FORMULA 1 - 2014

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TORO ROSSO: BOTH DRIVERS DID A REALLY GOOD JOB

Toro Rosso: team and drivers report on the British Grand Prix, Round 9 of the 2014 Formula 1 World Championship, at Silverstone;

Daniil Kvyat “This was a very intense race, especially towards the end when I was pushing to catch Hulkenberg. I was actually quicker than him and I was definitely getting very close, but unfortunately I was not able to pass him in the end. Overall, I am quite happy with this race weekend and I very much enjoyed driving this track with its high speed corners. And after having had a few difficult races, it is great to see that all the hard work has paid off and that we were able to get both cars into the points.”

Jean-Eric Vergne “A strong race for the whole team, to have two cars in the points is certainly a good result and we all needed a positive outcome. I’m happy with my race. Starting from the back of the grid after the red flag and overtaking the cars in front of me was actually good fun. I think today I have found again the aggressiveness I knew I had and it’s certainly a boost for my self-confidence. I can’t wait to be back in the car for the next race.”

Franz Tost (Team Principal): “We can be satisfied with today’s race, finishing with both cars in the points. I have to say both drivers did a really good job in defending positions and overtaking other cars. We planned different strategies, with Daniil two stops and Jev one stop and they paid off, as they saw the chequered flag in ninth and tenth position. The team showed a solid performance and it’s encouraging to see that we are working in the right direction. Now we are looking forward to the German Grand Prix, where we hope we’ll be able to make further steps.”

Ricardo Penteado (Renault Sport F1 track support leader): “We should be very pleased with the double points finish today. Engine wise we had no problems and the drivers were able to make the most of the car. Everything worked very well, which helped JEV recover from his contact on the first lap. This type of form, or even better, is what we need to aim for every race weekend.”

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Vettel: Alonso driving was 'too much'

Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso have both criticised each others' driving during Sunday's British Grand Prix.

Racing for fifth place in the latter stages of the Silvestone event, both Vettel and Alonso complained about how the other was exceeding the track's limits.

Vettel, who won their battle, reckons Alonso's driving was "too much" as the Spaniard tried to keep the German behind him.

He said: "Twice I thought it was too much into Turn Six. I tried to move around the outside, my nose was in front and he has to adapt.

"I went on the brakes and around the corner to avoid a collision. Fernando does not give you a lot of room."

Alonso, however, reckons Vettel took too many liberties although concedes it was only a matter of time before he overtook him.

The Spaniard told BBC: "In the lap he passed, he was three or four times over the limits. But he would probably have passed me in the next lap as we were too slow."

As for Alonso's complaint that Vettel used his DRS in prohibited areas, the reigning World Champion said: "His comment does not make any sense."

He added: "I got the call saying I should respect track limits. I don't know who won in terms of keeping the list."

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Rosberg: I would've won

Nico Rosberg insists he would've come out on top in Sunday's British GP battle with Lewis Hamilton had he not been forced to retire.

Starting in pole position the Mercedes driver built a lead of five-seconds plus over his team-mate before he reported a "gearbox problem on the downshift".

At the same stage Hamilton somehow found a new level and started to close the gap, but there was to be no Merc clash at the front as Rosberg retired.

"It is always a good battle, but I was very much in control up until then which is why I was all the more disappointed," he told Sky Sports F1.

"I'm very confident that I would have won the race." the German added in his post-race media session.

The German's problems started shortly after his pitstop and although he initially thought he could manage it for the remainder of the race, he had to park his car on the grass for his first retirement of the season.

"It was just slowly but surely," he said. "The first problem started around lap 20 after the pitstop and then it just got worse from there.

"I was trying to think if there was some safe setting we could put it in or just drive in a completely different way just to get to the end of the race - okay I would let Lewis go, but it would still be valuable points if I could get to the end. But there was nothing that I could do or that they could suggest to save the gearbox.

"There was one thing before the start or just after which was weird and then after that it sort of got worse and worse from lap 20 onwards. It resulted in some neutral occasions so I had to pull the clutch and go again. Then it just got worse and worse from there.

"My mentality changed from 'let's stop racing Lewis and let's just try and get this thing to the end somehow because I have such a pace advantage I can do some pretty radical things to try and keep this gearbox alive'. But there wasn't really anything that could be done from their opinion [in the garage]."

