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Ron Dennis re-appointed McLaren Group CEO

In a significant development over in Woking, Ron Dennis has been re-appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the McLaren Group, a role previously held by McLaren F1 team principal Martin Whitmarsh.

Dennis previously held the position between 1982 and 2012 before he was appointed as Chairman of the Group in 2013. He was also McLaren’s team principal before Whitmarsh took over in 2009. The appointment comes on the back of McLaren’s first season without a podium in Formula One since 1980 and their first season without a win since 2006 but there was no mention as to how the change will affect with Whitmarsh. It is however feeling as though Whitmarsh’s position as team principal could be under threat. McLaren staff were told by Dennis that “there will be change” and “we will win again”.

According to BBC F1, Ron Dennis has spoken with former Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn and that Brawn is a most likely front runner for taking over the team principal position from Whitmarsh once he has completed his 6 month sabbatical from Formula One.

Dennis made it clear that he’s been tasked with “improving our on-track and off-track performance” and went on to say that he’ll be reviewing the whole of the McLaren Group over the coming weeks. He also added that he’s “excited” to return to the role but warned that the structure at McLaren will change next month.

“My fellow shareholders have mandated me to write an exciting new chapter in the story of McLaren, beginning by improving our on-track and off-track performance,” Ron Dennis said. “Over the coming weeks I intend to undertake a thorough and objective review of each of our businesses with the intention of optimising every aspect of our existing operations, whilst identifying new areas of growth that capitalise on our technologies, and where appropriate further investing in them.

“During February, I will articulate a new Group strategy and implement the organisational structure best suited to achieving it. I am excited by the prospect of returning to the role of Group Chief Executive Officer and working with my many colleagues and fellow shareholders to fulfill our objective – which is to win at whatever we do.”

Ron Dennis will remain Chairman of McLaren Automotive, the road car subsidiary of the brand.

McLaren will be launching their 2014 car, the MP4-29 on the 24th of January ahead of the first pre-season test at Jerez.

January 16, 2014
What’s in a number?

The FIA announced late last year that drivers would be issued with permanent numbers to be carried throughout their Formula 1 careers. All drivers were asked to nominate two numbers between #2 and #99 as Sebastian Vettel has an automatic hold on #1 as the current F1 champion.

The complete list of numbers that the drivers will carry, starting in 2014, was recently announced by the FIA with many of the choices revealing the nostalgic sentimentality of several drivers.

Current world champion Sebastian Vettel will race with the #1 while he has reserved #5 not so much as an homage to former British champ Nigel Mansell but rather as a return to the number he used as a child in karting. Should Vettel not make it five world titles in 2014 he will run with the #5 in 2015. Red Bull Racing teammate Daniel Ricciardo has also chosen his first number in karting but tweeted that #3 is also a result of being a fan of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt.

Lewis Hamilton continued the trend of karting numbers and the 2008 champion will race with #44 emblazoned on both his helmet and car. Nico Rosberg has chosen his number as a tribute to his father Keke Rosberg who carried #6 during his championship winning year in 1982. However, the number six seems to run in the Rosberg family as Nico also secured the 2002 Formula BMW title while carrying the same number.

Fernando Alonso carried the nostalgic trend further as he too reminisced about his karting days with the choice to race #14. Believe it or not Fernando Alonso is the only driver on the grid to have won the Karting World Cup and he did so using kart #14 when he was 14 years old.

While sentimentality overflowed Kimi Raikkonen delivered his trademark, unaffected reasoning for his choice. “It was my number the previous year so I saw no reason to change it,” he said. Raikkonen will race with #7.

Romain Grosjean has similarly elected to retain his 2013 number. However, the Frenchman revealed that his choice to retain #8 is based on the fact that he had experienced his best ever season last year. Newly signed teammate Pastor Maldonado has brought back #13 to Formula 1 which is considered to be unlucky in many circles. However, Maldonado’s choice could be down to the fact that this particular number in considered lucky for Venezuelans. Several Venezuelan Baseball players all carry #13.

