F1 Madness

Category: News

  • Kamui Kobayashi confirmed for Caterham at Abu Dhabi GP

    Kamui Kobayashi confirmed for Caterham at Abu Dhabi GP

    The Caterham F1 Team has announced that Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi will race for the team in the season finale at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This follows confirmation last week that the Caterham F1 team will be racing at the Yas Marina circuit following a desperate crowd funding campaign to help race funds to keep them on the grid.

    Kobayashi returns to the grid to fill the seat of Marcus Ericsson who announced that he has cut ties with the Caterham team with immediate effect and us such will not be racing in Abu Dhabi. Le Mans champ, Andre Lotter turned down the chance to return to F1 with the team saying that, “It was nice to do Formula 1 but I want to do it in better conditions, in terms of track position”.

    Caterham are yet to confirm who will drive alongside Kobayashi. It’s likely to be one of three candidates – Roberto Mehri, Max Chilton or even Rubens Barrichello. The team have said that they will announce Kobayashi’s team mate for the race “in due course”.

    Kobayashi is looking forward to being back on the grid again and had this to say: “I am happy to be racing with the team in Abu Dhabi. It hasn’t been an easy last few weeks, so it will be nice to be back to in the car and work together with the Caterham F1 team members.

    “I would like to thank the fans for supporting the team like they have.  This team is working hard and never gives up. We deserve to be racing in Abu Dhabi and I am very glad we can race again thanks to the crowdfunding project.

    “Now it is our turn to show what we can do – we will all try our best during the weekend ahead and hopefully we can end the season with a positive result for the future of this team.”

    Finbarr O’Connell of Smith & Williamson, joint administrator of Caterham Sports Limited: “The team are delighted to have Kamui on board for the race weekend in Abu Dhabi. The Team commented that Kamui is a highly talented racing driver and he should be in a race car – that’s where he belongs.

    “After the recent period of uncertainty for CaterhamF1, the Team are delighted, as part of its Restructuring Plan, to be able to showcase the cars again and what better way than with world renowned drivers like Kamui.”

    Photo Credit: Caterham F1 Team

  • F1 2014: Lotterer for Caterham in Abu Dhabi

    F1 2014: Lotterer for Caterham in Abu Dhabi

    Le Mans 24 Hours winner Andre Lotterer has confirmed that he has been offered a Caterham seat for the Abu Dhabi grand prix.

    The Caterham team, currently under administration, has missed both the Austin and Brazilian grand prix but has confirmed their presence at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. It is thanks to a ‘fan-funded’ initiative which has seen raise enough finances to compete at the final race of the season.

    Lotterer stepped into the Caterham cockpit at the Belgian grand prix earlier this seemed but appears uncertain about the possibility of repeating it this weekend. “Caterham wants me to race in Abu Dhabi but I am not sure if I will take up the offer,” he said.

    As it stands, it is assumed that Japan’s Kamui Kobayashi will fill the second Caterham seat.

  • Bernie Ecclestone and his billion pound master plan

    Bernie Ecclestone and his billion pound master plan

    F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has a billion dollar master plan and all along none of us realised that it does not include “young fans”, small teams like Caterham and Marussia, or “tweeting, Facebook and whatever nonsense this is”.

    In a staggeringly remarkable interview, the 84 year old Ecclestone claims that there is no point in attracting young fans because they can’t afford anything the sport is promoting. “Now, you’re telling me I need to find a channel to get this 15-year-old to watch Formula 1 because somebody wants to put out a new brand in front of them? They are not going to be interested in the slightest bit,” Ecclestone said in the interview with Campaign-Asia Pacific.

    “Young kids will see the Rolex brand, but are they going to go and buy one? They can’t afford it. Or our other sponsor, UBS — these kids don’t care about banking. They haven’t got enough money to put in the bloody banks anyway.

    “That’s what I think. I don’t know why people want to get to the so-called ‘young generation’. Why do they want to do that? Is it to sell them something? Most of these kids haven’t got any money.

    It would seem Ecclestone would prefer catering for an audience closer to his own age.