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New Caterham CEO 'not happy'

Another disappointing weekend for Caterham has left new CEO Christjian Albers admitting he was unhappy with the team's performance.

Neither Kamui Kobyashi nor Marcus Ericsson finished within the 107 per cent time in Saturday's qualifying leaving the duo to start the British GP on the back row of the grid.

And it didn't get any better in the 52-lap race.

While Ericsson retired with car troubles, Kobayashi finished two laps down after his CT05 was damaged on the opening lap.

Ultimately it was another point-less weekend for Caterham although Albers, a former F1 driver, is adamant there were some encouraging signs.

The Dutchman told Autosport: "We're obviously not happy with where we finished today, but for my first weekend with the team I have to say it's been good.

"We're not even a week into this new chapter in the team's life but we've already seen just how hard everyone at the track and at the factory is prepared to work to push us forwards, and how determined we all are to achieve our targets this year.

"We obviously have a lot of work to do but we're prepared for the challenges ahead and we have another chance in two weeks time to make progress in Germany, so we'll aim to do just that and, little by little, keep improving."

[ptrthgr8]

Vettel and Alonso yapping about each other was priceless. They both sounded like angry little girls. But, damn, that was some fun driving to watch, that's for sure!

~ Greg ~

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Massa says Raikkonen could have slowed to prevent crash

Williams Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa believes Kimi Raikkonen may have avoided his heavy accident in the British Grand Prix if he had slowed when he ran off the track.

The Ferrari driver crashed heavily on the opening lap at Silverstone when he ran wide exiting Aintree and hit a bump on the tarmac run-off as he attempted to rejoin the Wellington Straight.

Massa, whose view was obstructed by the Caterham of Kamui Kobayashi, attempted to avoid the Ferrari at the last minute but locked up and hit the F14 T with the left-rear of his car.

When asked by AUTOSPORT if he thought Raikkonen could have returned to the track more cautiously, Massa said: "For sure.

"Kimi went outside of the track, he was fighting - I think maybe he passed a few cars at the start - and he wants to come back and not lose positions.

"He was unlucky because he was over a bump and lost his car [but] he did that because he didn't want to lose any positions.

"When you are in free practice you back off, but when you are in the race and it's like that you're trying to come back as quickly as possible and that's what he did, and he lost the car.

"When he hit the wall he just came completely into my car, I didn't know what to do so I just turned right completely and the car went sideways and I hit him.

"I'm happy that he's OK, I heard it was 47G. It's amazing - I had 27G in Canada."

Despite getting his car back to the grid under the red flag, Massa was forced to retire with driveshaft damage.

He also bemoaned a clutch problem at the start that caused him to be left behind on the grid, as he believed he would have had the pace to join team-mate Valtteri Bottas on the podium.

"It's a shame what happened at the start as well because my clutch didn't work," he added.

"All these cars go very slow on the formation lap and stop in the track, and my clutch went to a very high temperature so it didn't work.

"When I saw there was a red flag there was a chance to bring the car back but we had a problem with the driveshaft.

"There was not enough time, it was not possible to change. The race was finished.

"The car was flying and today we would have finished both on the podium and we would have been third in the championship. So it's really a shame."

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Vettel and Alonso yapping about each other was priceless. They both sounded like angry little girls. But, damn, that was some fun driving to watch, that's for sure!

~ Greg ~

Completely agree mate, was a great battle, had I have known they'd be sulking like little girls and not World Champions I'd have muted the TV.

People want to see racing, not complaining such as "Ï could have won had he not have done this" or "I would have won if I didn't have a transmission failure".... IMO THAT'S RACING!

You don't hardly ever hear rookies complain or other drivers like Hulkenberg who has had to race in mediocre teams despite the obviously immense talent he has. It's always the World Champions who sulk.

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Ferrari unsure if Kimi Raikkonen will be fit to test

The Ferrari Formula 1 team is unsure if Kimi Raikkonen will be fit to test at Silverstone this week following his British Grand Prix accident.

Raikkonen suffered bruises to his knee and ankle following a high-speed crash into the barriers on the Wellington Straight on the opening lap of the race - with an impact measured at 47-G.

After checks at Silverstone's medical centre showed that there was no serious injury to the Finn, who hobbled away from his wrecked Ferrari, his bosses are waiting to see if he will be fit enough to drive again this week.

