F1 Madness

Tag: 2014

  • Susie Wolff Gets FP1 Outings In 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.

     

  • 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

  • What’s in a number?

    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.

    nigeLewis 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, Ayrton800px-Ferrari_126_CK 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.

  • ‘Pole Trophy’ For 2014

    ‘Pole Trophy’ For 2014

    In addition to the DHL Fastest Lap trophy F1 will award a trophy for the most poles of the year, starting in 2014.

    The driver who racks up the most pole positions during the season will be awarded with a special Pole Position Trophy after its addition to the sporting regulations.

    In the event of a tie a countback to the most second places will be done in order to determine a winner. Should this final to identify a clear winner this new regulation states that “the FIA will nominate the winner according to such criteria as it thinks fit”.

    Sebastian Vettel, with 45 pole positions to his name, would have been the recipient of the trophy for four of last five years.

  • Driver Announcement: Sutil to Sauber

    Driver Announcement: Sutil to Sauber

    The Sauber F1 Team has confirmed that Adrian Sutil will form part of its driver line-up for the 2014 season.

    The German driver has 109 grand prix starts in his F1 career and all of them has been with the Sahara Force India team. Force India have signed Nico Hulkenberg, from Sauber, and Sergio Perez from McLaren.

    “I am very happy that we found common ground,” said Sutil. “Although I have known for a while where I wanted to go, in the end the negotiations took a bit longer than planned. However, now I will have all the more reason to celebrate during the Christmas season.

    “After six good years driving for Force India, with a lot of highlights, it’s now time to embark on a new challenge. I am determined to do my part in order to have a successful future together with the Sauber F1 team.”

    The 2014 move to Sauber will be the first time that Sutil has raced for a different team in Formula 1. He joined the Midland team in 2007 which would later transform to its current guise of Force India.

    Sutil’s best result in Formula 1 remains a fourth place at the 2009 Italian grand prix.

  • FIA finalises 2014 calendar

    FIA finalises 2014 calendar

    The FIA World Motor Sport Council has confirmed that the 2014 Formula 1 season will be held over 19 races.

    The Korea, Mexico and New Jersey grand prix have dropped off the provisional 22 race calendar. The Korean GP has disappeared from the calendar after four years with financial problems while the future of the New Jersey race has become increasingly uncertain after being dropped from the calendar for a second time.

    Along with the streamlined calendar the running order of the races has undergone some changes. The Abu Dhabi grand prix will be held at the end of the season on November 23. While Brazil, the original season finale, will move to November 9.

  • F1 2014 Rule Changes: Double Points For Season Finale

    F1 2014 Rule Changes: Double Points For Season Finale

    The points tally for the season ending Abu Dhabi grand prix in 2014 will be doubled.

    The decision to double the points tally at the 2014 season finale was taken by the F1 Strategy Group and Formula One Commission at a meeting in Paris.  An FIA statement said that the change had been agreed “in order to maximise focus on the championship until the end of the campaign”.

    The specialised points system will apply to both the driver’s and constructor’s world championships. This means that the winner of the 2014 Abu Dhabi GP will be awarded 50 points, second place will receive 36 and so throughout the top ten points paying positions.

    The move has been met with great scepticism and comment that Formula 1 is becoming to ‘gimmicky.’

  • F1 2014 Rule Changes: Drivers To Get Permanent Numbers

    F1 2014 Rule Changes: Drivers To Get Permanent Numbers

    A plan to give Formula 1 drivers’ permanent numbers throughout their racing careers has been announced following the latest Strategy Group meeting. The reasoning behind the push for permanent numbers is that it is better for marketing purposes to attach a driver to a certain number rather than it changing on a yearly basis.

    The three points of discussion at the Strategy Group meeting will involve how the numbers are allocated, whether the numbers will appear on a driver’s Superlicense and if the drivers will be allowed to choose their own numbers. In addition to being asked to consider permanent numbers for drivers the Strategy Group will also be asked to deliberate the possibility of displaying large numbers and drivers’ names on cars. However, teams have opposed this proposal in the past as it could intrude on valuable sponsorship space.

    The introduction of permanent numbers will be similar to the system used in MotoGP and Superbikes, where riders retain numbers for an entire career, such as Valentino Rossi’s iconic number 46. Preference will be given to the world champion, in this case Sebastian Vettel, to use #1. The remaining drivers will have the option, in championship order, to select numbers ranging between #2 and #99.

     

  • Driver Announcement: Bianchi to Remain at Marussia

    Jules_Bianchi_2012-1The Marussia team has announced that Jules Bianchi will remain with the team in 2014.

    The Frenchman has delivered solid performances for Marussia since making his debut in Australia at the beginning of the season. The move to retain Bianchi, a Ferrari Academy protegé, comes as no surprise as he has had the better of teammate Max Chilton for the better part of the season.

    Bianchi was full of praise for the Marussia team. “I couldn’t have wished for a more supportive environment in which to make my F1 debut and from the very beginning I have always felt completely at home with the team,” said Bianchi.

    Team Principal John Booth echoed his sentiment and said that consistently is vital part of making a success of the 2014 season.