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F1 2014: Free Practice 1 Report – Rosberg Tops In Brazil

Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg topped the timing sheets at the end of the first free practice session ahead of Sunday’s Brazilian grand prix.

The German driver was roughly two tenths faster than his championship rival and teammate Lewis Hamilton. Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat set the third fastest timing in overcast conditions nearly a second off the leading Mercedes.

The newly re-surfaced track delivered little grip in the opening part of the one and a half hour session which resulted in several spins for various drivers. Force India’s Spanish reserve driver Daniel Juncadella was unable to limit his excursion just to a spin and made solid contact with the barriers. The Force India’s left-front suspension seemed to take the brunt of the impact as the driver exited the car uninjured. The incident brought out the red flag in order to safely recover the damaged car.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso completed thirty laps in his session and clocked the fourth fastest time ahead of local hero Felipe Massa in fifth. An ERS issue kept Jenson Button from setting a flying lap during the first free practice session. Similarly Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez was able to complete only a handful of installations laps due an electrical problem.

Max Verstappen continued his preparation for 2015 by setting the sixth fastest time overall in the session ahead of Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen. McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo rounded out the top ten.

November 7, 2014
End of the Road For Marussia Formula 1 Team

The administrators for the Marussia F1 Team, FRP Advisory, have announced the team will cease trading and the staff at the will be made redundant.

The Marussia F1 Team was placed under administration last month after running into financial trouble. There was some news that there were two potential investors that could take over the running of the team. It seems like that has not materialized and the only thing left for the administrators was to dissolve the company and the team.

A deadline had been set for the two potential investors to transfer their money over before Friday 12:00 GMT. That deadline came and went with no cash being transferred which left the administrators with no choice.

“It goes without saying that it’s deeply regrettable that a business with such a great following in Britain and worldwide has had to cease trading and close its doors,” said Geoff Rowley, the joint administrator at FRP for the Marussia team.

“Whilst the team made significant progress during its relatively short period of operation, operating a F1 team requires significant ongoing investment.

“The group was put into administration last month following a shortfall in on-going funding and the administration process provided a moratorium to allow for attempts to secure a long term viable solution for the company within in a very limited time-frame.

“Sadly no solution could be achieved to allow for the business to continue in its current form. We would like to thank all the staff for their support during this difficult process.”

“The team will not be participating in the two further rounds of the 2014 championship remaining, in Sao Paulo and Abu Dhabi.

“The joint administrators will continue with their statutory duties to realise the assets of the business in the best interests of all the creditors.”

This announcement comes a day after the FIA released their list of provisional entries for the 2015 Formula 1 Season.

With the good news that came from Caterham a few days ago, one needs to wonder if they’re headed in the same direction.

November 7, 2014
Button Open To New Opportunities Beyond F1

McLaren’s Jenson Button says that there are other opportunities for him outside of F1 if he does not manage to secure a drive next season.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, Button says that because of the uncertainty around his future it opened his eyes to other opportunities.

“It makes you think about other opportunities and other challenges,” said Button

“There’s so much out there, so many other challenges that I’m interested in taking on.”

Button has been linked to a WEC drive at Porsche next year. But there has been no word on that from either party.

When asked if he felt that the team showed him a lack of respect by the way he is being treated, he had this to say: “That is something I’m not going to answer. It’s and unfair question.”

Button went on to say that he was not disappointed, but he was disappointed that he does not have a winning car.

“I only want to be in Formula 1 to win,” he added.

“If I’m not winning next year, I do not want to be in the sport.”

When asked if he would stay on if McLaren gave him the nod, Button gave a very weary smile and after a long pause simply said: “I don’t know.”

November 6, 2014
2014 Formula 1 Petrobras Brazilian Grand Prix: Thursday Press Conference

DRIVERS:

Kevin MAGNUSSEN (McLaren)

Adrian SUTIL (Sauber)

Pastor MALDONADO (Lotus)

Jean-Eric VERGNE (Toro Rosso)

Felipe MASSA (Williams)

Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)

PRESS CONFERENCE

Nico, if we could start with you? It’s the first time this year, in this championship, that the championship itself is out of your hands, in the sense that two wins, here and in Abu Dhabi, won’t be enough. Do you feel you need to rely on a little bit of luck then and this venue might provide it?

