FORMULA 1 - 2013

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Well-deserved title, even though it makes the remainder of the season boring.

I agree however we might now have people pushing harder because there's nothing left to lose except Championship points which I guess equate to Euros for the team. Maybe people like Alonso, Massa, Seb and Webber will go hell for leather.

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Force India 'thinking out of the box'

Force India boss Vijay Mallya insists the team will continue to use brave strategies as they look to stay sixth in the standings.

A mid-season slump saw the Silverstone-based squad drop below McLaren in the Constructors' Championship while Sauber closed the gap on them by picking up 38 points in four races.

However, Force India put an end to their poor run of form during their "home race" in India on Sunday as Paul di Resta and Adrian Sutil finished eighth and ninth respectively.

That helped them to maintain a 23-point lead over Sauber with only three races left this season.

Mallya admits they were forced to come up with a different strategy on Sunday to keep their rivals at bay.

"We are making baby steps at a time in trying to get the set-up right within the mechanical design constraints to optimize our performance," he told the official Formula One website. "So yes, this input is taking place - race by race. Over and above those inputs, we also try to imagine out-of-the-box strategies.

He added: "I don't want to talk about Sauber. We gained six points on them at the weekend - they were obviously hoping to gain six points or more on us, but fortunately it worked in our favour.

"I don't know what happened to Nico (Hulkenberg) and why he retired, but he was going well until that point. But be that as it may, yes, we will continue to think out of the box, we will continue to score points and we will continue to make baby steps. This will be our strategy for the remaining three races."

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Ferrari 'failed to deliver a good car'

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali has lamented the team's inability to give their drivers "a car good enough to fight" Sebastian Vettel on equal terms.

Vettel won his sixth consecutive race at Sunday's Indian Grand Prix to wrap up a fourth Drivers' Championship on the trot, leaving Fernando Alonso to battle it out with Kimi Raikkonen over second place in the standings.

Domenicali believes they let their drivers down as the machinery was not up to scratch this year.

"This year, we were unable to give our drivers a car good enough to fight with Vettel on equal terms, apart from at the very beginning of the season," he told the official Ferrari website.

"Thanks to Fernando and his amazing talent, we managed to worry the World Champion elect more than the others, but unfortunately, our efforts were not enough to fight all the way to the very end.

"Now, it's important to try and end this season in the best way possible. These are crucial weeks that we have ahead of us to the end of the year, because the work we are doing in preparation for 2014 is vital if we want to be the team that puts an end to this Red Bull dominance, just as we and Fernando have been their main rivals over the past four seasons."

Domenicali also revealed that the team knew during the summer that they were going struggle during the latter stages of the season.

"I think honestly there were two moments when I realised that the situation was becoming quite complicated," he is quoted as saying by Autosport.

"One was around July when we saw that we didn't have the step in performance related to the upgrades that we were hoping to have.

"That was a sign of alarm I saw very clearly.

"The second moment was in the second half of the season.

"If you think about Spa and Monza the situation was not so bad if you forget Sebastian and Red Bull, but we were not able to gain with the change of tyre specification, while we saw the others did a big gain."

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Ricciardo dreaming of first victory

Daniel Ricciardo says his main target for the 2014 season is to "get up to speed" with Sebastian Vettel, but he would also "love" to get his maiden win under his belt.

The Australian will swap his Toro Rosso seat for a Red Bull drive at the end of this year and he knows it will be no easy task as he will have four-time World Champion Vettel as his team-mate.

When questioned by the official Formula 1 website about his targets for 2014, he said: "To get up to Seb's speed as soon as possible. I hope to get there!

"I would love to have some podiums and a victory. If I could get that first victory next year, that would be great."

Asked if he is "worried to death about his future" as he is only on a one-year contact and up against Vettel, he replied: "Ha, that sounds like I am embarking on a horror movie! The honest truth is that I want to see how good I am.

"I am good enough to be here, but my real target is to be the best and to have Seb as my team-mate is a big assessment for me. If he drowns me, that's life, but if he does I want to go down knowing that I have done my best. But that is not the plan - to be drowned."

Ricciardo is confident he will be able to challenge the top guys in a few years if he puts in the hard yards.

"I believe that I've got this far for a reason - so there is no reason why it should stop here," he said. "With each year I get more hungry and determined. I see Seb and I know that he is a phenomenal driver - but he is also only human.

"If I really put the hard work in I should be able to challenge the top guys. I have other interests as well that keep me quite grounded and I think that also plays a huge part. I also have a life outside F1. That healthy balance is good for success."

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Grosjean 'signed' for next year, according to Lotus

Lotus boss Eric Boullier says he is just waiting for the nod from the team's owners to finalise Romain Grosjean's new contract for 2014.

Grosjean's impressive form in recent races - scoring three consecutive podium finishes – has made it a no-brainer for the team to keep him on next year.

Boullier said after Grosjean's latest strong showing that he had agreed everything to keep the Frenchman for a third year, but Genii Capital had to give final approval.

"All the boxes are ticked, all the lights are green, and he has signed for next year," Boullier said.

"We just need to make sure that we have confirmation [from Genii] as soon as possible."

Grosjean has been well aware that his future will remain up in the air until Lotus can sort out its financial situation, amid talks with investors Quantum Motorsports.

"Everything is open for the future even though I feel good," said Grosjean in India

"They are trying to sort the financial trouble and it puts the rest on the back foot.

"But I am pretty happy to be here, and open as well, as you never know what the future is."

Grosjean had to wait until after the season finished last year to be told he would be retained, but he is keeping his fingers crossed that matters get sorted quicker this time around.

"I think I waited until December 16 last year, so hopefully it will be earlier than that because I have holiday plans," he said.

"It would be nice to go on holiday with the future sorted, but I am not in a rush."

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Is there such thing as a "perfect lap?"

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the concept of a “Perfect lap” – the lap in which the driver takes the absolute maximum from the car and leaves no time on the table, not even a hundredth of a second.

F1 is all about the quest for perfection. At the highest level of driving there is a purity to it; the combination of man and machine, looking to achieve the ultimate around a ribbon of tarmac that makes up the circuit.

So is it possible to do a perfect lap? And do the simulation tools, which all teams have these days, help drivers in that quest or do they merely highlight the limitations of the human being behind the wheel?

We’ve asked a few of the top names from F1 and we’d love to hear your views too.

When we asked Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, he was pretty honest about it: “I’ve never done a perfect lap. But Singapore this year was pretty good!” he said. (He qualified second)

“It’s not possible to do a perfect lap. There’s always something where you think you could have done it slightly better and I don’t really believe you can do the perfect lap. You can get very close, and I did in Singapore, but there’s always a couple of hundredths that you leave on the table.

