Nico Rosberg logged another podium with third place in Abu Dhabi, having run second in the first part of the race until he lost out to Mark Webber. Here’s what he has to say about his weekend.
Hospital check for Alonso after heavy bump over kerbs
Fernando Alonso has gone for a hospital check-up after bouncing over the kerbs while battling with Jean-Eric Vergne in Abu Dhabi.
The jolt was hard enough to set off the FIA-mandated g-force alarm, which means a compulsory medical check-up for the driver.
Alonso admitted afterwards that he felt some back pain, and after a check at the circuit medical centre he went for further investigations at the local hospital.
“I still have all the teeth after the bump,” he joked after the race. “And the back is obviously in pain a little bit now. It was a big hit. We have the alarm on the chassis, after a minimum of g-forces there is this alarm on the chassis for big crashes, for the medical car etc. And the chassis has this alarm now in parc ferme, so for sure it was a big hit. Hopefully I’m OK for Austin and Brazil.”
Meanwhile following an FIA investigation no action was taken on the incident.
Update: Alonso left the hospital at around 11pm local time, and Ferrari says he is OK.
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Raikkonen sent to the back of the grid
Kimi Raikkonen has been excluded from qualifying after his car failed a floor deflection test in Abu Dhabi. He will be allowed to start from the back of the grid. He also has the option to drop out of parc ferme, make ste-up changes, and start from the pit lane.
In Hungary a similar thing happened with Romain Grosjean, but the stewards accepted that the floor was damaged.
However this time the circumstances were different – in effect it was not the first time it had happened – and thus the car was deemed to have failed to comply with the regulations.
They notes: “The stewards heard the explanation of the team that the relevant part broke upon contact with a kerb. However, the stewards did not accept that the incident referred to constituted an accident, or excused failing relevant test.”
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Ross Brawn: Wishbone failure caused Hamilton spin
Lewis Hamilton’s spin in Q3 in Abu Dhabi was caused by a right rear suspension failure, Ross Brawn has confirmed.
Hamilton was on a strong lap at the time, and still held on to fourth place with his time from earlier in the session.
“It was a little bit of an unusual event because Lewis had got out of the corner when he lost control of the car,” said Brawn. “When we’d got the car back we’d fractured a wishbone, one of the wishbones had broken. That’s why he lost control of the car. We think we can sort it out. Obviously it’s a circuit where there’s a lot of grief over the kerbs and so on, so we’re going back through all the data to try and understand what may have provoked it, because it’s obviously a system we’ve had for a long time with no problems.
“It may be an issue with that particular part, or it may be an issue with the way we’ve taken some kerbs or some particular event. So we’re poring over all the data. I don’t think there’s any high risk for tomorrow, and we should be able to fix it within parc ferme and race OK tomorrow.
“As soon as it became clear we had a problem… We had a lot of people in the office anyway, but a lot of the specialists came in and they’re looking through all the data now to see where we have have induced the problem, and then we can advise the drivers to avoid that, if it is a particular event. It’s pretty violent here over some of the kerbs, and you probably saw Lewis the run before had quite an event over one of the kerbs.
“We’re really comfortable with the suspension system because it’s one we’ve had all year with no particular problems. Something’s happened here that’s aggravated it, and we’ll check Nico’s car and understand what’s happened.”
Asked by this writer if there were concerns about gearbox suspension mountings – which could result in a five-place penalty if a change was required – Ross didn’t think it would be an issue: “I don’t think so, no, but that’s obviously something we’ve got to check out tonight and tomorrow morning. But so far it doesn’t look to be a problem.”
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Mexico, New Jersey both off 2014 F1 schedule
The Mexican and New Jersey races that currently figure on the 2014 F1 World Championship calendar will both be absent from the final version when it emerges from the FIA World Motor Sport Council in December.
Sources have confirmed that Mexico is definitely off. While Bernie Ecclestone would not officially confirm to this writer that the race has been cancelled, he made it clear that the challenges of building a new pit complex in time for next November had proved insurmountable.
Hermann Tilke has been charged with creating the new pit and paddock area, as well as making some relatively minor changes to the layout of the track.
