FORMULA 1 - 2013

[MIKA27]

Well Mika, I haven't been keeping up with this forum for a long time but I'll be back for 2014. I will have a little advantage in Mercedes news as my daughters new boyfriend is none other than Robert Wickens who will be entering his second full season driving for Mercedes DTM team. I hope to get some first class info as he is very close to Rosberg and Nico is Roberts formula one driver mentor. Robert may even get a Friday drive or two in the new car if things go very well....we will see. Have a great holiday and we will talk soon.

Thanks Mike - Always good to see/hear from you.

Merry Christmas and happy new year

[MIKA27]

Grosjean: I think I have proven that I am part of the best drivers in F1

Even with a 2013 contract in his pocket, Romain Grosjean has admitted he remained perilously close to seeing his now flourishing Formula 1 career end and no considers himself as one of the best.

Geosjean told ESPN, “I think I have proven that I am part of the best drivers and that’s how I consider myself. It took some work and some painful time to get there, but I am now proud of what I am doing and I don’t think I can do more.”

But despite this confidence, he was banned for a race in 2012 and dubbed last year as the ‘first lap nutcase’ by Mark Webber, the Frenchman entered the 2013 preseason winter period uncertain if he would be returning to the F1 grid.

Ultimately, having developed a close working relationship with a psychologist and no longer running into regular trouble in wheel-to-wheel combat, Grosjean ended the recently-concluded season as a standout of 2013.

In Kimi Raikkonen’s absence, he will lead the Lotus team in 2014, alongside new teammate Pastor Maldonado. But early in 2013, Grosjean was not so sure about his future.

“I remember calling (team owner) Gerard (Lopez) and saying that the contract is signed. But he said that if in the first four races I had four accidents on the first laps, then it’s all over. I replied that I thought that was normal.”

“I think that in this case, I would not have come to the fifth race,” Grosjean said in an interview with the French magazine Auto Hebdo.

He now has his personal problems under control, is happily married and a new father, but Lotus – although competitive – ended the season in disarray.

Amid reports the Quantum deal is collapsing and that employees and suppliers are going unpaid, Grosjean admits it was a difficult period.

“Actually,” he explained, “for the drivers, the engineers and the mechanics, those are external problems,” he said.

“The season did end in difficult conditions,” admitted Grosjean. “It was a particularly hard time for Eric Boullier. But it’s in those moments that you see the strength of the team.”

In the end, with the Quantum money so delayed, Boullier had no choice but to turn down Nico Hulkenberg and sign the heavily-sponsored Maldonado to be Grosjean’s 2014 teammate.

Grosjean admits Hulkenberg would have been a “great” teammate, but he also thinks he can work well with the Venezuelan.

“We crossed a couple of times in GP2,” he said, “but I think he is very fast on one lap. When everything is in order around him and with the car, and he is on top of the situation, he can be very fast, and we saw that in last year’s Spanish Grand Prix.”

As for the departing Raikkonen, Grosjean said he had no relationship with the Finn at all. Indeed, some believe it was Raikkonen’s superiority that exacerbated Grosjean’s problems last year.

“Kimi did his job superbly after coming back into Formula 1,” Grosjean insisted. ”He became the leader of the team, even if Lotus has no division of ‘driver 1′ and ‘driver 2′. Kimi of course is a special person, but we had no relationship.”

“I was even surprised when he got to Spa and he said to me ‘Congratulations on the birth of your child’. It was the only thing he said to me in two years.”

[MIKA27]

Mercedes poaches two senior engineers from Red Bull

Mercedes F1 team has poached two important engineers from Formula 1′s dominant quadruple world championship team Red Bull, according to the German newspaper Bild.

The report said vehicle dynamics chief Mark Ellis, and simulation boss Giles Wood, have both been poached by Mercedes.

“Not a nice Christmas surprise for Sebastian Vettel!” Bild correspondent Nicola Pohl surmised.

She said both engineers are due to start work at Brackley in June next year.

[MIKA27]

Boullier angry at reports claiming he is moving to Force India

After having to deny reports he is defecting to Force India from Lotus, team principal Eric Boullier admits the episode has left him annoyed and dismayed by the timing.

As reports the Frenchman is fleeing the financially troubled Enstone based team flourished on the internet, Boullier took to his personal Twitter account to issue a short denial.

“I have never received any (other) offers and I have not resigned,” he said on Monday.

Now, according to Speed Week, Boullier has revealed how the reports caught him by surprise.

