FORMULA 1 - 2014

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Sebastian Vettel 2013 F1 clean sweep never likely - Adrian Newey

Red Bull's Adrian Newey doubts Sebastian Vettel could have taken a clean sweep of the 2013 Formula 1 season even if Pirelli's more favourable tyres had been used all year.

Pirelli's switch back to 2012 construction from the Hungarian Grand Prix worked in Red Bull's favour.

Although Vettel was defeated by Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes at the Hungaroring, he won every race from the following Spa event onwards.

But Newey feels season-long domination was unlikely regardless of tyres, as he does not think Red Bull had the pace to steamroller the competition early on regardless of the rubber.

"I think we were, in truth, still finding our feet again after the exhausts were so heavily restricted through position and mapping at the end of 2011," Newey said when asked by AUTOSPORT if Vettel could have taken a season clean sweep.

"I would regard this year's car as very much last year's car with a few extra months between races rather than a new car. It was very much a very, very close relation of last year's car with a winter break.

"Last year and the early part of this year was still about learning how to get the car to work without the exhaust technology that we enjoyed in 2010 and 2011."

But he reckons Vettel's own performance was at a relentlessly high level throughout the season.

"I think Sebastian's driving last year showed a level of maturity that was quite stunning," said Newey.

"He is obviously young and learning and that has been the exciting thing.

"If you go back to 2009, our first year with him at Red Bull after Toro Rosso, he made mistakes and we made mistakes.

"I think together - Sebastian as a driver and us as a team - we have matured and developed, and hopefully we will make less mistakes."

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F1's manufacturer teams have huge advantage in 2014, says Ferrari

Formula 1's manufacturer teams will enjoy a huge advantage in 2014 because of the complexities of packaging the new power units, believes Ferrari technical director James Allison.

As teams continue to work on getting their new cars ready for F1's first pre-season test at Jerez that starts on January 28, Allison is in no doubts that 'works' teams Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull will have the edge over customer outfits.

"One of the massive advantages that this team has is that it has the engine and chassis under one roof," said Allison, who rejoined Ferrari last year after a spell at Lotus.

"That is an advantage in any year. But in one like this one, where you are packaging such a different power unit as has been necessary in a year like this - that advantage I think becomes quite large."

Ferrari's engine chief Luca Marmorini suggests that too much focus has been placed on the competitiveness of the engines alone, and believes success will ultimately depend on how the whole car comes together.

"Probably too much [emphasis] has been given to the power unit," explained Marmorini.

"The power unit is a big change, but also it will be extremely complex to incorporate the power unit in a competitive car.

"For Ferrari, this has been a joint project [between chassis and engine departments].

"With the power unit project, it has been fundamental for reliability.

"Any decision in terms of the engine has been as a result of discussions with the chassis people, because in the end the car has to win, not just the power unit."

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Schumacher updates only if something changes says Kehm

Press conferences regarding the condition of Michael Schumacher’s health will no longer occur, unless there is something significant to report.

That is the word from the injured seven time world champion’s PA Sabine Kehm, after reporting from the hospital in Grenoble that the great German is now “stable” but still “critical” in a coma after his skiing crash.

“I think the doctors have explained very well what is the plan,” she told German television. “So we will only hold press conferences when we have significant news from the doctors to report.

“To have to report to the press every morning would hinder the doctors, and we are all very keen for them to be able to work in peace,” added Kehm.

“I will not give status reports every day, at least while the situation remains stable and there is no change, either positively or negatively.”

While the news about Schumacher’s condition is scarce, the international media interest in the fate of Formula 1′s most successful driver remains unparalleled.

Some commentators have said the skiing fall, barely a year after he retired from Formula 1 for the second and final time, demonstrates that ‘adrenaline junkie’ Schumacher was unable to ease off the throttle.

Germany’s Bild newspaper quoted an eyewitness as saying Schumacher’s helmet was “cleaved in two” by the obviously high-speed impact.

“All your Formula 1 career you are at the limit,” Mika Salo, who subbed for an injured Schumacher at Ferrari in 1999, told the Finnish broadcaster MTV3.

“When you are used to living like that, then even in your hobbies you can hurt yourself, especially when you do them at an extreme level like Michael.”

Alain Prost added: “Every day after Formula 1, you try to fill the void but nothing gives you as much adrenaline,” the quadruple World Champion told Itele.

But others have defended the 45-year-old ex racer.

“[schumacher] explained to me that often it looked to outsiders that he is addicted to risk and speed,” said RTL presenter Kai Ebel, perhaps the last to interview Schumacher at length earlier this month.

“But he knew very well his ability and told me with a very great emphasis that he is never out of control with the speed,” he told Bild newspaper.

Flavio Briatore, one of Schumacher’s first bosses in Formula 1, agrees.

“I was with him in a car – from the hotel or airport, or to the circuit – hundreds of times,” the Italian toldLa Gazzetta dello Sport, “and – believe me – I never saw him ‘do a Schumacher’. In traffic, Michael was very cautious, tolerant of those in his way. Now, he was skiing with his son and I cannot imagine he was going at breakneck speed.”