Jenson Button has returned to his championship winning season of 2009 with the choice of #22 while rookie teammate Kevin Magnussen is continuing the trend of karting numbers with #20.

Nico Hulkenberg’s choice of #27 hasn’t been given much clarification as yet but the romantics amongst the F1 fans would like to think that German’s choice is in honour of the great Gilles Villeneuve. Coincidentally, Ayrton Senna clinched the 1990 world driver’s championship with #27. Mexican Sergio Perez has picked #11 as the second Force India driver. “Ever since I was a kid I always wore the 11, in karting. Actually my email has 11 in it as well,” he grinned. “A lot of things have to do with 11 so I identified myself with that number,” said Perez.

Adrian Sutil, a Sauber driver for 2014, will run #99 which was the highest possible number up for grabs. Esteban Gutierrez will race #21. Jean-Eric Vergne hand-picked his karting number 25 while rookie teammate Danniil Kvyat has confirmed #26.

Williams driver Felipe Massa has selected #19 which could be in honour of Ayrton Senna as this was the Brazilian’s first number in Formula 1. Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas has seen the marketing potential in his choice of #77 as it resembles the letter ‘T’ in his name. Marussia driver Jules Bianchi had to be content with his third choice of number 17. The FIA has confirmed Max Chilton as the second driver at Marussia for 2014 but the Brit is yet to select a number. Caterham are still to announce their driver pairing for the upcoming season.

The issuing of permanent numbers is a great homage to the history of Formula 1. Gilles Villeneuve will always be as synonymous with #27 as Nigel Mansell will be with #5. Now it is the chance of a different era of drivers to breathe new life into these legendary numbers.

January 13, 2014
McLaren to unveil MP4-29 online

McLaren have confirmed that they will be revealing their MP4-29 in an online digital-only launch on the 24th of January, ahead of the first pre-season test at Jerez. This confirms McLaren’s participation in the pre-season testing shortly after news that Lotus will skip testing at Jerez amidst turmoil that the team are clearly downplaying.

The McLaren online launch will begin at 2pm (GMT+2) and the car, plus supporting videos and editorial material, will be available to view on the official McLaren Mercedes website, as well as through all their social media channels.

McLaren are confident that the MP4-29 has what it takes to return them to the top of the grid.

The only other team to have confirmed its launch plans is Mercedes, who announced earlier this week that the W05 will be rolled out before the Jerez test on the 28th of January. Most other teams will be revealing their new designs during the pre-season test.

January 8, 2014
Schumacher investigation update

Prosecutors in the investigations into the skiing accident that has left seven-time Formula-One world champion Michael Schumacher in a medically-induced coma, say that investigations are “progressing well”.

In a press conference on Wednesday investigators said that examination of “extremely legible” footage from Schumacher’s helmet cam has provided important clues as to exactly what happened when Schumacher fell but are yet to determine exactly how fast the German was travelling at the time of his fall. They have however insisted that speed is not a key factor in their enquiry.

Schumacher was airlifted to hospital in Grenoble after straying off a marked piste, falling and hitting his head on rocks. He remains in a ‘stable but critical’ condition according to his manager but, despite showing signs of improvement following two operations to relieve pressure and bleeding on the brain. His manager has also confirmed that the F1 legend is still ‘not out of danger’.

Chief Prosecutor Patrick Quincy said at the press conference that the investigation was “progressing well” and that they had spoken to various witnesses as well as Schumacher’s doctors.

Quincy also said that the footage from Schumacher’s helmet camera was “extremely legible” and confirmed the information which they already have. He added however that they needed more time to study it frame-by-frame and that it would now be studied frame-by-frame to further establish exactly what happened.

According to the investigators, Schumacher only went between 3-6m off-piste when he hit a rock. The second rock, which caused the serious head injuries which have left Schumacher in critical condition in a Grenoble hospital, was about 8m off-piste.

