FORMULA 1 - 2013

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Red Bull not ruling out Formula E entry

Red Bull has admitted it might consider joining the FIA’s burgeoning electric single seater series, dubbed Formula E.

World champion Sebastian Vettel recently admitted he is no fan of the city racing concept, despite the fact the almost-silent cars are being built by famous Formula 1 names Williams and McLaren.

“I don’t like it at all,” the Red Bull driver said. ”I think the people come here to feel Formula 1 and there’s not much to feel when a car goes by and you don’t even hear anything else but the wind.”

Many, however, do not agree with Vettel. Former Formula 1 driver Michael Andretti has entered a team, as has the German carmaker Audi. Alain Prost is involved with the E.Dams outfit, and Super Aguri will be on the grid when the racing kicks off in China next September.

The concept has even wooed Virgin back to open wheel racing, while Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio is listed as a founder of the Venturi team.

Formula 1 world champion Red Bull’s Helmut Marko said: “We have been asked (to enter a team), but at the moment our full focus is on Formula 1.

“We will look again at this series and re-evaluate after the first season,” he told the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag.

Meanwhile, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has admitted the marque should give “serious consideration” to taking on Le Mans with a prototype sports car.

“We have won with the 458 GTE,” he said at Ferrari’s Christmas lunch, “but I also quite like the idea of racing at Le Mans in the highest category.

“Who knows, maybe one day we can return and win, say thanks and come home.”

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Di Resta set to find refuge in return to DTM

Ousted Force India driver Paul di Resta appears almost certain to return to the German touring car series DTM in 2014.

The Scot has lost his Formula 1 seat, and the only remaining places on next year’s grid – at Sauber, Marussia and Caterham – are likely to be filled by drivers with significant backing.

Di Resta had flirted with switching to the American Indycar series, possibly to replace his retiring cousin Dario Franchitti in the top Ganassi seat. But Ganassi has signed Australian driver Ryan Briscoe instead.

“It is now almost definite that Di Resta will return to DTM, a title he won in 2010, with Mercedes,” The Scotsman correspondent Jim McGill reports.

McGill said following Mark Webber to Le Mans could be another option, but for now, 27-year-old di Resta is not confirming the news.

“I’m not in a position to say what I’ll be doing next year,” he said. ”But one thing I know definitely is that I’ll be in a competitive car, in a series I know I’ll be capable of not only winning races, but also the championship.”

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Potential buyers tour Sauber headquarters in Hinwil

Cash strapped Sauber is still scrambling to secure its future in Formula 1, according to the latest reports.

The Swiss team has now announced that Adrian Sutil is replacing the Force India-bound Nico Hulkenberg in 2014.

But Sauber said late on Friday: “The second driver will be announced at a later date.”

So what happened to the much-vaunted Russian rescue deal, where the Russian teen Sergey Sirotkin was set to be in the Swiss-made cockpit?

According to the well-connected correspondent for the Swiss newspaper Blick, Roger Benoit, Sauber is now looking into working with a new group of investors.

Reportedly, the unnamed group visited Sauber’s Hinwil factory last week.

“They want to take over the team and install new management,” said Benoit.

Benoit revealed that, a year ago, an investor group headed by 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen expressed interest in buying Sauber.

“Kimi was just the middleman,” confirmed team founder Peter Sauber, who brought the Finn into Formula 1 as a rookie in 2001.

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Raikkonen keen to secure number 7 for rest of his career

Formula 1 drivers are spending the last days before Christmas coming up with the numbers they will carry for the rest of their careers at the pinnacle of the sport.

After the FIA kicked off the selection process, telling drivers they should name their top three picks between 2-99, it has already emerged that Force India’s Sergio Perez has plumped for number 11.

It is believed Fernando Alonso considers 14 to be his lucky number, Jean-Eric Vergne wants the iconic 27, and Nico Rosberg has asked to carry number 6, which was raced to the 1982 title by his father Keke.

Now, adding the hashtag ‘Bo77as’, Williams driver Valtteri Bottas has told his 49,000 followers on Twitter that he has put down 77 as his first choice.

Felipe Massa has nominated the number 19, but others – like new Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo – aren’t saying.

“For now I’ll keep mine quiet,” he said. “(But) it’s a beautiful thing Formula 1 drivers will have freedom to choose what number they want to race from next year.”

