FORMULA 1 - 2014

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TAG Heuer releases sunglasses in tribute to Ayrton Senna

Swiss watch company TAG Heuer is commemorating the 20th anniversary of the death of Brazilian Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna on 1 May with a new limited edition pair of sunglasses.

TAG Heuer’s ‘Avant-Garde Eyewear: the Ayrton Senna limited edition’ was created to celebrate the life of the tripe Formula 1 World Champion, who was tragically killed in an accident at the San Marino Grand Prix on 1 May, 1994.

Crafted from Monel (a specialist nickel-copper alloy), the sunglasses feature over-stitched calfskin arms and sporty polarised grey polycarbonate lenses. Only 614 copies of the sunglasses have been made, and they’ll sell for €1,900. A second style is available for €260 with acetate arms and metal frame.

A portion of proceeds from the sales of the sunglasses will go to the Ayrton Senna Institute which supports education projects for young, underprivileged Brazilians.

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Lauda: It looks as though we have the edge, but that could change very quickly

Mercedes Team Chairman Niki Lauda believes that the Silver Arrows have started the 2014 with an edge over their rivals after the pre-season test at Jerez.

Although teams were not focusing on performance in southern Spain, many pundits believe Brackley based Mercedes has stolen an early march on key rivals like Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull.

“This (Jerez) was purely an engine test, so the teams had the chance to try the new engines,” former triple World Champion Lauda told Osterreich newspaper. ”We drove three and a half grand prix distances, and I am very satisfied.”

“At the moment it looks as though we have the edge, but that could change very quickly,” Lauda warned.

He said he sympathises with Red Bull, who struggled even to run the new Renault-powered RB10.

“The new, hybrid engines are very sensitive and complex and not easy to get to grips with,” said Lauda.

“Technically, it’s an enormous challenge and also at Mercedes we had many small problems, but we were able to solve them immediately,” he added.

Lauda recently scolded Bernie Ecclestone for criticising Formula 1′s new, ‘greener’ era, and now he says the Briton is also wrong to complain about the sound of the V6 engines.

“The engine noise is just as attractive as before,” he insisted.

Lauda isn’t even bothered about the ‘ugly’ noses of 2014, insisting: “Once a car is quick and it wins, it is also beautiful.”

Meanwhile, the Austrian great has slammed a German magazine called Titanic, who in the latest edition put Lauda’s scarred face on the cover with the headline: “First photo – this is how badly Schumi’s accident affected him”.

Lauda told Haute newspaper: “It’s impertinent, disrespectful and absolutely unacceptable. Who would print such rubbish?”

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Button: We’ll be quicker than GP2, but not that much quicker

Jenson Button believes that in the first season of the all new V6 turbo Formula 1 era the cars will not be much quicker than the GP2 feeder series.

Button, who topped the testing times on day two at Jerez at the wheel of the McLaren MP4-29, said, “We’ll be quicker [than GP2], but not that much quicker. Then again, it was the first test with a very new package. They’ll be a lot closer on certain circuits.”

“Last year, in terms of the regulations, things [had] hardly changed at all so at the first test we were going to be quite quick, and you improve for the first race, but it wasn’t a massive chunk.”

“Whereas now, when we get to the first race, everyone is going to be much quicker, and three races in, there’ll be another chunk in terms of laptime.”

“By the end of the year we might not be that far off [the pace of 2013 cars], maybe a couple of seconds, which will be pretty good when we get a real handle on where we are.”

“This year’s tyres, we think, are half a second slower. The cars are also heavier, about one to 1.2 seconds through weight, so that’s 1.6, 1.8 seconds already from those two changes.

“So this year we were always going to be slower,” concluded the 2009 World Champion.

Button’s teammate Kevin Magnussen set the fastest time of 1.23.276 during the four days at Jerez, which compares to Felipe Massa’s best time of 1.17.879 a year earlier at the wheel of a Ferrari.

The GP2 lap record around Jerez stands at 1:24.262, set by Kamui Kobayashi in 2008.

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Honda package for McLaren includes free engines and big cash injection

Honda will fill any financial void at McLaren, after the multiple World Champion title holding team unveiled its new silver and black MP4-29 without replacing departed title sponsor Vodafone, as they are set to inject huge investment into the team.

We reported recently that the Woking team and Lotus are tussling for a major sponsorship deal, reported to be with Sony for their Playstation marketing budget.

But even if McLaren – whose sponsorship asking price is probably higher – fails to secure the deal, the respected correspondent for Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, Michael Schmidt, says that the team is financially secure.

That is because incoming works engine partner Honda is coming on board with a whopping €100 million per year in financial backing.

That package includes free engines, €50 million in cash and a 50 per cent contribution to the drivers’ salaries.

“Apparently, the money will already be flowing this [2014] season,” said Schmidt.

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Prodromou may snub McLaren and remain with Red Bull

Peter Prodromou may not, after all, defect from Red Bull to McLaren as has been widely reported.

McLaren is said to have signed Red Bull’s highly-rated aerodynamics chief late last year, but the reigning World Champions then insisted that Prodromou’s full contract be honoured, which would see Prodroumou remain at Milton Keynes until the end of 2014.

Now, the German-language Speed Week reports that Red Bull has used that time wisely in trying to convince the Briton to stay put.

“The story is circulating that Prodromou has changed his mind and now wants to stay with Red Bull,” the report said.

Prodromou, however, signed a binding contract with McLaren last October. A legal battle may ensue unless the great Woking team is prepared to accept a financial settlement.