Nico ROSBERG: Yeah, it’s clear that I need to rely on something happening. Yeah, for sure there’s not enough for me to win, unfortunately, but that’s the way it is. Anyways, in sport so much can happen, so I’m still very optimistic.

You had a rich run of form from Monaco through to Hockenheim. How would characterise the period since then?

NR: A less rich run of form! What is it? Lewis has done a little bit of a better job since then. That’s it, pretty simple, but as I say, still two races.

OK, thank you. Felipe, coming to you: obviously, you’re a two-time winner of the Brazilian Grand Prix. Do you feel that with this car this year is your best shot of getting back on the podium, since that great win in ’08.

Felipe MASSA: Yeah, I think so. Anyway, I was on the podium in 2012. It’s a fantastic track for me. A track that I had great results. As you said, two victories, almost three I would say. Three pole positions. I always love this track. I won many races [here] even before Formula One. So I started my career here, on the other side of the wall, which is a go-kart track, at the top. I love this place. I love the energy that I feel here and I’m really looking forward to having a fantastic weekend. I hope our car can be as competitive as shown in the other tracks here as well. We’ll see how far we can be, or maybe even in the middle of these guys here on the left [Mercedes]. Trying to get all the opportunities to have a great race here.

You’ve obviously been a key part of Williams’ renaissance this year. With all the experience you have, tell us how you feel this team can become more competitive in 2015?

FM: Well, first of all you cannot forget how much we grow from the first race until now. I think maybe… I would say it was the team that grows more during the championship. It was a team that gets better, that improved the car in the top level, from the first race to the last race, looking at where we started and where we are now. So, I think definitely the team… when we started at the first test and where we are now, the team changed completely the organisation, the mentality. We are still changing, there are still some improvements we are working to be there before the first race of next year. But I really believe in this team. I think this team has everything to be even more competitive, it has everything to be fighting for victories and I really, really hope for championships as well.

Kevin, coming to you, obviously clear progress for McLaren on the car side in the last few grands prix, that’s clear to see. But the car still seem to have a narrow sweet spot in terms of getting the most out of it during a race weekend. What’s going on there?

Kevin MAGNUSSEN: A lot of it is down to the tyres, making the tyres work. It’s seems that sometimes we get it better than others. Sochi was an example of where we got the tyres working very well and I think Austin was an example of where we didn’t. It’s a little bit hard to understand but we’re trying out best.

Since the summer break you’ve had pretty strong form yourself personally, especially in qualifying. Do you think you’ve done enough to book your seat for 2015?

KM: I can only say I hope so. I think I’ve learned a lot. I’ve improved a lot in many areas and yeah, I’m sure I have a lot more potential even from where I am now. So, I hope so.

Thank you very much. Pastor, coming to you, first points in Austin, a very strong performance. Tell us about your and Lotus’ fight back?

Pastor MALDONADO: It was a very tough season, especially at the beginning, even not able to run the car as we wanted. It was not maybe the best way to start to work with a team. But we did a great job to try to put everything together, to get better and better and at some point we decided to be focused on next year’s car. But the team seems to be quite good, very competitive in terms of spirit. They are used to being in the front. They know how to do a good car, so let’s hope the best for next year.

How do you feel about opportunities for this weekend? This track is always very unpredictable and the weather forecast looks like it’s going to be pretty wet throughout the weekend. A lot of variables there. Opportunities?

PM: Yeah, the main objective is to maintain the performance we had last week in Austin, so we think, as a team, we can continue to fight for the points. That is the main focus at the moment.

Q: Adrian, coming to you, obviously Sauber have announced both their 2015 drivers, so in what direction does your future lie, do you feel?

Adrian SUTIL: I don’t know, so I will see what is possible, what I want and also… yeah, it’s quite a few things to think about and I can’t really say more at the moment.

