FORMULA 1 - 2014

[MIKA27]

Formula 1 engine builder Brian Hart passes away

Brian Hart with Ayrton Senna in the Toleman TG184 at the 1984 US GP in Detroit

Brian Hart, best known as the founder of Brian Hart Limited, a company that developed and built engines for motorsport use including Formula 1, has passed away at the age of 77.

As part of Toleman’s entry into the 1981 Formula 1 World Championship, after success in the 1980 European Formula 2 Championship, Hart developed a turbocharged version of the 420R engine.

Although it was initially underpowered and unreliable – compared to Renault and Ferrari – it was enough to establish Brian Hart Limited as a Formula 1 engine supplier.

Ayrton Senna, in his rookie season as a Toleman driver, scored both his and Hart power’s first podium finish in soaking conditions with second place at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix. The Brazilian legend went on to notch up third-place finishes in the British and Portuguese Grands Prix that year.

Hart continued as Toleman’s engine partner until the team was purchased by Benetton and later supplied engines to RAM, Haas Lola and Tyrrell in the eighties, as well as Jordan and Arrows in the nineties.

Brian Hart

Turbocharging was banned at the end of 1988 in response to the ever increasing 1000 plus bhp outputs, which meant a return to developing naturally aspirated configurations that had not been widely used since the beginning of that decade.

Brian Hart Limited returned to its previous role as a tuning and servicing specialist, working in partnership with Cosworth to develop its DFZ and DFR engines.

By 1992, Brian Hart Limited had funded the design of its first V10 engine – the Type 1035 – and in November that year, it announced an exclusive two-year deal to supply Jordan Grand Prix. It was a promising partnership that brought some good results – notably, Rubens Barrichello’s third place at the 1994 Pacific Grand Prix at Aida, Japan.

However, when Peugeot decided to enter Formula 1 and offered Jordan a factory deal, the contract with Hart was not renewed. Hart instead opted to supply Footwork Arrows, which was struggling financially at the time.

The lack of funds prevented Hart from developing the V10 and the older V8 was used instead.

In 1997, Hart turned to Minardi and began working on another V10 design, but he was never able to fully finance the project.

When Arrows’ owner, Tom Walkinshaw, purchased Brian Hart Limited later that year, the injection of capital turned that design into the Arrows V10. The deal was marred by legal action over money that was allegedly owed and Brian Hart parted company with Arrows before the end of the year.

Hart never returned to Formula 1.

[MIKA27]

Lauda: We are constantly learning new things with the new turbo engine

Niki Lauda says that his Mercedes team is on track for the start of official 2014 Formula 1 pre-season testing, despite the huge challenge of the all-new turbo rules.

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports that World Champion team Red Bull’s boss Christian Horner had floated the idea of delaying for a week the start of winter testing late this month.

“Nothing is being moved,” Mercedes team chairman Lauda insisted. “The plans are going ahead for late January. The task is big for everybody.”

The report said that the German squad is currently testing its new V6 engine, energy recovery technology, gearbox and cooling systems in a hybrid chassis on the test bench.

Lauda admitted that cooling the 2014 package is one of the greatest challenges.

“We are constantly learning new things [with the new turbo engine],” he said. “Suddenly you are managing things like water pressure and intercooling.”

“Oil and water must be in a precise temperature window,” added Lauda. “Once you go just a few degrees above a certain limit, everything stops [working].”

The triple World Champion said that he sympathises with the customer teams, who unlike full works teams Mercedes and Ferrari are unable to do “any comparison testing”.

“They are doing their cooling [development] only on the basis of information provided by the engine partner,” said Lauda.

He thinks that Mercedes and Renault, each with three non-works customer teams, have a slight advantage over Ferrari, who is only supplying customer engines to Sauber and Marussia in 2014.

“Four teams is four sources of information,” said Lauda. “Everyone [has] their individual problems, so we can learn faster and respond sooner.”

[MIKA27]

McLaren to launch MP4-29 online before Jerez test

Pedro de la Rosa drives the McLaren MP4-21 during Barcelona testing, 2006

McLaren have announced that they will launch the MP4-29, their 2014 Formula 1 World Championship challenger on Friday, 24 January.

The team will conduct an online launch of their car four days before the start of testing at Jerez. The Woking based outfit is yet to announce a title sponsor, to replace Vodafone. Speculation has been put forth that they will revert to their historic orange livery.

It will also be the team’s final year as engine partner with Mercedes, before a return to Honda power, starting in 2015.

The team will also present their new driver Kevin Magnussen, who will partner 2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button in the team.

McLaren will be looking to bounce back from a woeful 2013 season, one of the worst in their illustrious history in Formula 1.

[MIKA27]

Ferrari set for late January launch of 2014 F1 challenger

Ferrari is on schedule to have its 2014 Formula 1 car ready for the start of winter testing, with Kimi Raikkonen set for the first taste of the new red challenger.

Reports in the Marca sports newspaper (Spain) and the authoritative Autosprint (Italy) say that the Maranello-built single seater is set to be launched some time around in late January, a few days ahead of the opening test at Jerez.