“You don’t do it in the simulator either but that’s more laboratory conditions. You always have a better chance of getting things right than in the real outdoor world. Drivers, of course, also have competition in the simulator but the problem is that it’s always a moving target with different tyre models and so forth. From time to time we do get in one after the other but it’s quite rare.”

“Probably not,” said Mark Webber, when asked if he has ever done a perfect lap. “It’s very difficult to do the absolute perfect, perfect lap. I’ve been close. But if a drivers says he’s done the perfect lap, I’m not it’s possible.

“The simulators give us a perspective on what is possible, but even so, the most important factor is the real driver in the car understanding what the limit actually is. Even when we do downforce wing comparisons in simulation, looking at what happens with different wing levels, there are certain things that the simulator still can’t take into account that the driver actually does in the car. So thankfully that’s why it’s still a bit of a black art for us in the car and we get to do the job we do!”

However Williams driver Valtteri Bottas disagrees and thinks a perfect laps is attainable. He did a stunning lap in qualifying in Canada to put the Williams third on the grid.

“A perfect lap is possible,” he says,”And it’s always what I’m aiming for but sometimes it’s more difficult. When the car is better balanced it’s easier but then it’s our job to get all the data on Friday and work with the car set-up to get it as strong as it can be so that you can drive it on the limit with a good balance. Every car is a bit different though, and maybe with some it’s easier.

“In Canada, where I qualified third, everything came together for us. There was the weather and that track is quite special was good for us: no high-speed corners, big brakes and chicanes and every corner is quite short. And, for us, normally the shorter the corner the better for us. I think the conditions, the track, my lap, everything just came together.

“I think it is probably easier in the simulator because there are less variables. For example wind speed and temperature. In the simulator those things are a bit behind reality and at a real track there are more variables. For example, a single little gust of wind can change things.”

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It isn't over yet - the remaining battles of 2013

Red Bull may have already effectively got both hands on the Drivers' and Constructors' trophies, but there is still plenty to play for in F1 Just like in a football league there are scores to be settled up and down the table, which will provide drama in the last four races of the season.

It might not be as glamorous as winning the constructor’s championship but Mercedes, Ferrari and Lotus would all rather finish runner-up than in fourth place.

Firstly it makes a huge difference financially in terms of how much prize money is awarded. For Mercedes and Lotus finishing the season runner-up would also mark a huge step forward. Last year Lotus finished fourth, whilst Mercedes were fifth. Furthermore Ferrari certainly won’t want to finish down in fourth. This would be their worse position since 2009.

Ferrari’s pace has been on the slide for a while now, and they have now abandoned 2013 to concentrate on 2014.

Pace wise are they are now behind Mercedes and Lotus. It seems that the team’s best hope for a podium is one of Alonso's dynamite starts. Even those have disappeared in the last couple of races. The "on-form" team at the moment are Lotus. They appear to have found something over the last couple of events, and have emerged as Red Bull’s most credible challengers. Cynics say that Renault has a lot to do with the fact Red Bull and Lotus are F1’s top two teams at the moment. If Lotus can keep their form up second place is possible. However they are 33 points behind Ferrari. Therefore they need to stay consistent.

One race where Lotus suffers a nightmare and Ferrari score a strong double points finish, and their quest will prove tough.

Mercedes shouldn’t be ruled out though. They are only 10 points behind Ferrari after all. It hasn’t been a great few races but that has been more down to bad luck and mistakes, rather than lack of pace. They got the strategy wrong in Singapore and Korea. In Japan Lewis Hamilton got a puncture at the start, whilst Nico Rosberg got a drive-thru penalty for an un-safe release. They still have a car capable of qualifying and racing in the top four.

On a clean weekend they are capable of winning big points with both cars, even a win if Red Bull isn’t quite on it.

Four clean weekends and second place in the constructor’s is theirs for the taking. On paper it ought to be Mercedes that clinch it, but it could be tight. They have to stop making operational errors to take it. There’s a strong chance this one will go down to the wire in Brazil.

Fernando Alonso is currently second in the driver’s championship with a 30 point margin over Kimi Raikkonen, and a 46 point lead over Hamilton.

Ferrari doesn’t have a great car at the moment but Alonso is still capable of dragging it to a points position. This was demonstrated by fourth place in Japan. Four more solid points finishes like that, and he will have a decent chance of retaining second. Although Raikkonen currently has a stronger car than Alonso, he is not on the best of form at the moment.

Since the tyre construction has changed, Kimi has really struggled to put a strong lap together in qualifying. This has affected his chances of getting consistently strong race results. There have also been question marks over his motivation since announcing his Ferrari deal. Out of the drivers gunning for second place you sense he will be the least bothered about it. Another podium or two is likely for Kimi, but he would probably need four to overtake Fernando.

Romain Grosjean is in a purple patch at the moment. He has emerged as the most consistent of the non Red Bull drivers in the last two or three races. Due to an inconsistent start to 2013 he isn’t mathematically in the fight to beat Fernando. However If he can keep his form up he could help Alonso hold on to second, by stopping his nearest rivals getting on the third step of the podium, behind the rampant Red Bulls.

Hamilton has the pace to challenge Alonso but he would need four clean/on form weekends to have a chance. Looking back at the season his form has been a bit erratic at times. When he is happy he is on fire. When he isn’t he seems to lose a bit of his edge. Furthermore bad luck has never been far away, Suzuka being a case in point. He could potentially overtake Raikkonen for third though.

Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg could still leap ahead of Alonso but realistically they have too many points to make up. Ultimately Alonso’s rivals need him to have a DNF at some point in the last four races to have a realistic shot at second position. His notorious consistency should just help him across the line.

McLaren, Sauber, Force India and Toro Rosso are all fighting for fifth in the championship.

Just like the battle for runner-up spot, it makes a huge difference to the prize money on offer. For the midfield teams it is even more important than it is for the big teams.

Outside of the top teams nearly every team is struggling financially at the moment. The huge regulation changes coming for next season are very expensive, and are therefore adding more strain. The extra money for a higher placing could prove critical.

Force India were the "in-form" team in the first half of the season. It looked like they could even challenge McLaren for fifth. However since the construction of tyre changed in Hungary, they have struggled to even get into the points.

For Sauber on the other hand it has been the opposite story. They struggled on the 2013 construction, but have thrived on the 2012 construction. Plus the team have done the best job out of all the midfield teams of developing their car.

Nico Hulkenberg is also in the form of his life, and beating drivers he shouldn’t be beating. Here are the average number of points these teams have scored in the last four races:

If that trend carries on into the last four races then McLaren will do enough to keep fifth in the championship however Sauber will easily leapfrog Force India into sixth place, and get close to McLaren Unless Sauber completely lose their new found form. It’s hard to see that not happening. It’s very hard to see how Force India is going to suddenly turn their form around. The only thing that might save them is a wet race where they get a lucky result. Although if Toro Rosso doesn’t get a big bite of the points in the final races, the Silverstone based team should stay above them at least.

