FORMULA 1 - 2013

[MIKA27]

McLaren 'closer' to confirming line-up

Martin Whitmarsh is "closer" to confirming Jenson Button's 2014 team-mate - but only by a day.

Although it is widely believed that Sergio Perez will remain on the payroll for next year's Championship, McLaren have yet to rubberstamp the Mexican driver's new deal.

Asked whether he was 'any closer to confirming' his second driver, the McLaren team boss simply told Sky Sports F1: "Yes."

Pressed as to whether it would Perez, he refused to shed any light, saying: "I'm closer because I'm one day closer than I was yesterday and, guess what, tomorrow I will be one day closer as well!"

Whitmarsh added that McLaren are in no rush to confirm Button's team-mate but rather are bidding their time.

"I've said all along 'let's have a few races go by and then let's have a chat', and that's exactly what we are going to do.

"There's no tearing rush to do this at the moment. I know it's an interesting story - and a whole load of spurious stories stem from it - but we are in no hurry."

[MIKA27]

Van der Garde’s billionaire future father-in-law eyes Williams

Caterham driver Giedo van der Garde’s future father-in-law is considering buying into the Williams team.

That is the claim of the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, who said that Marcel Boekhoorn, a businessman and billionaire, has “serious interest” in taking over Toto Wolff’s 15 per cent stake in the Grove based team.

Boekhoorn’s long term girlfriend Denise this year accepted van der Garde’s marriage proposal.

Van der Garde, who is sponsored by the Boekhoorn-linked Dutch fashion label McGregor, and managed by its chief, could be looking for a new seat for 2014, amid rumours former team driver Heikki Kovalainen is returning to Caterham.

Van der Garde’s manager Jan Paul ten Hoopen commented: “Marcel would only consider such a step from a responsible business perspective.”

He confirmed that Boekhoorn and Wolff, now a co-owner and director at Mercedes, have “talked to each other”.

But when asked if the deal would pave the way to Williams for van der Garde, manager Hoopen insisted: “Basically, buying shares and getting a race seat are distinct.”

However, while refusing to rule out taking McGregor back to Williams as a sponsor, he added: “Giedo would like to drive for a renowned team, and I think Williams knows what it is doing.”

Williams already has a Dutch shareholder in the form of the investment firm Cyrte, founded by billionaire John de Mol, who own a 5 per cent stake.

[MIKA27]

Small crowd expected at Indian GP for Vettel crowning

Sebastian Vettel looks set to celebrate his fourth consecutive Formula 1 World Championship title win next weekend in front of a sparse Indian crowd.

Race organisers Jaypee, who will not host a Grand Prix in 2014, have admitted that only 20 000 tickets have been sold so far for this year’s edition, where Vettel only needs a fifth place to wrap up his latest title.

“The excitement surrounding the event is less compared to past editions but we are confident of having the turnout of 2012,” said Jaypee chief Sameer Gaur.

“The latest number I have is that 20 000 tickets have been sold,” he admitted, adding that he expects sales to pick up considerably in coming days.

Vettel and Red Bull might be forgiven for being disappointed they did not wrap up the title last weekend in Japan, where a huge and passionate crowd always gathers.

“How disappointed are we with a one-two finish in one of the best races strategically ever for this operation?” exasperated team boss Christian Horner said at Suzuka.

“We’ll go to India and take that weekend as we have here and if we score more points than the others then we’ll win the championship,” he added.

Mere days after India, Formula 1 will head to Abu Dhabi for the spectacular and hugely popular twilight race.

In total contrast to India, organisers of the Yas Marina event are expecting a sellout as usual, with less than 2500 tickets still available.

“We’re expecting more fans than ever before,” said circuit boss Richard Cregan.

[MIKA27]

Brawn is Mercedes number one confirms Lauda

After Ross Brawn’s quit threat, Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda says the 58-year-old Briton is still number one at Brackley.

Amid reports that Brawn could leave the team and possibly join McLaren engine supplier Honda for 2015, he said at Suzuka that he wants an assurance about his top job at Mercedes.

“We need to make sure if I’m to remain here that I’m the reference,” he told the Sky Television.

So with Paddy Lowe reportedly poised to take over the top job, Lauda made clear that Mercedes actually wants Brawn to stay.

“We have had some small problems in the team in the past but everything is sorted now,” the great Austrian is quoted by the Mirror.

“It’s all agreed between him and Paddy and everyone else. He’s number 1.

“I have tried to persuade him to stay,” Lauda added. “It’s down to him now. I’d say it’s 50-50.”

[MIKA27]

Did RBR Favour Vettel Over Webber at The Japanese Grand Prix?

The Japanese Grand Prix was different from recent races in so far as Sebastian Vettel did not drive away from pole position and control the race. He had to come through from third in the opening stint and needed race strategy to take the victory, in the face of a particularly strong performance by Lotus’ Romain Grosjean.

Red Bull split the strategies, putting Mark Webber on three stops and leaving Sebastian Vettel on two. Here’s an in depth analysis of why they did that and whether Webber or Grosjean could have won, looking at several defining moments in the race.

The start goes wrong for Red Bull

The start of the race was important for defining what kind of race it would be; both pole sitter Webber and front row starter Vettel got away badly, allowing Grosjean to nip through and take the lead, with Webber second and Vettel third.

Lewis Hamilton’s rear tyre touched Vettel’s front wing, which gave Hamilton a puncture and also took a little performance away from Vettel’s car, but not a significant amount.

During the first stint, Vettel sat back around two seconds behind Webber from very early on, to protect the tyres. Webber, in contrast, pushed Grosjean for the first six laps, then dropped back a little. But his tyres were losing performance when he pitted on lap 11. The Lotus had been quick on the medium tyres in the first stint and at this point Lotus was still in with a chance of winning.

