Tag: red bull

Court upholds Ricciardo’s Australian GP disqualification

The FIA’s International Court of Appeal has upheld the stewards’ decision to exclude Daniel Ricciardo from the Australian Grand Prix following a hearing in Paris on Monday.

Ricciardo finished the season opening Australian GP in 2nd place but was disqualified after the stewards discovered that his RB10 had exceeded the fuel flow rate limit of 100kg/hr and despite warnings, his team chose to ignore the directives from the stewards to turn down the fuel flow rate.

Red Bull appealed the decision claiming that they used their own fuel flow sensor after experiencing unreliability when using the FIA’s sensors. The team were confident that their appeal would be successful.

The appeal was heard in Paris on Monday and the International Court of Appeal announced on Tuesday morning that they have upheld the decision of the stewards.

The FIA issued a statement saying: “The Court, after having heard the parties and examined their submissions, decided to uphold the Decision N°56 of the Stewards by which they decided to exclude Infiniti Red Bull Racing’s car N°3 from the results of the 2014 Australian Grand Prix.”

A full explanation behind the reasoning of the verdict is expected later this week.

Red Bull have issued a statement accepting the FIA’s decision on the matter:

“Infiniti Red Bull Racing accepts the ruling of the International Court of Appeal today.

We are of course disappointed by the outcome and would not have appealed if we didn’t think we had a very strong case. We always believed we adhered to the technical regulations throughout the 2014 Australian Grand Prix.

We are sorry for Daniel (Ricciardo) that he will not be awarded the 18 points from the event, which we think he deserved. We will continue to work very hard to amass as many points as possible for the team, Daniel and Sebastian throughout the season.

“We will now move on from this and concentrate on this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.”

Photo Credit: Infiniti Red Bull Racing Formula 1 Team

April 15, 2014
Red Bull appeal verdict to be announced on Tuesday

The General Secretary of the FIA’s International Court of Appeal has said that a verdict on Red Bull’s appeal against the disqualification of Daniel Riccardo at the Australian Grand Prix, will only be given on Tuesday.

“We will announce the decision tomorrow morning at the latest,” said Jean-Christophe Breillat following a six-hour long hearing at the FIA’s headquarters in Paris today.

He has also confirmed that only the verdict will be given and then a full explanation around the reasoning behind the decision will be made available “by the end of the week”.

Red Bull argued that the technical directive (16:14) relating to fuel flow sensors is not regulatory. As such, they believe that the team cannot be punished for ignoring the FIA’s request to reduce its fuel flow, since the directives are generally regarded as advice. The team also tried to prove that the team had not exceeded the maximum fuel flow at any point during the Australian Grand Prix.

Both Chief Engineer of Car Engineering, Paul Monaghan and Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey were called as Red Bull witnesses and subjected to questioning. For the FIA, Head of Powertrain Fabrice Lom was called.

Observers from McLaren, Lotus, Williams and Force India were also present at the hearing.

Mercedes team representative Paul Harris – who previously represented the team at the Pirelli Tyregate hearing – was most vocal at today’s hearing, accusing the Red Bull team of “knowingly and repeatedly” ignoring the FIA’s instructions to turn down the fuel flow on Ricciardo’s engine.

He desribed Red Bull’s approach as a “flagrant breach” of the FIA’s direction and called for the court to impose a suspended further sanction on top of the original exclusion due to fears that the Austrian team will repeat the alleged offence in future.

“We are, frankly, and with great respect, concerned that Red Bull have shown such a flagrant and deliberate disregard for these rules that there is a real risk that they will do it again,” he said. “We are here to seek to ensure that does not happen. We must have a level playing field going forward for the remainder of the season.”

“We respectively submit that the most effective way of ensuring that Red Bull do not flout further written and oral instructions from the FIA – at least for the remainder of this season – is for this court to recognise the severity of their infringement and to impose a further sanction upon them, which is to be suspended for the remainder of the season so that they are acutely alert for the remainder of the season that there is no possibility of them transgressing the boundaries again.”

He dismissed Red Bull’s claims that the FIA’s approved sensors were unreliable and argued that their alternative system used to measured the flow was also not “100 per cent” accurate. He also backed the FIA’s official sensors saying that they are “rigorously tested and rigorously calibrated.”

April 14, 2014
FIA to hear Red Bull Ricciardo appeal today

Red Bull have appealed Daniel Ricciardo’s second place Australian Grand Prix disqualification and the appeal will be heard by the FIA at a hearing in Paris today.

According to team boss, Christian Horner, Red Bull are confident that they have a “very strong case.”

Ricciardo, who raced his way to second place at the seasoning opening home grand prix for the Aussie but was stripped of the position, and the 18 accompanying points, after his RB10 was found to have “consistently exceed” the maximum allowed fuel flow rate of 100 kgs per hour.