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Wolff: Brawn was an iconic leader and it has been felt that he has gone

Shortly after declaring that the role of a Formula 1 Team Principal was “outmoded and irrelevant in the modern era”, Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has admitted that Ross Brawn’s departure has been felt within the team.

“Of course there is always an impact when somebody like Ross leaves. He was an iconic leader, and we are going to notice that he is missing when it is getting stressful on race weekends. His leadership and his guidance is something that was extraordinary,” said Wolff.

“It has been felt that he has gone, but [Mercedes] is a large organisation with a couple of hundred really good people, and that is why we are trying to saddle it up.”

Brawn decided to retire in the aftermath of a management reshuffle within Silver Arrows outfit, which resulted in Wolff and Paddy Lowe being made joint Executive Directors.

With regards to the double pronged leadership, Lowe explained the division of responsibilities between him and Wolff, “I like to paint it more as a partnership and not a division of responsibility. We work together on most things.”

“He happens to specialize more on the commercial side, and myself on the technical side, but between us we’re running the team.”

“Of course, my background is [that of a] Technical Director so that gives me a benefit to understand some of the things they are doing. But my role won’t be hugely different to what Ross did the previous few years.”

“It’s something that is very exciting for me to move forward into, for both next season and the ones beyond,” added Lowe.

There has been widespread speculation that Brawn, who has had an illustrious and hugely successful career at the pinnacle of the sport, would return in a senior role with either McLaren or Honda.

These now appear off the mark as Brawn announced last week that his time in F1 was over, “I’m retiring – it’s not tongue in cheek.

I’m going to take a year to enjoy the fishing and then see what life brings. I’m looking forward to it but I’ve got no other plans.”

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Alonso: Schumacher is the man that can win any race and beat anything

The Formula 1 world has been in perpetual shock since 29 December when Michael Schumacher injured himself severely while on a skiing accident, and since then has been in an induced coma in a hospital in Grenoble.

Fernando Alonso and Schumacher were great rivals on track, and it was the Spaniard whose two back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 ended Schumacher’s incredible streak of five world titles in a row.

The tragedy of the situation has touched Alonso who revealed to CNN, “I think we are (all) still in shock, after nearly one month. The day that I received the news I could not believe it, to be honest, because he is not a man that you think will have any problem.”

Michael Schumacher with 2006 British GP winner Fernando Alonso

“He was the man that can beat anything and can win any race and can do anything without any worries, so to see him and to see the accident…”

“We are all hoping every day to have some good news coming from the hospital…all drivers have huge respect because he was the man that motivated us and he was the man who we were looking at when we were go-kart drivers,” declared Alonso.

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Alonso: We have to be honest and say these new F1 cars are ugly

The new generation Formula 1 cars are downright ugly, says Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso, and he is adamant that it would be dishonest not to admit the fact.

Speaking to CNN, Alonso said, “They are ugly, yeah. We have to be honest with that, you know, with our fans and ourselves first of all.”

“Probably we will get used to these new aesthetics, let’s say, but the first moment they are not good enough because people look at Formula 1 like excellence of motor sport, of aerodynamics, excellence of performance and technology – and when you see those front parts of the car, it doesn’t look like all the things we’ve been saying [about escellence].”

“So I think we will find different solutions. I’m sure the engineers are clever enough to make the car fast and also beautiful.”

One of the most intriguing sideshows of the 2014 season will be whether or not Alonso and new teammate Kimi Raikkonen will gel within the most famous team in the sport.

The Finn – popularly known as the Iceman – has returned to the Scuderia with whom he won the 2007 Formula 1 World Championship – the Maranello outfit’s last title triumph.

Alonso said of Raikkonen, “I think he’s very talented so that is a huge help and a huge motivation for myself first, and also for the team, because the team knows it has to deliver a good car because Kimi will deliver a good result.”

Fernando Alonso, seen here with Flavio Briatore, on the occasion of his second F1 World title, in 2006, as a Renault driver

“I know I need to deliver my best, if not I cannot be in front of Kimi, so that is only good and positive news for Ferrari,” said the two time World Champion.

Asked if two F1 World Championship titles were enough to satisfy his ambitions, Alonso said, “If you ask me this question in 10 years’ time I will tell you less, because two Championships are more than I could dream.”

“If you ask me right now and I am in a middle of a competition, I am hungry for victories; hungry for success – I will tell you that two Championships are not enough,” he added.

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Kaltenborn: We have a very extensive aerodynamics package for Bahrain

The Sauber F1 Team completed 163 laps at the recent test in Jerez, and Team Principal Monisha Kaltenborn draws the first conclusions of the four days in southern Spain.

How would you sum up the test in Jerez?

Monisha Kaltenborn: “We are satisfied with the first test. Our car was ready just in time. The fact that the C33 functioned from the first day on track is a remarkable achievement by the team. A big compliment to everyone involved.”

What was the goal?

Kaltenborn: “We wanted to see if the mechanics and all the systems are working. The cars are very complex this year because of the new Power Units, but, as a matter of fact, we have reached a good level already. Of course, it was also important to gather a lot of data. We have a lot of work to do, analysing the data and implementing the improvements.”

However, the drivers weren’t happy with the brake-by-wire system…

Kaltenborn: “Not only the drivers, also the engineers were not happy about it. This was a software issue in the first place. We were able to make improvements throughout the test, but there is still room for improvement. However, our engineers are convinced that they have enough time to solve those weaknesses together with our engine partner by the next test.”

What do you think about the lap times?

Kaltenborn: “It’s very difficult to judge the lap times, because every team ran a different programme, including different fuel loads.

