The 2014 Formula One Thread
06-10-14, 07:21 AM
#121
Driver
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Québec
Posts: 172
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
06-17-14, 06:36 PM
#124
Ferrari still rumored to defect from F1 to Le Mans
Official Press
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/06/17/f...-lemans-rumor/
Ferrari on the front line for the good of F1
Maranello, 15 June – Ferrari has had Formula 1 coursing through its veins for over half a century and that's why it has decided to make a move to turn the sport away from the wrong turn it appears to have taken.
The Maranello marque has decided to do this through the means of a formal act, which is a concrete proposal, in the form of a letter from its President Luca di Montezemolo to the Formula 1 rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone and to Donald McKenzie, the president of the company that owns Formula 1. It is not an ultimatum, nor a threat, but a proposal to call together all the key players in the sport to sit down around a table and come up with new ideas that will see Formula 1 continue to set the benchmark in motorsport, on level terms with global events such as the Olympics and the football World Cup.
The President wants to see a collective brainstorming from the group to act for the good of Formula 1. Contributions from all areas are of value; teams, sponsors, promoters and media, so that the key values of Formula 1 can be reestablished. President Montezemolo would also like to see other high-end players invited, those who are currently not involved or only partially so; new media, social networks and colossi such as Google and Apple.
Formula 1 has to be based on technical innovation, research and development, but this must all be done with sustainable costs and above all, must be moved forward as part of a product that can put on a show. Because it is the show that draws in the commercial partners, the sponsors and, above all, the fans, who are the real end users of the Formula 1 product.
Finding the right mix of these ingredients will be vital for the sustainability and the future success of our much-loved sport.
Maranello, 15 June – Ferrari has had Formula 1 coursing through its veins for over half a century and that's why it has decided to make a move to turn the sport away from the wrong turn it appears to have taken.
The Maranello marque has decided to do this through the means of a formal act, which is a concrete proposal, in the form of a letter from its President Luca di Montezemolo to the Formula 1 rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone and to Donald McKenzie, the president of the company that owns Formula 1. It is not an ultimatum, nor a threat, but a proposal to call together all the key players in the sport to sit down around a table and come up with new ideas that will see Formula 1 continue to set the benchmark in motorsport, on level terms with global events such as the Olympics and the football World Cup.
The President wants to see a collective brainstorming from the group to act for the good of Formula 1. Contributions from all areas are of value; teams, sponsors, promoters and media, so that the key values of Formula 1 can be reestablished. President Montezemolo would also like to see other high-end players invited, those who are currently not involved or only partially so; new media, social networks and colossi such as Google and Apple.
Formula 1 has to be based on technical innovation, research and development, but this must all be done with sustainable costs and above all, must be moved forward as part of a product that can put on a show. Because it is the show that draws in the commercial partners, the sponsors and, above all, the fans, who are the real end users of the Formula 1 product.
Finding the right mix of these ingredients will be vital for the sustainability and the future success of our much-loved sport.
06-24-14, 07:06 PM
#125
American investor buys Toto Wolff's shares in Williams
Americans have had a tenuous relationship with Formula One racing. There hasn't been an American driver on the grid since Scott Speed in 2007 and a grand prix winner (let alone a world champion) since Mario Andretti retired in 1982. The United States Grand Prix has been an on-and-off affair over the years with more homes than a foster kid, and there hasn't been an American team on the grid since the 1970s. But that's all starting to change.
The US Grand Prix has settled in to the Circuit of the Americas for its third straight season now and there's talk of another race to be held in New Jersey. Californian racer Alexander Rossi has been working his way up to F1, winning races in feeder series like Formula BMW, Formula Renault, GP3 and GP2 while acting as test driver for the Caterham F1 team. And NASCAR team owner Gene Haas has been granted license to field an F1 team that he intends to do from his base in North Carolina starting in 2016. But when he does, he won't be the only American with a stake in F1.
The latest investor to get in on the action is one Brad Hollinger, an American businessman who owns Vibra Healthcare and runs 90 hospitals across the United States as well as a dozen senior care facilities under the Hollinger Group banner. Now Hollinger is reportedly buying five percent of the Williams F1 team, with an option to buy another ten percent later this year.
Those shares have until now belonged to one Toto Wolff, a former racing driver and established motorsport executive from Austria. Wolff bought half of AMG spinoff HWA (which runs, among other things, Mercedes' DTM operations) in 2007 and co-owns a driver management agency together with Mika Hakkinen. But he really entered the scene in 2009 when he bought 15 percent of Williams, which in turn named him its executive director in 2012. The following season Mercedes lured him away to serve its larger organization in that same capacity, but while he obviously resigned from any remaining management role with Williams, he apparently hadn't managed to find a suitable buyer for those shares until now.
Hollinger is apparently just such a buyer. He's said to own a few historic F1 cars and is eager to promote grand prix racing in the United States. We wouldn't be surprised to see the Vibra Healthcare or one of its properties advertised alongside Martini on a Williams racecar soon, either.
The US Grand Prix has settled in to the Circuit of the Americas for its third straight season now and there's talk of another race to be held in New Jersey. Californian racer Alexander Rossi has been working his way up to F1, winning races in feeder series like Formula BMW, Formula Renault, GP3 and GP2 while acting as test driver for the Caterham F1 team. And NASCAR team owner Gene Haas has been granted license to field an F1 team that he intends to do from his base in North Carolina starting in 2016. But when he does, he won't be the only American with a stake in F1.
The latest investor to get in on the action is one Brad Hollinger, an American businessman who owns Vibra Healthcare and runs 90 hospitals across the United States as well as a dozen senior care facilities under the Hollinger Group banner. Now Hollinger is reportedly buying five percent of the Williams F1 team, with an option to buy another ten percent later this year.
