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Mercedes gives Jaafar evaluation test

Written By kolimtiga on Sabtu, 30 November 2013 | 19.03

By Glenn Freeman Saturday, November 30th 2013, 11:12 GMT

Malaysian single-seater racer Jazeman Jaafar completed an evaluation test with the Mercedes Formula 1 team at Silverstone on Friday

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Comment: is Maldonado really that bad?

By Edd Straw Friday, November 29th 2013, 16:11 GMT

Pastor Maldonado is at times a seriously fast racing driver, and while that doesn't make him a great, some critics of his Formula 1 switch to Lotus have gone way too far

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Quantum still working on Lotus deal

By Jonathan Noble Saturday, November 30th 2013, 11:41 GMT

Quantum Motorsport's investment deal to buy in to the Lotus Formula 1 team is still being worked on, despite the team announcing Pastor Maldonado for next year

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Maldonado: fresh start chance exciting

Written By kolimtiga on Jumat, 29 November 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble Friday, November 29th 2013, 10:47 GMT

Pastor Maldonado says he feels revitalised by the prospect of racing for a new team in Formula 1 next year, as he closes in on a deal to join Lotus

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bahrain confirms 2014 night race

By Jonathan Noble Friday, November 29th 2013, 10:29 GMT

Bahrain has confirmed that next year's grand prix will be a night race, as AUTOSPORT revealed in September

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mandatory pitstops proposed for 2014

By Jonathan Noble and Dieter Rencken Friday, November 29th 2013, 11:46 GMT

Formula 1 drivers will be forced to make two pit stops, as well as face a strict limit on how long they can stay out for, if proposals for new 2014 tyre rules are accepted by teams next month.

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mercedes to announce Brawn departure

Written By kolimtiga on Kamis, 28 November 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble Thursday, November 28th 2013, 00:00 GMT

Ross Brawn is to leave the Mercedes Formula 1 team at the end of this year, with confirmation of his departure expected imminently

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Brawn: new F1 rules right time to go

By Jonathan Noble Thursday, November 28th 2013, 09:00 GMT

Ross Brawn reckons that the arrival of new Formula 1 regulations in 2014 meant it was the perfect time for him to step down as team principal at Mercedes

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mercedes confident in new structure

By Jonathan Noble Thursday, November 28th 2013, 09:01 GMT

Mercedes has faith that Toto Wolff and Paddy Lowe are the right men to lead its Formula 1 team in the wake of Ross Brawn's departure

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Marussia feared 2012 heartache repeat

Written By kolimtiga on Selasa, 26 November 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble Monday, November 25th 2013, 17:35 GMT

Marussia says its 11th hour heartache from 2012 meant it could not relax about taking 10th in the constructors' championship until after the chequered flag in Brazil

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ferrari: groundwork laid for 2014

By Edd Straw and Pablo Elizalde Tuesday, November 26th 2013, 09:50 GMT

Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali is positive his team has taken the necessary steps to be fighting for the Formula 1 championship next season

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

McLaren: our fate a warning to Red Bull

By Jonathan Noble Tuesday, November 26th 2013, 09:54 GMT

McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh says his team's fall from grace this season is proof that Red Bull's dominance of Formula 1 is not guaranteed to continue.

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Whitmarsh glad Perez will stay in F1

Written By kolimtiga on Senin, 25 November 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble Monday, November 25th 2013, 09:50 GMT

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh says he is delighted that Sergio Perez is set to remain in Formula 1 next year as he closes in on a Force India deal

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Maldonado says team switch was key

By Jonathan Noble Monday, November 25th 2013, 10:02 GMT

Pastor Maldonado believes a change of teams for next year is essential if he is to get back to winning ways in Formula 1.

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kovalainen underestimated '13 challenge

By Edd Straw Monday, November 25th 2013, 11:36 GMT

Heikki Kovalainen has admitted he underestimated the scale of the challenge of replacing Kimi Raikkonen at Lotus for the final two races of the 2013 Formula 1 season

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Friday's press conference - Brazil

Written By kolimtiga on Sabtu, 23 November 2013 | 19.03

Saturday, November 23rd 2013, 07:03 GMT

TEAM REPRESENTATIVES - Eric BOULLIER (Lotus), Stefano DOMENICALI (Ferrari), Ross BRAWN (Mercedes), John BOOTH (Marussia), Cyril ABITEBOUL (Caterham)

PRESS CONFERENCE

I'll start with you Cyril. One last chance to try to snatch that 10th place in the Constructors' table? From Caterham's perspective, how costly would finishing last in the championship be? Can you afford that to happen?

Cyril ABITEBOUL: As you know, I can't answer that question. I think it will be essentially costly for the morale of the team. Everybody believes that we deserve it. All due respect, I think we both have done a good job, but the figures tend say we deserve it just a little bit more than those guys. So, I mean that will be a race. I think whatever the result we are committed to the sport, so it's not going to make a huge difference. I mean that will give a bit of a headache to my financial director but apart from that it's not going to change our entire strategy to Formula One.

How has the morale been in the team? From what we were hearing yesterday the rain dance was being performed on a regular basis by your drivers.

CA: Yeah, well it has to be performed again on Saturday. It's been a drier season on Sundays. We've had quite a few events with some rain on Friday, sometimes on Saturday as well, and each time we've had rain on Saturday in particular we've been able to do something, in Spa and in Monaco, where we managed to qualify in Q2. So it's a good memory. We like rain, so let's see on Sunday.

We'll come to you in a moment John for your thoughts on this battle, but the big changes, Cyril, coming up next season with the regulations. How beneficial would it be to have a more experience driver at your team, a Heikki Kovalainen for instance?

CA: For instance! First of all I need to make sure that Lotus is not going to keep him. But apart from that, it will be a good thing to have some experience. But everything is changing next year. So, how much experience matters when everything is changing is one question. Having said that what we really want to have, because development, iteration, will be very fast at the start of next year in particular, you need a driver that all engineers, all the team can rely upon. So you want to have proper feedback, accurate feedback to be able to improve the car on an event-to-event basis. So that's what we need. We need a driver who is transparent in the way that he is driving the car and providing feedback to everyone.

John, 10th place in the Constructors' Championship: can you afford to lose that 10th place this weekend?

John BOOTH: I think I pretty much agree with Cyril on his take on it. There may be a small financial consideration. But it's the sporting matter that is more important. We are the smallest team, we operate with the smallest budget, but we are racers and we want to improve. Tenth place would be a massive plus for the guys in the factory.

I'm sure you don't agree with Cyril when he says that Caterham deserve that 10th place more.

