Tag: f1

Broadcast Times for the 2015 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix

It has been a long wait. But the wait is almost over. In a few days time we’ll hear the unmistakable sound of an F1 engine coming to life on the Albert Park Circuit for the 2015 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix.

Pre-season testing did throw up some surprises but what it mostly showed that Mercedes have stepped up their game more than the other teams. There were some dramatic improvements from other teams but it just seemed that Mercedes, who were sandbagging at the test, are still supremely fast.

Lewis Hamilton goes into the season as defending champion and will want to defend that title from hard fighting team mate Nico Rosberg.

Further down the grid the shakeup at Ferrari and McLaren will make things exciting. Sebastian Vettel has said that he wants to emulate 7 time world champion Michael Schumacher and bring Ferrari back to their former glory. The sacking of staff and streamlining of business processes at Ferrari have yielded some very positive results so far. Although he will miss the first race of the season, Fernando Alonso is back at McLaren for some unfinished business at the team. If their pre-season form is anything to go by, he is going to have another tough season.

Elsewhere on the grid, we have rookies Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr driving for Toro Rosso, while Will Stevens will drive for Manor Racing with no word yet on their second driver. Felipe Nasr makes the jump from GP2 into F1 and Marcus Ericsson is at Sauber after leaving the now dissolved Caterham F1 team.

A new addition to the Formula 1 calendar is the addition of the Mexican Grand Prix at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The is still no confirmation about the German Grand Prix yet after the Nurburgring was dropped due to funding concerns.

It is a brand new season, with a few new drivers and with some new look teams. There is everything to play for once again.

Below are the broadcast times for the 2014 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix (All times are GMT+2):

Free Practice 1: Friday 03:30

Free Practice 2: Friday 07:30

Free Practice 3: Saturday 05:00

Qualifying: Saturday 08:00

Race: Sunday 07:00

March 10, 2015
Manor F1 Team To Race in Melbourne

The Manor F1 team have announced that they will be ready to race come the season opener in Australia thanks to investor Stephen Fitzpatrick, the founder of energy company OVO, who rescued the team out of administration.

Since then the team have been working away furiously behind the scenes to get things ready for them to be able to race at the Australian Grand Prix. The team, having already signed Will Stevens as their first driver, is yet to announce their second driver. The team say that the lineup will be completed soon.

Manor F1 will be lead by former Marussia team boss Graeme Lowdon who will take up his new role as President & Sporting Director. The founder of Manor Motorsport John Booth with will continue as Team Principal. Former Sainsbury’s CEO Justin King will be taking over as interim chairman with Stephen Fitzpatrick as the new investor/owner.

“I want to thank all of the teams, the FIA, Formula One Management, our suppliers and staff and of course all of the fans for the support we’ve received over the past six months,” said Lowdon.

“It has been a challenging period for all of us but we’ve come through it and now we just want to go racing again,” he added.

“With formidable new business leadership in Stephen Fitzpatrick and the board presence of Justin King we are now in a great place ahead of the new season. This is a fantastic and very rewarding moment for all those involved with the team.”

Fitzpatrick is very confident in the team and feels that they’ve got a solid platform to work off.

“We’ve all worked incredibly hard to get the car ready for Melbourne and the season ahead. Our fans have given the team amazing support for many years and we want to restore Manor to the very best of racing in the future. I have a lifelong passion for Formula One and can’t wait for the season ahead, with Manor and the team.”

The team will start the season with their 2014 which will be modified to suit the 2015 regulations. They will then launch their 2015 car towards the middle of the season.

March 4, 2015
Pirelli Announces Tyre Choices for First Four Grands Prix

Formula 1 tyre provider Pirelli has announced the tyre nominations for the Australian, Malaysian, Chinese, and Bahrain Grands Prix.

For the Australian Grand Prix Pirelli will bring in the white medium and yellow soft compound tyres.

In Malaysia, the Orange Hard and White Medium compound tyres will be used. Pirelli nominated these the two hardest compounds available for the high abrasiveness of the asphalt at the Sepang Circuit and also because of the high temperatures.

The P Zero White medium and P Zero Yellow soft tyres are nominated for China. Those are the tyres best suited for the high degradation experienced by the tyres on the Shanghai circuit.

For Bahrain, a circuit that is tough on the rear tyres, Pirelli have nominated the White Medium and Yellow soft compound tyres. The Bahrain Grand Prix is the first day-into-night race on the calendar. This leads to falling ambient and track temperatures as the race goes on. The tyres chosen would provide the ideal balance between the rear mechanical grip needed whilst coping with the falling track temperatures.

The above tyre choices are identical to the first 4 races of last season. The only difference is that the rear tyres have a different construction which allows for temperatures to be distributed more evenly.

