2014 World Motorsports Discussion Thread

[Kiskaloo]

With the 2013 season over, time to start talking about 2014.

First up, Pastor Maldonado has been signed by Lotus to partner Romain Grosjean. I'm guessing this means that the deal with Quantum Motorsports is dead and they need Pastor's money to compensate. That being said, there are said to be conditions placed by Maldonado and PDVSA to ensure that the monies are not used solely to pay debts and not develop the car during 2014.

That means Nico Hulkenberg is probably going back to Sauber, though Peter Sauber might have to be tossed before that can happen as he's evidently not happy Nico went for a seat-fitting at Lotus just before the US Grand Prix and would prefer not to have him back. The other option is Force India.
 
 
 
Next up, Alonso has been banned from posting about the team to Twitter by order of Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo in response to his critical tweets about development of the 2013 car.



Third, the Bahrain Grand Prix will be run at night in 2014. The track has installed a lighting system and it will be used this weekend for the final round of the World Endurance Championship (which will be a twilight race, ala the Abu Dhabi GP).
 
 
  
And finally, the FIA is considering mandating a minimum of two tire changes for 2014, limiting the race distance on the primary tire to 50% of the laps or less and 30% of the laps or less on the option tire. This is in response to fears that, lacking any clear design mandate from the FIA, Pirelli will build "bulletproof" tires that can go the entire race distance.

 
 
And here is a cool video of the changes happening to the cars between 2013 and 2014:

[topgearbrzgt86]

Honestly, I'm pretty happy that 2013 is over; it was a pretty dud year; the only highlights being NASCAR's Gen-6 car, and Le Mans. (And don't mock; NASCAR is a real motorsport, and it's a good one at that. Not as good as F1, but still good in its own right.)

Anyway, on to more pressing matters: http://www.wrc.com/news/2014-wrc-calendar-revealed/?fid=19124

The 2014 WRC rally list is up, with a return of Rally Poland, and the (hopefully) temporary exit to Acropolis. Add that to Hyundai's return to the WRC with their new i20, and Pirelli challenging Michelin for rally tire supremacy, and you have a good mix of flavors.

Also, Juan Pablo Montoya signed for Penske Indycar, and was recently seen at Sebring. Carlos Munoz was also signed to a full season contract for Andretti Autosport Indy.

Finally, Formula E news; Mahindra Racing is confirmed as a team in the new sport. Now we have them, plus Drayson (GBR), China Racing (CHN), e.dams (FRA), Andretti Autosport, Dragon Racing (both USA), Super Aguri (JPN) and Audi Sport Abt (GER). 8 teams down, two to go.

[topgearbrzgt86]

Even with Pastor, Lotus still hasn't given up on the Quantum deal: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/formula-1-quantum-still-working-lotus-deal-122629094--f1.html

This could turn well, because it gives Lotus more dev. money - Quantum + PDVSA = Lotus' first championship since 2006? Maybe.

[Kiskaloo]

Sounds like (pun) Ferrari is testing their F1 Turbo V6 engine in a La Ferrari based on this footage from Fiorano:



The engine note sounds nothing like the normal V12 fitted to the car:



In other La Ferrari news, a pre-production vehicle was rear-ended by a semi on the Autostrada last weeK. 

Kara: "For the record, I was in Paris at the time."

[Alfisti]

Even with Pastor, Lotus still hasn't given up on the Quantum deal: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/formula-1-quantum-still-working-lotus-deal-122629094--f1.html

This could turn well, because it gives Lotus more dev. money - Quantum + PDVSA = Lotus' first championship since 2006? Maybe.

Let tobacco companies start sponsoring again.
Paint it red, white and gold.
???
Championship win!

[Kiskaloo]

That means Nico Hulkenberg is probably going back to Sauber, though Peter Sauber might have to be tossed before that can happen as he's evidently not happy Nico went for a seat-fitting at Lotus just before the US Grand Prix and would prefer not to have him back. The other option is Force India.

Nico Hulkenberg returns to Force India in multi-year deal and it seems likely he will be joined by Sergio Perez, replacing Adrian Sutil (who is expected to go to Sauber) and Paul di Resta (who mostly likely will go to IndyCar, possibly to fill the seat vacated by his cousin Dario Franchitti).