“It was the saddest New Year’s [eve] of my life,” Briatore, holidaying at his resort in Kenya, admitted.

Former Formula 1 driver Jarno Trulli also insisted that Schumacher is not reckless.

“He had just gone skiing with his child, as many fathers do,” he told Il Giornale. “Throughout his career, he was always very safety-conscious.

“Actually, it is thanks to Michael that during his years of activity in Formula 1, many improvements were made in the field of safety,” added Trulli.

“It’s true that a driver is used to living with risk, but it’s a calculated risk and certainly less dangerous than many kids out drinking on a Saturday night.

“We do our work and at Christmas we go on vacation,” said Trulli. “Just like Michael, I too am now going to the mountains to ski.”

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Hamilton says Brawn departure no big loss

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has played down the impact of Ross Brawn’s departure, insisting that it is neither a loss to the Silver Arrows or even Formula 1.

Just a year after 2008 World Champion Hamilton was enticed to switch from McLaren, 58-year-old Briton Brawn has stepped down as Brackley based Mercedes’ team boss.

Hamilton, though, says that he is not worried.

“When I decided to go to Mercedes,” he is quoted by Brazil’s Totalrace, “I had much greater reasons than just him.

“To me, that he was there was a bonus, but after I arrived, I saw that the team had a lot of talented people,” added Hamilton, whose new team bosses will be Paddy Lowe and Toto Wolff, overseen by chairman Niki Lauda.

” [brawn] was a good boss, with a very good approach, which creates a great atmosphere in the team – but this is something that is expected of a leader,” Hamilton continued.

Brawn has resolved to take a sabbatical from Formula 1, and says he will only decide if he will come back in 2015 over the summer.

But Hamilton, 28, said even a permanent exit from the sport for Brawn will not be a blow to Formula 1.

“The sport will continue when any of us go,” he said. “So no, I don’t see it as a loss for the sport.”

[Bartolomeo]

Great documentary from Will Buxton on Ferrari playing lately on the tube, worth watching

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Great documentary from Will Buxton on Ferrari playing lately on the tube, worth watching

Which one exactly?

[Bartolomeo]

Which one exactly?

Trying to find it..... basically drives a new Ferrari production car from Hungary race to Monza, stopping along the way at various Ferrari locales and ends w an interview at the factory w Luca

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Ferrari and Formula 1 fans wear red in silent vigil for Schumacher on his birthday

Ferrari fans will hold a silent 45th birthday tribute to Michael Schumacher – wearing red – outside his French hospital on Friday with the seven time Formula 1 World Champion in a coma and fighting for his life after a skiing accident, with experts predicting that he could remain in a coma for weeks.

The Formula 1 team’s Facebook page said that the Scuderia Ferrari Clubs wanted to show their support and were organising “a silent and respectful event all in red” at the Grenoble hospital where the German has been since shortly after his fall on Sunday.

Ferrari said that the team also planned a special tribute to their former driver, who won five successive titles with them, on the official Ferrari website.

Schumacher left Ferrari in 2006 but then came out of retirement in 2010 for a three-year comeback with Mercedes that ended unsuccessfully in 2012.

Michael Schumacher won 72 grand prix races as a Ferrari driver

Ferrari wrote on their website: “This is a special day for Ferrari and all its fans, as it is Michael Schumacher’s birthday. At the moment, he is tackling the most important fight of his life and therefore we want to send him very special wishes. There have [been] so many wonderful moments we have spent together and we have chosen 72.”

“It’s not a random number, as it represents the number of wins Michael achieved with the Scuderia from 1996 to 2006: 72 grands prix that gave us and the millions of Prancing Horse fans from all over the world so much pleasure. These were unforgettable moments which, along with his passion, commitment and dedication makes Michael part of the great Ferrari family for ever.”

“Everyone at Ferrari, from President Luca di Montezemolo and Team Principal Stefano Domenicali, who are in touch all the time with Michael’s family and those closest to him, are continuously watching how his situation evolves. Obviously, today there are double the [usual] reasons to wish him all the best.”

The most successful driver in F1 history, with 91 race wins to his credit, suffered head injuries while skiing off piste during a family vacation in the Alpine resort of Meribel on Sunday.

His agent Sabine Kehm said on Wednesday that he was in a stable condition and it was too early to talk about his further prospects. No further update was given on Thursday, the day before his birthday.

Doctors have carried out two operations so far, including one to remove a build-up of blood from his brain.

Schumacher’s family posted a message on his official website thanking all the well-wishers from around the world.

“They are giving us great support,” it said. “We all know he is a fighter and will not give up.”

Schumacher could remain in his coma for weeks, or even months according to Professor Uwe Kehler, the highly respected head of neurosurgery at the Asklepios hospital in Hamburg.

As is much of the world at present, he is also watching with keen interest the progress in Grenoble of the injured F1 legend.

“Generally, it takes two to three weeks until a patient with such a severe trauma can be woken up,” said Professor Kehler. “But it can take days or even weeks until the patient opens his eyes. Unfortunately, it is also possible that the person does not wake up properly.”

