FORMULA 1 - 2014

[MIKA27]

Murray Walker hails Force India and Mercedes

Murray Walker has hailed Force India as the real 'heroes' so far this season following a podium in Bahrain and a haul of ten points from China.

The Silverstone based team also sit third in the championship, behind Mercedes and Red Bull.

Their performance so far has led the legendary F1 commentator to give the outfit ten out of ten.

"For me, the Force India F1 team are the heroes so far," he told the BBC.

"Compared to the mega spending top teams, they are paupers. But they have been punching way above their weight.

"A magnificent third for Sergio Pérez in Bahrain, Nico Hülkenberg is a superb fourth in the Drivers' Championship and the team is third in the Constructors' Championship [too] - absolutely brilliant."

The only other outfit to secure ten out of ten was Mercedes which has won all four races so far this season.

"It has taken Mercedes four years to get there. But by exploiting the new regulations brilliantly they are way ahead," he added.

"Four races, four wins and a massive leads in both championships: Mercedes have persevered, spent big and really deserve their success."

[MIKA27]

An Inside Look at the Insanely Complex Formula 1 Steering Wheel

The steering wheel of the Sauber C33 Formula 1. Everything a driver might need to do, and every bit of information he might need to know, is literally at his fingers.

The modern Formula 1 car is among the most amazing machines ever made. And when you’re going wheel-to-wheel with someone like four-time world champ Sebastian Vettel at 180 mph, you can’t take a hand off the wheel to do, well, anything. Every task a driver might need to do, every bit of information he might need to know, is quite literally at his fingertips.

The modern Formula 1 steering wheel is, therefore, the most amazing ever made. It is, in every way, the nerve center of the car.

That’s because an F1 car has dozens of parameters that can be adjusted on the fly, but only by the driver. Although telemetry provides a nonstop stream of data to engineers on the pitwall and at team HQ, the driver has sole control over things like differential settings, the air-fuel mix, and the torque curve. All of these settings can change several times during a race, or even a lap. Adjustments must be made while keeping both hands on the wheel and both eyes on the track, which is why a modern F1 wheel might have 35 or more knobs, buttons and switches flanking a small LCD screen introduced this season. Drivers also use small paddles behind the wheel to shift up and down as many as 4,000 times in a race, and a third paddle to engage the clutch.

The PCU-8D LCD screen, made by McLaren Electronics, is 4.3 inches wide with a resolution of 480 x 272 pixels. It can display as many as 100 pages of info and the data–everything from engine RPM and oil temperature to current lap speed and how many laps remain–can be configured by the driver or his engineer. This year marks a transition to the new technology, with some teams–including Infiniti Red Bull Racing–sticking with the older, simpler, PCU-6D for one more season.

So What Do All Those Buttons Do, Anyway?

The photo above shows the steering wheel from the Sauber C33, the cars Esteban Gutiérrez and Adrian Sutil are campaigning this season. Teams are notoriously tightlipped about technology, and none of the teams we reached out to had anything at all to say about them, but Sauber has published a diagram explaining everything the wheel does (I’ve posted the color of each button to help you find it):

• Yellow N button: Selects neutral from 1st or 2nd gear.
• BRKBAL (brake balance) rotary switch: Adjusts the front and rear brake balance.
• Black Box button: Confirms the driver’s intention to come to the pits.
• Blue and orange S1/S2 buttons: These can be programmed for various funcutions.
• Entry rotary switch: This allows the driver to make changes to corner entry settings of the differential.
• Orange and green BRK-/BRK+ buttons: These change the brake balance between a programmed position and the current BRKBAL rotary position.
• IGN (ignition) rotary switch: Controls ignition timing.
• White ACK (acknowledge) button: Acknowledges changes in the system.
• PREL (preload) rotary switch: Controls the preload differential offset torque.
• Red Oil button: Transfers oil from the auxiliary tank to the main tank.
• Black BP (bite point) button: Activates the clutch bite point finding procedure.
• DRS (drag reduction system) button, upper left edge of the wheel: Activates the rear wing flap in the DRS zone.
• Red PL (pit lane) button: Activates the pit lane speed limiter, limiting the car to the designated pit lane speed limit (typically 100 km/hr).
• Black R button: Activates the driver radio transmission.
• SOC rotary switch: Controls the state of charge of the ERS energy storage system, whether the system is generating or consuming energy.
• Pedal rotary switch: Changes the pedal map dictating how the accelerator pedal responds to inputs.
• Fuel rotary switch: Controls the rate of fuel consumption.
• Black OT button: Activates configurable performance maps to assist the driver in overtaking or defending.
• Tire rotary switch: Tells the ECU and other systems what type of tire the car is running on.
• BBal-/BBal+ switches: These are used to make fine adjustments to the brake balance offset.
• MFRS (multi-function rotary switch): This allows the driver and engineers to control a variety of systems that don’t require a dedicated buttons. They include engine modes (PERF), rev limiter (ENG), air-fuel ratio (MIX), turbo-compressor (TURBO), corner exit differential (VISCO), MGU-K recovery limits (BRK), MGU-K boost limits (BOOST), dashboard options (DASH), cruise control (CC, disabled for qualifying and the race), shift type (SHIFT), and the clutch bite point offset (CLU).
• White -10/+1 buttons: These allow quick navigation of maps from the MFRS dial.

That’s a lot to process, and it doesn’t even include the pages of data that can be relayed through the LCD screen. More information isn’t always a good thing, which is why most teams let each driver decide which wheel they prefer– the older style with the simpler display or the new wheel with the LCD. That said, the LCD screens have a distinct advantage, in that the driver knows exactly that’s going on, something that saved Nico Rosberg’s bacon when his car’s telemetry system failed just before the race in China. With no information from the car, engineers had to ask Rosberg for periodic updates on fuel consumption and other information. The Mercedes AMG Petronas driver eventually grew annoyed by the repeated queries and asked his engineers to kindly shut up and let him get on with the business at hand–taking second place behind teammate Lewis Hamilton.

In the video below, Mercedes AMG Petronas drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton explain the steering wheels they used during the 2013 season.

[MIKA27]

Alonso: We cannot start the weekend thinking to be on the podium

Formula 1 leaders Mercedes singled out Ferrari as their main championship challengers on Thursday but Fernando Alonso was quick to play down his chances of a top three finish at his home Spanish Grand Prix.

Alonso has not won since he triumphed in front of his home fans at the Circuit de Catalunya last year and Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg remain the overwhelming favourites for Sunday’s race.

Mercedes have won all four races so far but Alonso’s third place in China last month indicated Ferrari had taken a step in the right direction – an improvement recognised by Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff.

“I think it will be Ferrari,” the Austrian said when asked who would be his team’s main title rivals. “They are the only other team to have everything, car and powertrain, in-house. And I reckon Alonso to be a real race monster who can achieve everything.”

Alonso recognised the compliment but refused to go along with it.

“If they count on us for the championship fight it’s good news because they respect us,” he told a news conference. “But we need to deliver if we want to become really a threat. We are working on that.

“We are not in a position that we are happy with,” he said. “We start with some deficit to the top teams and especially Mercedes.”

Ferrari are fourth overall in the constructors’ standings, with 52 points to Mercedes 154. Champions Red Bull are second on 57 and Mercedes-powered Force India third on 54.

Asked whether another podium was within his reach this weekend, Alonso shook his head.

“I don’t think so. We cannot start the weekend thinking to be on the podium or thinking to win the race. That will be creating false targets to everyone,” he said.

“We know it’s going to be a tough weekend and it’s not going to be easy. Anything can happen but today sitting here if I tell you I will fight for the podium, probably I will lie to you and I don’t want to do so for all the people coming.”

Ferrari have an upgrade to their car and the characteristics of the Spanish circuit will also help them but the Spaniard expected Mercedes to remain ahead of the rest.

