In the round-up: Simona de Silvestro may miss out on a chance to race for Sauber next year due to “financial reasons”.
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De Silvestro’s F1 driving programme grinds to a halt (Reuters)
“However a team spokesman said on Wednesday De Silvestro’s driving programme had been stopped ‘due to financial reasons on her side’.”
Future of Caterham F1 in doubt after bailiffs move in (Racecar Engineering)
“Staff on site were told to switch off laptops and leave the factory at 1530hrs on the 1st October. They were then advised to return to the site at 9am on the 2nd for an update on the situation.”
Impending sale of a Formula One vehicle and equipment (The Sheriffs Office)
“The goods include but are not limited to: Caterham F1 test car (2013), Caterham F1 car parts (due for Japan 2014).”
Mercedes rivalry ‘back to normal’ (Autosport)
“We went into Spa with the same kind of atmosphere and of course it was difficult after Spa, but things feel like they’re back to normal.”
New F1 Deal Boosts Prize Money To A Record $800 Million (Forbes)
“Before a single race begins Ferrari gets prize money which is pretty much equivalent to the entire annual budget of F1’s lowest-spending team Caterham.”
Eddie Jordan answers your F1 questions on Hamilton and Alonso (BBC)
“One of the difficulties recently is that there has been a trend that a lot of companies who come to F1 with teams end up sponsoring the sport as whole. I would like to see an agreement whereby if a team brings in a sponsor, the commercial rights holder should not try to lure them for five years.”
Charlie Whiting: “The perception was that it was all being driven from the bottom up. We have more of a top-down approach now [with the Strategy Group].”
Tweets
https://twitter.com/EmBuxton/status/517360668874665984
#F1 #BBCF1 #SUZUKA CONT'D Typhoon Phanfone likely to bear full brunt into Mon, but hope journos press FIA re contingency *in case* Sun no-go
— Ian Fergusson (@fergieweather) October 1, 2014
Mercedes has confirmed its "partnership" deal with Hugo Boss to commence next year. The fashion brand had backed McLaren since 1981. #F1
— F1 Fanatic (@f1fanatic_co_uk) October 1, 2014
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
@JackySteeg believes Alonso should take the plunge and head back to Woking:
Alonso and Ferrari have always seemed like a match made in heaven. Alonso’s work ethic works perfectly with the Ferrari ethos. The only thing missing is the results. If he were to move then it will depend on just how happy he is at Ferrari, because certainly from a team dynamic perspective, he is happier at Ferrari than he was at McLaren.
In terms of pure results however, I believe McLaren is a completely better option. It’s unimaginable that Ferrari can catch up with Mercedes and Red Bull by 2015. They may get a little closer but they won’t fight for the championship. Honda, of course, is an unknown quantity. They could ‘do a Mercedes’ with the new engine and destroy the opposition. Or they could spend the winter producing very little power and then breaking down, like Renault.
But still McLaren are much, much more likely to win the championship than Ferrari next year. So if Alonso wants the results more than he enjoys the team harmony he has with Ferrari, then it’s a no-brainer. Move to McLaren.
@JackySteeg
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On this day in F1
Kevin Magnussen’s father Jan set a new record by finishing the 1994 British Formula Three season with his 14th win from 18 races at Silverstone.
Image © Sauber
Becken Lima
2nd October 2014, 0:18
Multiple and reliable sources in Brazil, Spain and Italy reporting at the same time that Alonso is a McLaren driver again!
Ed Marques (@edmarques)
2nd October 2014, 0:48
I was about to write the same.
Paul (@paul1)
2nd October 2014, 16:42
No, I think Red Bull. Bianchi Ferrari.
Breno (@austus)
2nd October 2014, 1:53
And Inifinity will buy Lotus, granting a seat to Hulk, Mclaren will recover in 2014, Maldonado will lose his backing, etc, etc. Until I see it from Alonso, I doubt it.
Ed Marques (@edmarques)
2nd October 2014, 1:56
Since you are brazilian, here is the link http://www.diariomotorsport.com.br/2014/10/exclusivo-alonso-sera-piloto-da-mclaren-em-2015/
He was right several times before. If this will be another one, lets wait and see.
Breno (@austus)
2nd October 2014, 3:29
Interesting. But still, I’ll wait for an official announcement.
JCost (@jcost)
2nd October 2014, 8:30
I speak Portuguese but I’m not Brazilian and I don’t know this Diario Motorsports and how ell conected they are but their stance is very strong.