[topgearbrzgt86]

I see promise in this; Vijay Mallaya and FI may have disappointed this year, but with (I think) a good pair in Hulkenberg and Perez, they could challenge for podiums. Both were Sauber drivers, and they punched above their weight; plus, with that Mercedes engine, FI could get it right, so who's to say they could score a couple podiums, or even a win?

Then again, FI are a mid-pack team. They have a semi-pay driver who's skilled, and a skilled driver who doesn't pay. But they get the job done.

[topgearbrzgt86]

Even with Pastor, Lotus still hasn't given up on the Quantum deal: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/formula-1-quantum-still-working-lotus-deal-122629094--f1.html

This could turn well, because it gives Lotus more dev. money - Quantum + PDVSA = Lotus' first championship since 2006? Maybe.

Let tobacco companies start sponsoring again.
Paint it red, white and gold.
???
Championship win!

Ehh, I like the JPS-style black and gold better. Plus, children are watching!

[MP5]

Apropos of nothing....

[Alfisti]

Not technically motorsport, or even 2014, but it may as well go here for the gearheads:



I do like that, at least on this, the P1 actually sounds a bit like a rip-snorting competition car.

[Kiskaloo]

Looks like the rumors Sergey Sirotkin’s sponsorship drying up were at least partially true, as he will not be a full-time driver for Sauber next year, just a test-driver. Instead, Esteban Gutierrez’s services have been retained for another year thanks to Telmex extending their sponsorship.

So the 2014 driver line-up is almost complete with one seat at Marussia and both seats at Caterham still open (though Giedo van der Garde is expected to remain at Caterham due to his sponsorship by McGregor).

[Professor Voodoo]

Looks like the rumors Sergey Sirotkin’s sponsorship drying up were at least partially true, as he will not be a full-time driver for Sauber next year, just a test-driver. 

I thought the issue was Sirotkin's FIA Super License.  Sergey has not competed in enough FIA approved lower-formula events, and since it's winter (in the Northern hemisphere) there's little opportunity for him to get those necessary races under his belt.

I think the next big question of the ongoing silly season is; who will be McLaren's new sponsor?  Something Japanese maybe, tying in with their new Honda engine deal for 2015?

[topgearbrzgt86]

I suppose McLaren are well-funded; why not sponsor themselves? They can do the Japanese sponsor in 2015.

[Professor Voodoo]

I suppose McLaren are well-funded; why not sponsor themselves? They can do the Japanese sponsor in 2015.

Back when Vodafone announced they were leaving Whitmarsh said they already had a new backer lined up.  He even went as far as to say it's another cell-phone company.  We all assumed it was TELMEX, since they had Sergio Perez...but now they have no Perez and TELMEX has re-signed with Sauber.

Although I agree that McLaren could probably afford to do a season without a title sponsor I highly doubt they'd do it.
-McLaren didn't get that rich by spending their own money.
-Also; it sends the wrong message about the health of the team.  They've just had a dismal season...so if they show up at winter testing without a shiny new sponsor it's going to worry a lot of people. "Is McLaren entering a tailspin like Williams?"

It's interesting, but personally I can wait until after the Dakar Rally for answers.

[boomer_gonz]

SMOKE ON 2014!!!!

Red Bull Air Race

Vegas here I come!!

All my feels =

[topgearbrzgt86]

XD Awesome stuff! I've seen the Red Bull Air Race on TV - awesome stuff. Mind if I join you?

[boomer_gonz]

For those wanting to know the Red Bull Air Race World Championships goes global once again. Here are the locations confirmed, mind this list is not final so all Air Hogs should stay tuned for additional events.

http://www.redbullairrace.com/en_US/tour-stops

[Kiskaloo]

Seven times Formula One World Driving Champion Michael Schumacher suffered severe head trauma in a skiing accident in France on Sunday. He has undergone multiple surgeries to help relieve swelling and lesions on his brain, but remains in a coma and is listed as being in "stable but critical" condition.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/racing/news/20140101/f1-michael-schumacher-injury-skiing-accident.ap/

[Il Direttore]

Some more information from the NY Times. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/02/sports/schumachers-condition-unchanged-manager-says.html?hp

Spoiler:

[Kiskaloo]

I hope this goes better than USF1 did.

[Professor Voodoo]

I hope this goes better than USF1 did.

