Adam Cooper F1

Drivers, team personnel and officials took a little time out on Friday evening to pay their respects to Mark Robinson, the marshal who lost his life in an accident after the Canadian GP.

A minute’s silence was held under the F1 podium during the marshals’ pit walkabout, in order to allow Mark’s British colleagues to participate. Canadian flags and a special message featured on the podium.

The silence was followed by a spontaneous round of applause.

The FIA World Motor Sport Council has blocked the June 14-15 date for next year’s Le Mans 24 Hours “to ensure that a Formula One Grand Prix is not hosted that weekend.”

Crucially that also means that the New Jersey F1 race won’t clash with the US Open, as that date was in theory one week after the Canadian GP, and thus the expected slot for the new event.

A clash would have created a problem for NBC – and potentially hit the level of corporate entertainment in New Jersey, since high rollers might prefer to take up invitations to the golf.

It remains to be seen how Bernie Ecclestone manages to squeeze New Jersey into the calendar. Monaco is scheduled for May 25, which will make it impossible to run the North American races on June 1 and 8. It could be that the June 8 and 22 dates are used instead – but that presents obvious logistical problems.

The FIA World Motor Sport Council had today completed a lot of housekeeping related to the 2014 Sporting and Technical regulations, including the ratification of a return to in-season testing.

Also new is a penalty point system, with drivers facing a one-race ban should they accumulate 12 points. Points remain in place for 12 months which means they can be carried over into the following season.

The FIA also said that the Concorde Agreement will be signed shortly.

The full statement reads as follows:

The FIA President and the Commercial Rights Holder advised that negotiations regarding the Concorde Agreement were close to conclusion with the intention the contract between the FIA and FOM will be signed in the near future.

The following summarises the changes made to the 2014 Sporting Regulations:

Further to a request from Mercedes, it will be permitted to supply engines to a maximum of four Formula One teams in 2014.

A significant reduction in the amount of wind tunnel testing and CFD work has been imposed to help reduce costs and potentially allow two teams to share one wind tunnel.

Four two-day track tests will be allowed in season in place of the current eight one-day promotional days and the three-day young driver test. These will take place at tracks in Europe on the Tuesday and Wednesday after a race in order to ensure minimal additional resources are necessary.

In order to ensure that the cockpit rims either side of the driver’s head are stronger, the amount of deflection during the static load tests has been reduced from 20mm to 5mm.

Sauber chief designer Matt Morris is to take up a new role as engineering director at McLaren, Martin Whitmarsh has confirmed.

Morris told Sauber of his intention to leave some weeks ago, although the exact date of his departure has yet to be determined.

However his current job will be taken over as of Monday July 1 by Eric Gandelin, previously Head of Concept at the Swiss team.

The 39-year-old Morris previously worked at Cosworth and Williams, and was formerly a transmission specialist – a role that could clearly be very useful to McLaren.

Christian Horner says that he didn’t know about Mark Webber’s decision to quit F1 and join Porsche in 2014 until the Aussie telephoned him shortly before today’s announcement from the German marque.

“I had a call from Mark this morning at about nine o’clock,” said Horner. “I spoke with him and he said he’s reached this decision. In many respects Le Mans has always had a great appeal to Mark, it’s where he came from before he came into F1, and he’s made no secret of the fact that he’d like to go back there.

“He’s obviously decided that the timing is right for him to make that step in his career, and all we can do is wish him the best of luck for the future and thank him for what he’s done for the team in the last seven seasons.

“He’s got an important job to do for us in the next 12 races as well. We’ll be doing our best to support him in the remaining GPs to try to add to the nine GP victories he’s achieved with the team, and obviously to try to defend the constructors’ World title.”

Despite his upbeat response Horner made it clear that the short notice was frustrating.

“The guys at the factory are a bit more disappointed that they read it on the internet rather than heard something direct.”

Asked whether Webber had the option to stay at RBR he said: “We never got into that discussion.”

Horner insisted that the timing was right for the 36-year-old.

“Mark has decided early on, which I think is a positive thing for him and the team, he’s counted himself out as far as next year’s concerned. He’s committed himself to sportscar racing, and the challenges that go with that.

“It’s probably a fitting time with the regulation changes, which I know he’s not a huge fan of for next year, and that leaves us with the prospect of making sure that we get the right replacement driver alongside Sebastian for 2014.

“A decision for a driver to retire can only come from him. Mark is quite a private person, and he’s reached this decision and then obviously communicated it today.”

Pressed by this writer on whether or not Webber could have given the team more of a heads-up on a decision he says was made some time ago Horner said: “I think for us it makes very little difference. To call time on a career that’s spanned over 10 years is a big decision for any driver, and it’s a difficult decision for any Grand Prix driver to know when it’s the right time to stop. He’s obviously reached that point now and we only have to respect that decision and wish him the very best of luck for the future.”

Kimi Raikkonen insists that he has still not decided what he wants to do next year, despite the confirmation that Mark Webber’s seat is available.

Raikkonen is widely regarded as Webber’s most likely replacement, although Lotus is still trying to hang on to him.

“I still don’t have an answer for what will happen next year, it hasn’t changed since the last two races,” he said. “Obviously people will be talking more about chances but it doesn’t really change what I will do next year or what my decisions are, even if there is obviously an open place.

“I have no contract, which is normal in F1. I have nothing to tell people unless there is something certain on paper, and then I will tell immediately because for me it’s much easier, everybody stops asking the same question. Until I have something I can’t answer.”

“I think whatever the decision will be will not be an easy one. It’s never easy. It’s not the first time that there are different options on the table, then you take the one that you thing is right for you at the moment. It’s hard to say if it’s the right or wrong decision, but then you have to live with it, whatever it is.”