Sitting next to Red Bull’s quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel in the news conference, the Spaniard smiled when he and the German were asked how long they could bear not winning.

Vettel won the last nine races of 2013 but has not come close to winning this year with his Renault power unit still behind on performance compared to Mercedes.

“Unfortunately, I have a lot more experience (of waiting for a win),” said Alonso. “You just try to do the best job you can and try to find different goals. My last win was here last year so it’s one year without victories and I would like not to have that long period.

“On the other hand, we are 22 drivers on the grid and maybe 20 are in a worse position than me. I am an extremely lucky and very privileged guy.”

[MIKA27]

Rosberg: The momentum is on Hamilton’s side and I need to turn that around

While Lewis Hamilton keeps an eye on Red Bull, teammate Nico Rosberg will be taking aim at his Mercedes teammate at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Rosberg leads Hamilton in the standings by four points. They have dominated Formula One with four wins in as many races heading into Sunday’s event.

But Hamilton has forced Rosberg to settle for second place en route to sweeping the last three races.

“The result momentum is on his side and I need to turn that around,” Rosberg said. “I am here to win in Barcelona, and try and extend the lead in the championship.”

Hamilton, however, said he was staying focused on making sure the other leading teams didn’t make up the gap on the Circuito de Barcelona-Catalunya.

“It depends on what steps they make, but Red Bull is in the back of my mind,” Hamilton said. “They have a car with more downforce than us and that is good for this circuit.”

The British driver added that Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso has “shown pace” with his third-place finish at the last race in China.

Hamilton and Rosberg agreed that the track could help other teams make headway because of its single long straightway, which will limit their ability to speed away.

“I also expect people to be a bit closer here,” Rosberg said. “They have had time to develop, and engine power is not as important as in China.”

Rosberg and Hamilton have been dueling since their days driving carts as youngsters, and their Silver Arrows have provided the most compelling competition this season as the rest of the field hasn’t mustered the same pace to keep up.

Even so, Rosberg insisted there was no feuding between them, while Hamilton said they were both helping the team’s engineers design a front-running car.

“We are very similar drivers, which is a good thing since we are pushing the car in the same direction,” Hamilton said. “If I wanted to go one way and he another, it would make it difficult.”

[MIKA27]

Hamilton: For me as a driver a sports pschologist is not something I feel I need

Title-chasing Lewis Hamilton has ruled out enlisting the services of a sports psychologist even if his Mercedes Formula One bosses have consulted one in their quest to make the championship-leading team even stronger.

Ceri Evans, a former New Zealand soccer captain who went on to work with the All Blacks before they won the 2011 rugby World Cup, worked with the team throughout the weekend of the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai last month.

Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff and technical director Paddy Lowe are keen on using sports psychology to help engineers and mechanics but there has been no suggestion of extending that to drivers.

Hamilton, the 2008 champion who has won the last three races and could take the overall lead on Sunday from team mate Nico Rosberg, made clear at the Spanish Grand Prix on Thursday that he would do his own thing.

“It has zero impact on me. Zero,” he told reporters. “I don’t speak to anyone like that. It was really for the team. The team want to be the best everywhere.

“It’s sometimes good to get outsiders’ points of view on the way you carry yourself, the way the team communicates and all those different things. I’m sure they are just trying to make sure they are doing everything as good as they could do.

“For me as a driver, it’s not something I feel I need,” added the Briton.

“I’ve been racing since I was eight years old and I’ve won every championship that I’ve competed in at some point in my life and all I’ve needed is me and my family.”

Mercedes have won all four races this season, with four pole positions, and have finished the last three grands prix one-two.

Rosberg, who won the season-opening race in Australia, has a four-point lead over Hamilton due to the Briton’s retirement because of technical problems in Melbourne.

Hamilton, who has spent time relaxing with his on-off-on girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger in California since China, said life was “incredible” at the moment.

“Of course when you’re winning, that’s when everything’s great,” he said.

“I think now we’re just trying to keep our heads down and just remain focused and not get carried away with what we’ve experienced in the last couple of months. But I’m very excited for this weekend and what’s to come.

[MIKA27]

Sutil: I went two days with no food, only drink, it was not easy but interesting

Driver weight dominated headlines before the start of the 2014 Formula 1 season, and is still very much a hot topic as Sauber driver Adrian Sutil revealed he went without food for two days to reduce weight.

Speaking in Barcelona Sutil told journalists, “I was testing it a little bit here and there. Two days, no food, only drink… I tried. It was not easy but interesting what the reaction is. I’m eating now again, it’s better.”

Heavier drivers have had to slim down as in conjunction with the new power units and chassis they have to weigh-in at 691kg.

“I couldn’t do much sport because the power was missing. I do it because I want to go on the limit just to make sure I did my maximum. I don’t want to be in the car and say: I could have done more,” explained Sutil.

“I could feel there was a limit where I hadn’t the power anymore, the strength in my mind – you get stressed quite early – and you don’t want that. It’s just important to know your body quite well. I tried it but I’m still alive so don’t worry too much. It was my own decision, this is most important,” said the 31 year old German.

Sauber have done him a huge favour by carving out some wight from the C33 chassis, and Sutil will run the new ‘lightweight’ version of the car in Spain.

Sutil is fired up ahead of the weekend in Barcelona, “It’s a very good step I think in every area: the weight, the aerodynamics and also the power train has improved.

“I believe in it and especially [Friday] will be an important day to test it all to make sure everything works fine and I expect a good performance improvement throughout the race weekend.”

“Our expectation is normally always to score a point or more and I want to be back in this area. So hopefully it’s enough,” added Sutil.

[MIKA27]

Lauda: Our philosophy is we don’t give team orders and we let them race

Mercedes has played down the issue of team orders ahead of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.

After Bahrain, where Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg thrilled spectators with their unfettered wheel-to-wheel battle, it was suggested team chiefs were subsequently split over the issue of team orders.

It was reported that on one side of the debate was Niki Lauda, the team chairman, while colleagues Paddy Lowe and Toto Wolff want to ensure that Mercedes’ dominance is not threatened by driver run-ins.

Indeed, triple world champion Lauda told the Mirror newspaper this week that Sebastian Vettel was right to answer “tough luck” when told by Red Bull in China to obey a team order.

“Yeah. Absolutely. That is a proper racing driver attitude,” said the great Austrian. “(Christian) Horner gave Vettel an order and he said ‘screw you’ so there is a difference between them and us.”

“We don’t give orders. Everyone saw in Bahrain, where they were told to watch the cars and we let them race. That is our philosophy,” Lauda added.

However, it was believed that Wolff and Lowe do not fully agree with the notion of simply letting the drivers race freely.

But, ahead of Barcelona this weekend, Wolff has been quoted by Speed Week as saying: “Our strategy has not changed. Both (drivers) are allowed to drive freely.

“We do not want taxi driving,” he insisted.

In the end, Mercedes could have bigger problems to worry about in Spain.

Improving rivals like Red Bull and Ferrari have had three weeks since China to close the gap to the dominant Brackley team, while many believe that – engine aside – reigning world champions Red Bull already have the best 2014 car.

“Barcelona will show how good our car really is,” said Wolff, “because it is a type of Red Bull circuit.

“Ferrari was also impressive in China, and they have the ‘in-house’ advantage of being able to develop the power unit and the car under one roof.

“They can also count on Alonso, who is capable of incredible performances,” Wolff added.

“I must say that we have not been sleeping (since China), but the chase is on. We are not afraid, but we have respect,” he said.

[MIKA27]

Mercedes to test megaphone exhaust in Barcelona practice

Mercedes is preparing to show off a louder Formula 1 V6 turbo engine note during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.

Early this week, team chief Toto Wolff revealed that one proposed solution to the turbo V6 sound ‘problem’ is a sort of “megaphone” addition to the exhaust.