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Red Bull Ring gets final approval for 2014 Austrian GP

Austria’s return to the Formula 1 calendar will definitely go ahead this coming season.

Earlier, although circuit owner Red Bull was given an official spot on the 2014 calendar, organisers did not have all the necessary local approvals in place.

Having demolished the old A1-Ring in Spielberg, and relaunched it as the ‘Red Bull Ring’, the energy drink company found itself limited to allowing a mere 40,000 race-day crowd to gather.

But Kleine Zeitung newspaper reported on Friday that local authorities have now granted Red Bull’s application for a total race weekend crowd of 225,000 for the late June event.

Further, local administrator Harald Schnedl has also been reviewing a full noise, emissions and traffic engineering concept, submitted by Red Bull for the 2014 race.

“I have granted the major events permission,” he confirmed to the newspaper.

His approval was granted under a new events law, which does not allow formal appeals to be filed.

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Mercedes admits pressure to deliver an F1 championship assault

Mercedes is under pressure to deliver a full-on championship assault this season after doing so well in 2013, reckons its motorsport boss Toto Wolff.

The German car manufacturer won three races last year as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg helped guide it to second place in the constructors' championship.

And it is that level of progress - ahead of a major rules overhaul that is set to favour the works teams - that has left its bosses expecting even more in 2014.

Wolff, who is now running the team with Paddy Lowe following Ross Brawn's decision to step down, concedes that the Brackley-based squad must not do worse than it did last year.

"No, we cannot afford that," said Wolff in an exclusive interview with AUTOSPORT.

"If we had finished fourth or third, people could say there will be an evolution before being world champion.

"But now the expectations are very high, and we have to manage those expectations because winning a world championship is not an easy task. It is very difficult.

"It is different to winning races because you have to put everything together. But can we honestly say that we are a contender for the world championship? No."

Wolff thinks it vital that Mercedes must not let itself get either too bullish or too downbeat about its prospects, as both approaches could hurt it.

"Optimism is always dangerous," he said. "You have to be a pessimistic optimist.

"The general tendency has to be pessimistic. You have to not take it for granted that it is going to happen. But also you must not make your life bad by being too pessimistic.

"What I can see is the effort, intelligence and resource being put into the engine development and powertrain development - and I believe that the right things are being done.

"Now do I know what Ferrari and Renault are doing? No. I am sure they have intelligent people and they are doing good work there as well. It is all crystal-ball reading."

Although paddock speculation has pointed to Mercedes starting the season with the best engine, Wolff is not so convinced that matters will be so clear cut.

"We don't know. It is all based on rumours and gossip, and can you fundamentally rely and make an opinion on what A has said to B, when probably both of them have no clue!

"I remember from Viry, and from I have seen at Maranello, that these guys are no fools. They are very intelligent people working very hard and I doubt one engine manufacturer is going to have a massive advantage."

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Horner predicts rapid development rate during 2014 F1 season

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner expects to see a rapid rate of car development in the early stages of 2014.

Next year's cars will be built around a set of regulations centred on the new 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 engines, with a wide range of car designs expected to appear in pre- season testing.

Just as when Formula 1 had its last major rule change in 2009, Horner predicts significant progress for all teams during the year and believes this is an area where his team can excel.

"Because the regulations are going to be pretty immature, like we saw in 2009 ideas will flow pretty quickly," Horner told AUTOSPORT.

"So you will probably see quite a rapid range of development early on in the year as people are finding their feet.

"We have demonstrated over the last few years that we can develop the car effectively.

"Hopefully that will apply to next year as well."

Horner has also warned that there will be reliability struggles during pre-season testing as both teams and engine manufacturers understand their new packages.

"Reliability is going to be a fundamental issue in the first three or four races whilst teams get on top of the issues.

"It's inevitable, as 12 days of running over three tests is not that much for such a big regulation change.

"You are going to see some early issues with these power units."

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Schumacher family: Birthday vigil utterly overwhemed us and moved us all to tears

Michael Schumacher’s family have been utterly overwhelmed and moved to tears on the occasion of the Formula 1 legend’s birthday on Friday 3 January, which was marked with a vigil by fans gathered at the Grenoble Hospital and silently around the globe.

The family posted a message of gratitude on Schumaher’s website: “We are overwhelmed!”

“The incredible sympathies shown today [Friday] by the Ferrari Fans outside the hospital has utterly overwhelmed us and moved us all to tears. We are deeply grateful for it and also for all the heartwarming and heartfelt wishes for Michael to get well soon, which have reached us from all over the world,” they added.

A day earlier they said that Michael “is a fighter and will not give up” his fight for life”.

Schumcher’s wife, Corinna and their two children, his father Rolf and brother Ralf – have maintained a presence at his bedside throughout the weekend.

Formula 1 fans made the pilgrimage to the Alpine town of Grenoble to pay tribute to Schumacher, many wearing red and bearing Ferrari flags, while a call was made, by Ferrari, out to Formula 1 fans around the world (including Grand Prix 247 readers through their Facebook page) to wear red on the day to pay homage to the most successful grand prix driver of all time.

