FORMULA 1 - 2014

[MIKA27]

Horner: Unacceptable, there needs to be change at Renault

Formula 1 World Champions Red Bull have called for change at engine partners Renault after an “unacceptable” performance in the Austrian Grand Prix which saw only one of their four cars (including Toro Rosso) finish the race on their home track.

Quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel retired from the race at Spielberg with an electronics problem, his third failure to finish this season due to an issue with the new V6 turbo hybrid power unit.

“The reliability is unacceptable. The performance is unacceptable. There needs to be change at Renault,” Team Principal Christian Horner told reporters. “It can’t continue like this. It’s not good for Renault and it’s not good for Red Bull.”

The champions, winner of both titles for the past four years with Renault power, are now 158 points behind leaders Mercedes after eight races.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo won the previous Canadian Grand Prix but was a distant eighth on Sunday.

Renault Sport F1′s Deputy Managing Director Rob White said that the French manufacturer, who started the year well behind Mercedes on performance, admitted, “The anxiety that Christian feels, and the frustration he feels after a result that is not at the full potential of the performance of car and power unit, is completely understandable and shared by us.”

“We know what is expected of us and individually and collectively we must buckle down in the right direction,” added White.

Renault’s Rémi Taffin summed up the sentiment in the Renault camp immediately after the race at Red Bull Ring, “Safe to say it’s been a very tough weekend for us. We came here believing that the circuit would not suit the characteristics of the Renault Energy F1 Power.”

He added, “The [Renault] Power Unit is not strong on the straights but there are many other good qualities to it, which we have not been able to show today.”

“Unfortunately we also experienced some issues, which have put us in a negative light. With Sebastian’s car the team experienced an issue linked to switching maps at the start. We will look at why this happened as it cost the team a lot of valuable points.”

“It could be an issue with our software but it could also be linked to common software – in either case it clearly needs a lot of investigation,” admitted Taffin.

Horner made clear that Red Bull would stay with Renault next season, when Honda are due to make their return as partners to McLaren, but he wanted to see a big improvement. The only other current F1 engine manufacturers are Mercedes and Ferrari.

“We need to work together as partners. There will not be another engine in the back of the car next year, but we want to be competitive and we want to run at the front,” said Horner.

“Something needs to happen because whatever’s being done there at the moment isn’t working. It’s not our business, it’s not our responsibility. We’re the end user and it’s just frustrating that it’s not where it needs to be at the moment,” added the Briton.

[MIKA27]

Williams: We were beaten by a faster car and better organised team

In Austria on Sunday Williams enjoyed their best weekend since Barcelona in 2012 when they had last won a last grand prix, as Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa finished third and fourth respectively. Despite starting from the front row the team are convinced they did not have the firepower to match the dominant Mercedes duo.

From the outside it appeared that the Silver Arrows pit wall made some key strategy calls during the race, while Williams blinked and thus lost the high ground during the race, which ultimately cost them victory.

However the team’s Head of Performance Engineering Rob Smedley explained to media after the race that this was not the case, “There’s a chance, if we’d done what Nico did [pit early] we wouldn’t have got to the end – tyre wear was that close. I’m reasonably happy with what we did.”

The former Ferrari man continued, “From all the information we had at that point and everything we knew at that time and now know, I don’t think we could have got to the end of the race by doing it. Even [with the strategy we chose], we were managing tyres and tyre wear, trying to keep wheel spin and lateral acceleration down in certain parts of the corner with driving styles, with electronic settings.”

“So it would have been fairly gung-ho and brave to have gone for it on that lap, and you look like a bit of an idiot if you finish your tyres with five or six laps to go and cars come streaming past you. We wouldn’t be racers if you didn’t feel a slight twinge of disappointment but you have to look at the positives.”

“We were beaten by a faster car and a better organised team. They did a better job than us, there’s no doubt about that. We knew we had to manage systems on the car, brakes, tyres – and it was all about that,” ventured Smedley.

[MIKA27]

Alonso: I prefer to have no respect and to win more trophies

Fernando Alonso again wrestled the woeful Ferrari F14T to more points than it deserved with yet another gritty performance, this time at the Austrian Grand Prix - speaking after his afternoon’s graft at Red Bull Ring the Spaniard admitted that he would easily swap the well earned respect he has in the paddock for more silverware on his mantlepiece.

Alonso told the media, “It’s been five years like this. There is always satisfaction that everyone believes you are always performing at your best. There’s the respect from drivers, team principals and fans for the job that you do. But I prefer to have no respect and to win more trophies.”

Ferrari insist that they have made progress with team boss Marco Mattiacci claiming after the race in Austria, “Fernando could not have done any better today. He managed to maintain a great pace for the whole race, at times even quicker than the leaders and this must serve as an incentive to continue developing the F14 T. Overall the gaps are coming down…”

In Austria, Alonso chased the Williams of former teammate Felipe Massa hard in the latter stages, but did not have enough fire-power at his disposal to reel in the Brazilian. Nevertheless the Spaniard finished best of the non-Mercedes powered brigade.

Alonso explained, “I was close with Massa at the end and then he [pulled] away. The same with Hamilton on the first lap; it was unbelievable, the difference between the two cars. If they’re running with those settings, they will probably lap everyone.

“With Massa, I think he was just controlling the pace to be honest. I [got] close to him with ten or 11 lap to go and then when I was in the DRS zone, he [pulled] away another two seconds. So he was playing a little bit.”

The results show that the two Ferrari drivers, considered among the best in the business, are struggling with a package that is way out of contention.

“We saw some cases in the past that many things can change, especially this year, where we are very new with these regulations in 2014,” he said.

“I expect 2015 again will be a big step for everybody, including Mercedes. We all will be better next year and definitely the teams that start with a lower baseline, we have more margin to improve.

