FORMULA 1 - 2014

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VOLCANO COULD AFFECT JAPANESE GP WEEKEND

An erupting volcano is threatening to affect this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

On Saturday, Mount Ontake – located less than 200 kilometres from the Suzuka circuit – erupted, killing dozens.

Smoke, ash and poisonous gas is still billowing from the volcano, and Bild newspaper reports that just as Formula 1 personnel are flying into Japan, many flights about being delayed or diverted.

“Race organisers hope that all the drivers will have arrived in time for the first practice session on Friday,” said correspondent Nicola Pohl.

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Dan: Seb relationship as good as can be

Daniel Ricciardo insists his relationship with Sebastian Vettel hasn't been negatively affected by the fact that has outperformed the German.

Competing in his first season with Red Bull, Ricciardo has made many people sit up and take note by being the only driver outside of Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to win races.

While he remains well behind the Merc duo in the standings, his victories at Canada, Hungary and Belgium have helped him to a 57-point lead over Vettel in the Drivers' Championship.

Vettel recently admitted that the Australia has "done a very, very good job and has made life difficult for me" and Ricciardo says things in the Red Bull garage haven't changed because of his success.

"We are at a point where I have won three races, he hasn't won any but [Vettel] still acts the same around me," he told Australia's Sunday Night.

"We still talk about the car and other things, you know, tells me how his baby girl is going and all the rest of it. I think for a racing relationship, team-mate scenario it is as good as can be."

Currently third in the Drivers' Championship, the 25-year-old says the success hasn't gone to his head.

"I'm not complacent by any means, I think that would be a big mistake, and it's not in my nature you know I think I'll always feel like I'm always a hard worker," he said.

"If you are winning with Red Bull they will keep pushing you and I knew there was eventually Formula One if I kept winning."

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Rosberg: I can't fault effort of team

The Singapore GP was Nico Rosberg's lowest point of the season, but the German says he has faith his Mercedes team will get things right in Japan this weekend.

Rosberg endured a nightmare race at the Marina Bay last time out as he suffered a mechanical problem before the race even started. He battled on gamely before he was forced to retire on lap 14 with the team confirming a broken loom in the steering column was to blame for his woes.

They later explained that the "steering column electronic circuits were contaminated with a foreign substance".

His DNF meant he slipped to second in the Drivers' standings with team-mate Lewis Hamilton turning a 22-point deficit into a three-point advantage with victory.

Mercedes, though, have vowed to improve their reliability in the final face races of the campaign, and Rosberg is confident they will.

"I can't fault the effort of the team, though," he said. "I go to the factory and I see how hard everyone is working, so it's clear that they want the results just as much as us drivers do. I have faith in my colleagues to improve our reliability and I know they will get it right.

Meanwhile Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff says both Rosberg and Hamilton will be going all out at Suzuka.

"With five races to go and three points separating Lewis and Nico, it is now a straight fight between the two of them and each will be looking to gain the first advantage in Suzuka, one of the best driver's circuits in the sport," he said.

"We are also now entering arguably the most intense phase of the racing season: the final quarter. Inside the team, motivation is stronger now than at any point so far this year. Every single one of us wants to finish 2014 in style."

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Button: Honda needs experienced drivers

Jenson Button believes Honda would benefit a lot from having experienced drivers at McLaren next year.

The Japanese manufacturer will make its return to Formula 1 next season as McLaren's engine supplier, but the Woking squad are yet to confirm their driver line-up for 2015 with both Button and Kevin Magnussen facing uncertain futures.

Both McLaren and Honda have made no secret of the fact that they are courting the likes of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, but it remains if either or both of them will join.

Button, though, remains confidence he will still be at Woking next year and believes experience will be vital for Honda.

"It would help them if they had experienced drivers driving their car for development reasons," Button is quoted as saying by Autosport.

"It is a power unit that you are going to be trying to fill in a lot of holes with the ERS, so you need driver input and feel, from experience - you definitely benefit from that."

Button, of course, knows what it's like to work with Honda officials as he was part of the Honda F1 and BAR teams from 2003 to 2008.

He added: "The things where a team could struggle with working with a Japanese manufacturer, if you didn't work on it, is Japanese language and culture, but I think McLaren understands that.

"They've worked with Honda before - a long time ago - but they have worked with them before and I don't see any issues as long as they spend enough time working with Honda closely.

"I don't mean just the engineers or the aerodynamicists - the mechanics have to spend time understanding the Japanese culture and way of working as well.

"They all know that and are doing that, so I think it will be a good partnership and good understanding from the word go."

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Williams readies major Suzuka upgrade in F1 battle with Ferrari

Williams believes aerodynamic upgrades plus recent operational success, combined with circuits that should suit its 2014 Formula 1 car, should help carry the fight to Ferrari in the world championship.

