FORMULA 1 - 2015

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WHAT’S IN A NAME? MCLAREN CHANGE INDICATES SHIFT IN EMPHASIS

In a push to develop business beyond its flagship F1 team, McLaren Group has announced that it will henceforth be called McLaren Technology Group.

The news coincides with plans for a new 57,000 sq ft ‘Applied Technology Centre’ which will double the footprint of McLaren’s existing innovation centre.

While the name change reflects McLaren’s need to attract business beyond the world of F1, group boss Ron Dennis was at pains to point out that F1 is still the beating heart of a company which employs over 3000 people, three quarters of whom are not involved in motorsport.

“We have long proven our capabilities on the world’s racetracks, and Formula 1 racing is and will always be a core area of activity for us,” said Dennis, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the McLaren Technology Group.

“Racing fuels our competitive spirit, it is our crucible of innovation, it enables us to attract the world’s best engineers, scientists and data analysts, and the enormous popularity of Formula 1 provides a unique global marketing platform.We exist to win, and nothing will ever divert McLaren Racing’s focus away from that ambition.

“However, some time ago we set McLaren on a path of diversification, and as a result we are today far more than just a racing team. Technology drives everything we do – creating the world’s most advanced road cars, working with blue-chip companies to enhance their performance and their products, and/or developing the world’s most robust electronic control systems.

“Our new name therefore reflects our ever-increasing focus on innovation and the creation of disruptive technologies that will have a positive and far-reaching impact.”

As well as its racing activities, the stand alone McLaren Automotive company produces 1600 cars a year and plans to expand production with new models to 4000 units per annum within three years.

McLaren Technology Group works with a number of blue chip companies to enhance product performance through technology and produces electronic control systems widely used in motorsport and other industries.

McLaren electronic control systems are used by all cars in Formula One, Nascar and Indycar racing series.

Formed as a race team 52 years ago, McLaren began the diversification process 25 years ago and the current difficult trading climate in F1 is surely an extra encouragement for the group in its movement into other industries.

While it can count 182 Grand Prix wins and 20 world titles on an enviable racing CV, its last race win was over two years ago and its last title success, a driver’s championship for Lewis Hamilton, back in 2008.

Having slipped to fifth in the constructor’s championship in the last two seasons, McLaren clearly has work to do on the racing front. In other aspects of its business, the situation is rosier.

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Formula 1's 2015 nose rules change a headache for teams

The push to rid Formula 1 of ugly noses in 2015 may have been done for simple aesthetics, but it has caused complications for design teams.

After a raft of criticisms about the look of last year's cars - which left fans and team bosses up in arms - the FIA moved to outlaw the extended nose tips for 2015.

A tweak to F1's technical regulations stipulating strict dimensional criteria to outlaw the extended noses nipped the problem in the bud, and no longer will F1 cars be compared to proboscis monkeys or anteaters.

But although the tweak to the noses may seem minor, the impact it has had on influencing design evolution for 2015 has been relatively big.

The reason for that is fairly simple: because the nose is the first part of the car to hit the air, it has an impact on how the airflow works over everything behind it.

Force India technical director Andy Green told AUTOSPORT: "Everything downstream from the front wing sets up everything else. So a change in that area makes a big difference to how you develop the car.

"The car is tuned around a certain set of circumstances at the front of the car.

"So it required a lot of aerodynamic reconfiguring to try to recover what was, to start with, quite a significant loss from where we were with the high nose.

"To go down to a very low nose took a lot of change. We're there now, but it took quite a while."

Green thinks that the tight wording of Article 15.4.3 of the technical regulations will ensure that most noses look the same, with a design similar to Ferrari's 2014 car likely, but the key will be how well each team can finetune its design for maximum aerodynamic benefit.

"I think there's probably as much performance in it eventually as there was with the conventional nose," he said.

"It just takes time to extract it. We've been forced down a route and we've got to extract new performance."

AERO WAR BACK ON

Although the influence of the engine is far greater now than it has been for years, Green has no doubts that the importance of aerodynamics cannot be underestimated.

That is why getting the nose design right - and ensuring the rest of the car responds in the right way - is essential.

"When I look at the lap time deltas that we have to Mercedes and I look at some of their speeds through the high-speed corners, that's pure aerodynamics," he said.

"They've got some significant advantages over us in pure aerodynamics. So yes, there's still a lot to be had in aero.

"Even comparing it to the teams that traditionally had good aerodynamics, like Red Bull, Mercedes are still significantly quicker. We've got a lot to learn from them.

"Not only have they done a good job with the power unit, they've done a very, very good job aerodynamically."

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Romain Grosjean says current F1 cars require new driving style

Romain Grosjean says he is approaching the 2015 season with a revamped driving style to help boost his form, as Lotus also reshuffles his engineering team.

Eager to put the disappointment of a troubled 2014 campaign behind them, Lotus has appointed Julien Simon-Chautemps as Grosjean's new race engineer this season.

Simon-Chautemps worked with Pastor Maldonado last season and has previously been Kimi Raikkonen's performance engineer.

Grosjean hopes that lessons learned from having to change his driving style for the new generation of turbo cars will be a boost alongside the change of engineer.

"The car and the regulations, a little bit, haven't suited my driving style," Grosjean told AUTOSPORT.

"I had to change it at first to get on top of it, and the car was unpredictable when you drive it.

"I like to understand everything about the braking, turning and exit and then the next lap analyse and improve.

"Last year, one lap you got oversteer, lap two it's understeer and then maybe the next lap it's going to be good.

"You can't understand and analyse things, so you just have to go with the feeling, which Pastor did pretty well.

"So I have been improving myself in that aspect and I had to try different driving skills.

"As a driver, purely driving, I think I am able to do more things, but it didn't reflect in the results."

Grosjean added that his default style is to try and get onto the throttle as soon as possible after turn in.

But the reduction in rear downforce for the post-exhaust blowing era meant that the cars did not react well to this.

"I like to go very early on the throttle, but this year it wasn't possible," he said.

"I had a little less feeling in the front end and I like to brake late and turn late, but this year it didn't work.

"It [exhaust blowing] would have made me more confident and I could push more, but things change.

