Adam Cooper F1

Esteban Gutierrez looks set to be confirmed shortly for the second Sauber seat after an apparent change of heart by the team management.

The team’s original three-year Mexican sponsorship deals ended this season, and while Gutierrez could offer continued support from his backers, it was understood that Monisha Kaltenborn was not keen to continue the arrangement.

However it seems that with Adrian Sutil signed up and other avenues having been explored Gutierrez was back in favour. The confirmation of Sergio Perez at Force India also allowed Carlos Slim to focus his attention on securing a seat for Gutierrez.

Earlier this week a source close to Gutierrez told this blog: “We are working hard on it.”

Not much has been heard from the Pirelli tyre test in Bahrain this week, despite the presence of four teams and six drivers.

However the silence was broken on the third and final day today when Nico Rosberg used Twitter to report a dramatic incident – and one apparently caused by a tyre failure.

He wrote: “Just spun at full speed 320km/h on bahrain straight cause my tyre blew up without warning. Thanks to that need to get some toilet paper now.”

However the Tweet appeared to be deleted shortly after it was posted.

We await more news from the test with some interest…

After McLaren raided Red Bull’s aero department Mercedes has now head hunted two key engineers from the Milton Keynes team.

Mark Ellis is to be Performance Director, while Giles Wood will be Chief Engineer, Simulation and Development. Both will join in June.

Ellis is in effect returning home previously worked for the team in its BAR Honda guise as Head of Mechanical Design in 2000-2001. After a spell at Jaguar he had another stint in Brackley as Chief Engineer in 2002-2008.

Meanwhile according to rivals Lotus continues to lose personnel. If their contracts have been breached by late payments they can walk straight into new jobs without gardening leave.

Three time Le Mans winner Allan McNish has announced his retirement from the sport.

The news comes shortly after he achieved his target by winning the FIA World Endurance Championship.

McNish’s long career includes a single season of F1 with Toyota in 2002, although he was also an F1 test driver for many years, notably with McLaren during the Honda era. Latterly he has been a key player at Audi, and he will continue to work for the German marque.

I first met Allan in 1987 during his debut season in cars in Formula Ford. At one memorable meeting I covered at Snetterton he pulled off a rare feat by winning both the junior and senior FF1600 championship races on the same day. It marked him out as a man of the future.

“I’ve had a fantastically successful time with Audi and feel it’s the right time to step back from Le Mans sports-prototype racing and to look at other opportunities,” said McNish.

“As a racing driver it’s important to stop [racing] at the right time when I’m still fast and capable of doing the job and the timing feels right after winning Le Mans for a third time this year and claiming the World title.

“This year especially was mega successful, teaming up with Loïc [Duval] for the first time and obviously with long-time co-driver Tom [Kristensen]. We’ve ticked all of the boxes and I ticked my personal ones too but now the time is right to hand over to the young guys.

“I’ve won the championships and races I wanted to win and frankly there’s no better way to end my Audi sportscar race career than going out as a World Champion.

“My fellow Scot and mentor Jackie Stewart knew when to get into things but also knew when to get out and he has taught me that lesson.”

He added: “I celebrate my 44th birthday later this month and I’ve only ever been involved in racing to win. Winning is the sole reason I went racing and the investment of time, energy, mental and physical attention plus the sacrifices for my family can now be adjusted.”

Although he’s achieved a great deal over the years his spell with Audi has been a big part of his career.

“I joined [Audi] in 2000 and immediately found that we each worked in the same way: you either won or lost. If we lost, then we solved the problem. Over the years I won three American Le Mans Series titles, four race wins at Sebring and at Petit Le Mans, scored two wins of my three Le Mans wins with Audi and have now won the World title.

“My success is not just down to me but comes as a result of a huge effort by Audi Sport who gave me the tools and my co-drivers to do the job right. There are some great new drivers coming through and they need an opportunity just like I did. I’m looking forward to being part of Audi Sport in the future to ensure that these young drivers have the same level of fun and success that I have enjoyed over the years.”

The latest 2014 FIA Sporting Regulations outline just how complicated the grid penalty procedure will be once drivers start facing reliability issues.

Previously it was pretty straightforward as drivers were allowed eight engines per season before use of a ninth led to a penalty. Under the new rules they are allowed not five engines, but five sets of six key elements. These can be used in any combination, but once a sixth example of any of those components is used, the penalties start to kick in.

