FORMULA 1 - 2013

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Massa: It’s very important for Brazil to have a driver, a successful driver in Formula 1

A ritual that has taken place now for many years is slowing approaching a finale, as Felipe Massa took part in his usual Thursday meeting with the F1 media in the Scuderia Ferrari hospitality, where he took the opportunity to warn that Brazil needs to have a driver presence on the grid.

And it followed the usual pattern: questions about the last and current race, rumours about the future, a look back at the past and laughter to end the show.

“We had a good race in India and I hope we can have another good one here in Abu Dhabi,” began the Brazilian. “But it’s too early to say until we see how our cars and the others go here, not really Red Bull, but particularly Mercedes and Lotus, as it won’t be an easy fight with these two, who have a quicker car. But we are not giving up and to finish second would be fantastic.

I am pretty confident we can be competitive here and fight for the podium and I feel there is a chance we can make it to the podium in one of the three races left. But, we recognise we don’t have a quick enough car to guarantee that, so we need to do everything perfectly, from a perfect lap in qualifying to a perfect strategy and perfect pace in the race. And, at the moment, I feel we can put together a perfect performance if we work hard.”

Felipe refused to comment directly on the rumours regarding which team he might drive for next year, but admitting that the top teams were all spoken for, he added: “The fact that next year sees the biggest change in rules means that anything can happen and that gives me more motivation about going to a team that is not winning now. It’s not impossible that it could be competitive next year.”

Asked about the role played by drivers who buy their seats in F1 by bringing in big sponsors, the Ferrari man had clear views on the topic.

“In Formula 1 I always operated as a professional driver, paid to race and I never brought money to pay for my drive and that is something that will not change now,” he said.

“Bringing a sponsor has never been part of my career. It doesn’t mean I can’t help the team to find a sponsor, but not as a condition for my getting the drive. The pay-driver scenario is a big worry for Formula 1. Formula 1 is a top world sport up against other sports at this level. It’s a shame to imagine a young driver who has the talent, the ability to be in F1 and maybe be world champion but not get a chance to race. Or that a driver already in F1 can lose his place to another with a lot less talent but he has the money. But it’s been like that for a while now.”

He also felt that his country need to be represented on the grid. “It’s very important for Brazil to have a driver, a successful driver in Formula 1. Now, I’m the only one and I still don’t have a contract for next year. If I’m not racing next year, or if there is no other Brazilian on the grid, it would be a big loss for the country.”

And finally, would he encourage his young son to one day be a Grand Prix driver? “I won’t push my son to be a racing driver, all the decision must come from him. It’s better if he does football, I can go to the stadium to watch him and eat French Fries. Much better than all this noise!”

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Maldonado: I decide who I drive for in 2014, I cannot guaranteethat I will stay with Williams

Venezuelan Formula 1 driver Pastor Maldonado said on Thursday that he had several offers on the table for next season and the decision to leave or stay at Williams would be up to him.

Responding to increasing paddock speculation that he is heading for Lotus, Maldonado told reporters at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that no decision had been made yet.

“The decision will be down to me, so I prefer to take some more time. I really hope to have the decision before the end of the season, still a couple of weeks to go so we’ll see,” he said.

“I cannot guarantee [that] I will leave the team or [that] I will stay.”

Maldonado, winner from pole position in Spain last year, has endured a grim season at former champions Williams with only one point to his and the team’s credit.

He said he was taking his time to analyse the offers because it was a big decision to make and he needed to feel comfortable with it.

Williams are switching from Renault to Mercedes power next season when the sport is undergoing a major upheaval with the introduction of a new turbocharged V6 and energy recovery systems.

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Newey: Conspiracy theories are nonsense, Vettel and Webber cars are identical

Red Bull design guru Adrian Newey has dismissed conspiracy theories that Mark Webber’s reliability problems are something other than just bad luck.

While Sebastian Vettel collected his four consecutive World Championships, Australian Webber always seems to be the one struck by car problems.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner doesn’t think Webber is simply harder on his equipment.

“I don’t think so,” he is quoted by Sky, after Webber’s latest alternator problem in India.

It was believed Red Bull had got to the bottom of the recurring alternator issues of last year. Has the same gremlin returned?

“We don’t know yet,” car designer Adrian Newey told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

He did at least dismiss the conspiracy theories.

“What can I say?” Newey answered. “I can only assure you that the conspiracies are nonsense. The cars are identical. It must just be bad luck.”

Webber is retiring from Formula 1 at the end of the season, and Newey said that the Australian’s detailed technical feedback will be missed.

“Mark’s contribution should not be underestimated,” said the Briton.

“Interestingly, Mark feels small aerodynamic changes in the car earlier and with more detail than Sebastian,” revealed Newey.

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Alonso thumps journalists in kart race at Ferrari World’s latest attraction

Once in a while it’s good to put yourself in other people’s shoes, those who exploits you have to write about on a daily basis, telling tales of highs and lows, victories and defeats.

That was the case this morning for a dozen brave Italian journalists, who chose to compete against Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa in karts. The setting for this unusual challenge was the new electric kart track at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the very latest attraction at the first theme park dedicated to the Prancing Horse.

The media guys first took to the 290 metre long track for some training so as to be ready for the race, which started with the two Scuderia men right at the back of the grid, as a sign of deference towards their unlikely adversaries.

Right from the first lap the competition was in overdrive and there were plenty of duels with some contact being made. Hard to say who should take the laurels for impropriety: one thing’s for sure, if Charlie Whiting had been present, the stewards would have been kept busy with reports of impeding, ignoring yellow flags and various other incidents.

