FORMULA 1 - 2014

[MIKA27]

Russian GP organisation announces executive appointment

The organisers of Russia’s first Formula One race, to be staged this October in Sochi, have announced a change of executive personnel.

Sergey Vorobyev will become Acting Director of the department organising the race, OJSC Center Omega, effectively replacing Oleg Zabara.

A statement from the race promoter said that Zabara would now work on other projects after doing an ‘excellent’ job.

Vorobyev was previously Zabara’s deputy and is a previous Commercial Director for the project, which will see a race take place around the newly-constructed Olympic Park in the Russian Black Sea resort.

Construction work on permanent pit and paddock facilities is ongoing.

The change was announced as Richard Cregan, the former manager of the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi, settles into his new role as an international consultant for the Russian Grand Prix organisation.

Cregan said: “Oleg did a very good job in building a team of professionals and establishing good reputation of the project. It is important to note that Sergey Vorobyev has been involved in the organisation of the Russian Grand Prix for several years.

“He cooperates with Formula One Management, he is very involved in the details of work processes, and he is aquainted with major figures of the automotive industry and the world of motorsport.

“The team and the administration support him, so, there is comprehensive succession of the project management and there is no doubt that he will be successful.”

The first Russian Grand Prix, a largely government funded project, is scheduled for 12th October.

[MIKA27]

Malaysian heat will test limits of new F1 power units

According to Mercedes ‘cooling’ will be the buzzword when Formula 1 descends on Sepang for the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend.

The German marque dominated in Melbourne, but Sepang is always among the very hottest destinations on the Formula 1 calendar — and the new ‘power unit’ rules for 2014 are posing much greater cooling problems for the teams.

“New GP, new problems,” Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda told Osterreich newspaper.

He also told German broadcaster RTL: “Malaysia will be more difficult (than Melbourne).

“In Sepang actually we are starting from scratch because of the high humidity and temperature – I doubt it will be below 35C.

“In such circumstances, effective cooling of the power unit would indeed be a problem. We will have to make changes to the car to resolve the issue.”

Lauda’s Mercedes colleague Toto Wolff agrees: “I think all the teams are seeking to create the most efficient cooling system.

“Every test or race weekend has been more difficult than we expected, so it will be difficult to cope with the heat in Malaysia,” he admitted.

[MIKA27]

Lauda scoffs at idea that engine volume can be turned up

It is absurd to suggest that Formula 1 engine manufacturers should urgently turn up the volume of the new V6 turbo engines.

That is the view of Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda, who days ago in Melbourne admitted the sound of the 22 cars charging to the first corner left him underwhelmed.

Williams technical boss Pat Symonds agrees: “For me the start is the most exciting part of the race, and I loved it when the 22 drivers revved up their engines.”

“I don’t generally complain about the sound, but at the start (in Melbourne) it did seem a bit quiet,” he told Auto Motor und Sport.

Lauda, however, said: “The debate about the engine noise is absurd — you can’t change that now.

“It was decided by all parties five years ago that they wanted turbo engines, and so we put in a turbocharger before the exhaust.

“It has a different sound, any child knows that,” the great Austrian told Osterreich newspaper. “If you take the turbo away, you don’t have hybrid engines anymore.”

As for the duller sound, “We have to get used to it,” Lauda insisted.

With a slightly more open attitude, however, is Lauda’s Mercedes colleague Toto Wolff.

“I’m not much of an engineer,” he told Finland’s Turun Sanomat newspaper. “These things will be looked at.

“If it is decided that something must be done, then we would have to think about it carefully.

“I would think that it is possible, but whether it is right, I don’t know.

“The V8 engines sounded fantastic, but I saw this race (Melbourne) up close and I can assure you that Formula 1 is still the top of motor sports, it’s not GP2.

“This (move to V6) was the right step,” Wolff insisted.

[MIKA27]

Williams remain second in the pecking order behind Mercedes

Williams team remain one of the current favourites in 2014 Formula 1 world championship, despite huge dollops of bad luck in Melbourne.

Piloted by Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas, the new Mercedes-powered FW36 was a standout of the winter season, but it struggled in the wet qualifying session last weekend.

In the race, Massa was punted out at the first corner while Bottas finished sixth, fighting through the pack after hitting the wall and damaging his wheel.

Pat Symonds says the Finn should thank former team driver Pastor Maldonado for the robustness of the car’s suspension.

“Our suspension is very strong,” Williams’ technical boss told Auto Motor und Sport. “Pastor pushed the limits very often in the past and that probably had an influence on the design.”

Symonds said that if Massa and Bottas had clean races, they would have set their sights on the podium.

Former Formula 1 driver Mika Salo told the Finnish broadcaster MTV3: “Williams’ car is the second fastest after Mercedes.”

According to Turun Sanomat newspaper, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff agrees: “If their weekend had gone normally, most likely they would have been driving for the podium.”