Williams is locked in a close battle with the Scuderia for third in this year's F1 constructors' title race.

The British team holds a nine-point edge following the recent Singapore Grand Prix, where Williams finished fifth with Felipe Massa on the sort of twisty street circuit that has not suited the FW36 this season.

Williams has an aerodynamic update scheduled for this weekend's Japanese GP at Suzuka, and performance chief Rob Smedley reckons this, coupled to his team's improving form on the operational side and a track layout that should better suit its car, is reason for optimism.

"We're really, really getting on top of tyre management," Smedley explained.

"I think the tyre management in Singapore helped us immensely.

"You saw a great example of that with Felipe, and Valtteri [bottas] - even with a broken car - was able to manage tyres.

"The way we were able to extract probably above the car performance in qualifying, via the tyre management we do, personally, I'm immensely pleased with all the science and the experience and the engineering that we put in there.

"Going to Japan that stands us in really good stead.

"In Russia I think the [tyre] compounds are reasonably conservative; I think that will stand us in really good stead.

"We're also going to tracks now that have much bigger power effect, much bigger drag sensitivity, so we're really, really optimistic."

SUZUKA 'BIG TEST' FOR FERRARI

Ferrari finished fourth in Singapore with Fernando Alonso, who qualified closer to the dominant Mercedes of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton than at any other race this year.

The Spaniard said this weekend's Suzuka race would be a "good test" of whether Ferrari's improved form can be sustained for the championship run-in.

"Hopefully we can continue like this," Alonso said.

"Obviously it's just a hope and we need a normal circuit.

"Suzuka will be a good test for us to see if we are in a good form or not.

"We'll see. We would like to keep improving the car and get closer to the leaders."

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Renault ready for power unit grid penalties

Renault are ready to take grid penalties in the remaining five races of the season after admitting a sixth engine is a near certainty for most of its customers.

At present, almost half the grid have reached the maximum on at least one component. Renault however have so far been the worst hit with Daniil Kvyat taking a penalty for using a sixth engine, whilst Red Bull have confirmed Sebastian Vettel will have to do the same soon.

"Reliability will start to play a major role in results at this point in the season since every team and driver has had to mix and match as we have learnt more on the operation of the power unit," said Renault's Remi Taffin.

"We are however fairly at ease on this front since we have committed ourselves to introduce a sixth power unit where needed. The picture is a lot clearer now and although not exactly ideal to have to introduce new parts and take penalties, we can do this at races where the impact will be minimised."

It's likely new components will be used at the Japanese Grand Prix due to its demanding nature according to Taffin, which could see several drivers taking penalties.

"Due to the strain on each part, we will, where possible, introduce new components for this race," he explained.

"We believe Suzuka will be a good challenge, but one that we are looking forward to with no worries."

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RAIKKONEN: I FINALLY HAD A GOOD FEELING FROM THE CAR

Kimi Raikkonen was in buoyant mood after the Singapore Grand Prix. The Scuderia Ferrari man’s good humour was down to the fact he felt he had made a significant step forward in getting his F14T to behave the way he likes his racing cars to feel.

“In Singapore, we finally had the speed to put together a quick single flying lap in qualifying, as the car behaved the way I’d been hoping for,” the Finn said ahead of the Japanese GP weekend.

“It was just a shame we could not maximise the performance of the car because of a minor issue before the last flying lap. It meant we could not do much in the race, as I was stuck in traffic and couldn’t exploit my pace. But for me, the positive thing that weekend was I finally had a good feeling from the car, something I had been waiting for a long time this year.”

After the streets of Singapore, the Formula 1 circus heads for one of the classic venues and you don’t need to know much about Kimi Raikkonen to realise that Suzuka is just the sort of track he loves.

“It’s a high power circuit, but also technically very challenging,” continues the Ferrari man. “So we are looking forward to see how our car goes there compared to the front running teams. I like Suzuka a lot. It’s an old-school type of racing circuit, the sort that always gives me the best feeling. I’d have to say my favourite is Spa-Francorchamps, but Suzuka comes very near in my ranking.”

The Finn has mainly positive memories of his nine appearances at Suzuka (the Japanese GP took place in Fuji in 2007 and ’08 and Kimi had his two year F1 sabbatical in 2010 and 2011.)

“Apart from my first ever time in Japan and Suzuka, when I was driving for Sauber and had to retire after crashing with Alesi, I have finished every single race in Japan and I have got some really good results, as well. Winning the 2005 race was one of my best ever drives.”

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HONDA RELEASE F1 ENGINE PHOTO AND SLAM DELAY REPORTS

Honda has slammed reports its 2015 Formula 1 programme is facing delays and questioning the Japanese manufacturer’s state of readiness to tackle their forthcoming venture at the pinnacle of the sport.

