Quick 2014 Update

Hey guys, hope you all had a good holiday season and a happy new year.

Just posting a quick message here to let you know that I am in the process of exams at university, but those will be over soon and I will be setting aside a certain amount of time every week to write here, and on the Let's Talk F1 website.

I've missed writing but education comes first and to be quite honest, university has been so brilliant and there was a million and one different things exciting than Formula 1 this year.

What To Expect

Hopefully later this week I'll do an extremely belated 2013 award post. Shouldn't be too difficult to detail...

A quick look at the newbies of F1. Well, so far there is only two but I'm sure they're both worth a look at!

So far I am in charge of reviewing McLaren's, Caterham's and Force India's car launches for Let's Talk F1. Although expect them to be on the 'lite' side of things. Teams have just gone all out on brand new power train's and engine packages, I'm sure having expensive unveiling's is the last thing on their minds. I will be covering all the teams on here so make sure you check both sites regularly.

Let's Talk F1 will have a brand new look soon enough and with it a new team and a new agenda to bringing you the best in personal opinion and latest news in Formula 1. If you haven't already, make sure you add the page to your favourites and follow us on Twitter.

I'd like to evaluate the current financial state of Lotus, and why I would pick Pastor Maldonado over Nico Hulkenberg any day of the week.

I hope to be more active in 2014, I am also hoping for a more exiting F1 season too, I've always been really heavy into my rallying and motorbikes, and even the 6 hour races of the WEC were more enjoyable than the majority of the F1 races last year. 2014 has a lot to live up too!

Various Bits & Bobs (2)

Concorde Agreement

After months of back and forth between teams, Bernie and TV chiefs all agreed to improve safety, a new finance structure and the agreement from all parties over a new penalty system.

The deal runs from now until 2020 so we can safely say our beloved sport is good to go, go, go for another while.

Let's just hope by then someone puts an end to Red Bull. Not literally...




22 Races in 2014? Nathan Says:

Piss off. 22 Grand Prix weekends? No absolutely not what a disaster of an idea. I love Formula 1, it is a huge part of my life, whenever it isn't on I do feel a little emptiness and boredom, but 22 races is a dangerous amount of Grand Prix weekends.

The world's economy is still recovering, some more slowly than others. Take this factor and put it with rising costs in Formula 1, we will see that the smaller teams especially will find it increasingly hard to compete in Formula 1. One guy has said to me (sarcastically of course) that Formula 1 couldn't live without Caterham or Marussia. He was a dick to be quite frank but what about Toro Rosso? Then Force India and we all know Sauber and Williams are struggling for cash. Imagine a season without Williams on the grid?

The current stranglehold that Vettel and Red Bull have over Formula 1 is disturbing, people who don't follow the sport have started to ask me 'isn't it boring with one guy winning all the races?' Hell yes it is, why would you want more races where Vettel can run away with it again? Less races, less chances of this happening.

I know you can't structure a calendar just to stop one team and one driver, but don't add races where it's going to hinder the situation.

There are too many events in far out countries, and not enough fans attending them. Bahrain, Korea, Abu Dhabi and especially India have very disappointing turn outs. Cut them along with the New Jersey track, Mexico and maybe Malaysia (like it but I think it has run its course) and we have an okay number of races. Glad to see Austria back though.

What's great though is that Christian Horner is against it, and we all know that him, Newey and the Newey driving the car will stamp their feet until they get their way.

F1 2013 Video Game

I've had all the Codemaster F1 games since the first one for the Wii and every year I've noticed vast improvements over the last. This years installment has been the best so far.

The AI are so aggressive and smart, it is unreal. In my first race, Bottas hounded me for P8 which was incredible. And in every event in either qualifying or the race I have had an incident with one or the other McLaren, with Perez bringing out red flags after a violent crash.

It's only a video game and I'm talking about it like it was an actual race. The addition of classic F1 cars is absoutely fantastic, each car has their own individual traits and characteristics. Tyre wear is the exact same in the game as in real life, either look after them or prepare to lose positions fast.

I strongly recommend buying this game, must have for any fans.

Korean Grand Prix

Lots of people have problems with this circuit, it's one I don't mind watching. Of course it is an Asian track, therefore Vettel had it won before he jumped on a plane but unfortunately the key focal points were negatives.

The marshals were unresponsive to a fire from Mark Webber's car, resulting in the chassis being destroyed. They had to build a brand new car in a few days for FP1 in Japan. They should do what Abu Dhabi done in 2009, bring in British marshal's to train the locals properly.