Grosjean pitted on lap 12 to cover Webber, who was now on a virtually new set of hard tyres. Lotus had the luxury of seeing what tyres Webber chose and went for the same choice. Arguably, as the race played out, it would have been better with hindsight to choose another set of mediums at this point and this might have given them enough pace to get second place. Because Grosjean’s pace on hards wasn’t as good as expected and this is what Red Bull spotted early in the second stint and it decided their strategy from here.

Vettel stayed out until lap 14 and then pitted for new hard tyres. The top three were in the same order as the second stint began.

The second stint – the decision is made

Once Red Bull’s strategists saw that Grosjean’s pace was not so hot on hard tyres, they decided that they would be able to win the race with Vettel on a two-stop strategy. But based on Webber’s first stint and his track record on the Pirelli tyres, it was unlikely that he would be able to beat Grosjean by staying on the same two stop strategy. This is the key to what happened next.

The only possibility for Webber to win would be to try to run close to the limit of the tyres in the second stint and then try to undercut the Lotus around lap 28/29, which would leave 25/24 laps to the finish. But the victory would hang on being able to pull off the undercut. If Lotus reacted and pitted Grosjean at the same time, Webber would have had to pass Grosjean on track wit tyres of the same age. Had they been thinking solely of what was the best way to get Webber to win the race, that’s what Red Bull would have done.

End of first stint Webber (purple dotted line) suffers clear degradation, compared to Vettel (solid purple line)

Rather than that, the team looked at it from a team point of view. The race was winnable, Webber would not be able to get the tyres to last as well as Vettel to pull off a winning two stop strategy and the German is faster.

The key to it was to pull Lotus in two different directions and play to the strengths of their drivers; give Vettel the best two stop possibility and try to use a three stop plan for Webber, which meant he could push the whole way and not worry about the tyres and make bold passes in the closing stages, which he has done many times in the past.

There is no doubt that this strategy disadvantaged Webber at the outset, because it meant that he would be behind his team mate in the final stint. That was a given.

The risk for Red Bull, given the history between the two drivers, was that Webber would come steaming up to Vettel in the closing laps and there would be a clash as he tried to pass him.

But they were prepared to take that risk – or believed they could control if it happened – because they knew from Grosjean’s pace on hards that Vettel would beat him if he ran his fastest two-stop plan. And that’s exactly how it worked out.

Moving Webber out of the way, by pitting him on lap 25, allowed Vettel to close up on the back of Grosjean. The speed with which he did this – the gap went from 3.4 seconds to 1.3 in two laps – showed Lotus that they weren’t going to be able to beat Vettel, who had too much pace.

From lap 28 onwards it is possible to get to the end of the race on a set of hard tyres, so this was the trigger point for Lotus to bring Grosjean in, to prevent Vettel undercutting him.

Once Webber is out of the way, Vettel hauls in Grosjean quickly and maintains strong pace to his second stop

This was a difficult decision for Lotus, because if they had stayed out, they would have had more chance to fight Webber for second place at the end on fresher tyres, but the win would definitely have been lost.

In that scenario, Vettel would definitely have beaten them by undercutting.

However if they pitted and cut that route off, Lotus gambled that they might be able to hold him behind them to the finish, as they almost did with Webber. In other words, they gambled for a long shot at the win, rather than to protect second place; for 10 possible extra points, rather than three points lost.

However Vettel was too strong; he was managing the tyres well and was able to run another eight quick laps after Grosjean’s stop.

The undercut had been covered off, so now the route for Vettel to win was to stay out longer and then attack the Frenchman in the closing stages on much fresher tyres, which is exactly what he did.

After his stop he cut Grosjean’s three second lead to nothing in two laps and then passed him decisively. Job done.

Webber loses the win but takes second place

Most strategists in the F1 pit lane agree that Red Bull did exactly the right things strategically in Suzuka and all would have done the same thing in their shoes.

They gave their fastest driver the best chance to win the race and got their other driver into second place. As a team, you cannot do better than that.

What did not happen was Webber did not challenge Vettel in the final laps, because it took him too long after his third and final stop, to pass Grosjean. Webber not only had fresher, softer tyres than Grosjean, he also had a straight line speed advantage from running slightly less rear downforce. He should have been able to go through Grosjean in a lap or two, as Vettel did. But he couldn’t make the pass until late in the day.

Conclusions

The reality of the situation is that, apart from the delay in Webber passing Grosjean, this race turned out exactly as Red Bull expected it to from the moment they took a team decision around lap 20-25 to split the strategies.

Yes it is tough on Webber, who had been ahead of Vettel in qualifying and on the road in the first stint and yes, it does undermine the team agreement that the lead driver on the road gets first call on strategy. They overruled that protocol because as a team they saw the best way to get the team victory.

This is the hard reality of F1, which is sometimes hard to take for fans of particular drivers. They race for a team and their contract terms oblige them to accept that the team will make decisions in the interests of the team.

To split the strategies any other way on Sunday would not have brought the team victory with certainty.

The way they did it had the best chance of success and duly achieved the best result for the team.

And at the end of the day Formula 1 is about doing the best job as a team, rather than taking chances in order to favour one of your drivers, even if observers on the outside read it that you have favoured your lead driver, who was behind on the road.

That is the pragmatism of Formula 1.

RACE HISTORY GRAPH

Kindly supplied by Williams F1 Team

Horizontal axis: Number of race laps

Vertical axis: Lap time (in seconds)

Note the drop off in performance of Webber’s tyres around laps 9-10, compared with Vettel’s. Note also the pace differential between Vettel and Grosjean in the second stint, when it became clear that the Lotus wasn’t as fast relative to the Red Bull on hard tyres as it had been on mediums.

[MIKA27]

Domenicali: Ferrari and Fernando have to stick together, it is a challenge we have

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali insists that Fernando Alonso’s era of success at Maranello is just beginning.