Italy’s Autosprint reported on Tuesday that, despite making an audacious bid to lure Fernando Alonso to McLaren for 2015, the Japanese manufacturer is three months behind in the development of its all-new turbo V6 ‘power unit’.

Apparently hitting back at that speculation on Wednesday ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix at Honda-owned Suzuka, the carmaker revealed the first image of its 2015 engine.

At the same time, Honda’s Formula 1 chief Yasuhisa Arai said the 2015 engine project is now entering the “prime phase” in Japan, and will now undergo “full-fledged bench tests” connected to the turbo and energy recovery systems.

Yasuhisa Arai leading Honda’s new F1 venture

“In the meantime, our racing operation base in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, has become fully operational,” he announced.

Not only that, Speed Week is reporting on Wednesday that Mercedes – McLaren’s current engine supplier – has given McLaren permission to debut the Honda V6 at the post-Abu Dhabi Grand Prix test next month.

That is despite Honda’s Arai having said just weeks ago that the engine will in fact not make its debut until the first winter test of 2015 next February at Jerez.

“There is obviously a lot of work behind the scenes with our new partner for next year,” McLaren team boss Eric Boullier said recently in Singapore.

“We have not exactly defined when and where we will test first, to be clear about some discussions and reports. There is a lot of work going through and, to be honest, as per the original schedule, everything is fine so far.”

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WOLFF: IN LIFE NOTHING IS EVER 100 PER CENT FOR SURE

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is 99 per cent sure his team will head into the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship season with an unchanged driver lineup, but is leaving one percent leeway to what life might throw the way of the Silver Arrows outfit betwen now and then.

With Nico Rosberg already under contract into the longer term, his teammate Lewis Hamilton is among those drivers speculatively linked with a sensational switch to the new Honda era at McLaren beginning next year.

Recently, a slight disagreement between Briton Hamilton and Mercedes became apparent after Wolff indicated talks for a new contract beyond 2015 had been frozen.

“Well, I haven’t said that I was freezing anything,” the 2008 world champion said last month.

It is reported Hamilton might be tempted to leave Mercedes if his teammate Rosberg, with whom relations are already intensely strained, wins the 2014 title.

Wolff has also warned that if the pair cannot find a way to work together effectively, Mercedes might need to rethink its 2015 lineup. It is a theme Austrian Wolff appears to have returned to in the days before the Japanese Grand Prix.

He told Sport Bild that the Brackley based team’s driver lineup for 2015 is only 99 per cent guaranteed at this stage, “You have to hold something back because exceptional circumstances can always arise. In life, nothing is ever 100 per cent for sure.”

He insisted yet again that contractual talks with Hamilton have indeed been frozen for the time being.

“On both sides we had the desire and decided to postpone the issue, because the championship is so intense,” Wolff said.

“Rather than be discussing commercial issues, we want to get to the end of the season. And then the first thing we will do is sit down with Lewis and hopefully everything will be in the bag for the years after 2015,” he added.

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MARKO: WHEN MERCEDES EXPLODE AGAIN, WE WILL BEAT THEM

With five full races to spare in the 2014 Formula 1 World Championship, Mercedes this weekend has its first opportunity to wrap up the 2014 constructors’ title but Red Bull‘s Helmut Marko is predicting that the silver arrows may stumble in their quest for the drievrs’ crown.

Utterly dominant this season, the German team is 174 points clear heading into Suzuka, meaning a one-two on Sunday with Red Bull scoring fewer than three points would wrap it up with Sochi, Austin, Brazil and Abu Dhabi still to run.

“Every single one of us wants to finish 2014 in style,” confirmed team boss Toto Wolff.

Mercedes is also the overwhelming favourite for the drivers’ title, but the close battle between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg and a marked record in the reliability stakes means that Daniel Ricciardo remains remotely in the running for now.

Marko is keeping the pressure high, insisting that the tension between Hamilton and Rosberg still threatens to derail the silver team.

“This peace (between the drivers) is not real,” he declared to major German daily Bild ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.

“Eventually, Hamilton and Rosberg will be side by side again, and when they see it is the title in front of them, there are no more rules,” added Marko. “And when the silver arrows explode again, we will be there to beat them.”

Marko also hopes Mercedes’ poor reliability record of late, including former championship leader Nico Rosberg’s steering wheel failure in Singapore, continues to worsen.

“Further losses for them plays in our favour in the championship fight,” said the outspoken Austrian. “Mercedes can still throw the championship away.”

Going to Suzuka Hamilton tops the points standings with 241, three more than Rosberg on 238 and Ricciardo still in the hunt with 181 points.