The other talking point was the low turnout and possible exclusion from next year. Whilst I like the track, I won't care if it's not featured next year, but it is a shame when fairly decent tracks are omitted for disaster tracks like Singapore and this stupid New Jersey track.

2013: Belgian Grand Prix: Qualifying

The Formula 1 season comes back with a bang this weekend at one of the most historical tracks of all time. Sebastian Vettel looks extremely quick this weekend so far but he'll have some competition from the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton too.

Q1 - After a relatively dry weekend, Q1 gets off to a wet start with all cars starting out on the green wall intermediate tyres.

The biggest shock this weekend was the fact that both the Marussia's and Caterham's van Der Garde made it through to Q2! Fantastic job from both especially the Caterham team who put their man on slicks. This meant both Toro Rosso driver's had to bow out, not very good for Daniel Ricciardo considering the media circus around him. If you can't handle the media now, you are not suited for Red Bull.

Another point to talk about was the incident with Force India's Paul di Resta, near the end of the session he went off track at the bus stop chicane and re-joined the track in front of another car. It may occur a penalty afterwards.

OUT - MAL, VER, RIC, BOT, GUT, PIC

Q2 - If Q1 was full of excitement for you, Q2 was the complete opposite. Not much drama occurring until the very end of the session.

Despite taking up their predicted bottom three places, the back markers secure their best grid starts of their career so far.

OUT - HUL, SUT, PER, VDG, BIA, CHI

Q3 - Eddie Jordan thought Raikkonen was going to snatch pole position, which made me very very happy!

The rain started to occur in Sector 3 straight away when 9 of the 10 cars lined up to get out. First it started out as spits, the the heavens opened and all cars headed in for inters. Force India kept di Resta in but as the rest pulled in to change their tyres, Paul headed straight out for the optimum track conditions.

For most of the session it looked as though he had pulled off a master play, but once the other guys got their tyres warmed up it all fell in place, first Nico Rosberg got it, then Mark Webber, then Vettel but the man on pole for the 4th time in a row will be Lewis Hamilton. I am sick of hearing him say he is so surprised, you're not fooling anyone we know you are quick and so do you... Just knock it off Lewis!

Only Spa could throw up such a drama filled GP weekend, and it's only Saturday. Anybody thinking Spa should come off the calendar needs their head looked at.

I'm very glad Force India listened to Paul, they wanted to send him out with the rest but Paul suggested inters and it worked well for him. And it's all on him, he deserves 100% of the glory.

You can bet tomorrow will be the best race of the season so far.

RESULTS:
1. Hamilton 2:01.012s
2. Vettel
3. Webber
4. Rosberg
5. di Resta
6. Button
7. Grosjean
8. Raikkonen
9. Alonso
10. Massa
11. Hulkenberg
12. Sutil
13. Perez
14. van der Garde
15. Bianchi
16. Chilton
17. Maldonado
18. Vergne
19. Ricciardo
20. Bottas
21. Gutierrez
22. Pic

7 Most Impressive Drivers So Far: Jules Bianchi

I suspect this guy will be on a lot of people's lists at the half way point for a number of reasons, mostly because of his performance in terms of the back runners. The young Frenchman currently holds the highest place finish for the bottom two teams, which at the end of the season could help Marussia financially  although as we've seen with Caterham for the past three seasons, they've done very little with it. 

His pace and qualifying performances have all been superb for his position at the back. For a guy who missed out on the Force India seat, you can tell he feels truly blessed to be in the position he's in. To say Force India are kicking themselves would be wrong and untrue, but they certainly have to ask "what if?"

His P13 finish in Malaysia certainly took most my surprise, most of all Marussia's nearest competition over at Caterham. Marussia's MR02 is the first Marussia car to feature KERS, and it certainly does seem to have levelled out the playing field. If progress is to be measured against his team mates, Bianchi is beating Chilton comfortable, however Chiilton has accomplished a feat that only Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton have achieved so far this season, finishing every single race and lap. With only two DNF's to his name, Bianchi doesn't have that much to improve on.

Force India will definitely be keeping an eye on their former test driver especially if Paul di Resta is to leave for pastures new, but they may find they have bigger names chasing the young star. As a member of the Ferrari Driver's Academy, Stefano Domenicali has been monitoring his progress ever since his testing days. It's maybe about time Ferrari had some young blood around the paddock, five years without title success is not the Ferrari way.