Along with Ferrari and Renault, Formula 1′s three engine makers have been considering how to spice up the sound of Formula 1 2014, after some spectators and promoters were shocked at the difference compared to the screaming V8s of 2013.

“The solutions range from very complex solutions within the exhaust system down to a simple megaphone at the back,” Wolff is quoted by Kolner Express newspaper.

“The ‘megaphone’ is a parallel exhaust that simply opens up at the end, with all the problems that brings with it,” the Austrian added.

Insiders say Wolff is concerned that the solution will interrupt the thermal and aerodynamic integration between the ‘power unit’ and the current exhaust layout.

Nonetheless, he said that sound solutions will be tried on the W05 car at the post-race Barcelona test next week.

But Bild newspaper claims that Mercedes’ plan is actually to test the ‘megaphone’ exhaust during free practice for the Spanish Grand Prix on Friday.

“Bild’s information is that the solution will be testing in the morning,” said correspondent Lennart Wermke. “Whether it is also used in the race is still open.”

Whether Mercedes can afford to be tinkering with the volume of the engine during the race weekend depends on the challenge posed by improving rivals Red Bull and Ferrari.

“Barcelona is incredibly important,” agrees team chairman Niki Lauda. “It is a key race,” he is quoted by Osterreich.

“Who is good there will be good over the next three or four races as well,” he explained.

“Barcelona is an important measure; even more important than usual because this year the car and engine are being developed more.

“If we dominant there (in Spain) too, it looks very, very good for us,” admitted Lauda.

[MIKA27]

Ecclestone confirms Azerbaijan replacing axed Korea in 2015

Azerbaijan is taking Korea’s full-time place on the grand prix calendar starting in 2015, Bernie Ecclestone has confirmed.

It is expected a city street race in the capital Baku will be announced later this month.

Formula 1 chief executive Ecclestone this week indicated the oil-rich former Soviet race is taking the place on the calendar formerly occupied by South Korea, where a race at unpopular Yeongam was last held in 2013.

Korean organisers have baulked at the sport’s high sanctioning fees.

Speaking this week to Formula 1 business journalist Christian Sylt, Ecclestone said of the country: “I don’t want to go back there.”

“Baku has been signed,” he told the Independent. “It will start in 2015 and will replace Korea.

“They (Korea) did a good job with the track but what they forgot to do was build all the things they wanted to build,” said Ecclestone, referring to facilities around the harbourside circuit.

Sylt claims that the Azerbaijan deal was brokered by Flavio Briatore, the ousted former Renault boss and close friend of Ecclestone.

“Briatore put the idea in the mind of the president of the country and that got things going,” a source is quoted as saying.

[MIKA27]

Marussia appoint new race engineer for Bianchi

Following the appointment of Marussia F1 Team Race Engineer Paul Davison to the role of Head of Vehicle Performance, we are pleased to announce the arrival of Francesco Nenci as Race Engineer to Jules Bianchi, who started work with the Team this week.

Davison has held the position of Race Engineer since 2012, firstly to Charles Pic and since 2013 to Jules Bianchi. Paul has continued to engineer Jules for the opening part of the 2014 season pending Francesco’s arrival, who joins Marussia from the Sauber F1 Team.

Davison and Nenci will work together by way of a handover at the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend, after which Paul will be fully focused on his new role based at the Marussia Technical Centre in Banbury, UK.

[MIKA27]

Vettel trying 'everything we can'

Sebastian Vettel is switching to a different Red Bull chassis this weekend in a bid to salvage his title defence after being outpaced by rivals Mercedes so far this year.

The four-time World Champion said it was a move that was aimed at helping the team to understand why the German driver had languished behind his rivals, including new Red Bull team-mate, Australian Daniel Ricciardo.

"I think we concluded after China, where we were quite a little bit behind, to change the chassis," Vettel said.

"It is not a new chassis, it is an old one we used in testing in the winter and we have some experience with it.

"It is just to try everything we can."

Vettel explained that he was making the move for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix in case car problems contributed to his recent struggles.

Although he finished on the podium in Malaysia, he was only sixth and fifth in the following races in Bahrain and China - and had to move aside for team-mate Ricciardo on both occasions.

Notably, when Red Bull revealed Vettel would use a new chassis in Spain, the team suggested it was a scheduled move.

But Vettel said the decision was made after Shanghai as part of an effort to ensure every possible cause of his troubles was investigated.

He told reporters: "It is not unusual to change chassis generally, we decided to change back to an older chassis just to make sure that nothing is wrong."

[MIKA27]

Hulkenberg: Still a long way to go

Nico Hulkenberg says it is "a bit too early" in the season to declare himself and Force India the surprise of the Championship.

Returning to Force India after a year with Sauber, the German and his team have made a stellar start to this Championship.

Fourth in the Drivers' Championship on 36 points, Hulkenberg has yet to finish a grand prix outside the top six.

Such is his flying start to the season that he is ahead of Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen in the standings.

The 26-year-old, though, is refusing to get carried away.

"I think it's a bit too early to call it the surprise of the season," Hulkenberg told the official F1 website.

"Yes, we've had a good start, but we've completed only four races and there are 15 more to come - that's quite a task.

"How does it feel to be in front of three Champions? Somehow not too strange!

"We can explain why we are performing well, so it's a position that comes from our own merits. We have a good package, a strong engine partner, and we've made some good decisions and the right calls strategy-wise."

One of those Champions he is ahead of, Raikkonen, is currently sitting in the Ferrari race-seat that many expected Hulkenberg would secure for this season.

Asked whether he gained any satisfaction from beating Raikkonen, he said: "No, not really.

"If you look individually, Fernando (Alonso) has beaten me in three races and only once - in Bahrain - we were in front of him. So I think the Ferrari is a strong car and I expect them to have a good season - still."

Pressed as to whether he was surprised by Raikkonen's struggles, Hulkenberg answered: "Probably there's an element of him having to familiarise himself with the team again - and the new car - but I have no idea why he's struggling more than Fernando does.

"And no, there is no satisfaction connected to his struggling - just the satisfaction that we're doing so well."

[MIKA27]

Felipe Massa: Williams better at bringing F1 upgrades than Ferrari

Felipe Massa has more faith in his team's ability to improve the performance of its Formula 1 car with Williams than he did when at Ferrari.

Massa raced for Ferrari from 2006-13, but in the later years of his stint he was frustrated by the number of new parts tried that did not produce the anticipated improvement on track.

But with Williams planning "a big step forward in all areas of the car", according to head of vehicle performance Rob Smedley, Massa has no doubts about his new team's ability to make an improvement.

"Last year, I don't remember one race where we brought some new parts and they worked, and we had a lot of new parts," said Massa when asked by AUTOSPORT whether his confidence in the Williams team's ability to deliver effective upgrades is greater than what he felt at Ferrari.

"Most of the races you had new parts and they never worked and we always removed them on Friday evening.

"The work we are doing at Williams, the new parts that we bring into the car [work].

"The only thing we couldn't use yet was the bigger rear wing, which is something that hasn't been working since the first race.

"Apart from that, everything we brought is in the car so I'm 100 per cent sure that new parts here, and every race, should work."

Massa stressed that while he does not expect the car to be transformed this weekend, a clear improvement should be evident.

Williams has made a strong start to the season and already has seven times the points it scored in the whole of 2013 but Massa warned that its place in the competitive order will be dictated as much by how other teams improve as it is by its own progress.

"It is not something that will change completely the car but it is important to keep developing the car," said Massa.

"I hope we can have a step forward but it's also true that the other teams have as well.

"Everybody is improving, everybody is growing and we need to keep growing as well. That's what we are working for."

[MIKA27]

Williams F1 team says Rob Smedley has sorted Chinese GP pit issues

Williams has faith that changes Rob Smedley has made will ensure there is no repeat of the pitstop blunder that cost Felipe Massa at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Massa was on course for a top six finish at Shanghai when he lost valuable time after a rear wheel mix-up in the pits.

