2014 Open Wheel Racing Chat

[VictoriaGooner]

That was quite funny answer and response between Button and Alonso...good to see the lightness still in F1.

[VictoriaGooner]

Some big news out of Abu Dhabi with both Red Bull Renault cars beings excluded from qualifying due to breaking a FIA technical rule with respect to front wing construction (more toward the amount of deflection that was permitted versus how much RBR cars had). "The FIA's technical delegate Jo Bauer referred Red Bull to the stewards after deciding that the front wings of both RB10s had been designed to flex under aerodynamic load - a contravention of Article 3.15 of the Formula One technical regulations which limits moveable aerodynamics." Red Bull said in a statement: "Following the decision of the Stewards regarding the front wings on both our cars (Car 1 and Car 3), we are disappointed that we have been singled out for a front wing deflection test when it is clear that other teams are interpreting the rules in a similar fashion. “The team accepts the decision of the Stewards and will start the race from the back of the grid." As well, Rosberg snatches the all important pole from Hamilton, and Mercedes locks up the 16th front of the season tying a record with 1969 Ford.

In the second round of FIA Formula-E championship from Putrajaya, the results from the race that was ran today are as follows:

1. Bird

2. di Grassi

3. Buemi

4. Prost

5. d'Ambrosio

6. Chandhok

7. Servia

8. da Costa

9. Alguersuari

10. Abt

Highlights of the race:

[rvrdgsfn]

Results from Abu Dhabi:

1. Hamilton

2. Massa

3. Bottas

4. Ricciardo

5. Button

6. Hulkenberg

7. Perez

8. Vettel

9. Alonso

10. Raikkonen

Nico started strong but just had problems. However, you can't deny that Lewis just had the car & with 11 wins this year, he truly earned the World Driver's Championship this year. Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton. With that, we are now at the end of the 2014 Formula 1 season. Now the questions for the off season, does Jenson or Vergne return? Who can stop the Silver Arrows, where will Alonso go, will he go to McLaren? Can Vettel return Ferrari to its glory days? Only time will tell

[RedRenesis]

Nico started strong but just had problems. However, you can't deny that Lewis just had the car & with 11 wins this year, he truly earn the World Driver's Championship this year. Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton. With that, we are now at the end of the 2014 Formula 1 season. ... Can Vettel return Ferrari to its glory days? Only time will tell

Indeed, congrats to Hamilton for the World Title he did a helluva job this year. With the advantage Mercedes power has Hamilton is in good shape next season as well. Best of luck to him.

Having been a Ferrari and Schumacher fan, I think this is where I step off, I can't in good conscience pull for them with Vettel behind the wheel, I think too little of him. I'm counting on Kimi to take up Ricciardo's flag and outperform him.

[VictoriaGooner]

A massive congratulations for Lewis Hamilton and W05 Mercedes AMG F1 team. Hamilton was dominant all season with 11 wins, Mercedes locking up the front row 16 times, winning the Constructors Championship by over double the points to their next closest rival. It is still great to see a German manufacturer win the world title. Hamilton has matured alot this season, not being the petulant and immature driver he was the last couple. He had a calm cool head especially when he was trailing Nico for many races. But I think in the end, Rosberg couldn't really deal with the pressure that was on him week in week out. I think he will be back next year to challenge for the world title with Hamilton. I believe the Silver Arrows will be dominant again next year but the other top teams of Red Bull and Ferrari will make small closing gaps on Mercedes.

This was both Vergne's and Button's last GP races. And as for Alonso, I think he will end up going to McLaren but it will not be as easy as he thinks it might be, especially with them using a new power plant. As for Vettel, he will do well with Ferrari but i think Ferrari has severely dropped in the technical department with many of teams passing them by (Williams being one of them). This has been the case for 3-4 years. No matter if you have a four time world champions driving for you, you need to give him a competitive car. Let the silly season begin Rookie testing is to take place next weekend in Abu Dhabi.

Here's a nice article on the back story of Lewis Hamilton leading up to today's momentous win.

http://www.grandprix247.com/2014/11/23/hamilton-world-champion-i-cant-believe-it/

[VictoriaGooner]

Day One of testing from Yas Marina was completed today with Bottas topping both the morning and afternoon sessions. McLaren formally introduced the McLaren-Honda MP4-29H/1X1 today but ran into electrical issues shortly after start up.