Good things can only come from Jules Bianchi's involvement in Formula 1. The sport can genuinely benefit from such a talented individual. It just goes to show, when given two cars of the same build and capabilities, a real racing driver is capable of more than a pay driver.

The Story So Far... Part One

We're a good way through the season now and I think it's time to look at the progress of all the teams and drivers. I had promised to do a driver a day but that would have interrupted Canada which is shaping up to be the most exciting Grand Prix yet again.

Nobody could have guessed who would have won the first race, and no one could have predicted the controversy we have already faced. But we've had a new Monaco winner, progression from some teams and regression from others. Over the next few days I'll be taking a close look at each team and how they have performed so far. Please enjoy!

Marussia
Currently chilling above Caterham in the Constructors Championship which is their goal, I'd say their season is off to a blinder. KERS has appeared to boost their performance and the attitude around the team seems to be rather positive. Keep this up and good things will happen. The disappearance of the 10th place money prize could either make or break their existence in the future however.

Max Chilton
Like a typical pay-driver, he hasn't met the standard. I love the fact he's a Brit, however his performances compared to the rest of the back markers (especially when it comes to qualifying) is poor. I can see him getting better though as the season progresses. The boy will learn but unfortunately he'll always just be a cash flow to Marussia. When they no longer need it, he could find himself replaced.

Monaco proved a low point when he miscalculated the gap between him and Pastor Maldonado, resulting in a major collision. Regardless, Max achieved his best position (twice) and unlike the other three back runners, Max has finished every race so far.

Jules Bianchi
It nearly didn't come together for the young Frenchman! He was overlooked for the Force India seat after they elected to go for Adrian Sutil. In my eyes (and hopefully the masses) they made the wrong decision. This guy is quick. Pure speed and class. He relishes having an unheard of second chance and he is refusing to waste it.

Bianchi constantly out qualifies his team mate and his Caterham counterparts, and places his team in 10th place because of his P13 finish in Malaysia. The guy will not be at the back for long. Someone like Sauber who love young aces like this guy will want him. When Paul di Resta moves up the grid, Force India should definitely give Jules first preference. 

What's even more promising is the fact he is a member of Ferrari's Driver Academy. Future World Champion?

Caterham
Despite having the nicest livery, I've been really disappointed. Caterham's goals just keep on getting bigger and bigger, but their achievements keep getting smaller and smaller.

It's not come together for them yet despite major updates in Spain. A huge design flaw is holding them back, and an inexperienced driver line-up isn't helping matters.



Charles Pic
Last year, I thought Pic's move from Marussia was a smart one. Little did I know Pic would take two steps back. I don't think he's driven badly, I think it's the car holding him back.

If Tony Fernandes would get serious about F1 and stop dicking about with ridiculous second rate soccer ball teams, then we might have Caterham spectacle to watch.

It's impossible to judge based on the awful performance of that CT03, but at least he's remained relatively incident free.

Giedo van der Garde
Not amused lad, not amused (said Nathan to VDG).

He's not impressed me one bit, in fact I think he is very dangerous. His ridiculous move in Bahrain on Jean-Eric Vergne resulted in him t-boning the Toro Rosso driver, this is on top of many instances of poor control and lack of mental confidence.

Why he's driving instead of Heikki Kovalainen I will never know. Caterham are probably trying to milk his cash and then bring the Flying Finn back. Anybody is better than this Dutch clown.

NOTE: I am a firm believer that both these teams are bluffing to prepare for next year. With a Russian Grand Prix due in 2014, the Sociologist in me is saying that Russian President Vlad. Putin will want a Russian driver on the grid (Vitaly Petrov).

Williams
To say they have gone backwards is fair in many respects, but bare in mind, the blocks to the bright future for Williams are there. I've discovered them here.

The best thing they could have done was deport that useless waste of space [Bruno] Senna out of the sport, and thank Christ they did.

Pastor Maldonado
The Pastor Disaster that we seen in the early stages of last season seemed to have disappeared towards the end, and his no incident streak has continued since. The big accident in Monaco wasn't his fault and he has seemed to calm down overall as a driver.

However while cutting down the number of incidents, he has also cut down strong results. While not being helped by the abysmal form of the car, Maldonado failed to out qualify his rookie team mate for some time.