“On the ground, everything was going quite normally,” he is quoted by veteran correspondent Agnes Carlier. ”We were preparing for the 2014 season, I was rushing from one meeting to the next, with the days beginning early and finishing late. Every day at full throttle. And then came this story.”

“It’s not just that I had to defend myself to the outside, I had to get together my people in the factory and tell them that there’s nothing to it. reports spread quickly in a racing car factory. But they should know that I’m still here and I’m not going anywhere,” Boullier insisted.

He said that with the regulations changing so radically ahead of the 2014 season, and with a late January deadline for official testing looming large, the timing of the report could not have been worse.

“This is a phase in which every minute counts, as we get the car ready for the first winter test at Jerez in late January,” said Boullier. ”So this was an immense waste of time and energy.”

[MIKA27]

Double points rule ridiculous bullsh*t says Irvine

Former Formula 1 driver Eddie Irvine has issued a stinging assessment of Formula 1′s controversial new double points rule for the season finale.

Regularly critical of the sport’s adoption of gimmicky innovations, such as the overtaking aid DRS, former Ferrari and Jaguar driver Irvine said the rulemakers have gone a step too far with the decision to keep the championship alive by offering double points at the last race of next season in Abu Dhabi.

“That actually made me realise I am not going to watch another race until that rule gets kicked out,” he told the Belfast Telegraph.

“That is just embarrassing. It really is. They should be ashamed of themselves. It’s ridiculous, I’ve never heard such a joke in all my life. Talk about tinsel town bullsh*t,” Irvine added.

48-year-old Irvine, who last raced in Formula 1 in 2002 and now makes his money on the Miami property market, also said he thinks Sebastian Vettel’s four consecutive world championships do not quite stack up against his former Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher’s achievements.

“Vettel’s record is amazing,” he said, “though he has kept the best car pretty much every year which Michael didn’t have.

“He (Schumacher) struggled (at Ferrari) for four years before he won another championship. Vettel just staying at Red Bull winning trophies is boring,” added Irvine. “I don’t see what he’s trying to prove.

“Okay, he’s going to collect a lot of championships, but you know what, who cares?”

Irvine is also critical of Lewis Hamilton, accusing him of trading performance for his desire to“be a movie star or a rapper or something”.

He said he does not keep in touch with any of today’s Formula 1 figures, but sometimes hears from Kimi Raikkonen.

“Kimi Raikkonen rings me the odd time when he’s drunk!” Irvine laughed.

[MIKA27]

Ferrari F138 was the most reliable car in 2013

The Ferrari F138 was the most reliable car on the 2013 grid, with Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa not retiring from a single Grand Prix because of a technical failure.

That is the finding of Auto Motor und Sport magazine, although it said the Maranello based team did not do the most laps in 2013, due to three in-race incidents, including Fernando Alonso’s first lap accident in Malaysia.

Actually, Ferrari was the team with only the fifth-best mileage record of 2013, coming in behind McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes and even Williams. Those teams, however, all had multiple technical retirements, as opposed to the faultless Ferrari.

Among the least reliable teams on the grid was the otherwise competitive Lotus, with seven incident-related retirements and five technical failures, and ahead only of Caterham and Force India.

[mikec]

Thanks Mike - Always good to see/hear from you.

Merry Christmas and happy new year

You too Mika and I hope you are still with the Mercedes fight as next year they have to win...too bad about Ross I guess.

[MIKA27]

You too Mika and I hope you are still with the Mercedes fight as next year they have to win...too bad about Ross I guess.

Yep, still going for Mercedes although in saying this, I tend to also follow the drivers so I'm going for Hulkenberg, Grosjean and of course Alonso. For a team however, Mercedes would be great to see them win with Rosberg.

[MIKA27]

Mercedes packs up after Rosberg’s scary high speed spin on final day of Pirelli test

Nico Rosberg survived a scary 320 km/h blowout on the Bahrain straight during the third and final day of Pirelli tyre testing at Sakhir cicuit.

Rosberg wrote on Twitter, “Just spun at full speed 320 km/h on Bahrain straight cause my tyre blew up without warning. Thanks to that need to get some toilet paper now…”

The tweet was removed shortly afterwards.

The test is shrouded in secrecy as Mercedes, Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Ferrari test the 2014 specification Pirelli F1 tyres with their 2013 cars.

