FORMULA 1 - 2013

[MIKA27]

Button: 'Expect closer racing like GP2 in 2014'

Jenson Button expects the regulation changes next season will be a positive thing for the fans, but says the drivers will have a tougher time than at present.

The Briton has been driving the MP4-29 in McLaren's simulator to get a feel for what things will be like next year.

His initial feelings are that the cars will be far harder to drive because of the increased torque from the new turbo-charged V6 engines and the decreased downforce thanks to the positioning of the exhausts.

"It's about getting an understanding of the power unit and how we are going to put the power down, because it's not going to be easy," he explained.

"I don't think any of us are used to having torque. I've raced for 14 years in F1 and I've never had torque so it's going to be a new experience."

Whilst he's not expecting the simulator to give a truly accurate feel for what the car will be like, he's certain he and his rivals will have a tougher time keeping the car in a straight-line as they power out of the corner.

"I think it will be easier in reality but we're going to find it tough," he added. "In high speed corners you're off power for so long and you just can't get the power down. You're waiting the whole time. It's not like now with so much downforce and so little torque that you can just floor it and even if you run a bit wide you just understeer off the circuit. "But with the 2014 car if you floor it in a corner like Turn 3 at Barcelona, you don't just drive off, you immediately lose the rear because there is so much torque. It's not a balance issue, you have torque and we've never had that before."

He believes the fans will be the real winners as they enjoy closer racing "similar to GP2", but says the driver's won't be having as much fun.

"I don't think it will be more exciting to drive. We are going to be fighting for grip the whole time, so I don't think that will make it more exciting. "The racing will still be exciting, but I think it will be more close and there will be more fighting. There is already lot anyway but the way the cars will be, with less downforce, harder tyres and more torque, you'll get close racing a bit like GP2 because it will be so much easier to make a mistake."

[stargazer14]

Posted a summary and pics of my trip to the USGP, you can view it here.

Great time.

[MIKA27]

Posted a summary and pics of my trip to the USGP, you can view it here.

Great time.

WOW, amazing blog and pictures!!

I really like the pic with Alonso - That's a keeper!! Thanks for sharing mate and I think you picked a great spot in the Beer Garden.

Would love to check out Austin GP one day, been to Hungaroaring, Austrian GP, Hockenheim and of course Melbourne and Adelaide. SPA and Austin are at the top of my must list.

[stargazer14]

Thanks, it was a wonderful birthday weekend and a great chance to take some photos again, I have been to Grand Prix but not for about 10 years - i think everyone who enjoys F1 has to get to a race to feel and smell and hear what its like.

Viewing is better on TV, but going there makes you appreciate it so much more the next time you are sitting on the sofa watching a race.

some more photos....

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AUTOSPORT Awards 2013: Niki Lauda gets Gregor Grant Award

Niki Lauda has been presented with a Gregor Grant Award at the 2013 AUTOSPORT Awards.

The Formula 1 legend was back in the headlines this season as he took on a managerial role with the Mercedes grand prix team and his epic 1976 title battle with James Hunt found a new audience thanks to the hit movie Rush.

Lauda collected the award from his former F1 team-mate John Watson.

"I had a lot of fun, I have to say," Lauda said. "People ask me if I was always that mad and I say 'in the old days, yes.'

"I would say my toughest year was my final season with McLaren, fighting over every point with Alain Prost. There were races you didn't win but you knew you had done a good job.

"My first championship with Ferrari was comparatively easy because the car was the best. But that McLaren year was really hard.

"I also want to take this opportunity to really thank Ross Brawn for what he did for Mercedes in the past and especially this year.

"He helped bring Lewis Hamilton to the team, which was the bit of magic we needed to get things going, and he also helped the team to finish second to Red Bull, which was a big achievement because we needed to do two steps.

"So congratulations to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull: I really have to say [what they did] was unbelievable.

"I don't know what I have to do to beat [them], but I will try."

Little was expected when Lauda made his F1 debut in 1971 after a patchy junior career.

But he showed enough potential with March and BRM to earn a surprise Ferrari seat for 1974.

The partnership he formed with designer Mauro Foghieri and team manager Luca di Montezemolo transformed the struggling Scuderia's fortunes.