The tyres were another important factor to consider. Both our drivers struggled to get temperature into the tyres. And it certainly didn’t help them that we only had a provisional aero package with limited downforce on the car. However, this didn’t come as a surprise to us. We know what to expect. It was our top priority to be ready from the first day of testing, so to be able to drive and collect as much data as possible.”

When can we see the Sauber C33 with the new aerodynamics for the first time?

Kaltenborn: “Fundamentally it’s a very extensive package. We plan to have most of the parts on the car for the first test in Bahrain. This includes new front and rear wings, side pod deflectors, as well as several other small elements on the car. A few other parts will follow for the second test in Bahrain.”

How do you rate the performance of the different engine manufacturers?

Kaltenborn: “Again, it is very difficult to judge at this stage. The only thing you can place in an order is the number of laps the teams did with the respective engines. Here the order is clear: Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault. But to compare the performance is impossible at the moment, also because some might still be playing their cards close to their chests. I am sure there will be movement right up to the first race in Melbourne in that regard. At the moment this is just a snapshot. It will remain exciting!”

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In 2013 the world got tired of Vettel’s one finger salute and turned off the telly

Formula 1 superstar Sebastian Vettel’s coasting to a fourth successive world drivers title last year had an adverse effect on global TV audiences, as the 26-year-old Red Bull driver won 13 of the 19 races in easing to the title.

However, it wasn’t to television spectators liking as the total slumped from 500 million in 2012 – when Vettel and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso battled it out to the final race – to 450 million according to Global Media Report which was published by Formula One Management, who hold the commercial rights to Formula 1 and produce the images used by broadcasters.

While F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone put the reason for the fall partly down to last season having one race less than the previous year he conceded that Vettel’s dominance, especially in the second part of the season when he won nine successive races, as also behind so many viewers turning off.

“The less-than-competitive nature of the final few rounds, culminating in the Championship being decided ahead of the races in the USA and Brazil, events which often bring substantial audiences, had a predictable impact on reach,” wrote Ecclestone.

The most significant drop in viewing figures came in China where the race was switched from state TV to regional stations and as a result lost 30 million viewers from the year before.

France too saw numbers melt away as for the first year the race was broadcast solely on pay TV channel Canal Plus, which paid a king’s ransom to outbid TF1, the long-time home to F1′s TV spectators in France.

Figures there saw a loss of 17 million viewers from 27 million in 2012 to 10 million.

By contrast three countries showed significant rises in viewers, those being the United States, Great Britain and Italy.

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Brembo: One of our greatest fortunes was entering Formula 1 in 1975

Five different drivers took the checkered flag during the Formula 1 season last year. The winning cars all had one thing in common – brakes or clutches supplied by Italian auto-parts maker Brembo SpA.

The Bergamo-based company established its foothold in the racing world 40 years ago. Since then, Brembo has expanded its customer base by supplying braking systems for car manufacturers such as Ferrari SpA and Porsche SE, a business that has made the company’s chairman, Alberto Bombassei, a billionaire.

“One of Brembo’s greatest fortunes has been the opportunity to enter the world of racing in 1975, when the company started to supply Ferrari in Formula 1,” Bombassei said in a Jan. 17 e-mail. “This has enabled Brembo over the years to test on the track new technological solutions, which over time have been transferred to road cars and bikes.”

Demand for the vehicles has helped Brembo’s share price double in the last year. Revenue increased 11 percent to 1.4 billion euros ($1.8 billion) in 2012.

Alberto Bombassei with Bernie Ecclestone and Niki Lauda

Bombassei controls 53.5 percent of Brembo and has a net worth of $1.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He has never appeared on an international wealth ranking.

The billionaire’s stake in the brake manufacturer is controlled through the family’s holding company, Nuova Fourb Srl, whose shares are held in equal proportion under the names of Bombassei’s two children, according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

The stake is credited to Bombassei because the 73-year-old and his wife still receive the income from 80 percent of the shares. As patriarch and Chairman, the billionaire also retains effective control of the family business.

“The fact that Brembo is a family business gives strength to the company,” Bombassei said. “I don’t have plans to reduce my involvement, or to lose control of the company.”

He declined to comment on his net worth.

Brembo was founded by Bombassei’s father, Emilio, and Italo Breda in 1961, when the partners established a workshop making spare parts for vehicles. Their breakthrough came in 1975, when Enzo Ferrari asked the company to equip his F1 racing cars.

Five years later, the company developed an aluminum brake caliper that was adopted by manufacturers like Porsche, Mercedes and BMW. It also helped pioneer carbon ceramic discs, which have been a staple of the company since 2002.

“The business is doing well thanks to the company’s focus on high-end road cars, a sector growing three times faster than the auto supplier market in general,” said Monica Bosio, a Milan-based analyst at Banca IMI SpA.

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Grosjean: Something I could learn from Kimi and Fernando is that they never quit

Lotus driver Romain Grosjean is not so sure Fernando Alonso will have an easy time alongside new Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen in 2013.

The Frenchman’s comments follow those of Alonso’s former teammate Felipe Massa this week, as the Brazilian tipped Alonso to be faster this year because he “combines talent with brains”.

Grosjean, however, may also be well placed to comment, given that he too has been paired in Formula 1 with both Alonso (2009) and more recently with Raikkonen at Lotus.

“Good luck to them!” he grinned to Brazil’s Totalrace.

”They are two very strong personalities. It will be interesting. Kimi is very much like Fernando in several respects. Both like to be number one, so we’ll see what happens.”

