FORMULA 1 - 2013

[MIKA27]

Pirro says Ferrari needed to boost driver line-up with Raikkonen

Former F1 driver and five times Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro believes that Ferrari needed to shake up their driver line-up to be competitive in 2014, and bringing in Kimi Raikkonen to partner Fernando Alonso could prove to be a master stroke by the Maranello outfit.

Speaking during the WEC finale in Bahrain where he was part of the Audi entourage, Pirro said of the the Raikkonen-Alonso pairing, “I like it that Raikkonen is having another shot. I am curious, like everybody else, to see how he performs alongside Alonso.

But definitiely Ferrari had to do such a move because their driver combination this year was a little bit weaker than the other teams.

This combination could be exactly be what they need.”

Of Felipe Massa’s departure, Pirro said, “I like Felipe who is a super guy and very nice person. I think he has had many years at Ferrari and it was the right time to move on to give a chance to somebody else. I am happy Massa can continue, I am also happy to see he has enough passion to continue.”

However the 51 year old Italian cautioned, “The Williams of today is not the Williams of the good old days, so I hope he does not feel frustrated to drive a midfield car. Looking on the positive side he may find the motivation that he was probably lacking in the last period at Ferrari.”

“A fresh start, with fresh people might provide this motivation and we may see a better driver next year,” added Pirro who started 37 grands prix between 1989 and 1991.

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Ecclestone confirms no New Jersey, India or Mexico races

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has confirmed reports that New Jersey will not be on next year’s world championship calendar, with India and Mexico also dropped from the 2014 schedule.

Asked about recent reports that said the scheduled race amid the Manhattan skyline would have to be delayed for a second consecutive year, the Formula 1 chief executive said a week ago: “We will not have Mexico and India next year.”

But Ecclestone, 83, has now told the Wall Street Journal that the New Jersey street race is off again.

He said the postponement, likely to be confirmed with the FIA’s publication of the official 2014 calendar on Wednesday, is “for lots and lots and lots of reasons”.

“We are not satisfied it’s going to happen in time,” said Ecclestone. “What we’re aiming for is 2015.”

The newspaper said race promoter Leo Hindery did not return a call seeking comment.

And the Bloomberg news agency quoted a spokesman as saying the organisers will comment after the publication of the calendar.

Korea could also fall off the schedule as race organisers are struggling to get the finance n place to run the race again.

Provisional 2014 Formula 1 World Championship calendar:

1. March 16 – Australia (Melbourne)
   
2. March 30 – Malaysia (Sepang)
   
3. April 6 – Bahrain
   
4. April 20 – China
   
5. *April 27 – Korea
   
6. May 11 – Spain (Barcelona)
   
7. May 25 – Monaco
   
8. June 8 – Canada (Montreal)
   
9. June 22 – Austria (Spielberg)
   
10. July 6 – Silverstone
    
11. July 20 – Germany (Hockenheim)
    
12. July 27 – Hungary (Budapest)
    
13. Aug. 24 – Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps)
    
14. Sept. 7 – Italy (Monza)
    
15. Sept. 21 – Singapore
    
16. Oct 5 – Russia (Sochi)
    
17. Oct. 12 – Japan (Suzuka)
    
18. Oct 26 – Abu Dhabi
    
19. Nov 9 – United States (Austin)
    
20. Nov 30 – Brazil (Sao Paulo)
    

[MIKA27]

Newey calls for higher weight limit

Red Bull Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey believes the Formula One rule-makers should increase the allowed weight limit by 10kgs to prevent taller drivers from being penalised.

The weight limit for the 2015 season has already been raised to 700kg, a 10kg increase, but several teams have called for the change to be pushed forward by a year.

For the 700kg limit to be allowed in 2014, the Formula One teams have to be in unanimous agreement and according to Autosport, one team has refused.

"I think it should be changed," Newey told Autosport.

"All teams bar one did vote for that weight limit to be increased and it has to be unanimous - but there was one team that objected to it."

Tall drivers, like Jenson Button and Nico Hulkenberg have already voiced their concerns about the weight limits, and Newey believes the new rules are simply are too stringent.

"The power trains are heavy and I think that is an unfortunate aspect," he continued.

"For the very heavy drivers, I can't really see how the teams are going to get down to the weight limit.

"You can look at that two ways and say, well, if you weigh 15 stone you don't ever expect to be a jockey and if you weigh seven stone you don't ever expect to be a rugby player.