Following a post-race investigation in to how the error happened, Smedley, the team's head of vehicle performance, has moved to ensure that procedures are in place so it does not happen again.

Claire Williams, deputy team principal, said: "Rob Smedley is a very impressive man - and that won't be happening again. Not on his watch.

"Over the years, when you have been racing for so many years, you sometimes miss a step in a procedure and that can happen to anyone. It is a human error at the end of the day.

"Unfortunately it cost us what could have been a significant haul of points. It is disappointing it happened and we put Felipe through that.

"But with any kinds of situations like that at Williams, we always analyse what went wrong and make sure we put really stringent procedures in place - and that is what has happened.

"It was a fairly basic error that was made, and was fairly easily rectifiable. Rob is working across a number of operation areas to make sure that a similar situation could not happen.

"He is making sure we are all lined up and what goes on trackside, everything that you need to remember, everything you need to do is covered, and everybody knows what their responsibilities are."

SMEDLEY DOING IMPRESSIVE JOB

Williams has also praised the instant impact that Smedley has made since beginning work at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

"What he has managed to effect in two races working for the team is really impressive," she said.

"It is the approach, his skill set, his ability and his understanding of his role - to take an umbrella perspective of what is going on, rather than divulging himself in the detail which means he is not performing where he needs to."

[MIKA27]

Daniel Ricciardo feels he's earned Red Bull F1 team's respect

Daniel Ricciardo believes the Red Bull Formula 1 team is taking him more seriously as a driver thanks to his strong early-season form.

The Toro Rosso graduate has outqualified his four-time F1 world champion team-mate Sebastian Vettel three times in four races in 2014, and beat him by more than 20 seconds in the most recent grand prix in China.

Ricciardo said his strong form has helped his standing within his new team when it comes to set-up work and car development.

Asked by AUTOSPORT if he felt the team's perception of him had changed, Ricciardo replied: "I think so.

"I'm not saying they didn't believe in me, but now I've had some good results that's given me confidence, and that makes my feedback come across as much more precise and I think they have more reason to trust me.

"The team has really started to build around both of us."

Ricciardo said his ability to eke more life from his Pirelli tyres compared to Vettel had given him an edge in Bahrain and China, but the Australian reckons it is still too early in the season for Red Bull to focus development around a single driver.

"I'd say we're on an even playing field," added Ricciardo when asked by AUTOSPORT if he felt he was now the team leader within Red Bull's driver line-up.

"It's still too early for the team to say: 'you're the number one guy, let's listen to you and not really listen to the other guy'. We have to see.

"If it continued like this up to August then maybe everything will change but it's definitely still too early.

"Seb's got quite a lot more experience than me, he's still providing a lot of good feedback and to be honest I'm still learning, even in the debriefs, trying to understand the best way to get my point across."

[MIKA27]

Spanish Grand Prix: Drivers’ press conference full transcript from Barcelona

Full transcript from the FIA hosted drivers’ press conference on the eve of the Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, featuring: Max Chilton (Marussia), Kevin Magnussen (McLaren), Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso), Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing), Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), and Pastor Maldonado (Lotus).

Daniil, three points finishes, one 11th place, you must be quite pleased with the way things have started in the first four races?

Daniil Kvyat: Yeah, it’s going quite OK now. A bit of a shame not finishing in the points in Bahrain as well, but anyway you have to learn from something. So far we’ve been a bit on the limit of the points zone, but I hope that we can make some good steps and become even a bit more competitive, so we can take points a bit more easily. It would be a really good step but we are working hard together and soon it will be reachable.

So the story so far is that Jean-Eric Vergne your team-mate is three-one up on you in qualifying but you’re ahead of him in races. He’s had a few reliability issues in races but how do you see the balance between you, and your own progress?

DK: I’m not really looking too deeply into these scores and so on. We’ve been quite close. Don’t forget that Jean-Eric is a very fast driver and he’s in the peak of his shape probably now. Also very experienced. In the wet I have to admit he was very fast so far and in Bahrain it was a dry quali. Of course, he’s also been having a bit of issues. But in China it was a very good balance. I was quite happy in the race. I was quicker than him at that point but in the end we have to see in the future races.

Max, coming to you. The run continues: 23 consecutive finishes in your Formula One career, two 13th places so far this season, are you proud of what’s been achieved so far?

Max Chilton: Yeah, I am. Last year it wasn’t a perfect season but lots to take away from it. I remember someone asking me in me in Monza, I think, saying: ‘you’re 10 races in, that’s a good little record you’ve got going there’. And then I broke Tiago [Monteiro’s] record, which was 16 from a rookie start, and we though it would be nice to get to the end of the year, which we did. Credit to the team; that’s pretty good for a small team reliability-wise. And we’re four races in now and we’ve carried that on. It’s not our main goal, but where we are it’s absolutely crucial to finish the race as I’ve shown this year with the two 13ths. We did have good speed but we had to be there at the finish to make sure those results counted. So we will try to keep it going but our main focus is to try to get a bit more speed out of the car and myself.

Apart from Malaysia, in the races where you and Caterham have both finished Marussia has tended to be in front of them. Can you say a little bit about how you see that battle and also about how close you feel you are now to the teams in front of you?

MC: We’ve always had a good battle with Caterham. They kind of hold back sometimes, I think, in practice and qualifying and surprise us in the race. But I think this year, to me, our car is definitely better. We’re developing well. We’ve brought some good updates to here. I’m not sure if they have or not. It would be nice if we could push forward. Sauber hasn’t been too far ahead of us and we’ve been battling with them in at least the first few stints of the race and so… yeah, I guess you’ve got to focus on the cars in front, there’s no point in focusing on your mirrors, so we’ll try to improve our results this weekend.

Coming to you Pastor. Obviously you’re a former winner here in Barcelona. Lotus in Q3 in qualifying in China, running in the top 10 obviously. How would you describe progress within the team?

Pastor Maldonado: It’s clear that we have been progressing quite a lot in the last couple of races. Still maybe we were not at 100 per cent but we’ve been working really hard. Hopefully here with a bit more time, putting everything together we can be much more competitive and we can fight for good places. This is our main focus at the moment and I think we can. We have a good car, a good team. We have been not good enough with all the new engine system at the beginning but now it seems to be more clear in terms of technology, you know, controlling all the systems in the car and hopefully from this race to the end of the season it will be much better for us.

We’ve heard about a lot of new parts on the car this weekend and also power unit upgrades from Renault. What are you expecting and what are you expecting from yourself this weekend?

PM: I’m expecting to have no problems, a competitive car, and do my best. I the past I’ve been quite good here, so I think as soon as we manage to solve all the problems we will be back to fight for good places.

Sebastian, Red Bull have announced that you have a new chassis this weekend, so I wonder if you could share with us what’s in it, why do you need it? Obviously, we’ve heard you saying that you don’t feel that the car was talking to you; maybe you’d like to elaborate on that. So, what are you looking for from this car and how close do you think you’re getting to finding it?

Sebastian Vettel: I think we concluded after China, where we were quite a little bit behind to change the chassis, so actually it’s not a new chassis, it’s an old one that we used in testing in the winter, and we have some experience with it. It’s more a sanity check rather than a real problem with the other chassis. So it’s just to try everything we can and basically reset and start again. Obviously there is still a lot of work ahead of us, as I mentioned after the first couple of races, maybe I’m not as happy as I want to be but it’s a long process, a lot of things have changed and I think we need to be patient.

Kevin, two-all versus Jenson, you personally have been three times in Q3, so Saturdays are going OK, but it’s been a rough couple of grands prix, the last two for you. Tell us about that?

