FORMULA 1 - 2014

[MIKA27]

New movie ’1Life on the Limit’ explores danger and death in Formula 1

Francois Cevert in the Tyrrell 006 at the 1973 British Grand Prix

Francois Cevert had the most piercing blue eyes, the presence of a movie star and a Gallic charm that melted hearts wherever he went.

Those eyes, that gaze glimpsed through the visor slit of a 1970s helmet, are still haunting in the Formula 1 documentary ’1; Life on the Limit’ due to be released in selected British cinemas in January and then further afield.

A pitlane heart-throb, the Parisian was a hero of more carefree times – one moment escorting Brigitte Bardot or playing the concert piano and the next risking his life in the most dangerous and glamorous of arenas.

More than a decade before Alain Prost captured his first title in 1985, it was Cevert – Jackie Stewart’s friend and team mate at Tyrrell – who had seemed destined to become France’s first World Champion.

Francois Cevert’s accident at Watkins Glen was horrific

Instead, at the age of just 29, he died during qualifying for the 1973 U.S. Grand Prix at Watkins Glen.

The sense of what might have been, the waste of so much young talent in those ‘golden’ years when sex was safe and motor racing frequently fatal, hangs over the film without sensationalism, recrimination or gratuitous gore.

“We all know, every one of us, that death is in our contract,” Cevert had declared earlier in his career. He knew the risks, loved the sport, lived – and died – for racing.

The story of Formula 1 combines both horror and heroism, evident in the archive footage, and in later years has focused on the fight to reduce the carnage and improve safety as attitudes common enough in the immediate decades after World War Two began to change.

’1′ has been long in the making, with a preview shown in Austin last year during the first grand prix weekend at the Texas track and then at this year’s London Film Festival, but the timing looks right.

Anyone who has seen ‘Rush’, the Ron Howard movie with Daniel Bruhl playing Niki Lauda to Chris Hemsworth’s James Hunt, will be familiar with the dramatic 1976 season and the Austrian’s comeback from a near-fatal crash at the Nuerburgring.

The same applies to fans of ‘Senna’, the multiple award-winning film about the life and death of Brazilian triple Champion Ayrton Senna.

The latest documentary complements the previous two films, connecting storylines and filling in the background with the drama provided by original footage.

Michael Fassbender with Sebastian Vettel

Narrated by German-Irish actor Michael Fassbender, star of ‘X-Men’ and ‘Inglourious Basterds’, and directed by Paul Crowder, ’1′ charts Formula One’s progress from 1950s insouciance to the modern era where drivers expect to walk away from big crashes.

It includes interviews with Stewart, Stirling Moss, Mario Andretti, Jacky Ickx, Lauda and Nigel Mansell as well as more recent racers Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher.

Formula 1′s 83-year-old commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley, former president of the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA), also have their say as key players in the battle to improve safety and men who lost friends along the way.

While younger audiences may not be familiar with the history, the fascination for the committed F1 fan lies in the archive material.

Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart pictured in 1967

We see Jim Clark at home in rural Scotland and witness the shock and confusion on the faces of spectators in the Hockenheim grandstand in 1968 when his death was announced over tinny loudspeakers before flags were lowered.

There is the tear gently rolling down the cheek of Professor Sid Watkins, who died in 2012, as the eminent neurosurgeon and F1 doctor recalls his last conversation with Senna.

There is the poignancy of Austrian Jochen Rindt, the only posthumous World Champion, asking his wife shortly before his death at Monza in 1970 what one thing she would wish for.

“For you to stop racing,” she replies.

Then there is Cevert. The camera follows Colin Chapman, the Lotus team boss who was already no stranger to fatalities in his own cars, pacing anxiously in the pitlane as he sought information from others about the 6 October 1973 accident.

Francois Cevert won his first grand prix at Watkins Glen in 1971, two years later he was killed at the same venue

“Cevert? Bloody Hell,” he sighs.

Stewart did not compete the next day, or ever again in F1. He had already decided to quit as Champion, with Cevert – who had not been told of the plans – set to take over as Tyrrell number one.

“We arranged to send flowers to his mother and to his grave on that date of every year that followed, until she passed away,” the Scot, who likened the Frenchman to a younger brother, wrote in his autobiography ‘Winning is not enough’.

The triple Champion has continued to do so ever since.

Many others had been mourned already, including promising young Briton Roger Williamson who died earlier in 1973 after a fiery crash at Zandvoort in the Netherlands.

Denny Hulme passes the scene of Roger Williamson’s fatal accident during the 1973 Dutch GP as David Purley walks away after trying valiantly to save the driver

The footage of that accident, with the driver trapped in the flaming upside-down wreck while David Purley struggles in vain to rescue him while the race carried on, remains stomach-churning 40 years on. The viewer is spared nothing.

How much has changed since Senna’s death in 1994 is emphasised by the opening shots of Martin Brundle running down the pitlane after a terrifying, flying shunt in Melbourne in 1996 that broke his Jordan in two.

He was unscathed, and climbed into a spare car for the re-start.

A generation of drivers has now grown up that has never suffered the loss of one of their own at a racetrack, nor started a season wondering whose funeral they might be attending before the year was out.

But there can be no complacency even now, with 2014 marking the 20th anniversary of the last driver fatality (Senna). As Mosley, who started the same Formula Two race in which Clark was killed, observes quietly: “One is always haunted by the past.”

[MIKA27]

Boullier: We will not be the only team not in Jerez for first F1 test

Lotus announced earlier this week that they will not attend the first Formula 1 test of the season. Team boss Eric Boullier believes that his will not be the only team absent from proceedings at Jerez.

Boullier told BBC, “You will see, we will not be the only team not [going to] Jerez. I know this for a fact already. We already said a month ago that it is going to be tight. Actually most of the teams agreed it was going to be tight. Then it was a decision we took.”

