2014 Formula One Season ***possible spoilers***

wow.....that was a hell of a race....all the way from the front of the grid to the rear.
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Ya don't say?


Bernie Ecclestone has admitted his plan to award double points in Abu Dhabi is probably unfair on the championship leader.

The change to the season finale has been met with an overwhelmingly negative response since being announced in December. Ecclestone proposed the plan to try and create more exciting season finales after seeing Sebastian Vettel enjoy dominant years in 2011 and 2013.

But it seems Ecclestone is completely aware the rule may be harsh on whoever enters the last race of the season with a championship lead, though he also added that he felt it was in the interests of the sport.

"Well I wouldn't have suggested it if I thought it wasn't the right thing to do," Ecclestone told Sky Sports F1. "But I was concerned that the championship would still maybe be open with two or three races to go, and then somebody could catch up. [It is] probably not fair that somebody's done all that work early on and got so many points and somebody could just pop in and do a couple of races."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

 

Pastor Maldonado has insisted that he believes Esteban Gutierrez missed his braking point after the two collided during the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Maldonado was exiting the pits on cold tyres at the start of Lap 41, with Gutierrez coming down the pit straight alongside him, when he took an inside line and pitched the Sauber into a frightening barrel-roll. During the race Maldonado received a ten-second stop/go penalty, and received further punishment after the race, three penalty points on his licence and a five-place grid penalty for China.

But Maldonado is unclear as to what really happened in the indent and suggested the Sauber driver could have made a mistake on entry to the corner.

"We will need to have a look again at what happened as Esteban seemed to be off his line coming into turn one - maybe he missed his braking point, I don't know - and by then I was in the corner with nowhere to go," Maldonado said. "For sure it's difficult to understand and I was coming out from the pits and with cold tyres. I think he was very unlucky and it's good he jumped straight out of the car."

The incident overshadowed the fact that both Lotus cars made it to the finish for the first time this season, and Maldonado is expecting further improvements in China.

"As a team it's a plus that we finished with two cars which is very important and now we need to learn from this race and push hard for Shanghai. As we expected the pace was much better in the race than it was in qualifying. We were using quite an interesting strategy and were running on two stops which was working well until the incident.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

 

Mercedes wins? Too soon?

Formula 1 Drivers & Constructors Standings | FIA Formula One World Championship 2014 | ESPN F1

 

Sebastian Vettel insists it is too early to say his new teammate Daniel Ricciardo is better than Mark Webber.

Ricciardo, who like Webber is also Australian, has already made Vettel's life difficult in 2014, and in Bahrain the quadruple world champion even had to obey team orders.

"Daniel is quicker than you," Vettel's engineer told him. "Let him by, please."

German Vettel said he complied with the order because "I realised that he was just faster. It would have been pointless for me not to (move over)," he is quoted by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

But does all of this mean that, at the very least, Ricciardo is better than the recently-departed Webber, a winner of 9 career grands prix?

"It would be unfair to say that after three races," Vettel insists.

"Daniel certainly is doing his job very well, but a fair comparison is very, very difficult," he added.

There is another theory: perhaps Vettel is simply struggling to adapt to Red Bull's new and unfamiliar place in the pecking order.

"Sebastian is not used to driving cars that are not perfect," driver turned broadcaster Martin Brundle noted. "Daniel is."

The Italian newspaper Tuttosport agrees: "Vettel shows the best of himself when he's driving alone at the front. He is not used to fighting in the bunch.

"Dealing with the competition of Ricciardo is a new thing for him."

 

Nico Rosberg set the pace on the first day of in-season testing in Bahrain as Mercedes continues to go from strength to strength this season.

All 11 teams are staying on in Sakhir for the two day test that will continue on Wednesday. Rosberg's best time of 1:35.697 topped the timesheets by 0.367s from Force India's Nico Hulkenberg as both teams continued their fine form from Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix. Rosberg completed over two race distances in the Mercedes with 121 laps, the most of any driver on Tuesday.

