FIA confirms 20-race calendar for 2015

Formula One racing’s governing body, the FIA, has published the calendar for the 2015 world championship following a meeting of its World Motor Sport Council in Beijing on Thursday.

It features 20 rounds, including the return of Mexico in November. The Mexican race will take place at the same venue which staged the country’s last Grand Prix in 1992 - Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

The expanded calendar means the 2015 season will finish one week later than in 2014, with the Abu Dhabi finale taking place on the final weekend in November.

The 2015 calendar in full:

15/03 Australia
29/03 Malaysia
05/04 Bahrain
19/04 China
10/05 Spain
24/05 Monaco
07/06 Canada
21/06 Austria
05/07 Britain
19/07 Germany
26/07 Hungary
23/08 Belgium
06/09 Italy
20/09 Singapore
27/09 Japan
11/10 Russia
25/10 USA
01/11 Mexico
15/11 Brazil
29/11 Abu Dhabi

(source: f1.com)

Standing race re-starts among 2015 changes

From next season, safety-car periods will be followed by a standing re-start from the grid. The move is one of a number of 2015 changes announced by Formula One racing’s governing body, the FIA, following a meeting of its World Motor Sport Council in Munich, Germany on Thursday.

Other revisions to the F1 regulations include tighter restrictions on testing, with a ban on pre-season testing outside Europe, and changes to make the cars’ noses both safer and more attractive. Drivers will be limited to four engines per season instead of five, while cars will enter parc ferme conditions from the start of final practice, rather than the start of qualifying.

The standing re-starts will replace the current rolling re-start procedure unless the safety car is used within two laps of the original race start (or a subsequent re-start), or if there are less than five laps of the race remaining.

The full statement from the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council:

FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Changes to the F1 Regulations for 2015 have been agreed by the WMSC.

The last date at which the sporting and technical regulations can be changed without unanimous agreement has been changed from 30 June to 1 March each year, starting from 2015.

Changes to 2015 Sporting Regulations
Power units
- The number of engines permitted by each driver in a season will be four. However, if there are more than 20 races in a season, the number will increase to five.
- The penalty for a complete change of Power Unit will be starting from the back of the grid, not the pit lane.

Aerodynamic testing
- The number of wind tunnel runs will be reduced from 80 hours per week to 65 hours per week.
- Wind-on hours are to be reduced from 30 hours per week to 25 hours.
- Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) usage is to be reduced from 30 Teraflops to 25 Teraflops.
- Two periods of tunnel occupancy will be allowed in one day (rather than only one).
- Teams will only be able to nominate one wind tunnel in one year.

Testing
- There will be three pre-season tests of four days each in Europe in 2015 (currently teams are able to test outside Europe). This will be reduced to two tests of four days in 2016.
- There will be two in-season tests of two days each in Europe (instead of the current four). Two of these four days must be reserved for young drivers.

Car specification at an Event
The current restrictions to the parc ferme will now apply from the start of P3 instead of the start of qualifying.

Wheels and tyres
The [proposed] ban on tyre blankets will be rescinded for 2015. This will be re-discussed if and when the wheel and tyre diameter increases in the future.

Personnel Curfew
The Friday night curfew will be extended from six to seven hours in 2015 and will increase to eight hours in 2016.

Safety Car restarts
Safety Car restarts will now be a standing start from the grid. Standing starts will not be carried out if the Safety Car is used within two laps of the start (or restart) of a race or if there are less than five laps of the race remaining.

Changes to 2015 Technical Regulations
A number of changes have been made, including:
- A number of new regulations for the noses to ensure improved safety and to provide more aesthetically pleasing structures.
- A number of new regulations concerning skid blocks to ensure that they are made from a lighter material (titanium) and are better contained.
- New regulations to ensure that the brake discs rotate at the same speed as the wheels.
- A two-stage wheel fastener retaining system is now compulsory.

(source: f1.com)

FIA press conference schedule - Spain

Amongst the drivers who will take part in the official FIA press conference in Barcelona on Thursday will be Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, whose 2013 victory in Catalunya remains his most recent Grand Prix triumph, and reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel, who is looking to make up ground after his worst start to a season since 2008.

On Friday meanwhile it is the turn of senior technical personnel - including Force India's deputy team principal Robert Fernley, whose team currently sit third in the constructors' championship - to answer questions from the press. The line-ups in full...

Thursday, May 8, 1500 hours local time (1400 GMT)
Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Max Chilton (Marussia), Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso), Kevin Magnussen (McLaren), Pastor Maldonado (Lotus), Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)

Friday, May 9, 1600 hours local time (1500 GMT)
Cyril Abiteboul (Caterham), John Booth (Marussia), Robert Fernley (Force India), Monisha Kaltenborn (Sauber), Franz Tost (Toro Rosso)

The qualifying and post-race press conferences with the top three drivers will take place immediately after the respective sessions.

(source: f1.com)

FIA post-qualifying press conference - China

Drivers: 1 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes); 2 - Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing); 3 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)

Q: Lewis, congratulations, your third pole this year. That must have been so difficult with so many difficult and different conditions out there. What sort of satisfaction do you get from that?
Lewis Hamilton: Definitely the most when it’s raining. It’s so slippery out there, trying to find the grip, obviously not making mistakes on your lap, and really putting it together, especially when you have these guys pushing you. So, it was a tough session. I really enjoyed it. The car was feeling great. We always have stuff we can improve but the team have done a great job this weekend. A good position for the race and I hope we can follow through tomorrow.

Q: Daniel, you’re second on the grid, your equal best ever grid position. What sort of satisfaction for you to put together such a good lap in these conditions - right at the end there?
Daniel Ricciardo: Yeah I think that was very pleasing to do it at the end. To be honest, I struggled a bit throughout the session, at least personally I didn’t feel like I was getting on top of the conditions but then the last set of inters right at the end of Q3 we managed to get a bit more out of it and I put a good lap together, so pretty pleased to be on the front row. Yeah, a good day.