“We will get closer or at the level of Mercedes and that’s our hope. But what about this year? To Mercedes? Close the gap? Impossible,” declared the double world champion who has matched his longest win-less streak in Formula 1, having now endured 22 races without victory since his first triumph at the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix.

[MIKA27]

Schumacher medical records stolen

In what can only be described as despicable, it seems that there are concerns from Michael Schumacher’s family and management that records taken from the hospital and purportedly claiming to be those of Schumacher’s medical condition are being offered for purchase to certain media outlets. We saw the original news via James Allen’s tweet but now AUTOSPORT has reported the situation as well.

The family released this statement late Monday:

“For several days stolen documents and data are being offered for sale. The offeror claims them to be the medical file of Michael Schumacher. “We cannot judge if these documents are authentic. However, the documents are clearly stolen. The theft has been reported. The authorities are involved. “We expressly advise that both the purchase and the publication of such documents and data is forbidden. “The contents of any medical files are totally private and confidential and must not made available to the public.

“We will therefore, in every single case, press for criminal charges and damages against any publication of the content or reference to the medical file.”

As if things aren’t already difficult enough for the Schumacher family, it seems someone feels they should steal personal medical records and attempt to sell them on the media market. A sad narrative of not only this particular individual but the depths that some will plunge to for making a dollar off of someone’s unfortunate circumstances.

[MIKA27]

Ecclestone: F1 has ‘too many rules’

As American businessman Gene Haas continues to prepare for the 2016 Formula 1 season, rumors in the paddock suggest that some current teams may not see the dawning of the 2016 season due to financial struggles.

These rumors come on the back of the recent cost-cutting decisions that left some teams a tad critical as to the lack of sweeping changes they were looking for.

If you were to ask F1 boss Bernie Eccletsone—which is exactly what AUTOSPORT did—about the situation, he would say that having fewer teams on the grid is just fine.

“They should not be in the game. You should not be in this business if you cannot afford it.”

As for Ecclestone, he’s more interested in the regulations and stewarding of F1 at the moment even citing this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix as an example of what has been alleged as a nanny state in F1 saying:

“We have too many rules that are not necessary,” said Ecclestone. “When a driver crosses a white line he will be punished. That’s wrong. “Drivers are racers and they want to go racing, so let them do so. “The stewards should be locked in their room [during the race] and take a look into any infringements after the race, not during the competition.”

Recent conversation amongst F1 fans has been focused on the balance between safety with run-off areas that do not penalize drivers for taking full advantage of the circuit’s safety features to their advantage by running wide etc.

Inevitably the guest steward program has been a good addition to F1. The intent was to get an actual driver’s perspective to each race. Like all good ideas, good intentions can sometimes start to fester in that some stewards feel that getting the call to participate means they need to make their mark on the race in order to be seen as bringing something to the race weekend.

Perhaps a re-think over race stewarding and certainly the regulations that are moving F1 into directions that are less palatable to fans should be the focus and with the lack of sweeping cost-cutting regulations, this may be the direction F1 is looking at for 2015.

[MIKA27]

Does Button have a seat with McLaren next year in F1?

Jenson Button has played down increasing speculation about his future in Formula 1, as he is being matched, and even sometimes beaten by rookie teammate Kevin Magnussen.

The sport’s most experienced active driver is out of contract at the end of 2014, but McLaren boss Eric Boullier said recently that he thinks that a new deal for the 34-year-old is likely.

This may not be correct because The Times and Daily Mail newspapers are reporting the real likelihood that next weekend’s Silverstone race could be Button’s last ever British Grand Prix.

With McLaren’s works Honda era beginning next year, and the Woking based team needing to shine after two disappointing seasons, champions including Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and former Ron Dennis protege Lewis Hamilton are all being linked with the team for 2015.

McLaren supremo Ron Dennis is said to be masterminding the talks with that high-profile trio, but he insisted in Austria: “We are not looking to finalise our driver line-up now.”

But a source told the Daily Mail that Button is “a tenth or two” shy of McLaren’s list of 2015 favourites. But the popular Englishman, one of the fittest drivers currently in F1. thinks that McLaren will eventually want to sign a new deal.

“I don’t know why they wouldn’t,” said Button. “It is just the way it is for a big team – we will leave it to the last moment to make a decision or to talk about contracts.

“It is not something that I have pushed,” he explained. “I am sure if pushed to sit down and talk about it, we would, but I am not pushing because when it happens, it happens.”

[MIKA27]

Villeneuve: Raikkonen is driving as if he is in Formula 3

Outspoken 1997 Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve has slammed Kimi Raikkonen for struggling to shine in 2014, and is adamant that the popular Finn should quit.

After two impressive comeback years with Lotus, Finn Raikkonen was signed for this season by Ferrari, with whom he won his title in 2007.

However, two years later Ferrari ousted Raikkonen, and so the news of his 2014 return was a shock to French-Canadian Villeneuve.

“Who would have imagined he even comes back to Formula 1 in the first place?” the 43-year-old told Italy’s Omnicorse. “Who would have thought he would return to Ferrari? No one – yet there he is at Maranello.”

Villeneuve, however, said that 34-year-old Raikkonen – the oldest driver in Formula 1 today – has no right to be blaming the Formula 14-T for his poor season.

“For him, the gas is either fully open or nothing,” he said. “He is having a series of spins as though he is in Formula 3. If he can’t drive in Formula 1 anymore, he should go home. He is a very experienced driver, so he shouldn’t be making excuses at every grand prix like a rookie does.

“He should take two or three races to change how he’s driving, and if he can’t, that’s a problem. You can’t go on like this when you’re a world champion. You have no right to make excuses,” insisted Villeneuve.