Asked if Williams can now challenge every single team except Mercedes, Symonds insisted: “I want to beat Mercedes as well.

“Our view is that Mercedes is at the front, and then there is a group of cars and we feel that in optimal conditions, we are narrowly at the front of that group.”

[Lotusguy]

What a load of crap like I said in an earlier post give the teams a 100 kgs of fuel and let them use it as they see fit ,next they will be telling them how fast they can go

Agreed 100%

[Lotusguy]

The audience will vote with their feet and their money. This season will be a disaster, that is my prediction. Too many rules, too many post-race decisions. This is no longer the pinnacle of racing.

[MatthewB]

Red Bull confused by Vettels car problems?????

Really!

Its quite clear that they mistakenly gave him one of Webbers cars from last year.

[Lotusguy]

Red Bull confused by Vettels car problems?????

Really!

Its quite clear that they mistakenly gave him one of Webbers cars from last year.

But then he would have blown the start

[mikec]

Always great to hear from you Mike!

Unfortunately I missed out going after all as my wife has been unwell of late so I couldn't head out to the GP as I'd have felt too guilty for having all the fun whilst she'd have been stuck at home. I did watch it from home and whilst I love being at the GP in person, looking at it from home and the lack of sound, I feel I'd have lost 50% of the excitement I normally look forward to.

Sound and smell is extremely important to the senses, the smell of carbon brakes and the like would have no doubt been there but that sound (Or lack of) is really depressing for Formula 1. I will always LOVE F1 but they need to seriously bring back the decibels.

I agree with Mercedes Power in that they have a lot more up their sleeve they are yet to reveal but in saying this two thought come to mind...

1) If they crank up the software to deliver more power, won't they run out of fuel and not complete a GP?

2) How would they manage the torque coming out of the corners? More HP would be great on the straights, I imagine they'd crank it up at Canada, Spa and Monza but it will be interesting to see how well they perform under more POWER!

Rosberg will out match Hamilton - He's more level headed and overall a brilliant talent over a race distance. No doubt Hamilton is a brilliant driver, but his attitude the past couple years have made him lose focus comparative to his earlier years in 2008. Hamilton in Qualy is one of the best ever.

Williams will do well this season and no doubt the WDC will be between Mercedes, Williams and McLaren.

DTM have two years to watch F1 fail with the current Turbos, perhaps they'll learn from this? It's never too late to change their ideas. As for Aussie V8's that will never change mate. Aussies are a passionate bunch with motor racing.

Sorry to hear about your wife Mika, hope all turns out well for you. I think we are in agreement on most issues here and I'll guess we will wait and see how the early season pans out. The guys in DTM are actually looking forward to the turbos coming ( we'll see about that) and are quite excited about racing with the GT 500 cars in Asia if all goes well. It looks like Mercedes are going to do well in DTM this year and have gained a half a second over last years times and we shall see if that's enough to hold off Audi and BMW. The Mercedes guys seem more interested in kicking the asses of the new F-1 refugees on their team ( Petrov& DiResta) than anything else. We shall see how the heat affects everyone in Malaysia next weekend and if Williams can keep both cars on the track for full race distance.

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[MIKA27]

Red Bull confused by Vettels car problems?????

Really!

Its quite clear that they mistakenly gave him one of Webbers cars from last year.

[MIKA27]

Google to honour Ayrton Senna with a Doodle on his birthday

Google will run a Doodle tribute to Ayrton Senna commemorate what would have been his birthday on Friday, 21 March.

2014 is the 20th year since Senna’s death death at Imola on 1 May, 1994. Senna would have turned 54 this year.

Google famously tweaks their logo on their main search page – with Doodles – to commemorate special events and occasions.

Estimates are that the Google search home page, featuring the Senna Doodle, will be accessed over a half a billion times on the day.

[MIKA27]

Red Bull file papers to appeal Ricciardo disqualification

Formula 1 champions Red Bull have formally appealed against the disqualification of Australian Daniel Ricciardo from his home grand prix in Melbourne last weekend, the team said on Thursday.

A spokeswoman confirmed that the necessary documentation had been submitted.

Ricciardo finished second in the race, his debut for Red Bull after joining from Toro Rosso, which was won by Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg. He was then disqualified hours later for an illegal fuel flow rate.

Red Bull announced on Sunday already that they intended to appeal and had until Thursday to do so. No date has been set for any hearing, with Formula One teams soon heading for Malaysia for the second race of the season.

[MIKA27]

Wolff reveals he nearly lured Lowe to Williams

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has revealed that negotiations with Paddy Lowe were initially about wooing the former McLaren technical boss to Williams.

In 2012, Wolff was Williams’ executive director and he is still a shareholder to this day.

He told Austria’s Sportwoche magazine this week that, on the advice of former McLaren and Williams driver Alex Wurz, he tried to convince 51-year-old Lowe to leave McLaren.

“Our first meeting was at Alex’s house in Monaco,” Wolff revealed.