Q: Sebastian, is this Red Bull Racing coming back and getting on terms with Mercedes back at the front? 
Sebastian Vettel: Well, in wet conditions I think we have a bit more of a chance. In dry conditions they are still quite quick and a little bit too far away. But let’s see what happens tomorrow, I think the weather forecast is dry so for sure we’ll try. I think we are in the best positions to try to give them a very hard time tomorrow.

Q: Yes, what is the weather forecast for tomorrow, Lewis? What are you expecting? What are you looking forward to in the race tomorrow 
LH: I was told it is going to be a good day tomorrow - I don’t know if it’s going to be the same for you guys? So, we don’t know. Here it’s always hazy, you don’t really know what’s going to happen with the weather but it will be cold for sure. Today you didn’t see the track drying up at all. But I hope it’s a dry race. Obviously these guys are a little bit closer in the wet, but we’ll have a good race either way.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Lewis, going into that session I think you just did one lap this morning - so how well prepared were you for that session?
LH: Yeah, I mean, we all had to save our tyres. It’s interesting because I’ll have to go and analyse it ‘cos I know at least one of these guys was driving a few laps in FP3 but I didn’t feel the need to go out really. I think it’s kind of… I don’t think it’s great for the fans that we don’t have a huge amount of tyres to… just to go out and run so they can see us driving. I’m sure people are tuning in and turning up to the track to watch us drive and we’re kind of a little bit restricted, obviously with the engine mileage and also with the tyres, so it’d be cool if we had a little bit more tyre life, then we would do some more running. But otherwise it was no different for me. The car felt good in qualifying.

Q: And in dry conditions, how do you feel?
LH: Yesterday was not a good day for me, so I struggled through P1 and obviously didn’t get to run through P1 and then P2, the car wasn’t very good. But we made some changes so I’m hoping… it’s kinda strange because we made all those changes overnight and then today it’s been wet so I’ve no idea if it’s in the right direction. It looked good in the wet so hopefully it’s the same tomorrow in the dry.

Q: So in a way you go into the race tomorrow with a bit of an unknown car.
LH: Yeah, definitely. I do particularly, because I missed P1. So it’s a little bit of an unknown - but it shouldn’t be too far off.

Q: Daniel, this circuit, just looking at the streams across the track, the changing condition, the rain came and went… tell us all about that.
DR: Yeah it’s a challenging circuit, I think, in general. Especially when a bit of water falls on the track it always makes it more challenging wherever you are. And there’s a few places across the track here where there’s a tarmac change and you get quite a big difference in grip through some of these corners - so trying to basically find the right line and the best way to drive around, particularly these trickier parts of the track with tarmac changes, is a bit complex. Took a bit of time to understand that but I think we got it in the end. Looking forward to tomorrow. If it’s dry I think we can race up the front. I’ll be ducking my head down the straight, like in a go-kart but yeah, we’ll hopefully hang on and fight for at least a podium I hope.

Q: And how do you feel going into the race in dry conditions?
DR: Yeah, as I say I think we’ve got a good chance to at least stay up the pointy end. It’s probably going to be a big strategy game tomorrow with two or three stop. It’s pretty close. If you can make a two-stop work successfully I think it’s going to help out but y’know, we’ll see what happens in 24 hours.

Q: Sebastian, pleased to be back in our press conference again, in third place?
SV: I missed probably one race, so it’s not a disaster.
LH: He’s been in quite a few times over the years so…

Q: But in terms of being competitive again and in the dry, you didn’t sound as though you were very convinced you would be [competitive] in the dry but perhaps in the wet more so? 
SV: Yeah, just if you take yesterday as a reference we were in good shape but I think missing the Ferraris this afternoon compared to yesterday afternoon. Yeah, we knew that in wet conditions probably we can be a little bit closer probably similar to what we’ve seen so far in qualifying, unfortunately only in Australia, where Daniel I think finished… qualified P2. Malaysia we were pretty close and again here. Maybe not that close this time but closer than we were yesterday probably… and the last race.

Q: And in terms of the race tomorrow, what’s the major factor? It’s interesting to see how much wind there is out there. 
SV: They say the weather should be fine tomorrow but I think around here you cannot really trust the weather forecast, so the best is to look out the window in the morning and see what you have. I think that’s fairly much the plan. In terms of tyres a bit compromised for the race, should it be wet, because we used most of the tyres today but I think most people were confident to do so because tomorrow should be dry so long story short we expect dry conditions and hopefully we can finish similar to where we started.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Livio Oricchio - Universo On Line) Sebastian, you have a more competitive teammate this year; does it change your approach to the weekend? 
SV: Well, that’s a compliment to Mark, I should say, in his absence. I think this year is very, very different, the cars are very different so I don’t think you can compare last year to this year, first of all, but nevertheless, I think Daniel is doing a very good job, he has not just had one good weekend, he had good weekends and so far he seems to be able to get the maximum out of the car. On my side, maybe I’m struggling a little bit more, but at the end of the day we have the same car - there’s nothing between cars, so if he manages to beat me, then he beats me on the circuit, fair and square. Of course, that’s not to my liking but equally, I know that I have to do a little bit better.

Q: (Frederic Ferret - L’Equipe) Daniel and Sebastian, there are two Red Bulls in front of one Mercedes; do you think there is a chance that we see a Red Bull winning tomorrow or are the Mercedes untouchable? 
SV: Well, I think if we put two chicanes in all the straights then yes.
DR: The idea is to get a good start for both of us and just drive side by side the whole race and then just fight it out on the last lap! Yeah, I don’t know. Realistically we have to wait and see but if we do I’m sure it won’t come easy.
SV: But do you agree on the chicanes still?
LH: Nah.
SV: It was worth a try!

Q: (Michael Schmidt - Auto, Motor und Sport) Daniel, you said you only found the right grip on the last run; was it because of what you explained before, because you had to find the lines where the tarmac changes or was it because you used different tyre pressures or whatever at the end? And can you tell us where the tarmac changes here at the circuit? 
DR: I think that with a bit more water than we had this morning - I only did one timed lap this morning - but with a bit more water out there this afternoon, it probably changed more than I expected so maybe some of the lines or the approaches I had on track this morning had altered a bit. Yeah, it took me a little bit of time, I guess, to figure that out. With tarmac changes, there’s a couple across the track but the main one I think that we feel in the race car is probably turn eight, I think, it’s after the long fast left and then into turn eight, there’s a tarmac change there and the car sort of bounces around a bit there. That’s just a bit of a challenge, I guess, in these conditions, so trying to get around there was... fun.