Q: Are you optimistic that you’ll be in Formula One next year?

AS: At the moment, I don’t know. Maybe. F1 is unpredictable – but as I said, there are a few things to think about first and then the team has to comment the rest.

Q: Obviously great performance in qualifying in Austin, you must have been so disappointed the way that first lap turned out. Have you spoken to Sergio [Pérez] afterwards? Have you been back through it?

AS: No, we didn’t speak. He didn’t apologise, to be honest. But anyway, that’s how it is. Shame, it was for sure a good chance for points. It was a very nice qualifying, it was good to be in Q3 finally with this car. It has been quite a challenge this year, to be honest, so we didn’t expect it – but for some reason it got better and better through the qualifying session and especially on Saturday, the car was better than ever before, so, many things to analyse. We try it of course again here. I look forward to the race weekend. Big chances with weather looking very wet and I think everyone knows how the weather can turn out here in Brazil. We have seen many exciting races.

Q: Jean-Eric, coming to you, some encouraging noises that you may get a chance to retain your Toro Rosso seat for next year. Can you tell us about progress on that and progress on any other options you might have in Formula One?

Jean-Eric VERGNE: Well yeah, there were some good words from many people, especially from Franz [Tost]. Well, you know, it would be a good thing to stay with this team, I really believe in it and I think this year we did get a lot stronger and next year we’ll be again on this up-trend, so I believe we can be again in a better position next year so hopefully we can continue. But you never know. And I don’t know much more about the situation than this.

Q: It’s clear from watching you race in the last period of time, just more recently, that there’s a lot of passion in your driving. Is that coming from the adversity that you’ve been through, the setbacks, or is it anger? What’s driving it?

JEV: Definitely not anger. I believe that I’ve done many races in the past like this but unfortunately the beginning of the year I had a lot of DNF and obviously, when you don’t finish the race, people don’t remember what you’ve been up to in the race. That was a little bit of a shame. I haven’t changed anything. I drive with a lot of passion, I love racing, that’s what I do best and it doesn’t matter what I do next year, I continue, I don’t continue, I’ll always give my best to a hundred percent and try to have the most fun possible. This is when you perform well.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Elmar Dreher – German Press Agency) Adrian, I can imagine that you are very frustrated. Can you describe a little bit your feelings about this bad situation for you?

AS: Well, I’m not frustrated but that’s just how it is in F1 since many years. It’s a little bit a different business. That’s all I can say right now. I look forward to the race and that’s it.

Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriera della Sera) Nico, we know the championship will not finish here in Brazil. Is it an add-point from a psychological point of view that you can have a last chance in Abu Dhabi?

NR: It’s… for sure it’s great. Great news that for sure this year I have a chance to win the championship the way it is now. That’s a good thing. I’m also happy because it’s good for the fans that it’s going to be exciting until the very end. And, yeah, for sure it keeps me very, very optimistic.

Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Nico, Lewis said that what happened in Spa was kind of a war for him and since then he changes his attitude and everything. What has it changed for you since then and what do you think you have to do now to change the results of the last five races?

NR: Did he say we’re at war? I don’t think anything has changed. It was an intense battle before and it still is an intense battle now. So, I don’t know his exact opinion on things but for me nothing has changed since then.

Q: (Claudio Nogueira – O Gobo) Felipe, can you make an overall evaluation of your first season with the Williams team?

FM: Starting with the team, the team did a fantastic season, looking at how they were last year and looking at how they are now. I think the team did a fantastic season in terms of what I was saying before: improving the car and working in the good areas. We lost some opportunities, I lost many opportunities during the season, so many races that I couldn’t finish for different reasons. Some unlucky races as well, I would say. But I think now, I would say maybe from the middle of the season, things were a lot more consistent for myself, for the races, and I really believe that we can still do a great two races for the end of the championship. I’m really working and looking forward to having a very consistent and good season in 2015.

Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Kevin, two part question: first of all, I take it you still don’t know exactly what your future is for next year, and secondly, then, if you don’t know what your future is, do you feel a bit let down by the team, that in your rookie year, after you’ve done your best to try and perform on the track, you’ve got two races to go and they still haven’t told you whether you’ve got a drive next year or not?

KM: They’re not doing that to annoy me. They have a reason for it.

Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Do you feel let down?

KM: No, because I understand why I’ve not been told yet. Some things are still not sorted out from their side and if they could let me know, they would. Yeah, I can only just wait and see what happens. I’m not planning anything else, I’m not looking for anything else. I’m planning as if I’m here next year, so that’s what I’m working for and doing my best to get to.

Q: (Alan Baldwin – Reuters) Adrian, I understood you had a two year contract and it seems that it’s only one year. Is this something you have to talk to Sauber about resolving? You alluded to some issues to sort out still.

AS: Yes, there are certain things to talk about, definitely, yes. They’ve confirmed two drivers but that doesn’t mean the drivers can drive and it doesn’t mean that the team’s going to drive. So there’s no real change from last weekend to this weekend. It’s just an announcement and now, of course, my situation, I think I have to do some talking, to sort out the things.

Q: (Luiz Fernando Ramos – Racing Magazine) I don’t know which drivers have done a track walk or saw the new pit entry and pit exit but if somebody can comment on what they saw? Maybe Felipe?

FM: Yeah, I saw it. The pit exit is more or less similar, a little bit more inside and I would say corner two is more safe, because the wall is a bit further away, so we won’t see some crashes which we saw many times. I think that corner will be a lot safer now. And the pit entry, I would say, was a good job. You still have the wall there, in a similar place – this is the only thing that we need to be careful of, but the pit entrance is better so I would say it’s more safe, it’s better and I really hope we will see no accidents or less accidents than we saw in the past there. Anyway, we need to drive to see exactly but it looks OK by looking but we just need to drive to be sure about it.

Q: (Andy Benson – BBC) At the beginning of the year, Nico, you were quite outspoken against double points, you didn’t like it.

NR: I do now! It’s really a fantastic idea.

Q: (Andy Benson – BBC) I’m coming to that, yeah, and last weekend you were also saying you didn’t like it but you could see the positives. If you end up winning the championship because of double points now, the way the season’s gone, some people will say that it was a hollow victory or it shouldn’t have happened or whatever. How would you respond to that?

NR: I wouldn’t respond. Everybody can have their opinion and in sport it’s the points that count in the end and of course, then you can debate who deserved it more or less. That’s always going to be the case.

Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Felipe, we heard that Felipe Nasr is going to race for Sauber next year. You know him pretty well, he’s been the third driver for your team. What do you think he can bring to Sauber and what do you say about him as a driver?

FM: Well, I’m happy for him. I think for Brazil it’s great to have another Brazilian driver racing. I’m quite close to him, we’ve worked together the whole season inside the team. He’s in GP2, maybe his third season in GP2 so it’s his time, his opportunity to go to Formula One, otherwise it starts to be a little bit more difficult after that so I’m happy that he had his opportunity, his chance and I hope the best for him. I hope the best for him and I hope that we can bring our Brazilian flag on the top now with two drivers, not just one, and I hope the best for him. Definitely, it’s not a great moment for Sauber. I don’t know exactly how it’s going to be next year, his team, I don’t know which car and how competitive they can be, seeing that they are suffering a little bit of crisis and crisis is not good for everything you’re doing but anyway, I hope the best for him and I hope he can have a good start and a good experience and being in Formula One for a long time, not just for a few years.

November 6, 2014
Video: Interlagos memories: Senna vs Schumacher 1992 Brazilian GP

The battle of Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher at Interlagos, at the start and early part of the race before Senna retired with engine cutout problems. After the race, Schumacher was upset over the incident in which Senna waved him through and passed him again at the end of the straight, thinking he was taunting him, however Senna’s engine was intermittently cutting out. This further lead to the argument between Senna and Schumacher in France where Senna told Schumacher to come to him first if he had a problem instead of criticizing Senna to the media as he did in the Interlagos post race press conference after the Brazilian Grand Prix.