Lauda delivered the 1975 F1 title and was on the way to a repeat in '76 before the fiery Nurburgring accident that almost killed him.

He made an extraordinary recovery and missed just two races, then came within a point of the world championship in the famous Fuji finale.

Lauda won the crown again in 1977 before leaving for Brabham and then walking away from F1 completely in mid-79.

Following three years focusing on his airline business, Lauda was enticed back to F1 by McLaren, beating Alain Prost to the 1984 title by just half a point before retiring for good at the end of '85.

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Newey: We are about six months off being prepared for the start of the 2014 season

Red Bull technical head Adrian Newey says he is preparing for next year’s Formula 1 regulation changes with some trepidation, and admits time is not on his team’s side.

The sport is introducing a new V6 turbocharged engine with energy recovery systems in what is considered the biggest shake-up in a generation.

Testing with the new cars is due to start at the end of January with the season starting in Australia in March.

“I think from our perspective it is somewhere between mild panic and crisis management,” Newey joked.

“Next year’s regulations are a huge change. It is a very complicated powertrain and for many teams including ourselves it really is a big challenge.

“Reliability could be a big issue and it is far from clear how the three engine manufacturers will perform compared to each other. We have got the aerodynamic changes too.”

Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel won both championships again this year, for the fourth year in a row, and Newey, who has also won championships with Williams and McLaren, said they would have been happy to stick with the old regulations.

“At the moment we all feel it is going to be remarkably different and we are about six months off being prepared for the start of the season,” he added. ”But that is the nature of F1 and somehow or other it always seems to be alright on the night. Let’s see.”

Vettel expressed concern that the smaller engines could make the sport less of a thrill for competitors and spectators.

The German recalled how his first Formula 1 test had been in a V10 engined Williams back in 2005, the last year before the V8s were introduced.

“I just hope we are not going down from a power point of view,” he said. “The revs we will lose which I think is a shame – because it is a new direction that we go into and a new technology.”

[MIKA27]

F1 legends Stewart and Lauda join JMI management agency

Just Marketing International (JMI), the world’s largest motorsport marketing agency, announced today it is representing two Formula One legends, Sir Jackie Stewart, OBE, and Niki Lauda.

Both these three-time world champions hold key positions in Formula One and have chosen JMI to represent their commercial interests, which will be provided by JMI’s international office in London.

Sir Jackie Stewart moves to JMI after a long association with IMG Worldwide that lasted more than 20 years. As well as winning the Formula One Drivers’ World Championship in 1969, 1971 and 1973, Sir Jackie was also a key figure in the implementation of many safety measures that are now taken for granted in motorsport.

Sir Jackie became a respected broadcaster on American television and was a consultant and spokesperson for the Ford Motor Company before returning to Formula 1 as the owner of the Stewart Grand Prix team. After selling his team to Ford in 2000, Sir Jackie took on more ambassadorial roles including HSBC and The Royal Bank of Scotland. Sir Jackie has also retained relationships with Rolex and Moët-Hennessy for 45 and 44 years respectively.

“I am very excited about joining JMI as they are deeply involved in motorsport at the highest level and for me, particularly in Formula One,” said Sir Jackie. “I had a very enjoyable and productive relationship with IMG for 45 years, but they are no longer in Formula One and therefore, my joining JMI is a very logical and practical engagement. I am looking forward to working with Zak Brown and David Webb, who I have known for many years, and their experience and relationships with Formula One are exactly what is required at this stage in my career.”

Niki Lauda won the Formula One Drivers’ World Championship in 1975, 1977, and 1984. He nearly won the title in 1976 following an epic duel with James Hunt, which was recently dramatised in the movie RUSH.

In addition to an illustrious racing career, Niki founded and ran two airlines, has written five books and acted as a consultant for Scuderia Ferrari, as well as team principal for Jaguar Racing. He is the non-executive chairman of the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team and works for German television network, RTL.

“I am delighted to be joining JMI,” said Niki. “I have long been aware of their work in Formula One and I am looking forward to being involved with some of their exciting projects.”

“Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda are legendary global figures within motorsport, so supporting them with their business endeavours is something everyone at JMI is really looking forward to,” said Zak Brown, CEO of JMI.

