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Rossi Gets Manor F1 Drive

The Manor F1 Team announced on Wednesday afternoon that it has signed American Alexander Rossi for five of the remaining 7 rounds of the Formula 1 World Championship.

Rossi(23) will replace Roberto Merhi and will make his debut at this weekends Singapore Grand Prix. He will race at Singapore, Japan, America, Mexico and Brazil. He will not race for Manor in Russia and Abu Dhabi.

Merhi who will make way for Rossi will be part of the team in a reserve driver capacity and will be in the car at Sochi and Abu Dhabi.

Rossi becomes the first American driver in F1 since Scott Speed who drove for Toro Rosso in 2007 and is by no means a new face at the team. He was the teams reserve driver for 2014 and took part in Free Practice 1 at the Belgian Grand Prix.

“I’m very thankful to race for the Manor Marussia F1 team and for their continued belief in me,” said Rossi

“I’ve been prepared for this opportunity for quite a while now.

“Many will know from 2014 that the team and I already have a strong relationship and there’s a bit of unfinished business for me here.

“This is a small F1 team that has been through so much. They exemplify passion and true strength of character, and their comeback this season is extraordinary.

“I’m honored to be part of this legacy and their continued growth and success.

“Singapore is a circuit I really enjoy and the timing of my debut could not be more perfect. There’s a lot of work ahead and I’m looking forward to a busy end to the 2015 season.”

Manor Team Principal John Booth had this to say about Rossi’s signing: “We are delighted to sign Alexander as Race Driver.

“He is widely-regarded as a driver who is on the cusp of an exciting F1 career and his current form in the GP2 Series has done much to reinforce his clear potential.

“Signing Alexander is a continuation of our proud record of providing young drivers with the opportunity to showcase their talents.

“We believe he will do a great job and look forward to seeing him race for the first time this weekend in Singapore.”

Booth went on to thank Merhi for his professionalism in the matter noting that the Spaniard understands the situation. He also said that the team have not yet finalised their 2016 driver line up.

“While Roberto is obviously disappointed, he understands that this decision is in the long-term interests of the team and we thank him for his professionalism,” Booth added

“No decision has been made regarding our 2016 driver line-up and we will continue to evaluate our options during the remainder of the season.”

Photo credit: Manor Formula 1 Team

September 16, 2015
F1 2015: Singapore GP Preview – Scores To Settle In Singapore

Formula 1 has swopped the sprawling European country side for the city lights of Singapore as the paddock readies for the thirteenth round of the championship.

As far as street race go the Singapore grand prix doesn’t have that much in common with its so-called Monegasque counterpart. While the Monte Carlo grand prix is steeped in regal history Singapore brings a more modern feel to the paddock.

Singapore made its debut on the calendar back in 2008 as F1’s first ever night race. It would become known for the controversial, pre-planned, crash of then Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. It was later uncovered that team principal Flavio Briatore has ordered the young Brazilian driver to deliberately crash and induce the deployment of the safety-car to aid teammate Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard would take a second victory around the streets as a Ferrari driver in 2010. It’s a happy hunting ground for Sebastian Vettel too who has seen the chequered flag first on three occasions.

The Marina Bay circuit is a five kilometre test of extreme concentration under intense conditions. Was the race only a handful of laps we’d scoff at the idea that this floodlit circuit could be seriously hard work for drivers. But with sixty-one laps, each with twenty-three corners and oppressive humidity the Singapore grand prix demands both physical and mental concentration of the highest order.

There could be more than two Mercedes in the mix as well. The importance of horsepower can be played down somewhat around a street circuit which could open the door for a few contenders. In Hungary and Monaco Red Bull Racing were well in the mix with both Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo.

If there increased competitiveness is a given this weekend then this is the only clarity that the once near unbeatable team appear to have at this moment. The uncertainty of the team’s future is being fuelled by the fact that its deal with engine supplier Renault runs out at the end of the season. As it stands, it looks as if the only two choices on the table for the Austrian team are either a year-old Ferrari engine or an abrupt adios to the sport. Renault itself is believed to be close in taking a 65% controlling interest in the Lotus team.

Amid the imminent French takeover the struggling Japanese sits Ferrari who will fancy their chances this weekend. Whilst team boss Maurizio Arrivabene has been singing the praises of his drivers the engine department delivered an upgrade for Monza with which Raikkonen was pleasantly surprised. While Singapore doesn’t demand the same straight line speed as Monza the upgrade would have brought a slight improvement to the driveability and power delivery to the engine which is important around the twisting streets.