When asked by AUTOSPORT about whether or not Raikkonen will be well enough to take part in the test, Ferrari team principal Marco Mattiacci said: "Kimi is OK.

"We checked several times and we will take a decision about the test, and what to do with the test, so we see after today.

"I want to be 100 per cent sure that he will be fine before [he does it]. But there is no major issue at the moment."

Raikkonen had been due to drive on one of the two days of Silverstone test, with development driver Pedro de la Rosa taking part on the other.

If Raikkonen cannot drive then it is possible that de la Rosa does both days, or Fernando Alonso could be drafted in instead.

Mattiacci ruled out any kind of mechanical failure for Raikkonen's accident, which appeared to be caused by him losing control of his car as he hit a bump while rejoining the track.

"I think that there was some kind of issue getting off the track, coming back and finding some bump," he said. "That was the issue."

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Hugo Boss to switch from McLaren to Mercedes

Long-term McLaren sponsor Hugo Boss has dealt the team a blow following confirmation that it will switch to rival Mercedes next season.

The fashion brand has been linked with McLaren since 1981, making it the longest ever sports sponsorship partnership. But it will come to an end this year.

"The McLaren-Hugo Boss association has been an outstandingly successful F1 partnership for more than 30 years," a team spokesperson told journalist Adam Cooper.

"However, Hugo Boss has recently decided to co-operate with Mercedes-Benz on a number of international marketing projects unrelated to F1. "That being the case, it would be inappropriate for Hugo Boss to continue in partnership with an F1 competitor to Mercedes-Benz, however successful that partnership has been in the past and remains now."

Whilst not a major sponsor, the news comes as McLaren has failed to attract a new title sponsor following the loss of Vodafone last year. However racing director Eric Boullier told reporters including The F1 Times on Saturday that the failure to sign a title sponsor won't harm their 2015 budget, which he says will increase on 2014.

[Bartolomeo]

Very enjoyable race, good to see Lewis win after his debacle on Sat, definitely would of been close if Nico stayed in the race but thats racing at the end of the day

Again, look what Fernando did with a crap car, simply the best driver pound for pound right now IMHO

[Pedro2486]

Well bugger me. Excuse me while I remove my foot from my mouth good job Hamilton. Hope he can turn it around

[Pedro2486]

Well bugger me. Excuse me while I remove my foot from my mouth good job Hamilton. Hope he can turn it around

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BIANCHI: WHEN FERRARI NEED ME I AM READY

Marussia regular driver Jules Bianchi staked a claim on a Ferrari race seat after setting the pace on the final day of post-British Grand Prix testing at Silverstone.

Drafted in by Ferrari to replace Kimi Raikkonen after the Finn’s high-speed crash last Sunday, Frenchman and Marussia driver Bianchi looked as impressive as Fernando Alonso had been in practice last weekend in the same Formula 14-T car.

Moreover, Bianchi’s 1:35.262 laptime was more than a second faster than Raikkonen – who has notably struggled in 2014 – had managed in Silverstone practice.

Although clearly part of Ferrari’s future plans having graduated through the FDA (Ferrari Driver Academy), the 24-year-old played down the significance of his Silverstone speed, insisting politely that differing wind conditions between the race weekend and the test played a significant role.

He told media after his day in the cockpit of the F14T, “[The Ferrari] obviously has more downforce here, this we know already. So it is better in the high-speed corners. We cannot really compare because it’s a bit of a different day, the wind was a bit different today, we didn’t really use the same tyres, the same fuel loads, so it is difficult to compare. But what I could feel is that the downforce was higher.”

“I think I have shown the team that I can work well, that I can be quick, but it was a day of testing so it was not the target to compare me with other drivers – the target was to improve the car and try to help the team. I think I’ve done my job for that – I’m really pleased.”

Nonetheless, Raikkonen is firmly under contract for 2015, and Bianchi acknowledged that a race seat with the Maranello team, he said of a future with the Reds, “At the moment I know that it’s not the plan for the next year, because they have a plan for the other drivers.”

“I know it’s not yet time, but I am working to show the team that I am ready for it. Now I will be focusing again on my season with Marussia. So far, it’s been a positive year, but there are still a lot of races to go and I’d like to get some more good results.”