Williams, Marussia and Caterham are potentially involved in the most important battle in F1 at the moment. That is the battle not to finish in 11th. All the teams down to tenth in the championship receive a portion of the prize money. However the 11th team doesn’t.

Williams currently win that battle due to Pastor Maldonado scoring a world championship point in Hungary.

Marussia are above Caterham thanks to Jules Bianchi’s 13th place finish in Malaysia. In normal circumstances it’s hard to see that order changing. In a normal dry race a very high rate of attrition would be required for any of these three teams to score points at the moment. Reliability is bullet proof in F1 these days so it’s hard to see that happening.

10-15 years ago it would have been a distinct possibility, when reliability gremlins were commonplace. If there is a wet race or two it could be a different story. It’s very possible that Caterham or Marussia could luck into a points finish that way. Unthinkably that could put them above Williams in the championship, which would be a disaster for the Grove team. It would take a very crazy wet race for that to happen though.

Chances are Williams are reasonably secure in ninth place. However it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Caterham could finish 12th or higher in a race, and claim that all important tenth place.

At the last race last year in the wet in Brazil, Vitaly Petrov finished 11th to leapfrog Marussia in the standings. History could repeat itself If there is no late season rain, tenth place will be Marussia’s to keep.

[ptrthgr8]

Well-deserved title, even though it makes the remainder of the season boring.

I dunno. Will Massa really try to mess with Alonso? How about Grosjean and Raikkonen? They had some interesting moments as of late. And there's always a thousand ways for Hamilton to whine about something. I see a great reason to make a drinking game out of the last few races this year. I think it's going to be a lot of fun to watch. Especially knowing my boy Seb has already clinched everything. I just hope nobody does anything stupid that gets someone hurt.

Cheers,

Greg

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD

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Formula 1 and motor racing legendary venue Nurburgring Nordschleife up for sale

Jackie Stewart at the wheel of a BRM in full flight during the 1967 German GP weekend

Ever since Niki Lauda’s Ferrari exploded in a fireball on the Nurburgring in 1976, the circuit has been deemed too dangerous for Formula 1, instead hosting car companies putting new models through their paces and amateurs trying to set records on a rush of adrenaline.

But after local politicians loaded it with debt equating to around 50 years worth of profit, the famed and feared track went into administration and is now looking for a new owner.

Completed in 1927, the Ring was built to showcase German auto engineering and racing prowess, and now the country’s deep-pocketed carmakers have been cited as potential bidders.

The assets include the track and adjacent amusement park that features a rollercoaster that mimics the cockpit g-force in an F1 car – although after four years, safety concerns have a delayed its maiden voyage until the end of this month.

Niki Lauda shortly before his crash at the Nurburgring in 1976

There are precedents for such interest. Volkswagen’s Porsche bought the Nardo Ring circuit in Italy in May 2012, while Silverstone, the home of the British Grand Prix, is owned by a group of more than 800 drivers including F1 stars such as Lewis Hamilton.

Indicative bids are currently being assessed for the track and park, which typically has an annual revenue of €50-€60 million and underlying profits of €6-€8 million, making it more profitable than many carmakers. By law, any buyer must keep the circuit open to the public and the motor industry.

The administrator, Thomas Schmidt, said he has a “sufficient number of legitimate non-binding bids for all the Nurburgring assets” and hopes for a deal early next year. Daimler , BMW and Volkswagen declined to comment.

“The Nurburgring is without a doubt the cradle of German motorsports,” said Peter Meyer, President of German motoring club ADAC, which has also said it is seriously considering making a bid.

“It’s an automotive cultural treasure,” he said.

Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg during a Mercedes promotion at Nurburgring in 2011

German carmakers in particular have long had an affinity with the track. Daimler traces its “Silver Arrow” heritage back to the 1934 Eifel Race around the Nordschleife, or north loop, which it won after the Mercedes team famously scraped the car’s white paintwork off the metal body to shave weight.

Manufacturers still use the Nordschleife to test handling and durability against the gruelling wear-and-tear it inflicts on chassis and suspension. Setting a new lap record confers ultimate bragging rights on carmakers.

It also brings risks – over 230 accidents and three deaths in the last two years – mainly involving motor enthusiasts who flock to the track on days when it is open to the paying public.

Barring ice or fog, the track closes only for secretive “industry pool” days staged between April and October, when carmakers rent the course for their own tests and paparazzi lurk in the trees, hoping to snap the latest prototypes.

The rest of the year, the Ring remains open to amateur racing fiends who pay €26 per lap to put their hot-rods and supercars through its exacting corners.

Accidents happen at the Nordschleife

German police even applaud the practice, arguing the Nordschleife serves as a valuable outlet for speed freaks that otherwise would pose a danger to road safety.

Professionals, however, advise extreme caution.

“It’s the toughest track by miles,” Vincent Radermecker, a Belgian driver who has raced in the World Touring Car Championship among others. “If you make a mistake here, you destroy the car, and yourself.”

It is by far the world’s longest race track at 13 miles with a mind-boggling 73 bends, too many for neophytes to remember, and sharp crests that can catapult a car into the air at breakneck speeds. To help with learning the terrain, drivers bestowed nicknames to sections over time like Bergwerk, where Lauda crashed, Carousel or Gallow’s Head, where legend has it a local earl once staged public executions.

In the course of a lap, cars tackle altitude changes equivalent to London’s Shard skyscraper and on a circuit this big, parts can be slick with rain while others are dry. Tyre grip is further complicated by the irregular mosaic of rough and smooth surfaces, the result of years of subsidence and repaving.

Jacques Laffite drives Ligier JS5 through the Karussell during the 1976 German GP

Undulations in the decades-old track prompt professional test driver Dirk Schoysman to advise newcomers to first learn the course virtually with the aid of a racing game like Sony’s Gran Turismo before taking to the asphalt.

“This area is volcanic and even though it’s inactive…the ground is still moving,” said Schoysman, who claims after 16,000 career laps there is “nothing else in the world like it.”

The Nuerburgring’s mystique only grew once Lauda crashed right after warning fellow drivers of its dangers, and the track’s lore holds a particular fascination for carmakers in Asia, where F1 draws some of its most devoted fans.

South Korean budget brand Hyundai spent nearly €7 million building a new trackside test centre, one of only five carmakers to do so, in the hopes of narrowing a perceived gap with European rivals in ride and handling.

“Anything we can make of that facility and the link between the Nurburgring and Hyundai is fantastically useful for me,” said Hyundai’s European marketing chief, Mark Hall.

Nissan strategy chief Andy Palmer believes fame on the Nordschleife can help him sell his GT-R, and wants the $100,000 sports car to go down in the history books as quicker around the Eifel circuit than rivals costing 10 times as much.

“Hopefully it will be the fastest four-seater around the Nuerburgring,” said Palmer, who personally tested the GT-R’s performance on this most dangerous of proving grounds.