"There were no blown exhausts in GP2 and they go quick, so I'm not worried.

"Once everything works consistently and everything is stable, I will produce quick lap times.

"That's something I have learned to do [in 2014] and will help for the future."

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FORMULA 1 & MOSCOW

It is no secret that the Russian economy is at best stagnant and probably in recession. You need 61 roubles these days to buy a US dollar, a year ago you needed only 33. The economy is in trouble because of the low price of oil, on which Russia is heavily dependent, and because of Western sanctions resulting from President Vladimir Putin’s activities in Crimea and Ukraine. The Russian central bank has spent more than $80 billion buying roubles in an effort to push up its value but it has had little effect.

Inflation is running at 11.4 percent and many projects are being cancelled because there is no money to fund them. It is, therefore, a very odd time for the government to be announcing plans for a new Formula 1-standard race track in the Moscow oblast. Russia already has a Formula 1 track in Sochi, although there have long been rumours that the event would be better-suited to either Moscow or St Petersburg, but was put in Sochi to justify the vast expense of the Olympic Park.

Just a few days ago the Moscow city authorities announced that they had halted the development of a project called Airopolis, a huge fairground, retail and office complex, with exhibition space, hotels and a Formula 1 track, near Vnukovo airport in the south-west of the city. This was announced in December by Vitaly Vantsev, the chairman of the airport, which is an investor in the project, who said that it was necessary to stop the development because the repayments on loans required were no longer viable. However, it seems that the F1 circuit may go ahead without the rest of the development, according to Vladimir Zhidkin, the head of Moscow’s department for development of new territories. The plan is for the track to be located alongside the Kiev Highway

Zhidkin said that the design of the circuit will be done by Tilke GmbH. Russia has a contract with the Formula One group until at least 2020, but it is not clear whether the race can be transferred away from Sochi under the terms of that deal.

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Happy 90th Birthday Ron

Today is Ron Tauranac’s 90th birthday and for those who may never have heard of the Australian engineer, it is worth pointing out some of his achievements, notably designing the Brabham Formula 1 cars of the 1960s and early 1970s, including the BT19 in which Sir Jack Brabham won the 1966 World Championship and the BT20 that carried Denny Hulme to the title the following year.

Tauranac-designed cars won 13 F1 Grands Prix and were renowned for simplicity, strength and reliability, in contrast to the revolutionary but often-fragile Lotuses of Colin Chapman. When Brabham retired from race driving at the end of 1970 he sold his share of the team to Tauranac, who later sold the whole business to Bernie Ecclestone. Tauranac then went on to built Ralt racing cars, which enjoyed huge success in Formula 2, Formula 3, Formula Atlantic and Formula Super Vee.

Later this week the American living legend AJ Foyt will celebrate his 80th birthday. Foyt was the first four-time winner of Indianapolis 500 and the only man to win the Indy 500, NASCAR’s Daytona 500 and the 24-Hour sports car races at Le Mans and Daytona. Foyt never competed in F1 although he did three Indy 500s that were deemed to be rounds of the the Championnat du Monde des Conducteurs, which existed between 1950 and 1981 when the FIA changed the name to the FIA Formula One World Championship. Foyt was entered for three other Grands Prix: the United States and Mexican GPs in 1964 with BRM, and the 1967 Belgian GP with Dan Gurney’s Anglo American Racers but did not appear at any of them for a number of reasons.

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Changes at Monaco

There is significant redevelopment work going on at Monaco, to completely reconstruct the area around the celebrated Tabac Corner. The quayside and the path of the Grand Prix track will remain unchanged but the area between this and the Boulevard Albert I (the start-finish straight) is to be rebuilt in the course of the next four years. When the work is finished the area will become the new home of the Prince’s automobile collection, which is currently housed in Fontvielle. The original car museum will be redeveloped to create an extension to the shopping centre which is located inside the rock, beneath the royal palace.

When the work at Tabac is completed the harbour esplanade will have been widened to match the work previously done on the south side of the swimming pool, which allowed the Formula 1 pits to be extended some years ago. The car museum will be beneath the esplanade with a second floor beneath this, creating an exhibition area of just under 100,000 sq ft. There will be three levels of parking beneath that. The bottom floor of the parking will be 50 feet below the sea level, but will provide Monaco with another 300 much-needed parking spaces. This should mean that the car collection will attract significantly more visitors than it has in the past and the design will include a central area that will be used for presentations and auctions.

The new extension will also allow for more quayside restaurants and night clubs, but it will mean that there will probably be less seating available for a couple of years while the structural work is done. The aim is to have this completed before the Grand Prix in 2017, with the entire development being completed by 2019.

It is worth noting that the next likely phase of development will be a change to the Rascasse section, with plans being drawn up to create an open area, perhaps with some kind of building in the centre. This will improve the access between the pits and the paddock and provide better viewing. The track could thus be re-profiled a little if that was deemed to be necessary. The famous Rascasse restaurant was bought by the government-owned Société des Bains de Mer in 2009.

Remember also that there is still a major land reclamation project underway on the other side of Monte Carlo, in the Portiers district, which could in the long term provide room for the circuit to be extended in order to create overtaking opportunities. The exact design of the new district is not yet known, but a contract for the work is currently being agreed with the French construction giant Bouyges.

For the moment, however, the track will remain as it is, even if the backdrop will change in the years ahead.

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FIA MAY ALLOW HONDA TO BE PART OF F1 ENGINE UNFREEZE

It remains increasingly possible the FIA will do a u-turn on their decision to exclude Honda from the new engine development unfreeze.

McLaren and its new 2015 works partner Honda were undoubtedly unimpressed recently when the FIA agreed that last year’s engine makers – Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari – will be allowed to develop their turbo V6s this season.

That is because F1’s governing body argued that Honda, as a new competitor, will be the only one that has to stick to the 28 February homologation date, just as the 2014 suppliers did.

McLaren told us that, in respose to the ruling, the British team had been in contact with the FIA, while a Spanish newspaper quoted a Honda spokesman as saying the Japanese manufacturer is “angry and sad”.

Autosprint reported last week that the disgruntled Honda had “been heard” by the FIA in a recent meeting, and the Paris federation had “decided to reconsider its position” with regards to the so-called unfreeze.