“We then negotiated for a long time. I wanted to bring him to Williams, but things were not going that well (at Williams). Luckily,” said the 42-year-old. ”When I switched to Mercedes, Paddy was willing to come along.”

Indeed, Wolff – now Mercedes’ motor racing chief – bought into the Brackley based team early in 2013, and Briton Lowe followed six months later, ultimately replacing the departed Ross Brawn as a team boss.

[MIKA27]

Dennis: We'll be faster at Sepang

Ron Dennis is confident that McLaren will be significantly faster at the Malaysian Grand Prix than they were in Melbourne last week.

Although Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button both finished on the podium after Daniel Ricciardo was excluded from the race, they were never on contention to challenge eventual winner Nico Rosberg.

"What we intend to be as fast as possible is a winning grand prix team, and if you're not winning then you're not where you want to be," the McLaren Group CEO told crash.net.

"So the question is how do we catch up and how fast can we do it? What steps have to be taken? But I'm very pleased with the changes that have been made over the last couple of months and the outcome I think is very positive, so let's see where we are in a month or two.

"These intercontinental races limit how fast you can develop the car, but nevertheless we're going to give it our best shot. We're confident that we will be half a second quicker at the next grand prix for a variety of reasons. That's not going to be enough to achieve our goal but that will keep the pressure on the teams that are chasing us."

Earlier, McLaren Racing Director said that Mercedes are about half a second faster than the McLaren, but that he believes they would be able to challenge for the top spot on the grid by the time the European season starts.

"It's true that we understand that they have some pace, obviously," Boullier said.

"We believe it's maybe between 0.5s and 0.75s faster than the rest of the field. As for McLaren, we obviously focused a lot over the winter to build a solid and reliable car because we believed - and let's say so far the result in Australia confirmed our strategy - that reliability was key to taking some big points at the beginning of the season.

"It's true that we are now pushing very, very aggressively on the performance development. We clearly need to catch up the gap to Mercedes and to some other teams. Some other teams may not have performed well so far but clearly once the power unit is delivering full power they will be very fast too. I think the target for us is to catch up by Barcelona and build on the first four races in Europe."

[MIKA27]

Fuel sensors a known problem - Boullier

Eric Boullier, the McLaren Racing Director, has revealed that all the Formula One teams knew that there might be problems with the fuel flow sensors during the initial part of the 2014 season.

Boullier's comments come after Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was excluded from last week's Australian Grand Prix after the Milton Keynes team ignored a FIA request to decrease its fuel flow since Ricciardo's car was consistently achieving a flow of more than the allowed 100 kg/h.

Red Bull maintained that they were complying with regulations and that the FIA was receiving an incorrect reading from a faulty sensor, but despite finishing in second place, Ricciardo was excluded from the race after the FIA ruled that their advice was consistently being ignored.

On Thursday, Boullier confirmed to crash.net that all the teams were made aware of possible sensor problems and that the FIA stated during pre-season testing that sensor data may not be ignored.

"It's clear that it was raised early enough that there was a little bit of an accuracy issue between the different sensors, but we have been working closely with the FIA since early January to make sure that we understand the needs and understand if we could improve the system," Boullier told crash.net.

"All the teams were obviously welcome and working all together.

"In the end the FIA took a position in Bahrain at the second test where it was clear that the fuel flow sensor would be the reference and had to be used, so we knew that there was a little bit of need to filter a little bit the signal; there was a little bit of deviation if you want and we had to be careful with the fuel flow.

"In the end we have been fully compliant during the race and the whole weekend actually like most of the teams."

When asked if he felt sympathetic for Red Bull and Ricciardo, the former Lotus boss said that he prefers to focus on his McLaren rather than getting involved with other teams.

"To be honest we have enough on our plate and we do our job to be compliant with the regulations," Boullier added

"This is just a matter which is between the FIA and Red Bull and we don't want to comment at all."

[MIKA27]

Kimi struggling with Ferrari brakes

Kimi Raikkonen admitted that the new brake-by-wire system is the major reason has struggled to come to grips with his Ferrari so far this season.

After rejoining Ferrari four years after leaving the Maranello team, the 2007 World Champion has been struggling with the handling of the F14 T so far this year.

The Finn qualified in 12th position at the year's first Grand Prix in Australia last week and then finished seventh in the race.

"We identified some general problems which we have to tackle in Maranello and there are other aspects linked to the set-up on my car to do with the brake-by-wire system," Raikkonen told Autosport after the race in Melbourne.

"Getting this device working correctly is definitely something that contributes to the general feeling from the car, because it has a great effect on corner entry.

"Having said that, the F14 T improved right through Friday and Saturday and not getting into Q3 was not down to the competitiveness of the car."

Nevertheless, Raikkonen remains optimistic that he will be closer to the front of the grid at the Malaysian Grand Prix next week.

"I've been in this game for quite a while now. I can say this is definitely not the first time that I've gone through a difficult first race weekend," he continued.

