FORMULA 1 - 2013

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Williams preview the Japanese GP

Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas admit they are big fans of the Suzuka circuit despite it being a very challenging track.

Pastor Maldonado: "Japan is one of my favourite races of the season, not only because of the track layout but because of the huge community of fans that are incredibly passionate about the sport and create one of the best atmospheres of the season. The Suzuka circuit is a proper Formula 1 track, especially the first part which is uphill and has lots of changes of direction and high speed corners. This is a very challenging track layout for car set-up and you need to find a good overall car balance, the tyres need to be operating within the right temperatures and pressures, aero efficiency must be good and mechanically you need to have the right set-up. Without these elements coming together you feel a noticeable drop in performance and you can pay a high penalty in terms of laptime."

Valtteri Bottas: "I drove in FP1 last year and Suzuka immediately became my favourite track because of the high speed and the special corner combinations. Sector 1 is especially fun to drive because it is a bit like a rollercoaster with its quick changes in elevation. The fans also make this a special race; they are very supportive and there are a lot of fans who support Finnish drivers. It can be difficult to overtake on this track so doing well in qualifying will be important, but the weather can be quite variable so that can open up opportunities to play with the strategy. Car set-up is difficult because of the mix of corners where you have long high speed corners combined with slower technical sections where you need good mechanical grip, so you have to compromise somewhat with car set-up."

Xevi Pujolar, chief race engineer: "Suzuka is a unique old-style circuit featuring a trademark figure-of-eight layout, with the back straight passing over the front section via an overpass. It's a challenging circuit for the cars and drivers with an above average level of overtaking, predominantly due to drivers making mistakes. Sector 1 is dominated by the level of downforce and fuel loads, whilst Sector 3 is dominated by drag. The layout leads to high average corner speeds, second only to Silverstone, as well as high average overall speed and power sensitivity. This also leads to high energy input into the tyres, which along with the circuit roughness can lead to tyre wear problems. Last year new storm water drainage systems were installed around the newly surfaced part of the track, and this may come in handy this year as, although the chance of rain is low, Tropical Storm DANAS is currently heading towards Japan and is expected to skirt the coastline over the next few days. It should pass through the area prior to qualifying and the race, but there is a chance that its direction and speed may not be as forecast."

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Fernando Alonso says it's a miracle Ferrari still has F1 title hope

Fernando Alonso believes it is a miracle that he and Ferrari are still in contention for the 2013 Formula 1 world championship at this stage of the season.

The Spaniard is not giving up hope of prolonging the title fight even though Sebastian Vettel can clinch the crown at Suzuka this weekend.

But given the performance of the car, Alonso believes even being 77 points behind Vettel in the standings is a great achievement.

"If someone joins F1 today or yesterday and you tell them that the red car with the blue helmet is fighting for the world championship and still second, they would say 'it's not true, it's a miracle,'" said Alonso.

"We did a miracle for 15 races and we try to keep this miracle alive for the remaining five."

RETURN TO FORM EXPECTED

Ferrari suffered a downturn in form in Korea, with Alonso finishing sixth after a hat-trick of second places in Belgium, Italy and Singapore.

But he believes that while Korea was a difficult weekend, those second places were not representative of Ferrari's place in the competitive order.

"The three consecutive second positions were over-performing," said Alonso. "We had the car to be third, fourth or fifth.

"After three little miracles, we had a bad weekend in Korea and I think something in the middle should be our target for the next races, fighting for some positions on the podium."

Improving its race pace will be the key for Ferrari showing stronger form at Suzuka this weekend.

Alonso is resigned to starting no higher than the third row of the grid, but he expects to be more competitive on Sunday afternoon.

"We have to be realistic and think that in Suzuka we will be between fifth and eighth [on the grid] I reckon, which is normal," he said.

"But what we need to recover is the form we have on Sundays.

"Normally, we do a very good strategy, we have better degradation than the others and we are fighting for the podium.

"This is what I hope and expect for Suzuka."

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Alonso: I am a fan of Samurai culture and that is one of the things that inspires me

Arriving in Japan for Round 15 of the 2013 Formula 1 World Championship, Fernando Alonso revealed that the culture of the Samurai provides him with inspiration which he will draw from this weekend as he tackles one of his favourite tracks – Suzuka.

Speaking ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix the Spaniard said, ”I like the culture of Japan, where education and discipline feature very strongly and the people are so polite. I am a fan of Samurai culture in particular and that is one of the things that inspires me and makes me happy when I come here.”

“Suzuka is definitely a very, very nice track to drive, especially the first sector with all the fast Esses,” added Alonso. “I’d say it’s a track that definitely needs to be tackled in a very aggressive manner, where aerodynamics is the most important factor, because you have a lot of high speed corners and so the aero has to be perfect to be fast in Suzuka.”

Fernando Alonso won the 2006 Japanese GP as a Renault driver

“Then the changeable weather that is a feature at this time of year means it is a very demanding race, not just for the drivers but also for the engineers,” explained the two times world champion.

The weekend is always well mapped out by the Ferrari engineers. Alonso gave some insight on how the team will tackle the opening day at Suzuka.

“On Friday, normally we concentrate on testing new components that we bring to every race, although maybe we do a bit less of that at this late stage in the season,” explained Alonso. “The first session is all about aerodynamics and the second we really look into the two types of tyre, the two compounds we have to use over the weekend, assessing their performance over a single lap and also on a long run.”

As a Renault driver Alonso won the Japanese GP in 2006 at Suzuka and 2008 at Fuji, “The nicest memory was in 2006, my only win here in Suzuka, which was also very important in my fight for the World Championship title.”

As for the this year’s race, despite the title being almost out of reach, Alonso remains determined to fight all the way, “We need to have a good race. There is still a lot up for grabs: second place in the Constructors’ championship and it’s not yet over in the Drivers’ championship.”

“This is a key moment in the championship: Suzuka is a track I like a lot and the best possible place to have a good race on Sunday.

We come from a place [Korea] where the crowd was not so big, while in Japan the fans are fantastic and they really love Formula 1.

We hope we can give them the result they want as they pack the Suzuka grandstands, as they do every year.”

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Massa: Japan has an incredible set of F1 fans and many cheer for Ferrari

Felipe Massa may be racing his final Japanese Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver, but in the build-up to the race he is quick to point out that the reds have a huge and enthusiastic following whenever Formula 1 sets up camp at Suzuka, a track he relishes.

Speaking ahead of the weekend in Japan, Massa said, “I think Japan has one of the most incredible set of fans in general, and many of them are also cheering for Ferrari. Even on Thursday when there is no track action, the fans are there in the grandstands opposite the pits, whether it is dry or raining.”

“That’s the most incredible thing about racing in Japan, looking at the excitement and the love the fans have for Formula 1. The people are fantastic, very well educated I think it’s a lesson in life going to Japan and living among them for a while,” mused the Brazilian who has twice finished second at Suzuka, in 2006 and 2012.

The Brazilian recalled, “I’ve got good memories of my two second places here, especially the one in 2006 when I started from pole after doing a fantastic lap in qualifying and I came second again last year. I think my driving style suits this rather old style track with all its fast corners.”

Massa gave insight on how he and Ferrari will tackle the free practice sessions on Friday, ”The first free practice session allows you to begin to understand how the car is handling and gives you an idea if the set-up is likely to be going in the right direction. You don’t do that many laps in the first session. Then in the second one, you do just a few laps on the new tyres, before pitting to put as much fuel in as you can and start a race simulation.”

“So the second session is a bit more linked to the race, to get a feeling for the car on full tanks, and then on Saturday, you look much more towards the afternoon’s qualifying, with low fuel and so on,” revealed Massa.

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A Theory: Red Bull's legal traction control explained?

Many theories have been circulating the internet and the paddock as to how Sebastian Vettel was so dominant in Singapore. Those theories grew stronger when former team-owner Giancarlo Minardi suggested Red Bull, at least on Vettel's car, were running a form of traction control.

