Category Archives: Grand Prix News

January 30, 2015 · 10:18 am

Sauber learned from last season, says Kaltenborn

Not many major sponsors feature on the new C34

Not many major sponsors feature on the new C34

Sauber boss Monisha Kaltenborn says that the Swiss team has learned from its difficult 2014 season, and she remains confident that the team will make progress with the new C34.

Sauber slipped to 10th in the World Championship last season after failing to score a point.

“2014 was a very disappointing year,” said Kaltenborn. “However, this is in the past, and we now focus on what comes next. We have learned our lessons and are confident for the new season. We have to improve, and be able to fight for championship points.

“For the Sauber F1 Team 2015 is its 23rd season in F1; it is the fourth oldest of the current brands.”

She has faith in the new driver combination: “I am delighted about our two new drivers who bring a breath of fresh air. Both are young, talented and highly motivated. On their way to Formula 1 both stood out through victories in Formula BMW and Formula 3. Both then finished this career progression off in the GP2-Series. While Marcus looks back to one season in F1, Felipe will have his rookie year in which he comes fully prepared due to his role as test and reserve driver at Williams last year. I feel confident with regard to our drivers.”

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January 30, 2015 · 9:06 am

Sauber shows its new look on the C34

A new look for Sauber

A new look for Sauber


Sauber has unveiled its new C34, which will be driven this year by the new pairing of Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr.

As announced in November Nasr’s longtime sponsor, Banco do Brasil, features heavily in the new livery. Ericsson will drive the car at Jerez on Sunday.

Sauber says that chief designer Eric Gandelin focussed on performance in slow corners, weight reduction and braking stability.

Outlining some of the key changes, the team said: “The sidepods of the new Sauber C34, are now slimmer than those of the Sauber C33, despite higher cooling requirements from the new power unit. This has been made possible by modifications to the attachment of the side crash elements. In addition, the architecture of the radiators, which are now positioned horizontally, has been fundamentally revised.

“The engineers also paid great attention to the flexibility of the cooling system, which can be adapted precisely – and individually for the various components – to the ambient temperature and circuit characteristics. For example, small air vents on the side of the cockpit are only used in certain situations. Beyond this, the rear section as a whole is  less voluminous, which benefits aerodynamic efficiency.

“In terms of its concept, the engine is very much comparable with last year’s, but its architecture has changed significantly, necessitating numerous adjustments to the chassis.

“The exhaust tailpipe is again positioned centrally between two pylons, though they are no longer supported by the rear crash element, but by the gearbox housing.

“The spring and damper elements at the rear axle are again pullrod-actuated, but otherwise this is a totally new construction with separate lower wishbone legs. In addition, the engineers worked on improving the mechanical traction. Besides a number of other parts, there will be optimised gear ratios to support this effort.”

Sauber C34 Nose

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January 29, 2015 · 8:31 pm

Will McLaren change its livery for start of the season?

The MP4-30 seems to shout 'Mercedes' more than 'Honda...

The MP4-30 seems to shout ‘Mercedes’ more than ‘Honda’…

After rumours that the car would be black McLaren’s silver/grey livery caused something of a stir today, with many observers surprised that the team opted for colours that were so closely connected with the team’s partnership with Mercedes from 1997 to 2014.

The team noted that the MP4-30 “features an evolved colour scheme that firmly contextualises McLaren’s brand in the 21st century.” At first glance it would appear that Ron Dennis is convinced that the world associates the current livery with McLaren as a team, and not Mercedes, even if others in the camp may believe differently.

However this writer understands that while the team has not stated that what we saw today is an interim or testing livery, the car could yet look different by the first race in Melbourne – and at the very least the option still exists to change.

It’s worth noting too that while Santander remains on the team’s website it did not feature on the car or drivers today. Apparently negotiations are still ongoing, and the death last September of the company’s former boss and huge F1/Alonso fan Emilio Boton may have complicated matters. Intriguingly Jenson Button Tweeted recently that he was filming a Santander ad.

It remains to be seen whether a new deal with Santander or perhaps another yet-to-be-announced sponsor means that what we saw today is a temporary livery that was a quick and easy solution for the launch.