"I'm sure that, if we work in the correct way, then right from the next race in Malaysia, the results can definitely be better."

[MIKA27]

Wolff: F1 teams must listen to fans

Mercedes Racing Director Toto Wolff believes the Formula One teams should work on improving the noise of their cars if the fans are unhappy about it.

The new F1 turbo engines sound significantly different than the previous generation of power units and have been a hot topic of discussion among fans and stakeholders alike.

Although most teams have admitted that more time should be given for the season to settle before calling for major changes, they have conceded that they must be willing to take action if spectator numbers start dwindling because of the noise.

"I am not too much of a technician but we need to look into things," Wolff told Autosport when asked about the possibility of changing the acoustics of the cars.

"If we agree that there should be something done on sound, then one should look into it. But assuming that it is possible or the right step to do, I am not sure.

"For me personally I would judge it [the new rules] as a success.

"The cars are mind blowing technology.

"You hear criticisms about the engines and the noise of the engines, and I was out there at an event in Melbourne and David Coulthard drove the old V8 and it was a mega sound. There is nothing you can say against it.

"But F1 is still the pinnacle of motorsport. This is not GP2, and therefore it was the right step."

McLaren Group CEO Ron Dennis is one of those who believe that it is too early in the year to be able to gauge whether the switch from eight cylinder to six cylinder engines is a good thing.

"I think we should give it a little bit more time to settle down before we are too critical of it," Dennis said.

"I think there are always going to be people who have negative observations. That is inevitable.

"But qualifying was exciting, and the race was pretty close between everyone other than Mercedes."

Eric Boullier, the McLaren race director, agrees with both Wolff and McLaren, saying that the fans should be listened to but that the season hasn't progressed far enough to make a decision either way.

"Like every big change, there are always pros and cons," Boullier told Autosport.

"It is true that we cannot dismiss the fans' complaints, but we also see some positives.

"We need to not focus only on the noise. We are undergoing exciting change actually, with this new industry-relevant powertrain which is why we could attract some new engine manufacturers and keep the existing.

"We have less aero downforce, it's a more driver formula, and you can see on the weekend there were a lot of small driver mistakes.

"It is true the engine sound is different, but not that different from the turbo engines we had in the 80's. It takes a little bit of time to see what is going on and how it develops."

[MIKA27]

FERRARI CALLS FOR FEEDBACK FROM FANS ON THE NEW FORMULA 1 SPECTACLE..OR LACK OF IT

Ferrari has launched an online mini-survey, seeking fans’ views on the new F1, as we saw it in Melbourne last weekend.

There are four simple questions, relating to whether fans enjoyed the spectacle in Australia and the clarity of the rules.

The survey can be accessed by clicking on this link: Ferrari Fan Survey

We strongly advise readers to take advantage of this opportunity to feed back to one of the leading teams.

As well as disappointment that the drivers have to manage the cars’ fuel consumption, giving the impression that they are not pushing to the limit, there has been a significant backlash from many fans against the sound of the cars, not necessarily the quality of the sound, but the lack of decibels; it was far too quiet for many fans’ taste. There is also dismay that complicated rules relating to fuel flow metering cast a shadow over the event with the disqualification of one of the leading runners.

But it is always risky to jump to conclusions based on a single event. Melbourne was perhaps not the ideal place to launch the new F1 as it is one of the highest fuel consumption races of the year and it doesn’t have corners with more than one line into and out of them, which means it is hard to overtake. There will be a lot more overtaking in Sepang next weekend with the two consecutive straights, linked by a hairpin.

There are a number of suggestions at large in F1 insider circles about improvements, from boosting the sound in the world TV feed to shortening the races this season, as the technology evolves, by around 40km so drivers can push throughout.

Former Benetton and Renault team principal Flavio Briatore launched a scathing attack on the sport yesterday in the Italian media, saying,

“You can’t present a show like we saw on Sunday; it says you don’t respect the public which is paying in the stands and on TV. I didn’t understand what the drivers were doing; they weren’t attacking I didn’t understand the fuel saving, why some great drivers were not able to defend themselves. It was a confusing and depressing spectacle.”

Briatore said that the sport had made a grave error in letting the engineers design the sport, rather than taking a wider view of what would make for the best spectacle.

Meanwhile Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has said that the sport and its teams need to take heed of the views of fans.

[MIKA27]

Maldonado: Everyone is working tremendously hard to ensure we get the team back to the top

With his Lotus F1 Team Grand Prix debut completed, Pastor Maldonado looks forward to the challenge of one of the toughest races of the season, as the Formrula 1 circus sets up camp at Sepang International Circuit, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, for Round 2 of the 2014 Formula 1 World Championship.

What are your thoughts looking to Sepang?

Maldonado: Sepang is a good track and I really like the challenges it presents us with. It’s very interesting from the car point of view, especially the aerodynamics, but also the tyres because the asphalt is very aggressive. Hopefully this event will go more smoothly for us compared with Australia. We know we need to work very hard to achieve our aims and objectives for the E22. We know where our main focus lies and as a team we are determined to get there.

