Latest F1 news in brief – Friday (Update)
02/27/15
-
Carmen Jorda F1 looks set for competitive 2015
- 'Clever' Mercedes dodges camera mount ruling
- Villeneuve admits Alonso crash saga 'weird'
- Verstappen has seat fitting for Red Bull car
- Rival doubts McLaren using Manor for advantage
- Caterham assets auctions set to go ahead
- Carmen Jorda's rivals unhappy with Lotus news
- Manor Marussia: Energy firm boss is behind team rescue New
- Grosjean says lateral impacts a problem New
 |
| Felipe Massa topped the time sheets yesterday in Barcelona |
F1 looks set for competitive 2015
(GMM) Williams has leapt back into contention as a likely 2015 force.
After the first two tests at Jerez and Barcelona, it was suggested that in light of the Grove team's low-profile performance, rivals might be set to overtake Williams as 'best of the rest' behind Mercedes this year.
But as upgrades were added up and down pitlane on Thursday as the final test before Melbourne began, it was Felipe Massa who set the headline time.
His laptime, in fact, was easily the quickest of all the Barcelona running so far.
"I think we needed to prove that we are there in the fight," the Brazilian said afterwards.
"It's still difficult to be sure where we are, especially compared to Mercedes," he added.
"We will have to wait until all the drivers are on the track at the same time with the same amount of fuel and the same tire," Massa is quoted by Globo.
"But as far as the other teams, we are there," he insisted. "Ferrari did not have a good day today, I do not know what they were doing, but they have improved, no doubt.
"And the race simulation by Red Bull was not very good," Massa added.
"I still believe Mercedes has the best car."
Like Ferrari and Red Bull, also struggling on Thursday was Mercedes, whose running with world champion Lewis Hamilton was limited due to a MGU-K issue.
Team boss Toto Wolff is expecting the German marque to have a tougher 2015.
"When you are in front," he is quoted by La Presse, "it is very difficult to keep this advantage.
"So far I see a more balanced spread in terms of performance. Ferrari has improved," said Wolff, "and we will see what McLaren and Honda can do.
"We are the team to beat," he acknowledged. "We have a target on our back and everyone is shooting at us."
That applies even to the midfield teams. Indeed, looking at the nine teams in action on Thursday, it is hard – McLaren aside – to identity who is lagging behind.
Toro Rosso turned up on Thursday with a substantially revised car compared to the first Barcelona test.
But "Everyone has become much better," rookie Carlos Sainz remarked. "Lotus, Sauber, us. So it is very difficult to say where everyone is."
The team that is obviously struggling is McLaren-Honda.
Mercedes, for instance, soared past the 1000 lap mark for the winter period on Thursday, while the newly Honda-powered MP4-30 has done just 210 overall.
"That's an average of only 23 laps per test day," said Oskari Saari, a commentator for the Finnish broadcaster MTV3.
"At the moment it is difficult to imagine that even the legendary names of McLaren and Honda can in any way be ready when the racing starts very soon in Australia," he added.
Team supremo Ron Dennis was trackside on Thursday, and with star driver Fernando Alonso resting after his bizarre crash and hospitalization, McLaren's problems are piling up.
"We have an engine problem now," Dennis revealed to reporters on Thursday.
"I am not sure how it will unfold over the next few days," he admitted. "We are still at the foot of a steep mountain."
 |
| Hamilton in the Mercedes |
'Clever' Mercedes dodges camera mount ruling
(GMM) Mercedes has found a clever way around the issue of reportedly 'illegal' camera mountings at the front of its title-defending 2015 car.
Earlier, we reported that teams including Ferrari and Toro Rosso had also been told by the FIA to modify their new cars before scrutinizing in Australia.
Designers for the respective teams had shaped the mandatory, nose-positioned camera mountings aerodynamically, but the FIA had ruled that they were too long.
Last week in Barcelona, it was clear Toro Rosso had already reacted to the clarification, abandoning the stylized, wing-like 'ears' and simply mounting the brackets to the chassis horizontally.
Indeed, that horizontal positioning is apparently exactly what the FIA envisages.
But when the Mercedes W06 emerged from the pits on Thursday, as the third and final test began in Barcelona, it was clear the defending champions had found a loophole.
The cameras are now fully horizontal, but they are not attached simply to the chassis, but via a new, stylized bracket featuring two right angles — with the cameras obviously still being used for aerodynamic purposes.
"The camera is now high above the front of the chassis, disrupting the aerodynamics as little as possible," explained Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt.
He added that at least two teams have already complained about Mercedes' "very clever" new solution, but it does appear to comply with the wording of the 2015 regulations.
Villeneuve admits Alonso crash saga 'weird'
(GMM) Jacques Villeneuve has counted himself among scores of experts, pundits and fans who have been left "confused" by the Fernando Alonso saga.
Spaniard Alonso spent four days in hospital and is now sitting out this week's Barcelona test action, after a crash described by McLaren-Honda as "normal" that Ron Dennis said on Thursday left him "categorically not injured".
