FORMULA 1 - 2013

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Ferrari recruit F1 aerodynamics guru

Ferrari has added another Briton to its ranks. After acknowledging its aerodynamic weaknesses, the Italian team last year signed well-known F1 aerodynamicist Loic Bigois to switch from Mercedes.

Ferrari is currently developing its 2013 car, probably to be called the F2013, in Toyota’s state-of-the-art Cologne wind tunnel, while the Maranello facility is closed for improvements.

At the same time, Autosprint reports that the scarlet-clad team has signed Martin Bester.

The Briton’s last post was as Williams’ aerodynamics team leader.

He has also worked for BMW and McLaren.

Prior to working at Mercedes, chief aerodynamicist and Frenchman Bigois worked alongside Bester at Williams, the Italian magazine noted.

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Fanvision and F1 fail to agree deal for 2013

A system allowing trackside spectators and on-site reporters to access video, audio and data with a bespoke handheld device will not be available at grands prix in 2013.

Fanvision, originally launched as Kangaroo TV some years ago, announced on Thursday that it has been unable to reach a new agreement with FOM (Formula One Management), headed by F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.

“Unfortunately it is clear that we are not going to be able to agree terms with FOM and very reluctantly we have to confirm that we won’t be in F1 in 2013,” a statement released by Fanvision said.

“It’s a big blow for us.”

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Mercedes reveals 2014 Formula 1 engine

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the first images of the 2014 Formula 1 power unit that it believes will put the 'motor back in motorsport'.

As dyno testing of its new V6 1.6-litre turbo charged unit continues at its Brixworth facility, Mercedes says early indications from its work are pointing towards an exciting era for grand prix racing once the 2014 rules come into force.

Andy Cowell, managing director of Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines, dismissed fears that the new power units would not deliver as exciting a sound as the current V8 engines, and predicted thrills for fans and challenges for drivers.

"The engines are going to be loud, but I think sweet sounding," he said on Friday. "The frequency will be higher and, with the turbocharger running at 125,000rpm, they will be loud. When you are stood next to it on the dyno it is not quiet and you need ear defenders.

"There will be a new quality to the racing too. It will edge towards a thinking drivers' formula to get the most from the car and the available fuel energy.

"The engines will also deliver much more torque - especially on the exit of the corners. Cars with more power than grip coming out of the corners - that is something that we all enjoy.

"They will also put F1 back at the cutting edge of new technology - which is what the fans want."

Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey suggested last year that the power units would become the critical factor in deciding the outcome of the 2014 championship.

Cowell believed it was too early to be specific about the impact the engines will have, but was confident that the importance of the engine manufacturer would be greater than it was now, a move he welcomed.

"We are putting the motor back in motorsport, but to what extent we will only know in 2014," he said. "It will definitely have more of an influence."

The new power units will produce the same 750hp figure of the current engines but a larger percentage of that will come from Energy Recovery Systems.

The current KERS currently produces 80hp for 6.7 seconds per lap, while the new ERS will deliver 161 hp for 33.3 seconds per lap.

Cowell said: "Today it is difficult to be quick without KERS - for 2014 it will be impossible to go racing without ERS."

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Merc expect 'thinking driver's championship'

Merc's Andy Cowell believes F1 will become a "thinking driver's championship" when the new engine rules come into play in 2014.

As of next season Formula One will be saying goodbye to the V8 engines and swapping to the smaller turbo-charged 1.6-litre V6s.

The new power units will pose several challenges for the teams and drivers not least of which will be fuel management.

The same races on this year's calendar will need to be covered using 50kgs less fuel than at present while still getting a power output of 750hp.

"The quickest strategy for completing a race will be very different to the quickest strategy for completing a lap," said Cowell, the managing director of Mercedes High Performance Powertrains, during a sneak preview of the company's 2014 engine.

"We will be about there in terms of lap time compared to 2013. It's a stretchy target, it's very ambitious, but then this is Formula One.

"It's a competition where the most ingenious engineer will win out, and it will also become a thinking driver's championship to get the most from the car and the available energy."

One of the new aspects to the 2014 unit will be ERS (energy recovery system).

At present the Formula One drivers are given a boost by KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) of 80hp for 6.7secs per lap.

However, next year with ERS combining with KERS they will have an extra 161hp for 33.3secs per lap.

"Today it is difficult to be quick without KERS - for 2014 it will be impossible to go racing without ERS," revealed Cowell.

"New rules showcase advanced technology, encourage technological innovation and put F1 back at the cutting edge of motor sport, which we believe is what the fans want.

"We are putting the motor back into motor sport."

As for concerns that the new V6 will lack the engine noise that goes hand-in-hand with F1, Cowell said the 2014 power unit is "loud, but sweeter sounding.

"I had the privilege of standing in a test cell the first time it was run and I had a big smile on my face.

"The sound is going to be pleasant, with the volume a little lower, but it's not a problem with the direction we are going."