The weather can be quite interesting at Sepang…

Maldonado: We know the weather at Sepang can change a lot; in fact it is usually either extreme heat or extreme rain, so very tropical and we’ll need to be ready for everything. Also the extreme temperatures are hard on the cars in terms of reliability and from the driving point of view it is quite stressful as well. All round, I would say Sepang is one of the toughest races of the year. We’ll need to be strong in all areas.

How much were you able to learn from your laps in Australia?

A lot. It was the longest stint I’ve done so far and that’s very important for the engineers who can now work through the data and find improvements. Naturally, our immediate priority is to finish the races, but in Formula 1 you never stop searching for more pace as well.

There was a lot of progress made during the Australian Grand Prix. Does that give you faith more progress will follow?

Maldonado: Yes, the whole weekend was pretty incredible. To be honest I’ve never seen anything like it. We started nowhere and we kept on having problems. With these cars, even little problems can take a very long time to fix. Some of the problems are very difficult to diagnose as they are electronic or software related. These all require so much time and focus. The efforts put in by everyone at Lotus F1 Team were amazing. Especially from the mechanics at the track, who worked all day and night, more than 24 hours straight, then still did really fast pit stops in the race. It was inspiring and makes me very proud to be part of this team. The season has not started the way we want, but I know everyone is working tremendously hard to ensure we get the team back to the top end of the grid.

What were the positives after Albert Park?

Maldonado: We made clear improvements during the weekend. The team has shown it is ready to do whatever it takes. This is good because my philosophy to racing is the same and I will do whatever it takes as well. Now we can go through the data and improve step-by-step. It is a long season and we need to be positive because we saw one Renault-engined car finish on the podium after the race. So we know our engine can fight for the podium and now we need to work harder than the other teams. This gives us a lot of motivation going forward. Australia was obviously a very disappointing weekend, but if you look at the positives we did more laps than in the pre-season which is quite encouraging as we have more data which is very important for making progress. We had a very negative free practice but we did plenty of laps during the race which is very constructive for the team. It shows that we’ll keep pushing and the hard work will eventually pay off.

What about the car itself?

Maldonado: The E22 has a lot of potential and is feeling better to drive every time we go out. We’ve had a lot of initial issues with the car, but this has been the same up and down the pit lane. I’m impressed every time I look at the packaging of the car and I know that the work going on at Enstone and with Renault Sport F1 will make the E22 into a podium contender very soon indeed.

[MIKA27]

Grosjean: You cannot drive most of the grand prix at 90 per cent as before, sometimes now it is only 30 per cent

Although clearly not happy with the frustrations of getting his race car where he wants it to be in the shortest possible time, Romain Grosjean is quick to see the positives and potential as Lotus F1 Team heads to the second race of the 2014 season in Sepang, Malaysia, this weekend.

How different is the driving experience in a grand prix now after the technical changes?

Grosjean: It is not quite as pleasant as before to be honest. There is a lot of energy recovery to deal with and optimise. You cannot drive most of the grand prix at 90 per cent as before, sometimes now it is only 30 per cent. We just have to get used to it. When you win you love it and when you retire [from a race], you don’t. At the moment it feels a little frustrating as a driver but these are the rules, we will adapt and make the best of them.

What will be the main challenges at Sepang?

Grosjean: The first challenge in Malaysia will be the heat, humidity and usual rain storms at 4pm! For us as a team, the target is to move forwards and improve. The race in Melbourne was basically a good, long test. It wasn’t easy for the guys but I’m happy we did a lot of laps in the race. We gathered some useful data and we will now improve, using that data. The aim now is to have a straightforward weekend at Sepang, working through our proper schedule in Free Practice, then carrying the benefits from that over to Qualifying and the race. Sepang is one of my favourite circuits and I’m looking forward to it.

There was a big step up on race day in Australia. Does that give you faith that more progress could follow?

Grosjean: Whenever we solve a problem we make a big step forward, whether it is with set-up, the engine or any other developments. We’ve seen this happen with other teams too. We are feeling greedy at the moment. We want to keep making big progress like in Australia, not just one or two tenths, but big chunks of time, and of course better reliability. We’ll prioritise and work as hard as we can to achieve that. The mechanics definitely deserved a rest after Australia though. They worked long hours all weekend and still did some of the fastest pit stops in the race. The guys were excellent and with a work ethic like that there is no reason why we won’t get on top of this car soon and exploit the huge potential of the E22.

We saw quite a bit of drama in Australia, how do you think the season will progress?

Grosjean: It will not be easy for anyone. We have seen some of the favourites going out or having problems and others that we were not expecting to be up there make an impression. It’s a bit unpredictable at the moment and not easy to know where everyone stands. I think Mercedes is looking good, as is McLaren. Our task is to get up there and amongst them.

What did you learn in Australia?