Those shares have until now belonged to one Toto Wolff, a former racing driver and established motorsport executive from Austria. Wolff bought half of AMG spinoff HWA (which runs, among other things, Mercedes' DTM operations) in 2007 and co-owns a driver management agency together with Mika Hakkinen. But he really entered the scene in 2009 when he bought 15 percent of Williams, which in turn named him its executive director in 2012. The following season Mercedes lured him away to serve its larger organization in that same capacity, but while he obviously resigned from any remaining management role with Williams, he apparently hadn't managed to find a suitable buyer for those shares until now.
Hollinger is apparently just such a buyer. He's said to own a few historic F1 cars and is eager to promote grand prix racing in the United States. We wouldn't be surprised to see the Vibra Healthcare or one of its properties advertised alongside Martini on a Williams racecar soon, either.
06-24-14, 07:08 PM
#126
Race Recap: 2014 Austrian Grand Prix is old-school front row, new-school racing
Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2014-...photo-2724620/
The last time Formula One raced in Spielberg, Austria the track was called the A1 Ring, Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher were the pilots for Williams, the field contained other not-so-venerable names like Ralph Firman and Justin Wilson and V10 engines were bolted to the bulkheads – the only Mercedes units being in the backs of the two McLarens, one of which was driven by Kimi Räikkönen, who finished second behind Michael Schumacher.
The return to an old-school Formula One track – now called the Red Bull Ring – after 11 years away put an old-school team on the front row, Felipe Massa in a Williams getting his first pole position since 2008, followed by teammate Valtteri Bottas. Behind them came Nico Rosberg in the first Mercedes AMG Petronas, Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari, Daniel Ricciardo for Infiniti Red Bull Racing, Kevin Magnussen for McLaren, Danil Kvyat in his Toro Rosso, Räikkönen in the second Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes way back in ninth – he'd spun on his final timed lap after having his previous effort disqualified for going wide at Turn 8 – Nico Hülkenberg in the Force India in tenth after opting not to set a time at all in Q3.
It's a shame the well of nostalgia wasn't deep enough to give us some proper old-school racing.
Everyone got off the line without incident but the award for the best start goes to Hamilton, who bolted through the gap between Kvyat and Räikkönen right off the line then passed his way into fourth position by the end of the first lap. The Williams duo were up-and-at-'em, too, Massa leading from Bottas, Rosberg, Hamilton and Alonso after the first lap.
The only sluggish runner in the pack was, yet again, Sebastian Vettel, whose Renault power unit lost drive due to an electrical issue. He limped around through a few corners and then it came back, but his race was a shambles: he got into a 'fender bender' with Sauber driver Esteban Gutiérrez and needed a new front wing, then retired for "tactical reasons" – drivers are allowed five power units per year, Vettel is now on his fourth.
Beyond that, the race played to the gameplan McLaren predicted of races for the entire season: "An opening charge to establish position; a consolidatory middle-stint as engines, fuel levels and temperatures are managed; and a final burst as drivers with the machinery and confidence to push, press on to the finish." Both Mercedes had to manage brake and fuel issues, the drivers coming out of the slipstream on the main straight to cool their brakes at various points, while Massa was instructed to care for his tires with short shifting and gentler throttle out of slow corners. Less than 20 laps from the end, all four frontrunners were told to go for it.
The passing at the front of the pack happened in the pits, with the Mercedes and Williams pairs running together on track, the former getting by the latter because of different strategies. Pit-timing and tire choices are also what allowed Sergio Perez, who had started 16th after serving a five-spot grid penalty for his accident in Canada, to lead the race for a stretch before Rosberg passed him. Alonso also got time at the front, something the commentators said he hadn't done since Monza last year.
The top five at the finish were established on Lap 40 of the 71-lap race, when Hamilton came out of the pits behind leader Rosberg but ahead of Bottas. Compared to his teammate, Hamilton had suffered two slow pit stops, losing a total of 1.9 seconds to Rosberg, which happened to almost exactly match the 1.932 gap between them as they crossed the checkered flag.
The result was the sixth Mercedes one-two out of eight races. Bottas collected his first-ever F1 podium for third, Massa disappointed to finish behind him in fourth after starting on pole. Yet another lonely race for Alonso brought him home in fifth; it looked like the Ferrari was going to make some magic with a charge on Massa in the final stages of the race, but Alonso said that once he got close and Williams let Massa race to the finish, the Williams just took off. The Spaniard said this was his best race all season but that there's no way Ferrari will catch Mercedes this year. With 11 races to go in the season, he's already looking to next year.
Perez came sixth after a great drive to claim ten spots from his grid position, followed by Magnussen, Ricciardo – in eighth following a last-lap pass on ninth-placed Hülkenberg, the second race in a row that The Hulk's been passed on the last lap, and Räikkönen capping the top ten. Räikkönen still hasn't got comfortable with the F 14 T and lingering brake issues had his team tell him to slow down to cool his stoppers after just two laps. When he was then told, later in the race, to catch up to and pass Jenson Button, Räikkönen told his engineer, "Give me more power, then!"
Rosbergs's win gives him 165 points in the Driver's Championship, 29 ahead of teammate Hamilton's 136, Ricciardo in a distant third with 83. Mercedes AMG Petronas leads the Constructors' Championship by a massive 301 points to 143 for Infiniti Red Bull Racing. The next four teams, Ferrari, Force India, Williams and McLaren are only separated by 26 points. Barring something monumental, this will be a doubly golden year for The Silver Arrows.
The next race is in Silverstone in two weeks. We'll see you then.
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/06/23/2...f1-race-recap/
06-30-14, 12:12 AM
#127
Standing race re-starts among 2015 changes
From next season, safety-car periods will be followed by a standing re-start from the grid. The move is one of a number of 2015 changes announced by Formula One racing’s governing body, the FIA, following a meeting of its World Motor Sport Council in Munich, Germany on Thursday.
Other revisions to the F1 regulations include tighter restrictions on testing, with a ban on pre-season testing outside Europe, and changes to make the cars’ noses both safer and more attractive. Drivers will be limited to four engines per season instead of five, while cars will enter parc ferme conditions from the start of final practice, rather than the start of qualifying.