Ironically many feel Villeneuve himself over stayed his welcome in Formula 1, having won the title in 1997. With ten grand prix wins he never stood on the top step of the podium again until he quit eight years later, midway through the 2006 season.

[MIKA27]

Lauda: Lewis is more motivated and will keep fighting

When Lady Luck was dishing out good fortune she was not being very generous to Lewis Hamilton this year, as the Mercedes driver appears to be getting far larger dollops of misfortune than teammate Nico Rosberg, but according to Niki Lauda this scenario is only serving to motivate Hamilton.

Speaking to the BBC after the Austrian Grand Prix, where Hamilton turned ninth on the grid to second place in the race, behind Rosberg, Lauda observed, “He will keep fighting. He will be more motivated going to Silverstone after this result. He knows he has to fight hard with his own team-mate to make up the points.”

Twice Hamilton has been forced to retire – at the season opener in Melbourne and more recently in Montreal – which some believe is now pressuring the 2007 F1 World Champion into making mistakes such as the error in Qualifying, at the Red Bull Ring, which may have cost him pole position.

Three time Formula 1 World Champion Lauda however does not agree, “These things can happen. There is nothing wrong with this. I have known him for a long time and he is absolutely perfect in his head.”

“He is highly motivated and that’s it. There is nothing in this respect at all. Even with the qualifying mistake, he said: It was my mistake. That’s all. He made up for it right away in the race. Don’t worry about it. Wait for Silverstone. I guarantee you he will be there. I really look forward to a good Silverstone race between the two.”

Lauda is more than aware that the two Silver Arrows drivers are throwing everything at each other, but he is also adamant that they are both on top of their game and for that reason the duel has been incident free thus far, “They are pushing each other since day one in Melbourne. They are pushing hard and nothing happens. They are doing a perfect job.”

“They are professionals; they don’t hit each other and they pull the team forward. It couldn’t be better,” added Lauda.

[MIKA27]

Helplessness and resignation at Red Bull after Austria failure

It was meant to be their big race: Red Bull were competing at home for the first time ever and their recent win in Canada put them among the favourites at the circuit bought and renovated by billionaire owner Dietrich Mateschitz.

But Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix proved a disaster for the home team, all the more galling for taking place on a track named after their sponsor – the Red Bull Ring.

After four seasons at the top of the Formula 1 world, German reigning champion Sebastian Vettel saw his race end almost as soon as it had started, due to electrical problems.

Daniel Ricciardo, fresh from his Canadian Grand Prix win, finished just eighth.

“It wasn’t a great race for us. We’ve got a bit of work to do,” was all the Australian could say afterwards.

Overall, a sense of helplessness and resignation seemed to dominate the team as the F1 circuit heads to Silverstone next.

“There’s a dark cloud floating over [Vettel],” team chief Christian Horner said gloomily.

Barely out of the start, Vettel’s car inexplicably came to a complete halt, making him lose precious time and causing him to pull out of the race early.

Contributing to Horner’s bewilderment was the drop in form even though the team has stayed relatively unchanged from Red Bull’s winning seasons.

“These are the same people who won races and won the title last year,” he noted.

Vettel, who won 13 out of 19 races last year, has now had to retire three times this season and a fifth championship title looks out of reach.

“You don’t need to be a genius. I’m standing here and not making any points, that doesn’t help anyone. Of course it’s bitter,” the 26-year-old said after Sunday’s race. “Obviously it’s been a bad first half of the season with a lot of retirements, and many more problems.”

“But I guess it’s part of the game. I’ve equally been able to learn a lot,” he said, apparently resigned. “It would be bad to say I got used to it but obviously we had lots of problems so far already. I think I got a bit calmer.”

Sunday’s race saw the return of the Austrian Grand Prix after an 11-year absence. And for Red Bull, established in 2004, this was the first chance to race at home. But a win proved elusive, with Mercedes and Williams sharing the spoils.

“Of course it hurts twice as much that I had such bad luck just today, at the home grand prix. But the bitter truth is that we can’t change anything now,” Vettel later said in a message on his website.

Red Bull now trail Mercedes by 158 points in the constructors’ standings and Vettel is just fifth in the drivers’ championship, over 100 points behind leader Nico Rosberg.

But things will soon change, said the reigning champion. Three retirements were tough to swallow “but we can’t let that discourage us. There must be a reason why these things are happening and we need to find it. I really believe that this must soon pass and I’ll do everything to catch up those points that I’ve lost.”

[MIKA27]

Mateschitz rules out Red Bull engine project

Red Bull billionaire boss Dietrich Mateschitz has put a line through reports claiming that Red Bull are commencing a project to build their own Formula 1 engine.

“It’s not even worth denying these reports,” Mateschitz told Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper.

Actually, a clear denial might have been necessary, given the fact that his deputy Helmut Marko stirred up the speculation in Austria, even naming local companies like Pankl and AVL who could play major roles in the V6 project.

“AVL is not a topic,” Mateschitz is quoted by the APA news agency. “They have a very specific know-how in the area, but to put together a team of experts to design an engine is much more complex.”

“Just because of Formula 1, we are not becoming a car manufacturer,” Mateschitz insisted.

More likely, it seems, is that the ‘Red Bull engine’ report was a way to ramp up the pressure on the team’s existing supplier, struggling Renault. Mateschitz says that Red Bull’s competitive problems in 2014 are all about the French-made V6 turbo.

“Our problems are beyond our control,” he said. “We have won the world championship with Renault for the past four years and so we are loyal to our engine partner. But the situation is serious. The engine development must now be given priority.”

Gerhard Berger, known to be close to Mateschitz and once the co-owner of Red Bull’s second team Toro Rosso, agrees that Renault need to think again about the fundamentals of their Formula 1 foray.