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'Button will benefit from Hamilton's exit'

Martin Brundle believes Jenson Button is the big winner in Lewis Hamilton's McLaren departure as the team is now his.

Hamilton left McLaren at the end of last season after signing a three-year deal to race for Mercedes.

McLaren drafted in Sergio Perez as his replacement and although team boss Martin Whitmarsh insists both drivers will have "equal treatment", Button is now the unofficial lead driver.

"Lewis heading off means it's Jenson's team, he can concentrate on leading that team, and I think Jenson will grow into that position," Brundle told reporters at the Autosport International Motorshow.

"The fastest driver in the world has left the team and [Jenson] doesn't have to worry about his data any more - even if it went on Twitter occasionally!"

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Heikki 'surprised' by lack of deal

Heikki Kovalainen says he thought he'd been in a "better position" in the drivers' market after a good season with Caterham.

Despite lapping near the back of the field, Kovalainen put in some great performances in 2012 as he raced his Caterham to two P13s as well as a handful of 14th-placed finishes.

The 31-year-old, though, has been left without a drive for this season as Caterham have yet to confirm their second driver while the top teams did not give the Finn a mention.

"Of course we're working flat out to see if we can do something about it," Kovalainen toldAutosport.

"The problem is the results that I've had over these last two or three years have not been enough to get in a top car, and then the average teams are in a situation now where they have to take pay drivers, and that rules out the second half of the grid.

"It's a tricky situation that I'm in now, although people say you've driven well, you've done a good job, the fact is that 15th or 16th or 17th on paper that is not as good as someone who's been sixth or seventh or eighth.

"It was slightly surprising, I thought after last season and the last couple of years I thought I'd be in a better position on the market."

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Don't try changing 'special' Raikkonen - Stewart

Sir Jackie Stewart says Lotus are doing the right thing by allowing Kimi Raikkonen to be himself, rather than trying to change his attitude.

The Finn is notoriously difficult to interview and prefers not to take part in media events - something which was forced upon him during his time at McLaren and Ferrari. Lotus however has taken a different approach and Stewart believes this is paying off.

"With the knowledge and experience he [Raikkonen] has, and the mind management he has, he doesn't care about PR, journalists or interviews. He doesn't want to do them," the triple world champion said during an interview at Autosport International.

"You don't change Kimi Raikkonen, you don't change him," he insisted.

"I speak to him very seldom on a weekend, because if he wants to speak to me, he will come and speak to me.

"If I go and tart him up, he thinks 'what are you talking about? Why bother me?' That is how the reaction would be."

Stewart reckons the more relaxed atmosphere at Lotus, which has allowed the 33-year-old to be himself and focus on racing, is part of the reason he did so well in 2012.

"He is a very special person, the most special of any grand prix driver past and present.

"His return was better than [Michael] Schumacher's return. He was up there every single race he was in last year, and he delivered."

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Di Resta surprised by lack of team-mate news

Paul di Resta admits he is surprised Force India have yet to announce its driver line-up for 2013.

The Scottish driver has a contract for the new season and is fully expected to remain with the team. However the identity of his team-mate remains unknown.

"I am surprised there has been nothing yet," Di Resta is quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

"The team have said they will announce it in good time as to where they are going to be, and I have to respect that."

At present, it is believed test driver Jules Bianchi and former driver Adrian Sutil are heading the list of potential candidates.

An announcement is expected next week, as the team prepares to launch its new car at Silverstone on February 1st.

Di Resta remains focused on his job, but says knowing who he'll be working with has an impact on him.

"Ultimately it does," he replied. "But at the end of the day I know my job, and I am fully focused on what I need to achieve at the moment."

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Kovalainen should have shown more respect says Gascoyne

Heikki Kovalainen would be in a better position to secure a seat at Caterham for a fourth season, if he had shown greater respect toward the team. That is the view of chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne.

The Finnish driver looks unlikely to land a seat with any of the 11 teams on the grid in 2013, bringing an end to his six consecutive seasons in the sport.

Kovalainen says he was surprised not to have secured a seat with a more competitive team after impressing at Caterham.

"It was slightly surprising, I thought after last season and the last couple of years I thought I'd be in a better position on the market," he toldAutosport.

Meanwhile, Gascoyne says Kovalainen's eagerness to leave Caterham for a 'top team' and his unwillingness to raise funds to aid the team, hasn't done him any favours with the bosses.

"It is actually a great shame," he told Crash.net. "Heikki is a very talented driver but, last year, his management did not handle him very well and he has not done himself any favours.

"It is a tough environment out there for everyone. He has had three years with Caterham, was paid well, and he should have shown more respect about that."

Caterham is yet to announce its second driver following confirmation that Charles Pic will race for them. It's believed Vitaly Petrov and Giedo van der Garde are the prime candidates for the second seat.

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Wolff: 'Bottas needs time to reach potential'

Williams co-owner Toto Wolff believes it may take up to ten races for Valtteri Bottas to reach his full potential behind the wheel of the FW35.