“I think we’ve shown when we have the opportunity that we can do a good job so it’s really important for me to keep going like this. Then one day if they want me, I will be ready,” declared the Frenchman who scored Marussia’s first ever points, with ninth place in Monaco, earlier in the season.

His performance on the tricky Monte Carlo streets prompted Fernando Alonso to predict, “I have no doubt it will be a good career.”

Marussia boss Jonathan Booth has also been impressed, and told Reuters recently, “I think he’s ready to go now. If they (Ferrari) need him, I think he’s ready to go. I think he’s got a long career in F1. Absolute top driver.”

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WHITING: LAUDA KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT SAFETY

Formula 1 Race Director Charlie Whiting has hit back at Niki Lauda, after the Mercedes team chairman slammed as “ridiculous” the red flagged British Grand Prix which caused the race to be delayed by an hour for repairs to take place.

“The chances of it happening again are zero,” Formula 1 legend Lauda said as Silverstone track workers were ordered to replace Armco fencing damaged by Kimi Raikkonen’s crash.

“They (the FIA) take care of every little detail and a lot of people will switch the television off,” triple world champion Lauda added.

The great Austrian said that because the chance of an identical incident was zero, a better solution would have been to quickly drag a tyre barrier in front of the damaged armco.

Asked by Auto Motor und Sport if Lauda has a point, the FIA’s Whiting insisted: “Absolutely not. Niki’s comment was not very helpful, because he has shown that he knows nothing about safety.”

“It is ridiculous to say that an accident at the same spot will not occur. If we had said after Felipe Massa’s accident in 2009 that a spring will never again hit a driver’s head, then there would not have been the campaign for stronger visors,” he pointed out.

“It should also be mentioned that Kimi emerged basically unhurt from this massive accident, which is proof of how much has been done for the safety of the cars in recent years,” added Whiting.

Where Whiting does agree with Lauda, however, is in criticising the Finn for crashing in the first place.

“It would have been better, if Kimi was a little more cautious in cutting back onto the track.”

He denied that Silverstone is to blame for the uneven area of grass that unsettled the Ferrari, “This is a problem at every circuit,” said Whiting. “It is impossible to make these grass surfaces perfectly even with the track or the curbs.

“The drivers should be advised that, in future, they should return to the track at a reasonable speed.”

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De la Rosa unhappy with reduced testing

Pedro de la Rosa is disappointed that Formula 1 is yet again reducing in-season testing with two outings in 2015.

The World Motor Sport Council recently gave the go-ahead to changes in the testing regulations.

Next year teams will have three pre-season tests and just two in-season tests of two days each, while in 2016 even the pre-season outings will be reduced with only two tests each lasting four days.

De la Rosa is unhappy with the new rules as he fears it will mean there is no place for development drivers such as himself while youngsters will struggle to get into the sport.

"It's a disappointment generally for drivers," de la Rosa told Autosport. "You just question if this is going in the right direction.

"I come out of Maranello every week having been two days in the simulator and I see a nice track there called Fiorano just empty with no cars.

"We have the simulator to train you a bit, but there's nothing like the real car.

"I feel if a tennis player cannot train every day and then suddenly you are thrown into the final of Wimbledon against Djokovic, how would you feel?

"I feel like that because the other guys are racing every two weeks and I am not.

"I feel a bit sad about this [reduction in testing] because it will mean drivers like me will just disappear, and not only that but youngsters will not arrive.

"A bit of agreed testing for all the teams would be good for the sport."

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Ramirez slams Perez's 'bad' attitude

Former McLaren team manager Jo Ramirez believes Sergio Perez's "very bad" attitude is what cost him his McLaren race-seat.

Perez joined McLaren in 2013 on the back of a stellar season with Sauber. However, his days in Woking were cut short when, after just one season, the team dropped him in favour of Kevin Magnussen.

And although fellow Mexican Ramirez feels Perez had the pace to last at McLaren, he says it was his poor attitude that ultimately cost him.

"As a driver Sergio was actually not bad and I thought he was also getting better but McLaren wanted a new Lewis Hamilton, they wanted a driver who is faster than Jenson Button," Ramirez said in an interview with motorline.cc.

"Sergio was not good enough as a person.

"He did not really cooperate with the team, he was at no time a part of the team, he was cocky. 'I am now a Formula 1 driver' - we know the drill.

"His attitude was very bad. He was unpopular with the engineers, with everyone in the team - he was regarded as very arrogant.