“Renault must look at Formula 1 not with a business model and a strict cost-benefit analysis, but as a tool for [their] image,” he said.

[MIKA27]

Ecclestone reveals 19 races on 2015 F1 calendar

Formula 1 Chief Executive Bernie Ecclestone has revealed that the 2015 grand prix calendar will remain at 19 races.

In recent years, teams have expressed concerns that organising as many as twenty races in a single season would put unacceptable stress on personnel.

It won’t happen next season, Ecclestone admitted to Kleine Zeitung newspaper. Asked how many races will be on the 2015 schedule, he said: “The same as this year – so 19.”

However, that may be at the expense of one or two existing races. When asked specifically about the reportedly incoming Azerbaijan, and the project in New York, he said: “We want to go to Azerbaijan for a street race. As for New York, we are still talking to them.”

One provisional race date on the 2015 schedule is already known. Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper says that tickets for the Austrian Grand Prix on 21 June 2015 are already on sale.

[MIKA27]

Vettel should go to Ferrari - Villeneuve

Sebastian Vettel should leave Red Bull at the end of the season and go to Ferrari, according to former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve.

Vettel and Red Bull dominated the sport after the German joined the Milton Keynes in 2009, winning four successive Drivers' and Constructors' Championships though.

Following the spate of rules changes that came into effect at the start of the season, Vettel has struggled to adapt to the new Red Bull and has been out-qualified and out-raced by his new team-mate Daniel Ricciardo several times this season.

According to Villeneuve, Red Bull are more focused on Ricciardo now and should a seat open up at Ferrari, Vettel should jump at the opportunity to join Scuderia.

"He's a four-time World Champion who has earned the titles won, but now Red Bull Racing is treating him like they were to Mark Webber," Villeneuve said during an interview with OmniCorse.it.

"They seem to have decided to focus only on Daniel Ricciardo. Now they want to "kill" Sebastian because the German is not able to give another image of Red Bull.

"Of course, he cannot stand one more season. Helmut Marko has now also started to criticise him. When you lose control of the team and the policy begins to have an ever-increasing weight, you're finished. Vettel is finished there, he needs to change team.

"Who said that the door is closed at Ferrari? I think that Fernando [Alonso] is tired of working for nothing. And it shows that he no longer had the joy of driving up to two years ago.

"He carried the team on his shoulders, while last year he gave up. He no longer has the strength to drag the team alone.

"I think that next year we will see a Ferrari in recovery and if Fernando will have the patience to wait he will derive the benefits, otherwise..."

[MIKA27]

Lauda: Williams pace a concern

Mercedes non-executive Chairman Niki Lauda confessed that they are a little bit concerned by the pace Williams showed during last week's Austrian Grand Prix.

Williams pair Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas locked out the front row in qualifying and competed with Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton for most of the race before ultimately finishing third and fourth.

Bottas, in particular, impressed and finished just eight seconds behind the Mercedes of Hamilton to claim the first podium of his career.

To Lauda, that indicates that Mercedes' advantage over the rest of the grid is being reduced.

"The alarm bells are ringing that the competition is coming closer," Lauda told crash.net.

"If the alarm bell rings in time then you can do something. If you sit back - which we don't try to do - you miss out. So what we are going to do is keep on developing the car."

Lauda added that as far as the Drivers' Championship goes, Hamilton would be at a significant disadvantage if he can't get a strong result at Silverstone next month.

"It is [big], no question, because the Montreal race was a disaster for [Hamilton]. But he will keep on fighting, don't worry. He will be more motivated now going to Silverstone after this result and the points difference. So I really look forward to a good Silverstone race between the two," Lauda added.

"I hope that nobody else comes in between [them]. This we have to avoid and keep pushing the team - Paddy [Lowe] and Toto [Wolff] - to go forward again."

[MIKA27]

Raikkonen admits Ferrari frustration

Kimi Raikkonen has admitted that he is frustrated after being told to take care of his brakes as early as the second lap during last week's Austrian Grand Prix.

Ferrari's lack of power was apparent during last week's race at the Red Bull Arena, and while Fernando Alonso finished in an admirable fifth place, Raikkonen could only get 10th after struggling with the handling of his F14 T.

Considering Ferrari's current plight, Raikkonen is of the opinion that both he and Alonso should be allowed to push the car to its limits in the hope of posting better results.

"We had to go down [on the engine settings] but also after two laps I had brake issues," the 2007 World Champion explained to Autosport.

"They asked me to cool the brakes but I was trying to fight against the other guys. So it was quite difficult after two laps being asked to slow down for brake issues.

"We know those kinds of things should not be happening, and we have to fix them. We cannot go into the race and start slowing down after two laps because of issues like that.

"We are not fast enough for giving up points, so there is more work to do to get there."

The Finn was also asked about Ferrari's progress during the year and if the car has improved significantly, to which he replied in the negative.

"I think we are more or less in the same place," the Finn added.

"I think it depends a lot to do with the layout of the circuit, how it is for each team.

"[Austria] has long straights and the Mercedes powered cars seem to be working. But we have improved for sure in various places, and the car is much more together from the first race.

"But we need much bigger improvements on the engine and aero and those kind of things to get where the Mercedes guys are."

[MIKA27]

Should F1 use standing starts for restarts?

Formula One is planning to change how races are restarted next year.

From 2015 standing starts will be used instead of rolling restarts following Safety Car periods, according to multiple reports.

Is this the change F1 needs to inject more action into the show?

For

The reasoning for the change is simple to understand. F1′s single file rolling restarts tend not to lead to changes of position.

Standing starts offer a greater chance that some drivers will change places when the race gets going again, injecting more excitement into the races.

Against

Organising a standing start is going to add yet more complexity to the restart procedure which already takes too long due to the rule requiring lapped drivers to pass the Safety Car. This will mean it takes even longer to get races going again.