Today’s announcement adds to JMI’s existing representation of key figures in motorsport that includes four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon and NHRA legend John Force.

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Race of Champions called off due to Thailand protests

This month’s Race of Champions motorsport event in Bangkok has been called off due to political upheaval in the Thai capital, organisers said on Monday.

Formula 1 world champions Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher had been among the drivers due to participate in the 14-15 December event at the Rajamangala Stadium.

Tens of thousands of protesters have flooded on to Bangkok streets in protests aimed at overthrowing the government of populist Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

The Rajamangala stadium, in a Bangkok suburb, has been used for regular rallies by red-shirted supporters of the prime minister.

“The Sports Authority of Thailand and the organisers of the 2013 Race Of Champions have announced the event cannot take place as planned…due to the current political situation in Bangkok,” race organisers said in a statement.

“The Race Of Champions has been held all over the world for 25 consecutive years and we are currently looking at options of repeating the success of last year’s event in Bangkok on another date.”

[MIKA27]

Ecclestone: Alonso gave up a little which is proof he was looking for another team

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has expressed disappointment with Fernando Alonso’s performance at Ferrari and suggested the Spaniard was looking for a move earlier in the year.

“I’ve been a little bit disappointed in Fernando because I’m a big supporter of him and of Ferrari,” Ecclestone, 83, wrote in a foreword to the official Formula 1 season review.

“I thought he gave up a little bit which is proof that he was looking for another team.

“I don’t know whether the team is not competitive because of him or because the people who are running the team aren’t getting the job done,” added Ecclestone.

Alonso finished the season as overall runner-up to Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel who clinched his fourth title in four years to become the youngest quadruple champion.

McLaren made no secret earlier in the season that they would jump at a chance to sign Alonso, who had one turbulent year with them in 2007, should he become available.

Ferrari, third overall in the constructors’ standings, have described their season as one to forget while praising Alonso for his results in a car that was not even second best.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo did, however, reprimand Alonso on the Spaniard’s birthday in July for unflattering comments he made about his car.

Ecclestone said he had always predicted Vettel would be ‘what he is’, with the German winning the last nine races of the year and 13 in total to equal seven-times champion Michael Schumacher’s 2004 record.

“You probably have to say he’s number one of the drivers I’ve known,” added the Briton whose involvement with the sport goes back to the 1950s.

He also singled out Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 champion who will be Alonso’s team mate at Ferrari next season after leaving Lotus.

“This year I suppose I have to call Kimi the star driver, with the equipment he has,” said Ecclestone of the Finn who left Lotus after complaining he had not received his wages. “I think he was motivated on hope that he was going to get paid.

“He’s a good guy to have in a team, good for us, good for the team. He’s super, he’s a racer.”

Pirelli, who caused many of the season’s headlines with exploding tyres at Silverstone and complaints about how quickly their rubber wore out, also received a glowing report from Ecclestone.

“Pirelli did a wonderful job for us,” he said. “I told them we don’t want tyres that last the race, we want tyres that nobody knows how they are going to last. We’ve got that too with the new engines next year.”

Formula One is switching from the V8 engines to a new V6 turbocharged unit with energy recovery systems.

Ecclestone has long been a critic of the new units, fearing that the different noise will alienate the paying public, and he returned to the fray in the review.

“I still think what we have now is good, I don’t think there was any need to change it,” he said.

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Lauda: I told Hamilton if he made Mercedes win he’d be a bigger legend than anybody

Niki Lauda has shone more light on the behind the scenes manoeuvring to prise Lewis Hamilton away from McLaren at the end of last season, with secret talks scheduled for the early hours before the Singapore night race.

“I had to see him in his room between two to four in the morning. I was never with a strange racing driver in a room between two to four in the morning,” he said.

“I remember very well the discussion because he was on pole position with McLaren, was basically winning everything and I asked him ‘Would you consider going over to Mercedes?.’ And he said ‘Why should I go. This car is winning, all I want to do is win, and your car is not winning’.

“I said ‘****, he’s right’,” grinned the Austrian.