(source: f1.com)

FIA Friday press conference - China

Team representatives - Pat Fry (Ferrari), Charlie Whiting (Fia), Yasuhisa Arai (Honda), Andy Cowell (Mercedes AMG HPP), Rob White (Renault Sport F1)

Q: If we can start with you Charlie? The new power units have excited a lot of debate since the beginning of the year. Will you once again briefly take us through the philosophy behind this technology and why F1 believes it was the right time to introduce it?
Charlie Whiting: I think it was fairly clear, we’re going back a little while now, that Formula One, being the foremost single-seat category, should be at the forefront of technology. I think bit was also clear at the time that the motor manufacturers were also looking towards conservation. So we felt we had to go that way. I think to ignore that would have been rather silly. I think we would have possibly lost some manufacturers and certainly deterred others from coming in.

Q: I guess efficiency plays a part in that as well?
CW: Of course that was the major goal. We started four years ago with the engine manufacturers. We had quite big meeting with lots of them assembled in Paris. It was the 27th of April, in fact, in 2010. We assembled them all together and the initial goal was to have a 50 percent increase in efficiency but over a period of time that became diluted somewhat because it appeared that was rather ambitious for the start of this new engine era. So we ended up with what we have now and that is an engine that everyone can see is about 35 percent more efficient than the previous engines.

Q: So, Andy Cowell, does that represent a small step in the right direction or a giant leap?
Andy Cowell: It represents a giant leap - going from internal combustion engines, naturally aspirated at about 30 percent thermal efficiency up to engines where we’re all targeting 40 percent thermal efficiency is a huge step, a huge introduction of new technology both on the internal combustion engine for efficiency and also on the two energy recovery systems that we’ve got on the power unit.

Q: What do Mercedes expect to get from this project in terms of technology that can be eventually transferred to the road? Is that a long way in the future or is it already happening? 
AC: It’s already happening. The regulations were specifically written to take some of the ideas are already in the road car world, so downsizing, downspeeding and turbocharging but adding some new, interesting technologies in there such as the electric turbocharger as a specific example and those sort of projects are already being worked on.

Q: Can I ask the same question of Rob White. What does Renault expect to get from this project in terms of road cars?
Rob White: It’s a big leap, as Andy says. I share the remarks that transfers are already happening. The transfers are not only specific technologies, the e-turbo being one of them, but also the fundamental alignment of the mission we have. Our challenge now is to race, to go as fast as we can with the given fuel allocation, which is a very, very similar mission to our road car colleagues who have to use the smallest amount of fuel to get a given mission done and that’s extremely close.

Q: There’s been quite a lot of talk about how the power units are contributing to racing and we’ve heard some unusual suggestions for things might be changed. Firstly, do you think there are problems with the racing this year? Secondly, what do you think of ideas such as shortening races, raising fuel limits etc. Do those suggestions miss the point?
RW: The main problem I see so far is that Andy has won rather more than I’d like and we have win less than I’d like. The specific suggestions are just shifting the goalposts rather than doing anything fundamental and I think as Charlie indicated the basic parameters that we’re now racing with were decided well upstream in sufficient time that we knew what to do with them. I honestly feel that the numbers were well judged and I think the 100kg/h fuel limit and the 100kg for the race, as well as having the benefit of being nice round numbers, also play out more or less as predicted in terms of the level of performance and the level of fuel saving needed to get to the end of the race. I think we’ve seen in the early races that there hasn't been an excessive amount of fuel saving that would perhaps have damaged the show. I think we’ve seen more recently, particularly in Bahrain… We all enjoyed the race there, it was the first one I saw from the comfort of my living room and it was certainly an exciting one to watch.

Q: Now we’ve heard from two of the manufacturers currently involved in F1 but let’s get the thoughts of a manufacturer that will next year return to the sport after six seasons away? Thank you very much Mr Arai for coming to our press conference. What is it in the new regulations that has encouraged Honda to come back into Formula One at this time?
Yasuhisa Arai: Thank you very much. I am delighted to be here and to be given this opportunity by the FIA to speak at this conference. As you mentioned we will return in the year 2015 for the Formula One. One of the major reasons for our decision was the new regulation introduced this year and that the various environment… I mean green technologies in the new Formula One power unit, as well as the total energy management are both very challenging and significant. The new regulation encourages each power unit supplier to pursue the ultimate combustions efficiency and high pressure direct injections, such as many, many new technology. Thus the challenge is to convert each unit of gasoline into energy and this is expected to be reflected on the huge production mode. That’s the reason why.

Q: You’re setting up a new base at Milton Keynes in the United Kingdom. What will that facility be responsible for in the coming years?
YA: That, we will open June this year. Now still under construction but that factory is to do the engine maintenance for the races and rebuilding the Formula One engine and also to go to the race-track for the trackside service. That’s Milton Keynes.

Q: Pat, as someone more responsible for the chassis side of things at Ferrari, let’s talk about how you integrate these new power units with the cars. Have you found that the chassis and engine departments have needed to work closer together this year or is the relationship pretty much the same as always?
Pat Fry: I think with the changes to the power unit this year, there’s obviously a huge amount more technology to understand and that has definitely pulled the chassis department and the engine department closer together. That starts everywhere from the simple, basic simulations that you do before an event to tuning the car. Everything is now inter-related. So where you used to play with a diff and brake balance and whatever, you’ve now got all the various ERS levels of charging and deciding what to do with waste gates and turbos. So there’s a huge amount more interaction between the two groups.