The Austrian isn't pressuring the 23-year-old rookie to deliver the maximum result possible in the opening races, realising it will take some time for the Finn to get up to speed despite his raw talent.

"He needs mileage and racing experience," Wolff told Motorsport Aktuell. "He is very fast and extremely intelligent, but we have to give him the right environment so that he can realise his potential.

"We can't assume that he will be on the second row in Melbourne, even if the car is capable of it," he added.

Wolff expects Bottas to have settled in and begun to deliver by the tenth race of the year.

"I believe he can get the full potential from the car by the middle of the season," he concluded.

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Fans should demand more of F1, believes ex-Williams chief Adam Parr

Formula 1 should do much more to bring fans closer to the sport, believes former Williams chairman Adam Parr.

Speaking on the AUTOSPORT Stage with KX at AUTOSPORT International on Saturday, Parr suggested that F1 had become too exclusive, and he urged spectators to start getting their voices heard.

Reflecting on his time in the sport, having written illustrated book The Art of War about his experience, Parr believed that just as the 2008 financial meltdown spurred teams to act, so fans should do something now.

"What made the difference in 2008 was having a bit of a crisis, because when things are difficult people get their act together," he said. "I want the supporters and fans to get involved and have a voice.

"It is the fans who make a sport. The drivers can ponce about and think they are special, but who makes the difference? It is the fans."

Parr acknowledged that part of F1's attraction was the fact it was hard to get access to its inner sanctum, but he reckoned the exclusivity had gone too far.

"If you want the sport to be really fantastic and engaging, the closer people can get to the stars of the sport, to the kit, the better," he said.

"I think on one level Bernie [Ecclestone] does an amazingly good job of keeping people out, because it increases the fascination.

"But, on the other hand, people pay a lot of money to go to Silverstone, to subscribe to watch on satellite, and they deserve more access.

"As much as I admire Bernie, it is not him and it is not the teams that fund F1 - it is the fans. So why don't people get organised and demand a bit more?"

He also said drivers needed to do their part to acknowledge the contributions of fans.

"Some of the drivers will not even sign an autograph sometimes, and you think: 'Hang on? What is your problem?' They drive a car 20 times a year and some of them are paid a lot of money.

"I am a huge fan of what they do, they have incredible skills, but they lose the plot."

After resigning from Williams last year following clashes with Ecclestone, Parr reckoned a return to F1 was unlikely unless the sport's circumstances changed.

"I certainly consider it unfinished business, but whether I would come back to F1 I don't know," he said.

"The answer would depend on how things go... I left for a reason and I don't see how I could go back in to have more of the same. It is hard to go backwards."

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Ex-Formula 1 team boss Guido Forti dies

Guido Forti, the former team boss of mid-1990s Formula 1 outfit Forti Corse, has died. He was 72.

The Italian originally co-founded his outfit with businessman Paolo Guerci in the late 1970s, racing in Italian Formula Ford before gaining respect by taking Franco Forino to an Italian Formula 3 title.

The squad followed that success with a hat-trick of titles for Enrico Bertaggia, Emanuele Naspetti and Gianni Morbidelli.

Forti Corse entered Formula 3000 in 1987, going on to win a total of nine races in the category, prior to the decision to step up to F1 in 1995 with financial support from Brazilian driver Pedro Diniz.

Neither Diniz nor his team-mate Roberto Moreno were able to deliver a point in that debut season, however, with the Forti FG01 proving very uncompetitive.

Diniz elected to move to Ligier for the following season, leaving Forti struggling to replace the valuable sponsorship money that had been lost.

Nevertheless, Forti pushed on, delivering an improved FG03 for 1996 that was fielded by Luca Badoer and Andrea Montermini.

But while competitiveness on track was better, it was financial problems that proved the team's downfall following a deal with the mysterious Shannon Racing company.

A fight for control of the outfit went to court but it was too late to save the team, which pulled out of F1 mid-season.

Forti is generally regarded as the last true privateer to have entered F1 before the era when teams required manufacturer support.

After pulling his team out of F1, Forti made a brief return to motor racing in a team manager role in Euro F3000 in 2002 and '03.

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Mallya’s luxury jet confiscated by Indian tax authorities

Vijay Mallya’s private jet has been confiscated by Indian authorities as his debt ridden Kingfisher Airlines remains grounded and turmoil continues to grow for the Force India Formula One team owner.

India Today reports, “The country’s tax authorities have confiscated the Airbus A-319 luxury jet that Mallyawas using for his personal trips.

“This after Kingfisher was grounded and over 4 000 employees had not been paid seven months’ salary, Mallya still continued on whirlwind domestic and foreign tours using the jet, which was manned by a special crew which unlike others received salaries on time,” added the report.

In what is being reported as a major embarrassment for the flamboyant businessman, the aircraft was confiscated on 21 December by the Service Tax Department as Kingfisher had not passed on to the government $ 34 million collected from passengers as service tax.