“It is true the car will not be ready on time, but we will be ready shortly after that – and in some ways, it is not bad because we will have time to watch what the others are doing and nobody will be able to watch what we are doing. Remember, this year it is a big regulation change, so everybody will be watching very carefully what the others have done,” predicted the Frenchman.

Romain Grosjean in the Lotus E21

“We took the decision bearing in mind [that] we we would miss a third of the testing, so we have to focus on doing things a little bit differently to make sure [that] we do not lose too much,” added Boullier.

Lotus’ financial woes captured headlines last season, especially when Kimi Raikkonen informed the world, in November, that he had not been paid for his services.

The Enstone team, owned by Luxembourg-based venture capital group Genii Capital, was also expecting investment from Quantum Motorsport which failed to materialise.

The team subsequently signed Pastor Maldonado who is known to have substantial backing from Venezuelan petroleum giant PDVSA, which appears to have eased the financial strain on the team.

The team’s other driver Romain Grosjean will be with the team for a third year.

[MIKA27]

Fittipaldi says that Massa can lead Williams to the top

Although Williams endured one of the worst seasons in their illustrious history in 2013, double F1 World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi believes that fellow Brazilian Felipe Massa could provide the catalyst for the team to return to the front of the field.

Speaking to TotalRace, Fittipaldi said, “Felipe can do very well next year, because of the new rules, and Williams has vast experience, the ability to be one of the big teams again. No doubt, Williams is a power in Formula 1.”

“They are going through a difficult time, but various teams go through this type of phase. For example McLaren, no one expected them to be so bad this year. Williams are motivated and Felipe is motivated. He will be the team leader.”

Massa, 32, was axed by Ferrari after a nine year stint with the team. He will start his 192nd grand prix when he lines up on the grid in Melbourne for the 2014 season opener.

[MIKA27]

New Force India to feature a ‘hump’ and Telmex branding

A Force India car under wraps (file photo)

Force India livery will feature Telmex colours in 2014 and an unique hump on the top of the monocoque, the Italian publication Omnicorse reports.

Swiss rival Sauber announced just before Christmas that, with Mexican Esteban Gutierrez staying on board for 2014, the logos of magnate Carlos Slim’s brands Telmex and Telcel will still be carried by the Swiss team this year.

Force India, however, has signed McLaren refugee Sergio Perez for 2014, another Mexican driver prominently backed by billionaire Slim.

As well as some details of the 2014 livery, Omnicorse also claims to know that the Silverstone based team’s technical boss Andy Green has “a few surprises” for the Formula 1 paddock up his sleeve for when the new VJM07 is unveiled.

The unloved ‘step noses’ of 2012 mainly disappeared last year, when the FIA allowed teams to install a ‘vanity panel’ to disguise the unseemly solutions.

But with the bodywork regulations changing yet again in 2014, Omnicorse claims that Green’s new Force India will have a ‘hump’ not on the nose, but directly atop the monocoque.

The report speculates that the solution directs more air underneath the car, without compromising the amount of space necessary inside the cockpit.

Vijay Mallya’s Force India finished the 2013 Constructors’ Championship in sixth place.

[MIKA27]

Sutil: Missing first test not good

Adrian Sutil has warned that Lotus will be at a "disadvantage" for missing the opening pre-season test.

Lotus confirmed earlier this week that they would not attend the Jerez test but will rather wait until Bahrain and its "representative conditions."

But, given the major regulation changes for the 2014 season, Sutil says Lotus are making a big mistake.

"I think real testing at the moment is what we need and not simulator work, because you can't simulate everything," he told Reuters. "In the end you need to go on the circuit and see how it goes.

"This is a very important test and we don't have much so I think it's clear that it will be a disadvantage for Lotus.

"But who knows why they decided it? I would say it is definitely not good."

The German, whose Sauber team is powered by Ferrari, downplayed fears of a reliability disaster with the new 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 engines.

"Maybe we have no problems at all and everyone will do laps and laps. Who knows? But normally with a new engine you suffer a few problems.

"But I don't think it will be a disaster, because I believe everyone knows how to build an engine and it's not that we are not professionals.

"Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault are all big manufacturers and should know how to deal with this situation."

[MIKA27]

Abiteboul: Huge task succeeding in F1

Caterham CEO Cyril Abiteboul concedes there are no "shortcuts" to F1 success as his team seeks their first World Championship point in 2014.

Having started the Formula One team from scratch in 2010, Caterham have struggled to get up to speed.

The team did at least manage to avoid the wooden spoon in the standings for the first three year before losing out to Marussia last season.

"It is difficult to know if we could have done a different job," Abiteboul told Autosport.

"The only shortcut that potentially could have been found, is by getting a proper association with bigger teams. Because it is true that that creates immediate return from a performance perspective.

"But finding the place, moving from zero people to the 350 that we are now, you see the time that it costs an organisation to go through a restructuring, so can you imagine starting from scratch, you have no process, you have nothing.

"You have nothing, no account, no delegation authority, no cash-flow management, nothing.

"Everything needs to come together in parallel, and in addition to being a proper business you also have to be competitive enough to compete against companies that have been investing for 35 years like Williams.

"Would it have been possible to have done a better job? I believe in the last two years in particular we could have been closer to them but the task is just huge."

Abiteboul added that all those succeeding in F1 these days, such as Red Bull, Ferrari and Lotus, have been in Formula One for many years.

"For Red Bull, it took a while to get it right and yet they are starting from Jaguar.

"Lotus is a fantastic team, nothing to say against that, but they started from Toleman and Benetton.

"Sauber was established and had BMW, so we see the teams that are competitive are competitive because they are established and proper run businesses, and that is also what we have to be."