Q: Has the engine department given you a power unit on the minimum weight or are you having to shed weight from the car?
PF: We’re fairly close to the weight limit. I’m sure everyone is struggling. The combination of an engine on the weight limit and just all the bits and pieces we want on a standard car, it’s quite a challenge to get down to the weight limit anyway. But yeah, we’re just on that limit.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Dieter Rencken - Racing Lines) Question to Andy and Rob and Mr Arai if you would like to contribute as well please: Andy, you were talking about 40 percent efficiency. Now, we’ve got relatively immature technology at the moment. What sort of progress in terms of efficiency do you engine manufacturers foresee over the seven-year lifecycle of these engines?
AC: It’s a difficult one to predict. We’re working hard to improve the efficiency of the internal combustion engine, make sure that every single drop of fuel that goes in… and that’s where working with Petronas helps tremendously to get us to the point we’re at today and to move forwards race by race with fuel developments. And then it’s just mastering the conversion efficiencies - so every single step where we’re converting the energy, just improving little by little and then with a new power unit homologated next year. I guess I’m not coming up with a prediction for exactly how much we’re going to improve year by year - but I imagine it’s going to be very similar to when we were in the naturally-aspirated era, where there were times when we thought 13,000rpm was impressive and we all ended up well over 20,000rpm. So it’ll be a similar level of development.

Q: Rob?
RW: I think Andy was cautious when saying 40 percent. I think to be competitive you need to be a bit better than 40 percent already. I think we shouldn’t underestimate just how important that is in terms of automotive technology. I think these power units are fantastic pieces of kit in terms of the raw, thermal efficiency that is achieved. Better than any road car engine by a margin. And I think it’s also important to draw attention to the fact that the energy management challenge is also part of the real efficiency of the race car which is in addition to the thermal efficiency of the power unit. There will be rapid progress even during the course of this year. We’ve seen progress in the early races without any change to the underlying hardware. That’s something that will continue during the season. That’s something that will take another step forward over the winter - as Andy as suggested - when we homologate a new version of the power unit for 2015. This is another mirror-image of what happens in the big, wide world outside, where every iteration of our road car product brings with it a significant step forward in fuel consumption, which of course is the same thing for us: a step forward in performance for the same fuel flow or fuel limit.

Q: Mr Arai, would you like to comment or is it a bit too early for you to make any predictions? 
YA: There is a strange feeling because our door for 2015 is still not open yet. So I can make just a small comment. How to make the good efficiency is just a three major fields. Technology fields. One is combustion itself - combustion chamber design, another one is how to recover the energy, that’s very important for these new regulations and finally the torque management. Positive and negative torque management is very important to make a good, fast car. That’s my comment.

Q: (Gary Anderson - Autosport) As you were saying Andy, revs, that’s always been the push, everybody wanted to get more revs, more revs, more revs. This year the regulation maximum is 15,000 but on a good day you might see 12(,000). Do you see that changing, and if it did change do you see that helping the noise? 
AC: You’re correct with regard to the revs that we’re running on the track. I don’t see that changing, I don’t see the need for the revs to change to change the noise of the power unit. The principal reason why the engine is quieter is the turbine wheel and the muffling effect that you get from that. That’s one of the key technologies for recycling the waste energy that would normally go down the tailpipe so it’s a key aspect of the technology that we’ve got. There are other things we can do though with the tailpipe, perhaps, to change the noise.

Q: (Gary Anderson - Autosport) Could I just add a second part: why is it 12,000 rpm instead of 15,000rpm? 
AC: The fundamental reason is the fuel flow rate formula so you get the 100 kilograms per hour once you’re at 10,500 rpm. If you rev an engine faster, you generate more friction and friction is the enemy of an engine and the enemy of a race car because you have to reject it to the radiators and there’s then an aerodynamic deficit from doing that. None of us want to be below 10,500 rpm but none of us want to be at high revs because all you do is create heat.
RW: There’s not much to add. The fuel flow curve, the fuel law is the thing that fixes the engine speed as Andy indicated. We hear a little bit less about the slope below 10,500 than the maximum which is 100 kilos but it is that knee point that fixes the rpm at which the engines make the best power and best efficiency and the engine speed above that is to do with the spread needed to pass the gear ratios.

Q: (Marc Surer - Sky Germany) It’s in a similar direction, my question for the motor engineers: what can you do to increase the noise? There’s a lot of talk about it but I haven’t heard a solution yet. 
RW: First thing to say is that the noise of the current engine is a consequence of the overall layout, the architecture and so forth. I think in terms of the possible adjustments to change the noise it makes, I think we’re at the beginning of a consultative process that will kick off in about an hour’s time. Andy’s alluded to tail pipe changes - that’s something that could be a way to go. I think the scope to fundamentally and profoundly alter the noise of the engines is extremely limited by the type of technology that we have deployed and therefore I think we need to be realistic about the scope of any action that we might take but of course we’re sensitive to the subject and we’ll certainly participate in any of the studies that might lead to actions being taken.
PF: I think the engine people in the room know the problem a lot more than I do. I think what Andy said about... you’ve got the turbo there to try and take all the energy that we can out, so it’s always going to be quieter. There’s a round of meetings starting today, in fact, that will discuss and try and work out how to improve the situation.

Q: (Dieter Rencken - Racing Lines) Mr Arai, if we have a look at Mercedes, they’re supplying their own team and three customers. Renault are doing four customers; Ferrari are doing one plus two. Next year, you’ve got McLaren. Could you give us some insight into your plans for both 2015 and thereafter in terms of customer teams, whether your relationship with McLaren actually permits that, please?
YA: So, for year 2015, McLaren is our only customer. I don’t think about the future, because we want to concentrate on next season.

Q: (Dieter Rencken - Racing Lines) I understand your philosophy there but surely you must have done costing and recovery against the units and that must surely include some sort of sale or customer-type project or do you not have any plans for customers at all? 
YA: Of course we want to have good results next season and see the results from other manufacturers. Please choose our power unit for next season. If teams want to use our engine or power unit, we can deliver after year 2016 but right now there are no plans.

