Adam Cooper F1

With Romain Grosjean confirmed at Lotus earlier today Kamui Kobayashi has now conceded that he won’t have an F1 race seat for next season – but he insists that he will return in 2014.

The Japanese driver has been ousted from Sauber, and has been the focus of a campaign to raise funds from fans. While that on its own was never going to get him a seat it did catch the attention of some commercial sponsors in his home country.

“Unfortunately the time was still short and I am not able to secure the seat with [a] competitive F1 team for 2013,” said Kobayashi on his website today. “I have to admit that it is very sad and feel sorry for fans and Japanese companies who supported me.  But I am still confident to make it happen in 2014.”

Kobayashi said that the high-profile campaign had led to serious interest from potential sponsors in Japan.

“Thank you for the big support.  I am very appreciated that many of you have donated and trying to make donation. I must mention this that since the donation started, it has become quite big news in Japan. And because of your big support, it gave huge influences to some of Japanese companies and I started receiving good support from them.

“And I was in the position to bring a budget of 8 million Euro at least. If you could imagine the time I had, it was overwhelming reaction and it shows there still is a great potential from Japanese companies.

“I would like to stop the donation for now and while I will save all the money for 2014, I start to look what is the best option for 2013 and also 2014.  My main priority is to secure the competitive F1 seat in 2014.”

Regarding his short term future, he said: “I have no interests to race any other categories. I will make an announcement as soon as I make a decision for 2013. So, please wait and really looking forward your support for coming year, too.”

One of the last remaining pieces of the 2013 F1 puzzle fell into place when Lotus confirmed that Romain Grosjean will stay on alongside Kimi Raikkonen next season.

The Frenchman, who won the Race of Champions in Bangkok on Sunday, endured a tough 2012 season. However, the team has kept faith with him.

“It’s superb to have the support of everyone at Enstone,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to rewarding their faith when we take to the track in Australia. I learnt a lot in my first full season in Formula 1 and my aim is to put these lessons into practice with stronger and more consistent performance on track next year.

“There are a lot of exciting developments occurring behind the scenes at Enstone and I am very excited with the prospect of the E21. I’ve already had my seat fitting and spoken with all the personnel involved with the build of the new car. I just can’t wait to get behind the wheel.”

Team boss Eric Boullier explained: “Romain is a great talent and we are pleased that he is continuing with us for a second season. With the continuity of two exceptional drivers like Romain and Kimi we are well placed to build on our strong 2012 with even better results in the year ahead.

“Both drivers worked very well together in their first year as team-mates, and I think there is the potential of even better things from the season ahead. We were regular visitors to podiums in 2012 and we certainly intend to continue with this trend in 2013.”

Adrian Newey has emphasised how frustrated he is by suggestions that Red Bull Racing has overstepped the limits of the technical regulations.

Newey was speaking in a superb new documentary made by Red Bull and available on the team’s website and YouTube channel.

“Since 2010 in particular the level of sniping at us just got silly, to be honest,” says Newey in the 29-minute film. “It seemed like every race we were accused of doing something illegal. The car of course was using the regulations to the edge, that’s to me is what you should do in F1.

“There’s no such thing as the spirit of the regulations, it’s black and white printed you can’t do this, you can do that. We took the can do bits right to the edge. The bottom line is the car was legal, and we won the races.”

Meanwhile team boss Christian Horner praises Newey: “What he’s achieved is quite phenomenal. I think he’s now arguably the best ever designer in F1. He surpasses what even Colin Chapman achieved.

“He is absolutely relentless, his desire for excellence, his desire to keep improving the car.”

Complimenting Newey on his pursuit of the limits, Mark Webber says: “I don’t think it’s any secret that our car is one of the hardest cars to work on, and that’s how Adrian just does things, you’ve just got to get on with it. The boys are destroyed.”

The documentary, which also features Sebastian Vettel, gives a fascinating insight into the development of the team since 2005.

It can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/redbullracing

Norbert Haug is to leave Mercedes-Benz at the end of 2012 after 22 years as the company’s head of motorsport.

The company said that “his contract will come to an end by mutual agreement with the Board of Management. Preparations for the forthcoming season continue as planned.”

The news comes a few months after Niki Lauda was made chairman of the board of the AMG Mercedes F1 team, a move that appeared to weaken Haug’s position.

Former magazine editor Haug joined Mercedes in October 1990, when the company was competing in the World Sportscar Championship with Sauber and Michael Schumacher.