Intriguingly grid penalties can also be carried over to the next event – for example if a driver who qualified 20th gets a five place penalty and only goes back two places he will have to serve the remaining three at the next race. However, this only carries over once.

The rules state: “For the purposes of this Article 28.4 the power unit will be deemed to comprise six separate elements, the engine (ICE), the motor generator unit – kinetic (MGU – K), the motor generator unit – heat (MGU – H), the energy store (ES), turbocharger (TC) and control electronics (CE). Each driver will therefore be permitted to use five of each of the above six components during a Championship season and any combination of them may be fitted to a car at any one time.

“Should a driver use more than five of any one of the elements a grid place penalty will be imposed upon him at the first Event during which each additional element is used.”

The penalties are outlined as follows:

Replacement of a complete power unit: The driver concerned must start the race
from the pit lane

The first time a 6th of any of the elements is used: Ten grid place penalty

The first time a 6th of any of the remaining elements is used: Five grid place penalty

The first time a 7th of any of the elements is used: Ten grid place penalty

The first time a 7th of any of the remaining elements is used, and so on: Five grid place penalty

The rules add: “A power unit or any of the six components will be deemed to have been used once the car’s timing transponder has shown that it has left the pit lane.

“If a grid place penalty is imposed, and the driver’s grid position is such that the full penalty cannot be applied, the remainder of the penalty will be applied at the driver’s next Event. However, no such remaining penalties will be carried forward for more than one Event.”

The stewards also have the power to impose grid penalties for an unsafe release, either for that event for an offence in practice, or for the next if it happens in a race. This will put a premium on teams ensuring that they send cars out with their wheels securely tightened…

The FIA has asked for expressions of interest from potential new F1 teams to join the World Championship in 2015 or beyond.

The fact that a procedure is being put in place suggest that at least one genuine candidate has already been in contact with the FIA and/or Bernie Ecclestone.

The news also comes at a time when several existing teams are in serious danger of collapse, and the new procedure opens up the possibility of filling the gaps – perhaps with a team that grows out of, or uses the assets of, a failed team. If a current team goes into liquidation it loses its historical commercial rights, and in effect has to start afresh.

The FIA is vague about how many places there might be, referring to candidates in both the singular and plural. However, the pdf of the official application document is titled “12th Team Call.”

A note on the governing body’s website said: “The FIA has decided to open a new selection process to identify a candidate team to participate at a competitive level in the FIA Formula One World Championship from the start of the 2015 or the 2016 season up to 2020 inclusive. The overall long-term interests of the Championship will determine which candidates are selected.

“The precise terms of this selection process, together with the applicable selection criteria, deadlines, legal requirements and other conditions, will be communicated to candidates who have registered a formal expression of interest with the FIA’s Secretariat before 5pm CET Friday 3 January 2014.”

The formal application noted: “All applicants will be expected to undergo thorough due diligence. By way of indication only, the applicable selection criteria will include: (a) the technical ability and resources of the team; (b) the ability of the team to raise and maintain sufficient funding to allow participation in the Championship at a competitive level; (c) the team’s experience and human resources; (d) the FIA’s assessment of the value that the candidate may bring to the Championship as a whole.

“By way of indication only, the FIA anticipates that full applications will need to be submitted by 10 February 2014, leading to a decision on 28 February 2014. In the event that no applicant is considered suitable by both the FIA and the commercial rights holder, no additional team will be selected.”

More information can be found here: http://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/basicpage/file/131112_12th%20Team%20Call%20%28final%29_clean.pdf

Ferrari has confirmed that Pedro de la Rosa and Jules Bianchi will take part in next week’s Pirelli test in Bahrain.

The team says that the Spaniard will use the test to continue his job of improving the correlation between the Maranello simulator and the track.

“While the data management and the daily schedule will be defined by Pirelli, De La Rosa’s work at the wheel of the F138 over the first two days will be important in terms of defining the continuation of the simulator development work began by the Spaniard in 2013,” read a statement. “As for Bianchi, he drives on the final day and with a nod to the activity surrounding young driver development undertaken by the Ferrari Driver Academy, it will be an opportunity to demonstrate the progress he has made this year in Formula 1.”

Mercedes, Red Bull and Toro Rosso are also attending the test, with McLaren and Force India having cancelled their plans to attend.