His replacement at Toro Rosso, Daniil Kvyat, admitted: “I have been thinking all night long about my number.”

And Lotus’ Romain Grosjean added: “My 3 favourites sent to the FIA, but will keep it secret for now.”

Finland’s Ilta-Sanomat newspaper said Kimi Raikkonen has picked the number 7 to wear on his helmet and Ferrari next year.

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McLaren big boss Dennis admits talks with Brawn

McLaren supremo Ron Dennis has admitted he has held talks with soon to depart Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn.

Brawn has stepped down as Mercedes’ team boss, insisting he is taking a sabbatical and refusing to even think about his future until “at least next summer”.

But the 58-year-old Briton has already been strongly linked with Honda, whose works Formula 1 project he headed at Brackley until the Japanese carmaker pulled out of Formula 1 in 2008.

Honda is now returning to the sport as a supplier of engines to McLaren from 2015.

So when asked if he has talked with Brawn, McLaren chairman Dennis told the BBC: “We were having a chat and we’re mature motor racing people so of course you’re going to talk about life.

“But going beyond that, as you would expect, it’s normal stuff. People probe around, the possible, the impossible.

“My understanding is he intends to take a year off,” added Dennis. “That’s my understanding of his intention.”

Brawn, on the other hand, is refusing to comment.

“It wouldn’t be fair or appropriate to say if any parties have invited me for discussions,” he said.

“I am starting my fishing trips early next year and only time will tell if Formula 1 and me ever get together again.”

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Boullier denies quit reports

Eric Boullier has quashed speculation that he has stepped down as Lotus team principal.

Sport Bild and F1 Racing's Anthony Rowlinson both claimed over the weekend that several sources have informed them the Frenchman has left his post at the Enstone squad.

Although the team finished fourth in the Constructors' Championship thanks to Kimi Raikkonen's excellent early season form and Romain Grosjean's good end to the season, things haven't been easy for them.

Raikkonen decided to rejoin Ferrari after the team failed to pay him while it was public knowledge that they were struggling financially. They have since signed some sponsorship agreements while Pastor Maldonado - and his PDVSA money - has been confirmed as the second driver for 2014.

Rumours, though, refused to go away and, in fact, intensified over the weekend.

However, Boullier has thrown water on the flames by taking to social media networking.

"Dear followers, I have never received any offers and I have not resigned from LF1," he tweeted. "Thanks for your support."

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Button: First test will be 'hilarious' but 'exciting'

Jenson Button is predicting a "hilarious" first test in Jerez in late-January as the drivers get to grips with the 2014 cars for the first time.

The regulation changes will, according to the Briton, force them to adopt completely new driving styles as they are required to manage far more torque than they're used to.

Add in the reliability and reduced downforce and Button expects a laugh or two.

"Winter testing is going to be hilarious in Jerez," he said, having tested the MP4-29 in McLaren's simulator.

"It will be cold, the tyres aren't going to work, the cars probably won't work either and when you do get a lap it is probably going to feel weird because you are running higher gears - you get into eighth gear before you get to seventh gear now.

"It is a very different way of driving and you have to forget a lot you have learned over the years in terms of the driveability of a racing car, the engine, the power output of a racing car and the way you put the power down."

The 2009 champion is excited by the challenges which the new rules present, but he's wary of how well the cars will handle.

"No one knows how they will perform until the first race next year," he added.

"It is going to be tricky because we do have a lot more torque with the engine but there will be a lot less downforce as there will be no [exhaust] blowing. I don't care what they say, there is still a massive amount of blowing on an F1 car. "It is going to be very tough to get to grips with it," he admitted.

"There is a lot to learn for all of us, even the experienced drivers, and it is exciting."

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Allison: Everything is in place to open up a new Ferrari era

James Allison’s first term as technical director of Ferrari is coming to a close however, unlike school, there are no report cards to be awaited with trepidation, although it’s still a good opportunity to have a quick chat with Allison and get his first impressions at the start of what is his second stint at Ferrari, coming at a time that is particularly challenging for all Formula 1 engineers.

“I definitely haven’t spent time going into the details of the design of the new car, as it wouldn’t make any sense at this stage,” Allison declared.

“Rather, I concentrated on trying to direct adequate resources and on putting the best people in the right places to optimise attention to detail. Actually, when you tackle a regulation change like this one, it’s not something you only start thinking about six months beforehand. When I arrived in Maranello, work on the project had been on going for two years.”

