn’t ready for the first test of the year and even after the chequered flag fell on round one the team were still yet to complete race distance.

From this low point the team made rapid progress: as early as round four Romain Grosjean got the car into Q3. At the next round in Spain a major upgrade helped Grosjean take fifth in front of the Ferraris. This was a further sign the car’s principal weakness was its engine and not its aerodynamics, despite its asymmetrical twin-pronged nose making it by far the ugliest creation in a year of unsightly racers.

But just when things were looking up for Lotus the ban on front-rear inter-connected suspension set them back again. This served only to make the E22 even more difficult to drive, and at low-downforce venues it looked downright evil.

And while Renault ironed out some of their reliability problems during the season, their engine remained a source of intense frustration for their drivers, especially Grosjean, who vented his anger on the radio after qualifying in Singapore.

Maldonado proved able to match Grosjean on pace at times and his petro-bolivars no doubt eased the way to a contract extension. Grosjean waited until the new engine deal was set in stone before committing again. He and the team will expect much better things next year with Mercedes power.

[Baldy]

MCLAREN UNDER FIRE FOR DITHERING OVER DRIVER LINE-UP

C'mon McLaren, this is getting beyond ridiculous. Get your s**t together. Really feel for the driver, more so for Magnussen than Button. Of the two I prefer Button but he had a long and illustrous career with a WDC but this maybe the end of the road for Magnussen through no fault of his own.

Long time fan of McLaren but Mercedes and Williams is where I'm drifting too. Not that it would matter an iota for anyone.

[MIKA27]

C'mon McLaren, this is getting beyond ridiculous. Get your s**t together. Really feel for the driver, more so for Magnussen than Button. Of the two I prefer Button but he had a long and illustrous career with a WDC but this maybe the end of the road for Magnussen through no fault of his own.

Long time fan of McLaren but Mercedes and Williams is where I'm drifting too. Not that it would matter an iota for anyone.

I know how you feel.

I used to purely follow teams such as Williams and McLaren but then found myself following the drivers I like so I kind of follow a few teams. Of course Mercedes, but always had a soft spot for Williams, I like Bottas, also always was a McLaren fan purely because of Mika Hakkinen.

Who ever is now chosen, the others career could be over. If Button is chosen to stay, Magnussen could return 2016 though clearly would rule out next season. As for Button, great guy, but if he isn't selected for next season, he'll never get a chance to return to Formula 1 IMO beacuse he's getting old in F1 terms.

[MIKA27]

Volkswagen Group considering future Formula 1 entry

The Volkswagen Group, the world's second biggest car maker, is conducting a feasibility study into a potential Formula 1 entry.

Sources say the review is being conducted by ex-Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali, who was hired by VW's Audi brand earlier this year.

Its interest is being piqued by the global marketing success achieved by rivals and new F1 champions Mercedes.

But any entry would depend on management changes at VW or F1.

Ferdinand Piech, the head of the supervisory board of the VW Group, and F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone have long had a difficult relationship.

At least one of them would need to leave their current position before a VW Group brand could enter F1.

VW was on the working group of car manufacturers that decided on the new turbo hybrid engine rules introduced into F1 this season, but decided against entering at that time - and, publicly, has not changed its stance since.

But sources say that some senior board members now believe F1 would be a more effective global promotional tool than its existing motorsport programmes.

Eddie Jordan

"The Volkswagen Audi Group is the second biggest car maker in the world and as such it needs to be in Formula 1. But it will not enter it while the sport remains under the control of Bernie Ecclestone, who *** boss Ferdinand Piech dislikes on a personal and professional basis. Martin Winterkorn - the chairman of the board of management of Volkswagen - is being groomed as Piech's successor and he has always believed that F1 is a great platform for the group's brands. I am told he privately believes *** should be a part of F1. If *** did come to F1, I believe it would be with their own team, with the car designed and made in Germany."

Among the Volkswagen Audi Group's brands, as well as VW and Audi, are Porsche, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Bentley, Skoda and Seat.