Two weeks ago Sebastian Vettel delivered a morale boosting second place at the team’s home race. But a boost in confidence won’t be enough to halt the Lewis Hamilton behemoth. It has to start in qualifying where it’s going to require another exceptional run in qualifying if they are to have any say in Sunday’s proceedings.

A 53 point chasm sits between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg and while the numbers are against the German it is in the mental game where he has taken the biggest beating, even without the Monza failure. If Nico Rosberg has the psychological ability to fight back he must now lay it all on the line.

September 16, 2015
Broadcast Times for the 2015 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix

The start of the second round of the fly-away races takes us to the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore for Round 13 of the Formula 1 World Championship.

The 5.065km track with 23 corners, the most of any circuit this season, winds its way along the streets of Marina Bay in Singapore. The race is regarded as one of the toughest and most grueling races on the F1 calendar. The humid conditions makes it especially tough on the drivers who have to navigate the street circuit, which takes maximum concentration 100% of the time. The race is also quite long, lasting the full 2 hour allocation if a safety car period lasts for a long time or if there are multiple safety car periods. With it being a street circuit the safety car probability is very high.

Apart from the pit-straight and the pit building complex and pit grand stands, the rest of the track is a street circuit. The track is not as narrow as the streets of Monaco and overtaking is possible into Turn 1 and on the run to Turn 7.

There have not been any major changes to the layout to the circuit since its inaugural race in 2007. In 2013, the famous left-right-left-right Singapore Sling chicane was changed to a simple left handed corner(Turn 10) with a faster entry speed.

Earlier in the year, the FIA approved changes to the circuit from Turn 11 till Turn 13. Drivers will now kink left before turning left at Turn 11. The profile of Turn 12 was also changed and the drivers will exit Turn 12 on the left of Anderson Bridge. Turn 13 has been widened by 1 metre to allow for overtaking.

With the race and practice session being held in the evenings and at night, European broadcast times are favorable. All times are GMT+2

Free Practice 1: Friday 12:00

Free Practice 2: Friday 15:30

Free Practice 3: Saturday 12:00

Qualifying: Saturday 15:00

Race: Sunday 14:00

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

September 15, 2015
Singapore GP Organizers Stick To Grand Prix Schedule

Singapore Grand Prix organizers are goingahead with the Singapore Grand Prix schedule and have no plans to change the racing and entertainment program.

This comes after reports on Monday that the city-state was covered in a dense cloud of smog which limited visibility. The smog is a result of farmers in Indonesia burning parts of the forest to make way for their plantations.

On Monday the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) was between 127 – 146, in the low to mid sections of the Unhealthy range”. The unhealthy range is 101-200.

The organizers of the Singapore Grand Prix released a statement on Tuesday saying that the Grand Prix will proceed as planned.

“Based on the current PSI levels, there are no plans to amend the published racing and entertainment programme,” read the statement.

The statement goes on to say that because of the changeable conditions, it is hard to predict PSI levels.

“The haze situation is highly changeable not only from day to day, but from hour to hour.

“Therefore, it is currently not possible to reliably predict what the PSI level might be over the race weekend.

“We will continue to work closely with all the relevant government authorities to receive the best possible forecasts when they are available.”

N95 masks have been made available to ticket holders and will be available at at the Circuit at cost price.

The 20:00 update from the National Environmental Agency in Singapore put the 24hr PSI index at 130-161, in the low to mid sections of the Unhealthy range.

According to the NEA, the 24 hour PSI forecast is expected to be in the the mid to high sections of the Unhealthy range and it could enter the very unhealthy range if denser haze clouds are blown in from Sumatra.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons: Jacklee

September 15, 2015
Haze A Concern Ahead of Singapore Grand Prx

A cloud of smog has covered the City of Singapore ahead of this weekends Singapore Grand Prix blown in by the prevailing winds from Sumatra.

The haze is a result of the farmers in neighboring Sumatra burning parts of the forest to make way for their agricultural activities.

Organizers of the Singapore Grand Prix are monitoring the situation very closely and are working with the relevant agencies before any decision is taken.

“The possibility of haze is just one of the many potential issues that are covered in the overall 2015 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix Contingency Plan,” said a spokesperson for the Singapore GP.

“In the event that the haze causes visibility, public health or operational issues, Singapore GP will work closely with the relevant agencies before making any collective decisions regarding the event.”