Grosjean: That we still have a lot of work to do! Other than the early finish, the Australian Grand Prix was positive. We learned more about the car in 44 racing laps than during the whole of winter testing! The team has done so much work and each of the changes have been in the right direction. It was looking good in the race and then we had the same problem as Pastor: the MGU-K shaft. But at least there is no mystery about what happened and we are working with Renault Sport F1 to solve the problem. Overall we are happy with the chassis, the aero balance for the changing fuel load, the driveability of the engine and the fuel economy. Of course there is work to do with energy management and recovery and we know Renault Sport F1 is responding to this. On our side we know more about the set-up and the direction we must go in order to make the car better. Braking for example was not perfect, but that is also to do with the tyres. The new tyres are really hard and their handling characteristics have changed. We are not getting the best out of them yet, but we will. There are plenty of areas for us to play with, but we now have a clear base set-up for Malaysia.

[MIKA27]

Malaysian Grand Prix: Sauber preview Sepang weekend

After a rather difficult opening to the season in Melbourne, the Sauber F1 Team looks forward to the second round of the 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship from 28th to 30th March in Malaysia.

The team used the data collected from Melbourne to improve the performance of the car with the objective to make a step forward at the Sepang International Circuit.

Esteban Gutiérrez (car number 21): “The Sepang International Circuit is completely different in comparison to the track in Melbourne. It will be interesting to get a feeling for the car with such different track characteristics. It is a smooth track, and less bumpy. It can give us a better feeling when braking, which is where we were struggling quite a lot during the whole weekend in Melbourne. The track has several high speed corners where we will be able to evaluate our downforce and see what the balance of the car is like. Also, the set-up is quite different. It is a fact that we are not happy yet with our performance. We need to put our heads together, be united as a team and make progress in every little detail we can. We have a great team, and I am confident we can improve.”

Adrian Sutil (car number 99): “Malaysia is one of the hottest races during the season, and, as a result, a challenge because of the high humidity. You have to be well prepared, as, especially at the end of the race, you notice the difference. Everyone should get through the race, but the drivers will be pushed to their limits. The track consists of many fast turns, long straights and a few hairpins, which make it quite an interesting one. I am curious to drive the car on this track where the aerodynamics play a huge role. This is important in order to get to know where we stand. If a car is good in Sepang, then it will be fast on other tracks as well. You need everything here – good aerodynamics, grip in the corners and high speed on the straights. The aerodynamic efficiency of the car is a key. Generally, my hope is that we improve from race to race. In Malaysia, the main objective is to get better and to take a step forward.”

Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering: “The Malaysian Grand Prix is a very challenging one. On the technical side, this medium-to-high speed circuit will keep engineers and drivers busy. Furthermore, the ambient conditions demand good physical preparation by the drivers and, to some extent, the pit crew. After the season opener in Melbourne, we are heading to the first race on a permanent circuit. The valuable data gathered over the first race weekend will help us to address a number of performance issues that we had. However, for other matters we will need more time and patience. Because of the abrasiveness of the tarmac and the hot temperatures, Pirelli has decided to bring its Hard and Medium compounds to the venue, which is in line with the last two seasons. Previous races also suggest that we should keep the possibility of rain in mind while planning race strategies. Having worked mostly on the set-up, control systems and generally on the software side in order to enhance our braking and mid corner performance, we won’t be racing with visibly different cars at Sepang. Yet, we look forward to improving our competitiveness with the objective to score points.

[MIKA27]

Malaysian Grand Prix: Caterham preview Sepang weekend

Caterham team and drivers preview the Malaysian Grand Prix, Round 2 of the 2014 Formula 1 World Championship, at Sepang International Circuit near Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysian GP lowdown with Renault Sport F1 track support leader, Cedrik Staudohar: Main challenges of Sepang for the Power Units: “Like Australia, managing fuel consumption in Sepang will be quite a challenge. Of the six main components of the PU, the ICE will be under the most pressure in Sepang. In the past, the humidity has made Sepang a little bit easier on engines since power comes down as the water content in the air increases. With a turbo engine, however, the air intake is controlled at all times regardless of ambient conditions, so those two long straights will really start to hurt.”

Main energy recovery points: “The two long straights of over 1 km each give plenty of opportunity for the MGU-H to be recharged. The heavy braking points of the hairpin (Turn 15), first corner complex and the mid to low speed corners in the third sector should allow the MGU-K to recover energy to feed back into the battery.”

Difficulty rating: “One of the hardest of the year for the Power Unit due to the long straights. The high air temperature is usually a concern as we have to choose the correct cooling level. The high chance of rain could also make the cars difficult to control due to the increased torque and lack of grip so the focus will be on good driveability without too much wheelspin.”

What to watch out for: “The start of the weekend in Melbourne was disappointing as we got to grips with a variety of small, but destructive, problems. After a much more positive Qualifying we were hopeful of a finish in the Race but a couple of issues, on the chassis and engine side, stopped the cars. Our aim is clearly to have a clean weekend this time out.”

