Ferrari confirm split with Alonso

Fernando Alonso in McLaren's colors.

Ferrari have confirmed that Fernando Alonso will leave the team at the end of the 2014 Formula One campaign.

In a statement, the team said that the relationship ended "by common consent". The announcement means this weekend's race in Abu Dhabi will also formally bring to a close Alonso's five-year spell with the Scuderia, which has yielded 11 wins and 44 podiums, though no championship success.

"Today is not an easy one for me, because even if I always look to the future with great enthusiasm and determination, at the end of this season my journey as a Ferrari driver will come to an end," Alonso said.

"It was a difficult decision to take, but a carefully considered one and from start to finish, my love for Ferrari was a prime consideration. I have always been lucky enough to make my own decisions about my future and I have that possibility now too. I must thank the team for that, as it understood my position. 

"I leave Scuderia Ferrari after five years, during which I reached my very best level professionally, tackling major challenges that pushed me to find new limits. I also proved to be a true team-player, putting the interests of the Scuderia before my own. When I had to take important decisions about my future, I did so with Ferrari in my heart, driven by my love for the team. 

"I am very proud of what we have achieved together. Thanks to the efforts of the men and women of Maranello, on three occasions we came second in the Formula One world championship, two of them fighting for the title right up to and including the final race, running in a championship winning position for many laps. Without a shadow of a doubt, these five years produced some of the best moments of my career and I also feel that, in leaving the team, it is family rather than friends I am leaving behind. 

"Now I look to the future with great enthusiasm, knowing that part of my heart will always belong to the Prancing Horse. I want to thank each and everyone of the team for the trust they showed in me."

Ferrari team principal Marco Mattiacci added: "In the Scuderia Ferrari roll of honour of great drivers, Fernando Alonso will always occupy a special place. We offer him our heartfelt thanks for what has been an extraordinary adventure with the Scuderia, when in the past five years, he twice came so close to winning the world championship. 

"I am sure that a great driver like Fernando will always hold the Prancing Horse dear to his heart and I also expect the Ferrari fans will continue to hold him in high regard in his future endeavours."

Alonso has been heavily linked with a move to McLaren, who will switch from Mercedes to Honda power for the 2015 season. The team said recently that they will not announce their driver line-up for next year before December.

(source: f1.com)

FIA press conference schedule - Abu Dhabi

Mercedes' title contenders Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg and outgoing champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull will be among the six drivers taking part in the official FIA press conference at Yas Marina on Thursday.

On Friday it is the turn of senior team personnel to answer questions from the media, with representatives from no less than seven teams - big and small - attending what is sure to be a lively session. The line-ups in full...

Thursday, November 20, 1500 hours local time (1100 GMT)
Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Jenson Button (McLaren), Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Nico Hulkenberg (Force India), Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)

Friday, November 21, 1900 hours local time (1500 GMT)
Robert Fernley (Force India), Christian Horner (Red Bull), Monisha Kaltenborn (Sauber), Gerard Lopez (Lotus F1), Marco Mattiacci (Ferrari), Claire Williams (Williams), Toto Wolff (Mercedes)

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

(source: f1.com)

Vital Statistics - the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

A picture from my seat last year.

Did you know that Lewis Hamilton has claimed two poles and one victory in Abu Dhabi - but that Nico Rosberg had the edge over him in both qualifying and the race last year? Or how about the fact that only once in five races has a driver converted pole into victory at Yas Marina? Ahead of this weekend's 2014 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, we present the key facts, stats and trivia...

Circuit: Yas Marina

Circuit length: 5.554 km

Number of corners: 21 (9 right, 12 left)

DRS zones: 2

Race laps: 55

Race distance: 305.355 km

2014 tyre compounds: supersoft, soft

Circuit lap record: 1m 40.279s - Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 2009

First world championship Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi: 2009, Yas Marina (won by Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull)

Number of Grands Prix in Abu Dhabi: 5 (all at Yas Marina)

Number of races with at least one safety car appearance: 2 of the last 5

Longest Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi: 2012 (1h 45m 58.667s)

Shortest Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi: 2009 (1h 34m 03.414s)

Last year's pole position: 1m 39.957s - Mark Webber, Red Bull

Last year's podium: 1 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 2 - Mark Webber (Red Bull), 3 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)

Most appearances (current field): 5 - Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button; 4 - Kamui Kobayashi, Felipe Massa, Adrian Sutil

Most wins (driver): 3 - Sebastian Vettel; 1 - Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen

Most wins (constructor): 3 - Red Bull; 1 - McLaren, Lotus

Most wins (engine manufacturer): 4 - Renault; 1 - Mercedes

Most pole positions (driver): 2 - Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton; 1 - Mark Webber

Most pole positions (constructor): 3 - Red Bull; 2 - McLaren

Most pole positions (engine manufacturer): 3 - Renault; 2 - Mercedes

Number of wins from pole: One from five races (20 percent)

Lowest winning grid position: 4th (Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, 2012)

Laps led (current field): 134 - Sebastian Vettel; 86 - Lewis Hamilton; 36 - Kimi Raikkonen; 15 - Jenson Button; 3 - Fernando Alonso

Most podium places (current field): 4 - Sebastian Vettel; 3 - Jenson Button; 2 - Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso; 1 - Kimi Raikkonen, Nico Rosberg

Percentage of 2014 season complete: 95 percent

Maximum number of world championship points still available to a single driver: 50

Significant running sequences going into this weekend: Nico Rosberg - 2 consecutive pole positions, 10 consecutive front-row starts; Lewis Hamilton - 6 consecutive podium finishes; Mercedes - 18 consecutive podium finishes; Sebastian Vettel - 10 straight points finishes; Renault - 118 races in the points as an engine manufacturer

Fascinating fact: Three times as many victories have come from starting second on the grid than they have from pole - but only once has a driver from outside the front row gone on to triumph. 

