Latest F1 news in brief – Saturday (Update)
03/29/14
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Horner: Fuel flow meters do nothing to improve the sport FIA rules out scrapping fuel flow sensors
- Conspiracy theorists leap on F1 criticism
- Ecclestone working hard to turn up the volume
- Rosberg admits team orders 'inevitable'
- Heavy drivers deliberately dehydrating – Button
- Maldonado still smiling despite disastrous Friday for Lotus
- Mercedes fixes flaw in Hamilton's failed engine
- Horner: F1 needs to scrap fuel flow meters New
- Vettel: We can win if it rains New
FIA rules out scrapping fuel flow sensors
(GMM) F1's governing body has ruled out scrapping the new rule limiting fuel flow.
With Red Bull already appealing its Daniel Ricciardo disqualification and then encountering more problems with the new mandatory Gill sensor in Malaysia, team boss Christian Horner has called on the FIA to simply scrap the rule.
"F1 is a sport and when technology becomes too prevalent and confuses fans and teams it is not good," he said at Sepang.
Horner added that, with all the millions at stake in F1, it is "not good enough" for a misbehaving sensor to be causing so much trouble.
He proposes F1 should simply "get rid of" the 100 kilogram per hour rule, and with it the troublesome and expensive sensors.
The FIA, however, insists it will not be going down that path. In a complex media briefing at Sepang, the federation's engine expert Fabrice Lom said getting rid of the sensors would be "dangerous".
Auto Motor und Sport quotes him as saying that, without the fuel flow limit, the new turbo V6 engines would be capable of up to 2000 horse power.
"Some cars would start the race at full power and then slow down and save fuel," said Lom, "while others would do it the other way around.
"It would result in huge speed differences at any one time, which is far too dangerous."
For now, the bottom line is that if Red Bull behaves just as it did in Melbourne two weeks ago, a RB10 driven by Ricciardo or world champion Sebastian Vettel could once again be disqualified hours after the race.
"Hopefully it (the Gill sensor) will behave for the rest of the weekend," Horner said at Sepang.
"If it doesn't then we will find ourselves in an awkward situation."
Conspiracy theorists leap on F1 criticism
(GMM) Amid all the moaning about F1's lower volume, the conspiracy theorists are now beginning to raise their voices in the F1 paddock.
Bernie Ecclestone has been the staunchest critic of the sound being made by F1's new turbo V6s, causing some to wonder if he is deliberating trying to devalue the sport.
"He will then orchestrate the purchase of the majority share in the business at a reduced price and remain in charge for the rest of eternity," proposed one such theorist, Daily Mail correspondent Jonathan McEvoy.
McEvoy, however, is not alone.
Also vocally critical of the new, greener and quieter F1 has been Red Bull magnate Dietrich Mateschitz.
Michael Schmidt, the Auto Motor und Sport correspondent, asked Ecclestone in Malaysia if he thinks the Austrian billionaire might also be trying to drive F1's price down ahead of an audacious takeover bid.
"No idea," the F1 chief executive responded.
The logic of the takeover rumors are obvious, given the ferocity with which known allies including Ecclestone, Mateschitz and world champion Sebastian Vettel have been slamming the new F1.
But Christian Horner, although also in the Red Bull camp and constantly touted as a potential long-term successor to Ecclestone, seemed to count himself out of the conspiracy.
"It (F1) is Bernie's product and he has to sell it. F1 isn't rubbish," the Briton is quoted by The Times newspaper.
But Ecclestone hit back: "May I remind you that this is not my product. I did not want this, so you can't blame me."
Also asked by Schmidt if he is aware his criticism could be driving down F1's takeover price, Ecclestone responded: "I'm not happy with what we have now.
"Why do we have these rules? Because they were written by engineers.
"Don't get me wrong, these engines are wonderful pieces of engineering. But I don't think it's what the sport needed."