Q: (Gary Anderson - Autosport) Rob, it’s been fairly well documented that you obviously haven’t started the season the way you intended to. Do Renault need any concessions from other manufacturers or the FIA, to do the improvements that you need or are you happy to work within the regulations and do what you’re allowed at the moment to catch up? 
RW: I think the first thing to say is that the technical and sporting regulations are the same for all the engine suppliers. We knew what we were getting into and we’re in it now. We’re not lobbying for any regulatory change. I think that for the time being our priority is to continue the recovery actions that we’ve put in place and I expect to pursue that over the course of this season.

Q: (Michael Schmidt - Auto, Motor und Sport) Question to Charlie: the rules allow changes to the engines if it is for reliability, cost-saving and safety. But let’s say if you do a change for reliability reasons and you make a certain component stronger, isn’t that - let’s say - automatically gaining horsepower through the back door? 
CW: I think that the system that we have now is the same as it’s been since 2006. If an engine manufacturer asks for changes for reliability, we always assess that, we always try to see if there is a possible - as you put it - back door route to get more performance but we are absolutely confident that the changes that we’ve allowed so far this season are purely for reliability and we also have the fall-back of consulting all the other engine manufacturers so if we agree to some changes for reliability and we then circulate it among the other engine manufacturers, they have the opportunity to highlight any potential back door treatment, as you put it.

(source: f1.com)

FIA grants Formula One entry to Haas

Formula One racing’s governing body, the FIA, confirmed on Friday that it has accepted an application from Gene Haas to enter a new team in the F1 world championship.

The American NASCAR team owner’s entry was granted after a lengthy evaluation process and the new squad now hopes to be on the grid for the 2015 season. 

“Obviously, we’re extremely pleased to have been granted a Formula One license by the FIA,” commented Haas. “It’s an exciting time for me, Haas Automation and anyone who wanted to see an American team return to Formula One.

“Now, the really hard work begins. It’s a challenge we embrace as we work to put cars on the grid. I want to thank the FIA for this opportunity and the diligence everyone put forth to see our license application come to fruition.”

Stewart-Haas Racing won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in 2011, whilst Haas Automation, founded in 1983 and based in California, is the largest CNC machine tool builder in the western world. 

Haas also founded Windshear, a 180-mph rolling-road wind tunnel in North Carolina, that is the first of its kind in North America. It is only the third rolling-road wind tunnel of its scale in existence and the world’s first commercially available, full-scale, rolling-road wind tunnel.

The FIA said that other applications “of a high standard” had been received to join the F1 grid and that it is in the process of conducting further investigations for another potential new team, Forza Rossa.

Following Friday’s meeting of its World Motor Sport Council in Marrakech, the FIA also announced that a study on the noise produced by 2014’s new turbo V6 engines is underway, with preliminary results expected shortly, and that the relevant stakeholders will be meeting next month to clarify how to achieve a substantial cost reduction for F1 teams.

(source: f1.com)

FIA press conference schedule - Malaysia

Amongst the drivers who will take part in the official FIA press conference in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday will be Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen who scored his first ever Grand Prix victory in Malaysia in 2003. And on Friday it is the turn of senior team personnel - including Lotus’s recently-appointed deputy team principal Federico Gastaldi - to answer questions from the press. The line-ups in full...

Thursday, March 27, 1500 hours local time (0800 CET)
Valtteri Bottas (Williams), Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham), Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso), Pastor Maldonado (Lotus), Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari), Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)

Friday, March 28, 1600 hours local time (0900 CET)
Cyril Abiteboul (Caterham), Federico Gastaldi (Lotus), Paul Hembery (Pirelli), Monisha Kaltenborn (Sauber), Graeme Lowdon (Marussia), Franz Tost (Toro Rosso)

The qualifying and post-race conferences with the top three drivers will take place immediately after the respective sessions.

(source: f1.com)

FIA press conference schedule - Australia

Amongst the drivers who will take part in the official FIA press conference in Melbourne on Thursday will be home favourite (and new Red Bull driver) Daniel Ricciardo. And on Friday it is the turn of senior team personnel - including Renault engine guru Remi Taffin - to answer questions from the press. The line-ups in full...

Thursday, March 13, 1500 hours local time (0500 CET)
Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Kevin Magnussen (McLaren), Felipe Massa (Williams), Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull), Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)

Friday, March 14, 1830 hours local time (0830 CET) 
Eric Boullier (McLaren), Stefano Domenicali (Ferrari), Christian Horner (Red Bull), Remi Taffin (Renault F1), Claire Williams (Williams), Toto Wolff (Mercedes)

The qualifying and post-race conferences with the top three drivers will take place immediately after the respective sessions.

Formula1.com will bring you full transcripts.

(source: f1.com)

The drivers permanent numbers!

BOTTAS wanted to be 77 because the numbers are like the two T-letters in the middle of his name.

1 Sebastian Vettel     Red Bull
 3 Daniel Ricciardo     Red Bull
44 Lewis Hamilton       Mercedes
 6 Nico Rosberg         Mercedes
14 Fernando Alonso      Ferrari
 7 Kimi Räikkönen       Ferrari
 8 Romain Grosjean      Lotus
13 Pastor Maldonado     Lotus
22 Jenson Button        McLaren
20 Kevin Magnussen      McLaren
27 Nico Hülkenberg      Force India
11 Sergio Perez         Force India
99 Adrian Sutil         Sauber
21 Esteban Gutierrez    Sauber
25 Jean-Eric Vergne     Toro Rosso 
26 Daniil Kvjat         Toro Rosso
19 Felipe Massa         Williams
77 Valtteri Bottas      Williams
17 Jules Bianchi        Marussia

Vettel will be number 5 when he looses his title.

Lotus has asked the FIA for postponement

Lotus has asked the FIA if they could postpone the winter tests with one week. Some other teams have also been worried about the schedule but it is very unlikely that the dates will change. Lotus needs every other team to agree on the postponement. The bigger teams are happy with the dates.

The Formula One series are switching to V6-turboengines next year so the tests are very important for every team.

The 2014 winter testing (first session) starts in Jerez, Spain in the end of January.

MTV SPORT: The drivers will get permanent numbers in 2014

The FIA has decided on giving the drivers permanent numbers for next season.
The drivers will pick their numbers depending on their 2013 championship position.

