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Williams F1 Announce Martini as their Title Sponsor

The iconic Martini brand returns to Formula One as the title Sponsor of the Williams F1.

Martini, the world’s leading vermouth and best-selling Italian sparkling wine, will have the iconic red, blue and white colours on the Williams FW36 for the 2014 season.

“We are thrilled to welcome Martini to the Williams family and officially launch Williams Martini Racing,” said Sir Frank Williams, Founder and Team Principal.

“Williams and Martini share a rich history in the world of motorsport, and the values of our two brands and our shared passion for racing make this partnership a natural fit. It will be great to see the distinctive stripes of Martini Racing return to Formula One once again in unison with Williams.”

“The decision to partner with Williams was a natural one for us as it provides an unparalleled opportunity for the Martini brand to connect with consumers through one of their lifestyle passions, Formula One racing,” said Andy Gibson, Chief Marketing Officer of Bacardi and President of Bacardi Global Brands, who oversees marketing for Martini other premium brands in the Bacardi portfolio. “Martini will give consumers a taste of life in the fast lane, bringing a renewed sense of Italian style and glamour to the track and beyond. Williams Martini Racing provides a powerful, integrated marketing platform and delivers dynamic opportunities that will strengthen the Martini brand.”

March 6, 2014
Bahrain Test: Day 4 Quotes

Lewis Hamilton ended the final day of pre-season testing on top in Bahrain.

All attention will be towards the first race of the season in Melbourne, Australia for the Australian Grand Prix. Below are some quotes from the drivers.

Lewis Hamilton(1:33.278) | Mercedes | 70 laps: “This has definitely been the most challenging winter I’ve experienced and the car is still very much a work in progress, but we’ve learnt a lot over the course of these last few weeks and overall it’s been a good winter of testing for us. There’s been an incredible amount of work put in by the team back at the two factories and on track. I have to say a special thanks to the crew here today who had a tough task in front of them but never lost their cool. It was a tough start to the day but they managed to get the car turned around for me to complete some good laps in the afternoon, which was a fantastic effort. There’s so much to learn with these new cars; it’s just mind-blowing and I don’t think anybody can be fully ready for the challenge of this season. But I feel as ready as I can be and I’m looking forward to seeing where we are in Melbourne.”

Valtteri Bottas(1:33.987) | Williams-Mercedes | 108 laps: “I think our final day of testing was very good, right up to a very unlucky failure just one run before the end. Overall, it was a still a good day as we had no other issues throughout and made a lot of progress with the car set-up. I think with this amount of testing we are as prepared for Melbourne as we can be. The team has done a great job and thank you also to Mercedes-Benz. We still need to work very hard in these next two weeks but I overall I’m happy with how testing has gone for us. As I didn’t have the chance to do a quick time on the supersoft tyre today, I am looking forward to picking up where we left off when we get to Melbourne.”

Fernando Alonso(1:34.280) | Ferrari | 74 laps: “The team did its utmost to carry out changes on the car as quickly as possible, but again today, we had planned to do more laps than we managed. There are a lot of things to learn with the use of the power unit to improve the performance of the car and we are not yet where we want to be. Everyone in the team is very competitive and we are working day and night in order to get all the potential out of the F14 T as soon as possible. We have gone through twelve days of testing that were very demanding for everyone and I would like to thank the whole team for all its efforts.”

Nico Hulkenberg(1:35.577) | Force India-Mercedes | 74 laps: “The final day of testing went pretty well. In the end we didn’t do the race simulation, but we did some long runs and signed off a lot of other things on the job list. We didn’t do as many laps as yesterday, but we still made progress and learned some new things. So it’s been two good days for me and I’m feeling pretty satisfied. You always want more time to prepare, but I think we’re in good shape. The car has come a long way since the first Jerez test and we have made progress every day.”