Photo by courtesy PIRELLI

March 4, 2015
Alonso To Miss Australian Grand Prix

The McLaren F1 Team have announced that Fernando Alonso will not participate in the Australian Grand Prix after doctors have recommended that the Spaniard rests to avoid further injury.

A statement from the team said that although Alonso is perfectly healthy, the doctors have recommended that to avoid further risk of a second concussion he should sit out the Australian Gran Prix next week.

“Fernando’s doctors have recommended to him that, following the concussion he sustained in a testing accident at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on February 22nd, for the time being he should seek to limit as far as is possible any environmental risk factors that could potentially result in his sustaining another concussion so soon after his previous one, so as to minimise the chances of second impact syndrome, as is normal medical procedure when treating athletes after concussions,” read the statement.

Although Alonso expressed his desire to race this weekend and feels that he is ready to race, he will heed the doctor’s advice and sit out the Australian Grand Prix. Alonso is poised to return to racing at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

“Fernando’s doctors acknowledge that he feels fit and well, and that he regards himself as ready to race, and, that being the case, they are comfortable with the fact that he has already recommenced physical training, with a view to preparing for a return to the cockpit of his McLaren-Honda car for the Malaysian Grand Prix meeting on March 27th, 28th and 29th”

McLaren reserve driver Kevin Magnussen will take Alonso’s place in Australia next week alongside Jenson Button.

March 3, 2015
FIA Clarifies Helmet Design Rule

The Formula One’s Governing Body the FIA clarified the rule that permits only one helmet design for each driver for the season.

The whole aim of the rule was to make drivers easily recognizable by the fans. The vote to implement the new regulations was voted through last month, the change has now been adopted by the FIA and appears in the 2015 Formula One Sporting Regulations.

The amended article 21.1 of the Sporting Regulations reads as follows: “In order for drivers to be easily distinguished from one another whilst they are on the track, the crash helmet of each driver must be presented in substantially the same livery at every Event during a Championship season.”

The rule makes for provision should a driver acquire a new sponsor during the season and wishes to place the sponsors logo on his helmet.

Sebastian Vettel has already said that if there is a fine for infringing the rule, he would gladly pay the fine. Vettel is known for having a different helmet for every race weekend.

The FIA have also cleared up what will happen to a driver number should the driver leave the sport. The rule states that “A driver’s career in Formula 1 will be deemed to have ended if he does not participate in an event for two entire consecutive championship seasons.”

March 2, 2015
Red Bull Back In Colour for 2015 Season

After launching their car with a very interesting camouflage livery for testing, the Red Bull F1 team have gone back to their “traditional” racing colours for the rest of the 2015 season.

The Milton Keynes based team have gone back to their more traditional dark blue livery. “It’s not the first alternative livery we’ve used and doubtless won’t be the last – but we’ve made our mark in the last ten years in dark blue, and in dark blue we’ll remain,” read a team statement.

“Those are the racing colours in which we’ve achieved great things. We’re not the most traditional of F1 teams, but like the rest of the sport, we value heritage.

“And as for us, well, the original Red Bull Racing livery that ran in testing at the end of 2004 was based around the famous design of a certain energy drink we’re rather attached to.

“It was then amended slightly for our debut livery at the first race of 2005 which, while still incorporating the blue, red and yellow, discarded the silver and developed into a stronger, more visually-arresting design.

It’s changed a lot over the years but the central themes remain constant – and we’re very proud that it’s become so instantly recognisable. It should see us through a good few years to come.”

March 2, 2015
Alonso Thanks Fans for Their Support

Fernando Alonso, today thanked his fans for their continued support following his crash at the first Barcelona test.

February 27, 2015
Carmen Jorda Joins Lotus as Development Driver

GP3 driver Carmen Jorda was announced by the Lotus F1 Team this afternoon as their development driver for the 2015 season.

Jorda will attend races and tests with the team and will embark on an intensive simulator program with the team with her sights set firmly to drive the E23 Hybrid during the course of the year.

Jorda has been racing since 2001 and has raced around Europe and in America.

“It feels like a dream come true to join Lotus F1 Team,” said the Spanish driver. “I’ve been racing since I was ten years old so it was my dream to drive a Formula 1 car since I was very young.

“Joining Lotus F1 Team is a big step towards my goal. I will be working to improve myself as a driver as well as helping the team to develop the car by testing new developments in the simulator; it’s such a fantastic opportunity”

” I know this is just the beginning and the biggest challenge is yet to come but already being part of a team with such a history is a real honour. This is a great achievement, but an even greater opportunity which will lead to bigger and better things.”

Lotus F1 Team CEO, Matthew Carter, added: “We are happy to announce Carmen Jordá as a Development Driver for Lotus F1 Team and we are looking forward to working with her over the course of the season and ultimately seeing her behind the wheel of the car.