Lauda’s response was to tell Hamilton that if he stayed with McLaren, the team that had supported him since he was a youngster, he would always be former boss Ron Dennis’s baby.

“But if you make the Mercedes win after [Michael] Schumacher, you might be a bigger legend than anybody else. He woke up and said ‘Let’s talk about it’. So this really was the catch for him.”

The next day Hamilton was heading for victory in the race.

Lauda feared a victory and intense pressure from McLaren and Dennis, the boss for whom he had won his own third title in 1984, might sway Hamilton’s mind again.

“I was sitting in front of the television and said ‘Please crash. Please retire’. I was sitting and waiting for this and Bingo! Gearbox gone. I went to see him [Hamilton] right after.”

[MIKA27]

Ferrari already secretly testing F1 V6 turbo engine at Fiorano?

http://youtu.be/EQFCodyuSUA

Ferrari may already be testing a early version of its 2014 V6 turbo engine, according to reports doing the rounds.

Over the weekend, a video emerged on the internet showing a LaFerrari supercar lapping the Fiorano circuit amid the distinct tones of a turbo engine.

That Ferrari road car, however, is usually equipped with a normally-aspirated V12 engine.

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Grosjean: I have not yet been informed if Lotus financial problems are over

Romain Grosjean has admitted he is not sure if Lotus’ money problems have been solved, but at the same time says that it is nice that he has been confirmed by the team for 2014.

The Enstone based team had been delaying signing its preferred option to replace the disgruntled Kimi Raikkonen – Nico Hulkenberg – until the money from the much-vaunted ‘Quantum’ investment came through.

Ultimately, while re-signing the impressive Frenchman Grosjean, Lotus announced on Friday that his new teammate will be Pastor Maldonado. The press release made no mention of the Venezuelan’s backing, but it is well known that he brings around €35-40 million from PDVSA, the Venezuelan state-owned oil company.

After the news broke, some said it was a clear sign that the Quantum money will never arrive. But others insisted the deal headed by controversial businessman Mansoor Ijaz is still on the cards.

Asked if he has been told Lotus’ financial problems are now over, Grosjean told France’s L’Equipe: “Not yet, but I am going to see [team boss] Eric [boullier] on Monday. We will discuss it then.”

Asked if Friday’s news was a relief, he told RMC: “I don’t know if relief is the right word, but it’s always nice to be confirmed sooner rather than later. The team had other things to deal with beforehand, but we had always wanted to continue to work together.”

Grosjean said that he is confident that Lotus will handle the transition to the radical new 2014 rules well, but acknowledged: “We will have to have the budget, because [the season] will be expensive and complicated.”

And asked if he has concerns that he will not be paid in 2014, the 27-year-old answered: “I have no problem. My motivation and my work have never changed during the season. It is a personal matter between myself and my employer.”

The increasingly dubious investment by the Mansoor Ijaz led Quantum Motorsport is, according to sources within Lotus and Quantum, going to happen in one form or another, but evidently not in time to secure the services of Nico Hulkenberg who was their preferred choice of driver for 2014.

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Lauda: Brawn wants time to go fishing, but I would not be surprised if he came back to F1

Niki Lauda expects departing Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn to return to Formula One in some capacity once he has gone fishing and taken time out.

Triple world champion Lauda, who is non-executive director of the British-based team, said he had tried hard to convince the 59-year-old to stay in charge but would keep in close contact with him anyway.

Brawn, one of the most experienced and successful figures in the sport, and Mercedes announced last week that he would be leaving at the end of the year, handing over his role to executive directors Toto Wolff and Paddy Lowe.

“I’m very sad about it because I wanted him to stay another year,” Austrian Lauda told reporters before the Autosport Awards ceremony on Sunday night.

“But he says he wants to go fishing. So I really tried hard but he stays a consultant to me which I think is very good and important.

“He says he wants a rest. So it’s very simple. I think he will not go in pension (retirement), this is clear. I think he will come back, I don’t know with the (governing) FIA or whatever he likes to do,” added Lauda.

Lauda, who attended a presentation to announce a new partnership with motorsports marketing agency JMI and was later handed a lifetime achievement award at the Autosport event, said Brawn would be involved in the handover.