But Alonso's participation in Melbourne in two weeks is also now in doubt.
Like scores of others in the world of F1, 1997 world champion Villeneuve thinks many elements of the story do not add up.
"You certainly can lose control of the car," said the French Canadian, "for technical reasons, a loss of concentration.
"Even because of the wind," Villeneuve is quoted by Italy's La Repubblica, "even though I know the Indianapolis 500 when you are hurtling around with the wind at 360kph.
"If you are at the limit, you can make mistakes. But I have read so many things about this incident, among them that the speed was not very high.
"So when you think that this happened to a driver like Alonso, it sounds weird.
"Now I'm not a doctor, and I have not spoken to him, but as I understand it, the hit was not very hard. Maybe it was a bad impact angle, I don't know, but it's a story that leaves me a bit confused," Villeneuve added.
"The thing that troubles me is the sense of mystery: they (McLaren) have told us many things and who knows if the truth is among them," said the usually-outspoken 43-year-old.
One conspiracy theory is that Alonso, 33, suffered some sort of seizure or fainting episode, while Dennis on Thursday vehemently rejected claims Honda's immature energy recovery systems electrocuted him.
"I cannot say yes or no, I have no information," Villeneuve insisted.
"This 'power unit', however, I don't like — the idea of drivers waiting for a light to come on before they get out of the car because of electric shock, or the marshals having to wear these gloves.
"I have nothing against progress," he added, "but when it comes to something that adds nothing to the show, it is a ridiculous and unnecessary danger," he added.
If Alonso's hospital stay was due to a blow to the head, however, Villeneuve urged the Spaniard to recover fully before driving again.
"The head is not a leg or an arm," he said. "I would bet he will be in Melbourne, because we are drivers and we want to be in the car.
"But in 1999, I took a crazy blow on the head at Spa and 20 minutes later I was back in the car. I stopped after one lap because I was seeing stars.
"When it comes to the brain, a second blow can be fatal," said Villeneuve.
"Fernando has the blood and the courage of a driver, but he should listen to the doctors."
Verstappen has seat fitting for Red Bull car
(GMM) Max Verstappen is shaping up as a reserve driver for Red Bull's premier F1 team.
The Dutch 17-year-old, whose grand prix debut this year is controversial due to his age and inexperience, will line up on the Melbourne grid for the first time next month with Toro Rosso.
That is Red Bull's second team, which has defended Verstappen's debut on the basis that Toro Rosso exists to bring young stars into formula one.
But it now emerges that, while in Barcelona this week for the final pre-season test, Verstappen will stop into the Red Bull Racing garage to have a carbon seat fitted.
A spokesman for Toro Rosso emphasized, however, that it is a normal procedure for the Faenza-based team's drivers.
Verstappen's father, former F1 driver Jos, confirmed on Max's official website: "A seat fitting is really nothing special.
"In this case it is a standard procedure for Toro Rosso drivers.
"It is intended in the event of Max doing demonstrations or show-runs in the future in a Red Bull car.
"Or – and let's hope not – in the case that one of the regular Red Bull drivers needs to be replaced. That's all," Verstappen, 42, added.
Rival doubts McLaren using Manor for advantage
(GMM) An engineer for a rival team has rubbished suggestions McLaren is only supporting Manor in order to gain a self-interested advantage.
Although owed millions by the former Marussia team, McLaren is among the list of major creditors who have agreed to be repaid at a later date so that Manor can bid to return to F1 in 2015.
McLaren is a crucial technology partner of Manor's, in an arrangement that involved the use of the Woking team's wind tunnel.
So when it emerged that McLaren has vowed to keep helping Manor despite the unpaid bills, some suspected that it may simply be a ploy for the grandee British team to benefit from additional wind tunnel time, given the sport's ever-tightening restrictions.
An engineer for a rival team, however, rubbished the theory.
"What benefit to McLaren would the testing of isolated parts on a completely different car be?" the unnamed engineer is quoted by Speed Week.
"Additionally, the FIA monitors any such work in the wind tunnel, so if you recall McLaren's $100 million fine of a few years ago, they would certainly not contemplate doing anything like that."
However, with the Manor race seat alongside Will Stevens still open for 2015, the latest rumor is that a leading candidate to fill it could be Stoffel Vandoorne, the heavily McLaren-backed GP2 driver.
Caterham assets auctions set to go ahead
(GMM) While Marussia pushes hard to return in 2015 as Manor, another ailing backmarker appears to have reached the end of the line.
Early in February, it emerged that Caterham's administrators had appointed an auctioneer to begin arranging for the sale of assets beginning in March.
Indeed, a series of auctions hosted by Wyles Hardy and Co have now been set, beginning in the week of the forthcoming Australian grand prix.
In a definite sign that Caterham's comeback hopes are over, the initial March 11-12 auction will include crucial race and pitlane equipment like wheels, bodywork and components, garage tools and even the 2014-spec race cars.