Whether Alonso is going back to McLaren or not, I hope Honda builds a competitive PU so McLaren can fight with the big dogs again.
BJ (@beejis60)
2nd October 2014, 18:19
@jcost I guess Mercedes does not build a competitive PU…
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
2nd October 2014, 3:59
If so not surprised I too predicted it so, after the Santander logo and the commercial reappear with McLaren. Also not surprised that Hugo Boss is indeed with Mercedes which proves that Lewis is going to stay because every sponsor that fled McLaren did so because of Lewis.
Now who’s going to Ferrari, if it is Vettel, JEV after all might as well keep a seat in F1.
Hamish
2nd October 2014, 7:47
Can you elaborate exactly which sponsors let Mclaren because of Lewis?
Carlitox (@carlitox)
2nd October 2014, 16:06
I don’t think Vettel is ever gonna move from RBR. They’re like Clark and Lotus. A single bad season is not enough reason to ditch a team, especially after 4 straight titles.
Now Bianchi or the Hulk, those are interesting options.
Sumedh
2nd October 2014, 7:55
Alonso’s Ferrari move was announced just before the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix. It would be fitting if the news again is confirmed before the Japanese GP.
Mouse_Nightshirt (@mouse_nightshirt)
2nd October 2014, 0:23
I really am wondering, as a McLaren fan, where all the hype for McLaren’s seemingly “inevitable” comeback is coming from. A lot of people are saying McLaren is more likely to have the beating of Ferrari next year, that the Honda PU really has a good chance of equalling the Mercedes and that Prodroumou’s arrival will mean that the aero should be fantastic.
I’ve seen this sort of hype again and again in the past, and more often than not, it comes to, well, nought.
Giggsy11 (@giggsy11)
2nd October 2014, 0:59
Me too. There is absolutely no factual evidence to even back up his opinion.
“It’s unimaginable that Ferrari can catch up with Mercedes and Red Bull by 2015. They may get a little closer but they won’t fight for the championship.”
Looking at the past couple of years this isn’t too far off but you cannot categorically just state they wont fight for the championship even if its an opinion.
“But still McLaren are much, much more likely to win the championship than Ferrari next year.”
Based on what? Next years’ Ferrari will be a James Allison design driven by two off the best drivers on the grid. Not to mention Ferrari are a team that has placed ahead of Mclaren in the constructor’s championship since 2011. A lot of the hope comes from romanticising the love affair between Mclaren and Honda, but Renault pre-2014 made some of the best engines for reliability and power on the grid and look what happened to them. The one thing I know about Formula 1 is that there are no guarantees at all.
bull mello (@bullmello)
2nd October 2014, 1:29
Plus, taking the best power unit away from McLaren is not likely to help them. Then replacing it with a power unit of completely unknown quality that maybe has the potential to be equal to Mercedes at best, or worse than Renault. This in a chassis that has problems competing strongly in the midfield with the best power unit in F1 currently.
If one is given to believing rumors, how about recent rumors that Honda is 3 months behind schedule with its new F1 engine and is said to be having problems worse than what Renault experienced. I have no idea if there is any truth to these rumors at all. The additional rumor is that this, the supposed Honda problems, are supposedly why it is taking so long for the Alonso deal to happen. Well, they are all just rumors really. Just like the rumors that Alonso is for sure headed to McLaren.
In 2015 Ferrari will be ahead of McLaren in the WCC and Alonso will still be with Ferrari. The logical looking glass told me… ;-)
2016? Who knows?
BJ (@beejis60)
2nd October 2014, 21:57
@bullmello First time I’ve heard of these honda rumors you speak of. They had their ICE up and running 6 months ago though.
bull mello (@bullmello)
3rd October 2014, 0:09
There are “reports” from a racing website in Italy, not sure what their sources are. I first saw it on an F1 news aggregator website. They reported Honda was 3 months behind in development and then maybe that was why the rumored Alonso deal hadn’t happened yet. Rumors on more rumors really. The first story about being 3 months behind actually sounded kind of funny. They said Honda was going around to every company in Japan trying to get help with their motor issues and yet nobody seems to know about it.
The point being I guess is that one can find rumors to suit any notion if they look around enough. I don’t actually believe hardly any of them myself.
bull mello (@bullmello)
3rd October 2014, 0:09
@beejis60
Pete (@petey84)
2nd October 2014, 1:42
I agree with what you say about the love affair between mclaren and honda. Last time Honda were in F1 in 2008 they were terrible.