Marca correspondent Marco Canseco said that the car, the official name of which will be decided by fans via an internet poll, will “almost certainly” undergo its mandatory FIA crash tests this week at the CSI technical facility in Bollate, Italy.

He added that Ferrari has already been testing the all-new 2014 electrical and energy recovery systems in a 2011 chassis, although the turbo V6 engine will not be run at an actual circuit until Jerez late this month.

But Alessandro Stefanini, the Autosprint correspondent, said the 2014 package will be run over a couple of “filming days” prior to its official debut.

He said the most likely car launch date is between 23 and 25 January, with Friday less likely for Enzo Ferrari-linked “superstitious” reasons.

Giorgio Piola, the well-known Formula 1 technical illustrator, believes that Ferrari has decided to revert to a more conventional pushrod layout for its front suspension system this year, after the innovative ‘pullrod’ cars of 2012 and 2013, according to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

[MIKA27]

Lotus to replace reserve Valsecchi with youngster Sorensen

Lotus team looks to have made its choice of official reserve driver for the 2014 Formula 1 season.

It appears unlikely the Enstone based team will keep Davide Valsecchi on board, particularly after the Italian admitted that he was “angry” when bosses overlooked him as the surgery-bound Kimi Raikkonen’s replacement late last season.

“Perhaps I lack experience but what chance do you have to gain any?” he said at the time.

According to the Italiaracing publication, Lotus looks set to turn to the similarly Eric Boullier-managed, 23-year-old Danish driver Marco Sorensen for 2014.

He raced in Lotus’ black and gold colours in the Formula Renault 3.5 series last year, finishing seventh, and in September made his Formula 1 test debut in a two-year-old car at the Paul Ricard track.

[MIKA27]

Lotus confirms Louis departure

Lotus have confirmed that Matthew Carter will replace Patrick Louis as CEO of the Enstone team.

Louis will continue to work for the team, however, after taking up a new position at Genii Automotive, it was confirmed to Crash.net on Tuesday.

Louis joined the team in 2010 as Chief Operating Officer when Genii Capital bought the operation from Renault.

Martin, in his new role, will be supported by minority shareholder Andrew Ruhan, who acquired a small share of the company at the start of the 2013 season.

The management reshuffle was necessitated after the Quantum Motorsports investment deal failed to materialize last year, which also ruined Lotus' chances of recruiting Nico Hulkenberg as Romain Grosjean's partner when Kimi Raikkonen left for Ferrari.

Instead, pay-driver Pastor Maldonado, who with him brings an extensive sponsorship from Venezuela's state oil and gas company PDVSA, was signed.

Speculation about a lack of funds at Lotus has been rife of late, and Raikkonen claimed that he had not been paid at all for the services he rendered to the team throughout the 2013 season.

[MIKA27]

'Rules changes will suit Williams'

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams believes the Formula One rules changes that come into effect this year have come at the perfect time for the Wantage team.

After finishing ninth in the Constructors' Championship in 2013, Williams have made several changes to the team, including switching to Mercedes engines and recruiting former Ferrari man Felipe Massa as their lead driver.

"It is very timely as if you don't have that level of rule change it would be much harder to try and improve year on year," Williams told Autosport.

"I don't think that the [competitive] form will change too significantly, but what it does offer is an opportunity for teams who are a second or more off the pace to look at what they are doing and look at doing things in a different way.

"That's what we are trying to do and all of the changes we have made this year have been about making the most of the resources we have to embrace the rule changes for next year.

"One of the things that we were so impressed by when we first started talking to Felipe is his enthusiasm to help build the team and drive performance.

"He was so enthused by that [and] that is what we wanted. It's about coming into the factory as much as he can, talking to the engineers all the time.

"So yes, obviously, we expect him to do that at the racetrack but we also expect him to be back at the factory helping to develop.

"He is not one of those guys who just wants to turn up at the race track - he is an integral part now because of the experience he has. He should be able to help the process.

"He wants to muck in, get his hands dirty and everyone knows we love those kinds of drivers at Williams."

[MIKA27]

Formula E car completes Las Vegas Strip demo

Formula E's new Spark-Renault SRT_01E car made its first ever public demonstration on Tuesday with a high-speed display around the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

The car, which is fully-electric and capable of speeds in excess of 150mph, blasted down the Las Vegas Strip, showcasing its abilities with test driver Lucas di Grassi behind the wheel.

The series will compete in ten cities, starting with China in September of this year before the season concludes in London.

Speaking at the demo, CEO Alejandro Agag, said: "Today is a very special landmark for the FIA Formula E Championship and I'm delighted to be sharing it with Qualcomm and all our partners.

"Since the FIA launched Formula E just over a year ago, the progress and interest in the series has been overwhelming. When we started we had no cities, no teams, no broadcasters and no car. Now we have all these things so to be able to showcase our new car to everyone involved, and of course the fans, is a very proud moment. "2014 is a very big year for Formula E with the championship starting in September so it’s important to be starting on such a positive note. Today will also be the first of many roadshows we have planned over the coming months as we want as many people as possible to see, and hear, what we believe is the future of motorsport."