“Taking note of their [Honda’s] concerns, the question remains open and will probably be defined at a later meeting”, correspondent Roberto Chinchero said.

The BBC reported on Wednesday that the subsequent meeting involving top FIA and Honda officials in fact happened on Monday.

“The meeting went well,” said an FIA spokesman, “and we are discussing matters that arose.”

The BBC said it is possible one solution to the issue could be that Honda submits its 2015 engine for homologation on 28 February, as per the regulations, but is then allowed to join its rivals in having 32 development ‘tokens’ to use throughout the season.

A spokesperson said Honda will not comment on the latest developments “until we can get a further update from FIA should they reveal something”.

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MERCEDES PAYS RECORD F1 ENTRY FEE FOR 2015 SEASON

Reigning world champions, Mercedes is paying the highest ever Formula 1 entry fee to contest the 2015 world championship.

The German team may have triumphantly dominated last year’s titles, but one unpleasant consequence is a hefty FIA bill to the tune of almost $5 million.

The cost of merely entering the world championship was changed in recent years, when instead of a flat fee teams were also asked to pay per point scored in the previous season.

But the cost just got even higher. Last year, the flat fee was $508,000, while now it is $516,000, Auto Motor und Sport reported.

And the variable performance element of the entry cost has also gone up for 2015, with each point now costing teams $5,161, up from $5,080 just a year ago.

The champion team, meanwhile, now pays a hefty $6,194 per point scored, meaning that Mercedes’ bill for simply entering the 2015 world championship is nearly $4.9 million.

It is significantly more than the $2.6 million entry fee payable by runner-up Red Bull. But the good news for Mercedes is that the team’s official prize money haul has also significantly increased, after receiving $87 million for finishing the 2013 championship as runner-up.

The 2014 prize for winning the constructors’ title, on the other hand, is a cool $102 million, the German report added.

In addition to Mercedes and Red Bull’s nearly $8 million in fees, the FIA will receive a further combined total of almost $16 million from the other teams on the 2015 grid.

As it is likely Caterham and Marussia will not be in Melbourne or beyond, however, the governing body will ultimately lose their extra million in fees.

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VERGNE ENJOYS SPECIAL FIRST DAY OF WORK AT MARANELLO

Jean-Eric Vergne has now started work at Ferrari. The 24 year old Frenchman spent the day at the Maranello facility, meeting engineers and management, as well as getting to grips with his new office, namely the F1 simulator.

“The first day as a Ferrari man is really something special,” said Vergne. “But already last night, I took a short trip around Maranello and I realised that this is a city that lives and breathes Ferrari.”

“This year, I will be doing a lot of work in the simulator and this first introduction to it was very useful. I know Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen well and I can’t wait to work with them,” added Vergne.

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Toro Rosso rookies opt for 33 and 55

Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz have chosen their numbers for their Formula 1 careers, going with 33 and 55 respectively.

As of last season, all drivers entering F1 have been able to choose their own race number, a number they will use throughout their career.

Two of this year's rookies, Verstappen and Sainz, have followed the path of many other drivers in picking a number from their early racing days.

Verstappen, who according to Toro Rosso "found photo evidence of having driven a car with 33 on it at an early age", decided to stick with that number while Sainz, who raced a 5 car in karts, doubled that up to 55.

And their social media hashtags have drawn from their numbers with #MaxV3rstapp3n and #Carlo55ainz.

MIKA: Someone grab Sainz Jnr a Razor.. if he knows how to use one

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Coulthard fears inexperience could hurt STR

x-Formula 1 driver David Coulthard believes that Toro Rosso could be hindered in 2015 due to the inexperienced nature of its driver line-up.

Toro Rosso will field a rookie pairing of reigning Formula Renault 3.5 champion Carlos Sainz Jr. and Dutch youngster Max Verstappen, who placed third in European Formula 3 last season.

"The engineers and designers have to go with what they believe is the best package to develop the car, but you need leadership from behind the wheel," Coulthard told Sky Sports.

"You need a great interaction between the driver and the aerodynamicist or the chief mechanical engineer and that interaction is so important.

"In the respect of young drivers without the experience, they have to get the experience somewhere, but a better pairing in many respects would be one experienced and one rookie.

"But that is the format for Toro Rosso, it is a proving ground for young drivers and if they do well then they can move up to the next level."

Coulthard added that the inexperience of Sainz Jr. and Verstappen will force Toro Rosso to alter its approach to meetings and debriefs.

"They've got to run a slightly different format of debriefs and understanding and educating the drivers and really trying to eke out from them, asking the right questions," Coulthard said.

"With the benefit of experience you hone in on what they key area of development needs to be – what is it that is making it difficult for you to go faster? It seems like a simple thing to ask, but actually separating aerodynamic from mechanical is such a difficult thing to do at times."

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The wars Mercedes faces in the 2015 F1 season

After such a dominant campaign in Formula 1 last year, it is no surprise that Mercedes is clear favourite to storm to more title success in 2015.

But F1 is a fast-moving sport and - as Red Bull found out to its cost last year - it is very easy to fall from the top of the pack no matter how far in front you have been.

Mercedes was far better prepared for the new turbo V6 rules than any of its rivals, and that was a key factor in giving it such an edge through 2014.

But the opposition have learned lessons and everything will have been done in recent months to ensure they come back stronger, and knock Mercedes off the top spot.

No one at Brackley is under any illusions that things will be so straightforward again, and these are the key wars that it knows it must win if it is to add more silverware to its collections.

DEALING WITH THE POLITICS

There is no better way to have your every move scrutinised that to win regularly in Formula 1.

Mercedes' success last year ensured that the opposition tried everything in their power to derail any advantage it had, whether it be through a push to ban FRIC suspension systems or tweaking the engine homologation rules.

That push to close down avenues that help Mercedes will only increase if it stays in front.

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff readily admitted that his team had made the kind of political transition that Red Bull went through as it moved to the top.

"I think it is normal that when you start to be dominant as a team, people kind of change their opinion about you and see you in a different light," Wolff told AUTOSPORT. "And I think that is normal.

