Adam Cooper F1

Lotus has confirmed that Kimi Raikkonen underwent a successful operation yesterday, and is now starting the recovery process.

A short statement said: “As planned, Kimi Räikkönen underwent back surgery yesterday at The University Hospital of Strasbourg. Lotus F1 Team is happy to report that the operation was totally successful, according to Professor Afshin Gangi.

“Kimi will now rest for a few days and he will start his recovery process as early as next week. Everyone at the track and at Enstone wishes him a quick recovery.”

Lotus has finally confirmed that Heikki Kovalainen will compete in the last two races of the season in car number seven.

Eric Boullier said that the team had considered Davide Valsecchi, but made no mention of dealings with Nico Hulkenberg or a somewhat ambitious request to Michael Schumacher.

Boullier said: “Obviously we had to move quickly following the news of Kimi’s non-participation in the final two races of this season, and we found ourselves facing a difficult decision in terms of who should take the wheel in Austin and São Paulo.

“On the one hand we had our reserve driver Davide Valsecchi – who is a talented young driver that has shown a great deal of promise – and on the other we had the opportunity to bring in a seasoned Formula 1 competitor in Heikki.

“Whilst we have every faith in Davide’s abilities, we are obviously involved in a tight Constructors’ Championship battle, so it was decided that the experience Heikki could bring to the team would be invaluable as we aim to finish the year in the best position possible. We must thank Tony Fernandes and Caterham F1 Team for their professional conduct in allowing Heikki to join us for the final races of this season.”

Kovalainen said: “It is a fantastic opportunity for me to join Lotus F1 Team for the final two races of 2013. We’ve seen this year that the E21 is a car which can win races and finish on the podium, so I will be pushing hard for the best results possible.

“Jumping into a car so late in the year when you have not been competing in the races all season will be a challenge, but I know the team at Enstone well so I have no concerns about getting up to speed. This is a great opportunity for me, so I would like to thank Tony Fernandes and Caterham F1 Team for allowing me to take advantage of it.”

Meanwhile Kovalainen remains in the frame for a 2014 Caterham seat. Team boss Cyril Abiteboul said: “We were asked by Lotus F1 Team if we could release Heikki from his contract with us for the final two races of 2013 and we are pleased that we can help to give him the chance to race again in 2013. He is a valued member of the Caterham family and we’re sure that he’ll do a good job in the USA and Brazil.”

McLaren has confirmed that Kevin Magnussen will race alongside Jenson Button in 2014.

The news comes as no surprise after the Dane emerged as a serious candidate over the past few weeks. The team is clearly hoping that he will emulate Lewis Hamilton, the last protege to be promoted to a race seat.

Magnussen said: “I’m absolutely overjoyed to be making my Formula 1 debut with McLaren. I’ll put it simply: this team is the best. It’s been my dream to drive for McLaren ever since I was a small kid, and it’s no exaggeration to say that I’ve dedicated almost every day of my life to achieving the goal of becoming a McLaren Formula 1 driver.

“I have an enormous amount of respect for everyone at McLaren, and I want to say a massive ‘thank you’ to everyone, but most of all to Martin and his senior colleagues, for giving me this chance. I won’t let you down, guys!

“Equally, in Jenson, I have absolutely the ideal team-mate. He’s extremely quick, obviously, but he’s also very experienced and superbly capable from a technical perspective. He’s a Formula 1 world champion, which is what one day I also hope to become, and I’m determined to learn as much as I can from him.”

Martin Whitmarsh added: “We’re delighted that Kevin will be joining Jenson as a McLaren Formula 1 race driver for 2014. Their confirmation is an important step for us as we continue to strengthen our organisation ahead of the 2014 season.

“Next year, we’ll witness the biggest raft of technical changes to Formula 1 in many years, and every team and manufacturer will be pushed to the limit as they try their best to adapt to those new challenges.

“Jenson’s race-winning speed, intelligence and racecraft have long been a crucial advantage to McLaren, but it’s his skill as a development driver and his peerless technical feedback that will be equally valuable as we make the transition into a new and complex technical formula during the winter and new year.

“Kevin, too, is clearly very talented and very determined, and we therefore have high hopes for him. Moreover, every time he’s tested our Formula 1 car, he’s been very quick and very methodical, and his feedback has been first-class.