Ecclestone working hard to turn up the volume
(GMM) If a question ever requires a cool answer, reporters flock to 'iceman' Kimi Raikkonen.
The tamer tones of this year's turbo V6s is the hottest topic at sweltering Sepang, but the Finn just shrugged when asked the inevitable question.
"It (the sound) has changed a bit, but not much — the volume is just a little lower," he told the Spanish sports daily AS.
Indeed, the rumblings in the F1 paddock have often made more noise even than the screaming V8 and V10s that many are now professing to miss so much.
For instance, when Dietrich Mateschitz complained about the 'new' F1, some conspiracy theorists concluded that he might be driving down the sport's price ahead of an audacious takeover bid.
And perhaps he is only complaining because his team, reigning world champions Red Bull Racing, is struggling.
"That's nothing to do with it," F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, another fierce critic of the V6 sound, told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.
"He (Mateschitz) is just a racer. And don't forget that he is also the promoter of the Austrian grand prix. His concerns are legitimate," he added.
Whatever the real story behind the conspiracies, Ecclestone professes to be working hard to turn up F1's volume.
"I asked (Stefano) Domenicali if we can make the engines sound like they were," he said at Sepang on Friday, having heard the V6s for real for the very first time.
"He (Domenicali) doesn't know," Ecclestone is quoted by The Times. "I asked him to check with his engineers."
The 83-year-old said he is worried race promoters, sponsors and spectators may race away from F1.
But Lotus driver Romain Grosjean thinks the sport should give its all-new formula a bit more time.
"At the moment we are at 12, 13,000 rpm with the engines. I think later when we are using 14,000, the noise will be a little higher," he is quoted by France's RMC.
And Adrian Sutil, for one, quite likes the sound of 2014.
"The sound is more pleasant that the scream of the other (V8) engines," the Sauber driver told German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung.
"I think it's also more interesting now because you can hear a difference between the Ferrari, the Mercedes, the Renault."
World champion Sebastian Vettel, on the other hand, thinks the turbo V6 noise is "shit", and his Red Bull colleague Dr Helmut Marko agrees.
"For many people, motor sport was a last bit of freedom in a totally regimented world," he said.
Ecclestone admits that, if he had his way, the cars would be hurriedly retrofitted with V8s.
"Technically, it would be no problem," he told Auto Motor und Sport. "But the manufacturers would have to admit they made a mistake after investing a lot of money.
"And Honda couldn't come back because they don't have a V8," Ecclestone admitted.
Honda, however, would not be the only departure, according to Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda.
"If we still had the V8," he insists, "Ferrari, Renault and ourselves would no longer be here.
"The FIA decided five years ago that we need to move with the times and have a pioneering technology.
"The promoters who are complaining now are only putting pressure on Bernie over their (race fee) prices. But if the racing is exciting, the discussion about the sound will be gone in three races," he predicted.
Red Bull's Marko, however, questions the politics of Lauda's appreciation of the milder engine note.
"Niki likes the new sound because his cars are winning," he said.
Rosberg admits team orders 'inevitable'
(GMM) A year ago, the Malaysian grand prix sparked the infamous 'Multi 21' team orders scandal.
But behind the Mark Webber versus Sebastian Vettel shenanigans, team orders were also afoot at Mercedes.
Late in the race, Nico Rosberg was quicker than Lewis Hamilton at Sepang, but in order to safeguard a sure podium rather than risk it over a wheel-to-wheel battle, Mercedes issued a 'hold station' order.
That sparked a controversy of its own, but team chairman Niki Lauda insists there will be no team order repeat in 2014, despite the fact championship leader Rosberg and Hamilton might now be dueling for the win.
"For me, there are no more team orders. They're free to race," the great Austrian told Switzerland's Blick newspaper.
German Rosberg, the winner in Melbourne, agrees that there will be no repeat of Sepang 2013 in Malaysia this time around.
"This year, we are here to race. That is the clear message and you will see it on the track," he is quoted by Le Figaro.