JB: It's been a good scrap this year. There has been a large spell in the middle of the year when Caterham looked much stronger than us. We had a good race last week and we think we're getting on top of our issues. But it's been a long, long season. We took that 10th place in Malaysia. The last update we brought to the car of any significance was Barcelona, so it's been a long old season hanging on to that 10th place and it's been pretty nerve-wracking to be truthful.

With the updates that haven't been coming since Barcelona, where do you see the improvements that have been made at the Marussia team?

JB: We've brought some small improvements and we've worked very hard at optimising what we have. I think we have gone forward but it would have been better to have two or three large upgrades through the season. But we are the smallest team and to build a 2014 car that has to be on the track in Jerez in January was a big feat for us and we've had to concentrate on that very hard.

Thanks very much. Eric, if I can come to you. The fight is on for you for second place between yourself, Ferrari and Mercedes. Off the track, the fight continues to try to attract extra investment to the Lotus team. Can you give us all an update on where you stand with that on this Friday afternoon in Brazil?

Eric BOULLIER: Well, there is still some discussion ongoing, especially now between bankers. The process is not fully completed but I think part of it has been done, which is obviously a good sign for the weekend and we hope that everything is closed by early next week.

When you say backers, you refer to Quantum Motorsports?

EB: Yes, sorry. But about the fight for the championship, I think second place, or even third place we need a little bit of help to get there. But maybe thanks to the funny weather we have we can expect the best of it.

Looking ahead to 2014. With the uncertainty over the extra investment to the team, how has that hindered your chances of attracting the right driver to the team, the driver you see as the man you want to partner Romain Grosjean?

EB: Obviously you need to have the right package to get the right driver. But obviously sometimes the right driver is with the right package. So we will do our best to keep our force all together. That for me is the main point. Make sure the team is sticking all together. Keep, let's say, the best expertise we have onboard and make sure we can deliver the right cars and the right package on track, that's the most important point.

Still confident you will get the man you want in that seat?

EB: I'm still confident I will get one of the guys I want, yes.

Q: Stefano, you bid farewell to Felipe Massa this weekend, eight years that you've worked together with him at Ferrari. How would you sum up Felipe and what have been your highlights of the last eight years with him?

Stefano DOMENICALI: Well, first of all let me say one thing before going to the question, that is to express my solidarity to the Italian population of Sardinia that has been hit very deeply by flooding and the hurricane. Our thoughts are with those families and this population that is suffering a lot in this moment.

Going to Felipe, I think Felipe is leaving with an incredible weekend here, today in this city because, you know, we have the tendency to pass through everything without thinking. I think that what Felipe did with Ferrari has an incredible history. We had incredibly moments together. Difficult too, of course - but he is an incredible guy who deserved what he had and even if it seems a little bit too personal, I consider him a world champion 2008 because he deserved that title here in São Paulo. So, I think what I can say is that he has always shown his dedication to the team, to the Ferrari family and we wish to him all the best success for his future because he's young - but for sure he will bring Ferrari in his heart forever.

Q: In terms of that second-placed fight, what would it mean to take that second place in the championship, to make up the 15 points to Mercedes and what would it say about your season if you didn't end up as runners-up?

SD: Well, first of all, we are fighting with a very strong team and we will not cheer like hell if we be second and we will not be depressed if we will not be in second position because of course in sport you try to do the maximum that you can. Unfortunately this year it was not possible to fight for first position as we were last year. This year, we have the duty to try to do the maximum, knowing that it is not easy. But in this condition everything is possible. So nothing will change in our approach and we will stay focussed up until the end. And of course, we will try to do that up to last lap - but it will unfortunately change so much the consideration on a very difficult season that has been the case for us this year.

Q: Finally Ross, it's not often in your career that you'd celebrate second place in the Constructors' Championship but I'd suggest if you finish runners-up there would be a wry smile on your face. Are you happy with what you've achieved at Mercedes?

Ross BRAWN: I think happy with the progress. Obviously I hope this is not the end. I hope there's more progress in the next few years because certainly our ambition is to win the championship, win the Drivers' and Constructors', so second place would be a boost for everyone in the team, particularly as we came from fifth last year and I think the improvement in the performance of the car has been quite significant this year. We've scored over 300 points so far this season; we scored 140-something last year, so it's a substantial improvement over where we were and I think everyone can be pleased - or reasonably pleased - with that. Of course it's not where we ultimately want to be, so we need to have a measured response if we're able to finish second.

Q: You've assembled quite a team at Mercedes, on and off the track. With consistency over the winter, is it possible to challenge for the championship and be on a par with Red Bull?

RB: We believe so. They're very, very strong competitors. They don't forget. You can't forget the things you know. They were very impressive in the second half of this year. The progress they've made in the second half of this season has been very impressive but it is shaken up a bit next year and I think the fact we made a commitment almost two years ago now to start the 2014 programme... we are a team similar to Ferrari where we do an engine and a chassis and I think that's a significant benefit for next season. The engine has been very much designed alongside the chassis to get the best integrated package. I think the engine is going to be one of the differentiators next year. I don't think it's going to be the only one but I think it's much more significant than the engines have been the last few years. So, there is scope to be mildly optimistic that we can have a run next year.

Q: Finally, with regard to 2014 and specifically the tyres, you didn't really get a chance to try out the prototype tyres today because of the rain. With Pirelli requesting a December tyre test with at least one of the teams, is that feasible for a team like Mercedes or for any team on the grid? And is it vital, before the first proper pre-season test?

RB: I think whatever flows now has to be fair for all the teams. I think we're in a very delicate position. I think we all want to help Pirelli provide the best tyre they can next year but it would be unfortunate if one team had the benefit of running a tyre to the exclusion of all the other teams. Today would have been the ideal situation for everyone to get a first look at the 2014 tyre, take the data away, and that would have been reasonably fair. I think if we end up with only one team running the 2014 tyres before next year, with no provision today or no ability today to run the tyre, that could end up a pretty unfair situation, that someone's going to have an insight into what the tyre does and how it works. So, I think we have to look at that very carefully, how we can do something that is fair and proper for all the teams.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Luigi Perna - La Gazzetta dello Sport) Stefano, regarding exactly the last question, tyres, Pirelli is claiming more tests before the start of the season. This year tyres had an effect on the game and you were affected by that. Are you worried that kind of situation can be reproduced in the future?

SD: Well, for sure the tyre situation has had an effect on this championship because with the change of specification, for sure something that never happened came in place this year. I think that we always give our will to help Pirelli in order to find the best solutions, in order to find very competitive tyres that can be used in all the conditions, where the drivers can push and show their driving skills, so on our side we have given our will to help them in all the conditions that they can. I agree with what Ross said about being able to be balanced and having the equality within the teams but it will reach a point where for sure if there's no kind of test, the negative hit of not having a test will be really important, so I think that in the next days we need to decide what to do for the future in this very hot topic.