[MIKA27]

Eddie Irvine gets 6 Months For Italian Nightclub Brawl

Former Ferrari and Jaguar driver Eddie Irvine has been sentenced to six months by a judge in Italy for his part in a nightclub brawl.

The case stretches back to December 2008 when Irvine, 48, got into a dispute with the son of a prominent figure in Milan, which led to a brawl in the Hollywood nightclub in Milan. The dispute related to a text message sent by Irvine to an ex girlfriend of Gabriele Moratti, whose mother was once Mayor of Milan.

Neither man is expected to actually serve the jail sentence, as it has been appealed and that is likely to take the case into 2015; beyond the statute of limitations, according to commentators covering the case.

Irvine raced in F1 between 1993 and 2002, participating in 145 Grands Prix and winning four times. He was team mate to Michael Schumacher at Ferrari from 1996 to 1999 and almost won the 1999 world championship. He was leading the points table going into the final round against Mika Hakkinen, but lost the title at Suzuka. Since retiring he has built up a substantial business empire, encompassing property and paper businesses.

Ironically his F1 career began with a brawl with Ayrton Senna who was incensed that Irvine battled as Senna lapped him. Senna came looking for Irvine after the race and took a swing at him as the Irishman showed little respect for his position.

Also ironically, Irvine’s older sister Sonia is the owner of the F1 night club franchise “Amber Lounge”, which often sees F1 drivers partying with VIP guests and fans after Grands Prix in some of the more exotic locations on the calendar.

[MIKA27]

Fernando Alonso's Podium Shot of Crowd At Monza Up at Auction

A little moment of F1 history – the photo Fernando Alonso took of the huge crowd of tifosi beneath the podium at last year’s Italian Grand Prix – is coming up for sale next month.

It was a moment celebrated by many fans of the sport.

And a one-off signed print of that photo is going under the hammer at a Coys auction in London on Friday February 7th in aid of Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, a favourite cause of F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone.

Photo: Fernando Alonso

The event is being held for the second year.

The drivers and team principals of every F1 team were asked to take a photograph of their chosen subject and those images will be signed and auctioned by Coys at the Zoom event at the InterContinental London Park Lane. The event will be hosted by the BBC’s F1 presenter Suzi Perry.

There are also images taken by world champion Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Mark Webber as well as Martin Brundle, among a host of F1 names, going under the hammer.

* For more information and to enquire about bidding click herehttp://www.zoom-auction.com/

Photo: Nico Rosberg

[MIKA27]

Indian government amends tax laws to lure F1 back

The Indian government has taken steps to lure Formula 1 back to the country after the race was dropped from the 2014 calendar.

One of the main sticking points, which has caused a great deal of hassle to the teams, was the governments view on F1, which it doesn't deem a sport and is therefore liable to pay import tax on any equipment it brings into the country.

Despite numerous calls to change the law, it remained in place. However the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has now amended the policy relating to the 'importation of cars and motorcycles for use in motor racing events'.

The change allows vehicles and equipment to be imported for a maximum of 30 days, after that time they must be exported. A bond must be paid, but this will be returned after those 30 days.

The imported vehicles can not be used on public roads, cannot be sold in India and are not allowed to be "engaged in any sort of commercial activities". The change is part of an attempt to lure F1 back to the Buddh International Circuit which held three events before being dropped from the calendar

[MIKA27]

Honda advantaged and disadvantaged by late arrival says Renault

Ferrari's Stefano Domenicali recently admitted that he thought Honda would have an unfair advantage by entering the sport in 2015 - a year after the new engine regulations are introduced.

Renault's head of trackside operations, Remi Taffin, agrees to a point, but also believes the late arrival could have a negative effect for the Japanese manufacturer.

"One could argue it's a good advantage and one could argue it's not," he explained.

"You have one more year to study your engine and maybe you could end up with a 2015 engine that is much more developed, but at the same time we are going to be developing the engine for 2015 - we are already working on 2015 - and it's very similar.

"It's just a matter of resources because they don't have to focus on 2014 and they are fully focused on '15.

This could be an advantage because they put all their resources, money and people on '15 whereas we have to share." Renault, Ferrari and Mercedes must freeze their development programmes after February 28th, unless the changes relate to reliability. Honda however has until next year to develop its power unit which will be exclusively available to McLaren.

Taffin however says no amount of factory development can match on-track testing, of which the current suppliers will have a full season of, whilst Honda won't.

"They will not have a car running and I can't see that not being detrimental," he said. "Even if you have the best of everything back at the factory, it's always on the car where you validate everything you have been studying through the winter and over the last three or four years."

[MIKA27]

F1: Why did Red Bull's Mark Webber never win the world title?

Few drivers leave Formula 1 with so many admirers having earned so few accolades.

Mark Webber had a decorated career which warranted a mighty trophy cabinet. He was a proven race winner - one of only 103 drivers to climb aboard the top step - claiming nine victories and an impressive 42 podiums.

But the Australian missed out on the ultimate prize: the World Championship, most agonisingly in 2010.

Getting your hands on that shiny trophy, at a glittering FIA prize-giving gala in Paris in front of all of your rivals, is what every driver lucky enough to make it into F1 aspires to.

If they say otherwise, they're lying. Win it just once and you'll cement your name in the sport's annals alongside a select few - just 32 have managed it in the sport's 63-year history.

Win it more than three times and you'll be placed among the greats such as Michael Schumacher, Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost and, after this season, Sebastian Vettel.

But fail to win it at all and you'll forever just be a number, one of more than 800 drivers who tried and failed.

Webber falls into the latter category. He says he achieved his childhood dream by making it into the sport but looking back admits that, while he knew he was never going to be an all-time great, he believes he had what it takes to join that exclusive 32-man club.