[MIKA27]

Fry: Little room for error in 2014

According to Ferrari engineer Pat Fry, a 'massive opportunity' exists for the Formula One teams to get their 2014 designs drastically wrong.

While most of the focus for the 2014 season has been around incorporating 1.6-litre turbo V6 engines into the cars successfully, the rules changes that come into effect this season also has major aerodynamic implications, which in turn affect the way the cars are cooled.

Fry believes specifically the manner in which the cars are cooled, specifically, are the most difficult to design optimally and that the teams who fail to do so will endure a difficult season.

"I think it is one of those years where you need to be developing your car rather than fixing cooling problems," Fry explained.

"At the start of each year when you get the cooling wrong, a huge amount of resource goes into fixing radiators, bodywork and everything like that.

"I am sure we have done it here [at Ferrari] in the past and we've done it at my former team [McLaren] in the past, where you waste the first couple of months.

"With the 2014 changes it is going to be even more dramatic - and the opportunities for getting it wrong are going to be massive.

"Hopefully we have got our sums right, but there will be a lot of people scratching their heads in January."

Because the different manufacturers are all likely to find individual cooling solutions, Fry expects the 2014 cars to look radically different from team to team.

"Cooling is always going to be a challenge with the level of cooling that 2014's car needs, and trying to integrate physically that much stuff into the car in a neat package is quite challenging," Fry continued.

"I think it will be interesting and there will be some dramatic differences in cars for once. Some people will be pretty busy I think."

[MIKA27]

Former F1 driver Mark Webber fears for Australian talents

Mark Webber believes it is harder than ever for young Australian drivers to get on the Formula 1 ladder.

Webber has left F1 after 13 years in the world championship to race for Porsche in the World Endurance Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours from this season.

Although his compatriot Daniel Ricciardo has taken his place alongside Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull, Webber fears opportunities are diminishing for drivers from the Antipodes to follow in their footsteps.

"You still need to get to Europe pretty early. I've always said that I would like to have done some European karting earlier," said Webber, who is guiding the career of New Zealand's Mitch Evans, the 2012 GP3 champion.

"But it's just so expensive now to get out of Australia and to prove yourself. It's always been tough, but now it's very, very difficult, as we're finding with Mitch and those guys.

"With Kiwis and Aussies, it's just hard to penetrate through. We don't have the numbers in our country.

"Back in my day when it was Marlboro [funding young drivers], you didn't sell many cigarettes in Australia but you sell a lot of cigarettes in Brazil.

"And Russia now, there's a lot of people there and that can help [driver funding]."

Webber first came to European racing to compete in British Formula Ford in 1996. He then reached F1 via British Formula 3, a stint in Mercedes' factory sportscar team, and Formula 3000.

He admitted that the growth of Australia's V8 Supercars series gave young drivers an incentive to build a career in their homeland rather than aiming for F1.

"There's a lot of talent in Australia, no question about it, but there's a very good domestic series with the touring cars, and guys sometimes realise that's an option for them instead of coming to Europe," said Webber.

Although Webber has been critical of how important personal sponsorship has become in the F1 driver market, he highlighted McLaren's choice of Kevin Magnussen for 2014 as a cause for optimism.

"It's refreshing to see someone like Kevin getting a run, that's great," he said.

[MIKA27]

Alonso and Ferrari at a crossroads in 2014

Should Fernando Alonso finally win an overdue third world championship, he will set a new record for the longest gap between consecutive titles.

Niki Lauda had to wait seven years for his third world championship, and that included two years spent in ‘retirement’.

But if Alonso were to win this year’s world championship eight years will have passed since his last one. During that time he has come within touching distance of the title on three occasions.

He almost made it three championship victories in a row in 2007. His finishing position of third that year belied the fact he was just a single point behind world champion Kimi Raikkonen.

His championship chances faltered that year as his relationship with McLaren disintegrated. That sent him back into the arms of Flavio Briatore and the Renault team who had delivered his first two titles but were now struggling.

A widely-anticipated move to Ferrari followed in 2010. Alonso arrived at the Abu Dhabi finale eight points ahead of Mark Webber and fifteen clear of Sebastian Vettel, but a calamitous strategy decision sent the title Vettel’s way.

If any season reinforced the view that Alonso is overdue a third title, it was surely 2012. Ferrari started the season with a remarkably poor car by their standards, yet by the time a much-improved chassis appeared at the fifth race Alonso was only four points behind Vettel, thanks in part to an inspired victory at a wet Sepang.

Alonso seldom failed to exploit any points-scoring opportunity to its fullest in a gruelling 20-race campaign. But at the final race, a nerve-shreddingly tense encounter at a slippery Interlagos, Vettel mustered a performance worthy of his adversary to deny him the title once more.

But what seems to frustrate Alonso most are the seasons, like the one just past, when he hasn’t had a car capable of regularly competing for victories. This was surely not what he expected when he joined F1′s most experienced, most successful – and richest – of teams.

Four years of grinding pressure from Red Bull and Vettel finally told in the middle of 2013 as Ferrari’s development programme again came up short. At Monza a team radio message from Alonso (from which we usually hear surprisingly little given he is the star driver of F1′s most popular team) hinted at the true extent of his frustrations when their qualifying tactics went wrong.

