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Saturday Dec 28, 2024
Friday, 14 March 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Red Bull
1 - Sebastian Vettel (Germany)
3- Daniel Ricciardo (Australia)
Vettel ended the 2013 season with nine wins in a row but a 10th in Melbourne already looks unlikely. Red Bull’s engine partners Renault have been beset by testing issues and the champions have done far less mileage than Mercedes and Ferrari-powered rivals. Neither driver has done a full race simulation so far. Despite that, the car looks good and has plenty of potential but reliability will be key. Red Bull’s chances depend on how quickly they can fix the problems. Vettel will be even more the main man, with Australian Mark Webber departing and replaced by compatriot Ricciardo, who is quick but has yet to stand on an F1 podium. He must learn the ropes and score consistent points, if the car allows.
Mercedes
6 - Nico Rosberg (Germany)
44 - Lewis Hamilton (Britain)
The early championship favourites. The driver line-up remains the same but there is change on the management side, with Ross Brawn relinqushing the principal role and departing. Toto Wolff and Paddy Lowe are running the team in tandem. Mercedes should be setting the pace, at least in the early races, and have plenty of testing laps in the bag. Will Rosberg get the better of Hamilton? The German will be helped by a less aggressive style and strategic nous. Hamilton has raw speed and sheer talent in abundance but that may count for less in a fuel-saving formula likely to reward smoother driving.
Ferrari
14 - Fernando Alonso (Spain)
7 - Kimi Raikkonen (Finland)
Brazilian Felipe Massa has departed and Raikkonen returned in a line-up of champions, one of two ‘roosters’ in the same henhouse. The partnership will be watched closely for signs of sparks and disintegration. Ferrari have told both drivers the team must come first but neither will be happy to be behind the other. The car and engine package has looked solid in testing but with plenty of work still required. Alonso, now in his fifth year at Maranello, is hungrier than ever for success. Ferrari are looking like title contenders again, car permitting.
Lotus
13-Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela)
8 - Romain Grosjean (France)
There have been big changes at Lotus, with Maldonado joining from Williams to partner the established Grosjean while principal Eric Boullier has jumped ship to McLaren. Expect plenty of frustration from Maldonado if the car turns out to be worse than the one he left behind. The team had financial problems last year which affected development and some key staff have left. The new car has an innovative split nose but the team have done less testing than others and are way behind on mileage. With money tight, it remains to be seen how Lotus fare as the season goes on, but they are likely to slip down the pecking order.
McLaren
22 - Jenson Button (Britain)
20-Kevin Magnussen (Denmark)
The only way is up for former champions chasing their first constructors’ title since 1998 and back under the overall leadership of Ron Dennis. Last year was dismal, without a podium finish in what was by some measurements their worst season since 1966. Button, feeling the loss of his ever-present father who died in January, is the most experienced driver in F1 and will be expected to lead the team and add to his win tally. Magnussen, 21, could be another Lewis Hamilton in the making. His speed is evident, the racecraft yet to be fully assessed.
Force India
27-Nico Hulkenberg (Germany)
11 - Sergio Perez (Mexico)
An all-new line-up of sorts, given that Hulkenberg is returning after a year at Sauber. The German is highly-rated but one of the biggest drivers, which could count against him. Perez joins after a difficult year at McLaren and has a reputation to restore. The Mercedes engine is a clear asset even if the car is no beauty. If top teams suffer reliability problems, then the podium should be within Force India’s reach, at least early on. A first win cannot be discounted, such is the degree of uncertainty about how the new regulations will pan out.
Sauber
99 - Adrian Sutil (Germany)
21- Esteban Gutierrez (Mexico)
A rookie last year, Gutierrez now represents continuity. Sauber will expect more consistency from him now. Swiss-based Sutil brings experience from Force India and is looking forward to the challenge after spending all of his career to date at one team. Money, or the lack of it, could be a brake on performance over the course of the year for a cash-strapped team that fought doggedly to stay afloat last year.
TORO ROSSO
25 - Jean-Eric Vergne (France)
26 - Daniil Kvyat (Russia)
Kvyat has replaced Ricciardo and will attract plenty of interest as the most promising driver yet to emerge from Russia. Last season’s GP3 champion, the Ufa-born driver is as at ease behind the wheel as he is fluent in a range of languages. He’s still only 19 and definitely a talent to watch. Vergne missed out on the Red Bull drive and knows he needs to showcase his talents if he is to have a longer-term future in the sport. The switch to Renault engines from Ferrari may not help him.
Williams
19 - Felipe Massa (Brazil)
77 - Valtteri Bottas (Finland)
Williams are looking more and more like a team on the up following the switch to Mercedes power. And they desperately need that, having plumbed new depths last year with just five points on the board. Massa replaces Maldonado and is eager to show he still has plenty to offer despite being eclipsed at Ferrari by Fernando Alonso. Former Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley has also come on board and the experience of technical head Pat Symonds is starting to show. There are new sponsors and the tidy-looking car set the pace in Bahrain testing and chalked up plenty of laps. After scrabbling about for points in 2013, Williams could be back among the podium contenders.