Schumacher won the Formula 1 world drivers’ title an unprecdented seven times: 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004, notching up 91 wins and 155 podiums in the process. He drove for Ferrari from 1996 to 2006, winning 72 grands prix in red.

Meanwhile, a source close to French authorities investigating the accident have revealed the existence of a helmet camera used by Schumacher which is being inspected in an effort to see if it can yield any clues as to the circumstances of the accident. The helmet was reportedly split in two by the force of Schumacher’s head impacting against a boulder on the slopes of the Dent de Burgin mountain.

Schumacher’s 14-year-old son Mick and a friend, who were skiing with the F1 legend at the time, were also questioned by investigators as eye witnesses to the accident.

No further update was given on Schumacher’s condition – which remains stable but critical – by the hospital or his management on his birthday.

Sky Sports News reported: “We understand that the situation is essentially the same as it has been in the last couple of days so we are now looking at 80 plus hours of Michael Schumacher in a stable condition and although he hasn’t improved, that is a platform at least for his doctors to continue to treat him.”

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Grosjean reveals his numbers

Romain Grosjean wants either numbers 8, 29 or 11 as his official number for the Formula One World Championship.

As of this coming season, the drivers will each be given a number which they will race with for the remainder of their F1 careers.

Drivers have been revealing their first choices with Fernando Alonso wanting number 14 and Kimi Raikkonen number 7.

And the Finn's former team-mate at Lotus, Grosjean, has now put forward his selection as his wishes all his fans a happy New Year.

"Happy New Year to all!" he wrote on Facebook. "All my wishes of happiness, success and health.

"Only a few days before the assignment of numbers... "Here are the three I selected: 8, 29 and 11!

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Schumacher video footage reveals leisurely skiing pace before accident

It is exactly a week since Michael Schumacher fell and hit his head in a skiing accident in France; the German remains in a “stable but critical” condition, according to his manager, Sabine Kehm.

The FIA President Jean Todt, who cut short a New Year holiday in Bali to fly to Schumacher’s side, has returned to Paris after five days spent with his former protege and his family in Grenoble’s CHU hospital.

Kehm has angrily refuted claims by former F1 driver Philippe Streiff that Schumacher’s life is “no longer in danger” – a notice he claims to have received from the senior medic attending to Schumacher, Professor Gerard Saillant, a very close friend of Todt’s.

Taking full control of the news agenda, Kehm has insisted that the only credible reports on his condition will come from the family and medics attending the German and only then when there is something new to say.

But the fact that Todt feels he can leave Schumacher’s side at this point, could be taken in a positive light, as far as his friend’s condition is concerned.

Meanwhile there appears to have been a development in understanding what caused Schumacher’s accident, although caution is always required in such situations.

According to Der Spiegel in Germany, a 35 year old German flight attendant was filming his girlfriend skiing on the piste in Meribel and Schumacher’s accident is captured in the background.

This version of events has Schumacher travelling at no more than 20km/h and veering into the off-piste area between a blue run and a red run, which appears not to be well marked. This would appear to support Kehm’s assertion last week that the seven times F1 champion was not going quickly when he crashed.

The German has handed his video to the authorities investigating the incident. The Schumacher family has also handed over a Go Pro camera, which was mounted on Schumacher’s helmet, although there is no indication at this point of whether he had it switched on at the time.

While all the family’s focus is on Schumacher’s condition, clearly they have an eye on the aftermath and central to that will be to assess whether there was any negligence on the part of the resort in not clearly delineating the piste from the off-piste area, particularly with the presence of rocks in the off piste zone.

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Hakkinen: Schumi is a fighter

As Michael Schumacher remains in a coma in hospital, former rival turned friend Mika Hakkinen has spoken of the German's fighting spirit.

Racing for rival outfits McLaren and Ferrari, Hakkinen and Schumacher's battles dominated the second half of the 1990s as they fought for World titles.

Hakkinen won two WDC's while Schumacher went on to amass an unprecedented seven.

The German, though, faces his biggest battle yet as he spent a seventh night in a medically induced coma after suffering severe brain trauma in a skiing accident.

Schumacher's condition remains critical but stable.

"I was shocked and wrote an email to Corinna Schumacher and the family to let them know how much I feel with them in this terrible situation," Hakkinen told Bild.

"The only important thing is Michael's family. They now need peace and strength to get through this tough battle."

And the Finn knows all about that having himself suffered life-threatening injuries when he crashed during a practice session for the 1995 Australian GP.

Like Schumacher's wife and children, Hakkinen's family sat at his bedside, hoping for him to pull through.

"It is the worst thing that can happen to you in life. You realise how fragile life is," said the 45-year-old.

"The only important thing is to be able to hold the hand of the other and to trust the words of the doctors.

"You sit there and hope that everything turns out well, but you do not know what will be the next morning. You cannot even do anything - and that's the horror."

Hakkinen, though, believes Schumacher will win this battle.

"He is a fighter and will never give up until he has won the battle," he said.