It is understood that the Mercedes W04 was damaged during the incident and with only half day left in the test the team opted not to repair the damage and instead began packing up to return to Brackley.

Pirelli’s media office confirmed to GP247: “This is a private Pirelli tyre test, despite the attendance of more than one team. The test is not open to the media or public, and we won’t issue any media information from the test.”

[MIKA27]

Maldonado visits Lotus HQ and meets up with his new team

Pastor Maldonado visited Enstone for the first time publically where today, he met with his 2014 Lotus teammate Romain Grosjean, Eric Boullier and the team’s engineers.

Lotus then released a black and white photo (above) through Twitter of Grosjean cracking a joke while Maldonado was introduced to Lotus staff during the course of his day at the team’s headquarters.

Maldonado left Williams to replace Ferrari bound Kimi Raikkonen in the Enstone based outfit.

[MIKA27]

Pirelli: Safety of tyres which will be supplied for 2014 is not in question

Pirelli has broken its silence in the aftermath of Nico Rosberg’s high speed blowout during the final morning of testing at Bahrain International Circuit after the German informed the world about the incident through Twitter.

“Just spun at full speed 320 km/h on Bahrain straight ’cause my tyre blew up without warning,” Rosberg said in a tweet that was later deleted. ”Thanks to that need to get some toilet paper now..”

With the news going viral, the Italian company were forced to break a self imposed vow of silence regarding the three day test, and issue a press release entitled; “2014 development going according to plan.”

“The tyre tests in Bahrain regarded a number of prototypes, which were completely innovative in terms of structure and compounds, with the aim of developing the most suitable solutions for … next season.”

The statement added, “This morning Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes was fitted with one of these prototypes, a tyre which had only been tested in the laboratory and which will not be proposed again.”

“Thus, the safety of the tyres which will be supplied for the next Championship is not in question. The accident which happened to Rosberg’s car is being investigated and the findings will be communicated to the FIA and the teams,” concluded Pirelli.

Mercedes along with Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Ferrari is taking part in the Pirelli instigated test with their 2013 spec cars.

While regular testing is banned until next year under current rules, Pirelli had called for a dispensation in order to collect more data about next year’s tyres with representative machinery.

The tyre giant is keen to avoid any repeat of this year’s spectacular British Grand Prix blowouts which threw the sport into crisis and forced Pirelli to revise their tyre construction.

[MIKA27]

Gutierrez soon to be confirmed by Sauber

On Friday, 19 December, Sauber F1 Team is expected to confirm Esteban Gutierrez to partner Adrian Sutil in the team for 2014.

Gutierrez told TotalRace earlier this month, “For me, the priority has to be Sauber. I think it is important in Formula 1 to have continuity, but it is always good to leave all the doors open.”

The Mexican will thus start a second season with the Hinwil based team, after finishing the 2013 Formula 1 season as the highest scoring rookie.

Gutierrez’s first season in F1 did not get off to a great start as he struggled to adapt at the highest level of the sport, particularly when compared to highly rated teammate Nico Hulkenberg.

Early on in the year Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn said, “The car’s performance very much affects the performance of the drivers, so we are not jumping to conclusions. We have to give him a chance to prove himself, but it’s also important to bring home results that have an impact on our finances and our future.”

The second half of the season was far better for the youngster from Monterrey – finished seventh at the Japanese Grand Prix. Evidently he has done enough to be given another shot at the top.

With Sutil already confirmed by Sauber, and the Gutierrez announcement due, it appears that there is no race seat for 18-year-old Russian Sergey Sirotkin who came into the picture in July when the Swiss team courted investment from a Russian consortium, promising much but in the end delivering very little.

Nevertheless Sirotkin is expected to remain with the squad in a reserve test driver role.

[MIKA27]

Bottas out to 'pick things up' from Massa

Felipe Massa will bring a wealth of experience to Williams in 2014, and Valtteri Bottas is confident he will benefit.

While Bottas will only be in his second season in Formula One, next year will mark his Brazilian team-mate's 12th season on the grid with eight of those being at Ferrari.

There is no doubt that Massa will be able to show the 24-year-old some new tricks.

"It's difficult to say yet what I will be able to learn from him, but from every driver there can always be different things to pick up, whether it's something to do with the driving style or how they like to set up a car," Bottas is quoted as saying by Autosport.

"He has seen a lot, he comes from Ferrari and maybe there are things that they do a bit differently there so maybe you can pick up something.

"I will definitely keep an eye out and if there's something to learn, I will take it."