Unofficial Tuesday (Day One) times from Abu Dhabi:

1. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1m 43.396s, 80 laps
2. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1m 43.888s, 81 laps
3. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1m 44.512s, 114 laps
4. Jolyon Palmer, Force India, 1m 45.516s, 37 laps
5. Carlos Sainz, Red Bull, 1m 45.339s, 100 laps
6. Will Stevens, Caterham, 1m 45.436s, 102 laps
7. Charles Pic, Lotus, 1m 46.167s, 89 laps
8. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1m 46.253s, 95 laps
9. Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso, 1m 47.194s, 55 laps
10. Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren, no time, 3 laps

[VictoriaGooner]

Day Two of testing as Yas Marina was completed today. More electrical problems for the MP4-29H/1X1. McLaren couldn't even start the car in the morning session and got two laps in the afternoon session before the car stopped on the track. McLaren said they will work on the problem over the coming weeks to find the troublesome electrical issue that has plagued the car in the last two days.

Now the official F1 offseason is upon us. There are still some driver signings to be announced in the coming months as well as the overall fate of Caterham and Marussia. Next big event in F1 is the car unveiling starting in January 2015.

Unofficial Wednesday (Day Two) times from Abu Dhabi:

1 Pascal Wehrlein Mercedes 1m42.624s 96 laps

2 Raffaele Marciello Ferrari 1m43.208s 91 laps

3 Max Verstappen Toro Rosso 1m43.763s 78 laps

4 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1m44.551s 112 laps

5 Will Stevens Caterham 1m44.888s 76 laps

6 Spike Goddard Force India 1m44.944s 89 laps

7 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1m45.151s 89 laps

8 Felipe Nasr Williams 1m45.937s 83 laps

9 Alex Lynn Lotus 1m46.168s 52 laps

10 Esteban Ocon Lotus 1m47.013s 34 laps

11 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren - 2 laps

[rvrdgsfn]

Jean Eric Vergne basically made it official, he won't be returning to Toro Rosso

From his Twitter:

Despite a good season & 22 pts, I'll not drive anymore for Toro Rosso in 2015. Thanks for those years. Let's go for another big challenge.

Looks like Carlos Jr. is coming in.

[VictoriaGooner]

Jean Eric Vergne basically made it official, he won't be returning to Toro Rosso

From his Twitter:

Despite a good season & 22 pts, I'll not drive anymore for Toro Rosso in 2015. Thanks for those years. Let's go for another big challenge.

Looks like Carlos Jr. is coming in.

I saw that on his Twitter feed today as well. It's a shame as he performed well in race conditions but qualifying he was out performed by Kyvat. I think a mid pack team would be lucky to pick up Vergne, even in a testing role. I believe Vergne wants to stay in F1 and you will do anything you can to fight for it. Carlos Jr was the Formula 3.5 champions from this season and another Red Bull driver program graduate.

[rvrdgsfn]

Well some news from WEC

Unfortunately, this was Webber's car & he is the hospital but is awake & alert. However, it turns out that Porsche won their first race this season in Sao Paulo. So with that WEC's season is done.

It also looks like we are getting another manufacture in V8 Supercars.

http://www.touringcartimes.com/2014/11/30/lexus-confirms-v8-supercars-evaluation/

The head of Lexus Australia, Sean Hanley, has confirmed that they are in ”high-level” discussions with V8 Supercars regarding a future entry in the championship.
”We’ve had very high-level discussions with V8 Supercars. V8 Supercars never approached me, any interest we have shown has come from Lexus. We intitiated a high-level discussion,” said Hanley to carsadvice.com.au.

One of the key factors for Lexus is the coming rule change in 2017 which is likely to see the introduction of two-door cars, opening up for the Lexus RC F model.

[VictoriaGooner]

Well some news from WEC

Unfortunately, this was Webber's car & he is the hospital but is awake & alert. However, it turns out that Porsche won their first race this season in Sao Paulo. So with that WEC's season is done.

It also looks like we are getting another manufacture in V8 Supercars.

http://www.touringcartimes.com/2014/11/30/lexus-confirms-v8-supercars-evaluation/

The head of Lexus Australia, Sean Hanley, has confirmed that they are in ”high-level” discussions with V8 Supercars regarding a future entry in the championship.

