Kamui Kobayashi crashes during Moscow demo in Ferrari F1 car

Former Sauber and Toyota Formula 1 driver Kamui Kobayashi crashed during his promotional run at the Moscow City Racing Demonstration, whilst behind the wheel of Ferrari’s 2009 F1 car. The Japanese driver, who is now competing in FIA World Endurance Championship with Ferrari, was running in wet conditions when the incident occurred.

After being dropped by Sauber after last season despite his maiden podium finish in the sport, Kamui Kobayashi switched to endurance racing with the Scuderia after a drive in Formula 1 failed materialize due to a lack of funds. The 26-year-old Hyogo-born driver finished 20th in this year’s Le Mans 24h event in the GTE Pro category, and received his first outing in a Ferrari Formula 1 car back in May around the Scuderia’s testing facility at Fiorano.

However, Kamui Kobayashi’s return behind the wheel of a Ferrari F1 car was plagued by embarrassment after he spun in the tricky weather conditions and hit the retaining barrier. Although significant damage was caused to the F60 machine, the Italian outfit had luckily brought a second car to the event therefore allowing Kamui Kobayashi to return to the demonstration within 20 minutes of his embarrassing ordeal.

Kamui Kobayashi’s incident comes almost a year after Pastor Maldonado’s humiliating incident at a demonstration event in Venezuela last August. The local hero had recently secured his and Venezuela’s first victory in Formula 1, accounting for the 20,000 fans attending the venue. Many other teams’ were present at the demonstration in Moscow on Sunday including McLaren and Lotus, ahead of Russia’s inaugural Formula 1 race next season.

Picture Copyright © Ferrari

FIA Confirm Death Of Canadian Grand Prix Marshal

The FIA has issued a statement confirming the tragic death of a Canadian Grand Prix marshal, who was struck by a mobile crane after the race as Esteban Gutierrez’s Sauber was cleared. As the marshal assisted the crane carrying the Mexican’s stricken car, he tripped and was subsequently hit by the recovery vehicle.

Medical staff were immediately on the scene, and the marshal was initially sent to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve’s medical centre before being airlifted to the nearby Sacre-Coeur hospital in Montreal for further treatment. Despite the medical staffs’ best efforts, the marshal tragically succumb to his injuries sustained at the circuit at 18:02 local time.

“The FIA is sad to announce the death of a Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada circuit worker, at 6:02 pm.” Read an official statement from the FIA, “The worker, a member of the Automobile Club de l’Île Notre Dame, was the victim of an unfortunate accident that occurred at the end of this afternoon’s Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada. The worker was helping to recover a car which had stopped during the race. The recovery vehicle had lifted the car to return it to the pits and while doing this the worker dropped his radio and attempted to pick it up. As he did this, he stumbled and was hit and run over by the recovery vehicle.

“The worker was transported via helicopter to Sacre-Coeur Hospital. Unfortunately, the worker succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. The FIA, l’Automobile Club de l’Île Notre-Dame and the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada want to communicate their deepest condolences to the family and friends of the victim. The identity of the worker cannot be revealed at this time.”

This is the first time a marshal has been killed at a Grand Prix event since way back in 2001, when a marshal was killed following Jacques Villeneuve and Ralf Schumacher’s horrific incident at the season-opening Grand Prix when a tyre flew through a gap in the fencing.

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team

FIA Include Ferrari In Test Row

The FIA has asked Ferrari to reply to a disciplinary inquiry along with Mercedes, following an in-season test conducted by the Scuderia between the Bahrain and Spanish Grands Prix. This comes after Mercedes also conducted a private test between the Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix.

During the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, it came to light that Mercedes had conducted a private test with Pirelli around Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya only days after the Spanish Grand Prix. This understandably sparked controversy within the paddock, as the team went from suffering greatly with tyre wear to dominating the entire race weekend. Red Bull in particular launched a protest against both Pirelli and the German marque with regards to their secret test, with both believed to be in breach of Article 22.4 of the sporting regulations.