*** currently has three main motorsport programmes - with Audi and Porsche in the World Endurance Championship, Audi in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) and Volkswagen in the World Rally Championship.

The global advertising value of Mercedes' television appearances during its F1 campaign in 2014 was $2.8bn (£1.8bn).

Experts believe the equivalent value for *** of their sportscar and touring car programmes was about $30m (£19m).

Mercedes spent a net 130m euros (£103m) on F1, once external sponsorship and prize money is taken into account. *** spent about 320m euros (£254m) on DTM and sportscars.

Some reports have linked a potential *** return with the Austrian Red Bull team - Piech has a close relationship with Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz.

But sources say that *** turned down an approach from Red Bull some years ago and that if it did enter F1 it would be with its own team based in Germany.

World champions Mercedes earned a total global media value through its F1 campaign in 2014 of $2.8bn (£1.8bn), a season in which Lewis Hamilton also won the drivers' title

Asked for a comment, a spokesman did not deny the information but pointed to an interview with the chairman of the VW board of management Martin Winterkorn in the German newspaper Bild Am Sonntag last month, in which he suggested the group was happy with its existing commitments.

Winterkorn said: "Our brands in motorsport are as successful as ever, whether in the DTM with Audi or Le Mans with Audi and Porsche, or in the World Rally Championship with Volkswagen. We feel we have really good position."

Audi chairman Rupert Stadler said in an interview with another German newspaper, Heilbronner Stimmer, that Domenicali had expressed a desire not to work in motorsport and that he was working in "organisation and new business fields in the areas of service and mobility".

[MIKA27]

Mark Webber: Ex-F1 driver says 'angle of impact saved me'

Ex-Formula 1 driver Mark Webber said he only avoided serious injury in a World Endurance Championship race because he crashed at the "correct angle".

The 38-year-old Australian spent the night in a local hospital after the accident during Sunday's Six Hours of Sao Paulo event.

"I was a lucky boy," Webber, who quit F1 in 2013 after 12 years, tweeted. "The correct angle of impact saved me.

"Thanks everybody for your incredible messages and support."

Webber was concussed by the accident and earlier said, via his website, he was "pretty bruised" and had a "stinking headache".

Mark Webber looked in good spirits when he was visited by fellow former F1 driver Rubens Barrichello

Webber, who said he had no recollection of the accident or how it happened, was racing for Porsche and expects to be competing in the series again next year.

Race organisers said Webber had been in a "serious" collision with the Ferrari of Italy's Matteo Cressoni.

A statement on the Australian's website added: "Mark is still under care at the hospital but is set to return to the UK later this week."

The FIA, motor sport's world governing body, said the race had ended under the safety car following the accident.

"Both drivers were taken to the circuit's medical centre and, after initial examination, to the local Hospital Bandeirantes for further checks. Their condition has been reported as satisfactory," the FIA said.

Webber's former F1 teams include Williams and Red Bull, where he raced alongside four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel.

He enjoyed nine grand prix wins in his career.

British F1 driver Jenson Button tweeted: "Glad to see @AussieGrit is OK after his shunt at Interlagos @FIAWEC, that was a big one matey."

[MIKA27]

Formula 1 2014 season in numbers

http://youtu.be/_Aad5Y_Tux0

BBC Sport looks at the key statistics from the 2014 Formula 1 season, in which Lewis Hamilton sealed his second drivers' World Championship with victory in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

[MIKA27]

HAAS: WHOEVER I SPOKE TO AT FERRARI GOT FIRED!

Formula 1’s newest team owner, Gene Haas, has admitted he is keeping a sharp eye on the turmoil at Maranello with whom he is closely affiliated to ahead of his entry into Formula 1.

This year, after securing a place on the 2016 grid, Nascar co-owner Haas agreed a deal with Ferrari to receive customer engines and “all related technical services”.

Haas Automation, Haas’ leading machine tool company, also became an on-car sponsor of the fabled Italian team.