"I remember Red Bull, transitioning from a super cool team with Star Wars costumes in Monaco, and all of us being so happy for them scoring a podium there, to a team that was seen as the Dark Side!

"From being a Jedi, you become Darth Vader. And of course, Christian [Horner] back then had to defend his position and Red Bull's strengths. Today, we are in a similar role."

IMPROVING RELIABILITY

Although Mercedes' push to produce as fast a car as possible paid off with it winning 16 races last year, it never got totally on top of reliability.

The spate of failures that Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg suffered throughout the year - from the season opener in Australia to the finale in Abu Dhabi - exposed a ***** in Mercedes' armour.

Its pace advantage meant such unreliability never quite opened the door wide enough to risk losing the title, but if the opposition is closer this year it cannot afford to throw away points so regularly.

Mercedes engine chief Andy Cowell admitted over the winter that it has to do much better in 2015.

"We had the wake-up call in Canada where we had two ERS issues, and Nico was fortunate enough to get home in second place," he said.

"That's where you realise things do need to improve, and that quality standards need to be exemplary to not have any issues in a tough championship.

"It will be tougher [in 2015] too. With four power units we have to take a step up."

FINDING IMPROVEMENTS

It is well known that in F1, the best way to close up the field is for the regulations to be stable.

That often comes about because there is less room for the best team to move even further ahead, while rivals eventually unlock the speed they need to challenge at the front.

With very little change in the regulations for this year, Mercedes will not find it easy to make a dramatic step forward - which gives its rivals hope.

Mercedes technology chief Geoff Willis said: "There are reasonably stable regulations between 2014 and 2015, which does give it owns challenges. It is harder to find improvements."

COPING WITH THE DISTRACTION OF EQUALITY

Mercedes' decision to let Hamilton and Rosberg fight it out on equal terms ensured that the 2014 F1 title battle was a thriller for fans.

But equally it exposed Mercedes to the headaches that are faced by any team that has two drivers locked in combat - and of course the big dramas of Monaco, Hungary and then Spa.

With both drivers knowing how tight things are, there will be even more of a push from the men in the cockpit to ensure that their rival gets no edge - which can prove a diversion of resources

As Mercedes' chief designer John Owen said at the end of last year: "One of the things that is not obvious outside of the team, is the pressures we had to generate equality of equipment.

"All of the time you have to make sure the engines, the chassis, the weights, the aerodynamics, and everything about the car was the same for both of the drivers.

"Mercedes-­Benz was committed to having a fair fight between the drivers and when you have had to repair a damaged piece of the car and it is a bit heavier than another person's piece of the car then is that fair?

"There are lots of little things like that, which are a distraction."

None of the challenges that Mercedes face are insurmountable, but to suggest that the Brackley team can sit back and victories will come whatever it does is wrong.

As Willis said: "You have to be humble in this business. Success one year does not guarantee it the next.

"I hope we will be strong, I think we will be strong, just how strong we will have to wait and see."

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Ferrari F1 team late with 2015 car but believes it will catch up

Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne believes his team has a chance to make up for a late start to its 2015 car thanks to the FIA's Formula 1 engine freeze ruling.

With the governing body accepting Ferrari's stance that F1's technical regulations failed to dictate when engine changes had to be homologated, the Italian outfit can now introduce updates to its power unit when it wants.

It is that boost, allied to the dramatic overhaul that Marchionne has overseen at Maranello in recent months, that has left him optimistic that progress will come before the end of the campaign

"We're starting the season a bit late because the design of the new car was started late," said Marchionne, speaking at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit.

"But we don't have to freeze the engine by the first race, so it will be a very interesting season.

"I think the car will get better as we go through the year."

Marchionne also believes that in new team principal Maurizio Arrivabene and technical director James Allison, Ferrari has exactly what it needs to move forward.

"We have a new guy, a team principal, who has been involved in racing a long part of his professional life - Maurizio Arrivabene. And he's busy now.

"We've got a technical guy, Allison, who's taking over the technical side of the business. So we've got the team."

CHANGE ESSENTIAL

Marchionne also believes that he had to act and make big changes at Ferrari on the back of what he called a 'disastrous' 2014 campaign that risked damaging the image of its road car business.

Speaking about why previous Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo left, Marchionne said: "It was time for a change.

"I think Luca has done a great job of leading that business for 23 years, but we hadn't won an F1 championship since 2008.

"We had a disaster of a season in 2014, and I think organisations tend to get lazy. So it was time to bring about some change.

"On the road car side, [the business] is doing tremendously well, but at the heart of the success of Ferrari is what it does on the Formula 1 track.

"And if it doesn't get that right, if it doesn't fight properly, then I think it will ultimately impact on brand. So we had to intervene."

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CIRCUITS WEIGH UP COST OF F1 AS NURBURGRING SAYS DEAL MUST BE ‘AFFORDABLE’ AND SILVERSTONE LOOKS TO DROP TICKET PRICES

Following Monday’s contrasting views on the number of races held in particular regions from circuit bosses in Bahrain and the USA, with Bahrain International Circuit, Sheikh Salman, saying a third Middle Eastern race would be “counterproductive” and US GP promoter Bobby Epstein calling for three races in the United States, two circuits from F1′s European heartland have raised questions about the finances involved in staging grands prix.

When the 2015 F1 calendar was first announced the German Grand Prix was included without a venue specified. The 2014 edition of the grand prix took place at the Hockenheimring, itself no stranger to financial troubles, and under the event-sharing agreement begun in 2007 this season’s race is due to hosted by the Nurburgring.

The most recent F1 calendar, however, still features the location of the German Grand Prix as ‘To Be Announced’ and if the current boss of the troubled Nurburgring is to be believed that situation could continue.

Carsten Schumacher, CEO of the circuit, today confirmed that no deal to host the race has yet been done and that any proposed deal “will have to remain affordable”.

“Formula One is welcome at the Nürburgring,” he said. “It provides worldwide television pictures, a positive image and would bring high sales to the region.

“However, the Formula One has to remain affordable. We don’t comment ongoing conversations. We will communicate this, if there is a concrete result.”

In the meantime, the future of the German Grand Prix remains cloudy.