[MIKA27]

Red Bull loses two more key staff to Mercedes

Red Bull has lost a further two employees to Mercedes as the Anglo-German outfit continues to bolster its technical department.

Mark Ellis and Giles Wood, head of vehicle dynamics and chief engineer for simulation respectively, are considered key to Red Bull's success.

They will both leave Red Bull at the end of the year, but won't be able to begin work at Mercedes until June next year, once their contracts have ended.

Ellis will become Mercedes' performance director and Wood chief engineer for simulation and development.

They are just two of several key losses at Red Bull.

[MIKA27]

Vergne: Alonso versus Raikkonen is a Ferrari time bomb

There is no doubt that Kimi Raikkonen’s return to Ferrari has been big news ever since it was announced in September. Many are salivating at the prospect of the two working together or not…Jean Eric Vergne believes that the Maranello outfit may have a time bomb on their hands.

The Toro Rosso driver told Corriere dello Sport, ”Alonso in 2014 is undoubtedly one of the title contenders. But what worries me is the fact that Raikkonen has taken over the cockpit of Felipe Massa. Kimi is a fantastic driver, as is Fernando, together they could be a time bomb for Ferrari.”

Vergne is also convinced that the pecking order in Formula 1 will remain the same despite the massive rule changes which come into effect for the 2014 season “I do not believe that the balance of power will change very quickly. I think that Red Bull will again be ahead of Ferrari.”

The Frenchman also aired his views on the controversial double points for the season finale rule, “I find that wrong, because [in one race] it destroys the entire work of a driver during the season. As drivers, we are not excited about it.”

[MIKA27]

Red Bull reacts to losing senior engineers to Mercedes

In the wake of two Red Bull senior engineers defecting to Mercedes, the World Champions have reacted rapidly by promoting internally.

The team released a statement announcing: “Infiniti Red Bull Racing is pleased to advise that Pierre Waché, Chief Engineer, Car Performance, will take over responsibility for the Vehicle Dynamics department for the team with immediate effect.”

“Having been recruited twelve months ago, Pierre joined the team from Sauber in June and is now well positioned to take on this new role. ”

The statement added, “The team would like to thank Mark Ellis and Giles Wood for their contribution and wish them well for the future.”

[MIKA27]

Kobayashi and Ericsson talking to Caterham for 2014

With Sauber announcing that Esteban Gutierrez will partner Adrian Sutil in the team for 2014, the only race cockpit vacancies on the 2014 grid available are the remaining seat with Marussia (Jules Bianchi has already been confirmed with the Anglo-Russian outfit) and the two berths with Caterham.

Former Toyota and Sauber F1 driver Kamui Kobayashi was spotted at Caterham’s factory this week.

Michael Schmidt, the respected correspondent for Auto Motor und Sport, said that the Japanese driver as well as GP2 Series driver Marcus Ericsson are in the hunt for the race seats.

“GP2 driver Ericsson has the double [million] figure backing of a Swedish global company,” he said, adding that Kobayashi’s many fans are pledging about $6 million towards his Formula 1 return.

Schmidt also reports that Jaime Alguersuari and Paul di Resta have also been connected with Caterham for 2014.

The full house at Caterham could be bad news for Max Chilton, who was hoping to keep his Marussia seat.

Schmidt said that 2013 Caterham refugees Giedo van der Garde and Charles Pic could buy their way into that seat, while Chilton’s backers might be looking to switch their sponsorship focus to football – despite the powerful influence of his father at the insurance giant Aon.

[MIKA27]

Alonso: Raikkonen is a driver who has a rare talent and from whom I can learn a lot

Fernando Alonso is using the festive season to start firing up the troops at Ferrari with some choice quotes before the brief Christmas and New Year hibernation period kicks in.

Speaking at a Santander function in Madrid, the Spaniard said, “I have faith in Ferrari and I am happy to be able to work with Raikkonen, a driver who has a rare talent and from whom I can learn a lot.”

“The experience he and I have will be vital to develop the car: the most important thing is that we work together for Ferrari and that a red car is first across the line, no matter which one.”

Asked about his optimism despite again playing second fiddle to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull in the F1 Championships, he responded, “Why am I optimistic? Because I’m in the Scuderia. Maybe now there are those who believe that it would be better to choose Red Bull, but Ferrari is always the winning hand and one has to have maximum faith in them.”

“I hope [that] we can improve on 2013, maybe making the most of the rule changes to be at the same level as the best,” added the double F1 World Champion.