Mallya continues to blame media for negative reporting on the state of his business affairs and in a letter to emloyees has urged them to avoid journalists.

Kingfisher management had promised the employees that their dues till June would be paid by December last year but this did not materilaise. Salaries due to staff last year between July to September have been promised to be paid by March 2013 after recapitalisation of the airline.

Kingfisher, whose flying licence expired on December 31 last year, had recently submitted a revival plan to the DGCA. The aviation regulator, however, did not accept it and asked the carrier to furnish additional details.

The Force India team which carries Kingfisher branding, of which Mallya is the majority owner, has yet to finalise its driver line-up for the forthcoming season although they are scheduled to unveil their 2013 car on 1 February.

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Hembery: We will be taking a more aggressive approach

Paul Hembery has revealed that the ethos of ‘spicing up the show’ will prevail in the Pirelli tyres they will supply to the field for the 2013 season, and will continue to provide teams with challenging decisions, and perhaps some surprises, when it comes to deciding race tyre strategies.

Speaking to Sky Sports Hembery said, “We’ve had a good look at what we did last year and what worked – maybe towards the end of the season we were a little bit too conservative and we are hoping we can give a challenge.”

“It probably won’t be the same as 2012, because the cars aren’t changing a great deal – the platform the teams are working with is very similar so they will understand their vehicle a lot which means they will be able to get the maximum out of the tyres a lot quicker than what they did in 2012. Having said that, we will be taking a more aggressive approach [with] more aggressive compounds and we hope we can create some element of surprise,” said Hembery.

With rules remaining stable in 2013, followed by a major revolution in 2014, teams embraced the concept of limited changes.

The Pirelli boss acknowledged, “We are pleased the teams didn’t feel that huge changes needed to be made – they will alter the aerodynamics a bit, but with major changes coming in 2014, the teams will be glad [that] they don’t have a major challenge in mastering the tyres this year.”

“We will see how winter testing goes – it can be a bit strange as conditions are abnormal, apart from in Austin where we saw temperatures of 7 degrees on one morning session, that’s abnormal as well, we’d usually have 15 degrees plus and the winter testing tends to be below 15 °C which can give you rather strange results in terms of compound performance,” added Hembery.

Super-soft option tyres were only used four times in the twenty races, but the Englishman admits that they could have been used more often during the course of last season.

“We could have used them in the last four races actually. That is the stage it had got to and that is because the teams are very good at their jobs. They have the best engineers in the world, the best drivers and they really found a way of not degrading the tyres, not graining them and we hope we can give them another push in that direction to maybe create two or three pit-stops,” revealed Hembery.

However, he cautioned, “I’m not saying we are always going to use the super-soft, but we can make more aggressive choices for sure.”

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WHY PEREZ MUST AVOID A REPEAT OF HEIKKI KOVALAINEN'S MCLAREN EXPERIECE:

McLaren officially unveiled its new driver Sergio Perez, in McLaren colours, at media events in the team’s HQ at Woking and in Central London last week.

And the 22 year old Mexican made a bullish start, saying that he hopes to fight for the world title from the first race onwards and that he will be disappointed if he does not beat Jenson Button during their scheduled three-year partnership.

Button will start his 229th Grand Prix in Melbourne while Perez will be starting only his 38th. To have landed a McLaren seat so soon is remarkable, but Perez is mindful that he does not want to repeat Heikki Kovalainen’s experience with the team, being dropped after just two seasons with disappointing results,

“Hopefully we can have a very strong car and fight for the championship. That has to be the target,” he said this morning when speaking to BBC’s Jennie Gow.

‘I think at the moment it looks like Jenson has experience, has the team,’ Perez added. ‘He’s a great champion – the most experienced driver in the paddock now. So I think I have a lot to learn from him. And obviously I want to beat him as well. I will be disappointed if I don’t beat him. I am here to win.’

‘If you don’t expect to win you should go home. I am here to win the championship. That is the target. As a driver you always dream to drive for McLaren. To be here sitting down and giving my first interviews as a McLaren driver is a very special moment.”

Perez had an early lesson on life at McLaren when he was told to tuck his shirt in, but he says that he has already appreciated how special the feeling within the team is,

“From the outside it looks as if it might be a very cold team – very strict and very cold – but when I came here I was surprised at what a great family it is, ” he said. “I have to respond to the trust they put in me.’

In Button, Perez has a very experienced team mate, who knows what it takes to win in F1, which is vital. F1 drivers tend to improve race performances with experience, so it’s likely that Button will have the edge on Sundays, but his erratic qualifying performances may offer the Mexican some opportunities to get some confidence boosting results on Saturdays. Although Perez himself has proved rather erratic in qualifying himself.

At this level, F1 is a head-game; the attention and pressure are much higher when you are expected to win, than when you over perform in a Sauber and score some podiums. Perez got a taste of this after he was announced as a McLaren driver following the Singapore Grand Prix. The signs were not encouraging; having scored 66 points up to then he failed to score another in the remaining six races.