”We’ve had very high-level discussions with V8 Supercars. V8 Supercars never approached me, any interest we have shown has come from Lexus. We intitiated a high-level discussion,” said Hanley to carsadvice.com.au.

One of the key factors for Lexus is the coming rule change in 2017 which is likely to see the introduction of two-door cars, opening up for the Lexus RC F model.

Thoughts go out to Webber and his family. Hopefully everything works out for him as that is an absolute wreck.

[rvrdgsfn]

http://www.racer.com/latest-stories/item/111378-ford-to-quit-v8-supercars-after-2015

Ford will withdraw from V8 Supercars at the end of 2015.

The manufacturer did not make a public announcement, but communicated its decision to stakeholders on Monday morning.

The move follows plans by Ford to close its Australian manufacturing plants by October 2016 and cease production of its Falcon.

The latest iteration of the car, the FG X, was released last week.

Ford Performance Racing and Team Penske DJR are the only teams that currently race with Ford.

Tim Edwards, CEO of Prodrive Racing (Australia) which runs FPR as a factory-aligned operation, expressed his disappointment at the news.

"Ford Australia's decision to not extend its commercial relationship with our team beyond the end of next season is extremely disappointing for our large and loyal fanbase, but as a business this decision now allows us to concentrate on our long-term future," he said.

My reaction to this news...

Considering the battles between Ford & Holden this is a sad day for V8 supercars.

JEV's may have a new option...

http://www.grandprix247.com/2014/12/01/vergne-seeking-indycar-move-to-further-career/

After three seasons with Toro Rosso, the 24-year-old Frenchman has been replaced for 2015 by the young rookie Spaniard Carlos Sainz.

He told the official website of America’s premier open-wheeler series: “I would be really interested in racing in America in Indycar. I think it’s a great championship. Indycar.com said Vergne has already contacted the teams Andretti and Ganassi.

“I’m working with a manager who works with a few drivers in America, Julian Jakobi, and at the moment, it seems like it is quite hard to go to a top team right away, but I am very interested to see what type of seats are available,” Vergne added.

Make it happen.

[VictoriaGooner]

Vettel started his Ferrari career in no short order. His Red Bull contract ended last week which allowed the German to start driving with Ferrari. Having arrived at the Ferrari factory on Friday, Vettel drove a 2012 F1 car at Fiorano on Saturday, spent a whole day in the simulator on Sunday and then met senior team figures including Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne, team boss Maurizio Arrivabene and technical chief James Allison for meetings on Monday.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/117003

Here's a nice video of his first day driving at Fiorano including his first interview in red and white. I think he looks good in Ferrari colors.

[rvrdgsfn]

So some changes are coming to Indycar's rules in 2015.

http://www.indycar.com/News/2014/12/12-2-Verizon-IndyCar-Series-rulebook-for-2015

- Final race gets the double point treatment (seriously)

- Standing starts are no more

- The 2015 testing days will be made up of the following: Engine Manufacturer Tests, Team Tests, Promoter Tests, and Full Size Wind Tunnel Tests.

- With pits: If an entrant did not participate at the prior race location, it shall be assigned a pit location as follows: 1) Entrant points, 2) Blind draw.

- Road/Street qualifying : Qualifications groups shall be determined by the practice session prior to qualifying.

Seriously, why would they even consider this when F1 got rid of it after one race?

It also looks like JEV may not be the only F1 experienced driver that would want to come in...

http://www.racer.com/indycar/item/111396-indycar-rossi-shifts-career-focus-to-america

California's Alexander Rossi spent the last six years working his way up the European open-wheel ladder, reaching Formula 1 as a test and reserve driver for the Caterham and Marussia teams.

Upon his arrival Europe, Rossi embarked on a season of IFM followed by a year in GP3, two seasons of World Series by Renault 3.5 and he just completed two years in GP2, giving the experienced-beyond-his-years 23-year-old a wealth of knowledge in some of the toughest open-wheel categories. With an impressive foundation in place, Rossi has set his sights on a new target, and tells RACER he's shifted his plans to race in the Verizon IndyCar Series.

Formula 1's loss is IndyCar's huge gain!