His management team were widely rumoured to be investigating potential new destinations for their man, who remains contracted to Ferrari until 2016. Astonishingly, it seems even a rapprochement with McLaren is not out of the question, as the team prepares to re-form its great alliance with Honda next year.

But most significant was Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo’s stinging rebuttal to remarks Alonso made about the quality of his car – comments which had largely been overlooked until Montezemolo spoke out.

With that, a fissure appeared in the previously rock-solid relationship between driver and team. This had immediate consequences for Alonso.

Ferrari previously tolerated Felipe Massa’s chronic under-performance in the three years since his return from injury. During this time he was obliged to suffer several indignities in the name of supporting Alonso’s championship bids.

Now Ferrari determined they needed an equally capable driver in the second car. Out went Massa, and back came the very driver Alonso was originally hired to replace: Raikkonen. No one could miss the significance of that hiring.

As he begins his fifth season in red Alonso’s opportunities and threats are clear. The change in engine regulations potentially presents his best chance to break the Red Bull hegemony since he joined Ferrari. The aerodynamics division – a source of the team’s recent weakness – has been bolstered with highly-rated arrivals from Alonso’s former team.

But he now faces a stronger adversary within his own team – the one he beat to the 2005 title, and the one who beat him to the 2007 crown.

For all his qualities as a driver, Alonso has been found wanting the most when under pressure from the other side of the garage.

This was true on the infrequent occasions when Jarno Trulli and Giancarlo Fisichella ran him close at Renault, and most obvious in that tense season alongside Hamilton in 2007.

A fascinating aspect of the coming season will be whether an older, wiser Alonso is better equipped to handle the days when Raikkonen is quicker.

All will be well if Ferrari finally produce the goods and Alonso delivers the title. As in 2005, when he brought Michael Schumacher’s five-year dominance of F1 to an end, Alonso could be the man to break the Red Bull-Vettel hegemony.

But if the cracks which developed in the relationship between Alonso and Ferrari last year continues to spread, it could be a different chapter from 2005 which is replayed: Alonso announcing a surprise change of teams – perhaps even a return to McLaren.

It’s going to be a fascinating 12 months for Ferrari, and much is riding on the next red machine to emerge from Maranello.

[Schumi5]

Thank you Mika for all your efforts keeping this thread up to date. Great place to catch up on all the news. Particularily pleased to hear the positive news surrounding Schumi! I just hope he is able to recover to a point where he is able to enjoy the lifestyle he worked so hard for! Forza Ferrari!

[MIKA27]

Thank you Mika for all your efforts keeping this thread up to date. Great place to catch up on all the news. Particularily pleased to hear the positive news surrounding Schumi! I just hope he is able to recover to a point where he is able to enjoy the lifestyle he worked so hard for! Forza Ferrari!

Glad to see you enjoy the thread and as always, I do my best to keep things up to date. Not much information on Schumacher other than the same repetitive stuff but i do hope he lives and recovers. Alot of people say alot of negative stuff about Michael but no sooner he has this freakish accident, the whole world stops and wants to see how he is.

I hope he pulls through.

[MIKA27]

Helmet camera footage proves Schumacher ski crash was at low speed

Footage from a helmet camera used by Michael Schumacher appears to prove that the seven time Formula 1 World Champion was not skiing at high speed when he fell and struck his head on a rock.

That is the claim of France’s RMC radio and also BFMTV television, after authorities reportedly extracted the footage as they investigate the incident at Meribel resort late last month that left Schumacher, 45, in a coma.

The information contradicts earlier reports which clamed that the former F1 driver was at speed in the rock-strewn ‘off-piste’ section between two slopes.

It could also spell legal trouble for Meribel, a major ski resort in the French alps, with lawyers already circling.

“The [safety] standard has not been met, as the signs and markings were inadequate and non-compliant,” lawyer Edouard Bourgin told Le Figaro newspaper. ”It cannot be that a resort collects the skiers’ money, but does not ensure their right to safety.”

Dent de Burgin mountain area where Michael Schumacher fell while skiing

Germany’s Welt newspaper reports that Meribel has already retained the services of a top ski industry-specific lawyer.

A top former ski racer and Olympic gold medallist, however, has leapt to Meribel’s defence. Markus Wasmeier said that areas such as the one Schumacher fell in “are quite normal”.

“The problem is unsolvable, short of lining the entire slope with guardrails,” he is quoted by Sport Bildmagazine.

A witness to the Schumacher rescue scene said the two slopes to either side of the rocky area were clearly marked with signs, according to Brazil’s Globo.

“Even a professional can fall on a rock,” Wasmeier added.

[MIKA27]

Lotus won’t travel to Jerez at all, not even with E21

Lotus has confirmed that it will not have its new 2014 car, the E22, ready for the first test of the season at Jerez starting on 28 January.

It has also come to light that the Enstone based outfit will not make the journey to the Spanish venue even with last year’s E21 to take advantage of the track time.

A spokesperson for Lotus said, “No benefit in running the E21 [at Jerez] – the cars are too different with the regulation changes.

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,” he added.