But since the agreements were made, it has been all change at Ferrari as the marque reacted to its poor start to the all-new ‘power unit’ era. President Luca di Montezemolo and team boss Marco Mattiacci, for example, have gone, which may be a concern to Haas.

“That’s a good point,” Haas admitted to Sports Business Daily. “I don’t know. I think that the higher-ups know what they’re doing. I hope we didn’t have any influence over them losing their jobs.”

The interviewer, Leigh Diffey, admitted that over lunch Haas confessed that “whoever I spoke to [at Ferrari] got fired! I better stop speaking to people.”

Haas commented: “There’s a lot of pressure on Ferrari. Ferrari is obviously a marquee car builder, and Formula 1 is their marquee racing series. And they want to win. There’s just a lot of pressure there. I have to respect that.”

There is also big pressure on Haas, who are building a modest team from scratch and intending to be the only competitor without its main headquarters in Europe.

And Haas’ building phase also coincides with a period of great turmoil in Formula 1, with backmarkers Marussia and Caterham going out of business and other small teams struggling for survival.

“There are a lot of pitfalls in Formula 1,” he admitted. “We’ve seen a lot of teams have a lot of problems. There are money issues.”

“There’s a lot of rancour in the troops out there as far as what we’re hearing. I look at it as a challenge. I’ve been to some Formula 1 races. I’ve met the people. I like them. They’re good people.”

But Haas also admitted that the task of building a car, even for 2016, is almost overwhelming, “If you get it wrong, it’s a disaster.”

[MIKA27]

NEWEY TURNED DOWN 2015 FERRARI DEAL AFTER NEWS WAS LEAKED

It has emerged that Red Bull‘s design guru Adrian Newey agreed a sensational move to Ferrari earlier this year, but instead opted to stay with the energy drinks owned team, after his switch to Maranello was leaked to media.

In June, Red Bull announced that its technical chief – easily the most famous and arguably the best engineer in Formula 1 today – is stepping back from the front line.

He will instead head the energy drink company’s all-new ‘Advanced Technologies Centre’, ostensibly to indulge his desire for other design projects outside of Formula 1.

On Thursday, Red Bull finally confirmed speculation Newey’s first project will be working with Ben Ainslie to design an America’s Cup yacht.

“Ben Ainslie Racing are really excited to be partnering with Red Bull Advanced Technologies,” Ainslie, the most successful sailor in Olympic history, said in a joint statement.

But a report in Russia’s Championat claims Red Bull in fact came excruciatingly close to losing Newey altogether this year.

The report said the 55-year-old Briton had even shaken hands with now-departed president Luca di Montezemolo on a move to Ferrari for 2015 and beyond.

The report explained: “The agreement was leaked to the Italian press and Newey regarded it as an example of how political Ferrari is and so he informed Luca that the deal was off.”

[MIKA27]

BOULLIER ADMITS FIRST YEAR AT MCLAREN WAS HARD WORK

McLaren team boss Eric Boullier has admitted his first year as at Woking, heading up one of the most famous teams in motorsport, has been a busy one.

Formerly at Lotus, the Frenchman was installed to run the Woking team and also prepare it for the high profile move to works Honda power for 2015.

“It was a year of hard work,” he told Auto Hebdo. “20 per cent of the technical staff was replaced, which is not exactly insignificant when you are talking about a Formula 1 team.”

Before the Honda era could begin, Boullier said, McLaren needed to analyse what went wrong in the past couple of years.

“It was important to understand why the team was falling back,” he explained, “even though we are still one of the best resourced and with the best staff.

“My first task,” said Boullier, “was to find the best solution for the making of this Anglo-Japanese soup consisting of two completely different ingredients.”

[MIKA27]

Williams F1 team says it must 'move forward' in 2015

Williams chiefs insist that the team must keep its focus on doing better in Formula 1 next year, despite successfully beating Ferrari to third place in the constructors' championship.

The double podium for Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was enough for Williams to finish ahead of Ferrari this season for the first time since it won the championship in 1997.

But despite its impressive turnaround, Williams says it must push to do even better in 2015 as it bids to launch a full-on challenge for wins and the championship.