Red Bull have argued that there was a problem with the sensors provided by the FIA which is why they chose to rely on their own. In essence, the team chose to ignore a technical directive from the FIA which explains what to do in the event of a fuel flow sensor ‘drifting’ or failing completely.

According to the team, Ricciardo’s sensor did drift, and they therefore chose to use a back-up system which had not been pre-approved by the FIA. The disqualification was as a direct result of Red Bull ignoring the FIA’s advice before and during the race. The governing body insists that Red Bull were warned several times during the race.

Horner claims that the team had every right to ignore the FIA’s advice – because it was exactly that, advice, and not legally binding rules as per the technical regulations.

Should the team win their appeal, they will move up to second place in the Constructors’ Championship, and Ricciardo would move up to third place in the Drivers’ Championship.

“Those points are vital, every point is vital,” Horner said. “We believe we’ve a very strong case. As more races have progressed issues have become more evident, new evidence has come to light, new understandings have come to light. Hopefully we can present our case fairly and get the second place Daniel deserves from Melbourne.”

Ricciardo has confirmed that he will not attend the hearing in Paris today.

April 14, 2014
F1 2014: Bahrain GP – Mighty Hamilton Victorious

It would be ridiculous to deem the impressive Mercedes team as anything but imperious in Formula 1 2014. Normally, domination by one team in a sport leads to a bit of monotony.   But the Mercedes pair ensured that the tenth anniversary of the Bahrain GP was one of the most exhilarating races in recent memory.

The Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton proved to be in a class of their own as they obliterated the field with searing pace. A front-row lock out of the grid pitted the two Silver Arrows against each other. As soon as the red lights extinguished Hamilton scythed into the lead and produced the most memorable victory on his career.

An astounding and unforgettable wheel-to-wheel battle ensued between the two for nearly all of the 57 laps. At times the Mercedes pitwall would’ve been watching the duel between its drivers from behind a pillow, praying that it wouldn’t end in a shower of carbon-fibre. It didn’t. Instead it gave rise to spectacle worthy of being called a definitive Formula 1 race; terrifyingly passionate and shockingly spectacular.

The rest of the field lapped some two second a lap slower but still managed to deliver an outstanding race. After a difficult year as a McLaren driver Sergio Perez joined the Force India with the hope of rebuilding his stock in Formula1. It has taken the Mexican only three races to show that he has something special to offer.

The Force India driver delivered a stellar drive to secure the final step on the podium. Perez outpaced his highly regarded teammate Nico Hulkenberg and resisted both Williams’ of Felipe Massa and Valterri Bottas for the majority of the race. The job wasn’t done however as Daniel Ricciardo made a late charge for the podium. Checo, as he is known in the paddock, resisted an almighty onslaught from the Australian and crossed the line four tenths ahead of the Red Bull.

The second Force India of Nico Hulkenberg nearly fell victim to Sebastian Vettel but held off the German in the closing stages for a fifth place finish. Felipe Massa and Valterri Bottas finished line astern in seventh and eighth. Given the dreadful 2013 season experienced this team the Bahrain result will be accepted with both hands. But before long Williams will have to find a way to unlock the potential which seems to be looming just out of reach.

In ninth and tenth Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen would have been relieved to finally see the chequered flag. A dismal showing by the Ferrari team did little to paint the Italian squad as potential championship contenders. Far from prancing horses Alonso and Raikkonen looked more like sitting ducks as several Mercedes powered cars breezed past the Scarlet cars with embarrassing ease.

Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado assured the deployment of a safety car by ploughing into the side of Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez on exiting the pitlane. The Sauber driver was spectacularly flipped over but escaped without injury. Maldonado, known for his dicey reputation, was given a ten second stop/go penalty for causing a collision and will serve a five-place grid penalty for the Chinese GP.

Kudos to Mercedes for letting their drivers’ race each other to the final lap of the race. Lewis Hamilton had no right to win the 2014 Bahrain GP. He didn’t start from pole position, he was on the slower tyre in the final stint of the race and vulnerable in the DRS zone. But the way he barged Nico Rosberg out of the way to seize the lead of the race said a lot. It revealed a passion, skill and determination so staggering it is difficult to foresee it being matched.

AMG Petronas Mercedes F1 team images courtesy of Mercedes Benz

April 7, 2014
F1 2014: Qualifying Results – Rosberg Romps to Bahrain Pole

Nico Rosberg has secured pole position for the 2014 Bahrain grand prix.