"But I think in this particular case where kids have got into it as drivers from karting, there has never been a big premium in recent years - ever since the weight of the car included the driver - to penalise heavy drivers.

"To suddenly introduce that for next year is very unfortunate."

However, Autosport reports that the issue will again be tabled at the next Formula One Strategy Group meeting, which is scheduled to take place next week.

"In spite of the agreement in the last Strategy Group meeting [to raise the weight for 2015], should the overall car weight be increased for 2014 in order to allow drivers of all weights to compete 'on a level playing field'?" and item on the agenda notes.

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Magnussen relishes F1 challenge

New McLaren driver Kevin Magnussen will look to Jenson Button for direction when the Dane starts his starts his Formula One career next season.

Magnussen hopes to have a far more low-key debut season in the sport than his predecessor Sergio Perez, who believed he would be a title contender when he moved to the Woking outfit.

During a Question and Answer session on Twitter with fans, the 21-year-old admitted that he relishes the opportunity to compete in the top flight of motor racing, although he has no illusions about his place on the paddock.

"[i'm] very excited to be with McLaren - one of the greatest F1 teams - and looking forward to working with and learning from Jenson," he said.

"He has huge experience, [and] I'll make the most of the opportunity - a great team-mate.

"I feel pressure, because McLaren is a top team, and they expect big results, [but] being with McLaren is what I'm most excited about."

Magnussen will be McLaren's first rookie since Lewis Hamilton's debut season in 2007 and the Dane admitted that the current Mercedes driver is a source of inspiration for him.

"It's proof that it's been done before, which is positive - Lewis is a fantastic driver," Magnussen said of Hamilton's debut season when he finished one point behind winner Kimi Raikkonen in the Drivers' Championship.

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Hamilton honoured by BRDC

Lewis Hamilton was the awarded the British Racing Drivers' Club's Gold Star during an awards ceremony held at The Grand Connaught Rooms in London.

The former world champion, who has now won the award on four occasions, had a fine season with new team Mercedes, winning the Hungarian Grand Prix and finishing on the podium four times as he finished his first season with the Brackley outfit in fourth position in the Drivers' Championship.

Several members of Britain's motor racing fraternity attended the event, including Sir Stirling Moss OBE, Christian Horner OBE, John Surtees OBE and Ross Brawn OBE.

Other winners on the night included Red Bull chief designer Adrian Newey, who won the BRDC Gold Medal and Mark Webber, who received the Johnny Wakefield Trophy for setting the fastest lap at Silverstone this year.

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Sebastian Vettel quizzed FIA chief Jean Todt over F1 donut rules

Sebastian Vettel has revealed that he spoke to FIA president Jean Todt to clear up why he was punished for performing donuts after the Indian Grand Prix.

The German was handed a reprimand, and his Red Bull team fined €25,000, after Vettel thrilled the crowds with a series of donuts on the start-finish straight in India immediately after clinching his fourth Formula 1 title.

Unhappy at the punishment, Vettel decided to take the matter up with Todt - who made it clear that the fine was for not returning to parc ferme rather than performing the donuts.

Todt clarified that as long as Vettel made sure to get his car back to parc ferme in the future he would not be punished for such exuberant displays again.

"Obviously the breach in the rule was not for doing the donuts; it was for not bringing the car back to parc ferme," said Vettel.

"It is a stupid rule, but the races after we had reason to do more donuts and every time I brought the car back, so no fine."

Vettel said that his chat with Todt has clarified his understanding of what he is allowed to do, so in future he will have no qualms about more donut celebrations.

"There is a parc ferme rule, we didn't follow the rule and that is why it is clear," he said. "For the future, we know how to do it properly."

WATCH VETTEL AT THE AUTOSPORT AWARDS

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Hamilton versus Di Resta court case starts

Lewis Hamilton’s father, Anthony is in court this week where he is suing his former client Paul di Resta for wrongful dismissal and subsequent loss of earnings.

At the time Di Resta said that he fired Hamilton because he was misled about an energy drinks sponsorship with a company called ‘Go Fast’.

Di Resta allegedly brought the €5.5 million deal to Hamilton and was told by him that buying his drinks sponsorship rights from Force India would cost €2 million.

Reportedly, Di Resta fired Hamilton after he approached the Silverstone based team himself and found that buying the rights from Force India actually cost only €1 million.