Pastor has failed to finish half the races and hasn't even looked like scoring a point. Constantly complaining about the car isn't going to help matters, but focusing on 2014 is key. Not that Maldonado is safe for next year...

Valtteri Bottas
Is his great form a surprise? Not to me. I called it well before the start that this guy would be an enigma and while not totally evident as of yet, signs and patterns are strongly emerging.

His results have been impeccable, winning the qualifying battle with Maldonado and coming close to scoring his maiden point in Malaysia have all shown signs of supreme driving talent.

It's a pity the only thing holding him back is a crap car. I really hope it doesn't dictate his 2014 drive. If it does, the sport will have passed up on a great star, and a definite future world champion.

Barcelona: Day Two, Three & Four

Pre-season testing is nearing a very sudden end, it's then only two weeks away until the lights go out in Melbourne, it still seems a lifetime away! It hasn't gotten any drier for the teams, something which is really hampering development of the 2013 models. 

Day Two Final Standings

1. Romain Grosjean (Lotus) – 1:22.716s
2. Jenson Button (McLaren) – 1:23.181s
3. Pastor Maldonado (Williams) – 1:23.628s
4. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) – 1:23.743s
5. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) – 1:23.744s
6. Adrian Sutil (Force India) – 1:24.215s
7. Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso) – 1:25.483s
8. Max Chilton (Marussia) – 1:25.598s
9. Giedo van der Garde (Caterham) – 1:26.316s
10. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) – 1:26.655s
11. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) – 1:27.878s

As a Lotus fan, the words 'THANK CHRIST' have never came out of my mouth accompanied by much needed relief. Although set on a drying track it's not much to take away, but it's a bloody start! Romain Grosjean was followed by another let down of testing in the form of McLaren's Jenson Button but really, it doesn't really matter beyond this point. If testing pace is no relation to race pace during the season, then wet testing is just a waste of time. It would be a lot more cost effective for the teams  just to pack up for the day and go home, but then I'm not sure if the spectators pay to watch testing or not so it wouldn't exactly be fair. 

I haven't a terrible lot to say on the matter, there's nothing that can be taken away from wet running other than seeing how the cars react under the conditions. However one would think that after one session the teams would have all they need. No point in chancing a collision or crash. The forecast for the next two days is set to improve, let's up the action does too.

Day Three Final Standings

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – 1:20.558s
2. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) – 1:21.266s
3. Adrian Sutil (Force India) – 1:21.627s
4. Pastor Maldonado (Williams) – 1:22.305s
5. Valtteri Bottas (Williams) – 1:22.468s
6. Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber) – 1:22.553s
7. Mark Webber (Red Bull) – 1:22.658s
8. Sergio Perez (McLaren) – 1:22.694s
9. Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso) – 1:23.223s
10. Romain Grosjean (Lotus) – 1:23.380s
11. Davide Valsecchi (Lotus) – 1:23.448s
12. Jules Bianchi (Marussia) – 1:24.028s
13. Giedo van der Garde (Caterham) – 1:24.235s

I'd like to start this post off by wishing my favourite superstar Kimi Raikkonen a very speedy recovery. The Flying Finn was due to begin his test today but has succumbed to food poisoning... Or is just really, really hungover.

On a completely dry day, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time over any of the Barcelona days. The Brit put in blinding laps to top the time sheets and will be hoping that his form carry's over into Melbourne. One thing to note about every team is how close the grid was. Liittle under 4s seperates 13 drivers which is an encouraging display, very delighted to see.

Bianchi's Second Chance

Jules Bianchi who suffered a recent career defeat when he lost out to Adrian Sutil (opinion coming VERY SOON) for the Force India seat got a second chance when Marussia offered him a race seat. This was following the immediate dismissal of Luiz Razia after his sponsors failed to provide the team with the funds that were promised. The team had no hesitation in cutting their loses and signing up this ever impressive young man to partner fellow rookie Max Chilton. 

Bianchi also represents the sports 4th French driver, If there was ever a case to pull out of those tragic desert/Asian races and return to Europe, it is this very statement. Imagine the riots there would be if Britain didn't run a Grand Prix this year. There wouldn't be any, because anybody in Formula 1 rolls over and simply buries their dignity because Bernie says so. It's a joke he couldn't be bothered to lower his prices to accommodate a 20th GP this season. 

Bernie needs to be reminded that it's not his 'yes men' who pay to see races, it is us. The real fans.