Q: (Heikki Kulta - Turun Sanomat) Eric, Kimi was third in the Drivers' championship and this year he's not in the top three; how would you rate his season: was it worse or better?

EB: Well, sportingly I think it has been better obviously. Last year he was just re-joining the F1 field so maybe he needed a little bit of fine tuning at the beginning of the season, even if he was scoring good points. I think this year he started with a win, so obviously he had a much better start and I think overall it was better.

Q: (Tariq Panja - Bloomberg News) I'm not really a Formula One reporter but I'm a sports reporter based in Brazil. This country will have two of the major sporting events, the World Cup coming next year and the summer Olympics in 2016. Ross and Stefano, you've been coming here for many years, what do you think of Brazil's preparedness for these mega events? Has it been improving over time as you've been coming to this track, for instance?

RB: I think there's a number of things we enjoy about Brazil. There's always a great passion here for sport. The crowd is always incredibly enthusiastic and that feeds through to the teams. We enjoy racing here. It's fair to say that these are not the best facilities we enjoy during the season but I think the enthusiasm and passion for the sport compensates for that and we do enjoy coming here. We don't have any problems in terms of organisation and preparation here, everything turns up, all goes through customs OK, we don't have any dramas that are unusual, so we have a good race here and we don't have any unique problems.

SD: I couldn't agree more with what Ross has said. On our situation, it's really great, we enjoy being here and I can understand the situation of the Olympics and World Cup is different because you may have people coming from abroad, you have different locations, different logistical problems but on that, honestly, I'm not in a position to comment because I don't really know the situation. What I can say is that what we are experiencing is a unique atmosphere, when the passion is one of the key factors and I'm sure that will also happen in the events that will come in the future here in Brazil.

Q: (Ian Parkes - Press Association) Question to John and Cyril: speaking to Christian Horner yesterday, he remarked that even for a team of their resource and their standing given they're four times World Champions, that trying to find the additional cost for next year, which he estimated to be around £20m was proving incredibly difficult. He did also note that if it's difficult for them, it must be exceptionally hard for you guys. So can you give us an idea as to the troubles you've been going through, trying to find those kind of resources for next year?

JB: I'd love to be struggling as much as Christian is struggling at the moment, that's for sure. We have known about the cost of the powertrain for many months now, so it shouldn't come as a surprise for anybody and everybody I assume has planned accordingly. As far as we're concerned, we knew about the cost and we think we have a manageable business for next year and going forward.

CA: Not much to add; obviously it's something we anticipated and that has even affected our strategy of spend for this year because we knew that there would be so much to invest both from a factory perspective in terms of engine costs, contractual costs but also in terms of car build, so that we have a cash flow that is structured in order to absorb all of that. We are going through that now. But there is a reason why, to do a degree, we have started development quite early; it was precisely to absorb those costs.

Q: So basically cut down this year and leave yourselves room for next year?

CA & JB: Yup.

RB: I think it is challenging next year, but we all have to remember that if we cut the budgets in half we would still go racing. It's the standards of which we want to go racing that causes the pressure on the budget. It's not that there's insufficient money, it's the fact that we all want to compete at the highest possible standard, and that means that we push the budgets as hard as we can. If everybody's budget tomorrow was reduced by 50 percent, it wouldn't make any difference.

Q: Can you see that ever happening?

RB: No. But that's a fact. It wasn't so many years ago that we were able to come to every race at every track with reliable cars for half of what we are spending now. That's the nature of Formula One.

Q: (Dieter Rencken - RacingLines) Gentlemen, customer cars have been a contentious issue recently. Given what you're just discussing about budgets and costs and whatever, there are constant rumours about teams going out of business or possibly going out of business. I believe that Formula One is possibly looking at three car teams, eight three car teams for a 24 car grid as opposed to five As and five Bs. How do you people feel about that, because it will affect you all differently?

EB: Well, obviously nobody has a crystal ball. I think everybody agrees that for the future, as ratio costs for the new costs or inverse revenue costs has to change, and it's true that customer cars was brought in to the discussion. I personally don't think it's the right path to go, it's against the DNA of F1 I think and it may create some other issues which to find the funds to run customer cars, to run modern or current cars, I think if F1 needs to go one path, it is to guarantee a number of cars on the grid and obviously a number of teams running three cars would be, for me, a better solution.

JB: I think I'm correct in saying that under current regulations if the numbers of cars on the grid falls below a certain number then certain teams are required to run three cars but as far as I know there's been no discussion about three car teams in the near future. Certainly I've not been part of the discussions and I assume it would need a big change in regulations to achieve that.

Q: Is that something you would welcome, though, or not?

JB: We're finding two cars tough enough without running three.

CA: Well, personally, I'm just like Eric and most of the teams, I believe. I'm not in favour of customer cars. Having said that, I think the situation we have is not necessarily sustainable. Clearly an analysis must be made regarding what to do and make sure that we anticipate that correctly and there is also a gliding path to whatever solution is retained, whether it's a budget cap, RRA. I take the point, of course. If we're all at fifty or one hundred million budget, the show will be no different at all so I think that we need to be sensible about that, make sure that we are doing the right thing. If a third car is one thing to do, why not, but in your example there were only eight teams so I would like to hope that we are not one of the three teams that will be out of the game.

Q: And this will be the problem, Ross, if you have eight teams of three cars, then three teams would have to make way.

RB: Well, I don't think it would be that way round. I think it would be if we had some teams drop out and the number of entrants, the number of cars entered dropped below a certain level, then we do have to support extra entries. We're not a supporter of customer cars, we think the identity of the teams is important, the fact that the teams design and build their own cars is important but however if Formula One faced a situation where we didn't have sufficient cars on the grid, then of course a three car team is a possibility, but only in those circumstances.

SD: I agree. First of all we need to see what we want for the future of Formula One. We are in a situation where for sure we are different in philosophies with the teams that are in the championship, there are different situations, so I think that solution, that situation can be driven really if some teams will not be there in the future. Because also now, when we discuss about cost-cutting measures, of course the goals that we have in mind are different and maybe with the goals that we have in mind, we don't expect... we don't even reach the half of what the expenditure of a small team, so we really need to understand what is the future of Formula One, what are the objectives that can be discussed in a common way because otherwise you can cherry-pick different measures but you will not really have a clear focus on what should be the focus of Formula One and this is really a point of discussion that we have on the table since many many years. I'm sure that very soon this will be the most important topic of discussion.

Q: (Kate Walker - GP Week) Eric, my question regards your potential investor, Mansoor Ijaz. A cursory Google-search of his background shows a few problematic business dealings including the use of value-less companies as collateral for loans. I was wondering what proof you've been given of the existence of his money and whether or not any due diligence had been done.

