Tag Archives: F1

March 13, 2014 · 1:06 am

Lewis Hamilton: “Everyone’s talking us up and predicting the future…”

Not surprisingly Lewis Hamilton is keen to play down his role as a firm favourite for the 2014 title, and the Merc driver insists that it’s still too early to jump to any conclusions.

“We’ve had a good winter, we’ve done everything we could possibly do to be as ready as we are,” he said today. “But we haven’t started the race yet so we don’t know what’s going to happen. We’re just going to keep our heads down and keep focussing on what we’re doing, and not be disturbed or distracted by what other people are doing, and just stay on track.

“It’s always nice to have positive comments, positive feedback, people thinking positively about me, but I don’t remember what it was in the past, and it was irrelevant back then as well. We’ve got a lot of tough drivers out there this weekend, we don’t know whose going to be at the top, we’ve just got to make sure we do everything OK.”

Lewis has some interesting thoughts whether or not this is is best chance to end the long drought since his 2008 title win.

“Everyone’s talking us up and predicting the future, but we really can’t say what’s going to happen this weekend. We know that we’re strong, as I’ve said we’ve not left any stone unturned, we’ve done absolutely everything we could possibly do. We’re hoping we can be at the front, that’s our goal, but we can say that’s going to be the case.

“So coming here, knowing that this is the best chance pout of all the years… I don’t know, I haven’t even got in the car and out on the track here. I had a great year in 2012, I had a good, strong year, I had an opportunity probably in 2010, and probably in 2011 I think, when Jenson was second, which I didn’t optimise on. So I’ve had some chances in the past.

“It is a long, long time since I won the World Championship, it feels like a lifetime ago, but I’m still here and just as motivated – and actually I think a lot more than what I was before, more focussed than ever before. If the package is there and we all do the job, there is no reason why we can’t fight at the front again.”

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March 12, 2014 · 1:06 pm

Fernando Alonso: “Every new season you think you can do well…”

Fernando Alonso was in optimistic mood in Melbourne today, and the Spanish ace says that Ferrari is well prepared for the season – and he’s fully motivated.

“It’s a good challenge this year with all the changes in the regulations and all the possibilities we have in this new championship,” said Alonso. “I’m motivated and I’m ready, and optimistic as well. Every new season you think you can do well, and this year is no different.

“I think we had a winter with, OK, some days that were not 100%, we had some problems on the car, but generally speaking I think we had a troublefree winter, in terms of the reliability of the car. We didn’t find anything wrong with the car in a way, which probably sounds pessimistic, but for this year’s regulations it was quite good, and everything on the car worked as we predicted. With that base, with that starting point, I think we have good potential in the car, and a good possibility.”

However when it came to predicting what a realistic target might be Alonso admitted that he is taking a low-key approach for now, especially given the issue of reliability.

“It’s not like other years when you arrive here and you have a more ambitious target, I think this year everyone is more calm and everyone is a little bit more cautious about the possibility of finishing the race. But I think if we do everything right, we should be ready to do so, and see finally where is our level of competitiveness. It’s probably a different year and a different feeling starting this championship.”

Intriguingly Alonso even played down the problems suffered by Red Bull, and says that the World Champions could still be a threat this season.

“Well, I think we need to be also cautious on that. It was only testing, and there are no points in testing. Red Bull is a super team, a strong team, and we need to see how they perform in a race weekend, where it counts. I still think that they will be strong this year, and we’ll see if in this part of the championship if they have some problems we need to maximise those points, because maybe in a couple of races they will be back at the top. It’s important to start on the right foot.”

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March 12, 2014 · 10:12 am

Raikkonen eyes podium finish in Melbourne

Kimi Raikkonen was keen not to make any predictions about Ferrari’s 2014 form today, but the Finn did let slip that he sees a podium finish as a realistic target in Melbourne.

“First of all I think we need to make sure we finish the races,” he said. “And if we do that we’re already in a good position. We want to improve in all the areas, and we have to first see where we are.

“I don’t have any interest in guessing where we’re going to be or what’s going to happen. All we can do is see on Friday a little bit, and go from there. I hope that if we get everything running smoothly and do the best job we can then we should be up there.

“We didn’t have the best test in the last days, but I think we did most of the things that we were planning to do, and we have to see how we start, try to do our best, definitely try and be up there and try to finish the race, and hopefully be on the podium at least.”

Kimi was unperturbed by the prospect of rain this weekend.

“I mean rain or dry doesn’t make an awful lot of difference right now, there are much more unknown things that has to be answered. We will see how the weather is, it’s the same for everybody, so we’ll do the best whatever the situation is.”

