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)

Ferrari: Raikkonen will prove his class

Ferrari insist Kimi Raikkonen will rapidly get on top of his early 2014 struggles and reassert himself as a Formula One frontrunner.

Raikkonen has found it difficult to get comfortable with the F14 T and has been outperformed by team mate Fernando Alonso as a result - he is yet to beat the Spaniard after the first four Grands Prix of the season, and has racked up 11 points to Alonso's 41. In China, he finished more than 50 seconds adrift of his team mate.

Raikkonen also trails Alonso in qualifying, although he did have the edge in Bahrain where he lined up fifth, four spots ahead of his team mate.

Ferrari's chassis technical director James Allison believes Raikkonen will soon be back to his best however, tipping the Finn for a rapid resurgence.

"Kimi is working extremely well with this team, collaborating extremely well with his engineers, with the other car, and helping us drive this car forwards; helping to show us where it is weak and helping us to make it stronger," Allison said. 

"He has class written all over him, and we know that within a very short space of time we will also be seeing the results on the track."

Allison also paid tribute to Alonso, saying his form over the opening four races has been phenomenal.

"With Fernando we have seen an extraordinary level of performance, scavenging every possible point at every possible opportunity," he said. "We have to say thank you to him for what he has managed to do with the car so far this year.

"We are very fortunate to have two good drivers with impeccable pedigree. Until we deliver both our drivers a car they can really put to work on a track, we are just fortunate to have these guys helping us drive the programme forward."

Allison believes it is imperative for Ferrari to continue finding gains at every remaining Grand Prix, in order to continue the improvement the team enjoyed between Bahrain and China.

"The performance we saw at China - was that the real performance of the car, or was it Bahrain?," he said. "In fact it is a mistake to think in those terms, because it wasn't the same car at those tracks: between Bahrain and China we improved the car quite substantially. 

"That is the key to having a successful season: you need to keep improving at every race. If we can do that successfully, bringing a meaningful amount of performance to every race, we will keep seeing a step forward."

(source: f1.com)

2014 Spanish Grand Prix preview

Well, well, well! It's finally time for the spanish gp! Why do we have to wait this long between the chinese gp and the spanish gp? 3 weeks is too much!

If you want to read the chinese gp review as a reminder then click on this link: http://f14life.blogspot.fi/2014/04/2014-chinese-grand-prix-review.html

The spanish gp is a race where many teams bring new updates for their cars so anything can still happen.

Remember what happened in 2012? Pastor Maldonado was fighting against Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen and won the race in the end. I hope he does well this time too because if he continues as he has been doing this year it will be his last year in Formula One. Lotus may need money but they can't have a driver that has accidents all the time and doesn't drive as good as Romain Grosjean (his teammate).

Pastor Maldonado won in 2012.

Last year Alonso won, Kimi was second and Felipe Massa was third. Are these drivers going to be good this year at Catalonia? Massa is showing some new motivation at Williams, Kimi has a better car than last year (or does he?) and Alonso seems to get more speed every time he is driving in front of his biggest fans. I wish them all three well. Especially Kimi because I am very disappointed in his performance this year. I said last year that Kimi and Alonso are going to be the most exiting thing in 2014 but they haven't.

Last year's podium finishers.

Thanks to Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg the season has some excitement left. I know that Mercedes is too good to beat but who knows which driver will win. Many fans believes in Hamilton but Niki Lauda and Toto Wolff have a lot of faith in Rosberg. I do too. If Nico Rosberg would have gotten the same chances as Hamilton in 2007-2008 I believe that he would have succeeded in the same way as Hamilton did.

Hamilton has said many times that they have always been equal with Nico and now he is faster than ever so he can't be too sure about the outcome of this season. Nico has been trained to be a world champion ever since he was a little boy. His father Keke won the championship in 1982 and it's just a matter of time when Nico wins the title. I really think he has it in him. It's not going to be easy though! Hamilton is very good as well.

Force India is getting better and better and McLaren is taking steps back in every race. Anyone else noticed?

Ferrari on the other hand is between the good teams and the bad teams. It's really hard to say where they stand. I know that usually Ferrari is the team everybody wants to beat but this year there is something missing. I know that Kimi has problems to set up his car but why is even Alonso having problems with that? He has been with the engineers designing the car much before Kimi rejoined the team! He has a small advantage there but he isn't performing that good either.

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo is doing better than anyone would have guessed and even Sebastian Vettel has admitted that he is a very though teammate to beat. The team has said that Vettel has probably had similar issues as Kimi at Ferrari. When they find what's wrong with the car he will start acting like he has done for the last 5 years.

Then some rumors. I heard earlier last week that Heikki Kovalainen has been negotiating with Mercedes about a testdriver's seat. Both Rosberg and Hamilton know him pretty well so it should help to seal the deal if it's true.

Then it's time for my predictions.

Pole position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

The race:

1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
3. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull

Fastest lap: Nico Rosberg, Mercedes

Surprise: Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari - He will find some new speed finally!