    “I’d rather get to the 70-year-old guy who’s got plenty of cash,” he said. “So, there’s no point trying to reach these kids because they won’t buy any of the products here and if marketers are aiming at this audience, then maybe they should advertise with Disney.”

    As if the F1 ringmaster did not already sound outrageous enough, he likened the demise of the Caterham and Marussia F1 Teams to how the Oscar Pistorius trial attracted headlines and said that nobody would miss the two smaller teams.

    “Not at all,” he said when asked whether he was concerned about the financially failing smaller teams and the impact that their struggle would have on Formula One.

    “Nobody will miss the two teams because they’re not front-running teams,” he continued,. “They’ve only got a name that people would know because of the problem they’re in. If you want to get recognised you’ve got to do something.

    “This poor guy in South Africa [Oscar Pistorius], for instance, has got more interest because of what happened with him than when he was winning gold medals. He won medals and afterwards nobody thought about him. If this case hadn’t happened he would have been forgotten, probably.

    “Same with these two teams. You need teams like Ferrari. If you go anywhere and you say to somebody, ‘Ferrari’, they’ll know what you’re talking about. If you say ‘Marussia’, they won’t.”

    The madness did not end there. In a season where Formula One teams and drivers have reached out to fans via social media in an effort to grow the following and success of the sport and engage with fans on a real level, Ecclestone replied, “How are you going to get all the fans to meet these young drivers, who don’t even want to meet their girlfriends?

    “I’m not interested in tweeting, Facebook and whatever this nonsense is. “I tried to find out but in any case I’m too old-fashioned. I couldn’t see any value in it.

  • Grosjean confirms 2015 Lotus F1 Team seat

    Grosjean confirms 2015 Lotus F1 Team seat

    Romain Grosjean has confirmed that he will be driving for the Lotus F1 Team alongside Pastor Maldonado in 2015.

    Grosjean has raced for Lotus since the start of the 2012 F1 season, claiming nine podiums along the way but. The Frenchman is yet to win a race and has endured a pretty difficult 2014 campaign.  who made his Formula 1 debut for the team under its Renault guise mid-2009, has raced for the squad since the start of 2012 and has since claimed nine podiums along the way.

    Grosjean had the option in his contract to leave Lotus for a larger team but has confirmed his decision to stay with Lotus as the team prepares for the new 2015 Mercedes Power Units.

    “I will keep racing with Lotus in 2015,” Grosjean said in a video which he posted on his Facebook page.

    “It’s been a long story with the team, ups and downs, 2013 was good, 2014 more difficult but next year is a new challenge with a new engine.

    “I’ve seen the E23 and its a beautiful car so hopefully [there will be] more podiums, hopefully on top of the podium one day!”

    Grosjean’s post was deleted after a few minutes and there has been no official word from the team.

    Photo credit: Lotus F1 Team – Facebook

  • McLaren-Honda unveil MP4-29H at Silverstone filming day

    McLaren-Honda unveil MP4-29H at Silverstone filming day

    McLaren-Honda made it’s return to an F1 circuit during a filming day at Silverstone today.

    McLaren debuted Honda’s new F1 engine in the Mclaren team’s development car the MP4-29H at Silverstone. Oliver Turvey took to the track behind the wheel while the team looked to learn as much as possibly about Honda’s new V6 Turbo Power Unit.

    The picture to the right was tweeted by Honda earlier today.

    McLaren is limited to only 100km of running at a filming day according to F1 Regulations. Not much, but more than enough to understand what, if any, initial problems there are with the new engine.

    There has been no confirmation on whether McLaren will run the new Honda power unit during post-race testing after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

    Photo Credit: Honda

  • The Caterham F1 team will be racing in Abu Dhabi

    The Caterham F1 team will be racing in Abu Dhabi

    The Caterham F1 Team has confirmed its participation in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

    Caterham has missed the previous two races in Austin and at Interlagos, but have confirmed that it will be making its F1 return at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi.

    Last week, the administrators of the Caterham F1 team Smith & Williamson announced the launch of a crowd funding website in a desperate bid to raise £2.35m in time to race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The team’s target has not yet been reached, Caterham does expect to hit the mark in time.