Adrian Sutil(1:36.467) | Sauber-Ferrari | 91 laps: “It was a good morning. We covered everything that we had planned, just in a shorter time frame. Yesterday was unlucky, but it’s better to have a problem here than in Melbourne. I feel much more comfortable after this morning’s session. Now we have a lot more data to analyse. Overall we had a tough testing programme to go through and we had unexpected problems here and there. However, we don’t get any more tests, so we will take what we have and get the most out of it in Melbourne, and I’m looking forward to that.”

Sebastian Vettel(1:37.468) | Red Bull-Renault | 77 laps: We did a lot of laps today so that was useful. We tried to do a race simulation today; for one reason or another that didn’t work out, but in two week’s time things should look a little bit different. Obviously it’s difficult to know where the car is. It’s not just the number of laps that you do, but also the type. There are so many different running options as well – full power, low power etc, so its’ impossible to say where we are. We know we have to catch up in a lot of areas, but with that said, I’m happy today, we did a lot of laps, we learned a lot and it was a positive end to a tough week here.”

Kamui Kobayashi(1:38.391) | Caterham-Renault | 106 laps: “106 laps is a good way for us to finish the tests, even though the clutch problem we had in the last hour meant we didn’t have a chance to do any of the performance runs we’d planned for today. However, I’m very happy we were able to have two such good final days in Bahrain as it’s showed that our reliability is good and that could be very important in Australia and for the whole season, especially when you look at how quite a few of the other teams have struggled both here and in Jerez.”

The next we get to see the teams and drivers again will be in Australia. The way things stand now is that Red Bull are struggling, Mercedes and Mercedes powered teams are looking very good and Ferrari, and Ferrari powered teams are not far behind. We must not, however, write off Red Bull, they have the potential to come back and dominate throughout the season.

It’s very hard to tell the pecking order for this season. A few races into the season and we will have a very good idea of where things stand. Reliability will be the big thing this season. It’s wide open for this seasons title race.

Photo Credit:

Title Photo: Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team

Article Photo: Sahara Force India Formula One Team

March 2, 2014
Pirelli Announces Tyre Choices for the First Four Grands Prix

Pirelli, on Sunday, announced the tyre choices for the first four Grands Prix of the season.

For the first round of the Formula 1 World Championship in Australia Pirelli will bring the P Zero White Medium and P Zero Yellow Soft compound tyres. In Malaysia we will see the Pirelli P Zero Orange Hard and P Zero While Medium tyres. For the third and fourth rounds in Bahrain and China Pirelli will bring along the P Zero White Medium and P Zero Yellow Soft compound tyres.

Pirelli say that these tyre choices were made to reflect the characteristics of each circuit and the all-new 2014 cars, bearing in mind all the data that has been obtained from the three pre-season tests.

During the final test, Pirelli discovered that the performance gap increased between the hard and the medium compound, and the medium and the soft compound; the two combinations of tyres that will be used in the first four races of the season. This, according to Pirelli, should allow teams plenty of scope for teams to formulate different strategies to boost their race prospects.

The 2014 P Zero characteristics were in line with expectations in Bahrain. The performance of the tyres are similar to last year, but with less degradation. It seems that Pirelli have played it much safer this season with their compounds.

“The conclusion we can draw so far is that the 2014 tyres are more consistent and wear less than their predecessors, without compromising performance. We’re also meeting another of our objectives with one more step towards the reduction of ‘marbles’ on the track,” said Pirelli Motorsport Director, Paul Hembery.

“The medium and soft compounds are well matched to the expected race conditions in Australia, Bahrain and China, providing what we expect to be the right balance between performance and strategy with two to three pit stops per car. The more abrasive and hotter conditions of Malaysia have led us to nominate the hard and medium compounds there, as we did last year,” he added.

March 2, 2014
Second Bahrain Test: Day 1: Driver Quotes

Force India’s Sergio Perez set the pace on Day 1 of the final Bahrain test with a time of 1:35.290, almost a full second clear of second fastest man, Williams’ Valtteri Bottas. Here are some quotes from the drivers after the first day of the second Bahrain test

Sergio Perrez(1:35.290) | Force India-Mercedes | 105 laps: “We really needed a good day to start this week and today we had it. We managed to do a lot of laps, try several different compounds and mappings, and it’s been a fantastic day in terms of learning about the car. Tomorrow is my last day in the car before the season starts so hopefully we can have another solid day to be in good shape for Melbourne.”