[MIKA27]

Sauber confirms Gutiérrez and Sirotkin for 2014 Formula 1 season

The Sauber F1 team has announced that Esteban Gutiérrez will stay on for the 2014 season, completing its driver line-up together with Adrian Sutil (confirmed on 13 December by the team). The team’s partnership with Telmex will continue, teenager Sergey Sirotkin will serve as test driver

Gutiérrez first tested with the team at Jerez in late 2009. The following year the talented youngster was signed as ‘affiliated driver’, and 2013 saw him in his debut season as a Formula 1 driver, finishing 16th overall.

Team principal Monisha Kaltenborn said: “We are pleased [that] Esteban will drive for us in 2014, because we believe he is a talented young racing driver. Last season he experienced first hand how hard it can be for a rookie to step into Formula 1.

Nevertheless, throughout the season he improved significantly in qualifying as well as in the races and finished the year as the best rookie in the Drivers’ Championship. Often the results didn’t fully reflect his performances. I am confident [that] Esteban will be able to use his experiences to gain results, and this will be helped by the fact [that] he is very well acquainted with every member of the race team.”

Gutiérrez commented, “I am happy to be able to continue as a driver for the Sauber F1 Team. It was a steep learning curve last season, but by working closely with the team I was able to improve continuously. It will be my fourth year with the team, the second as a racing driver, and I feel comfortable in taking the next step. The technical challenges in 2014 will be massive. Therefore it will be even more important to know … the people you are working with. I will do my very best to improve even more and support the team the best way I can.”

Russian Sirotkin joined the team in August 2013 and has been gaining more and more insight into Formula 1 since then. He has spent several days at the factory in Hinwil and has been working with the engineers.

In late September he drove a demo-run at the new track in Sochi, which will host the Russian Grand Prix in 2014. In October he tested a 2009 Ferrari at Fiorano. The Sauber F1 Team’s aim is to prepare Sergey for his debut in F1.

“We have been working with Sergey since August, and he has been able to gain more and more insight. Now he is taking the next step towards the top level of motorsport in his new role as a test driver. Our experience of him is as a very focused, calm and talented driver. Now we will continue to support him, including obtaining his super license. Our goal remains to prepare him for a debut in F1,” said Kaltenborn.

Sirotkin added, “It’s a big chance for me to become the test driver for the Sauber F1 Team. I will work hard to improve myself and to extract the maximum out of this opportunity. F1 is very complex, so it is important to get an opportunity like this. My main focus next year, however, will be the World Series by Renault, which is very competitive. This will give me the chance to prepare even better in order to be ready for the next big step.”

Telmex will stay the team’s premium partner with the logo of the Mexican telecommunications company continuing to have a significant presence on the cars.

Carlos Slim Domit, Telmex chairman said, “We at Telmex and Telcel are very proud to continue being part of the Sauber F1 Team to keep consolidating our succesful history in motorsport, particularly in F1 and our driver development programme for Mexican and Latin drivers such as Esteban Gutiérrez, a great young talent, friend and human being.”

“We are proud that three years ago Telmex chose the Sauber F1 Team to enter F1 with, and that our partnership has been an instant success. We are very pleased to be able to continue the good cooperation, and think this is also a very good fit looking at a possible grand prix in Mexico. Telmex has been involved on different levels of motorsport for a number of years in various categories. We are pleased to be able to contribute to its vision on the top level of motorsports, and we are looking forward to further develop and strengthen our partnership with the corporation,” concluded Kaltenborn.

[MIKA27]

Ferrari will choose name for 2014 F1 car with help of the team’s internet fans

What will be the name of the Ferrari F1 car for 2014? It will be chosen this coming January by millions of Ferrari fans from around the globe through the Internet.

President Luca di Montezemolo announced the news at the traditional pre-Christmas dinner with the Italian motor sport media at the Fiorano circuit.

Ferrari has always made good use of its website, and indeed the Scuderia was the first F1 team to present its new car on line, back in 1996.

Once again this year, the new car launch proved very popular, with 83,000 all on-line at the same time, a figure almost equal to those who watched the wedding of William and Kate live (87,000) from 158 different countries.

The Scuderia’s official Facebook page, which has only been up and running for a few months, this morning at 6.15 CET reached the 500,000 liker mark thanks to Giovanni Refugia Arceo from Colombia, while the company page has sailed past the 12.5 million mark. @insideferrari, the official Twitter account which, among other things, allows one to follow a race weekend in real time from inside the Maranello marque’s garage, has over 670,000 followers.