“Furthermore, the manner in which he won this year’s World Series by Renault 3.5 Championship was truly outstanding, showcasing as it did not only his impressive natural pace but also his increasing maturity and ability to structure and manage a championship campaign.

“Last but very far from least, I want to take this opportunity to thank Checo, who has developed well during a difficult season, as his recent run of points-scoring finishes underlines. He’s a lovely guy and a fine driver – fast and combative – and I’m sure he’ll build on that firm foundation in 2014. All at McLaren wish him well for the future.”

David Ward has withdrawn from the FIA election after failing to get the required support from members for his nomination – which means that President Jean Todt will now be unopposed and thus has four more years at the helm of the FIA.

Ward had written to the FIA confirming his withdrawal, and took the opportunity to point out the perceived flaws in the system that did not allow him to take part in the election. It’s been clear for some weeks that the letters of support Todt obtained while touring the regions on FIA business earlier this year would make it almost impossible for a second candidate to be nominated.

The fact that a respected FIA insider with a 20-year history with the organisation can’t get as far as the voting process does seem to suggest that the system needs to be looked at…

Ward’s letter is reproduced in full here:

I am writing to confirm my withdrawal as a candidate in the 2013 FIA Presidential election. It has not proved possible for me to secure the required number of regional Vice Presidents for Sport to ensure the eligibility of my list. I, therefore, would like to offer my congratulations to Jean Todt who will secure a second term uncontested, if not unopposed.

As I explained when I launched my candidacy in September, my reason for standing has been to promote transparency, accountability and democracy in the FIA. For many years the FIA has struggled with governance reform. All too often it takes one step forward and then two steps back. This is clear from the current election which is being run on a shorter presidential list than the 2009 but which is offset by a new requirement for 26 nominating clubs. The 2009 eligibility threshold was 23 but has now risen to 37 which is the highest ever in the history of the FIA.

The need to obtain seven Vice Presidents for Sport has given control over whether or not there can be a contested election at all to the FIA’s sport regions. Moreover the use of support agreements in advance of the election makes it very hard for any candidate to obtain the required Vice Presidents for their list. In the FIA’s North American region eleven out of the twelve clubs signed an agreement to support Jean Todt in March. This left only one club available to provide a Vice President for my list. Clubs from the region that are sympathetic to my candidacy would have to break their previous pledge of support. It is understandable that they have been reluctant to do so.

Fortunately some clubs have understood the need for change. Statute amendments have been submitted to the General Assembly to delete Vice Presidents of Sport from the presidential list and cut the number of club nominations. If passed the eligibility requirement for future FIA elections would be just seven. This would encourage multiple candidates to stand and restore fairness to the FIA election system.

The statute changes would also give sport regions the right to directly elect their own Vice Presidents for Sport. This would strengthen their accountability to the regions that elect them. According to the Senate President Nick Craw, “the idea of electing Sport VPs democratically is not practical”. I strongly disagree with this. It is perfectly practical to be democratic. The FIA’s Vice Presidents for Mobility are elected in this way; so are the Regional Presidents of the Federation Internationale de Motorcylisme (FIM). The reason why the FIA leadership finds democracy impractical is that they fear it would be less easy for them to control regions that elect their own leaders.

The current FIA model is government of the leadership, by the leadership, for the leadership. I think it would be better if they took their inspiration from President Lincoln. The FIA’s government should be of the clubs, by the clubs, and for the clubs.

I believe greater democracy among the clubs and their regions is essential to the future growth and vitality of the FIA. This is particularly important in a world in which mobility and motor sport will grow fastest in the newly motorising economies of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.

These are the regions where elected Vice Presidents can develop the skills and experience needed for higher office. Then, as happened in the FIM a few years ago, perhaps a non-European can be elected as FIA President.

My candidacy in the 2013 election has not been motivated by a burning ambition to serve as President of the FIA. My clear preference would be for a club President to be elected to that role, supported by the appointment of a new Chief Executive. That is why I have described myself as a reluctant candidate. What I have tried to do is to encourage debate about the flaws that exist in the FIA’s governance system. I am satisfied that I have succeeded in that. Indeed I have received many supportive comments about my manifesto ‘Agenda for Change’ and I hope the ideas it contains will serve as a catalyst for further reform.