    The deadline on its crowd-funding website has been extended to the end of next Sunday’s season ending race.

    It is yet to be confirmed who will be driving for the team. Just yesterday Marcus Ericsson cut all ties with the Caterham F1 team, ending his contract with immediate effect.

    Caterham F1 adminstrator Finbarr O’Connell said, “We set ourselves a major challenge, but it’s definitely been worth it.

    “In only a week the fans have made the impossible, possible. We knew that the best way to keep this team alive and attract possible buyers was to show that it’s still a racing team and be in Abu Dhabi for the finale, and there aren’t enough words to say how grateful we are to all the fans that have made this possible.

    “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. ”

    O’Connell also says that things are looking up for the Caterham F1 team’s future in 2015 and sounds optimistic about the progress that’s been made this past week.

    “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,” he said.

    “It has hard-working people, team spirit and experience and now it only needs a secure financial future which I’m very hopeful we can achieve. Once again, I’d like to reiterate that we are racing in Abu Dhabi thanks to all the fans out there – an achievement that will go down in F1 history and one that we can all be very proud of.

    “We still need to raise a bit more cash so please do keep an eye on the Crowdcube website. Let’s go racing!”

    Photo Credit: Caterham F1 Team

  • McLaren to Debut Honda Engine in Interim Car

    McLaren to Debut Honda Engine in Interim Car

    The McLaren Formula 1 Team have announced they will debut Honda’s new F1 engine at a promotional event at Silverstone on Friday.

    McLaren’s development car, the MP4-29H/1X1, will lap around the Silverstone Circuit alongside two other McLaren Honda’s. The Woking based outfit have been working on the MP4-29H to test the installation and integration of the new turbocharged V6 Honda unit ahead of the 2015 season. The promotional event at Silverstone, which is limited to 100km of running and may only be run with demonstration tyres, will give the team a chance to learn about the car and the engine and various other systems before the Abu Dhabi test which will take place after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

    Honda are confident that they are ready for the test after releasing pictures and announcing their readiness a few months ago.

    “To make sure that we are ready at the launch of the new cars in 2015 we’ve decided to build a development car, as Honda needs to check all the multiple systems,” explained McLaren Team Principal Eric Boullier.

    “We also need to check the IT link between track and Woking and between track and Japan. So as not to have to focus on these things too much in the test season, we’ve decided to run a development car programme.

    “In terms of car design it will be very similar to this one. We don’t want to burn money on unnecessary areas. We just have to make sure that some technical options for next year are already on the car.”

    McLaren test driver, Oliver Turvey, will be the first one to take the wheel of the MP4-29H/1X1. Test driver Stoffel Van Doorn will also be given a chance at the wheel of the new car.

    With the demonstration day tomorrow, the mystery of who the two McLaren drivers will be for 2015 still remains. Fernando Alonso has been tipped to be their first driver but there is still not word on their second driver. We are expecting an announcement very soon.

  • Message from the Schumacher family

    Message from the Schumacher family

    The family of Formula One legend, Michael Schumacher, who is still recovering from severe brain injuries suffered in a skiing accident, have released another message to his fans on his official website.

    Today also marks the 20 year anniversary of Schumacher winning his first world drivers’ championship title, and thereby becoming the first German Formula One world championship and igniting an entire nations’ love for motorsport.

    The Schumacher family have once again thanked fans for the ongoing support for Michael, saying that “Your wishes give us strength”. Here is the full message from the Schumacher family as published on his official website:

    Schumacher family message

     

    #KeepFightingMichael

    Photo Credits: michael-schumacher.de

  • Ericsson Cuts All Ties With Caterham

    Ericsson Cuts All Ties With Caterham

    Former Caterham driver, Marcus Ericsson has announced in a statement that he has cut all ties with the Caterham F1 team.

    This comes a few weeks after Ericsson was confirmed as a Sauber driver for 2015. This would mean that if Caterham, who are in a middle of a crowd funding venture, were to make it to the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, he will not race for the Leafield outfit.