Although Ferrari’s test was run with a two-year old Formula 1 car and by their Corse Clienti division, the FIA released a statement on Friday night requesting both the Scuderia and Mercedes reply to a disciplinary inquiry from the sport’s governing body. It is believed Ferrari could also be in breach of Article 22.1 of the sporting regulations, which clarifies whether or not a previous years car can be used in a test session.

“The FIA has asked Team Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 and Scuderia Ferrari Team which have taken part in tyre tests in the 2013 season to reply to a disciplinary inquiry in pursuance of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules.” Read the official statement from the FIA, “This follows the Stewards’ Report from the Monaco Grand Prix and represents supplementary information required by the FIA in the light of the replies received from Pirelli, who were asked for clarifications on Tuesday May 28th.”

With the Canadian Grand Prix quickly approaching, it seems “test-gate” is far from being resolved between Pirelli and the various teams involved. The revised tyres which were scheduled to be introduced around the Circuit du Gilles Villeneuve will only be used during practice, and will instead by fully introduced at the British Grand Prix.

Picture Copyright © Pirelli

Massa And Gutierrez Struck With Post-Qualifying Penalties

Felipe Massa and Esteban Gutierrez have been struck with post-qualifying grid penalties for the Spanish Grand Prix, after blocking discrepancies during qualifying for the race. This means Felipe Massa will instead start 9th for the race, whereas Esteban Gutierrez will start 19th after both were issued with three-place grid penalties.

During the all-important qualifying hour, traffic became a recurring issue up and down the pack, especially throughout the final sector. As is witnessed throughout the year, many drivers tend to slow right down prior to beginning their flying lap so as to build a large enough gap between themselves and the drivers ahead. Sometimes such a tactic fails to work effectively, with drivers hindering others behind them who are striving to complete their timed laps.

Esteban Gutierrez will instead start the race from 19th on the grid.

Esteban Gutierrez was issued his three-place grid penalty for clearly blocking Kimi Raikkonen, as the Finn negotiated the final complex of corners after setting the fastest times in both sectors one and two. Upon arriving at Turns 14 and 15, Kimi Raikkonen was frustratingly met with the slow moving Sauber of Esteban Gutierrez. After initially qualifying 16th, the Mexican rookie will instead start in 19th position alongside the Marussia of Jules Bianchi.

The reason behind Felipe Massa’s penalty was relatively the same, as the Brazilian driver impeded Mark Webber between Turns 11 and 12 during the latter stages of the qualifying hour. Initially the third row of the grid consisted of the Ferrari duo of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, however this penalty will see the latter start the race from 9th position alongside the Force India of Paul di Resta. The Brazilian driver was not entirely happy with the stewards decision, after Massa thought he had successfully allowed the Australian driver through.

“As for the Stewards’ decision relating to what happened with Webber in Q2, it was not my intention to get in his way and in all honesty, I can’t recall having affected his qualifying.” Explained Felipe Massa, “When I saw him in the mirrors, I thought I’d get through the corner before letting him by, which was the only course of action at such a narrow point. On top of that, he was on worn tyres at the time and I don’t think he was doing a quick lap.”

Prior to the qualifying hour, Felipe Massa had finished fastest during the final practice session. The Brazilian ace will now face a tough 66-lap Spanish Grand Prix, where he will now start towards the midfield where keeping a clean nose at the start could prove tricky.

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Eight Drivers Avoid Penalty After DRS Activation

Eight drivers including the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel have avoided a penalty after allegedly activating the DRS device during a yellow flag zone shortly after the incident between Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil. Due to ongoing technical glitches with the marshaling system, race control could not govern the activation of the device.

Usually throughout a Grand Prix weekend race control has complete jurisdiction over the usage of the DRS overtaking device, preventing drivers accidentally activating the device whilst not within a second of the car in front or not within the activation zone. However, throughout the opening three races of the season technical glitches have continued to plague the electronic marshaling system. This therefore prevents the lights corresponding to the red, yellow and blue flags from working within the cockpit, as well as the safety car mode being automatically engaged should it be deployed.

