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  • Eric Boullier Quits Lotus, looks set to become McLaren Team Principal

    Eric Boullier Quits Lotus, looks set to become McLaren Team Principal

    Eric Boullier has quit the Lotus F1 Team and looks set to join McLaren.

    In a surprising development Frenchman Boullier has severed ties with the Enstone based team just months after announcing that its future looked steady and promising. Boullier becomes the latest in a long list of exits from the Lotus team. The team has lost several key members over the last several months including Kimi Raikkonen, James Allison, Dirk De Beer and several key behind-the-scenes figures.

    The team principal role at Lotus is now expected to be filled by team owner, Gerard Lopez. “We thank Eric for all his hard work over the past four years and we are confident we can continue to fight as one of the top teams in Formula 1 over the seasons ahead,” Lopez told AUTOSPORT.

    Next on the Boullier agenda seems to be a move to McLaren. The Frenchman is touted to take over the team principal role from Martin Whitmarsh amidst the return of Ron Dennis’ return as group CEO. McLaren are expected to launch their 2014 challenger in a matter of hours.

     

  • Video: Raikkonen talks about the Ferrari team

    Video: Raikkonen talks about the Ferrari team

    While getting re-acquainted with life at Ferrari, Raikkonen took some time to chat about how he’s adjusting to the changes and getting to know the new team members.  And yes, the man had quite a bit to say 😉

  • Video: Kimi Raikkonen talks about the fans

    Video: Kimi Raikkonen talks about the fans

    Kimi Raikkonen’s first three “official” days of Kimi Raikkonen’s second stint with Ferrari proved useful for him to familiarise himself with the technical aspects that go in to making up part of a driver’s job wherever he is. In addition, it was also a chance for him to re-immerse himself in the special atmosphere at Ferrari and talk a little about his (and their) fans.

  • The Williams F1 Team’s FW36

    The Williams F1 Team’s FW36

    The Williams F1 team revealed the first images of their 2014 contender, the FW36 on Thursday via its website and Twitter.

    The images released are a digital rendering of the car which is shown in an interim all-navy blue livery. The released images were met with much skepticism and criticism from fans on the social networks – specifically around the narrow nose which features on the FW36. The nose is far narrower and has even been reported to resemble that of an anteater but is necessary according to the team to meet FIA regulations while allowing for as much airflow as possible under the car. Most teams are expected to adopt similar solutions to meet the 2014 regulations.

    According to the team, the FW36 is one of the “most technologically advanced Formula One cars produced by Williams” and is the culmination of more than two years’ research and development by the team’s technical departments. It is also incorporates the power unit from the team’s new partner, Mercedes-Benz.

    The Williams FW36The FW36 will be the first Williams powered by a Mercedes engine, with the all new V6 turbo and Energy Recovery Systems. “This is the first time that Williams has worked with Mercedes in F1 and we’ve been very impressed,” says Williams Chief Technical Officer Pat Symonds. “Their professionalism and commitment have been notable and we’re as confident as we can be that the power unit will be competitive.”
    “There’s a lot more technology on the cars this year,” he continued. “We’ve had turbo-charged engines in F1 before; what’s different this time is that it is much more than just an engine change, it is a completely different system. We’ve gone from a slightly hybridised normally aspirated engine to a fully integrated hybrid power unit with novel technology at its heart.

    “Overall the cars will need more cooling this year. The demands on water and oil cooling may be slightly diminished, but the ERS system is significantly more powerful and hence needs more cooling. We also have to cool the charge air from the turbocharger compressor which requires a substantial intercooler.”

    According to the team, the FW36’s gearbox ran on the dyno for the first time at the beginning of November, before running with the full power unit several weeks later. It’s also the first eight-speed gearbox in Williams’ history.

    Symonds explained, “We finished the gearbox relatively early. It’s completed a lot of running on the test rig and at Mercedes HPP in Brixworth, but you can’t take reliability for granted. It’s a completely new ‘box and it has to cope with a lot more torque than was the case with the V8.”