Remember to post your own predictions to our F1-4-LIFE PREDICTORS LEAGUE.

The rules:

POINTS: 1st - 3
2nd - 5
3rd - 10

HOW IT WORKS: the aim of the game is simply predict who comes where in the race (top3). A total of 18 points can be won on a race day. If you get winner and and 3rd place right but 2nd wrong you get 13 points same if you get 1 correct. eg. 2nd you get 5 points. If a driver wins the race and you said he would come 2nd or 3rd no points would be awarded. Same if he came in another position, and you predicted that wrong. A table will be posted up every race weekend. The point scoring system will change once the cars become more competitive. Everyone will say a merc 1,2 so it won't be close or fun.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PREDICTIONS: send an email to f14lifeblog@gmail.com or message the Facebook page to submit your predictions. You have until lights out to make them. If you submit them when the race has started they won't count. So be quick! like the Mercedes.

THE PRIZE: the winner of the league will win themselves a admin place on the F1 4 LIFE page along side JT, AE & MW. If you don't want to be an admin you are welcome to participate anyway. We may also come up with some other prize if it helps.

That's it for today and if you want to send me feedback then email me: f14lifeblog@gmail.com

AYRTON SENNA WEEK: Pre Season Interview 1994

This week has been great talking so much about Ayrton, my favorite driver in the whole world. It has also been sad that it has been 20 years. But the fact that it's 20 years after his death doesn't change a thing. It has always been sad without him!

Enjoy and interview filmed before his last season in 1994.

AYRTON SENNA WEEK: Senna-Ratzenberger memorial event

Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen were amongst a host of F1 drivers past and present who attended a memorial service at Imola in Italy on Thursday to mark the 20th anniversary of the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger.

In an emotional ceremony at Tamburello corner attended by thousands of fans and members of Senna's family, the Ferrari duo were joined by Marussia’s Jules Bianchi and a number of former F1 drivers in paying their respects to the two racers who lost their lives over the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix weekend.

“The only positive thing to come out of the weekend that took Ayrton and Roland Ratzenberger away from us was that, from then on, safety in Formula One improved significantly,” said Alonso. “In fact, we can say that inside our cars there is something of the legacy of Senna and Raztzenberger, because after that terrible 1994, nothing was ever the same again.”

Raikkonen echoed his team mate’s thoughts: “Senna was very important for Formula One, as a driver and a person and his death led to a rapid acceleration in the process of increasing the level of safety in our sport. 

“That has avoided other tragedies from occurring. Unfortunately however, one cannot change the past, neither for Ayrton nor for Roland Ratzenberger. The only thing we can do is remember this champion, whose exploits defined the history of Formula One for a long time.”

(source: f1.com)

AYRTON SENNA WEEK: Vital Statistics - Ayrton Senna edition

Did you know that Ayrton Senna spent 36 percent of his Formula One racing career in first place, or that he holds the record for the most wins in Monaco?

As the Formula One community marks 20 years since his untimely death this week, we uncover the key facts and figures behind the great Brazilian’s illustrious career…

Grand Prix starts: 161 (tied for 26th all-time)

Teams raced for: Four (Toleman, Lotus, McLaren, Williams)

World championships: Three (1988, 1990, 1991)

Wins: 41 (third all-time)
Win percentage: 25.46 percent
Most wins in one season: Eight (1988)
Most consecutive wins: Four (1988, 1991)

Pole positions: 65 (second all-time)
Pole position percentage: 40.37 percent
Most pole positions in one season: 13 (1988, 1989)

Podiums: 80 (fourth all-time)
Podium percentage: 49.68 percent
Most podiums in one season: 12 (1991)

Fastest laps: 19 (tied for 13th all-time)
Fastest lap percentage: 11.8 percent
Most fastest laps in one season: Three (1985, 1987, 1988, 1989)

Laps raced: 8,219 (22nd all-time)
Laps led: 2,987 (second all-time)
Laps led percentage: 36.34 percent

First podium: 1984, Monaco
Age at first podium: 24

First win: 1985, Portugal
Age at first win: 25

Last win: 1993, Australia
Age at last win: 33

Career hat-tricks (pole, fastest lap, win): Seven (tied sixth all-time)

Career grand slams (pole, fastest lap, win, led every lap): Four (tied fourth all-time)

Records:
- Most consecutive wins at same Grand Prix (five: Monaco, 1989 –1993)
- Most wins in Monaco (six: 1987, 1989-1993)
- Most consecutive pole positions (eight: 1988 Spanish Grand Prix - 1989 US Grand Prix)
- Most pole positions at one circuit (eight: Imola)

(source: f1.com)

AYRTON SENNA WEEK: Ayrton Senna da Silva's life as a racer

He streaked through the sport like a comet, an other-worldly superstar whose brilliance as a driver was matched by a dazzling intellect and coruscating charisma that illuminated Formula One racing as never before. No one tried harder or pushed himself further, nor did anyone shed so much light on the extremes to which only the greatest drivers go. Intensely introspective and passionate in the extreme, Ayrton Senna endlessly sought to extend his limits, to go faster than himself, a quest that ultimately made him a martyr but did not diminish his mystique.