Probably the most troublesome issue with the ongoing technical glitch is the inability for race control to remain in command of the activation of the DRS device. Due to this issue, the DRS device can theoretically be activated at any stage of the race by the drivers. After the collision between Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil at Turn 14, the DRS activation zone down the back straight was disabled as the marshals cleared away the stricken Sauber. Unfortunately, race control were unable to fully disable the device and therefore Jenson Button, Romain Grosjean, Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, Kimi Raikkonen, Valtteri Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Chilton were all put under investigation for allegedly activating the device throughout the yellow flag zone.

However, after being called up to the race stewards after the race, it was eventually decided that no penalty was to be issued to any of the drivers in question. This decision came about due to three facts regarding the activation, namely that the display of yellow flags failed to appear on the official messaging system until a minute after the incident, the DRS disable function was not fully operational and that the DRS usage was on the main straight where a green light was displayed.

If the race stewards had decided to impose timed penalties to the drivers in question, the official classification of the race could well have looked much different with Lewis Hamilton likely to have finished ahead of Kimi Raikkonen. Luckily, however, the classification was not altered and the drivers were able to retain their finishing positions.

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2013 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix Preview

Only several days after the exciting proceedings at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the Formula 1 circus has moved swiftly on to Kuala Lumpur for the 15th running of the Malaysian Grand Prix around the glorious Sepang International Circuit. First held in 1999, the race has become notorious for its heavy rain and intense heat.

The Sepang International Circuit has been the host of several highly entertaining races, most of which have been struck by ferocious monsoons during the weekend. The rain forced the 2009 race to be abandoned after only 31 of the 56 scheduled laps, and also created a lengthy delay last year before it was eventually restarted. Once again rainfall is expected by many this coming weekend, and could well provide a scenario similar to qualifying last time out in Australia.

Initially the Malaysian Grand Prix was held towards the end of the season, however for 2001 the race was moved to the beginning of the season. Since then the race has become a traditional event towards the beginning of the season, usually coinciding only a week after the race in Australia. In stark contrast to the race around Melbourne’s Albert Park street circuit, the Malaysian Grand Prix takes place on a circuit which has become renowned for its sensational width. Despite this width, the opening two corners of the circuit are extremely tight, and therefore presents an exciting opening lap when the field jostles for position in close proximity.

Last time out it was the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen which thwarted the paddock and stormed to a sensational race victory, due largely to his two-stop strategy in comparison to the majority of the remainder of the field who carried out a three-stop strategy. The Finn, who recorded his first race victory at Malaysia in 2003, is remaining coy on his chances this weekend, however many see him as the favorite for race victory seeing as tyres will once again be one of the pivotal factors of the weekend (second only to the weather).

Pastor Maldonado fights through the spray during last season’s Malaysian Grand Prix.

This weekend will see Pirelli opt for their two hardest compounds for the Malaysian Grand Prix, due largely to the abrasive surface of the track and the intense heat which has become a notoriety over the years. The medium tyre was also used last time out, although it will this weekend be regarded as the option tyre as the newly rebranded “orange” hard tyre becomes the prime tyre. However, with rain a strong possibility this weekend it is highly likely that Pirelli’s Cinturato intermediate and wet weather tyre will be used.

Both Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso share the most amount of victories at the Malaysian Grand Prix, with the former winning races in ’00, ’01 and ’04 with the latter winning races in ’05, ’07 and ’12. However, Ferrari have won the most amount of races as a Constructor at Sepang, with the Scuderia winning in ’99, ’00, ’01, ’04, ’08 and ’12. Both Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel have won twice at the Malaysian Grand Prix, which means either of them could join Schumacher and Alonso at the top if they succeed this weekend.

Just like Australia last time out, this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix will feature two DRS Zones. The detection area for the first zone is located 54m after Turn 12, with the activation 104m after Turn 14 [the long back straight]. The second DRS zone is situated in relatively the same location as last season, down the start/finish straight which should offer the drivers with a splendid overtaking opportunity into the tight section of Turns 1 and 2. Last season’s Malaysian Grand Prix featured only one DRS Zone, however the FIA are striving to introduce two DRS Zones at each event this season.