Day Four

This is it. The final day to make a mark and stand your ground. Another day of drying running means the teams will simply be trying to showcase their speed. Personally, the results of today will be the closest in terms of race pace. Not exact readings, but very closely related.

Final Standings

  1. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) – 1:20.130s

  2. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) – 1:20.494s

  3. Jenson Button (McLaren) – 1:21.444s

  4. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) – 1:21.541s

  5. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) – 1:21.658s

  6. Paul di Resta (Force India) – 1:21.664s

  7. Pastor Maldonado (Williams) – 1:22.415s

  8. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) – 1:22.514s

  9. Valtteri Bottas (Williams) – 1:22.524s

10. Charles Pic (Caterham) – 1:23.115s

11. Jules Bianchi (Marussia) – 1:23.167s

12. Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso) – 1:23.628s

13. Max Chilton (Marussia) – 1:24.103s

I have to say, this was probably my favourite day of any test. What a grid! Everybody thought Lewis Hamilton had pulled off a wonder feat yesterday by stunning everyone with the fastest time set, and then his dark horse of a team mate Nico Rosberg breaks his team mates 2013 record by 0.5s! 

The end result certainly looks like it should come the first race, except from Red Bull cause they would have to be special and look like they're struggling (idiots). Great to see Kimi back in action and set some more consistent laps, he even done far fewer laps than anybody above him, he is certainly looking to be a contender for a podium down under.

Nico Hulkenberg finishes off Sauber's pre season campaign in style after grabbing himself a top 5 finish. Today also marks the first time that Caterham have got the better of their closest rival Marussia in any of the Barcelona days. Charles Pic set a faster time that either of the Marussia drivers who each had a go out on track.

Daniel Ricciardo and Valterri Bottas were among the disappointments, both have shown that they have quicker pace than their rivals but each failed to make any relevant impact on today's proceedings. Bottas's team mate Pastor Maldonado couldn't break into the top 5.

It has been a terrific few weeks of testing, and I have really enjoyed writing up about them even if my posts have been ridiculously late. Expect more frequent blog posts and a lot more from me in the future. 

Thank you very much for reading!

W04 / MR02 / CT03

Yet another triple review for you today! The last three cars have finally been revealed, Williams have yet to officially launch their FW35, but at the test in Jerez they ran the 2012 car, only in the 2013 livery with some 2013 parts so they will get their own review at the end of the month when they launch on the 19th February.

The first test is well under way at Jerez, I'd like to take this opportunity to mention that I will be publishing a full review of the four days after the first test is over. Keep up to date on Twitter @Houston60 for more info!

W04

I covered the launch for Let's Talk F1, including a comprehensive review of the launch, my thoughts on the car and provided lots of photos of the Mercedes F1 W04. Click here to read it. 

Feel free to check out the rest of the site and get in touch with us at @LetsTalkF1.














MR02

Marussia have came back from an okay 2012 campaign that saw them nearly get that very valuable 10th place in the constructors championship.











Right after their last race, they saw rookie Charles Pic leave them for Caterham and recently tsaw veteran Timo Glock depart for the DTM. Before Glock left, Marussia had confirmed the signing of GP2 ace Max Chilton and the line up was not fully completed until today when the team announced they had signed another GP2 name in Luiz Razia.

The MR02 essentially looks nearly the same as the previous model, maybe a design change but nothing clearly visable. 

The car has adorned the optional vanity cover that is used to hide the ugly boxers nose of 2012 regulation changes. There is still a visible slope but it is nowhere near as bad as last season.

The technical aspects of the car remain the same although with the dissolution of HRT, they are now the only team on the grid to run the Cosworth engine. Throughout the year they may look for a better engine deal in order to prepare for the 2014 season where the sport undergoes a massive regulation change. I'll speak more about that at the end of this post.

What Marussia have done is introduced the KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) to their car, a first for the team. This will close the gap between them and fellow back runner team Caterham who were already equipped with the technology.

The team have all the mechanical components for success, but after allowing a driver like Timo Glock to slip through their fingers, they lack that experience. But I have faith in young Chilton and I believe that this is the season where they overtake Caterham in the pecking order.



CT03

Caterham have seen a reshuffle of members including two new drivers and a new team principle. Giedo Van der Garde completes the driver line up for this season.











