Formula1.com: Marussia and Caterham set to miss Austin round

Formula1.com has now also stated that the two bottom teams will probably not compete this weekend.
They wrote this earlier on the official Formula One website:

Marussia and Caterham look unlikely to compete in this weekend’s 2014 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, as both teams seek solutions to their ongoing financial issues, the former having gone into administration on Monday.

Administrators for Marussia, FRP Advisory LLP, say the team will continue to operate while they assess the longer-term viability of the company, and that Marussia’s participation in the season’s remaining rounds will depend on the outcome of that process.

Both Marussia and Caterham joined the Formula One grid in 2010, originally as Virgin and Lotus Racing respectively. Both have enjoyed only limited success, with Marussia securing their first world championship points in this year’s Monaco Grand Prix and Caterham yet to score in 93 race outings.

Rossi to replace Chilton at Marussia for Spa

American rookie Alexander Rossi will make his Grand Prix race debut this weekend in Belgium after being drafted in as a late replacement for Max Chilton at Marussia. 

The team said Chilton, who has raced for the Banbury-based squad since 2013, was being substituted "while contractual issues are resolved".

Rossi, 22, only joined Marussia as test and reserve driver last month having previously served a similar role at Caterham, contesting four Friday practice sessions over the past three seasons.

"It goes without saying that I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to race in Formula 1 for the first time," Rossi said. "I cannot thank the Marussia F1 Team enough for the faith they are demonstrating in me. 

"It's a very big moment for me and there's a lot to prepare in a short space of time, but on the other hand I have felt ready for this for quite a while now. 

"It is also exciting to be given this opportunity at such a fantastic and historical circuit as Spa-Francorchamps. I can't wait to drive the MR03 from tomorrow and I hope to reward the team with a solid race weekend."

Team principal John Booth admitted the driver change had not been planned, and said the team is hoping to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

"Although it was not our intention to offer Alexander the possibility to race this season, in light of the circumstances we are pleased to be providing him with the opportunity to make his Grand Prix debut at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Franchorchamps," Booth said.

"Naturally we hope to resume normal service with respect to our established race driver line-up as soon as possible, but for now we wish Alexander well for the weekend ahead and we look forward to seeing him in action."

Rossi will be the first American to race in F1 since Scott Speed made his final appearance for Toro Rosso at the Nurburgring in July 2007. He will also be the second debutant at Spa this weekend, following Caterham's decision to replace Kamui Kobayashi with three-time Le Mans 24-hour winner Andre Lotterer.

(source: f1.com)

Chilton to race at Goodwood Revival

Marussia’s Max Chilton will become the first contemporary Formula One driver in nine years to compete at the UK’s famous Goodwood Revival meeting next month, when he climbs behind the wheel for the September 12-14 event.

British driver Chilton, who is in his second year of F1 competition, will race in the Shelby Cup, a one-off event being held to mark 60 years of the small-block V8 engine and the 50th anniversary of one of the most iconic cars to ever use the powerplant, the Ford Mustang.

With only cars powered by small-block V8s eligible for the race, Chilton will share a 1965 Mustang with Richard Dutton, boss of the successful junior single-seater squad Fortec Motorsport.

The last current F1 driver to take part in the Revival was Vitantonio Liuzzi in 2005, while former world champion Damon Hill was also an active Formula One competitor when he raced at the inaugural event in 1998.

The Revival routinely attracts famous F1 faces, past and present, both on and off the track. Last year saw Red Bull’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey among the race winners, partnering former Indy 500 winner Kenny Brack in a Ford GT40.

(source: f1.com)

Bianchi to replace Raikkonen at Silverstone test

Ferrari have confirmed that Kimi Raikkonen will miss this week’s test at Silverstone to aid his recovery from the bruising he sustained in a high-speed crash on lap one of Sunday’s race in Great Britain.

The 34-year-old will be replaced at the test by Marussia driver Jules Bianchi, a Ferrari Driver Academy member since 2010.

Raikkonen brought out the red flags in the early stages of Sunday’s race after losing control of his car on the Wellington Straight and striking the barriers with an impact measured at 47G. 

The Finn was pictured limping away from his badly damaged F14 T following the accident, but Ferrari team principal Marco Mattiacci has said that he sustained no serious injuries: “The most important news right now is that Kimi is alright, even though the impact with the barriers was a heavy one. 