Thus the team’s new signing Pastor Maldonado will have to wait before getting familiar with his new surroundings.

[MIKA27]

Kvyat: We have a good chance to fight for top positions, as regulations are changing so much

The 2014 season could be a big chance for midfield teams to show up their bigger rivals believes Daniil Kvyat, the confident 19-year-old Russian who has been promoted straight from GP3 to Red Bull’s junior Formula 1 team, Toro Rosso, for 2014.

When asked about his plans for his rookie season, Kvyat told Russian television TV Rain: “I do not like to make such plans.

“I think you should always push to the maximum and see what comes of it. But I do believe that we have a good chance to fight for top positions, especially in a year when the regulations are changing so much.

“The middle teams will have the chance to get ahead, and I really hope [that] they do,” he added.

Some have linked Kvyat’s promotion by Red Bull – over the arguably more experienced Antonio Felix da Costa – as an obvious nod to his Russian nationality, on the eve of the country’s inaugural grand prix, in 2014.

Kvyat admitted that he would welcome Russian backers to the Faenza-based team.

“It is a long process and not so easy,” he explained, “but of course we are always open to negotiations with any sponsors.

“If there are interesting proposals we would consider them, as sponsors from Russia are very welcome.”

[MIKA27]

Anslie confirms Newey approach

Red Bull Formula 1 chief designer Adrian Newey could be involved in the design of a British entrant into the America's Cup, according to four-time Olympic champion Sir Ben Ainslie.

Ainslie met with Newey during last November's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Prix to discuss the possibility, the sailing legend confirmed to the BBC.

"Adrian is a big sailing fan," Briton Ainslie told BBC Radio 5 live.

"There's the potential for him perhaps to get involved, cast his eye over our design team and what we're looking at doing."

"We had a great catch-up but Adrian is committed to F1 for the foreseeable future."

Newey has made no secret about his desire to be involved with the Americas Cup at some point in his career, although he is contracted to reigning Constructors' Champions Red Bull until 2017.

Ainsley led American outfit Oracle to victory in the Americas Cup last year and is currently in search of funds to put a British team together.

Americas Cup rules dictate that the winner chooses the next venue, type of boats to be used and date, as long as it is within three to five years of the last race.

"To have the advice of Adrian or many of the very smart people involved with Formula 1 industry in the UK would be a great boost for us as a team," Ainslie added.

"Newey is clearly a genius, in anything to do with competitive design and he's got a great profile, but I would hate for anyone to think we were trying to prise him away from Red Bull Racing."

[MIKA27]

Magnussen reveals car number

Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen is latest Formula One driver to admit that he would prefer a permanent car number.

The McLaren driver took to Twitter to reveal his preference, the day after the Woking outfit revealed that their 2014 car will be revealed to the public four days before the pre-season testing session at Jerez.

"Here's some news: my driver number will be 20 this year, which I won the Formula Renault 3.5 Series title with last year," the 21-year-old said.

Earlier, Lotus driver Romain Grosjean revealed that he would like to keep the number eight, while 29 and 11 were his other favourites.

It is thought that Kimi Raikkonen and Jules Bianchi both prefer the number seven, while Sergio Perez favours number 11 as well.

Raikkonen's Ferrari team-mate Fernando Alonso prefers number 14 and Nico Rosberg is hopeful being allowed number six.

Other drivers to have confirmed their choices are Felipe Massa (19), Valteri Bottas (77) and Jean-Éric Vergne (25)

[MIKA27]

Sutil targets maiden podium

Adrian Sutil hopes that his move to Sauber will finally allow him to realise his ambition of recording a podium finish in 2014.

"For me, every year the target and the big goal is to go better than the previous year and better than my overall best ranking in the championship, which was ninth in 2011," the German told Sky Sports.

"It is what I want to improve, so ninth or better is the clear target.

"If there is a podium available, I will try to make it because I've never had one in F1 and I am desperate to get it. It is the target, [but] I can't confirm if it is going to happen or not, it will all depend on the package of the car and how we get on. It is most important that everyone is focused and committed and keen on the success for next year."

The 30-year-old added that his decision to leave Force India was one he had considered thoroughly, admitting that he has been in talks with Sauber for the last two years.

"From the beginning of [last] season we had talks, and I was in contact with Miss Kaltenborn already since February 2012 when I wasn't even racing," he confirmed.

"So we had contact for a while and it was just a case of time to find a solution together.

"This year, it was clear for me as to whether I wanted another year at Force India or [to move to] Sauber. Sauber was my preference, so I was glad that the first priority went through and I am in a new team with a new challenge.

"I am happy to be in a new team, [with] a new environment, fresh energy. We have good goals, the team is a stable, historical team and I enjoy working with them.

"No one knows what is realistic, we don't know how the car is going to be, it is a very difficult question to answer right now.

"It is a new season with completely new cars and I think the first few races with all the fuel saving [are] going to be a challenge.

"No one knows how much you can push - as drivers, we have to find the right way to push, but also save fuel at the right time to maximise the package. In the early races, it is going to be very difficult, someone will miss out and, for some, there will be a big chance."