Well, at least this clears up something I was wrong about.  I'd always figured the "Haas" in Stewart-Haas Racing was Carl Haas, who (along with Paul Newman) owned the CART team that won numerous championships.  Turns out it's Gene Haas and they aren't even related.

In other news, the 2014 Dakar Rally is complete (held in South America gain this year).  Since the US wrap-up show won't be broadcast until tomorrow I'll hide the results...

Spoiler:

[Kiskaloo]

As expected, Caterham F1 today announced two new drivers for 2014: Kamui Kobayashi and Swedish rookie Marcus Ericsson. Both were chosen for the sponsorship money they will bring to the team (said to be over $15 million each). So the 2014 driver line-up is now complete.

[Kiskaloo]

Force India shows off their 2014 car (though the nose is said to not be finalized):


 
 
In other news, McLaren will not have a title sponsor for their 2014 launch.

[Awinnell]

run down on the new V6 F1 engine

Under acceleration the internal combustion engine will be using its reserve of fuel. The turbocharger will be rotating at maximum speed (100,000rpm).


The MGU-H will act as a generator and recover energy from the heat and energy lost in the exhaust and pass to the MGU-K (or the battery in case it needs recharging). The MGU-K, which is connected to the crankshaft of the ICE, will act as a motor and deliver additional power to pull harder or save fuel, should the control electronics be so configured.


At the end of the straight, the driver lifts off for braking for a corner. At this point the MGU-K converts to a generator and recovers energy dissipated in the braking event, which will be stored in the battery.


Under braking the MGU-H converts to a motor to keep the rotational speed of the turbocharger high enough to avoid the curse of the turbo engine – turbo lag. This is a phenomenon experienced under braking when the turbocharger speed slows as a lower volume of gas is produced.


When the driver accelerates and more gas is produced, the turbo can take time to return to full rotational speed. To prevent this lag, the MGU-H turns to a motor and powers the turbo, keeping the rotational speed as close to optimum. When the driver exits the corner and gets back on the throttle, the MGU-H returns to a generator and picks up the energy from the active turbocharger and exhaust gases. The energy recovered can either power the MGU-K to keep the fuel burn as low as possible or charge the battery.


Over the course of the lap, this balance between energy harvesting, energy deployment and (carbon) fuel burn will be carefully monitored.

[Alfisti]

Is it just me, or does this year's Ferrari kind of look like it's been punched in the face and had its nose broken at some point in its life?

[topgearbrzgt86]

Seriously, I think it's more good looking than the rest of the field, but less good looking than the F2012.

[Kiskaloo]

Is it just me, or does this year's Ferrari kind of look like it's been punched in the face and had its nose broken at some point in its life?

Looks better than the kielbasa hanging off the front of the new McLaren...



Lotus, meanwhile, decided to go with the ol' double-donger:



Speaking of Lotus, team principal Eric Boullier has now left. Pretty much Lotus' entire senior engineering and technical team have moved to other teams and while they do now appear to be sufficiently funded to at least make the grid at Melbourne, it sounds like they're going to be battling Caterham and Marussia at the back far more than Red Bull and Ferrari at the front.

[Alfisti]

To clarify the previous statement: Daniel Craig and Liam Neeson also both have slight boxer's noses, and neither of them are exactly bad looking blokes.

I didn't actually mind the McLaren too much, though, when I first saw it, all I could think of was:

[topgearbrzgt86]

Is it just me, or does this year's Ferrari kind of look like it's been punched in the face and had its nose broken at some point in its life?

Looks better than the kielbasa hanging off the front of the new McLaren...



Lotus, meanwhile, decided to go with the ol' double-donger:



Speaking of Lotus, team principal Eric Boullier has now left. Pretty much Lotus' entire senior engineering and technical team have moved to other teams and while they do now appear to be sufficiently funded to at least make the grid at Melbourne, it sounds like they're going to be battling Caterham and Marussia at the back far more than Red Bull and Ferrari at the front.

I highly doubt that statement about battling Caterham and Marussia, for Lotus. And with reason:

1) Romain Grosjean - He proved he can take the fight to the people at the front, and this is a perfect time for him to take that first win. (And don't say he's a 'first lap nutcase', because he's not that anymore)

2) Saxo Bank - The new money from the Danish bank can help Lotus financially for R&D.

3) Pastor Maldonado - He is a consistent points scorer (again, more money for Lotus), and if he can control that aggression on the track, he will eventually get another win for another team.