Mark Webber scored points on home soil in his Formula 1 debut with backmarkers Minardi in 2002

"My dream as a kid growing up in Australia was to make it to F1," said the 37-year-old, who will race in sportscars this season.

"I think I did my absolute best at the time. I never would have thought I would have had a grand prix career of 215 races and banging out 42 podiums and some very special victories.

"You're measured on championships so do I see myself in the same calibre as some of the single world champions in the sport? I do see that. I don't have it but I'm still very proud of what I achieved. Am I as good as multiple world champions? Probably not."

To be fair to Webber, just getting to F1 was a brilliant achievement.

While four-time world champion Vettel had the luxury of being part of the Red Bull driver programme from his teens, Webber was scratching around for sponsorship to secure drives in various categories in Europe, having moved over from Australia.

In 1997, he was almost forced to quit halfway through his British Formula Three campaign before Australian rugby union legend David Campese stepped in and loaned him £40,000 so he could continue racing.

Webber later spoke to Eddie Jordan, who was running his own F1 team, and the Irishman put him in touch with Australian Paul Stoddart, who gave him a drive in Formula 3000 and his first taste of F1 as an Arrows test driver, in 1999.

Three years later, he was a fully fledged F1 driver for Stoddart's backmarker Minardi team. Having qualified 18th out of 22 cars in the opening race of the season in Australia, Webber finished a remarkable fifth, scoring two points on his debut.

From there, he drove for Jaguar and Williams before ending his career with seven seasons at Red Bull. Three third-place finishes in the drivers' standings - in 2010, 2011 and this season - were as good as it got.

So why did he never win the World Championship? Well firstly, he came up against one of the greats of the sport - Vettel.

Webber was team leader at Red Bull before the young German joined in 2009. But almost instantly, Vettel seized control.

The duo clashed several times during their partnership, most notably in the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix, when they collided while battling for the lead.

Vettel also disobeyed the now infamous "Multi 21" team orders to pass Webber in this year's Malaysian Grand Prix.

But despite Vettel's aggressive approach to competing with his team-mate, Webber cannot ignore the German's talents.

"I accepted that [Vettel is talented] many times," he said. "Seb is very, very good, no question about it. I'm completely comfortable with that."

But the Australian is less comfortable with the fact he was not always given a fair crack.

At Silverstone in 2010, for example, Red Bull brought two new spec front wings to the track. Vettel's was damaged in an incident, but rather than replacing it with the old spec, Red Bull took the other new one from Webber's car for his team-mate.

Calls that didn't go his way, along with the lion's share of bad luck in terms of reliability, severely hampered his ability to sustain a title challenge.

"You want the same, and the best opportunities to do the best that you can do," he said. "That's all you can ask. Obviously this year has been quite challenging in that respect."

And then there's the timing. Webber doesn't use the word regret, but he hints at it when he mulls over the fact he got hold of front-running machinery when he was perhaps past his peak.

Highlights - Turkish Grand Prix

"David Coulthard was in the prime of his career at McLaren whereas I was probably not in the super prime," said Webber.

"I was in a good situation, but it would have been nice to be in my prime. If you want to be super fussy, you would have liked that.

But you do the best with what you have.

"I think you can always find the perfect window that suits you. Any driver, whether it's Jenson [button] or Fernando [Alonso] or Lewis [Hamilton] or whoever, will have their unique style - but we're not in a position where we can be fussy with that.

"We're not tennis players that play on four different surfaces each year. We're in that fine envelope of always having to perform at the optimum and you have to have an inherent bit of flexibility within your skill-set. That's what sets the absolute greats apart."

BBC F1 co-commentator Coulthard knows all about just missing out, having finished second once and third four times in the drivers' standings while his McLaren team-mate Mika Hakkinen collected two titles.

"I came up short in my career in terms of not winning the championship," said Coulthard.

"I was consistently struggling relative to my team-mates to deliver that single-lap speed.

"What separates the good drivers from the great drivers is that outright ability to deliver a timed lap, a single flying lap, consistently across a year."

Had Schumacher not been around, Coulthard would probably have won the title. Equally, if Vettel hadn't, Webber could have - and Alonso and Hamilton could have added to their tallies.

Mark Webber let a 16-point lead slip in 2010 to lose the title to team-mate Sebastian Vettel

Coulthard added: "I think Mark has had a successful career, absolutely. I don't think there's any shame for him because he is still a very good racing driver in that there are a lot of very good musicians or very good footballers.

"I do know that Mark is fit, works hard and leaves no stone unturned but in any given period, there are one or two exceptional people."

Webber came closest to a title in 2010. Leading by 16 points with three races to go, he somehow left the season finale in Abu Dhabi 14 behind Vettel.

"That was a special year, but it just wasn't meant to be," he said.

"We know we didn't pick the easiest year to try and win a title either - it was a good battle. I had two non-finishes that year and had a lot of races where I put myself in contention because I drove very well. That was that."

That failure to convert when he had the chance ultimately separates him from the greats.

Coulthard added: "In the six years Mika Hakkinen and I were team-mates at McLaren, I finished in front of him two times in the championship, but when it really mattered, he finished in front of me - and those were championship-winning years [1998 and 1999] for him.

"It's not like I wasn't able to string together a better season than him, but I wasn't able to do it when it counted - and that's all that matters. It's about winning races and winning championships - that's the reason people compete. And I came up short."

You could argue that Webber never recovered from 2010, though stunning victories in the 2012 Monaco and British Grands Prix reminded everyone that, on his day, the Australian was capable of beating anyone.

Unfortunately for him, his day wasn't often enough.