Dr Dieter Zetsche, Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars and CEO of Daimler AG, said: “Norbert Haug was the face of the Mercedes-Benz Motorsport programme for more than 20 years. For me, he put his stamp on a whole era and, as a highlight, he was responsible for the successful comeback of the Silver Arrows to Formula One. In the name of the Board of Management and the whole motorsport family, I would like to thank Norbert for his extraordinary commitment to the three-pointed star.”

Haug added: “I would like to thank the best car company in the world for more than 22 years, which never had a single moment without passion for me. I particularly wish to thank the Board for the trust and freedom they have always given me with all my activities.

“Since 1991, we had tremendous achievements and wins, for which I want to thank all of my colleagues. Unfortunately, with one victory in 2012 since founding our own Formula One works team in 2010, we couldn’t fulfil our own expectations. However, we have taken the right steps to be successful in the future. Our team and our drivers will do everything to achieve these goals.”

The FIA World Motor Sport Council says  that the 2013 German GP will be moved to July 7, one week after the British GP.

The change has been made to free up July 21 for what it terms “another European event.” Bernie Ecclestone admitted recently that France is looking unlikely and that Turkey was a more promising candidate to be the 20^th race.

Meanwhile the FIA has agreed some changes to the technical and sporting regulations for 2013 and for the start of the turbo era in 2014.

For 2013 it will introduce more stringent front wing deflection tests, while “minor changes” have been made to the front roll structure design. There will also an increase in minimum weight to compensate for an increase in the weight of the 2013 specification Pirellis.

As revealed by Charlie Whiting in Austin, the “force majeure” excuse when a car stops on the track in qualifying will no longer be in use, and the FIA will determine how much fuel the car would have used to get back to the pits, and add it to the one litre sample minimum.

Also as revealed by Whiting, use of the DRS during practice will now only be allowed in the zone or zones in which it will be used on the track in the race.

In a further clampdown on teams who bring parts at the last minute the personnel curfew will be extended from six to eight hours on Thursday night, and only two exceptions will be allowed during a season, instead of four.

Meanwhile with regard to 2014, the FIA noted that “a new draft with numerous changes was discussed and agreed by the F1 Technical Working Group and Powertrain Working Group,” adding that “a number of changes have been made to the power unit regulations with the aim of limiting technology in some areas in order to reduce development costs.”

Intriguingly the FIA also noted that “changes made to bodywork design, originally aimed at reducing downforce and drag for increased efficiency, have reverted to 2012 specification.”

As previously noted, the requirement for cars to be driven under electric power in the pit lane has been postponed until 2017, while the minimum weight limit has been raised to compensate for additional power unit weight.

Ferrari said today that it accepts the FIA’s explanation regarding Sebastian Vettel’s pass of Jean-Eric Vergne in the Brazilian GP and accepts the matter is now closed.

Ferrari wrote to the FIA on Wednesday asking for official clarification about the move despite evidence on the internet showing that a green flag was being waved, making the pass legal.

While the team is fully entitled to pursue such a route it might have been wiser to have taken a more low-key route and accepted the inevitable somewhat earlier, given that the furore of the last few days. The affair has unfairly cast a shadow over Red Bull’s win although ultimately Ferrari may have shot itself in the foot in PR terms, having initially accepted defeat on Sunday in a dignified manner.

A Ferrari statement said today: “The request for a clarification from the FIA, regarding Vettel’s passing move on Vergne, came about through the need to shed light on the circumstances of the move, which came out on the Internet only a few days after the race. The letter to the FIA was in no way intended to undermine the legality of the race result.

“We received tens of thousands of queries relating to this matter from all over the world and it was incumbent on us to take the matter further, asking the Federation to look into an incident that could have cast a shadow over the championship in the eyes of all Formula 1 enthusiasts, not just Ferrari fans.

“Ferrari duly takes note of the reply sent by the FIA this morning and therefore considers the matter now closed.”

Meanwhile the FIA said: “The FIA received a letter from Scuderia Ferrari, seeking clarification on Sebastien Vettel’s overtaking manoeuvre in Sao Paulo on Sunday.  In the spirit of transparency and goodwill, the FIA wishes to make public the receipt of this letter.

“The Federation also informs it has replied to Scuderia Ferrari, in the same constructive spirit, stating that as the overtaking manoeuvre was not in breach of the regulations, and therefore there was no infringement to investigate, it was not reported to the Stewards by Race Control.”

Ferrari confirmed today that it has formally contacted the FIA regarding the Brazilian GP yellow flag controversy – but the team is wasting its time.