There’s also the difficult of ensuring drivers line up in the correct grid position. On a normal standing start they are positioned in their starting spots beforehand, giving them the chance to familiarise themselves with where their need to stop at the end of the formation lap. Even then there are problems – three drivers line up in the wrong places at the start of the Monaco Grand Prix.

I say

I’m basically indifferent to the plan, though it seems to me that if you’re going to go to the effort of stopping all the cars and doing a full start, why not go the whole hog and scrap the Safety Car altogether? Just red-flag the race and restart it later. That way no racing laps are wasted behind the Safety Car.

But what really grates about this scheme is that it seems another poorly considered gimmick which doesn’t address F1′s most serious problems.

Formula 1 hasn’t had a full field of cars for almost 20 years, small teams are struggling financially following the introduction of expensive new engines and major manufacturers prefer the WEC. Meanwhile viewing figures are plummeting and the minimum weight rules have led to dangerously thin drivers.

The best response F1′s power brokers have to this is to impose standing starts after the Safety Car has come out. I don’t believe it’s going to make the tiniest bit of difference to F1′s real problems. Frankly I don't like it.

You say

Do you want to see standing starts after Safety Car periods in Formula 1?

[MIKA27]

Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg concerned by F1’s standing restarts plan

Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg have voiced their concerns with regard to standing restarts during Formula One grands prix from next year.

The F1 commission last week passed a proposal it believes will play a part in spicing up the show – the idea will now go before the World Motor Sport Council for approval.

For years the sport has had rolling restarts at the end of a safety car period whereby the train of cars slowly tours around the circuit while an incident is attended to, with the leader dictating the pace. When the race director, Charlie Whiting, gives the all-clear to do so, the safety car returns to the pits and the race gets under way again. But from next season it appears highly likely the cars will line up on the grid in race-position order before being given the green light to resume.

A sceptical Button, currently the most experienced driver in F1, said: “The standing restart idea is great for the fans. It puts on a great show because the start is a very exciting part of the race.

“The thing is, though, when you start a race you have new tyres. You could find yourself with five or six laps to go at a restart and with your tyres virtually bald at a time when you need flat-out laps to keep heat in them.

“So you would really struggle off the line and it would be very tricky for us all to keep the cars pointing in the same direction off the start. It could cause mayhem.

“It would make for better television I’m sure, but there has to be a rule about the tyres, that maybe you have to pit, I don’t know. I like the idea in one way but it would be tricky for everyone if we were on very old tyres and it’s cold.”

Rosberg, the championship leader, has described the potential new regulation as “very extreme”. The Mercedes driver added: “I understand the start is one of the most exciting times for the fans, but I hope this is not going to be done.

“That’s going too far with things. Why? I like the pure racing, the way it has been for the past 50 years. I don’t really want to see such a huge change, to do another start. It’s strange. My natural opinion at the moment is that it should stay the way it is now.”

His Mercedes team-mate and title rival Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, feels the drivers should at least be consulted on such matters that could have a major impact. “I need some time to really reflect on that [standing restarts] and imagine how it would work,” said Hamilton, when asked for his thoughts.

“Ultimately, it can’t hurt anyone to have the drivers’ opinions on certain things, or to involve us because we are in the car. It’s impossible for the stewards to see how things are in the car, so we should definitely try and work together. They’re always coming up with cool ideas, and sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t.”

Button is of the same mind as his fellow Briton, adding: “The drivers like to be more involved. When we hear of the rule changes or ideas we do have our input, and I’d like to think the teams do listen to our comments and feelings. We’re the guys who can feel what the car is doing and what it’s capable of, but obviously sometimes as a driver you are single-minded.

“For a team you need to think about the bigger picture, which I can really understand, but it’s important for a driver to have a little bit of input.”

[MIKA27]

McLaren make tentative approach to Hamilton?

McLaren have reportedly approached Lewis Hamilton about returning to the team in which he began his Formula 1 career for the 2015 season.

The Daily Telegraph is amongst several newspapers claiming a tentative approach has been made by Woking's Ron Dennis and Eric Boullier toward the 2008 champion.

With Hamilton trying to close an ever increasing gap to Nico Rosberg, it's believed he may look at switching teams if he fails to win the title this year.

Giving up what is currently the quickest car on the grid - form which should carry through to next year - for a team which is struggling to fight in the top ten consistently, makes such a move look unlikely. However the lure of a Honda-powered McLaren might just be enough to tickle his tastebuds according to the reports.

A more likely replacement for either Jenson Button or Kevin Magnussen is that of Fernando Alonso who has publicly been approached. The Spaniard is growing tired of Ferrari's inability to close the gap and with no promises of a competitive car next season, a jump to McLaren - where he spent the 2007 season - seems a more likely bet. There has also been talk of Sebastian Vettel leaving Red Bull - the silly season is truly in full swing.

[OZCUBAN]

Mercedes, Ferrari to hold F1 'sparks' test in Austrian GP practice

Ferrari and Mercedes are to conduct tests with titanium skid blocks in Austrian Grand Prix Friday practice, with teams now set on bringing back sparking cars to Formula 1.

AUTOSPORT revealed earlier this year that F1 teams were looking at ways to make cars more spectacular, considering ideas including sparking cars, glowing brake discs and vapour trails.

Discussions about the ideas have moved forward, and AUTOSPORT has learned that teams and other representatives on the F1 Commission have given provisional approval for the sparks plan to come into force for 2015.

The current idea is for the sparks to be created by mandating titanium skid blocks within the planks of the cars.

Work is now ongoing among the teams to work out where to locate the skid blocks to produce the best sparks.