The standing re-starts will replace the current rolling re-start procedure unless the safety car is used within two laps of the original race start (or a subsequent re-start), or if there are less than five laps of the race remaining.
The full statement from the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council:
FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Changes to the F1 Regulations for 2015 have been agreed by the WMSC.
The last date at which the sporting and technical regulations can be changed without unanimous agreement has been changed from 30 June to 1 March each year, starting from 2015.
Changes to 2015 Sporting Regulations
Power units
- The number of engines permitted by each driver in a season will be four. However, if there are more than 20 races in a season, the number will increase to five.
- The penalty for a complete change of Power Unit will be starting from the back of the grid, not the pit lane.
Aerodynamic testing
- The number of wind tunnel runs will be reduced from 80 hours per week to 65 hours per week.
- Wind-on hours are to be reduced from 30 hours per week to 25 hours.
- Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) usage is to be reduced from 30 Teraflops to 25 Teraflops.
- Two periods of tunnel occupancy will be allowed in one day (rather than only one).
- Teams will only be able to nominate one wind tunnel in one year.
Testing
- There will be three pre-season tests of four days each in Europe in 2015 (currently teams are able to test outside Europe). This will be reduced to two tests of four days in 2016.
- There will be two in-season tests of two days each in Europe (instead of the current four). Two of these four days must be reserved for young drivers.
Car specification at an Event
The current restrictions to the parc ferme will now apply from the start of P3 instead of the start of qualifying.
Wheels and tyres
The [proposed] ban on tyre blankets will be rescinded for 2015. This will be re-discussed if and when the wheel and tyre diameter increases in the future.
Personnel Curfew
The Friday night curfew will be extended from six to seven hours in 2015 and will increase to eight hours in 2016.
Safety Car restarts
Safety Car restarts will now be a standing start from the grid. Standing starts will not be carried out if the Safety Car is used within two laps of the start (or restart) of a race or if there are less than five laps of the race remaining.
Changes to 2015 Technical Regulations
A number of changes have been made, including:
- A number of new regulations for the noses to ensure improved safety and to provide more aesthetically pleasing structures.
- A number of new regulations concerning skid blocks to ensure that they are made from a lighter material (titanium) and are better contained.
- New regulations to ensure that the brake discs rotate at the same speed as the wheels.
- A two-stage wheel fastener retaining system is now compulsory.
Other revisions to the F1 regulations include tighter restrictions on testing, with a ban on pre-season testing outside Europe, and changes to make the cars’ noses both safer and more attractive. Drivers will be limited to four engines per season instead of five, while cars will enter parc ferme conditions from the start of final practice, rather than the start of qualifying.
The standing re-starts will replace the current rolling re-start procedure unless the safety car is used within two laps of the original race start (or a subsequent re-start), or if there are less than five laps of the race remaining.
The full statement from the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council:
FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Changes to the F1 Regulations for 2015 have been agreed by the WMSC.
The last date at which the sporting and technical regulations can be changed without unanimous agreement has been changed from 30 June to 1 March each year, starting from 2015.
Changes to 2015 Sporting Regulations
Power units
- The number of engines permitted by each driver in a season will be four. However, if there are more than 20 races in a season, the number will increase to five.
- The penalty for a complete change of Power Unit will be starting from the back of the grid, not the pit lane.
Aerodynamic testing
- The number of wind tunnel runs will be reduced from 80 hours per week to 65 hours per week.
- Wind-on hours are to be reduced from 30 hours per week to 25 hours.
- Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) usage is to be reduced from 30 Teraflops to 25 Teraflops.
- Two periods of tunnel occupancy will be allowed in one day (rather than only one).
- Teams will only be able to nominate one wind tunnel in one year.
Testing
- There will be three pre-season tests of four days each in Europe in 2015 (currently teams are able to test outside Europe). This will be reduced to two tests of four days in 2016.
- There will be two in-season tests of two days each in Europe (instead of the current four). Two of these four days must be reserved for young drivers.
Car specification at an Event
The current restrictions to the parc ferme will now apply from the start of P3 instead of the start of qualifying.
Wheels and tyres
The [proposed] ban on tyre blankets will be rescinded for 2015. This will be re-discussed if and when the wheel and tyre diameter increases in the future.
Personnel Curfew
The Friday night curfew will be extended from six to seven hours in 2015 and will increase to eight hours in 2016.
Safety Car restarts
Safety Car restarts will now be a standing start from the grid. Standing starts will not be carried out if the Safety Car is used within two laps of the start (or restart) of a race or if there are less than five laps of the race remaining.
Changes to 2015 Technical Regulations
A number of changes have been made, including:
- A number of new regulations for the noses to ensure improved safety and to provide more aesthetically pleasing structures.
- A number of new regulations concerning skid blocks to ensure that they are made from a lighter material (titanium) and are better contained.
- New regulations to ensure that the brake discs rotate at the same speed as the wheels.
- A two-stage wheel fastener retaining system is now compulsory.
07-03-14, 03:07 PM
#128
Tony Fernandes sells Caterham F1 Team to international consortium
Official Press:
CATERHAM F1 TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT
Leafield Technical Centre, UK - 2nd July 2014
Caterham F1 Team is pleased to confirm that Tony Fernandes and his partners have sold the team to a consortium of Swiss and Middle Eastern investors, advised by former F1 Team Principal Colin Kolles.
Under the terms of the sale, the team will continue to race as Caterham F1 Team and will remain based at Leafield for the foreseeable future.
The new ownership takes charge with immediate effect. Former Dutch F1 driver, Christijan Albers, assisted by Manfredi Ravetto, will take over the day-to-day running of the team, reporting directly to the board and replacing Cyril Abiteboul who will leave the team to pursue new challenges.