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DAVID COULTHARD: MAKE F1 CARS FASTER SO THEY WILL BE DIFFICULT TO DRIVE

The best way to make Formula 1 cars more difficult to drive is to make them faster, according to Grand Prix veteran David Coulthard, following reports the sport’s governing FIA is concerned the challenge of driving an F1 car today is too easy.

That view has intensified recently as the age of Formula 1 rookies, for instance the newly seventeen year old Max Verstappen who will drive on Friday at Suzuka, plummets dramatically.

“The FIA is said to be examining ways of making Formula 1 cars harder to drive,” correspondent Kevin Eason wrote in The Times.

“As drivers have become younger and leaner, Formula 1’s leaders are worried that the sport is no longer the highest examination of driver talent, skill and strength,” he added.

It is part of why the FIA has suddenly clamped down on so-called ‘driver coaching’ over the pit-to-car radios, to end the appearance that the cars are even being piloted by remote control by engineers and boffins.

David Coulthard in a Red Bull RB8

But Coulthard, whose own Formula 1 career began just as the great Ayrton Senna’s so tragically ended, thinks the FIA is wide of the mark to think radios are to blame for the sport’s problems.

“It (the clampdown) seems to be the answer to a question that no one was asking,” he said in a column for the Formula 1 sponsor UBS.

“I wasn’t really aware of any grumbling,” said the 43-year-old Scot, who today is a pundit for British television. “In my opinion, if you want to make the cars harder to drive, make them faster. It is ironic that they are trying to find ways of making life more difficult for the drivers when the actual cars are slower than they were back in 2004.”

The former McLaren and Red Bull driver even thinks the radio clampdown is counterproductive, as it removes one of Formula 1’s “technological advancements” only to replace it with “another layer of bureaucracy and red tape”.

“If someone offered you the chance to get rid of internet banking and go back to just making all your transactions the old-fashioned way, via a cashier, would you accept? Of course you wouldn’t,” said Coulthard.

“It would be a retrograde step; wilfully ignoring technology that already exists and that everyone was perfectly happy with anyway.

“As for the drivers I spoke to in Singapore last weekend, some were for it, some were against it, some were not fussed either way. I think that just about sums this whole issue up. It’s all a bit of a nothing,” he added.

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KOBAYASHI: I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS RACE FOR OVER A YEAR

Popular and highly rated yet substantially unsponsored, Kamui Kobayashi has retained his race seat at Caterham for his home Japanese Grand Prix this weekend.

As the team seeks new sources of income in the wake of founder Tony Fernandes’ shock mid-season exit, the Japanese driver lost his place to Andre Lotterer at Spa in August.

Speaking ahead of his home, Kobayashi said, “I’m very excited to be back in front of all my Japanese fans and racing at Suzuka; I’ve been waiting for this race for over a year. The Japanese Grand Prix and Suzuka have always been very special for me: it’s where I experienced my first F1 Free Practice sessions back in 2009.”

“It is where I also achieved my first ever Formula 1 podium finish in 2012 and, this year, I am able to come back to Suzuka thanks to the support I received from my fans. This means a lot to me and I would like to thank them all once again. I only have positive feelings going into this weekend.”

“Unfortunately, this year I have to admit that I won’t be fighting for a podium, but I will do my best to reward my fans with a strong performance in order to thank them for their enormous support – I look forward to meeting them all there,” said Kobayashi

It was expected that Roberto Merhi would then replace Kobayashi in Monza and beyond, but – despite his Friday outing at Monza – the 23-year-old Spanish rookie is yet to secure his mandatory super license.

Meanwhile Caterham announced that Merhi will return to Friday duties this weekend at Suzuka. It is good news for Kobayashi, who therefore gets at least one more race outing for the Leafield based team in front of his adoring home fans in Japan.

Kobayashi’s future beyond the Japanese Grand Prix is much more clouded, as new team boss Manfredi Ravetto told Formula 1’s official website last week, “He knows that he has open doors at Caterham. Obviously he knows that he also has to deliver this year. He has to help us to achieve the P10 that we are targeting.”

It is a quite different story for the heavily sponsored Marcus Ericsson, as the 24-year-old has enjoyed an uninterrupted 2014 season and solid prospects of retaining the seat next year.

“We don’t want to lose Marcus,” confirmed Ravetto, “because the team invested in him in his rookie time and now wants to harvest on this investment, as we think that he will be able to deliver.”

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MERCEDES ANNOUNCE HUGO BOSS PARTNERSHIP

Press Release: The Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team is delighted to announce a new partnership with Hugo Boss, effective from 1 January 2015 onwards.

Hugo Boss, a market leader in the upper premium and luxury global apparel market, becomes a Team Partner of Mercedes AMG Petronas, and the team’s Official Supplier of Lifestyle and Formal Wear Clothing.