With Mexico gone there is now a gap of two free weekends between Austin and the season closer in Brazil, which could lead to some reshuffling.
The loss of New Jersey is no great surprise, given that the race was already dropped from this season’s calendar and had been given a logistically challenging 2014 date sandwiched between Monaco and Canada. Promoter Leo Hindery has yet to source sufficient financial backing.
“New Jersey won’t happen because they still haven’t got the finance together for that,” Ecclestone told this blog. “I put it on the calendar because they keep telling me it’s all going to happen.”
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Kimi Raikkonen: “You have to put the line somewhere…”
Kimi Raikkonen said today he only came to the Abu Dhabi GP because he believes that he’s come to an “understanding” with the Lotus team on his unpaid salary – but the Finn also made it clear that he could yet not complete the season.
Not for the first time Raikkonen failed to show up at the track on Thursday, leaving his arrival until the last minute amid speculation that he would boycott the race. Raikkonen endured a similar saga last year, but was eventually paid.
“I came here only because hopefully we found an understanding on certain issues we’ve been having,” the Finn explained. “Hopefully it’s been fixed and we can finish the season as well as we can.”
Asked whether he would consider not racing if the issues weren’t resolved he said: “Yeah, for sure. I enjoy racing, I enjoy driving. But a big part of it is business, and when that’s not dealt with like it should we end up in an unfortunate situation. I mean you have to put the line somewhere, and if it goes over that, it’s not really my fault any more.
“Everybody has their own view, their own ideas of everything. Sometimes it’s not very nice when you hear that you are, not really a team player, but you don’t have the interests of the team [at heart], and you’ve been paid zero euros the whole year. It doesn’t put you in the most best place. But that’s how it goes. Hopefully as I said we’ve found an understanding on both sides on how we should deal with the situation right now and fix the issues, and try to finish as well as we can.
“Like I said we all want to enjoy it and do well, and unfortunately a big part of it is business, and sometimes when it’s not fixed it can be painful, but that’s how it is.”
Raikkonen also played down the controversial four letter ‘get out of the way’ instruction he received at the Indian GP.
“It’s a small part of it. Those things shouldn’t happen, but unfortunately it happened. That’s not really the issue. It’s the other stuff, and obviously all the things come together in the end.”
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Gerard Lopez on Raikkonen: “Kimi is often misunderstood…”
The relationship between Kimi Raikkonen and the Lotus team has been in the spotlight of late, not least because of the controversial radio message in India, when the Finn was told to get out of Romain Grosjean’s way. Meanwhile the ongoing saga of the team’s failure to pay its star driver has put a firm focus on the financial situation. Today Lotus responded by issuing an interesting Q&A with co-owner Gerard Lopez – featured here are the questions that relate to Raikkonen.
Q: How is the relationship with Kimi?
“Good. I speak with Kimi more than a lot of people probably realise and we rarely speak about Formula 1. Of course, recently a lot was made about the comments between Alan Permane and Kimi during the course of a tense moment in a race, but this was just one exchange taking a matter of seconds in the course of a two-year relationship. It certainly wasn’t the most beneficial few seconds, but you have to step back and accept that everyone is passionate about racing and sometimes these things do happen.”
Q: What is Kimi like to work with?
“From my perspective, Kimi is often misunderstood. He’s actually a very talkative, very friendly guy. One of the unfortunate things about being in the limelight is that people are always trying to make it look like there are huge fights going on. For instance, we discussed the fact that Kimi was signing for Ferrari between the two of us and it was a very frank discussion. It was factual, emotional at the same time and although it’s funny to say, he’s a very human human-being. The whole Iceman thing actually prevails on the track from where he is very cool-headed and a very good driver. In reality he’s a kind guy, he’s a very talkative guy and over the two years I’ve gained a friend in Formula 1, which is a difficult place to do so.”
Q: Did Kimi’s announcement that he was going to Ferrari change the relationship?