Knowing how to cope with the expectation and what to do when things aren’t going well is what Kovalainen learned from his time at McLaren. He could not cope with Lewis Hamilton’s speed and admits he looked in the wrong place for the answers.

“Things were not going well,” Kovalainen said when reflecting on the experience, “Expectations were high and we were not able to deliver that meant that the confidence in your own ability…you were starting to ask questions; Is it my problem? My team mate is getting better results, is it my problem?’”

Perez is aware of what is expected of him and time will tell how he copes with the experience. McLaren is a team which tends to take care of all the details around the driver to eliminate problems and negatives and get the most from them. They even have a specialist engineer, whose job it is to manage everything the driver comes into contact with in the cockpit.

“I don’t feel the pressure but obviously you have to deliver here in McLaren,” Perez said. “You are coming here to deliver results, to win championships. This is the target when you come to McLaren, the best team in F1, you have to really deliver the results.”

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WHAT TO MAKE OF HELMUT MARKO'S COMMENTS ABOUT MARK WEBBER:

When you are in the public eye, giving interviews, sometimes you get misquoted or a quote is mistranslated. It happens in F1 all the time.

But when that interview is in your own in-house magazine, you do not have that excuse. So how are we to read the comments this week in the Red Bulletin from Red Bull special adviser Helmut Marko appearing to slate the team’s own driver, Mark Webber?

“Red Bull puts him in a car – a possible winner – and suddenly along comes this young kid and he snatches the booty from under Mark’s nose. Psychologically it’s not easy, of course; this would gnaw away at anyone’s confidence. It’s more than understandable,” says Marko.

“It seems to me that Webber has on average two races per year where he is unbeatable, but he can’t maintain this form throughout the year. And as soon as his prospects start to look good in the world championship, he has a little trouble with the pressure that this creates.

“In comparison with Seb’s rising form, it seems to me that Mark’s form somehow flattens out. Then, if some technical mishap occurs, like with the alternator for example, he falls relatively easily into a downward spiral.

“No driver remains unaffected by this, because the tension is palpable. In 2010, it was particularly extreme. ”

There is no arguing with the results; in their four years together Vettel has won three titles and 25 races, while Webber has won 9 races. There is therefore some truth in what he says about Webber’s inconsistent form, especially in the closing stages of a season, but Webber did have a lot of reliability issues in the run-in last year. It’s still pretty harsh to couch it in these terms, especially this line: “he falls relatively easily into a downward spiral.”

One could imagine these comments coming from someone in a rival team, a bit of “sledging”, but it’s not normal for this kind of talk to come from someone inside the same team.

So why is it happening?

The conclusion most people will leap to is that it’s more of the same from Marko, who has obviously favoured his protege Sebastian Vettel over Webber for many years. We’ve had a couple of episodes like the front wing swap at Silverstone in 2010, while made it look like the team favoured Vettel. It will lead many fans to dislike Vettel, for his perceived “golden boy” status within the team.

Perhaps Marko wants this to be Webber’s last season to make room for another of his proteges, although there isn’t one obviously ready for the move.

But if you stand back and look at Red Bull’s situation, they have now won the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships for three years running, the team is tired due to longer hours than their rivals working on complex cars, their rivals like Ferrari and McLaren are super motivated and well prepared and there is only one way for the team to go; downwards.

They must guard against that at all costs, keep everyone motivated.

Now the oldest driver in F1 at 35, Webber performs best when his back is against the wall and, if he wasn’t before, he will certainly be fired up to start the season strongly and heap pressure on Vettel. There should be plenty of that anyway from McLaren and Ferrari this year, but Marko clearly feels that Red Bull need to keep the pressure up internally to drive everyone on to that fourth world title.

Ferrari had the same situation in the early 2000s when they kept the winning streak going for five seasons with Michael Schumacher, but there were some inbuilt advantages there, like bespoke Bridgestone tyres, endless testing and a weaker opposition. But the difference is that no-one ever publicly drove a wedge between driver and team, as is happening here.

The same is true with the Team GB Olympic Cycling Team; having won so many gold medals in Beijing, they exceeded that in the London Games last year. Extensive TV documentary output in recent months has shown that the team’s leader Sir Dave Brailsford, had the same philosophy as Schumacher, Ross Brawn and Jean Todt at Ferrari; leave no stone unturned, attend to every detail, look for any and every incremental gain. And it worked.

But again, you never heard Brailsford criticising one of his riders like Marko is doing here with Webber.

To make Webber feel a bit better about it, Marko also has a pop at Fernando Alonso for getting involved in “politics and funny comments”.

Alonso has thanked Marko for the comments; to him it shows that Red Bull feels threatened by him and such is the way of F1, that comments are often made when people feel under threat.

It’s all grist to the mill; polemic comments like these provide the oxygen of publicity to F1, which Bernie Ecclestone has always fostered and encouraged.