Valtteri Bottas(1:36.184) | Williams-Mercedes | 128 laps: “It’s been another good day for us and it was nice to get the whole run plan done. We didn’t have any issues all day so well done to all the team for getting the car running so well. We have a lot of data to analyse tonight after doing some aero work this morning and a race distance and set-up work this afternoon. We did some very interesting tests and there are still plenty of things to improve so we’ll keep pushing.”

Kimi Raikkonen(1:36.432) | Ferrari | 54 laps: “Before I leave Sakhir, it’s planned that I should do a race distance and that’s the only thing I’m missing. Today we chose to concentrate on some of the many things we still have to work on and we won’t assess the winter testing until the final day, when we will put together all the data we have gathered. What I can say is that I have been through worse winters than this.

We have been on different programmes and I don’t think you can judge a car’s potential from how many laps it does in testing. We have a lot of things to test and we want to make the most of these days to check everythting, because the race weekend doesn’t last long and the hours on Friday fly by, while on the other days you are only looking for performance.”

Nico Rosberg(1:36.624) | Mercedes | 89 laps: “That was not a fantastic day for us. We tried some new parts on the car and you find out a lot doing that. But unfortunately we did not only discover good things today. I managed to do a couple of good laps before lunch but in the afternoon we had a few small problems which ended my running a bit earlier than planned. This shows that we are pushing everything to the limit and we still have a massive challenge in front of us during the last three days of testing. We need to maximise our time here to be prepared for Melbourne. But after a difficult day overall we are on the right path.”

Daniel Ricciardo(1:37.908) | Red Bull-Renault | 39 laps: ” This morning was much better for us with a few longer runs. Behind the wheel, that’s the best I’ve felt so far. The package seems to be coming together better. We still had a few issues today, but at least when the car was on track it was much more useful running and we made progress in the morning. It’s getting there. I’d love to keep going, but at leas Seb has two days after me in the car, so I think we’ll be looking pretty good for the next three days.”

Daniil Kvyat(1:39.242) | Toro Rosso-Renault | 55 laps: “It was nice to be in the car, even if we didn’t get through the entire programme we had planned for today. However, I feel we have made some progress. We ran the Hard Pirelli most of the time, as we were definitely not chasing performance today. I hope Jev manages to get a full day’s running tomorrow, before I drive again on Saturday.”

Included is the unofficial timesheet for the day’s session:

Photo Credits

Title Photo: Sahara Force India Formula One Team

Article Photo: Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team

February 27, 2014
Bahrain Test Round Up

With the Jerez and first Bahrain test out of the way, the teams will be focussing on the second test in Bahrain.

The second Bahrain test will focus more on performance testing and fine tuning with a bit of race setups and race simulations thrown in for good measure. In a perfect world, that is exactly what would happen. But as we’ve seen throughout testing this winter, teams have run into unexpected problems which then take time to rectify which cut into their testing time. One such team was Red Bull.

Red Bull seemed to have suffered the most during this winter testing period. With only 21 laps completed in Jerez and 116 in Bahrain, it was in stark contrast to Mercedes who managed to clock up 315 laps. However, not all of Red Bull’s problems were engine related. Some of their problems related to cooling and the way the RB10 is packaged, other problems were software related. It’s quite worrying for a team who was on top of things in 2013 to be struggling in testing before the opening race for the 2014 season. We can be sure that the people at Milton Keynes are working furiously to get things ready for the third test.

Not everyone with Renault engines suffered with engine issues. Both Lotus and Caterham managed to clock in lots of track time. Lotus had much more to get through as this was their first time testing the car on track after skipping the Jerez test. The Caterham team clocked up 253 laps for the Bahrain test. Quite a respectable figure considering they were the Renault powered team with the most laps.

The other Renault powered team that did not fair well was Toro Rosso. On the final day of the first Bahrain test, they ran into a major engine problem which cut their test short.