In celebration of its tenth year on the Formula 1 calendar thousands of floodlights lit up the Sakhir International Circuit in the middle of the Bahrain dessert. The dominance of the Mercedes team remained intact around the floodlit Sakhir circuit as Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton locked out the front row of the grid. Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo was the best of the rest in third place but will drop ten places on the grid due to a penalty incurred in the Malaysian GP.

The first part of qualifying relegated the usual suspects to the back of the grid. Caterham’s Kamui Kobayashi out-qualified teammate Marcus Ericsson and both Marussia’s of Max Chilton and Jules Bianchi. Sauber driver Adrian Sutil and Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado were the other drivers who failed to advance to the second part of qualifying.

Romain Grosjean, who had snatched a spot in Q2 by nine thousandths of a second was unable to better than 16th overall. Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel were the high profile drivers who did not advance to the top ten shoot-out. Hulkenberg had threatened throughout the practice session but was unable to make it count. Sebastian Vettel reported an issue on the downshift of his gearbox before being eliminated from qualifying. Nevertheless, Vettel will start tenth due to teammate Ricciardo’s 10 place grid penalty.

Despite having two bites at the cherry Nico Rosberg’s first lap in the third part of qualifying was enough to secure the German’s fifth career pole position. A mistake on his second attempt meant that Lewis Hamilton had to settle for second. Daniel Ricciardo’s relegation means that Williams’ Valterri Bottas will start the Bahrain GP in third place. Mexican Sergio Perez delivered a stunning performance in his Force India and will share the second row of the grid with Bottas.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen will line up fifth while McLaren’s Jenson Button, celebrating his 250th GP, share the third row of the grid in sixth. Felipe Massa and Kevin Magnussen will start seventh and eighth respectively. Fernando Alonso was unseen for the majority of the final minutes of the qualifying session and will start tomorrow’s race in ninth place.

It seems highly unlikely that the Mercedes duo will be troubled on Sunday. Who will be the best of the rest is anyone’s guess.

April 5, 2014
2014 Bahrain GP Preview – Mercedes set to sparkle under desert floodlights

Less than a week after the Malaysian Grand Prix, where Mercedes thundered to its first one-two finish since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix, Formula One sets up shop in Bahrain for round three of the 2014 F1 World Championship.

Mercedes will remain in good spirits for this weekend’s Bahrain GP. The car is perfectly suited to the layout of the Saakhir International Circuit.

The Sakhir circuit offers more stop-and-go corners and more throttle time than the twisty Malaysia circuit. No need to compromise super speed on the straights for downforce through the turns. Most of the corners in Bahrain are around 160kph or less.

The circuit is also very demanding on fuel. This could be a game-changer for teams like Red Bull, who’ve had fuel flow sensor issues in both races so far this season.

This is the tenth outing for F1 to the Saakhir International Circuit and with this anniversary, the Bahrain Grand Prix presents a new challenge to teams and drivers – the first race under floodlights in the desert as Bahrain joins Abu Dhabi as the second twilight race on the F1 calendar.

The cooler evening temperatures lead to changes in balance and grip levels so teams have their work cut out for them. They do already have data on these conditions which they would have gathered at the two pre-season tests held at this circuit.

The lower temperatures will favour the cooling capabilities of the new power units which has been an issue for some teams leading up to the start of the 2014 season. Red Bull in particular had a very difficult time with overheating power units.

Mercedes will be the team to beat as the sun sets over Bahrain on Sunday. One thing is certain – we are in for a visual spectacular!

April 5, 2014
Bahrain Free Practice 2 – Hamilton Finishes Top of the Time Sheets

Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes made it two from two this evening by finishing on top of the time sheets in the second practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Hamilton finished the session in P1 with a time of 1:34.325. His team mate Nico Rosberg ended the session in P2 with a 1:34.690. Fernando Alonso finished the session in P3 with a 1:35.360, a full 1.035s slower than Hamilton’s P1 time.

Alonso could not do any better than P3. His long run pace looked encouraging but Ferrari are struggling with high tyre degradation. Kimi Raikkonen in the other Ferrari struggled this session. He ended his FP2 down in P14 with a 1:36.962. So not a good session for the Finn who’s looking to get a strong finish in the race.

With 35m left in the session Max Chilton in his Marussia suffered a front left brake disk failure under braking into T4. The front brakes went, the rears locked up and he spun off the track into the run off area and that was his session. He was not the only casualty of the session. Sauber’s Adrian Sutil stopped out on track with 30 minutes left in the session. The final casualty of the evening was Caterham’s Marcus Ericsson. He stopped his car on the back straight on the run down to T11 with just 5mins left in the session. There was a bit of a moment between Rosberg and Perez in the Force India that will be investigated after the session. Rosberg was on a slow-down lap with Perez on a timed lap approaching rather quickly. Rosberg moved to his left to get out of the way, but by then Perez had already committed to passing Rosberg on the left. Perez had to move a bit more to the left to avoid Rosberg. All this happened on the run into T14

The Williams cars of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas spent most of the session in their garages and with 42 mins left in the session they both took to the track with very encouraging pace from Massa. Massa and Bottas finished P5 and P11 respectively.