Lauda, whose epic 1976 championship duel was turned into the movie ‘Rush’ and released this year, was typically blunt about the challenge ahead.

“Now Toto Wolff and Paddy Lowe, and Paddy especially on the technical side, has to fill this big hole he (Brawn) has left,” he said, adding that Brawn would help him get Lowe fully up to speed in his new role.

“Don’t worry, I am going to kick them like you do not believe… and hopefully we can keep on going,” he laughed.

Mercedes finished second overall this year, up from fifth in 2012, with both Germany’s Nico Rosberg and 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton winning races.

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Massa admits that his wife wants him to retire from racing

If his wife Rafaela had made the decision for him, Felipe Massa would now be a retired Formula 1 driver.

Having lost his Ferrari seat after eight years with the Scuderia, the Brazilian is switching to the beleaguered British team Williams for 2014.

Massa, 32, admitted that Rafaela would have preferred if he decided instead to stay at home with their young son.

“She actually wants me to stop racing,” Massa, who was almost fatally injured in a 2009 qualifying crash in Hungary, told O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper.

“But she also knows that I am not happy just to be at home – my happiness is to race, and she also wants the best for me.

“I’ve even talked about continuing to compete in another category when I leave Formula 1,” he added.

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Ricciardo shedding kilos to fit in to Red Bull RB10 cockpit

A visibly slimmer Daniel Ricciardo had admitted that he is still shedding kilograms ahead of his switch to Red Bull – and the Adrian Newey penned RB 10 – for 2014.

The Australian is among the taller and heavier drivers on the grid, and according to recent reports he had trouble fitting at the controls of a mock-up of the cockpit of next year’s Red Bull car.

At the final few races of 2013, some observers noticed Ricciardo not only sporting a new beard, but also a more gaunt look.

He confirmed that he is trimming some superfluous tissue before 2014, when the V6 turbo engines and new ERS systems are adding crucial bulk to the single seaters.

“Compared to where I am now, I need to lose a couple more kilos,” Ricciardo is quoted by Brazil’s Totalrace. “That’s my goal.

“It’s not a problem. I like watching UFC (ultimate fighting championship) and those guys lose eight kilos in a week or something when it gets close to the fight.

“Two kilos in four months will be easy,” he smiled.

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Kovalainen vows to be better prepared for 2014 chance

Heikki Kovalainen has admitted that he will have to prove thathe has upped his game to a potential 2014 Formula 1 employer.

After a season on the sidelines, the Finn was in a good position to return to the grid next year with Caterham.

He then jumped at the chance to replace the surgery-bound Kimi Raikkonen for the last two grands prix of 2013 at Lotus, but struggled to adapt to the black and gold car.

Kovalainen admits that his pointless outings in Austin and Brazil did not help his cause.

“At first I was not racing at all, and then when I finally did, I did not do well,” he is quoted by Finland’sTurun Sanomat newspaper.

“All in all, this was a bad year,” Kovalainen admitted.

He insists that he doesn’t regret accepting the call from Lotus, however.

“It was a great opportunity,” said the 32-year-old. “The car was really good, but I just couldn’t fully take advantage of it at any point.

“It was much more difficult than I could have imagined in advance.

“I don’t understand how I could make so many mistakes,” said Kovalainen. “Maybe it was the lack of the routine, or the long break from racing.”

Although many have urged him to call time on his Formula 1 career now, he insisted that he will not give up.

However, “If anyone wants me, I will have to be much, much more ready for race driving,” Kovalainen acknowledged.

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Whitmarsh downplays engine speculation

Martin Whitmarsh has downplayed suggestions that Mercedes' 2014 V6 engine is the best in the field.

Next season will herald the arrival of the 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 engines which are taking the place of the V8s, which roared for the last time at this year's season-ending Brazilian GP.

And although the new engines have yet to be pitted against one another, there is speculation in the paddock that Mercedes have the edge over Renault and Ferrari.

For now, though, Whitmarsh, whose McLaren team will use Mercedes power for the last time in 2014, isn't making any predictions.

"Will we have a competitive drivetrain? I do not know," the McLaren team boss told Speed Week.

"There are many people in the paddock who seem to have much of a clue but I do not know what data they have to know that.

