F1 Madness

Author: Natalie

  • Caterham Announce Kobayashi & Ericsson

    Caterham Announce Kobayashi & Ericsson

    Caterham CEO Tony Fernandes announced earlier today that Kamui Kobayashi and rookie Marcus Ericsson will complete their driver line-up in 2014.

    Japan’s Kobayashi returns to Formula 1 after a year’s racing for Ferrari in the World Endurance Championship. Kobayashi made a sensational Formula 1 debut as a stand-in driver for Toyota during the 2009 season which followed with a stint of racing with Sauber from 2010-12.

    Kobayashi was quoted as saying that it “was great” to be back in Formula 1 with the Caterham team. “Throughout all our discussions I’ve been very impressed with where they want to take the team, and how much investment has been made already to help them achieve their goals,” Kobayashi told AUTOSPORT.

    Marcus Ericsson graduates from GP2 to partner Kobayashi at Caterham for 2014.

    “This is a very proud day for me and everyone has helped make my F1 dream come true. I’ll be making the step up to F1 with Caterham in 2014 and I’m already excited about the season ahead, and the first race in Australia in particular,” Ericsson shared with AUTOSPORT.

    2013 Caterham driver Giedo van der Garde has inked a deal with Sauber as the team’s test and reserve driver.

    Image courtesy of @tedkravitz via Twitter

  • What’s in a number?

    What’s in a number?

    The FIA announced late last year that drivers would be issued with permanent numbers to be carried throughout their Formula 1 careers. All drivers were asked to nominate two numbers between #2 and #99 as Sebastian Vettel has an automatic hold on #1 as the current F1 champion.

    The complete list of numbers that the drivers will carry, starting in 2014, was recently announced by the FIA with many of the choices revealing the nostalgic sentimentality of several drivers.

    Current world champion Sebastian Vettel will race with the #1 while he has reserved #5 not so much as an homage to former British champ Nigel Mansell but rather as a return to the number he used as a child in karting. Should Vettel not make it five world titles in 2014 he will run with the #5 in 2015. Red Bull Racing teammate Daniel Ricciardo has also chosen his first number in karting but tweeted that #3 is also a result of being a fan of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt.

    nigeLewis Hamilton continued the trend of karting numbers and the 2008 champion will race with #44 emblazoned on both his helmet and car. Nico Rosberg has chosen his number as a tribute to his father Keke Rosberg who carried #6 during his championship winning year in 1982. However, the number six seems to run in the Rosberg family as Nico also secured the 2002 Formula BMW title while carrying the same number.

    Fernando Alonso carried the nostalgic trend further as he too reminisced about his karting days with the choice to race #14. Believe it or not Fernando Alonso is the only driver on the grid to have won the Karting World Cup and he did so using kart #14 when he was 14 years old.

    While sentimentality overflowed Kimi Raikkonen delivered his trademark, unaffected reasoning for his choice. “It was my number the previous year so I saw no reason to change it,” he said. Raikkonen will race with #7.

    Romain Grosjean has similarly elected to retain his 2013 number. However, the Frenchman revealed that his choice to retain #8 is based on the fact that he had experienced his best ever season last year. Newly signed teammate Pastor Maldonado has brought back #13 to Formula 1 which is considered to be unlucky in many circles. However, Maldonado’s choice could be down to the fact that this particular number in considered lucky for Venezuelans. Several Venezuelan Baseball players all carry #13.

    Jenson Button has returned to his championship winning season of 2009 with the choice of #22 while rookie teammate Kevin Magnussen is continuing the trend of karting numbers with #20.

    Nico Hulkenberg’s choice of #27 hasn’t been given much clarification as yet but the romantics amongst the F1 fans would like to think that German’s choice is in honour of the great Gilles Villeneuve. Coincidentally, Ayrton800px-Ferrari_126_CK Senna clinched the 1990 world driver’s championship with #27. Mexican Sergio Perez has picked #11 as the second Force India driver. “Ever since I was a kid I always wore the 11, in karting. Actually my email has 11 in it as well,” he grinned. “A lot of things have to do with 11 so I identified myself with that number,” said Perez.

    Adrian Sutil, a Sauber driver for 2014, will run #99 which was the highest possible number up for grabs. Esteban Gutierrez will race #21. Jean-Eric Vergne hand-picked his karting number 25 while rookie teammate Danniil Kvyat has confirmed #26.

    Williams driver Felipe Massa has selected #19 which could be in honour of Ayrton Senna as this was the Brazilian’s first number in Formula 1. Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas has seen the marketing potential in his choice of #77 as it resembles the letter ‘T’ in his name. Marussia driver Jules Bianchi had to be content with his third choice of number 17. The FIA has confirmed Max Chilton as the second driver at Marussia for 2014 but the Brit is yet to select a number. Caterham are still to announce their driver pairing for the upcoming season.

    The issuing of permanent numbers is a great homage to the history of Formula 1. Gilles Villeneuve will always be as synonymous with #27 as Nigel Mansell will be with #5. Now it is the chance of a different era of drivers to breathe new life into these legendary numbers.

  • Michael Schumacher ‘hurt in skiiing accident’

    Michael Schumacher ‘hurt in skiiing accident’

    Reports have been making the rounds that former F1 driver Michael Schumacher has been taken to hospital with a head injury.

    The accident allegedly happened while the 44-year-old seven time world champion was skiing in the French resort of Meribel in the popular Three Valleys ski area.

    “I do not know the severity of the injury,” the director of the ski station told French radio station RMC. The police are currently conducting their investigation into the origins of the fall.”

    He added: “We do not know yet if it happened on a piste or off-piste.”

    Michael Schumacher retired from Formula 1 for a second time at the conclusion on the 2012 season.