With Mercedes-Benz and Hugo Boss formally intensifying their existing co-operations earlier this year, extending the partnership into the brand’s Formula One team was a logical progression. A long-standing supporter of Formula One and motorsport, Hugo Boss has vast experience in sport and lifestyle sponsorship where Mercedes-Benz is also active.

Hugo Boss will create high-performance teamwear for Mercedes AMG Petronas for use at the Formula One race tracks and the team’s headquarters, with Hugo Boss branding to feature on the 2015 Silver Arrows cars and trackside collateral. Hugo Boss will also develop a ‘Boss for Mercedes-Benz Collection’, inspired by the Formula One team, which will be available twice a year featuring high-end menswear fashion.

Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, Toto Wolff, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Hugo Boss to our family of team partners, and to further extend the existing partnership with Mercedes-Benz. The synergies between our two companies are both striking and extensive; we operate to the highest levels of precision and quality in our pursuit of perfection, with both brands targeting the premium and luxury market. As a team, we are very pleased to have attracted another brand of the stature of Hugo Boss to add to our already extensive and impressive suite of partners. Everyone at the team is excited about the prospect of being ‘kitted out’ by Hugo Boss at the race tracks next season.”

Gerd von Podewils, Senior Vice President Global Communications, Hugo Boss, said: “Mercedes AMG Petronas and Hugo Boss are a perfect fit in terms of their brand values, and both can look back on long success stories. We are pleased to join forces with such a strong partner and look forward to the synergies our partnership will generate down the road.”

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BLOW TO DE SILVESTRO’S F1 AMBITIONS AS FUNDS DRY UP

Swiss racer Simona De Silvestro’s hopes of becoming the first woman since 1976 to race in Formula One have suffered a setback with the Sauber team ending a testing deal due to her lack of funds.

The 26-year-old had been expected to take part in first practice at next month’s US Grand Prix in Austin and had set her sights on a race seat for 2015.

Sauber had said in February, when it was announced that she was joining as an “affiliated driver”, that they intended to support her ambitions. However a team spokesman said on Wednesday De Silvestro’s driving programme had been stopped “due to financial reasons on her side”.

“Everybody in the team who worked with her during the last six months is very disappointed it came to this point, because they liked working with her,” he added of the contractual problems.

Swiss-based Sauber, once a solid midfield team who have yet to score a point in what has become their worst Formula One season, have financial troubles of their own and need their drivers to bring funding with them. The team said they were looking at other possibilities for De Silvestro.

De Silvestro had her first taste of Formula One in April when she had a test in a two-year-old Sauber at Ferrari‘s Fiorano track. She subsequently tested also at the Valencia circuit in Spain.

The Swiss previously spent four years competing in the US IndyCar series and was 2010 Indianapolis 500 rookie of the year.

The first woman to finish on the podium at an IndyCar street race, with second place in Houston in 2013, she joined Sauber in February and was considered the woman racer most likely to join the men on the starting grid in the near future.

The last woman to try and race in Formula One was Italian Giovanna Amati, who failed to qualify with Brabham in 1992. The last to race, and only one ever to score, was her compatriot Lella Lombardi in 1976.

Britain’s Susie Wolff has taken part in free practice sessions with Williams this year.

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JOS VERSTAPPEN PLAYS DOWN SON’S F1 DEBUT

Jos Verstappen has moved to ease the pressure on his son’s shoulders ahead of his Formula 1 debut in FP1 on the first day of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend.

The former Formula 1 driver is already in Japan, where his newly seventeen year old son will make history at Suzuka as the youngest ever driver to participate in an official Grand Prix programme.

Young Verstappen’s maiden appearance will only be in Friday morning practice, ahead of his full race debut next year with the same Toro Rosso team. Still, the pressure is intense.

“The whole motor sport world will be looking at what Max is doing,” said his father Jos, “but he must take it easy and not drive straight away on the limit.”

Verstappen, with over 100 Grand Prix starts to his name, knows well the challenge of the fabled Suzuka circuit.

Max revealed: “My dad has raced at Suzuka many times and he told me it’s not an easy track to start on.”

So Verstappen senior is trying to play down the obvious pressure and the high expectations, after Helmut Marko recently compared Max with the legendary Ayrton Senna.

And Formula 1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart has now said Max has the potential to be a superstar.

Jos said: “No one should expect Max to turn the world upside down on Friday.”

“Laptimes are not important,” he is quoted by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. “It’s much more important for Max to just do his laps.

“Max will be driving a new car to him, which is very different to the 2012 version. And he’s also starting at Suzuka, which is not an easy task.”

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NURBURGRING BUYOUT ON BRINK OF COLLAPSE

The fate of the German Grand Prix venue at the legendary Nurburgring is once again in serious doubt as financial woes continue to mount.