    The Williams FW36The team also explained on their website that the weight of the car, when combined with the FIA’s ever more stringent crash tests, has been another big challenge  for them. But they’re proud of the fact that the FW36 was one of the first cars to pass its crash tests prior to Christmas.
    “The build of the new car has gone remarkably smoothly,” said Symonds. “But it’s been a challenge to get the car down to the weight limit. It’s been achievable, but it hasn’t been easy because the new power unit is heavier than the outgoing V8.”
    Most fans will be waiting to see the aerodynamic impact of the changes made on the FW36 which we’ll only get to see at testing next week but Symonds is confident that the team have made great strides forward and are closer to competing with the cars up front. “I’m confident that we’ll be closer to the front aerodynamically than we were last year,” he said. “Our ambition for the year ahead is to have a strong 2014 season.”
  • Force India’s 2014 VJM07

    Force India’s 2014 VJM07

    Sahara Force India were the first to unveil their new 2014 contender the VJM07, as the team released an image of the car on Wednesday morning.

    The team said on their website that “paint schemes are the skins and souls of Formula One cars” and they’ve worked hard to maintain a distinctive look but have brought a fresh “aggressive” look to the grid this year introducing black alongside the traditional colours of saffron, white and green.

    Vijay Mallya is very pleased with the new look VJM07 saying, “The VJM07 looks stunning and the new livery reflects the way Sahara Force India is evolving. I’ve always believed our cars have been the most eye-catching, but adding black as a main colour gives us a fierce new look.”

    A number of new commercial partners have been introduced including telecommunications brand, Claro, signalling the start of a multi-year deal with the team. Their logo is displayed on the engine cover and there will be prominent Claro branding on the drivers’ race suits and kit.

    Other new sponsor branding on the VJM07 include lubricant oils specialists, Roshfrans who have also inked a multi-year partnership with the team and Astana, a foundation supporting sporting and promoting the capital city of Kazakhstan.

    Mallya went on to explain, ““It’s been a busy winter for us on the technical and commercial front. “When I founded the team my first ambition was to launch the first Indian team on the grid, but the next stage in our evolution is to develop a global brand. I think that ambition is reflected in the partners we are working with and our world class driver line-up. It certainly feels as though there is the potential for 2014 to be our strongest season yet.”

    The team said on their website, “As we enter our seventh season, this new fresh, dynamic look signals the team’s renewed ambition – the next step in our shareholders’ bold vision. Having achieved the objective to have an Indian team on the grid and having signed world-class drivers, our sights now turn towards the next target.

    Sahara Force India’s contemporary new look heralds the evolution into a global brand, supported by passionate fans the world over, ready to pounce on the higher echelons of the grid.”

    There are also a number of technical improvements and changes to the VJM07. “The new rules have presented us with a huge challenge, but I’m very proud of the approach we have taken and the direction of the technical team,” said Mallya. “It will be fascinating to see how different teams have interpreted the rules and at this stage it’s impossible to predict who has done the best job.”

    Technical Director, Andrew Green, explained just how different the VJM07 is compared to the VJM06, “Almost every single part is a new design, from the front wing right back to the diffuser. The genetics of the VJM07 still lie in the 2013 car, but we’ve had to achieve the same results in a slightly different way.”

    Green said that accommodating the power unit was the biggest challenge for the team, “It’s been a massive job to accommodate all the changes to the power unit – it’s the biggest change I’ve witnessed in the sport since I started in 1990. Cooling has been the biggest challenge with most of last summer taken up trying to understand the cooling requirements of the power unit, and how best to optimise it in the chassis.”

     

     

  • Rob Smedley will not be Felipe Massa’s 2014 race engineer

    Rob Smedley will not be Felipe Massa’s 2014 race engineer

    Rumours that Rob Smedley would work with Felipe Massa this year as his Williams Team race engineer have been put to bed after the team confirmed the race engineers assigned to their drivers for the season.

    Smedley will not be working as Massa’s race engineer this year. Instead, Felipe baby will be hearing from Andrew Murdoch on the pit wall – Pastor Maldonado’s Williams engineer before his departure to Lotus.

    Massa’s 2014 team mate, Valterri Bottas is to continue his partnership with Jonathan Eddolls.

    There is no word yet on what Smedley’s role within the team will be but it is thought to be a more senior role.