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Hulkenberg: Schumi an inspiration

As the world waits for news on Michael Schumacher, Nico Hulkenberg says as a young German his goal was always to follow in his elder statesman's footsteps.

Dominating Formula One in the early 2000s, Schumacher claimed five titles on the trot with Ferrari to go with the two he had already won with Benetton.

His seven crowns means the 45-year-old still holds the record for the most World titles as well as the most race wins having claimed 91.

At present Schumacher is facing the biggest fight of his life as he remains in a medically induced coma following a skiing accident.

Hulkenberg is the latest to share his thoughts on his compatriot.

"I'm not sure Michael was the reason I started karting, but once I was into racing he obviously inspired me and he was somebody I looked up to," he told the Times Of India.

"He was so dominant and determined and as a young German driver my goal was always to follow in his footsteps.

"For as long as I can remember my aim was to reach Formula One and become a Champion, just like Michael."

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Marussia need to 'push on'

Marussia team boss John Booth says his team needs to build on last year's tenth place in the Constructors' Championship.

Although Marussia have yet to score a single World Championship point, the team finally achieved 10th place in the standings last season when they edged main rivals Caterham.

Jules Bianchi's P13 at round two in Malaysia proved to be the deciding factor in the battle of the backmarkers.

However, having achieving that major step forward, Booth has urged his team to continue the upward momentum.

"I think we've improved operationally, year in, year out," Booth told ESPN. "We look like a proper F1 team, we operate like a proper F1 team; pit stops we're very good at and all the basics.

"Although the positions throughout the year were not that different compared to the year before, percentage wise we were much closer to the front and I think we finished a couple of races on the same lap as the leaders. But we need to move forward again... we need to push on for [2014]."

As for finishing 10th in the Championship, Booth downplayed the financial advantage of the extra money, insisting that it is the feel-good factor that weighs more.

"There isn't that much difference [in prize money], there really isn't. The cash side of it is not insignificant but the boost that it's given to everybody is the biggest plus."

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Merc 'constantly learning new things'

Cooling will be key with the new Mercedes engine as non-executive director Niki Lauda has revealed it is sensitive to temperature.

This season Formula One will swap from the old 2.4-litre V8s to 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 engines.

But while the units have been put through their paces in the factories, the teams will have just 12 days of on-track running to work out any issues.

And one of those will be cooling with Lauda revealing that the Merc engine has a "precise" operating window.

"We are constantly learning new things," he told Auto Motor und Sport.

"Suddenly you have to take care of things like water pressure or intercooling. Oil and water must be in a precise temperature window.

"If this goes beyond just a few degrees above a certain limit it tears everything up."

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Ferrari boss sceptical of cost cap

Luca di Montezemolo doubts a cost cap would work in Formula One as teams - including Ferrari - could "cheat."

Recently it was confirmed that in 2015 a cost cap would be introduced in a bid to ensure not only the survival of the existing teams but to persuade another to join.

And although the Ferrari president concedes that rising costs are hurting the sport, forcing teams to turn to pay drivers, he is worried that a cost cap is not the right move.

"For the first time it has been said that we have to define a [cost] cap. You know why I have doubts about the cap - because it is very easy to cheat - particularly for [manufacturer] teams. And Ferrari could be one," he told Autosport.

"I could go to Chrysler in Detroit to ask them to do something for us. Mercedes could ask their company.

"We have to find something that is credible but the cost is the problem number one."

He added: "If we look at the teams today, in my whole career of F1, I have never seen teams survive with the money of the drivers.

"This year all the movements of the drivers has been basically based - except for [Kimi] Raikkonen to Ferrari - based on what money drivers can give to the teams.

"This is for Force India, for Sauber, for Lotus and for Williams. It is not healthy..."

The Italian added that should a cap be implemented that it must be up to the FIA to decide what things should cost.

"The cost cannot be decided by the technicians - because if so we will never achieve it.

"The only way to approach this is to say to the FIA that all the teams are unanimous in agreement to cut the costs. Do whatever you want - come back to us with a proposal that for sure can decrease the costs in a heavy, heavy way. Then we adjust ourselves.

"We have to achieve a goal to decrease in a heavy way the costs."

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Caterham chief fears two-tier F1 in 2014/15

Caterham chief Cyril Abiteboul believes Formula 1 risks turning in to a two-tier sport because of the new regulation changes for 2014.

Whilst it was thought the changes would create more of a level-playing field, Abiteboul believes the leading pack will move further away from the chasing midfield because they can't afford to lose and will therefore spend far more than they currently are to ensure they win.

"I think it is a small opportunity for us in that it is an opportunity to join the midfield - but I believe that we will only join the midfield," he told Autosport.

"There is a reset but the midfield will be quite far away from the leading teams because I see the amount of resources that some teams are capable of putting into this."

With 2015 in effect having four manufacturers in Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren, he fears things will only get worse for the smaller outfits.

"The other thing is that in 2015, you will have four players - Ferrari, Red Bull with Renault, Mercedes and [McLaren with] Honda - that have an obligation to be successful.