[MIKA27]

F1 spending 'unsustainable' - Mercedes

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff believes the manner in which the top teams in Formula One are spending money is not a viable long-term strategy.

Speaking to Autosport ahead of discussions about a possible cost cap in 2015, Wolff admitted that the excessive spending at the front end of the grid is a threat to the future of the sport.

"Probably the highest spending teams spend three or four times the money of those other teams. Is that sustainable and healthy? No," the Mercedes chief told Autosport.

"Efficiency is what is being asked from our mother company, but the gaps, if you take the highest spending team compared to the midfield teams like Force India, Williams and Sauber, are still huge.

"I think the introduction of the F1 Strategic Group is going to be a first step of managing the situation.

"And we have heard that Bernie [Ecclestone] has started to emphasise on the fact that it is not a sustainable model.

"So I see that major stakeholders are pushing towards a more sustainable F1, a more balanced F1, in terms of financial resources."

Earlier, Caterham Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul suggested that F1 runs the risk of becoming an 'arms race' between manufacturers, particularly with the return of Honda in 2015.

"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," Abiteboul said.

"That is a big danger for Formula 1 - that it will be those four and the rest of us behind."

[MIKA27]

Formula E Drivers Club Announced With Nuemi, Sato, Liuzzi and Chandhock Included

With its first race set to take place in Beijing this September, Formula E has today made a step towards announcing its first set of drivers as eight established names signed up to the series’ Drivers’ Club.

The Drivers’ Club, which includes six former Formula One competitors, sees those announced giving their endorsement to the series and putting their name in the hat for a race seat.

Up until now Lucas Di Grassi had acted as the sole test driver of the Spark-Renault SRT_01E Formula E car, however the group of eight can now carry out pre-season tests.

Included are former Toro Rosso driver, Red Bull Reserve and Le Mans competitor Sebastian Buemi, HRTs Karun Chandhok, Virgin’s Lucas Di Grassi and former Grand Prix drivers Vitantonio Liuzzi, Takuma Sato.

Amongst the ten teams that are waiting for FIA approval is Andretti Autosport, headed by Michael Andretti and father to Marco Andretti, whose has also joined the Drivers Club.

China’s HRT and Caterham test driver, Ma Qing Ha and French DTM driver Adrien Tambay complete the line-up.

Judging by the names announced today and the teams that are set to compete it is simple to judge where some of the drivers will be driving. It is unlikely that we will see Marco Andretti at anywhere other than Andretti Autosport, for example.

Sato should find himself at Super Aguri, with whom he competed in 39 Grands Prix, whilst Ha and Tambey may race for Asia’s China Racing and Audi Sport ABT respectively.

The more high profile names of Buemi, Chandhok and Liuzzi will have more freedom of choice and team capability should be more of a factor than previous relationships.

“From the very beginning, we have set out to deliver great racing to fans across the globe and to do that you need high calibre drivers,” said Alejandro Agag, CEO of Formula E Holdings. “Now that we’ve announced all 10 teams, everyone is keen to find out who the drivers will be.”

For Buemi, who will have a hectic racing schedule this year with F1 and WEC commitments, the series that runs across the Winter months will allow for more racing as well as being part of a revolutionary series.

“I’m very happy to be a part of the new Formula E Drivers’ Club,” said Sebastien Buemi. “Motorsport should be seen to be the leader in developing and pushing new sustainable technologies so it will be great to see how this will influence not only motorsport but future road cars and the environment. The calendar is very strong and brings the racing to the fans, and the new Formula E car looks like it will be a lot of fun to drive.”

[MIKA27]

1994: Remembering the year everything changed

Twenty years ago Formula One embarked on a season that would change the sport forever.

The 1994 championship would forever be remembered chiefly for the harrowing events of its third round – that dark weekend at Imola which claimed the lives of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger.

The tragic events of the San Marino Grand Prix cast a shadow over the championship and began an intense period of soul-searching over how to better protect drivers in the sport.

These were the most grievous events of the most traumatic season in recent memory. A Monaco crash left Karl Wendlinger in a coma which ruined a promising Formula One career. In the early part of the season injuries became almost commonplace as a succession of drivers were wounded in major accidents.

The death of the most famous racing driver the world has ever known thrust worldwide media attention on the sport. Under fierce scrutiny, the imperative to understand what went wrong and respond accordingly forced all involved in the sport to react.

In the chaos that followed circuits and cars were hastily altered. Bereft of a star driver, another champion made a sudden return.

The season took an increasingly bitter turn with a series of controversial disqualifications and allegations over technical infringements. And it ended with a notorious collision in Adelaide.

But before the season began few could have imagined what lay ahead. The major preoccupations in the build-up to the new season were familiar ones: disputes over the technical rules and how to inject more action into the racing.

Formula One at the beginning of 1994

“Improving the show” is not a phrase that only gained currency in F1 in the last few years. Pick up a magazine or read a newspaper report from the end of the 1993 season and you’ll find it was already in vogue two decades ago.

The 1992 and 1993 championships had been largely dominated by one team – Williams – whose cars had taken pole position for 30 of the preceding 32 races. Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost won the 1992 and 1993 titles respectively at a canter.