"From what I know about their resources and their organisation I'm assuming that they have done a good job and the resources have been used."

He added: "I believe that we will be competitive."

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Bianchi named Rookie of the Year

Jules Bianchi capped off a perfect 10 for his Marussia team with a Rookie of the Year award at Autosport's annual gala dinner.

In his debut season in Formula One, the Marussia driver secured 10th place in the Constructors' Championship for his team when he brought his MR home in 13th place in the Malaysian GP.

And although the Frenchman did not score a single point, which both Esteban Gutierrez and Valtteri Bottas did, he nevertheless impressed many in the paddock as he wrangled every drop of speed out of the car.

As such Autosport named him their Rookie of the Year in Sunday's event at the Grosvenor House Hotel.

"It is a great honour to be presented with this Award, especially as it was voted for by the readers of Autosport magazine themselves," Bianchi said.

"I have enjoyed a fantastic debut season in Formula 1 and will take away not only special memories but also many lessons which I know will help myself and the Team to improve in the future.

"I would like to thank everyone who voted for me and my thanks also to all those who have supported me in my first year of F1 competition, particularly the Marussia F1 Team and also the Ferrari Driver Academy."

Team boss John Booth expressed his pride at his young driver.

"Congratulations to Jules on winning this prestigious Award at the end of what has been a very impressive debut season for him," he said.

"As we know, Jules joined the Marussia F1 Team very late in our pre-season testing programme and, notwithstanding this lack of experience in the car, he went on to make a very positive start to his first season as a Formula 1 race driver.

"It hasn't been entirely plain sailing, but in the end we all learned a great deal together and achieved our objective of 10th place in the Constructors' Championship, which is due in no small part to the skill and application of both of our drivers."

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Sebastian Vettel: 2014 Formula 1 rules mustn't remove thrill factor

Sebastian Vettel hopes that Formula 1 does not lose any of its thrill factor next season when it switches to turbo V6 engines.

Ahead of perhaps the most radical rule change in F1 history, there have been concerns that the new smaller power-units coming for 2014 may not be as loud or as exciting to drive as the current V8s.

Vettel has echoed those worries and is keeping his fingers crossed that the intensity of F1 remains intact for both fans and drivers.

"I am a bit sad because my first test in F1 was in a V10," said Vettel, speaking on stageat the AUTOSPORT Awards, where he won the International Racing Driver accolade for a fourth straight year.

"I remember that test, and then we went to a V8 a year afterwards. When I had my second go in an F1 car I could tell the difference.

"I just hope that we are not going down from a power point of view. We will lose the revs which I think is a shame - because it is a new direction that we go into and a new technology.

"I also still remember the first time I went to see F1 was in 1992, it was raining and only free practice in Hockenheim. The cars were only coming out for installation laps, and just to hear the sound of the car coming around, to feel it in the ground; they are the first memories I have.

"I just hope in the future we will not lose this excitement. I think the cars need to smell, the cars need to be loud, it needs to give you something that you don't forget."

F1 teams are heading into uncharted territory with the new regulations, and Vettel admits that he can make no predictions about how he and Red Bull will fare next year.

"I think it is very difficult to know," he said. "Every team and every engine manufacturer probably has an idea of how it should turn out, but it is a surprise at this stage.

"Next year getting the cars on the track for the first time will be very interesting and then we see how many engines blow up or not."

VETTEL'S F1 V10 TEST

The maiden F1 test in a V10 car Vettel reminisced about at the AUTOSPORT Awards came in a BMW-powered Williams in September 2005.

The outing was a reward for his utter domination of the previous year's German Formula BMW championship.

The then-18-year-old's running was delayed after Nico Rosberg - then Williams's test driver - had an engine failure in the car in the morning.

But Vettel still managed 25 laps, ending up 3.4 seconds off the pace of race driver Mark Webber.

"It was an unbelievable experience," said Vettel at the time. "The brakes, the g-forces and the power of the engine are beyond description."

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Whitmarsh still keen to sign Alonso but manager claims reports are fiction

McLaren have not given up on signing Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso for its new Honda-powered era beginning in 2015, with team boss Martin Whitmarsh apparently ramping up his efforts to lure the Spaniard back to the Woking outfit.