"They need to justify the level of spending that is currently being put into it - and that obligation to win is going to create a massive arms race between them. "That is a big danger for Formula 1 - that it will be those four and the rest of us behind."

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McLaren drops Vodafone branding after end of contract

McLaren has dropped all of its Vodafone branding after the expiration of their sponsorship deal.

The telecoms giant first entered an agreement with the British team ahead of the 2007 Formula One season, jumping ship from Ferrari in a deal thought to be worth around £60m.

McLaren had planned to reveal its new title sponsor on December 2nd after Vodafone confirmed earlier in 2013 that it would be withdrawing from Formula One at the end of the year. However, the team opted to scrap the unveil plans. This decision coincided with Kevin Magnussen’s confirmation for 2014, leaving Sergio Perez without and seat, suggesting that Telmex – a major backer of Perez – may have been the planned title sponsor before the move to drop the Mexican driver.

The team’s website is now absent of Vodafone branding, with a slick black design replacing the red and white colours of the telecom company. Further to that, the team’s name is simply “McLaren Mercedes”, having been preceded by “Vodafone” for the past seven seasons.

2013 was one of the worst seasons in McLaren’s history as neither of its drivers could score a podium finish, let alone a race win.

Having finished fifth in the constructors’ championship, Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen will be hoping to return the team to winning ways in 2014 with a new title sponsor.

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Top ten: Unbeatable Formula One records

Few records in Formula One are truly unbeatable....

Many people thought Ayrton Senna’s haul of 65 pole positions would stand the test of time, but Michael Schumacher beat it.

And though Schumacher’s tally of 91 wins may seem insurmountable, the same was once said of Alain Prost’s 51 victories.

As the saying goes, records are there to be broken. But there are some records which won’t be under threat any time soon. From geriatrics on the podium to sharing a single point between seven, here are ten F1 records that are in it for the long haul.

Narrowest pole position winning margin

1997 European Grand Prix: 0.000s between first, second and third

The 1997 European Grand Prix at Jerez is chiefly remembered for Michael Schumacher’s unsuccessful attempt to eliminate title rival Jacques Villeneuve from the race.

But F1 anoraks like myself also recall the astonishing events of the previous day’s qualifying session. It saw the same two drivers plus Villeneuve’s team mate Heinz-Harald Frentzen stop the clocks at the same time to within a thousandth of a second.

First Villeneuve, then Schumacher and finally Frentzen lapped the 4.4km (2.7-mile) Jerez circuit in 1’21.072. Unless F1 follows IndyCar’s lead and starts measuring times to four decimal places, this record is stuck at 0.000s.

Earliest start to a season

1965 and 1968: January 1st

While modern-day F1 campaigns usually kick off in mid March, until the 1980s it was customary for the season to begin as early as January.

In 1965 and 1968, at the East London and Kyalami circuits respectively, the season opening South African Grand Prix was held on the very first day of the year. Yet in both seasons, the following world championship event was not held until over four months later!

Keep that next time you think the current four-week summer break is too long…

Longest race

2011 Canadian Grand Prix: four hours, four minutes and 39.537 seconds

The track was wet as the Canadian Grand Prix got underway at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2011. But on lap 19 a fresh downpour forced the race to be red-flagged for two hours.

Under F1 rules the clock kept tipping so that when the race finally resumed and ran its scheduled 70-lap distance the entire thing had taken over four hours.

This prompted the introduction of a new rule for 2012 requiting all races to be completed within four hours regardless of any stoppages. It’s a good thing the rule wasn’t in place a year earlier, or we’d have been robbed of the thrilling sight of Jenson Button hunting race leader Sebastian Vettel down and passing him on the final lap.

Most failures to pre-qualify

Gabriele Tarquini: 24

When F1 entry lists ballooned in the late eighties pre-qualifying sessions were held to weed out some of the slowest cars before the real action began.

Gabriele Tarquini suffered more than most at the hands of this cruel eliminator. Driving for such unfancied teams as Coloni, AGS and Fondmetal he failed to gain a place on the grid on 40 separate occasions. In 24 of those he suffered the indignity of failing even to qualify for qualifying!

Today it’s been 17 years since we last had a full grid of 26 cars at a Grand Prix. Given the current state of the world economy and the huge costs involved in running a Formula One team, the prospect of the grid being oversubscribed again seems a very distant one. This unwanted record is Tarquini’s to keep.

Most starters

1953 German Grand Prix: 34

In the early years of the world championship, pre-qualifying was not a consideration. Due to a lack of available F1 cars in 1952 and 1953 the world championship was run to Formula Two specifications which boosted grid sizes.

A whopping 34 drivers began the 1953 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, 14 of whom were local wildcards. Today’s grid is capped at 26.

At the other end of the spectrum, the infamous six-car United States Grand Prix of 2005 unsurprisingly takes the record for the smallest field. It is possible a race could see fewer starters than that, but let’s hope it doesn’t happen.

Oldest podium

1950 Swiss Grand Prix: 140 years, 93 days (average: 46 years, 274⅓ days)

The physical demands of modern F1 cars mean that it is highly unusual for drivers to still be racing in their forties. The oldest driver to start a race in recent years was 43: Schumacher in last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

In the first years of the world championship drivers were generally much older than they are today. In the inaugural world championship race, the 1950 British Grand Prix, just one of the entrants was younger than 30.

