Latest F1 news in brief – Friday (Update)
02/28/14
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Red Bull and Renault have failed Sebastian Vettel. He won't be winning a 5th straight title to tie Schumacher’s consecutive record Red Bull looks to 'survive' Melbourne
- Raikkonen unsure of Ferrari engine disadvantage
- Law change puts London GP back in F1 headlines
- Police to arrest Force India sponsor Sahara chief
- Lotus to revert to old spec exhaust
- Pirelli tries thermometer stickers
- Video: Serious problems for Red Bull New
- Renault asks for engine freeze extension New
- Mercedes signs Petrov for DTM New
- Power unit issues impacting on Pirelli New
Red Bull looks to 'survive' Melbourne
(GMM) Crisis-struck Red Bull is hoping to merely "survive" the looming first race of the 2014 season.
The reigning world champion team looked to have taken a step forward as the final pre-season test began on Thursday in Bahrain.
At the wheel of the troubled Renault-powered RB10, Daniel Ricciardo had a promising morning — until the latest technical problems left him stranded in the garage for most of the rest of the entire test day.
Afterwards, the Australian was his usual upbeat self.
"From the outside, it looks like we are not doing many laps and that the times are not good," he is quoted by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.
"But as a team we are confident that we will be with the frontrunners (in 2014)," Ricciardo insisted.
"It is difficult to really predict what will happen, but we can say that we will not dominate in Melbourne as we did at the end of last season."
Red Bull's always-blunt Marko, however, sounded a less positive note.
"We have to somehow survive Melbourne," the Austrian told Germany's Sport Bild.
He said Renault's troubled 'power unit' means Red Bull is often missing 165 horse power to the leading Mercedes, "which is about 30kph on the straights!
"That's why we have sent a taskforce to France," revealed Marko, referring to Renault's Viry headquarters.
"Our people have just helped Renault write a new software program."
Renault says it had made real progress, which is timely given the FIA's looming engine development 'freeze' deadline of Friday.
"Yes, some problems we are yet to understand," Remi Taffin acknowledged, according to the Russian website f1news.ru.
"But over the past six years, approximately 95 per cent of the parts in the V8 engine were refined compared to the first version," he said.
"We have made a big step forward between the first test and now with the new power unit. Yes we're a little behind schedule, we still have certain problems, but they are gradually being resolved," Taffin added.
Raikkonen unsure of Ferrari engine disadvantage
(GMM) With Mercedes clearly out front and Renault clearly at the rear, F1's third engine supplier Ferrari has had a comparatively low-profile winter.
Many believe works team Scuderia Ferrari currently rank somewhere between the top Mercedes teams like Mercedes and McLaren and the struggling Renault-powered outfits.
A more precise rumor in the paddock as the final pre-season test began in Bahrain on Thursday put Ferrari's deficit to Mercedes at up to 75 horse power.
When that number was put to Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen, the Finn said: "I can't give an honest impression because I have not paid attention to it.
"I have only seen other cars when I'm passing them or when they're passing me," he is quoted by Speed Week, "but I can't put a number on it."
As for Maranello based Ferrari's overall position with just three test days left until Melbourne, Raikkonen was quoted by Finland's MTV3 broadcaster: "We are not yet where we want to be, but we are not far away."
He is quoted by Spain's AS sports newspaper as admitting Ferrari intends to try a race simulation this week in Bahrain.
"Fernando (Alonso) will too, and then we will see where we are but really we are still working on the setup.
"I have had much worse winters and then the season has gone well, so I'm not worried. Things can change quickly during the season," said Raikkonen.
Mercedes' obvious advantage, however, is evidenced by the smiles in the Williams garage, with some paddock sources believing the new FW36 is currently a more competitive package than the works Ferrari.
But Mercedes-powered Williams driver Valtteri Bottas said: "They (Ferrari) also seem strong.
"Their reliability is not too bad, and we will see that Renault will improve.
"I don't think we should underestimate anybody," Bottas is quoted by Brazil's Totalrace, "but we're hoping to be in the top ten and my feeling, at least for the start of the season, is that cars with Mercedes engines will be in front."
Law change puts London GP back in F1 headlines
(GMM) The prospect of a grand prix on the historic streets of London have raced back into the F1 headlines.
Two years ago, McLaren sponsor Santander dreamed up a layout taking in Big Ben and Buckingham Palace as a publicity stunt, but this week the famous British team said the plan is in fact "grounded in reality".
McLaren said "new government legislation will make it easier for public streets to be sanctioned for motor sport events, and that means the much-vaunted London grand prix once again moves a step closer to reality".
Also hoping to race on the streets of the British capital is the new FIA-sanctioned electric single seater series Formula E, with organizers having even scheduled a 2015 date.
The Times newspaper added: "Motor sport organizations, including F1, have been told that a consultation that will make it easier to hold races on public roads (in the UK) will be launched within days."
Less convinced is the Guardian, saying that given the hurdles, top British driver Jenson Button "would be retired in the unlikely event of it (a London GP) ever taking place".
And a spokesman for the UK's motor sport association (MSA) said: "Silverstone's got a long-term contract to host the British grand prix.
"The push from the MSA about getting this change in legislation is much more aimed at hill climbs, sprints and stage rallies around the country in less traffic heavy routes than Park Lane and Horse Guards Parade."
Police to arrest Force India sponsor Sahara chief
(GMM) Amid team supremo Vijay Mallya's high-profile problems, it emerges that another key Force India figure is also in major trouble.