“Mr Schumacher is in fact a very good skier, so he was going on the left-hand side in an area above what limits the main piste,” Chief Gendarme Stephane Bozon stated.

“He was on terrain that was really more sloped and because of that slope there was certain speed. He tried to reduce the speed, but there were a few curves, so a parallel trace remained to the direction he was going in.

“We can’t really estimate the speed in km/h, we can’t really work out a figure, but he was a good skier on terrain that was slightly curved, but one couldn’t in fact as it was off-piste, it made it difficult to slow down. He needed to remain in the line of the slope.”

Investigators have also indicated that the ski runs were properly marked and that they they conform to French norms so this would not be a factor in determining responsibility for the accident.

“As you are well aware, there are some French norms or standards that regard signalling, warning information and so on and what we were able to note was that those standards had been respected,” Quincy said.

Schumacher’s skiing equipment was still being analysed, but there was no immediate concern that it may have played a part in the accident. The skis appeared to be in good working condition, with scratches on the underside consistent with having hit the rocks.

Despite earlier reports by German magazine Der Spiegel suggesting that there was a witness who inadvertently captured footage on their smartphone, Quincy has cast doubts on the existence of a second film.

Quincy also reiterated the family’s wishes that their privacy be respected. There was no further update on Schumacher’s current condition.

January 8, 2014
Lotus to Skip First Test of 2014

The Lotus F1 Team revealed that they will skip the first test in Jerez that is due to take place on 28 January.

Lotus F1 Technical Director, Nick Chester, said that they plan to launch the E22 at the Bahrain test in more representative conditions.

“We’re going to keep our car under wraps a little longer than some other teams. We’ve decided that attending the Jerez test isn’t ideal for our build and development programme. We are likely to unveil the car before attending the Bahrain tests, and in Bahrain we should really be able to put the car through its paces in representative conditions.”

Although Lotus will miss the first test, Chester made it clear that the car is all but complete with just the nose crash test to complete.

“We’ve made very good progress with the various homologation tests which took place before Christmas including chassis squeeze and side impact loading tests as well as the rear crash structure, meaning we just have the nose test to complete the car’s homologation.”

“We’ve undertaken chassis fits for Romain and Pastor. Certainly, our partners who have seen the car have reported themselves to be very impressed with the layout and various solutions to the new technical challenges.”

Missing out on the first test will put Lotus on the backfoot but Chester was optimistic that they will be able to get what they want out of the car at the second test in Bahrain/

“From our perspective the figures look promising and development has been positive. That said, we are very much working with very little idea of what the other teams are doing. This is the first year of radically different regulations which means that all teams are developing their cars along potentially quite different avenues.”

“It’s fascinating for us engineers and I hope it is fascinating for the fans too. We think we have a very good solution to the challenge and hopefully this will be seen when the E22 turns its wheels in anger.”

January 6, 2014
F1 engine builder Brian Hart dies

Former Formula One racing driver and engineer, Brian Hart, has died at the age of 77 after a long battle with illness.

Hart is well known for having built engines for the likes of Jordan and Toleman.

Starting his racing career in 1957, Brian Hart enjoyed great success in single seater racing even and qualified for the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring in 1967 – his sole outing in F1. He retired from racing in 1971 after starting his own company, originally preparing Ford engines for F2 cars before developing his own engine for Toleman’s F2 team.

Following a one-two in the 1980 European F2 championship, Toleman graduated – along with Hart – in to Formula One. With their limited budget the opening seasons were a struggle, but by 1984 Hart was also supplying engines to Spirit and RAM.

Their engine secured its first podium finish at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix when Ayrton Senna finished second for Toleman.

More podiums followed and 1985 saw Toleman’s Teo Fabi take the first pole position for the pairing, but a year later Hart dropped out of Formula One, not able to compete with the large budgets available to the likes of larger engine manufacturers like Honda and Renault.