As part of those efforts, Ferrari will fit Kimi Raikkonen's car with two skid blocks for the opening day of running at the Red Bull Ring, with Mercedes fitting some in a different position on Nico Rosberg's car.

It is understood that Mercedes and Ferrari are unlikely to make any other changes to the cars, such as lowering the ride height, to enhance the chances of sparks being produced.

The work in Austria will likely be just the first step in a number of tests that will take place over the remainder of the season to ensure that the rule is successful when it comes into force for 2015.

The introduction of mandatory skid blocks still needs to be ratified by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council, which is meeting in Munich next week.

Skid blocks are all well and good ,as they provide a good visual effect ,its OK to have the sight ,but it is the sound i think they should be focusing on

just my 2 cents worth

cheers

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Renault F1 V6 turbo project up for sale?

The reports surrounding the future of troubled engine supplier Renault continue to mount in the aftermath of a nightmare race weekend in Austria, beginning with paddock reports of a split with Red Bull, worsened by yet another failure for Sebastian Vettel, and ending with a stinging rebuke by Christian Horner.

“Seven cars in the top ten have a Mercedes engine. That says it all,” said Horner.

Auto Motor und Sport cited sources estimating the horse power deficit at between 40 and 70bhp.

And with the mandatory engine development ‘freeze’, there is little Renault can do short of arguing to the FIA that the rules should be relaxed so that Mercedes’ rivals have a chance.

“That will not happen,” insisted Helmut Marko. “The focus is on next year.”

But now, the latest shock report: correspondent Michael Schmidt says he has heard paddock whispers that the Formula 1 engine facility at Viry-Chattilon is for sale.

Schmidt said Formula 1 is costing Renault “more than expected” at some €50 million per season, with the rest coming from customers — and some of them are apparently paying late.

Making the situation worse, the PR value for Renault is currently “rather low”, Schmidt explained. “Only criticism and bad press”.

According to Brackley and Brixworth-based Mercedes’ Niki Lauda, however, Renault might struggle to find a buyer, due to the restrictive working regulations in France.

“In France, they work 37 hours a week,” he said. “In England it is 43.”

MIKA: How about Greece....?

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Silverstone’s 50th anniversary: A look back at classic cars and drivers

1956 RAC British GP Juan Manuel Fangio in the Lancia-Ferrari D50

July sees a very special anniversary for the home of British motorsport. Silverstone is about to join a very exclusive club (so far only consisting of Monza and Monte Carlo) of venues that have hosted 50 or more Formula 1 races.

The 2014 race will no doubt be dominated by a further installment in the season-long duel between Mercedes team-mates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Hamilton will naturally be keen to capitalise on his home soil advantage – but with the German currently holding a 22-point lead, we can expect another decent two-way contest.

Silverstone has seen more than its fair share of rivalries and dramas played out over the years. Here are a few of the key moments in its history.

Giuseppe Farina winner of the 1950 British Grand Prix

The 1950s

Dreary post-War Britain didn’t have much in the way of world-class motorsports facilities (yet). What it did have were plenty of old airfields. In true make-do-and-mend style, a former RAF base at Silverstone was converted into a race track. The first British Grand Prix (the Royal Automobile Club International Grand Prix) took place in 1948.

Two years later, with the King and 200,000 other spectators watching, the first ever World Championship Grand Prix took place at Silverstone. Giuseppe Farina came out on top in an Alfa Romeo. There was an Englishman on the podium though; Farina’s team-mate Reg Parnell came in third.

Some say Argentinean Juan Manuel Fangio was the greatest ever Formula 1 driver. In 1956, well in his 40s, El Maestro triumphed at Silverstone (the year that he claimed is fourth World Championship).

1963 British Grand Prix winner Jim Clark

The 1960s

Jim Clark shares the honours of most British Grand Prix wins with Alain Prost (five in total). Clark was to win the Championship in 1963 and ’65. After Clark’s death in 1968, Sir Jackie Stewart later spoke about what made Clark so great:

“He never bullied a car, he sort of caressed it into doing the things he wanted it to do”.

Silverstone in 1963 was to see Clark’s intelligence and intuition put to the test. Coming into the last lap, the fuel gauge on his Lotus was at empty. He had to cruise the car home in top gear and still managed to win.

1977 British Grand Prix winner James Hunt with Niki Lauda on the Silverstone podium

The 1970s

In a wonderful Tyrell 003-Cosworth, In 1971, Jackie Stewart came out top in the British Grand Prix – just as he did in Spain, Monaco, France, Canada and Germany to take the second of his three Drivers’ Championship titles.

1976 had seen the flamboyant James Hunt claim the world title against arch-rival Niki Lauda. The following year was to see him finish fifth in total. A high point in 1977 though, was a win on home soil after having trailed John Watson for 25 laps.

1987 British Grand Prix winner Nigel Mansell

The 1980s

1987 saw Nigel Mansell notch up one of his most thrilling wins – and it happened on English soil. In keeping of a long and honourable tradition of mutual loathing between team-mates, this was a Mansell v Piquet epic battle. With 30 laps remaining and a 28-second gap to make up, few would have put money on Mansell.

What followed was a series of lightning fast laps to leave Nigel right behind Piquet. He sold Piquet a dummy, forcing the Frenchman to concede at Stowe with six laps to spare. Mansell was mobbed by the home fans; a fitting conclusion to what was Silverstone’s finest moment.

Damon Hill versus Michael Schumacher at the 1995 British Grand Prix

The 1990s

A fledgling rivalry grew into something a little more ingrained thanks to the 1994 British Grand Prix. This was at a time when Michael Schumacher was unstoppable. Silverstone though, was Damon Hill’s moment. After all, this was one race his father had never managed to win.

Damon had managed to take pole by 3000 th of a second and went on to claim victory. Schumacher on the other hand was reprimanded for overtaking Hill on the formation lap before ignoring the black flag. He was denied his second place and banned for the next two races.