Red Bull confirmed just after the start of the session that the had a fuel flow sensor failure together with Toro Rosso and Lotus. They had a relatively quiet FP2 with Ricciardo finishing in P4 and Sebastian Vettel finishing P7. Red Bull do have some tyre degradation issues but not as bad as Ferrari. They actually looked much stronger on the long run race than Ferrari.

Mercedes look to be in a class of their own. At the moment qualifying looks to be between Hamilton and Rosberg for P1 and P2. But we all know how quickly things can change in F1. There’s still FP3 to come.

Below is the timing wall for the session:

April 4, 2014
Ricciardo Slapped With Bahrain Grid Penalty

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was handed a 10-place grid penalty for next week’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

Although he was given a 10 second stop-and-go penalty during the race the 2014 rules dictate that a 10-place grid penalty is also applied at the next race.

The stop-and-go penalty was incurred on Ricciardo’s final pit stop of the afternoon where he was released from the pit with his front right wheel not secured properly. He soon realised and stopped his car in the pit lane. The Red Bull mechanics pushed him back to his pit box and secured the wheel and he was sent back out. But his problems did not end there. He was given a 10-second stop-and-go penalty and he then had a front wing failure. Making his afternoon go from bad to worse.

He later retired from the race to save the engine.

March 30, 2014
Malaysian GP Qualifying report: Hamilton makes it 2 in a row

Lewis Hamilton clinched his second pole in a row during a very wet and rainy Malaysian Grand Prix qualifying session this afternoon. He edged out Red Bull’s Sebastian by just 0.055 seconds.

Nico Rosberg took the third place away from Fernando Alonso in his final flying lap and Daniel Ricciardo got the second Red Bull into the Top 5.

The start of qualifying was delayed by 50 mins today with heavy rains hitting the Sepang circuit after three days of dry practice sessions. Many felt it should have started sooner, since all teams except McLaren started the qualifying session on intermediate tyres. After starting late, the Q1 session also ended early following a crash by Caterham’s Marus Ericcson after the rookie lost control of his car exiting Turn 3.

Kimi Raikkonen finished in 6th place ahead of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen.

Q2 also never went off without incident. The session was stopped shortly after it had started after contact between Daniil Kvyat and Alonso. Kvyat tried to dive up the inside of Alonso into turn nine but made contact with the Ferrari, damaging the front suspension on the F14T. The Ferrari mechanics put on a real show by fixing the F14T in no time a all and sending Alonso back out immediately after the red flag was lifted.

Valterri Bottas has had to take a penalty though. The driver will lose three grid places as well as two penalty points for impeding Daniel Ricciardo.

Below are the full results of the session. Follow us @F1_Madness on Twitter for live race commentary and F1 chit chat during the race tomorrow.

March 30, 2014
F1 2014: Malaysia – Free Practice 2 – Rosberg Tops The Times

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg topped the timing sheets for the second free practice session in Malaysia.

As the Malaysian heat intensified Nico Rosberg set the fastest time on the white-walled medium compound tyres in the second free practice session for Sunday’s Malaysian grand prix.

Track temperatures reached nearly 50 degrees Celsius during the ninety minute session which reveal a much closer pecking order. In particular, Red Bull’s Sebastain Vettel looked solid in both qualifying simulation and long run pace. Both Mercedes drivers were able to lap consistently on both compounds of tyre while Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen appeared far more comfortable with the F14T.

Rosberg’s fastest time of 1:39:909 was a whisker faster than Raikkonen who set a 1:39:944. Likewise the top ten was separated roughly six tenths of a second. Granted the level of fuel being carried by the respective teams are unknown at this stage.

The woes continued for Lotus as Pastor Maldonado failed to emerge from his garage for the entire session. Romain Grosjean managed fourteen laps before again pulling off the circuit. This time his issue was allegedly gearbox related.

The level of tyre degradation on the medium compound tyres appeared quite high as expected on the abrasive surface of the Sepang circuit. Nevertheless, it appeared to last for about seven laps before dropping off. However, the track will continue to rubber in throughout the weekend, barring no rain, which will see the tyres life extended slightly. Pirelli have reported that the difference between the two compounds are around 1 to 1.2 seconds per lap.

The laptimes on the board suggest that Mercedes are still favourites but the chasing pack, in the form of Ferrari and Red Bull, seem a lot closer than two weeks ago.

March 28, 2014