Actually, judging by the Spaniard’s comments over the last six months, and rumours linking him with a switch to Red Bull or McLaren, one gets the impression Alonso is running out of patience after four consecutive years of failing to win the title while earing the famed red racing overalls.

“We are very Latin, very impatient,” team boss Domenicali smiled to the Spanish sports daily AS. ”But I was at Ferrari in 1993. And before. But with Michael Schumacher we finally won in 2000 – and he had come in 1996.”

According to Domenicali’s comparison with the ultra-successful Schumacher era, then, Alonso is due a title in 2014.

“Yes, 100 per cent,” said the Italian. “We will fight for the title next year.”

But that has actually been a familiar refrain ever since Alonso joined, in 2010. Domenicali, however, insists Alonso’s years in red have not been barren.

“You need to see the results from another angle,” he said. “Another perspective. The story of Fernando with Ferrari so far has been a tale of two championships lost in the last race. If we had won at least one of those two, the story would be extraordinary, fantastic.

So it takes a bit of rationality.

“The Italian and Spanish have rationality between zero and zero-point-five,” Domenicali smiled again. ”I understand that the best driver, a driver who is a double World Champion, always wants the opportunity to prove himself in a more competitive car.”

Ferrari has Alonso under contract for several more seasons, but there have been rumours hinting at the Maranello team’s interest in Sebastian Vettel, who is similarly committed in the medium term to Red Bull.

Domenicali, however, said thathe thinks thatAlonso is better than Vettel, ”[Vettel] is a great driver, there’s no doubt. He has grown tremendously over the years — just look at his teammate (Mark Webber).”

“But as I have said, with all due respect, he has been able to fully exploit a car that was faster than ours, and that means a lot,” added Domenicali.

So, notwithstanding all the recent rumours, he insists that Ferrari is planning ahead with Alonso.

“Ferrari and Fernando have to stick together; it is a challenge we have together,” said Domenicali. ”He has always said the same, so I don’t know where these reports that suggest otherwise come from.”

“It’s normal that other teams want him, but Alonso has said what he said, and so to think otherwise is not to give credibility to what Alonso says. What we say is ‘We want to win with Fernando’ and we have a contract for three more years. What more can we say?” he added.

In fact, Domenicali said that he hopes that Alonso stays even longer than his current tenure.

“I hope so, it would be nice,” he said. “Fernando has said it too.”

[MIKA27]

Lotus set to sign Hulkenberg and boost budget for 2014

A Lotus contract for 2014 with Nico Hulkenberg’s name on it will be signed at Enstone “either today or tomorrow”, the German newspaper Bild reports.

It was said that the team was poised to sign the 26-year-old German as soon as the deal with Quantum – formerly Infinity, a group of private investors who plan to buy 35 per cent of Lotus – is done.

If not, it could have opened the door to Pastor Maldonado.

Maldonado’s lucrative sponsor PDVSA is locked in a contract with Williams, but O Estado de S.Paulocorrespondent Livio Oricchio said that the Venezuelan is desperate to move from uncompetitive Williams.

But Bild reports that the Lotus-Quantum deal is finally now being formalised, which should boost the team’s budget beyond € 200 million for 2014.

[MIKA27]

Ricciardo miffed at Japan penalty

Daniel Ricciardo left Japan "unsatisfied" after a drive-through penalty dented his hopes of scoring points.

Having started 16th on the grid at Suzuka, the Toro Rosso driver was looking good to finish in the top 10 until he passed Adrian Sutil at 130R. He went off the track while trying to get overtake the Force India and, because he didn't give the place back, he was handed a penalty.

He ended up finishing down in 13th place and admits he was "surprised" by the decision to hand him the drive-through.

"Sometimes the whole weekend revolves around just one decision. I'm fairly sure without collecting a drive-through penalty I'd be leaving Suzuka with a good haul of points and feeling deeply satisfied with our weekend's work. Instead I'm leaving... well, let's say unsatisfied," he wrote on his official blog on the Toro Rosso website.

"I was and am genuinely surprised that the stewards penalised me for the pass on Sutil. When my engineer told me I'd picked up a penalty, it never crossed my mind it was for that. Earlier in the race when I was out-of-sequence on the hard tyre I'd collected a big train of cars behind me so I thought perhaps I'd done something dirty then.

"I thought possibly I'd weaved when I was defending from [Nico] Hulkenberg, or maybe cut him off without noticing. I didn't think I had but it's difficult to judge with the mirrors. When I heard what it was actually for... as I say, surprised.

"Moving on, if you can disregard the eventual result - believe me, right now that's difficult - I had a really good day. In Korea last week I don't think I could've done a better job and it's much the same here. I think we maximised the potential of what we had this weekend and I'm very pleased with the way I drove."

[MIKA27]

Sauber: Esteban Gutierrez deserves long Formula 1 career

Esteban Gutierrez has the ability to have a long career in Formula 1, according to Sauber head of trackside engineering Tom McCullough.

The Mexican's future as a grand prix driver is in doubt and he is likely to have to find another team if he is to remain on the grid next year, but his performances have improved since the August break.

McCullough believes Gutierrez's work ethic is the key to him recovering from a difficult start to the year.

"His speed has never been in doubt, even when he tested for us in the past the speed was evident," McCullough said.

"He is a really bright lad and works hard, so he has potentially a very good career ahead of him.

"It is hard for rookies, especially when you are fighting in such a tight part of the grid.

"He did not have a lot of winter testing mileage because the bad weather kept seeming to fall on Esteban's car, so he came into the first race with not a lot of dry running under his belt.

"But every day he has learned, applied himself and looked to improve in every area, which is exactly what he is doing."

ON THE MARKET FOR 2014

Gutierrez insists he will not be distracted by question marks over his future.

He plans to focus on maintaining his performance level in the final four races and is confident this will allow him to continue to race in F1 next year.

"To be honest, I feel comfortable and the team knows my approach and the way I work," Gutierrez told AUTOSPORT.