"He has some bruising and will now be resting to be in shape for the next race.”

Raikkonen’s accident compounded a miserable weekend for the 2007 world champion in which he was also eliminated from qualifying in Q1.

(source: f1.com)

Chilton handed Austria grid penalty for Bianchi clash

Max Chilton will drop three places on the grid for the Formula 1 Grosser Preis von Osterreich 2014 in two weeks' time after being penalised for his lap one crash with Marussia team mate Jules Bianchi.

The pair headed into Turn 3 side by side, but as they exited the right hander Chilton lost the rear of his car and ended up sliding into Bianchi, who was pitched into a heavy crash with the wall on the exit of Turn 4 as a result.

Bianchi retired on the spot, with Chilton limping to a halt one turn later to complete a double-retirement for the team, who only two weeks ago in Monaco scored their maiden F1 points.

It was the first DNF of Chilton's Formula One career. The Briton had recorded 25 straight finishes prior to Canada.

(source: f1.com)

Comparing the 2014 teammates: Marussia

In the previous "comparing the teammates"-post I promised to compare the Marussia drivers Max Chilton and Jules Bianchi.

Previously I have written about the teammates of Ferrari, Lotus, Red Bull, Force India, Mercedes, Sauber and Williams.

If you haven't read them then just click on the links below:

http://f14life.blogspot.fi/2013/11/comparing-2014-teammates-scuderia.html
http://f14life.blogspot.fi/2013/12/comparing-2014-teammates-red-bull-racing.html
http://f14life.blogspot.fi/2013/12/comparing-2014-teammates-lotus.html
http://f14life.blogspot.fi/2013/12/comparing-2014-teammates-force-india.html
http://f14life.blogspot.fi/2014/02/comparing-2014-teammates-mercedes.html?spref=fb
http://f14life.blogspot.fi/2014/02/comparing-2014-teammates-sauber.html?spref=fb
http://www.f14life.blogspot.fi/2014/02/comparing-2014-teammates-williams.html

This time I have two drivers who have both driven just one full season. It was last year of course and they were driving for Marussia as they do this year as well.

This might be very boring or interesting because people usually just focus on what happens in the front.

This time I'm going to do this a bit differently. I will list each GP from 2013 and tell you guys the results etc. between the two drivers.

Australian GP - First weekend of the season and first weekend ever for these guys! In the qualifying Jules Bianchi got 19th place on the grid and Max Chilton was one position behind him in 20th. 
In the race Bianchi was 15th one lap behind the winner Räikkönen. Even though the car was bad he managed to lap his teammate! Chilton came 2 laps behind a cross the finish line in 17th place. 18 cars finished the race.

Malaysian GP - This weekend Bianchi was again 19th in the qualifying. It seems that if you are the best of the worst you are always 19th. Heikki Kovalainen was always 19th as well when he drove for Caterham. Chilton was 21st.
In the race Bianchi was 13th which was even better than the previous race! Again he was 1 lap behind the winner who this time was Sebastian Vettel thanks to the "MULTI21" fiasco. Max Chilton was again two laps behind and was the last to finish the race in 16th place.

Chinese GP - In China the qualifying went so that Bianchi was 19th and Chilton 20th. They got to start the race from 18th and 19th because Webber had to start from the back because of a disqualification.
The race was pretty ok for the team when the drivers finished in 15th and 16th. Chilton was the last one of them of course but this time he was only 1 lap behind the race winner! Nice work Max!

Bahrain GP - This time Bianchi qualified in 20th but got to start from 19th because of Gutierrez penalty. The next day he finished in 19th just like he started. Chilton on the otherhand was last in qualifying but got to start from 21st because of Gutierrez penalty. On Sunday Chilton was 20th.

Spanish GP - On Saturday Bianchi 20th and Chilton 21st. On Sunday they were 18th and 19th mainly because Grosjean and Vergne retired the race. How sad is that? You just follow the pack and hope for somebody to retire.

Monaco GP - In qualifying Bianchi had problems and didn't set a lap time. That was the first time Chilton got to start in front of his teammate. Chilton was 20th even though Massa also was without a time.
On Sunday Bianchi had troubles with his brakes and had to retire for the first time. Chilton was 14th! the best result yet for him!