But this particular episode does feel out of the ordinary, at least as far as Webber is concerned and one feels that the ripples could continue throughout the early part of the season.

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A GLIMPSE INTO HOW FORMULA 1 WILL CHANGE IN 2014:

More spectacular racing, with F1 cars having more power than grip on corner exits and an opportunity to showcase technology and innovation, putting F1 back at the cutting edge – these are the likely hallmarks of Formula 1 as it will be under the new formula in 2014, according to experts who are building the new engines.

A visit to AMG Mercedes High Performance Powertrains (HPP) in Brixworth today yielded some fascinating insights into how F1 is set to change and what fans will see next season. And we got the chance to see one of the new generation V6 turbo engines on the dyne and to hear its sound.

It is noticeably less of a high-pitched wail at peak revs, as the maximum is now 15,000rpm, rather than the 18,000 previously. But through the upshifts and downshifts it sounds very much like an F1 engine and there is a sweetness to the sound which is distinctively F1. And the turbo, which revs to a maximum 125,000rpm will also be audible.

We also saw a V6 engine block in the process of being built up; as you’d expect it is shorter than the V8, has 15% less moving parts but seems quite tall, so doesn’t appear much smaller than the existing unit when both are near each other in the engine build room.

With the new generation hybrid devices, the power unit will produce far more torque than the current V8s and this will lead to the cars stepping out more at the rear as they exit corners. Getting on top of that will be important, but so will the efficiency of the power units themselves. The pressure will be on Pirelli, if it retains its F1 tyre supply contract, to produce tyres that can cope with the increase in sliding.

At its heart the 2014 revolution aligns the mission of race engineers and road car engineers; both are looking to get power and efficiency while using less fuel.

The package which extracts the most performance from fuel energy will perform the best. Getting it right will be vital to competitiveness next year; the manufactures have agreed to homologate the engines on March 1st 2014, so they have until then to develop them. If one manufacturer has a clear advantage over others, they will be able to enjoy that for a while but discussions will inevitably ensue to allow some retuning, as happened when F1 switched to V8s after 2006.

The driver will have a maximum one 100 kilos of fuel in his car at the start of the race, rather than 150kg today so the engineers need to find a 30% improvement in efficiency compared to today’s engines, while maintaining the same power output. The 2014 engines will use Direct Injection, pressurised to 500bar. It will make F1 a thinking driver’s formula, perhaps?

One of the key areas of development is the energy recovery systems (ERS) and we were given an insight into these. Rather than the single KERS system used today, which gives around 80hp boost for 7 seconds per laps, the 2014 units will also harvest energy from an electric machine connected to the turbo and a heat converter, all of which will boost the output to 161hp for 33 seconds per lap. The unit can store 10 times more energy than the current KERS units and harvest 5 times more energy at the rear axle. Current thermal efficiency is 30%, the target is 40% next year.

This aligns the sport far more with what is going on in the road car world and AMG Mercedes HPP MD Andy Cowell says that he is having far more conversations with his opposite numbers in Stuttgart on the road car side, who are also covering the same ground and are looking to transfer the learnings from F1.

As the driver on average demands full power for 50 seconds per lap, this means that the hybrid aspect will be a very significant contributor to lap time.

There will be a single exhaust, exiting down the centre of the engine cover, onto the rear wing. This will make exhaust blowing into the diffuser a huge challenge, but as the gains are so great it will be fascinating to see how the aerodynamicists manage to channel the air.

One important aspect of change will be to see the power unit as a whole entity, so that each driver will have 5 power units for the season (currently he has 8 engines). So if he has a failure of ERS, turbo, an exhaust, battery or control electronics failure you will have to use a sixth power unit and incur a 10 place penalty. Today it’s only the engine itself which attracts a penalty.

Whereas today’s engines need to last for 2,000kms, the 2014 units will therefore need to last for 4,000 kms, which interestingly also makes them usable in the Le Mans 24 hours race.

Mercedes plan to supply two customers from 2014 onwards, in addition to their own works team based at Brackley. Currently they supply McLaren and Force India. There is speculation about what both teams might do in future, but if they are going to change in 2014 they will need to do so very soon, as the engine manufacturers are on the point of sharing the data on size, weight and fittings to their teams so that they can get ahead on the design phase.

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Caterham leave Petrov 'waiting'

Vitaly Petrov's chances of securing another season with Caterham are fading as his manager revealed talks have stalled.

After two seasons with Renault, Petrov joined Caterham at the start of the 2012 Championship.

It proved to be yet another point-less campaign for the backmarker outfit, however, Petrov at least ensured they finished tenth in the standings when he brought his CT01 home in 11th place.

The Russian's drive, though, was not enough to secure his Caterham race-seat with reports claiming he is competing with Bruno Senna and Luiz Razia to partner Charles Pic this year.

"At the moment there are a lot of unanswered questions," his manager Oksana Kosachenko told R-Sport. "There are too many nuances that need to be sorted out.