Meanwhile regarding Fernando Alonso he said: “We have a normal team mate relationship, we both try to do our best, and help the team as well as we can.”

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March 12, 2014 · 7:54 am

We’re confident that Michael will wake up, says Kehm

Michael Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehm has issued another statement on behalf of his family in response to the latest media speculation.

Kehm says that those close to Michael are still confident that he will recover.

“We are and remain confident that Michael will pull through and will wake up,” said Kehm. “There sometimes are small, encouraging signs, but we also know that this is the time to be very patient.

“Michael has suffered severe injuries. It is very hard to comprehend for all of us that Michael, who had overcome a lot of situations in the past, has been hurt so terribly in such a banal situation.

“It was clear from the start that this will be a long and hard fight for Michael. We are taking this fight on together with the team of doctors, whom we fully trust. The length of the process is not the important part for us.

“It is heart-warming to see how much sympathy his family is shown and I can say that the family is extremely grateful for it. However, it should not be forgotten that Michael’s family is dealing with an extremely intimate and fragile situation. And I would like to remind all of us that Michael has always actively kept his family out of the public eye and consequently protected their private lives.

“We try to channel all the energies we have toward Michael and we firmly believe that this will help him. And we believe that he will also win this fight.”

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March 11, 2014 · 11:40 pm

Jenson Button: “It hits you, like a stake through the heart…”

Jenson Button has made it clear that the Australian GP will be an emotional weekend, coming so soon after the death of his father John.

Button was speaking to British newspaper journalists for the first time about the loss of his father, who died aged 70 earlier this year.

“Whether I liked it or not, my dad was always the last person to give me a high-five or a cuddle before I got into the car,” he said in The Guardian. “Even if I was getting into the car and trying to concentrate he’d always be there to make sure he gave me that last hug.

“I’m going to miss that a lot. If I make the podium it will be unbelievably emotional and if it all turns to shit, and we have a crap race, it will also be emotional too because he’s not there to pick me up.”

Button acknowledged that his father provided priceless support behind the scenes: “When I’d had a bad race he’d come in and put it into perspective. That would annoy me in some ways. I knew he was right, but when your dad is trying to tell you something when you’re in a bad mood it’s always difficult. So it’s going to be a very emotional weekend, and not the only one this year.

“It’s when you’re away from racing, or away from people, that’s when it hurts you. It hits you, like a stake through the heart.”

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March 2, 2014 · 7:17 am

Bahrain names first corner after Schumacher

Bahrain International Circuit has renamed its first corner after Michael Schumacher as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations.

The circuit notes that he “was directly involved in the early stages of the BIC’s development, offering his own input into the design of the track, including the layout of turn one.”

Circuit chairman Zayed Al Zayani said: “With the support of his family, it is a great privilege to be able to honour arguably the greatest racing driver in the history of F1 and someone who the people of Bahrain hold close to their hearts. From his first appearance at the BIC in 2004, he immediately became an inspiration for all those who love motorsport in the Kingdom and it is therefore natural for us to recognise him in this way. The team at the BIC continues to offer Michael and his family its best wishes.”

Sabine Kehm, speaking on behalf of the Schumacher family, said: “Michael’s family would like to thank the Bahrain International Circuit for this gesture, acknowledging Michael’s achievements in Formula One and interest in the BIC circuit design. We take it as a recognition for his passion for motorsport. I am convinced Michael will love the idea and feel very honoured about having a BIC corner named after him.”

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February 27, 2014 · 8:18 pm

FIA decision on new F1 team due on Friday

The FIA is due to make a decision on Friday over whether it will grant a 2015 F1 entry to Gene Haas or the Romanian project fronted by Colin Kolles.

The FIA announced a “call for expression of interest” on December 12, and noted that a decision would be made on February 28 – although it remains to be seen whether that schedule still holds, or if so when the result will be communicated to the world at large.

Haas is tied to Ferrari, and will be able to take advantage of the fact that the FIA is relaxing the rules on sharing technology between teams next season. In effect it means that the NASCAR team co-owner can buy almost everything he needs from Maranello. However, he has to own the IP of his chassis and bodywork.

As revealed here some time ago, the Romanian project is believed to involve state funded backing and is in theory closer to being realised than its American rival. Lotus LMP1/LMP2 constructor Kolles, who ran HRT from his base near Munich, can provide existing race team and manufacturing facilities.

The two candidates paid a $130,000 fee and went through a vetting process which culminated in meetings with key FIA figures on Tuesday of this week. It’s believed that Jean Todt, who incidentally celebrated his birthday on Tuesday, was not directly involved with the meetings.

The original FIA announcement gives some idea of what was discussed: “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.”