Recently, I reported that after the embattled circuit was bought for a reported €77 million, it was in the throes of promising talks with Bernie Ecclestone over a new long-term Formula 1 race contract.

But it then emerged in late August that the buyer, a Dusseldorf company called Capricorn, had missed the deadline on its latest due payment to the Rhineland-Palatinate state.

“We still expect the sale to go ahead,” a spokesman for the financial recovery experts in charge of the Nurburgring insolvency said at the time.

But now, another alarming report about the health of the Nurburgring buyout deal has emerged.

The respected German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche claims Deutsche Bank has withdrawn its financing for the Capricorn transaction, meaning a new buyer for the Nurburgring is now being sought.

The news could become official later on Wednesday, when the European Commission rules on whether the Capricorn deal is even lawful.

A spokesman for the liquidator told Wirtschaftswoche that he could not comment for reasons of “confidentiality”.

Deutsche Bank also would not comment. But the report said the liquidator has already been in talks with alternative buyers, last Thursday in Berlin and on Monday in London.

A spokesman for HIG Capital, a US-based group, said: “We have the money and we stand by our (previous) offer.”

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ALREADY 2015 RULES BENEFIT MERCEDES AND FERRARI

It appears that two Formula 1 teams already have a “big head start” when it comes to the 2015 regulations, according to Force India technical boss Andy Green.

With the shape of this year’s nose designs ranging from the odd to the unseemly, the FIA has moved to end the situation by tweaking the rules for 2015.

It means teams like Lotus, Force India, Toro Rosso, McLaren and Caterham – with the sorts of designs most targeted by the FIA rule change – are having to fundamentally re-design the front of their cars for next season.

With a slightly less radical approach this year was Red Bull, but designer Rob Marshall says the change to meet the 2015 rules will still make a big difference.

In initial wind tunnel testing, he said “We were surprised how much (downforce) we lost”.

His counterpart at Force India, Andy Green, agrees: “The first wind tunnel test showed 20 points of downforce lost”.

Green, however, thinks some teams have been dealt an advantage by the 2015 rule change, as the grid next year is expected to be filled with noses resembling those of this year’s Ferrari and Mercedes cars. Auto Motor und Sport said those two teams are very close to already complying with the 2015 rules.

Green said that is a “big head start” for Ferrari, and particularly Mercedes, having already gone through the long and expensive process of crash-testing the impressively short nose on its dominant W05 car.

He explained that the nose is central to the entire “aerodynamic philosophy” of the car, meaning Mercedes and Ferrari’s rivals now have “a lot of lessons” to learn.

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ALONSO JOINS FORCES WITH SPORTS INVESTMENT FIRM

Two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso has ‘joined forces’ with Novo, a sport investment management firm, amid longstanding and continuing speculation that he is poised to start a professional cycling team.

A statement from Novo, which was founded last year, said that the new venture will ‘acquire a portfolio of assets whose growth they can help to accelerate’. No further details on what those assets might be were made public in the Novostatement announcing the news on Wednesday.

Novodescribes itself as existing to ‘develop, acquire and manage a portfolio of assets in sport for its shareholders and investment partners’.

Ferrari driver Alonso, who is currently in Japan preparing for this weekend’s Grand Prix at Suzuka, has made no secret of his desire to form a professional road cycling team. The Spaniard’s long-time manager, Luis Garcia Abad, will be a director of the new venture.

Alonso said: “I’m thrilled to be part of this new venture. I get to indulge my passion for cycling and obsession with technology and design with likeminded people. We see a window of opportunity and plan to kick it wide open!”

Novomanaging partner Nathan Pillai added: “Current social, economic and market conditions have created an attractive proposition for investors. Our research points to certain segments of the market where participation, consumption and media interest in all things cycling are on the up.

“Inspired by what we have learnt in Formula One, we see opportunities in high performance products, wearable technologies and content that serve these segments. We have access to off-market and proprietary opportunities as well as a competitive advantage over financial investors.”

Pillai added that plans for an Alonso cycling team were moving forward. He said: “We want to create a competitive, sustainable team franchise that is loved and admired for its innovation, transparency and commitment to social responsibility. We are busy putting in place the foundations required to achieve the long term success we desire and will make an announcement on our progress in due course.”

Abad, who attends most Grands Prix with Alonso, said: “We will direct our resources to situations where we can add real value. We have some great assets that we can deploy to transform the growth potential of our portfolio companies which ultimately improves the return on invested capital for our shareholders.”

Alonso, the Formula One world champion in 2005 and 2006 and widely considered as the most complete driver on the grid, is in his fifth season with Ferrari. He currently lies fourth in the 2014 championship.