"And Ron Dennis requires that his drivers are part of the team. From early in the morning until late at night you must always think of McLaren."

As for Esteban Gutierrez, Ramirez says while he is "not a bad driver", the Sauber youngster has a "lack of killer instinct."

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Analysis: What 18-inch wheels mean for F1

Lotus ran a car fitted with 18-inch wheels during the Silverstone Formula 1 test yesterday, in what could be the first step in a move to low-profile tyres as early as 2016.

Such a move would largely be for cosmetic and commercial reasons because 13-inch wheel-rims as currently used in F1 are largely used only in the budget end of the production car market.

The regulations mandating 13-inch rims in F1 are a legacy of a rule introduced to prevent teams fitting larger-diameter wheels to allow bigger brake discs. As brake disc size is now regulated, this is no longer a concern.

The overall size of the 18-inch tyre tested by Lotus yesterday remains the same, which means that the sidewalls were significantly lower.

Pirelli would like to bring in slightly larger wheels of 19/20 inches with even lower-profile tyres, although there is a limitation to how far you can go.

"For integrity reasons you still want a relatively tall sidewall," said Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery.

"Such are the lateral loads being passed from the tread into the wheel via the sidewalls, that geometry of very short sidewalls will make them want to pull off the rim in turns."

SUSPENSION

If the sport chooses to go in this direction it will have a big impact technically.

From onboard shots, we can see the tyre accounts for a large proportion of the car's suspension travel.

Going for a lower profile tyre will mean the car's suspension will have to account for the lost tyre compliance. This means it will have to be softer, with longer travel.

But the flipside of this is that currently the teams have no control over the compliance of the tyres, so larger wheels will give more influence over a car's total suspension compliance.

BRAKES

Currently, the brake discs and ducts fill the inside of the wheel with only tiny amount of clearance and the FIA is unlikely to want to allow larger brakes even though larger wheel rims could accommodate them.

But allow brake duct bodywork to fill the larger wheel is likely to create more aerodynamic performance from the car.

Either, larger discs and smaller calipers could be regulated to fill the wheels for a similar braking performance, or the current disc and duct size could be retained.

Teams also use the close proximity of the wheel and brake to tune the heat transfer from the carbon discs to the tyres through the wheel. With a large gap this tuning option will be lost.

These effects mean that teams will need significant notice ahead of the introduction of the new tyres, given the work that will need to be done on suspension, aerodynamics and brakes.

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Formula 1's FRIC suspension systems set to be banned by FIA

Formula 1's FRIC suspension systems, believed to be one of the strengths of the dominant Mercedes car, could be banned for the German Grand Prix, AUTOSPORT can reveal.

Less than a fortnight before the next race at Hockenheim, the FIA has informed F1 teams that it believes the Front-and-Rear Interconnected Suspension (FRIC) systems used by most of them are illegal.

According to sources, the governing body wrote to teams on Tuesday to tell them that following detailed investigations into the design of the FRIC systems, it believes they are in contravention of the rules.

In the note, a copy of which has been seen by AUTOSPORT, FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting said: "Having now seen and studied nearly every current design of front to rear linked suspension system we, the FIA, are formally of the view that the legality of all such systems could be called into question."

Whiting suggests that the way the suspension systems help control pitch and roll could be in breach of article 3.15 of F1's technical regulations.

Article 3.15 is the catch-all regulation that relates to moveable aerodynamic devices. It outlaws any part of the car that influences the aerodynamics that is not "rigidly secured to the entirely sprung part of the car (rigidly secured means not having any degree of freedom)."

The FRIC systems link the front and rear suspension to maintain a constant ride height for improved performance.

Lotus (then called Renault) was the first team to introduce the concept in 2008.

Mercedes more recently took the design to the next level and is now believed to run the most complicated system, however it is unclear which team would suffer the most from a ban.

FIA OPEN TO DELAYING BAN UNTIL 2015

With limited testing time before the next race at Hockenheim, and 2014 designs being based around FRIC, the FIA is open to delaying the ban if there is consensus among teams.

It has asked teams to vote on whether or not they will be in favour of delaying the ban until the start of 2015 rather than it coming into force for the German GP.

However, for that to happen it would require unanimous support from all the teams on the grid.