Di Resta appeared in court yesterday [Tuesday] and revealed during proceedings that it is very unlikley he will get a Formula 1 drive next year.

Also expected to give evidence during the court case is McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh.

MIKA: Di Resta - Highly overrated if you ask me, did nothing really to show much talent.

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Bottas: I look forward to working with Felipe, but I want to beat him

After beating his more experienced teammate this past season, rookie Valtteri Bottas is now looking forward to working with new Williams teammate Felipe Massa whom he also intends to beat, in 2014.

Speaking to the official F1 website, Bottas said, “Of course next year I’ll have a new team mate – Felipe Massa. I think for us as a team, Felipe arriving at this point is a good thing. He has got a lot of experience and probably comes with different ideas and views that might help us. He was almost a World Champion – at least for 30 seconds – so it is going to be interesting – and he looks like a nice guy so I am looking forward to working with him.”

“I met him at the Williams announcement, but we’ll have time in the winter to get to know each other better and exchange ideas. I have no doubt that he is quick, but the nature of Formula 1 – and especially the nature of a team mate relationship – is that you want to be faster than him. I am no exception to that rule! But we also have to work closely together to push the team forward,” added the 24 year old Finn.

It took 18 races for Bottas to break his duck and score his first points in Formula 1, with eighth place in the United States Grand Prix. The result in Austin meant he finished ahead of team mate Pastor Maldonado in the Championship standings.

Bottas reflected, “We didn’t have a number one driver at Williams this season – even when I came in as a rookie and Pastor (Maldonado) had two years’ experience we were treated equally. Of course, it was a great feeling that with the same machinery but much less experience I was able to outperform my team mate in qualifying and in the drivers’ standings. If that happens you know as a rookie that something is going right for you.”

Looking back on the 2013 season Bottas ventured, “It’s true that F1 cars are difficult beasts to master – and probably our car [the Williams FW35] was a bit beastlier this season than others.”

[MIKA27]

Alonso linked with McLaren return

Martin Whitmarsh attended an art exhibition dedicated to Fernando Alonso in Madrid this week and according to a report in the British media, the McLaren Principal was trying to persuade the Spaniard to re-join the Woking outfit.

According to an article in the Daily Mail, Whitmarsh missed the prestigious Autosport Awards dinner in London on Sunday so that he could catch a Monday flight to the Spanish capital in order to "escalate an attempt to sign Fernando Alonso".

The tabloid also claims that an unnamed McLaren spokesperson admitted that "Team Principals of the four teams for which Fernando has driven in F1" were all present at the opening of the 'Alonso Collection', an exhibition devoted to the two-time former World Champion.

"But it is understood that Whitmarsh - who, in fact, was not Alonso's Team Principal during his one, strife-torn year at McLaren - is keen to develop a channel of communication to Alonso with an eye on bringing in the Spaniard for the 2015 season," the report continued.

Whitmarsh has long been a fan of Alonso and confirmed earlier this year that he would be interested in bringing the Spaniard to Woking if the opportunity arose.

"Let's be frank, people want to sign Fernando Alonso because he is one of the best motor racing drivers in the world at the moment," Whitmarsh told Sky Sports News in September.

"He is an asset to any team."

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Webber still has it - Horner

Red Bull boss Christian believes Mark Webber would have been able to compete at the front of the grid if he wanted to continue his Formula One career.

The 37-year-old finished his F1 career with a second place in Brazil last month before joining Porsche on a long-term deal in 2014.

"If he had chosen to continue, for sure," the Red Bull Team Principal admitted to Autosportwhen he was quizzed about Webber's abilities.

"He is still running at a level that is extremely high.

"The problem is that Mark fell out of love with Formula One and is ready for a new challenge in his life.

"He is excited about that challenge and the timing is right for him to move onto pastures new."

Horner added that he believes Webber is often under-rated simply because his record doesn't compare favourably with four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel.

During their five seasons together at Red Bull, Webber won nine races to Vettel's 38, although without team orders the Aussie would undoubtedly have reached double figures.

"People have undervalued how good Sebastian is, therefore to go up against him week-in, week-out is extremely difficult and it's only in the fullness of time that even Mark will recognise just how good Sebastian is and has been," Horner continued.

"That puts into perspective his own performance.