"They know that I have been doing my best and with this kind of feeling, these kinds of results, I should not worry about next season."

Sauber has confirmed Russian rookie Sergey Sirotkin will race one of its car's next year, subject to him gaining the requisite Super Licence.

When asked whether Gutierrez is in contention for a drive next year, team principal Monisha Kaltenborn replied: "we have a couple of options and we will carefully look at them."

[MIKA27]

Vettel: First time I drove a Formula 1 car I sh*t myself the first couple of laps

It’s hard to believe that Sebastian Vettel, who is so at ease and more often than not supreme behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car these days, was actually scared when he tested for the first time at the wheel of a BMW powered Williams FW27 at Jerez back in 2005.

Speaking after his victory at the Japanese Grand Prix, the triple World Champion recollected, “You know, I love racing. When I was small, I was dreaming about F1 and honestly never thought that one day I would be able to test one of these cars. First time I tested the car, Mark [Webber] drove in the morning, I drove in the afternoon. I sh*t myself the first couple of laps and I thought, alright, that’s for real men, not for me.”

The man who has since amassed 35 grand prix wins, and is heading to his fourth World title, got to grips with the power of F1. His name is now mentioned along with the acknowledged greats of the sport.

Sebastian Vettel was 18 years old when he made his F1 testing debut

Vettel added, “Then I got used to it and obviously wanted to do more. A couple of years later, obviously I had the chance to get a drive, Red Bull gave me the chance at Toro Rosso to get some races.”

“It’s incredible what’s happened over the last couple of years but nothing has changed in the way that I still love racing, I love the challenge, I’m still nervous when I wake up on Sunday, still excited when I walk on the grid and tense, looking forward to the race,” revealed the 26 year old German.

It is well known that Vettel has a keen sense of F1 history, but he says that breaking records is not the end all and be all for him.

“Enjoying – not the numbers – but enjoying the fact that I’m racing and a great crowd today, a fantastic day. As I said, I think it would be a shame if you were too tense and if you tried to force things too much. I think you have to allow yourself to enjoy it because this is not normal, it doesn’t happen to everyone,”he mused.

“I think I’m very fortunate that I’m one of these 22-24 guys in F1. As I said, we leave the hotel, great respect from the fans, they’re cheering, they’re shouting our names and it’s just great. That’s what I’m looking forward to most, obviously try to do it again.”

“I love trophies so I don’t mind collecting a few either!” he acknowledged as he prepares to claim his fourth F1 World Championship crown. Fifth place at the Indian Grand Prix is all that is required from the guy who ‘sh*t’ himself’ when he first tried an F1 car.

[MIKA27]

Maldonado exit from Willimas could open door for Massa beyond 2013

Pastor Maldonado’s exit from Williams would pave the way for Felipe Massa to move in beyond 2013, the Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S.Paulo is reporting.

Correspondent Livio Oricchio claims talks between Venezuelan Maldonado’s management and sponsors, and bosses of the Grove based team, are taking place now.

The 28-year-old has reportedly run out of patience at Williams, despite the fact his powerful sponsors PDVSA remain under contract to the British team. Williams admits it has a problem.

“I’ve never seen a racing car that reacts so little to modifications,” veteran team manager Dickie Stanford told Auto Motor und Sport, referring to the FW35 that has powered Maldonado to just a single point in 2013.

One unnamed team member, however, said 2012 Spanish Grand Prix winner Maldonado has also been part of the problem.

“He still makes too many mistakes,” the team member is quoted as saying. ”In Korea, we told him repeatedly in the last stint to take care of the right front and, if possible, stay out of the battles. But what did he do? Drives like a madman and ruins his tyres within three laps.”

Maldonado also reportedly infuriated team bosses when he forced past teammate Valtteri Bottas in the final corner of the last lap in Japan, for a mere 16th place.

Both Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport and O Estado de S.Paulo say Maldonado is eyeing departing Kimi Raikkonen’s seat at Lotus.

Lotus would apparently prefer to sign Nico Hulkenberg, but that depends on the team finalising its 35 per cent sale to a group of investors known as Quantum.

“They (Quantum) are always saying ‘We’re coming, we’re coming’, but nothing happens,” a Lotus source told Oricchio.

That is where Maldonado could come in. His sponsor PDVSA, bringing €35 million a year to Williams, remains under contract to Williams for two more years. But Oricchio said exit talks between the Maldonado camp and Williams are taking place.

Auto Motor und Sport’s Michael Schmidt said deputy team boss Claire Williams was in Caracus recently, amid reports PDVSA could pay millions to buy its way out of the deal.

Oricchio agreed that the exit talks have intensified since Suzuka. The Venezuelan state oil company would then back Maldonado’s switch to Lotus.

It is said Maldonado’s manager, Nicolas Todt, is pushing for the deal to happen because it would open Williams’ door to his other charge, Felipe Massa.

The Brazilian, who has reportedly put together a sponsor package worth about €6 million, including Petrobras, is looking for a drive for 2014 after losing his seat at Ferrari.

Todt said: “Yes, it’s been difficult for Pastor this year, with a car that does not allow the drivers to score points. They have to react and they have been hiring new people. Next year it (Williams) would be an excellent option for Felipe.”

[MIKA27]

Magnussen in line to replace Chilton at Marussia for 2014 season

Marussia has revealed McLaren protege Kevin Magnussen as a potential race driver for them in 2014.

It is already known that the Ferrari-linked French rookie Jules Bianchi is staying with the team beyond this season.

Recently, 2013 teammate Max Chilton admitted that his own future is not yet secure.

“I feel I’m showing [that] I deserve a seat for next year,” the Briton, who brings substantial backing to Marussia, is quoted by the Independent newspaper.

“I admit, at times, I haven’t got things right, like at Silverstone and Germany, but on the whole it has been pretty good, and since the August break especially I couldn’t have done much more,” Chilton insisted.