Ferrari powered teams had a relatively successful test. Sauber had a rather quiet test. They ran into a few issues during the test but there was nothing major. They did uncover a problem with the chassis on the final day of the test. However, they got the car back out for a few laps before the flag dropped for the end of the second Bahrain test.

Ferrari seemed to have got through most of their testing program without major engine or other technical issues. A telemetry problem prevented them from running in the morning of the third day. That was quickly fixed and they carried on with their normal program. The F14T clocked up 287 laps around the Sakhir circuit.

Marussia had quite a disastrous Bahrain test. They only managed to complete 29 laps during the test. The problems started with a computer virus that affected one of their servers. They had an engine issue which took an entire day to fix and change and there were other issues that slowed the team down throughout the test. They will be hoping they can get some decent mileage in the final test.

Lastly, Mercedes. Mercedes had a very successful test. They did have a few issues with the brakes and some other engine relates issues, they were the team with the most laps under their belt when the flag dropped in Bahrain. They completed 315 laps over the four days. Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg also set the fastest time of the test with a 1:33.283. The team also managed full race simulations and qualifying simulations.

McLaren also enjoyed relative success with their running. The Woking based team was always within reach of the Mercedes team and their pace was very impressive.

After a slow start to their Bahrain test the Williams team got going. With Mercedes engines powering their cars this season it seems like they’ve made the right decision at the right time. The reliability of the Mercedes power units have been very good which is what allowed the Williams team to get through most of their test program and bring in rookie driver Felipe Nasr who completed an impressive 87 laps at the wheel of the FW36.

Force India enjoyed some success for their test. With Nico Rosberg and Esteban Gutierrez giving positive feedback about the car over the four days. Although running into few problems, it seems that the Mercedes powered Force India could be another serious contender this season.

Although teams were testing every aspect of their cars, Pirelli, with the help of the teams, were also conducting tests of their own. Motorsport Director at Pirelli, Paul Hembrey was pleased to report that the 2014 tyres are more consistent and more durable than the 2013 tyres. He did go on to say that Pirelli are ready to make changes to the tyres if the need arises.

Photo Credits”

Title Photo: Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team

February 25, 2014
Susie Wolff Gets FP1 Outings In 2014

Susie Wolff is set to break the 22 year long wait for a woman in Formula 1.

The Williams F1 team confirmed earlier that Wolff would continue her role as development driver alongside new signing Felipe Nasr. Wolff has tested for the Williams team on several previous ocassions including a run in the revamped young drivers test last season.

The team confirmed that Wolff will take to the track in two free practice one sessions in the 2014 season with Silverstone and Hockenheim the circuits of choice. She will also complete a days running during one of the eight in-season testing days.

“I’m grateful for the support and belief Williams continue to show in me and 2014 promises to be a very important milestone in my career,” said Wolff.

“Competing in two FP1 sessions, alongside an additional full test day this season will be a big step and I am looking forward to the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the FW36 on a grand prix weekend.”

Wolff will become the first woman in more than two decades to take part in a grand prix weekend.

February 25, 2014
Bahrain Test: Day 2: Selected Driver Quotes

Selected team and driver quotes from the second day of testing in Bahrain.

Kevin Magnussen(McLaren Mercedes) | Fastest time(1:34.910) | 46 laps: “It’s a dream every time I get in the car: it’s just so cool to be here and to be driving. I’m really enjoying it.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get too many laps done this morning, but it was good to get some laps done at the end of the day. The afternoon was good for us, and we worked through our problems. The team is doing a great job to help me: they’re giving me really good guidance and making me feel confident. There’s a lot of discussion about laptimes, and it feels good to get some good times recorded, but winter testing is just that – testing. It isn’t about times.”

Nico Hulkenberg(Force India-Mercedes) | Fastest time(1:36.445) | 59 laps: “My two days in the car have been very positive. We’ve made some improvements to the car, collected lots of data, and continued to learn with each lap. At the moment it’s still early days, but I’m pleased with the progress we have made in terms of understanding the car. I think we are getting closer to seeing the potential of these cars, certainly compared with the performance in Jerez, but it’s such a steep learning curve and I expect the times to become quicker and quicker.”