EB: Fortunately we don't have to base our judgement only on Google, with all respect to Google for what they are doing. To answer the question, yes, we have very serious proof of funds and good compliance of what is Quantum Motorsport.

Q: (Ian Parkes - Press Association) Ross, given what you said, the fact that you could race on half the money and the show wouldn't change, if the FIA were ever to potentially look down the route of a budget cap again, is it something that potentially could be considered somewhere down the line, or has the RRA proven that it's something that could never ever work, given certain other teams' objections to the way teams work?

RB: Well, I think the conclusions for me for the RRA is that there was a structure of a system that could work but quite clearly wasn't a system that could work with self-regulation from the teams themselves. It was a system that had to be policed, we believe by the FIA but it seemed that we couldn't get enough agreement within the teams that that should happen, so it failed on that basis. I don't think it failed because it wouldn't work, in my view it failed because we couldn't engage the governing body in policing the system. I think whatever system we have is going to affect the competitiveness of teams and therefore it has to be controlled by the sporting body. It can't be controlled by the teams themselves and I think any attempt to have self-regulation of something so important as budget and resource is futile, because of the nature of the teams. We're very competitive and will always be looking to push the boundaries. If you look at the technical regulations, we push the boundaries all the time, quite rightly, and then we have a governing body that taps us back into place, and also a governing body that we can get a reference from. If we have a query, we can go to them, we can ask them, we can argue and we can get an opinion on whether something is legal or not. Unless you have that process with the financial control, it can never succeed because one team's interpretation of a regulation with be different to another team's interpretation of a regulation so you have to have this process going on where you introduce a constraint, a control and then a mechanism to police it and a mechanism to answer queries and regulate queries and questions on the regulations to refine the regulations because no set of regulations will be a hundred percent perfect from day one, they need refining. We draw the analogy with the technical regulations; it works pretty well, we occasionally have a big blow up about something but most of the time it's good and if we had the same with the financial regulations, I think that would be the only way forward, because I can't see any other way. Attempts to change the technical regulations to reduce the costs have historically failed. They can push it back a bit for a while and then the teams find something else to spend the money on so the budgets never really change.

Q: (Kate Walker - GP Week) I wanted to refer back to Dieter's earlier question about the potential of three car teams, because it seemed to me that the three of you in the back row were aware of the concept whereas it was new to the two of you in the front row, I believe, I got from John's answer. Could you please tell me, John and Cyril, what level of communication you've had from the teams in the strategy commission and how much you are aware of the formal and informal discussions they've been having?

CA: I think we have had the same minutes as they have had.

Q: So you have received the information?

CA: We have received as much information as they have received after the meeting.

Q: Same for you, John?

JB: Yup.

Q: So no complaints about that, then?

JB: No, that's not wholly true. I think Cyril's statement is absolutely correct but to say that there is no complaints wouldn't be accurate.

CA: To be a bit more... to develop that just a bit, we have an F1 commission actually in a few days and we are also circulated the agenda of the next F1 strategy meeting so I wouldn't be concerned too much about that because ultimately we have a seat, we have a voice. Obviously we are outnumbered, we are one or two, just a couple but still, Formula One knows very well that it cannot really live without everyone, so maybe the process is a bit less inclusive than it's been in the past. There is also a meeting of the F1 strategy group so for me it's more the goodwill and the agenda in general of the F1 strategy group rather than who is sitting in it that will make a difference.

Q: (Pablo Juanarena - Marca) It's a question for Stefano but could be for Ross or Eric: today, Red Bull has used the 2014 tyres, one lap for Sebastian. It seems that they are always a step ahead. Do you think it's that way?

SD: What I can say is that they are in a situation that if they had crashed today nothing would have changed for them, so I think that they took... not a risk because that's maybe not the right word but they want to take some measurement in that condition. If they were happy to do it in that way I don't think it's a matter of being a step ahead. It's a matter of decision or a possibility considering the conditions that they have... they are in this specific weekend.

Q: Was there a possibility that you would run a car on the slick tyres, even just for one lap this morning?

SD: No.

RB: We always work on the principle that bad information is worse than no information. With all due to respect, Red Bull may well have found something out that we don't anticipate but we couldn't understand what you could learn in those conditions, even though it looked like they were trying to take profiles of the tyres and so on, it was difficult to see how it could be useful and certainly our conclusion was there was no use for us with what we wanted to do to run the tyre this morning.

Q: (Dieter Rencken - RacingLines) The two things one can never have enough of: power and sponsors yet if I have a look at your shirts, if I'd gone back a year, your shirts would look identical with the exception of one or two stickers or logos on your shirts. Formula One hasn't really attracted any major sponsors for the last three or four years. Is there a fundamental problem in Formula One, because other sports are certainly attracting them?

EB: We have attracted some blue chip brands, Microsoft and Burn, which is the Coca Cola group. But it's true that the biggest deals have been done with FOM recently which is quite an achievement. I think the question is that everybody knows the world economic situation is not as brilliant as ten years ago so I don't there is some big comparison or let's say some conclusion to be drawn today.

SD: From our side, I have to say that we have attracted a new sponsor, a big one like UPS for example this year. We have basically renewed with all our major sponsors, major partners so we have quite a solid base of partners that are really investing with us and of course they are with us because there is a win-win situation. So far, I would say that I don't see that directly because maybe Ferrari has different options to exploit with the partners for sure but I think that in general, in a situation where there is this economic crisis it is important not to devalue too much the sale of what you have, if you can, of course. Otherwise then when the economy will start again, it will be more difficult to keep the level of investment that is valid for the Formula One World Championship.

JB: I think there's been a trend in motor sport in general, particularly Formula One over the years that it's two or three years behind the world economy and the initial crash of the economy didn't seem to affect Formula One whereas three years later it is starting to bite. As the economy recovers, I'm sure we will be two or three years behind, picking up again. And maybe we should ask ourselves if we're offering the right exciting package to the viewers as well.

CA: On our side, we are quite lucky to have some nice brands associated to us because I think in general the Caterham project is something that is quite exciting and attractive for sponsors and investors, but I think now we have a duty to deliver because they have not let us down, we should not let them down so performance is what can buy interest in that sport so that's what we need to focus on. More generally on Formula One, I believe that it also goes back to the question of performance. We need to make sure that the grid in general is in the right window and that also the TV coverage which obviously focuses on people that perform, is distributed in not a fair manner because there must be a winner, there must be a loser and we are losers right now but we must make sure that we are part of the show and we've been missing to be part of the show because of the facts, so it's one thing to be getting back to the economic model and the regulation structured, we need to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to be in the show.