Rosberg added: "At the same time, we know there will be times when there could be team orders. It's inevitable.
"But we've discussed it and we know where we stand," he insisted.
And, anyway, the Mercedes drivers might not have the luxury of fighting only amongst themselves for victory, as the competition appears closer to the pace in Malaysia than it was in Melbourne.
Rosberg, speaking to Germany's Sport1, agrees: "Melbourne has never been a good guide. It (the pecking order) is always a bit messed up there."
Heavy drivers deliberately dehydrating – Button
(GMM) F1 drivers are deliberately dehydrating in order to get their weight down at grand prix weekends.
That is the claim of the experienced McLaren driver Jenson Button, who said drivers are so desperate to be lighter that they are cutting out food and water even at sweltering Sepang.
"I am sure they are dehydrating themselves because that is what I was going to do — go in a sauna, steam room, not drink or eat until after qualifying," he is quoted in Malaysia by the Mirror newspaper.
"I was going to do it and did all year until now, but it is a shame for the guys who have to do it."
Button admitted he has "luckily" managed to get his weight down to a point at which he is no longer worried about the sport's 692kg car-plus-driver minimum.
The problem of driver weight has been amplified for 2014 given the much heavier turbo V6 'power units'.
"It's hardcore what people are doing," agreed Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.
"You can go into qualifying a little bit dehydrated. I heard someone was doing that, exhausting themselves," he added.
Button revealed that, until he got his weight down, he was not eating any carbohydrates, including bread.
Hamilton said: "You don't want drivers being anorexic."
Maldonado still smiling despite disastrous Friday for Lotus
"It never rains, but it pours" is a saying that is perfectly applicable to Lotus F1 Team in 2014. Following a difficult 2013 season that was blighted by a number of financial problems and public disputes, the team is now in the process of restructuring and rebuilding in order to try and return to the front of the field.
However, after a terrible weekend in Australia that saw Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean qualify last and both retire from the race, the team’s fortunes have failed to improve on Friday in Malaysia.
Romain Grosjean completed just 18 laps on Friday, but his first run was brought to an early end when his car stopped out on track. Having also been hit with a problem on his car, Maldonado eventually came out towards the end of FP1, only for the E22 to start spewing smoke from its engine before eventually coming to a halt on pit entry.
Despite not posting a time, Maldonado remains optimistic about what the team can do, but did not make any secret of his struggles.
"Well we have had so many problems today," he admitted. "We’ve been stuck in the garage and have not even been able to complete a lap. But that’s just the way it is!
"Since the pre-season we’ve had quite a few problems around the power unit, and again today – it’s not what we want but we just need to accept it and work a lot harder than the others.
"I think the team is doing quite well and is working very hard, but the power unit is very complicated. However we need to be strong together and keep pushing."
Grosjean did manage to post a lap time in FP2, albeit 2.6 seconds behind pace-setter Nico Rosberg and ahead only of the Marussia and Caterham drivers.
It’s a far cry from the team that won a race in 2013 and scored podiums on a regular basis, and it will be interesting to see just whether or not the British outfit can return to such heights in 2014 in the face of such adversity.
Mercedes fixes flaw in Hamilton's failed engine
(GMM) The part that caused Lewis Hamilton's retirement in Australia was worth less than a single euro.
Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports that the only issue with the British driver's Mercedes engine was a small hole in the rubbery insulation of a spark plug.
Hamilton's engine subsequently dropped from six to five functioning cylinders, and so the Brackley team asked him to retire in order to protect the unit from further damage.
"I was sent a photo of the part on the plane home on Sunday night," the team's engine boss Andy Cowell said. "It was pretty frustrating!"
Mercedes has subsequently changed the process with which the insulation is manufactured, after discovering that the original method often resulted in almost invisible cracks.
"Now the parts are made by injection molding, which produces no seams," said Cowell.