Kevin Magnussen: Well, I think I’ve learned a lot. It’s been good in many ways as well. Obviously we’re not where we want to be and we need to keep working really hard to get there. But I think I have learned a lot and there have been many positive points to take away from the last two races. It’s no secret that we are not where we want to be; it’s not that we’re happy or that I’m happy. We just need to work hard, keep working hard. The team is doing a great job. They are staying positive, although they are not happy with the position. They are staying strong and keeping the fighting spirit up. So, yeah, I’m pretty happy with how things are going in terms of the progress we’re making.

It’s unusual for McLaren to have two races where you score no points with either car. How has the team reacted to that internally?

KM: Well, in Bahrain I think we would have scored points. China was not good for us. It was a bit of a shock how far off the pace we were but again I think we learned a lot. We know China is probably the worst circuit for us at the moment, but we’ll just see how it goes here.

Fernando, a two-time winner here, winner last year in a Ferrari. Tough start to the season clearly but third place last time out in China. How much encouragement has that given you and the team, and how big a step have you brought with you here this weekend in terms if updates?

Fernando Alonso: The China result is a boost for all the team – extra motivation to keep working hard. As you said we are not in a position we are happy with. We start with some deficit to the top teams, especially Mercedes who won the first four races and is dominating now with good margins, so we try to decrease that gap and we try to get closer and closer. To do that we need to make bigger steps than what the other teams will do. For here, to be honest, we need to wait and see. I think the characteristics of the circuit will help us a little bit, with not too big straights – only one here on the finish line. About the new parts, we bring some new parts but nothing out of this world. I don’t think we will be different compared to any other top team in terms on what we bring here, or even less. We need to see. As I said, track characteristics are the biggest help we have here.

Sebastian, not to use the same chassis again, how much of a ‘black cat’ decision was that?

SV: Not really. I think it’s not unusual to change chassis, generally. Obviously if you change, you change to a new one, but we decided, as I said before, to change back to an older chassis just to make sure nothing is wrong. Just to see, or basically change the things that you can, to have a reset and try again. We don’t think that there was anything wrong with the old chassis but nevertheless we decided to change, so if so we should get an answer this weekend.

Kevin, how do compare the car after the break to the car you drove at the last grand prix and how do feel about this track in Barcelona?

KM: We don’t know how the car feels, we haven’t driven it yet since the last race, so we’ll have to wait and see. I don’t expect it to feel a lot different. We are bringing a few new parts but nothing that is going to change the world. This track is the first track on the calendar this year that I’ve been to before, so that’s nice. It’s nice to be in Europe again, so feeling a bit more at home. So I’m looking forward to it.

Fernando, podium is a real goal for you here in Spain?

FA: No, I don’t think so. We cannot start the weekend thinking to be on the podium. Or thinking to win the race. That will be creating… y’know, false targets to everyone who will come here. We finished ninth and tenth in Bahrain, we did podium in China because we had some things putting together on that Sunday but it’s not that we are in a position now to say we will fight for the podium here. We will do our best but we know it is going to be a tough weekend and it’s not going to be easy. But, you never know, this is sport and anything can happen but today, sitting here, if I tell you that I will fight for the podium, probably I will lie to you and I don’t want to do so for all the people coming.

Fernando, after four races this season Kimi has only 11 points. At the same point last season Felipe Massa had 30 points. Does it show that Ferrari need much more than a driver-change to get back on the title fight?

FA: I don’t know really. We are not in a position at the moment that we expect. We thought to be more competitive and we struggle, as everyone sees, at the start of the season. I think it is the same for all the teams that we are facing some problems, apart from Mercedes, they had an easy four races, four wins. But, you know, we will work hard. We will work hard to come back in a better position and the start of Felipe or the start of Kimi was not the best in terms of points but I think hopefully soon they will be close to the podium or to the victories and we, both Ferraris, can score many points for the team.

Fernando. When I listen to your, let me say, remembrance from China, between the lines I could hear that maybe the driver was better than the car in this weekend – or on the Sunday?

FA: I think the car is always what it is. The car never changes. The driver, also, sometimes you have better luck, sometimes you have worse luck. In China, for example, I have a crash at the start and nothing happened to my car and I could finish the race. I think the Red Bulls, they were fighting a little bit, they lost a little bit of time and I could be there. My pitstops were very quick. In the first stop I overtook Sebastian in that lap, so there were many factors together that put us on the podium. But, y’know, we need to do very special weekends to be on the podium and China was one of those. Lucky. And some other factors. So arriving here, sitting on Thursday on the next press conference. To repeat that podium will be unbelievable. But it’s not, at the moment, our main target.

My question is for Sebastian and Fernando. You are the champions. How long can you work without first place in the podium?

SV: Well, I think – and Fernando will probably say the same – we’re here to win. I’m not coming here to finish second or fifth – but you have to be realistic and the target is always to get the maximum out of yourself, out of the car, out of the package that you have. And you can get a lot of satisfaction if you achieve that. So, it means basically if a podium is in reach or P5 is the best you can do then you need to ensure to become fifth. If you then become seventh it is not satisfying. But surely, ultimately we are here to win. That’s the target but obviously you know much better what’s going on inside your team and how competitive you are. So yeah, there’s a lot of things that need to come together. Right now, obviously, we have Mercedes in a very, very strong position. Difficult to beat but never impossible.

FA: Unfortunately I have a lot more experience! So, yeah, there is nothing really you can do apart from try to do the best job you can and try to find different goals. Obviously we are here all to win. My last win was last year, here. So it’s one year without victories. I would like not to have that long period. On the other hand, we are 22 drivers on the grid and maybe 20 are in a worse position than me. So, I cannot also be… y’know, blaming my luck for that. I’m extremely lucky and a very privileged guy, so, you need to keep working and if your boss is happy with you, that’s something very important.

Sebastian, Christian said that you are extremely sensitive to rear stability on corner entry. But that was… last year you were using the rear instability to turn the car into the corners. Can you explain what it is about this year’s car that you don’t like and why you’ve not been able to adapt to it so far?

SV: Well, I think generally we all have our own style to how we like to drive the car, how to set up the car. I think in general I don’t mind when the rear’s moving so I don’t mind suffering or having oversteer in the car. But if it is too much obviously if it starts to bother you when the car slides too much, then you find yourself correcting more than actually being able to push or get the maximum out of the car. And, yeah, it slows you down. I think that has been part of the problem so far. There’s lots of reasons behind it so it would be nice to have just one problem and one fix for that but obviously it got a lot more complex this year. There’s a lot more factors than just the car setup. So yeah, we’re still learning a lot. We did already a lot of improvement but there’s still obviously a lot to do. But I think generally you never change your… the way you like to drive a car or your style I think doesn’t change.

Sebastian. You’re changing now chassis. You have spent four races with problems behind Daniel Ricciardo. Do you feel this time you have lost is a bad thing for you for your own progress during the season and could affect the rest of the season for you?

SV: Surely if I had won the first four races it would be better for my season that what I did! Yeah, it is what it is. There’s two ways. You can always look back and try to find something to complain about – or you can look forward. And I think in general we are trying to look forward to the next race. There’s a lot more races this year to come and for sure we didn’t score as many points as we hoped. But then again after winter testing I think we were in a very bad position. I think right from the first race it was probably better than what we initially expected. Lots of positives with Daniel’s podium in Australia – which obviously got taken away – but then the podium in Malaysia showed that we are on the right track but knew, just reading the feeling inside the car that it’s not yet where we want to be. And you also see that in the results. As I said, there is a lot of work but I think we are generally quite good in getting the maximum out of the car. At the moment there’s a couple of things that we need to get on top of and then it should be a different story.

Seb, looking forward it’s no secret that your car’s good in the corners but not so good at the straight bits in between. How much are you and the team – particularly considering it’s the start of the European season – relying on Renault to make a big step forward for you to mount some kind of a championship challenge?