"Mark Webber is very fine racing driver. He had a reputation as a one-lap specialist in the early days of his career and it's only the level that Sebastian has been operating at consistently that has put a different perspective on things for Mark.

"He has driven some fantastic races and it has just been unlucky for him that Sebastian came onto the scene during his career.

Without Sebastian, he was potentially a World Champion.

"He has played an important role in the team in terms of what he has contributed to development of the car, to the constructors' points that he's scored and the nine Grand Prix victories he has achieved.

"The four Constructors' Championships wouldn't have been possible without him. He has played a key role."

[MIKA27]

New Jersey Vows To Host 2015 GP As 19 Race Calendar Is Signed Off By FIA

The organisers of the New Jersey Grand Prix have vowed to fight to get their race onto the 2015 F1 calendar after the World Motor Sport council rubber stamped a 19 race calendar for next season which does not feature the second US race. It had originally been slated for a date in early June.

Leo Hindery Jr and his team have struggled to delivery the project due to the complexity of the location, the permissions required the financing of the project and the time scale. The race, with a backdrop of the New York skyline, is a personal ambition of F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone, who commented, “There is great demand for a race in New Jersey and I have no doubt we’ll be racing at Port Imperial in 2015. New races can take many years to get started, but there is significant momentum and we are close to realizing a New York City F1 race.”

Chris Pook, the Long Beach GP promoter and special adviser to the New Jersey race, said, “This is a very complicated circuit and incredibly important to the overall Formula One program in North America,” he said. “To get it right in New York will greatly increase awareness of Formula One and motor racing across the continent. I remain very confident about this event.”

Official 2014 F1 calendar

16/03 Grand Prix of Australia

30/03 Grand Prix of Malaysia

06/04 Grand Prix of Bahrain

20/04 Grand Prix of China

11/05 Grand Prix of Spain

25/05 Grand Prix of Monaco

08/06 Grand Prix of Canada

22/06 Grand Prix of Austria

06/07 Grand Prix of Great Britain

20/7 Grand Prix of Germany

27/07 Grand Prix of Hungary

24/08 Grand Prix of Belgium

07/09 Grand Prix of Italy

21/09 Grand Prix of Singapore

05/10 Grand Prix of Japan

12/10 Grand Prix of Russia

02/11 Grand Prix of USA (Austin)

09/11 Grand Prix of Brazil

23/11 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi

MIKA: I seriously don't know why Hungary is still on the F1 calendar? I'd much prefer it replaced with NJ

[MIKA27]

How Did Di Resta fare Against Team Mate Sutil?

Here’s the analysis of Paul di Resta and Adrian Sutil’s season at Force India.

At least one driver, maybe both, will miss out on a seat with the team next year after Force India announced that Nico Hulkenberg will return to the outfit in 2014.

Most people expect ex-McLaren driver Sergio Perez to get the second seat, but with the team breaking with tradition and not naming both drivers at the same time, it seems there is still room for negotiation.

Sutil and Di Resta were first team-mates at Force India in 2011. Sutil spent a year away from the sport last season after the team chose to run Nico Hulkenberg, but returned to partner Di Resta once more as the Scot signed for his third season with the team this year.

The stats show that Di Resta had the stronger season, the Scot out-qualifying his team mate 11 times to eight. He also achieved the team’s highest grid slot of the season – fifth – at Spa, one place better than Sutil’s best which came in Bahrain.

In terms of race performance, Di Resta once again came out on top, with nine points finishes to Sutil’s seven. They both retired from races four times, but when they both took the chequered flag, Di Resta finished ahead nine times to Sutil’s four.

Di Resta had the stronger first half of the season, scoring points in seven of the 10 races to Sutil’s four. However, the Scot had a series of retirements in the second half of the season, with his German team mate pipping him three points finishes to two.

Overall, Di Resta finished 19 points clear of Sutil in the drivers’ standings, but that equated to just one position difference. Di Resta finished 12th, with Sutil 13th.

Despite Di Resta beating his team mate across the season, the Scot looks likely to lose his seat at the team and could be out of Formula 1 altogether. Meanwhile, Sutil believes he will stay in Formula 1 and is understood to be talking to Sauber.

Check out the statistics below to see how Di Resta got the upper hand on Sutil this season.