“I tried to immerse myself in its philosophy and adapt to the team as quickly as possible. Having said that, what you could call my active role in the design of the car involves working identifying the areas on which maybe we should push harder and concentrate more effort.”

As from 2014, the engine will once again play an important role in establishing a hierarchy among the teams, as was the case up until 2006.

“It’s true that the influence of the power unit on overall performance of the car will be much greater than in the recent past,” continued the engineer from Lincolnshire.

“From when, in 2007, the freeze on engine development took hold and performance levels converged, it’s clear that its influence on the pecking order got ever smaller, while aerodynamics grew in importance.”

“In the years leading up to that point, that wasn’t the case: I can well remember how important the engine was in terms of Ferrari’s successes in the first half of the Noughties. Now we will witness a re-balancing, although aerodynamics will still be a key factor.”

In fact on this front, Ferrari has invested heavily in terms of manpower and technical resources, as Allison recognises.

“Aerodynamics remains the lifeblood of a modern Formula 1 car,” he explains. “It’s impossible to be competitive without having the right tools and adequate resources: now we can say we have moved on from being maybe the fourth or fifth team in terms of the tools we have, to once again being at the cutting edge and everything is in place to open up a new Ferrari era.”

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The good, the bad and the ugly of the 2013 Formula 1 season

Sebastian Vettel was on such a record roll in 2013 that by the time Formula 1 rocks up for next year’s season-opener in Australia it will be almost eight months since anyone else won a grand prix.

Even allowing for an August shutdown and three month winter break, that single statistic highlights just how demoralising a year it has been for all those trying to beat Red Bull’s quadruple world champion.

The cheeky-faced 26-year-old, soon to be a father, could have clinched his employers fourth successive constructors’ championship on his own given that he amassed more points (397) than any other team over the 19 races.

Sebastian Vettel in typical pose after winning the Abu Dhabi GP (I hate that finger!)

The finger-pointing German chalked up nine wins in a row, the first time any driver has done that in a single campaign since the championship started in 1950, and 13 in total to equal compatriot Michael Schumacher’s 2004 record with Ferrari.

The youngest quadruple champion also became the first to win his first four titles successively.

Some early rising television viewers may have opted to go back under the bedcovers, or take the dog for a walk, rather than watching Vettel win yet again but others were happy to give credit where it was due and recognise a special talent.

On the evidence of this year, Vettel can look forward to new milestones – and more of the tyre-smoking victory ‘donuts’ – in 2014 as his career increasingly draws comparison with the best of the best.

Victory in Australia would make him the first driver to win 10 races in a row and take his career tally to 40 wins – just one short of the number amassed by the late Brazilian Ayrton Senna.

Another title, in a year that will see Russia make its debut and Austria return after India and South Korea bowed out, would equal Schumacher’s record of five in a row.

A new F1 turbo era begins in January

The good news for rival teams and fans yearning for change at the top is that past performance, as any fund manager will attest, does not guarantee future success and 2014 could be very different to 2013.

“You never know what’s going to happen, next year is an unknown,” Vettel said in November. “I’m sure we will fight a lot to maintain our position but there’s no guarantee that next year will be like this year.”

This year marked the end of an era, on the technical side at least, and the start of a new journey into an uncertain future.

The trusty V8 engine has been pensioned off, screaming into retirement, to be replaced by something potentially far less reliable – and much more expensive – in the form of a turbocharged V6 unit with energy recovery systems.

Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen will be teammates at Ferrari in 2014

Ferrari, beaten to the runners-up slot by Mercedes, have waved Brazilian Felipe Massa off to Williams and welcomed back their 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen – who complained of not being paid by Lotus – as Fernando Alonso’s team mate in a line-up of champions.

Whether the biggest rule change in a generation can also transform the pecking order remains to be seen, with Vettel still very much a favourite, but there is a realistic chance that it will.

Nobody knows which of the three manufacturers will produce the best engine and, in a bid to keep interest in the championship going for longer, the governing FIA has decided controversially to award double points for the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.

Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber and Multi-21 captured headlines in Malaysia

The fans, some of whom took to booing Vettel on his increasingly routine trips to the top of the podium, were scathing about ‘Abu Double’ and what they saw as a needless gimmick – with the champion very much in agreement.