Yesterday the team said that it was reviewing video footage apparently showing Vettel passing Jean-Eric Vergne before a yellow light board and with yellow signals on his dash.

An official Ferrari Tweet then confirmed today: “Ferrari asked, by means of a letter, for a clarification from FIA regarding VET’s overtaking move on VER during lap 4 of the Brazilian GP.”

However FIA sources have confirmed what this blog said yesterday – footage also shows that Vettel clearly passed a green flag on the left before he started the passing move, and before he used KERS. And that means that the pass on Vergne was legal, and there is no case to answer, as I suggested here.

As stated yesterday, traditional flags have priority over dashboard lights and trackside light boards. In effect the first flag or board passed denotes a yellow or green zone.

Unfortunately Ferrari is likely to emerge from this affair looking like a bad loser, a shame given that the team initially seemed to accept defeat with some dignity on Sunday afternoon…

Nobody would have had a problem had Ferrari flagged up (no pun intended!) the incident with the FIA during the race, or even in its immediate aftermath, before the results were official. Teams are always contacting race control pointing out potential indiscretions by others, in the hope of generating penalties.

While there was a lot going on one wonders why at this critical race the team did not have a staff member dedicated to following the Vettel on-board feed and looking out for yellow flag passes, any advantage gained from an off-track excursion, or other possible crimes. That would have been a logical move.

If they did have someone doing that job and he didn’t spot the Vergne incident then perhaps the team should be asking him why.

Instead this matter developed from some good ‘citizen journalism’ by internet-savvy fans who brought it to the world’s attention, and who between them ultimately presented both sides of the story. Well done guys…

Did Vettel celebrate too early? Ferrari would like to think so. Photo: AC

Not surprisingly the internet is buzzing tonight after Ferrari indicated to the BBC that it is reviewing footage of the Brazilian GP which appears to show Sebastian Vettel making an illegal pass under yellow flag conditions.

Should the team bring the matter to the FIA and an appeal be heard – and that is possible despite the results being declared on Sunday – Vettel could in theory earn a 20s time penalty, which would drop him from sixth to eighth place. Alonso would win the title by a single point.

On Sunday the most talked about incident involved Vettel passing Kamui Kobayashi. This blog checked with the stewards who had reviewed it, and they confirmed that it was legal.

At the start of this week attention turned to a lap 4 pass on Jean-Eric Vergne. Full speed onboard footage floating around the net shows Vettel passing Vergne with yellow lights on his dash, and before a green light indicating the end of the yellow flag zone.

It looks clear cut. However, head-on screen grabs, and super slow-mo of the onboard, appear to reveal a green flag on Vettel’s left (see clip at bottom of story).

Usually this human intervention takes priority over the electronic devices in the car and at trackside, and Vettel does not begin the pass or use KERS until he has gone past the flag.

The FIA does of course have access to a lot more data and footage than is floating around the net, and will be able to confirm that the various images we’ve seen do indeed relate to the same incident.

Alonso was generally gracious in defeat on Sunday, but he couldn’t help himself by referring to “strange decisions” by the FIA, while in turn Vettel referred to “dirty tricks.” It could now get very messy.

Clearly Ferrari should be 100% sure of its case before doing anything, but whatever the outcome, taking the matter further could be a PR disaster for the Italian team and for the sport as a whole. Even if it does nothing now, the comment to the BBC and the furore that has erupted will already have cast a shadow over Vettel’s win, which is a little unfortunate. But that may have been the intention anyway…

Of course it could be that the FIA and/or Ferrari state sooner rather than later that no further action will be taken, and the matter closed.

Ironically had a pass under yellows been picked up during the race, Vettel could well have overcome a drive through penalty. It would have compromised Seb’s race, but he would have regained lost ground at the first safety car and still had plenty of time to get himself in a position where he won the title by finishing higher than eighth.

His pal Schumacher was always going to make his life easy, and if necessary RBR also had the option to slow Mark Webber, who finished fourth, to give him an extra place.

This clip shows the green flag which ends the yellow zone…

Having lost his Williams seat to Valtteri Bottas Bruno Senna says he’s happy with his 2012 season.

Senna has scored points regularly this year, although he hasn’t been as fast over one lap as team mate Pastor Maldonado.

“Since the beginning of my programme with Williams I accepted that I had to share the car with Valtteri Bottas in 15 Fridays as a part of his preparation for a likely début in 2013,” he said on his website.

“It has been extremely satisfying to be the team’s most regular point scorer and for me to demonstrate my pace in all 20 races. I have learned a lot and improved considerably through the season. I have had a relatively short career so far and feel as though I have come a long way in just a few years.