Sebastian Vettel for example gets to pick first and he will probably pick number 1.
Kimi Räikkönen picks after Alonso and Hamilton because Webber who was fourth in 2013 retired.

The drivers are allowed to pick a number from 1-99.

Every time there is a new champion, he may choose number 1 if he wants. The other drivers stay with their own numbers and the former champion has to choose a new number.

If two drivers pick the same number the one who has been more successful the previous season gets to choose first.

(source: MTV Sport)

A driver can get double points in the last race in 2014!

The FIA states that they want the series to stay interesting till the end with this new rule. The winner gets 50 points, the second 36 and so on.

F1-management decided this today in Paris.

This means that Kimi Räikkönen would have won the championship also in 2003, Felipe Massa in 2008 and Fernando Alonso in 2012 if this rule would have been in those seasons as well.

Is this a good idea or just a stupid idea to make this sport more entertaining? I don't really know..

In a way I just feel that this sport is becoming more and more for the fans and not for the drivers.

FIA Thursday press conference - Brazil

Drivers - Charles Pic (Caterham), Max Chilton (Marussia), Giedo Van Der Garde (Caterham), Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso), Felipe Massa (Ferrari), Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing).

Q: I’ll start with you Mark: 215th and final Grand Prix start this weekend. I know you’ve had time to come to terms with your retirement from Formula One but when you climb into that Red Bull for one last time, it’s going to emotional isn't it?
Mark Webber: I think on Sunday it will be a little bit different but it still feels like a normal race at the moment, so looking forward to Sunday in many ways, in terms of obviously pushing for a good result, but also I’m ready to stop and looking forward to the extended winter that I’ll have and the new challenges around the corner. Getting out of the car Sunday there will be a few things that will be for the last obviously in terms of Formula One, but I’m pretty relaxed at the moment and looking forward to the race.

Q: What do you think you might miss most of all?
MW: There are certain situations in Formula One that are super rewarding. Obviously driving the car on the limit at certain venues is still very satisfying, no question about it. You’ve got Suzuka, Spa, Monte Carlo, come qualifying day and even racing, at certain circuits it’s very challenging and rewarding. So I’ll miss some of that. But I’m on a little bit of a slippery slope now, in terms of… you’ve got to be careful not to test it too much in terms of performance and what you used to be able to do. I still think I’m driving well but I don’t want to be around not driving well. So it’s inevitable that you’re going to miss certain parts, for sure the adrenaline and working with people like Adrian Newey. Stuff like that you don’t get to do that often obviously. That’ll be something I’ll miss a bit. But there comes a time when you’ve got to let go and I’ll still have good adrenaline next year obviously with Porsche and that’ll be a good balance.

Q: So many highs and lows from your association with Formula One. Which period have you enjoyed driving the least and which period have you enjoyed driving the most.
MW: I think the hardest and most difficult cars to driver were in the mid-2000s, when we had all the refuelling and the tyre war. Those cars were tricky and you had to push every time you went out. There was no such thing as pacing at any point really, in qualifying, practice or Sunday afternoon. So it really was a tight envelope for a Grand Prix driver in those eras to operate but that’s what we trained [for] and we aspire to do. They were good times. Obviously a lot of power too, the V10s had plenty of horsepower. So the lap times floating around then were pretty impressive, and in the early 2000s as well to a degree. We’ve had a lot of changes in the last three or four years. The racing has gone through some boring phases, so we’ve introduced some DRS, things like that, things that have been of benefit to the sport. It’s taken a little bit of the tradition out of it I suppose, some of the passing moves and things like that, which probably which are not as difficult to achieve as in years gone by. They are achievable now. That’s a little bit fabricated but good for the neutral at home. Tyres - we’ve had some challenging times on those as drivers, and as teams, trying to understand particularly the new brand of heavily modified pace during races is probably not as rewarding as it was. But you can’t always have it. I’ve driven in so many different regulations… one championship but with so many different scenarios but generally you just have to enjoy it, it’s your job.

Q: I’m sure you’ll be greatly missed by everyone here in the paddock. Good luck for the future. For you, Felipe, it’s the end of an era too. Your association with Ferrari, which begun in 2006, comes to an end and what a place for it to come to an end - your home race, at Interlagos.
Felipe Massa: Yeah, definitely. It’s a fantastic place to race and to finish an incredible time with Ferrari. It's a very long time. It’s our eighth championship but I’ve been inside Ferrari even before Formula One, so it’s a long time and I need to say thank you to all of them - everyone who worked together in Ferrari. Stefano as well. You know that he is a big friend and he did a lot for me as well, Domenicali. Everybody, everybody I worked with together. I hope we can enjoy the last race here in Ferrari and having a lot of fun and having a good result as well to have even more emotion at the end.

Q: Do you pinch yourself when you think back that you spent eight years with Ferrari, the team that every boy racer dreams of racing for?
FM: Yeah, I mean I think Ferrari is a dream for all the drivers. I remember, one of the first go-karts I had was red. My first overall was red, so I was always supporting Ferrari as a kid. So racing eight years for Ferrari is definitely a dream come true. So, getting old as well! But also it’s another re-start for my career. I’m really happy and looking forward to my future in Williams, a different team. So really, a lot to do still in Formula One.

Q: How important for your morale was it that Williams had the faith in you to extend your Formula One career, to take you on and try and restart a period of success that they’ll be hoping for from next season? And also, how important is it for the sport that a Brazilian driver still stays in Formula One.
FM: First of all, I really believe I can do a lot with Williams. Everything is changing, brand new rules for the championship so I think it’s also a good time that we start something new, different. You never know, you’re doing a good job in a team that has also all the infrastructure to do - like Williams has - everything inside the company to do a good car. So everything is possible. They believe in me so I’m really happy and motivated to drive for them, to work and to do everything I can to help the team to be competitive again, which I’m sure everything is possible.