First of all, the car looks FANTASTIC. I love the brighter shade of green and having always wanted to own a Caterham car, I am naturally drawn to the colours. Because of Tony Fernandes's departure from the game, the stupid soccer ball team logo is removed from the car. Soccer ball doesn't belong in a real sport like F1. 

If you're not a regular reader (you should be it's great) you would have known that I made a prediction about the Caterham having the stepped nose and why. In my Mercedes W04 review, I stated that it might have something to do with the Renault engine. So far, all the Mercedes powered cars, all the Ferrari powered cars and the one Cosworth powered car have opted to cover up the stepped nose. Lotus's E21, Red Bull's RB9 and now Caterham's CT03 (all Renault powered cars) have all decided against using a vanity panel, citing performance over beauty. Is there maybe a cooling issue with the Renault engine or other components that deem a vanity panel unnecessary? Lotus cited a weight issue, but if the majority of teams have added it to their cars, surely it doesn't mean a thing? It's a disappointment to know that we're going to have a very stupid looking field next season, but what's worse is that if the panels mean lesser performance, the covers will all be dropped meaning one more season of the disastrous looking noses!

NOTE

"The technical aspects of the car remain the same although with the dissolution of HRT, they are now the only team on the grid to run the Cosworth engine. Throughout the year they may look for a better deal in order to prepare for the 2014 season where the sport undergoes a massive regulation change."

I recently purchased Jenson Button's book "A Championship Year" and I must say it is a fantastic read, loving every word. The reason why I brought it up is because of how he describes how the Brawn car was so successful in the opening races. In 2008, Honda stopped developing their current car because it was a lost cause, and also because there were big regulation changes coming in 2009. They started work straight away and financial issues aside, they (after become Brawn) developed a championship winning car for 2009. This is because they got ahead of the curve.

Why is this so important? What can be learned? If Caterham and Marussia both separately sat down and said to themselves; "let's do a Brawn" and started focusing their energy on 2014, they could seriously turn things around! I'm not saying they'll have a Brawn story or anything but if they just got over themselves and focused on the important issue, they could find themselves with a bit more respect next season and a status shift from back markers to a midfield team. Brawn done it on a budget, there is absolutely no excuse why these two can't. And who knows, maybe Scorpion Racing (HRT) may have already got the jump on us all. Food for thought right there.

McLaren MP4-28 + Various News

Lotus may have started off the car launches with the E21, but Woking based team McLaren hold the honour of starting off six consecutive days of car launches, a truly wonderful time for Formula 1 fans! I covered the launch live this morning and published a full report on Let's Talk F1. To see the new MP4-28 take a read by clicking here.



2014 Comeback For HRT (sort of)?

As the FIA published the 2013 season entries last November, Spanish outfit HRT were not included due to their financial instability and insecure future, thus only 11 teams will be appearing on the grid this season. 





However, an American/Canadian company called Scorpion have been attempting a buyout bid in order to salvage an entry onto the grid. Bernie Ecclestone even gave a nod to the bid but the FIA ruled out any possibility this year as the deadline is long gone, stating they will not accept any specialist circumstances. 

They shouldn't worry about pushing hard to get a 2013 slot because the regulations are more or less the same, meaning they would still be hopelessly uncompetitive. The best thing to do would be to develop a monster of a machine for the 2014 seismic shift in performance. They might even catch up with the rest of the pack!


Nurburgring Gastgeber 2013 Großen Preis (Nurburgring To Host 2013 Grand Prix).

Finally we have been guaranteed a German Grand Prix and will be returning to the wonderful Nurburgring!






Bernie Ecclestone has cast doubt over both the event and venue after the group who owns the circuit failed to raise the funds necessary. This means that we will most certainly have 19 races next season with the European venue still to be decided. Hopefully if anybody had any sense they'd be straight back to Hockenheim for both German tracks. That would be the definition of epic.

Time is Slowly Running Out

This is a message to Force India, Caterham and Marussia. It is time to get your finger out of your arses and get us a full driver line up. I'm sick to the death speculating, my #HireHeikki campaign has been working flat out (like 2 tweets every month, whatever), testing starts very soon and it's ridiculous how we don't know who's driving. I can't remember it every being this late!


The closest rumour I've heard yet is that Luiz Razia (pictured) has been linked to the Marussia seat but these are unconfirmed rumours and to be honest, I'd take Vitaly Petrov or dare I say it, Bruno Senna before another rookie. 

Force India launch their car tomorrow, I would like to think they would have the common courtesy for us the fans and Paul di Resta to name a second driver. I even think I'd take back Adrian Sutil at this late stage. 