ColdFly F1 (@)
2nd October 2014, 8:31
@giggsy11, I agree.
And stating that “They could ‘do a Mercedes’ with the new engine and destroy the opposition.” is a bold one as well.
Firstly the teams that were able to ‘do a Mercedes’ in the past all had a certain Ross Brawn in charge building up to the successful year.
And, as @bullmello says even if they ‘do a Mercedes’ next year they will be just as good as this year, already having a Mercedes.
JCost (@jcost)
2nd October 2014, 10:00
I’m here long enough to understand that “over confidence is the mom and dad of disappointment”. McLaren fans are better off keeping their hopes low and be overwhelmed by a great 2015 car than anticipating a top car only to be presented another mid-field warrior.
Giggsy11 (@giggsy11)
4th October 2014, 22:23
@jcost “I’m here long enough to understand that “over confidence is the mom and dad of disappointment”.”
If you change the word ‘here’ to ‘a Ferrari fan’ that sentence describes my support of this sport since 2009.
@HoHum (@hohum)
2nd October 2014, 0:23
Christian Sylts article is worth reading, 1 discrepancy though is claiming “Prize Money” to be F1s biggest cost, the reality is that the biggest cost to F1 is the cost of designing and building the 20+ cars and the expense of racing them by the 10+ teams, this cost however is not on the books of FOM/CVC.
BasCB (@bascb)
2nd October 2014, 6:29
Apart from the “cost” of paying the teams, a bit for staff, the only real “cost” in the books for CVC is payment of loans taken on to buy and then to payout dividents as far as I am aware, no @hohum.
But the real discrepancy is in the argument that teams are having the wrong approach when they spend all they get. Sure, for a team like Ferrari that might be realistic in theory. But surely the ones who get far less than Ferrari’s guaranteed payment need all money they can get to be halfways competative, especially when almost a third of their complete budget gets sent towards Ferrari and Mercedes as well as Renault to pay for the engines.
Optimaximal (@optimaximal)
2nd October 2014, 8:49
@hohum Sylt’s articles only ever talk about FOM (and only in specific context).
ColdFly F1 (@)
2nd October 2014, 8:59
@hohum, yes good article.
But rather than stating that prize money is the biggest cost. He should say that of the $1.7billion Delta Topco collects, only $700 million goes to the teams. Thus some 40%.
The Premier League collects some $1billion (from memory) and the full $1 billion, 100%, goes to the clubs.
There are a few minor differences in who picks up certain costs! But the main fact remains that in F1 the shareholders walk away with most of the money. (including future moneys as they are loading up the company with debt; making sure they will not lose out if all goes wrong).
JCost (@jcost)
2nd October 2014, 11:02
Ferrari get’s over $60 million for their history! Man that’s a great deal. Marchione will miss Luca’s negotiating skills.
The trouble is, it’s not only small teams struggling but pretty much everybody involved but top teams, FOM and FIA… race organizers and circuits are having difficult time.
@HoHum (@hohum)
2nd October 2014, 21:27
@jcost, not the FIA, they get $40m = $2m per race.
Meander
2nd October 2014, 0:47
Sorry to be that guy, but
*Jan Magnussen
(who was replaced at Stewart by Jos… Verstappen that is; the other dad.)
Jonny Speedriff
2nd October 2014, 1:31
Bah, you beat me to it! I’m usually “that guy” on certain other f1 sites, not that it’s the Pedantry Olympics, mind. It also made me think immediately of the replacement at Stewart of Jan by Jos, or was it the other way………..?
GB (@bgp001ruled)
2nd October 2014, 1:29
sorry to hear: that de silvestros bubble burst, alonso might go back to mclaren, that caterham is living hell right now, that F1 has such a disgusting method of distributing “prize money”!!! it makes me think why i like this so called “sport”…
Breno (@austus)
2nd October 2014, 1:48
Caterham is the lowest-spending team on the grid? Hopefully it means Marussia got some more, rather than Caterham losing some.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
2nd October 2014, 4:02
I was thinking the same. I’m also sorry for Simona.
Neiana (@neiana)
2nd October 2014, 2:37
“We went into Spa with the same kind of atmosphere and of course it was difficult after Spa, but things feel like they’re back to normal.”