Ahead of the upcoming launch of its 918 Spyder, Porsche invited witnesses last month to see the $1 million hybrid-electric clock a lap time that confirms it as the fastest ever production car using street-legal tyres.

On the other end of the price spectrum, Honda boasts its 280-horsepower Civic Type R hatchback will claim the Nordschleife speed record for front-wheel-drive cars when it debuts in 2015.

“The Japanese and Koreans certainly see the Nurburgring as the centre of excellence for driving dynamics,” said Hyundai’s Hall, himself a former Toyota manager.

View of the Nurburgring grand prix track configuration

Spa Francorchamps, an F1 track 40 miles away in Belgium, shares the same hilly topography and capricious weather as the Nordschleife. It is still in use though because its length – roughly one-third of the Nurburgring – is more easily covered by firefighters and paramedics.

“F1 doesn’t race on such long distances any more because it’s very difficult to control,” said Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann, who lost a friend to the Nurburgring in 2001.

Christian Peruzzi, Fiat’s head of operations in Germany, died from massive head injuries after his Alfa Romeo 147 barrel-rolled multiple times on the Swedish Cross stretch.

“He lost control of the car on a corner,” Winkelmann said.

Lauda of course was luckier. Although badly scarred in 1976, he went on to win two more F1 championships before re-inventing himself as an aviation entrepreneur. The eventual buyers of the Ring will be hoping they can turn the track’s fortunes around and restore it to its former glory.

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Raikkonen: Last year at Yas we didn’t have the best car, but we fought hard and won

After a challenging Indian Grand Prix, our Kimi Raikkonen heads to the scene of his first race victory for Lotus F1 Team, fired up for a strong result at Yas Marina Circuit, venue of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Round 17 of the 2013 Formula 1 World Championship.

How’s the feeling heading back to the scene of your 2012 race victory?

You just approach it like any race. I had a good result there last year, but I had a very boring race there the first time I visited in 2009. I’d prefer to have another good result, but you don’t know how strong you’ll be until you get to the circuit.

What do you think of the Yas Marina?

It’s a great place to go. The circuit is connected to a big entertainment centre and you’ve got all the boats moored next to the circuit. There are often a lot of passionate fans watching the race and for me the hotel is walking distance from the track which I like. It’s also good to race at a circuit where you have had a strong result before.

Anything else in Abu Dhabi that’s good for you?

I like to be on a familiar time zone so you can wake up normally and do everything in the expected order. That’s one of nice things with this race; especially with it starting so late.

What do you think of the circuit itself?

The facilities are second to none. The track layout makes it really challenging for overtaking as there are not too many places to pass. You really have to qualify well to be at the front and get a strong result from there. There are many corners, you need good overall downforce and grip, plus the car has to ride the kerbs very well too. It’s a track where you really hope to get everything nicely together during the whole weekend. When you succeed with that, it’s a good place to race. I have had one very boring race being stuck in the middle group and then one great race fighting for the victory at the top. I know which I prefer.

Your race in 2009 wasn’t one of your favourites then?

That was a boring one I can tell you! I finished back in twelfth position and there was nothing I could do about it. Those sorts of races are not the best.

How did it feel to take your 19th win in Abu Dhabi last year?

I was very happy for the team; myself also obviously, but mainly for the all the crew and everyone at Enstone. It was a hard season so the win was well deserved for everyone and just what we needed. It was something great for all the fans who have continued to support me and the team too. For me, it was just another win on the list. It’s great of course, because it had been a few years, but the wins before were very similar; we didn’t have the best car, but we fought hard and still won.

How does the evening race timing influence the race?

An evening race means I can get up later! Having a mixture of day and night makes a different challenge from circuits that we see anywhere else. We start with the sun and finish with the lights. It’s different, interesting and spectacular for the fans to watch too.

Kimi Raikkonen was driving for Ferrari during the 2009 Abu Dhabi GP

You’ve had some great races where you’ve moved up the order superbly; what’s the key to overtaking in Formula 1?

You cannot plan it beforehand. Often an occasion comes suddenly and you have to jump on it immediately. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes not. More often nowadays you have to sit for quite a while behind somebody to work out where you can do it. Sometimes you just have to wait to see if the guy in front makes a mistake or if his tyres are finished quicker than yours; that’s when you do it.

How was your Indian Grand Prix?

We tried something different with a one stop strategy and it didn’t work, but we didn’t lose anything by making a late second stop over running the normal two stop strategy. I had a brake problem for all of the race where they were overheating, and this got worse in traffic so I couldn’t overtake.

What’s your target for Abu Dhabi?

A race like last year would be good, rather than the one I had there in 2009.

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Marko: Webber versus Vettel feud started at Fuji back in 2007

Mark Webber retires during the 2007 Japanese GP after being punted out by Sebastian Vettel

Mark Webber’s bad relationship with his teammate Sebastian Vettel dates back six years according to Red Bull’s Helmut Marko, who plays down suggestions that the Australian and Vettel only really fell out after the well-documented ‘Multi 21′ team orders saga in Malaysia earlier this year.

Not so, Austrian Marko told the Swiss newspaper Blick, as “It goes back to Fuji 2007″.

In the Japanese Grand Prix six years ago, Webber was running strongly for Red Bull when Vettel, a rookie racing for Toro Rosso, crashed into him whilst running behind the Safety Car.

A furious Webber famously slammed “kids” who “f#ck it all up”.

Sebastian Vettel versus Mark Webber before they collided during the 2007 Japanese GP

“[Vettel] probably cost [Webber] his first victory,” said Marko. “Since then there was trouble.”

After Vettel wrapped up his fourth title in India last weekend, Webber did not appear for the post-race team photo, in which Red Bull also celebrated its fourth consecutive Constructors’ Championship victory.

“Well done to Seb on his championship,” Webber said in a post-race statement after retiring with alternator failure, “and also to all the team; to get a fourth title is amazing.”

Prior to the Malaysian fall out, there was also a headline grabbing collision between the two while tussling for the lead of the 2010 Turkish GP. Many believe that it was also the time where the shift of power within the team went towards Vettel’s side of the garage.

At the time, as has always been his custom, Marko backed Vettel , “Webber was slower and Vettel had immense pressure from Hamilton. Vettel was so much faster, he had to pass. If Webber and he had braked together, then Hamilton would have passed Vettel.”

When team boss Christian Horner sided with Vettel, it was apparent that the German had won the hearts and minds of the team.

Initially, Christian Horner indicated that he was angry at both drivers, but eventually it was Webber who took the blame, “It looks as though he didn’t leave Sebastian enough space. It was very clear [that] [Vettel] was by his side and in front.”

Many point to Webber’s bad luck, and apparently facing the brunt of the Red Bull technical hitches, to the team favouring Vettel over the years of their partnership.