They were not too happy after this year’s Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang either when Vettel ignored team orders (the famous ‘Multi 21, Seb’) and passed Australian team mate Mark Webber for the win.

The German will not have to worry about Webber next year, with the no-nonsense veteran deciding enough was enough and leaving Formula One for a new future with Porsche in their Le Mans sportscar programme.

Ever smiling Daniel Ricciardo promoted to Red Bull from Toro Rosso

Instead Vettel will have a younger, smilier and probably more compliant Australian on the other side of the garage, with Daniel Ricciardo moving up from Toro Rosso and a steep learning curve ahead.

Pirelli will be pleased to see the back of 2013, even if next year promises to be another big challenge, after a year of brickbats and blowouts brought the tyre supplier plenty of publicity for all the wrong reasons.

The tyres dictated the pace of the championship, with Vettel’s winning spree following changes forced through after a spate of failures at Silverstone in June threw the sport into crisis and the season into a tale of two halves.

Silverstone was a PR disaster for Pirelli

There was also controversy over a ‘secret’ tyre test carried out by Pirelli and Mercedes in Spain in May that had rivals up in arms and the German manufacturer, who won three of the five races between the test and August break, summoned to the governing body.

One of those wins was for 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton, whose switch from McLaren turned up trumps after many had predicted he was making the wrong move.

Instead it was McLaren, the team who had ended 2012 with the fastest car, who looked more chumps than champs after ending their 50th anniversary year without a single podium appearance for the first time since 1980.

Sergio Perez leads Jenson Button during a woeful season for McLaren

It could have been worse, with Jenson Button grabbing a fourth place right at the finish in Brazil to stave off the team’s worst overall performance since their Formula One debut season in 1966.

Mexican Sergio Perez was the fall guy, shown the exit after just one season at Woking with McLaren putting their trust in a younger man and signing 21-year-old Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen to take his place.

“Everything happens for a reason and I’m very confident that in one year’s time I will be here telling you that it was the best thing that happened to me to leave McLaren,” said Perez, before signing a deal with Force India.

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Dennis admits ‘never say never’ Alonso could return to McLaren

Ron Dennis with Fernando Alonso in 2007

Despite the unsavoury history of their one year relationship, McLaren supremo Ron Dennis has refused to rule out reuniting with Fernando Alonso in the future as the British team seek to rekindle their winning ways beyond 2014 when their second Honda era begins.

Dennis told BBC, “One has to recognise the first objective of any grand prix team is to win races. Whatever obstacles sit between a team wanting to win and winning, be it engineering, fiscal or human issues, you resolve them. You never say never.”

It is no secret that team principal Martin Whitmarsh has been ‘romancing’ the Spaniard who drove for them during the ill fated 2007 season, openly admitting that the Spaniard would be welcome back in the team.

The Alonso is not letting on if he is even considering the overtures from Woking, “I have three more years with Ferrari and I hope many more to come if we can extend the contract and that would be my hope.”

His manager Luis Garcia Abad has labeled the return to McLaren reports as ‘Formula 1 fiction’ and added, “You cannot have two signed contracts, as when you sign one, you must notify the body that controls it. So it is technically impossible.”

Alonso and Ferrari are currently going through great pains to assure public that all is well at Maranello, despite the team signing ‘prodigal son’ Kimi Raikkonen to partner Alonso starting in 2014.

The pairing, which has already been dubbed ‘Fire & Ice’ by media, is supposed to bring back the all important titles to Ferrari – however many believe Raikkonen’s return is a play by Luca di Montezemolo to reaffirm the balance of power within the team in the wake of Alonso’s criticism of the team earlier in the season.

Cynics predict that the Alonso-Raikkonen partnership will be shortlived, which would make the McLaren (with works Honda power in 2015) a very attractive option to either of them should things go awry at Ferrari, with the smart money on Alonso losing the plot first.

Meanwhile the fallout between Dennis and Alonso, in the aftermath of the Spygate scandal of 2007, prompted the Spaniard to say on record that he would never return to a team if Dennis was involved in any way.

After a woeful 2013 F1 season for McLaren, Dennis is aggrieved by the freefall of the organisation he built into a winning machine and is reportedly seeking to increase his share in the team with a view to returning to head up the F1 operation.