It would obviously be absurd for Red Bull to do such a thing as traction control is illegal and would be fairly easy to identify as all the teams use a homologated electronic control unit (ECU) produced by McLaren Electronics. However, Vettel's two-second a lap advantage around a slow, corner heavy circuit such as Singapore - the perfect layout for traction control - cannot simply be down to talent alone.

There must be something different on the RB9 of Vettel, surely?

An interesting theory published by Racecar Engineering offers up some interesting insight and it might just provide the answer to Red Bull's dominance.

According to the article, Red Bull might just have found a legal way of controlling the car's traction through suspension shocks, sensors and KERS.

THE THEORY EXPLAINED

Additional sensors on the shocks at the rear of the car are controlling the KERS and the engine to provide the correct amount of power at exactly the right time.

When the shocks are fully compressed, i.e. when the car is pushed into the ground and therefore the tyres have good contact with the surface, the sensors tell the throttle to deliver maximum power from the engine.

When the shocks are extended, i.e. when the tyres don't have good traction with the track surface, the sensors activate the KERS charging phase, reducing the torque through the rear-wheels as it increases the speed of the harvesting process.

This would, when fine tuned, reduce the amount of wheel-spin on the exit of a corner, regardless of whether the German has his foot fully-depressed against the accelerator or not.

This would explain why Vettel can 'get on the power' far earlier than his rivals, as pointed out by Minardi and Lewis Hamilton recently.

"Sebastian was able to [accelerate] 50 metres before any other driver, Webber included," claimed the Italian.

Whilst Hamilton said: "If you look at the onboards, [Vettel] is on the power at least 20 metres before everyone else, which is a huge advantage."

Could Red Bull's KERS and alternator issues last year and the year before that also support such a claim?

The demands placed on the system would be far greater than that of a 'regular' system which harvests power only under braking and could explain why Renault's earlier units kept failing. Obviously there is no concrete proof Red Bull are doing anything, legal or illegal, which could be imitating traction control, but the idea is certainly possible...and legal.

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Rush 2: What happened next for Lauda and Hunt?

You are a Formula 1 fan, therefore, most probably you’ve seen Rush by now. The story of Niki Lauda vs. James Hunt; their titanic F1 rivalry, as interpreted by Hollywood.

And Rush left us at the end of the 1976 season with the two on top of the world: Lauda having returned from his horrific and fiery mid-season Nurburgring accident, in a scarcely plausible timespan, to defend his F1 world title. And Hunt having made good on his potential and defied his many doubters by pipping Lauda to become world champion himself.

As is indicated by the fact that Rush was made at all, the two were a quintessential pair of protagonists, discrepant personalities that could have been borne of the imagination of a Hollywood scriptwriter had they not actually existed. Lauda: intense, anti-social, rational; Hunt: expressive, controversial, instinctive. Seemingly all they had in common was supreme talent.

But for all of the reverence that the rivalry still receives, it wasn’t a long-lasting one at the sport’s pinnacle. There was no Hunt-Lauda era: just three years on from the day in Fuji on which Rush – and the 1976 campaign – reached its crescendo both drivers had left the sport, having become also-rans, and had walked away abruptly and barely with a backwards glance. In this case, as in many, the light that burned twice as bright burned half as long.

Rush 2, a sequel to the celebrated film, is unlikely ever to be made as subsequent events for Hunt and Lauda don’t seem quite as apt for Hollywood treatment as the 1976 year. But this particular tale is no less fascinating for that.

On the face of it the year that followed 1976 offered up more of the same. In 1977 Lauda helped himself to title number two and Hunt, while not racking up as many points as he might have thanks to a variety of factors, was a habitual front-runner. But even within this campaign some of the seeds that led eventually to them walking out of F1 were sown.

In Lauda’s case it could all be traced back even further indeed, to the 1976 year, and to a matter that Rush didn’t really cover, in the aftermath of his Nurburgring accident.

For all of Ferrari’s public stoicism after the harrowing crash, as Lauda noted: ‘in private, they were at sixes and sevens’. The team struggled to believe that Lauda – physically or psychologically – could return to his former potency, and compounded the ‘insult’ (as far as Lauda was concerned) by swiftly snapping up Carlos Reutemann to the driving staff, ostensibly to replace the Austrian. Needless to say, Lauda rather resented his presence.

And the Ferrari team’s view of Lauda got worse after he pulled out of the 1976 championship finale in Fuji’s rain, objecting to the soaking wet conditions, and thus to a large extent dashed his chances of the crown. To understand why the team might have reacted as it did a brief history lesson is required: then the big Scuderia boss Enzo Ferrari didn’t attend F1 races, and hadn’t done with any regularity since the 1950s. And with media coverage of races rudimentary at the time he was reliant on a circle of (often self-serving) team advisors for information, as well as on the Italian press. And the Italian press in particular went to town after Fuji in asserting repeatedly that Lauda had lost his nerve, Lauda was finished and the like. Worse, the Commendatore believed it, and as a result offered Lauda the role as Ferrari team manager, an offer that Niki saw for what it was: an attempt to let him down gently as the team didn’t think he was up to driving anymore. After some bartering he retained his drive for 1977, but at this point the relationship of trust was broken, and Lauda resolved to leave Ferrari once his contract expired at the end of 1977.

1977 was a curious F1 season, one in which as Peter Windsor noted in that year’s Autocourse ‘the racers came second’. Everywhere it seemed that Hunt, along with Mario Andretti in the Lotus 78, scampered off into the distance together in a race of two. But equally it seemed that everywhere, for some reason, the two would fail to make it to the finish. ‘Development’ Cosworth engines, that often went pop, were part of the problem. On occasion Hunt himself erred. But along with this it was, in Hunt’s own words, ‘just not our year’; a campaign in which always something it seemed would go against him.

A few stats tell the story: Hunt led 222 laps that year to Lauda’s 190, led in 10 races to Lauda’s four, and took six poles to Lauda’s two. Yet somehow it added up to only 40 points for Hunt to Lauda’s 72 (and Lauda sat out the last two races) and a distant fifth place in the drivers’ standings.

Lauda benefitted from this, as well as from his own guile and some time-honoured Ferrari reliability, to cruise to the title with two races to spare.

Bad luck wasn’t the whole story though: Hunt took pole in the opening three rounds of 1977 in the trusty M23 that he’d won the previous year’s title in, and was confident that with it again he would retain his championship. However, the long-overdue successor in the M26 had been sitting poised for its debut since mid-1976 and five rounds into the 1977 campaign McLaren decided finally to take the plunge with it. Sadly it never seemed as good as the car it replaced, suffering particularly from heavy steering and poor handling (F1 cars not being as good as their predecessor was not all that uncommon at the time, with wind tunnels and other evidence-gathering used but rarely in their design).

Still, it was felt that Hunt had got much more out of the M26 than it deserved, and Lauda indeed thought Hunt was the driver of the year in 1977: ‘James drove tremendously well in ’77…By and large he was the best driver of the season. I don’t remember him making a single mistake, and I always regarded him as my toughest opponent’. If the late title charge of 1976 can be considered Hunt’s zenith, on-track at least his 1977 effort deserves to be ranked alongside it.

It was in 1978 however that things really started to change for both Lauda and Hunt. For Lauda there was a change of scenery as he decided to throw his lot in with Brabham, a team that had been thereabouts but never quite there in recent seasons. While Hunt, still at McLaren, thanks to his 1977 efforts started the campaign as bookies’ favourite for the title. But for both the year fell way short of expectations.