Fernando Alonso(Ferrari) | Fastest time(1:36.516) | 97 laps: “Every day we learn a bit more about the car and its systems. We have made a major step forward compared to the first test and the whole team is working well. Even the performance seems to be thereabouts, but now’s not the time to try and chase it. It will be a challenge for everyone to be ready for the first race of the season and that is our aim at the moment. “There are still some small problems which we must try and resolve, just like when you buy a new domestic appliance, but that’s to be expected, given the radical new design. But every time we go out in the car, it gets easier and confidence grows and that’s why I think the most crucial test in performance terms will be the next one.”

Nico Rosberg(Mercedes) | Fastest time(1:36.965) | 85 laps: “We achieve another good amount of laps today which proves that the first part of testing in terms of reliability is going well. we had a few small issues but it’s important to find out what they are to see what is not yet running perfectly. We dont yet know where we are in terms of performance, but it was a great day for me personally because I felt at home in the new car for the first time.”

Valtteri Bottas(Williams-Mercedes) | Fastest time(1:37.328) | 116 laps: Today was a good day. After the problems we had yesterday it was great to complete 116 laps. We still have things we are working through but we were able to do the aero work we needed as well as complete a race simulation so we now have lots of data to look at. There is a lot of work still to do so we need to aim to have more days like today.

Kamui Kobayashi(Caterham-Renault) | Fastest time(1:39.855) | 66 laps: “It was good to be back in the car and even though we had quite a few interruptions in the morning with a telemetry issue, we still completed 66 laps which is another useful day’s work. Reliability is going to be so important this year, and it’s good that the issues we’ve had here have been fixed well enough to allow us to keep running. It’s also good to finish the day with a relatively quicker lap, but even though everyone knows lap times don’t really mean anything in the tests, it’s good for the team to start to see us unlocking some of the car’s performance.”

Sebastian Vettel(Red Bull-Renault) | Fastest time(1:40.340) | 59 laps: “Definitely a better day today. We did more laps, so that’s encouraging. It’s good to check the car, check the reliability, but obviously there is a lot still to do. It was good to get a proper first feel for the car and it feels OK but there’s a lot more to come. Its difficult to catch up [to rivals] because I don’t know what other people are doing, but we did more laps that we have done so far and that’s the big thing. We’re learning every single lap, even if the quality of the lap is sometimes not the best. However, the most important thing is to run and we did that. The last two days have been very useful. I hope Daniel can get some good laps in tomorrow”

Jean-Eric Vergne(Scuderia Toro Rosso-Ferrari) | Fastest time(1:40.609) | 58 laps: “A good day, the best since testing began. This morning was relatively trouble free and we got through plenty of items on the job sheet. However, later in the day, we did experience a few minor technical troubles, that cut short our running time. It’s the first time I’ve been able to push the car on track and I have to say in terms of its balance, it gave me a good feeling. I hope that, as from tomorrow, when Daniil drives, we can start doing more and more kilometres.”

Esteban Gutierrez(Sauber-Ferrari) | Fastest time(1:40.717) | 55 laps: “The morning was very productive. We managed to do a lot of laps and understand a lot of things that need to be done. There is a lot of work to do to understand everything properly, especially the engine and electronics. In Jerez it was important that everything was running and functioning. Here in Bahrain it’s time to put everything together and make sure all the components are in tune, so we can start working on the potential of the car.”

Romain Grosjean(Lotus Renault) | Fastest time(1:40.670) | 18 laps: “It’s still early days and more laps would certainly help. There are a lot of things I’d like to work on and we’re in an initial phase in terms of driveability, and we haven’t started to look at things like set-up yet. Certainly we can say at this stage that there is still a lot of potential in the car! We haven’t had many laps and we haven’t gone too fast so it’s difficult to form an impression of the E22 as a race car yet. It’s not that we have many issues with the car, it’s just that the issues we have take a long time to change and try to rectify, so it’s been a little frustrating here. It’s one of those things with a new car, especially one with such advanced technology. Hopefully things are better for the next two days with Pastor and I have a nice reliable car when I return to test next week.