Nonetheless, Marussia has admitted to having a race seat on the market.

Likely 2013 Formula Renault 3.5 champion Magnussen, the son of ex-Formula 1 driver, Dane Jan Magnussen, is a protege of the McLaren team.

McLaren, who it is believed has offered to forgive Force India’s reported € 8 million debt in exchange for a 2014 seat for Magnussen, also has a technical partnership in place with Marussia.

“Certainly Kevin has impressed in the tests he has done, and as a team that has brought young drivers into Formula 1, he is in the frame,” Marussia sporting director Graeme Lowdon is quoted by Sky.

But Lowdon also said that Chilton is also in the frame, and that Marussia is in “no rush” to make its decision.

Over at Force India, reports have emerged that Adrian Sutil expects to keep his seat beyond 2013.

[MIKA27]

Kaltenborn: Giving up was never an option, because we wanted to make progress

The first half of the 2013 season was anything but satisfying for the Sauber F1 Team. Seven world championship points after ten races was a modest harvest.

Nevertheless, since the Italian Grand Prix the team has shown a significant improvement: the Swiss outfit has scored no less than 38 points in the last four races. This puts the Sauber into a solid seventh place in the Constructors’ Championship. Team principal Monisha Kaltenborn explains how the team was able to turn the tide.

The Sauber had a fantastic season in 2012. However, at the beginning of 2013 it was quite a different story. What happened?

Monisha Kaltenborn: After the concept of the side [mounted] exhaust system was very successful last year, our engineers decided to go with a different concept for the C32, that in theory had even more potential. In practice, however, it looked different. We realised that in Melbourne, where we brought an update to the car that didn’t work as we expected it to. It then took some time for our engineers to understand the problem.

The Sauber C32 was not easy to drive early in the season – Esteban Gutierrez after crashing out of the Chinese GP

What was the problem?

MK: The aero balance of the car was not stable, especially during braking and turning in. Apart from the measurable implications, the side effect was that the drivers had less confidence in the C32. In addition, we didn’t have the resources to quickly modify the car. Instead, this process happened step by step. The largest update we brought was in Hungary, where we implemented a modified exhaust concept. We already saw a significant improvement back then, but, of course, it took some time until we were able to get the most out of that. In addition, our understanding of the car improved, which translated to a better set-up. Furthermore, we were able to maintain the high level of quality producing the parts back at the factory. The whole team, in the factory and at the track, did an outstanding job.

Did the ‘new’ tyres, that came into effect in Hungary, also suit your car?

MK: It’s not easy to pinpoint that as we brought our largest update at the exact same time. However, I believe in general the tyres helped, which was the opposite [case] last year.

Early in the season some people said the team should stop the development of the current car and fully concentrate on the 2014 car.

MK: Giving up was never an option, because we wanted to make progress with the current car, in order to improve in the Constructors’ Championship. In addition the insight we are getting now will help with the development of the new car.

Let’s be honest: Did you think it was possible to improve like that in the current season?

MK: It would have been presumptuous to expect such a big improvement. Nevertheless we said very early on that we would be able to improve during the second half of the season. We were certain of this, based on the knowledge we [had] gained. In addition everything came together during the last few races, including some competitors not being able to use their opportunities in the best possible way. But we didn’t expect to be able to score double digit points in three out of four races.

The Sauber now has 45 points, Toro Rosso 31 and Force India 62. Are you looking ahead or behind?

MK: In general we are always looking ahead. If we continue to be as focused without making any mistakes, then there is still a lot to gain. We know however, that it won’t be easy to claim sixth place. And, of course, we will check the rear mirror in order to avoid a nasty surprise.

How satisfied are you with the drivers?

MK: Both drivers have shown a very good performance. Nico delivers what we expected from him. He is fast, consistent and very efficient. He has gained a lot of points through his fighting spirit, but he also knows how to seize and use chances if they present themselves to him during a race. Esteban had a tough start. In addition, the car was not as good at the beginning of the season as it is today, which didn’t help. Nevertheless he worked hard and improved continuously. It was only a question of time for everything to slot into place, as we could see last weekend. Looking at his times, he was often very close to Nico, but, because the competition in the middle field is so tight, sometimes it was a couple of positions away, which, at a first glance, doesn’t look good. However, he also did an outstanding job when, for example, giving feedback regarding the set-up of the car, which took the team forward.

[MIKA27]

Thief filmed in act of stealing Rosberg’s helmet, now Nico wants it back

Nico Rosberg urged his fans to keep an eye out for a stolen race helmet, releasing images showing the thief in action on the night of the theft.

The German said that his distinctive yellow Formula 1 helmet was stolen at 02:00 in the hours before his home Grand Prix at the Nurburgring in July.

Rosberg, who published a photo of the theft taken from the FIA’s security camera in parc ferme, said the helmet was stolen from Mercedes’ supposedly security-guarded garage.

Rosberg also gave details of the helmet’s unique registration and FIA labels: The Schuberth helmet was registered with the Number R-NR 074/02-13. The SNELL-Label is ST 270141. FIA label gold: AH04248. FIA Label white: Nr. 134

“Let us know if any of you see [the helmet] on eBay or somewhere else,” he wrote on his personal website.

Schuberth’s Formula 1 helmets – particularly personally customised versions such as Rosberg’s – are worth thousands of euros.

Rosberg wrote on his website: “Hi everyone, My race helmet got stolen out of the security guarded team´s garage at Nürburgring GP on Sunday at 1.51 a.m. Check the FIA picture of the thief. Let us know if any of you see one on eBay or somewhere else. I have never given out an original race helmet. So if you see one then let us know. Thanks. Nico.”

[MIKA27]

Ben Sulayem opts out of FIA presidency race and backs Todt

Jean Todt’s path to another term as FIA president just got a little easier as Mohammed Ben Sulayem, a FIA vice president, has endorsed the Frenchman and ended weeks of speculation that he may run for the presidency himself.