BONUS FACTS:

F1's nearly men

• Rubens Barrichello - 322 races, 11 wins, 68 podiums, 0 titles. Best championship finish: 2nd, twice
  
• Riccardo Patrese - 256 races, 6 wins, 37 podiums, 0 titles. Best championship finish: 2nd, once
  
• David Coulthard - 246 races, 13 wins, 62 podiums, 0 titles. Best championship finish: 2nd, once
  
• Mark Webber - 215 races, 9 wins, 42 podiums, 0 titles. Best championship finish: 3rd, three times
  
• Gerhard Berger - 210 races, 10 wins, 48 podiums, 0 titles. Best championship finish: 3rd, twice
  
• Felipe Massa - 191 races, 11 wins, 36 podiums, 0 titles. Best championship finish: 2nd, once
  
• Sir Stirling Moss - 66 races, 16 wins, 24 podiums, 0 titles. Best championship finish: 2nd, four times
  

Mark Webber facts and stats

• Races: 215
  
• Championships: 0
  
• Wins: 9
  
• Win percentage: 4
  
• Podiums: 42
  
• Podium percentage: 20
  
• Pole positions: 13
  
• Fastest laps: 18
  
• Career points: 1047.5
  
• Best championship position: 3rd (2010, 2011, 2013)
  
• Races before his first victory: 132
  
• First race: 2002 Australian Grand Prix
  
• Last race: 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix
  
• First race win: 2009 German Grand Prix
  
• Last race win: 2012 British Grand Prix
  
• Teams: Minardi, Jaguar, Williams, Red Bull
  

[MIKA27]

Massa suspects Alonso knew about Crashgate plan

Felipe Massa believes his former team mate Fernando Alonso knew of Renault’s plan to help him win the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix by causing a deliberate crash.

Massa lost the race to Alonso after Nelson Piquet Jnr, driving the second Renault, deliberately crashed his car on lap 14. This caused a Safety Car period which propelled Alonso to the front of the field.

Massa, who parted ways with Ferrari at the end of last year, said Alonso “knew everything” about the plan when asked about it in a recent interview for Autosport. “But he would never tell me,” Massa added.

The details of Renault’s plan to cause the crash came to light almost 12 months after the race. The FIA banned Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds from the sport for their involvement, but accepted Alonso’s denial he had prior knowledge of the plan.

Symonds has since returned to F1 and is now chief technical officer at Williams, who Massa has joined this year. “For sure, I will discuss it with him,” said Massa of Symonds, “but I am sure he is not the most important guy in what happened”.

“Sometimes people pay more than they need to,” Massa added. “I know how it works, these situations, in F1 but I will definitely talk to him.”

Massa, who has previously likened the race to a fixed football match, failed to score after a pit lane mishap during the Safety Car period triggered by Piquet Jnr’s crash. The points he lost to championship rival Lewis Hamilton that day ultimately cost him the 2008 title.

Massa added the FIA should have “cancelled” the result of the after once the truth came to light in September 2009.

[MIKA27]

Sauber renews tequila partnership

The Sauber F1 Team is pleased to announce that it will continue its partnership with Jose Cuervo. The multi-platform marketing partnership began in 2011 and will continue to promote Jose Cuervo’s Tequilas worldwide through the Sauber F1 Team.

Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal: “Our partnership with Jose Cuervo has been very successful and we are proud to have Jose Cuervo on board as our partner. The co-operation has created many synergies for both companies and has been enhanced by having a Mexican driver. We look forward to continuing this partnership.”

Juan Domingo Beckmann, CEO Jose Cuervo: “I am very satisfied with our long-term partnership with the Sauber F1 Team and I am sure [that] the team will accomplish fantastic results during the 2014 season.”

The Tequila brand has always been a proud supporter of Mexican talent through this kind of sponsorship in its endeavour to promote the country’s culture and reputation.

Jose Cuervo is the leading and finest Tequila producer in the world. Founded in 1758, it now has a presence in over 90 countries through its line of renowned products. Over the past two centuries, Cuervo’s products have been prized for their taste, quality and authenticity. The founder’s descendants still manage the company today.

[MIKA27]

FIA now ready to monitor and police fuel limits in 2014

The manufacturer of a crucial fuel flow sensor is now set up and ready for Formula 1′s all new 2014 season.

We reported last October that the governing FIA was in a race against time to ensure that the teams obey the all-new fuel limits for the radical turbo V6 rules.

The reports said that the company awarded the contract to supply the mandatory fuel flow rate sensors was struggling to improve on an error rate of 1.5 per cent.

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport had said that the error was “worrying”, and that the company, Gill Sensors, was working hard to improve the sensor ahead of the winter testing season.

Gill has now confirmed that its fuel sensor “has been homologated by the FIA” for the 2014 season.

The sensor “fulfils the FIA’s accuracy requirements”, the company added.

“We are delighted that the FIA is confident in the performance and durability of the ultrasonic fuel flow meter,” said chairman Mike Gill.

[MIKA27]

Marussia confirms Chilton will stay on for 2014 Formula 1 season

Briton Max Chilton will stay with Marussia next season and drive alongside Jules Bianchi, the Anglo-Russian Formula 1 team said on Saturday.

The 22-year-old made his F1 debut in last year’s Australian Grand Prix and became the first driver to complete every race in his rookie season.

Chilton said, “I am really happy to be continuing with the Marussia F1 Team into a second season. Continuity is important for the team but also for me as a driver. You learn such a lot in your debut season, but the second year is when you can really pull all of those new experiences together and show your true potential.”

“That has always been the case for me in the junior categories and I’ll be aiming for a similar step in my second year of F1 competition. I would like to thank the Marussia F1 Team for … continued faith and support. They are a great bunch of people who are extremely hard-working and ambitious and I can’t wait to embark on our 2014 season challenge together,” added Chilton.