Since they were teammates, starting in 2008, Vettel has won 36 grands prix and claimed four world titles with Webber only managing nine wins and no world titles.

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Williams denies being in talks to lure Brawn back

Williams have played down reports that the British team could be the next destination for Ross Brawn.

Mercedes on Tuesday refused to comment on the latest speculation about Brawn’s future, amid suggestions the 58-year-old has decided to step down as team boss.

Last month, paddock reports suggested that Brawn could be interested in buying the 15 per cent stake in Williams currently owned by his Mercedes colleague Toto Wolff, who is keen to offload the shares to end a conflict of interest.

Brawn began his Formula 1 career in the 70s when Sir Frank Williams gave him a job as a machinist.

Later, in the mid 90s, he worked with great success at Benetton alongside Pat Symonds, who this year started work as Williams’ new technical boss.

But Brawn insisted last month: “I’m definitely not buying shares in Williams!”

That doesn’t mean he might not head back to the British team simply to work there alongside Symonds.

Deputy team boss Claire Williams told the Mirror in Abu Dhabi this week: “There have been no conversations with Ross.”

Brawn has also been linked with McLaren’s new Honda era beginning in 2015, but the latest speculation is that he could reunite with his former Ferrari boss Jean Todt, who is now president of Formula 1′s governing FIA.

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Leading F1 teams willing to aid Pirelli 2014 testing plans

Leading Formula 1 teams say they are willing to assist Pirelli in its 2014 testing plans as long as the tyre company is willing to sort out the logistics and costs.

Pirelli has warned that it will pull out of F1 after this season if it is not given any extra assistance to test its rubber for next year.

It fears that if it cannot run before next January's first pre-season test in Jerez then it may be too late to ensure its tyres can cope with the high torque demands of the new V6 turbo cars.

In the wake of that threat, a number of teams have said they are willing to step forward, but it will be down to Pirelli to either sort the necessary approval from the FIA or to fund the test itself.

Lotus team principal Eric Boullier told AUTOSPORT: "If it doesn't cost a penny, yes. We could support this."

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff said: "We have to support the tyre supplier in the best possible way and it is a matter of extracting performance and being supportive.

"We need to support them and try to give them the mileage.

"It is a safety issue and it is only through safety they can decide what type of tyre compounds they need for next year.

"So we are prepared to support them if any test is needed before the beginning of the season."

The testing situation is further complicated by the fact that a planned tweak to Formula 1's sporting regulations for next year, voted through by the new Strategy Working Group, will mean that 2011 cars will be banned from testing on contemporary tyres.

For any running to take place after January 1, it would therefore require unanimous support from the teams, which has been difficult to achieve in the past.

"One of the issues you have got is that we can test a 2011 car for 1000km this year, and every team can do that," McLaren sporting director Sam Michael said.

"But from January 1 there are new Sporting Regulations. They have split up current cars, previous cars and historic cars in to three categories.

"The current cars will be 2013/2014/2015, and then previous cars will be the four years before that. And anything before 2009, like James Hunt's old car or Senna's old car, will be viewed as historic.

"Therefore we cannot send a 2011 car tyre testing once we go beyond January."

McLaren is already supplying a car for a Pirelli tyre test at Vallelunga next month.

[Lotusguy]

Formula 1 and motor racing legendary venue Nurburgring Nordschleife up for sale

Group buy?

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Group buy?

I'm in!!

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Lauda: I am trying everything I can to encourage and motivate Ross to stay

Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda has responded to new speculation about Ross Brawn’s future as principal of the Formula 1 team by repeating his wish for him to stay.

Brawn’s position has been open to conjecture since early in the year when Toto Wolff took over as Mercedes motorsport head and the team signed Paddy Lowe from McLaren in a senior executive position.

Mercedes declined to comment on media reports that Brawn had now decided to leave after the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix next month, but Lauda spoke of “total rubbish”.

“The situation is absolutely clear: I spoke to Ross a while ago and we agreed that he will come back to me after the final race of the season in Brazil to tell me whether he wants to stay or go,” British media quoted him ahead of Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“I am trying everything I can to encourage and motivate him to stay. I am the one who asked him to stay. I want him to do it but it is not my decision,” added the retired triple World Champion.

“If he stays. He will be team principal – nothing else – or he will retire.”

Brawn is one of Formula 1′s most successful bosses, winning both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships with his own Brawn GP team in 2009 after previous owners Honda had pulled out.

He also masterminded Michael Schumacher’s record seven titles with Benetton and Ferrari as a technical director and strategist.

Brawn stayed on after Mercedes bought Brawn at the end of 2009 and survived management changes after Schumacher’s three-year comeback with the British-based team ended disappointingly last year.

In January the 58-year-old spoke of a “succession plan” and said that he wanted to see how things went before making any long-term commitment to Mercedes.

“It’s rather like my succession plan at Ferrari. When I decided I was going to stop at Ferrari, we built a succession plan and I am part of that, I’ve talked to Paddy, we know the situation,” he said at the time.

The Briton’s position has evolved over the course of the year, without him giving any hints about the time frame for any departure.

“There is a transition going on. We’re just determining what will be the best timing for that,” he told reporters at the Indian Grand Prix last week.

“I want the team to be in the best possible place for next year, so I think [that] when the time is right we’ll let everyone know what we’re doing.”

The BBC said on Tuesday that sources close to Mercedes were saying that Brawn and Mercedes had failed to agree a role in which he would have been happy to stay and that Lowe and Wolff would run the team in tandem.

Sky television commentator Martin Brundle added on Twitter on Wednesday: “Speaking with Niki Lauda last night he’s determined to keep Ross Brawn at Merc if he can. That will take some doing to change Ross’s mind”.

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The Big Preview: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit

After a decisive Indian Grand Prix, Formula 1 makes the short trip to the United Arab Emirates. The destination this week is the Yas Marina Circuit, home to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the 17th round of the 2013 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

F1’s only day-night race presents an interesting challenge to teams and drivers alike, with each sector asking a different set of questions. Sector one features high-speed cornering, then, after the hairpin the two long back straights make for a high-speed, heavy-braking section demanding good traction out of the corners.

Finally, Yas turns into a street circuit with a twisty, low-speed final sector, skirting the perimeter of the yacht basin and diving under the Yas Viceroy hotel. The demands of each sector are far from complimentary, making the best compromise on set-up even more difficult to locate than is usually the case.

Tyre wear may be less of a factor than was the case in India. While Pirelli is bringing the same pairing of Medium and Soft compounds to Yas, this circuit in the past has shown itself to induce less wear than Buddh International.

The race does, however, introduce the quirk of a swiftly falling temperature gradient. The rapid transition from day to night in the Gulf state means the race may finish with track temperatures 15° C lower than those experienced in the early laps.

Despite both Championships being mathematically decided last week, the final three races of the season are far from dead rubbers.