Both Caterham and Marussia launch on the morning of the Jerez test on the 5th of February so at the end of the day, they have no choice but to name drivers soon.

This is however great for Max Chilton, Paul di Resta and Charles Pic as their team mates will be nothing more than a second thought, meaning the team will focus on them first.

Glock's Gone!

UPDATE: 

It appears Glock has turned towards the DTM driving for old F1 outfit BMW (ESPN). For those who are unaware, the DTM is the German version of touring cars and has had a number of former F1 stars such as David Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher.

I will personally miss him but since I have access to the DTM I am still excited to see him race and I'd like to wish him the best of luck!

Heikki Kovalainen to stay at Caterham?

Could this tweet from Formula 1 driver Heikki Kovalainen mean that he is flying over to the UK to negotiate a new deal with Caterham?

Kovalainen has been expected to lose his seat to better funded former team mate Vitaly Petrov, following the appointment of Charles Pic for the other seat at minnow team Caterham.

However as ESPN F1 have reported Petrov's talks have stalled and have appeared to reach a brick wall.

After reading this tweet in the early hours of this morning I have become hopeful that Caterham have seen sense in that, yes funding brings greater boosts for development, but those developments will mean nothing if you have an inexperienced Pic and a below average Petrov driving for your team.

I hope Heikki keeps his seat because Caterham will lose the race to get the first point to Marussia.

Taking a Pic at Caterham

Charles Pic apparently had a stormer of a rookie season in 2012 and has been awarded a move to Caterham. The first pictures of the young Frenchman have emerged with him spending a few weeks at the teams HQ in Leafield, in an interesting Q&A session here.

I say apparently because, I don't pay a lot of attention to the back runners. I did a little bit in their first year because it was exciting to see new teams, but after the repetition of Q1 fallouts, I got bored. From what I did recall, he impacted very little. Paired up with Timo Glock at Marussia, you're going to look like a second rate driver. He never wowed me and rarely out performed Glock.

The reason given by Caterham was that Pic's performances were enough to reward him with a seat for next season. I think it was based on a lot more than that.

Marussia have confirmed their driver line-up for next season which will consist of the ever impressive Glock and the new kid on the block, Max Chilton. Chilton who despite not winning the GP2 series impressed with a 4th place finish in the championship and two wins at Hungary and Singapore. Coupled with financial backing a move up was almost a certainty. The decision to sign for Caterham was maybe a decision made on long term thinking.

What's confusing to me is the strides Marussia have took recently in terms of development and pace. The gap to Caterham closed significantly this season which for competitiveness sake is always a bonus. This progression can only carry on and who knows, maybe Marussia could have overhauled Caterham this coming season? Chilton's move up was almost a certainty, but not for definite. He could have held on to his seat and helped Marussia overtake Caterham. My point is if Chilton is more beneficial to the team in terms of R&D, and Glock leads them in the right direction, Pic could be left with egg on his face.

The scenario however could work visa versa. If Pic is everything he's cracked up to be, he could be the element Caterham need to make it into the points. In the last race of the season, Petrov managed an 11th place which was the highest by any of the three slower teams to date and enough to secure that all important 10th place in the constructors championship. This could be the season where they compete with the Toro Rosso's! The all important factor is Pic's team mate. Caterham have yet to confirm their complete driver line up for next season. And with only a seat left at Force India, options are running thin for drivers. A move to Caterham for a driver who has not ran in a back runner is a career killer for sure. That's why it is essential to bag the one man on the grip who has shown nearly as much consistency as Kimi Raikkonen.

I am of course taking about Heikki Kovalainen. As I've said in various blogs before, Heikki for his contributions to Caterham deserves a a quicker drive. But with everything except the Force India gig gone, it looks like Caterham is his only option. Even that may be out of reach with gossip suggesting Caterham are going for money over talent and selecting Vitaly Petrov. This would be an extremely detrimental move for Caterham because neither Petrov nor Pic can provide the team with that essential leadership quality. 

Pic's arrival may only boost Caterham's campaign for a point. But he is not enough. Caterham need Kovalainen to help keep the momentum going. He has enough experience, but not as much as Pic's previous team mate Glock. This can help Pic grow as a driver out of the shadows and into his own personality.