Emirati Ben Sulayem, a legend in Middle East motor sport circles, said, “Following careful consideration, I can confirm that I have accepted Jean Todt’s invitation to support his re-election and [for me] to stand for a second term as FIA vice president for sport. It is now time to focus on the big issues facing the FIA.”

Englishman David Ward remains as the sole candidate to challenge Todt, but is looking unlikely to enlist the 26 nominations required by mid-November.

[MIKA27]

Works teams to have V6 engine advantage says Brawn

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn has admitted that Formula 1′s works teams will have an engine advantage in the new turbo V6 era.

That is because the rules forbid the engine manufacturers to supply more than a single specification, despite Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari all having customer teams.

However, Brawn told Auto Motor und Sport that the single specification will be specifically tailored to the works teams – Mercedes (Mercedes), Red Bull (Renault) and Ferrari (Ferrari).

“We will work together as one team at Brackley and Brixworth to get the best result from the complete car,” he said. “Engine and chassis.”

So that will mean the customer teams will have to make the most of engines that are tailored to the rival cars of the works teams.

“We will help our customers as far as we can, in terms of information,” said Brawn. “But if I’m honest, they won’t have a big say.

“We have developed a solution for us, so the others will have to adapt.”

2014 Mercedes customer Williams’ new technical boss Pat Symonds confirmed that, “In practice, we will have to go with the Mercedes package as it is delivered”.

Meanwhile, Honda on Friday released an audio clip of the sound of its turbo V6 engine, which was recently fired up for the first time.

The engine will not be raced until 2015, when the works collaboration with McLaren begins.

“It is exciting to hear the cry of our newborn Formula 1 engine for the first time,” said Honda’s European president Manabu Nishimae.

[MIKA27]

McLaren expects top service from Mercedes in final year together

The McLaren Mercedes partnership started in 1995 here with Mika Hakkinen at the wheel of the MP4-10

McLaren is not concerned that engine supplier Mercedes will give the British team sub-standard service next year, as 2014 will be the final year of McLaren’s long engine collaboration with Mercedes, as the sport moves from the current V8 to the radical new turbo V6 rules.

In the wake of the successful works partnership, however, McLaren is now just a paying customer of Mercedes, and moving to works Honda power in 2015.

Team figures have denied that 2014 is a ‘gap year’ for McLaren.

It is therefore expecting equal treatment from Mercedes, who while having its own Brackley based works team, will also sell engines to Force India and Williams next year.

“I know Mercedes very well, having worked with them for years,” managing director Jonathan Neale is quoted by Austrian media.

He said that with drivers needing to make do with just five V6 turbo engines for the entire 2014 season, “all parts must be of the highest quality”.

“So there can be no A, B or C equipment,” Neale insisted.

[MIKA27]

Mansell: Discrimination against bigger driver

Nigel Mansell has labelled Formula One's weight limit "disgraceful", saying this is F1 not horse racing.

Although next year the sport's minimum weight limit is set to increase, the extra 42kgs will go towards the new V6 engines and the Energy Recovery Systems.

And with news that teams are struggling to get down to the 690kgs, there are fears that heavier taller drivers will be excluded from the sport.

"It's wrong. They [the drivers] are not jockeys," former World Champ Mansell said an interview with the BBC.

"It's disgraceful, it's discrimination against the medium-sized large driver.

"In years gone by, we didn't have traction control or power steering - you had to be a strong driver and there were a lot of strong drivers.

"If you had this weight limit, they wouldn't have been able to drive cars many years ago - or they would have driven with great difficulty.

"So I think get the weight limit up a bit, make some cars carry some ballast so that the bigger drivers don't suffer as much."

[MIKA27]

Adrian Sutil says he is likely to stay at Force India for 2014

Adrian Sutil believes that he will "probably" remain at Force India in 2014.

The German returned to the squad he raced for from 2007-2011 this year after sitting out last season and has had a good campaign, scoring 26 points so far.

While Force India has yet to finalise its driver line-up, Sutil is confident of staying on.

"I will probably do another season here," said Sutil when asked by AUTOSPORT about his future.

"It's a good team. At the moment, we are not as strong as we used to be but it is one of the strongest private teams and it's hard to find a better seat so I would like to do another season here.

"But I haven't made up my mind completely and no decision has been made."

While Sutil accepts that the team might opt to replace him, he suspects it will be difficult to do so.

He also stressed that it is not simply a case of Force India deciding to retain him and that he has yet to make a final decision on whether he will stay.

"It's not all about the team and whether they say I am allowed to drive or not, I can also make some comments [about] if I want to stay here.

"It's 50/50, it's not that they decide what I'm allowed to do.

"I think I am in a strong position, I have done my job this year and you would have to find someone else who does the job like I do.

"If there is a better drive somewhere out there and they want him, fine take him and good luck."

Sutil believes that the quality of his driving this year has not been rewarded with as many results as it should have done.

"I lots out on quite a few results and I knew they were big changes in Barcelona, Bahrain with the puncture, Malaysia with the pitstop problem," he said.

"I think we missed out on three top results. But that's how it is, you can't change it."

[MIKA27]

Controversial new Group meets to steel Formula 1 future; Small teams feel excluded:

On Monday the F1 Strategy Group will meet for the first time and a new era of F1 rule making will begin, which excludes small and medium sized teams. They fear it could lead ultimately to the sport polarising into a few top “works” teams with the rest running customer cars.

The F1 Strategy Group is a new body which has been born out of the bilateral agreement between the FIA and the commercial rights holders CVC and Bernie Ecclestone, signed last month.

Where previously, the teams would all meet to have an input into new ideas and directions for the sport, now it will be a group of just six teams; Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, Williams and a floating member, which is currently Lotus due to championship position.