Romain Grosjean and Fernando Alonso were teammates briefly in 2009

“If there is something I could learn from Kimi and Fernando it is that they never quit. Whenever they get into the car, they get 100 per cent from it, whether it is a good car, bad car, if it’s dry, wet.”

Meanwhile, the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat reports that Grosjean, 27, will no longer work with his manager Eric Boullier, after the former Lotus boss moved to McLaren.

The Lotus-linked management stable Gravity is now headed by Gerard Lopez, but correspondent Heikki Kulta cited sources in claiming that Boullier’s long-term successor will be appointed before the forthcoming Bahrain test.

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Revving up down under for 2014 Formula 1 season opener in Melbourne

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation announced that luxury watch brand Rolex has re-signed as the Title Sponsor of the 2014 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, 13-16 March.

A helicopter flight over the Albert Park Lake involving a Red Bull Racing car dramatically suspended from its undercarriage celebrated the extension of Rolex’s global partnership with Formula 1 and world motorsport’s imminent arrival in Melbourne.

Premier of Victoria Denis Napthine was also in attendance, he said the global exposure generated through F1 was unrivalled by any other annual sporting event staged in this city.

“Melbourne and Victoria are known the world over as the home of major events and the Australian Grand Prix plays a key role in ensuring our sporting line-up remains first-class in a global sense,” Dr Napthine said.

Australian Grand Prix Corporation Chairman, Ronald Walker, said that the 2014 event would once again be shown around the world on free-to-air television, which will ensure that millions across the globe watch the broadcast.

“The 2014 Rolex Formula 1 Grand Prix. will be seen by those in Europe at breakfast and the Asian market during lunch. Images of our city skyline and Albert Park will be beamed around the world into 185 territories*, reinforcing the importance of this event in promoting Melbourne to the world,” Walker said.

On the day model Georgia Geminder was announced as the Official Ambassador of the event.

Melbourne traditionally hosts the season opener with the race bringing plenty of action when the teams line up against each other for the first time in the New Year.

MIKA: Denis Napthine.... What a TOSSER he is. Here he is lauding Formula 1 but he has recently made it clear on the news that he will axe the Melbourne Grand Prix after 2015 due to costs to the tax payer. Forget the amount of revenue it does generate for restaurants, hotels, small businesses who are doing it tough.

As soon as there is an election, I will vote against him seeing he was never voted into office anyway by Victorians nor does he really even seem interested in Formula 1 let alone any type of sport.

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Rosberg Bernie's winner of choice

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has admitted that he would like to see a new champion being crowned this year, with Nico Rosberg his preferred choice.

Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull have dominated the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships over the last four years, a period of domination Ecclestone is hopeful comes to an end under the F1 regulations in 2014.

Red Bull only completed 21 laps during the four-day test in Jerez last week and struggled with the car's power unit, as well as suffering from overheating problems throughout.

Mercedes duo Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, racked up 309 and were near the top of the time sheets throughout the session at the Spanish track.

"Anything can happen under the new regulations. So I would not want to comment much on what could happen this season. The way things worked out at Jerez, Mercedes seem best prepared to succeed with Rosberg winning the title," Ecclestone said during a telephone interview with Indian news service IANS.

Ecclestone added that the start of the season will in all likelihood be somewhat unpredictable and several of the teams in mid-field, like Force India, could produce a few surprising performances.

"I would love to see them win a race. And I am confident they can achieve that. They might not be as strong as the Mercedes but as their customers, Force India should progress farther up the grid," he continued.

Force India have only had one podium - a second place by Giancarlo Fisichella at Spa in 2009 - but have shown steady improvement over the last couple of seasons and finished sixth in 2013, ahead of the likes of Williams and Sauber.

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Double points idea 'crazy' - Massa

Felipe Massa believes awarding doubling points for the final race of the season is a 'crazy' idea.

After Red Bull dominated the final stages of the Drivers' and Constructors' Championship last year, double points will be available for the season's finale in Abu Dhabi in an attempt to keep audiences interested until the end of the season.

Had the double points rule been in effect in previous years, Massa would have been crowned World Champion in 2008, but the former Ferrari driver admitted that he wouldn't like to win the Drivers' Championship in that fashion.

"No. I don't know. Maybe it can be worse now," the Brazilian told crash.net.

"I think it's impossible to say it's a stupid thing, a good thing or a bad thing before. It's a crazy thing, you know, but maybe it's interesting and we will see.

"To be honest when we have a very good championship it can even help, but if we don't have a good championship it doesn't change anything to be honest.

"Honestly, maybe it's bad; maybe it's good, it depends.

"If it helps it's always good, you know? If I had these double points on my championship then I was going to be champion."

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Magnussen eager to impress

New McLaren driver Kevin Magnussen is "determined to justify the faith" that the Woking team put in him after handing him a seat for the 20014 Formula One season.

The Danish rookie was named as Sergio Perez's replacement after the Mexican had a disappointing season in 2013, and will be McLaren's first rookie driver since Lewis Hamilton made his debut in 2007.

Magnussen made a strong start to his F1 career during the season's first official testing session in Jerez, but admitted that he was nervous when he stepped into the MP4-29 for the first time.

"I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity I've been given, and in a way it still hasn't really sunk in yet," Magnussen told the official Formula One website.

"When I got into the car for the first time at Jerez last Thursday, in fact, it still felt a bit strange. But I'm a firm believer that there are no guarantees in this world, so I'm now focusing on the work I need to do to justify the privilege of being a Formula One driver.