This alone says to me that all the conspiracies are over, now. Nico no longer needs to/is told to/requested/threatened/etc. in order to be certain of Hamilton’s superior finishing position. While I am one foot in the camp of “Nico was punished at we all saw it but Hamilton fanboys ignored it”, this quote means it’s over and after a let down of a race and then Nico’s car failure the coming race will be hard fought, again.
Michael Brown (@)
2nd October 2014, 2:51
“Difficult one. On any given day, Hamilton, Alonso, even Rosberg. And on their coat tails is Ricciardo. Vettel? He would have been there but I am really confused by him this year. Can it possibly be that the car does not suit him? I can’t believe it. Or is it that, as Alonso always stated, ‘give him a normal car and we’ll see how good he is’? Well, this car is normal. The jury is out for me on Sebastian at the moment. Anyone who can win four world titles is very special but this has been a lacklustre year for him.”
Come on, EJ.
Atticus (@atticus-2)
2nd October 2014, 10:30
@lite992 What do you mean by that? Although I don’t like the word ‘normal’, this year’s car is certainly different from the last few years’, more torquey and not blown, and Vettel now has to adapt.
All the great drivers were able to adapt – Moss to the rear-engined cars, Stewart to the wings, Lauda to the turbos, Prost to the downforce beasts of the early 1990s, Senna to pretty much everything, Alonso to the Pirellis, etc.
So I agree that the ‘jury is out at the moment.’
Michael Brown (@)
2nd October 2014, 12:12
I mean in the way that he writes off Vettel for having a bad year, ignoring what he’s done in the past with the Red Bull and especially with the Toro Rosso.
He has adapted to the car in the past, when the FIA restricted exhaust rules to try and stop Red Bull.
Atticus (@atticus-2)
2nd October 2014, 13:41
@lite992 Um, that restriction was not very successful. I don’t think it was as big a change as this year’s. I think neither do others who follow F1. In any case, Vettel struggled comparatively in the beginning of 2012, while Adrian Newey worked on a solution to resolve his problems (in which he eventually succeeded).
JCost (@jcost)
2nd October 2014, 10:43
@lite992 before the season started, on Ricciardo, Seb said something like: “I’ll look very stupid if he comes and beats me”
I wonder how much he wants that tape destroyed. :)
Jarnooo (@jarnooo)
2nd October 2014, 2:55
F1’s money needs to be distributed more fairly. Absolutely ridiculous that the top teams get so much and the bottom ones get so little or nothing at all. It’s saddening that something like this is so easy to fix/implement and yet nothing has been done about it yet. Must be demoralising for the teams.
Michael Brown (@)
2nd October 2014, 3:33
Because the top teams cite high expenses, so they deserve more money. Come on, FIA, out your foot down and show these teams who the real boss is.
Optimaximal (@optimaximal)
2nd October 2014, 8:54
The problem is, it’s not the FIA’s job. The job of ensuring the teams turn up falls to the CRH, who have a contract with the FIA to provide cars and teams to race in their championship.
This is why FOM are pushing for 3-car teams. Less prize money = more money, but doesn’t break their deal with the FIA.
@HoHum (@hohum)
2nd October 2014, 21:40
@lite992, The FIA, in the person of Max Mosely a business associate of Bernie, sold their rights to Bernie for a pittance, they have no foot to put down.
The top teams get more money because they are in a better position than the smaller teams to twist Bernies arm.
schooner (@schooner)
2nd October 2014, 3:01
While I never really thought that De Silvestro had much of a chance at landing a race seat with Sauber, she (and her sponsors?) obviously felt that she was doing the right thing for her career. If in fact her F1 aspirations have hit a dead end, it would be good to see her back in Indy Car again. She was fairly popular, and even had some modest success. She probably should have stayed there.
@HoHum (@hohum)
2nd October 2014, 21:45
@schooner, her (and every struggling F1 team/driver) should be going to Big Tobacco for E-Cigs sponsorship, we may be at the dawn of a new Golden Era for F1 until Governments are forced to legislate against nicotine in all its nefarious forms.
Kingshark (@kingshark)
2nd October 2014, 6:05
Regarding CotD:
McLaren’s chassis in 2014 is so bad that despite having by far the best engine, they are still only 6th in the WCC, behind Ferrari and Force India. Honda will need to create a miracle monster of an engine for McLaren to even be close to Mercedes next year.
I have more faith in Ferrari to design a good chassis than McLaren. Then again, I have no faith whatsoever in Ferrari’s engine to be a match for Mercedes next year.
It’s a difficult choice.