Furthermore, Fernando and Felipe could also be included in the list of offenders: given that they never like to be beaten, you can imagine what it was like when they were up against journalists!

“You’re all disqualified,” joked Fernando having crossed the line in first place. “The track is very slippery so it’s easy to end up wheel to wheel… I’m sure those that come to the fantastic park will have a lot of fun on this track: it’s good to have some real action alongside so many simulators!”

However, the unusual racing event did not distract Fernando from the real objective of this weekend.

“It’s true that there is no longer the tension of the fight for the world title, but motivation is still 100%. There is second place in the Constructors’ to win back, which is something very important for the team and we neeed to get back to winning, because it’s never nice to watch the others celebrate. We know it will be difficult: we need three perfect races – me, Felipe the whole team – to bring home a big points haul.”

“We will try and finish the championship in the best way possible,” echoed Felipe. “For me, it would be especially nice to do so in Brazil to end my time with the Reds in style. A score for the journalists on track? A low one I’d say: they do better with the pen and the microphone!”

At the end of the morning, Felipe was given a special send off by all the staff and the general public who were at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi today: even if the next time he returns it will not be as a Scuderia driver, he will always be dear to all his fans. (Ferrari)

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Hulkenberg not feeling well ahead of Abu Dhabi GP weekend

Nico Hulkenberg is spending Thursday, on the eve of the Abu Dhabio GP, in his hotel room rather than at the Yas Marina Circuit.

German reports by SID news agency and Auto Motor und Sport say that the Sauber driver is unwell, apparently with an upset stomach picked up last week in India.

The reports also say that the Hinwil based team is allowing Hulkenberg to recuperate rather than fulfill his media duties so that he is well enough to drive on Friday.

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Lewis unconcerned by possible Brawn exit

Lewis Hamilton has played down concerns that Ross Brawn's possible departure will be a major blow to the squad.

Speculation is rife that the 58-year-old Englishman will step down as Merc team principal and also leave the Brackley-based squad at the end of the season.

The team's non-executive director Niki Lauda tried to defuse things earlier this week by claiming "the speculation is total rubbish", adding that Brawn will only decide his future after the Brazilian GP.

Hamilton, though, insists that things won't change much at Mercedes if Brawn ends up leaving.

"When I joined the team there were much bigger reasons why I joined the team and having him was a bonus," Hamilton is quoted as saying by ESPN. "As I've got in to the team and learned who is in the team we've got some incredibly talented people within the team. He's a great boss, he's good fun to work with and he's got a great approach.

"Of course, as a boss he helps create a great atmosphere but that's what hopefully you would expect from all bosses. Whatever decision he makes moving forwards I hope that it's the right thing for him and I'm confident that either way we will have a strong team still."

Brawn has been linked with moves to McLaren and Williams, but many believe he will quit Formula One and Hamilton believes his departure won't be too big a blow for the sport.

"A loss to the sport? I mean, the sport will go on when you're not here, when I'm not here, when he's not here; it will just continue. So whether it's a loss to the sport I don't know. I don't see it that way."

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Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Vettel dominates again and celebrates once more

Sebastian Vettel snubbed his nose at officialdom after winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, his eleventh triumph of the season thus far, and celebrating with a series of donuts on the slowdown lap – much to the delight of the packed stands - in defiance of the reprimand he received after doing the same thing in India a week earlier.

Vettel, recently crowned F1 World Champion for the fourth time in a row, was simply in a league of his own around the sparkling Yas Marina Circuit as he powered into the lead, from second place on the grid, into Turn 1 thereafter building a gap which he was to maintain and control until the chequered flag. Never challenged, never threatened, another cruise.

He won by a whopping 30.8 seconds, which would have been much more had he been going flat out in the final stages of the race. Pretty much the usual the story of his remarkable run of seven wins on the trot.

As the Red Bull driver crossed the line in triumph his engineer Guillaume ‘Rocky’ Rocquelin said on the radio: “Just bring the car home. Into the garage.”

To which Vettel replied tongue in cheek before doing a series of donuts in celebration, “Let me quote: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know what I am doing.”

To which team principal Christian Horner quipped to his winning driver, “You can pay the fine on that one.”

In India, last time out, stewards gave Vettel a reprimand for his actions and fined the team €25,000.

The World Champion said afterwards, ”It’s incredible, thanks to all the fans – the atmosphere was fantastic. To get so much support and so much for Red Bull. The car was absolutely brilliant so thanks for the team and thanks to Renault too, as so much of our success is down to them too.”

Yas Marina podium (L to R) Gavin Ward (Red Bull Racing Performance Engineer), Mark Webber (second) race winner Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg (third)

Of his parents, who he hugged after he climbed out of his car in parc ferme, the 26 year old said, “I have spent most of my life racing in front of them as a kid. The cars are a bit bigger now but I am so pleased they are here to see me today. They taught me lots of good things and one day I want to pass that on to my children if I have them.”

Behind him his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber – starting from pole position – again duffed the start, but recovered to take second place ahead of Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg who finished third and Lotus’ Romain Grosjean in fourth.

Webber summed up his evening, ”The start wasn’t great and Nico got an unbelievable start. I had to battle with Nico for second. I would have liked the win but I matched my best result here. There are plenty of Aussie fans here so thank you and on to Austin now.”

Rosberg reflected, ”I am happy, third place was good. The plan for the weekend was to be the best of the rest behind Red Bull and we achieved that. It could have been second on another day but it didn’t quite work out.