"I certainly don't take anything for granted - I know that all the work I did in the junior formulas was only enough to get me to the door of Formula One - and now I'm having to start all over again to prove that I deserve the opportunity to stay here. In the past few weeks, and in the next few weeks also, working closely with all the McLaren guys who've given me that opportunity, I'm determined to justify the faith that's been put in me.

"Okay, I'm a rookie, but I'm not going to focus too much on worrying about what I can't control. Besides, even for the most experienced drivers, there's always another lap you can do to feel more prepared. So my aim is to work hard, get myself comfortable with the car - comfortable enough that I can really push it and lean on it - and then take it from there.

"Anyway, I've got total faith in McLaren's engineers and mechanics, and it's clear that they're offering me the right guidance and assistance. They're all great guys. Lastly, I don't think anyone can predict with much confidence what's going to happen in the opening races, whether you're a super-experienced world champion like Jenson or a rookie like me."

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Why ‘full throttle’ doesn’t mean ‘full power’ any more

Last week Formula One drivers had their first taste of a radical new generation of engines.

But while much attention has been focused on the downsizing of engines from normally aspirated V8s to turbocharged V6s, the introduction of more powerful and complex energy recovery systems will have the biggest effect on driving technique.

The internal engine plus its heat and electrical energy recovery systems are collectively known as the power unit [PU]. The car’s electronics have to continually balance performance against economy as a driver varies his demands for acceleration over the course of a lap.

The upshot of this is that when a driver puts his foot to the floor at the exit of a corner, he may not get all the power his internal combustion engine has to offer.

“Full throttle no longer means a demand for full engine power,” explained Renault’s technical director for new generation power units Naoki Tokunaga.

“It is an indication to the PU given by the driver to go as fast as possible with the given energy.”

Staying within the maximum fuel allowance of 100kg and peak fuel rate of 100kg per hour will require careful management of the power unit over the course of a race.

“Effectively, once the driver applies full throttle, the control systems manage the power of the PU, with the aim to minimise the [lap] time within the given energy,” said Tokunaga.

How the new power units perform over a lap

The demands on the different parts of the power unit will vary over the course of a lap. Flat-out, the engine will be draining its tank and the turbocharge spinning at up to 100,000rpm.

Meanwhile the Motor Generator Unit – Heat (MGU-H) will be recovering energy from the hot waste gasses and transferring that to the Motor Generator Unit – Kinetic (MGU-K). Depending on the driver’s needs, the MGU-K will use that energy to increase the output of the power unit or conserve fuel.

When the driver reaches a corner and begins to brake the function of the MGU-K changes – it now acts as much as the KERS units of old, recovering energy from braking to story it in the battery.

The MGU-H also performs a different function. As the engine is no longer spinning the turbocharger the MGU-H takes over. This is to reduce the lag which would otherwise occur when the driver came to accelerate out of the corner and found the turbocharger was rotating too slowly.

As the driver accelerates away from the corner the engine is one again able to drive the turbocharger, and the MGU-H reverts to collecting energy from the turbocharger and exhaust.

Although the driver does not have total control over this energy transfer, he can take charge when he needs to.

“Of course, there will be certain driver-operated modes to allow him to override the control system,” said Tokunaga, “for example to receive full power for overtaking”.

“Using this mode will naturally depend on the race strategy. In theory you can deploy as many times as you want, but if you use more fuel or more electric energy then you have to recover afterwards. The ‘full boost’ can be sustained for one to two laps but it cannot be maintained.”

In qualifying the need to conserve fuel obviously does not apply, meaning the drivers will be flat-out. But as they can only recover half as much energy per lap as they can use, drivers will not be able to do two consecutive laps with full electrical boost.

Because of the need to cool down the tyres between qualifying runs this will usually not be a concern. However it may be a consideration in a scenario where qualifying is taking place on a wet but drying track. Drivers also use their boost before crossing the start line and beginning a qualifying lap, to increase their starting speed.

Coping with failures

While reliability has reached record levels in recent seasons, one component which has caused a series of failures for some teams – notably Red Bull – is KERS. These often caused only a minor loss of lap time and no need to retire the car. But comparable failures with the more sophisticated hybrid power elements in this year’s cars will be much more serious.

“If we lost the MGU-K we would keep the car running,” confirmed Mercedes managing director Andy Cowell in Jerez. With these devices being a major area of development this year he was cagey about the likely time loss, putting it at above one second per lap and less than ten.

“KERS last year [if it failed] it was an inconvenience,” he said. “About 0.3, 0.4 of a second per lap, but you could finish.”

“You lose the MGU-K it’s greater than a second,” he added. But not only would a driver suffer a lack of outright performance, their fuel consumption would also suffer, giving them another headache.

A car would also be able to continue running if its MGU-H were to fail, though turbo lag would also become an additional problem.

“Losing both electric machines is bad news,” Cowell added.

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Renault expected struggle before test – Kobayashi

Caterham driver Kamui Kobayashi says Renault’s struggles in the first test of the season at Jerez did not come as a complete surprise to their engineers.

Following his first run last Friday in the CT05 on Friday Kobayashi said he was “not worried” that Renault would be able to solve the problems with their new Energy F1 engine.

“They had the best job in the couple of years,” he said. “So I’m not really worried.”

“But just they already mentioned before coming here they are quite a lot on the back on the programme. So when I talk ‘are you surprised with this result?’, they say no because we are missing a lot of schedule off, quite late.

“They have to work on this two weeks with this data and we’ll see how much they improve in Bahrain. And if Bahrain’s test everything’s well I think I’m pretty happy.