Q: And how important for a Brazilian to stay in Formula One?
FM: It’s very important. We know how important is Brazil in Formula One: the history for so many drivers, so many championships, so many victories. For Brazil, Formula One is very important. We have motor racing in the blood. So, it’s very, very important to keep Brazilian drivers in Formula One, and also, we’re not having a great time in Brazil for the small categories, so I think it’s important to give a push and help for our future - because for the moment it doesn’t look very nice. I’m trying to help and give some good ideas for the Federation to help and pushing for our future.

Q: Jean-Eric, your second full season in Formula One. How difficult has this year been for you? Off the track when Mark announced he was retiring there was the hope of a Red Bull seat, tantalisingly close but it never ultimately came your way.
Jean-Eric Vergne: It was a difficult season. I have to say that I’ve been quite unlucky in many races, not finishing when I should have been in the points. We had a really good car to start off the season with but then I guess with the introduction of the new tyres, everything went a little bit more difficult for us and, yeah, we were out of the points for a long time. It has been really tough. Obviously there was the Red Bull seat opportunity. They went for Daniel. It was, of course, a big disappointment for me as a racing driver. You want to win races, be one day a world champion and obviously it’s the team to be in to do this, to succeed. But, you know, I try to look at the positive. I guess if Red Bull choose Daniel that means there are things I haven’t done good. I have to look at myself in the mirror, try to understand the reasons and try to get better. The challenge with Toro Rosso next year will be massive. I’m really happy to stay in that team and everything is possible. Even staying in this team, it’s not a back-up plan or whatever. I really believe in this team and I want to grow as a racing driver with this team that is growing a lot too.

Q: When you miss out on a big seat is it difficult to keep your head high, is it difficult to keep your morale and your focus.
J-EV: For a few races it has been difficult because I think I was doing really good races and I was on a good run from Monaco, Canada and Silverstone was going to be really good as well but obviously I had the big tyre explosion and then there was the call of Red Bull to put Daniel in the Red Bull for the young driver test and straight away I understood that this seat was not going to be for me even though I tried to do my best. And then there were a couple of really difficult races in terms of pace, everything, so it was quite difficult to manage it, I guess.

Q: Giedo and Max. Question for you both. We know where Mark’s going to be next year, we know where Felipe and Jean-Eric are going to be - but you two, we’re not sure at the moment. Max first, what can you tell us about the future?
Max Chilton: I’m not going to speculate any more than people already have. We’ve had some good discussions over the last couple of weeks and I’m happy with those conversations, they’ve gone quite well so I’m just looking forward to hopefully being back next year and having a bit of a better chance.

Q: No doubt in your mind that ideally you would like to stay with Marussia.
MC: Yeah. Marussia have been great to me. They gave me the chance to get into Formula One and it’s not easy for us where we are but this year I think we’ve done a pretty stunning job with what we’ve got. It’s not over yet - we learnt that last year here with five laps to go - so we’re kind of… we’re fingers-crossed hoping that it can finish well but the car’s looking strong for next year. When big rule changes tend to come into Formula One it gives the smaller teams a bit of a chance. So looking forward to Australia hopefully next year.

Q: Giedo, what does the future hold for you?
Giedo van der Garde: Well, I can tell you nothing yet. The management is very busy at the moment. Hopefully they can do a good job. I think I’ve proven myself during the last part of the season and I think I’ve been doing a very good job so hopefully I will be there next year.

Q: Is it easier to have those negotiations after a season of Formula One do you think - or is it easier to make more of an impression with your results from the junior categories, trying to get in for the first time?
GVDG: I think after a season it’s better to negotiate - because then you’ve shown already what you can do. I think we’ve shown already this year what I did. Let’s see.

Q: So, tell us about the battle this weekend. 13th place will be good enough to Caterham in the constructors’ championship if there’s no Marussia car ahead of them. At the moment Marussia have that tenth place and with it the financial benefits of tenth. How are both camps feeling? Let’s start with Max first. It’s a massive weekend for both teams.
MC: Yeah, for sure. We know how important this weekend is, coming into it. The worst thing is to start panicking because you start not concentrating on the right things. The best thing to do is treat it like a normal race weekend and try to get the most out of the car. If we can do that, and we can race well, then there’s nothing that we can be sad about because we gave it the best shot we can. We’ve done that every race this year and it’s worked. But with the weather in Brazil it’s never over until that chequered flag.

Q: Does that mean then, Giedo, that Caterham are praying for rain?
GVDG: Absolutely! Because by pure speed it’s going to be tough in dry conditions and we need some luck. We need some other cars maybe to have a collision or maybe to have a mechanical failure - but rain will help a lot. And our car seems to work quite well in the rain. And also our car is quite competitive here also in the dry. We have to give it a big push, the last chance, and hopefully we can do the same as last year.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Flavio Vanetti - Corriere della Sera) Felipe, which was your happiest moment at Ferrari and which was the toughest one? Can we say the toughest one was after losing the championship here, or the period after the accident in Budapest?
FM: I would say the happiest moment was, I think, the first time I won in Brazil, 2006, with the green and yellow overalls. I think that was definitely the best moment for me. You know how important it is for a Brazilian to win at home. If you remember well, Senna was more happy to win in Brazil than to win a championship so you can see how important it is for a Brazilian to win here. It was a very special moment, not just that time but even 2008 was a special moment. I won the race here, it was Sao Paulo, quickest lap. It was other championships, not here in Brazil, you know, before. I think the toughest moment was... definitely the accident was not a great moment and maybe the race in Hockenheim, 2010.

Q: (Marc Surer - Sky Germany) Mark, you must be very pleased next year that there are no standing starts any more for you. I hardly remember a perfect start from you. Can you explain us what is so difficult about starting a modern Formula One car?
MW: Austin was very good. Austin was a great start. Austin was a good start.