The record for the oldest ever podium was set at that year’s Swiss Grand Prix. Giuseppe Farina, Luigi Fagioli and Louis Rosier – had a combined age of over 140!

‘But it could happen again’, I hear you all cry. Granted, this is not strictly an “unbeatable” record. But I sooner expect to see Narain Karthikeyan win a Grand Prix driving a lawnmower.

Most podium finishes in a season

Michael Schumacher, 2002: 100% (17 out of 17)

Thanks to both Schumachers physical prowess and the vehicles performance and reliability of his Ferrari F2002 (and, earlier in the season, the F2001), Schumacher not only finished every race of the 2002 season, he never went lower than third. And he only finished there once!

The record may be improved upon by a driver finishing a longer season entirely on the podium, but that 100% hit rate is never going to be beaten.

Best podium strike rate in a career

Dorino Serafini: 100% (1 out of 1)

The same applies to the obscure example of Dorino Serafini who finished his only world championship race, the 1950 Italian Grand Prix, on the podium.

Serafini only drove half of the race – he handed his car to Alberto Ascari midway through as the rules permitted at the time.

There have also been several examples of drivers who finished on the podium in the Indianapolis 500 when it counted towards the world championship from 1950 to 1960, but these races were not run to F1 rules.

Smallest points haul

Stirling Moss, Alberto Ascari and Jean Behra: 0.14

During the first ten world championship seasons in the 1950s, drivers were awarded a single point for setting the fastest lap of the race. Unfortunately, timing systems in this era were somewhat rudimentary, and lap times were sometimes measured to the nearest second.

The 1954 British Grand Prix at Silverstone saw seven drivers shared a fastest lap of one minute and 50 seconds. The single point was split between them, each scoring one-seventh of a point. Four of them also scored points for their finishing positions, but for three drivers 0.14 points was all they came away with.

Longest wait for the second-placed car

1963 Belgian Grand Prix: four minutes and 54 seconds

Most modern Grand Prix are close contests. With tight restrictions on car design ensuring the field remains relatively evenly matched, and races regularly punctuated by Safety Car periods, winning margins are seldom much more than a few seconds.

But in years gone by, more regulatory freedom meant cars often varied hugely in performance. Coupled with the high rate of attrition, it meant that many races concluded with huge gaps between each driver.

Jim Clark’s sensational victory by four minutes and 54 seconds in the 1963 Belgian Grand Prix will surely never be surpassed. He burst through from eighth on the grid to take the lead and was never headed around the fearsome 14.1km Spa circuit.

Conditions during the race were so dreadful Clark’s team boss Colin Chapman urged officials to abandon the proceedings at one point. Meanwhile Clark annihilated his rivals. He lapped the field at one point, though second-placed Bruce McLaren unlapped himself.

That meant when Clark took the line to finish it took almost five minutes for McLaren to appear in second place. Today’s tracks simply aren’t long enough for such a feat to be possible. Spa remains the longest track on the calendar, but is half the length it used to be and is lapped in well under 110 seconds in race conditions.

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Kehm: For the family, the situation is calmer, the most dangerous moment has passed

Nine days into his induced coma, positive news is finally starting to emerge from the Michael Schumacher camp.

Multiple authoritative media sources, including major German news agencies and television broadcasters, cited the 45-year-old’s manager Sabine Kehm as reporting that Schumacher’s life is no longer in imminent danger.

“This is a certain relief,” she is quoted by Spain’s El Mundo. “For the family, the situation is calmer. This is the start of a long, long period, but thankfully less difficult now.

“The most dangerous moment has passed,” added Kehm.

The SID news agency, and the major German daily Bild, quoted an unnamed source close to the former F1 driver as confirming that there was indeed a “slight improvement” in Schumacher’s condition.

Ralf Schumacher and Rolf Schumacher visit Grenoble Hospital

Bild said that it was a dramatic change from the unofficial news on Friday, when the seven time World Champion “looked as though he had lost the fight for life”.

A brain scan on Friday, the newspaper added, was “catastrophic”.

“His condition is still critical,” Kehm was quoted by Sky Deutschland television, “however it has stabilised over the weekend. The danger to his life is no longer immediate.”

Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport quoted Kehm as saying that the family had “heaved a sigh of relief” early this week.

Jean-Francois Payen, on of the doctors treating Schumacher, was quoted: “While we emphasise that the danger has not yet passed, it is certainly no longer acute.”

RTL reporter Felix Gorner said: “Sabine Kehm has just told me on the phone that, for the first time, Michael Schumacher is no longer in imminent danger of death.”

An official statement issued by the treating hospital in Grenoble also sounded more positive than earlier bulletins.

It said Schumacher’s “clinical state” is now “stable”. “However,” the statement added, “the medical team in charge of his care underlines that they continue to consider Michael’s condition as critical.”

