Latest F1 news in brief – Thursday (Update)
11/27/14
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Vettel to learn Italian wait for Ferrari success Vergne announces Toro Rosso exit
- European Commission 'looking into' F1
- F1 votes on rule changes for 2015 season
- 'No panic' after disastrous Honda test debut
- Mercedes caught Ferrari 'spy' in Abu Dhabi
- Schumacher 'sits in the sun' – magazine
- Vettel to take Italian language lessons – report
- Rosberg 'not angry' with Mercedes after title loss
- Pirelli pleased with reaction to 2015 tires
- Vettel prepared to wait for Ferrari success New
Vergne announces Toro Rosso exit
(GMM) Jean-Eric Vergne has announced his departure from Toro Rosso.
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| Jean-Eric Vergne |
On Twitter, the Red Bull-owned junior team's driver for the past three seasons said: "Despite a good season and 22 points, I'll not drive anymore for Toro Rosso in 2015.
"Thanks for those years. Let's go for another big challenge," the 24-year-old Frenchman added.
Speaking later to the French broadcaster Canal Plus, Vergne gave little away about his plans for 2015 and beyond.
"All I can say is that I am working very hard with a lot of people who want to help me make a good plan for 2015 and 2016," he said.
"This year, I have learned what mistakes not to repeat and so I will try to return to F1 and I think I have good chances.
"With the Toro Rosso people who said they wanted to keep me, it gave a lot of hope not only for those who believe in me but also myself," Vergne added.
It is expected that Red Bull-backed junior Carlos Sainz Jr, the new Formula Renault 3.5 champion, will replace Vergne at Toro Rosso and race alongside fellow rookie Max Verstappen in 2015.
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| Bernie Ecclestone knows the fallout from the F1 financial crisis is just beginning |
European Commission 'looking into' F1
(GMM) The European Commission (EC) is now looking into potential anti-competition breaches within formula one, according to international media reports.
Following British politician Anneliese Dodds' recent letter, Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said she met this week in Strasbourg with the EC's competition commissioner to "exchange ideas".
Dodds' letter had raised concerns not only about the inequitable distribution of power and wealth among F1's biggest teams, but also the regulatory body FIA having taken a 1.06 per cent stake in the sport's commercial rights.
After the Strasbourg meeting, a source close to the situation told F1 business journalist Christian Sylt: "She (Dodds) was encouraged to see that the commissioner was taking an interest in the issue and had promised to look into it in more detail.
"The commissioner has said that she will write back formally to Anneliese's letter spelling out exactly what the commission's view is on this," the source is quoted by Forbes.
An EC spokesperson confirmed it had received Dodds' letter.
F1 votes on rule changes for 2015 season
(GMM) F1 has moved to scrap the highly controversial double points system ahead of the 2015 season.
Bernie Ecclestone's innovation, designed to keep spice in the championship fight until the final corners of the season, has been furiously unpopular.
So at meetings of the Strategy Group and the F1 Commission in Geneva this week, votes to scrap the awarding of double points in next year's title finale were upheld, according to multiple authoritative international media reports.
The change will be ratified by the World Motor Sport in Qatar next week.
Also agreed to be scrapped for 2015 was the similarly controversial plan for in-race grid restarts after safety car periods.
And after the sport's 2015 engine suppliers Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Honda could not agree on a way forward, the current development 'freeze' regulations will continue to be enforced next season.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, however, insists that the 'freeze' war is not yet over.
"I think whilst probably not a lot can be done for 2015, an awful lot can be done for 2016," he said last week in Abu Dhabi.
It has also emerged that the controversial new restrictions on radio communications between drivers and their engineers will be dropped for 2015, Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said.
And a proposal by struggling Caterham that it be allowed to run its 2014 car and engine next year was reportedly also discussed during this week's F1 meetings.
As for the plight of the sport's other struggling small teams, the meetings offered no final solutions but a new meeting of team bosses for December 18 was scheduled.
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| Eric Boullier says there's "no reason to panic." We just don't believe him |
'No panic' after disastrous Honda test debut
(GMM) Before departing Abu Dhabi, boss Eric Boullier told Spanish television Movistar the British team has "no reason to panic".