If Alonso remains a target for Dennis led McLaren, it can be said that time does tend to heal, while money is always the best medicine especially in Formula 1 – ask Ferrari and Raikkonen.

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Alonso: Raikkonen speaks very little and is more isolated, we will miss Massa

Ferrari is likely to miss Williams-bound Felipe Massa, according to Fernando Alonso, the Brazilian’s teammate of the last four seasons. The Spaniard is wary of his new teammate, famously a man of few words, Kimi Raikkonen.

For 2014, after a period in which Alonso was regarded as the clear number 1 at Maranello, the Italian team has signed up its previous World Champion, Kimi Raikkonen, to replace Massa.

Alonso, who said that he counts Massa among his few friends on the Formula 1 grid, pushed to keep the 32-year-old on board, but ultimately must now face the prospect of working alongside the famously cool and odd Finn.

“Definitely Felipe was a hard worker,” Alonso told Brazil’s Totalrace. ”He works day and night for the team to improve the car’s performance.”

“I don’t know Kimi, but the reports say that he speaks very little and is a bit more isolated. So I think that Ferrari could miss [Massa],” said Alonso.

However, Alonso played down the prospect that a bad working relationship between himself and Raikkonen – like the one between former Red Bull duo Sebastian Vettel and the retiring Mark Webber – will hurt Ferrari.

“What we have to do now is focus on making a good car in the winter,” he insisted.

“If it’s good, like the Red Bull, it doesn’t matter if there’s ‘Multi-21′, ‘Multi-35′ or anything like that, because the atmosphere in the team will be great,” Alonso added.

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Todt hopes Ecclestone stays F1 boss for many years

FIA president Jean Todt has come out in support of Bernie Ecclestone saying that he hopes thatthe under fire F1 supremo stays at the helm of the sport for many years to come

When asked about Ecclestone’s high profile legal wrangles, and the prospect of Formula 1 needing a new boss Todt said he hopes that 83 year old Ecclestone “stays in his place for many years”.

“I saw him [last] Monday,” Todt said. “He is in great shape, vibrant, motivated. Then we talk about what happens after Ecclestone..? I’d rather focus on the present.”

Todt sidestepped any talk about the potential problems caused by the revolutionary new regulations, or the obviously urgent need to cut costs, answering: “I do not have a crystal ball.”

He also didn’t want to talk about measures that were considered for 2014 but not adopted, such as mandatory two-pitstop grands prix.

“I read a lot of proposals,” said Todt. “If I was to comment on everything that we read, we’d be here until tomorrow. The reality is that we have spoken about the tyres, but the regulations will not change next year.”

“There will be tests in Bahrain, where I hope the right solutions will be developed. I am convinced that Pirelli has all the ability and the professionalism to do it,” he concluded.

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Kubica on Massa’s crash and the Vettel versus Alonso debate

Robert Kubica, whose Formula 1 career was ended by serious injuries almost three years ago, does not think that fear led to the decline of outgoing Ferrari driver Felipe Massa.

Two years before Pole Kubica was horribly injured in a 2011 off-season rally crash, Brazilian Massa was almost killed at the wheel of his single seater, when a spring struck him on the helmet during a qualifying session.

Massa returned to Formula 1 but he was arguably not the same from a competitive point of view, and for 2014 has lost his Ferrari seat. He will drive in 2014 for the once-great British team, Williams.

Asked if fear after returning to speed is something that could explain Massa’s situation, Kubica told Italy’s La Repubblica: “It’s a complex subject. A driver does not simply drive. But I’m willing to bet that fear had nothing to do with Massa’s problems. And I’m sure he would confirm that too.”

“When you get in the car you are so concentrated that there is no room for fear. There are much bigger factors that can affect performance.”

Asked what those factors might be, Kubica answered: “The bad luck to have a cannibal as a teammate.”

Indeed, Kubica was particularly close to his friend Fernando Alonso, who utterly dominated at Maranello ever since he joined Massa in the garage.

And Kubica, who won the second-tier of the World Rally Championship in 2013 and is now moving into the premier category with Ford, seems to still be among those who think that Alonso is better than Sebastian Vettel.

“As a driver I shouldn’t answer this question,” the 29-year-old responded. ”I think Vettel is in a state of grace. When you have a team and a situation that is so competitive, then it gives you an unbelievable confidence.”

“Any driver in the top ten of Formula 1, in that situation, would be invincible,” added Kubica.