“The most important thing is to finish second in the Constructor’s Championship not only financially but also motivationally for the team to see that we have the second best car.”

Grosjean’s teammate, Kimi Raikkonen who nearly gave Abu Dhabi a miss due to unpaid wages, parked his Lotus within a couple of hundred meters of the start after contact with a Caterham going into Turn 1 on the opening lap. The Finn had been relegated to the back of the grid when his Lotus was found to be illegal after qualifying.

If it was somewhat of a bore for the quartet up front, behind them it was riveting stuff with plenty overtaking and even some controversy to spice up proceedings.

Fernando Alonso carved his way from 10th on the grid to fifth, towards the end the Ferrari driver was faster than anyone else. His strategy allowed him to run the yellow band softer (and faster) Pirelli tyres for the last dozen laps, in which he dispensed of Paul di Resta in the Force India and Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes – the latter two finishing sixth and seventh respectively.

Alonso was under investigation at the end of the race after an incident following his pitstop when he rejoined the track side-by-side with Jean-Eric Vergne and took to the run-off area rather than conceding the position. The stewards deemed the move to be legitimate and no action was taken.

Felipe Massa was eighth for Ferrari, with McLaren’s Sergio Perez ninth and Adrian Sutil taking the final point for Force India despite starting from 17th and stopping only once.

With two races remaining it is quite clear that Red Bull and Vettel in particular are going to be hard to beat, with records likely to continue tumbling. The German is on target to equal both Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of 13 grand prix victories in one season and the nine straight F1 wins scored by Alberto Ascari, which has stood for 60 years.

Also one to watch, a sideshow perhaps, is the battle for second place in the Constructors’ Championship – and the bags of extra cash that go to the runner up as opposed to third place – where Mercedes leads Ferrari by four points.

Final word to the World Champion, ”I think today was incredible, the pace we had was scary at some points. I felt very good on the Softs and I was able to pull a massive gap from the start. I think it is hard to put these things into perspective but it’s incredible to have such a strong bunch of people who believe so strongly in what they are doing. The car was flawless, it doesn’t happen that often that the car responds to everything you want and I am looking forward to tonight, where there will be a few drinks.”

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Webber: I challenged for a few victories this year but wasn’t strong enough when it counted

Perhaps the thing we will miss most about Mark Webber when he departs Formula 1, at the end of this season, is his downright honesty which once again was on display in the aftermath of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when he spoke about his race around Yas Marina Circuit.

You tried your best, you gave it plenty but the start hurt you a little bit out there.

Mark Webber: Yeah. The start wasn’t great. Nico got an unbelievable start, Seb’s was a bit better than mine. I think we were lucky we’re not at Malaysia or Monza because it would have been even more painful. Anyway, I think in the first stint just not strong enough and on the Soft tyres Seb got a very good gap. I had to reposition on the Primes. So anyway, after that the race started pretty well for me but then Seb…he was gone. He was in another category out in front and I had to have a little battle with Nico for second. Guys did a great job on the car all week here. Nice and reliable. Fans have been great: plenty of Aussie flags here as well, so thanks guys coming from Australia. And…yeah, on to Austin and few more to go. Thank you.

You’ve ended up in an era where you’re unfortunately [sebstian] Vettel’s team-mate. That’s tough, isn’t it?

MW: Yeah. I think he’s in a sweet spot, for sure. Obviously I’ve got a few grey hairs now, I’m doing my best but yeah, he’s driving well. In the end I did my best today. It’s a circuit which…it’s my equal PB around here so would have liked to have got the win but that was Seb’s today.

The start was decisive for you today. It got away from you there at that point but you were able to get Nico back. Perhaps you could talk a little bit about that move and also, is there a sense of disappointment, given that you did start from pole. You seemed to be smiling on the podium. How are your emotions at this point?

MW: Yeah, alright. I don’t think the start was decisive. I don’t think what happened off the line… Sebastian was in another category today. So probably this was the maximum result, even if we got away in front. He was quick and very, very strong. It was then obviously a recovery job against Nico who got a better start than both of us. Obviously it’s a short run to Turn One so…if it was a longer run he would probably have got both of us. But, Seb and myself, the last few races…we know starts is not exactly my strong point, especially on these little babies. On the little Pirellis. So, anyway, we got away and then got into the race from there. The Softs, I had a reasonably feeling for them when they were fresh but I had no real feeling for those tyres when they’re scrubbed. So, I was very slow in the first stint. Very, very poor feeling with the rear, and then that makes it even worse. You have more and more slip and temperature control problems and all of those type of things. Anyway, it was regrouping at the stops after that and I think my pace wasn’t too bad after that but Seb was well and truly gone. Incredibly quick pace from him. As you said, the fight with Nico was good. I managed to get that right. Obviously I didn’t use too [much] KERS. I think I understood a little bit of German with Nico. He said he used all his KERS on Paul in the first attempt, which was close. It’s always tricky to know how to deploy your KERS on those two straights but in the end I left some for the next attempt and managed to get him. It was good, fair racing which you’d expect from someone of Nico’s quality and in the end we probably are sitting here with the results that we all deserve.

Early in the race you were on the radio talking to the team about the KERS; was there a problem? And later in the race, given the number of gremlins that have struck your car, were you hearing funny noises and worrying about that?