In Hunt’s case the shortcomings of the M26 really were shown up this in campaign: a single podium finish, a five-lap glory run leading in Jarama and a meagre eight points were all he salvaged from the 1978 year. And Hunt to be frank didn’t often look better than his car: by various accounts he wasn’t necessarily the first driver you’d pick if your team was up against it. Hunt’s interest declined gradually as the year progressed and mistakes crept in more and more; he retired due to accidents in no fewer than six races. It didn’t help either that Hunt’s rather lost faith in the McLaren management which had lost its focus seemingly; Hunt in particular was not happy with their decision to select Patrick Tambay as his team mate rather than the pilot who he saw as the more talented in Gilles Villeneuve.

For Lauda things were slightly better that year with two wins claimed (albeit both came in rather peculiar circumstances), though his year was also broadly one of frustration. The Brabham, penned by genius designer Gordon Murray, was one that for Lauda in Nigel Roebuck’s words: ‘completely seduced him. With surface air cooling, built-in jacks, digital instrumentation, boundless trick stuff, there were so many things to go wrong! So many things he could help to put right…For there has always lain Niki’s chief interest in motor racing.’ And the consensus that year was that Lauda was driving as well as ever.

Adding to the Brabham’s distinction was that it was one of the few F1 cars in the 1970s not powered by the Ford Cosworth, instead having the horses provided by a lovely-sounding Alfa-Romeo Flat 12. But this was a lot of the problem, as the Lauda noted: ‘Everything would have gone like a dream if only we had had a different engine. The 12-cylinder Alfa simply couldn’t hack it, and there were problems and crises round the clock. We missed finishing race after race because of some nonsense or other, an oil-seal defect or similar.’

The Alfa engines’ shortcomings – weight, complexity, fuel-thirstiness, unreliability – were never resolved. And in 1979 the marque added to Lauda’s exasperation by starting up its own team and so no longer giving Brabham its undivided attention.

But what really kept Lauda (and Hunt) away from the winner’s circle was that year’s Lotus, and the ground effect. The team had introduced the concept to an extent with the ‘wing car’ on show in 1977, but the Lotus 79 brought in for the following year left that, and everything else for that matter, utterly breathless. It took the ground effect concept further with sliding skirts that kept the low pressure area under the car sealed in, and in Andretti’s words it was like driving a car that was ‘painted to the road’.

Come 1979 the matter got even more acute, as it transpired that the ground effect was not just a mod con to be bolted onto your car, rather it was a whole new science to be explored, and that the Lotus 79 was barely the start. And the effect on the F1 competitive order was akin to that of a tsunami: few designers got it right and resultantly previous established front running teams (and, by extension, drivers) were swept aside virtually overnight, in time including Lotus ironically enough. And in their stead outfits that had previously been viewed as little more than plucky midfield triers, such as Williams and Ligier, all of a sudden found themselves with cars to beat. And for haughty drivers such as Lauda and Hunt this effect was severely compounded by the fact that the ground effect greatly diminished the potential the driver had to make a difference to the result. It was compounded further by that the cars were dangerous, with the greatly increased downforce increasing speeds as well as straining and breaking components regularly. All in, it’s not for nothing that the retirement rate of famous drivers spiked in the ground effect era: to Hunt and Lauda you can add Scheckter, Fittipaldi, Andretti, Jones, Reutemann and others.

And one way or another in 1978 the danger of his participation in the sport had started to preoccupy Hunt. The thought had always been in a mental recess somewhere for him (as evidenced by his tendency to throw up before races), but by his own admission for as long as he was able to fight for wins he was able to suppress it all. And he wasn’t on either count in 1978: ‘I was getting scared of hurting myself’, said Hunt. ‘I don’t think that would have happened if I had been in a car that could win, because that’s the way I am: in a competitive situation everything else goes out of my head. But I didn’t have that for my last couple of years…’ As Hunt noted on his F1 career to Roebuck some years after retiring, and after establishing himself as an F1 commentator of some renown: ‘I never really liked it when I was doing it’.

Deciding that he wasn’t prepared to risk his life in the fight for tenth place, in the days after the 1979 Monaco Grand Prix Hunt – still young, not yet 32 – confirmed that he was stopping as a racing driver with immediate effect.

Self-preservation had been on Hunt’s mind for a while. But what absolutely threw Hunt were the events at the start of the Italian Grand Prix in Monza in 1978, wherein he and Ronnie Peterson were involved in a multi-car crash in the run to the first turn, which smashed Peterson’s legs and eventually killed him on the operating table. It was Hunt that pulled Peterson from his burning car, and when he laid him on the tarmac he could see the fear and severe pain across the Swede’s face, which had an indelible impact. The final confirmation may have lain some months into the future, but most believe it was here that Hunt made his decision to quit racing.

Initially Hunt decided that he would quit at the conclusion of 1978, but he was convinced to stay for one more season, arguably for the wrong reasons, as the Wolf team waved a big $1million cheque at him (though teaming up with his old designer from his Hesketh days, Harvey Postlethwaite, tempted too). But come the 1979 campaign itself there was little otherwise to rekindle Hunt’s interest: the team was running out of money (Walter Wolf’s other businesses weren’t doing well) and the car was off the pace which meant that the Wolf race wins of two years previously may as well have been in another age. Hunt’s relationship with the team manager Peter Warr was strained - indeed it had been strained for a few years previously. Worst of all Hunt’s fears from Monza the previous year were aggravated a brake failure in a Kyalami qualifying session, and Hunt despite somehow coming to rest having not hit anything was described by Jackie Stewart upon encountering him shortly afterwards as ‘a truly frightened man’ and that he was physically shaking. Before long in 1979 Hunt was telling confidants that he had resolved to quit, indeed that he’d be out of there as soon as the mid-year point was reached at which point he’d be entitled to half of his year’s retainer. And following that point after Monaco that is indeed what he did.

For Lauda things were little better. A V12 Alfa engine for 1979 was produced hastily in an attempt to allow the team to make more hay from the ground effect, but it still wasn’t ideal in this regard, and if anything the unit was worse on unreliability and the other vices than its predecessor flat 12. Lauda was almost never on the pace, and only finished two races out of 13. Then came the penultimate round of the year in Canada.

For all of Hunt and Lauda’s apparent disparity the two were in many ways similar; indeed they were friends, and Hunt once commented on Lauda: ‘he in fact in personality and type is and always was the closest guy to me, we’ve been friends for a long time’.

And this similarity included their attitude to the sport: for neither was it simply enough to race for racing’s sake as was the case for a Clay Regazzoni or a Jacques Laffite. To a large extent, both Lauda’s and Hunt’s attitude to the sport was consumerist: both sought what they wanted from it – in Lauda’s case defeating challenges and in Hunt’s case the glory of victory – and when they found that they weren’t getting this they walked away almost immediately. For Lauda it was done literally during a practice session at Montreal. Another similarity between the two was that neither paid much heed to convention.

As intimated above, for Lauda there always had to be a challenge. For much of the 1979 year – despite next to no sustenance in terms of race results – Lauda kept himself amused with a frenzied and extended contract battle with Brabham’s boss, one Bernie Ecclestone, seeking $2million for the 1980 season (an astronomical sum at the time). Lauda won this, then for the Canadian round had a new Cosworth-powered BT49 at his disposal; Bernie not before time deciding to ditch Alfa. It was a car that was plainly going to be on the pace immediately. But perhaps that was the problem. Nigel Roebuck noted: ‘I always had a pet theory that one contributory factor in Niki’s “instant” retirement in 1979 may have been that (Gordon) Murray’s new car…did nothing to excite him. It was clearly going to be the business, but essentially it was, well, mainstream.’

Indeed, Lauda’s actions in his second F1 career – when having overcome the challenge of a comeback, developing and then winning in McLaren’s turbo car, and of beating his rapid young team mate Alain Prost, partway through the year of his final championship in 1984 sought to start over again with a Renault move for 1985 (a move that didn’t come off thanks to a malicious leak of the contract negotiations) – seem to back this theory up.