Q: Sadly the Frenchman behind you got a better start.
MW: That’s right. I think that my reaction... first of all, we are not completely in a position like Ferrari with their clutches. We know they have a very very good start system so they’re stronger than us on the initial...
FM: If you want we can change the downforce...
MW: So yeah, our initial starts, the initial part has not always been consistent and then I think my reaction to this inconsistency is not as good as it could be. So when you go for the second lever, when you go for the KERS, when you go for the slip control, especially on the Pirellis... with the Bridgestones, you could slip the tyre a little bit more and you get no penalty. With the Pirellis, you slip the tyre a little bit and you lose time so I think that... We’ve never seen Sebastian go through the row in front either. We’re either holding position or losing and Seb has got the starts just OK because I think he can manage some of the problems but for me, it has not, particularly in the last few years. The Bridgestone years we were fine, 2010 was actually pretty good but in the last few years it has not been our strength and it has not been a strength of mine. But I enjoy the starts. I’m relaxed on the grid, I could sing a song to the guys, it’s not something which... when the lights are on, it’s a great part of the Grand Prix but of course, it’s a part of the weekend that, if you look at Austin, it’s a big part of the weekend that needs to... Maybe I should have done ‘bike racing because in ‘bike racing you can overtake but in Formula One now, it’s less easy to recover because in traffic with the tyres, blah blah blah it’s a big part. 

Q: Before we continue with our questions from our journalists here, I’m pleased to report that Charles Pic has managed to join us this morning. Thanks for coming along. We asked Max and we asked Giedo about their futures in Formula One; it would be wrong not to ask you about next season and how negotiations are going?
Charles Pic: Yeah, sorry, first, for the delay. I was doing the track walk because we had a mistake with the scheduled programme. For next year, I think the logical thing for me would be to stay at Caterham but it’s not sure. I think there are still many seats available for next year so nothing is sure for the moment so we will see.

Q: How difficult is it for a driver and a driver as young as yourself to be thinking, ‘do you know what, if it doesn’t go right with the negotiations, that might be my time in Formula One and it might have come and gone so, so quickly?’
CP: Yeah but you say that every year, no? So, at the end, I don’t think it’s changing a lot. We try to be focused on the races we are on, so it’s Brazil this weekend and give our best this weekend, try to get good results for the team and then we will see what happens for next year.

Q: Thirteenth or better on the track might help those negotiations along for this weekend and helping Caterham maybe to tenth in the constructors’ championship. Giedo was saying that the team is praying for rain. Do you believe that the shock result is possible, even without the rain?
CP: I don’t know if it will help the negotiations but for sure it would help the team and it’s the target so we will go for it and see.

Q: (Dan Knutson - Auto Action and National Speedsport News) Mark, would you like to send a message to Australia and a thank-you to the legions of Australian fans that have supported you ever since that first race with Minardi?
MW: Yeah, well obviously Formula One down there is not the easiest sport to follow, or wasn’t particularly when I was growing up. It’s always on in the middle of the night, there was no internet, blah blah blah. These days it’s a little bit more easy to follow. Obviously we’ve been very, very lucky to have an Australian Grand Prix since ’85 in Adelaide and then at Melbourne, so that’s a real tonic for our country to follow the best single-seater category in the world - obviously the pinnacle is Formula One so they are always happy to have the best drivers and the best teams in the world to come down there to compete in Australia and that’s evident with one of the best organised events of the year. So, when they have an Australian racing, that’s a super bonus and when they have an Australian challenging for good results, for them it’s been a good period in the last few years so it’s been phenomenal the amount of support that I’ve had from there, not always easy for them to understand the sport at times but they do what they can and they are very passionate behind their sporting people. I believe that I’ve competed in a way which they would be proud of and I just want to thank them, obviously, for all their amazing messages that I’ve had over the last few weeks and specially this week, it’s been incredible. I look forward to spending a little bit more time down in Oz in the future, I haven’t seen a huge amount of my country since I left there as a young lad so I’m looking forward to spending a bit more time down there, have a look around and I always represented and was proud to race for Australia throughout my career, so the Australian national anthem and the flag for me was very important because I always knew it was not often... there’s only been three race winners so it’s not exactly easy for us to compete at this level and get over to Europe. It’s very special to race for Australia.

Q: (Patricia Sanchez - Motorpasion F1) Mark, already we ask you what are going to miss now you’re leaving, is there something you’re happy to leave behind, maybe us journalists?
MW: Well, I wouldn’t be leaving if there wasn’t things that I’m not happy to leave behind. Obviously if there’s more positives than negatives then obviously I would stay, so there’s more negatives than positives so for me, it’s something that I want a fresh change, a new chapter in my life. Basically I’m ready for that, personally and professionally. Obviously the journos have to do their job, obviously I have a good relationship with quite a few of them, also the photographers for me have been very good for me over the years. Some of the snappers in the room here have been with me for my first test, for example in Estoril in 2001. You strike up good friendships with a lot of people, not just the drivers but other people. Obviously there’s some shit magazines that have to do shit journalism and that’s normal but in the end, you’ve got to deal with those as well but in general it’s a good professional tennis match and that’s how we always like to play it. The journos, I don’t feel negative about the journos at all, they’re doing their job but sometimes they test you of course.

Q: (Luigi Perna - La Gazzetta dello Sport) Felipe, considering all, do you think that Ferrari will miss you in future?
FM: I hope so. For sure, it’s not part of my thinking. I’ve tried to do the best in my career so I really hope Ferrari can have a good future as well, so I have nothing really to complain about, to say. We have had a very good time together and I hope I can have a fantastic future in a different team and I hope it’s the same for Ferrari. I have had zero frustration in my life and I think that’s the way it is.

Q: (Ben Edwards - BBC Sport) Max, your thoughts going into this race, a chance of finishing every single Grand Prix of your rookie season, is that something you’re already thinking about?
MC: Yeah, for sure it’s something I’m proud of, a good achievement so far to finish 18 races. I think it’s broken Tiago’s (Monteiro) record already of 16 but I’m trying not to look into... I’m a little bit superstitious. If you start looking around I feel that I will tempt fate. It’s something I would quite like to keep up. Obviously if I’m put in a position where I have to really fight as hard as I can to keep that 13th and screw the keeping it on the track I will do whatever I can to keep that tenth. It would be nice if I could finish the race on Sunday but it’s not the end of the world if not.

(source: f1.com)