Caterham F1 Team Driver Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi, car #10: “The second race of the year is Malaysia and it’s our team’s first home race of the year, so it’s going to be a good week! I’ve obviously raced there a few times before, and finished in the points in 2011, and this year it would be great if we were able to fight for a point, but we’ll have to make sure we have a better Friday than we did in Australia if we’re going to have a stronger weekend at Sepang.

“The way we bounced back in qualifying in Melbourne showed a little bit of what we can do, but without any real laps in FP1 or FP2 we only had a very small chance to fight. With a proper Friday and Saturday program we can give ourselves the opportunity to show the true pace of the car, and prepare much more for the race. Obviously, I’d like to also make sure I don’t have the same brake problems that caused the accident in turn one in Australia – without that I think we’d have had a strong race and we’ll work as hard as we can to give ourselves the chance to really perform.

“Off track we’re going to be busy, especially on Tuesday night when I’m at a Renault event at Sepang and on Wednesday when we have a very packed schedule meeting sponsors and fans. We’ll be at the Pavilion Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday afternoon from about 2pm meeting our fans so if anyone is in KL that afternoon they should come along. We’re also going to see AirAsia’s head office on Wednesday afternoon and meet their staff, so it’ll be good to see one of Tony’s other teams in action!”

Marcus Ericsson, car #9: “I can’t wait to get back in the car, especially after having a really good race until the oil pressure problem forced us to stop in Australia. It’s been great to read so many nice comments about what we did in the race after such a bad Friday, but now I want to get on with it again and go straight back to work.

“Sepang’s a track I’ve already raced on, so that’s obviously an advantage over Australia. I really like the heat and have trained hard all through the winter to prepare for races like Malaysia, so I’ll be 100% ready physically, but I’m still just loving being in F1 and for race two to be a home race for Caterham and on a track I know and like, that’s just really good for me. It’ll be great to see how much Caterham means to the Malaysian fans, and I’ve been told the autograph session on Sunday will be one of the real highlights of the year, so there’s a lot to be excited about!

“We obviously need a stronger weekend on track overall, and I know they guys back at the factory and at Renault have been working flat out to help us do so. Our race pace in Australia was pretty good, but with a full Friday and not [being able] to use FP3 to catch up, I think we can start to unlock the real performance of this year’s car. If we can do that, and with the work being put in by everyone, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t, I think Malaysia could be a strong weekend for our team.”

Caterham F1 Team Malaysian Grand Prix Event – Wednesday 26th March, 1330 – 1415 (media session), 1415 – 1500 (fan autograph session)

Caterham F1 Team drivers Kamui Kobayashi, Marcus Ericsson and Alexander Rossi will be appearing at Pavilion Shopping Centre, level three, Bukit Bintang entrance on Wednesday 26th March.

An open media session will take place with all three drivers from 1330 to 1415 and all media are welcome at that event.

From 14:15 to 15:00 all three drivers will be signing autographs and doing fan selfies so come along and meet our drivers!

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Australian GP chairman Ron Walker steps down

The long-serving chairman of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne is stepping down.

Ron Walker, a stalwart of the almost twenty-year-old Albert Park race and a close friend and political ally of Bernie Ecclestone, will retire after the 2015 event.

“I’m 75 this year and it’s good governance to let someone fresh take the reins,” he told News Limited publications in Australia.

Walker, a former Melbourne lord mayor and a multimillionaire businessman, selected his own replacement, current cricket world cup chairman John Harnden.

“It’s not public knowledge,” said Walker. “We haven’t made the announcements, because we wanted to continue to do what we do without any fanfare.”

The fact that Harnden will only take over for the 2016 race is a clear sign that Melbourne wants to keep the Grand Prix beyond its 2015 contract.

Walker, who was recently battling lung cancer, revealed last week that he has negotiated a basic new deal with Ecclestone.

“I think the foreplay is over so to speak and it’s now a case of talking to the government about whether it is worth it or not,” he is quoted by the AFP news agency.

“I think everyone in the government wants the race. The assessment is going to be made over the price,” Walker added.

He told News Limited: “We are asking for three extra years. We are not like the Arab states and some other countries – we have to be very careful the way we spend taxpayers’ money.”

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Vettel 'encouraged' by Aussie pace

Although Red Bull eventually left Australia without a single World Championship point, Sebastian Vettel was buoyed by the RB10's much-improved pace.

After a trying pre-season in which Red Bull struggled to string together more than 20 laps, the team headed to Australia not expecting much.

As in testing, Vettel suffered the bulk of Red Bull's Renault woes while his team-mate Daniel Ricciardo showed some promising pace.

The Aussie qualified second behind Lewis Hamilton and finished second to Nico Rosberg only to later be disqualified when his car was found to have exceeded the fuel flow rate during the grand prix.