However, it has been a disastrous two test days at the Yas Marina circuit for McLaren.
It had brought an interim 2014 car to the post-race test fitted with the brand new Honda 'power unit', as the partners prepare for the beginning of their works collaboration in 2015.
It is expected that Fernando Alonso will be the star driver.
But at the test, it was the in-house youngster Stoffel Vandoorne charged with driving duties. Over two days, the Belgian did not complete a single timed lap.
Honda's F1 chief Yasuhisa Arai, however, insisted he is not worried.
"The positive is that we know that basically everything works as it should," he told Speed Week. "The energy recovery works. What did not work is the electronics.
"But I maintain that the engine itself is good," the Japanese added.
"These power units are incredibly complex," Arai continued. "We need to find out in detail what went wrong, but that is the job of the engineer — to solve problems."
Officially, the next time the Honda engine will be run on track is next February at the Jerez test, mere weeks before the performance specification is 'frozen' for the 2015 season by the governing FIA.
But Speed Week said it is possible the interim car will be run before the official winter test season, during another 'filming day'.
Arai continued: "We believe we have done our homework and the hardware is healthy. Four months until Australia will be enough to be fit for the season.
"We strive to have a good place on the grid in Melbourne."
Mercedes caught Ferrari 'spy' in Abu Dhabi
(GMM) Mercedes thwarted a Ferrari 'spy' during the post-race Abu Dhabi test on Wednesday.
Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport and the German newspaper Bild published photographs of the blonde female Ferrari employee using an infrared video camera.
Wearing Ferrari team gear, she was using the camera in the spectator area immediately above the Mercedes team garage.
The reports said a member of the championship-winning Mercedes team went into the spectator area to ask his Ferrari counterpart to stop filming.
Asked what mission the 'spy' had been on, Ferrari told Bild: "Nothing special."
Schumacher 'sits in the sun' – magazine
(GMM) A German lifestyle magazine is being criticized for publishing a photo of Michael Schumacher on the cover of its latest issue.
Media insiders say the photo of the F1 legend, wearing sunglasses and a black winter jacket, may appear initially to be the first look at Schumacher since his horror skiing accident eleven months ago.
It is on the cover of the German magazine 'Die Aktuelle' – meaning 'current' or 'up-to-date' in German – and accompanied by the headline: "What luck!
"Michael Schumacher sits in the sun!" it announced.
The German newsmagazine Focus described the cover and caption as 'deceptive', as the photo dates back long before Schumacher sustained his head injury last December.
Die Aktuelle claims Schumacher is now able to sit in a wheelchair and is "pushed onto the terrace by Corinna on mild autumn days".
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| "Bellissimo!!!!," says Sebastian Vettel, who seems to be embracing his move to Ferrari. |
Vettel to take Italian language lessons – report
(GMM) Sebastian Vettel will take private lessons in Italian as he gets up to speed with life at Ferrari.
After racing a Red Bull for the last time last Sunday, the German stayed in Abu Dhabi for the post-race test and appeared in the Ferrari garage in plain clothing.
As he is still under contract to the energy drink company for the rest of 2014, Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko said the appearance was "legally not ok but I couldn't care less".
That might be because Red Bull went back on an earlier pledge to Vettel that he be allowed to drive the 2014 Ferrari this week in Abu Dhabi.
"Two weeks ago, everything was clear," Vettel is quoted by Italy's Tuttosport. "Then Adrian Newey said no."
Marko explained to the Swiss newspaper Blick: "When Vettel asked me if he could test the Ferrari in Abu Dhabi, I said ok but that I would have to ask the engineers.
"They (the engineers) all complained!"
Vettel's first lap as a Ferrari driver is now expected to be at Jerez next February, as the 2015 winter tests kick off.
Until then, the quadruple world champion will be taking lessons in Italian, according to the sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"Language is very important to me," said the German, "so I want to understand everyone at Ferrari as well as I can."
Vettel already speaks some Italian, after making his F1 debut in 2007 and 2008 with the Faenza based junior Red Bull team Toro Rosso.
Rosberg 'not angry' with Mercedes after title loss
(GMM) Nico Rosberg insists he is "not angry" with Mercedes after technical trouble ended his world championship hopes last Sunday.