Whitmarsh, who openly tried to woo the Spaniard back to McLaren for the 2014 season, this week skipped attending the prestigious Autosport Awards in order to travel to Madrid, where Alonso was launching an exhibition featuring the memorabilia of his entire racing career collected by his father.

Indeed, Whitmarsh was photographed with Alonso alongside representatives of the two-time world champion’s other Formula 1 bosses, including Giancarlo Minardi, Stefano Domenicali and Flavio Briatore.

Daily Mail correspondent Jonathan McEvoy said Whitmarsh was so keen to attend Alonso’s exhibition that he delegated McLaren’s managing director Jonathan Neale to collect the trophy in London to mark the team’s 50th year in Formula 1.

“It is understood that Whitmarsh is keen to develop a channel of communication to Alonso with an eye on bringing in the Spaniard for the 2015 season,” said McEvoy.

The news ties in with the latest comments made by Formula 1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, who commented that he was disappointed with Alonso’s performance for Ferrari this year.

“I thought he gave up a little bit, which is proof that he was looking for another team,” Ecclestone wrote in the foreword to the official 2013 season review.

But at the very same time, Alonso’s manager Luis Garcia Abad denied that the 32-year-old has already agreed to move to Honda-powered McLaren for 2015.

“What you’re saying is Formula 1 fiction,” Abad, also in Madrid, told Spanish radio Marca.

“You cannot have two signed contracts, as when you sign one, you must notify the body that controls it. So it is technically impossible. And an unsigned agreement is not an agreement.”

Asked if Alonso intends to fulfil the terms of his entire Ferrari contract, which runs to 2016, Abad answered: “Fernando has said the same this year in three press conferences in different languages.”

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Alonso exhibition documents his racing exploits from toddler to Ferrari driver

Everything about Fernando Alonso’s world has been brought together in an extraordinary collection in Madrid. It features cars, trophies and memorabilia covering the Spaniard’s career, as well as an interactive journey through Fernando’s history.

The exhibition runs until 4 May next year at the Centro de Exposiciones Arte Canal, in the Spanish capital. At the opening ceremony, which took place this morning, Fernando had invited not just his family and closest friends, but also all the team principals from his time to date in Formula 1; Giancarlo Minardi, Flavio Briatore, Martin Whitmarsh and Stefano Domenicali.

There were also friends from the world of motor sport, including Carlos Sainz and Pedro de la Rosa and personalities such as the president of the Santander Bank, Emilio Botin and that of the Madrid city council, Ignacio Gonzalez.

“This is a day to thank my family, the Madrid Comunita and everyone who has been with me throughout my career and who are here today. My family has ensured that all this could happen.

“First and foremost because they gave me a love of this sport and also because it’s thanks to them that a large part of what is on show is here today. It’s incredible that my father was kept so much stuff over the years.”

“Helmets, gloves, suits, it would have been all too easy to throw them away, but now I understand what all those boxes were doing in the garage. What appeared to have no significance back then today means something.”

“I hope everyone will be able to appreciate every discipline of motor sport: there are two championship winning Formula 1 cars here and a championship winning kart, as well as photos of family scenes dating back to when I was seven, nine or ten years old. I hope it helps to get people closer to the sport I love.”

The exhibition has six differently themed sections: “Km 0,” which covers Alonso’s first steps in the sport; La Colección featuring Fernando’s Formula 1 cars as well as those from the junior formulae; Circuito Alo where one can take an interactive journey through Fernando’s racing career and life; Start Your Engines! an audio-visual look at Formula 1 to share the passion the Asturian has for this sport; F1 Experiences where one can discover the secrets of the technological innovation that characterises the highest level of motor sport; 275,000 km De Emoción a video in which the Ferrari driver goes over his whole career.

The exhibition, organised by the Fernando Alonso Foundation and the Canal de Isabel II Gestión, constitutes an embryo of what will be the Fernando Alonso Museum, which will open in Ovido.

However, for now, those who like Fernando and the world of racing can have an amazing experience coming to Madrid to see what is a truly unique exhibition, like nothing else in the world, with the driver at the centre of it all.