The Driver Representative Steward for this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix will once again be former Arrows and Lotus driver Derek Warwick, who last assumed the role at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last season. The Briton contested in 146 Grands Prix during his career in Formula 1, before then taking part in varying forms of motorsport including Le Mans and the BTCC. Derek Warwick will be joined in stewardship of the Malaysian Grand Prix by Paul Gutjahr, the President of the FIA Hill Climb Commission, and Nish Shetty who is a member of the FIA International Court of Appeal.

Last weekend many predicted a Red Bull walkover once the duo managed to lock-out the front row of the grid. However, the race was a completely different story as the tyres played a pivotal role in the outcome of the race. The same is expected this weekend, hence why many see Kimi Raikkonen as a likely contender for the victory. However, with rain always a factor at the Malaysian Grand Prix, could a completely unexpected driver rise to the top?

Picture(s) Copyright © Force India F1 Team & Williams F1 Team

Scorpion Racing Eying Up HRT Takeover

It has been confirmed that a group of Canadian and American investors are eying up a possible takeover of the HRT Formula 1 Team, after the Madrid-based outfit failed to stay afloat in the expensive world of the sport. The group of investors, known as Scorpion Racing, are allegedly striving to secure the twelfth slot on the grid for the 2013 season.

Although Formula 1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone appears to be backing Scorpion Racing’s bid to purchase the ailing Spanish team, it is widely believed by many within the paddock that the planned resurgence will have to wait until the 2014 season. With the forthcoming season only weeks away, it is highly unlikely that the sports governing body, the FIA, will permit the team to compete in the new season.

When HRT entered liquidation at the end of last season, it is believed the final slot on the 2013 grid was closed. This naturally means that Scorpion Racing will have to wait until 2014 before they can begin competing in the sport. Although Scorpion Racing is only in the early stages of its purchase of the HRT F1 team, German newspaper Bild is already linking former Force India driver Adrian Sutil to the outfit. However, F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone believes it is too late for Scorpion Racing to be included in the forthcoming season.

“I’ve spoken to them and told them to get in touch with the FIA and ask for an entry,” explained Mr. Ecclestone to the Press Association. “They want to buy all the bits from HRT, then form a company and ask for an entry, but I personally don’t think it will happen. It’s all a bit too late. Maybe they could do it for next year.”

It has been rumored that Scorpion Racing would operate out of a base within Silverstone, instead of utilizing HRT’s still relatively new factory in Madrid. It is expected that the investors will complete the takeover of HRT towards the end of the week, enabling them to begin preparations for their endeavor into the tough world of Formula 1.

Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team

2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed Dates To Be Amended

Organizers for the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed have confirmed that the dates for next year’s event will be amended following the FIA’s decision to alter the 2013 Formula 1 calendar, which has seen the German Grand Prix move to the same weekend as was scheduled for the Festival of Speed weekend.

Next year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed was initially scheduled to be held between the British and German Grands Prix, with the two race weekends separated by two weeks. However, with the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone eager to see the 2013 calendar return to its initial twenty races, the calendar has been slightly altered to allow a race in Europe to be held on July 21st. To compensate for this sudden change, the FIA decided to move the German Grand Prix forward one weekend, therefore clashing with the Festival of Speed.

“Due to the FIA unexpectedly announcing a further change to the 2013 F1 calendar, the German Grand Prix will now take place on 5th-7th July, the same weekend on which the Goodwood Festival of Speed was scheduled,” read a statement issued by the organizers for the Festival of Speed.

“Given that the Festival of Speed is the only event in the world outside of a World Championship Grand Prix where you can get a close up view of the latest F1 cars and drivers in action, we will now have to change the Festival’s date in order to avoid this conflict with the amended Grand Prix calendar.

“Goodwood is now reviewing the 2013 Festival of Speed dates and will confirm these very soon. We apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause, but sadly this is outside of Goodwood’s control.”

It is as of yet unknown which European nation will host the Grand Prix on July 21st, however Turkey and Austria have emerged as likely candidates. A potential Turkish Grand Prix would take place around the Istanbul circuit, one of the best circuits designed by Hermann Tilke. However, an Austrian Grand Prix would most likely see the return of the A1-Ring, which has recently been rebranded as the Red Bull Ring.