“It’s very important for everybody to work these two weeks especially the Renault engine, for us, for Red Bull. Everybody I think saying we’re missing a lot of mileage.”

“Of course if we have more laps I think very happy for the engineer,” he added. “We only have this chance and this data.”

“I have to say [we're doing] much better than Red Bull at the moment because they made only a few laps. At least we did a couple of laps and we did a few – is not like long runs, but medium runs – and we’ll have data. Looks [like] cooling is fine and everything OK, we just have to develop the car, now we know how much cooling level we needed.”

Kobayashi said Caterham, who completed the most laps of any Renault-powered team, managed to accrue some data but “definitely not enough”.

The former Sauber driver is making his return to F1 following a year out. “For the car I have to say I think initially it’s difficult to get any comparison with the other car because the system is not really correctly working,” he said of the new Caterham.

“And even when I compare with some other car, like 2012 for example, there’s not much to compare, this car is so much different. I have to say it’s not really far away for the feeling, I think we can do a lot of stuff.”

Kobayashi joked about the ungainly appearance of the CT05, calling it “Pinocchio” and saying it was not a problem for him when he was in the cockpit because “I cannot see the nose”.

[MIKA27]

Should F1 change qualifying?

Qualifying in Formula 1 could be set to change according to AUTOSPORT. The magazine has learned that the FIA are discussing the idea of changing the format in order to prevent the recent situation of no cars running in Q3 to save tires.

According to the report, the F1 series is looking at a few options as mentioned by AUTOSPORT’s Jonathan Noble:

“They include forcing the ten drivers who make it through to Q3 to start the race on the set of tyres that they set their best Q2 lap on.

That means that there will be no incentive to sit out Q3.

Furthermore, there is an idea to hand drivers extra sets of tyres for the final qualifying segment, which are returned to the FIA afterwards, that will allow them to push for the fastest lap without worrying it will compromise their race chances.”

Jonathan doesn’t mention any particular team’s reaction to the concept but you can bet that if they feel it is a hinderance to them in any way, they will not be too keen to sign off on the proposal. According to Noble, the change would require unanimous agreement in order to be instituted with immediate effect. Noble does mention that the duration of Q3 is being considered in order to allow the top 10 drivers to make two timed laps.

For Pirelli, they’ve been open to qualifying changes for quite a while now and were even mentioning the thought of a qualifying spec tire last year so this possible change would most likely not be a source of concern for the Italian tire maker.

So what do you think of a qualifying spec tire for Q3? Can this be solved by simply giving teams who make it to Q3 an extra set of tires for qualifying? What ramifications would that have for the teams who didn’t make it to Q3? Is this parity or pear-shaped strategy? What are some other way you feel qualifying might best be improved? Most F1 fans have been happy with the qualifying format but with the advent of tire saving, a lack of Q3 running is frustrating and if you consider that we see the fastest laps by these cars in Q2 on Saturday, that’s a bit concerning as well.

[MIKA27]

Tech Talk: McLaren MP4-29 wishbone wings analysed and explained

There were some interesting bits and pieces in the Jerez pitlane during the opening four days of Formula 1 testing in Spain late last month, but arguably the biggest talking point were the wishbone wings on the McLaren MP4-29. Matthew Somerfield gives us the lowdown on the canny devices.

McLaren had already made it clear before the launch of the MP4-29 that they had a ‘revolutionary rear suspension’ to test before the season commenced. Laying down the marker the team introduced their ‘Wishbone Wings’ for all to see in Jerez.

But just like their F-Duct in 2010, have they gone too early? Having shown their hand early during testing in 2010 the F-Duct was rapidly copied by the rest of the field and in certain instances even with chassis integration issues some of their rivals out developed their initial concept.

The suspension elements now doglegged rearward from their usual straight on alignment – photo shows the elements from above

The suspension layout utilised by McLaren is another great interpretation of the regulations with the rear suspension elements made to replicate the outgoing beam wing in terms of the way the airflow operates in that region.

The idea is to simulate the same flow pattern that allowed the beam wing to interact with the airflow structures generated by both the Diffuser and upper rear wing elements. In order to do this McLaren have had to make several design concessions;

The suspension elements are now doglegged rearward from their usual straight on alignment.

Narrower forward edge suspension elements

In order to recreate the height of the beam wing the forward section of the suspension elements have been shaped with a narrower forward edge.

This means that the elements are shaped like a parachute, which is all well and good in terms of creating additional downforce, as this creates an area of low pressure behind the suspension elements and therefore encourages interaction from the diffuser.

However, it means that there will be a net increase in drag from the components too. McLaren has tried to mitigate this by not only carefully managing the shaping of the components in a 3 dimensional sense, but also reducing their width and height at the outer edges (either side of the rear wings endplates).

Furthermore, the team is looking to usher the pressure gradient towards the central section of the car/crash structure where it is met by a ‘Butterfly’ Upwash Device.

Butterfly Upwash Device on the McLaren MP4-29

This not only relieves the pressure and therefore drag being induced by the oversized suspension elements, but also helps in the interaction with the exhaust plume.

It remains to be seen if this is a significant performance differentiator and just how difficult it would be for teams to integrate their own version (Likely requiring a whole new crash structure along with several other components).

It’s therefore likely that the other teams will not only be analyzing its merits in their CFD/Wind Tunnel before Australia but they may also request clarification, or protest it’s use at the race too.

[MIKA27]

Ferrari has technical tricks up their sleeves which may surprise Mercedes

Although Mercedes is being touted as the early 2014 Formula 1 season favourite, Ferrari is reportedly also ahead of the game as Formula 1′s new V6 turbo engine era dawns.