November 6, 2014
F1 2014: Brazilian GP Preview – Predict It If You Dare

The penultimate round of the 2014 championship does not have the ability to decide the driver’s title. However, the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace circuit is one steeped in some of the most dramatic formula 1 history.

Around its 4.309 kilometers this track has re-written many a driver’s fate. There isn’t a need to look too far back to find these extraordinary moments. The 2012 race was described by Sebastian Vettel as one of the toughest of his career. The afternoon oozed tension and amid changing weather conditions, safety-cars, a litany of pitstops the Red Bull driver was also involved in a collision. Seemingly on course for his third consecutive title the German found himself pointing the wrong way on the first lap of the race. Vettel staged a gallant comeback which was ultimately enough to clinch the title.

For a brief period in 2008 Ferrari’s Felipe Massa thought himself to have won the world championship. But in the most nail-biting finish in decades Lewis Hamilton scraped to the championship title on the very last lap, into the final turn, by overtaking Toyota’s Timo Glock. A year prior, in 2007, Kimi Raikkonen had, mathematically, the least amount of chance of winning the title. With only ten points on offer the Finn was seven adrift of championship leader Lewis Hamilton. However, the spectacular drama that defines the Brazilian GP saw the Iceman theatrically snatch the title from McLaren as Hamilton was unable to recover from a technical issue suffered in the race.

So you see there is much to suggest that the 2014 Brazilian GP is going to be anything but straightforward. Hamilton starts the weekend with a healthy lead over teammate Nico Rosberg but it, literally, can be wiped out in matter of seconds. In saying this, the pressure still resides in the Rosberg side of the garage. The German driver will be desperate to beat his teammate at this race and he must. There is no alternative for Rosberg this weekend. Though Abu Dhabi has the gimmicky double-points on offer there is little doubt that Rosberg would not want to put all his eggs in that foolish basket.

The only thing Rosberg can do this weekend is his best. The question remains whether Rosberg’s best is enough to beat his teammate who is on a roll of five consecutive grand prix victories. More significantly, Hamilton undoubtedly holds the psychological edge; the dismissive overtake in Austin for the lead of the race ensured that. Yet, this is still Brazil and here dramatic turnarounds have never been in short supply.

The circuit itself is quite technical with a mixture of different corners littered throughout the undulating landscape of its Sao Paulo location. “It’s a tricky circuit to get right but that makes it all the more exciting; there’s more opportunities to overtake there than at other tracks, and the twisty infield section towards the end of the lap is a real challenge as you’re constantly on the limit trying not to outbrake yourself, so when you get it spot on it’s really rewarding,” says Jenson Button.

The weather in these parts tends towards the extreme too. Here, track temperatures of 63 degrees Celcius have been recorded while other weekends have been blighted by monsoon levels of rain. For the 2014 Brazilian GP, the forecast predicts a mostly overcast weekend with the possibility of showers and temperatures in the early twenties.

It’s bumpy, it’s technical, the weather is changeable and something dramatic is bound to happen. It can only be Brazil’s Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace.

November 6, 2014
Video: Brazilian GP Memories: 2003 Brazilian GP Mayhem in the Rain

Here are some of the moments during the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix that made it one of the craziest races we’ve seen. The same race where Giancarlo Fisichella won his first ever Grand Prix after Jaguar’s Mark Webber crashed heavily at the exit of T12. The crash resulted in parts of the tyre barrier being strewn out on track. What followed was very scary. A very young Fernando Alonso in his Renault exited T12 with a great amount of speed and slammed into a tyre that was lying in the middle of the track.

The race was then red flagged and medical personnel attended to Alonso who managed to get out of his car but collapsed back on to the ground at the side of the track.

It was truly the craziest of races where everything that could go wrong, went wrong.