Graeme Lowdon, President and Sporting Director said: ” It was great to see Max and Jules developing during their debut season last year, rewarding our confidence in such a young but obviously talented line-up. I’m sure [that] the fans are as excited as we are to see what our drivers can go on to achieve in their second season with us.”

Team Principal John Booth said, “We are pleased to confirm that Max will continue with the team into the 2014 season. In view of next year’s regulation changes, continuity is key, so it is highly beneficial to our technical team that we retain the same driver line-up moving forward.”

Booth added, “Max had an impressive debut season last year and, of course, achieved a new rookie record for finishing all 19 races. He can be justifiably proud of the progress he made through the course of 2013. With our race driver line-up complete we can now focus all of our attentions on our 2014 car and moving the Marussia F1 Team to the next level. After our success in achieving 10th place in the Constructors’ Championship, we have set our sights on a bigger and better 2014 campaign.”

[MIKA27]

Berger: Alonso was the most complete driver, but after 2013 I would put Vettel first

In the view of ex Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger, Red Bull’s quadruple World Champion Sebastian Vettel has overcome Fernando Alonso as the very best driver in Formula 1 after his dominant performance last year.

Berger nonetheless admitted that the style of Vettel’s domination in 2013 was a questionable spectacle.

“I didn’t turn the television off, but sometimes I fell asleep in front of it,” the inimitable Austrian legend told Auto Motor und Sport.

For many, Vettel’s nine grands prix wins on the trot in the second half of 2013 ended the debate about whether the 26-year-old German is a true great. But many still regard Ferrari’s Spaniard Fernando Alonso as better.

“That’s not fair,” Berger told the German magazine.

“Mark Webber is a very good racing driver, and he was also sitting in a Red Bull,” he said. ”Until a year ago, I still saw Alonso as the most complete driver, but after [last] year I would put Vettel in first place for the first time.”

Berger thinks that Alonso’s outbursts against Ferrari revealed a ***** in his armour, while in contrast Vettel redoubled his efforts when things were not going quite right early on. As for Lewis Hamilton, Berger thinks that the Briton is now lagging behind the very best.

“For me, just behind Vettel and Alonso comes Raikkonen, although with Alonso [at Ferrari] he might now reach his limits.

“Hamilton is also not as complete as [Alonso and Vettel], who are in a league of their own. Hamilton’s speed is enormous, but he has too many distractions.

“I am impressed by Nico Rosberg,” said Berger, “who is underestimated. He did an unbelievable performance against Michael Schumacher, and now he’s doing the same with Hamilton.

“Step by step he is bringing the [Mercedes] team to his side. It was like that with Schumacher and now he’s turning the tables for a second time.”

As for Nico Hulkenberg, Berger thinks the German is “good” but “too hyped up” by the media.

“He was [going to be] driving for Ferrari, then Lotus, then McLaren, [but] all the trains departed,” he said.

Berger is also not shy to be honest about the new ‘double points’ innovation for the 2014 finale, brusquely dismissing the rule as “nonsense”.

Perhaps more than any, Berger is a purist. Asked to diagnose Formula 1′s biggest problem, the former Ferrari and McLaren driver thinks that the sport has become too sterile.

“My gut tells me that 650 or 750 horse power for a Formula 1 car is not enough. Together with perfect aerodynamics, huge run-off areas and the electronic aids, the good are not different enough [to] the less good.

“In my time, when you did a perfect qualifying lap, you were a second faster than your teammate, because you were riding a cannon ball.

“Safety comes first, and rightly so, but the cars and the tracks are now incredibly safe. So I think we could have engines with 1000 horse power again.

“The fans should watch and say ‘I couldn’t do that’, like they do with MotoGP.”

Berger acknowledges, however, that he is simply of a different generation. Now, in the ‘green’, computer era, the FIA’s new and silent Formula E series might be set to take over.

“Could be,” he admitted. “I was asked if I wanted to be involved in Formula E, but I refused. This is not my kind of motor sport.

“I come from a generation that was proud of your car. You gave it wider tyres, tuned the engine, put a big wing on it.

“Modern cars are now so perfect that they are worse if you try to touch it. And if you bring a flash one to a disco, the women think you are a show off.”

[MIKA27]

FIA releases 2014 F1 Championship entry list and permanent driver numbers

Quadruple Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel has gone for number five, the German choosing to have that numeral on his car when he is eventually deposed as number one.

Under new regulations for 2014, Formula One drivers will have permanent racing numbers to be used throughout their careers from now on and can choose any from two to 99.

The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) published the official list with some surprises among the selections.

Vettel, who will have the number one on his Red Bull this season, opted for the number that many fans associate with Britain’s 1992 champion Nigel Mansell who was often referred to as ‘Red Five’.

Nigel Mansell made red 5 famous

Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado opted to have 13, a number considered unlucky in many countries but lucky in others, on his Lotus. Traditionally the number 13 has not been used.

McLaren’s Jenson Button chose to roll back the years and race with the number 22 that he used in his 2009 title-winning campaign.

“Two little ducks,” the 33-year-old Briton, who won his Formula 1 Championship with the Brawn GP team that is now called Mercedes, had told his 1.6 million Twitter followers earlier. “Quack quack”.

“#Jenson22 Great memories, looking forward to making a few more,” he added.

In British bingo halls numbers are called out using nicknames, with 22 sometimes referred to as two little ducks or quack quack.

Gilles Villeneuve in the number 27 Ferrari

The question of what number drivers will choose has intrigued F1 fans aware of the evocative past behind some of them.

The late Canadian Gilles Villeneuve, one of Ferrari’s greatest heroes, remains closely identified with number 27 which was also used at times by the late Brazilian triple champion Ayrton Senna. Germany’s Nico Hulkenberg will carry the historic numerals.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso requested 14, which he explained last month has been his lucky number since 1996 when at the age of 14 he won a karting title with 14 on his car on July 14.