Last but not least....

http://www.grandprix247.com/2014/12/02/mclaren-board-meet-this-week-to-decide-2015-drivers/

With 2014 drivers Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen at the top of the list, we reported on Monday that a decision on either Thursday or Friday is now likely.

Germany’s Sport Bild claims McLaren is split into two camps, with Dennis favouring Magnussen but shareholders Mansour Ojjeh, the Bahrainis and perhaps even Alonso pushing hard for 2009 world champion Button to be retained.

[VictoriaGooner]

What a HUGE loss for F1 if Rossi goes to Indy Car...a massive talent like the American being lost to F1 would definitely be a major blow due to youth development. I am hoping Rossi can find a seat for 2015 with a F1 team. I myself think he would be more challenged in F1 vice Indy Car.

As for the Button/Magnussen decision, I do see Magnussen being chosen over Button just on age and driver results in 2014. Which is a shame because the last time we most likely see Button in F1 was in Abu Dhabi. A great career might be coming to an end in F1...though would like to see him continue in WEC or even DTC.

[marble21]

...I do see Magnussen being chosen over Button just on age and driver results in 2014...

It will be because of $$$.

Look at the salaries of Button and Magnussen. Alonso is going to McLaren - not officially announced but we basically all know that is the case. They will not pay the wages of both Button and Alonso.

[rvrdgsfn]

So... We're getting 21 races next year in F1 & guess who's back?

The 2015 F1 Calendar
15 March Grand Prix of Australia
29 March Grand Prix of Malaysia
12 April Grand Prix of China
19 April Grand Prix of Bahrain
03 May Grand Prix of Korea (TBC)
10 May Grand Prix of Spain
24 May Grand Prix of Monaco
07 June Grand Prix of Canada
21 June Grand Prix of Austria
05 July Grand Prix of Great Britain
19 July Grand Prix of Germany
26 July Grand Prix of Hungary
23 August Grand Prix of Belgium
06 September Grand Prix of Italy
20 September Grand Prix of Singapore
27 September Grand Prix of Japan
11 October Grand Prix of Russia
25 October Grand Prix of USA
01 November Grand Prix of Mexico
15 November Grand Prix of Brazil
29 November Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi

Erm, wow. Korea manages to rise from the ashes after all... Hopefully they'll get their stuff together before 2015.

Then there's this...

http://www.racer.com/wec-le-mans/item/111452-wec-nissan-lmp1-set-for-super-bowl-reveal

Nissan Motorsports boss Darren Cox has all but confirmed the brand's plans to reveal its new LMP1 challenger using the biggest sporting event in North America as the platform.

Cox tweeted an image (ABOVE) from a press release regarding Nissan's return to Super Bowl advertising via a 60-second ad.

This IMO is a huge deal. Making your P1 debut during the biggest game in the US? This could get people interested.

Last but not least, Vettel had a going away party from Red Bull. Some of things he got.

-An Espresso cup

- A red speedo (I wish I was joking)

& this...

Christian Horner also said that the team would give him one of his championship-winning F1 cars – but not yet.

"We don't want it turning up in Maranello," smiled Horner.

[VictoriaGooner]

I read that story on Grand Prix 247 of Vettel's going away party and what he was given. I still cannot believe they gave him a pair of red speedos...all I can say is why?

------------------------------------------------

As for the 2015 F1 season, I am looking forward to Spielberg, Spa and the return of Mexico to the calendar...can't wait for the 2015 season to arrive, especially after a really good competitive 2014 calendar.

Along with the calendar being released today, new sporting regulations and rules were released by the FIA for the 2015 F1 season:

Points
Points for both titles will no longer be doubled for the final Event of the Championship. (Thank heavens as I was not a fan of the double race points. SO why would IndyCar adopt it if it wasn't a hit in F1?)

Standing Restarts
After consultation with the Teams who raised a number of safety concerns, Articles 42.7 and 42.8 on standing restarts have been rescinded.

Virtual Safety Car (VSC)
Following tests of the VSC system at the final Events of 2014, the introduction of the system has been approved for 2015. The VSC procedure may be initiated to neutralise a race upon the order of the clerk of the course. It will normally be used when double waved yellow flags are needed on any section of track and competitors or officials may be in danger, but the circumstances are not such as to warrant use of the safety car itself. The full text of the article is available in Annex I.