Neither stayed to defend their crowns – although in January 1994 Prost’s future was far from certain. Mansell, meanwhile, had made history by switching to IndyCars and winning that title at his first attempt.

In the mid-nineties Formula One kept a jealous eye on its North American rival. While Senna remained the only world champion left in grand prix racing 20 years ago, IndyCar’s driver roster featured Mario Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi as well as Mansell.

the 1992 champion’s defection had won IndyCar many new viewers and the quality of its racing drew praise. Formula One responded by adopting some of IndyCar’s innovations, beginning with time penalties served in the pits and the Safety Car, which had appeared during 1993.

Another feature of IndyCar racing was adopted in 1994 – one which proved highly controversial. But as in-race refuelling ultimately remained part of grand prix racing for over a decade and a half, it’s easy to forget how contentious its return to F1 was at the time.

Refuelling was added to the rule books in mid-1993. It was slipped in at the 11th hour following months of wrangling between the teams and the FIA on a different subject: president Max Mosley’s desire to outlaw active suspension and other driver aids.

Faced with the threat of having their active cars banned mid-season in 1993 – forcing them to redesign their cars at huge cost – the teams agreed to a ban for 1994. Bernie Ecclestone seized the opportunity to add his rider: in-race refuelling, banned on safety grounds ten years earlier, would be legalised.

True support for the refuelling plan was almost non-existent, and following the meeting the teams swiftly united to try to expunge it from the rules. Even Benetton team principal Flavio Briatore, who argued in favour of such gimmicks as reverse grids at the time, turned against the refuelling plan when he calculated the huge sums involved in purchasing and shipping the necessary equipment.

The one team which continued to push for refuelling, preventing its rivals from achieving the necessary unanimity to get rid of it, was Ferrari. As they used the thirstiest engine in the pit lane they stood to gain the most from being able to refuel. Team principal Jean Todt even avoided a pre-season meeting of the teams where he expected to face fierce pressure to drop a plan which had raised serious concerns over safety as well as costs.

The teams and drivers of 1994

Ferrari were flexing their political muscles because they were enduring their longest-ever winless streak in the world championship. Over three years had passed since their last win, courtesy of Prost in the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix.

During that time they had struggled with a succession of attractive but uncompetitive designs, and never got to grips with active suspension and other driver aids that were essential by 1993. The banning of such devices for 1994, along with the return of designer John Barnard from Benetton, promised to restore Ferrari to competitiveness.

But at the dawn of the new season few expected any challenge to Senna and Williams. Even though Benetton got their new car on-track several weeks before Williams and set competitive times throughout testing, the conventional wisdom was that Williams couldn’t possibly have got it wrong.

Benetton, however, had won at least one race per season since 1989 and Briatore had set his sights high. “If I don’t win the world championship between now and 1996 then I need a change of job,” he said before the season began.

Prost’s decision not to take up his option to continue at Williams for a second season opened the door for Senna, whom Prost had blocked from joining him as team mate in 1993. But after Senna took his place alongside Damon Hill, Prost began seriously thinking of continuing in Formula One, and he looked into making a return to McLaren.

Those who were hoping the Senna-versus-Prost show would resume were to be disappointed. After driving the team’s new MP4-9 behind closed doors at Estoril in early March, Prost decided to remain in retirement.

“You could tell Prost wasn’t keen,” Martin Brundle reflected in a recent book, “the Peugeot engine wasn’t really very strong at that point”. Brundle’s brave gambit of waiting on Prost’s decision was rewarded: he landed the second McLaren seat alongside Mika Hakkinen days before the championship was due to start.

With the exception of Scuderia Italia, who failed to complete the 1993 season and were effectively taken over by Minardi, the same roster of teams remained. But the clock was ticking for venerable names like Lotus, who produced a mildly developed version of their 1992 chassis; Tyrrell, point-less in 1993; and Ligier, whose owner Cyril de Rouvre was arrested in December and who were soon to be purchased by Briatore.

Better times seemed to lie ahead for two of F1′s newest teams: Jordan, who impressed on their 1991 debut, entered their second year with Brian Hart’s customer V10 engines. And Sauber, entering their sophomore season having taken a fine seventh on their debut, retained the backing of Mercedes and their Ilmor-developed V10s.

Footwork went back to being called Arrows as the Japanese recession led Wataru Ohashi to pull his backing. Having been snubbed by McLaren in favour of Peugeot, Lamborghini scrapped their F1 engine programme, leaving Larrousse to join Arrows in switching to Ford engines.

The arrival of new teams Simtek and Pacific boosted the grid to 28 cars – and meant two per weekend would be eliminated after qualifying.

Mosley and the FIA

The move to outlaw driver aids for 1994 had inevitably drawn the strongest opposition from the teams who had benefitted most from it – Williams initially, and also McLaren, who won the final two races of 1993 with their highly advanced MP4-8. Not that their drivers necessarily felt the same way – Senna famously used his 1992 Christmas card to Mosley to lobby for a ban on driver aids.

But as the reality of the rules change sunk in during the off-season, concerns became fixed on whether it was possible to ban innovations such as launch control, which could be hidden within thousands of lines of proprietary computer source code. “I don’t think you should ban something that you can’t police,” said McLaren team principal Ron Dennis.