Christijan Albers:"We are aware of the huge challenge ahead of us given the fight at the bottom end of the Championship and our target now is to aim for tenth place in the 2014 Championship. We are very committed to the future of the team and we will ensure that the team has the necessary resources to develop and grow and achieve everything it is capable of."
Leafield Technical Centre, UK - 2nd July 2014
Caterham F1 Team is pleased to confirm that Tony Fernandes and his partners have sold the team to a consortium of Swiss and Middle Eastern investors, advised by former F1 Team Principal Colin Kolles.
Under the terms of the sale, the team will continue to race as Caterham F1 Team and will remain based at Leafield for the foreseeable future.
The new ownership takes charge with immediate effect. Former Dutch F1 driver, Christijan Albers, assisted by Manfredi Ravetto, will take over the day-to-day running of the team, reporting directly to the board and replacing Cyril Abiteboul who will leave the team to pursue new challenges.
Christijan Albers:"We are aware of the huge challenge ahead of us given the fight at the bottom end of the Championship and our target now is to aim for tenth place in the 2014 Championship. We are very committed to the future of the team and we will ensure that the team has the necessary resources to develop and grow and achieve everything it is capable of."
07-09-14, 08:22 PM
#129
Lotus drops Renault for Mercedes F1 engines
With only three manufacturers supplying engines in Formula One this season, the teams have been fairly evenly split: Ferrari, Sauber and Marussia use Ferrari engines; Mercedes, McLaren, Williams and Force India run on Mercedes power; Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Lotus and Caterham employ Renault power units. But one important team is reportedly preparing to ditch Renault and switch to Mercedes for next year.
That team is Lotus, an outfit which has fallen off its pace the past few seasons but which has still been a vital partner for Renault. That's because until a few seasons ago, the team based in Enstone, UK, was owned by Renault and bore the company's name. The operation was founded in 1981 as Toleman, was rechristened Benetton in 1986, bought by Renault 2000, taking the company's name in 2002, sold to its current owners Genii Capital 2009 and adopting the black and gold Lotus livery in 2011. As Benetton, it ran Ford engines until switching to Renault in 1995, sticking with the French outfit ever since, but that decades-long partnership – which meandered through Renault ownership and back out again – is now apparently drawing to a close.
The departure of Lotus as a customer team ought to allow Renault to focus instead on its increasing ties with Red Bull, which has taken the Enstone team's place as Renault's principal team. It could prove a smart move for the Lotus team as well, as the Mercedes engines have been outperforming the Renault units this season by an order of magnitude: not only is Mercedes far outpacing Red Bull at the top of the standings, but each of Mercedes' customer teams is performing better than Renault's clients.
The deal will also keep the list of clients at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains (née Ilmor Engineering) on an even keel as McLaren similarly ditches its long-term partnership with Mercedes next season as it brings Honda back onto the grid. Though Marussia and Toro Rosso have yet to announce their engine suppliers for next season, the other teams are expected to stick with their current partnerships.
That team is Lotus, an outfit which has fallen off its pace the past few seasons but which has still been a vital partner for Renault. That's because until a few seasons ago, the team based in Enstone, UK, was owned by Renault and bore the company's name. The operation was founded in 1981 as Toleman, was rechristened Benetton in 1986, bought by Renault 2000, taking the company's name in 2002, sold to its current owners Genii Capital 2009 and adopting the black and gold Lotus livery in 2011. As Benetton, it ran Ford engines until switching to Renault in 1995, sticking with the French outfit ever since, but that decades-long partnership – which meandered through Renault ownership and back out again – is now apparently drawing to a close.
The departure of Lotus as a customer team ought to allow Renault to focus instead on its increasing ties with Red Bull, which has taken the Enstone team's place as Renault's principal team. It could prove a smart move for the Lotus team as well, as the Mercedes engines have been outperforming the Renault units this season by an order of magnitude: not only is Mercedes far outpacing Red Bull at the top of the standings, but each of Mercedes' customer teams is performing better than Renault's clients.
The deal will also keep the list of clients at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains (née Ilmor Engineering) on an even keel as McLaren similarly ditches its long-term partnership with Mercedes next season as it brings Honda back onto the grid. Though Marussia and Toro Rosso have yet to announce their engine suppliers for next season, the other teams are expected to stick with their current partnerships.
07-09-14, 08:23 PM
#130
Haas pens partnership with Ferrari
New sponsorship for Scuderia Ferrari
Maranello, 3 July – It has been announced today that Haas Automation, the world's largest producer of CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines in the United States, is to sponsor Scuderia Ferrari until the end of the 2015 season. The agreement comes into force immediately and, as from tomorrow's free practice for the British Grand Prix, the F14 Ts driven by Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen will carry the company's logo on the side pods. The partnership marks Haas Automation's entry to the world of Formula 1, prior to it becoming title sponsor of Gene Haas' team when it enters the sport in 2016.
"We are pleased to welcome Haas Automation as our newest Official Supplier," said Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Marco Mattiacci. "This agreement strengthens our existing connections with the USA, an important market not only for our company, but also for Scuderia Ferrari, as it is one where the team already benefits from several important partnerships.
"Over the past few months, we have been exploring with Haas a number of potential areas of collaboration, and this agreement is an immediate opportunity that we are pursuing, which proves Haas' interest in Formula One. This collaboration will enable Haas Automation to reinforce its brand awareness and promote its products and services around the world, thanks to the appeal of Scuderia Ferrari and the global reach of Formula One. We are therefore delighted to make this announcement, which sees another premium brand join our portfolio of partners. In parallel, but as a separate project, Haas is committed to entering Formula One with its own team, a testimony to the growing appeal of our sport in the USA and on this front, technical discussions are ongoing between us."
Maranello, 3 July – It has been announced today that Haas Automation, the world's largest producer of CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines in the United States, is to sponsor Scuderia Ferrari until the end of the 2015 season. The agreement comes into force immediately and, as from tomorrow's free practice for the British Grand Prix, the F14 Ts driven by Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen will carry the company's logo on the side pods. The partnership marks Haas Automation's entry to the world of Formula 1, prior to it becoming title sponsor of Gene Haas' team when it enters the sport in 2016.