“For a long time we had the opportunity to keep him in our hands, but we weren’t able to operate to the timeframe – or make the offer – that Ferrari were able to do. For me this brought sadness, as it’s like prodigal son leaving us. When we signed him there was a lot of criticism and a lot of disbelief. There were some people who were saying that he still had it in him and that he was one of the best Formula 1 drivers out there, but at the same time there were many people who were saying that he couldn’t do it, that he was overweight, this, that and the other. But we believed in him and he delivered big time. The only reason we’re fighting for second in the World Championship is because of all the points that Kimi has scored. We’re doing everything we can to ensure Kimi and the team can continue to fight right up to the chequered flag in Brazil.”
Q: What has Kimi brought to the team over the past two years?
“He’s been a number of things to the team; some of which have been quite obvious to people, and others which are less obvious. The first thing that Kimi did was to remove any excuses from the team. We knew we had one of the best ever drivers in Formula 1 and as a result of that there was no escape from whether the cars were good enough. With Kimi we knew we had a benchmark. This gave people the belief that whatever we put on the car or put into development, was going to get maximised on the race track. That is very motivating for anyone working in the team and in the factory; the fact that you know you’re putting all this effort into making something which you can transform into performance on the track. The second thing he did was match really well with who we are as a culture. We are at the pinnacle of motorsport and we are a very serious, hardworking team, but nobody in the team considers Formula 1 to be an elite club in which you cannot have fun, and we have a pretty relaxed attitude on a number of things; for sure not on performance, and for sure not on development. It’s not as clinical as other teams, and he fits right into that. For us essentially he was the perfect puzzle piece and for him I think it was a perfect fit. I still think it’s one of the best partnerships in Formula 1. The third thing he did is helped Romain to develop as a driver in a way he perhaps wouldn’t have otherwise. Had Romain been next to a more junior driver, or a less capable driver, we probably would still not know how good Romain is. For Romain to be delivering the results he is doing so now, it’s really very much because he is driving next to probably one of the best Formula 1 drivers ever. Kimi has been a tremendous help in the development of Romain.”
Q: Will the team and you miss Kimi?
“The fact is he will be missed and I really think that this is one of those partnerships in Formula 1 that is – and will be remembered as being – very, very special. It’s difficult to think about the fact he’s not going to be in our black and gold car next year. I think he feels the same way. There’s no such thing as regrets, but there is such a thing as sadness even if disguised sometimes… he will be missed, and from what I’ve discussed with him he will miss this team. It doesn’t take anything away from the relationship and it doesn’t take anything away from the fact that I certainly gained a friend and that will continue to exist.”
Q: What do you think the future will hold for Kimi?
“I think Kimi will do a good job at Ferrari. We’ve seen what he is capable of so we know what a formidable force he can be.”
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Ward takes on Todt over FIA’s failure to follow IOC standards
FIA presidential candidate David Ward has taken another shot at rival Jean Todt by pointing out discrepancies between the way the FIA operates and the guidelines laid down by the International Olympic Committee.
Todt sees his successful efforts at getting the FIA recognised by the IOC as one of his biggest achievements.
However, Ward has written to FIA member clubs to point out the apparent anomalies in the arrangement.
Ward wrote: “Jean Todt claims that, ‘Membership of this family of international sports organisations once again proves that the FIA can now boast the highest standards of governance.‘ For this claim to be true one would expect that the FIA fully respects the standards set out in the IOC’s ‘Basic Universal Principles of Good Government of the Olympic and Sports Movement’ and also that the newly created Ethics Committee would be structured along identical lines to the IOC’s equivalent body. Unfortunately neither is the case.
“Disappointingly the FIA consistently falls short of the IOC’s principles and best practices. The attached document compares some of the key IOC’s governance principles with FIA practice. It reveals weaknesses in the FIA election process, an Ethics Committee undermined by a flawed composition and reporting system, an absence of financial transparency, and lack of international accounting standards.
“All of these weaknesses would be easily overcome if the FIA simply followed closely the guidance offered by the principles and practice of the IOC. So rather than boast that recognition by the IOC leaves the FIA with no need for further governance reform, I think the FIA’s membership of the Olympic and Sports Movement creates new responsibilities to apply the IOC’s good governance principles.