    Ericsson’s statement in full:

    “Following recent events re Caterham Sports Limited and 1 MRT Sdn Bhd, my adviser Eje Elgh and I have decided to terminate, with immediate effect, all agreements connecting me to the Caterham F1 team.

    This is a sad day as we have greatly enjoyed working with the team through a difficult and tough season.

    I wish to thank Colin Kolles, Manfredi Ravetto, Cyril Abiteboul and every other member of the Caterham F1 team for your trust and confidence in me, and for making my first Formula 1 season an educational and unforgettable experience.

    In addition, I thank my good friend and teammate Kamui Kobayashi for being an inspiring benchmark throughout the year, and hope to see him back on the track soon.”

     

  • Alonso McLaren switch to be confirmed next week

    Alonso McLaren switch to be confirmed next week

    Fernando Alonso will make a visit to Woking this week for the first time since 2007, according to authoritative media sources.

    Spanish publication El Mundo Deportivo claims that following the conclusion of a what is believed to be a two-year deal for 2015-16 with a one-year option for 2017 should performance objectives be met on both sides, Alonso will travel to the team’s Woking headquarters on Wednesday to put pen to paper.

    The deal is believed to be the most lucrative contract in F1 history at an estimated £25 million.

    According to Spanish paper AS, “Alonso and McLaren have agreed for the Spaniard to be the star of the British team’s new project with a Honda engine. Alonso will have a considerably higher salary as both McLaren and Honda make a big effort to win again”.

    Alonso’s decision to accept the McLaren deal has now forced the team into making the difficult decision on who will remain as his team mate.

    Danish rookie, Kevin Magnussen is seen as the favourite to remain with the team since they’ve nurtured him but he may not be the smartest choice. Jenson Button has outscored Magnussen by almost double (106 points vs 55) and the Briton’s experience could be something the team will need if it wants to win a championship. The combined experience of Alonso and Button would give a huge push toward the development of the new Honda V6 engine.

    Judging by his own comments and body language in Brazil last week however, Button looks set to be sent packing which will most likely see him leave Formula One. Button is unimpressed with the way the team have handled the Alonso deal and he is clearly not feeling much love from the Woking outfit at the moment.

    Press Association Sport have quoted Button as saying, “Naturally I still want to earn money because I feel I have achieved and I feel I should get paid for what I do in an F1 car or a racing car, and for what I bring to a team.

    “But I’m not a driver that takes the p***, and I will race somewhere even I’m if not getting the big bucks like a few drivers who are out there.

    “You should get what you deserve. I feel I bring a lot to a team, not just in terms of results, but in terms of marketing within a team and working with sponsors, and how I can help develop a car.

    “You want to feel like you are wanted within a team and part of the family.

    “It’s like if your parents were to turn round and say ‘You know what, we’re not sure if we want you at Christmas this year. But your brother can come, he’s great’. You know what I mean.

    “You want to feel like you are part of the family, and they want you to be part of the family, and that’s more important than cash.”

    If the decision does come down to finances, Magnussen will be the obvious choice to stay at McLaren since he is by far the cheaper option.

    One could understand that Button would be a little disappointed in McLaren for not giving him more notice. BBC commentator and Former McLaren driver David Coulthard agrees that the team has treated Button disrespectfully and have accused the team of seeing drivers as “light bulbs”.

    “Maybe it (that comment) has had some reaction from the team, but I stand by my view,” he told the Telegraph.

    “The right thing is to treat people well. To have him (Button) hanging on like this is unfair. Going into the last race should be a celebration – if it is to be his last – but we may not know.

    “He deserves better,” Coulthard added.

    Alonso as it turns out is said to be keen for Button to stay for at least one more season to work alongside him.

    “I hope he [Button] stays [in F1],” France’s Le Figaro quotes Alonso as having said at Interlagos.

    “He is a very talented driver and a good person. People like him are good for our sport.”

    It is likely that whatever McLaren decide, both drivers will be announced simultaneously before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The announcement will clear the way for Ferrari to publicly confirm Sebastian Vettel’s arrival at the Scuderia.