"We are pleased to welcome Haas Automation as our newest Official Supplier," said Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Marco Mattiacci. "This agreement strengthens our existing connections with the USA, an important market not only for our company, but also for Scuderia Ferrari, as it is one where the team already benefits from several important partnerships.
"Over the past few months, we have been exploring with Haas a number of potential areas of collaboration, and this agreement is an immediate opportunity that we are pursuing, which proves Haas' interest in Formula One. This collaboration will enable Haas Automation to reinforce its brand awareness and promote its products and services around the world, thanks to the appeal of Scuderia Ferrari and the global reach of Formula One. We are therefore delighted to make this announcement, which sees another premium brand join our portfolio of partners. In parallel, but as a separate project, Haas is committed to entering Formula One with its own team, a testimony to the growing appeal of our sport in the USA and on this front, technical discussions are ongoing between us."
07-09-14, 08:26 PM
#131
Race Recap: 2014 British F1 Grand Prix readjusts the balance of power
Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2014-...photo-2755623/
Qualifying for the British Formula One Grand Prix was just as much a surprise for fans as it was for teams. Certain team weather radar displays didn't accurately pinpoint storm systems over the track, and in the case of at least two teams, the lack of data was compounded by poor decision making. That's how both Ferraris and both Williams got kicked out of qualifying in Q3 – the drivers already on track took advantage of a dry spell between rains, but Ferrari and Williams waited too long to get back out, and by the time they did it had started raining again.
Rain-induced bewilderment hit the front of the field as well. When all appeared resolved in Q3 but the clock hadn't yet run down to zero, drivers including Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo pulled into the pits thinking the day was done. However, a drying last sector of the Silverstone circuit meant the drivers still out could suddenly improve their times by four seconds in just that sector. When the bell tolled, those who fought to the last were those who lined up first: Nico Rosberg in the first Mercedes AMG Petronas, Sebastian Vettel in the first Infiniti Red Bull Racing, Jenson Button in the McLaren, Nico Hülkenberg in the first Force India and Kevin Magnussen in the second McLaren.
Hamilton had fallen all the way to sixth on the grid, a mortifying blow to his race and his championship challenge. He was followed by Sergio Perez in the second Force India, Ricciardo in the second Infiniti Red Bull Racing, Toro Rosso teammates Daniil Kvyat and Jean-Eric Vergne completing the top ten.
When the green lights went out, the weather stayed bright, but ill winds blew on track for some.
Starting with Kimi Räikkönen, who started 20th. On the first lap, the Finn ran wide at Aintree headed onto the Wellington Straight, hit a curb as he rejoined the track and lost the car, his Ferrari leaving the track and spearing into the barriers on the right side, then bouncing across the track and colliding with Felipe Massa before coming to rest in the barriers on the left side. Ferrari said Räikkönen's first impact registered 47 G – the medical light in the car comes on at 25 G. Helped from the car, he limped off to the medical center and is said to be all right save for some sore ankles and bruising on his knee.
Stewards red flagged the race on Lap 2 for almost an hour to fix the barriers on the straight. When the race restarted behind the Safety Car, the front ten looked different: Rosberg, Button, Magnussen, Hamilton, Vettel, Hülkenberg, Ricciardo, Kvyat, Bottas – all the way up from 17th and Bianchi.
The race at the front was to see how long it would take Hamilton to get past Magnussen and Button, which he'd done by Lap 4. At that point he was five second behind Rosberg, but both Mercedes were putting around 2.5 seconds per lap into the rest of the field.
Rosberg hit the pits first and grabbed a set of medium tires, Hamilton – whose stop again took longer than Rosberg's – grabbed a set of hard tires. Everyone thought the hard tires were the slower of the two, but Hamilton immediately set the fastest lap of the race, a second faster than Rosberg's previous best. We don't know how much this had to do with it, but Rosberg later admitted he began having gearbox problems just after his first stop, and they worsened to the point that on Lap 29 of the 52-lap race he had to retire. Rosberg's first DNF of the year put Hamilton in the lead, 31 seconds ahead of second place, and he'd cruise to victory.
Williams proved Austria wasn't a fluke and that its woeful weekend so far had obscured true pace. Massa got taken out of his 200th grand prix in the Räikkönen incident, but Bottas carved up the field to claim third place by Lap 23, when Rosberg retired he took second and it was clear no one was going to overtake him for it. After finishing third in Austria two weeks ago, the other Finn took one step higher on the podium in England.
Ricciardo overcame his qualifying error with an impromptu one-stop strategy when he realized his medium tires could last longer than planned. By staying out, he dragged himself into third place, but cut it close: Button ate into his lead by around a second per lap over the last 12 laps of the race, and was only eight-tenths of a second behind at the checkered flag. Had the race gone one more lap, Ricciardo would have lost his podium to the Brit with the pink helmet.
Vettel and Fernando Alonso claimed the next two positions a laps-long, millimeter-close duel between the current and former world champion that could have been called, as the English say, The Battle of the Dueling Whingers. Alonso – who started 19th and took a five-second penalty for lining up outside his grid box – made a brilliant pass on Vettel on Lap 34 to take fifth place. The two fought for the next fourteen laps, Vettel trying to make a move stick through the last complex of corners at Vale and Club then onto the main straight, Alonso always ducking to the inside and forcefully closing the door. Lap after lap, each driver complained about the other one running wide at Copse, which the stewards had already warned all drivers about, Vettel additionally angry about Alonso tactics that he felt forced him to lift off in order to avoid a crash, Alonso accusing Vettel of illegal use of his DRS. The stewards let them race, and Vettel finally made a pass stick on Lap 48. Magnussen, Hülkenberg, Vergne and Kvyat rounded out the rest of a quiet top ten.