Days before the cars arrived in Brazil for the first race, Mosley warned that if someone “deliberately cheated – not that they interpreted the rule differently to you or there was some debatable point which they may be wrong about – then I think Draconian penalties are completely correct”.

But aside from worries over refuelling, safety was not a major talking point ahead of the new season. “Touch wood we haven’t killed anybody at a grand prix for 11 years now,” Mosley remarked in a pre-season interview, referring to the death of Ricardo Paletti in 1982.

Those intervening years had seen other serious crashes, including the death of Elio de Angelis during testing in 1986. But some of the more alarming incidents prior to 1994, such as Alessandro Zanardi’s fearful shunt at Eau Rouge the year before, had been caused by active suspension failures. There was good reason to believe that if banning it was going to have any effect on safety it would be a positive one.

But the coming months were to reveal in the most shocking way just how vulnerable drivers had become in their cars.

Remembering the 1994 season:

Throughout this season, I will run a series of articles looking back on the how the 1994 season changed the world championship.

More details on how the season unfolded will appear in many of the On This Day segments in the daily round-up.

[MIKA27]

Formula 1 braced for chaotic 2014 winter - analysis

Lotus may have grabbed the headlines by announcing it was skipping the first Formula 1 test, but it is not alone in expecting a tough build-up to 2014.

Engineers, team principals and drivers up and down the pitlane are bracing themselves for what could be a muddled start to pre-season preparations when that first test begins at Jerez on January 28.

Teams have spent months - and even years for bigger outfits - working on their 2014 designs to try to make the most of the opportunities given by the clean slate of new regulations.

But the rule changes are so extensive that few teams are taking anything for granted about the challenges they could face in getting on top of the new technology.

For years now, frontrunning F1 teams have got used to completing hundreds of kilometres of running on the opening day of testing action - and then swiftly ironing out new niggles along the way.

But the arrival of new turbocharged engines, new energy recovery systems, new aerodynamics and new tyres means few can take it for granted that things will be as trouble-free this time around.

FERRARI HOPES FOR SERENITY

As Ferrari's technical director James Allison put it: "This year there will probably be more anxiety than normal because the cars are a certain amount more complex.

"But we are working on the engine side and the chassis side with the tools we have back at the factory to make sure that the day the lights go green on the first day of the first test, we are ready to run on the track and we put on the kilometres we have run at previous first tests of the year.

"Everyone on the grid is going to be having that as an objective. We are all going to be frightened, but every year it is amazing what the teams manage to pull out of the bag, and I suspect that this year will be no different.

"There will be some people having dramas and some people having a serene time - and we want to make sure that we are having a serene 'kilometrefest' that will allow us to make progress before the first race."

Allison may be relaxed about Ferrari's situation for now, but one team principal - who did not wish to be identified - predicted that Jerez could prove to be a 'bloodbath' in terms of poor reliability.

Engineers have already talked in private of teams facing hurdles even completing installation laps early on as they uncover unexpected niggles caused by the new designs.

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has made it clear that no scenario - good or bad - can be ruled out.

When asked about the 'bloodbath' prospect of a test marred by crazy reliability niggles, he said: "It could be. But a bloodbath is good for the sport sometimes isn't it? So, it is good for some people on one side of it."

RELIABILITY TO DECIDE TITLE?

Ultimately, after an end to 2013 that turned into a one-man show as Sebastian Vettel reeled off nine consecutive victories, the added spice of car failures and team headaches at Jerez could be exactly what F1 needs.

And that could become the story of the 2014 campaign - with teams in agreement that reliability may well be the defining factor in the world championship battle.

Whitmarsh added: "It is not that long ago that even when we were screaming away in the lead there was tension on the pitwall because of things that could go wrong.

"The reliability is so good now, that I don't spend the race worrying about finishing in the way that we used to. Teams have got better.

"Oddly things like parc ferme, which everyone said would detract from reliability, by not allowing hands to meddle has enhanced reliability and enhanced the discipline of building the car correctly.

"If you get a load of mechanics and you give them four all-nighters, then act surprised when you get finger trouble, then you need your head seeing to, don't you?"

Early predictions suggest those all-nighters could well be an early theme of 2014 - further adding to what looks set to be a fascinating few weeks before Melbourne.

[ptrthgr8]

Thanks for getting this started up again, Mika. I'm a little leery of the new powerplants, but I'm excited to see how everything works out. Should be one of the more interesting seasons we've had in a while.

Will be an even better preseason once Schumi recovers.

Cheers,

Greg

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD

[MIKA27]

Thanks for getting this started up again, Mika. I'm a little leery of the new powerplants, but I'm excited to see how everything works out. Should be one of the more interesting seasons we've had in a while.

Will be an even better preseason once Schumi recovers.

Cheers,

Greg

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD

Always a pleasure to have the thread for each season Greg and thanks for always reading and often contributing with your views.

I think this season will be a messy one initially as each team work out the power train and ways to better manage fuel. I think the fuel side will prove difficult for some drivers who have a heavy foot like Maldonado. Will be a great season!

Mika