Last year’s race at Hockenheim attracted a poor crowd of approximately 50,000 on race day, underlining the difficulties F1 has traditionally had in the post-Schumacher era, despite the presence of drivers such as Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg and Nico Hulkenberg.

Silverstone, by contrast, hosted F1 in front of a packed house last year, with a reported 88,000 fans though the gates on Friday, 105,000 fans attending qualifying and 122,000 spectators turning up on race day.

Growing those kinds of numbers is high on new Silverstone managing director Patrick Allen’s wish list and the circuit boss is keen to see ticket prices fall.

“What I would like to do is see ticket prices falling for the British Grand Prix,” he told the BBC referencing the current prices, which see a general admission adult race day ticket costing £155. “In my mind I have the benchmark of a £99 admission ticket. I think that’s what customers deserve. I would much rather see better ticket offers and once people are here, do more for them.

“If you want to get more people here every year, you don’t do that by putting the ticket prices up. We are desperately trying to bring the ticket price down.”

Allen is hopeful that slashing the price of tickets will not hurt profits, with greater attendance making up any shortfall. However, it remains to be seen how many more spectators the circuit could cope with. There is also the issue of a rights fee that is believed to escalate annually over the course of the circuit’s deal. Allen though insisted that the circuit’s capacity can cover this.

“We have headroom in capacity, so the volume aspect will cover the inflationary aspect of the grand prix escalator,” he said. “We have other parts of the business, when the grand prix isn’t on, we can make money out of.

“I’m looking at the business as a whole, and not just one event per year, and it’s the whole that helps deliver customer value,” he concluded. “That is what we need to think about, not a discrete event.”

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FACTE-TO-FACE WITH MALAYSIAN GP BOSS RAZLAN RAZALI

This year’s Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix may start earlier as a safety precaution following Jules Bianchi’s horrific crash in Japan last October, Sepang circuit boss Razlan Razali (above) told Reuters.

Razali, speaking after contract renewal talks in London with commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone, said they discussed returning the race to a 15:00 local time slot from 16:00 last season.

That would mean less likelihood of the tropical downpours that have affected some recent races, including the 2009 race that had to be cut short with half points awarded.

French driver Bianchi suffered severe brain injuries at Suzuka when he skidded off track, in fading light and heavy rain, and collided with a recovery tractor. He remains in hospital in a critical condition.

“Mr Ecclestone mentioned that because of the Suzuka incident the FIA has some time limit,” said Razali. “So he is reviewing to move the start to the original time, maybe this year.

“For us it’s good. It’s a safer time bracket…so now people can come in for lunch, watch the race and about five o’clock they can go back (home).

“He (Ecclestone) mentioned the possibility (of an earlier start). We said if you want to go back to three PM, we fully support it.”

Razali said turning Malaysia, the second round of the championship, into a night race like the one in neighbouring Singapore was also discussed but he was not keen on an idea first mooted in 2008.

“It’s a danger to force us to do it. In the past he (Ecclestone) was pushing but now I think it’s the first time where he actually listened to us as a promoter what we want,” said the Malaysian.

“At the moment (we don’t want it). Every circuit has its own identity, the danger is to copy someone else.”

Malaysia has hosted a Formula One race since 1999, with Singapore only joining the calendar in 2008 but rapidly becoming the premier event in the region with its floodlit street circuit.

Razali admitted that Singapore was “doing it better” but said Malaysia was keen to stay on the calendar because the race had a positive economic impact and promoted the country as a global destination.

“They (Singapore) have an edge because they are in the city and it looks really nice on TV, it’s cooler but I still think Sepang offers better racing,” he added.

The circuit head defined the talks with Ecclestone as ‘very positive’ and was sure this season’s race on March 29 would not be the last, with a multi-year extension expected to be announced soon.

However he warned that Formula One needed to do much more to get ‘bums on seats’ and provide more entertainment.

MotoGP, he added, provided better value for spectators and had drawn bigger crowds to Sepang for the past five years than Formula One.

He confessed, however, to having been won over by the new V6 turbo power units, despite expressing strong reservations before last year’s race about the quieter engines compared to the ear-splitting old V8s.

“We were concerned after the feedback from Australia. Very concerned. When it finally came to Malaysia, I didn’t like it. It was simply too quiet,” said Razali.

“But what I noticed in the grandstands is that you get families with kids watching and enjoying Formula One better.

“I can remember in the past where a dad would put headphones on the kid and hold it. Or a kid would be too scared and start crying, wanting to go home. I think it attracts a new breed of fanbase now. And that’s what you want.”

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2015 GERMAN GP AT HOCKENHEIM NOT NURBURGRING

Hockenheim (above) will host this year’s German Grand Prix instead of alternating with the Nurburgring, Formula One’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone revealed.

“It’s going to be at Hockenheim, we’re in the middle of doing something with them. It can’t be Nurburgring because there’s nobody there,” said the 84-year-old Briton.

Hockenheim hosted last year’s German race under an agreement to alternate with the Nurburgring, which is under new ownership. The 2015 calendar does not currently specify a venue for the July 29 race, however.

“We’ve got a contract in place [with Hockenheim], we just have to amend the years of the contract. It was alternating with Nuerburgring so we’ll just take that out,” said Ecclestone.

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Winning.....?

If Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne says his team has achieved its first victory of 2015 by finding a loophole in the regulations to allow it to apply some of its in-season engine development work later in the year, rather than at the end of February, he has a pretty strange view about what success really is.

It is pretty doubtful that Ferrari will win races this year even with this advantage and given the team’s form in recent years the advantage of the loophole will probably be better used by Red Bull so that Ferrari will probably still be looking at fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.

The only sense where one might call it a victory is that by trying to nobble the McLaren-Honda challenge, Ferrari may avoid the disgrace of slipping to fifth in the Constructors’, which would be the team’s worst result in the title race since 1981. And that would be really embarrassing when one considers the amount of money that Ferrari is paid in addition to its prize money. And remember, that is not a meagre sum. Ferrari gets about $120 million from the Formula One group before there are any other prize fund payments. In theory this is because the team has been around longer than all the other teams and has more fans. This is true, but the payments are not really because of that, but rather because Ferrari’s popularity gives it perceived importance and so Bernie Ecclestone has always paid the Italian team first in order to divide and conquer the teams. The idea that Ferrari should stand on its own two feet and fight on equal terms seems to be beyond the comprehension of these so-called sportsmen.