Regarding the prospect of having Sebastian Vettel as a team mate, he said: “I have no problem to race with anybody. I’ve never been in a position to choose who I drive with, so it doesn’t change anything. If would happen obviously it would be more easy than some other years.”

Meanwhile he admitted it would be difficult to leave Lotus.

“It’s been perfect, without them I wouldn’t be back in F1. For sure they also got something out of it, so no complaints. Obviously there’s certain things that have to improve, but I’ve had a great time with the team so far and that’s why whatever the decision will be will be difficult.”

He also suggested that it was not certain that he would be in F1: “Until I have a contract there is always the option that I will not race. There’s a long time from now to the beginning of next year, a lot of things can happen in life that make the decision for you, and you might not be racing. But I think that there’s a bigger chance that it will be F1 next year for me.”

Red Bull has responded to news of Mark Webber’s decision to join Porsche next year.

The team said it “would like to thank him for the extensive contribution he has made to the team during the seven seasons he has driven for us.”

It added that a decision on his replacement will be taken “later in the season.”

Christan Horner said: “I am sure Mark thought long and hard before making what has no doubt been a very difficult decision. His achievements in Formula One are extensive and I am sure he will continue to push hard and build on that record until the end of the season.

“We support Mark’s decision, he has been an excellent addition to the team since joining us in 2007 and we wish him all the best in the next stages of his career.”

Mark Webber’s long rumoured move to Porsche’s LMP1 programme was confirmed today, which means that the Aussie will retire from F1 at the end of the last race of the year in Brazil.

His departure leaves the door open for Kimi Raikkonen, who had hoped to get Webber’s seat as long ago as 2011. However in recent weeks Jean-Eric Vergne has staked his claim for the drive.

Webber’s relationship with the team has endured ups and downs, and came under some strain after he was passed for the lead by Sebastian Vettel in Malaysia. The Aussie turns 37 in August and has clearly decided that he doesn’t want to stay around for the turbo era.

Webber previously drove for Mercedes in sportscars, and famously had two major accidents at Le Mans in one weekend.

Regarding his move Webber said: “Porsche has written racing history as a manufacturer and stands for outstanding performance and technology at the highest level.

“I’m very much looking forward to this new challenge after my time in Formula 1. I can hardly wait to pilot one of the fastest sports cars in the world.”

“I’m very pleased to have secured Mark Webber for our LMP1 project as one of the best and most successful Formula 1 pilots of our time,” said Porsche board member for  R&D, Wolfgang Harz.

“Mark is without doubt one of the world’s best race drivers, he has experience at the Le Mans 24 hour race and on top of that he’s been a Porsche enthusiast for many years.”

Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali says that the Italian team must improve its qualifying performance – and has to reduce Sebastian Vettel’s advantage in the championship over the next few race weekends.

“We are trying our best,” he said in a video chat with fans today.  “Our engineers are working very hard on this front, because we know we cannot let our drivers always start far back on the grid, otherwise doing a lot of overtaking moves isn’t much use.

“The aim is to at least be consistently on the top two rows. Obviously, we would like to always start from pole, which would make everything much easier and that would be even more the case when you consider our car’s potential in the race itself.

“Our aim is to close the gaps to the lead in the next three races. I think we will be competitive in Silverstone, as we have been in the recent past at this track, but there are so many factors to take into account. The tyres? It will depend a lot on the weather and the temperature. The team is calm and focused – we know we must get a good result but we are used to this type of pressure.”

Domenicali also made some interest comments about Ferrari’s preparations for the turbo era.

“It will be a different sort of music to the one we are used to hearing, but we’ll soon get used to it. It’s hard to say where we are compared to the others, because never before have we been working so much in the dark. We have set ourselves some performance targets, but we can’t know what the others are aiming for.

“It’s a huge challenge we are now tackling, not just with the engine specialists, but with the whole group of engineers and drivers. Furthermore, it will be very important to explain to the general public what will change in terms of the rules and how the car is run.”

Ferrari has made no formal response to the International Tribunal verdict but the colourful mouthpiece of its official website – the mysterious equine commentator known as the Horse Whisperer – has made the feelings of the team clear in a column.

He wrote: “Today we learned, that even if one is guilty and in this case that is an indisputable and verified fact, there is always a way of muddling through as best one can. One only has to suggest to the judge what the penalty should be and even better, why not make it something light like a rap across the knuckles.

“It is somewhat perplexing to say the least to see that the guilty party can get away virtually scot free for having derived “an unfair sporting advantage.” Don’t tell me that testing for three days on your own at the Catalunya circuit is the same as doing so with nine other teams at Silverstone with a host of young hopefuls at the wheel, in an area where the weather can still be changeable even in the height of summer. And what if this whole incident had taken place after the young driver test, what would have been the penalty then? Would they have been forbidden from holding an end of year dinner?”

He adds: “The way things are going in Formula 1 at the moment is becoming boring: you make a mistake, you race with an illegal component, but then you are told to just change it for the next race and we’ve seen what we’ve seen…

“All this reminds the Whisperer that if he ever finds himself running a Formula 1 team in the near future and that he gets off to a difficult start to the season, then all it needs is to organise a nice week of testing at the right moment and then maybe have to skip a later session, by which time, everything could be done and dusted. What do you reckon?”

Finally he could not avoid a dig at the references made by Mercedes to the Ferrari testing: “Oh, and to those who jabber on about transparency and credibility, the Whisperer would remind them that the rules are very clear: you cannot test with a car from the current year. With those that are at least two years old, you can run when you like, where you like, with any driver you like, dressed how you like, inviting who you like.”