In 1993 Hart returned to F1 with Jordan and enjoyed a podium a year later at the Pacific Grand Prix with Ruben Barichello while the Brazilian driver also claimed a pole position in Belgium.

When Jordan then opted for Peugeot engines, Hart supplied Footwork – yielding a podium at Adelaide in 1995. Tom Walkinshaw Racing bought the engine company in 1997 and Brian Hart left TWR in 1999 after deciding to quit F1.

January 6, 2014
Witness captured video footage of Schumacher accident

Investigators are hoping that video footage inadvertently captured by a German eyewitness will shed light on Michael Schumacher’s skiing accident last week.

The Formula One legend remains in a coma and in critical condition following the accident in the French Alps.

But now, a 35 year old German eyewitness says he caught the accident on his smartphone by chance while recording his girlfriend who was also skiing in the same area at the time.

Investigators are focusing on Schumacher’s speed at the time of the fall when Schumacher slammed his head on a rock on a small off-piste section of the Meribel ski resort. They are also looking into footage from a small GoPro camera which Schumacher had mounted on his helmet at the time of the fall. His family is said to have handed the camera over to investigators but it is unknown yet whether any of the footage will be usable or whether the camera was too badly damaged in the fall. Schumacher’s helmet is said to have split in two on impact.

In a press conference last week, doctors who treated Schumacher said he had been skiing at “great speed” when he fell.

However, according to news magazine Der Spiegel who spoke to the witness, Schumacher is seen descending an unmarked run between two groomed pistes before falling, and the seven-time world champion was descending the slope at a “leisurely” pace – “a maximum speed of 20 kilometres an hour”.

This would corroborate claims by Schumacher’s spokesperson Sabine Kehm, who insisted that he could not have been going fast “because it appears he helped a friend who had just fallen”.

Prosecutors are also working on determining responsibility for the accident. They’re looking into whether the limits of the ski runs were properly marked; whether the rock in question may have been close enough to the piste to require some sort of signage or protection; and whether the safety releases on Schumacher’s skis had operated properly.

Police have also obtained eyewitness testimony from Schumacher’s 14-year-old son Mick as well as a friend, who were skiing with him at the time.

Kehm has said that Schumacher remains in a “critical but stable condition” after undergoing two surgeries to release pressure and bleeding on the brain.

Schumacher’s wife Corinna and his two teenaged children have remained by his bedside throughout.

His old rival, and good friend, Mika Hakkinen wrote to Schumacher according to the Bild am Sonntag newspaper saying, “Your accident is now just another challenge. You have to fight hard again, just like we both used to do on the track. Do me a favour: just this once don’t try to beat the clock. You don’t have to post your best time in this race. You have to take all the time you need.”

January 6, 2014
Schumacher: Slight Improvement But Still In Danger

Doctors in Grenoble had some good news for the world regarding Micheal Schumacher’s condition.

A second operation was carried out on the 7-time world champion last night after CT scans showed that there was a slight improvement. Scans this morning revealed that there were improvements to Schumacher’s condition.

“Very late in the evening (Monday) another brain scan was carried out and we could see a slight improvement and allowed us to tell the family that we would be able to have another surgical intervention to reduce the hematoma and that surgical intervention took place overnight,” said Hospital Director General Jacqueline Hubert

The doctors made it clear that there was no deterioration in Schumacher’s condition.

The second operation was carried out late last night to remove a hematoma on the left side of his brain. The operation, according to the doctors was a success as they had completely removed the hematoma. There are other hematomas on his brain but there are no immediate plans to remove them as they are difficult to access.

“At that moment, talking to our neurological surgeons, taking into consideration his state had slightly improved, we suggested we would carry out a surgical intervention that had not been originally envisioned but that allowed us in the evening to treat in a more efficient fashion and in a more radical fashion to try and eliminate this intracranial pressure.