When you stop and think about it, a decent European Commission investigation into the sport could easily work in favour of the Formula One group. If the extra cash that is given to the big teams was redistributed on a fairer basis, it might be possible to end up with the Formula One group actually getting MORE money than it does today, although that might require some concessions such as actually promoting the sport, rather than just taking money from it. A fairer distribution of the money in F1 would solve the problems of weak teams and bring an end to all the time-wasting quibbles between them.

That would be good, although one can see why it might also be dangerous because they might one day unite against the commercial rights holder and demand a great deal more money.

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Formula 1 drivers, teams & even Bernie E. rally for Zoom charity auction

Event takes place Friday night, then continues online.

Got a little money left over from Christmas? Or did you get money for Christmas and haven’t decided what to spend it on?

Have we got a deal for you.

Formula 1’s drivers, team principals and its boss Bernie Ecclestone have joined together to support the 2015 annual Zoom charity auction. The event, held in association with Nikon, is the third running of the event to benefit the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

“The F1 Group has been supporting Great Ormond Street Hospital for many years and we are proud to be able to help with the tremendous work they do,” Ecclestone says. “Every year the hospital treats nearly 200,000 sick children and you are helping them keep it up. You are also getting a glimpse into a side of F1 that isn’t shown on television and as you will see, it isn’t all about fast cars and champagne.”

Indeed, the Great Ormond Street Hospital is a London facility that traces its origins to 1852, since then dedicated to children’s healthcare and to finding new and better ways to treat childhood illnesses. Most of the children they care for are referred from other hospitals throughout the UK and overseas.

The details

And here are the details on the Zoom auction, which takes place Friday night in London, and continues online. “Throughout a memorable and tense 2014 season, the stars of the sport were each asked to take a photograph that represented a snapshot of their world. The results – all exclusively signed by the participants – will be auctioned by Coys (www.coys.co.uk) during a star-studded gala evening at London’s InterContinental Park Lane on Friday 16 January. The Zoom initiative gives fans a unique insight into the lives of those most closely involved in the sport.

“All F1’s drivers and team principals take part including leading figures from Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to Adrian Newey and Christian Horner. The result is a set of stunning images, covering subjects as diverse as Jenson Button’s view of his ‘office’ to Toto Wolff’s on-the-grid selfie in Bahrain and the unusual art occupying Bernie Ecclestone’s back garden." Some are simple slice-of-life pix, such as teh one above from last year taken by Adrian Newey as he drove through Sardinia.

“In addition to these original photographs, bidders will find nine Nikon Coolpix S9700 cameras amongst the lots donated by the event sponsors Nikon, each signed by a legendary Formula 1 World Champion including Niki Lauda, Jacques Villeneuve, Mario Andretti and Sir Jackie Stewart.”

Half and half

Half the merchandise will be sold at the event, and the other half in an upcoming online auction.

The first Zoom auction took place in September of 2012. Prior to that, noted motorsports journalists Christian Sylt and Caroline Reid, authors of Formula 1’s industry monitor Formula Money, “realized that although there are many charity auctions in sport they all tend to follow a similar pattern. The items on offer are usually signed photos of the athletes or signed kit that they use. They often raise a great deal of money but despite carrying an autograph, the items tell the buyer little new about the sports star who signed them. Zoom was put in motion to rectify that by turning the tables and asking all the drivers and team principals in F1 to take photographs which would then be signed and put up for auction.”

Says Sylt: “Once again we would like to thank the teams and drivers, Bernie Ecclestone, the other participants and all our partners for their support. We are looking forward to building on the success of the two previous events to raise more money for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity through the auction of these unique images and the cameras which Nikon has kindly donated.”

For more information, and to get an up-to-the minute look at some of the photographs, check out the charity's Facebook site here.

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Pirelli backs plan for 'more appealing' wider tyres

Pirelli's Paul Hembery has made it clear to Formula 1 bosses that the Italian company is ready to supply the sport with larger rear tyres.

The FIA and F1's Strategy Group have been discussing future changes to the sport which include more powerful engines, more downforce and wider rear tyres.

Pirelli are open to the move according to Hembery, who believes it would add to the appeal and spectacle of the sport.

"Wider tyres? That appeals. I think when you see the images of the 1970s cars, it's not so extreme that you think dragster, but you do think 'wow look at that'," he told Autosport.

Whilst the FIA is looking to implement some changes as early as 2016, Hembery believes that would be unrealistic for new tyres which would require a lot of testing.

"For 2016 it would be very, very difficult to achieve," he added. "It would need to be 2017.

"There is also a logic to that [timeframe], because our contract finishes at the end of 2016. So if you are renewing, then it should combine with that."

The ideal width would be around 400mm at the rear compared to the current 325mm, whilst the front tyres would remain at 245mm.

"I would love mentally to get above 400mm - because it sounds better.

"It is like if we have 1000bhp - that would also be great. I think there is an element of our sport that needs to get some big numbers back in there."

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Sepang could adopt earlier start time

The Malaysian Grand Prix could adopt an earlier start time to adhere to an FIA safety recommendation made following Jules Bianchi's crash in Japan last year.

The 10-man panel setup to investigate the Frenchman's accident, which occurred in fading light, proposed a compulsory earlier start time – aside from night races.

Whilst Australian Grand Prix organisers will not budge, those behind the Malaysia event are willing to bring the race forward an hour to 15:00 local time.

"Mr Ecclestone mentioned that because of the Suzuka incident the FIA has some time limit, so he is reviewing to move the start to the original time, maybe this year," Sepang circuit boss Razlan Razali told Reuters.

"For us it's good. It's a safer time bracket... so now people can come in for lunch, watch the race and about five o'clock they can go back [home].

"He [Ecclestone] mentioned the possibility [of an earlier start]. We said if you want to go back to three PM, we fully support it."

Downpours have affected some recent Grands Prix at Sepang, with the 2009 race being called off after just 31 laps and half points awarded.