Deputy team principal Claire Williams said: "We are pleased with P3 but we have work to do.

"Frank is saying, 'why is everyone celebrating P3? We are here to win!'

"So we have to make sure we continue with work over the winter and move forward.

"Hopefully we can close that gap to Mercedes, and hope our competitors don't close the gap as much as we do, so we can take the fight to Mercedes next year."

TEAM RESURRECTED

After its abysmal 2013 campaign, where it ended up ninth overall, a switch to Mercedes power paid dividends for Williams this year.

But the team is insistent that its success this year was not just because of its engine change.

Williams added: "I think everyone has seen the transformation the team has made going from P9 to P3.

"It is an impressive turnaround in anyone's book, and something we are proud of. It has taken a lot of hard work, a lot of diligence has gone into it, and it hasn't just been a fluke.

"One important thing has been sustained success, because it is not just one or two races where we have a good haul.

"There has been consistency there, which we know we need to continually achieve if we want to achieve more."

[MIKA27]

THIEVES STEAL 60 TROPHIES FROM RED BULL HEADQUARTERS

More than 60 Formula 1 trophies won by Red Bull were stolen from the world champion team’s factory late on Friday night.

Team boss Christian Horner confirmed that a vehicle broke through the front entrance of the quadruple world champion’s Milton Keynes headquarters, causing “significant damage”.

Horner said that while the value of the trophies is “extraordinarily high” to the team because they were earned through success, “their intrinsic value is low”.

Police confirmed that about six men wearing dark clothing used two cars – a silver 4×4 and a dark Mercedes estate – for the robbery but did not physically harm the night staff.

“We would like to appeal to anyone who knows any information on the whereabouts of these trophies or the offenders involved to contact Thames Valley Police,” Horner concluded.

Christian Horner Statement:

“We are obviously devastated by this serious factory break in, which saw offenders drive a vehicle through our front entrance and steal more than 60 trophies which took years and hard work to accumulate.

“The break-in caused significant damage and was very upsetting for our night officers who were on duty at the time. The offenders took items that not only did not belong to them, but which represented the efforts of a group of dedicated, hard-working individuals.

“Beyond the aggressive nature of this break-in, we are perplexed why anyone would take these trophies. The value to the team is of course extraordinarily high due to the sheer hard work and effort that went into winning each and every one. But their intrinsic value is low; they would be of little benefit to those outside of the team and, in addition to that, many of the trophies on display were replicas.

“The actions of these men mean it’s likely that we will have to make our site less accessible in the future, which will be unfair on the hundreds of fans that travel to visit our factory each year to see our trophies and our Formula One car.

“We would like to appeal to anyone who knows any information on the whereabouts of these trophies or the offenders involved to contact Thames Valley Police.”

Thames Valley Police Statement:

Burglary at commercial premises – Milton Keynes – Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses after a burglary at a commercial premises in Bradbourne Drive, Tilbrook, Milton Keynes.

Police were called at 1.30am today (6/12) to the Red Bull Racing factory where a group of around six men, used a vehicle to drive through the front entrance to gain access to the premises.

Once inside, they stole over 60 trophies belonging to the Red Bull Racing team.

Night staff who were on the premises at the time were not physically harmed.

Two cars were involved in the burglary. A silver 4×4 which was used to drive through the entrance and a further dark coloured, black or dark blue Mercedes estate car. Both are believed to have foreign number plates.

There is no description of the offenders available at this time, although they are all believed to be men, wearing dark clothing.

If you have any information that may assist the investigation, please contact Milton Keynes Force CID on the Thames Valley Police non-emergency enquiry centre number 101. If calling from overseas, please dial 0044 1865 841148 to contact Thames Valley Police from outside of the United Kingdom.

If you don’t want to speak directly to the police you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court. Join us on www.thamesvalleyalert.co.uk/ to receive local crime and safety messages.