He added that when the newly-manufactured parts were retrofitted to all the 2014 engines in the days after Australia, half a dozen seals with tiny cracks were discovered and discarded.
The engine used by Hamilton in Australia, now featuring a new seal, was fitted to the 2008 world champion's W05 for Sepang practice.
"Before we tested it, I was 90 per cent sure it would be ok," said Cowell. "After the sessions, I added a few more per cent to that."
Hamilton will continue to use the engine for the qualifying session – which was delayed for typically-heavy monsoonal rain – and the race on Sunday.
Horner: F1 needs to scrap fuel flow meters
Red Bull boss Christian Horner urged F1 to scrap complicated fuel-flow rules that saw Daniel Ricciardo stripped of second place in Melbourne, as the Australian hit similar trouble Friday.
Horner said policing the newly introduced limit on fuel flow, or rate of fuel use, "confuses even the teams" and should be axed with teams simply given a cap of 100 kilos (about 135 liters, 35 gallons) per race.
He was speaking after Ricciardo's fuel sensor again played up in practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix, meaning Red Bull may be faced with the same dilemma which caused them problems in Australia.
"It's kept Formula One in the news for 10 days. Ultimately is it good for the sport? No, because it's too complicated," Horner told reporters at the Sepang circuit.
"I think Formula One is a sport and it needs to remain a sport and when technology becomes too prevalent and too involved, and it confuses the fans, it confuses even the teams, it's too much.
"And I think that's where we need to be a little bit careful."
Widespread rules changes this year include a 100 kilo (about 135 liters, 36 gallons) cap on fuel as well as a fuel-flow limit of 100 kilos per hour, designed to encourage steady use of fuel.
Red Bull insist Ricciardo's car kept to the correct fuel flow, saying a faulty FIA sensor wrongly showed it broke the limit. Their appeal will be held in Paris on April 14.
"I think we need to look at a more robust system," Horner said, adding that he had raised his concerns with technical officials.
"In many respects I think personally it would be easier to get rid of it and just say, 'You've got 100 kilos, use it how you like but that's all you've got'."
Horner said some teams were buying "boxes" of the sensors, which cost 15,000 pounds ($25,000) to buy and calibrate, and testing them all to find out which gave the most advantageous readings.
Red Bull replaced Ricciardo's sensor for Friday's second practice session and if that also does not "behave", they will have talks with race officials to avoid a repeat of Australia.
"Hopefully we can agree something that's sensible," Horner said.
Vettel: We can win if it rains
Sebastian Vettel insists Mercedes' obvious advantage over the rest of the field will count for nothing if the rain returns on Sunday after qualifying alongside Lewis Hamilton on the front row.
Vettel overcame an issue in Q1, which required an entire reboot of his car, and ended up splitting the Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in the wet. In the morning's dry FP3 session Mercedes had shown the huge advantage it has over the rest, but Vettel is convinced the race is there to be won, especially if it rains once again.
"I think we always have a chance to beat everyone," Vettel said. "That's why we are here. In terms of package, [Mercedes] has the most competitive package. It's difficult to beat them on the day but it isn't impossible. You don't come here to finish second, or fifth, or eighth, we come here to win. We know that in the rain anything is possible but didn't know how we would do in qualifying. They may be faster on a dry day but maybe performance is less important in the wet as it is in the dry. We will see what happens tomorrow, we all race at the same time and we know there is rain forecast. Yesterday was good, today was very good. I haven't done a race since Brazil last year so I'm looking forward to it."
Vettel may well have had one more crack at pole in the dying moments of qualifying but did not cross the line in time, after running wide when Rosberg passed him on the final corner while preparing for a flying lap of his own. Though upset with the move Vettel admits the conditions made life incredibly difficult in Q3.
"Nico couldn't see much in his mirrors I guess! I was on a flying lap and Nico was preparing his hot lap and then not much happened. I was pissed off at that time as I didn't know where to pull in because I couldn't see anything going into Turn 12."