The following year saw Schumacher and Hill collide – after what Schumacher referred to as a “stupid” overtaking move by the Englishman – letting Johnny Herbert notch up his first ever top flight win.

A kilt wearing lunatic aka Father Neil Horan runs on to the Hangar Straight during the 2003 British Grand Prix

The 2000s

Does the name Neil Horan ring any bells?

He was the defrocked Irish priest who opted to invade the track mid-race in 2003 before being tackled to the ground by a marshal. The race itself wasn’t unmemorable either. Schumacher gave a young Fernando Alonso short shrift; forcing him onto the grass early on. It was Rubens Barichello who took top honours though, after outfoxing Kimi Raikkonen.

2008 was seriously wet. Things weren’t looking great for the young Lewis Hamilton after an error in Qualifying meant that he started fourth on the grid. It turned out to be one of his best drives in what were pretty awful conditions. He won by over a minute after a masterclass exhibition of driving.

This year Mercedes are in the ascendency – but as well all know, this won’t last forever. What we can count on though, are plenty of thrills and spills over the next 50 years of British Grand Prix.

Watch all the action from Silverstone Circuits, the home of British Motor Racing and UK’s premier motorsport venue.

Iconic image of 1991 British Grand Prix winner Nigel Mansell giving Ayrton Senna a lift at Silverstone

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Boullier: Works engine deal is key to success

Not having a works Formula 1 engine hurts the top teams claims McLaren Sporting Director Eric Boullier, whose own team is using customer Mercedes engines for the final year ahead of their switch to Honda in 2015.

Speaking to journalists during a phone-in, Boullier said, “Having a works engine allows you to play, let’s say, with much more set-up possibilities than if you have a customer engine.

“We can just take this year’s example, if you just compare Mercedes GP and Red Bull Racing, we all know the Red Bull Racing chassis is very good, maybe slightly better than the Mercedes one, but the big difference between both is that Red Bull has a Renault engine, which is not a works engine,” explained the Frenchman.

With the Honda partnership looming Boullier is confident that the partnership is on schedule, “It takes months, even years, to build it up, so you have a clear schedule in place and some clear tiers to target. So far I think everything is in order and matching the fact that we have until next year to race.”

McLaren have been the worst of the Mercedes powered customer teams so far this season and lag behind Force India and Williams in the championship standings, largely because the MP4-29 has been a woeful chassis, making life in the cockpit for Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen extremely tough.

However Boullier is adamant that next year’s car will be different as his influence on the structure at the team’s Woking headquarters will start to impact on the team.

“I have the confidence that we will have a good car from next year, just because we addressed all the issues internally and I believe that we made the right changes. We have seen already from Austria the first benefit of the changes we have done in the organisation and now we are heading in the right direction.”

Honda’s Formula 1 adventure started as a full-fledged team in 1964, and lasted until 1968. During that time, it won two races.

Then from 1983, as a supplier of engines to the likes of McLaren, Williams and Lotus, it won 69 races and with the McLaren Honda alliance they conquered Formula 1 from 1988 to 1991 with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. Honda pulled out in 1992.

After an eight-year hiatus, Honda returned as an engine supplier and then part-owner of the BAR team from 2000 to 2005. In 2006 it took full control of the team and renamed it Honda, but after three years of little success they departed the Formula 1 scene at the end of 2008.

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Ferrari: To win in F1 we must have no weak links

Just like struggling world champions Red Bull, fellow Formula 1 grandee team Ferrari are also looking for a way out of their engine problems in 2014 and will be looking to eliminate the weak links in their operations.

Unlike Red Bull, however – who rely on separate partner Renault for its turbo V6 power – Ferrari makes both its chassis and engine under the same Maranello roof, but that’s not to say Ferrari does not also lean heavily on others.

For instance, Autosprint is reporting that Ferrari has commenced talks with potential alternative suppliers for components of their struggling Formula 1 engine.

“Ferrari has its historical partners,” said Italian correspondent Alberto Antonini, “but something has to change.”

Antonini claimed that the current turbocharger design, supplied to Ferrari by the American company Honeywell, has been identified as a main culprit.

Luca Marmorini with Stefano Domenicali

“To win in Formula 1,” Ferrari’s engine boss Luca Marmorini said earlier this year, “our powertrain system must have no weak links.”

But team boss Marco Mattiacci said this week: “I do not want to point the finger at any one sector or another. It would not be right. But there is no doubt that the Mercedes power unit is working better,” he added.

According to Mattiacci’s predecessor Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari is facing a long road back to recovery.

Having kept a low profile since his Ferrari exit, Domenicali re-emerged this week in Munich for an FIA conference and commented, “As I said last year, it was clear that the teams that were strong at the beginning would keep that advantage for the season because of the step change in technology.

“Mercedes have done a great job and they will keep this advantage for a long time,” Domenicali predicted. “To close the gap in a situation where the regulation is more or less frozen is very difficult.”

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Red Bull to buy Renault F1 engine division?

Even amid ongoing denials, reports suggesting that Red Bull are considering designing their own Formula 1 engine will not go away.

All year – ever since it became clear that the reigning world champions would struggle to win the first title of the all-new turbo V6 era – Red Bull has been pointing a steady finger of blame at their power unit supplier, Renault.

In the past weeks and days, speculation has reached fever pitch. The reports were pushed along in Austria last weekend by Helmut Marko, who appeared to confirm reports Red Bull are thinking about making their own bespoke engine.

“The world champions desperately need what [they] otherwise promise: energy,” Stuttgarter Zeitung reported, referring to the fact Red Bull is an energy drink company, said after the team’s poor performance at its home grand prix last weekend.