MW: No, there was no issue with the KERS, it just got a bit warm at one point so we had to give it a chance to recover so that was fine, just a lap or so where we were a little bit out of sync with a better management so we recovered that. And at the end, not really. I can’t do much more than obviously keep pushing the car and obviously I had to…I couldn’t relax completely. Nico was going reasonably well but obviously we were just maintaining… did a few laps at the end just to let him know that I had a bit in hand, but he was probably doing the same so in the end we were getting the car home, mate. It’s always a surprise when the car stops on track obviously. Normally the ratio is that you finish so I was still confident that we could do that.

You have won at least one race a year with Red Bull since 2009; would it make a difference if you don’t win a race in your last season?

MW: Well, it would be nice. I’ve challenged for a few victories here and there this year but not strong enough when it counted, but in the end, Seb was too strong today for the win. I’ve got a couple more races to go, all I can do is do my best. It’s not going to be a huge huge difference but it would be nice to get it as any grand prix victory is always special to get them. Yeah, we’ll keep pushing mate and see how we go in the next two races.

You said that you struggled with the scrubbed tyres in the first stint. Has that been a general feature this year for you? Why are they so unpredictable? Was it just particularly here on this circuit?

MW: When we go to this type of range of tyre it is probably a little bit more high maintenance for me to feel whether the tyre is in the race. It’s a little bit frustrating but that’s the way it is. If you want to go quick, you’ve got to go…obviously it’s such a fine, delicate balance, obviously and then you can feed the tyre a lot if you treat it in a different way but to get into that window is sometimes not obvious. I think that we’ve seen – like Korea, China, a few other races where we are probably a bit more on the front tyre. Of course I’m very fast, I’m quick but when we’re on the rears it’s a bit harder for me to be as competitive at certain times. That’s the way it is. The Primes weren’t too bad, I didn’t think we were going too badly on those in terms of feeling, anyway, but that’s the way it’s been the last…since 2011. I’m not going to learn now, mate. Old dog, new tricks, it’s over.

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Rosberg: The aim for the weekend was to be best of the rest and that’s worked out

Throughout the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend Mercedes have been best of the rest (behind Red Bull) and thus it was no surprise that Nico Rosberg made it on to the podium after a steady drive at Yas Marina Circuit. He spoke afterwards about his race.

You must be thoroughly satisfied to be up here…

Nico Rosberg: Yeah, I happy of course. Third place is good. The aim for the weekend was to be best of the rest behind the Red Bulls and that’s worked out – even though second place would have been possible in a perfect world today. Mark just got me with Di Resta. Little bit disappointing on that one but otherwise of course very happy.

And you take a lot more points off Ferrari again for the team. Lewis had a little difficult afternoon but that’s looking good as well for second in the World Championship for the team.

NR: Yes, for sure. I was very happy to hear that we took some more points off them again and that we’re edging away from them. That’s the most important thing for us at the moment – just to finish second in the Constructors’. It’s just much more money for next year but also motivation for everybody. If everybody in the factory can see that we built the second-best car this year, that’s just a massive boost.

You got up into second at the start but obviously you got into that incident with Mark, and you were saying Paul di Resta involved in it as well. Perhaps you could give it from your perspective – and did you think second place was achievable any other way once that had got away from you?

NR: The main thing was that I got my balance wrong in the car for that second stint and that’s why I just wasn’t as quick as I was hoping. And I was just struggling a bit to get past the Toro Rosso and then Paul di Resta. I gave it a shot down into Turn Eight, used all my KERS up and I wasn’t able to do it and Mark got me on the next one. So, definitely that was unfortunate but that’s the way it is. Anyway, third place is still a very good result. Lots of points.

Next year the regulations are changing completely so we’re going to have pretty new cars but is it not worrying for you to see that Red Bull has such a big advantage and that two seconds are not so easy to catch up, even with the new rules?

NR: Well, I don’t think it’s two seconds at the moment, I think it’s less than that. OK, maybe at times today but anyway, I’m not worried, no, because it’s a great opportunity because it puts everybody back to zero, so on the contrary, it’s actually better this way. Everybody starts from zero. We have such a strong team now, it’s been built up over the last four years, they already did a fantastic job last winter from 1.5 s a lap slower. At the beginning of this season we were sometimes the quickest car without a regulation change, so they did an amazing job last winter and I’m confident that they can do it again, for sure. And again this year, OK, we had some weaknesses which we’ve learned from and are trying to continue improving and then I’m very sure we can have a good season.

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In retrospect maybe Raikkonen should have skipped Abu Dhabi…

Kimi Raikkonen’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix lasted only seconds on Sunday with last year’s race winner parking his Lotus and retiring after a first corner collision.

A weekend that started badly for the Finn, relegated to the back of the grid after his car failed a post-qualifying inspection on Saturday, ended lamely with a broken front suspension arm after a collision with a Caterham.

The retirement was a major blow for Lotus, fighting for second place in the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship with Mercedes and Ferrari.

Red Bull and Germany’s Sebastian Vettel have already won both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles for the fourth year in a row.

The 2007 World Champion Raikkonen, who is joining Ferrari next season as team mate to double Champion Fernando Alonso, was already a major talking point at the Yas Marina circuit before he turned a wheel on the track.

Raikkonen failed to turn up for scheduled media duties on Thursday and told reporters when he did appear on Friday that he had “not been paid a single euro by Lotus” and had considered staying at home.

He also cast doubt on whether he would turn up for the remaining two rounds in Austin, Texas, and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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Hulkenberg not paid at all this year by Sauber but may stay with them for 2014

Hanging onto his Sauber seat is perhaps the only chance highly rated Nico Hulkenberg has of staying in Formula 1 beyond 2013.

Almost signed by Ferrari, and earlier linked to McLaren, the German has also come close to a move to Lotus for 2014.