“In contrast, in the situation like Alonso where you are always pushing so hard to win, it’s a constant struggle, and the same goes for the team, always trying extraordinary things, because the ordinary is not enough.

“Put it this way – Vettel is in a tunnel leading straight to victory, while Alonso is in a maze where you are trying to find the way at every turn,” he said.

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Ecclestone’s Christmas card celebrates F1 Concorde Agreement with Todt

Merry Christmas Formula 1 from the Big Boss

The Formula 1 world is wildly cheering peace, love and Concorde Agreements according to Bernie Ecclestone’s latest Christmas card.

Traditionally, every year, the Formula 1 chief executive commissions an original cartoon for his annual card to friends and close colleagues, depicting a contemporary Formula 1 issue with a mischievous tilt.

For the 2013 holiday season, 83-year-old Ecclestone is depicted as a groom, tying the knot and holding hands with FIA president Jean Todt at a trackside wedding.

The priest is Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, the bystanders are the familiar faces of team bosses on one side and drivers on the right, and the confetti is pages of the newly-signed Concorde Agreement.

Meanwhile, the hands of an unseen and unknown conductor orchestrates the entire scene.

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Vergne: Snub helped me to improve

Jean-Eric Vergne admits he was bitterly disappointed after being overlooked for the 2014 Red Bull seat, but says it made him stronger.

The Frenchman, along with Toro Rosso team-mate Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Raikkonen from Lotus, made it onto Red Bull's initial shortlist, but he was the first to drop out of contention.

The seat eventually went to Australian Ricciardo and Vergne admits it came as a blow when the defending World Champions decided not to sign him up.

"It was a disappointment of course not to go to Red Bull. As a racing driver you want to win races and be World Champion, and for this you need the best car - and Red Bull is the best car," he said during Sky Sports F1's Toro Rosso season review show.

"So it was a big disappointment I had to go through. Then I had to look in the mirror and say, 'Why did Red Bull pick him up and not me?' I think that helped me a lot in trying to be better."

The 23-year-old quickly got over the setback to finish the 2013 season strongly and he is confident he will improve further in 2014 after learning some valuable lessons this year.

"There is no other team I'd like to be with. First of all I stay in the Red Bull family and I really believe in the team. We have good plans for next year and the year after," Vergne said.

"I love this sport. Obviously I would love it a lot more if I was running at the front but sometimes you have to be patient. It's what I'm trying to do.

"Probably my biggest problem when I arrived in Formula 1 was to be too impatient. When you arrive from every category since karting you are used to winning everything and to be really in a bad mood when you finish second or third on the podium. I was this kind of guy; I was always fuming when I was not winning a race.

"When you arrive in Formula 1 and you're fighting for P10 in this team it makes things really difficult and it took me a really, really long time to try and understand that it was a really good result to finish P10 or P8 and have a positive spirit."

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Chilton 'close' to new Marussia deal

It looks like Max Chilton will remain on the Formula One grid in 2014 with Marussia revealing they are closing in on a new deal.

The 22-year-old made his debut for the Banbury squad at the start of this year, partnering fellow F1 rookie Jules Bianchi and helping Marussia to finish ahead of rivals Caterham in the Constructors' Championship.

Bianchi, who is basically on loan from Ferrari, has already had his contract extended by a year and it now appears he will once again have Chilton as his team-mate.

Team principal John Booth says a new deal with the Briton is not far away.

"We are very close with Max, very close. He wants to stay and we want him to stay so it's a matter of sorting the details out really," Booth told Sky Sports.

"We like the lad and he's done a great job, particularly in the second half of the year. I think he's very comfortable here and very happy here."

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Raikkonen visits Ferrari HQ to see 2014 car

Kimi Raikkonen made a flying visit to his new home, Ferrari's Maranello factory, for the first time since he left the team in 2009.

The Finnish driver will partner Fernando Alonso next season after agreeing a move from Lotus. During his visit, he met with team principal Stefano Domenicali, some of his soon-to-be engineers and most importantly, Antonio Spagnolo, his personal race engineer for 2014.

He also had the opportunity to see the car he will be driving for the first time. Today in Maranello, Kimi Raikkonen was on hand to meet Stefano Domenicali and the senior engineers from the Scuderia," read a statement.

"It was an opportunity to go over the current state of play on the design of the 2014 car, as well as a chance for Kimi to meet up with many old friends who, in a few weeks time will once again be his team."