If the statute amendments are passed on 6th December the FIA will have taken a significant step towards a more democratic future. I very much hope that the amendments will not ‘talked out’ by the leadership in the World Councils, but voted on by secret ballot in the General Assembly.

Whatever the outcome, I think progress in the governance of the FIA is inevitable. We are living in an age of transparency with new demands for accountability from governments, corporations and sports federations alike.

Last week the new President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach speaking in the UN General Assembly said that sports organisations need to justify their autonomy and demonstrate good governance.

He explained that the IOC’s Universal Principles of Good Governance of the Olympic Movement should be accepted as a minimum standard at all levels of sport. I fully agree with President Bach and urge the FIA membership to study the Universal Principles carefully and use them to guide further reform to improve the FIA’s transparency, accountability and democracy.

I have had the privilege to work in various capacities with the FIA and the FIA Foundation for twenty years. It has been a very rewarding experience both professionally and personally. I would like to especially thank the supporters of my campaign, the clubs willing to nominate me, and all those who encouraged me to stand. For me it has been a very positive experience. I wish all my friends and colleagues in the very best of luck as you continue to develop the FIA’s vital role promoting motor sport and mobility around the world.

McLaren has responded to the statement from Sergio Perez with some words from Martin Whitmarsh, although there is no reference to the Mexican’s on track performance.

Whitmarsh said: “First of all, we would like to thank Checo for his kind and gracious statement, and for being a fine team member during the 2013 Formula 1 season. There are still two grands prix yet to run this year, and our collective focus is on scoring as many points as we can in those two remaining races.

“Checo has made many friends during his time at McLaren – and, together, as a team, we intend to do our utmost to help him finish his year with us with two good results, especially here in Austin, where he has so many fans. We wish him well for the future, and are sure that he will have many successes ahead of him.

“As regards our driver line-up for next year, no 2014 deal has yet been signed with any driver except Jenson, and we therefore have nothing further to announce at this time. As and when that situation progresses, we will make a further announcement accordingly.”

Whichever you look at it the Perez episode represents a failure by McLaren. Either they got the wrong guy or they failed to get the best out of him…

Sergio Perez has confirmed his departure from McLaren by issuing a statement via Twitter.

McLaren appears to have copied Ferrari’s choice with Felipe Massa by allowing its driver to announce his exit before any formal statement from the team, as it’s hard to believe that he will have issued it without first consulting the team. Nevertheless the affair had dragged on for longer than it needed to.

The timing is awkward for McLaren to say the least, given the huge number of Mexican fans expected in Austin this weekend. At least the questions about if he is going are out of the way. Now they will be more focussed in why he is going….

Heikki Kovalainen looks set to get the Lotus drive for the final two races after negotiations with Nico Hulkenberg came to nothing, with Finland’s MTV saying that the deal is done.

The choice makes obvious sense given that the team has to score points in the final two races, and if it cannot headhunt a driver from another team, even as part of a build-up to 2014, then Kovalainen is the logical option.

He knows the Enstone team well having driven for it under the Renault name in 2007, and since then he has talked several times about a return. Perhaps most importantly he is ‘match fit’ after running six FP1s for Caterham, most recently in Suzuka and Abu Dhabi. He knows the 2013 Pirellis and is totally familiar with the Renault engine and its systems.

He doesn’t have a manager and can thus negotiate directly with the team without any baggage involved. He’s also close to Kimi Raikkonen and may well have been been given a heads-up about Kimi’s plans, allowing him to get his name in the frame early on.

He obviously has a contract with Caterham, but one assumes that the team would not stand in his way, even if it is still considering Heikki as a 2014 race driver – it would clearly do him no harm to return to Caterham having got up to speed by doing a couple of races.

Nico Hulkenberg’s manager Werner Heinz says that the German has turned down the chance to drive for Lotus in the last two races.

Hulkenberg had got as far as visiting Enstone.

“We had an offer from Lotus are available and have discussed about it,” Heinz told Bild. “But we decided that Nico will drive the last two races with Sauber.”

Sauber’s late salary payments would presumably have allowed Hulkenberg to break free of his contractual obligations, although it might still have been complicated legally. Nico may also believe that he might be better off staying with what he knows for the last two races rather than jumping into a new car at short notice. It also begs the question of whether or not the deal led into a guaranteed seat for 2014.