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AYRTON SENNA’S LAST KART

This is Ayrton Senna’s last go kart, upon completing his final race he moved into Formula Ford 1600 racing full-time and never returned to the kart track other than for charity events. The kart is a 1981 DAP from Italy, Angelo Parrilla (the founder of DAP) recalled meeting the young Senna in the late 1970s:

“33 years ago a young Brazillian called at our factory in Milan saying that he wanted to drive for us and win the world title. We already had Terry Fullerton, who I regarded as the world’s best at that time. However, I gave him a try out on the circuit at Parma and within five laps he had equalled Terry’s times despite never having driven Parma before, used a DAP frame or engine, a slide carb or Bridgestone tyres. Of course, we signed him up straight away.”

Many consider Ayrton Senna to be one of the most naturally gifted drivers of all time and his abilities in both wet and changing conditions were supreme, so it’s interesting to note that he always referenced his kart racing background as the place where he established the fundamental skills needed in the highest levels of motorsport.

Senna’s kart was purchased right after its final race by a private collector from Angelo Parilla (for whom the company was named – DAP: Di Angelo Parrilla), it remained in private ownership for decades and has only acquired 2 hours of usage since ’81.

The kart is currently being offered for sale at the prestigious Bonhams Les Grandes Marques Du Monde Au Grand Palais Auction on the 5th of February 2015 and surprisingly the kart is estimated to be almost affordable, with a suggested hammer-price of between €24,000 and €28,000.

Click here to read more via Bonhams.

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BOOST FOR MCLAREN AFTER HONDA WIN ENGINE FREEZE REPRIEVE

McLaren have been given a boost after Formula 1’s governing body tweaked the rules to allow Honda, the team’s new partner, to develop their engine this season in line with rival manufacturers.

The Japanese company, who have replaced Mercedes at McLaren, are returning to Formula One as the sport’s fourth engine supplier.

Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari are allowed to introduce limited upgrades during the season but Honda, as a new entrant, had been told to present their engine for approval on Feb. 28 with no further development permitted.

Honda met International Automobile Federation officials last Monday to present their view that the situation was unfair.

A document issued to teams on Friday by Formula One race director Charlie Whiting, seen by Reuters and confirmed by the FIA, did not name Honda but clarified the situation with an amendment in their favour.

“As each of the four 2015 manufacturers will have an homologated power unit at the start of the season, we believe it would be fair to ensure that each of them enjoys equal opportunities for upgrades during the season,” it said.

“We will therefore allow the new manufacturer to use the same number of tokens that the other three manufacturers have available to them, taken as an average of the three.

“For example, if the three 2014 manufacturers have eight, seven and five unused tokens respectively at the start of the season, then the new manufacturer will be allowed to use six during the season,”

The current manufacturers are allowed to improve their engine using a complicated system of ‘tokens’ within set limits.

Tne tokens are assigned to parts of the engine and divided into three categories, meaning that some parts require more than others and manufacturers must choose which areas to improve.

There are 66 tokens and the existing manufacturers can use 32 during the course of 2015, with the number reduced over time so that by 2018 there will be only 15 tokens available.

Honda, who partnered McLaren from 1988 to 1992 when they won four constructors’ titles, quit F1 as a constructor at the end of 2008.

McLaren have not won a race since 2012 and finished fifth last year. Double world champion Fernando Alonso has now joined from Ferrari to partner Briton’s Jenson Button.

The season starts in Australia on March 15, with champions Mercedes again expected to set the pace after a dominant 2014.

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KARTING STILL THE ESSENTIAL STEP ON ROAD TO FORMULA 1

Lewis Hamilton’s father knew something had to be done about the soaring costs of karting and the huge financial risks being taken, when his son was first crowned Formula One world champion.

“Back in 2008 we were getting letters and emails from people who wanted their kids to be like Lewis. Numerous people were selling their houses to go karting and taking their kids out of school,” Anthony Hamilton told Reuters.

“One or two British families sold what sounded like great houses to move to Italy to go karting. I have no idea where they are now.

“I remember I didn’t really want the responsibility of young kids and their parents losing their livelihoods or believing that if you do a little bit of racing, you get into a top team race car,” he added.

Competitive karting is the first step on the motorsport ladder, taking youngsters from eight years old to the threshold of single-seater car racing, for almost all of today’s grand prix hopefuls.

But costs at the top level have escalated to the point where some parents are reportedly spending six figure sums annually to ensure their 13 or 14-year-olds get the best equipment, opportunities and testing.

In Europe, where youngsters pay fees to professional teams, it can cost 10,000 pounds ($15,171) to compete at a four-day meeting.

There is, however, an alternative whose organisers hope will become increasingly attractive with the support of Formula One Management and F1 teams, themselves no strangers to enormous expenditure.

Formula Kart Stars (FKS), which has Lewis Hamilton as its patron and Anthony as president while Ayrton Senna’s old team mate Terry Fullerton is ‘head guru’, promises a level playing field for all entrants for a fixed cost.

The Cadet class entry price for 2015 is 25,000 pounds, still a hefty amount but all inclusive for a season of 12 rounds, rising to 35,000 a year for Juniors.

“I was very concerned at the cost of karting. You will hear some horrendous figures; kids of nine, 10 and 11 whose parents are spending over 100,000 pounds a year. It’s ridiculous,” said FKS chairman and former racer Carolynn Hoy.

“What we wanted to do was provide a championship that had all the razamatazz, all the connections, all the support, all the endorsements but it’s a fixed price…so there’s absolutely nothing you can buy to make that kart better or go faster.

“The idea is that dad can come along with his son and daughter, their crash helmet and suit and a small toolbox and that’s it. They don’t have to buy a truck, or awnings. Everything is paid, there is nothing they can pay extra.”

The winner of each class gets free entry to the next stage, meaning that a youngster with more talent than money can still hope to emulate Hamilton.

“In this day and age, I wouldn’t have lasted one or two years in karting,” former McLaren test driver and ex-kart champion Gary Paffett told Reuters.

“It has got out of hand and there needs to be something done. What Carolynn has done with Formula Kart Stars is definitely a massive step in the right direction”.