The National Environment Agency (NEA) in Singapore says that the situation may worsen. An update at 19:00 Singapore time says that the “Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) was between 127-146, in the low to mid sections of the Unhealthy range”. The unhealthy range is 101-200.

In it’s update the NEA goes on to state that “the haze situation could deteriorate as the current unfavourable winds may blow in denser haze from Sumatra.”

“Thundery showers forecasted for Singapore in the late morning and early afternoon tomorrow may only bring a short temporary respite.

“The 24-hour PSI for the next 24 hours is expected to be in the mid to high sections of Unhealthy range, and may enter the low section of Very Unhealthy range if the unfavourable winds bring in denser haze from Sumatra.”

September 14, 2015
Pirelli announces tyre choices for Singapore, Japan and Russia

Formula One tyre supplier Pirelli has announced its tyre compound choices for the Singapore, Japanese and Russian grands prix, with with Italian manufacturer opting to bring softer tyres to Russia compared to its 2014 choices.

As usual, we’ll see the Super Soft and Soft tyres in Singapore, in order to cope with the high demand for maximum mechanical grip at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

The Medium and Hard compounds will be brought to the Japanese Grand Prix due to the high-energy demands and fast corners which are a prominent feature of Suzuka’s fast circuit.

Both of these tyre nominations correlate with the choices from 2014, but Pirelli has opted to go one step softer with its compounds for the Russian Grand Prix at Sochi.

The Super Soft and Soft tyres will be used in the Russian Grand Prix at Sochi Autodrom as “the asphalt has not changed significantly since its debut last year, and looking at the data from 2014, a softer step is possible.”

Last year’s Russian Grand Prix featured a one-stop strategy for almost all teams, with tyre wear not an issue at all during the race.

Photo Credits:

Photos courtesy of Pirelli

September 9, 2015
Red Bull and Renault to split – where to from here?

According to Autosport, the Red Bull Formula One team will not run Renault engines next season despite their contract which only ends at the end of the 2016 F1 season. It is reported that Red Bull will reportedly part ways with Renault after this season, having requested an early end to their partnership.

Formula 1’s decision to swap to 1.6-litre V6 Turbo engines pretty much put the nail in the Red Bull Renault coffin with the engine manufacturer unable to produce an engine capable of mounting a challenge against its rivals.

This has led to both parties publicly criticising one another and voicing the on-going frustration. The severe breakdown in the Red Bull Renault relationship has been no secret for some time already.

Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat were forced to take their seventh engines of the season for this past weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, resulting in major grid penalties.

According to Autosport, Red Bull have “issued a document requesting a termination” of their engine deal a year before its scheduled conclusion. It is also reported that Renault will accept this request.

Seven races remain this season and Red Bull are currently fourth in the Constructors’ Championship on 113 points, 338 behind Mercedes.

Red Bull is left with Mercedes and Ferrari as the only realistic options for power units next season but Mercedes has already ruled out the possibility of supplying Red Bull with engines in the future. According to Autosport, Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche has decided to bring discussions to an end following his visit to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix.

It would appear to leave Red Bull with the sole option of getting Ferrari engines.

Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene has said that supplying engines to Red Bull would not be an issue for Ferrari. Red Bull has used Ferrari engines in the past – for the 2006 F1 season.

Over the Italian Grand Prix weekend, Lewis Hamilton expressed doubt at the prospect of Mercedes supplying Red Bull with engines.

“I think if we’re serious about winning world championships, probably not,” he replied, when asked if such a move would be a good idea.

“Red Bull is a great team and it’s like giving Ferrari our engine,” he told reporters. “We’re here to win so we don’t really need it. There’s no financial benefit really in it, so I think we’re good where we are.”

However, at Ferrari, Arrivabene seems to have no such concerns.

“It is very difficult to talk about other people,” Arrivabene said. “In theory they have big names, with Newey as chief designer and it is easy to think that if you give them the engine they will build a scary chassis, which means they will be really competitive.

“Concerning my team, my engineers and aerodynamicists know their own jobs and for that reason I don’t have a problem. Competition is nice when you have a stronger competitor.”

He did however admit, “This doesn’t mean tomorrow morning we will give our engines to Red Bull or Toro Rosso.”

Photo Credits:

Red Bull photo courtesy of Red Bull Racing

Renault F1 photo courtesty of Renault Sport F1

Mauricio Arrivabene photo courtesy of Scuderia Ferrari

September 9, 2015
Felipe Massa delighted with ’emotional’ Monza podium

Felipe Massa was ecstatic with the achievement of his second podium of the 2015 Formula One season at the Italian Grand Prix.