But despite the disappointing end to the weekend, Vettel says it was an "encouraging" performance and one the team is looking to build on.

"We still have a lot of work to do with the car but it was encouraging to see that our pace was better than expected in Australia - hopefully we can build on that and start collecting some strong points in the next two races," he said.

Next weekend, Vettel and his rivals will head to the Sepang circuit for the Malaysian GP where the German says high humidity and thunderstorms are just some of the issues they will have to deal with.

"Next stop is Kuala Lumpur, which I like as a city. Downtown can sometimes seem sterile, but then you turn a corner and the streets burst into life with the night markets. Whenever I have time I try to go there and see what they have to offer.

"Looking to the track, the two overtaking possibilities are the first corner and before the last corner, which in both cases is after a long straight; my favourite corners are five and six.

"Beside the challenge of the circuit, you have to cope with the tropical heat. We can be driving in humidity of up to 90%, while big thunderstorms in the afternoon are not uncommon."

A week later it is off to Bahrain for the second part of the double-header where the drivers will swap humidity for a dry desert heat.

"From there we go to Bahrain, where we've recently been for winter testing, so it will feel quite familiar and after the high humidity in Malaysia it will be nice to go to dry heat. Because the circuit is in the middle of the desert, sand can be blown up in the wind on to the racing line.

"The circuit has a nice combination of fast, slow and medium corners and is pretty technical to drive. I also like the rosewater they have instead of champagne!"

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Formula E looks to trump F1 sound

The man behind the new Formula E racing series has insisted fans will love the electric cars' "futuristic" sound after the introduction of quieter engines sparked a row in Formula One.

CEO Alejandro Agag refused to compare the battery-powered engines' sound to F1, but he said they reminded him of the Podracers seen in Star Wars film, "The Phantom Menace".

As Formula E prepares to debut this year, F1's new hybrid engines have been criticised by fans, organisers and top boss Bernie Ecclestone as being simply too quiet for motor-racing.

But Agag told AFP that people would be pleasantly surprised by the sound of the Formula E cars -- and that video will be released online next week to prove it.

"We think the sound of Formula E is going to be a big surprise for everyone. The sounds that comes out is completely futuristic, new, different," he said in a telephone interview.

"Next week we will put video online of the car with the sound and I think this will be quite a shock, the sound that these Formula E cars are making... it's actually quite loud."

He added: "It sounds more like a jet, a fighter jet. Or like the Podracer in Star Wars. So that's the kind of feel we want to give to the fans, much more futuristic. It doesn't sound at all like a combustion engine."

Motorsports enthusiasts are traditionally fans of roaring engines and the row over the new "vacuum cleaner" power units in Formula One has gone right to the top level.

Organisers of last week's season-opening Australian Grand Prix said the engines may be a breach of contract, while Ecclestone pledged to try to make them sound "more like racing cars".

Such perceptions loom as a potential problem for Formula E, a showcase for the potential of electric cars which has high-level backing and now needs to build its fanbase.

Last October, four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel was critical of Formula E, saying "it's not the future" partly because of its expected lack of noise.

"I think people come here to feel Formula One and there is not much to feel when a car goes by and you don't even hear anything but the wind," Vettel said at the Indian Grand Prix.

But Agag said Formula E could be a "game-changer" for motorsports and the car industry when it flags off in Beijing in September, the first of 10 stops around the world.

"The event we think is going to be an eye-opener," he said.

"We want it to be a game-changer for the electric car sector because really the wider public don't have the opportunity to see these cars in action."

He admitted the launch was a "bit early" in some respects with electric car technology still in its infancy.

Cars will race at speeds of about 230 kilometres (142 miles) per hour, slower than F1, and drivers will initially have to switch vehicles twice per race because of the difficulty of changing batteries.

"Remember mobile phones when they were like, one kilo? We are there," Agag said. "We took the decision to jump, basically. We feel like pioneers in a sense," he added.

"We took the decision to go before technology was ready now. Of course, we could have waited 10 years for the perfect solution but then probably somebody else would have already done it."

The long-term, $100 million initiative is backed by motorsports' governing body FIA, and Formula One's Williams, McLaren and Renault collaborated on the inaugural Formula E car.

This year, drivers including Bruno Senna and Jaime Alguersuari will be competing in identical vehicles with the field thrown open to manufacturers in following seasons.

Racing will get underway around Beijing's "Bird's Nest" Olympic stadium and then move on to other high-profile sites including London, Los Angeles, Miami, Berlin, Rio de Janeiro and Monaco.

Underlining rising concerns about pollution worldwide, this week Paris ordered half of all cars off the roads after the French capital was shrouded in a murky haze.

And it is no coincidence that the clean-energy racing series will start in notoriously smoggy China, which also this week declared "war" on the filthy air choking its cities.

"It's a game of changing perceptions (about electric engines)," Agag said. "The broader goal is to finish with combustion (engines) everywhere.

"That's a goal that will take maybe a few years or many years, but we have to start somewhere."