Di Resta v Sutil stats compared (highest respective tally in bold)

THIS SEASON

Qualifying


Faster qualifying time: Di Resta 11 / Sutil 8


Poles: Di Resta 0 / Sutil 0


Front rows: Di Resta: 0 / Sutil 0

Best qualifying finish: Di Resta 5th / Sutil 6th

Races


Wins: Di Resta 0 / Sutil 0


Podiums: Di Resta 0 / Sutil 0


Points finishes: Di Resta 9 / Sutil 7 


DNFs: Di Resta 4 / Sutil 4 


Ahead in two-car finish: Di Resta 9 / Sutil 4

Championship


Points: Di Resta 48 / Sutil 29

Championship placing: Di Resta 12th / Sutil 13th

BREAKDOWN OF SEASON

First 10 races

Out-qualified team-mate: Di Resta 5 Sutil 5

Wins: Di Resta 0 Sutil 0

Podiums: Di Resta 0 Sutil 0

Points: Di Resta 7 Sutil 4

Retirements: Di Resta 1 Sutil 3

Final nine races

Outqualified team-mate: Di Resta 6 Sutil 3

Wins: Di Resta 0 Sutil 0

Podiums: Di Resta 0 Sutil 0

Points: Di Resta 2 Sutil 3

Retirements: Di Resta 3 Sutil 1

[MIKA27]

Sauber does not expect late-season revival to hurt it in 2014

Sauber does not believe its strong end to the 2013 Formula 1 season cost it any ground in 2014 preparations.

After only scoring seven points in the first half of this year, Sauber made a performance breakthrough and took 50 points in the remaining races, overhauling Toro Rosso for seventh in the constructors' championship in the process.

Tom McCullough, the team's outgoing head of trackside engineering, said the step forward had not required a prolonged technical push, so Sauber had still been able to devote resources to 2014 while regaining ground this year.

"To be honest, we haven't changed a lot on the car [late in the season]," he told AUTOSPORT. "We had one big update package.

"We started the work on the 2014 car, CFD and aero work, a long time ago.

"Yes, we had to do a little bit more on the 2013 car than we wanted to but there has been a team working very hard on that and a lot of the lessons we have learned with sorting out this car will apply to next year's car as well.

"From the resources we are playing with, we have been lucky not to have to put too much focus on this year's car."

McCullough said Sauber's recovery had been a case of making adjustments to extract the car's potential, rather than the original design having been fundamentally wrong.

"We still look at ourselves and think we didn't do a good enough job at the beginning of the year, that's clear," he said.

"But we understood what the main problems were and focused our resource to improve those and we saw those gains coming.

"A lot of stuff was very right but there were a few small things that weren't.

"The track engineers and drivers just iterated away, understanding and improving, and we ended up getting a car into Q3 since Monza and had a car that deserved to score points every race."

Although McCullough's departure from Sauber has not yet been made official, AUTOSPORT understands that he is bound for Force India.

[MIKA27]

British GP ticket sales well up on last year already as new rules pique fans' interest

The British Grand Prix looks set to be another sell-out event despite many fans turning away from the sport due to a certain drivers domination recently.

That has failed to dampen the spirits of the British fans however. It seems the exciting 2013 race - voted the most exciting of the season - and the new regulation changes have piqued their interest and early tickets sales are well ahead of last year.

According to the circuit's managing director Richard Phillips, some of the more popular grandstands are near to selling out.

"This year’s British Grand Prix was a fantastic spectacle and the fans’ experience has translated into early interest and promising ticket sales," he explained.

"Sales were up 50% (compared with 2012) over the grand prix weekend itself and a number of the best grandstands are now almost sold out.

"While there are plenty of tickets still available in a number of other grandstands and general admission areas, we would advise fans wanting a choice of grandstands to book as soon as possible.

"Next year's rules will see a significant change to Formula One, with teams having to design new cars from scratch. With extra power from the turbo engines we're expecting real drama and excitement around the high speed track here at Silverstone."

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Brundle warns 'F1 is heading toward a crisis'

Former driver turned pundit Martin Brundle is concerned that Formula 1 is heading for a crisis with regulation changes and financial instability. In particular, the Briton is undecided as to whether the new regulations will spice up the show or prove an embarrassment as the teams struggle to adapt, but he's in doubt that things will settle down in the second half of the year.

"I'm expecting total calamity in the early stages of 2014 and it remains to be seen if that's entertaining or confusing," he wrote in his Sky Sports F1 column.