However, with the ‘Red Bull engine’ reports soaring, team boss Christian Horner and team owner Dietrich Mateschitz issued clear denials — along the lines that “Red Bull do not want to become an engine manufacturer”.

But perhaps there is more to it than that, Renault – also supplying Lotus, Toro Rosso and Caterham – revealed recently that some of its Formula 1 customers are not paying their engine bills on time.

And the latest report is that Lotus, who have struggled even more than Red Bull with the troubled Renault engine, is considering a switch to field-leading Mercedes power for 2015.

“Apparently the only thing missing is a bank guarantee,” claims Sport Bild.

There were whispers in the Red Bull Ring paddock last weekend that Renault’s Formula 1 facility based at Viry-Chattilon, in the southern suburbs of Paris, is for sale. So rather than ‘become an engine manufacturer’, perhaps Red Bull is simply a potential buyer.

“We have no desire to be an engine manufacturer,” Horner is quoted by Spain’s El Confidencial. “But we do want to work with a strong partner, be competitive and run at the front.”

Red Bull, and its second team Toro Rosso, have played an active role – also financially – in solving Renault’s deep pre-season crisis this year.

According to Sport Bild, Red Bull do not want to be an engine manufacturer, but it does want to be “independent” as it tracks further success in Formula 1.

Gerhard Berger, famously close to Red Bull and Mateschitz, is quoted as saying: “As a chassis manufacturer, Red Bull gets delivered an engine as it is. Just as an engine manufacturer has to make do when a team builds a bad chassis.”

The solution, then, could be simple: Red Bull buys Viry-Chattilon and therefore takes control of an existing Formula 1 engine supplier’s personnel, decision-making and budget.

One key personnel change could be Mario Illien, the co-founder of Mercedes’ Formula 1 engine facility in Brixworth, UK. That could tie in with Red Bull’s newly-announced ‘Advanced Technologies Centre’, to be headed by Adrian Newey.

Marko said: “The contact between Adrian and Mario is still very good.”

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SIROTKIN SAYS THAT DE SILVESTRO AT SAUBER A MARKETING PLOY

Russian teeanger Sergey Sirotkin has denied that his future at Sauber is being overshadowed by the presence of headline grabbing Swiss female driver Simona de Silvestro.

Funded by her wealthy backers, de Silvestro – who also ran at Fiorano in April – returned to track action this week in a 2012 Sauber at the Valencia circuit, Spain’s El Mundo Deportivo reports.

Earlier, Sirotkin had seemed destined for Sauber’s affections, closely aligned with the reported ‘Russian rescue deal’ that last year reportedly rescued the then ailing Hinwil based team.

Since then, however, Sirotkin’s involvement has gone decidedly quiet.

In fact, it is now reported that Sauber’s saviour was in fact not Sirotkin’s backers, but Bernie Ecclestone, who stepped in and paid all of the team’s outstanding debts.

“I cannot do it and I would not do it,” the Formula 1 chief executive said in a firm denial to the Swiss newspaper Blick.

At the same time, Sirotkin has admitted that he is currently much more focused on his seat in the Formula Renault 3.5 series.

“I have always said that I was giving priority to nothing that could complicate my task or hinder my performance in this championship,” he told the Russian website Formula 1news.ru.

“This may give the impression of a lull, but in fact I am in constant contact with [sauber],” Sirotkin insisted.

“Some steps have already been decided, and others I cannot speak about until Sauber makes a statement. In any case, it makes no sense to talk about it because I am fully engaged in the World Series.”

Sirotkin’s participation in Friday practice before his home Russian Grand Prix was earlier believed to be part of his 2014 programme, but now the driver is not so sure.

“Actually I was supposed to participate in free practice not only in Sochi,” he said. “It’s an open question.

“Obviously, in terms of marketing, public interest and so on, the logical thing would be Sochi, but I cannot say yet whether it will happen in Sochi or somewhere else.”

And what about de Silvestro? While the Sirotkin story has gone quiet, de Silvestro is actively testing, giving the impression that Sauber’s priorities have moved on.

Sirotkin insisted: “Sauber have a third driver, Giedo van der Garde, there is a test pilot, me, and a mentored driver (de Silvestro), who they are trying to help to reach the level of Formula 1.”

Referring to de Silvestro’s programme, Sirotkin added: “In my opinion, this is more of a marketing ploy, so I don’t think I need to be afraid of it.

“Let’s see what will happen next.”

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Wolff: Lewis lost race in qualifying

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff concedes the team were not aggressive enough during Lewis Hamilton's pitstop in Austria, but insists he was never in the running to win the race.

Hamilton started ninth on the grid in Spielberg after spinning during qualifying, but he managed to negotiate his way out to third behind team-mate Nico Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas when he pitted on lap 39. It was a sluggish stop and he lost time to the two ahead of him.

Although he managed to get past the Williams of Bottas, Rosberg proved to be too good and he had to settle for second.

Wolff, though, denied that the poor pitstop cost him the victory.

"Yes of course but he lost the race in qualifying," he is quoted as saying by ESPNF1. "He recovered tremendously with a great start and a great first lap. In all our calculations the best result was a second and he achieved a second."

While the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari consistently produce pitstops of under three seconds, Mercedes usually adopt a conservative approach, but that might change.

"Obviously our pit stops generally were not on the level we wanted them to be," Wolff said. "We were always on the conservative side because we had quite a gap to the other teams and we did not want to ruin it with an unsafe release. Maybe that is a thing we need to look at and get aggressive again if the gaps to other teams narrows down.

"But then in Lewis' favour we pitted him early, before Nico, which is against what we normally do, usually it's the leading car who gets the call and pits early. In this case we pitted Lewis in order to jump Valtteri so he had the benefit of the strategy even though he was second on track."