F1 2014 thread

Ecclestone threatens to drop Monza after 2016

Bernie Ecclestone says F1 may drop Monza from the calendar after 2016 because of concerns over the commercial viability of one of the sport's most historic circuits.

The current extension to Monza's deal occurred in 2010 for the circuit which has hosted every world championship Italian Grand Prix, with the exception of the 1980 race. But Ecclestone is not happy with the terms of that deal and admits his concerns might be enough to drop the race altogether.

Speaking to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, Ecclestone said: "I don't think we'll do another contract, the old one was a disaster for us from a commercial point of view. After 2016, bye bye..."

When asked about the possibility of the Italian Grand Prix being switched to Mugello, originally put forward by Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, Ecclestone said no proposal had been received. Monza's struggles to put together a commercial package may be linked with the alarming drop of TV viewers in Italy, which Ecclestone thinks is because of Ferrari's recent downturn in fortunes.

"TV ratings are lower in Italy than elsewhere. TV channels have split with digital broadcasting, and there's also Twitter, Facebook and other communication means, so young people are more distracted. How to improve Italian ratings? If Ferrari started to end up first and second in qualifying and races... TV ratings would improve everywhere. Ferrari is worldwide passion."
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http://en.espnf1.com
 
Ecclestone wants teams to run three cars

Bernie Ecclestone wants to see big teams run third cars and believes smaller outfits should quit F1 if they are unable to foot the bill.

Cost-cutting has been on the agenda this season and the idea of bigger teams running customer cars has already been mooted as one possible solution. But Ecclestone feels it would be in F1's best interests commercially to allow the bigger teams to run a third car under their own banners, even if it forced some smaller teams out of the sport.

"They must stop," Ecclestone told Gazzetta dello Sport when asked what smaller teams should do about costs being out of control. "If you don't have the finances, you quit. I'm ready for a Formula 1 with eight teams with three cars each.

"Is it better to have a third Ferrari or a Caterham? Ferrari could maybe find new sponsors in the USA and an American driver: fantastic. It is the same for the others. Take Caterham: it has invested lots of money and it would need just as much, so it looks for paying drivers. What for, since it has never been competitive?"

Even though Haas Formula will join the grid in 2016, and with rumours of another team ready to be accepted into the fold, Ecclestone thinks buying existing outfits is actually the way forward for those wishing to enter the sport.
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http://en.espnf1.com

Okay then Bernie, I think the money has gone to your head.
 
Drivers opposed to standing restarts - Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo says F1's drivers made it clear they were against the standing restarts rule which has been approved for the 2015 season.

The decision, which will see drivers line up on the grid after a safety car period rather than conducting a traditional rolling start, has drawn much criticism since it was approved by the World Motor Sport Council on June 26. Ricciardo says the feeling amongst drivers seemed to be unanimously against the idea.

"As of next year, I don't like the standing restarts. If I could, I'd take that out," he said. "We all pretty much disagreed as far as I am aware. I will let the veteran drivers speak their minds. I've said I don't think it is the best thing. We will see what other drivers say about it."

Ricciardo says his chief concern with the idea comes down to safety, as well as the fact he thinks it would create an unfair lottery in races.

"I don't want to go into it too much, but in a nutshell, if you are leading the race by 20 seconds, the safety car comes out and you lose that 20 seconds advantage, then what was looking like an easy victory is now questionable. That is already a big disadvantage for the leader who has worked hard to build up that gap. Now to then put him on the start, and anything can happen at the starts, not only an accident, but you get a poor start you can be from first to fourth before Turn 1. It seems harsh on the leader."

One of the chief concerns is how cars on very worn tyres will react to standing restarts, with Pirelli admitting it needs to do more research on the rule change, something Ricciardo thinks has not been considered properly.
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http://en.espnf1.com

I like the idea from a viewers perspective, but I suppose anyone leading the race or close will not. May not ne the most fair but nonetheless an intriguing rule.
 