The latter option now appears off the table, as the Enstone based team’s finances falter and bosses look to the lucratively-backed Pastor Maldonado to plug the holes in the budget.

“Every career is different,” Hulkenberg told Formula 1′s official website on Saturday, “and mine seems to be as it is now with a few different teams, with a bit of movement, with a bit of nail biting.”

Indeed, after capturing pole in the 2010 finale as a rookie, Williams let Hulkenberg go – again because of Maldonado’s millions.

“It definitely was a bad experience,” he recalled, “how it all happened. Of course you then have that in the back of your mind and get more suspicious of what people tell you because I have been lied to, to my face.”

Hulkenberg sat out 2011 as Force India’s reserve driver, and returned to the grid last year. He then moved to Sauber for 2013, and to this date Force India still owes him money, according to the Swiss newspaper Blick.

The Sauber story hasn’t been much better for Hulkenberg, despite several occasions when his undoubted talent was able to shine through.

World Champion and countryman Sebastian Vettel said that it is a travesty that Hulkenberg is yet again waiting to be paid.

“It’s a shame he doesn’t have a car [for 2014] yet,” Vettel is quoted by DPA news agency, “because he is one of the fastest drivers in the field.

“It’s a difficult time for some teams in Formula 1,” he added, “but also for some drivers. [Hulkenberg] is yet to get a penny,” Vettel claimed.

Monisha Kaltenborn, Sauber team boss, refused to comment on Vettel’s assertion that Hulkenberg has not been paid at all in 2013.

“I do not feel compelled to comment on everything that is said in the paddock,” she insisted.

The fact that Hulkenberg and Sauber do not want to get into a Raikkonen-Lotus-style spat could be a sign that the relationship will continue into 2014. Hulkenberg confirmed that possibility.

“Yes,” he said when asked if he can imagine staying at the Swiss team. And “I think so,” the 26-year-old added when asked if Sauber can imagine keeping him.

“Why not? For now we are having a good go. The spirit is up.”

MIKA: The perfect example of how pay drivers are ruining Formula 1. Get a great driver like Hulkenberg and he misses out, despite having talent.

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Ecclestone: I feel sorry for Raikkonen, he signed a contract and they need to pay him

Bernie Ecclestone has backed Kimi Raikkonen’s threat to strike after the Finn revealed he has not been paid a single euro in 2013 by his Lotus team.

Raikkonen only travelled to Abu Dhabi at the last minute, but he is now warning thathe will sit out Austin and Brazil if the team does not pay him a reported €15 million.

“He has signed a contract with somebody and they need to pay him,” Formula 1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone told the Mirror.

“I feel sorry for him but he should have been a little more sensible when he signed the contract and know what he was signing for. If he wants to stand down for a couple of races, that’s up to him. He knows the consequences of that,” he added.

Outspoken 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve also said that Raikkonen is right to have finally run out of patience.

“People are saying he should be doing it for the passion alone but he is a professional racing driver. It’s his job,” said the French Canadian. ”If I was him I definitely wouldn’t be going to Austin or Sao Paulo if I wasn’t paid.”

Raikkonen’s trying weekend deepened even further late on Saturday, despite recovering his loss of form at recent races by reverting to Lotus’ original shorter-wheelbase car.

After qualifying in Abu Dhabi, the Finn’s car failed a floor deflection test, and the stewards did not accept the explanation that it had been damaged on a kerb.

Raikkonen was relegated from fifth to the back of the grid. Talking to Auto Motor und Sport, Lotus engineer Alan Permane accused the FIA of a double standard.

“This was absolutely comparable to Hungary,” he said, referring to the situation involving Romain Grosjean earlier this season, which was not similarly punished.

“Kimi had no advantage for the rest of the lap, and in fact in the slow corners he was slightly disadvantaged,” Permane insisted.

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No penalty for Alonso after pit exit incident during Abu Dhabi GP

Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso was placed under investigation during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for an unsafe pit exit, but after the race the FIA stewards deemed the move acceptable based on statements from the drivers concerned.

The FIA appointed stewards declared: ”While Car 3 [Alonso] did leave the track at Turn 3-4 the stewards believe that he had no choice, as Car 18 [Vergne] closed on him,” the FIA statement confirming that no further action would be taken stated.

“Car 18 was at the end of his stint with worn tyres and was fully committed to the Turn as Car 3 exited the pits. Telemetry confirms that Car 3 was significantly faster, on Option tyres, and had the advantage throughout the sequence.

“The drivers’ explanations were completely clear. Therefore the Stewards determine that neither car could avoid the incident, and no advantage was gained as a result of the incident.”

Alonso finished fifth in the race after starting from 10th on the grid, setting the fastest lap in the race in the process.

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Packed 2014 F1 calendar set to shrink by at least two races

Formula 1′s crowded 2014 calendar looks set to shed at least a couple of races before it is finalised.

Speed Week reports that new grands prix scheduled for New Jersey and Mexico will in fact not take place next season.

The 2014 schedule should then shrink from an unprecedented 22 to a still-hectic 20 races.

Formula 1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone was quoted as saying that the construction of a new pit building in Mexico is “virtually impossible” for a November 2014 race date.

And New Jersey, he added, is “not going to happen because they haven’t got their finances in place.”

Ecclestone is quoted by SID news agency in Abu Dhabi: “I only put [New Jersey] on the calendar because they assured me again and again that everything will work out.”

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Button admits responsibility

Jenson Button concedes he has only himself to blame for running into the back of Paul di Resta at the start of the Abu Dhabi GP.