“I would like to thank the whole team and particularly Frank for giving me the chance of completing my first full season in F1. It has been extremely rewarding to develop the Williams FW34 into a consistently competitive race car and cracking the challenge of the Pirelli tyres has been just one of the satisfying points.”

Senna pointed out that he’d had some good races: “I had some notable achievements this year, such as the fastest lap in the Belgian GP, my favourite track, scoring points on a regular basis and making up many, many places through the races.

“Regularly racing in the top ten has certainly been a step forward in my still relatively short career and has allowed me to further sharpen up my race craft. Working with a competitive and supportive engineering team like Williams has left me well prepared for the next step in my career.”

Intriguingly his website noted that “Bruno will confirm his F1 plans soon.”

Given the potential of the Williams this year and the fact that he’s had a lot of mileage Valtteri Bottas could make a big impact next year – possibly the biggest by any rookie since Lewis Hamilton in 2007. Here’s what he said in a Q&A provided by Williams today.

Q: You’ve been part of Williams since joining the team as a test driver in 2010, how does it feel to finally be race driver for the team?

“It feels incredible to be driving in Formula One next season and to be with a team like Williams, with all its pedigree, is even more special. I’ve worked hard to get here ever since I started karting at six years old, but the real work starts now as I prepare myself for the biggest challenge of my career. The fact that I’ve been with Williams since 2010 will help a lot though because I know the engineers really well and have a good working relationship with them.”

Q: What are your objectives for the 2013 season?

“It’s difficult to set objectives before the season starts, so I’m just trying to make the most of this opportunity to prove the team has been right to promote me to a race seat. I want to look back on 2013 and feel that I’ve improved as a driver and helped the team improve its performance on the track.”

Q: After being GP3 Champion in 2011, you spent last season out of racing focusing on your Reserve Driver role at Williams, how much will that effect you?

“I’m a naturally very competitive person and I’ve been competing in triathlons throughout 2012 to keep fit and keep my mind sharp. Obviously I’ve missed racing a great deal so can’t wait to get back onto a starting grid, but I’ve been racing constantly since a very young age so when the lights go out in Australia It will be business as usual.

Q: What do you make of your now team mate, Pastor Maldonado?

“Pastor showed at a number of tracks in 2012 that he’s very quick and the win in Barcelona showed that he can cope well with pressure. We get on well off the track as we’ve spent a lot of time together travelling to the various races, and I’ll certainly benefit and learn from his greater experience.

Q: How much of an advantage is it to know the engineers, team and Williams procedures so well already?

“I’ve been part of the Williams family since the start of 2010 and feel very at home both at Grove and at the track. I know my engineers very well so we already know how to get the best performance from each other. I also live in the UK and last year moved just down the road from the factory so I am there quite a lot and know everyone well. Because of that we can focus immediately on the 2013 season and what we can achieve together.

Q: How much will the 15 FP1 sessions you drove in 2012 help you moving forward?

“This will be a big help as it means there are only a handful of circuits on the 2013 calendar that I have never driven, in Australia, Monaco, Valencia, Austin and Singapore. There will still be a lot of work to do but it means that I do have some knowledge to work from heading to most races next season.

Q: Williams Executive Director, Toto Wolff is part of your management team. How much was he involved in the decision to promote you to race driver?

“Toto is part of my management team and has always supported by career, but because of his involvement with Williams he wasn’t part of the negotiations for my contract with the team. As with all decisions at Williams, Sir Frank and the Board of Directors get to make the final decision. I’m grateful to Toto for helping introduce me to the Williams F1 Team, but it has been up to me to prove to Frank and the rest of the team that I have the talent and commitment to deliver the results they desire.”

Q: What do you think it means for Finland to have another F1 driver on the grid?

“Hopefully they are proud to have another Finnish driver in Formula One and I hope to get a lot of support from the Finnish fans who have always been very good to me. To have another Finnish flag on the car next year will be very special.”

Q: You have considerable support from Finland, can you tell us about that?

“I’ve had a lot of support from back home, starting way back in karting and since then I have been lucky to have been supported by some great Finnish companies. Without this sort of backing I would not be where I am today, so I’m very grateful and hopefully I can taste success with Williams and pay back those who have helped me get to Formula One.

Q: Fast forward to this time next year, what achievements would you be happy with?

“As a team I think we should be aiming to score more points than this year and really get the most out of the car. Personally I hope to look back and feel that I have learnt a lot and developed as a driver over the course of the season, having scored a lot of points for the team.”