Most of the drivers were shy of their Saturday qualifying efforts, but the hotter track conditions will partly account for the drop off in times. Rosberg's best effort on Tuesday would have been quick enough for the third fastest time in Saturday's final practice session, which also took place in the heat of the day.

Fernando Alonso was third fastest on Tuesday, 0.929s off the pace of Rosberg, as Ferrari concentrated on fine tuning various electronic configurations and taking aerodynamic measurements with constant speed runs down the main straight in the morning. In the afternoon, work was carried out in short runs, lapping to evaluate different set-up choices. Kevin Magnussen was just 0.008s shy of the Ferrari's pace in fourth despite an issue with the McLaren just before lunch.

Valtteri Bottas was fifth fastest in the Williams but completed just 28 laps after the team ended its session with more than an hour left on the clock. Max Chilton was the only driver to better his qualifying effort in Bahrain as he clocked a 1:37.678 in the final hour to put Marussia sixth fastest. Daniel Ricciardo was seventh after 91 laps at the wheel of the Red Bull. Sergey Sirotkin made his debut at an official test and completed 75 laps in total, setting a time 3.036s off Rosberg's best effort.

Robin Frijns was ninth fastest as Caterham became the first team to dedicate a day of in-season testing to working with Pirelli on its tyres. Pirelli's main focus this week is on next year's tyres and the challenge set out in the 2015 regulations of running without tyre warmers. Williams and Mercedes will take over the role of tyre testing on Wednesday.

Pastor Maldonado completed just 16 laps due to a problem with his Lotus' power unit during the day. The issue was a set back after the team made steps forward with reliability at the last two races. "Unfortunately we weren't able to carry out the programme we had set out to do today as two power unit related failures stopped us far short of what we wanted to achieve," head of trackside operations Alan Permane said. "Of course, this is frustrating for everyone involved, but our focus is now very much on getting the most we can out of tomorrow."

Daniil Kvyat was the slowest of the 11 drivers on Tuesday but completed a total of 67 laps in his Toro Rosso. "Even if you can't see it from looking at the timing screen, this was a productive day during which we learned a lot," he said. "It was very useful for me, giving me a lot of laps away from the race weekend environment. We also learned something about why our pace was not as strong as we had expected in Sunday's race. I think this in-season testing is a very useful thing, not just for the teams, but also for guys like me who have to catch up in terms of experience."

Bahrain Test - Day 1
1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:35.897 121 laps
2. Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:36.064 69 laps
3. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:36.626 68 laps
4. Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:36.634 102 laps
5. Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:37.305 28 laps
6. Max Chilton Marussia 1:37.678 60 laps
7. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:38.326 91 laps
8. Sergey Sirotkin Sauber 1:39.023 76 laps
9. Robin Frijns Caterham 1:40.027 63 laps
10. Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:40.183 16 laps
11. Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:40.452 67 laps



© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

 

Red Bull believes its appeal against Daniel Ricciardo's disqualification at the Australian Grand Prix has strengthened over the last two race weekends.

The case will be heard at the FIA's International Court of Appeal on Monday, with Red Bull aiming to have Daniel Ricciardo's second-place finish reinstated. He was disqualified from the results for exceeding the maximum fuel flow rate according to the FIA's sensor, but Red Bull argues the sensor was providing inaccurate readings.

No other team has fallen foul of the same regulation this year, but Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes problems with the sensors have only served to strengthen his team's case.

"Those points are vital, every point is vital," he said. "I think we've got a very strong case. As more races have progressed, issue have become more evident and issues and understanding has come to light. Hopefully we can present our case fairly and get the second place back that Daniel deserves from Melbourne."

Meanwhile, Horner said Red Bull is not giving up on catching Mercedes despite the clear gap between the two cars at the first three races.