“This was carried out during the night with relatively good efficiency which allowed his this morning to look at new images and we were able to see that this hematoma had been evacuated in a very correct and very satisfactory fashion and we now have a few signs that currently can allow us to feel that it is better controlled than it was yesterday,” said Professor Jean-Francois Payen

The operation was carried out by the hospitals chief neurologist Professor Emmanuel Gay which lasted two hours.

“This was not the hematoma that had been removed the night before, this was a hematoma that was actually in the brain itself, but all the parameters last night allowed us to eliminate it and therefore together we decided to do so and at the same time to reduce intracranial pressure,”

“On the control scan that was carried out this morning the levels of intracranial pressure have improved, but the scan does show there are other legions on other parts of the brain and those legions are going to be supervised and followed up of course. We can’t for the moment envisage much more – we are just going to be regularly supervising the situation on an hourly basis and that is all we can say today,” said Professor Gay

With the operation going well and with the scans showing some encouraging news, Professor Payen stressed that Schumacher is not out of danger and the situation was fragile and he is still critical. He went on to say that the situation was better controlled than yesterday and that they have “gained a bit of time with regards to the development.” He also added that “the coming hours are still critical.”

December 31, 2013
Schumacher Remains in a Critical Condition

Doctors in Grenoble, France held a press conference on Monday 30 December 2013 to report back on the state of 7- time world champion, Micheal Schumacher.

The press conference was very brief, there were a few questions that were taken but the doctors did have some sort of a statement prepared.

“Michael Schumacher was the victim of very serious trauma. He was very agitated when he arrived and we decided he was in a critical situation and he quickly went into a coma. The neurosurgical treatment he received brought us quite a lot of information. We had to operate urgently to release some pressure in his head. Unfortunately, he has some lesions within his brain,” said a spokesperson for the hospital.

“Everything that needed to be done has been done at the moment we can’t really say when he will recover, we cannot answer this yet,” added the Chief anesthesiologist professor Jean-Francois Payen.

He went on to add: ”

“We can say he is fighting for his life. We judge him to be in a very serious situation. We cannot tell what the outcome will be yet. We are working hour-by-hour but it’s too early to say what is going to happen and to have a prognosis.

They think that the helmet he wore saved his life and that it took most of the damage. “The helmet wasn’t enough to protect him completely but it really did help. “Without a helmet he wouldn’t be here now,” said Professor Payen.

The doctors were quick to mention that Schumacher will not need a second operation and that they are monitoring his condition on an hourly basis. His family are being kept informed of his condition and they are by his side.

There are reports that Ross Brawn is in Grenoble.

We will keep you updated with all the news about Schumacher’s condition.

December 30, 2013
UPDATE: Michael Schumacher in a Critical Condition after Skiing Accident

After initial reports that his condition was not serious, news has emerged that Michael Schumacher’s condition has deteriorated and he is now in a critical state at a French hospital.

According to SkySports F1, a statement released by the University Hospital of Grenoble confirmed that he was in a coma.

“Mr Schumacher was admitted to the University Hospital of Grenoble at 12:40pm, following a skiing accident which occurred in Meribel in the late morning. He suffered a severe head injury with coma on arrival, which required immediate neurosurgical intervention. He remains in a critical situation.”

Investigations are still ongoing as to the cause of the incident. Medical personnel who attended to Schumacher at the ski resort were by his side in minutes and was airlifted to the Moutiers hospital after the accident. He was then transferred to the University Hospital of Grenoble where they specialise in head trauma.

As soon as the news of his condition broke, there was an outpouring of well wishes from the F1 community. “Come on Michael, give us one of those race stints at pure qualifying pace to win through, like you used to. You can do it,” tweeted former racer and Sky Sports F1 commentator, Martin Brundle.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Micheal and his family. We hope and pray that he pulls through this. He is a fighter and we would like him to come out on top after this.

December 30, 2013