Canadian GP - 20th and 21st were the positions of Bianchi and Chilton on Saturday but they got to start the race from 19th and 20th because of Romain Grosjean's penalty. He colided three times in Monaco and got a 10 grids sport penalty for the Canadian GP.
In the race Bianchi was 17th 2 laps behind the winner Vettel and Chilton was 19th 3 laps behind.

British GP - Bianchi was 20th and Chilton was the last on Saturday. Di Resta was dropped from 5th to 22th which made both of them rice one spot. Van Der Garde was also dropped to 21st which helped Chilton again with one spot.
On Sunday Bianchi was 16th and Chilton was 17th. This time they both finished on the same lap as the winner! This might have to do with the safety car though..Grosjean lost a front wing as usual but this time on the last lap so it helped the back markers a little.

German GP - Bianchi was 20th on Saturday and his teammate Chilton took the last spot on the grid. Charles Pic  changed his gearbox after the qualifying which gave Chilton a position in 21st place and Bianchi in 19th.
In the race Bianchi had an engine failure but Chilton continued to finish like he had done in every single race! This time he was in 19th place one lap behind the race winner.

Hungarian GP - Qualifying on Saturday and the Marussias were in the last two spots. Guess who was last (HINT: CHILTON)?
On Sunday they were 16th and 17th (Bianchi and then Chilton) mainly because Bottas, Gutierrez and Sutil had to retire. Otherwise they would have been last. Not a good weekend for Marussia.

Belgian GP - But wait! what's this? Both of the Marussias got in to P2 on Saturday! they qualified 15th and 16th with Bianchi in front of Chilton. They had drivers behind them such as Maldonado, Vergne, Ricciardo, Bottas, Gutierrez and then Pic in last place.
In the race they dropped to 18th and 19th and would have been even far away but Räikkönen and di Resta retired from higher up.

Italian GP - This the Marussias were last in qualifying with Bianchi in 21st and Chilton in 22nd. The next day they got 2 spots higher up just because di Resta and Vergne retired the race.

Singapore GP - Again they took the last two spots in the same order as always on Saturday. The next day they overtook Pic and got two spots higher up because Grosjean and Ricciardo retired the race. And what else? Chilton passed Bianchi and was in front of him for the first time in a race were they both had finished. Nice work Max!

Korean GP - BIanchi and Chilton were 21st and 22nd in qualifying at first. Later Bianchi got a penalty for impending di Resta and had to start from 22nd place.
In the race Bianchi overtook Chilton of course and they finished in 16th and 17th. They were the last ones to finish the race.

Japanese GP - Chilton was 19th in the qualifying. Bianchi and Pic had 10-place grid penalties after accumulating three stewards' reprimands.
In the race Bianchi had an accident on the first lap and retired. Max Chilton was 19th, the last one to finish.

Indian GP - Now on Saturday Jules Bianchi was 19th and Max Chilton was last again. No pelaties this time to help them out.
On Sunday Chilton got pass Bianchi and was 17th in front of his teammate. The second time he won his teammate.

Abu Dhabi GP - On Saturday Bianchi qualified 20th and Chilton was last. Bianchi got a 5 grid penalty for a gearbox change and started behind Chilton. Kimi Räikkönen was also disqualified because the Lotus failed the floor deflection test. This helped the to drivers again.
On Sunday Kimi retired right after the start and Bianchi overtook Chilton. They finished the race on the last two spots. (check out my pictures from Abu Dhabi that I took ;) )

United States GP - Bianchi was 20th and Chilton was last in qualifying. They started the race in 19th and 21st because Pic and Gutierrez were penalized. The ending results for them were Bianchi in 18th and Chilton in 21st.

Brazilian GP - The last weekend of the season and the Marussias qualified 21st and 22nd in the usual order.
Pic, Grosjean and Bottas retired from the race on Sunday which gave the Marussias an advantage. They finished in 17th and 19th place in the usual order.

So it is clear that Jules Bianchi is a much better driver than Max Chilton. He could in fact be the next Alonso for all we know!

Max Chilton on the other hand finished all of his races of his first season! I don't think anyone has done that before. He has actually never retired from a Formula One race. That's really something even though he lost to Bianchi very clearly.

In the final championship standings they were in 19th and 23rd place. Chilton being the last of them as you probably guessed.

That was it for today and tomorrow I shall compare the McLaren drivers.