After a disappointing qualifying session, Button started Sunday's race at the Yas Marina circuit down in 12th place.

Determined to make up positions, the McLaren driver locked up and ran into the back of Paul di Resta's Force India.

The impact broke Button's front wing and he was forced to pit for repairs, dropping him well down the order.

Button recovered to finish 12th, the same position he began.

"You make your own luck when you start down in 12th - where first-lap congestion is inevitable - and, sure enough, there was a little bit of argy-bargy into Turn One," he admitted.

"I duly locked-up both my front tyres, couldn't slow the car down sufficiently, and drove into the back of Paul [di Resta], which broke my front-wing end-plate.

"It's a real pity to keep on having first-lap incidents, especially when the car is working reasonably well now.

"I've been in a similar situation for the past two races, and things haven't really gone my way. Still, I managed 44 laps on the Prime - and, in terms of getting the most out of what we had, that felt positive.

"So, all in all, given how far behind we were after lap two [when he made his unscheduled early pit-stop], to finish so close to 10th by the chequer wasn't so bad."

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Hamilton: I just need to work harder

Lewis Hamilton has acknowledged he needs to "work harder" following a disappointing display in Abu Dhabi.

After suffering problems with his car during the final stages of qualifying, he started fourth on the grid next to his team-mate Nico Rosberg, but behind the Red Bulls of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.

While Rosberg moved up to P2 on the first corner, Hamilton slipped to P5 and things only got worse as he continued to drop down the order. Rosberg eventually claimed the final podium place, but Hamilton finished seventh - behind the Force India of Paul di Resta.

The 2008 World Champion concedes he can't blame other people for his continued struggles.

"Clearly with Nico's result the car's better than what I'm able to bring home with it," he is quoted as saying by Autosport.

"Same old... different day. It's the same every race. It can't be other people's fault.

"Nico's been getting great points for the team. I just need to work harder to try to do the same."

He once again had problems on race day as his mechanics were still working on the W04's brakes just moments before the start.

"The guys did an incredible job to put the car together," he said.

"I just want everyone back home to know I'll keep pushing."

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Di Resta: We were up against it

Paul di Resta had no complaints with his result on Sunday, saying it felt "really good" to bag another top-ten result.

Having been hit hard by Pirelli's decision to change their tyres, Force India have spent the bulk of the races since the summer break trying to recover.

With both cars back in the points last time out in India, the team secured another double points-haul this Sunday in Abu Dhabi.

While Adrian Sutil was tenth, di Resta finished up in sixth place after holding off Lewis Hamilton to the line.

"I think we were up against it, but we set out a great strategy and we finished off the job we should have done in Singapore," the Scot told the BBC.

"Lewis's tyres were 10-12 laps younger than ours and their car is quicker than ours but I felt really good out there today."

Di Resta also spoke of his future in Formula One amidst rumours that he could be left without a drive.

The 27-year-old, though, is adamant that if given the opportunity he will prove himself.

"It is a bit of a nightmare, there are a lot of us who don't know where they will be next season but if I have the tools I know I will deliver," he said.

"[Team principal] Vijay [Mallya] and the other guys are giving off good signals about next season but I would like to know for sure."

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Abu Dhabi GP: Felipe Massa believes Ferrari put him on wrong tyres

Felipe Massa believes Ferrari cost him a better result in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix by making the wrong call on tyre strategy for his final stint.

Massa was running fifth - ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso - when he stopped for the second time and took on medium tyres with 17 laps remaining.

He failed to make any progress on the slower tyre and eventually finished eighth, with Alonso - who waited a further six laps before pitting and changing to the soft tyre - Paul di Resta and Lewis Hamilton all jumping the Brazilian.

Massa, who is leaving Ferrari at the end of the season, is adamant he would have been able to replicate his 17-lap opening stint on the softer tyre and admits he was surprised his team went the other way.

"We made a mistake," he said. "I didn't expect to use the medium in the last stint.

"I didn't discuss it [with the team beforehand] because for me it was clear. We were going to go on the softs. It's better, at the beginning I was the best car on the soft tyre.

"I expected to see the soft tyres on the car and I saw the other. Without this problem I would have finished easy in the top five."

Despite the error, Massa reckons Ferrari got it right in opting for a two-stop strategy and believes it would have gained him the best result possible had they not chosen to end the race on the medium tyre.

"I think it was going to be very, very difficult to one-stop, because the pace we had was too quick for the rear tyres," he added.

"It's pretty acceptable we would have been able to go to the end [on the soft tyre] and I said that [going onto the medium] was a mistake. We could have scored more points today."

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Quantum says its Lotus Formula 1 investment deal is done

Lotus's long-term Formula 1 future received a major boost on Sunday night when investment group Quantum Motorsports said its deal to buy into the team was complete.

After a weekend when questions about Lotus's financial state emerged following Kimi Raikkonen's threat to not race because he had not been paid, major progress was made in the much heralded agreement.

Mansoor Ijaz, who is the head of the Quantum Motorsports consortium that includes Middle East investors, said that his company had now completed its side of the contract and just needed final approval from team owner Genii Capital.

"There is no question that the deal is definitely happening," he said, when asked by AUTOSPORT about the latest situation.

"I will even go out as far as to say that it has now been completed from our side in terms of what has to be done."

Quantum plans to buy a 35 per cent stake in the team through new shares issued by majority owner Genii.

There are also options for it to potentially take over the entire running of the team in the future, should Genii wish to scale down its involvement.