Before adding: "I have no doubt that these brilliant engineers and designers will master the issues sooner than later."

Though he agreed with Jenson Button's sentiments that it presents a level-playing field as everything resets to zero. Albeit the new power units could throw a spanner in the works for some.

"I agree with Jenson, big changes can only hurt Red Bull given they have such an advantage, but no doubt the usual suspects with the biggest resource will get there first. "I'm hoping that we won't have a three-tier Ferrari - Renault - Mercedes championship in whichever order for both power and efficiency, but it's possible."

One of his other concerns, potentially one which could eventually rip the sport apart, is the current financial state some teams find themselves in.

He highlighted Lotus's struggles which has seen them employ pay-driver Pastor Maldonado over the highly talented and much favoured option, Nico Hulkenberg.

"I've never seen anything like it frankly, and it doesn't bode well when the only team - Lotus - to consistently take the fight to Red Bull can't afford to choose its own driver line-up and take the best available.

"My alarm bells are going off for the general health of F1 and it needs urgent action, if not then a crisis, before it's back on track."

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Ecclestone hails Raikkonen 'star driver' of 2013

Bernie Ecclestone has hailed Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen as his 'star driver' of the 2013 season after the Finn took victory in the opening race of the year and battled to fifth in the championship despite missing two races.

Ecclestone gave his view in a forword to the official season review.

Whilst the 82-year-old questioned Fernando Alonso's performances, admitting he was "disappointed" by the Spaniard, the same can't be said for Raikkonen who he praised.

"This year I suppose I have to call Kimi the star driver, with the equipment he had," he said of the soon-to-be Ferrari driver.

"I think he was motivated on hope that he was going to get paid."

Raikkonen is a favourite amongst Formula 1 fans because of his no-nonsense attitude and Ecclestone believes he's a good character to have in the sport. "He's a good guy to have in a team, good for us, good for the team. He's super, he's a racer."

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Former F1 driver laments the power of pay drivers in current era

In the wake of the announcement that Pastor Maldonado has been signed by Lotus for the 2014 season, former F1 driver and five times Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro laments that pay drivers wield so much influence in the current era.

Speaking during the WEC finale in Bahrain, Pirro said, “It is sad to see that driver choices at this high level of the grid are driven by budgets. Nothing against Maldonado – he has won a grand prix – but it is sad to see that Lotus wanted very badly Nico Hulkenberg, but they couldn’t afford him.”

Maldonado is known to have a substantial budget from Venezuelan quasi-government oil giant PDVSA, which funded his foray into Formula 1 with Williams and are now backing his move to Lotus.

The 2012 Spanish GP winner is not alone as several drivers are brandishing cheque books in an effort to secure a place on the 2014 grid.

Pirro lamented, “This is something that is not right in Formula 1 today. In my day pay drivers were at the bottom of the field, but these days they are buying seats at a higher level. [sergio] Perez brought a lot of money to McLaren and now Lotus have a pay driver. I don’t like to see these things.”

Italian Pirro, 51, started 37 grands prix with Benetton and Scuderia Italia between 1989 and 1991. Since then the Italian has focussed on sportscar racing, winning Le Mans in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006 and 2007 with Audi.

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Sauber’s Gutierrez seen visiting Caterham headquarters

Esteban Gutierrez is apparently considering a move from Sauber to Caterham for 2014.

Gutierrez’s Sauber teammate Nico Hulkenberg has already announced his switch to Force India, and now the 22-year-old Mexican is tipped to also leave the financially-struggling Swiss team.

The Swiss newspapers Blick and Neue Zercher Zeitung separately report this week that Gutierrez has been spotted visiting Caterham’s UK headquarters.

Last month, the Telmex-backed Gutierrez admitted he was not sure if he would be staying at Sauber for 2014.

“We’ll see what’s going to happen,” he said. ”Obviously we have been looking to different options, even if my idea is to continue with Sauber, because we have been working on a good relationship for a long time.”

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F1 2014 rules an opportunity for small teams believes Capelli

Former grand prix driver Ivan Capelli thinks 2014 could be an opportunity for Formula 1′s smaller teams to compete with their powerful rivals.

Some believe that with the sweeping rule changes, the teams with the biggest budgets, best resources and longest experience will tower over their smaller competitors even more than in 2013, at the end of a period of relative stability.

But Capelli, a Formula 1 driver in the 80s and 90s turned commentator for Italian television, is not so sure.