Max Chilton(Marussia-Ferrari) | Fastest time(1:42.511) | 17 laps: “My first day in the car got off to a good start. We were getting into the aero programme and gradually building towards some longer runs. Unfortunately we experienced the fuel system problem and to get to the root of that is quite a long and complicated process, so it took up most of the afternoon. We were seriously up against it time-wise, so all credit to the guys for pushing so hard and enabling us to get a further three laps in before the session end. These problems are all part of testing of course but we hope to start putting some bigger mileage on the car over the next couple of days”

The full unofficial timing sheet is included below:

Photo credits:

Title Photo: Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team

February 20, 2014
Bahrain Test: Day 1

Day one of the Bahrain test concluded with Red Bull in a spot of bother and with Mercedes looking very strong.

The first day of testing got off to a bad start for Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull racing in Bahrain. Their car was not seen until they were 5 hours into the session due to issues during the building of the car this morning. Once Vettel was on the track he only managed 14 laps after stopping on track with an hour left in the session. According to the BBC, when the car arrived back in the pits there was a burning smell emanating from the cockpit.

“Obviously we’re not happy with where we are now and we have a long way ahead of us. The first gut feeling from the car is OK, but we need more running,” he said.

“It’s not easy to find a quick fix, but i think we understand the problems. We sorted out the issues from Jerez adn we were able to do some laps today. However, very often you fix one problem and another pops up, which is what happened. That’s testing. We all knew this year was a massive challenge and we knew it would be difficult. We obviously didn’t want this, but it is what it is and we are working flat out to solve the problems

Mercedes on the other had had more laps around the track. A brake issue ended the session slightly earlier for them today. Lewis Hamilton clocked 74 laps around the Bahrain International Circuit in the W05 with a best time of 1:37.908.

“It’s been impressive to see us start the Bahrain test with good mileage, reliability, especially when you see how difficult it is for everyone with the new regulations,” said Hamilton. “The team can be very proud of this after so much of hard work.”

“We’re not aiming to be top of the timesheets at the moment, it’s more about ticking the reliability boxes, but we can be happy with where we are before the halfway point of the pre-season tests,” he added.

Nico Hulkenberg in his Force India set the fastest time for the day with a 1:36.880. Force India who use Mercedes engines also enjoyed some long runs out on track and clocked up a total of 79 laps on track. These are very encouraging signs early on in the test for the Silverstone based team.

Hulkenberg: “A very positive and satisfying day. We had a busy programme and we learned a lot. Time in the car is very valuable at the moment and so it feels good to cover so many laps and even complete two long runs at the end of the day. That gave me a chance to see how the car behaves and to start getting a feel for it, which was not something I was able to do in Jerez. It’s great that we’ve already done some set-up work and started to improve the drivability of the car. But it’s still very early stages; we are learning with every lap and we face a very steep learning curve in the coming days.”

The Lotus E22 made its public debut in Bahrain today with Frenchman Romain Grosjean at the wheel. With little issues in their filming day at Jerez last week, it was a very different story today. The E22 only managed to do 8 laps.

“To be honest, there are so many things going on at the rear of the car that I can’t understand everything, but it was related to the engine or batteries or things like that. Nothing too crazy,” said Grosjean.

“Hopefully we can understand it and get better solutions for tomorrow and the day after.”

Grosjean went on to say that he is not even going to attempt set ups with the car because the main focus on the testing at the moment is the reliability.

Ferrari had a rather straight forward test day without any unexpected difficulties. Fernando Alonso was at the wheel of the F14T today with the second fastest time of the day of 1:37.879. Alonso will be pilot the F14T tomorrow before Kimi Raikkonen takes over for the final two days.