    Photo Credit: Ferrari.com

  • Complete Test Schedule

    Complete Test Schedule

    First Test Session*:

    28 Jan Circuito Permanente de Jerez

    29 Jan Circuito Permanente de Jerez

    30 Jan Circuito Permanente de Jerez

    31 Jan Circuito Permanente de Jerez

    Second Test Session:

    19 Feb Bahrain International Circuit

    20 Feb Bahrain International Circuit

    21 Feb Bahrain International Circuit

    22 Feb Bahrain International Circuit

    Third Test Session:

    27 Feb Bahrain International Circuit

    28 Feb Bahrain International Circuit

    Fourth Test Session:

    1 Mar Bahrain International Circuit

    2 Mar Bahrain International Circuit

    *The Lotus F1 Team has announced that it will not attend the first test session.

  • Caterham Announce Kobayashi & Ericsson

    Caterham Announce Kobayashi & Ericsson

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Image courtesy of @tedkravitz via Twitter

  • Pirelli signs new 3 yr F1 tyre supplying contract

    Pirelli signs new 3 yr F1 tyre supplying contract

    Pirelli will remain the official Formula One tyre supplier until 2016 after signing a new 3 year contract with the FIA.

    Pirelli’s future in the sport had been in doubt following a number of incidents during the 2013 season and the expiry of their contract at the end of 2013.

    However, Pirelli have managed to secure their future in the sport along with some of the rule changes around testing which they had requested.

    These changes which are mandatory from 2014 onward, were outlined in a statement released by the FIA. The statement reads as follows:

    “Following a decision by the World Motor Sport Council confirming Pirelli’s status as the single supplier of tyres to the FIA Formula One World Championship, Pirelli and the FIA have renewed their Formula One tyre supply contract. The duration of the agreement is for three years, starting from the 2014 season.

    The world motorsport’s governing body and Pirelli, in collaboration with the teams, have been working together to improve levels of safety and performance in Formula One, resulting in important changes to the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations regarding the testing of tyres, which will enable the Italian company to continue its Formula One single supply arrangements in the best interests of the sport.

    These new rules, mandatory from the 2014 season onwards, can be summarised as follows:

    1) One of the 12 days of official pre-season testing, as prescribed in the 2014 sporting regulations, will be dedicated exclusively to wet tyre testing.

    2) Each team will dedicate one of their eight days of in-season testing, as prescribed in the 2014 sporting regulations, exclusively to tyre testing. This means that during each of the eight days of in-season testing, at least one team – and up to a maximum of two – will be concentrating on tyre testing along with Pirelli’s engineers.

    Pirelli will continue to determine the specification of the tyres and to manage all aspects of their development, in close consultation with the FIA and the teams, and within the parameters set out in the FIA Formula One Sporting & Technical Regulations.

    In addition, Pirelli and the FIA have agreed to discuss a possible partnership on the FIA Action for Road Safety campaign.”

     

     

     

  • Ecclestone steps down from F1 board pending April bribery trial

    Ecclestone steps down from F1 board pending April bribery trial

    Formula One supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, has been forced to step down from his role on the F1 board following confirmation by German prosecutors that he will stand trial on bribery charges in April this year.

    Prosecutors confirmed that criminal proceedings will be launched against Ecclestone after he allegedly bribed German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky with £27 million in 2005 to ensure that F1 would be sold to a private equity group of his choosing – CVC Capital. Gribkowsky is currently serving an eight-and-a-half-year jail sentence for accepting payment from Ecclestone and Bambino, the Ecclestone family trust.

    Ecclestone will face charges of bribery and incitement to breach of trust which would almost certainly result in a jail term if he were to be found guilty but he continues to vow that he’s innocent and has made it clear that he will “vigorously defend the case”. The F1 chief claims that payment to Gribkowsky was never a bribe, but rather a payment made in response to being “shaken down” by the German, who Eccelstone claims threatened to report him to the British tax authorities.

    A statement released by F1’s holding company Delta Topco Limited said: “After discussion with the Board, Mr Ecclestone has proposed and the Board has agreed that until the case has been concluded, he will step down as a director with immediate effect, thereby relinquishing his board duties and responsibilities until the case has been resolved.

    “It is in the best interests of both the F1 business and the sport that Mr Ecclestone should continue to run the business on a day to day basis, but subject to increased monitoring and control by the Board. Mr Ecclestone has agreed to these arrangements.”

    The statement went on to say that, ‘The approval and signing of significant contracts and other material business arrangements shall now be the responsibility of the Chairman, Mr Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, and Deputy Chairman, Mr Donald Mackenzie.”

    Ecclestone has ruled the sport for over four decades now and remains the commercial rights holder of F1. He will be obliged to attend the trial or face further charges.