And the day before he walked away in Montreal, judging by his words, it seemed the urge to quit was in Lauda’s mind: ‘The longer you are in motor racing, the more boring it is in one way’ said Lauda, ‘because everything is the same all the time, and it needs special motivation. You know, if…you are 25 years old or 22 years old when you start motor racing the motivation is there because you want to get in, you want to know everything you want to win and all that. So if you know everything having won a lot of races you always need new motivation…If you get in the car all miserable…it won’t work, and I sometimes feel a little bit of not all that power…I’ve only finished two races this year so it’s all not funny anymore, so it really does get boring…my heart and head is (still) there, but I can feel one day it won’t be anymore and then I’ll retire overnight.’

Whatever was the case, no sooner had he left the Montreal pits in his new machine for the opening practice session there something convinced Lauda to stop: ‘I have only one thought’ he said in his autobiography To Hell and Back, ‘you don’t belong here, you don’t belong here at all. Go and do something else. Now.’

And he did. Having returned to the pits, unbuckled and told Bernie of his decision he left the circuit, not even collecting his helmet and overalls. Later that day, he let out the irritated comment in front of a couple of journalists that he was ‘fed up driving around in stupid circles’, and it was this sentiment that was forever to be associated with his surprise, instant, pullout.

And his old adversity Hunt supported Lauda’s decision absolutely: ‘When you’re young and an up-and-comer…you can still build a reputation in a car that’s not capable of winning Grands Prix…say if you beat your team mate…When you’re at Niki’s stage you’re only in the business to win, you’re not proving anything else, if anything when driving a bad car you’re pushing down your reputation…With all the excitement and travel and everything it’s (motor racing is) very hard work. It’s fine when you’re winning…there’s nothing better for getting you right up to your peak of motivation if you’re in a car that can win and there’s nothing worse if you’re at his (Lauda’s) or my stage of your career than driving a car that you know can’t win.’

And before anyone knew it F1 was continuing as before without the previous iconic pair. Most were preoccupied with Alan Jones and his stunningly fast Williams FW07, Gilles Villeneuve fighting in his Ferrari 312T4, new champion Jody Scheckter and the pace of Nelson Piquet in his fresh-out-of-the-workshop Brabham BT49, and the world moved on. Just as was the case for the two dropping out drivers, it seemed the sport itself barely gave a backward glance to them as they left. Nothing in F1 stands still for long, and the tale of the decline and departure of Hunt and Lauda following their 1976 crowning glory demonstrated as much with particular impudence.

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Promising signs for Merc

They may have left Korea frustrated, but Mercedes are confident they will bounce back at the Japanese Grand Prix.

All the signs pointed to a positive race on Sunday at Yeongam after Lewis Hamilton qualified P2 behind Sebastian Vettel with his team-mate Nico Rosberg starting behind him on the grid.

However, it proved to be a tough day at the office for the squad with Hamilton finishing down in fifth, two places ahead of Rosberg, who suffered structural failure on the front wing assembly of his car.

Despite their struggles, the team still managed to close the gap to Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship, and Mercedes motorsport chief Toto Wolff is upbeat about their chances at Suzuka this weekend.

"The team had a frustrating time in Korea: qualifying showed the pace that we had in the car but we were not able to use it at the right moments of the race," he said.

"We also lost points because of a problem on Nico's car and everybody in the team is working hard to get on top of reliability issues like this one. Looking ahead to Japan, we can take two small positives from last weekend. First, we closed the points gap to Ferrari in the constructors' championship, and it now stands at just a single point. The second is that our car was possibly the quickest of all in sector two last weekend, which contained all the medium and high-speed corners.

"This is promising for Suzuka, where nearly two thirds of the corners are taken in fourth gear or higher, and should see our car perform well on this fantastic track. It's a true drivers' circuit and we have the best driver pairing in the field, so I am optimistic Nico and Lewis can qualify and race strongly to bounce back from last weekend."

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Merc preview the Japanese GP

It is no surprise that like many of their fellow drivers, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton loves the Japanese GP and Suzuka circuit.

Nico Rosberg: "Suzuka is one of the most exciting circuits of the year and I love racing there. Our car has been fast in high-speed corners this season as we seem to have good downforce so I hope the fast layout of Suzuka will suit us this weekend. The Japanese fans are always very enthusiastic which is fantastic and I look forward to seeing them again. I would love to get the deserved good result that has eluded us for the last few races and I know that everyone has been working really hard to achieve that."

Lewis Hamilton: "Suzuka is one of the few circuits we have left in Formula One with the authenticity of a real old-school circuit. I drove there for the first time in 2009 and it takes a while to pick up pace each year because of how fast-flowing it is. If you touch the grass at any point, it's going to spin you off into the wall, so it's a much more demanding circuit in terms of precision, positioning and turning points for each corner. It's a real race track where you have to think ahead as a driver and it just needs crazy levels of downforce from the car. From my point of view, the car felt fantastic to drive in Korea when everything was hooked up, so I am excited to get to Japan and see what we can do there."

Ross Brawn - team principal: "The Japanese Grand Prix is always one of the highlights of the Formula One season. First of all are the fans: the Japanese public have a great passion for Formula One as well as a deep understanding for the sport, and it is always a pleasure to see them again when we visit Suzuka. As for the circuit itself, it is a fantastic challenge not just for the drivers but also the engineers. It includes an unusual number of medium to high speed corners, which make the circuit exhilarating to drive but also challenging to engineer. It is vital to find a comfortable, neutral car balance that gives the drivers confidence and can also look after the tyres, as this circuit is comparable to Silverstone in terms of the prolonged high lateral loadings they must cope with. It was a tough weekend for us in Korea so our clear target will be to respond to that disappointment with a result that delivers the full potential of the car we have developed this season."

Toto Wolff - Mercedes motorsport chief: "The team had a frustrating time in Korea: qualifying showed the pace that we had in the car but we were not able to use it at the right moments of the race. We also lost points because of a problem on Nico's car and everybody in the team is working hard to get on top of reliability issues like this one. Looking ahead to Japan, we can take two small positives from last weekend. First, we closed the points gap to Ferrari in the constructors' championship, and it now stands at just a single point. The second is that our car was possibly the quickest of all in sector two last weekend, which contained all the medium and high-speed corners. This is promising for Suzuka, where nearly two thirds of the corners are taken in fourth gear or higher, and should see our car perform well on this fantastic track. It's a true drivers' circuit and we have the best driver pairing in the field, so I am optimistic Nico and Lewis can qualify and race strongly to bounce back from last weekend."

[MIKA27]

Nico Hulkenberg gives Lotus deadline over potential 2014 F1 move

Nico Hulkenberg has told Lotus he wants his Formula 1 future sorted out by the end of this month.

His recent impressive form has made him hot property on the driver market - and several teams including Lotus and Force India are eager to lure him away from Sauber for next season.

Although it is understood that Lotus is his preferred option, the deal hinges on whether or not the Enstone-based team can pull off an investment deal with potential new partner Infinity Racing.

Hulkenberg says he is happy to wait for now, but after his experience in 2010 - when he was dropped by Williams at the end of the season – he does not want to risk being left out in the cold if Lotus cannot get its finances in shape.

"I want to have some certainty about my future – and not in November," he said, when asked by AUTOSPORT about the timeframe for him to make a decision on 2014.

"It needs to be at the end of the month, for sure. There is obviously a certain cut off point.

"I have experienced falling over the back in 2010, and I am not going to risk doing that again."

Although a move to Lotus would mean that Hulkenberg has driven for four teams in five years, he insists there are no concerns his changes point to a lack of loyalty.

"It is not a worry," he said. "It is maybe not ideal but there is a positive side as well because you can take all the good things forward.

"Obviously in terms of consistency and settling in somewhere it is not the best, but movements happen for a reason and it is what it is, so there is no point questioning it for me."

[MIKA27]

Brawn: I am still talking to Niki about my role in the team

Ross Brawn has this week added his own denial to reports claiming that he has decided to leave Mercedes at the end of the season and re-unite with Honda who will power McLaren in 2015.