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RENAULT TEAMS MAY BE FORCED TO DO LESS MILEAGE AT SUZUKA

Renault’s problematic V6 power units are set to be a factor in the final Formula 1 races of the season, as Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Caterham and Lotus teams may be forced to go easy on mileage with as the limit of engines they can use in the season is fast being reached.

Speaking ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, Renault Sport F1 head of track operations Remi Taffin predicted, “Reliability will start to play a major role in results at this point in the season since every team and driver has had to mix and match as we have learnt more on the operation of the power unit.”

“To keep aces in hand, we may even see teams run fewer miles in practice to save the engines for the rest of the year. We are however fairly at ease on this front since we have committed ourselves to introduce a sixth power unit where needed.”

Taffin conceded, “The picture is a lot clearer now and although not exactly ideal to have to introduce new parts and take penalties, we can do this at races where the impact will be minimised. We believe Suzuka will be a good challenge, but one that we are looking forward to with no worries.”

“Due to the strain on each part, we will, where possible, introduce new components for this race,” he added.

[Lasabar]

IS PLEASING A WOMAN TOO EASY?

Is anyone having flashbacks to a younger (or current) virgin version of themselves and remembering the first time trying to please a woman?

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CURRENT DRIVER/CONSTRUCTOR POINTS TABLE: (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

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Amber Lounge: Formula 1's travelling after-party

http://youtu.be/ygLsm_eIW4w

The business of Formula 1 is not just cars and racing. It's also about sponsorship, branding... and even the after-parties, drawing in paying crowds to be part of the sporting experience.

Sonia Irvine, sister of former racing car driver Eddie, is the founder of Amber Lounge - a party that travels with the Formula 1 to its glitziest venues and where celebrities mingle with racing fans, at a price.

So what's the appeal of F1? Watch the video for a sneak peek.

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Vital Statistics - the Japanese Grand Prix

Did you know that Suzuka is one of only four circuits on the current calendar where Lewis Hamilton has not tasted victory? Or that Ferrari last triumphed at the Japanese circuit in 2004, with Michael Schumacher taking the spoils? Ahead of this weekend's 2014 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, we present the key facts, stats and trivia...

Circuit: Suzuka

Circuit length: 5.807 km

Number of corners: 18 (9 right, 9 left)

DRS zones: 1

Race laps: 53

Race distance: 307.471 km

2014 tyre compounds: medium, hard

Circuit lap record: 1m 31.540s - Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren, 2005

First world championship Grand Prix in Japan: 1976, Fuji (won by Mario Andretti, Lotus)

Number of races: 29 (25 - Suzuka, 4 - Fuji)

Number of races at Suzuka with at least one safety-car appearance: 5 of the last 12

Longest race at Suzuka: 1994 (1h 55m 53.532s)

Shortest race at Suzuka: 2006 (1h 23m 53.413s)

Last year's pole position: 1m 30.915s, Mark Webber, Red Bull

Last year's podium: 1 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 2 - Mark Webber (Red Bull), 3 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus)

Most appearances (current field): 14 - Jenson Button; 12 - Fernando Alonso; 11 - Kimi Raikkonen; 10 - Felipe Massa; 8 - Nico Rosberg; 7 - Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton; 6 - Adrian Sutil

Most Japanese Grand Prix wins (driver): 6 - Michael Schumacher; 4 - Sebastian Vettel; 2 - Gerhard Berger, Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill, Mika Hakkinen, Fernando Alonso; 1 - Mario Andretti, James Hunt, Alessandro Nannini, Nelson Piquet, Riccardo Patrese, Rubens Barrichello, Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button

Most Japanese Grand Prix wins (constructor): 9 - McLaren; 7 - Ferrari; 4 - Red Bull; 3 - Benetton, Williams; 2 - Renault; 1 - Lotus

Most Japanese Grand Prix wins (engine manufacturer): 10 - Renault; 7 - Ferrari; 5 - Ford, Mercedes; 2 - Honda

Most Japanese Grand Prix pole positions (driver): 8 - Michael Schumacher; 4 - Sebastian Vettel; 3 - Ayrton Senna; 2 - Mario Andretti, Gerhard Berger, Jacques Villeneuve, Lewis Hamilton; 1 - Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Rubens Barrichello, Ralf Schumacher, Felipe Massa, Mark Webber

Most Japanese Grand Prix pole positions (constructor): 9 - Ferrari; 6 - McLaren; 5 - Red Bull; 4 - Williams; 2 - Lotus, Benetton; 1 - Toyota

Most Japanese Grand Prix pole positions (engine manufacturer): 10 - Renault; 9 - Ferrari; 4 - Honda; 3 - Ford; 2 - Mercedes; 1 - Toyota