[MIKA27]

HAMILTON COLLECTS 2014 FORMULA 1 CHAMPION’S TROPHY

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes team collected their respective Formula 1 World Championship trophies during the annual FIA Prize Giving Gala at the on stage at the Katara Cultural Village in Doha, Qatar.

Hamilton scored 11 victories and five podiums on his way to the biggest prize in motorsport, adding to the F1 world championship title he claimed with McLaren in 2008.

Hamilton drove on stage with his title winning on stage his Mercedes W05, where FIA President Jean Todt was on hand to greet him and present him with the champions’ trophy.

“It’s an incredible moment for me, and I feel very, very privileged to be up here,” declared Hamilton, after he was given a standing ovation from the gathered guests.

Hamilton’s Silver Arrows team-mate, Nico Rosberg, and Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo were awarded their trophies for finishing second and third in the 2014 championship.

Mercedes motorsport chief Toto Wolff collected the Formula 1 constructors’ trophy.

[MIKA27]

Diageo boss defends F1 participation

Amidst calls by the Eurocare to ban alcohol sponsorship, Johnnie Walker's parent company insists it is an "extraordinary opportunity" to promote responsible drinking.

The European Alcohol Policy Alliance, known as Eurocare, recently wrote to FIA president Jean Todt claiming that alcohol sponsorship in Formula 1 goes against EU law.

Urging Todt to take "take moral leadership", the letter stated that FIA "has responsibilities, both as a shareholder in the Formula One business and regulator of the sport."

The letter continued: "Allowing alcohol sponsorship in Formula One seems to contradict many official guidelines for the marketing of alcohol.

"It runs against the EU Directive which states that marketing for the consumption of alcohol should not be linked to driving.

"Moreover, the current association between alcohol and driving does not seem to fall in the category of 'the widespread promotion of responsible drinking messages', part of the mission supported by the alcohol industry itself."

But David Gates, the head of Johnnie Walker's parent company Diageo, says that through sponsoring F1 his company has reached "half a billion" people to promote the 'don't drink and drive' message.

"We've been involved in Formula One for over a decade, and in that time responsible drinking has been at the heart of our campaign," said Gates, speaking to Press Association Sport.

"Through our campaigns we reckon we've reached over half a billion people with the 'never drink and drive' message.

"We've had one and a half million people sign a pledge to never drink and drive, and we've an ambition to take that on to five million.

"From our perspective, we're seeing our association with the sport as an extraordinary opportunity to help influence both attitudes and behaviour to have less people - ideally no people - drink and drive."

He added that events like Johnnie Walker's recent outing with McLaren in Edinburgh, which was attended by Jenson Button, Kevin Magnussen and Mika Hakkinen, also catches the attention of the public, pushing the message of responsible drinking.

"People like Jenson, Kevin and Mika have influenced a certain demographic who are far more likely to listen to what they have to say," added Gates.

"They've been a force for good. When you hear Jenson and Mika talking about helping to save lives, they mean it and we mean it.

"Diageo has 370 responsible drinking campaigns in 50 countries around the world. It's something we're committed to.

"A lot of people have got the message and made a commitment (to not drink and drive) than if we were not involved.

"Naturally, we've people in our company who are mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, and we have a responsibility.

"We take that seriously and we do care, and that permeates everything we do, so we are incredibly careful about our responsibilities and how we market."

[MIKA27]

Korea given 'no prior notice'

Although the Korean GP is schedule on the 2015 calendar, organisers are uncertain as to whether it will actually go ahead.

When the FIA released the official calendar for the 2015 Championship, Korea was scheduled back-to-back with the Spanish Grand Prix. The race, though, was 'to be confirmed.'

The Yeongam circuit's inclusion came as a surprise to many with reports suggesting it could have little to do with Korea and more to do with the engine regulations.

Should the calendar comprise more than 20 grands prix, drivers will be permitted to use five engines. However, should it consist of 20 or less, only four may be used.

But whether the Korean GP will take place remains to be seen as even the organisers were not aware that it was to be included.

"We were given no prior notice," one of the race's organisers told AFP.