Hamilton's victory at his home grand prix and Rosberg's retirement put the Driver's World Championship axe right back on the grinder, there now being just four points between the two: Rosberg with 165, Hamilton with 161. Rosberg will be hoping for better reliability at his home grand prix in two weeks in Germany.
Mercedes maintained its magnificent lead in the Constructor's Championship, 326 points to 168 for Infiniti Red Bull Racing. Ferrari with 106 points lost ground to Williams with 103, and Force India with 91 points lost ground to McLaren with 90. They'll all have two more chances to rectify their errors at Germany and Hungary before the Summer break. We'll see you in two weeks.
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/07/07/r...f1-grand-prix/
07-22-14, 12:28 PM
#132
Race Recap: 2014 German Grand Prix is relapse and recovery
Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2014-...photo-2786022/
The 2014 German Formula 1 Grand Prix is the hump-day race in the season and the penultimate chance for drivers and teams to rack up points before the summer break. Trying to stay on top after his first DNF of the year at the British Grand Prix, Mercedes AMG Petronas driver Nico Rosberg didn't have to wait until the race for misfortune to find Lewis Hamilton; his British teammate crashed out of the Q2 qualifying session due to a brake failure, then had to change his gearbox due of the crash, a calamity that left him starting 20th on the grid.
Rosberg took pole ahead of the Williams duo of Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa, with Kevin Magnussen surprising everyone with a fourth place in his McLaren. Daniel Ricciardo put the first Infiniti Red Bull Racing in fifth, ahead of teammate Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari pilot Fernando Alonso, Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat, the Force India pair of Nico Hülkenberg and Sergio Perez finishing the top ten.
In a replay of events in Britain but with a German accent, a first-lap incident brought out the Safety Car and the same Brazilian was taken out of the race.
Felipe Massa made it through eight corners at the British Grand Prix but in Germany, he didn't make it through a single one. Magnussen, saying he got squeezed out through the first right hander and had nowhere to go, plowed into the side of Massa and flipped him, taking the Williams out of the race right there. Massa was fine, but lost another great opportunity to score points for the team that's the best of the rest for now.
The Safety Car came out for a couple of laps, and then the race was on... for second place. There was lots of passing in the field because of differing pit strategies but Rosberg quickly laid time into the field and never left any doubt about who was going to win, barring a mechanical failure. He barely appeared on the television feed for the entire race, so certain was the outcome. He crossed the line in first place, 20 seconds ahead of Bottas.
The surviving Williams had a mostly quiet race until four laps from the end, when he was caught by Hamilton who'd climbed to third. After having caught up to Bottas at the rate of 1.5 to two seconds per lap on newer tires, everyone expected Hamilton to inevitably get by him, but it didn't happen; the Williams was too strong out of the first section of corners and too fast down the straights, and Bottas was too good at defending the position.
Hamilton cut through the field from the first lap with strategy and his usual passing prowess, staying out for a long first stint on soft-compound tires, but it got messy at points when he made contact with Kimi Räikkönen and Jenson Button in two separate passing incidents, damaging his car. The team changed his tire strategy when his tires wouldn't go the distance through the second phase, but the Mercedes is so strong that he could go from a two-stop to a three-stop race and make up 17 places while missing a front wing endplate.
Sebastian Vettel finished fourth and in front of his teammate for the first time since Malaysia. It appears the German is at last getting comfortable with the RB10. We still got our Ferrari vs. Red Bull battle, another echo of Britain, with Alonso batting Ricciardo for eight laps to the end of the race instead of Vettel. We didn't get any complaints from either driver, however, Alonso getting the fifth place spot ahead of the Red Bull but complimenting Ricciardo on his hard but fair racing afterward. Räikkönen got caught in the darker side of the battle when his teammate and Vettel squeezed him into the hairpin, and Ricciardo might have done better if he hadn't got caught in the first lap accident and dropped to 17th.
Save for Button's incident with Hamilton, the following four places completing the top ten pretty much kept to themselves: Hülkenberg, Button, Magnussen - recovering from his first-lap accident to recover to ninth, and Perez.
Rosberg's win is the first time a German driver has won the German Grand Prix in a German car with a German engine. What's more, it pads his lead in the Driver's Championship, putting him at 190 points compared to 176 for Hamilton, Ricciardo a further 70 points back with 106. Mercedes put another lock on the Constructor's Championship, going to 366 points, ahead of Infiniti Red Bull Racing with 188. Behind them is where it gets interesting, Williams with 121 points getting in front of Ferrari with 116, and Force India staying in front of McLaren, 98 points to 96.
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/07/21/f...nd-prix-recap/
07-28-14, 01:45 PM
#133
Race Recap: 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix a thrilling wet mess
Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2014-...photo-2801318/
Three Free Practice sessions left us thinking Lewis Hamilton looked good to claim another victory for Mercedes AMG Petronas and close up the Driver's World Championship race, but the first qualifying session for the 2014 Hungarian Formula One Grand Prix threw out that script. A fuel leak in Q1 set Hamilton's car aflame and he never set a time. His chassis damaged beyond repair, the team built him a new one and he started from pit lane. That same session also claimed Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen, when a bad call about whether to go out again dropped him down to 17th and out for the day.
Without a real challenge, that put Hamilton's teammate-slash-nemesis Nico Rosberg on pole in the other Mercedes, followed by a resurgent Sebastian Vettel in the first Infiniti Red Bull Racing, Valtteri Bottas in the first Williams and Daniel Ricciardo in the second Red Bull. Fernando Alonso waved the scarlet in fifth for Ferrari but figured he could be in third place by the end of the first lap. Felipe Massa put the second Williams in sixth, followed by Jenson Button in the first McLaren, Jean-Eric Vergne getting up to eighth for Toro Rosso, Nico Hülkenberg in ninth for Force India and Kevin Magnussen in the second McLaren.
When rain poured on the 4.381-kilometer Hungaroring before the race, every script up and down the field got rewritten, and they would continue come in for revision almost every one of the 70 laps.