November 6, 2014
Weather Report for the 2014 Formula 1 Grande Premio Petrobras do Brazil 2014(Brazilian Grand Prix)

Round 18 of the Formula 1 World Championship brings us to Sao Paulo Brazil for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

We can always count on the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace to throw us a curve ball or two and it almost never disappoints. When it rains at the circuit, it pours down with reckless abandon and throws things out of balance. We can expect some of that rain for this weekend’s race as thundershowers and rain is expected throughout the weekend. It should be fine and dry in the mornings but towards the afternoon we can expect the thundershowers to hit the circuit.

Although F1 is the most technologically advanced sport in the world, they still have not figured out to accurately predict the weather. Temperatures will start warm for the weekend but things will gradually cool down till the race, with temperatures expected to peak at just 21 degrees Celsius for the race. Friday we can expect some sun with thundershowers predicted in the afternoons. The same can be said for Saturday.

Pirelli will bring along the yellow soft compound tyre and the while medium compound tyre. This was revised from their previous choice of medium and hard after the circuit was resurfaced. Pirelli say that the soft and the medium compound tyres will suit the circuit’s slow to medium speed corners where there cars rely on the mechanical grip and also some of the fast corners.

With the rain expected we could see the intermediates and the full wet tyres, which means a whole different tyre strategy all together. We can be sure however, it will be an exciting one.

Below is a snapshot of the weekends weather for the 2014 Formula 1 Grand Premio Petrobras do Brasil and also the current conditions in Sao Paulo complete with weather satellite.

November 6, 2014
F1 2014: Caterham to Race Abu Dhabi

The Caterham team is expected to race in the final round of the 2014 season in Abu Dhabi.

After missing the United States grand prix and this weekend’s Brazilian grand prix there seems to be some light as the end of the tunnel for the Caterham team. The administrators have announced that they expect the team to be racing in the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi.

“We are now extremely hopeful that we will be going to Abu Dhabi,” Finbarr O’Connell told Reuters ahead of Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix, the penultimate round of the championship.

“I think I’ve got enough confidence now to say I’d be very surprised if we were not racing in Abu Dhabi,” he added in a telephone conversation. “I’m now really hopeful for the future of the team.”

Further, the team has been listed as an entry for the 2015 season under the name of 1Malaysian Racing Team. Similarly, Marussia,who has been facing their own financial difficulties, has been included on the entry list as Manor Grand Prix Racing.

November 6, 2014
F1 2014: All Change At Sauber

The Sauber F1 team has announced the signing of both Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr for the 2015 season.

The Swede, Ericsson, was the first driver announced by the mid-field team and team principal Monisha Kaltenborn believes that the 24-year-old has shown enough during the season to warrant his signing.

“He did not have an easy rookie season this year in Formula 1, however, he kept calm and improved continuously, mainly in the last races. We are convinced that signing Marcus can give the team a fresh impetus,” said Kaltenborn.

Ericsson’s future in the sport was in doubt as his Caterham team were placed under administration and faced the threat of not returning to the Formula 1 grid. “Fresh from a very turbulent week, I was suddenly given my best early Christmas present ever,” he said.”It will be a great challenge. I will give my very best to develop both as a driver, and to be part of the challenge to put Sauber back closer to the front where it belongs.”

Brazilian GP2 driver Felipe Nasr will join Sauber as Ericsson’s teammate for 2015.

“We have been following Felipe’s career path for some time now. He fully deserves his position in Formula 1 having had a very successful career in the junior categories. We are happy that he will be driving for our team next year. This means that Brazil will have one more young and talented driver in the sport,” explained Kaltenborn

In addition to racing successfully in the GP2 series Nasr has spent the 2014 season as the reserve and test driver for the Williams Martini team.

“This is an unforgettable moment that I owe to all of those who have supported me,” he said. “I had a wonderful year at Williams, where I learned a lot and prepared myself to be a race driver in Formula 1.””Today the dream has come true. Sauber was responsible for the arrival in F1 of great names such Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen, Robert Kubica and Sebastian Vettel. I am proud now to also be part of this racing family.”

Meanwhile, current Sauber driver Adrian Sutil has said that expected to be retained by the team for next season. The German was quoted in Austin as saying that he was committed to the team and was looking forward to improving its performance and position in the field.

November 6, 2014