“Carmen will bring a fresh perspective to the team,” continued Matthew, reflecting on Carmen’s racing background which covers Formula 3 and Indy Lights, as well as the GP3 Series. “We have a strong programme for her attending Grands Prix as well as extensive time in our sophisticated simulation facility at Enstone. She is a unique addition to the team and we are looking forward to helping her progress her goals as well as receiving the benefit of her insights and contributions to the development of the E23 Hybrid.”

February 26, 2015
Massa Fastest for Williams on Day 1 of Final Test

Felipe Massa set the fastest time on the first day of the final pre-season test in Barcelona on the soft tyre completing a qualifying simulation.

Massa’s time of 1:23.500 is the fastest time seen so far in Barcelona. His time was 0.776s faster than second fastest of the day, Marcus Ericsson in the Sauber who achieved a 1:24.276 on Pirelli’s red supersoft compound tyre. Ericssson also completed the most laps of the day clocking up 122 laps.

Third fastest for the day was Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton set the pace in the morning session on a set of white medium tyres and kept the top spots until the afternoon. His day, however, came to an early end after an MGU-K failure on the Mercedes. The team could not fix the problem before the end of the day. Hamilton is hoping to complete 122 laps tomorrow.

Daniil Kvyat for Red Bull and Romain Grosjean for Lotus finished 4th and 5th fastest respectively. Both completing 75 laps on the day while Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen ended the day in 6th place. Ferrari are expecting new parts on the car on Friday which they hope should improve their pace.

Carlos Sainz Jr. finished the day 7th fastest for Toro Rosso sporting a new nose design. He completed 86 laps on the day.

McLaren endured another difficult day. Jenson Button managed to complete just 7 laps for the day and was almost 8 seconds off Massa’s pace. “After just seven laps, Jenson noted a vibration and brought the car back to the pits, where we discovered a hydraulic leak that required a full power-unit change,” said the team spokesperson. “The time required to complete the change unfortunately meant that our running for the day was over before lunchtime.”

Force India plan to run the VJM08 for the first time this season tomorrow with Nico Hulkenberg at the wheel. They’re expected to be wheels rolling by the afternoon.

Below are the unofficial times for the first day of the final test:

February 26, 2015
McLaren Blame “Unpredictable Gusty Winds” for Alonso Crash

A day after Fernando Alonso was airlifted to hospital following his crash on the final day of the second pre-season test, the McLaren F1 team have revealed that it was the very windy conditions that caused the Spaniards crash.

Alonso suffered from a concussion and earlier today it was announced that he was in the intensive care unit while further tests were being conducted. A while later Alonso’s agent Luis Garcia Abad tweeted a picture of a smiling Alonso sitting up in his hospital bed giving the thumbs up.

McLaren released a statement saying that the crash was caused because of the strong winds. This story was corroborated by Carlos Sainz Jr who also ran wide and crashed into the barrier at T3/T4.

“His car ran wide at the entry to Turn Three – which is a fast uphill right-hander – allowing it to run onto the Astroturf that lines the outside of the track,” read the statement

“A consequent loss of traction caused a degree of instability, spitting it back towards the inside of the circuit, where it regained traction and struck the wall side-on.”

“Our findings indicate that the accident was caused by the unpredictably gusty winds at that part of the circuit at that time, and which had affected other drivers similarly”

“We can categorically state that there is no evidence that indicates that Fernando’s car suffered mechanical failure of any kind.”

“We can also confirm that absolutely no loss of aerodynamic pressure was recorded, which fact indicates that the car did not suffer any aerodynamic loss, despite the fact that it was subjected to a significant level of g-force.”

McLaren have been quiet about the cause of the crash which lead to many theories as to why Alonso may have crashed. The statement from Vettel did not help much when he said that the car veered to the right all of a sudden, further fueling speculation. One of the rumors doing the rounds was that Alonso suffered an electrical shock before crashing. Another one stated that he was overcome by the fumes from the batteries.

The statement from McLaren debunks these rumors.

“We can also disclose that no electrical discharge or irregularity of any kind occurred in the car’s ERS system, either before, during or after the incident,” it added.

“That last point refutes the erroneous rumours that have spread recently to the effect that Fernando was rendered unconscious by an electrical fault. That is simply not true.

“Our data clearly shows that he was downshifting while applying full brake pressure right up to the moment of the first impact – something that clearly would not have been possible had he been unconscious at the time.

“Our data also confirms that Fernando’s car struck the inside concrete wall, first with its front-right wheel and then with its rear-right. It was a significant lateral impact, resulting in damage to the front upright and axle.

“After the initial impact, the car slid down the wall for about 15 seconds before coming to a halt. All four wheels remained attached to the car, but no damage was sustained by the bodywork or crash structure between the front and rear wheels.”

It is still unclear if Alonso will drive for the team for the final test at the Catalunya Circuit as he is still being kept at the hospital.

February 23, 2015