"The FIA just announced it, although we've already conveyed our position about the difficulties of hosting a race next year."

He added: "We have to consider the negative views many people in the province have over the cost of the event.

"Negotiations have been held on revising the contract in an attempt to reduce the financial burden, but they have been unsuccessful so far."

[MIKA27]

AUTOSPORT Awards 2014: Daniil Kvyat wins Rookie of the Year

Toro Rosso's Formula 1 newcomer Daniil Kvyat has been named motorsport's Rookie of the Year at the 2014 AUTOSPORT Awards.

The 20-year-old Russian has made a huge impression in his brief car racing career so far, rising to F1 this season after winning Formula Renault ALPS and GP3 titles in successive years.

Kvyat finished in the points on five occasions in 2014, and claimed a superb fifth on the grid for his home country's inaugural grand prix at Sochi in October.

He was retained by Toro Rosso in preference to experienced team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne for 2015 - and then earned a sudden promotion to multiple champion team Red Bull next season instead when Sebastian Vettel left for Ferrari.

As he collected his award Kyvat said: "It's been a great year and it's gone by so fast. I've been lucky to work with some great people at Toro Rosso. My first race was very special."

Kvyat's award was presented by his 2015 team boss, Red Bull Racing principal Christian Horner.

After presenting Kvyat with his award, Horner said: "He's got great speed. When Sebastian announced he was going to go to Ferrari, Daniil was the obvious choice to replace him."

[MIKA27]

ECCLESTONE: VETTEL’S ACTING LIKE A DEFEATED GUY

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has criticised four times world champion Sebastian Vettel for the way he reacted to failure this year.

The German, who has now left Red Bull for Ferrari, ended the season without a win after dominating the previous four championships.

Red Bull started the season on the back foot with an uncompetitive and unreliable Renault V6 turbo hybrid engine but Vettel’s new Australian team mate Daniel Ricciardo still won three races.

“I’m a super supporter of Sebastian, but I’m a little bit disappointed with his attitude, which I think has changed,” Ecclestone wrote in the foreword to the official Formula 1 season review. “He’s acting like a defeated guy, and he isn’t — that’s not his mentality.”

Ecclestone and Vettel, who won the last nine races of 2013, are close and the Briton will be happy at least to see the 27-year-old move to Maranello after achieving all his success with Red Bull.

Ferrari are going through considerable change and, now on their third team principal of the year, are under pressure to perform after a dismal season in which they too failed to win a race for the first time since 1993.

“Ferrari was very disappointing, getting lost somewhere,” said 84 year old Ecclestone. “Fernando [Alonso] got a little bit like Sebastian halfway through, so I’m a little disappointed in him, too.”

Spaniard Alonso has made way for Vettel and is now expected to join McLaren, who have not won a race since 2012.

Mercedes won both titles this year, with Lewis Hamilton taking his second driver’s championship, but Ecclestone said the sport had been lucky the Briton and his German team mate Nico Rosberg were allowed to race each other.

“It’s good that Mercedes allowed them to do that,” he said. “If not, we would have had a really lousy championship.”

[MIKA27]

MASSA: I HOPE WE CAN FIGHT FOR THE TITLE IN 2015

Felipe Massa has targeted the 2015 Formula 1 world championship drivers’ title after a strong first season with Williams..

Initially disappointed to have been ousted by Ferrari, the Brazilian was totally rejuvenated in 2014 after switching to the Grove outfit.

The formerly beleaguered Grove team was the surprise of the season, ending it as undoubtedly Mercedes‘ closest competitor. The younger Valtteri Bottas was the team’s main star of 2014, but 33-year-old Massa insists he is still right on the pace.

“Many things happened in the first phase of the season that made me lose many strong results,” he is quoted by Globo Esporte. “Things did not start the way I would like, but we ended with a super-competitive car.”

“I am happy with the second part of the championship and super-excited for next year. I think we can have a better year, a more competitive car, and come back to fight for victories and the championship,” he claimed.