Chairman Niki Lauda has already played down the reports, saying he is in negotiations with 58-year-old team boss Brawn, whom he would like to keep at Brackley.

But the big rumour is that Brawn has decided to leave because his obvious successor at Mercedes is Paddy Lowe.

Brawn is being linked with a move to engine supplier Honda, but the Japanese carmaker’s motor racing boss Yasuhisa Arai on Wednesday denied that.

“I’ve never heard of that and it is a surprise,” Arai told British broadcaster Sky. ”I don’t think it will happen.”

Brawn added his own denial on Wednesday telling Auto Motor und Sport: “The situation is the same as it has been for the last few weeks. I am still talking to Niki about my role in the team.”

He was even more strident when asked about McLaren and Honda.

“I have not spoken a word with Honda or McLaren,” said Brawn. “My decision can wait until the winter.

“I’m not someone who makes a decision overnight. Should I look elsewhere, I would think about it very hard and consider the options carefully. It takes time,” he insisted.

AM&S said that Brawn, a keen salmon and trout fisherman, has not even ruled out taking a sabbatical.

“It would not be the first time,” he smiled.

[MIKA27]

The Big Preview: Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka

Following a thrilling, hard fought race in Korea, the F1 teams have packed up and made the short trip to Japan and the mighty Suzuka circuit, home of the FIA Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, the 15th round of the 2013 World Championship.

Suzuka is a firm favourite with drivers. The circuit deliver thrills, with part of the allure being the level of risk a fast lap demands.

Suzuka has teeth: from the Degner curves to the still-fearsome 130R, it’s a circuit that demands total concentration.

The challenge is as great for engineers as for drivers. The quest for lap time is a highly technical exercise, with a number of differing set-up requirements to be reconciled. Suzuka isn’t easily categorised, featuring swift changes of direction at the spectator-friendly Esses, sinuous curves through Dunlop and Spoon, high-speed sections and heavy-braking, low-speed corners at the Hairpin and Casio Triangle. Great laps require both man and machine to be on the limit.

Championship leader Sebastian Vettel is the presumptive favourite to deliver those great laps. The Red Bull Racing driver’s form is excellent on arrival at the circuit he calls “the greatest in the world.” Coming to this race he has three successive poles and four successive victories. In addition, his record at Suzuka is excellent. From four visits, he has four poles and three victories . He missed out on victory in 2011, driving conservatively to third – but that was enough to secure a second Drivers’ World Championship.

Seventy-seven points clear of Fernando Alonso in the 2013 title-race, he has an outside chance of claiming his fourth championship this weekend. Should Vettel win and Alonso finish no better than ninth, the German will do what only Juan-Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher have done before and win World Championships in four consecutive years.

2012 Japanese Grand Prix podium

Suzuka Circuit Data

• Length of lap: 5.807km
  
• Lap record: 1:31.540 (Kimi Räikkönen, McLaren, 2005)
  
• Start/finish line offset: 0.300 km
  
• Total number of race laps: 53
  
• Total race distance: 307.471km
  
• Pitlane speed limits: 80 km/h throughout the weekend.
  

Changes to the circuit since 2005

• The artificial grass around the outside of Turn One now starts approximately 50m earlier, replacing a damaged verge.
  
• The verge on the left in Turn 10 has been levelled and taken up to the tyre barrier and wall, both of which have also been raised.
  
• A new debris fence has been installed on the left between Turns Nine and 10.
  
• A new opening has been provided on the left in Turn 11. This allows a gravel recovery vehicle to be positioned there instead of a large crane.
  
• The verge on the right approaching Turn 13 has been laid with a one-metre wide strip of artificial grass, replacing a verge prone to erosion.
  
• The last part of the tyre barrier around the outside of Turn 14 has been extended right, to the end of the guardrail.
  

DRS Zones

• The DRS zone at Suzuka is on the start-finish straight. The detection point is 50 m before Turn 16, with activation 100 m before the control line.
  

Japanese GP Fast Facts

• There have been 28 F1 Japanese Grands Prix. Fuji hosted the race in 1976 and 1977. The race returned to Suzuka in 1987 where it stayed until 2006. The 2007 and 2008 races were held at a much-modified Fuji, with the race reverting to Suzuka in 2009.
  
• Michael Schumacher is the stand-out driver at Suzuka with six victories. The seven-time Champion took his first Suzuka victory for Benetton in 1995 and followed it with wins for Ferrari in 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2004
  
• McLaren have the best record of any team at the Japanese Grand Prix with nine victories. James Hunt took the first in 1977 at Fuji, followed by wins at Suzuka for Ayrton Senna (1988, 1993), Gerhard Berger (1991), Mika Häkkinen (1998, 1999) and Kimi Räikkönen (2005). Lewis Hamilton won at Fuji in 2007, and Jenson Button at Suzuka in 2011.
  
• James Hunt’s win at Fuji in 1977 has been overshadowed by his third place at the inaugural F1 Japanese Grand Prix a year earlier. It secured him the Drivers’ World Championship, beginning a string of titles that have been settled at this race. Nelson Piquet (1987), Alain Prost (1989), Senna (1988, 1990, 1991), Damon Hill (1996), Häkkinen (1998, 1999) Schumacher (2000, 2003) and Sebastian Vettel (2011) have all secured championships here.
  
• Schumacher twice clinched the title at the actual Japanese GP, but did so three times in Japan in total. He became champion in 1995 after a Pacific Grand Prix win at Aida.
  
• Piquet’s championship triumph in 1987 was by default. Title rival Nigel Mansell aggravated a back injury in qualifying. He was ruled out of the race and Piquet had the title before the grand prix began.
  
• One of Suzuka’s quirks is the figure-eight layout. The current F1 calendar has 13 clockwise circuits, five anti-clockwise and this John Hugenholtz-designed track which does the first half of the lap clockwise and the second half anti-clockwise.
  
• Kamui Kobayashi’s third place for Sauber in 2012 made him the first Japanese driver on the podium in Japan since Aguri Suzuki for Lola-Lamborghini in 1990. Kobayashi’s was the first podium for a Japanese driver since Takuma Sato finished third at the 2004 US Grand Prix.
  
• Suzuka strongly favours the front row. In 24 races, the winner has come from the front row 20 times. Fernando Alonso (2006) won from fifth, Alessandro Nannini (1989) and Nelson Piquet (1990) from sixth. The anomalous statistic is Kimi Räikkönen’s mesmerising charge from 17th in 2005, overtaking Giancarlo Fisichella on the final lap for the lead.
  
• Last year, Vettel won the race with pole, fastest lap and victory having led every lap of the race. It was his second ‘grand chelem’. Recently he’s recorded a third in Singapore and a fourth last week in Korea. He is halfway to equalling Jim Clark, who collected eight.
  

Japanese Grand Prix Statistics by Reuters

• Four different teams have won the 14 races so far this year (Lotus, Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes).
  
• Triple champion Vettel has eight wins in 2013. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Mercedes’s Nico Rosberg have won two races each. Lotus’s Raikkonen and Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton have each won one.
  
• Vettel has won the last four races.
  
• Vettel has 34 career wins, Alonso 32, Hamilton 22, Raikkonen 20 and McLaren’s Jenson Button 15.
  
• Ferrari have won 221 races since the championship started in 1950, McLaren 182, Williams 114 and Red Bull 42.
  
• Vettel will clinch his fourth successive title on Sunday if he wins and Alonso does not finish in the top eight.
  
• At 26, he will be the youngest quadruple champion. Only three other drivers have won four titles: Germany’s Michael Schumacher (seven), Argentina’s Juan Manuel Fangio (five) and Frenchman Alain Prost (four). Schumacher and Fangio are the only ones to have won four in a row.
  
• Mercedes have been on pole eight times in 14 races. Vettel has taken the other six.
  