4) Expect the Unexpected - Remember Malaysia 2012, when Perez got on the podium against Ferrari? Even though Ferrari had (arguably) a dog of a car, the underfunded Sauber struck back with a near-perfect performance. Who's not to say Lotus would do the same? 

Give them credit - they fought through 2013 for 4th. And they were underfunded. They've got two fast drivers, and as long as they can make good strategies, they'll be fine.

[Professor Voodoo]

Sauber is the next to show off their 2014 contender;


Their Design Chief Eric Gandelin said;

“The path we have followed with the design of the Sauber C33-Ferrari allows us maximum flexibility, so that we can react quickly. It is also clear that reliability will be an important factor in the first few races in particular. So this is an area which we have given very high priority.”

[Kiskaloo]

I wonder if they will have to pixelate the nose of the Toro Rosso STR9 to pass the television censors...






And a better angle (of the dangle) of the Sauber's nose:

[Alfisti]

It does look a little... flaccid doesn't it?

On another note: apparently Red Bull are missing Mark Webber's chin alread so, to make up for the loss of visual manliness, have put it on the car instead:

[boomer_gonz]

[Kiskaloo]

It does look a little... flaccid doesn't it?

On another note: apparently Red Bull are missing Mark Webber's chin alread so, to make up for the loss of visual manliness, have put it on the car instead:

It does appear to have the least-offensive genitalia nose design:





As opposed to what Force India will be rocking...





Caterham is almost as...engorged...however they are hanging the front wing off it, so...





Mercedes, on the other hand, follows Ferrari's path with a children-friendly nose design:




Hamilton is not having a great day at the first test in Jerez:



He did eventually get it going...

...only to put it into the wall after the front wing failed...



Kara, at least, can take comfort that the Fezza's can get out of the pits:







And a couple of minutes of the cars circulating the track to get a feel for the new Turbo V6 sound:

[topgearbrzgt86]

I will say this - the Mercedes is the best looking car on the field. They made the child-friendly approach work!

[Professor Voodoo]

It does look a little... flaccid doesn't it?

(Red Bull) does appear to have the least-offensive genitalia nose design:
Caterham is almost as...engorged..

How long do you figure before some smart-ass Photoshops truck nuts onto the nose of the cars?

[Kiskaloo]

It does look a little... flaccid doesn't it?

(Red Bull) does appear to have the least-offensive genitalia nose design:
Caterham is almost as...engorged..

How long do you figure before some smart-ass Photoshops truck nuts onto the nose of the cars?

Someone did PhotoShop a condom on the nose of the Williams:

[Kiskaloo]

SMOKE ON 2014!!!!

Red Bull Air Race

Vegas here I come!!

All my feels =

Apple just added the Red Bull Channel to the Apple TV so I can watch the Air Races live.  

[boomer_gonz]

Now...I must get Apple TV.

[Kiskaloo]

Reports from the Jerez test say the new Renault turbo powerplant is a dud - literally - and that it could be mid-season before they have addressed the issues to make it competitive again. Red Bull could only run a handful of laps and sent Seb home a day early and both Toro Rosso and Caterham were only able to make very limited runs at well-below maximum revs for fear of the engine failing. The new Red Bull also evidently has poor cooling and there are real fears the chassis cannot make a race distance without going up in flames.

[Alfisti]

To be honest, I (and quite a few others if the opinions flying around work are anything to judge by) will not be entirely unhappy to see Red Bull have issues this season. Not through any particular dislike of the team, but simply because it means a chance at a tighter competition this year.

Also, I must say, I rather like the noise the new engines make.

[Professor Voodoo]

With the Jerez test over here's the rundown on fastest laps & total laps completed;

Spoiler:

 Source; crash.net

[topgearbrzgt86]

First off, I think Jim has something to say:

Jim: See, Allison? I told you Macca'd come back in 2014!

Ok, now to more important stuff.

Honestly, Red Bull look like they've lost the plot from the start. Vettel and Ricciardo churned out way less laps than their competitors. The new Renault V6 could prove problematic for some people (Namely: Triela, Marisa, Jim), and if Renault don't get their act together, Macca could win the championship this year. Especially with their new suspension set-up; they've really made it work for them, as well as rookie Kevin Magnussen.