Vital Statistics - the British Grand Prix

Did you know that 12 different British drivers have won their home race, or that the very first world championship Grand Prix was held at Silverstone in 1950? Ahead of this weekend’s 2014 Formula 1 Santander British Grand Prix we present all the need-to-know facts, stats and trivia…

Circuit: Silverstone

Circuit length: 5.891 km

Number of corners: 18 (8 left, 10 right)

DRS zones: 2

Race laps: 52

Race distance: 306.198 km

2014 tyre compounds: Medium, Hard

Circuit lap record: 1m 33.401s - Mark Webber (2013), Red Bull (Fernando Alonso set a faster lap time on the current track configuration during the 2010 race, but this was when the start/finish line was still between Woodcote and Copse. The following year the start/finish line was moved to its current location, something that constituted a ‘change of circuit’ under the International Sporting Code).

First world championship Grand Prix in Great Britain: 1950, Silverstone (won by Nino Farina, Alfa Romeo)

Number of races: 64 (47 - Silverstone; 12 - Brands Hatch; 5 - Aintree)

Number of races with at least one safety-car appearance: Six of the last 14 races

Longest race at Silverstone: 1956 (2h 59m 47s)

Shortest race at Silverstone: 1985 (1h 18m 10.436s)

2013 pole position: 1m 29.607s, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

2013 podium: 1 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), 2 - Mark Webber (Red Bull), 3 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)

Most appearances (current field): 14 - Jenson Button; 12 - Fernando Alonso; 11 - Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen; 8 - Nico Rosberg; 7 - Lewis Hamilton; 6 - Adrian Sutil

Most wins (driver): 5 - Jim Clark, Alain Prost; 4 - Nigel Mansell; 3 - Jack Brabham, Niki Lauda, Michael Schumacher; 2 - Alberto Ascari, Jose Froilan Gonzalez, Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jacques Villeneuve, David Coulthard, Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber; 1- Nino Farina, John Watson, Carlos Reutemann, Jo Siffert, Jochen Rindt, Juan Manuel Fangio, Tony Brooks, Peter Collins, Wolfgang von Trips, Peter Revson, Jody Scheckter, James Hunt, Clay Regazzoni, Alan Jones, Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill, Johnny Herbert, Mika Hakkinen, Rubens Barrichello, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg

Most wins (constructor): 16 - Ferrari; 14 - McLaren; 10 - Williams; 8 - Lotus; 3 - Red Bull; 2 - Cooper, Tyrrell, Renault, Mercedes; 1 - Alfa Romeo, Vanwall, Brabham, Matra, Benetton

Most wins (engine manufacturer): 16 - Ferrari; 14 -Ford/Cosworth; 12 - Renault; 7 - Mercedes; 6 - Climax; 4 - Honda; 2 - TAG/Porsche; 1 - Alfa Romeo, Vanwall, Repco

Most pole positions (driver): 5 - Jim Clark; 4 - Stirling Moss; 3 - Jack Brabham, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Fernando Alonso; 2- Mika Hakkinen, Nino Farina, Jochen Rindt, Niki Lauda, Ronnie Peterson, Rene Arnoux, Keke Rosberg, Rubens Barrichello, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton; 1 - Graham Hill, James Hunt, Jose Froilan Gonzalez, Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Phil Hill, Clay Regazzoni, Jacky Ickx, Tom Pryce, Alan Jones, Didier Pironi, Gerhard Berger, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kimi Raikkonen, Heikki Kovalainen, Mark Webber

Most pole positions (constructor): 15 - Ferrari; 13 - Williams; 10 - Lotus; 7 - McLaren; 3 - Renault, Red Bull, Mercedes; 2 - Vanwall, Cooper, Brabham; 1 - Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Shadow, Ligier

Most pole positions (engine manufacturer): 15 - Ferrari; 13 - Renault; 11 - Ford/Cosworth; 8 - Mercedes; 6 - Climax; 4 - Honda; 2 - Vanwall, BMW; 1 - Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Repco

Number of wins from pole at Silverstone: 15 from 47 races (31.9 percent)