A very wet track had every driver behind Rosberg jockeying across the asphalt at the start, Bottas getting ahead of Vettel and Alonso getting ahead of Ricciardo through the first set of turns. Hamilton's sour luck continued via teething issues with his brand new chassis, the Brit running off the track at Turn 2 at the back of the field and telling his team, "The brakes just gave up on me."
Two laps in, Rosberg led the field by four seconds, 20 seconds separated the top 5. It appeared we were going to get a wet procession, save for Hamilton making his way up to 13th by Lap 8 with a pass on Räikkönen, who'd made up four places himself.
Then came Lap 9. Marcus Ericsson speared his way into the barriers outside Turn 3 with an injudicious application of throttle, bringing out the Safety Car. The top four – Rosberg, Bottas, Vettel and Alonso – had just gone by the pit entry when the SC emerged, so they couldn't pit until the next lap. Button and Ricciardo were the first drivers who could take advantage, pitting on Lap 9 and changing the whole race. After three laps the SC was about to come in when Romain Grosjean speared his Lotus into the wall on the straight just after Turn 3, the effect of another injudicious application of throttle. The SC stayed out for two more laps.
When racing resumed after two more laps on a drying track, almost everyone in the field had switched to slicks, from intermediates – everyone except McLaren drivers Button and Magnussen. Button took the lead into Turn 1 from Ricciardo, but didn't keep it long because the track was too dry for the tires. He'd have to pit three laps later for slicks, dropping him to 18 th and ruining his race. Meanwhile, Hamilton had got up to ninth.
On Lap 17, the top ten was Ricciardo, Massa, Alonso, Vergne, Rosberg, Vettel, Hamilton, Force India's Sergio Perez, Bottas and Sauber's Esteban Gutiérrez. Six laps later, Perez ran wide onto the Astroturf at the final corner and speared his way into the concrete pit wall, a huge blow that sprayed debris and brought out the SC again for four laps.
Alonso took over the race lead after the two in front of him pitted, and thing stayed pretty calm until Lap 32. Hamilton had been stalking Vettel looking for a way past, when Vettel ran wide at the last corner just like Perez had done before. Unlike Perez, Vettel got out of it with nothing more than a spin.
From Lap 39, things got really good. Alonso pitted and came out in fifth, Ricciardio now leading the race. Hamilton pitted a lap later, moving Alonso up, and Hamilton took over fifth place ahead of Rosberg. For the next ten laps, Rosberg – on a different strategy to his teammate because of that first Safety Car episode – rode behind Hamilton by anywhere from 0.6 of a second to 1.5 seconds, yet couldn't get by him. After the race Rosberg said the team said Hamilton would let him by, but when the team told Hamilton to let Rosberg pass, Hamilton said, essentially, 'When he catches up to me I'll let him pass.' Rosberg never got right up on Hamilton, so Hamilton would have had to slow down drastically in order to let Rosberg by, losing something like two seconds in the process.
Ricciardo pitted on Lap 55, giving up the lead, and Rosberg pitted two laps later, taking his pit stop early since he was going nowhere behind Hamilton. On Lap 58, with 12 laps to go, Alonso led the race from Hamilton, and it was clear Alonso planned to run to the end on tires that were already 19 laps old. If it paid off he might get a win or a podium, if it didn't he'd be in the same nowhere-ville that Ferrari has found itself in all season.
Ricciardo had other plans, the Aussie on new tires and catching the leading duo by more than a second per lap. By Lap 61 the top three could all be seen on the front straight together. Behind them, about 18 seconds back, Rosberg was catching the top three by more than two and three seconds per lap.
It took Ricciardo four laps to close in on Hamilton and he stuck to the back Mercedes for three laps before finally getting around on Lap 67 when Hamilton made a mistake through Turn 1. Ricciardo took off after Alonso and passed the Spaniard a lap later, reclaiming the lead and holding it to the checkered flag.
Rosberg caught Hamilton at the beginning of Lap 69. That gave Alonso some breathing room to claim second place since Hamilton got busy defending position from his teammate. It was close – Hamilton ran Rosberg way wide through Turn 2 – but Hamilton held on to take the final podium position, his teammate right behind. The rest of the top ten was and Massa, Vettel, Bottas, Vergne, Button. On a track known for not offering any opportunity to pass, it was one of the most exciting contests of the year. It also gave Ricciardo his second victory of the season after his showing in Canada.
Hamilton took three points back from Rosberg in the Driver's Championship, the German leading on 202 points to Hamilton's 191. Sensation of the year Ricciardo is in third with 131. Mercedes still owns the Constructor's Championship with 393 points, outscored for only the third time this year, with Infiniti Red Bull Racing in second with 219 points. Ferrari got ahead of Williams, 142 points to 135, and McLaren with 97 points closed in on Force India with 98.
Everyone gets a long break now, the next race at Spa happening August 24. Although it's certain that everyone is going to enjoy the time off, we have a feeling things are only going to get more intense in the run to the end of the season.
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/07/28/r...ling-wet-mess/
08-25-14, 11:32 AM
#135
Race Recap: Belgian Grand Prix sings Waltzing Matilda
Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2014-...photo-2868855/
Changeable. Each commentator will use that word at least 6,072 times over the Belgian Formula One
Grand Prix weekend. It is almost always applied to the weather, because the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit – perhaps all of Belgium – resides in some sort of climatological Narnia, its ADD skies totally unable to settle on a reliable behavior.
A dry Friday turned into a thoroughly wet qualifying on Saturday. When Q3 had done, Nico Rosberg would line up on pole position for the fourth race in a row for Mercedes AMG Petronas, after teammate Lewis Hamilton had another brake problem, this time glazing on one of the discs. Infiniti Red Bull Racing engineered a low-downforce setup and Sebastian Vettel took the best advantage, lining up third and making us wonder if the magic was back. Fernando Alonso drove the first Ferrari to fourth, the Spaniard saying he thought a podium was possible. Daniel Ricciardo put the second Infiniti Red Bull Racing in fifth, Valtteri Bottas behind him in the first Williams, then Kimi Räikkönen in the second Ferrari, Felipe Massa in the second Williams and Jenson Button in the sole McLaren in the top ten.