SV: As you mentioned, it’s not a big secret. If you look at the sector times or comparisons that we have available, we currently lose out too much on the straights – but there’s always hope, obviously. Again, you have to look at it from the start. Where we started in winter testing was unfortunately way, way off compared to where we wanted to, in all means. Talking about the car, we set fire to the car nearly every run. Talking about the engine, obviously we were not on the same page that we expected to be, both in terms of reliability and performance. So, since that, I think we had a very, very strong comeback but obviously you miss that time of development. But I think there’s always hope. Just look at Ferrari, for example, the last race, the step that they did was mostly in straight line. I think they got a better fuel and picked up around 7kph on the straights. So… we know that our disadvantage is more than 7kph to the Mercedes which are currently the benchmark down the straights but things can change quickly. We need to make sure we push 100 per cent on the car and also on the engine side. In the end we are a team: Renault and Red Bull Racing, so both parties know that we need to push very hard to make sure that we beat these guys and also the currently strongest team with Mercedes.

Sebastian, you’re changing chassis at this race, why not a new chassis? And the second part: does the chassis have a name?

SV: Same as before. It’s not that much of a black cat, I hope.

Fernando, this morning Toto Wolff said that you are a real race monster. He said that Ferrari is the biggest enemy in the championship; what do you think of these words?

FA: About the monster, it depends how you take it. At least he’s a man. If it was a woman who said that I was a monster it would be even worse. We need to do it step by step. As I said, we need to be realistic with the position that we have. We will not give up, there’s a big gap and a big gap in points and in performance with Mercedes but there’s still a long way to go in the championship so we will try to do our best. As a team, and with the potential that Ferrari has, we must do anything we can to close that gap and to become competitive. That will not happen between one race to the next one, that will be a slow recovery and hopefully not too late when we become competitive in terms of points to fight for the championship but let’s do it race by race. China, as I said, was a combination of things and very good luck to get that podium. Here in Barcelona, it’s a good point to check how competitive we are, because it’s a circuit with different characteristics again and a circuit that will give us an answer in some of the parameters and some of the areas that we need to find some answers. Monaco is the next one, then Canada – again a completely different circuit so we are in a moment of the championship that will tell us many many things in terms of how competitive we can be and how much of a threat we can be for Mercedes. If they count on us for the championship fight, it’s good news because they respect us but we need to deliver if we want to really become a threat, so we are on that, that work.

Fernando, I want to know if you find any change in the Ferrari team after Stefano Domenicali left?

FA: Not really. At the moment, everything is more or less the same. I have been in Maranello last week. Everything is calm and no big changes, nothing really that you’re going to spot that is different at the moment. As I said in China, Marco (Mattiaci) arrived – as we said – with little experience in motor racing, a lot of experience on the managerial side but he’s listening, he’s learning as quickly as he can in everything. I don’t think Marco wants to become an engineer because that’s not his priority at the moment but he will need some time to settle down and to make some changes, some decisions if he thinks they are needed. As I said, in the two or three weeks that he’s in the job, nothing has really changed at the moment. He needs more time.

How much are you guiding him; how much are you contributing to that?

FA: We had some meetings, obviously, to try to help him in all the areas. He’s quite interested to listen to everyone. He called all the engineers and all the engine side, electronics, the drivers, we are going to his office and try to explain all our points of view and all our requirements. As I said, he’s taking note of everything and he will make the necessary changes, what he thinks is best for the team. Hopefully that’s a good thing for Ferrari to move forward and to improve some things, some historical mistakes that we’ve made in the past and we will see if this fresh approach… and not influence about any technical things because, as I said, he’s not an engineer. Hopefully that will help Ferrari.

To all of you: the circuit Barcelona Catalunya used to be the venue of choice for pre-season testing but this year you haven’t run here yet. Will that change how you approach the weekend, and will we get to see more laps than usual tomorrow during free practice?

PM: Even without any tests, it will be same approach as the other tracks, for sure. I was quite interested to run before this season, because it’s a good track, a good combination of corners, good weather but it’s what we have so it will be the same.

MC: Yeah, it will be pretty similar. Obviously when we’ve come here in the past we’d pretty much know the ideal set-up for the circuit. Obviously the cars have changed drastically since last year so there will be a lot more to find out now we haven’t done any pre-season (testing) here. And we’ve now got the extra set(of tyres) in the first thirty minutes of free practice which we can use so there will definitely be more laps completed but if you compare it to China, for example, it won’t be any different.

Kevin and Dan are obviously rookies (in F1) but you’ve got personal experience of this circuit, even if it’s not necessarily in Formula One.

KM: I don’t think it’s going to be a lot different – the approach to this weekend than the other weekends. Personally, I like this track, I think it’s a good track, the mix of corners. As I’ve said before, it’s a track that I’ve been to a lot of times, so it’s nice to feel at home here but other than that, it’s just a normal weekend.

DK: For me as a driver I don’t think it’s going to change a lot compared to other years we’ve been coming here. It’s my first time here in Formula One as well so let’s see how it will start going tomorrow.

SV: I don’t think it makes a difference. We didn’t run in Bahrain. I think that even if we had had the test here in the winter it would make a difference. But usually it’s quite cold in winter time, so when you come here in May it’s quite a big difference, so you need to use the time that you have available in free practice, but I don’t think we can run as much as we’d like to because we’ve all got the safety… the engines. We will see, but for sure the running tomorrow will be important.

FA: Nothing to add, really.

To all of you: when you have one driver from a team that has a car that is winning everything – like Mercedes – and your team needs to win three times in a row (to catch them up), how does it work for teammates? For example, the guy who is behind, does it stimulate him to try to win or does it work in the opposite direction?

FA: Yeah, I said waiting for Rosberg. I don’t know really. For this, when it happens, it was a question for Mark last year, when Sebastian won nine times. For Rosberg now. It’s not so difficult to know what you’re experiencing. Probably I will answer because I will have the experience, but now… of course, I think Rosberg would like to win, that’s for sure.

SV: I would hate Lewis now, if I was Nico.

PM: I would hate Lewis as well. It’s a difficult answer. For sure, you always want to beat your teammate, you always want to do your best and to be ahead of your most close contender. For sure, it’s not ideal to always be at the back but in my opinion, they are both competitive, sometimes one is quicker than the other and sometimes it’s vice versa. It’s a difficult answer because it depends about any driver.

MC: It would be nice to be in that position, obviously. It’s hard to beat someone who never gives up and Rosberg, I’m sure, will never give up. I’m sure he will get his fair share of wins back. Sometimes if you’re constantly winning you sometimes let things slip so if you just make sure you just keep giving 100 percent, he will definitely get other race wins.

KM: I don’t have anything to add.

DK: I don’t want to talk for others but if I have to talk for myself there’s never a huge friendship between teammates so I think you always want to be in front of everyone and there are some circumstances, sometimes if you’re teammate is in front of you, it means that there is something that you can maybe do better but once again, there are different circumstances.

[MIKA27]

Stewart and Prost removed from front of Senna’s coffin

The configuration of the pallbearers at Ayrton Senna’s fabled funeral twenty years ago was changed at the last minute according to the Formula 1 legend’s former personal assistant.

Betise Assumpcao, now married to Williams co-founder Patrick Head, told Brazil’s Agencia Estado that when she arrived for the 1994 funeral, she discovered that Jackie Stewart and Alain Prost were scheduled to be the lead pallbearers.

Triple world champion Stewart had fallen out badly with Senna when he accused him of deliberately running arch-rival Prost off the track for the 1990 title.

“I am never going to speak to you again,” Senna had told Stewart, according to the Scot in an article for the Daily Mail newspaper last week, marking the 20th anniversary of his death at Imola.

Stewart claims he made up with Senna a year later, and also the bitter acrimony between Senna and Prost had also eased by 1994, following the Frenchman’s retirement.