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Are Renault also testing their 2014 V6 turbo F1 engine?

Hot on the heels of reports that Ferrari may have track tested its 2014 V6 engine – dubbed the V6 Turbo Energy F1 - it emerges that Renault might also have done the same.

A video on the internet depicting an unidentified Ferrari road car obviously running a turbocharged engine sparked reports that the Italian marque had found a loophole to give its all-new 2014 ‘power unit’ an early track debut.

And now Omnicorse reports that Renault, having powered Red Bull to the last four World Championships of the normally-aspirated V8 era, may also have been testing its new turbo engine recently.

The report said that because the regulations prohibit track testing with a Formula 1 car, the reported secret Renault test took place at Magny Cours and featured a single seater chassis from the Formula Renault 3.5 series.

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Will GP2 Series cars be faster than Formula 1 cars in 2014?

Formula 1 could be matched for pace by the single seaters of its support GP2 series next year.

That is the fear and warning of Enrico Scalabroni, a well-known name in the Formula 1 paddock, having worked as a technical chief at teams including Williams and Ferrari.

He set up his own GP2 team some years back, and now thinks that the support field of 2014 could match for pace the new-generation, V6 turbo-powered Formula 1 cars.

As well as featuring smaller engines, next year’s Formula 1 cars will also be heavier, have less downforce due to the significant aerodynamic changes, and probably more conservatively-designed and selected Pirelli tyres.

“I hate to be alarmist,” Scalabroni is quoted by Spain’s El Mundo Deportivo newspaper, “but I would not be surprised if a GP2 car is as fast as a Formula 1 (car).

“You only have to make simple calculations to see that this could occur, at least at the beginning of the development phase in Formula 1.

“Some [people] are concerned with this possibility,” he added.

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Brawn admits Formula 1 return possible after fishing break

Veteran team boss Ross Brawn has confirmed reports claiming that he could remain in the sport, after stepping down as Mercedes’ team boss.

Mercedes’ team chairman Niki Lauda, who tried to convince the Briton to stay at Brackley in a new role, said on Monday he would “not be surprised” if Brawn eventually returns to the paddock after a “fishing” break.

“I really tried hard but he stays a consultant to me, which I think is very good and important,” Lauda is quoted by the BBC.

The British newspaper The Mirror quoted Brawn, 58, as saying he will take “a few months off” and then “see how things pan out”.

He has been linked with a return to Formula 1 with his former employer Ferrari, or even a reunion with Honda, who after pulling out of the sport in 2008 will return to supply works engines to McLaren in 2015.

Lauda even said that a new role at the FIA is a possibility for Brawn.

“Maybe around the summer time I’ll decide what’s happening – it is a sabbatical,” Brawn said.

“I think if I get involved again in motor sport it will be Formula 1, but I’m very open minded,” he added. ”I think it depends what motivates me, and what people offer, so we’ll see what happens in the summer.”

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Hulkenberg returns to Force India with multi-year contract

Sahara Force India is delighted to confirm that Nico Hulkenberg will return to Sahara Force India in 2014 after agreeing a multi-year deal.

The 26-year-old German is no stranger to Sahara Force India having spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons with the team. The already strong working relationship will ensure a smooth transition as the team moves into the new era of Formula 1.

Sahara Force India’s full 2014 driver line-up will be announced in due course.

Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director said, “I’m delighted to see Nico back with Sahara Force India. When he drove for us in 2012, it became clear [that] Nico was an exceptional talent and he has continued to impress everyone in the paddock with his strong performances this season.”

“Having Nico in our line-up is a real statement of intent and a huge boost for everyone associated with the team. We have high hopes and expectations for 2014 and by signing Nico we have put ourselves in the best position to achieve those objectives and enjoy what could be our most competitive season yet.”

Nico Hulkenberg commented, “I am happy to come back to Sahara Force India. The team is aiming high for next year and I believe that the experience I have gained over the years will help us achieve those goals. I genuinely believe [that] we can have a competitive package in 2014.”

“I’ve heard a lot of positive things about the Mercedes engine as well, so I think there is a lot to be excited about for next year. I know this team and I can see their determination; it’s a great bunch of people and we all share the same hunger for success.”