The battle for second place in the Constructors’ Championship is intense: thanks to a double-points finish in India, Mercedes moved marginally ahead of Ferrari, while Lotus also made ground. Meanwhile, at the back Marussia and Caterham are scrapping over the all-important tenth spot. There’s much at stake this weekend.

Yas Marina Circuit Data

• Length of lap: 5.554 km
  
• Lap record: 1:40.279 (Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing, 2009)
  
• Start/finish line offset: 0.115 km
  
• Total number of race laps: 55
  
• Total race distance: 305.355 km
  
• Pitlane speed limits: 80km/h throughout the weekend.
  

Changes to circuit since 2012

• Speed bumps similar to those used around the first chicane at Monza have been installed two metres from the track edge around the outside of Turns Eight and 11.
  

DRS Zones

• The DRS zones at Yas Marina are on the two back straights. The first zone has a detection point 40m before Turn Seven, with activation 390m after Turn Seven. The second zone’s detection point is 50 m after Turn Nine with activation at the apex of Turn 10.
  

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Fast Facts

• Qualifying in pole position at Yas Marina has been a poisoned chalice. The driver in P1 has failed to finish three out of the four Abu Dhabi Grands Prix. In the inaugural race, Lewis Hamilton retired with a brake problem, and again in 2012 after losing fuel pressure. He went further than Sebastian Vettel who led away from pole in 2011 only to suffer a first corner puncture.
  
• Kimi Räikkönen’s victory from fourth at last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is the only occasion on which the race has been won from behind the front row. Vettel won from second place in 2009 and from pole in 2010. Hamilton won from second in 2011.
  
• Räikkönen’s victory was the first of his return to F1 after a two-year sabbatical. It was the 19th F1 win of his career and the first victory for the Enstone-based team since Fernando Alonso’s win at Fuji in the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix. It was also the first victory for the Lotus name since Ayrton Senna triumphed in 1987 on the streets of Detroit.
  
• Räikkönen’s previous grand prix victory came on 30th August 2009 at the Belgian Grand Prix, making his interval between victories 1163 days. That’s less than half the interval of record-holder Riccardo Patrese who went 2403 days between wins at the 1983 South African Grand Prix and 1990 San Marino Grand Prix.
  
• When he collects the Drivers’ Championship Trophy at the FIA Gala Prize-Giving in December, Sebastian Vettel will draw level with Alain Prost as a four-time World Champion. He now has only Juan Manuel Fangio (five) and Michael Schumacher (seven) ahead of him. Like Fangio and Schumacher he will have the distinction of four consecutive championships – though neither of the latter pair managed the feat with their first four titles.
  
• By virtue of a fourth place for Jenson Button, McLaren set a new record for consecutive races in the points at last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It was their 56th consecutive score, beating the record previously set by Ferrari. The run, which started at the 2010 Australian Grand Prix, eventually extended to 64 races, halting when Sergio Pérez and Jenson Button finished 11th and 12th at the 2013 Canadian Grand Prix. Ferrari can take the record back this weekend: they pulled level in India thanks to Felipe Massa’s fourth place, having started their latest run at the 2010 German Grand Prix.
  
• Last year McLaren, Lotus, Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Sauber and Caterham stayed in Abu Dhabi after the Grand Prix to conduct the Young Drivers’ test. From the 14 drivers that took part, Esteban Gutiérrez and Giedo van der Garde advanced to F1 race seats for 2013. Marussia race driver Max Chilton also made his debut in Abu Dhabi – though he appeared in the first free practice session of the race weekend rather than the test (in which the Anglo-Russian team was not participating).
  

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Statistics by Reuters

• Vettel won his fourth successive title in India on Sunday, becoming the youngest quadruple champion and first to win his first four titles in a row.
  
• He is the third driver to win four consecutively, the others being Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio and Germany’s Michael Schumacher.
  
• Vettel is one of just four quadruple champions, joining Fangio, Schumacher and Frenchman Alain Prost.
  
• Red Bull took the constructors’ crown for the fourth year in a row, becoming only the third team to perform that feat after Ferrari and McLaren.
  
• Four teams have won the 16 races so far (Lotus, Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes)
  
• Vettel has won 10 races in 2013. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Mercedes’s Nico Rosberg have both won twice and Raikkonen and Hamilton once. Vettel has won the last six races.
  
• Vettel has 36 career wins, Alonso 32, Hamilton 22, Raikkonen 20 and McLaren’s Jenson Button 15.
  
• Ferrari have won 221 races, McLaren 182, Williams 114 and Red Bull 43.
  
• Mercedes have been on pole in half the races. Vettel has taken another six and Red Bull team mate Mark Webber one.
  
• Caterham and Marussia have yet to score a point after three seasons in F1.
  
• Sauber’s Mexican Esteban Gutierrez is the only rookie to have scored a point this season.
  
• Vettel (2009 and 2010), Hamilton (2011) and Raikkonen (2012) are the only drivers to have won in Abu Dhabi. They are also the only ones to have started on pole position.
  
• Only one of the four Abu Dhabi GPs so far was won from pole position. The driver on pole has failed to finish in three of the four races.
  
• Vettel won his 2010 title in Abu Dhabi, becoming the youngest Formula 1 champion at the age of 23.
  
• Raikkonen’s victory from fourth place on the grid last year was the first time the winner had started off the front row.
  
• Vettel can equal Schumacher’s 2004 run of seven wins in a row this weekend, the best run of success of the modern era. The record of nine was set by Italian Alberto Ascari in 1952-53.
  
• Ferrari can set a record for most consecutive points finishes, dating back to the 2010 German Grand Prix. They equalled McLaren’s run of 64 in a row in India last weekend.
  

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Race Stewards

• Lars Österlind is a highly experienced FIA steward who has officiated at more than 100 grands prix and a similar number of World Rally Championship rounds. A social sciences graduate and lifelong motor sport enthusiast, Österlind was President of the Swedish Rally Commission from 1978-1982, then President of the Swedish Automobile Sport Federation from 1982-1996. He became Honorary President in 1996 and has been a member of the FIA World Council since 1984. Outside motor sport Österlind has specialised in management, working as a consultant and pursuing his own business interests. He is also experienced in local government at city council level.
  
• As the son of former McLaren team principal Teddy Mayer, Tim Mayer grew up around motor sport. He organised IndyCar races internationally from 1992-98, aided in the construction of several circuits, and produced international TV for multiple series. In 1998 he became CART’s Senior VP for Racing Operations. He also became VP of ACCUS, the US ASN. In 2003, Mayer became COO of IMSA, operating multiple series at all levels, and also took on the role of COO and Race Director of the American Le Mans Series. He was elected an independent Director of ACCUS and FIA US Alternate Delegate, responsible for US World Championship events.
  