Time is running out: Sebastian Vettel has just one more opportunity to record his first victory of the year. The last time a defending champion failed to a win a race the following season was Jacques Villeneuve (champion in 1997) in 1998. Ferrari and McLaren likewise have one final chance to record their first victory of the year. Should they fail to do so, it will be the first season since 1980 that neither team has triumphed.

Potential record breaker: Nico Rosberg could capture his 11th pole position of the year in Abu Dhabi. Only six drivers - Sebastian Vettel (with 15), Nigel Mansell (14), Ayrton Senna (13) Alain Prost (13), Michael Schumacher (11) and Mika Hakkinen (11) have claimed 11 or more poles in a single season.

Turbo history: If a Ferrari-powered car wins the race it will be the first Ferrari turbo win since the 1988 Italian Grand Prix.

(source: f1.com)

Lewis Hamilton On The Graham Norton Show

Just found this a few minutes ago. Take a look!

Sainz Jr handed Red Bull Abu Dhabi test outing

Formula Renault 3.5 champion Carlos Sainz Jr will join Daniel Ricciardo in Red Bull's line-up for the final Formula One test of 2014 in Abu Dhabi.

Sainz, who won seven times en route to becoming the youngest champion in FR3.5 history this year, will drive on the first day of the two-day test, which will be held on the Yas Marina circuit on November 25-26.

It will be the Spaniard's second test for Red Bull, following his appearance in last year's young driver session at Silverstone, when he completed 35 laps in the RB9. He also drove for Toro Rosso in the same test, and more recently completed a demonstration run in the Red Bull RB8 as a reward for leading the FR3.5 championship at the halfway point of the season.

Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost said recently that Sainz was one of four drivers in contention for a 2015 race seat with the team, alongside rookie Max Verstappen.

Meanwhile, McLaren have announced that they will part company with long-term test and reserve driver Gary Paffett at the end of the season. The split coincides with McLaren moving from Mercedes to Honda power for 2015, as Paffett remains part of the German manufacturer's factory DTM programme.

(source: f1.com)

2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix preview

Wow! The season's last race is almost here. A little while ago we were all waiting for the season to start and now it's almost over! Time flies when we are having fun. That means when we are watching F1 every other weekend.

I was supposed to go to Abu Dhabi again this year but didn't get good tickets in time. I also didn't get any cheap flights from Finland. Should have bought the tickets months before! The two other times I have been there I have also reserved in the last minute. This time I wasn't that lucky. It would have been nice to visit Dubai as well. I love that city!

Not much to say so I will talk about the same things as last year:

The Yas Marina track has hosted the Abu Dhabi GP 5 times in it's history so it's quite new. The facilities are one of the best in the world at least for me as a spectator. It is the only GP that has daylight and dark in the same race.

In 2010 Sebastian Vettel won his first world championship when Alonso couldn't get pass Vitaly Petrov. It was one of the most moving moments of Vettel's career when he cried on the podium.

After winning his first championship in 2010.

In 2011 he had already won the championship when the Formula One circus returned to Abu Dhabi. That race he retired right after the start and the whole crowd in Abu Dhabi cheered. The sound was quite loud, trust me, I was there.

In 2012 Sebastian started from the back of the grid but managed to get 3rd place. Alonso was second and Kimi Räikkönen took the maiden victory for the new Team Lotus. Everybody remembers the classic radio conversations between Kimi and Alan Permane(?)

Here is a video with the radio conversations:

They made t-shirts of Kimi's comments.

Last year Sebastian Vettel had already secured his championship before Abu Dhabi. This year the story is different. It is between two friends, teammates and almost brothers, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton is leading the championship but when Bernie Ecclestone came up with the most stupid rule in F1 history (double points in the last race) Nico Rosberg has good chances of becoming world champion. Nobody can say who will win. In my opinion Hamilton deserves to be champion even if Rosberg would win it all.

Now let's see my predictions:

Pole position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

Race:

1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
3. Valtteri Bottas, Williams

Fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

Surprise: Kimi Räikkönen. Leave him alone he knows what he's doing!

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 AE, JT, MW & MH. 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

Caterham say they will race in Abu Dhabi

Caterham have announced they plan to take part in next weekend’s season-ending 2014 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The team have missed the last two rounds, in the United States and Brazil, due to ongoing financial issues.

“We now head to Abu Dhabi ready to show what a hard-working and positive group of people this is and to hopefully secure a future for the team,” said interim team principal Finbarr O’Connell following a crowdfunding project designed to aid their participation.

“During the past few days the interest of many potential buyers has increased massively and by racing in Abu Dhabi the team will be showcasing itself as a live and functioning team that deserves to continue into 2015 and beyond.”

Caterham have yet to confirm who will be driving for them at Yas Marina. Kamui Kobayashi and Marcus Ericcson have formed their regular 2014 race line-up to date, but the latter - who will race for Sauber next year - announced earlier this week that he has severed all links with the team. 

(source: f1.com)