Optimaximal (@optimaximal)
2nd October 2014, 8:55
@kinshark Last race, McLaren were fifth. It’s swings and roundabouts.
Solo (@solo)
21st January 2015, 3:51
Mclaren didn’t have the best engine by far at all. They probably got the worst version of Mercedes engine from all customers because Mercedes wants to show as little as possible to them.
The Merc engine on the back of the Mclaren isn’t the same as the Merc engine on the back of Merc F1 team or Williams or even Force India.
BasCB (@bascb)
2nd October 2014, 6:40
Hm, that article in Racer Magazine is interesting, but does contain some inaccuracies.
Like
Is wrong, that licencing came up only when the FIA found out that in reality they had no power to bar either Symonds nor Briatore from being in F1 (because of Singapore 2008), because only the drivers and teams were licence holders that fall under FIA jurisdiction.
I really “liked” this line:
Off course there is some logic – mainly that of giving Bernie more influence. Because he has the “haves” in there, who are more or less satisfied with the money they get and Bernie only needs one or 2 teams to get things voted through, while before teams had the power to block something they were against.
George O'Donnell (@georgeod)
2nd October 2014, 7:51
Massively disappointed to hear the news about Simona De Silvestro. It’s so disheartening to see talented young drivers such as herself unable to progress their careers at the expense of drivers with half the talent but double the financial backing.
Optimaximal (@optimaximal)
2nd October 2014, 8:58
@georgeod Then maybe her management should have paired her with a more financially viable team? As usual, it’s clear that unless a woman reaches F1 through her talent, she’s just a marketing tool.
At least Williams have shown a genuine *want* to put Wolff in the car, hence the practice runs – Simona has been trotted around in re-skinned old Saubers for marketing purposes, nothing more.
PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
2nd October 2014, 9:30
“At least Williams have shown a genuine *want* to put Wolff in the car, hence the practice runs”
Haha. C’mon, there really never was a chance she would replace Bottas or Massa in a million years. Not because she’s a woman, she’s just not as fast as either of them.
Formula-I (@)
2nd October 2014, 8:32
Regarding COTD, i believe Fernando happy at Ferrari, but at the end, results still most improtant, in f1 you dont race because 2nd, 3rd, or 4th but to 1st, and Fernando is top quality. Ferrari likely won’t match RBR and Merc and McLaren had a chance (although it could’ve gone worse). Merc prove this season with some changes they dominate one season, and we also can look at McLaren in 2004-2005, also with 1987-1988. Ferrari is not that bad for Fernando but its not good enough
JCost (@jcost)
2nd October 2014, 8:41
[Eddie Jordan on Nico vs. Lewis]
The “classic” Nico vs. Lewis comparison is:
1. Nico is more cerebral and able to drive this complex cars.
2. Lewis is faster and more likely to let emotions control his driving.
But reality is a bit different, isn’t it? Unless people understand some of Nico’s moves where calculated and not mistakes (Monaco, Canada, Spa) or his escape route at turn 1 at Monza (twice) was on purpose to let Lewis by…
Lewis has got a hand full of unforced errors this year but Nico’s count is not better. The German has actually shown tremendous weakness under pressure.
On car management, Lewis is clearly a step above when it comes to conserving tyres and saving fuel it actually has been reported that Nico is trying to copy Lewis techniques to improve his fuel consumption.
Formula-I (@)
2nd October 2014, 9:05
Its simple, because Nico is left brained and Lewis is right brained, Nico uses his head Lewis uses his feeling. None of them perfect though, but Hamilton show upper hand.
Timothy Katz (@timothykatz)
2nd October 2014, 9:10
Could be an interesting weekend in Japan.
Here are two stories on the BBC web site http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/29455024 “Japanese Grand Prix: Typhoon a threat to race – Sergio Perez”
And http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/29454821 “Japanese Grand Prix: Will Stevens handed Marussia practice chance.”
Formula-I (@)
2nd October 2014, 9:34
http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/9498860/typhoon-phanfone-threatens-japanese-gp andhttp://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/9498791/ex-caterham-tester-will-stevens-poised-for-practice-one-debut-with-marussia-in-japan. Really hope for a 2012 brazil rain race, the weather is really stormy, i just hoping it wont started in safety cars like Korea 2010 and Canada 2011 (although racing was at the finest when dried out)
Formula-I (@)
2nd October 2014, 9:35
http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/9498791/ex-caterham-tester-will-stevens-poised-for-practice-one-debut-with-marussia-in-japan