Marussia
17 - Jules Bianchi (France)
4 - Max Chilton (Britain)
A switch to Ferrari engines, inevitable after Cosworth quit the sport, is a big step in the right direction for Formula One’s smallest team. The line-up is unchanged, another bonus. Money remains extremely tight, however, and that will limit how much they can achieve in performance terms. A first point might just be on the cards if races prove as unpredictable and the other cars as unreliable as some fear they will be.
Caterham
10 - Kamui Kobayashi (Japan)
9 - Marcus Ericsson (Sweden)
An all new line-up, bringing crowd-pleaser Kobayashi back to F1 while Ericsson makes his debut. Even the team admit the car is no looker, but they need it to narrow the gap with the midfield runners if team owner Tony Fernandes is not to lose patience. Like all the Renault teams, they have had problems in testing but have also been the most reliable. A challenging season ahead but with more potential than in the past.
New engine, new rules and new sound for F1 in 2014Reuters: Formula One will look and sound different when the season starts in Melbourne on March 16, with new regulations and the introduction of a turbocharged V6 engine with energy recovery systems. The following looks at the main changes for 2014, with the sport going through its most significant technical overhaul in at least two decades. Power unit Put simply, what used to be called an engine has become something a lot more complicated. The old 2.4 litre V8 engines, with kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS), that revved at up to 18,000rpm have been consigned to history and replaced by a power unit - a 1.6 litre turbocharged engine limited to 15,000rpm with two energy recovery systems (ERS). The sport last saw turbo engines in 1988. Teams are allowed five power units - each made up of six elements - per driver per season, compared to an allocation of eight engines last year. A driver will have to start from the pitlane if he uses more than five entire units while each additional element above the allocation will incur a 10 place grid penalty. KERS/ERS The old-style KERS delivered a boost of around 80bhp for six seconds a lap at the push of a button. The new ERS - two electrical motor generator units that harvest kinetic and heat energy from the brakes and single exhaust - does not require the driver to push anything and delivers an extra 160bhp for up to 33.33 seconds a lap. Whereas a KERS failure during a race would have put a driver at a manageable disadvantage, an ERS failure will have a far more dramatic impact. As a result of ERS, cars will also produce more torque at lower revs than in the past which puts more stress on the rear tyres and calls for more sensitive throttle control. Exhausts Cars now have one centrally-positioned exhaust compared to the previous twin outlets. This change means the end of ‘blown diffusers’, where hot exhaust gases were directed over the rear diffuser to generate more downforce. Some teams, such as champions Red Bull who used the technology to good effect, have been more hit than others. Fuel economy The new units will use some 35 percent less fuel than the previous engines, as part of a ‘green revolution’ in the sport. Each car has an allocation of 100kg of fuel to complete the race without refuelling, compared with around 150-160kg last year. There is also a fuel flow limiter. Fuel saving will become a feature of races, with the electrical power generated by ERS coming into play. Driving styles and tactics will have to adapt to the level of fuel consumption. McLaren expect races to boil down initially into three key segments: “An opening charge to establish position; a consolidatory middle-stint as engines, fuel levels and temperatures are managed; and a final burst as drivers with the machinery and confidence to push, press on to the finish.” Gearboxes The rules now specify eight-speed fixed-ratio gearboxes, one more speed than 2013. In the past teams could pick and choose from 30 gear ratios but now they must use the same ones all season, with one change allowed. Any further changes incur penalties. Each gearbox must now last six consecutive races instead of five previously. Aerodynamics Front wings have become 150mm narrower, a move aimed at reducing the number of rear punctures caused by cars clipping those in front, and there is no longer a lower beam wing at the rear while the upper part is smaller. The height of the chassis and nose (415mm lower) has been reduced for safety reasons, chiefly to prevent cars being launched in the air in the event of a front to rear collision and to reduce the risk to drivers from side impacts. This has led to a variety of highly distinctive noses on the 2014 cars, ranging from the two-pronged Lotus to ‘anteater’ style fronts on others. Weight Minimum car weights have increased from 642kg to 691kg to compensate for the heavier power units. Taller and heavier drivers, such as Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg, say the increase is not enough and they are at a disadvantage compared to much smaller rivals such as Williams’ Felipe Massa. With every extra kilo impacting on performance, expect some drivers to look much leaner than in the past. Noise The new power units make a different, softer noise to the screaming V8s, which were introduced in 2006, just as the V8s were distinct to the previous V10s and V12s. While the engines rev at 15,000rpm, the turbo will make its own distinct noise as it spins at 125,000rpm. “The car will still accelerate and decelerate rapidly, with instant gearshifts. The engines remain high revving, ultra high output competition engines. Fundamentally the engine noise will still be loud,” says Renault’s Rob White. “It will wake you from sleep, and circuit neighbours will still complain. The sound of the new generation power units is just different. It’s like asking whether you like Motorhead or AC/DC. Ultimately it is a matter of personal taste. Both in concert are still pretty loud.” Double points The top 10 finishers in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi will score double, with the winner taking 50 points instead of the usual 25. This controversial move is aimed at ensuring the title battle stays open as long as possible. Critics have accused it of being an artificial and unncessary gimmick. Penalty points/driver numbers Any driver collecting 12 penalty points in a calendar year faces an automatic one race suspension. Drivers have also been allowed to choose their racing numbers, which they will keep for their entire careers in Formula One. Previously their numbers changed from year to year according to the constructors’ championship standings. |