• Ulsterman Martin Donnelly was a star of junior racing categories in the 1980s before making his grand prix debut with the Arrows team at the 1989 French GP at Paul Ricard, substituting for Derek Warwick. He qualified 14th and raced to a creditable 12th. He was offered a race drive at Lotus alongside Warwick for 1990 and started 12 races, recording a best finish of seventh at the Hungarian GP. However, his time in Formula 1 was cut short when, later in the season, a suspension failure caused a huge accident in practice for the Spanish GP at Jerez. Despite the serious injuries he suffered, Donnelly recovered sufficiently to race competitively in national events. He now runs Donnelly Track Academy in Norfolk, England and has held a number of racing team management positions.
  

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Adrian Newey committed to more F1 success with Red Bull

Adrian Newey insists he is committed to winning more Formula 1 world championships with Red Bull after the team racked up its fourth consecutive title double.

Newey has previously voiced a desire not to spend his entire career in F1 and has also been a regular target of approaches from other teams.

But he insists that the enjoyment he gets from working at Red Bull means he remains fully focused on his role as chief technical officer for the team.

"Yes," he said when asked if he wants to continue to win world championships with Red Bull.

"The joy of working with this team is to have been involved in taking it from the ashes of Jaguar to where we are today.

"Having achieved some success over the last few years, the enjoyment is really in working with my colleagues in Milton Keynes, continuing to develop the way we operate with Christian [Horner].

"It has been a great ride.

"Next year is a huge challenge with the regulations so at the moment I'm fully focused on that."

Newey stressed that the scale of the challenge the team faces in 2014 cannot be underestimated.

As well as the change in powertrain, there are also significant changes to the cars.

"Next year's regulation changes are very big," said Newey.

"The aerodynamic changes are not quite as big as we had for 2009 but they are still very significant.

"The engine regulation changes are massive and it's not at all clear whether one engine manufacturer will steal a significant advantage over the other two.

"Reliability will be a big issue, certainly at the start of the season if not for the whole season.

"The installation of the engine in the chassis is very complicated, so there are a lot of variables."

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Coulthard does donuts in a Red Bull F1 car on helipad of iconic Burj Al Arab in Dubai

Just days after clinching both the Formula 1 Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships for the fourth time in a row, Infiniti Red Bull Racing celebrated their record-breaking achievement in style on top of the Burj Al Arab helipad.

Tiger Woods has played golf from the helipad, Andre Agassi and Roger Federer playing tennis on it and now it was David Coulthard’s turn to take a Formula One car up there. Coulthard took the Red Bull Racing Show Car 210 metres above sea level to lay down some rubber on the famous 24 metre wide helipad.

“That was a lot of fun,” said Coulthard after the run. “When Red Bull first suggested the idea to me I said ‘why not?’. I like getting involved with anything that pushes the boundaries and it’s what Red Bull stands for. I think this will produce fantastic, iconic shots in an amazing town and I’m really privileged to be part of it. That was a lot of fun.”

Her Excellency Laila Mohammed Suhail, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, commented: “There could be no better way to both celebrate Red Bull’s recent win of the Formula One World Championship. Once again, images of one of Dubai’s most iconic landmarks will capture the imaginations of future visitors.”

The show run was the perfect way to celebrate the team’s incredible achievement of the quadruple-double, after Sebastian Vettel became the youngest quadruple World Champion and Infiniti Red Bull Racing became only the third team to win four Constructors’ titles in a row. (Red Bull)

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Red Bull rubbishes reports that they will drop Webber for final two races

Red Bull and Toro Rosso management have denied reports speculating that they could shake up their Formula 1 driver lineups for the final two races of the 2013 season.

Speed Week reports reports from the Abu Dhabi paddock that this weekend’s race at Yas Marina could be Mark Webber’s last in Formula 1.

The Australian, who has admitted suffering with motivation problems, has already announced his switch to the Le Mans sports car series from 2014.

He will be replaced by countryman Daniel Ricciardo, but the latest report is that the 24-year-old could made an early move from Toro Rosso ahead of the US Grand Prix in Austin later this month.

That would free up a seat for the last two grands prix of 2013 at Toro Rosso, who have signed inexperienced youngster Daniil Kvyat for next season.

“I think it’s nonsense, and I know nothing about it,” Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost is quoted.

“Anyway, Daniil has no super licence, so how can he race?” the Austrian added.

However, Tost’s argument about the super licence does not bear scrutiny.

Auto Motor und Sport reports that, because Toro Rosso wants to field Kvyat in Friday practice in Austin and Brazil, a test in a 2011 car has been lined up for the 19-year-old at Misano in early November.

“That’s right,” Tost confirmed, “but the story for this is that he will do the first practice for us in Texas and Brazil.”

Red Bull Racing, meanwhile, denied that Abu Dhabi will be Webber’s last grand prix.

“Mark Webber will drive the last three races for us,” the team told Speed Week.

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Chilton has big money for Force India seat at expense of Hulkenberg

A lack of sponsors and the power of pay-drivers could lock Nico Hulkenberg out of Formula 1, despite the German being the hot property at the tail-end of the 2014 silly season, linked with moves to Lotus, McLaren and Force India.

McLaren, however, is tipped to stick with the Mexican-backed Sergio Perez, while Pastor Maldonado’s PDVSA millions are speaking loudly at Lotus, whose 35 per cent team sale to a group of investors may have failed.

Staying at Sauber could be problematic for Hulkenberg because of the importance of Sergey Sirotkin, Esteban Gutierrez or even Vitaly Petrov’s powerful backers, and even a return to Force India may now be off the table.

McLaren is desperately seeking a Formula 1 seat for its youngster, new Formula Renault 3.5 champion Jan Magnussen, and Marussia seems to fit the bill.

“Kevin has impressed us in the tests he has done,” sporting director Graeme Lowdon is quoted by France’s L’Equipe.

“We are a team that brings young drivers into Formula 1 so [signing him] would fit with us,” he added.

However, with Ferrari-linked Jules Bianchi already signed for 2014, Lowdon said he would also like to keep Max Chilton on board, because continuity and experience will be important for the all-new rules next year.

Briton Chilton also has millions in backing courtesy of the insurance giant Aon, where his father Grahame is the vice chairman.

Auto Motor und Sport said that Chilton’s departure at Marussia could see his reported €12 million in Aon backing race straight to Force India.

Force India is believed to be extending its deal with Adrian Sutil, who has some backing by the German computer company Medion.

That leaves the substantially unsponsored Paul di Resta, who has had an often fraught 2013 season, in the dark.

“It’s mighty tough out there at the moment,” the Scot told the Telegraph this week. “Who wouldn’t be worried?”

In short, even Hulkenberg and his manager Werner Heinz are having “sleepless nights” about the situation, the Swiss newspaper Blick claims.