Suspending a race
When a race is suspended, the pit exit will be closed and all cars must now proceed slowly into the pit lane, not the starting grid. The first car to arrive in the pit lane should proceed directly to the pit exit staying in the fast lane, all the other cars should form up in a line behind the first car.

Team personnel or equipment on grid
If any team personnel or team equipment remain on the grid after the 15 second signal has been shown the driver of the car concerned must start the race from the pit lane. A ten second stop-and-go penalty will be imposed on any driver who fails to do this.

Power Unit Penalties
The replacement of a complete power unit will no longer result in a penalty, instead as specified in the current regulations, penalties will be applied cumulatively for individual components of the power unit.

If a grid place penalty is imposed, and the driver’s grid position is such that the full penalty cannot be applied, the remainder of the penalty will be applied in the form of a time penalty during the race (not at the next race as was previously the case) according to the following scale :

• 1 to 5 grid places untaken: A penalty under Article 16.3a will be applied.

• 6 to 10 grid places untaken: A penalty under Article 16.3b will be applied.

• 11 to 20 grid places untaken: A penalty under Article 16.3c will be applied.

• More than 20 grid places untaken: A penalty under Article 16.3d will be applied.

Time Penalties
In addition to the existing five-second penalty (Article 16.3a), a new ten-second penalty (Article 16.3b) will also be introduced, to be applied in the same manner.

Unsafe Release
If a car is deemed to have been released in an unsafe condition during a race a ten second stop-and-go penalty will be imposed on the driver concerned. An additional penalty will be imposed on any driver who, in the opinion of the stewards, continues to drive a car knowing it to have been released in an unsafe condition.

Qualifying Procedure
The qualifying procedure was clarified: for cases when 24 cars are eligible seven will be excluded after Q1 and Q2, if 22 cars are eligible six cars will be excluded after Q1 and Q2, and so on if fewer cars are eligible.

Safety Car: lapped cars
Once the last lapped car has passed the leader the safety car will return to the pits at the end of the following lap, the race director will no longer have to wait for all the lapped cars to reach the back of the pack behind the safety car.

2015 TECHNICAL REGULATIONS
- The weight of the car, without fuel, must not be less than 702kg at all times during the Event (up from 701kg).

- Changes have been made to the rules governing Wind Tunnel Testing and with regard to the aerodynamic reporting periods for 2015 and 2016.

- Any suspension system fitted to the front wheels must be so arranged that its response results only from changes in load applied to the front wheels.

- Any suspension system fitted to the rear wheels must be so arranged that its response results only from changes in load applied to the rear wheels.

- The Zylon anti-intrusion panels on both sides of the survival cell have been extended upwards to the rim of the cockpit and alongside the pilot’s head.

NEXT MEETING OF THE STRATEGY GROUP
The FIA President confirmed that the next meeting of the Strategy Group would take place on 18 December, and would focus reducing costs, improving the show, making cars quicker and more difficult to drive, and reviewing the technical and sporting regulations, with the aim of simplifying the rules where possible.

ACCIDENT PANEL
A review of all the evidence and other information about the events leading up to Jules Bianchi’s accident at the Japanese Grand Prix 5 October 2014, Suzuka, has been carried out by the 10-man Accident Panel, appointed by the FIA and chaired by Safety Commission President Peter Wright. The Panel has issued a 396-page report on their findings with recommendations for improvements, many relevant to all of motor sport. This has been presented to the FIA World Motor Sport Council, which accepted the findings and gave a mandate to implement the full recommendations and conclusions of the report. The summary issued by the panel can be found on fia.com.

CRITERIA FOR THE ISSUING OF SUPER LICENCES
A proposal on the conditions of attribution of the Super Licence was approved for 2016, on the basis of the following criteria:

1 - Safety criteria
The following changes have been made compared to the current regulations:

- There is a valid driving licence requirement.

- There is a minimum age requirement (18yo).

- There is a verification of knowledge of the F1 Sporting Regulations/ISC rules.

2 - Experience criteria
With the following changes compared to the current regulations:

- There is the 300km in F1 TCC or TPC_ as a minimum requirement.

- There is a 2 years minimum running in minor Formulas.

3 - Performance criteria
With the following changes compared to the current regulations:

- There is a point system requirement, based on the driver results in previous Formulas.

