Latest F1 news in brief – Wednesday (Update)
12/31/14
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Bianchi still unconscious Marussia still owes Timo Glock $1m – source
- Family says Bianchi still unconscious
- 2014 even worse than 'nutcase' 2012 – Grosjean
- Austrian broadcaster ORF rethinks F1 deal
- Verstappen boss denies F1 cars too easy to drive
- McLaren-Honda joins call for engine unfreeze
- Sauber F1 Team announces Raffaele Marciello
- Renault F1's Remi Taffin Says Engine Costs Will Drop Over Time New
- Administrators Investigating chicanery in Caterham F1 Team's Collapse New
Marussia still owes Timo Glock $1m – source
(GMM) The collapsing F1 backmarker Marussia still owes a whopping $1 million to its former driver Timo Glock.
The debt was discovered by the F1 business and Formula Money journalist Christian Sylt in the team's administration documents.
It shows that German driver Glock, who raced for Marussia and its former guise Virgin between 2010 and 2012, is one of the dozens of parties owed the most by the team.
Only Ferrari, McLaren, Pirelli and the hospitality company Freeman's – owed a combined total of $37 million – are owed more.
All together, Marussia owes almost $50 million to creditors, but administrator Geoff Rowley told the Telegraph that they "will suffer a significant shortfall" even though the team's assets are being auctioned.
After leaving Marussia and F1 at the end of 2012, Glock became a works BMW driver in the German touring car series DTM.
Family says Bianchi still unconscious
(GMM) Jules Bianchi is still unconscious, his family has revealed in a statement.
"Jules' neurological status remains unchanged," his family announced in an end-of-year medical update. "He is unconscious but able to breathe unaided.
"Whilst there is no significant information to report, we take a great deal of comfort from the fact that Jules continues to fight, as we knew he would, and this has enabled the medical professionals caring for him to commence the planned, but very painstaking, program of rehabilitation therapy," the statement added.
Last month, 25-year-old Bianchi was moved from the hospital in Japan to one in his native France, which parents Philippe and Christine said was "significant and very comforting".
Initially in the Nice university hospital's intensive care unit, Bianchi is now being cared for in the rehabilitation centre.
Earlier in December, former F1 driver Patrick Tambay was critical of the governing FIA's report which blamed Bianchi for the Suzuka crash.
Now, the Frenchman has told RMC Sport: "We must not point the finger at Jules.
"Everyone has been silent on this matter, but as the family cannot speak about it, we need to speak for them," he added.
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| 2014 was a difficult year for Romain Grosjean |
2014 even worse than 'nutcase' 2012 – Grosjean
(GMM) Romain Grosjean says this year was even more difficult than the 2012 season, when he was branded F1's 'first lap nutcase' and had to serve a race ban.
The French driver, who will stay at Lotus next year for a fourth consecutive campaign, scored a mere handful of points in 2014 as the Enstone team struggled with a poor and underpowered car.
Grosjean told RMC Sport: "This was the most difficult year of my career psychologically."
That is despite the 28-year-old having to engage the help of a psychologist after 2012, when he almost lost his seat due to a season of erratic driving and mistakes.
"In 2012," he explained, "it was clearly about me and some stupid things I did. But this year I did a very good performance but it was not visible because of the car.
"This was also the first year that I was the team leader, so I was trying to understand and point everyone in the right direction and it took a lot of energy," said Grosjean.
Towards the end of the season, Grosjean declared that he could escape from his Lotus contract and switch to a top team, but he instead re-signed for Lotus.
"In sports," he explained, "it is always easier to support someone who is successful than someone who is in a difficult moment.
"But I think the numbers, compared to my teammate (Pastor Maldonado), speak for me.
"When you're not on the podium, it is easy for people to ask questions, but we live in a sport that is hugely dependent on the car," Grosjean said.
He is therefore hoping Lotus can produce a better one for 2015.
"It's always difficult to know before winter testing," he said. "This year, we thought we had a very good car because the aerodynamic numbers were excellent.
"By the third lap on the track, we knew it was not a good car.
"We already know that the Mercedes engine is more advanced, efficient and easier to use than the Renault, so that will help us to have a better car too.
"I hope very much to drink champagne on the podium again next year, but 2015 will be a good year anyway as my second child will arrive in mid-May," Grosjean revealed.
Austrian broadcaster ORF rethinks F1 deal
(GMM) Another German-language F1 broadcaster is rethinking its commitment to the sport.
Earlier this month, Germany's RTL blamed F1's "incomprehensible rules" and "counterproductive external representations" for a significant ratings decline this year.
And now, the Austrian broadcaster ORF is also rethinking its formula one commitment, according to the Austrian news agency APA.
"My position on this is clear," said Richard Grasl, ORF's finance director.
"I think what makes more sense than the formula one expenditure is to develop Austrian creativity and therefore fund more films and series.
"The formula one ratings are not bad," he explained, "but they have declined in the German realm. We will examine each case very closely."
ORF's contract with F1 runs until 2016. It is rumored the Red Bull-owned Austrian broadcaster Servus TV could be a potential alternative.
Verstappen boss denies F1 cars too easy to drive
(GMM) Franz Tost has hit back at claims today's F1 cars are too easy to drive.
In 2015, the Toro Rosso chief will be working with the sport's controversial new driver Max Verstappen, who at 17 is easily the youngest rookie in the sport's history.
1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has denounced the young Dutchman as a "child", and his impending grand prix debut an "insult".
"It seems that anyone can drive an F1 car (now), while in my father's day the drivers were considered heroes at the wheel of almost impossible monsters," he told Italy's Omnicorse.
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| Jaime Alguersuari become's latest to hit out at F1's technical regulations |
A former Toro Rosso driver, Jaime Alguersuari, agrees, saying that the latest generation of F1 car has made the sport "accessible to anyone".