RB: Well, we've been quite fortunate; perhaps or our people have worked very well and the number of our partners have improved or we have improved our deals with them. Blackberry was new for us, we know Blackberry faces some challenges at the moment, but that's a major sponsor that came to the team this year. But no, we've seen some reasonable upsides with most of our partners but it is very tough and as John said, there is a lag in the system that is impacting motor sport and Formula One, but hopefully with the improved economic environment that some countries are experiencing we can pick it up and get it going again.


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Pirelli: no 2014 tyre testing no setback

By Edd Straw Friday, November 22nd 2013, 19:59 GMT

Pirelli Motorsport boss Paul Hembery does not believe the wet weather which prevented teams from testing its 2014 tyres is a major setback.

Although Sebastian Vettel completed one lap in damp conditions on the prototype 2014 rubber, Pirelli did not get any meaningful running from today's running.

"Obviously, we wouldn't have brought them here if we didn't want to run them," said Hembery when asked by AUTOSPORT how much of a setback today has been.

"It's just an opportunity lost, that's like and there is nothing we can do about it or the teams can do about it.

"The reason we wanted it is that we wanted to do some benchmarking against this year's tyres with the new compound and new structure on the current car, just to give us a scaling.

"It was an interesting test, it's not the be all and end all."

While some teams have complained that they have missed out on understanding of how the new tyres will affect the aerodynamics of 2014 cars, Hembery is adamant that this is not a major concern as all teams remain on a level playing field.

He does not believe that Red Bull will have learned much from the single, slow lap Vettel completed.

"It's the same for the teams and I don't think it changes too much," he said.

"If they are getting the data at the same time then it's a level playing field. It just gives a little bit of an indication about finalising everything for next season.

"I can't imagine they [Red Bull] gained a huge amount in the conditions we were in over one lap."

Hembery added that Pirelli had asked whether the 2014 tyres could be made available for use during Saturday morning practice but that was ruled out.

"Further to the discussion in the team managers' meeting yesterday, and having discussed the matter at length with the stewards, I can confirm that in accordance with article 25.4(b) of the sporting regulations the two sets of development tyres provided for use in P1 and P2 today may not be used in P3," said a statement from FIA race director Charlie Whiting.


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Lotus insists Quantum deal not dead

By Jonathan Noble Friday, November 22nd 2013, 20:08 GMT

Lotus insists it has not given up on an investment deal with Quantum Motorsports, despite ongoing delays in the arrival of funds.

The Enstone-based team had been hoping that money would be transferred into its accounts this week, but that has not happened.

But as it closes in on a decision of whether to sign Nico Hulkenberg or Pastor Maldonado, the team knows that time is ticking.

Lotus boss Eric Boullier said that the Quantum deal was far from dead, and that discussions were ongoing to try to get the matter finalised early next week.

"There is still some discussion ongoing and now between bankers," he said. "The process is not fully completed, but I think part of it has been done which is a good sign for the weekend.

"We hope obviously that everything is closed by early next week."

The pressure on Boullier to know what is happening is increasing, with rival teams making moves to capture Maldonado, whom Lotus has made clear it will sign if it cannot push ahead with Hulkenberg.

The danger for Lotus is that if it holds on too long for the Quantum deal it could risk losing Hulkenberg and Maldonado, leaving it without either of its preferred candidates.

Boullier said that his team was still comfortable with how its driver plans would turn out, despite the uncertainty over Quantum.

"You need to have the right package to get the right driver but sometimes maybe the right driver is with the right package," he said.

"We will do our best to keep our thoughts all together. That is the main point, making sure the team is sticking together and the basic ingredients are on board - to deliver the best package we can.

"I am still confident I will get one of the guys I want..."


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Webber can bow out with win - Horner

Written By kolimtiga on Jumat, 22 November 2013 | 19.03

By Edd Straw Friday, November 22nd 2013, 09:52 GMT

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has no doubts that Mark Webber has the ability to end his Formula 1 career with victory in the Brazilian Grand Prix

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Perez: 2014 F1 prospects improving

By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer Friday, November 22nd 2013, 10:39 GMT

Sergio Perez believes his chances of a 2014 Formula 1 seat have already improved, and is certain he can surprise the paddock next year

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Petrov determined to race in 2014

By Aleksander Kabanovsky Friday, November 22nd 2013, 10:59 GMT

Vitaly Petrov has declared he will not miss another year of racing even if it means looking beyond Formula 1

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Brazil preview quotes: Mercedes

Written By kolimtiga on Kamis, 21 November 2013 | 19.03

Wednesday, November 20th 2013, 15:21 GMT

Brazilian GP: Mercedes preview quotes

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Hamilton radio angst 'not a problem'

By Jonathan Noble Wednesday, November 20th 2013, 17:10 GMT

Mercedes has admitted that it is still learning to get the best out of Lewis Hamilton, in the wake of his fraught radio conversations during the United States Grand Prix

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Red Bull: no guilt over F1 dominance

Written By kolimtiga on Rabu, 20 November 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble Tuesday, November 19th 2013, 17:06 GMT

Red Bull does not believe it should feel bad in any way because of its complete dominance of Formula 1 right now.

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Webber will get no favours from Vettel

By Jonathan Noble Wednesday, November 20th 2013, 10:44 GMT

Mark Webber has been told not to expect any favours from Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel in his quest to end his Formula 1 career with Brazilian Grand Prix victory

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Brazil preview quotes: Williams

Wednesday, November 20th 2013, 11:37 GMT

Brazilian GP: Williams preview quotes

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Kovalainen vindicated by US GP drive

Written By kolimtiga on Selasa, 19 November 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble Tuesday, November 19th 2013, 10:28 GMT

Heikki Kovalainen reckons the speed he showed on his Formula 1 comeback in Austin justified his decision not to turn his back on the sport at the end of last year.

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Staff loss a threat to Red Bull - Brawn

By Jonathan Noble Tuesday, November 19th 2013, 10:03 GMT

Red Bull's chances of maintaining its dominance of Formula 1 over the long term will be hit by the departure of key aero chief Peter Prodromou, reckons Ross Brawn

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Perez not interested in back-of-grid seat

By Pablo Elizalde Tuesday, November 19th 2013, 10:58 GMT

Sergio Perez has admitted that he is not interested in taking a drive at the back of the Formula 1 grid just to stay in the sport in 2014.

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Points finish a 'big relief' for Bottas

Written By kolimtiga on Senin, 18 November 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble Monday, November 18th 2013, 10:17 GMT

Valtteri Bottas has admitted that scoring his first Formula 1 points in the United States Grand Prix came as a 'huge relief'.

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Teams fear boring '14 races after US GP

By Jonathan Noble Monday, November 18th 2013, 09:41 GMT

The lack of excitement in the United States Grand Prix should act as a wake-up call for Formula 1 to not become too conservative in 2014, reckon leading paddock figures.