Nonetheless, Assumpcao revealed her horror when she arrived for the funeral to discover that Stewart and Prost would be at the very front of the casket.

She said her arrival was delayed after helping friends, family and international guests to make their way from the city to the Morumbi cemetery.

“Gerhard Berger, Ayrton’s best friend in Formula 1, ran to me and cried ‘Betise, you must do something’,” Assumpcao recalled.

“Someone told me that Alain and Jackie will be at the front of the coffin — apparently it’s in order of world titles!” she added, recalling Berger’s words.

“You have to change it,” Berger told Assumpcao. “They are the two people Ayrton hated the most in his life’.

“He (Berger) was horrified and frankly, so was I. My stomach started to hurt.

“I turned quickly and went to the cemetery gate. On the way, I bumped into Geraldo Rodrigues, Rubens (Barrichello’s) manager and a dear friend.

“I told him ‘You won’t believe it. They want to put Jackie Stewart and Alain Prost right at the front. Ayrton will be turning in his coffin!” she said.

“There was no doubt in my mind that Gerhard had to be right at the front,” added Assumpcao. “He had been with Ayrton in most of the good times with Ayrton, on and off the track.”

She put another Brazilian world champion, Emerson Fittipaldi, alongside him.

In the end, Prost pushed the coffin trolley in the position behind Fittipaldi, with Stewart a further two places behind.

“I went back to where the drivers were and pretended I didn’t know anything of the previous arrangements.

“I think Ayrton would have been happy to see me, helping his friends and making decisions without hesitation. He was like that,” Assumpcao added.

[PaulP]

Practice 1

01 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:27.023 17 laps
02 Jenson Button McLaren 1:27.891 +0.868 26 laps
03 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:27.973 +0.950 21 laps
04 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:28.128 +1.105 23 laps
05 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:28.168 +1.145 9 laps
06 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:28.337 +1.314 19 laps
07 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:28.423 +1.400 27 laps
08 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:28.744 +1.721 34 laps
09 Sergio Perez Force India 1:28.779 +1.756 18 laps
10 Felipe Massa Williams 1:28.791 +1.768 13 laps
11 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:28.792 +1.769 24 laps
12 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:28.828 +1.805 17 laps
13 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:28.859 +1.836 24 laps
14 Felipe Nasr Williams 1:29.272 +2.249 15 laps
15 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1:29.688 +2.665 16 laps
16 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:29.820 +2.797 22 laps
17 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:29.944 +2.921 21 laps
18 Giedo van der Garde Sauber 1:30.440 +3.417 22 laps
19 Max Chilton Marussia 1:30.748 +3.725 19 laps
20 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:30.942 +3.919 4 laps
21 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 1:30.997 +3.974 22 laps
22 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 1:31.421 +4.398 22 laps

[PaulP]

Practice 2

01 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:25.524 32 laps
02 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:25.973 +0.449 36 laps
03 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:26.509 +0.985 37 laps
04 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:27.121 +1.597 33 laps
05 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:27.296 +1.772 32 laps
06 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:27.788 +2.264 36 laps
07 Jenson Button McLaren 1:27.811 +2.287 29 laps
08 Felipe Massa Williams 1:27.824 +2.300 30 laps
09 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:27.866 +2.342 42 laps
10 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:28.049 +2.525 34 laps
11 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:28.074 +2.550 30 laps
12 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:28.246 +2.722 30 laps
13 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1:28.284 +2.760 32 laps
14 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:28.698 +3.174 33 laps
15 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:29.105 +3.581 24 laps
16 Sergio Perez Force India 1:29.129 +3.605 34 laps
17 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:29.493 +3.969 26 laps
18 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:29.991 +4.467 26 laps
19 Max Chilton Marussia 1:31.148 +5.624 28 laps
20 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 1:31.338 +5.814 38 laps
21 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 1:31.586 +6.062 38 laps
22 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull No time

[MIKA27]

Vergne gets 10-place grid penalty in Spain

French driver Jean-Eric Vergne was handed a 10-place grid penalty and his Toro Rosso Formula One team fined €30,000 euros on Friday after the right rear wheel came off his car during Spanish Grand Prix practice.

Stewards said in a statement that the turn one incident, during the afternoon session at the Circuit de Catalunya, was considered “a significant breach of the safety requirements”.

They also asked the governing FIA safety delegate to ensure the Toro Rosso cars complied with the technical regulations before Saturday’s third session.

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was handed a similar 10-place penalty at last month’s Bahrain Grand Prix after his car shed a front left wheel following a pitstop during the March race in Malaysia.

Toro Rosso are seventh in the constructors’ standings with eight points from five races. Vergne, whose team mate is Russian rookie Daniil Kvyat, has scored half of the points.

[MIKA27]

Montezemolo in Spain for the team and Schumacher

On the first day of the European part of the season, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo wanted to be with the race team and also pay homage to Michael Schumacher

Over the past few weeks, Montezemolo has personally been working on getting the team back in shape, attending technical organization meetings.

Montezemolo said, “I wanted to be at the Montmelo circuit, because today more than ever, my thoughts are with Michael Schumacher and his family. It was at this track on 2 June 1996 that he took his first Grand Prix win in a Ferrari, which began that long run of victories with the Scuderia.”

“So it is from here that I want to send another message of encouragement to this great friend who is facing his most difficult challenge. He must tackle it with the courage and determination that he always showed on track. Myself, everyone at Ferrari and all his fans are always thinking of him,” added the Ferrari boss.

[MIKA27]

De Silvestro targets Formula 1 race seat in 2015

Simona De Silvestro wants to race in Formula One and Sauber believe she has what it takes to end decades of waiting for a female grand prix driver, team principal Monisha Kaltenborn said on Friday.

The 25-year-old Swiss driver told reporters at the Spanish Grand Prix – the first she has attended this season – that she was still aiming to be on the starting grid in 2015.

No woman has started a grand prix since Italian Lella Lombardi in 1976. Although British driver Susie Wolff is due to take part in some Friday practice sessions with Williams this season, she will not race.

Indian-born Kaltenborn, the only woman principal in the 11-team sport, told Reuters the former IndyCar racer – who finished second on the Houston street circuit last year – had the potential to break through.

“She’s had one test and it’s gone well…all the ingredients are there, she’s doing a very good job so far,” she said.

“She’s done a fantastic run in the simulator, she’s physically very well prepared and she’s learning very quickly.

“It’s not the capability which is lacking in women to come in here…it’s lacking an opportunity and I think if you are in the sport and in positions where you can make a difference and do something, we women need to do that.”

De Silvestro tested a two-year-old Sauber at Ferrari’s Fiorano circuit last month and will test again in Valencia for three days at the end of June. She hoped she might also take part in Friday practice sessions before the year was out.

Sauber, who had financial troubles last year and are still feeling the pinch, have a surplus of drivers chasing two race seats next year and any decision will have a financial element.

Apart from current racers Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez, the Swiss team also has Dutchman Giedo van der Garde as test and reserve with Russian teenager Sergei Sirotkin as another tester.

De Silvestro is officially listed as an affiliated driver.

Sauber have said they are aiming to bring Sirotkin into Formula One next season, and are in talks with his Russian backers although Kaltenborn said the Ukraine crisis had slowed the process.

“Everybody is rather in a waiting position and seeing what is going to happen next, which is fully understandable,” she said. “If you don’t know what is going to happen, you just wait and see. That’s the position we are in now.”

[MIKA27]

Vettel: Small failure, big consequence

Although Sebastian Vettel says it was a "small failure" that sidelined him in practice, he concedes it will have "big consequences" for his weekend.

Vettel's latest title defence has not gone according to plan as the German and his Red Bull team have been blighted by various reliability issues and a lack of pace.

As such he arrived at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for this weekend's grand prix with a new chassis and renewed hope.