Speed Week reports that, when Ferrari-powered cars decelerated at the recent Jerez test, they sounded “very different” to their Mercedes and Renault-equipped counterparts.

Reports in Italy say thatengine designer Luca Marmorini has devised a unique system that stops the flow of fuel when the driver is not accelerating, improving not only fuel consumption but also the effect of engine-braking.

Also attracting attention at Jerez were Ferrari’s airboxes and sidepods, amid suggestions the Italian marque is ahead of the game in the challenging area of cooling the all-new engine, turbo and energy-recovery systems.

When asked about the Ferrari layout, Mercedes engine boss Andy Cowell told Auto Motor und Sport: “Cooling has become such an important issue, both for power and for the aerodynamics, so a lot of research has gone into this field.”

Meanwhile, McLaren’s Jenson Button has said that he is impressed with how all the Mercedes-powered teams – including Force India, Williams and the Brackley based works outfit – have worked together in the new V6 era so far.

“While we are here to fight each other as teams,” he is quoted by the Mirror, “the more information we can share in the next weeks or months can really help us.

“So we are all in good shape if we continue like that,” Button said.

[MIKA27]

Lotus social media message highlighting *** rights in Russia backfires

While the Formula 1 world waited on news from Jerez on Friday, where Lotus were running the E22 for the first time, nothing emerged – instead the team got embroiled in a storm surrounding a Twitter, Facebook and website post which highlighted *** rights (or rather lack thereof) in Russia on the occasion of the opening day of the Sochi winter Olympics.

What was perhaps a well intentioned message accompanied by a photo showing two hunky *** men embracing and kissing, was soon removed from Lotus’ social media platforms as it immediately went viral and caused an immediate stir in the process with some fans praising the boldness of the statement while others decrying it for being politically incorrect.

This was followed by a host of disparaging remarks when the daring posts were removed from the team’s Twitter, Facebook and website home pages.

The message appeared around 14:00 pm (GMT) but was removed a few hours later, followed by a tweet: “We would like to sincerely apologise for an unauthorized message posted on our Twitter account today & will ensure that this cannot happen again”

The tweet from the team suggested that this was not done in official capacity, and hinted at some form of hack. However there was no response when the media department was asked for a more detailed explanation of why the messages were removed.

At first glance I thought that the photo was a spoof showing Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean in a bonding session, until closer inspection revealed that it was neither of the team’s drivers.

Famously, last year, the team posted a photo of two rabbits mating when it was announced that Kimi Raikkonen would move from Lotus to Ferrari. The team’s social media crew are known to be edgy and inventive in their approach to interacting with their fans.

Below is a selection of reactions to the latest furore caused by Lotus on Twitter:

• Sturdevant: You should lose more respect for apologizing than tweeting it. No honor in the apology.
  
• Tim: What’s wrong with that?
  
• Luis Duraes: You guys, are pure entertainers
  
• Fake Charlie Whiting: I dunno about everyone else, but 2 blokes kissing is less shocking than that bunny photo you posted last season.
  
• Matt: Dunno why an apology for that kind of thing is necessary in 2014…
  
• Overrated Outcast: F*CKING COWARDS!
  
• Katie:I had so much more respect for you guys when it was real…
  
• joaopapa: You should not apologize for something good. It was brave, and now it’s ******. Shame on you, retards.
  
• The F1 Times: It was simply a message wishing all athletes well in Sochi and a photo of two rather manly men kissing.
  
• joaopapa: A picture of two guys kissing and a good luck wish to everyone on Russian Winter Olympics.
  
• Sean: That’s rather funny, really!
  
• Peter: I’m seriously disappointed in your apology.
  
• Roshni: Can’t believe they apologised. They’ve always been cheeky.
  
• Oculus: Communist countries hate it when men kiss each other.
  
• Jason Smith: What happened to the *** boys. You can’t just remove that. You make the call to post something controversial then stand by it! You could have made the international news in another day or two.
  

As for the ‘promotional event’ at Jerez, nothing was forthcoming from Lotus or Renault on what transpired on a day when the French engine manufacturer were running their revised V6 turbo, in the aftermath of the first test debacle.

On hand to observe proceedings were representatives from Renault powered teams Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Caterham.

Lotus are expected to use up their second and final ‘promotional event’ 100 km allowance at Jerez on today [saturday].

[MIKA27]

Intriguing new inner team rivalries set to ignite this Formula 1 season

“Rivalries in sport are awesome,” that’s Mark Webber speaking, and he should know: he was involved in one of the most intense rivalries we have seen for the last few years during his great Formula 1 career at Red Bull.

Webber was looking back at the Prost v Senna days when McLaren’s ‘Dream Team’ turned nightmarish and the two great drivers lost their focus because all they could see was each other.

It wasn’t quite that way with Sebastian Vettel and Webber, and in any case the Aussie has taken that element of F1 2014 away by going off to sports car racing instead. In the absence of the Vettel-Webber fights, where should we look for our rivalries this season?

If we’re looking at intra-team relationships, the first answer has to be: Ferrari.

Like McLaren all those years ago, the Scuderia has opted to bring together two of the foremost drivers of the day in Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen. Will the feisty Spaniard and the Flying Finn work it out between themselves?

Their ultimate boss, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, even admitted that putting them together was ‘dangerous’, but it’s a risk the team in red is willing to take as Ferrari seeks its first title of any kind for six years.

Many people, Webber included, believe Alonso to be the best in the business, especially on a Sunday afternoon; Raikkonen starts with the psychological knowledge of knowing he has already been a Ferrari world champion, back in 2007.