-----------------------------------------

The FIA has released the findings of the Bianchi crash at Suzuka. The report totaled over 360-pages but in short here is the summary The biggest finding was that Bianchi did not slow sufficiently to avoid losing control at the same point on the track as Sutil. At the time of the accident, there was those same reports in the media of Bianchi not slowly down enough which led to the crash but Marussia adamantly denied those reports saying Bianchi drove slow enough in the double yellow flag conditions.

FIA Accident Panel Full Report:

On lap 43 of the Japanese GP, Jules Bianchi lost control of his Marussia in Turn 7, and struck a mobile crane that was recovering Adrian Sutil’s Sauber, which had crashed the lap before. Bianchi suffered life-threatening injuries to his head, and was evacuated to hospital by ambulance.

The weather conditions at the time were rain and a deteriorating track condition, and the section of the track where the accident occurred was subject to double yellow flags, due to Sutil’s crash.

A review of all the evidence and other information about the events leading up to Bianchi’s accident has been carried out by the 10-man Accident Panel, appointed by the FIA. The Panel has issued a 396-page report on their findings with recommendations for improvements, many relevant to all of motorsport. This has been presented to the FIA World Motorsport Council.

Conclusions:

The review of the events leading up to Bianchi’s accident indicate that a number of key issues occurred, which may have contributed to the accident, though none alone caused it:

1. The semi-dry racing line at T 7 was abruptly narrowed by water draining onto the track and flowing downhill along it. Both Sutil, and Bianchi one lap later, lost control at this point in T 7.

2. Sutil’s car was in the process of being recovered by mobile crane when Bianchi approached Sectors 7 and 8, which include the part of T 7 where the recovery was taking place. Sectors 7 and 8 were subject to double yellow flags.

3. Bianchi did not slow sufficiently to avoid losing control at the same point on the track as Sutil.

4. If drivers adhere to the requirements of double yellow flags, as set out in Appendix H, Art. 2.4.5.1.b, then neither competitors nor officials should be put in immediate or physical danger.

5. The actions taken following Sutil’s accident were consistent with the regulations, and their interpretation following 384 incidents in the preceding 8 years. Without the benefit of hindsight, there is no apparent reason why the Safety Car should have been deployed either before or after Sutil’s accident.

6. Bianchi over-controlled the oversteering car, such that he left the track earlier than Sutil, and headed towards a point “up-stream” along the barrier. Unfortunately, the mobile crane was in front of this part of the barrier, and he struck and under-ran the rear of it at high speed.

7. During the 2 seconds Bianchi’s car was leaving the track and traversing the run-off area, he applied both throttle and brake together, using both feet. The FailSafe algorithm is designed to over-ride the throttle and cut the engine, but was inhibited by the Torque Coordinator, which controls the rear Brake-by-Wire system. Bianchi’s Marussia has a unique design of BBW, which proved to be incompatible with the FailSafe settings.

8. The fact that the FailSafe did not disqualify the engine torque requested by the driver may have affected the impact velocity; it has not been possible to reliably quantify this. However, it may be that Bianchi was distracted by what was happening and the fact that his front wheels had locked, and been unable to steer the car such that it missed the crane.

9. Bianchi’s helmet struck the sloping underside of the crane. The magnitude of the blow and the glancing nature of it caused massive head deceleration and angular acceleration, leading to his severe injuries.

10. All rescue and medical procedures were followed, and their expediency are considered to have contributed significantly to the saving of Bianchi’s life.

11. It is not feasible to mitigate the injuries Bianchi suffered by either enclosing the driver’s cockpit, or fitting skirts to the crane. Neither approach is practical due to the very large forces involved in the accident between a 700kg car striking a 6500kg crane at a speed of 126kph. There is simply insufficient impact structure on a F1 car to absorb the energy of such an impact without either destroying the driver’s survival cell, or generating non-survivable decelerations.

It is considered fundamentally wrong to try and make an impact between a racing car and a large and heavy vehicle survivable. It is imperative to prevent a car ever hitting the crane and/or the marshals working near it.

Recommendations:

A number of recommendations for improvements have been proposed, relevant in many cases to all of motorsport. They include the following:

1. A new regulation for double yellow flags:

Proposed new Appendix H Article (possibly under 2.4.5.1b:

The Clerk of the Course will impose a speed limit in any section of track where double yellow flags are being displayed.