• Vettel has 42 poles to his credit and is third in the all-time list (Michael Schumacher had 68 and Ayrton Senna 65). Hamilton has 31 and Alonso 22.
  
• Vettel’s Korean GP pole was his third in a row.
  
• Mercedes have locked out the front row in qualifying three times this year.
  
• Alonso has not been on the front row in the last 24 races, with his last appearance being his pole in Germany in July 2012. He has not been on pole in a dry qualifying since 2010.
  
• Caterham and Marussia have yet to score a point after three seasons in F1.
  
• None of the five 2013 rookies has scored points so far.
  
• Vettel has been on pole in Japan for the past four years. Michael Schumacher chalked up five Japanese poles in a row for Ferrari between 1998 and 2002 and won six times.
  
• Vettel has won three of the last four at Suzuka.
  
• Alonso, Button, Hamilton and Raikkonen are the other current drivers to have won there.
  
• Ferrari have won seven of the 28 grands prix held in Japan since 1976. McLaren have won nine.
  
• No Japanese driver has ever won his home grand prix and this year there is no home driver in the race.
  
• Twelve championships have been decided in Japan, including Vettel’s second in 2011.
  
• World champions have won 17 of the last 18 races at Suzuka. The exception was Brazilian Rubens Barrichello in 2003.
  
• In 24 races at Suzuka, the winner has come from the front row on 20 occasions. Raikkonen is a standout exception, winning from 17th on the grid in 2005.
  
• Suzuka has a downhill start. The 130R corner is the fastest of the season, with cars taking it at around 310 km/h
  

Japanese GP Race Stewards

• Garry Connelly has been involved in motor sport since the late 1960s. A long-time rally competitor, Connelly was instrumental in bringing the World Rally Championship to Australia in 1988 and served as Chairman of the Organising Committee, Board member and Clerk of Course of Rally Australia until December 2002. He has been an FIA Steward and FIA Observer since 1989, covering the FIA’s World Rally Championship, World Touring Car Championship and Formula One Championship. He is a director of the Australian Institute of Motor Sport Safety and a member of the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
  
• José Abed, an FIA Vice President since 2006, began competing in motor sport in 1961. In 1985, as a motor sport official, Abed founded the Mexican Organisation of International Motor Sport (OMDAI) which represents Mexico in the FIA. He sat as its Vice-President from 1985 to 1999, becoming President in 2003. In 1986, Abed began promoting truck racing events in Mexico and from 1986 to 1992, he was President of Mexican Grand Prix organising committee. In 1990 and 1991, he was President of the organising committee for the International Championship of Prototype Cars and from 1990 to 1995, Abed was designated Steward for various international Grand Prix events. Since 1990, Abed has been involved in manufacturing prototype chassis, electric cars, rally cars and kart chassis.
  
• During a motor sport career spanning almost 40 years, Emanuele Pirro has achieved a huge amount of success, most notably in sportscar racing, with five Le Mans wins, victory at the Daytona 24 Hours and two wins at the Sebring 12 Hours. In addition, the Italian driver has won the German and Italian Touring Car championships (the latter twice) and has twice been American Le Mans Series Champion. Pirro, enjoyed a three-season F1 career from 1989 to 1991, firstly with Benetton and then for Scuderia Italia. His debut as an FIA Steward came at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and he has returned regularly since.
  

[MIKA27]

Maldonado interested in Lotus seat for 2014

He may have a watertight contract with Williams, but Pastor Maldonado has itchy feet at the team who have under-performed massively this season.

On Wednesday of Auto Motor und Sport, made the claim, reporting that the Venezuelan has made an approach to Lotus about replacing the Ferrari-bound Kimi Raikkonen.

The patience of the 28-year-old, who brings millions to Williams in the form of his state-connected PDVSA sponsorship, has reportedly run out.

Maldonado is apparently desperate for a better car, but German correspondent Michael Schmidt said Williams can actually rest easy.

“The contract with Maldonado’s South American sponsors is watertight,” he revealed, claiming Williams got the deal re-checked recently by a top lawyer in London.

Schmidt added that the PDVSA contract, worth about € 35 million to Williams every year, runs until 2015.

Nonetheless, Maldonado is quoted as having said: “This year I’m here. Next year I don’t know where I’ll be.”

[MIKA27]

Villeneuve urges Sauber to hire Barrichello

Former F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve has urged Sauber to think again after the Swiss team ruled out signing veteran Rubens Barrichello for 2014.

Team boss Monisha Kaltenborn in Korea quashed rumours Brazilian that veteran Barrichello could mount his return to Formula 1 next year with Sauber, with the help of an eight-figure sponsorship purse.

1997 world champion Villeneuve, however, said Sauber should not dismiss the former Ferrari and Williams driver so hastily.

“Rubens would be worth considering,” he is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.

“Why would a team boss ignore the experience factor so easily? 2014 will be a complex year,” said the French Canadian.

“Barrichello would always be better than [Esteban] Gutierrez,” Villeneuve insisted. “What has he given to Sauber until now? Nothing. Look at him compared to Hulkenberg.”

Outspoken Villeneuve, now a Formula 1 television pundit, also recently chided the talents of Caterham’s Charles Pic.

On French television, it was put to Villeneuve – a staunch critic of ‘pay-drivers’ – that Frenchman Pic had denied that he is in fact a pay-driver.

Villeneuve hit back: “Then he should explain why he and not Kovalainen is in that car.”

Finn Heikki Kovalainen, in the running to return to the race seat in 2014, will in fact be driving Pic’s car in Friday morning practice at Suzuka.

[MIKA27]

Chilton relaxed over 2014 seat

Max Chilton insists he is not worried about securing a 2014 race seat with Marussia, saying the team want to keep him.

The Banbury-squad have already confirmed they will retain Frenchman Jules Bianchi next year, but they are yet to make an announcement regarding the future of Chilton.

However, the 22-year-old rookie says most things are already in place for a new contract and it's just a matter of time before everything is sorted out.

"We're in talks and we've got investors and sponsorship things to get in place before we sign a deal," the Briton told Autosport.

"It takes a bit longer. I don't think we are behind schedule or that there is anything to worry about.

"They are keen to keep both of us, which is good for me as it's nice to be wanted back by a team.

"Jules's deal has come early for obvious reasons but I wouldn't say I'm late because at this time last year I hadn't even done the young driver test and was nowhere near signing.

"A couple of people have done deals early, but in general everyone is leaving it late."

[MIKA27]

Hamilton chasing second place

Lewis Hamilton has set his sight on second place in the Constructors' Championship, but he knows only consistency will get Mercedes there.

After losing ground to rivals Ferrari in the race for second in Singapore, Merc bounced back in Korea as Hamilton and Nico Rosberg picked up 16 points compared to the 10 of the Italian team.

That means only one points separate the two teams with five races still to go.

"We are only one point behind Ferrari so we have to make sure in the next five races that we consistently beat them," the 2008 World Champion said.

"Second in the Constructors' Championship would be huge for us.

"So that is my goal, to do that for the team."

Hamilton's own title ambitions are also over for another season while he has slipped below Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen in the hunt for second place behind Sebastian Vettel.

He added: "As for me, I have fallen down to fourth in the Drivers' Championship, and I still feel we can get higher."

[MIKA27]

Fernandes: Finishing 10th in the Constructors not essential:

Caterham F1 owner Tony Fernandes says it is “not essential” that his team beat Marussia and finish 10th in the constructors’ championship this season.

There are 11 teams but prize-money is only awarded to the top 10 teams in the constructors’ championship. Caterham beat Marussia to 10th in the final race of the season last year, but currently trail their rivals in 2013 with five races remaining.

“It’s not essential,” said Fernandes.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to raise enough to cover the payment. If we don’t, we don’t, we’ll have to buy one less football player at QPR.”