Later, Schumacher’s manager Kehm played down those reports that had quoted her as saying her boss’ life is no longer in danger.

“I cannot confirm any expressions that he is no longer in danger,” she said. “I refer you to the statement that was issued by the doctors.”

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Corinna Schumacher: Please leave our family in peace

Michael Schumacher’s wife appealed to the media on Tuesday to leave the French hospital they have staked out since the German was critically injured in a skiing accident nine days ago and to let the doctors do their job.

Corinna Schumacher also asked the media to leave her family in peace after German reports said on Monday there had been a slight improvement in the former driver’s condition, hours after Grenoble hospital had issued a bulletin saying he was still stable, but critical.

“Please support us in our joint struggle with Michael,” Corinna said in a statement. “It is important to me that you relieve the doctors and the hospital so [that] they can work in peace.

“Please trust their statements and leave the hospital. Please also leave our family in peace.”

They were Corinna’s first public comments since a 30 December statement in which she thanked the medical team for their efforts and expressed gratitude to fans around the world for their outpouring of support.

Schumacher, a seven-time Formula 1 World Champion, suffered brain injuries when his head hit a rock in France on Dec. 27.

He has been in an induced coma since then and has undergone two operations in Grenoble.

The hospital and the German’s management have repeatedly asked the media to respect his privacy.

The medical team have held news conferences and issued periodic bulletins on his condition including one on Monday that said:

“The clinical state of Michael Schumacher is that he is stable, as he is under permanent care and treatment.

“However, the medical team in charge stresses that it continues to assess his situation as critical.”

Bild, Germany’s best-selling newspaper, reported on Tuesday under the headline ‘First hopes for Schumi’ that the former driver nearly died twice last week.

Journalists from a German TV channel broadcast outside the entrance of the Grenoble hospital

It added that doctors are now more optimistic that he will survive.

“Twice in the last week it looked like Schumi would lose the fight for his life,” Bild wrote.

“The brain scan on Friday was ‘catastrophic’, Bild has learned from medical sources. But after the readings stabilised towards the weekend the doctors are now confident that he will make it.”

Last week Schumacher’s agent Sabine Kehm urged journalists to stay away after security guards reported that they intercepted a reporter who was trying to get into his room, disguised as a priest .

Schumacher, who turned 45 on Friday, is the most successful F1 driver of all time, with 91 race victories.

He left the sport last year after a disappointing three-year comeback with Mercedes following an earlier retirement from Ferrari at the end of 2006.

French newspaper Le Dauphine Libere reported on Tuesday that the camera which Schumacher had on his skiing helmet was recording when he crashed.

The newspaper said that investigators had footage which will be useful to understand the circumstances of the accident. The prosecutor in Annecy is due to hold a news conference on Wednesday.

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Lotus E22 will not be ready in time for first F1 test of 2014 at Jerez

Lotus have decided to skip Formula 1′s first pre-season test in Jerez, later this month to give themselves more time to work on their new car, the team said on Monday.

“We’re going to keep our car under wraps a little longer than some other teams,” technical director Nick Chester said in a team release. “We’ve decided that attending the Jerez test isn’t ideal for our build and development programme.

“We are likely to unveil the car before attending the Bahrain tests, and in Bahrain we should really be able to put the car through its paces in representative conditions.”

The first pre-season test, at the Spanish track, is due to start on January 28 with two further tests in much hotter conditions in Bahrain before the opening race in Australia on March 16.

In the past, some teams have participated in the opening test of the year using cars from the previous season but there is nothing to be gained from that now with the introduction of a new engine.

Lotus F1 factory at Enstone

However, given the extent of the technical changes and the limited opportunities to test cars with the new 2014 tyres before the season starts, most teams still want to get as much mileage as possible even if the weather in Jerez can be variable at this time of year.

Formula 1 has replaced the previous 2.4 litre V8 engines with a 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 unit with energy recovery systems.

Chester, whose team had financial difficulties last year, said that development of the new E22 had been positive and that the figures looked promising.

“That said, we are very much working with very little idea of what the other teams are doing. This is the first year of radically different regulations which means that all teams are developing their cars along potentially quite different avenues,” he added.

“We think we have a very good solution to the challenge and hopefully this will be seen when the E22 turns its wheels in anger.”

Renault-powered Lotus finished last season fourth overall, with Kimi Raikkonen winning in Australia and the E21 a front runner for most of 2013.

“I think we can still reflect on what a good car the E21 was as it finished the season still looking particularly competitive, and it was the only car able to get close to the Red Bull. There are certain concepts from the E21 which are still valid for the E22, but in particular our development methodology and synchronisation with our various simulations is especially relevant and promising,” said Chester.

Raikkonen has since moved to Ferrari, complaining publicly before he left that he had not been paid, with Pastor Maldonado joining Lotus alongside Frenchman Romain Grosjean, in what is seen as financial salvation for the team, due to the Venezuelan’s large sponsorship package.

“We’ve undertaken chassis fits for Romain and Pastor. Certainly, our partners who have seen the car have reported themselves to be very impressed with the layout and various solutions to the new technical challenges,” added Chester.