The third position finish was a repeat of his podium finish last year when he also collected the trophy in front of his former Ferrari team’s fans.

“It’s really emotional to have been on the podium,” Massa said. “It was a difficult but fantastic race, I didn’t have the best start but I was still able to pass cars so it was good enough.

“I worked hard to open the gap to Valtteri [Bottas], but when I pitted early it gave him the advantage on tyres at the end of the race. It was hard to keep him behind as he really wanted it, but I just about managed it.

“I am delighted for myself and the team, we got a lot of valuable points. It’s special to be up on the podium at Monza again, and I really thank the team for their effort today.”

Massa’s Williams team mate Valtteri Bottas finished a mere 0.3s behind him in fourth place and laments a few minor issues.

“It was a good result for the team today, good points which is important,” Bottas said after the race.

“My pit stop lost me too much time which was crucial for the second part of the race. I managed to get extremely close in the end but it was too late.

“As I saved my tyres and brakes I was able to attack in the final laps but we had system issues on the last lap, so we need to investigate what happened because I also lost an opportunity there.”

Photo Credits:

Podium image courtesy of Mercedes AMG Petronas

Massa press conference image screengrab courtesy of Sky F1

September 7, 2015
“Today Was A Massive Step In the Wrong Direction” – Rosberg

Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg that his retirement from the race at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza was a massive step backward for the German.

Rosberg was forced to take an engine change after the new unit, which the team spent all its development tokens on, had a coolant leak which contaminated the engine. The German had to revert back to the engine which he used in Belgium, which had already run 6 races.

Rosberg was running in 3rd place and closing in on 2nd place man, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, when two laps from the end of the race the engine gave up in a cloud of smoke and flames on the run to Della Roggia.

It was a tough weekend all round for Rosberg who wants to put it behind him. He’s already looking forward to Singapore in two weeks time.

“This weekend was very tough for me,” commented Rosberg after the race.

“There were just too many problems with my car which made it impossible to fight for the win.

“It hurts a lot when you have to retire with just two or three laps to go. A few corners earlier, I felt already that I had lost some power but was still hoping I could make it.

“Today was a massive step in the wrong direction for me in the Championship – but to complain doesn’t help in these situations.

“I just need to keep pushing and come back even stronger. Giving up is not an option for me.

“I will push hard to turn things in the right direction – starting in Singapore, which is one of my favourite races. I’m looking forward to it already.”

September 6, 2015
Mercedes turned Rosberg’s engine up before it failed

It has been revealed that the Mercedes F1 team turned the power up on Nico Rosberg’s engine shortly before it failed ending his hopes of finishing the Italian Grand Prix.

F1 championship title contender Rosberg lost a lot of ground off the start of the race after having to dodge the stalled Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen and dropped back to sixth place from fourth on the grid.

He had managed to make up a lot of the lost ground during the race and, in the late stages, was starting to catch Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel for the second step on the podium. In a bid to help Rosberg catch Vettel, Mercedes turned the power of his engine up. The 6 race old power unit expired in a plume of smoke just three laps before the end of the race.

Toto Wolff, Mercedes Motorsport Chief admitted that Rosberg had been given the go ahead to push the Spa-spec engine harder to chase Vettel. The engine had been put back into Rosberg’s Mercedes after his new spec power unit encountered problems during the final practice session on Saturday ahead of qualifying for the Italian GP.

“We gave it a little push at the end to try to catch Sebastian and this is when it decided to call it a day,” he said.

“The engine was on its sixth race, so it was very high on miles,” Wolff added.

“And we didn’t get any warnings.”

Hamilton now leads Rosberg by 53 points following the German’s retirement from the race. Hamilton’s victory – following being cleared of a tyre pressure infringement on both cars – has put him well clear of his main title rival.

“It’s a fact that it’s a massive step in the wrong direction,” said Rosberg.

“It’s the biggest loss I’ve had in one day throughout the whole season, so that’s very bad, and I now need to catch up a few points.

“I keep going. Giving up doesn’t exist for me, so I’ll just keep fighting, and I’ve got to try to win the next couple of races somehow.

“The whole weekend just went completely wrong, and unlucky I think.

“So many repercussions of this engine issue… it wasn’t an engine issue actually, it was a chassis issue that made me have to change.

“To have it explode two laps from the end was unbelievable. It’s even more disappointing.

“I was going to have a good go at Vettel because finally I had the brakes cool enough to attack, and I could ramp up the electric power, and I was going to really go for it.”

September 6, 2015