“Let’s see if it’s lucky for me again,” he told reporters in Madrid.

The Spaniard is also a fan of the Real Madrid soccer club, whose Spain international midfielder Xabi Alonso plays with the number 14 shirt.

Number 14 on Fernando Alonso’s junior kart

Alonso’s new Finnish team mate, and 2007 World Champion, Kimi Raikkonen has opted for seven while 2008 Champion Lewis Hamilton took 44. Germany’s Adrian Sutil, who has joined Sauber from Force India, chose 99.

Daniel Ricciardo, who has joined Vettel at Red Bull, will race as number three.

Previously, the smiling Australian would have had to have the number two on his car as the champion’s team mate – a status very few racing drivers willingly accept – and none chose.

The FIA entry list in full with drivers’ permanent numbers:

1 Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull (will carry number 5 when he is not Champion)

3 Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull

44 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

6 Nico Rosberg, Mercedes

14 Fernando Alonso, Ferrari

7 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari

8 Romain Grosjean, Lotus

13 Pastor Maldonado, Lotus

22 Jenson Button, McLaren

20 Kevin Magnussen, McLaren

27 Nico Hulkenberg, Force India

11 Sergio Perez, Force India

99 Adrian Sutil, Sauber

21 Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber

25 Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso

26 Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso

19 Felipe Massa, Williams

77 Valtteri Bottas, Williams

17 Jules Bianchi, Marussia

TBA Max Chilton, Marussia

TBA, Caterham

TBA, Caterham

[MIKA27]

Jan Magnussen: Kevin is going to make it because his focus is on the right stuff

Jan Magnussen only scored one point in his brief career in Formula 1. Now, over 15 years later his son Kevin is getting a chance at the pinnacle of the sport with McLaren, and father believes that his youngster has the right stuff to make it to the very top.

Speaking to GP247 during the Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai, where he is driving a RAM Racing Ferrari, Magnussen snr. said of his son’s promotion to Formula 1, “I am just so very … proud of what Kevin has achieved so far, I am sure he has got a great future ahead of him. You don’t get bigger chances than the chance he has with McLaren.”

Jan is naturally impressed by Kevin’s commitment to the cause which could see him become a superstar of the sport.

“I know Kevin is working extremely hard for what is coming, although he has no way of knowing what is coming…but everything he does is so focused. He is as well prepared as he can possibly be in a situation where you cannot test to get ready,” ventured Magnussen.

In recent years Formula 1 testing has been drastically reduced, with many young and new drivers struggling to make an impact due to lack of real seat time in a Formula 1 car. The alternative is the virtual world of simulators which many doubt that they prepare young talent adequately.

Testing during Magnussen senior’s era in Formula 1 was part and parcel of a race driver’s duties, with many test miles covered before drivers got anywhere near an F1 race situation.

Magnussen lamented, “Lack of testing is a negative obviously. We all understand why, but it is very difficult to bring drivers into F 1 when all they have is a chance to drive a simulator.”

“This puts a lot of emphasis on spending a lot of money on the simulator instead of actually going out on track. In the end to have a simulator that’s good enough, so that you have actually learn something, you would have spent quite a bit of money. Maybe even the same kind of money that you would spend if you did proper testing,” ventured Magnussen.

Kevin Magnussen has impressed McLaren enough for them to take a gamble on him

He added, “But that’s what it is, and it’s the same set of rules for everybody. For sure it does not make it any easier.”

In the mid-nineties many expected the Dane to be a big star of Formula 1, at the time Jackie Stewart described Magnussen as the best prospect since Ayrton Senna. But he never released the potential that was expected of him.

However, Magnussen believes his son has what it takes, “Kevin is going to make it because his focus is on the right stuff and he has (an) absolute desire to be successful in Formula 1.”

As for how dad will help son, Magnussen said, “I will be right there standing right next to him when things are going good and also when things are going bad. I am just his father, not his manager or coach or anything. I am there to support him and give him the best advice that I can…and just be one of his biggest supporters.”

Kevin Magnussen will make his debut in the new McLaren MP4-29 when Fornmula 1 pre-season testing begins at Jerez.

[MIKA27]

Ferrari testing new F1 V6 turbo engine or getting ready for Le Mans campaign?

Reports that Ferrari is already testing its all-new turbo V6 Formula 1 engine have only gained in strength in the last days and weeks – but the possibility of a full Le Mans onslaught on Le Mans is also on the table.

Citing video evidence, we reported last month that a LaFerrari supercar had lapped the Maranello marque’s private Fiorano circuit amid the distinct tones of a turbo engine.

Auto Motor und Sport now has more details, it has published detailed photos that depict the supercar, with a camouflage livery, also featuring a “suspiciously large” air intake on the roof.

The car also had a “giant wing” at the rear. Correspondent Tobias Gruner said it is obvious the car was not powered by its usual V12 engine, but a “small-volume turbo engine”.

Further, on the livery was a triangular, yellow warning sticker, indicating that complex electric technology lurked beneath – perhaps the sort of sophisticated energy-recovery systems that will power the team’s 2014 Formula 1 car?

“Ferrari will not publicly comment on the test,” Gruner said, adding that it is also possible Ferrari was testing in preparation for a potential Le Mans project.

But the heavily-modified LaFerrari also featured a Formula 1 2014-style, single and central exhaust outlet at the rear, while the car “sounded suspiciously like” the audio clips that have been released depicting this year’s turbo V6s in development.

[MIKA27]

Kobayashi could make F1 return with Caterham who are looking for experience

Fan favourite Kamui Kobayashi appears to be close to securing his return to Formula 1.