Referring to the change of engines, turbos, gearboxes, aerodynamics and energy recovery systems, he told Italy’s blogFormula 1.it: “The big challenge will be to put it all together.

“This may be an opportunity for smaller teams to get closer to the top of the standings.

“Perhaps it’s a little like the 80s, with what Leyton House did when I was driving, or Minardi with Martini, or the Tyrrell of Alesi.

“A revolution like this can mix the cards up a lot and give rise to this sort of beautiful thing that has been missing in Formula 1 for a long time,” added Capelli.

The 50-year-old Italian acknowledged, however, that arguably the more likely outcome is that Formula 1′s genius designer, Adrian Newey, sets the pace yet again with the next Red Bull.

But Newey, while confident, is not complacent.

“The biggest problem for next year’s car,” he told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, “is the narrower front wing.

“150 millimetres may not sound like much, but it is a huge difference when you have to put the endplates in the middle of the front tyres.

“The second challenge is the new engine — the installation is at least two or three times more difficult than the V8.”

Newey also admitted that another of Red Bull’s advantages in the recent era – in the area of the diffuser and exhaust – will be difficult to replicate under the new rules.

“We managed to integrate the exhaust with our aerodynamics better than most other teams,” he acknowledged, “so that means we also have the most to lose.

“On the other hand, I have also made cars when there was no blowing onto the diffuser, and they also seemed to work. So, I’ll try it again,” the Briton smiled.

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Horner: We won the title early, enabling us to focus on the RB10 while our rivals battled

In what is a clear warning to rivals, Red Bull’s Team Principal Christian Horner has predicted that his World Champion team will hit the ground running next season when the all new V6 turbo era begins, because wrapping up their two titles early on – in October – has enabled the team to focus on their 2014 car earlier than they expected.

Horner told the media recently, “Thankfully we managed to secure this Championship reasonably early which has enabled all the focus to go on to [the] RB10 whilst obviously Ferrari and Mercedes have been battling each other for the runner-up position.”

“Of course we’ve been pushing the boundaries and Adrian [Newey] is never famous for starting next year’s car early. That’s exactly the same case for RB10,” added Horner.

Speaking to the official F1 website Newey revealed the design process ahead of the new turbo era, “The first thing that you do is to read the regulations – very, very carefully.”

“You try to read what they actually say, rather than what they intend to say, as this is not always the same thing. After that I’m actually breaking it down into bite-size chunks.”

“Then you try to understand from the regulations the aerodynamic and mechanical packaging that appears to be the best solutions for those different areas. You go away and research them and at some point try to bring it all back together again.”

“For me that is the important bit: the end product should be a whole and not pieces thrown together into one cluster,” explained the most succesful designer in the history of the sport.

“The car that will brush aside all others will be a car having the combination of good engine and good chassis – if one side is letting you down you will have a problem. But who will come up with the ideal combination? That’s the big guessing game for all of us and will add spice to the 2014 season,” added Newey.

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Ferrari have power to veto Horner’s appointment to top F1 job

Ferrari’s political power in the realms of Formula 1 extends even to the choice of Bernie Ecclestone’s eventual successor at the helm of the sport.

Amid his legal troubles surrounding the Gerhard Gribkowsky corruption scandal, 83-year-old Ecclestone recently named Red Bull team boss Christian Horner as his preferred potential successor.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, however, dismissed Horner’s naming as a “joke”.

“As the years go by, he (Ecclestone) more and more enjoys making jokes and I’m happy he still has the desire to do so,” he told Italian television Rai.

In the same interview, Montezemolo confirmed for the very first time long-standing paddock reports that Ferrari has the unique ability to “veto” proposed changes by Ecclestone and the governing FIA.

“We are the only team with the right of veto,” he said. “More political weight than that is impossible! We are aware of our strength in Formula 1, which without us, would be completely different.”

Now, in an interview published by CNN, Ecclestone has played down his comments about Horner, arguing that he only mentioned his 40-year-old friend because he was “walking past” at the time.

Ecclestone told the Formula 1 business journalist Christian Sylt: “Firstly CVC would never agree [to Horner's appointment] and secondly, Ferrari would have a say.”

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Sutil manager says there are two options on the table for 2014

Adrian Sutil has two options to stay in Formula 1 beyond 2013, according to manager Manfred Zimmermann, suggesting that Force India remains an option, while Sauber appears the most likely destination for his client.