The series boasts that it represents “the road to Formula One through racing and education” and a mobile classroom, complete with a teacher and 20 desks, is housed in an articulated truck on site to ensure studies are not neglected. Schools are closely involved.

“I made Lewis go to school. It was part of the deal,” Anthony Hamilton said.

“We might have been funded by Mercedes and McLaren but there are no guarantees in life, so you still need your education. This is why I am a big fan of this series.”

Initially focusing on Britain, the plan is to expand to other countries on the F1 calendar with race winners invited to their home grands prix by commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

“There could be an Indian championship, a Malaysian championship and they will be self-contained but with the same format,” Hoy said.

Ecclestone, who caused controversy last year by suggesting he was more interested in older fans who bought expensive watches and banked with sponsors, said he was concerned the costs of karting were “out of control” and is supportive.

“He’s incredibly forward thinking for a man of his age,” said Hoy of the 84-year-old. “He’s also aware that the demographics are not good for Formula One. They tend to be older people watching and he wants young people in the sport. He’s also very strong about the educational side of things.”

Ecclestone indicated he was likely to get more involved. “We’ll have to fund it,” he told Reuters. “I’m in the middle of trying to do something.”

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SENNA’S OLD RIVAL TERRY FULLERTON STILL A KARTING KING

Ayrton Senna was once so annoyed at being beaten by Terry Fullerton in a go-kart race that he angrily pushed him into a hotel swimming pool.

But beating the Brazilian was all part of the job for the boy racer who had a dream and grew up to make it happen.

When Senna was asked in 1993, the year before the triple Formula One world champion died at Imola, which driver he had most enjoyed racing against, he reflected for a moment before replying.

“I would have to go back to ’78, ’79 and 1980, when I was go-kart driving and was team mate to Fullerton,” he said.

“He was very experienced and I enjoyed very much that driving with him because he was fast, he was consistent, he was for me a very complete driver.

“And it was pure driving, pure racing. There wasn’t any politics then, right? And no money involved either. So it was real racing and I have that as a very good memory.”

The comment provides a memorable moment in the acclaimed 2010 documentary “Senna” and the fact he singled out Fullerton, rather than former McLaren team mate Alain Prost or any other F1 rival, was telling.

Karting was a passion for Senna and Fullerton was the man who set the standard and, as often as not, won.

“It opened up the public to the fact that Senna had a life before F1,” the 63-year-old Briton, who is still enjoying the renewed attention brought by the film, told Reuters.

“And also the fact that he wasn’t always considered the best driver in the world. Because when he was in karting he wasn’t. At the time it was probably me. If you’d done a poll at that time, he’d have probably made fifth or sixth.”

Fullerton, who became Britain’s first karting world champion in 1973 and remains a renowned figure in the sport, recognised, however, that times have changed.

The first steps on the motorsport ladder are now far more expensive than in those carefree days and few see karting as anything more than a temporary stage.

“My dad was a schoolteacher, a maths teacher, and we did it on his wage,” said the Briton. “On a doctor’s or a teacher’s wage, you could afford to go proper karting in those days. It would take all your disposable income, but you could do it.”

Now, a full cadet season in England can cost up to 100,000 pounds ($151,650), rising to more than twice as much for 14 and 15-year-olds competing at top level in Europe.

“There’s been a big shift away from doing it as an individual and for fun and into doing it with a team and more seriously with all the data and stuff,” Fullerton said. “The kids even at nine or 10 are into their data and apex speed.

“And there’s more desperate dads. There used to be rich kids before, and there are still rich kids now, but there’s more desperate people.”

Fullerton was never one of them, preferring to become a karting pro than chase fame and fortune.

His brother died in a motorcycle race in the 1960s and Formula One, then a truly lethal sport, would have been more than his parents could bear.

He retired from driving in 1984, the year Senna made his grand prix debut with Toleman, and moved into coaching.

The roll call of young talents he has worked with include world endurance champion Anthony Davidson, former McLaren test driver Gary Paffett, the late double Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon, and triple Le Mans winner Allan McNish.

“My dream when I was 13 was to be a professional driver in karting. That was my dream, whereas all the kids now their dream is to be in Formula One,” said Fullerton.

“When I got to 19 or 20, I became a professional karter. So my dream came true. I loved it. I didn’t connect it with motor racing at all. In fact, I didn’t really like motor racing. I didn’t use to watch F1, I just loved karting.”

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MERCEDES TO BEGIN 2015 SEASON WITH OLD POWER UNIT

Reigning world champions Mercedes looks set to begin the 2015 Formula 1 season with its all conquering 2014 power unit.

It is the latest development in the so-called ‘engine unfreeze’ saga, after the FIA conceded a loophole in the 2015 regulations can indeed be legitimately exploited by suppliers.

That Ferrari and Renault can now develop their turbo V6s during the 2015 season was heralded as a political victory for Mercedes’ struggling rivals.

But Mercedes’ Toto Wolff is quoted by L’Equipe: “It might be said that it favours Renault and Ferrari. Actually, it will be a benefit to us.”

Undoubtedly, he is referring to the fact that, having begun the new turbo V6 era with a significant advantage, Mercedes is now confident of strongly developing its ‘power unit’ throughout 2015 and maintaining its advantage.

Rumours even hint that Mercedes is ready to unfurl a further 50 horse power for 2015.

“If that is true,” concerned Red Bull boss Christian Horner is quoted by El Mundo Deportivo, “the difference [between Mercedes and] the other teams may actually increase.”

L’Equipe said Wolff confirmed that Mercedes’ strategy for the 2015 ‘unfreeze’ will be to take the ‘old’ 2014 engine into the winter period and then gradually begin to add performance.

Reports suggest the 2014 engine will probably then be used by Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in the first four races of the season in Australia, Malaysia, China and Bahrain.

“We will follow this strategy,” Wolff said.

Meanwhile, as F1 newcomer Honda rails against getting left out of the 2015 ‘unfreeze’, Wolff tipped the story to continue to unfold.

“As for Honda,” said the Mercedes boss, “it is normal that everyone has an opinion about it. The FIA will make its decision so let’s see what they say.

“Perhaps the competition will protest if they come to a grand prix with a new engine specification,” Wolff added