This cuts the small and medium sized teams out of the equation. The only say they have is when the findings and decisions of the F1 Strategy Group are passed to the F1 commission for ratification. But as the F1 commission is a large group that also contains suppliers and promoters, the voice of the small and medium sized teams is very much diluted.

The F1 Strategy Group is composed of three equal thirds: FIA has six votes, although it will be represented at meetings by only one person, the same carries for the commercial rights holder, while the six teams have one vote each.

Had the F1 Strategy Group been in place over the last ten years, so example, major rule changes like the introduction of V6 turbo engines and DRS would have been passed by the group, with no input from smaller teams.

The fear among “the excluded” is that this group’s ultimate intention is to divide the competitors into “works” teams and customer teams.

Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo has long argued that a strong F1 would have such a structure whereby teams like Force India would buy their cars from McLaren, Sauber and Marussia would buy Ferraris, Toro Rosso or Caterham would buy Red Bulls and so on. And they would use the partner team’s wind tunnel and simulator facilities, doing away with the expense of having their own. Currently there is some technology flowdown: Caterham buys its gearbox from Red Bull, Force India has Mercedes engines married to a McLaren gearbox, for example.

This would give the top teams valuable additional return on investment, would close up the competition and many feel it would raise the standard and would make the smaller teams more sustainable; it would mean teams like Marussia could focus on going racing without the stress and expense of tooling up with the huge staff numbers and the latest equipment needed to design and build a car. But critics argue that it would weaken the diversity of the sport and would leave the smaller teams dependent on the “works” teams.

One significant step on the road to that future was taken when the list of prescribed parts – parts which constitute an F1 car’s Intellectual Property – moved from the Concorde Agreement into the FIA Sporting Regulations. This was significant because you cannot change things in the Concorde Agreement without unanimous approval, whereas items in the Sporting Regulations can be changed more easily. So that list could grow or shrink depending on the political and commercial agenda of the powerbrokers.

Force India’s Bob Fernley (second from right above) has come out very strongly this weekend against the new body, calling into question its legality and asking how this can been seen as fair and equitable. Since the FIA became recognised by the International Olympic Committee, doubts have been raised over the compatability of certain aspects of the way the sport is run compared to the Olympic charter.

“All teams basically pay the same amount to go racing,” he told the Telegraph. “The only differentials are in drivers’ salaries and hospitality. And yet some teams have no say in how the sport is run. It could certainly be deemed abuse of a dominant position.”

“Some of the teams (on the F1 Strategy Group) have grave reservations about the legality of it. There is genuine concern among some of the teams on the Strategy Group, particularly the ones who are public companies. This is not ethical governance.”

Williams has always been implacably opposed to customer cars as they would be the “squeezed middle” – a proud team determined to build its own car that would struggle to beat a Ferrari run by Marussia or a Red Bull run by Caterham. So they will oppose customer cars, but could be a lone voice in the Strategy Group. McLaren’s Martin Whitmarsh would be in a very tough spot; as someone who has worked very hard for the F1 Teams Association he would feel obliged to represent the smaller teams. But for McLaren there are millions to be made from selling technology.

Toro Rosso is an interesting case study: in 2008 it had a car from Adrian Newey’s drawing board before the rules on IP exchange were tightened up and Sebastian Vettel won the Italian Grand Prix with it that year from pole. Now Abu Dhabi investment business Aabar has an interest in the team and the paddock view is that at some point soon they will take the team over from Dietrich Mateschitz.

It would be very attractive for the new owners to get a customer Red Bull each year, to avoid the expense and staffing needed to build its own car and the team would be very competitive.

Currently F1 has no Concorde Agreement, the labour agreement which has bound in the governing body, the commercial rights holder and the teams. Ecclestone has said all along that he does not feel F1 needs a Concorde Agreement. And as he now has bilateral agreements with the FIA and with all but one of the teams (Marussia still being the exception) he can argue that from a commercial and governance point of view there is no need for a Concorde Agreement.

[MIKA27]

Russian teenager Kvyat to race for Toro Rosso in 2014

Russian teenager Daniil Kvyat will race in Formula 1 next season after the Toro Rosso team named him on Monday as the surprise replacement for departing Australian Daniel Ricciardo.

The announcement means that Russia could have two drivers on the starting grid when the country hosts its first grand prix in Sochi next year.

Sauber is already planning to bring little-known 18-year-old Sergey Sirotkin into its line-up, providing he can obtain a superlicence, as part of a deal with the Swiss team’s new Russian backers.

Toro Rosso said in a statement that 19-year-old Kvyat, who has been competing in the Formula Three and GP3 support series, would partner Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne at the Red Bull-owned team.

Ricciardo has already been named as replacement for compatriot Mark Webber, who is leaving the sport at the end of the season, at World Champions Red Bull alongside triple champion Sebastian Vettel.

Kvyat was seen as an outside chance for the Toro Rosso seat, with Portugal’s Antonio Felix da Costa and even Carlos Sainz Junior considered the more likely choices for the Red Bull ‘junior’ F1 team..

“We are pleased to continue our policy of bringing on drivers from the Red Bull Junior Programme,” said principal Franz Tost.

“He impressed our team with a strong performance and very informative technical feedback at the young driver test in Silverstone (in July). This suggests that the basic qualities from which he can progress are all in place.

“Daniil can be sure that we will use all our experience of training youngsters to give him the best possible start to his Formula 1 career,” added Tost.

Kvyat has taken one win, five poles and five podium finishes in Formula 3 this season, and is also still in a position to win the GP3 championship, but he faces a big step up to grand prix racing.

The Rome-based driver, who speaks Italian, said getting the race seat was a dream come true.

“Ever since I began karting, I wanted to get to Formula 1 and now that wish will become reality next season,” he said.

“I had a brief taste of working with the Toro Rosso team, when I drove for them at the Silverstone test and I enjoyed the experience very much.”