The Scuderia’s website has comfortably exceeded 10 million pages visited (+13.5% compared to 2012) and had 3.5 million individual visitors (+28%) while hits have grown by 20% from 4.5 to 5.5 million. Visitors have come from 227 countries: Italy still leads the way, followed by Great Britain, Spain, USA and Brazil, but there are also plenty of fans in the Central African Republic and Tonga.

Of the most significant increases, Finland has gone up by 554%. Indeed the news concerning the return of Kimi Raikkonen was the most clicked-on of the year (166,119 hits.)

[MIKA27]

Unpopular double points for F1 season finale could be scrapped says Ferrari boss

Formula 1′s decision to award double points at the last race of the season could be scrapped after next year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, if not before, according to Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo.

The Italian told reporters attending a Christmas lunch at the Fiorano test track that he was no fan of the controversial rule change that has got fans up in arms and been branded ‘absurd’ by Red Bull’s World Champion Sebastian Vettel.

“I am not enthusiastic about it, because for me it looks too artificial. We will see,” he declared.

Asked whether the decision might be reversed before the start of the season in March, the Italian shrugged: “This I don’t know. I will not be surprised if after one year they will change it.”

Montezemolo said Ferrari had not vetoed the measure when it came to a vote because they felt it was not an important enough issue to warrant such action. However, it would be discussed further.

“I think the best way to find out may be to do one year as a test,” he said. “I personally have some doubts. I told this to [FIA president Jean] Todt and I told this to [commercial supremo] Bernie [Ecclestone] privately.

“Anyway, we had unanimous agreement to do it. We will look at it but in the future we need to have far more involvement of the teams, the tifosi (fans), media, all the stakeholders of F1.”

Team principal Stefano Domenicali, who also attended the lunch, indicated that the double points decision was far from definite.

“I think, considering what is the situation, it would not be wrong to reconsider it,” he said. “That means you are listening to all the interested parties.”

Montezemolo cited the example of qualifying, which had an unpopular and short-lived phase of each driver performing a solo lap against the clock, as an example of the sport getting it wrong and having to backtrack.

The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) announced this month that double points would be awarded at the final round of the season from next year in an attempt to keep the title battle undecided to the end.

Red Bull and Vettel have won the last four Drivers and Constructors’ Championships, with the dominant 26-year-old German this year taking a record nine wins in a row in a single season.

“This is absurd and punishes those who have worked hard for a whole season,” Vettel told Bild. ”Imagine me, on the last Bundesliga [football] match there would suddenly double points.”

Vettel added, ”I value the old traditions in Formula 1 and do not understand this new rule. Drivers, fans and experts are horrified.”

The FIA said that the double points decision was unanimously approved at a meeting of its Formula 1 commission and the newly formed F1 Strategy Group, which includes Ferrari.

The Italian glamour team,, the oldest and most successful in the sport, has a right to veto changes but Montezemolo was clear about when he felt it should be used.

“I don’t want that Ferrari puts a veto for something that is not so essential to F1,” he said. “I would put a veto if they asked me to do a four cylinder engine, because I don’t do motorcycles.”

“I would put a veto if they decided…that now the drivers are obliged to drive with one hand because they get tired and it’s more interesting for the race.”

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BBC and Sky confirm shared live coverage of F1 races in 2014

Following a very successful 2013 season which saw 27.8 million people* watching F1 racing on the BBC (which is an increase of 1.2 million on 2012) the BBC today confirms it will show the following Grands Prix live on television in 2014:

• Malaysia – 30 March
  
• Spain - 11 May
  
• Canada - 8 June
  
• Silverstone - 6 July
  
• Belgium - 24 August
  
• Italy - 7 September
  
• Japan - 5 October
  
• Russia - 12 October
  
• Abu Dhabi - 23 November
  

The remaining ten races will be shown as extended highlights, which are proving increasingly popular with audiences – the highlights from Germany saw a peak audience of 7.7 million.

All 19 races will be live on BBC Radio 5 live or 5 live sports extra.

BBC Head of F1, Ben Gallop says “It has been another great year for F1 on the BBC. We’re now very much looking forward to 2014 and feel we have a strong package for our TV coverage. This format of both live and highlights is attracting a wide range of viewers and we hope to see even more people tuning in next year to experience the magic of Formula 1.”