I really don't know what to make of the move. All I know is, we probably won't notice. At the end of the day it could take a decade of being in the sport for either of the teams to make a difference. Maybe Pic can be around to provide the stars of that time with experience, but as per usual, I am not expecting much and neither should you.

Lotus Don't Know What They're Doing!

Post on Grosjean retaining his drive, Max Chilton becoming the 4th Brit on the grid, Kobayashi's premature departure and a possible convict on the grid?!

"Leave me alone, I know what I'm doing." - Kimi Raikkonen over the radio before winning the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Lotus today published a statement saying Romain Grosjean has been resigned for next season. This photo will prove otherwise:

As you can see, it is noneother than myself driving along side the Kimster next season. Nonetheless, I'll write the blog just as if Goujon (it's funny because he's french) was for driving.

Grosjean to stay at Lotus.

It's the wrong decision. No point of sugar coating it. Aside from all the early race incidents and the attempt on Fernando Alonso's life, Goujon is not a great driver. In fact he's average at best capable of one good over take a season. Of course when you're number 2 and let's be clear, he is a DEFINITE number 2 to Kimi Raikkonen, you're going to look just awful. Lotus have not only taken on a heavy damage bill for next season, but they've over looked so many better suited drivers. I've said it before, but Heikki Kovalainen deserved a step up. After carrying his team for three years he deserves to be set in some powerful machinery. Two Finn's would have been terrific as there is no doubt, they know how to win World Championships. 

However it is not the worst thing in the world. They could have resigned Bruno Senna (reserve driver in 2011). Goujon may improve. And I do believe he's a very good provider of feedback for R&D so his intuition can provide Kimi with some top notch resources. Hopefully that is all Romain will be, a resource. Lotus know how to run a team, and they know as well as I do that Kimi is the undisputed number 1 driver. So long as Goujon knows his place, everything will run smoothly.  

Fourth Brit Chilton.

21 year old Max Chilton has made the step up from reserve driver to a full time seat at Marussia following the departure of Charles Pic to Caterham. He is also British which makes me a very, very happy fan and I'll be supporting him throughout! Usually from all the back markers I supported Caterham just for the funsies, but now I have a genuine reason to support Marussia.

I do have one issue. The guy has never won a championship, and between Formula Three and GP2 he's only bagged three races. I know there's no chance of winning the title in a Marussia, but I have to question his speed and determination if this is all he can muster. 

He could either be a world champion like Lewis Hamilton or Jenson Button. Or he may be more of a Paul di Resta character who only wants to win races.

Krazy Kob Krashes out of 2013 season.

Yep sadly Kamikaze Kobayashi will not be on our screens next season in a competitive car due to a lack of funding. He seems confident of a 2014 drive but despite fans setting up a donation site in order to provide funding, it wasn't enough. As previously stated in my debut blog, a seat in Formula 1 is mostly decided on by who can flash the most green. Kamui just didn't have the backing for it.

It's not hard to see why. His Sauber partner Sergio Perez stole the spotlight with an absolute wonder season. This was enough to secure a seat at McLaren, but this was also aided by backing from Mexico. Yep, like Maldonado and Valenzuela, the actual country of Mexico funds Perez through Telmex. Why does this matter to Kobayashi? Well unfortunately for him, Sauber's reserve driver, Esteban Gutierrez is funded by the exact same company effectively filling Kobayashi's seat as Perez was replaced by Nico Hulkenberg who also had a storm of a season. 

I am quite proud of Kamui because he is not settling for anything less than a Sauber. And I believe he may have actually left at a good time. Sauber tend to have one good season followed by a mirage of bad seasons. However this may change under the control of Monisha Kaltenborn.

The grid has lost a great talent for next season, I can't see it being the same without him. But there may be a spot open for him midway through the season where he could just slot right in. It's about keeping his fitness to a maximum and more importantly keeping his health in check.

Thug Life.

Despite what he says, there is no guarantee he will actually be back. It's looking more and more likely and with certain tragedies like Grosjean staying and Kobayashi leaving I think the F1 gods still would like to punish me by putting Sutil back on the grid. If he were to re-join Force India however, this could benefit our Paul as he was a far better drive than Sutil in 2011.

Force India needs somebody different than Sutil. If they are set on getting experience then they need too reward either Kovalinen or Glock with a more powerful racing car. Or to continue from where The Hulk left off, get a speed demon like Kobayashi in the chair.

The grid is definitely taking shape for next season. I look forward to hear more team announcements and gauging my opinions on them.