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Infiniti launches initiative for aspiring F1 engineers in the Middle East

Infiniti Motor Company Limited today opened applications for the Infiniti Performance Engineering Academy, offering an exclusive opportunity to secure a one year work placement with four-time Formula One World Champions Infiniti Red Bull Racing.

The opening for entries was announced by Infiniti Vice President Fintan Knight, Infiniti Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber and the team’s Head of Car Engineering Paul Monaghan during a special event at the Infiniti showroom in Dubai, just ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“Formula 1 sits at the pinnacle of global motorsport with the best drivers, the best teams, cutting edge technology and the cream of the crop of engineers from around the world,” said Knight.

“Just as F1 is fiercely competitive on-track, so it is off-track when it comes to engineering careers. We’ve created the Infiniti Performance Engineering Academy because we want to encourage and nurture the best new engineering talent,” he added.

Andreas Sigl, Global Director of Infiniti F1, said: “The Infiniti Performance Engineering Academy is unique and a golden opportunity for top engineering talents from around the world to further their learning in the fast-paced environment of F1. Collaboration across People, Process and Technology is a crucial element of our partnership with Infiniti Red Bull Racing, and through this initiative we’re able to offer engineers of the future not only a potential route in to F1, but immersion in the crossover to Infiniti performance road cars like the new Q50 that we’ve developed with input from Sebastian Vettel.”

Infiniti Middle East also announced today its partnership of the Infiniti Performance Engineering Academy, with five leading universities in the region. Fifty budding engineering students from these universities attended the event and made the most of the opportunity to ask Mark Webber and Paul Monaghan about working in F1 and what it takes to succeed at the top.

“Engineering is so crucial to performance with today’s F1 cars so we’re always looking to attract and nurture new talent to become the leading engineers of tomorrow,” said Monaghan. “Having the Infiniti Performance Engineering Academy supporting us in this continual search will help us [to] ensure [that] we benefit from some of the world’s best budding new engineers, whilst giving a fantastic opportunity and potential career boost to those wanting to make it in F1.”

“Helping new racing talent develop is not new to F1 with the various young driver schemes in place, such as Red Bull’s, but there’s been less focus on nurturing engineers,” said Webber. “For any engineer aiming for F1, I’m sure Infiniti’s support is a big boost. It’s a good chance to be able to work with a four-time World Championship-winning team.”

The global talent search for performance-driven engineering students is open to all students at pre-selected partner universities and colleges who have the ambition and talent to work in F1. Applicants must be entering their final year of education or graduating in 2014, be fluent in English language, and be available to work in the UK for a continuous period of twelve months from September 2014.

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Abu Dhabi GP: Formula 1 drivers get track limits warning

Formula 1 drivers have been warned that track limits will be more rigorously enforced at this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Amid a recent focus on drivers running off track to potentially gain a benefit, the FIA has made it clear that it will not tolerate drivers running wide at any of the chicanes at the Yas Marina circuit to get an advantage.

In the agenda notes for Thursday's regular team managers' meeting, the FIA has stated that drivers must stick to using the circuit confines in their fight for position.

As well as stating that any drivers who gains a benefit from using the run-off area at Turns 6, 9 or 12 - the three chicanes – will be reported to the stewards, there will also be a stricter enforcement of any breaches because of the implications for DRS use.

The FIA stated: "If two cars are in close proximity entering Turn 8 and, by cutting behind the apex of Turn 9, the leading one rejoins the track with a greater lead over the following car he will be reported to the stewards as having gained an advantage by leaving the track.

"This will apply whether or not the advantage gained had any influence upon the operations of the DRS by the driver in the following car.

"If two cars are in close proximity entering Turn 8 and, by cutting behind the apex of Turn 9, the following one rejoins the track within DRS detection distance of the leading car that drivers may not deploy his DRS in the following activation sector.

"Any driver seen to be using his DRS under these circumstances will be reported to the stewards as having gained an advantage by leaving the track."

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Red Bull: The India donuts were good for the sport and the penalty was a shame

Sebastian Vettel was right to celebrate his fourth title with tyre-smoking ‘donuts’ in India last weekend and stewards should be allowed to show more leniency on such occasions, said Red Bull boss Christian Horner.

Vettel, Formula 1′s youngest quadruple champion at 26, was reprimanded for breaching the rules by spinning the car in front of fans on the main straight after his slowing down lap.

Red Bull was fined €25 000 ($34 400) for failing to instruct the German to return directly to park his car in the pit lane after chalking up his sixth race win in a row.

“Sometimes there are things that don’t fully comply with a regulation, perhaps its a tennis player climbing out of the court and going to embrace his parents in a box at Wimbledon or a footballer going to hug a family member in the crowd,” Horner told reporters at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Thursday.

“From a team point of view I think it was exactly the right thing for him to do. I think it’s good for the sport and it’s a shame that it was penalised.

“I can understand that the stewards have a set of rules in front of them but sometimes you hope that common sense does prevail,” said Horner.

He pointed out that Vettel’s ‘exuberant’ actions had gone against all the usual team advice to look after the engine and gearbox and not shed any extra weight from the tyres before post-race checks.

“I think the stewards perhaps need to be empowered to give a little more leniency in extraordinary circumstances,” continued Horner.

“They arguably could have been a lot harder in their penalty and they picked the lowest penalty they could in a reprimand and a fine for the team – despite it being the driver’s actions.”

Red Bull, he made clear with a smile, would not be sending the driver a bill.

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Raikkonen no show for media appointments in Abu Dhabi fuels speculation

Kimi Raikkonen’s strained relationship with his Lotus Formula 1 team was back in the spotlight on Thursday after the Finn failed to turn up for media interviews at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

A team spokesman said the 2007 World Champion, who is joining Ferrari at the end of the season, was flying in later and would be at the track for Friday practice after returning to Europe following last weekend’s race in India.

Despite the explanation, the no-show still triggered speculation in the paddock about a breakdown in relations between team and driver following an angry exchange during the Indian race.

Raikkonen has skipped Thursday sessions before, notably in Belgium in August when the team said he was sick although most in the paddock felt at the time that his failure to appear had more to do with wanting to avoid tiresome questions about his future.

The Finn, who won his title with Ferrari and is renowned for his dislike of media sessions, has also cited late or non-payment of his salary as one of the reasons for his departure from the team.

At the Indian Grand Prix, Lotus trackside operations manager Alan Permane told Raikkonen in strong language to get out of the way of team mate Romain Grosjean – and received another profanity in return.

Team principal Eric Boullier apologised for the incident this week and said it would not happen again.

Although both titles have been decided, with Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel taking their fourth successive championships, Lotus is still in with a shout of second place in the Constructors’ standings and needs Raikkonen to play a part in that battle.

Lotus is 24 points behind third-place Ferrari and 28 adrift of second placed Mercedes with three races remaining.

Raikkonen is third overall, having scored 183 points, while Grosjean is seventh with 102 but has finished his last three races on the podium.