But this weekend it wasn't just the weather that was changeable.
Hamilton had said that starting from P2 on the grid might give him a better chance to get ahead of his teammate, remembering how last year he got passed for first position on the Kemmel Straight on the first lap. Turned out he wouldn't have to wait that long because Rosberg got a terrible start. Hamilton was in the lead by Turn 1, Vettel in second by Eau Rouge.
The Brit wouldn't stay at the front for long, though, and the reason will be one of the images that defines the year no matter who wins the Driver's Championship. Rosberg tried to drag his way past Hamilton on the Kemmel Straight on Lap 2, going two-up into the first corner at the end of the straight into Les Combes, Hamilton with the inside line. Pulling ahead of Rosberg through the right-hander, Hamilton took the racing line through the immediate left-hander and his left rear wheel clobbered Rosberg's front wing. Rosberg lost an endplate, Hamilton lost the race and any chance of points; flatting immediately, he drove the car around the longest circuit on the calendar, launching debris all over the track and taking on damage that would keep him in the backfield until he retired on Lap 40. He had asked the team to retire on Lap 20 and save his engine, but for some reason they kept him running until his engineer sent the message, "something's breaking apart on your car." According to reports, Rosberg told the team that he didn't back off through the corner in order to prove a point.
If Rosberg made a point, Ricciardo put the exclamation on it. The Aussie was even more in tune with the low-downforce Red Bull than his teammate, passing Alonso on Lap 4, swooshing by his teammate two laps later when Vettel made a mistake, then going after Rosberg. When Rosberg pitted for a new nose on Lap 9 and came back out in ninth, that unlocked all sorts of potential outcomes for everyone else.
Ricciardo had been busy setting fast laps, so when he pitted on Lap 12 he came back out in first and he never gave it up, but the mix of passing on track and pit strategies kept kept us guessing about the outcome until ten laps from the end. Ricciardo pitted for a second time on Lap 28 and emerged three seconds in front of Rosberg, but Rosberg had to pit again on Lap 35. The German was 20 seconds behind the Aussie on Lap 37 but lapping fast enough to give him the tiniest hope of victory. Ricciardo closed the door on it, though, picking up his own pace during the final rounds, taking the victory 3.4 seconds clear.
Another driver whose fate didn't become clear until four laps from the end was Bottas. The Williams driver stayed in the top five throughout the event, and we were treated to some top rate driving throughout the race from positions three all the way to ten, Bottas mixing it up with Räikkönen, Vettel, Alonso, Button and Kevin Magnussen. The Finn drove a clean race, passing his countryman and competitor Räikkönen on Lap 40 to take third place, which he'd hold to the flag. His teammate was undone by Hamilton's tire debris, some of it sticking to his floor and slowing him down by three seconds per lap.
After a tough opening to the weekend, Räikkönen finally got the reliable car and clean race he's been after. Able to keep out of trouble and keep his nose in the hunt, the Ferrari driver finally let his driving do the talking. If the F14 T had just a bit more pace, Räikkönen would have locked in a spot on the podium.
Vettel trailed him home, the German posting a very respectable result after more mechanical issues and a power unit change meant he didn't drive on Friday. In the closing stages of the Grand Prix, Vettel, Magnussen, Alonso and Button were all within a second of one another and trying to get fourth place, going into some corners in two-up pairs. Unsurprisingly, we did get a couple of blunders with all that great driving, Magnussen running Alonso off the track on the Kemmel Straight, followed by Vettel driving over Alonso's front wing on the entry to Turn 1 on Lap 44, Button passing Alonso on that very lap. Magnussen took a 20-second penalty applied after the race, dropping him from the top ten to 12th. His teammate Button finished seventh.
Alonso came in eighth, his race arguably toast well before those late-race antics. His engineering crew was still on the track when the bell rang to signal 15 seconds until the formation lap. That's a big no-no. The stewards hit Alonso with a five-second penalty to be taken at his first pit stop – wouldn't fining the team have been more appropriate? – and that sucked him down the order.
Sergio Perez in eighth and Nico Hülkenberg in tenth finally got another double points finish for Force India, split by Daniil Kvyat in ninth place. Elsewhere over the weekend and on the grid, the amazing Jules Bianchi qualified his Marussia in 16th. After scoring the team's only points in Monaco, even though a collision on the first lap took him out of the race the Ferrari junior driver continues to impress. Also impressive, substitute driver André Lotterer at Caterham. His race only lasted two laps, the car and its new, less ugly nose stopping on track, but he out-qualified his teammate by almost a second. Caterham now knows there's more potential in their car, but they'll have a hard time finding a way to pay drivers to exploit it.
So Mercedes drops the ball, again, and Ricciardo gets the steal, again – he's the only driver outside the Mercedes pair to win a race and that's the theme of all three of his victories this year. The win puts him just 35 points behind Hamilton, 156 to 191. Rosberg's second place gets him back to a lead that Hamilton can't erase with a single win, with 220 points.
Mercedes still dominates the Constructor's Championship, 411 points to Infiniti Red Bull Racing's 254 points. It's almost unthinkable that Mercedes could lose it, but Red Bull has outscored The Silver Arrows the last two races, something that hasn't happened all year. Ferrari put more space between itself and Williams, with 160 points to 150, and McLaren did the same with Force India, 105 points to 103.
The next race is on September 7 at Monza. Mercedes should probably choose this moment right now to break out The Big Book of Team Progress, turn to the chapter entitled "Stupidest Ways to Lose a World Championship," and make sure everyone's on the same page.
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/08/25/f...ix-race-recap/