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Alonso: second too ambitious for team

By Edd Straw and Pablo Elizalde Monday, November 18th 2013, 11:22 GMT

Fernando Alonso believes targeting second place in the 2013 Formula 1 constructors' championship is perhaps a too ambitious goal for Ferrari given its current form

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Bottas reckons he underperformed

Written By kolimtiga on Minggu, 17 November 2013 | 19.03

By Edd Straw Saturday, November 16th 2013, 23:16 GMT

Valtteri Bottas has admitted he should have qualified higher for the United States Grand Prix

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Kovalainen thinks he met expectations

By Jonathan Noble Saturday, November 16th 2013, 23:39 GMT

Heikki Kovalainen reckons he did everything that could have been expected in United States Grand Prix qualifying, after securing eighth on the grid for his Formula 1 return with Lotus

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Kovalainen downplays rapid pace

Written By kolimtiga on Sabtu, 16 November 2013 | 19.04

By Edd Straw Friday, November 15th 2013, 23:41 GMT

Heikki Kovalainen has downplayed his impressive pace on his first day driving the Lotus E21 after ending the first day of practice for the United States Grand Prix fifth fastest.

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19.04 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lotus not a 2014 option - Kovalainen

Written By kolimtiga on Jumat, 15 November 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer Thursday, November 14th 2013, 22:40 GMT

Heikki Kovalainen does not think his performances for Lotus in the season's final two Formula 1 races will have any bearing on his chances of a 2014 drive

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Button surprised by Magnussen choice

By Jonathan Noble Friday, November 15th 2013, 11:52 GMT

Jenson Button has admitted he was surprised McLaren picked Kevin Magnussen for the 2014 Formula 1 season, but has no doubts his future team-mate can be ready

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Sauber wants swift decision on Sirotkin

Written By kolimtiga on Rabu, 13 November 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer Tuesday, November 12th 2013, 12:43 GMT

Sauber says it will not leave it too late to decide whether its protege Sergey Sirotkin should be given a 2014 Formula 1 race seat.

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Red Bull: Ricciardo will surprise in '14

By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer Tuesday, November 12th 2013, 14:30 GMT

Daniel Ricciardo will surprise Formula 1 with his performance in his first season with Red Bull in 2014, reckons team boss Christian Horner.

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F1 teams worried about 'ugly' 2014 cars

By Craig Scarborough Tuesday, November 12th 2013, 15:25 GMT

Formula 1 teams are concerned that the 2014 technical regulations are forcing them into 'ugly' designs with hooked nose sections, as shown by this AUTOSPORT image.

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Massa: Williams wants me as a leader

Written By kolimtiga on Selasa, 12 November 2013 | 19.03

By Edd Straw Tuesday, November 12th 2013, 09:07 GMT

Felipe Massa's decision to join Williams in 2014 was motivated by a desire to lead a team

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Red Bull: no need to tie Newey down

Written By kolimtiga on Senin, 11 November 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer Monday, November 11th 2013, 11:04 GMT

Red Bull sees no need to lock Formula 1 design genius Adrian Newey down to a long-term contract as it is confident keeping him happy will be sufficient.

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Lotus insists focus is now on track

Written By kolimtiga on Minggu, 10 November 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble Friday, November 8th 2013, 15:34 GMT

Lotus says its pay issues with Kimi Raikkonen have now been put on the back burner, so both can focus on delivering a strong end to the campaign.

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Raikkonen to miss rest of season

By Jonathan Noble Sunday, November 10th 2013, 09:16 GMT

Kimi Raikkonen is to miss the final two races of the 2013 Formula 1 season after electing to undergo back surgery next week

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Button downplays dull racing fears

Written By kolimtiga on Sabtu, 09 November 2013 | 19.03

By Edd Straw and Sam Tremayne Friday, November 8th 2013, 15:22 GMT

Jenson Button does not believe drivers will be forced to make radical changes in order to adapt to Formula 1's sweeping 2014 regulation changes.

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lotus insists focus is now on track

By Jonathan Noble Friday, November 8th 2013, 15:34 GMT

Lotus says its pay issues with Kimi Raikkonen have now been put on the back burner, so both can focus on delivering a strong end to the campaign.

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Teams on the limit to get new cars ready

Written By kolimtiga on Jumat, 08 November 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble Thursday, November 7th 2013, 13:06 GMT

Formula 1 teams are on the limit to get their new cars ready for the first 2014 pre-season test in Jerez, reckon leading paddock figures.

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Safety failings blamed for marshal death

By Edd Straw Thursday, November 7th 2013, 15:29 GMT

Canadian Grand Prix organisers have been held responsible for several key safety failures that led to the death of marshal Mark Robinson after the finish of this year's race.

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Valsecchi hasn't abandoned '14 F1 hopes

Written By kolimtiga on Kamis, 07 November 2013 | 19.03

By Edd Straw Wednesday, November 6th 2013, 17:35 GMT

Former GP2 champion Davide Valsecchi has not given up hope of racing in Formula 1 in 2014

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

FIA announces fan-voting award

By Edd Straw Thursday, November 7th 2013, 10:02 GMT

Motorsport fans will be able to vote for a newly-created moment of the year award, which will be featured in the FIA's end-of-season awards in Paris.

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Red Bull 'lucky' rules are changing

By Jonathan Noble Thursday, November 7th 2013, 11:21 GMT

Alain Prost believes that Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull are 'lucky' that Formula 1's rules are changing next year.

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Investors tell Lotus to sign Hulkenberg

Written By kolimtiga on Senin, 04 November 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble Monday, November 4th 2013, 09:27 GMT

Lotus boss Eric Boullier has been told by the team's new investors to sign off a 2014 deal with Nico Hulkenberg.

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hamilton mystified by poor form

By Jonathan Noble Monday, November 4th 2013, 10:05 GMT

Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he is confused as to why his form in races is so poor at the moment.

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hulkenberg happy to wait for Lotus

By Jonathan Noble Monday, November 4th 2013, 10:19 GMT

Nico Hulkenberg insists he is happy to wait a bit longer to sort out his Formula 1 future, even though he had initially wanted things settled by the end of last month.

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Final Abu Dhabi GP grid line-up

Written By kolimtiga on Minggu, 03 November 2013 | 19.03

Saturday, November 2nd 2013, 18:35 GMT

Kimi Raikkonen's exclusion from qualifying means a major shake-up for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix grid

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ojjeh recovering from lung transplant

By Jonathan Noble Sunday, November 3rd 2013, 07:39 GMT

McLaren shareholder Mansour Ojjeh is recovering well in hospital from a double lung transplant

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

New Jersey, Mexico to lose 2014 slots

By Jonathan Noble Sunday, November 3rd 2013, 11:17 GMT

Formula 1's 2014 calendar is set for a major reshuffle when it is firmed up next month, with New Jersey and Mexico likely to be dropped

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19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Raikkonen to use short wheelbase car

Written By kolimtiga on Sabtu, 02 November 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble Friday, November 1st 2013, 18:00 GMT

Kimi Raikkonen will switch back to Lotus's short-wheelbase configuration for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The team felt its long-wheelbase upgrade had been a key part of its return to form in recent races.