Ayrton Senna da Silva was born on March 21, 1960, into a wealthy Brazilian family where, with his brother and sister, he enjoyed a privileged upbringing. He never needed to race for money but his deep need for racing began with an infatuation for a miniature go-kart his father gave him when he was four years old. As a boy the highlights of Ayrton's life were Grand Prix mornings when he awoke trembling with anticipation at the prospect of watching his Formula One heroes in action on television. At 13 he raced a kart for the first time and immediately won. Eight years later he went single-seater racing in Britain, where in three years he won five championships, by which time he had divorced his young wife and forsaken a future in his father's businesses in favour of pursuing success in Formula One racing, where he made his debut with Toleman in 1984. At Monaco (a race he would win six times), his sensational second to Alain Prost's McLaren - in torrential rain - was confirmation of the phenomenal talent that would take the sport by storm. 

Deciding Toleman's limited resources were inadequate for his towering ambition, Senna bought out his contract and in 1985 moved to Lotus, where in three seasons he started from pole 16 times (he eventually won a record 65) and won six races. Having reached the limits of Lotus he decided the fastest way forward would be with McLaren, where he went in 1988 and stayed for six seasons, winning 35 races and three world championships. 

In 1988, when McLaren-Honda won 15 of the 16 races, Senna beat his team mate Alain Prost eight wins to seven to take his first driving title. Thereafter two of the greatest drivers became protagonists in one of the most infamous feuds. In 1989 Prost took the title by taking Senna out at the Suzuka chicane. In 1990 Senna extracted revenge at Suzuka's first corner, winning his second championship by taking out Prost's Ferrari at Suzuka's first corner. Senna's third title, in 1991, was straightforward as his domination as a driver became even more pronounced, as did his obsession with becoming better still. Some of his greatest performances came in his final year with McLaren, following which he moved to Williams for the ill-fated 1994 season.

Beyond his driving genius Senna was one of the sport's most compelling personalities. Though slight in stature he possessed a powerful physical presence, and when he spoke, with his warm brown eyes sparkling and his voice quavering with intensity, his eloquence was spellbinding. Even the most jaded members of the Formula One fraternity were mesmerised by his passionate soliloquies and in his press conferences you could hear a pin drop as he spoke with such hypnotic effect. His command performances were captured by the media and the world at large became aware of Senna's magnetic appeal. 

Everyone marvelled at how he put so much of himself, his very soul, into everything he did, not just his driving but into life itself. Behind the wheel the depth of his commitment was there for all to see and the thrilling spectacle of Senna on an all-out qualifying lap or a relentless charge through the field evoked an uneasy combination of both admiration for his superlative skill and fear for his future. 

He drove like a man possessed - some thought by demons. His ruthless ambition provoked condemnation from critics, among them Prost who accused him of caring more about winning than living. When Senna revealed he had discovered religion Prost and others suggested he was a dangerous madman who thought God was his co-pilot. "Senna is a genius," Martin Brundle said. "I define genius as just the right side of imbalance. He is so highly developed to the point that he's almost over the edge. It's a close call."

Even Senna confessed he occasionally went too far, as was the case in qualifying for the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix, where he became a passenger on a surreal ride into the unknown. Already on pole, he went faster and faster and was eventually over two seconds quicker than Prost in an identical McLaren. "Suddenly, it frightened me," Ayrton said, "because I realised I was well beyond my conscious understanding. I drove back slowly to the pits and did not go out anymore that day."

He said he was acutely aware of his own mortality and used fear to control the extent of the boundaries he felt compelled to explore. Indeed, he regarded racing as a metaphor for life and he used driving as a means of self-discovery. "For me, this research is fascinating. Every time I push, I find something more, again and again. But there is a contradiction. The same moment that you become the fastest, you are enormously fragile. Because in a split-second, it can be gone. All of it. These two extremes contribute to knowing yourself, deeper and deeper."

His self-absorption did not preclude deep feelings for humanity and he despaired over the world's ills. He loved children and gave millions of his personal fortune (estimated at $400 million when he died) to help provide a better future for the underprivileged in Brazil. Early in 1994 he spoke about his own future. "I want to live fully, very intensely. I would never want to live partially, suffering from illness or injury. If I ever happen to have an accident that eventually costs my life, I hope it happens in one instant."

And so it did, on May 1, 1994, in the San Marino Grand Prix, where his race-leading Williams inexplicably speared off the Imola track and hit the concrete wall at Tamburello corner. Millions saw it happen on television, the world mourned his passing and his state funeral in Sao Paulo was attended by many members of the shocked Formula One community. Among the several drivers escorting the coffin was Alain Prost. Among the sad mourners was Frank Williams, who said: "Ayrton was no ordinary person. He was actually a greater man out of the car than in it."

(source: f1.com)