Number of wins from pole in the last ten races: Two (20 percent)

Lowest winning grid position in Silverstone: 7th (Emerson Fittipaldi, McLaren, 1975)

Laps led (current field): 155 - Fernando Alonso; 117 - Sebastian Vettel; 80 - Lewis Hamilton; 43 - Kimi Raikkonen; 12 - Nico Rosberg

Most podium places (current field): 6 - Fernando Alonso; 5 - Kimi Raikkonen; 3 - Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel; 2 - Nico Rosberg

Number of Britons to have started at least one Grand Prix: 142

Number of Britons to have won the British Grand Prix: 12

Number of victories for British drivers in the British Grand Prix: 21 (Note: Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks shared a car and thus victory in the 1957 British Grand Prix)

All-British podiums: Four (1958, 1963, 1964, 1965)

Strange but true: If all of the sausages eaten by fans over the Grand Prix weekend were to be lined up, they would measure 1.738 km (1.08 miles). Those same sausage-eating fans consumed 6,000 bottles of Champagne, 10,000 bottles of wine and 20,000 bottles of mineral water at last year’s race.

Percentage of 2014 season complete: 42 percent

Maximum number of world championship points still available to a single driver: 300

Significant running sequences going into this weekend: Ferrari - 75 consecutive races in the points; Nico Rosberg - 17 consecutive races in the points, eight consecutive podium finishes; Fernando Alonso - 11 consecutive points finishes; Nico Hulkenberg - 10 consecutive points finishes; Rosberg, Alonso and Hulkenberg - finished in points in every race in 2014

Massa’s milestone: Felipe Massa will make his 200th Grand Prix start in Great Britain. He’ll become the 15th driver in history to reach 200 starts, and the third Brazilian after Nelson Piquet (204 starts) and Rubens Barrichello (322 starts).

Turbo history: If a Ferrari-powered car wins the race it’ll be the first Ferrari turbo win since the 1988 Italian Grand Prix.

www.formula1.com
 
Saturday they are predicting some rain in Silverstone. That could create a nice mix up for the quali.

Slowly getting excited :)
 
Susie Wolff to end F1′s 22 year wait for a female driver at Silverstone

Susie Wolff will become the first woman to take part in an official F1 race weekend session in 22 years next Friday at the British Grand Prix.

Wolff has worked with Williams as a reserve driver for over two years, and has taken part in a number of other test sessions during that time to earn her FIA superlicense.

However, she will now take part in a full practice session for her home race at Silverstone next week.

The last woman to take part in an official F1 weekend session was Giovanna Amati at the 1992 Brazilian Grand Prix. She failed to qualify for the race, finishing over ten seconds off the pole lap of Williams’ Nigel Mansell.

Since then, a few women have tried to make a splash in Formula 1. Sarah Fisher took part in a show run for McLaren at Indianapolis back in 2002, whilst Katherine Legge tested for Minardi in 2005. Both found more success in the American open wheel series.

Spanish driver Maria de Villota worked with Lotus and Marussia in 2011 and 2012, but suffered severe head injuries during a straight line test in England two years ago. She died last October at the age of 33 due to the underlying neurological injuries.

Former IndyCar driver Simona de Silvestro appears to be on the cusp of a full-time seat with Sauber in 2015. She has joined the team as an affiliated driver, and has completed some encouraging running for the Swiss team.

Wolff will finally end the 22 year wait at Silverstone, though. Having most recently tested for the team following the Spanish Grand Prix, she will know what to expect from the FW36 car. She will also take part in practice for the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim in three weeks’ time.

Williams will be riding on a high for its home grand prix, having secured its best result since 2005 last time out in Austria, but the focus will undoubtedly be on Wolff on Friday morning at Silverstone.
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http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.co...year-wait-for-a-female-driver-at-silverstone/




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Dave123 said:
The way they go at each other, I wouldn't expect them to show any niceties there (especially as she is a Williams driver).
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Yeah, but taking the bosses wife out takes on new meaning and dangers.
 
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