The starting bid for the car most recently raced by Kamui Kobayashi in Abu Dhabi is 18,000 British pounds.
Further auctions throughout March, April and May are also scheduled.
Carmen Jorda's rivals unhappy with Lotus news
(GMM) Fellow race drivers have reacted with dismay to the identity of Lotus' new F1 development driver.
The Enstone team announced on Thursday that 26-year-old Spanish female driver Carmen Jorda will attend grands prix in 2015, work on the simulator and even test the new E23 car.
Jorda, whose father Jose Miguel was also a racing driver, has raced in F3, Indy Lights and most recently GP3, where in 2012-2014 she finished the championship in 28th, 30th and 29th places respectively.
"It was my dream to drive a formula one car since I was very young," she said on Thursday whilst attending the final Barcelona test.
"Joining Lotus is a big step towards my goal."
However, news that another female driver is now knocking on F1's door did not go down well universally.
In Reuters' media report of the news, correspondent Alan Baldwin noted that, last year, Jorda failed to finish a single race in the top ten, despite the same GP3 car proving "a winner when it was put in the hands of Britain's Dean Stoneman".
And Rob Cregan, who was Jorda's GP3 teammate in 2012, said on Twitter: "Carmen Jorda couldn't develop a roll of film let alone a hybrid F1 car."
He was among many who suspect that her signing is more about her gender, appearance and money.
"F1 is about talent not money and nagging up fake positions," Cregan added.
Another of Jorda's on-track rivals, 2014 GP3 race winner Richie Stanaway, reacted to the news on Twitter simply with the comment "LOL".
And Mitch Evans, GP3's champion of 2012 and a race winner in the F1 feeder series GP2 last year, used his Twitter identity to tell Lotus: "It's not April 1st yet".
Manor Marussia: Energy firm boss is behind team rescue
The main investor behind the revival of the Manor Marussia team is Stephen Fitzpatrick, boss of energy firm Ovo.
Fitzpatrick, 37, has rescued the team that went into administration in October and missed the final three races of last season.
He secured the deal with his personal finance. It is separate from Ovo, where he is founder and chief executive.
Manor Marussia are battling to be ready for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on 15 March.
The former boss of Sainsbury's supermarkets, Justin King, will also be involved in the running of the team but is not an investor.
Manor Marussia have named Englishman Will Stevens as one of their drivers and are expected to announce a second in the coming days.
Sources say Fitzpatrick has had a long-time passion for F1 and desire to get involved.
He had originally been looking at a venture in Formula E, the new all-electric series that is racing in city centers around the world.
Stephen Fitzpatrick of OvoEnergy Born in Northern Ireland, Stephen Fitzpatrick launched his first company in 2001
But when Marussia went into administration in October he saw an opportunity to become involved in F1. The deal has come together in the intervening four months.
Fitzpatrick has arranged deals with Marussia's two biggest creditors, Ferrari and McLaren, to ensure their continued support.
Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene said last week that the team had agreed to supply Manor Marussia with 2014 engines for the forthcoming season.
The team, who raced as Marussia last year and made their debut as Virgin Racing in 2010, have to modify last year's car to meet new safety regulations before they can race this season.
That is a major job that requires the lowering of the front of the chassis above the driver's feet by 5cm and the design and build of a new nose section, which also needs to pass a crash test.
Manor only became aware of the need to do this after the Force India team vetoed their plan to run the basic 2014 car from the start of the season.
However, insiders say that the modified car is now complete and that the only remaining hurdle is for it to pass its mandatory crash test, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday.
The official freight leaves for Melbourne at the end of next week.
Grosjean says lateral impacts a problem
Romain Grosjean says more needs to be done to improve the safety of drivers involved in lateral impacts, following Fernando Alonso's testing accident.
Alonso crashed into the inside wall between Turns 3 and 4 on the final day of last week's pre-season test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The Spaniard spent three nights in hospital before being released, although he is sitting out the final test in a bid to recover for the Australian Grand Prix.
"We can be happy he's OK and left the hospital, and the second thing we can learn is to get the drivers' safety up in a lateral impact," Grosjean said.
Despite the forces involved in the crash, the MP4-30 was returned to the pit lane with relatively minor damage, which Grosjean says highlights the issue.
"That is the problem," the Lotus driver went on to explain. "If you hit sideways, the wishbones and so on are not made to break that way.
"They will not bend; it is carbon so it either breaks or stays in one piece and, if it stays in one piece, the energy has to go somewhere and that is the driver."
Grosjean also spoke of his concerns about the use of artificial grass on the exit of corners.
"I don't know if he went on the astroturf on the exit… I hate that surface because when you get on it either you lose the car or it stays straight," he said.
"There are a few places where you really don't want to go on the astroturf – 130R at Suzuka, and the long Turn 18 in Austin, where they added it last year.
"It is a trade-off between stopping the car leaving the track and safety. But so far it is the best we have."