"We're just going to keep working on it, no-one is giving up. We know where we need to improve and we are just going to keep pushing. The Renault guys are working hard on it in Paris and everybody in Milton Keynes if fully fired up. If you think where we were five weeks ago at the [pre-season] test in Bahrain we would never have made a race distance, let alone a competitive race. In China Mercedes are going to be very difficult to compete against with the km-long straight, but once we get back to Europe we need to start making in-roads into them.

"It's no secret that we are significantly down on straight-line performance to Mercedes. The Renault guys know that and are working hard on it and anything we do to close that gap will only get us closer to them. Considering where we are with our disadvantage with straight-line speed, to achieve what we have been achieving is seriously impressive."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

 

Robert Kubica has revealed his physical limitations are still standing in the way of his return to formula one.

The Pole, now 29, was regarded as one of the most talented drivers in F1 ahead of his sixth season.

But in the 2011 pre-season, he was almost fatally wounded in a rally crash that has left him with only limited mobility in his right arm and hand.

Kubica now drives competitively in the world rally championship, and he has dabbled with circuit racing with a highly-competitive DTM test, and regular stints at the wheel of Mercedes' sophisticated F1 simulator.

But there are also things he can no longer do. Germany's Welt newspaper reports that, once right-handed, Kubica has had to learn to write with his left hand since the crash.

He even prefers to drink a cup of coffee with his left hand nowadays.

"The limitations have made my life more difficult," Kubica admitted.

The most difficult of all, he said, is that a return to F1 is currently "impossible".

"Not now. With my limitations, it is impossible, but maybe one day I will be there again," he said.

The only problem, he said, is that the small F1 cockpits make it difficult for him to turn the steering wheel in the way he needs to - with his elbow and shoulder rather than his forearm and wrist.

"Some tracks are not a problem," Kubica explained, "like Montreal and Barcelona.

"But the hairpin in Monaco, with my hand, is not easy."

 

Toto Wolff insists Mercedes will continue to share information between both sides of the garage even if Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fight for the title all season.

Rosberg was able to gain pole in Bahrain after studying telemetry from Hamilton's runs during practice, after seeing his team-mate top the timesheets in all three sessions. Mercedes' motorsport boss Wolff welcomes that approach and is not about to put a stop to it any time soon, even if it seems likely the pair will only be fighting each other for the drivers' title.

"The open information policy is something that we will always continue to have," Wolff is quoted as saying by Autosport. "It is a rule that both sides of the garage are open and transparent with each other. But, we have to be realistic. They [the drivers] have to try to find the edge, and maybe they will hold a little bit back until the last bit of the qualifying session, which is absolutely normal."

Mercedes has made itself the team to beat in 2014 and Wolff has faith the drivers understand cooperation is needed to maintain the team's position at the front.

"There will be no such thing as working on your side of the garage and not sharing that information, because both drivers know where the team have come from. We are in a very lucky position that we are able to be in front at the moment and we want to maintain that spirit and philosophy."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

 

Grenoble, France: Michael Schumacher is "showing small signs of progress", his spokeswoman said Sunday, with the Formula One legend slowly recovering from devastating brain injuries suffered in a ski accident.

"There are short moments of consciousness and he is showing small signs of progress," Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm told German broadcaster ARD.

"There are moments when he is awake and moments when he is conscious, which make us happy and give us great courage.

"Of course I am not a doctor, but medically, there is a distinction between being awake and being conscious, the latter meaning there is an ability to interact with his surroundings.

"I don't want to disclose details out of respect for the family, but we have no doubt at all in the abilities of the doctors treating Michael, they are experts in their field."

Kehm stressed that any interaction with Schumacher is "on a very limited basis" and added that "a medical prognosis is not possible" due to the nature of his brain injury.

Schumacher has been in a medically induced coma in Grenoble, France, since being badly injured in a ski accident on December 29 in the French resort of Meribel with his son and friends.

Kehm said Schumacher's family have been touched by a deluge of tributes and support from fans of the racing driver, but constant media speculation, particularly in German newspapers, has caused the family some anguish.