“It’s nice to be driving again, especially when you have more reference points compared to the previous time, which means you get a better feeling for the car,” said Alonso. “We are also at a track that is more representative, with normal temperatures, where it’s been easier to understand tyre behaviour. We are in a phase where we are discovering things and with every lap, we learn something new. For everyone, there is still a lot to do to be well prepared for Melbourne, so it will be important to make the most of every day we have available to us.”

Toro Rosso also suffered engine issues and together with Red Bull and Lotus, they managed 27 laps between them. Robin Frijns in the Caterham CT05, which is also powered by the Renault engine, managed to clock up 68 laps.

Williams had a bad day today. The Mercedes powered FW36-02 never got to see much of the track today. According to their Chief Test engineer, Rob Nelson, they had a fuel system problem. However, they were able to change some of the components and do some running towards the end of the day.

“It was a difficult day. It was frustrating for me but also for the whole team as we all wanted to get lots of laps on the board today. We had a few issues with the car which we are investigating and aim to solve for tomorrow and the following days,” said Felipe Massa

Kevin Magnussen in his McLaren finished the day 4th fastest with the second highest lap count. The most mileage done today was by Adrian Sutil in the Sauber. Both teams had relatively normal testing days and were quite happy with the progress that was made so far.

Renault powered teams look to be on the back foot at the moment and with Red Bull and Lotus having all these issues it’s going to be very tough to catch up to the other teams.

The unofficial timing sheet is included below

Photo Credits

Title Photo: Scuderia Ferrari F1

Article Photo: Sahara Force India Formula One Team

Article Photo: Scuderia Ferrari F1

February 19, 2014
Bahrain Pre Season Test Preview

The second of three pre-season tests and the first one in Bahrain. The teams are swapping the cold conditions of the Spanish winter for some warm desert air at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Some say the serious testing starts now with just two more tests left. The first test in Jerez was like a shakedown for the teams and drivers to come to grips with the new engines and the new rules. The real work starts this week. Teams will be testing all sorts of components on the cars, engine settings, and aerodynamic and balance setups. They will try to learn as much as they can about their cars in the next three days.

The Mercedes and Ferrari powered teams enjoyed the bulk of the laps at the Jerez test with a combined 875 laps for the Mercedes powered teams and 444 laps for the Ferrari powered teams. Compare this to the Renault powered teams who could only manage 151 laps over the four days.

There’s no doubt that the Renault powered teams are playing catch up at Bahrain. With Red Bull admitting packaging issues with the car and with Renault behind with the fixes to the issues on their power units, Red Bull do have their work cut out for them. But that’s not to say that the other teams will have it easy.

We will finally get to see the Lotus E22 in Bahrain. After running it for a filming day at Jerez with reportedly no problems, the team will no doubt be itching to get the car on track to see what it has to offer.

Pirelli will bring their 2014 specification tyres to Bahrain with three new slick compounds, the hard, medium and soft compounds and also a special “winter” hard compound. Pirelli say that the “winter” hard compound was created to ensure rapid warm up of the tyre even during low temperatures. This compound was initially designed for Jerez, but Pirelli had asked the teams to test it in Bahrain for them to asses how the tyre performs in higher temperatures. In anticipation for the 2015 rules, Pirelli have also brought along am extra set of medium compound tyres, which are 2014 specification but are considered prototypes. These tyres will be tested without using tyre warmers which will be banned from 2015.

The weather in Bahrain will be sunny and mild for the week with temperatures hovering in the mid-to-low 20s. Not as warm as it usually is when the Bahrain Grand Prix takes place, but considerably warmer than Jerez which should give the teams a good indication of the performance of the tyres.

February 18, 2014
SA Ferrari Festival Gallery

Ferrari brought F1 back to South Africa on Saturday 15 February when the F60 arrived to the overexcited crowds and the FNB Stadium in Soweto. The Ferrari Festival gave crowds a very good feel for the thrill of Formula One as Marc Gene put the Ferrari F60 through its paces on a 1.4km track, through in some donuts and Ferrari even demonstrated a pit stop for the crowd. Of course F1 Madness was there for the action!

You can read all about the exciting day over here or enjoy the gallery below.

February 17, 2014