But team boss Eric Boullier said Raikkonen felt more comfortable with the previous specification.

"He is trying because the last two races he was not 100 per cent happy with his balance and he is just trying something different," said Boullier."

"The first thing is to know where you are so you obviously go back to back what you were doing."

Lotus trackside operations director Alan Permane said that Raikkonen would stick with the short-wheelbase car for qualifying and the race as the change had paid off in practice.

"He wanted to try the short wheelbase car again as he felt its characteristics would suit this circuit," said Permane.

"So far it all looks good and this configuration will be kept on his car for the remainder of the weekend.

"His long-run pace looks very encouraging on both [compounds of] tyres."

Raikkonen was sixth quickest in Friday practice.

The Finn is the centre of attention in Abu Dhabi this weekend, having admitted that he had considered skipping the race due to his ongoing pay dispute with Lotus and could yet walk away from the final races of the 2013 Formula 1 season if the issue continued.


19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

F1 drivers warned over final corner

By Jonathan Noble Saturday, November 2nd 2013, 08:51 GMT
Pastor Maldonado, Williams, Abu Dhabi GP 2013

Formula 1 drivers have been warned that they risk having qualifying times disallowed at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix if they abuse track limits at the final corner.

Following discussions in Friday night's drivers' briefing at the Yas Marina circuit, it was agreed that the FIA will not tolerate drivers running wide onto the start/finish straight.

The subject of track limits has become a major talking point in recent weeks.

There was controversy in India when drivers were freely allowed to run wide across the kerbs at several corners because they had argued it did not give them an advantage.

After intense debate among the drivers about the situation for this weekend, and with the FIA having already laid down stricter rules for cutting the chicanes during the race, it was agreed that the only corner in Abu Dhabi that needs to be scrutinised properly in the fight for grid positions is the final one: Turn 21.

It is felt that the nature of the kerbs at that corner mean that running wide does deliver an advantage, whereas at other corners it is slower if drivers run off track.

Sources have revealed that drivers have been told that if they put all four wheels across the track limit lines at the last corner then they will have their laptime disallowed.

However, drivers will be allowed to run slightly wide, and as long as at least a part of one of their wheels is within the track confines then they will not be sanctioned.


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Vettel leads final Abu Dhabi practice

By Kevin Turner Saturday, November 2nd 2013, 11:11 GMT

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Abu Dhabi GP 2013

Sebastian Vettel topped the final free practice session ahead of qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, leading another Red Bull one-two.

Vettel and the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen took it in turns to top the times in the early going on the harder tyre.

Raikkonen was the first to dip under 1m44s, then Vettel moved ahead with a 1m43.795s.

Mark Webber went second fastest before Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg moved to challenge the Red Bulls for Mercedes.

As track conditions improved, the duo moved ahead of Vettel just after the halfway mark, with Rosberg ahead.

Vettel and Rosberg then alternated in front, with Rosberg recording 1m43.465s with around 20 minutes to go.

Webber also moved ahead of Vettel, but the newly crowned world champion was set to improve before hitting traffic in the final sector.

Marussia driver Jules Bianchi then spun exiting Turn 1 and hit the barriers, preventing further improvements for several minutes.

Everyone subsequently switched to the softer Pirelli tyre for their low-fuel runs.

Button was the first to strike, with a lap in 1m41.956s. He was soon surpassed by Hamilton, but still ended up sixth as McLaren continued its decent Abu Dhabi form.

Vettel finally took the honours with a 1m41.349s lap, all but matching his best from free practice two, in the final three minutes.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Abu Dhabi GP 2013

Hamilton had a big moment at the last corner as he tried to improve, and ended up being pipped by a late charge from Webber.

Behind Rosberg, Romain Grosjean's Lotus was fifth fastest, while both Saubers proved competitive, Nico Hulkenberg finishing seventh, one spot ahead of Esteban Gutierrez.

Raikkonen had a minor moment in the final 20 minutes and ended up ninth.

Ferrari continued to struggle on both the hard and soft tyres, Fernando Alonso ending up 11th, Felipe Massa 14th.

  Pos  Driver               Team/Car              Time       Gap      Laps   1.  Sebastian Vettel     Red Bull-Renault      1m41.349s           19   2.  Mark Webber          Red Bull-Renault      1m41.571s  +0.222s  17   3.  Lewis Hamilton       Mercedes              1m41.580s  +0.231s  18   4.  Nico Rosberg         Mercedes              1m41.721s  +0.372s  19   5.  Romain Grosjean      Lotus-Renault         1m41.832s  +0.483s  19   6.  Jenson Button        McLaren-Mercedes      1m41.956s  +0.607s  19   7.  Nico Hulkenberg      Sauber-Ferrari        1m42.055s  +0.706s  19   8.  Esteban Gutierrez    Sauber-Ferrari        1m42.282s  +0.933s  19   9.  Kimi Raikkonen       Lotus-Renault         1m42.387s  +1.038s  18  10.  Jean-Eric Vergne     Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m42.457s  +1.108s  21  11.  Fernando Alonso      Ferrari               1m42.516s  +1.167s  15  12.  Paul di Resta        Force India-Mercedes  1m42.681s  +1.332s  23  13.  Valtteri Bottas      Williams-Renault      1m42.698s  +1.349s  19  14.  Felipe Massa         Ferrari               1m42.702s  +1.353s  16  15.  Daniel Ricciardo     Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m42.727s  +1.378s  18  16.  Pastor Maldonado     Williams-Renault      1m42.798s  +1.449s  18  17.  Adrian Sutil         Force India-Mercedes  1m42.989s  +1.640s  22  18.  Sergio Perez         McLaren-Mercedes      1m43.142s  +1.793s  15  19.  Giedo van der Garde  Caterham-Renault      1m44.472s  +3.123s  20  20.  Charles Pic          Caterham-Renault      1m44.728s  +3.379s  21  21.  Max Chilton          Marussia-Cosworth     1m45.621s  +4.272s  20  22.  Jules Bianchi        Marussia-Cosworth     1m47.506s  +6.157s  15  

19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lotus sure investment deal will happen

Written By kolimtiga on Jumat, 01 November 2013 | 19.03

By Jonathan Noble Friday, November 1st 2013, 09:30 GMT
Romain Grosjean, Lotus, Indian GP 2013

Lotus Formula 1 team owner Gerard Lopez has not given up on concluding an investment deal with Quantum Motorsports despite ongoing delays.