It came to naught on Friday.

Just four laps into his running the reigning World Champion's RB10 broke down at Turn 5.

Red Bull confirmed that it was an "electrical problem" that "damaged the wiring loom" forcing the car to stop out track.

It also meant the 26-year-old could not contest the afternoon session, limiting him to just four laps for the day.

"We had a simple failure in one of the looms this morning, which caused a short and meant the car stopped," Vettel explained.

"We had to change the chassis loom, which is a big job so I wasn't able to go out this afternoon.

"It's a small failure, but a big consequence; there was nothing new on that part of the car, it was something new that happened in that area.

"Luckily it happened today (rather than tomorrow), but unfortunately we lost the chance to prepare for Sunday with two cars, so I have to rely on what Daniel did today and get into the rhythm straight away tomorrow."

Daniel Ricciardo finished the day third quickest, 0.985s behind the pace-setting Lewis Hamilton.

[MIKA27]

Why Formula 1 Racers Are Relearning How to Drive

Formula 1 drivers are among the finest in the world, with an innate skill behind the wheel and an uncanny knack for getting the most from a car. But even the best of them are relearning their craft as they adapt to new rules and technology that’s made this season’s cars more challenging to drive.

The adoption of hybrid drivetrains and aerodynamic changes have led to cars with less downforce, less grip, and a whole lot more torque, making them trickier to drive. That’s required drivers to use far more finesse through turns, while brake-by-wire technology and new limits on how much fuel cars can burn has them rethinking such basic skills as where to brake and how soon to get on the gas.

“It’s all new for the drivers this year,” says Christian Horner, team principal at Red Bull Racing. The new regulations are, he says, “a bit of a grid shuffler.”

Indeed. As the season moves to Europe for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, four-time defending champion Sebastian Vettel has struggled with his car and is ranked fifth in the championship standings. Meanwhile, Mercedes has dominated, with second-tier teams like Force India and Williams performing exceptionally well–thanks in part to the Mercedes drivetrains they’re using. Mercedes used a clever trick to maximize the performance of its turbocharged engines, and has shown a particular knack for maximizing downforce and grip.

That said, it’s been three weeks since the last race, and every team has been working around the clock to refine its cars. All of them are expected to debut new components, improved aerodynamics, and other tricks. And drivers have no doubt spent hours in the simulator, further honing their skills as they climb what’s proven to be a steep learning curve this year.

“As the car develops, as the engine develops, you get more understanding of the car and some of the complexities,” Horner says. “With the technology being so new this year, it inevitably takes a little longer than previous years.”

The biggest change this season has been the adoption of 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 engines with sophisticated hybrid drivetrains. The cars produce far more torque–570 foot-pounds from the engine alone, up from 402 last year–than the 2.4-liter V8s that had been used since 2006. Aerodynamic changes—most notably, narrower front wings and the elimination of one rear wing—has reduced the amount of downforce the cars generate.

Less downforce means less grip in the corners, an issue that’s been compounded by the harder tires Pirelli introduced this year to handle the added torque. A car with less grip is “less forgiving on mistakes,” says Gianluca Pisanello, Head of Engineering Operations at Caterham.

“You’re always a little more on edge,” he says.

As a result, we’ve seen even the best drivers drivers battle understeer—the tendency of the front end to run wide, turning less than you want it to—entering a turn, then have the back end break loose when they get on the power.

“It’s quite a lot easier to get wheelspin and break traction out of a corner,” says Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo, who is currently ranked sixth in the championship. “Managing the throttle and having more finesse in that area has been the biggest challenge.”

No kidding, says McLaren rookie Kevin Magnussen, who is ranked ninth.

“The torque comes in a very different way,” he says. “It’s very aggressive. You need to be very sensitive with your right foot when putting the power down.”

Drivers must be no less sensitive with their left foot when getting on the brakes. For the first time, F1 cars are using brake-by-wire technology on the rear wheels. Instead of a traditional hydraulic system, the rear brakes are controlled electronically.

This change is part of the cars’ hybrid drivetrains, which use a battery and a small electric motor to provide an additional 160 horsepower in 33-second bursts for overtaking. The battery is charged by, among other things, capturing braking energy that would otherwise be lost as heat. The brake-by-wire system allows engineers to compensate for the extra braking force introduced by the energy recovery system.

Because team engineers can adjust how much energy is collected throughout a lap, or even through a given corner, the feel of the brake pedal can be inconsistent from turn to turn. Although the computer-controlled system theoretically adjusts the system to deliver consistent braking performance, “the reality is a little more complex than that,” Pisanello says, and drivers sometimes find the brakes are not responding as they expect them to. When you’re one of the world’s best drivers in one of the world’s most precise racing cars, every little bit of feedback is incredibly important.

“It means that the braking for drivers is a little more unsettled than it used to be,” Pisanello says.

As if all that weren’t enough to contend with, the rulesmakers at the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile cut by almost one-third the amount of fuel cars can carry during a race. Teams are limited to 100 kilograms of fuel per car. Although the drivetrains are far more efficient than in the past, drivers must conserve fuel if they are finish the race. At some point during the race, a driver may hear his engineer instruct him over the radio to conserve fuel.

This most typically is done with a technique called “lift-and-coast,” which is exactly what it sounds like. As a driver approaches a turn, rather than lifting off the throttle and immediately applying the brake, as he’s been taught since childhood, he will instead let off the gas before the braking point—“lift”—and coast some distance before getting on the brakes. This can make the braking point something of a moving target.

“Instead of braking at 80 meters, you have to lift at 120 meters and then you have to find out when to apply the brakes, for how long to apply the brakes, and how hard to apply the brakes in order to not be slow like my grandmother around the corner, or to not brake hard enough and go off,” said Pisanello. “In terms of competitive driving, it’s a nightmare.”

Ricciardo is more charitable, saying, “It’s a little bit unnatural. It took a bit of time adjusting and trying to find the right brake point.”

Many of these changes have been made in the interest of saving money, increasing competitiveness, and making F1 technology more applicable to cars the rest of us drive. And though adapting to the new cars and maximizing their performance has been a challenge for some teams and drivers, the racing has been intense. Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg went wheel-to-wheel for several laps during the race in Bahrain, fighting for first and second. We’ve also seen stellar drives further down the grid, and expect more action as the teams continue developing their cars and drivers sharpen their skills.

Fans have complained about the relatively quiet cars–though turbos provide a unique sound all their own– but if the Bahrain was any indication, 2014 is shaping up as the most exciting Formula One season in years.

“We keep people entertained, I hope,” says Pisanello.

[JPS72]

Qualifying results - 2014 Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix

Pos. Driver Team Time Laps

1. L. Hamilton Mercedes 01:25.232 16

2. N. Rosberg Mercedes 01:25.400 19

3. D. Ricciardo Red Bull 01:26.285 16

4. V. Bottas Williams 01:26.632 17

5. R. Grosjean Lotus 01:26.960 18

6. K. Raikkonen Ferrari 01:27.104 18

7. F. Alonso Ferrari 01:27.140 16

8. J. Button McLaren 01:27.335 18

9. F. Massa Williams 01:27.402 16

10. S. Vettel Red Bull no time 11

11. N. Hulkenberg Force India 01:27.685 13

12. S. Perez Force India 01:28.002 16

13. D. Kvyat Toro Rosso 01:28.039 12

14. E. Gutiérrez Sauber 01:28.280 12

15. K. Magnussen McLaren no time 10

16. J. Vergne Toro Rosso no time 6

17. A. Sutil Sauber 01:28.563 9

18. M. Chilton Marussia 01:29.586 6

19. J. Bianchi Marussia 01:30.177 6

20. M. Ericsson Caterham 01:30.312 8

21. K. Kobayashi Caterham 01:30.375 6

22. P. Maldonado Lotus no time 2