     

  • ‘Pole Trophy’ For 2014

    ‘Pole Trophy’ For 2014

    In addition to the DHL Fastest Lap trophy F1 will award a trophy for the most poles of the year, starting in 2014.

    The driver who racks up the most pole positions during the season will be awarded with a special Pole Position Trophy after its addition to the sporting regulations.

    In the event of a tie a countback to the most second places will be done in order to determine a winner. Should this final to identify a clear winner this new regulation states that “the FIA will nominate the winner according to such criteria as it thinks fit”.

    Sebastian Vettel, with 45 pole positions to his name, would have been the recipient of the trophy for four of last five years.

  • Driver Announcement: Sutil to Sauber

    Driver Announcement: Sutil to Sauber

    The Sauber F1 Team has confirmed that Adrian Sutil will form part of its driver line-up for the 2014 season.

    The German driver has 109 grand prix starts in his F1 career and all of them has been with the Sahara Force India team. Force India have signed Nico Hulkenberg, from Sauber, and Sergio Perez from McLaren.

    “I am very happy that we found common ground,” said Sutil. “Although I have known for a while where I wanted to go, in the end the negotiations took a bit longer than planned. However, now I will have all the more reason to celebrate during the Christmas season.

    “After six good years driving for Force India, with a lot of highlights, it’s now time to embark on a new challenge. I am determined to do my part in order to have a successful future together with the Sauber F1 team.”

    The 2014 move to Sauber will be the first time that Sutil has raced for a different team in Formula 1. He joined the Midland team in 2007 which would later transform to its current guise of Force India.

    Sutil’s best result in Formula 1 remains a fourth place at the 2009 Italian grand prix.

  • FIA finalises 2014 calendar

    FIA finalises 2014 calendar

    The FIA World Motor Sport Council has confirmed that the 2014 Formula 1 season will be held over 19 races.

    The Korea, Mexico and New Jersey grand prix have dropped off the provisional 22 race calendar. The Korean GP has disappeared from the calendar after four years with financial problems while the future of the New Jersey race has become increasingly uncertain after being dropped from the calendar for a second time.

    Along with the streamlined calendar the running order of the races has undergone some changes. The Abu Dhabi grand prix will be held at the end of the season on November 23. While Brazil, the original season finale, will move to November 9.

  • F1 Personnel Wars: Williams Add Aero Staff

    F1 Personnel Wars: Williams Add Aero Staff

    The Williams Formula 1 team has announced the signing of two new employees from Red Bull Racing and the Lotus F1 team.

    Shaun Whitehead joins Williams from Red Bull as head of aerodynamic process while Dave Wheater joins the team from Lotus to become the head of aerodynamic performance.

    “These two appointments show our commitment to both improving the process of aerodynamic development while focusing on the application of that development to true on-track performance,” added the team’s chief technical officer Pat Symonds.

    “Dave and Shaun bring a wealth of experience to our team and I welcome them both to Grove and fully expect them to make significant contributions to the renewed competitiveness that we are all working so hard to achieve.

    “With Dave and Shaun on board, and under Jason’s stewardship, we will be well positioned to make gains in this important area and support the continuing task of developing the FW36 in what promises to be an exciting year for the sport in 2014.”

  • Formula 1 Budget Cap for 2015

    Formula 1 Budget Cap for 2015

    A budget cap is set to be introduced to Formula 1 in 2015.

    It has been announced that a working group will be established to finalise the regulations of the budget cap. This group will comprise of members from the FIA, the commercial rights holder in addition to members from the various F1 teams. This team has been set the task of finalising the regulations for the cap by then end of June 2014.

    It is not clear what the budget cap will apply to; however previous proposals have included exemptions for driver salaries and marketing campaigns. Previous attempts to institute budget caps in the sport have been opposed several teams in the past.

  • F1 2014 Rule Changes: Double Points For Season Finale

    F1 2014 Rule Changes: Double Points For Season Finale

    The points tally for the season ending Abu Dhabi grand prix in 2014 will be doubled.

    The decision to double the points tally at the 2014 season finale was taken by the F1 Strategy Group and Formula One Commission at a meeting in Paris.  An FIA statement said that the change had been agreed “in order to maximise focus on the championship until the end of the campaign”.

    The specialised points system will apply to both the driver’s and constructor’s world championships. This means that the winner of the 2014 Abu Dhabi GP will be awarded 50 points, second place will receive 36 and so throughout the top ten points paying positions.

    The move has been met with great scepticism and comment that Formula 1 is becoming to ‘gimmicky.’

  • F1 2014 Rule Changes: Drivers To Get Permanent Numbers

    F1 2014 Rule Changes: Drivers To Get Permanent Numbers

    A plan to give Formula 1 drivers’ permanent numbers throughout their racing careers has been announced following the latest Strategy Group meeting. The reasoning behind the push for permanent numbers is that it is better for marketing purposes to attach a driver to a certain number rather than it changing on a yearly basis.

    The three points of discussion at the Strategy Group meeting will involve how the numbers are allocated, whether the numbers will appear on a driver’s Superlicense and if the drivers will be allowed to choose their own numbers. In addition to being asked to consider permanent numbers for drivers the Strategy Group will also be asked to deliberate the possibility of displaying large numbers and drivers’ names on cars. However, teams have opposed this proposal in the past as it could intrude on valuable sponsorship space.

    The introduction of permanent numbers will be similar to the system used in MotoGP and Superbikes, where riders retain numbers for an entire career, such as Valentino Rossi’s iconic number 46. Preference will be given to the world champion, in this case Sebastian Vettel, to use #1. The remaining drivers will have the option, in championship order, to select numbers ranging between #2 and #99.