Team boss Mallya's grounded Kingfisher airline has hogged all the headlines, but now the owner of Force India title sponsor Sahara is also in hot water, according to domestic publications including The Indian Express.
The report said police have raided the house of Subrata Roy, after a non-bailable warrant for his arrest was issued by the supreme court.
The police "failed to find him there", the newspaper said, but Roy insisted in a statement on Friday that he is not on the run.
"I am not that human being who will abscond," he said. "In fact, being a law-abiding citizen, I shall hate myself to do any such thing ever in my life."
The warrant was issued after Roy failed to appear in court to answer a case about unpaid refunds to investors.
Lotus to revert to old spec exhaust
Lotus will run their old exhaust on Day Two at Bahrain after issues with the new design damaged the E22.
Pastor Maldonado brought out the red flags a few minutes before the lunch break on Day One of the final pre-season test.
Lotus diagnosed an exhaust issue and spent the rest of the day trying to fix the problem before eventually confirming that Maldonado would not be taking to the track again.
"Unfortunately, our new specification exhaust system failed, causing a small amount of damage to the surrounding area of the car," revealed Trackside Operations Director Alan Permane.
"This stopped us running early due to the rectification work required.
"For tomorrow, we will run with our previous specification of exhaust and we do not expect to see any similar problems to those we saw today."
As a result, Maldonado was limited to just 31 laps and finished 5.309s down on pace-setter Sergio Perez.
"For sure it wasn't what we wanted today," he said.
"But we are all working very hard to make progress and I'm sure we'll have solutions quite soon as a team, and it's clear we have good potential and the car is not bad.
"We have had some problems but we are fixing them and we are making improvements with electronics and software every day we run."
Pirelli tries thermometer stickers
In collaboration with the FIA, Pirelli s trialing a special type of heat measuring sticker on each tire tread in Bahrain. The moves comes as part of the FIA's move to ensure better monitoring of tire usage parameters.
The stickers read the maximum temperature reached by the tire tread while the tires are being pre-heated by the teams in their tire blankets.
Pirelli prescribes a maximum temperature of 110°C (230°F), which should not be exceeded at any point before the tire takes to the track.
The FIA will ensure that this limit is respected, together with the minimum tire pressures when leaving the pits and maximum camber levels on the track.
In collaboration with the FIA, Pirelli s trialing a special type of heat measuring sticker on each tire tread in Bahrain. The moves comes as part of the FIA's move to ensure better monitoring of tire usage parameters.
Video: Serious problems for Red Bull
Renault asks for engine freeze extension
(GMM) Renault has asked for an extension to Friday's deadline for the development 'freeze' of its troubled turbo V6 power unit.
Actually, the homologation deadline is Friday at midnight, when the basic performance specifications of Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault's new power units are set to be formally homologated by F1's governing body.
But Auto Motor und Sport reports that Renault, grappling so obviously with its new V6 and related systems, asked the FIA for a postponement of the deadline on Thursday.
Correspondent Michael Schmidt claims Renault, supplier to the reigning world champion team Red Bull and three others, has asked for "two to three" more months to get to the bottom of its technical problems.
Renault's request will be on the agenda at Friday's meeting of the strategy group in London, Schmidt added.
It is reported Renault president Carlos Ghosn has already met with FIA president Jean Todt "to convince him of the seriousness of the situation".
Mercedes signs Petrov for DTM
(GMM) Former F1 driver Vitaly Petrov will race a Mercedes in the German touring car series DTM in 2014.
The former Renault and Caterham driver tested for the German marque recently, with Toto Wolff saying Petrov had a good chance of a race seat because "Russia is a highly significant market".
"Vitaly had a successful test at Portimao and I'm sure that he will be a valuable member of our team," Wolff said in a statement on Friday.
Power unit issues impacting on Pirelli
Pirelli's testing data has been constrained by the power unit issues facing Renault-powered teams so far this pre-season.
Renault's issues have seen limited running from Red Bull, Lotus, Toro Rosso and Caterham, with Pastor Maldonado saying on Thursday that the engine is still not at 100%. For Pirelli, the two tests in the heat of Bahrain should help test the tires in more representative conditions than Jerez in January, but motorsport director Paul Hembery admits it has yet to see representative performance from those four teams.
Asked during an exclusive interview with Crash.net if Renault's problems had impacted on Pirelli's attempts to learn about its new tires, Hembery replied: “A little bit of course, because you don't know what that chassis in particular is going to create when you start running a lot of laps.
“From the other point of view we've picked up on some positives. If you go round the track in the evening you're seeing a lot less marbles – which was one of the objectives of the season – so it looks as if we're in the right direction for that.
“It's one of those things that when you're running with just one or two car s you don't really know if you've achieved what you want until you actually get here. Wear levels are dramatically reduced; we still have a thermal degradation which in any case you would expect here because of the type of track. It's a traction track and a lot of wheelspin if you're going to get it is going to be here and there are quite high temperatures, so we're pleased with that.
"The step in performance level between the four compounds is a good step. They're not too close together, so that does mean if we make the right choices we can deliver what the sport is asking us to which is the two to three stop races."
And Hembery also said there were no plans to make any changes to the tires ahead of the first race in Melbourne.
“Nope, we're happy, very happy. But we're very conscious of the fact that the sport and the cars can change very rapidly. Even if you compare this week's testing with last week's, I'm quite sure you'll see some significant changes in performance. So we have to be pragmatic and say 'we're happy, but…'"