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Pirelli Begins Three Day Testing in Bahrian

Pirelli will begin a three-day tyre test on Tuesday at the Bahrain International Circuit as they look to develop their 2014-specification tyres.

The F1 Commission granted the Italian manufacturer the session on safety grounds ahead of next season.

All 11 teams were invited to take part but only four teams accepted the invitation – Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes and Toro Rosso. They will all run 2013-spec cars to a programme decided by Pirelli.

World champions Red Bull have interestingly decided to run reserve driver Sebastien Buemi, rather than Daniel Ricciardo, who joins the team from Toro Rosso to partner Sebastian Vettel.

Nico Rosberg will drive the Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton not attending as he focuses on his winter training programme.

Veteran Pedro de la Rosa will get behind the wheel of the Ferrari for the first two days, before Marussia driver and Ferrari academy driver Jules Bianchi takes over for the final day.

Toro Rosso will run Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniil Kvyat, who makes his Formula 1 debut with the team next year.

This test is the last of 2013. The first pre-season test of 2014 will start on 28 January 2014 at Jerez.

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Ricciardo expecting no repeat of the issues Webber had at Red Bull

Daniel Ricciardo says he is not worried by his predecessor and compatriot Mark Webber's sometimes difficult relationship with the Red Bull Formula 1 team.

Webber's five seasons alongside Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull were marked by tense flashpoints including this year's Malaysian Grand Prix 'multi 21' team orders spat and the 2010 Turkish GP collision, plus myriad other occasions when Webber alluded to Vettel being favoured by some Red Bull factions.

Asked if he would go in the opposite direction to Webber's sometimes abrasive approach, Ricciardo replied: "Definitely".

"I can't go in there based off his experiences," he told AUTOSPORT.

"It's fair to say that his relationship with the team has not been 100 per cent clean but just because we're both Australian doesn't mean I go in there with that on my piece of paper.

"I'm going there with a fresh approach and I have to.

"For my own benefit, I will go in there positively and work it out for myself. It won't rub off on me."

Ricciardo also dismissed the perception that Webber had more mechanical problems than Vettel.

"When Mark had his failures, I didn't call Red Bull and say 'why did that happen?'" said Ricciardo.

"So I don't know the ins and outs but the way I see it I just put it down to bad luck.

"That's what it looks like and I can't see any reason why they would want to make life difficult for one of the drivers.

"I'm definitely coming in there without being worried.

"Of course, Seb is the man, with his four world titles, and I have to try to earn my place in the team but I think they are going to leave the door open for me."

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Ricciardo introduces Formula 1 to the streets of Sri Lanka

Red Bull Racing’s newest star Daniel Ricciardo brought F1 to Sri Lanka at the Red Bull Show Run where the 100,000 strong crowd that lined the streets of downtown Colombo was left in a whirl as the RB7 thundered past.

Daniel took the car out four times for a spin around the streets of Colombo, eliciting loud and excited cheers each time he tore around the course and leaving a trail of deafening sound, burning rubber and leaving smoke in his wake.

He said: “The track was really good, in sections it was bumpy but the corners were great. What made it even more special was being the first team to have driven a Formula 1 car on the streets of Sri Lanka and to get such a great reaction from the crowd.”

The build-up to his run at the Colombo Night Races began a day before the main event, when the RB7 was snapped atop the culturally revered Galle Fort.

Daniel showed what the car could do and got the gathered crowds cheering as he also drove the car on a section of road outside the Fort.

He said: “The trip to Galle was great. I also got to spend some time on the beach so I was very happy with that.”

MIKA: Awesome!

[MIKA27]

Sutil has seat fitting at Sauber factory

A mere week after his signing Adrian Sutil got his first taste of his new ‘company car’ when he visited Sauber headquarters in Hinwil for a seat fitting in the new C33 he will drive for the team in 2014.

Sauber published the photo on Twitter with the caption: “Look who we found getting comfortable in his seat.”

The identity of the team’s second driver is yet to be announced, although Esteban Gutierrez appears to have a good chance of remaining with the team for a second year.

Nico Hulkenberg, who drove for Sauber in 2013, has moved on to Force India in what has ended up being a driver swap between the two teams.