"We're at the waiting stage, which is linked to the team's restructuring. We completely depend on them and can't speed anything up."

As for rumours that Petrov has found new backing giving him the edge in the race for the second seat, Kosachenko says this is not true.

"So far, we haven't managed to find new sponsors.

"Where do journalists get this information from? I'm a journalist myself and I know very well how this can just pop into someone's head."

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Herbert backs F1's stewards

Johnny Herbert has defended F1's stewards in the wake of Jackie Stewart's criticism as he believes they have been "pretty consistent."

Stewart recently hit out at F1's lack of permanent stewards, saying it played a role in the post-Brazilian controversy surrounding Sebastian Vettel's pass and ultimately his Championship victory.

"Was the judgement of yellow and green flags right or wrong in Brazil and why would that have to come up on a Wednesday or Thursday?" the triple World Champion told City A.M.

"That is a huge statement of a disorganised function that it should come up then. The whole world is celebrating a new World Champion and then that happens on a Wednesday. That is a poor declaration of management."

Herbert, though, reckons last year's stewards did a "pretty" good job.

Asked by Sky Sports about whether permanent stewards would 'improve consistency', the former driver said: "In some regards yes.

"One of the issues is that a lot of the stewards that go there don't get paid and you've got to start paying people then to start being there and sacrificing jobs.

"I know some of the stewards have other businesses and would they have time to do that alongside 19 or 20 races in a Formula 1 season? I'm not so sure.

"It is probably the best way. I'm not so sure that it is feasible with the situation they have at the moment. There may be ways around it but I'm not sure what they are.

"Consistency is always a good thing yes, but I think overall it has been pretty consistent personally. Yes, there are always going to be a few issues you don't agree with personally but overall I think it has worked very well."

Herbert, who took the role of drivers' representative in Australia and Malaysia on the panel last season, also praised the decision to make use of former drivers at grand prix weekends.

"I think it does a lot of good.

"There are a lot of stewards - and it is not their fault - that have never been behind a steering wheel. And there are certain situations that a driver can explain and I have had it when I have been there where I say 'I think he is going to say this,' and they come in and that is what they say.

"So it gives them a little bit of confidence that the penalty or not issuing a penalty is the right thing to do."

MIKA: IMO - Stewards did a really poor job last season, Herbert was one of them.

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Stewart: The risk is in Merc leaving

Sir Jackie Stewart has reiterated his belief that Lewis Hamilton is taking a risk as Mercedes could pull out of F1 at any time.

Mercedes returned to Formula One as a fully fledged works team back in 2010 when the purchased the Championship-winning Brawn GP outfit.

So far, though, their comeback has been anything but successful with Mercedes claiming just one victory in three seasons.

And should they again fail to deliver, Stewart fears that Mercedes' staying-power could be tested which could leave Hamilton without a race-seat.

"I think Ross Brawn is a wonderful man. I think Daimler Benz is one of the greatest companies in the history of motorsport," Stewart told Autosport

"But they have to win. The Silver Arrow has to win.

"Whether it was Stirling Moss and [Juan Manuel] Fangio, whether it was [Rudolf] Caracciola and the other great drivers of the thirties, when Mercedes were in the sport they had to win.

"And if they don't win, they get out.

"That's the risk. If for whatever reason, they do not win, it's a five-minute board meeting decision with a bunch of people on the board who are not passionate about motorsport.

"They like the results if they win. If they don't win, it's yesterday. And that takes five minutes.

"If you were looking at it in a conservative fashion, you'd say 'I've got to stick with McLaren because I know they're always going to be racers'. They will never be out of motor racing."

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Di Resta held talks with McLaren

Paul di Resta has admitted he held brief discussions with McLaren about replacing Lewis Hamilton this season.

With Hamilton moving to Mercedes, the Woking squad were linked with several drivers including Di Resta but they eventually decided to sign exciting Mexican Sergio Perez from Sauber.

The 26-year-old Di Resta, who has been solid for Force India during his first two seasons in Formula One, confirmed he met with the McLaren bosses about a possible move, but they opted to go with Perez in the end.

"I'm not going to give away too much but, yes, there were discussions," he said during the Autosport International exhibition in the UK.

"I've got a great relationship with [the team] and Martin Whitmarsh was actually the key person who put my name forward for Force India.

"I've also been part of Mercedes-Benz for a lot of years [having won the F3 Euroseries and DTM titles with the manufacturer] but, for whatever reasons, they took the decision not to put me in the car."

Di Resta's 2013 seat at Force India is yet to be confirmed, but he is hopeful of showing McLaren what they have missed out on.

"Our paths may cross," he smiled. "It may be in a car that's beating them and I'll have the last laugh, but, if I've got to work with them, they're professional people and they win races, and that's what I'm in the sport to do.

"The biggest thing is to get the results and keep yourself in the team's minds. Having a good relationship with them is key, and I have that up and down the paddock. Unfortunately, there's a little bit more to [getting a seat], as there's a commercial side and money's tight. Without begging for a job, you've just got to be in their face at the right time."