"What upsets the family most is media quoting doctors who are not treating Michael and untruths are constructed from these," said Kehm, who has been in Grenoble nearly every day since the accident.

"It has been a problem when outsiders comment and it means we have to set the record straight, even when we don't want to."

The 45-year-old Schumacher underwent two operations in the days after the accident to remove life-threatening blood clots before being placed into a coma.

The family announced at the end of January that drugs used to keep him in his deep sleep were being reduced with a view to bringing him back to consciousness.

In February, his friend and former Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa was quoted as saying that Schumacher seemed to respond to him during a visit.

"He is sleeping, he looks normal and he showed a few responses with his mouth," Massa told German tabloid Bild.

And last month, Schumacher's family said they were confident that the racing legend who defied death more than once on the track would pull through.

Schumacher survived a motorbike accident in Spain in 2009, during which he suffered head and neck injuries but was released from hospital after just five hours.

Kehm once again asked that the privacy of Schumacher's wife Corinna and their two children be respected, while thanking well-wishers for their support.

"Support from fans and well-wishers means very much to the Schumachers," said Kehm.

"We feel these people show genuine, affectionate interest and support."

 

@f1enigma: Leo Turrini : Stefano Domenicali has resigned. Mr Mattiacci is possible replacement: Domenicali si è dimesso, arriva Mattiacci | Profondo Rosso

The people there, in Maranello have a huge patience for keeping him for so long time!

#ForzaFerrari

 

The mounting frustration of Fernando Alonso is believed to have been critical in the departure of Stefano Domenicali from Ferrari.

Domenicali's exit from the Scuderia was announced on Monday, but the writing has been on the wall since last Sunday when the team's tepid performance in the Bahrain GP prompted President Luca di Montezemolo to leave the arena long before the chequered flag had fallen.

Despite the appointment of Kimi Raikkonen alongside Alonso in Ferrari's all-champion driver line-up, the team are yet to score a podium finish this season and trail runaway leaders Mercedes by 78 points in the Constructors' Championship after just three rounds of the nascent 2014 campaign.

Raikkonen remains the last driver to win the Drivers' World Championship in Ferrari colours, with the Finn's 2007 success occurring one year before Domenicali replaced Jean Todt as Team Principal. While Alonso and Raikkonen have reined in their frustration in public, it's believed that their angst at the woeful displays of the F14 T was pivotal in Domenicali's exit after 23 years' service.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the patience of 'Alonso and Raikkonen' was 'approaching dangerous levels' with the team locked into a 'crisis'.





Boselli - Domenicali couldn't take the pressure
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Alonso, repeatedly linked with a return to McLaren in recent months, has twice come agonisingly close to winning the Drivers' World Championship since joining the team five years ago but, with Ferrari so far adrift of the frontrunners, the Spaniard's ambition of landing a third title already seems unlikely to be realised in 2014. If his patience with Ferrari's status quo did snap, the only surprise would be that it lasted so long.

"Alonso's influence in this has been absolutely key, he is more fed up than anyone that Ferrari are, once again, unable to deliver him a race-winning car," Sky F1's Ted Kravitz noted.

"Alonso would have been in the background saying to di Montezemolo 'Come on guys, we really need to get this sorted'. Alonso was instrumental in getting in [Chassis Technical Director] James Allison and he would have been saying 'Come on, we need a big change now' - the same 'big change' that Stefano Domenicali talked about in his resignation remarks."

Domenicali has been replaced with immediate effect as Team Principal by Marco Mattiacci. As the current President and CEO of Ferrari North America, Mattiacci is a relative unknown in F1 circles, leading many to suspect that the Italian may only prove to be a brief stand-in before Ross Brawn, out of work since leaving Mercedes six months ago, returns to Maranello.

'Frustration of Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen was approaching danger levels' | Sky Sports

 

Chinese GP this weekend.

Practice 1 Fri 12:00
Practice 2 Fri 16:00
Practice 3 Sat 13:00
Qualifying Sat 16:00
Race Sun 17:00