"We have options - I won't go into the details of those options - but the options do allow us in a fixed amount of time to take control of the team later on," Ijaz added. "We will do that in a way that is very co-ordinated with our partners at Genii."

APOLOGY TO RAIKKONEN

Ijaz revealed that the major investment deal will allow Lotus to pay off its debts, pay off suppliers – and also settle its pay dispute with Raikkonen.

As revealed earlier, Raikkonen has now reached a deal with Lotus to sort out his issues and will now race in the final two grands prix of the 2013 season.

Ijaz said he was sorry for allowing the matter to get so out of hand after meeting with Raikkonen's manager Steve Robertson on Saturday night.

"We have apologised to Kimi," he said. "We intend to not only make sure that they are made whole, and then some, but we are intending also to compensate our employees and management team for having taken it on the chin from you guys [the media] in recent weeks."

Lotus has not yet officially confirmed the completion of the Quantum deal, but team principal Eric Boullier said on Sunday that he hoped an announcement could be made in the next 48 hours.

"I will not comment on this yet," he said. "I can't say anything yet. I think by Tuesday. I certainly hope so."

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Abu Dhabi GP: Alonso passed fit after impact in Vergne incident

Fernando Alonso has been given the all-clear by doctors after his big impact during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver had to go to hospital for checks having registered a 25g impact when he went off the road at Yas Marina.

The incident happened as he rejoined alongside Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne following his second pitstop.

Vergne had not seen the Ferrari and Alonso had to leave the track and take to the run-off at Turn 2, emerging ahead.

The Formula 1 stewards did not regard this as a track limits offence as they agreed he had no option.

"I still have all my teeth after the impact," Alonso joked after the race.

"My back is obviously in pain a little bit because it was a big hit."

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Abu Dhabi GP: Vergne says Alonso prevented big crash

Jean-Eric Vergne believes Abu Dhabi Grand Prix stewards were right not to penalise Fernando Alonso for overtaking him off the track.

The Toro Rosso driver said he had not seen Alonso as the Spaniard emerged from the pits on the 45th lap of the race, meaning he took his regular line through Turn 3.

Stewards investigated the incident as technically Alonso passed Vergne for seventh while outside the track limits, but no action was taken on the basis that the Ferrari driver had no choice.

Vergne praised Alonso for his actions and said they prevented the possibility of a big accident

"It was a racing incident and if he had not gone on the outside [of the track] like he did, we would have had a big crash," Vergne told AUTOSPORT.

"It was high-speed, and what he did was right. Actually, I am really happy he did that otherwise we would have had an accident, so yes, definitely [the stewards made the right decision]."

"I knew that I might be racing against him but as I didn't see him on the left, I thought he was in front of me. But he was next to me where I could not see him."

The incident made little difference to the Frenchman's result, as he plummeted from contention for the points to 18th in the closing stages.

This was because his one-stop strategy had to be aborted thanks to tyre degradation.

"It's really frustrating to end the race like this," said Vergne.

"I'd been backing off the whole race to save the tyres so obviously the performance was better than it looked and in the end it just didn't last long enough.

"It's really frustrating to fight for a position for the whole race and it all falls apart at the end."

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Interesting Developments At Toro Rosso:

One interesting side story of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend has been the growing influence of the local International Petroleum Investment Company on the Toro Rosso team.

This was symbolised over the weekend by the presence of a rallying message to Emiratis on the rear wing endplate of Jean Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo’s cars, “Kullunna Khalifa”, which means means “We are all Khalifa” – in other words a message designed to make the people in the region buy into the Abu Dhabi event and their presence in it as participants and reminding them that the eyes of the world are on Abu Dhabi this weekend via the global TV audience of around 200 million for the race. The message was unveiled at a lavish event in IPIC’s headquarters, hosted by SKY TV’s Martin Brundle on Wednesday.

“The grand prix here in Abu Dhabi is one of the highlights for Scuderia Toro Rosso because we have a very close business relationship with IPIC,” Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost said in the FIA press conference on Thursday.

It’s interesting because IPIC now has a powerful influence on the Toro Rosso team, with most of its non-Red Bull sponsorship income deriving from companies owned by the group: Nova, Falcon Bank and Spanish oil giant CEPSA. This latter one was very keen to have Carlos Sainz Jr into the seat to be vacated by Ricciardo next season. However Red Bull driver programme director Helmut Marko won this particular battle to place Russian teenager Daniil Kvyat in the car. Kvyat clinched the GP3 championship here in Abu Dhabi this weekend.

The IPIC involvement is led by it’s boss Khadem Al Qubaisi, who has been a regular fixture at Grands Prix in recent years and informed paddock opinion sees this group becoming shareholders in a team soon, perhaps Toro Rosso, depending on Red Bull’s long term strategy for its junior team.

The group knows F1 well; IPIC owns Aabar, which was until recently a shareholder in the Mercedes F1 team.

It’s well worth keeping an eye on this group in the months and years ahead.

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Alain Prost: Smart Adaptable drivers will thrive with 2014 technology:

Alain Prost was on hand in Abu Dhabi this weekend as Renault Sport upped the noise about 2014 engines with a briefing for selected media.

Prost was on good form, providing insight into the driving techniques necessary to do well with the new small capacity hybrid turbo engines coming in next year. His message was clear, it will be intelligent and adaptable drivers who will thrive, by being open to changing their driving style and working hard behind the scenes to learn how to get more from the powertrain.