“I already fought for victory in the last race and so I hope we can arrive at Interlagos and Abu Dhabi next year with a chance of the championship,” Massa repeated.

Some might regard Massa’s optimism as perhaps too ambitious, but the driver insists that another step for Williams is a real possibility for 2015.

“Our expectations are high,” said Massa. “We have regulations that are not changing much so I think most of the teams that had a competitive car will not have a big change. But it is always a new car, a new year.”

[MIKA27]

TRULLI: FAILED SMALL TEAMS GAVE NOTHING TO FORMULA 1

Formula 1 will not miss the collapsing backmarker teams Caterham and Marussia, according to former grand prix winner Jarno Trulli, whose own career ended with a two year stint with Caterham.

However, now 40 and an owner-driver in the Formula E series, Trulli said that minnows such as Minardi were different to the small teams of the modern F1 era.

“It’s true that small teams have always been there,” he is quoted by blogFormula 1.it. “But they were good teams. Take Minardi – they had young drivers but not just because they pay but because they had talent.

“Most of these drivers then stepped up in Formula 1, while I doubt that any Caterham or Marussia driver will make the same leap,” said Trulli, who went on to drive for Renault and Toyota.

“The big mistake Formula 1 made,” he added, “is to let the manufacturers go elsewhere. This marked the end of the golden age, which I had the honour to be able to live. Today the situation is totally different, with a few real teams and many other small teams trying to stay alive.”

FIA president Jean Todt has confirmed that even if Marussia and Caterham do collapse, an 18-car grid is sufficient for 2015.

“In 2016 we will have a new team,” the Frenchman is quoted by Italy’s Autosprint, “so at worst we will have 18 cars in 2015 but 20 the following season.”

Trulli agrees that Formula 1 can survive for now without the struggling backmarkers, “Unfortunately Bernie Ecclestone was right when he said that some teams are just disorganised. They don’t give anything to Formula 1.”

[MIKA27]

LOWE VOWS TO IMPROVE MERCEDES RELIABILITY

Paddy Lowe has vowed to improve Mercedes‘ reliability record, although the German team dominated in 2014, two teams were actually better in the area of technical reliability.

Auto Motor und Sport revealed that McLaren and Ferrari had the most reliable cars this year, followed by Mercedes and then former world champions Red Bull in fourth place.

“Twelve months ago I decided to improve our quality control,” said technical boss Lowe, “but it is not an overnight process. We have not had the time to change all the processes that need to be changed because the main challenge was to make the car faster.”

“Once you’ve done that, then you can take better care of reliability,” he added. “Ferrari made this step in the Schumacher era and they are still at a very high level.”

[MIKA27]

EX-MERCEDES TECH CHIEF BELL SET FOR FERRARI MOVE

Mercedes‘ former technical chief Bob Bell looks set to start work at Ferrari in March, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, referring to the Ulsterman who stepped down from this year’s title-winning Mercedes team earlier this year.

Bell’s official tenure at Brackley, however, ended mere days ago, the report said. He has reportedly now signed a Ferrari contract and will start work just as the 2015 race season begins.

Amid Ferrari’s tumultuous 2014 season involving numerous personnel shakeups, the next to depart are tipped to be designer Nikolas Tombazis and Pat Fry.

Gazzetta said Tombazis’ successor will be Simone Resta, who is currently the deputy designer, even though Tombazis’ contract is reportedly proving difficult to break.

Omnicorse reports that another engineer in Ferrari’s sights could be Rob Marshall, currently the chief designer at Red Bull.

The report said Marshall’s position has been called into doubt after Red Bull internally blamed him for the illegal wing saga of Abu Dhabi.

[MIKA27]

GROSJEAN STILL TARGETING MOVE TO TOP TEAM

Although recently confirmed he will stay at Lotus, Romain Grosjean admits he might still be looking to move away from the Enstone based outfit after 2015.

Amid Lotus’ horror 2014 season, the Frenchman openly eyed a move for next year, but he has now signed up for at least one more season. As for the future, he told L’Equipe: “2016 is still far away.