The FIA also noted that if no suitable candidate was found no entry would be awarded.

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February 24, 2014 · 9:06 am

Ferrari starting to understand the F14 T, says Allison

Ferrari technical director James Allison says that the Italian team made good progress at the first Bahrain test.

Although Kimi Raikkonen had a crash right at the end of the last day the F14 T ran a lot of laps.

“We came to Sakhir aiming to work steadily through the huge list of actions that we must complete,” Allison told the Ferrari website. “We wanted to maximise track time, working methodically in order to be ready for Melbourne. I have to say that, with the exception of the morning of the third day, we did just that.

“We worked on learning how to get the best from the 2014 clutch and on tuning the new brake by wire system. We looked in detail at balancing the temperature of all the cooling fluids, a key part of this year’s rules, and we began gradually expanding the operating window of the new Energy Recovery System.”

Crucially the team was able to move on from systems checking to actually preparing for races.

“We have been able to start to open up our understanding of the handling characteristics of the car and to begin to learn what sort of set-up parameters the tyres respond to. Continuing with this work will be an important part of the programme over the last four days here in Bahrain.

“For the last four days, our programme will see us attempt to operate the car ever more closely to the way that it will run in a race, providing invaluable practice for the drivers and subjecting the car and all its systems to the full rigour that it will need to withstand throughout the season.”

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February 22, 2014 · 4:48 pm

Tyres more consistent and durable, says Hembery

Paul Hembery says that the teams made good progress with Pirelli’s latest tyres in Bahrain this week, and the conclusion is that they are more consistent and durable than last year.

Pirelli admits that it has taken a conservative route, but Hembery repeated that the company is willing to make changes if necessary.

“The teams were able to learn more about tyres over the four days in Bahrain than they could in Jerez two weeks ago, thanks to increased running time and optimal weather conditions,” said Hembery. “Although the teams are still at a comparatively early point on the development curve with their new cars, testing data so far indicates that the 2014 tyres are more consistent and durable than their predecessors. As a result, we are also seeing fewer ‘marbles’ on the circuit: one of our objectives at the start of this season.

“However, teams are likely to improve their performance and understanding of the car-tyre package still further in the test to come, which means that the lap time differences we have been seeing between the compounds are likely to come down, especially when the teams discover more downforce as the season goes on. We’ve collected plenty of useful data from this test, but of course we are still ready and able to change the specification of the tyres for the start of the season if this is shown to be necessary.”

Pirelli also made an interesting comparison between the performance of the four available tyres, noting: “The performance differences in Bahrain between the compounds so far are approximately as follows: the supersoft is around 0.7s per lap faster than the soft, the soft is around 1.2s per lap quicker than the medium, and the medium is around 1.3s per lap quicker than the hard. These gaps should come down considerably as the cars evolve.”

The quickest times of each day were recorded as follows:

Day 1
1. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India)
 1m36.880s 
 on Soft New
2. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
 1m37.879s
 on Medium New  
3. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
 1m37.908s
 on Hard New

Day 2
1. Kevin Magnussen (McLaren)
 1m34.910s 
 on Supersoft New
2. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India)
 1m36.445s
 on Soft New
3. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
 1m36.516s
 on Soft Used

Day 3
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)     
 1m34.263s 
 on Soft New
2. Jenson Button (McLaren)
 1m34.976s
 on Supersoft New
3. Felipe Massa (Williams)
 1m37.066s
 on Soft New

Day 4
1. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)       
 1m33.283s  
 on Soft New       
2. Jenson Button (McLaren)
 1m34.957s
 on Soft New
3. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
 1m36.718s
 on Soft New

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February 21, 2014 · 7:46 pm

Lewis Hamilton: “I want to break the car as much as possible…”

Lewis Hamilton says he’s not concerned about facing unreliability problems in testing if it means that any faults are discovered before the season starts.

Hamilton was tackling a race distance for Mercedes in Bahrain today but was stopped by a hydraulic issue.

“It’s not frustrating at all,” said Hamilton of today’s problem. “We feel quite blessed that we’ve done the mileage that we’ve already done. We are way ahead of where we thought we would be, and particularly some others. We actually see it as a blessing, because we find an issue, and then we know it’s got to go back to the drawing board.

“It could be a small pump that they’ve got to go and redesign and get fixed, that could have gone in Melbourne, or one the races coming up. It would have caught us out and it would have been delayed. I’m glad these bugs are coming, I’m trying to find more and more. I want to break the car as much as possible, so they can fix it for the races.”

Regarding the Merc’s form, he said: “We’re just working in trying to improve the car bit-by-bit. We won’t know until we get to Melbourne where we stand exactly.”

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