First tests of 2014 in Jerez!

The tests start tomorrow in Jerez and continues till Friday. Here are the teams, drivers and when they are driving:

Ferrari
Tuesday: Kimi Räikkönen
Wednesday: Kimi Räikkönen
Thursday: Fernando Alonso
Friday: Fernando Alonso

McLaren
Tuesday: Jenson Button
Wednesday: Jenson Button
Thursday: Kevin Magnussen
Friday: Kevin Magnussen

Mercedes
Tuesday: Lewis Hamilton
Wednesday: Nico Rosberg
Thursday: Lewis Hamilton
Friday: Nico Rosberg

Red Bull
Tuesday: Sebastian Vettel
Wednesday: Sebastian Vettel
Thursday: Daniel Ricciardo
Friday: Daniel Ricciardo

Sauber
Tuesday: Esteban Gutierrez
Wednesday: Esteban Gutierrez
Thursday: Adrian Sutil
Friday: Adrian Sutil

Caterham
Tuesday: Marcus Ericsson
Wednesday: Marcus Ericsson
Thursday: Robin Frijns
Friday: Kamui Kobayashi

Marussia
Tuesday: Max Chilton
Wednesday: Jules Bianchi
Thursday: Jules Bianchi
Friday: Max Chilton

Williams
Tuesday: Valtteri Bottas
Wednesday: Valtteri Bottas
Thursday: Felipe Massa
Friday: Felipe Massa

Force India
Tuesday: Sergio Pérez
Wednesday: Nico Hulkenberg
Thursday: Daniel Juncadella
Friday: has not been announced

Toro Rosso
Tuesday: Jean-Eric Vergne
Wednesday: Daniil Kvyat
Thursday: Jean-Eric Vergne
Friday: Daniil Kvyat

Sauber present their 2014 challenger, the C33

Sauber have become the latest team to uncover their 2014 car, after the Ferrari-powered C33 was revealed in a digital launch on Sunday.

With a revised driver line-up of Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez, the Swiss team hope the new machine will help them build on their strong form at the end of last season, when they finished seventh in the constructors’ championship.

The C33 has been designed in accordance with the heavily revised 2014 regulations, arguably the biggest rule changes in Formula One history. They include a move to smaller, 1.6 litre turbo engines, more reliance on energy recovery systems (ERS), and updated aerodynamics. 

“Together, these changes present the engineers with a huge challenge, especially with time pressure also a major factor,” commented Sauber’s chief designer Eric Gandelin. “The path we have followed with the design of the Sauber C33-Ferrari allows us maximum flexibility, so that we can react quickly. It is also clear that reliability will be an important factor in the first few races in particular. So this is an area which we have given very high priority.”

Perhaps the most visually striking element of the C33 is the very low, snout-like nose. The narrower front wing features mounting pylons on the nose that have been moved out as far as possible under the regulations to channel as much air as possible under the car.

“The radical changes to the technical regulations for 2014 mean that it’s even harder than usual to make predictions for the new season,” added Gandelin. “We know what kind of package we’ve put together here, but it is difficult to foresee what shape our rivals are in. The earliest opportunity to gain an impression of where the teams are in relation to one another will come during testing.”

That testing begins at Jerez in Spain on Tuesday. Sauber will use a roll-out version of the C33. This will be fully functional, but without a number of performance parts which will be introduced for the remaining two pre-season tests in Bahrain.

“On the one hand this gives us time to maximise the development of these performance relevant parts, and on the other hand we can run the car during the first test and check all the systems, which we feel is crucial, considering all the technical changes.,” explained Gandelin.

(source: f1.com)

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Force India sign Juncadella to reserve driver role

Force India have signed Spaniard Daniel Juncadella as their reserve driver for the 2014 season.

The 22-year-old, who races in Germany’s DTM series for Mercedes and is a former European Formula 3 champion, will attend all races with the team and take part in several Friday practice sessions to gain experience behind the wheel of the team’s new VJM07 machine.

“Daniel is an exciting prospect and I am delighted to welcome him to Sahara Force India,” said Force India’s team principal and managing director Vijay Mallya.

“Over the last few years we have always tried to support young, talented drivers and we will continue down this path by giving Daniel the opportunity to drive the VJM07 on Friday mornings at selected races. Daniel will also play an important role in our simulator programme at the factory, which remains an increasingly important development tool.”

Juncadella, who has previous F1 test experience with Williams, said that it was a dream come true to join the Silverstone-based team.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for me to learn and will hopefully take me a step closer to eventually racing in Formula One,” he said. “To work with the team at the track and in the factory will give me some valuable experience and I will do my best to make a contribution to help the team achieve its goals in 2014.”

Force India’s new driver pairing Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez are expected to share driving duties at next week’s first pre-season test in Jerez, which runs from January 28-31.

(source: f1.com)

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)

Force India first to reveal their 2014 car

 

Force India have become the first team to release a picture of their new car, giving fans an initial chance to see how 2014’s radical regulation changes have shaped the look of Formula One cars.

The most obvious differences between the new Mercedes-powered VJM07 and last year’s VJM06 are the mandatory lower nose and the striking new black, orange and green livery. However, the Silverstone-based team's technical director Andrew Green is quick to emphasise just how different the new car is compared to its predecessor.

“Almost every single part is a new design, from the front wing right back to the diffuser,” he said. “The genetics of the VJM07 still lie in the 2013 car, but we've had to achieve the same results in a slightly different way.”

Team principal Vijay Malya hailed the ‘aggressive’ look of his team’s 2014 challenger.

“The VJM07 looks stunning and the new livery reflects the way Sahara Force India is evolving,” he said. “I’ve always believed our cars have been the most eye-catching, but adding black as a main colour gives us a fierce new look.

“The new rules have presented us with a huge challenge, but I’m very proud of the approach we have taken and the direction of the technical team. It will be fascinating to see how different teams have interpreted the rules and at this stage it’s impossible to predict who has done the best job.”

Force India will officially present the VJM07 at next week’s first pre-season test in Jerez, Spain, where it will be put through its paces by the team's all-new driver line-up of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez.

(source: f1.com)