The Japanese driver lost his Sauber seat at the end of 2012, spending last season as a Ferrari test driver and driving a works Ferrari 458 in the Le Mans series.

But Kobayashi, 27, has also collected millions from his fans to offer to a potential Formula 1 race employer, and just before Christmas was spotted at Caterham’s factory.

When asked about the popular former Toyota and Sauber driver, a Caterham spokesman told Sky: “There are lots of drivers being linked with Caterham at the moment which is very good news for us.

“I think it’s flattering that somebody of Kamui’s experience, talent and popularity would be linked to our team.

“We will be making an announcement on drivers in due course and there are a number of drivers of Kamui’s experience who are being considered.”

Giedo van der Garde and Charles Pic drove for the team in 2013, but so far neither have been confirmed for the new season.

Along with Kobayashi, rookie Marcus Ericsson and former team driver Heikki Kovalainen have also been strongly linked with the seats. The latter has strong ties with the team. He was their FP1 driver on several occasions in 2013.

The Caterham spokesman admitted that “at least one” of the team’s 2014 drivers will be experienced.

“It’s particularly important with the new rules and the new car configuration that you have somebody who has some experience,” he said.

The spokesman added that Caterham is “very, very close” to making an announcement.

MIKA: I hope KK returns to F1 - He had raw speed, often reckless but overall, brilliant driver. He will do well for Caterham.

[MIKA27]

Alonso wants drivers at the fore

Fernando Alonso hopes this year's new regulations will make the drivers more important.

In recent years the argument over what is more important; the driver or the car; has dogged reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel.

Despite winning an impressive four Drivers' Championships on the trot, many have asked whether it is the driver or his Adrian Newey-designed car.

This season, though, that argument could be put to rest as Alonso reckons the new rules will put the driver at the forefront.

"I hope that the decisions of the drivers become more important because engineers have less control," the Ferrari driver told TotalRace.

"So we must be ready to make those decisions in the best way possible."

This season F1 will swap to 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 engines with ERS while fuel economy will be vital as drivers are limited to 100kgs of fuel per race.

[MIKA27]

Whiting against minimum pit stop time

Charlie Whiting has ruled out introducing minimum time for pit stops, saying it would be a "bad move."

Last year the idea was touted when an FOM cameraman was injured when he was hit by a loose wheel from Mark Webber's Red Bull racer.

Considering the safety of those in the pit lane, several ideas were put forward including implementing a minimum for pit stops was put forward.

However, F1 race director Whiting says that rule wouldn't change the situation.

"It's been discussed but it's not something that's likely to happen, definitely not," he toldNBC.

"I think that would be a bad move and I don't think it would achieve anything.

"I think obviously the incident with Mark Webber's wheel in the Nurburgring started quite a lot of discussion.

"It's all driven by the quest for speed, but I don't think if you had a mandatory minimum pit stop time it would change anything.

"They would still change the wheels quickly and you'd have the rather odd sight of a car just sitting there for the rest of the time."

Speaking about what changes the FIA had pushed through to prevent a similar incident as what happened in Germany, he added:

"We have made it compulsory to have the button on the gun has to be in a position where the operator has to make a distinct move to say 'yes I'm done' where before they could just slide their thumb across and just say I'm done.

"Each gun has a button which the operator presses to say he's done so then the jack men get two green lights on the end of the car, drop the car, then the guy releasing the car sees two green jacks.

"We've also introduced an override on the pit wall which is saying that nothing can happen until he takes his finger off the button as well."

[MIKA27]

Paffett: 'These cars are a lot more difficult to drive'

Gary Paffett has warned that drivers face a new challenge in 2014 -because of the major regulation changes - the cars are completely different to drive when compared to previous seasons.

New aerodynamic rules which outlaw exhaust blowing completely has drastically reduced the amount of downforce, combined with the new engines, it could catch some drivers out. Speaking to Sky Sports, the McLaren test driver gave his opinion on how they handle having spent many hours in the simulator with the MP4-29.

"It is going to be exciting, the cars are very different to what we have had for the last few years," he warned.

"The downforce level in particular is a lot less than we have had and the cars are a lot more difficult to drive.

"The different power unit and the amount of torque that the turbo engines produce - even the medium to high speed corners are difficult without the blown downforce we have had in the last few years.

"The cars are definitely a lot more difficult to drive, so it is going to be exciting to see how the drivers get on with it."

Speaking about driving style, he says most will need to adapt the way they work in order to get the most from the 2014 cars.

"They are definitely going to have to change it," he said.

"I have worked in the simulator a long time on these cars and when I swapped back and forth from the [MP4] 29 to the 28, you do have to change your style, the way you drive the car.

"Working with Jenson [button] as well, the first time he came to drive the car I spent a bit of time talking him through it and you could physically see him having to think about how to drive the car."

[MIKA27]

Former Red Bull driver Mark Webber and Olympic gold medalist James Cracknell discuss Michael Schumacher's recent skiing accident

http://youtu.be/wHA38OuF0jw

[MIKA27]

Raikkonen: 'I had seven last year, why change?'

Whilst rival drivers were choosing numbers that meant something to them, or they thought they'd look good, Kimi Raikkonen took his usual no nonsense approach when choosing his permanent race number for his F1 career.

The Finn will carry the number 7 on his Ferrari next year and on any F1 cars he drivers after that, but it doesn't carry any particular meaning.

"There's no particular story linked to it," he explained.

"It's the number I already had last year [at Lotus] and I saw no reason to change it.

"I like it which is good enough isn't it?"

His team-mate Fernando Alonso, who chose number 14, explained the meaning behind his.

"It has always brought me luck, dating back to 14th July 1996 when, at the age of 14, I won the World championship in a kart that had the number 14.

"Let's see if it will still bring me luck."