Also, Williams comeback for the epic win! Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas making the best of that new car, as with Williams! They might be on for a championship chase as well, so maybe we could see Felipe baby take his first win in quite a long time? Perhaps even Bottas winning? Thank goodness for the switch to Mercedes power for Williams!

Jamiebel: Told ya, mr. TG. Mercedes power always wins in the end.

[Kiskaloo]

Ross Brawn Formally Retires from F1

So he won't be the new CEO of McLaren Racing as many speculated.

[Kiskaloo]

Top Gear has been working to make caravaning less of a pain to the rest of Britain for years.

Lotus has now applied themselves to the task:

[Professor Voodoo]

Top Gear has been working to make caravaning less of a pain to the rest of Britain for years.

Lotus has now applied themselves to the task:

So this is what they were doing instead of attending the Jerez test session.  Time well spent.

Switching to serious mode: 
Since the other Renault teams had nothing but problems at that Jerez test...getting very little valuable running time...Lotus comes off looking very good by having skipped the test.  Is it possible that the team in Enstone detected the problems with the Renault powerplant, decided the test was going to be useless for them and sat out because of that?  Renault said the issue was a big disparity between running the engine on the dyno and actually running it in the car.  Could Lotus have figured this out ahead of time on its own dyno?

It would be a good strategic move...let Red Bull go out and waste their time while Lotus stays home and saves their resources.  It also gives them another week to work on the car.  Of course, they'd never admit to this because the debacle embarrassed Renault...who would be très graves to find out Lotus could have warned them but didn't.

[Alfisti]

Top Gear has been working to make caravaning less of a pain to the rest of Britain for years.

Lotus has now applied themselves to the task:

Considering their apparent money troubles, part of me suspects that will actually be the Lotus team caravan for this years races   

Interesting theory Voodoo. With-holding the information would also feel like a very Lotus thing to do.

Financial troubles? Being sneaky? That's the Lotus we know and love. Colin Chapman would be proud. Now all they need to do is break out a "foot long" ruler and things will be perfect.

[Kiskaloo]

Since the other Renault teams had nothing but problems at that Jerez test...getting very little valuable running time...Lotus comes off looking very good by having skipped the test.  Is it possible that the team in Enstone detected the problems with the Renault powerplant, decided the test was going to be useless for them and sat out because of that?  Renault said the issue was a big disparity between running the engine on the dyno and actually running it in the car.  Could Lotus have figured this out ahead of time on its own dyno?

It would be a good strategic move...let Red Bull go out and waste their time while Lotus stays home and saves their resources.  It also gives them another week to work on the car.  Of course, they'd never admit to this because the debacle embarrassed Renault...who would be très graves to find out Lotus could have warned them but didn't.

I expect the reality is the car was not ready so they would not have been able to do any running.

Lotus is in Jerez now to use their 100 kilometers of "promotional filming" allotment to get their test in. Renault may also have engineering staff from other Renault-powered teams present to set up an information exchange between the Renault-powered teams to address the issues of component reliability and longevity.

Lotus also tweaked the nose - it is now a pitchfork as opposed to two uneven sausages.

[Professor Voodoo]

Oh wow...look at the Autosport magazine on that bench.
Tell me that wasn't placed there in the cameraman's shot intentionally.

[topgearbrzgt86]

Top Gear has been working to make caravaning less of a pain to the rest of Britain for years.

Lotus has now applied themselves to the task:

So this is what they were doing instead of attending the Jerez test session.  Time well spent.

Switching to serious mode: 
Since the other Renault teams had nothing but problems at that Jerez test...getting very little valuable running time...Lotus comes off looking very good by having skipped the test.  Is it possible that the team in Enstone detected the problems with the Renault powerplant, decided the test was going to be useless for them and sat out because of that?  Renault said the issue was a big disparity between running the engine on the dyno and actually running it in the car.  Could Lotus have figured this out ahead of time on its own dyno?

It would be a good strategic move...let Red Bull go out and waste their time while Lotus stays home and saves their resources.  It also gives them another week to work on the car.  Of course, they'd never admit to this because the debacle embarrassed Renault...who would be très graves to find out Lotus could have warned them but didn't.

In all thought, I would have agreed with Kisk - the car might not have been ready at the time, but that was an unforeseen outcome for the Enstone team; they might have lucked out in the end. By then, the engines might have been fixed, so who knows?

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