It is unclear how easy it will be to achieve unanimous support for a delay - especially if any team feels its FRIC design is not as good as a rival's, or indeed if a team is not running the system at all.

If unanimous support is not reached, then Whiting has made it clear that from the next race in Germany, any team running FRIC risks being reported to the stewards by the FIA for non-compliance with the regulations.

The fact that the FIA has indicated it believes FRIC to be illegal also opens the door for a team to protest one of its rivals from the next race.

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Technical analysis: The implications of a FRIC ban in F1

Following the British Grand Prix, Formula 1 teams received an FIA technical directive that aims to ban hydraulically interconnected suspension, better known as FRIC.

While not coming completely out of the blue, as the FIA had plans in place to ban the system as part of the cost-cutting measures, the urgency in the technical directive did come as a surprise.

F1 teams need to unanimously agree to run the system until the end of the year, or it will be banned for the next race in Germany in just under two weeks' time. This presents the F1 pack with a huge technical hurdle to overcome - potentially within a very short timescale.

FRIC has been around F1 for a long time - its earliest incarnations predate the active suspension era and its latest generation has been on the cars since 2008.

Now every team has a system of some description, although several teams are still in their first year or two of experience of the set-up.

Those teams that adopted the system early, such as Lotus, Mercedes, Ferrari and Marussia, have the car's design fully adapted to the slightly different mechanics of the FRIC.

In most cases teams have replaced the third heave element on each end of the car with a hydraulic element. The chambers in the telescopic device compress hydraulic fluid that passes along the car, through valves and accumulators to a matching device at the other end of the car.

Removing the system and replacing it with an unconnected set-up is not quite as simple as it sounds. The car's ride height, mechanical and aero set-up will all need to change.

The teams with suspension fully optimised around the FRIC design do not necessarily have the mounting points for a full complement of side, heave and roll elements that an unconnected system requires. There may not be the space or sufficient hard points inside the car to create these at short notice.

As a result the extremely low ride heights at the front of the car, which FRIC allows teams to run, will have to be compromised. A raised front ride height is required to keep the splitter and plank off the track and avoid them suffering excessive wear.

With these higher ride-heights the cars' front wing and underbody will need to be changed. Different specifications of wing and floor are designed for specific ride height ranges, and as the car will have to run higher, the bodywork will need optimising to cope with this. Otherwise the car will lose downforce and suffer balance changes at different speeds.

It could be argued that a rushed FRIC ban will be unsafe, but it is probably more fair to say that the change will compromise cars' handling and teams' ability to predict it. But there should not be the dramatic effect seen when active suspension was banned for 1994.

In any rule change there will be winners and losers, and the teams mentioned above with more time and car design invested in FRIC will suffer the most. Those on the initial learning curve will be able to step back earlier and will most likely have the car equipped to run without FRIC anyway.

As a ban under the cost cutting measures was already mooted, some teams had already commenced a test programme to research their car's performance without FRIC. This could help them if a unanimous decision cannot be reached and the ban is applied with immediate effect.

As always with F1 it is the teams with resources and budget that will adapt to the change quickest regardless of their FRIC status.

It is unlikely to knock Mercedes' dominance of the sport this year, nor have a huge effect on the running order behind it.

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Boullier again downplays Dennis' comments

Eric Boullier is adamant Ron Dennis' recent comments about Jenson Button are a "non-story" and should not be taken as criticism.

Ahead of the British GP, Dennis gave an interview with Sky Sports in which he urged Button to "try harder."

The comments were widely read as criticism of the Brit raising questions about whether his days at McLaren are numbered.

Boullier, though, says that is reading far too much into it.

"First off all, it is something of a non-story if I may say this," the Frenchman told ESPNF1. "It has been debated, discussed and re-discussed and re-debated emotionally and passionately, whatever you want.

"What I'm going to say is Ron, traditionally and historically, is always pushing everybody, he is a great competitor; he loves to win and he wants to win.

"In terms of Jenson - and even Kevin - I am very happy with the performance of our drivers this year."

The Racing Director added that he was not surprised by Dennis' comments as they were desired to inspire Button to greater heights.

"You have to push yourself and everybody in the right direction so I was not really surprised.

"If you watch the original interview it is obviously not this bad, but the context once again has been a little bit transformed. When you want to push everybody, you push everybody.

"Drivers, employees and everyone in the company we have this positive pressure that we will be winning again soon. Those will be my last comments on this one."