The deal was announced back in June, when the group was originally called Infinity Racing, but since then progress in concluding it has been slow.

Finalising the partnership would be a huge boost to Lotus, and allow it to pursue its preferred option of signing Nico Hulkenberg as Kimi Raikkonen's replacement.

If it does not come off, then the team is expected to conclude a deal with Pastor Maldonado because of his backing from PDVSA.

With team boss Eric Boullier admitting that the matter needs sorting soon, because there is a risk that Hulkenberg could sign for someone else, Lopez said on Friday that he remained confident over Quantum.

"We have preliminary agreements with the company we want to partner with, and we're just waiting for this to be concluded," said Lopez, in an interview published on the Lotus website. "This is a very detailed process.

"The history is that we decided to offer a minority stake to an investor. We consider this approach as the best way forwards, just like any other Formula 1 team.

"Deals like this do not move at the speed we're used to in Formula 1 and we're hopeful that we'll conclude it in the near future.

"With our current performance on track and the fact that there are very few Formula 1 teams that can offer an investment opportunity like we do we are constantly being contacted by interested parties, but for now we are pursuing our preferred option."


19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Grosjean quickest in opening practice

By Matt Beer Friday, November 1st 2013, 10:32 GMT
Grosjean quickest in opening practice

Romain Grosjean thrust Lotus to the top of the times with a late charge in opening practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Amid all the focus on his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen's relationship with the squad, Grosjean bucked the usual Friday morning trend by waiting until the closing moments to set his best time.

Grosjean's 1m44.241s lap put him 0.192 seconds clear of Lewis Hamilton, who would normally have expected to stay up front after winning the traditional mid-session dice for top spot.

No one set a flying lap for the first half hour, and it was near the hour mark before the Mercedes and Red Bulls really raised the bar.

Hamilton emerged on top for Mercedes at that stage, 0.066s ahead of Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull.

The world champion had a slight scare at the end of the session, when he misjudged his entry to the Red Bull pit stall and required some evasive action from his crew as he locked up.

Vettel's team-mate Mark Webber beat Nico Rosberg's Mercedes to fifth, with the in-the-spotlight Raikkonen seventh.

Paul di Resta put Force India in an encouraging seventh place. His team-mate Adrian Sutil moved aside for James Calado this time. The GP2 title contender was 14th.

Other 'Friday drivers' in action were Caterham's Heikki Kovalainen and Marussia's Rodolfo Gonzalez, who were 20th and 22nd.

The McLarens ended up eighth and 10th, split by the Williams of Pastor Maldonado.

Ferrari had a low-key start, with Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa 12th and 17th.

      Pos Driver                Team                      Time       Gap     Laps   1. Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault             1m44.241s           20   2. Lewis Hamilton        Mercedes                  1m44.433s  +0.192s  22   3. Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault          1m44.499s  +0.258s  18   4. Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault          1m44.712s  +0.471s  18   5. Nico Rosberg          Mercedes                  1m44.741s  +0.500s  23   6. Kimi Raikkonen        Lotus-Renault             1m44.929s  +0.688s  21   7. Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes      1m45.040s  +0.799s  19   8. Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes          1m45.099s  +0.858s  19   9. Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Renault          1m45.150s  +0.909s  23  10. Sergio Perez          McLaren-Mercedes          1m45.331s  +1.090s  19  11. Nico Hulkenberg       Sauber-Ferrari            1m45.378s  +1.137s  21  12. Fernando Alonso       Ferrari                   1m45.440s  +1.199s  17  13. Valtteri Bottas       Williams-Renault          1m45.823s  +1.582s  21  14. James Calado          Force India-Mercedes      1m45.924s  +1.683s  19  15. Esteban Gutierrez     Sauber-Ferrari            1m46.068s  +1.827s  17  16. Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari        1m46.114s  +1.873s  21  17. Felipe Massa          Ferrari                   1m46.124s  +1.883s  17  18. Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari        1m46.126s  +1.885s  20  19. Charles Pic           Caterham-Renault          1m47.600s  +3.359s  21  20. Heikki Kovalainen     Caterham-Renault          1m47.670s  +3.429s  21  21. Jules Bianchi         Marussia-Cosworth         1m47.723s  +3.482s  22  22. Rodolfo Gonzalez      Marussia-Cosworth         1m49.565s  +5.324s  21    

19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Analysis: Raikkonen's emotions surface

By Jonathan Noble Friday, November 1st 2013, 10:59 GMT
Kimi Raikkonen

While Lotus has downplayed Kimi Raikkonen's late arrival in Abu Dhabi as a storm in a teacup, recent events have clearly revealed the high emotions behind the Finn's 'Iceman' image.

Against the backdrop of a season-long issue relating to unpaid wages, Raikkonen was angered in India at the tone of a radio conversation with trackside operations director Alan Permane, who was telling him to get out of the way as Romain Grosjean closed in.

The blunt language used stirred matters up, and team principal Eric Boullier was forced to publicly apologise following a backlash from fans.

Raikkonen himself, who returned home to Switzerland for a few days after the India race, was upset enough - according to sources – that he even briefly considered not racing for the team in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend.

In the end common sense prevailed, helped by what one team insider referred to as a bit of ego-massaging from senior management, and meant Raikkonen flew to Yas Marina late on Thursday so he could jump in the car on Friday.

While it is clear that issues do remain between Lotus and Raikkonen, his reaction to events in India have also highlighted a fiery side to his personality that is perhaps not so obvious from the image that is often portrayed on television.

One senior team member said on Friday that while Raikkonen is the 'Iceman' at race weekends as he locks himself down for a steely focus on doing well, away from the racetrack he is a totally different character.

Anything that stands in the way of success, and especially Raikkonen feels is time wasted, is considered redundant.

That includes dull PR days - and getting shouted at over the radio. That is why things got so emotional this week.

Raikkonen is a driver powered by a passion to succeed and wants only to deliver the very best for himself and his team.

That is why however difficult the end of the season may be as he signs off his Lotus career, senior members of the team are more than happy to admit that they will miss him next year when he pulls on those red Ferrari overalls in Melbourne.

Kimi Raikkonen

As team owner Gerard Lopez said on Friday: "The fact is he will be missed and I really think that this is one of those partnerships in Formula 1 that is – and will be remembered as being – very, very special.

"It's difficult to think about the fact he's not going to be in our black and gold car next year. I think he feels the same way.

"There's no such thing as regrets, but there is such a thing as sadness even if disguised sometimes... he will be missed, and from what I've discussed with him he will miss this team.

"It doesn't take anything away from the relationship and it doesn't take anything away from the fact that I certainly gained a friend and that will continue to exist."


19.03 | 0 komentar | Read More
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