It is proposed that a Working Group, made up of FIA Race Directors and Stewards should meet and draw up detailed regulations and guidelines for the application of this new regulation, in time to apply it in 2015 across international circuit racing.

2. Safety critical software:

A review of safety critical software and measures to check its integrity will take place.

3. Track drainage:

Guidelines on circuit drainage will be reviewed, to include drainage off access roads.

4. 4-hour Rule:

Article 5.3 of the F1 Sporting Regulations states that:

However, should the race be suspended (see Article 41) the length of the suspension will be added to this period up to a maximum total race time of four hours.

It is proposed that a regulation or guideline be established such that the Start time of an event shall not be less than 4 hours before either sunset or dusk, except in the case of night races.

It is also recommended that the F1 Calendar is reviewed in order to avoid, where possible, races taking place during local rainy seasons.

5. Super Licence

It is proposed that drivers acquiring a Super Licence for the first time should undertake a course to familiarise themselves with the procedures used by F1 in running and ensuring the safety of an event.

It is also proposed that new licence holders pass a test to ensure that they are familiar with all the relevant regulations.

6. F1 risk review

Consideration will be given to a review of F1 risk, in order to ascertain whether there are any significant holes in the safety defences, such that an unforeseen combination of circumstances could result in a serious accident.

7. Tyres

It is part of the challenge of a racing driver to drive his car as fast as possible given the track conditions combined with the characteristics of his tyres. Although the characteristics of the wet weather tyres provided by Pirelli did not influence Bianchi’s accident or its outcome in any significant way, it is recommended that provision is made for the tyre supplier to develop and adequately test wet weather tyres between each F1 season, such that it is able to supply the latest developments to the first event.

Composition of the Accident Panel

Presidency

• Peter Wright, President of the Safety Commission

Members

• Ross Brawn, former Team Principal of Mercedes F1 Team, Brawn Grand Prix and former Technical Director of Scuderia Ferrari
• Stefano Domenicali, former Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari
• Gerd Ennser, Chief Stewards’ representative
• Emerson Fittipaldi, President of the FIA Drivers’ Commission, F1 Steward
• Eduardo de Freitas, WEC Race Director
• Roger Peart, President of the Circuits Commission, President of the ASN of Canada, F1 Steward
• Antonio Rigozzi, Advocate, Judge at the International Court of Appeal of the FIA co-opted by the teams
• Gérard Saillant, President of the FIA Institute and President of the Medical Commission
• Alex Wurz, President of the GPDA, drivers’ representative

[marble21]

So... We're getting 21 races next year in F1 & guess who's back?

03 May Grand Prix of Korea (TBC)

10 May Grand Prix of Spain

This is a work around of a new rule on engines. There is a clause that states teams can only use 4 engines per season unless there are more than 20 races scheduled for the season. By provisionally scheduling 21 it allows teams to use 5. It does not matter how many races are actually on the race calendar in the end.

The likelihood of racing in Spain just a week after being in Korea is very low. It would be a logistical nightmare.

[rvrdgsfn]

Well, there has been no decision at McLaren yet. Not even Magnussen is a shoe in, the rumor was he was trying to get Lego on board for sponsorship.

Once again... Here we go...

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/30336569

Sources say the review is being conducted by ex-Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali, who was hired by VW's Audi brand earlier this year.

Its interest is being piqued by the global marketing success achieved by rivals and new F1 champions Mercedes.

From Eddie Jordan:

"The Volkswagen Audi Group is the second biggest car maker in the world and as such it needs to be in Formula 1. But it will not enter it while the sport remains under the control of Bernie Ecclestone, who VAG boss Ferdinand Piech dislikes on a personal and professional basis. Martin Winterkorn - the chairman of the board of management of Volkswagen - is being groomed as Piech's successor and he has always believed that F1 is a great platform for the group's brands. I am told he privately believes VAG should be a part of F1. If VAG did come to F1, I believe it would be with their own team, with the car designed and made in Germany."

Some reports have linked a potential VAG return with the Austrian Red Bull team - Piech has a close relationship with Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz.

But sources say that VAG turned down an approach from Red Bull some years ago and that if it did enter F1 it would be with its own team based in Germany.

So either Piech or Uncle Bernie goes... Then again, maybe this will finally get the old coot out...