Number of wins from pole at Suzuka: 12 from 25 races (48 percent)

Lowest winning grid position: 17th (Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren, 2005)

Laps led (current field): 186 - Sebastian Vettel; 55 - Lewis Hamilton; 51 - Fernando Alonso; 50 - Jenson Button; 26 - Romain Grosjean; 10 - Kimi Raikkonen; 4 - Felipe Massa

Most podium places (current field): 5 - Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel; 2 - Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Felipe Massa; 1 - Kamui Kobayashi, Romain Grosjean

Number of Japanese drivers to have started at least one Grand Prix: 17

Best finish by a Japanese driver in Japan: 3rd (Aguri Suzuki, 1990 & Kamui Kobayashi, 2012)

Percentage of 2014 season complete: 74 percent

Maximum number of world championship points still available to a single driver: 150

Significant running sequences going into this weekend: Ferrari - 81 consecutive races in the points - the longest run in F1 history; Renault - 114 consecutive races in the points as an engine manufacturer; Daniel Ricciardo - 12 consecutive points finishes; Mercedes - 6 consecutive pole positions; Lewis Hamilton - 2 consecutive Grand Prix hat-tricks.

Fascinating fact: The world championship has been clinched more times in Japan - 13, if you include the 1995 Pacific Grand Prix - than in any other country. The most recent champion to be crowned Japan was Sebastian Vettel who in 2011 secured his second straight world title. This year’s main hopefuls Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton are both yet to triumph at Suzuka - Rosberg's best finish is fifth, for Williams in 2009, while Hamilton’s best is third, for McLaren in the same race.

Young blood: Max Verstappen will become the youngest person ever to drive in an official F1 session when he takes part in FP1 on Friday aged just 17. He’ll be the 16th Dutchman to take part in a world championship event. Two other Dutch drivers have taken part in sessions this year - Robin Frijns and Giedo van der Garde.

Potential record breakers: Mercedes have scored seven one-two finishes this year. They need three more over the remaining five races to tie McLaren's 1988 record for the most one-twos in a season, and four more to eclipse it.

Turbo history: If a Ferrari-powered car wins the race it will be the first Ferrari turbo win since the 1988 Italian Grand Prix.

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Red Bull RB10 - revised nose design

In Singapore Red Bull introduced yet another new nose design, illustrating just how hard they are pushing to keep Daniel Riccardo in championship contention with the two Mercedes drivers. At Marina Bay the team ran the previous Hungary-spec nose (inset), but they then switched to the one shown in the main drawing, featuring more pronounced lower bulges (red arrows) to help increase downforce. It's their fifth nose iteration of 2014. The first change was in Spain for a revised camera position, and that was followed by new solutions in Monaco, Hungary, Belgium and now Singapore. As the alterations were to bodywork and not structural, there was no need for fresh crash tests.

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HAMILTON: NICO WILL BE STRONGER THAN EVER SO I NEED TO BE READY

Lewis Hamilton said he will be ready for a fightback from teammate Nico Rosberg at the Japanese Grand Prix after the German lost first place in the Formula 1 championship standings.

The British former champion said his Mercedes rival is too good to take his retirement from the Singapore Grand Prix lying down. Hamilton won to take a three point lead in the drivers’ championship.

“Nico is such a strong competitor. Since we were young kids he’s always been strong mentally, confident and sure of his abilities. He’s shown time and time again his pace, his speed, and he’s also shown how quickly he can overcome things.

“I think he handled the last race with dignity. He was positive, it felt, at least from what I could see, like he moved on very quickly so I anticipate he’ll be here and stronger than ever so I need to be ready for that.”

Hamilton added that he would not change his own approach to the next race at Suzuka, even though he is now ahead.

“It doesn’t change anything for me,” he said. “I’m still here to do the same job, I feel like we’re both chasing that title so I don’t think anything needs to change.”

Rosberg told reporters the Singapore retirement was “just a tough moment, but time is the best cure for such things and there’s been two weeks which is plenty of time in the racing world.

“For me it’s completely forgotten. Now I’m here I’m just as optimistic and excited as I was before Singapore, and I’m just looking forward to it because I’m in Suzuka.

“I’ve never come to Suzuka, which is one of the best tracks of the year, with the best, dominant car.

“I’ve never had that before, so I’m coming here, I know I’ll have a chance for pole on Saturday and a chance to win the race on Sunday. That’s just a great feeling and that’s it, that’s just my state of mind at the moment.”

He added that he had no concerns about Mercedes’ reliability, “We mustn’t now see this as a big problem for us as a team. It’s a problem that we have, but the big picture is the absolutely spectacular job that the team has done. Full stop.

“I’m not worried about reliability, I have this inner trust that the team is going to get the job done and so it’s not something that I really think about at all,” said the German.