At the time of the announcement Sutil said, ”I am determined to do my part in order to have a successful future together with the Sauber F1 Team. [Their] long and successful tradition in motorsport, combined with an impressive factory and one of the best wind tunnels in F1, have been fascinating me for a long time.”

Sutil lives in Oensingen (Switzerland) which is an hour’s drive to Hinwil.

[MIKA27]

Raikkonen still owed money by Lotus

It has emerged that Kimi Raikkonen has still not received all of the money owed to him by Lotus, despite promises that the matter would be resolved promptly by the team’s owners.

Towards the end of the season, and just before he set off for back surgery which meant that he missed the last two races of 2013, the Finn revealed that he had not been paid “one euro” by the Enstone based team this year.

Raikkonen said he almost called a halt to his Lotus career before the race in Abu Dhabi, saying at the time: “I came here only because hopefully we found an understanding on the certain issues we have been having.”

But then he missed Austin and Brazil, ostensibly only because of his back surgery.

Team owner Gerard Lopez, whose Lotus outfit has been waiting for a crucial buy-in deal by the investment group Quantum, has now revealed that Raikkonen is in fact still owed some money.

Asked if Lotus has paid the Ferrari-bound Finn in full, he is quoted by Finland’s MTV3: “Not entirely. Some of it, yes, we reached an agreement on the payment in Abu Dhabi.”

It has been reported that Lotus remains deeply in debt, with some employees and suppliers going unpaid.

Lopez acknowledged: “There have been delays. But the amounts that I have heard [in the media] are completely ridiculous.

“I will not go into detail, other than to say that the amounts we owe are not big. We will pay, just as we always have done,” he added.

[MIKA27]

Sutil eyes Sauber podium

Sauber new recruit Adrian Sutil is confident he can claim his first-ever podium in Formula One with the team next year.

Sutil spent six years at Silverstone - five with Force India and one with their predecessors Spyker - but he will drive for Sauber next year after a straight swap with Nico Hulkenberg.

His best performances for Force India were a couple of P5s, but the 30-year-old is upbeat that he will be fighting higher up the grid at Hinwil as Sauber have managed to pull off a couple of stunning podiums in recent years.

"I'm convinced that we will have a successful time - and I'm looking very much forward to my first podium!" he told the official Formula 1 website. "Sauber have had some podiums in the past and that is exactly what I want."

As for the team's 2014 challenger, he said: "To be honest all I know is that Sauber have already passed the crash test. I haven't seen more yet and don't know anything about the 2014 Force India car."

Sauber are yet to name his team-mate for 2014 with Esteban Gutierrez and rookie Sergey Sirotkin both in the running, but the German just wants the best man for the job.

"I don't care. It should be the best and fastest team mate that is available!" he said.

[MIKA27]

Newey fears rules turning F1 into one-make series

Adrian Newey has expressed concern that Formula 1 is effectively turning into a one-make series because the rules surrounding the cars design are becoming too restrictive.

As new innovations come along, they're often banned the next season because of the cost involved in developing them or the fact they take advantage of 'grey' areas in the rules.

For example the F-duct, double diffuser and next season Coanda exhausts will be outlawed. The Red Bull designer believes that's leading to stagnation and he fears fans will be turned away.

"If the regulations continue to become ever more restrictive we'll eventually get the point where the car's more or less designed by the rulebook," Newey told Autosport.

"You'll then have, effectively, GP1 cars where the differentiators are the engine and the driver. For me, it's not Formula 1."

The 54-year-old believes F1's technical side is part of the reason core-fans tune in, and he says the sport risks losing them if the rules continue to discourage innovation.

"One of the big things that differentiates Formula 1 from almost all other sports, with perhaps the exception of the Americas Cup, is that combination of man and machine," he added.

"You can have a great car with an average driver and you won't win, a great driver with an average car you won't win. It's about both.

"I think the public appreciate that and you'd have to say, at the moment, if you judge this season and indeed last season the blend seems to be about right."

[mikec]

Well Mika, I haven't been keeping up with this forum for a long time but I'll be back for 2014. I will have a little advantage in Mercedes news as my daughters new boyfriend is none other than Robert Wickens who will be entering his second full season driving for Mercedes DTM team. I hope to get some first class info as he is very close to Rosberg and Nico is Roberts formula one driver mentor. Robert may even get a Friday drive or two in the new car if things go very well....we will see. Have a great holiday and we will talk soon.