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GROSJEAN: HOCKENHEIM WILL TELL HOW MUCH WE HAVE PROGRESSED

After paying the price from a difficult start position at Silverstone, Romain Grosjean is determined to put up more of a fight in the German Grand Prix.

Your last two German GPs have seen contrasting results…

I’ve definitely got good memories of Germany from last year at the Nürburgring, when I led the race on the way to finishing a close third behind Kimi. However my only Hockenheim F1 race was one to forget, a grid penalty and then car damage early in the 2012 GP. I’ve got nothing against the track though – one of my first single seater races was at Hockenheim in 2003 and I’ve raced there in various categories over the years. The shorter layout may not have the same character as the original Hockenheim, but it usually provides plenty of overtaking and the atmosphere in the stadium is amazing. It’s another track where the fans are absolutely brilliant and really show their appreciation of the sport. I’m looking forward to returning.

What about the weather?

The weather played a part in the Silverstone weekend, just as it did at Hockenheim in 2012, so we’ll need to stay on our toes. I think as a team we have more to gain than lose from any weather changes so we should view them as an opportunity – the E22 seemed to like the damp conditions at Silverstone.

Will the circuit suit the E22?

We’ve worked hard to improve performance in the low-speed corners, so Hockenheim will be a good test of how much we’ve progressed. Apart from the run down to the hairpin there are no real straights to speak about so power unit emphasis will be on acceleration rather than top speed.

How would you sum up Silverstone?

I was lucky to avoid the incident at the first start and towards the end of the race our pace was quite good, but starting so far down cost us the chance of points. We can’t afford to give our rivals a head-start like that and a top ten grid place will be the first target for Hockenheim.

What can we expect from the two-day test at Silverstone after the GP?

I wasn’t driving but I did attend on Tuesday to see what we were working on. The aim was to complete a thorough aerodynamic programme and we did just that. It’s a bit too early to say what will come from it but it looked positive. At this stage in the new regulations, every outing on track is so valuable to keep the development curve going.

Do you prepare differently for a track that features every other year as opposed to every season?

Not really, we approach most tracks in the same way. The big differences training-wise come when we race in extreme conditions such as humidity or high temperatures, or more generally, if we’re going to a brand new track. We will pay particular attention to changes around the circuit during the Thursday track walk but that’s true of any grand prix.

You’ve enjoyed some interesting side projects lately, how is your cooking these days?

I had the pleasure of learning from a master recently, Raymond Blanc, which was brilliant. He’s a great man and was kind enough to show me how he prepares a salmon-based dish which is my wife’s favourite. It’s amazing to have the opportunity to do things like that, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of racing of course!

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F1 ENGINE BOSS MARMORINI DEPARTS FERRARI

As half-time approaches in 2014, changes abound in the world of Formula 1, with some exiting while eithers enter the sport’s perpetual revolving door

In the wake of Stefano Doenicali’s departure earlier this season, upheaval continues to take place at Ferrari as reports on Wednesday indicate that engine boss Luca Marmorini has now vacated his office at Maranello.

“I give no comment,” a spokesman for the Maranello squad told Speed Week at Silverstone last weekend, “We are reorganising the various areas of our structure, and if we have something to announce, we will do so.”

It is believed that Ferrari will promote from within to replace Marmorini, who like departed team boss Stefano Domenicali looks to have paid the price for the team’s disappointing start to the all-new V6 era.

Earlier reports said that Marmorini’s younger deputy Mattia Mariz would step in to replace him, but it is also reported that Lorenzo Sassi could get the job.

“Do we need to [make] an announcement? No,” team boss Marco Mattiacci told Reuters recently. “Do we need to improve? Continuous improvement, yes.”

Marmorini’s departure follows a woeful season for Ferrari whose F14T has been a a handful for veterans Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, not helped by an under powered V6 turbo engine which was Marmorini’s domain.

Specualtion is rife that Pat Fry is next on the list to be removed from his position or redeployed within Maranello, as it is known that Mattiacci is intent on fast tracking James Allison to the role of technical boss of the team.

Autosprint, meanwhile, claims that three little-known engineers have started work at Ferrari after switching from Formula 1′s dominant team, Mercedes. One of them is a “young French engineer”, correspondent Alberto Antonini reported.