Fernandes, who was speaking at the launch of Caterham’s latest road car – the AeroSeven concept, has been around Formula 1 for 10 years, first as a sponsor of Williams and second as Caterham team owner. The Malaysian-businessman said teams must bickering and work together to find a solution to bring down costs.

“It costs crazy money to run an F1 team now,” he said. “Back when I watched F1, it was stickers galore with everyone fighting to be a sponsor. But reality bites and people need to think a bit longer term than they are now.

“For years I was promised a sport that would cost less money. For me that’s a major failure of the sport. Nothing has got cheaper everything as got more expensive, so I’m not sure what the benefits are to be honest.

“I’ve always said you have to earn your place at the table, but the difference between the top and bottom teams in F1 is dissimilar to football. In football, teams at the top don’t get so much more than those at the bottom of the league. I think it needs to be equalized in F1.

“People have to stop taking the dog-eat-dog approach because it’s a short term approach. If you don’t have a sport any more, what’s the point? We had a group called Fota but everyone tried to screw each other – and they’re only ones to blame. The teams missed an opportunity but ultimately, it’s the owners of the sport who have to be real. Is what’s happening healthy for the sport?”

[MIKA27]

Why is weight a potential stumbling block for Nico Hulkenberg's F1 career progress?

Nico Hulkenberg’s standout drive at the weekend in Korea, where he finished fourth and his strong recent form have made him a candidate for a number of seats for next season. The driver market is quite fluid at the moment and there are opportunities.

But we keep hearing that driver weight is an issue and a potential stumbling block for tall, heavy drivers like Hulkenberg. We flagged this up several months ago, but now that the serious talking has begun, it’s front of mind.

So here is an insight into why weight is suddenly such a high priority, with input from F1 technical adviser Mark Gillan.

Background

The start point is that whatever the minimum weight limit in the regulations, running a car over that weight is an absolute no-no. You are giving away lap time unneccesarily and undermining all the hard work on development. Every additional 10kg of weight on an F1 car is worth on average 3/10ths of a second per lap over a season. This is a problem some of the teams at the back of the grid have faced as they try to get up to state of art car construction.

It is considered not very professional for established teams to be overweight. There are many reasons: one is that engineers like to run instruments and measuring equipment on the car, to study air flows and other parameters. If the car is overweight they can’t do this and miss out on the data gathering.

The weight of an F1 driver has therefore always been an issue to some extent. A car is built under the weight limit and then team place ballast (small dense pieces of material) in the floor of the car to get the weight as low as possible. A tall, heavy driver raises the centre of gravity and means less ballast.

Vettel weighs 64kg, Gutierrez is 61kg, Massa just 59kg, Button is 70kg, Di Resta 74, Webber 75, Sutil 78kg, for example.

So why is it so critical for 2014?

Driver weight has become more important since the arrival of KERS (hybrid) in F1, because it introduced a new component weighing upwards of 20kg that wasn’t there before.

With the 2014 engines there is much more powerful ERS system (hybrid) as well as other paraphernalia associated with turbos and coolers, all of which adds weight and needs to be packaged. This puts a premium on weight saving in other areas and also on cockpit space, so ideally teams would like to package it around a small light driver. The teams are up against it to get to the weight limit with a driver of around 64kg (Vettel’s weight) for next year. To put Hulkenberg in the car is to invite in another 10kg, which is a major headache. He is 13kg heavier than team mate Gutierrez, for example, which is worth 4/10ths of a second in lap time.

Hulkenberg’s expressed his view on this at the weekend, “In terms of my weight and height, there’s no point in discussing it because it’s god-given, I can’t change it. If a team wants me, they’ll have to work around it.”

So why don’t they change the regulations on weight limit for 2014?

This has been a talking point at Technical Working Group meetings for the last few years as 2014 approached. The limit has been raised several times as teams flagged up difficulties in getting a car built to the weight. But more recently teams who have achieved the minimum weight for 2014 are less willing to give up their advantage. Likewise teams with light drivers are not willing to give up their advantage. Why should they be penalised if another team wants to hire Hulkenberg?

McLaren is a possibility for Hulkenberg, but Martin Whitmarsh said at the weekend, “We have to find a solution, but I doubt we will find one in the next few weeks or months. But sadly, the way it has worked out means the heavier drivers will be less attractive. It has happened by accident.

“We have raised the minimum weight but the new powertrains are heavier than people expected and now have a situation where heavier drivers could be a disadvantage.”

So what happens to heavier drivers, like Hulkenberg?

The sport has walked into this situation, collectively and now that things are set for 2014 you are unlikely to get a consensus to make any changes. Hulkenberg will appeal because of his obvious quality, but he will appeal only to a team that knows it can get under the weight limit.

A driver who is small and light and who has a lot of experience in developing cars is attractive at the moment and that is why Massa still has some interest in the paddock.

As Jenson Button observed, “I don’t think any team will have ballast next year.

“I’ve been a kilo heavy maybe. It’s doesn’t hurt you over a lap because you can set the car up around yourself but you lose a lot of tools to adjust the car. You can’t move the weight distribution because you’re so limited.

“Next year we don’t know how bad it’s going to be, but I think it’s going to be very tricky. Every year you start the year with ballast but the car puts on weight because you add parts to it. It does hurt the heavier drivers and it’s very unfair to say lose weight because some of us can’t lose more weight.”

Hulkenberg’s most likely destination – provided they can shore up their financial problems – is Lotus, who have tracked hims for most of the year as a replacement for Raikkonen.

Team principal Eric Boullier wants to prioritise the driver and let the engineers sort out the weight of the car, “I prefer to have talent and let my engineers work on saving weight in the car,” Boullier said. “It is true that 10kg on paper is roughly three tenths of a second, but the target is to at least be on the weight limit. And then, you don’t have this issue anymore.”

That is a major challenge for engineers, but it’s also going to be a challenge for Hulkenberg. Whoever hires him is going to ask him to lose at least 3/4 kg over the winter, if possible. Perhaps he should give Sir Bradley Wiggins a call, he managed it before his 2012 Tour de France win.

[MIKA27]

Alonso: We will see how good Vettel really is later in his career

Speaking ahead of the Japanese GP weekend Fernando Alonso said that Sebastian Vettel’s superior Red Bull RB 9 is a major factor in his dominance of Formula 1, insisting that it is too early to judge the German who is nearing his fourth successive World title.

Should Vettel take the chequered flag at Suzuka on Sunday, and Alonso fail to steer his Ferrari into the top eight, he will join Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher as only the third driver to win four in a row.

“Sebastian’s been dominating the last couple of years,” two time World Champion Alonso told reporters. “He’s a fantastic driver and has a fantastic car.

“He’s been close to perfection all these years, winning [three] championships. It’s true he has an advantage in car performance for this year so we’ll see how good he is later in his career.

“We also saw [Lewis] Hamilton almost winning the championship in his first year, win it in his second year and then he didn’t win any more because sometimes you have the car to win, sometimes not,” Alonso added, pointing to his Mercedes rival, with whom he shared a prickly relationship as McLaren teammate in 2007.

“At the moment, Sebastian is better than anyone and he’s winning all the championships. At the moment, Red Bull-Vettel are a very good combination and too good for us.”

Alonso admitted that he had no hope of catching Vettel this season after the Red Bull stormed to a fourth victory in a row in South Korea last weekend, carving open a 77-point lead with just 125 up for grabs from the last five races.

“If I had five races to win the Championship and I had won the last four grands prix with big margins I would not be too worried,”

smiled the Spaniard, champion with Renault in 2005 and 2006. “The Drivers’ Championship is almost impossible.

“[Red Bull] works better than the others – there’s nothing more to explain. We are here to race. We were quite competitive the first part of the year. We won two grands prix of the first five and then we started producing new parts of the car which were not working so [well].

“At the same time Red Bull were working maybe better than us and they have a big advantage now. It’s the only explanation we can find. They progressed a lot during the Championship and we didn’t.”