As in previous years, the division of live and non-live races is reached through a negotiation process with fellow broadcaster Sky, the BBC does not just pick a list of races to show live. Preferred picks are based on a wide variety of factors with the BBC aiming to put together a strong cross-section of the season that delivers for audiences, with those not shown live on TV strongly complemented by extended TV highlights, live radio and online coverage.

Meanwhile, Sky announced: “The grands prix to be shown live only on Sky Sports F1 include three of the first four races and two of the final three. The ten races to be shown exclusively live are Australia, Bahrain, China, Monaco, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Singapore, USA and Brazil. All of the remaining nine races will also be shown live on Sky Sports F1.”

[MIKA27]

Formula 1 secures TV rights deal for Middle East

Formula 1 has agreed a new TV deal that covers the Middle East, a boost for the sport after Sebastian Vettel’s domination led to criticism that it had become boring for viewers.

International media company MP & Silva has bought the rights in a six-year deal covering the Middle East and North Africa, starting from 2014. This will be the the first time that the company has been involved with Formula 1.

“The purpose of this agreement is to help grow interest in F1 throughout the Middle East and I am confident that MP & Silva can help us achieve that,” F1 Chief Executive Bernie Ecclestone said in a statement.

MP & Silva effectively acts as a middleman, guaranteeing Formula 1 a price for the rights which it can then sell on to broadcasters in the region.

The sport has retained a very strong appeal and Middle East, with interest fuelled by races in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, said Peter Hutton, chief operating officer with MP & Silva.

“We’ve taken a long term position with the sport,” he said.

“If you look at F1, duels at the top of the sport have always existed,” he added, saying that Vettel’s winning streak would face a strong challenge after his four straight World titles.

MP & Silva has also bought the rights for Poland and Romania from 2014 to 2019, and Bulgaria from 2015-19.

[MIKA27]

Ferrari unveil their V6 turbo saying farewell to engines and hello to power units

The V6 turbocharged engine (designated 059/3) which Ferrari will use in the 2014 F1 World Championship was shown to a select group of the media at the team’s Maranello headquarters in Italy on Thursday.

The new rules mean that F1 engine technology has been taken to another level, hence the term ‘power units’ which the team’s head of engines and electronics Luca Marmorini explained, “As a result of the 2014 regulations, we no longer talk of engines, but of power units. It’s a very complex project and we have been working on it for the past two years.”

“It’s a 1600 cc turbocharged internal combustion engine and only 100 litres of fuel can be used in a race, which means that the more efficient an engine, the more power it can use. Along with the turbocharger, there will be an electric motor, which will also act as a generator, allowing for the recovery of energy from the exhaust gasses.”

“As was already the case, a second electric motor will recover energy from braking, although it will be able to put out almost double the power of the one currently in use. All the energy generated by the electric motors will be stored in a much bigger and more powerful battery pack than the current one, but it will still be fitted below the fuel cell.”

Marmorini added, ”The electronic control system will be even more sophisticated to coordinate and manage all these new electro-mechanical devices. A new regulation, a fascinating challenge, which places great emphasis on energy recovery and on the efficiency of the power unit.”

During his presentation Marmorini called up on stage with him those who had coordinated the various areas of the project: Mattia Binotto (deputy head of engines and electronics,) Enrico Gualtieri (engine reliability,) Guido Di Paola (engine design,) Dave Salters (testing,) Daniele Zecchetti (advanced systems development,) Stefano Lovera (electronics) and Thierry Baritaud.

Ferrari concluded in its press release, “The adventure of the new power-train has only just begun.”

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'Hamilton lost the plot after early success'

Eddie Irvine believes Lewis Hamilton went 'too showbiz' after he won the Drivers' Championship in 2008.

Although Hamilton is often mentioned in the same breath as multiple world champions Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso, the Briton hasn't finished higher than fourth in the Drivers' Championship following his second place finish in 2007 and title-winning campaign the following year.

"I think Lewis lost the plot a little bit because he went too showbiz. His entry into F1 was fantastic and his talent was amazing," Irvine told the Belfast Telegraph.

"Then he wanted to be a movie star or a rapper or something else.

"People want their sports stars to be 100 per cent committed to being sports stars. I think he is coming back from that now though and it would be nice if he could challenge Vettel.

"Lewis and Fernando Alonso are the two guys capable of taking Vettel on if their cars are up to it.

"Unfortunately, they aren't at the moment."