It was certainly one that will match the transporters and so on that will be in the paddock at the three upcoming tests in Spain. If there is a late change of car livery before Australia then there is plenty of time to repaint the transporters before they are next seen again at the Spanish GP in May.

Meanwhile a pre-Melbourne reveal of an all-new livery would be a second bite of the PR cherry for both the team and Honda.

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January 29, 2015 · 5:59 pm

First official look at the Mercedes W06

The new Mercedes ran at Silverstone today

The new Mercedes ran at Silverstone today


Mercedes has released the first official picture of the new W06 after the car was shaken down during a promotional day at a damp and cold Silverstone.

It became the second 2015 car to run after the Toro Rosso STR10 took to the track at Misano on Wednesday.

Merc W06 2

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January 29, 2015 · 1:39 pm

Video: Fernando Alonso on McLaren and Honda

Fernando Alonso’s return to McLaren is one of the biggest stories of the 2015 season. Here’s what he has to say about the team and the new relationship with Honda.

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January 29, 2015 · 12:59 pm

Jenson Button: “I’ve never seen such motivation amongst the guys…”

Jenson Button says the team is fully motivated

Jenson Button says the team is fully motivated

An upbeat Jenson Button says that the new partnership with Honda has been a massive motivational boost to the whole McLaren team.

However Button, who knows the Japanese company well from his BAR/Honda days, conceded that it won’t be easy.

“The off-season has really brought about a sense of renewal coming into 2015,” he said. “Continuing my relationship with McLaren, getting married, and now embarking on such an exciting chapter: McLaren’s new partnership with Honda. I’ve trained hard over the winter, and I’m absolutely itching to get going in the new McLaren-Honda MP4-30.

“It’s been interesting to spend time in the factory during the past few weeks: you can really sense a feeling of reignited optimism and positivity around the building. I’ve never seen such motivation amongst the guys – we’re all massively keen to get going in Jerez and to work hard on developing our new car.

“But we’re under no illusion that it will be easy – there’s a huge challenge ahead of us to try to pull back the gap to our rivals, but we’re certainly up for it. We ended last season with great momentum and clear progress, and I’m determined to carry that forward into 2015.

“I’m also looking forward to working with my new team-mate, Fernando, and I’m confident that our joint experience on track will pay dividends in our development race to get our team back to the front of the grid. I’m hugely motivated to make more history in this new McLaren-Honda era.”

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January 29, 2015 · 12:40 pm

Fernando Alonso: “I’ve never felt better or more ready…”

Alonso is raring to go in 2015...

Alonso is raring to go in 2015…

Fernando Alonso says he has “never felt better” ahead of a new season as he prepares for his return to McLaren.

The Spaniard acknowledges that there’s still a lot of learning to do.

“Although the winter period is a time for rest and relaxation from racing, my motivation could not be stronger for the new season,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of training during the winter break, to reach my peak physical fitness, and I’ve been working hard in preparation for this new era of McLaren-Honda. I’ve never felt better, or more ready for a new season.

“Of course, we’re prepared for a steep learning curve, but it’s clear to see that inside McLaren-Honda there’s total commitment, and a real change in feeling, as we start this new partnership. We’re all focused on the challenge ahead, and I feel extremely honoured to be part of a relationship that has shared so much history together. My aim is to help write a new chapter in the history of McLaren-Honda.

“We understand the effort and teamwork required to take McLaren-Honda back to where it should be, at the front of the grid, and all our energy as a team is focused on that goal.”
Alonso says he expects winter testing to be challenging for the new partnership.

“Our first target will be to learn the maximum from the car at the pre-season tests, understand the package, and extract as much performance as possible. That won’t be easy or trouble-free, but we’re ready for that. Why? Because our key focus will be on development.

“Historically, McLaren has already been characterised by its ability to bring updates to the car quickly, and develop a strong package. It’s going to be a real privilege to be the first person to drive the new McLaren-Honda MP4-30 at Jerez, and I can’t wait to begin what I’m certain will be a very exciting new chapter in my career. I’m as motivated now as I was when I was given my first opportunity at the wheel of an F1 car.”