Alonso will be joined at Ferrari in 2014 by ‘flying Finn’ Kimi Raikkonen, returning to the team where he won the 2007 title, and he voiced hope the dream line-up could break Red Bull’s vice-like grip on F1 – if improvements are made.

“For next year with Kimi I think we can have a very good championship for Ferrari,” he said. “If we have a competitive car we will do very good things. If we don’t have a competitive car it will be very similar to this season I think.

“Fighting for second in the World Championships is obviously not a happy goal but there are another 22 drivers worse off.

“In the remaining races it’s important we try to score as many points as possible. We’ll try to attack all the time and fight for second in the Constructor’s Championship.

“There are very few points between us (284) and Mercedes (283) so we need to keep improving.”

[MIKA27]

Hamilton and Rosberg want Brawn to stay at Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg hope that Mercedes principal Ross Brawn will stay with their Formula 1 team next season despite media speculation that the Briton could be headed elsewhere.

“The internet is just rumours but for sure there are discussions ongoing with the team, Ross has said, ” German driver Rosberg, winner in Monaco and Britain this year, told reporters at the Japanese Grand Prix.

“For me, it would be great if he stays because I get on well with him and I think he’s a great team principal.

“At the same time I have confidence in the team leadership’s ability to make sure we have a solid future whatever his decision is because we have a lot of great strength in the team now as it is.”

Reports emerging in Germany after last weekend’s Korean Grand Prix suggested that Brawn had informed the team’s non-executive chairman Niki Lauda that he would be leaving at the end of the season.

Ross Brawn with the Mercedes team and drivers celebrating victory at Silverstone in June

Some have speculated that the Briton could end up at Honda, whose team he led before it became the title-winning Brawn GP and then Mercedes, when they return as engine partners to McLaren, in 2015. McLaren sources have dismissed such talk.

Lauda subsequently told German media that he was in negotiations with Brawn and no decision had been taken.

“My goal is clearly to retain him, but he will only make the decision at the end of the year,” the Austrian was quoted.

Brawn’s future has been the subject of speculation all year since the team recruited Paddy Lowe from McLaren as executive director. They also brought in Toto Wolff from Williams as Mercedes motorsport head.

Rosberg said that Brawn, the master tactician behind Michael Schumacher’s seven wins with Benetton in the 1990s and Ferrari in the 2000s, was highly respected within the team and an important part of it.

Hamilton, who moved to Mercedes from McLaren at the end of last season after being convinced by Lauda and Brawn, agreed.

“I don’t know what his plans are for the future, but of course I’d like him to stay,” the 2008 World Champion, a winner for his new team in Hungary last July, told reporters.

“I grew up watching him on TV, so I had no idea what his personality was like, but he’s been just as I thought of him watching TV.

“He’s a very easy going guy, very approachable, and is very much responsible for where the team is today and the atmosphere he has helped create.”

[Bartolomeo]

Boring Korean race and track......been a boring year.....Red Bull car is just too good......still love F1

Bart

[rckymtn22]

Ex-F1 test driver Maria de Villota dies at 33

A year after almost losing her life behind the wheel of a race car, former Formula One test driver Maria de Villota was found dead in a hotel room in Seville on Friday.

Spanish police told The Associated Press that investigators did not find any drugs or signs of violence and ''everything points to a death by natural causes.'' De Villota was 33. The police spokesman spoke on condition of anonymity in line with police policy.

De Villota's manager alerted staff at the Hotel Sevilla Congresos. An autopsy will be carried out.

De Villota was seriously injured last year in a crash during testing for the Marussia F1 team in England, losing her right eye and sustaining other serious head injuries that kept her hospitalized for a month.

De Villota, a Madrid native, was the daughter of Emilio de Villota, who competed in F1 from 1976-82.

Her family used De Villota's Facebook page to say ''Dear friends: Maria has left us. She had to go to heaven like all angels. I give thanks to God for the year and a half that he left her with us.''

F1 officials and drivers at the Japanese Grand Prix were stunned by her death.

''My deepest condolences go to the De Villota family,'' said FIA president Jean Todt. ''Maria was a fantastic driver, a leading light for women in motorsport and a tireless campaigner for road safety. Above all she was a friend I deeply admired.''

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said as the chairman of the Formula One Teams' Association the ''whole paddock is very shocked by the news that Maria is no longer with us.

''She was an inspiration not just to women in this sport, but also to all those who suffered life-threatening injuries.''

Sauber's Monisha Kaltenhorn, the first female team principal in F1, said, ''If anybody represented strength and optimism, it was Maria. Her sudden death is a big loss to the motorsport world.''

Williams development driver Susie Wolff recalled how De Villota asked her to carry on for her and all women drivers following her accident.

''She very much said to me after it, 'It's up to you to go out there and show them that it (a woman driver in F1) is possible,''' Wolff said. ''She knew that women could compete at that level and that's why, after her accident and her not being able to do that anymore, she just wanted someone to know it was possible. She had such a spirit for life. What she came through was a testament to her strength of character and her positive outlook on life.''

Marussia expressed its condolences.

''It is with great sadness that we learned a short time ago of the news that Maria de Villota has passed away,'' Marussia said in a statement. ''Our thoughts and prayers are with Maria's family and friends at this very difficult time.''

Fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso said: ''It's very sad news for the world of motorsport as Maria was loved by everyone. Now, all we can do is pray for her and for her family.''

De Villota also had driven in the world touring car championship in 2006 and 2007 plus the Superleague open-wheel series.

She was in Seville to participate in the conference ''What Really Matters,'' whose mission is to inspire and teach young people ''universal human values,'' in the words of the organizers.

Organizers canceled the conference on receiving news of her death and issued a statement ''transmitting their care and support to the family and loved ones of Maria de Villota.''

De Villota's almost fatal accident in July 2012 occurred while she was driving an F1 car for only the fourth time - and first for Marussia - and hit a support truck during a straight-line exercise near an airfield in England. An internal team investigation concluded the car was not at fault.

She first drove an F1 car in 2011, a Renault at the Paul Ricard circuit in Marseille, France.

Her death comes when De Villota seemed to be moving past her accident.

She told Hola magazine in February she felt ''free'' and ''back to being me'' after returning to driving on normal roads.

She returned to a F1 paddock for the first time in May at the Spanish GP. There she told the AP that she felt a mix of ''adrenaline and also a little bit of sadness'' on again being near the sport that almost cost her her life.

In July, she married boyfriend Rodrigo Garcia. She was active in charity work and a member of the FIA's women's commission.

On Monday, she was to present a book ''Life is a Gift,'' detailing her ordeal following her driving accident.

[PaulP]

That is terrible.

Godspeed Maria.

[PaulP]

Qualifying

01 Mark Webber Red Bull 1:30.915

02 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:31.089 +0.174

03 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:31.253 +0.338

04 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:31.365 +0.450

05 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:31.378 +0.463

06 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:31.397 +0.482

07 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber 1:31.644 +0.729

08 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:31.665 +0.750

09 Kimi Raikkonen Lotus 1:31.684 +0.769

10 Jenson Button McLaren 1:31.827 +0.912

11 Sergio Perez McLaren 1:31.989

12 Paul di Resta Force India 1:31.992

13 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:32.013

14 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:32.063

15 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:32.093

16 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:32.485

17 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:32.890

18 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:33.357

19 Max Chilton Marussia 1:34.320

20 Charles Pic Caterham 1:34.556

21 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1:34.879

22 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:34.958

[MIKA27]

Boring Korean race and track......been a boring year.....Red Bull car is just too good......still love F1

Bart™

I kind of agree actually in that I think the year has been somewhat slower due to all the breaks they have in between races seeing the calendar is so extensive. Will always love F1 - Nice to see you here Bart™

[MIKA27]

Ex-F1 test driver Maria de Villota dies at 33

OMG - What a shock, horrible news... Natural causes...!? At 33? God bless her, she was gorgeous and brave.