The German was running behind eventual title winner Lewis Hamilton in the double points Abu Dhabi finale when technical strife began to slow his car.
Days later, the 2014 runner-up told Germany's Auto Bild: "I'm not angry with the team. Why would I be angry?
"First, it's just not the way I am. You win and lose together as a team.
"Second, Mercedes has given me by far the best car in my formula one career," said the 29-year-old, who made his debut back in 2006 with Williams.
"When this first disappointment has passed, I will look forward again," Rosberg added. "I even have a plan already as I know the details of where I need to improve in the races."
Rosberg won five races this year compared to Hamilton's 11. According to Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, the right driver won the 2014 title.
"Lewis deserves the championship," the Briton told Austrian broadcaster Servus TV this week. "He won 11 races this year.
"It would not have been right if someone else won the championship," he added, explaining that only the controversial 'double points' system gave Rosberg a serious chance of breaching the points gap at the last hurdle.
"The bottom line is you have to say that we got the correct result. If you look at the whole season, the right man is world champion," said Horner.
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| Pirelli ran new tires at the Abu Dhabi test |
Pirelli pleased with reaction to 2015 tires
Pirelli says it is "very pleased" with the feedback it has received from drivers over the new 2015 tires it brought to this week's Abu Dhabi test.
Teams were allocated 135 sets of tires for testing purposes in 2014, but Pirelli replaced 10 of those with the 2015 rubber for the final test at the Yas Marina Circuit.
The Italian manufacturer supplied the Super Soft, Soft and Medium compounds, with all teams trying the new tires at some point over the two-day test.
"We've been very pleased to hear the initial impressions from the drivers of our new tires, which suggest that the improvements we have aimed for are already taking effect," said Pirelli Motorsport Director Paul Hembery.
"We've made a few small alterations: in particular to the belt area of the rear tire that sits in the footprint. This new construction optimizes the temperature distribution through the tire in order to distribute heat more evenly, which should lead to more consistent performance and better traction.
"We've also got a new Super Soft compound on the rear, which is designed to improve mechanical resistance."
Hembery added that he expects to see the same number of pit-stops next season, even though there is an element of uncertainty over how the tires will be affected by winter performance gains.
"Our objectives with the 2015 tires remain the same as they have always been: to provide between two and three pit-stops per race," Hembery went on to explain.
"One of the biggest factors will be the way that the cars improve: we're expecting to see cars that are a second per lap or more faster than the 2014 cars next year, and this obviously will impact on tire behavior."
Vettel prepared to wait for Ferrari success
(GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he is not expecting to race a winning Ferrari in 2015.
After winning four titles on the trot, the German notably struggled this year, and not just because of Red Bull's struggles with the Renault engine.
He was also soundly beaten by new teammate Daniel Ricciardo, and the situation gave Vettel pause to begin looking around for a change of scene.
"It wasn't a decision I made overnight," he told the German newspaper Welt on Thursday.
"After the disappointing results of the first half of the season it became a possibility that I could leave Red Bull," said Vettel, undoubtedly referring to performance-related exit clauses in his contract.
"So this led to more detailed discussions with Ferrari. The interest was there. I think the timing was just right with everything," he added.
However, he is arriving at Ferrari – undoubtedly the sport's most iconic and important name – amid a period of great turmoil for the Maranello marque.
He replaces Fernando Alonso, arguably F1's most highly rated driver who after five title-less years in red finally lost patience with the increasingly tumultuous situation and is now set to return to McLaren.
Vettel said: "I am not fooling myself that we will be able to take on Mercedes next year.
"I am very aware that we at Ferrari have a big job coming up that will take time — especially when Mercedes has such a huge competitive advantage."
But he said he is confident he will not emulate Alonso's failure to add another title to his tally even after an extended period of trying with Ferrari.
"Every change is a step into the unknown," said Vettel, "and therefore a risk. But I thought a lot about this decision before taking it.
"If I was not convinced that I can be successful there, I would not be doing it."
He is not, however, prepared to set any deadlines, having committed to Ferrari for at least an initial three-year period.
"At first," said the 27-year-old, "I just want to prove that it was the right decision — for Ferrari and for me. That will take some time."