Grand Prix 247

Lauda was not aware of Mercedes secret tyre test

Editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:42:46 +0000

Niki Lauda only heard about the Mercedes’ secret tyre test at Barcelona in May once “the wheels were turning”. That is the claim on Wednesday of the respected Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt, as Formula 1 braces for the first ever hearing of Jean Todt’s new international tribunal. Reportedly armed with lawyers and [...]

Mercedes and Pirelli in the dock: All you need to know ahead of the tribunal

Editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:41:07 +0000

Mercedes and tyre supplier Pirelli appear before Formula One’s International Tribunal in Paris on Thursday to face charges that they broke Formula 1 testing regulations in Spain in May. What is the Tribunal? The tribunal was set up by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) in 2010 to rule on matters submitted by the FIA to [...]

Brawn: We wouldn’t have done the Pirelli test unless we believed we could

Editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:38:53 +0000

Mercedes principal Ross Brawn, a past master at finding Formula 1 loopholes, may need to pull another rabbit from his magician’s hat on Thursday if his team is to escape potentially heavy sanctions. The burly Englishman will explain to an International Tribunal hearing in Paris why the team of 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton and [...]

Indian GP organisers slam reports that race won’t happen in 2014

Editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:09:30 +0000

Indian Grand Prix organisers have dismissed media speculation that they may not host a Formula 1 race next year as “totally baseless and malicious”. “Our agreement with Formula 1 Management is to hold F1 races at Buddh International Circuit (BIC) till 2015, and we are fully committed to do that,” Askari Zaidi, spokesman for Jaypee [...]

Another report suggests that Raikkonen will move to Red Bull

Editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:17:59 +0000

The Formula 1 driver market is currently waiting for Kimi Raikkonen’s next move, which is likely to be a decision to accept an offer to drive for Red Bull next year, according to Oskari Saari, a commentator for Finnish television MTV3. “Red Bull’s Helmut Marko said in Canada that driver decisions will be made in [...]

Caterham backs drivers despite speculation that Kovalainen will be back

Editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:10:04 +0000

Caterham CEO Cyril Abiteboul has backed the team’s all new driver lineup, amid suggestions that the team’s former driver Heikki Kovalainen should be drafted back in to the team. For the first time since its 2010 debut, the green-liveried team appeared to falter, early this season, with an outdated car and in the wake of experienced [...]

Dennis: Some people lost sight of what the objective is

Editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:05:36 +0000

In the wake of Lewis Hamilton’s recent revelation that he has ‘stuff on his mind’ and admitted that he needed to knuckle down and focus on himself, his mentor and former boss Ron Dennis has apparently had a swipe at the driver who won the 2008 F1 championship for McLaren. Dennis is quoted by La [...]

Dennis doubts women to race in Formula 1 any time soon

Editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:39:52 +0000

McLaren supremo Ron Dennis has played down expectations that there could be a female driver on the Formula 1 grid in the near future. Williams test driver Susie Wolff is pushing for a super license and expecting to participate in next month’s young drivers’ test at Silverstone. Spaniard Maria de Villota was Marussia’s test driver [...]

Is Red Bull using illegal traction control?

Editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:34:47 +0000

A photo has emerged which some believe is clear evidence that world champions Red Bull are using illegal ‘traction control’ aboard its championship race winning RB9 car. “Bumps or traction control?” a report by Italy’s Autosprint said. The photo shows Mark Webber’s car exiting a corner in Canada and leaving rubber marks on the track [...]

Lauda and Wolff to be absent in Paris as Brawn set to take the heat alone

Editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:30:32 +0000

Mercedes has confirmed that new team co-owners and chiefs Niki Lauda and Toto Wolff will not be in Paris on Thursday for the hearing regarding the team’s test in Barcelona recently, while the heat mounts on Mercedes ahead of their D-Day in Paris We reported on Monday that team boss Ross Brawn will be the [...]