Zimmerman told Motorsport-Total, “We have two options, but there is still no decision. Of course, we strive to have a solution as quickly as possible, but this is not only in our hands.”

“Formula 1 at the moment is no longer predictable. There are so many imponderables and I’m not sure if next year all eleven teams from this year will still be at the start,” added Zimmerman.

Sutil who recently likened the 2013 Force India car to a carrot, was adamant in Brazil that he had a deal for 2014.

He declared at the time, “I have a contract and am looking forward to another year in Formula 1.”

But at an event recently he was less adamant, “It’s like with any contract that you have in life, it is not 100 percent sure.”

Reports suggest that McLaren reject Sergio Perez is most likely to partner Nico Hulkenberg at Force India next year. Perez will bring in a fair amount of money, through backing from Telmex, which the Silverstone based team would not shun.

Sutil, who himself has backing from Medion, is increasingly likely to move to Sauber who have yet to finalise their driver line-up for next season.

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Hulkenberg wants 'challenging' team-mate

Nico Hulkenberg's only criteria for a team-mate for next season is that it is a "strong" driver who will challenge him.

Earlier this week, Force India confirmed that the 26-year-old would be returning next season after a year with Sauber.

But while Hulkenberg's future is secured having signed a multi-year deal, the team's second driver is still uncertain.

While both Paul di Resta and Adrian Sutil are hoping to remain with the team, former McLaren driver Sergio Perez is the hot favourite for the second seat.

"It doesn't really matter for me, to be honest," Hulkenberg told Sky Sports F1.

"I want to have a strong team-mate, one which is challenging me and I can challenge him because that way we're pushing each other and the team forward.

"I know there's a few names around in the press but it's not my decision. It's the shareholders' decision and the team management and I'm sure it won't be long before we know."

Looking ahead to next season when F1 will welcome a new era with the arrival of the 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 engines, Hulkenberg says it is vital for Force India to get off to a flying start.

"We need to get off to a good start, need to adapt well to the racing conditions and the change in rules with every passing season," he told dna.

"The first race might start in March but our groundwork and research for the season has already begun.

"Coming back after a year, I've seen the technical aspect of Force India go up a notch.

"You can't afford to sit back and be happy with what you've achieved last season."

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'Big hole for Wolff, Lowe to fill'

Niki Lauda has confidence in Toto Wolff and Paddy Lowe but concedes the duo have a big gap to fill.

With Ross Brawn stepping down as Mercedes team boss at the end of this year, the job of leading the Formula One team has been left to Wolff and Lowe.

While Wolff is the executive director (business), Lowe holds a similar by in technical as the team has opted for a two-pronged leadership.

It is one, though, that Lauda hopes will flourish.

"Now Toto Wolff and Paddy Lowe, and Paddy especially on the technical side, have to fill this big hole he [brawn] has left," the Mercedes non-executive chairman told Reuters.

"Don't worry, I am going to kick them like you do not believe... and hopefully we can keep on going."

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Sauber: Late surge won't hurt 2014

Tom McCullough believes Sauber's late upsurge will not have a negative impact on their 2014 Championship.

Despite having a dismal first half to this season, Sauber fought back in the second to end seventh in the Championship on 57 points.

It was an impressive turnaround and came at a time when rivals were switching their focus to next year and the many new regulations.

However, McCullough, the team's head of trackside engineering, insists Sauber still paid attention to 2014 and won't be left behind.

"To be honest, we haven't changed a lot on the car [late in the season]," he told Autosport. "We had one big update package.

"We started the work on the 2014 car, CFD and aero work, a long time ago.

"Yes, we had to do a little bit more on the 2013 car than we wanted to but there has been a team working very hard on that and a lot of the lessons we have learned with sorting out this car will apply to next year's car as well.

"From the resources we are playing with, we have been lucky not to have to put too much focus on this year's car."

McCullough added that Sauber's improved form was down to little adjustments rather than major overhauls.

"We still look at ourselves and think we didn't do a good enough job at the beginning of the year, that's clear.

"But we understood what the main problems were and focused our resource to improve those and we saw those gains coming.

"A lot of stuff was very right but there were a few small things that weren't.

"The track engineers and drivers just iterated away, understanding and improving, and we ended up getting a car into Q3 since Monza and had a car that deserved to score points every race."