Marussia to attend Jerez test with new car

Marussia have become the latest team to confirm their attendance at next week’s pre-season test in Jerez.

The Banbury-based team will run their new Ferrari-powered MR03 machine in Spain, with Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton expected to share driving duties.

The news that Marussia will be in Jerez leaves Lotus as the only squad who will not run their 2014 car during the January 28-31 session.

Full details on the 2014 launch schedule and pre-season tests…

2014 car launches / roll-outs

Team	Date	Venue
McLaren	January 24	Online
Ferrari	January 25	Online
Sauber	January 26	Online
Toro Rosso	January 27	Jerez, Spain
Mercedes	January 28	Jerez, Spain
Caterham	January 28	Jerez, Spain
Red Bull	January 28	Jerez, Spain
Force India	January 28	Jerez, Spain
Marussia	January 28	Jerez, Spain
Williams	January 28	Jerez, Spain
Lotus	TBC	TBC

Pre-season testing

Venue	Provisional dates
Jerez, Spain	January 28-31
Sakhir, Bahrain	February 19-22
Sakhir, Bahrain	February 27-March 2																	(source: f1.com)

Comparing all the team mates head to head

We have had 9 Grand Prix weekends so far. Let's see who has had a better season than their team mate.

First we shall compare qualifying. If the driver has not set a time at all or lost because of a penalty then the point doesn't count. I shall mark the better driver in red.

Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel & Mark Webber

9 - 0

Ferrari

Fernando Alonso - Felipe Massa

5 - 3

McLaren

Jenson Button - Sergio Perez

6 - 3

Lotus

Kimi Räikkönen - Romain Grosjean

8 - 1

Mercedes

Nico Rosberg - Lewis Hamilton

3 - 6

Sauber

Nico Hülkenberg - Esteban Gutierrez

9 - 0

Force India

Paul Di Resta - Adrian Sutil

5 - 3

Williams

Pastor Maldonado - Valtteri Bottas

3 - 6

Toro Rosso

Jean-Eric Vergne - Daniel Ricciardo

3 - 6

Caterham

Charles Pic - Giedo van der Garde

6 - 3

Marussia

Jules Bianchi - Max Chilton

8 - 0

And now we shall compare the races. If the driver has not been a part of the race or was disqualified then the point doesn't count.

Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel & Mark Webber

8 - 1

Ferrari

Fernando Alonso - Felipe Massa

8 - 1

McLaren

Jenson Button - Sergio Perez

6 - 3

Lotus

Kimi Räikkönen - Romain Grosjean

8 - 1

Mercedes

Nico Rosberg - Lewis Hamilton

3 - 6

Sauber

Nico Hülkenberg - Esteban Gutierrez

6 - 2

Force India

Paul Di Resta - Adrian Sutil

5 - 4

Williams

Pastor Maldonado - Valtteri Bottas

5 - 4

Toro Rosso

Jean-Eric Vergne - Daniel Ricciardo

4 - 5

Caterham

Charles Pic - Giedo van der Garde

8 - 1

Marussia

Jules Bianchi - Max Chilton

7 - 2

So the best "qualifying winners" until now in order are Vettel, Hulkenberg and Bianchi/Räikkönen.

The best "race winners" until now in order are Vettel/Alonso/Räikkönen/Pic (everybody had 8-1)

2013 team standings/points after the Hungarian GP

1	Red Bull Racing-Renault	277
2	Mercedes	208
3	Ferrari	194
4	Lotus-Renault	183
5	Force India-Mercedes	59
6	McLaren-Mercedes	57
7	STR-Ferrari	24
8	Sauber-Ferrari	7
9	Williams-Renault	1
10	Marussia-Cosworth	0
11	Caterham-Renault	0

FIA Friday press conference - Hungary

Toto Wolff, Mercedes GP

Team Representatives - Cyril Abiteboul (Caterham), John Booth (Marussia), Toto Wolff (Mercedes), Claire Williams (Williams), Franz Tost (Toro Rosso).

Read everything from this link: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2013/7/14838.html

I'm sorry that I didn't find any video material from todays press conference.

I shall post it here if I find something later.

Tomorrow I am going to post the 3rd practice results, qualifying results and some final thoughts before the Grand Prix.

On Sunday I am going to review the Grand Prix and compare the result with my GP-preview that I wrote last Sunday. If you haven't read it then check it out!