Picture Copyright © Andrew Young

FIA Move German Grand Prix Forward In Preparation For 20th Race

Next season’s German Grand Prix has been moved forward one week by the FIA World Motor Sport Council, a move which has now opened up a three week gap between the race in Germany and the Hungarian Grand Prix. It is strongly believed this gap has been created to make room for the return of the Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul.

Several days prior to this alteration of the 2013 calendar, Formula 1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone confirmed that he was entering negotiations with track owners of the Istanbul circuit with intentions of returning the nation to the Formula 1 calendar. This would therefore see the 2013 calendar return to its initial twenty races, which became nineteen once the New Jersey Grand Prix was postponed until 2014.

During the meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council, other changes were also confirmed including the scrapping of qualifying’s ‘force majeure’ ruling as well as the decision to postpone the 2014 ruling which stipulates that all cars must be powered electronically throughout the pit lane. Next season’s DRS rules were also confirmed, which states that the device must only be activated during the designated zones throughout the entire weekend, unlike previous seasons where drivers could activate the device during qualifying and practice on any part of the track.

With Bernie Ecclestone scheduled to attend the meeting later in the week, speculation within the Formula 1 fraternity indicates that official confirmation regarding the return of the Turkish Grand Prix could be on the horizon. This would see the event take place on the 21st July, with the German Grand Prix controversially taking place on the 7th July which would clash with not only the German Moto GP race weekend but also the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Picture Copyright © Lotus F1 Team

Luca di Montezemolo Hits Out Against F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has hit out against Formula 1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone, after the 82-year-old described Ferrari’s written letter to the FIA with regards to Sebastian Vettel’s overtake on Jean-Eric Vergne during the Brazilian Grand Prix as a joke.

During the opening laps of the season finale around Sao Paulo’s Interlagos circuit, eventual World Champion Sebastian Vettel overtook the Toro Rosso of Jean-Eric Vergne down the back straight. Initially it was believed the overtake in question was carried out under yellow flag conditions, however it was later confirmed many days after the event that the overtake was in fact legal, with a green flag being shown prior to the green light.

Ferrari requested clarification on the matter by writing to the sport’s governing body the FIA, with the Scuderia seeking an in-depth explanation on Sebastian Vettel’s overtake during the race. Bernie Ecclestone strongly disapproved with this letter, stating the whole affair as a compete joke, which has overshadowed what was a highly entertaining season finale. However, Mr. Ecclestone’s comments on Ferrari have come back to haunt him, with Luca di Montezemolo hitting back at the 82-year-old.

“Since some people have used the expression ‘It’s a joke’ in recent days, I would like to say that this is the real ‘joke’.” Explained Luca di Montezemolo during the Ferrari World Finals, “Yes, I’m referring to one of Ecclestone’s phrases: my father always taught me that you have to have respect your elders, above all when they reach the point that they can no longer control their words. So I will stop there. Certainly, old age is often incompatible with certain roles and responsibilities.”

Luca di Montezemolo issued his full congratulations to World Champion Sebastian Vettel, before insisting that he and Ferrari fully except the FIA’s explanation on the German’s controversial overtake on the Toro Rosso of Jean-Eric Vergne. The Scuderia aim to return in 2013 with much more competitiveness, with hopes they can snatch the Championship crown away from Vettel and Red Bull.

“Congratulations go to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull because they won and we are happy to congratulate winners, hoping and wishing that next year we are on the receiving end of these compliments,” continued Luca di Montezemolo. “As for the yellow flag saga, we took the simplest and most linear route, by asking the Federation to look into it, making it clear that we would accept their decision and that’s what we did.”

With the FIA clarifying the legality of Sebastian Vettel’s overtake and Ferrari excepting this explanation, everyone involved will be hoping this is the end of the Sebastian Vettel overtaking saga. Next season will undoubtedly see Ferrari return with a vengeance, but will Red Bull be able to fend off the prancing horse?

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