The mid-season revolution at Caterham continues apace, with media reports suggesting that the now Colin Kolles-advised team is set to announce a new technical director.

He is Gerhard Ungar, who until recently headed up the operation for Mercedes’ leading DTM touring car team, HWA.

When he left in May, Toto Wolff said Ungar had “put our brand in a position to win ten drivers’ titles and nine manufacturers’ titles. For that, he deserves special thanks.”

It is believed that Ungar will be wearing green team gear at the German Grand Prix next weekend.

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HONDA TURBO BUILT WITH HELP OF MERCEDES LINKED COMPANY

Honda will make its return to Formula 1 next year with McLaren. The Japanese company has sought the help of a Mercedes-linked company, it has emerged.

For the start of Formula 1′s new V6 turbo era this year, engine manufacturers Renault and Ferrari turned to the help of external suppliers for the design of the actual turbocharger unit. Renault works with the Austrian company APC Pankl, and Ferrari’s is a bespoke Honeywell turbo.

The dominant and relatively problem free Mercedes unit, on the other hand, is designed and built ‘in-house’.

Although Honda will follow the Renault and Ferrari model of out sourcing, Speed Week and Italian media sources, report that the Japanese manufacturer will have its turbo made by a Tokyo-based company IHI.

IHI, formerly Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries, has solid links to Mercedes parent Daimler, having set up a joint venture in Germany some years ago to design and manufacture turbo units. Daimler and IHI split only last year.

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LAUDA SAYS NO FRIC WON’T CHANGE MUCH FOR MERCEDES

Niki Lauda has played down the effect that the removal of the complex FRIC suspension system will have on Formula 1′s dominant team.

The triple world champion is the Formula 1 chairman at Mercedes, who along with Red Bull are considered the teams most likely to be badly affected by the FIA’s questioning of the legality of systems that mimic active suspension.

The governing body has not actually banned the ‘front and rear inter-connected’ systems, but the door to disgruntled rival teams lodging protests is now open.

It is believed that Mercedes and Red Bull, among others, will remove FRIC from their cars as of Hockenheim next weekend.

Auto Bild said that the Mercedes system in particular, is complex and highly beneficial, also bringing the Pirelli tyres up to optimum temperature and working in perfect harmony with the championship-dominating W05 car.

“The competition suspect that a ban could make the Silver Arrow up to five tenths of a second slower per lap,” said correspondents Bianca Garloff and Ralf Bach.

But Lauda insists: “[removing FRIC ] will not change much. At the same time, you have to wonder why a system that was legal for one and a half years is suddenly banned.”

It was left to correspondents Garloff and Bach to wonder if the FIA is moving to “make Formula 1 artificially exciting” in 2014 by banning FRIC and allowing Mercedes’ rivals to catch up.

But they also claim that Mercedes and Red Bull’s grandee rivals McLaren and Ferrari lobbied hard on the FRIC issue in the days and months before Charlie Whiting’s letter to the teams after the British Grand Prix.

“The motives of McLaren and Ferrari are obvious,” said the correspondents.

Red Bull are also facing up to having to remove FRIC before Hockenheim for fear of protests.

“In recent years we have often had to re-do something that has previously been declared legal,” Helmut Marko said. “It’s the same with this system now. But our disadvantages are perhaps not as great as some others.”

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Vettel vows to 'give everything'

Sebastian Vettel concedes his German GP result may not be in his hands given Mercedes' advantage and Red Bull's struggles.

The reigning World Champion is returning home next weekend for the German Grand Prix, a race he won last season.

This year, though, the German edition of the F1 World Championship will be held at the Hockenheim circuit and not the Nurburgring.

Vettel's best result at the Hockenheimring was a third-placed finish at the 2010 grand prix.

"I always enjoy the atmosphere at the Hockenheimring," said the 27-year-old.

"When you arrive at track in the morning the circuit's already filled with fans and when you're in the car you can see lots of German flags in the grandstands.

"The signing session is always very busy too. It's those little things I really enjoy about Hockenheim. We get a lot of encouragement.

"During practice you know that the fans in the grandstands are there to support you and stand by you, no matter what."

The Red Bull racer, though, admitted that his chances in Germany may be out of his hands.

"Of course you want to give as much as possible back to the fans, but sometimes it's not in your hands," he added. "However we will attack at the weekend and give everything."