Russia is due to host a grand prix in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, which is also hosting the Winter Olympics, next October but currently has no Formula 1 drivers.

The only Russian driver to have competed in the sport so far is Vitaly Petrov, who raced for Renault and Caterham from 2010 until the end of last season with third place in Australia in 2011 his best result.

[MIKA27]

Jay Leno samples Circuit of The Americas with McLaren and ladies

Jay Leno, star of “The Tonight Show” and legendary car and bike aficionado made a special visit to Circuit of The Americas one month ahead of the United States Grand Prix which will be held at the venue.

Leno, a known automotive enthusiast and owner of McLaren sports cars, tested his driving skills behind the wheel of a McLaren 12C around the circuit as part of a special track experience organized by the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 team and Mobil 1.

“This is a world class track, it’s really amazing,” Leno said. “I think this circuit could be better than anything in Europe or Asia, it’s really that amazing. I have been completely blown away since I arrived here this morning.”

McLaren test driver Oliver Turvey joined Leno at COTA to give an up-close-and-personal view of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-26, the model used by McLaren’s Formula 1 racing team during the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championships, to compare the consumer and racing McLarens side-by-side.

[MIKA27]

Maldonado future F1 unsure as motorsports funding scandal erupts in Venezuela

Venezuelan officials have frozen all disbursements of hard currency to automobile and motorcycle racers who compete abroad as they investigate a corruption scandal, which may impact the future of Pastor Maldonado in Formula 1.

Justice Minister Miguel Rodriguez told reporters that some motorsports athletes have obtained hard currency for “activities that were either fictitious or overpriced.”

Because Venezuela’s bolivar currency does not trade on global markets, Venezuelan businesses and individuals depend upon the state agency called Cadivi to obtain dollars, euros and other freely traded currencies.

Dollars have become so scarce in this oil-rich nation plagued by economic woes, including one of the world’s highest inflation rates, that on the black market they fetch more than seven times the official exchange rate.

The sports currency scandal is only the latest involving the gaming of Venezuela’s currency regime. One involves buying up airline tickets for travel abroad, which lets Venezuelans withdraw $3 000 a year at the official rate.

Sports Minister Alejandra Benitez said in a newspaper interview published Thursday that an initial investigation into the Cadivi disbursements found that one driver got $ 66 million. She did not name the driver.

She noted that more than 98 percent of her budget for foreign competitions goes to motor sports.

Among the affected drivers is E.J. Viso, who apparently canceled his participation in this weekend’s IndyCar Series’ season finale in Fontana, California. Viso was listed as being “ill.”

He could not be located for comment. In an interview with the El Nacional published Wednesday he said that he welcomed the investigation. He is mostly sponsored by the state oil company PDVSA.

Benitez was quoted in the interview in Ultimas Noticias as saying that she had discovered that her signature had been forged on 60 disbursement files for hard currency.

Maldonado who is bank rolled by PDVSA is reportedly also under investigation which could impact the Williams F1 team who have a substantial sponsorship partnership with PDVSA ensuring Maldonado’s seat with the British outfit.

Despite having the world’s largest proven oil reserves, Venezuela’s socialist-led government has had major difficulties managing the economy. These grew more acute after the March 5 death of longtime President Hugo Chavez, who won broad support with expensive anti-poverty programs.

[MIKA27]

Marko: We want to risk and move a GP3 driver up to F1 – no risk, no fun!

Helmut Marko has labeled the unexpected promotion of Red Bull junior Daniil Kvyat to the Toro Rosso team for 2014 as a ‘no risk – no fun’ strategy.

When asked about the 19-year-old Russian’s leap straight from GP3 to Toro Rosso, McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale said it was a “very big step”.

McLaren is bringing new Formula Renault 3.5 champion Kevin Magnussen and runner-up Stoffel Vandoorne through the ranks, but Neale suggested that the move to the new turbo V6 rules next year is a big enough challenge “without throwing a young driver into the mix”.

“It has been done successfully historically, [but only] by exceptional candidates,” he told reporters during a Vodafone teleconference, “but Formula 1 is a very high-pressure environment and very unforgiving.”

Kvyat, believed to be bringing Russian sponsors to Toro Rosso, surprisingly beat the hot favourite Antonio Felix da Costa.

Marko, who heads Red Bull’s junior programme, defended the appointment of the three-years-younger Kvyat on the basis of his steady development throughout 2013, and his performance at Silverstone during the young driver test.

“So we wanted to take the risk and move a GP3 driver up to F1,” the Austrian told Auto Bild. “No risk, no fun!”

Marko said he sees Russian Kvyat as “a mix between Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen”, because he has “exceptional speed and is a meticulous worker, but also very quiet and with good nerves”.

Earlier, it was suggested that Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost considered Kvyat too young for F1, but he is now quoted as noting that out of the Russian, Da Costa and Carlos Sainz Jr, Kvyat is “by far” the most ready for the 2014 seat.

[MIKA27]

Williams has big wish to make Qatar partnership happen

Reaping the fruits of the collaboration with Qatar is Sir Frank Wiliams’ “last big wish”, he admitted on Tuesday.

A couple of years ago, the British team partnered with the soverign Arab state to establish the Williams Technology Centre in Qatar, to develop and commercialise F1-bred technologies.

Williams, 71, is still the Grove based team’s boss, but he has handed over many of his responsibilities to his new deputy, daughter Claire.

But Williams told Auto Motor und Sport that he still deals primarily with the political side of F1, and liaising with the likes of the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone.

“My last big wish is to bring our partnership with Qatar to fruition,” he said.

He likened the Qatar link to the late 70s, when Williams rose to the front of the grid powered by Arab-linked sponsors including Saudia, TAG and Albilad.

“I would like to do the same now with Qatar,” said Williams. “I’ve been working on it for three years. From my experience with the Saudis, I know that patience plays an important role.”