And Kimi doesn’t move over – just ask Romain Grosjean and his engineer!

“I don’t see the reason why it wouldn’t work,” said the Finn in Singapore soon after the news of his return to Maranello broke.

“We are all old enough to know what we are doing and for sure the team is working for the right things to make sure. If there is something, I’m sure we can talk it through. It’s not like we are 20-year old guys any more. I might be wrong, but time will tell, but I’m pretty sure everything will be good.”

Why wouldn’t it be? We’re talking about three world titles, 52 Grand Prix victories, 38 pole positions and 60 fastest laps between them, so they know which way the car has to be pointing.

Switching from red to silver, what about Mercedes? They’ve just dominated the first hit-out of 2014 in Jerez and all seems sweetness and light – but will that continue when it comes down to racing for real?

Hamilton has the edge here: he’s a world champion, after all, with 22 wins to his name, while Rosberg has only just started troubling the scorers with three wins of his own.

Does being the German in a German team count for anything in these international days, or will ex-McLaren man Paddy Lowe balance things out for Lewis now he’s followed him to the Silver Arrows?

Those are the teams likeliest to attract our attention if it’s internal rivalries we want – and no, we haven’t forgotten Red Bull Racing, but it will be a pleasant surprise if the next Aussie in line, Dan Ricciardo, can be as big a nuisance to Vettel straight away as Webber was a couple of years back.

Ricciardo is already on record as saying he wants to learn from the four-time champ. “I want to try and get some success,” he says, “and to do that firstly I have to respect him and then go forward from there.”

If you want a clue to Ricciardo’s thinking, check out the animal portrayed on his helmet. It’s a honey badger, and the sweet name shouldn’t deceive us: he says it’s the most fearless in the animal kingdom, a cute little guy who can turn into a bit of a savage. Was the endlessly smiling driver thinking of the animal in the cockpit?

The Jerez test just gone suggested that Red Bull (and especially Renault) have some catching up to do already in the early days of the ‘new’ Formula 1. All fans will hope, for the sport’s sake, Vettel is seriously challenged, especially as viewing figures dropped because of what Bernie Ecclestone described as “the less than competitive nature of the last few rounds” of the 2013 championship.

Just to remind you, Seb won nine on the trot at season’s end en route to a crushing title win…

Not so long ago we had F1’s ‘Big Five’ in action, meaning Vettel-Webber-Button-Hamilton-Alonso. With Jenson’s McLaren squad in rebuilding mode, we should perhaps discount him as a serious contender and Webber isn’t in the mix any more.

So the quintet this year is likely to be Vettel-Rosberg-Hamilton-Alonso-Raikkonen.

And the inevitable questions are: Can Kimi rattle Seb’s cage in a red car? Is Alonso able to use the Finn’s experience to develop the F14-T into a championship-leading machine from the outset? Is Nico ready to step up another gear into this exalted company?

The odds on Rosberg look very tasty before the season gets under way. He has matured into the real deal, and beneath that urbane exterior there lurks a very fine and determined driver.

But in this uncertain age of power trains and turbo-charging, in the end it could be the team rather than the driver who decides it – and that’s what we shall consider in the second part of our mini-series.

As Webber says, rivalries in sport are awesome…

[OZCUBAN]

MIKA: Denis Napthine.... What a TOSSER he is. Here he is lauding Formula 1 but he has recently made it clear on the news that he will axe the Melbourne Grand Prix after 2015 due to costs to the tax payer. Forget the amount of revenue it does generate for restaurants, hotels, small businesses who are doing it tough.

As soon as there is an election, I will vote against him seeing he was never voted into office anyway by Victorians nor does he really even seem interested in Formula 1 let alone any type of sport.

We'll said Michael could not have said it better he; Denis Napthine says they cannot afford I say can you afford not to have it ,especially in the economic climate here in OZ and more so Victoria enough said

[MIKA27]

Quesnel in the running for Lotus F1 Team Principal role

Former Director Of Competition for Citroën and Peugeot, Sport Olivier Quesnel, has emerged as one of the favourites to take up the post of Lotus Team Principal.

In the aftermath of Eric Boulliers departure from the Enstone outfit to McLaren, L’Equipe reports that Quesnel is top of the list of likely replacements for the role which is now temporarily taken up by Genii boss Gerard Lopez.

Quesnel is a vastly experienced motorsport figure. H to prominence in 1980 when he created Peugeot Talbot Sport with Jean Todt. He has since then had various roles within motorsport, including being a director of the Auto Hebdo weekly magazine.

In 2008 Quesnel was appointed head of Citroën Racing to replace retiring Guy Fréquelin, and enjoyed instant success when the French manufacturer won the 2009 World Rally Championship, enabling Sebastien Loeb’s dominance of the sport until 2012.

At the end of 2008 PSA Peugeot Citroën put Quesnel in charge of their Le Mans 24 hours programme, where he proceeded to lead the team to victory in 2009 along with the WRC title yet again. He departed Citroen Racing in 2012.

He was then appointed Director of Activities with JN Holding Group, in charge of international development related to different endurance championships and motorsport projects.

Along with Quesnel, deposed McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh is also in the running for the F1 role with Lotus.

Meanwhile the team has stated that “no decision has been taken yet” regarding who will lead operations in Bahrain for their first official Formula 1 test, where new signing Pastor Maldonado will make his debut for the team alongside Romain Grosjean in the all new E22.

Lotus was the only team to miss out on the season opening test at Jerez, late last month.