“It has always been the case (that F1 drivers need to be intelligent to succeed)” said Prost. “But when you have a new technology like this one you have to work on it. You have to be more involved. Driving style could well have a big influence. So you have to adapt to that; it’s not going to be easy. If you do not understand, then you will struggle.”

The powertrains will have far more modes than today, variables in power, torque, fuel saving and how the driver makes use of these will have a bearing on strategy as well as performance.

One major difference is that whereas today a car will be able to reach the finish of the race if the KERS stops working, with a loss of performance of around 0.4s per lap, next year a failure of the hybrid system will probably spell retirement and even if a “nurse it home” mode works, it will lead to significant drop in performance as the hybrid system injects around 160bhp of the 760bhp total.

As this is a fairly immature technology, reliability is going to be a challenge. Engineers suggest that the engines themselves should be fairly reliable, but getting the hybrid units and the batteries to last for four races will be hard to achieve in the first year. So it could re-introduce the variable into the championship of drivers having a few non-scoring weekends in their title challenge.

The powertrain harvests energy from two sources; heat energy from the turbo and kinetic energy from braking. It stores them as electricity in two separate motor generator units, which release the energy back into the system. The last time F1 engines had turbos, in Prost’s day, the delay on power delivery when the driver applied the throttle (known as turbo lag) could be measured in seconds.

With the 2014 engines, to avoid this, some of the energy harvested from the turbo will be reintroduced electronically to spin the turbo up instantly when the driver applies throttle exiting a corner and this will mean no turbo lag.

Prost gave the example of his McLaren Honda team mate Ayrton Senna, who famously devised his own technique for eliminating turbo lag, by pumping the throttle on and off very quickly under braking before accelerating from the corner, so he would have full power on corner exit.

There is no need for that with the new engines, as the system will take care of that itself. Getting a good efficient system for this is clearly going to be a hugely important area for the engine makers to get right. As explained by F1 technical adviser Mark Gillan in a previous article, the most common type of corner in F1 is the sub 130km/h corner and getting the car optimised for traction out of those corners is one of the reasons why Red Bull and to a lesser extent Mercedes have thrived, while Ferrari has struggled this year.

With no exhaust blown diffusers allowed next year, the system to avoid turbo lag will be key. There is no question of traction control being allowed with these systems.

“It is very interesting technically. It is going to be controlled by electronics, but it still depends on how the driver is going to use it and how he will use the throttle,” said Prost.

“You can imagine how drivers will develop their style during the winter testing. We will be able to see quite a difference between the styles (of driving)”

Prost won many races in the turbo era of the 1980s by conserving fuel and tyres and then pushing through to the front in the closing stages of races, a methodical approach which earned him the nickname “The Professor”. He believes we could well see drivers replicating that next year. Only 100 kilos of fuel will be allowed, compared to 150kg today.

No driver aids are allowed, so the driver will still be in charge of commanding the amount of torque the engine delivers.

Key points of 2014 powertrains

The powertrain will be allowed to harvest 2 mega joules of energy, five times as much as currently.

The hybrid system will be able to release 10 times the energy of today back into the engine.

Without factoring in changes in tyres, the cars will be around 1.5 seconds per lap slower

The cars will have less drag, which will help maintain high speeds and improve fuel consumption.

Powertrains will have to be more reliable than today. Assuming a 20 race calendar (the current working one does not have New Jersey or Mexico on it) each engine will have to last for 4 Grands Prix.

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Hulkenberg manager spotted in Force India talks for 2014 seat

The possibility of a return to Force India in 2014 for Nico Hulkenberg is starting to look like a distinctive possibility.

It was believed the Silverstone based team was not an option for the German, as he had annoyed supremo Vijay Mallya by deciding to leave for Sauber after just a single season together in 2012.

It is also reported that Force India still owes Hulkenberg money. But as the 26-year-old looks desperately for a seat for 2014, it must be noted that Hulkenberg, his manager Werner Heinz, and Force India’s sporting director Otmar Szafnauer were spotted deep in conversation at a table in the Abu Dhabi paddock.

According to Auto Motor und Sport, Hulkenberg dismissed the significance of the meeting on the basis that he has known Szafnauer “for a long time”.

Force India, however, has a seat vacant for 2014, as Paul di Resta is increasingly nervous about his future.

“It’s a bit of a nightmare,” the Scot admitted in Abu Dhabi.

“Vijay and the other guys are giving off good signals about next season but I would like to know for sure,” di Resta told BBC television.

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Newey: Years ago I had the opportunity to go to Ferrari

Formula 1′s top designer Adrian Newey has revealed that he once came close to agreeing to work for Ferrari, and admits the dream of working for the legendary Maranello team is the same for engineers as it is for drivers..

The future of the renowned Red Bull designer is currently the subject of ongoing speculation, amid news he met with Ben Ainslie in Abu Dhabi during the course of the weekend.

British sailor Ainslie is putting together a British team for an America’s Cup bid, and Newey has admitted he is interested in competitive yacht design.

“He (Newey) would be amazing,” Ainslie told BBC radio 2, confirming that Newey’s “design experience would be crucial”.

For now, the 54-year-old is committed to helping Red Bull win a fifth consecutive world championship next year for the all-new turbo V6 rules.

Newey told Italian television Sky: “Years ago I had the opportunity to go to Ferrari, but I had small children at school (in Britain) and so it was not an easy decision.

“But I think that being part of Ferrari, as an engineer, is the same sort of dream as it is for a driver. Unfortunately it never really came to fruition.

“I believe that Red Bull will be my last team, but to leave and start from scratch would not be so tragic,” La Gazzetta dello Sport quotes Newey as saying.