"When I came in, it was inaccessible. Even a test was grueling and you would have to adapt your driving over many months," he told Marca sports newspaper.
"Those who came in were special. Now, F1 is a big (Renault) World Series, with harder tires and heavier cars with less downforce and speed," added Alguersuari, who is now a driver in the new Formula E series.
But Verstappen's team boss, Tost, does not agree with the sorts of opinions espoused by Villeneuve and Alguersuari.
"Technically speaking," he told verstappen.nl, "F1 is more complicated than ever.
"The drivers need to adjust the brake balance before every corner and the engine settings on all the straights as well as use the battery for the energy recovery system and set up the power unit for overtaking maneuvers.
"Basically the drivers need to do much more in the cockpit whereas driving the cars is just as challenging as before," Tost insisted.
He also hit back at claims Verstappen, who doesn't even qualify for a road car license in his native Holland, is too young and inexperienced for F1.
"For someone like Max, the racing track has been his school," said Austrian Tost.
"It's pretty much where he grew up so he already has loads of racing experience. Also, he's part of a computer generation that is used to pushing many buttons and changing settings on the steering wheel all the time," he added.
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| Eric Boullier |
McLaren-Honda joins call for engine unfreeze
(GMM) Honda has finally declared its position on the controversial 'engine freeze' in F1.
As Mercedes utterly dominated the first season of the radical new turbo V6 era this year, rivals Ferrari and Renault-powered Red Bull made clear their desire to ease the tight limits on in-season engine development.
Joining the three engine makers in F1 next year is Honda, who will provide works power to the famous British team McLaren.
Until now, McLaren's position on the freeze has been less clear, but team boss Eric Boullier has now declared that he believes engine development should be freer.
And Honda's F1 chief Yasuhisa Arai is quoted by Speed Week: "Engineers and fans have one thing in common, which is their desire for competition.
"This is only possible if parts can be developed," he added.
Sauber F1 Team announces Raffaele Marciello
The Sauber F1 Team is pleased to announce Raffaele Marciello as its test and reserve driver for 2015. The 20-year-old Italian started his racing career in karting in 2005. After winning several championships he moved up to single seater racing. In 2013 he won the European F3 Championship with 13 wins. One year later he competed in the GP2 series, where he won the main race in Spa-Francorchamps and clinched another two podiums to finish eighth overall.
Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal:
"We are pleased to announce Raffaele Marciello as our test and reserve driver for the 2015 season. He proved his great talent in junior formulas, and his season in the European Formula 3 Championship with 13 wins and the title victory was particularly impressive. We will give Raffaele the opportunity to become familiar with Formula One, which also includes him taking part in some free practice sessions on Friday. It's great for our team to be part of his way to Formula One."
Raffaele Marciello:
"I am really pleased to become a member of the Sauber F1 Team, which has a long tradition of building up excellent drivers. I really think that this is the best choice for my future career. I am also happy to compete for one more season in the GP2 Series, which, together with my new F1 role, will give me a very busy 2015 season. I want to thank the Ferrari Driver Academy for giving me this important opportunity, and now I really can't wait to start delivering my best."
Raffaele "Lello" Marciello
Date/Place of birth 17th December 1994 / Zurich (Switzerland)
Nationality Italian
Website www.raffaelemarciello.com
Height / Weight 1.86 m / 71 kg
Career:
2014
GP2 Series, 8th overall, one win, two 3rd places
2013
FIA European F3 Champion (13 wins)
2012
FIA European F3 Championship, 2nd place overall , 8 wins, Winner Grand Prix do Pau
2011
Italian Formula 3 Championship, 3rd place overall
2010
Formula Abarth, 3rd place overall; since 2010 Ferrari Driver Academy
2005 – 2009
Karting,
2008 Champions Cup Winner,
2005 Swiss Champion,
2004 Winner European Bridgestone Cup,
2003 Swiss Champion
Renault F1's Remi Taffin Says Engine Costs Will Drop Over Time
Renault Sport F1 Head of Track Operations Remi Taffin said that calls to "change the engine regulations overlook the fact that costs will drop over the coming years," according to CRASH. Caterham and Marussia both went into administration during '14, and "with a number of other teams struggling financially the cost of the new V6 turbo power units was blamed as the primary cause."
As a result, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner "has been vocal in calling for a change in engine regulations," as has F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone. However, Taffin "disagrees that the price of the current power units will remain so high."
When asked if the "cheapest way forward was to stick with the V6 engine regulations in the expectation of costs reducing over time," Taffin replied, "That's what is going to happen, it's inevitable." Crash.net
Administrators Investigating chicanery in Caterham F1 Team's Collapse
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| Finbarr O'Connell |
Administrators trying to save Caterham "are investigating possible chicanery in the weeks leading up to the Formula One team's financial collapse," according to Kevin Eason of the LONDON TIMES.
In a "damning assessment" of the team's finances, Finbarr O'Connell, leading the administrators from Smith & Williamson, confirmed that "the sole director in charge of the Caterham business when it went under was a retired footballer, Constantin Cojocar, who was the factory cleaner."
O'Connell claimed that when he telephoned Cojocar to request meetings, "he turned out to be in Germany working for Colin Kolles, the mysterious Romanian dentist turned team principal who has wafted in and out of F1 for the past decade." O'Connell's report to the High Court said that Caterham's financial affairs were “in total disarray," with records out of date and inaccurate.
The report said, "Assets had been appropriated by various parties. We strongly suspect there had been improper activity and we are currently investigating this." Only now "is the full state of affairs being dragged into the spotlight in reports filed before Christmas, and it appears that both teams were operating on a wing and prayer." Marussia "hit the buffers" owing $49M. London Times