“In fact the FIA now has a duty to uphold the ‘Fundamental Principles of Olympism.’ This includes the ‘responsibility of ensuring that principles of good governance be applied.’ That is why I believe the FIA should now take action to fulfil these important and outstanding obligations.”
He goes on to suggest that there should be an independent review of the way the FIA operates. His letter can be found here: http://gallery.mailchimp.com/118437eec0352cad047fd181b/files/FIA_and_IOC_Governance_Principles_and_Practices_Compared.pdf
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Pastor Maldonado: “The decision will be down to me…”
Pastor Maldonado said today that he still doesn’t know which team he will drive for in 2014 – and insisted that the decision is in his hands.
The Venezuelan has been closely linked to Lotus, amid much speculation that a deal has already been done. Meanwhile Sauber has also been mentioned as a possible destination. Not surprisingly his huge PVDSA budget is much in demand, although the sponsor has an ongoing contract with Williams.
Meanwhile his situation has created something of a logjam in the driver market.
“At the moment I don’t have a decision yet,” Maldonado said today. “The decision will be down to me, so I prefer to take some more time. I really hope to have a decision before the end of the season. There are still a couple of weeks to go, so we’ll see. I cannot guarantee I will leave the team, or I will stay. The decision is very important. It’s my third season in my career, so it’s a very important moment professionally for me, and I will want to have the best decision for my future.”
Asked if Lotus was his preferred option, he said: “I cannot mention that at the moment. I have some offers and I’m analysing that very well. I have to have the best decision for myself.”
Maldonado made it clear that various factors would play a part in his choice.
“Many things. It’s not easy as a driver to choose a team, especially when everything will be new for next year. I’ve been here for three years, so it will maybe be an advantage to stay in the team, because I know everyone here. In another team it will be something like starting from zero. I will not be the first one doing that in history. We’ll see.
“Apart from that you have many factors, you need to see who will work with you and for you, the projects, engines, many things. The people, the feeling is very important, to have a good feeling with the people around. Budgets, all the budget plans, it’s very important. I’m taking my time because I need to feel comfortable.”
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Sebastian Vettel: “I had some quiet days at home, which was good to sober up…”
Following an informal victory party in the hotel in India on Sunday night Sebastian Vettel headed home to Switzerland for a couple of days before returning to duty in Abu Dhabi today.
The four-time World Champion says that he enjoyed the chance to relax and recharge his batteries after the release of winning in Delhi.
“Well, the reaction has been very positive,” said Vettel. “Obviously great relief when I crossed the line on Sunday, a great feeling. Sunday night, obviously the whole team still had to do the pack-up, but we had a little bit of fun in the hotel bar – quite spontaneous. Obviously, there’s not a lot of time between the race in India and the race here, so the team is very busy.
“So we couldn’t go completely mad, but I had a time on Sunday night and then I had two days at home before coming here, again fairly quiet, not very spectacular. I just enjoyed the peace at home. I had some time for myself, back with my girlfriend as well. So, fairly quiet.”
Vettel made it clear that the team won’t be backing off in the remaining races, despite the title being in the bag.
“Well, I don’t think we approach the weekend as if there’s nothing to gain. I think we – as a fact – we love what we’re doing. We enjoy the challenge and that’s why there’s no question as to why we are here and what we have to do. We want to race, race the others as hard as possible. If we have a chance, we want to win. As I said, I had some quiet days at home which was good, to sober up after India and get ready for here.”
However, he says he’s taking nothing for granted: “To be honest, I’m not getting in the car and thinking that there’s a guarantee that we will do well. Maybe that’s a little bit the impression that you get from the outside; obviously since the summer break we’ve won all the races but we come here and there’s absolutely no guarantee that we will do well, so we have to give it everything we have.
“Yes, we have a strong package so I think we have reason to be confident. I need the team, I think the team needs Mark and myself to push the car to the limit and to get some good results. There’s no guarantee for what we’ve been doing the last couple of races to make it last.”
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Adam Cooper F1 