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January 29, 2015 · 12:04 pm

It’s here at last – the McLaren-Honda MP4-30

The MP4-30 is here at last

The MP4-30 is here at last

McLaren has released pictures of the eagerly awaited MP4-30, the first car from the Woking team to feature a Honda power unit since 1992.

It’s also the first to feature the input of former Red Bull Racing aero chief Peter Prodromou, who rejoined the team late last year, and holds the title of chief engineer.

The other key players behind the new car include technical director Tim Goss, director of engineering Matt Morris, and director of design and development programmes, Neil Oatley.

Ron Dennis said: “McLaren-Honda is a partnership focused on performance, technology and innovation, and there’s no better example of that than the results achieved in our first collaboration in the 1980s and 1990s. I was Team Principal all those years ago and, while I don’t tend to like looking back to the past, our previous record of sustained success was certainly instrumental in creating the confidence to make the decision to partner with Honda again. Now, there’s real hunger to demonstrate the capabilities of the huge talent pool we share between us, and I’m totally committed to driving progress and achieving further success.
 
“Although our renewed alliance began again many months ago, the launch of the McLaren-Honda MP4-30 marks the start of a lengthy journey. We’ve come a long way already and, although there’s a lot of work to do before we can expect to repeat the level of success we enjoyed together 25-or-so years ago, it’s already clear that there’s enormous synergy and potential in our partnership, and I’m positive that, together, we’ll get to where we want to be: winning Grands Prix and eventually World Championships as McLaren-Honda.”

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January 28, 2015 · 11:24 am

Force India opts not to run old car in Jerez

Force India has confirmed that it will skip the Jerez test completely, and focus instead on the second test of the season in Barcelona.

The team revealed some time ago that the new VJM08 would not be ready for Jerez, but it had been expected that the old VJM07 would be used. However the car would have run a 2014 power unit and it was decided that there would be little to gain by doing the test.

The team said on Twitter: “We have chosen not to run the old (2014) car in Jerez. The learning opportunities would have been limited so the focus is now on Barcelona.”

Force India does of course use a Mercedes gearbox as well as the power unit, so a significant chunk of the new car will be tested by the works team in Jerez.

With Force India, Caterham and Marussia all absent only eight teams will be in Jerez.

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January 28, 2015 · 10:10 am

Williams confirms Lynn as development driver

GP3 champion Alex Lynn has joined Williams as the team’s development driver, in addition to his already announced GP2 programme with DAMS.

He has been in the frame since the end of last season, when he lost out to Carlos Sainz for the second Toro Rosso drive. With both RBR and STR likely to be full up for the foreseeable future he has now severed all ties with Red Bull, as there was not much point in staying on.

The team says that his primary role “will be using the team’s simulation tools to help with the ongoing development of the Williams Mercedes FW37 and assisting the race engineers in setting up the car for each Grand Prix.” He will also do a day of testing at the Barcelona test, after the Spanish GP.

Claire Williams said: “Williams has a strong track record in bringing young talent though the ranks and our Development Driver position is designed to fully immerse new recruits into the inner workings of a Formula One team. As a British team we are always on the lookout for emerging home-grown talent and Alex has caught our eye with his impressive performances in GP3. He has been chosen on merit and we are confident that alongside Felipe, Valtteri and Susie, Alex will help play an important role in making sure that the FW37 shows continuous improvement over the course of the 2015 season.”

“Over the past year the team has made huge strides forward and it’s clear to see their determination to fight for more success in the future,” said Lynn. “I hope that with a strong year in GP2, while also helping to develop the F1 car throughout this season, I can follow in the footsteps of Valtteri Bottas who joined the Williams team in exactly the same Development Driver role. Through hard work and determination, he has gone from winning the GP3 title to earning his place as a Williams F1 race driver.

“Working with people like Sir Frank Williams and Pat Symonds is an incredible opportunity for me. There is so much experience here at Williams and I hope to be able to use the knowledge gained from these people to further develop my skills as a racing driver and respected member of this team. Everyone has been incredibly welcoming from the outset, we have hit the ground running and I am very excited about the challenges this role offers – particularly my on track activities driving the FW37 in a few months time.”

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