“I did not hide my desire to join a top team, but I wanted one more season with Lotus as we all want to go back to the joy of being on the podium.”

Earlier, it appeared Grosjean may have been among the contenders to be Fernando Alonso’s new Honda-powered teammate at McLaren for 2015.

Interestingly, he is not one of those who is highly critical of the British team for considering dropping the 2009 world champion Jenson Button.

“If I am not mistaken, Jenson has been in Formula 1 for 15 seasons,” he said. “I’m sorry if he goes, but we need fresh blood.”

Finally, in an amusing social media exchange, Grosjean was asked by a fan if he was not tempted to give Lotus’ dismal 2014 car a fitting send-off after the final race of the season – with a sledgehammer!

“No, no,” he joked. “It had to be used in the Abu Dhabi test, so it could not be done!”

[MIKA27]

DOMENICALI REPLACES BERGER AS FIA OPEN-WHEEL BOSS

Former Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali has returned to the world of open-wheel racing.

After being ousted as team boss at Maranello, the Italian re-emerged recently at Audi, although the VW-owned brand denied he has taken on a motor sport role.

The latest reports, however, suggest he is heading a feasibility study on behalf of the Volkswagen Group regarding a potential Formula 1 entry. And now it emerges that the 49-year-old is working with Formula 1’s governing body.

He was on the FIA’s 10-man panel that investigated Jules Bianchi’s crash, and his latest appointment is as Gerhard Berger’s successor on the single-seater commission.

Domenicali’s role, reported by Italy’s Autosprint and La Gazzetta dello Sport, involves coordinating the FIA’s junior categories, including the increasingly highly-rated European F3.

Autosprint said he will keep his job at Audi, as the FIA role is unpaid and not full time.

[MIKA27]

KOBAYASHI ACCEPTS F1 CAREER MAY BE OVER

Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi looks set to keep his motor racing career alive outside of Formula 1.

After a year off the grid in 2013, the popular 28-year-old returned this year with Caterham only to witness the team’s collapse, but now seems resigned to the fact that his days in F1 are over.

Caterham’s administrators have not yet given up, but reports have emerged that Kobayashi is heading to his native Japan for a test in a Super Formula car.

The test in Japan’s premier open-wheeler category will take place this week, but Kobayashi said: “I cannot confirm anything for 2015 yet, but I am happy to be given this opportunity.”

Interestingly, the driver who replaced Kobayashi at Spa earlier this year, Andre Lotterer, finished this year’s Super Formula championship in third place.

The series champion is former Williams driver Kazuki Nakajima, while Narain Karthikeyan and Vitantonio Liuzzi were also on the 2014 grid.

[MIKA27]

Newey will maintain F1 presence

Despite taking on the America's Cup challenge, Adrian Newey will still be present at "half-a-dozen races" some next season.

The British design ace is stepping back from the day-to-day work at Red Bull Racing but will still keep an eye on the team's F1 car.

Newey, though, won't be resting on his laurels, instead focusing his attention on helping Red Bull Advanced Technologies design the yacht for Ben Ainslie's America's Cup bid.

"It's a change," the design guru told Press Association Sport.

"I'll still be part of the team, even if I'll be less hands on than I have been, but I'm looking forward to the future, whatever it may bring,

"I'll be attending half-a-dozen races or so. I want to keep in the loop, so in the mentoring, advisory role, I'm fresh enough that I'm able to keep on top of that.

"That means going to some of the races. I'll certainly be in Melbourne and a few after that, the key ones, the ones that tend to pose the biggest engineering challenges."

The 55-year-old is positive that his decision to step back won't have a negative impact on Red Bull's 2015 challenger, which he says is in good hands.

"They're a very good bunch," he said of the team's technical department.

"What is happening is well timed as they've been developing as a team very well and now it's time for them to really step up to the plate."

He added: "When we first started if you'd said to us we would win however many races we have won, four championships, second in the two either side of those four, then I would have said 'you're dreaming'

"But all that success is a fantastic tribute to everybody."