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Ascanelli set for F1 return

Giorgio Ascanelli, the well-known Formula One engineer who last year departed his post as Toro Rosso’s technical director, is set to return to the sport.

But Autosprint, the Italian magazine, played down reports that the 53-year-old Italian has decided to go back to Ferrari.

Ascanelli began his career at Ferrari in the mid 80s, and was Gerhard Berger’s engineer. He moved to Benetton and McLaren, at the latter team working alongside the great Ayrton Senna.

Ascanelli returned to Ferrari in 1995, staying until 2001. It is known that he is a very good friend of the team’s technical boss, Pat Fry, and Autosprint said that he recently met with the Briton.

“But he will not go [back] to Ferrari,” said correspondent Alberto Antonini.

“Ascanelli is about to return to F1; the team’s name is not yet known,” he added.

Autosprint said that Ascanelli left Toro Rosso, who replaced him with James Key, “after an argument” with team boss Franz Tost.

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Raikkonen turned down Williams to comeback with Lotus

Kimi Raikkonen didn’t make his Formula 1 comeback with Williams because Lotus was offering him a more competitive car, claims Adam Parr, the former Williams chairman who has admitted trying to secure the services of the 2007 world champion at the end of 2011.

Ultimately, the Williams talks collapsed and former McLaren and Ferrari driver Raikkonen, now 33, returned to F1 after a two-year rallying hiatus, with Lotus.

Famous for his laconic and truly unique personality, he surprised many in 2012 by winning in Abu Dhabi and finishing his return season with third place in the world championship.

Briton Parr, who left his role as Williams chairman early last year and is now promoting a book, confirmed that he had talks with the Finn about driving for the famous British team in 2012.

“I wanted to bring Kimi to Williams in 2012,” Parr is quoted by Italy’s Autosprint, “but I could not guarantee a competitive car for him. When I spoke with him, I was impressed by his hunger and his determination.”

“Nevertheless, his value at the time remained unclear, and we didn’t know just how strong our car would be.”

In 2012, Pastor Maldonado won the Spanish Grand Prix and, alongside Bruno Senna, the pair helped Williams to finish eighth in the constructors’ world championship.

With Lotus, Raikkonen also won just a single race but also an impressive tally of 207 points.

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Lotus announces new partnership with Henry-Lloyd

World leading British marine clothing & lifestyle apparel specialists Henri-Lloyd commence new partnership with Lotus F1 Team, with a new range of travel clothing for the team and consumers:

On the occasion of the London Boat Show, Lotus F1 Team welcomes a new partnership with respected British clothing manufacturer, Henri-Lloyd. The relationship will see Lotus F1 Team personnel wearing Henri-Lloyd clothing whilst travelling as well as a Lotus F1 Team range of travel clothing being launched, available in Henri-Lloyd stores and to team partners.

The partnership will continue to expand over the coming seasons to see Henri-Lloyd take advantage of Lotus F1 Team’s business and marketing channel as Henri-Lloyd looks to develop new markets.

Founded and based in Manchester, England, Henri-Lloyd is extremely proud of its British heritage and delighted to be supporting the Oxfordshire based British team, using the shared values to continue its product development ambitions in the unique environment of Formula One.

Eric Boullier, Team Principal, Lotus F1 Team:

“Henri-Lloyd is a fantastic brand which shares the same passion and ambition as Lotus F1 Team. That our distinctive colours will be represented in the high streets with a quality range of clothing is great for the team, great for Henri-Lloyd and great for discerning consumers. The long journey to Melbourne for the first race of the season will be all the more stylish for us. We look forward to growing this partnership over the coming years.”

Paul Strzelecki, Joint Chief Executive of Henri-Lloyd:

“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Lotus F1 Team, a team that reflects our proud British heritage, product technology and innovation. We are very excited about our future together and wish the team every success in the 2013 season” (Lotus Press Release)

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Mercedes big boss expects to be title contender in 2014

Dieter Zetsche, the chairman of Mercedes parent company Daimler, says their F1 team must be pushing and contending for the world championship by 2014.

Admitting that the appointments of Lewis Hamilton and Niki Lauda, and the departure of Norbert Haug, were because of Mercedes’ lack of recent success, he also acknowledged that the silver team will not be in a title-winning position this year.

“As it (F1) is so visible people see pretty quickly if you succeed or not, and if the results are up to your expectations,” Zetsche, at the Detroit Motor Show, told Autocar.

“For Mercedes those expectations must be that we are up there at every race competing for victory.”

He said the fact Mercedes only won a single grand prix between 2010 and 2012 led to “changes” for this season, including a “new driver, new chairman and more to come”.

“The real problem lay with the chassis and we are working on that,” admitted Zetsche.

“The coming season will probably not allow us to show the full effect of the changes, but in 2014 we will have a good shot at the championship, especially with the new engine rules,” he added.