Marussia Launches KERS-Assisted MR02 At Jerez

Marussia have unveiled their new KERS-assisted MR02 machine at Jerez, prior to the first day of pre-season testing at the Jerez circuit in Spain. With only one driver confirmed for the new season in former reserve driver Max Chilton, much of the attention within the paddock is on who will team-mate the Briton at the Banbury-based outfit.

As the first day of testing dawned over the Jerez circuit, Marussia became the first outfit to get proceedings underway with a short and sweet unveiling of their new MR02 machine on the track’s start/finish line. The new car features a slightly revised color scheme in comparison to last season, however their main colors of black and red remain relatively the same.

For the first time in 2013, Marussia will run the KERS device which naturally presented a challenge to the design team to accommodate the package. Another new addition to the Banbury-based outfit’s machine is a new sidepod design, which is aimed at improving the airflow over the car. This will be assisted by a more aggressive coanda exhaust layout, which the team believes will be a major development area for the new season up and down the grid.

“We embark on the first pre-season test of 2013 feeling very positive about our new car – the MR02 – and what lies ahead in this next important chapter in the development of the Marussia F1 Team.” Explained Marussia’s team principal, John Booth. “Whilst we have experienced some changes over the winter, the one area of stability we have enjoyed is the one that is most important to our progression from here, the design of our 2013 race car, led by our Technical Director Pat Symonds. The incremental steps we were taking in the latter half of last season gave us the confidence to not only fight hard for 10th place in the Constructors’ Championship, but to feel encouraged by our overall design direction, which was the basis for the car we are fielding here in Jerez today.

“It is early days in our pre-season development programme but there is a great deal of optimism amongst the team for what lies ahead.” Continued John Booth, “With that in mind, we all look forward to seeing the MR02 make its on-track debut later this morning.”

Max Chilton will become the first driver to get behind the wheel of the new MR02 later today at Jerez, however the Briton’s team-mate has yet to be confirmed by the Anglo-Russian outfit. After Timo Glock’s sudden departure from the team, rumors have been circulating that paddock that GP2 ace Luiz Razia could join Max Chilton. With no driver announcement imminent, Max Chilton and Marussia will be hoping for a productive opening day of the first pre-season test.

Picture Copyright © Marussia F1 Team

Kamui Kobayashi Pleased With Race Effort Despite KERS Issue

Kamui Kobayashi has voiced satisfaction after a relatively competitive performance during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, especially after the Japanese driver struggled with a KERS issue largely due to a problem with his downshifting. Kobayashi eventually finished 6th, bringing home eight valuable points for Sauber.

With Sauber still aiming to catch and pass Mercedes for fifth in the Constructors’ Championship, Kamui Kobayashi’s 6th place finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will have been warmly welcomed, especially as Mercedes once again failed to score a single World Championship point. This result has reduced the gap between Sauber and Mercedes to only 12 points, with two races still remaining in the Championship.

However, Kamui Kobayashi did not have the ability use the full pace of the car during the 55-lap race, as his car was plagued with a downshift issue which in turn effected the KERS harvesting system on his Ferrari-powered Sauber C31. Regardless of this minor setback, the Japanese star still finished competitively within the points, as he strives to retain his seat at Sauber.

“It was a very tough race and I am really happy I was able to get those eight points for the team.” Explained Kamui Kobayashi, “To fight for fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship in the remaining two races will be very exciting. Unfortunately today I could not use the full performance of the car. There was a problem with downshifting, which meant I could not recharge the KERS properly and didn’t have full boost. Otherwise my race went well.”

Whereas Kamui Kobayashi finished an impressive 6th, team-mate Sergio Perez endured yet another frustrating Grand Prix. The Mexican driver was involved in a multi-car incident with Paul di Resta, Romain Grosjean and Mark Webber on lap 37, which resulted in Perez being issued a ten second stop-and-go penalty for causing the melee. Eventually, the future McLaren driver was able to finish 15th.

Picture Copyright © Sauber Motorsport AG

Michael Schumacher Admits KERS Error During Qualifying

Michael Schumacher has admitted that a minor mistake with the KERS device prevented the him from improving during qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which saw the Mercedes driver qualify a lowly 14th on the grid. After Q2 came to an end, Schumacher was heard apologizing to his race engineer over the team radio.

After progressing through from Q1 at the beginning of qualifying, Michael Schumacher and Mercedes elected to change their approach for Q2. However, this tactic failed to work for the German marque, as Nico Rosberg was able to progress through to the top ten shootout whereas Michael Schumacher made a small error with the KERS device, and subsequently floundered down in an uncompetitive 14th position.

“My qualifying did not exactly go according to plan today.” Admitted Michael Schumacher, “We changed our approach a little for the last run in Q2, and then I did not properly make use of it in the first sector and particular in turn one. So we are not quite where we would want to have qualified but I will certainly try to make the best out of my starting position tomorrow.”

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn believes Michael Schumacher made a minor mistake during his final run in Q2, and that there was no issue on the car. He is of the belief that the seven-time World Champion got his braking wrong, which therefore affected what is known as the KERS harvesting.

“I think he got the engine braking wrong, what we call KERS harvesting – the way you collect the KERS and the way you use the KERS,” explained Ross Brawn. “It does affect the balance of the car, and he got a little bit out of sequence with it, and then he got caught out and lost some time in the first complex.”

This is the second race weekend in succession where Michael Schumacher has failed to enter the top ten shootout during the all-important qualifying session, after the German also qualified 14th for the Indian Grand Prix last weekend. Back then Schumacher failed to finish with a gearbox issue, however the seven-time World Champion will be looking to score his first points since the Italian Grand Prix during tomorrow’s race.

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Mark Webber Hit With KERS Issues Throughout Indian Grand Prix

Mark Webber suffered a tough Indian Grand Prix, after his Red Bull RB8 was struck with ongoing KERS issues throughout the duration of the 60-lap race. Despite struggling, more so towards the end of the race, the Australian driver was able to miraculously hold onto 3rd place ahead of the charging Lewis Hamilton.

After a decent start to the race, Mark Webber once again fell into a competitive rhythm behind team-mate Sebastian Vettel, who was quick to open a gap in the lead. However, roughly 19 laps into the race and Mark Webber began to suffer with his KERS device, which began to work intermittently on his car. This ultimately saw the Australian driver begin to fall into the clutches of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who eventually made an overtaking maneuver stick for 2nd position.

“We had a KERS issue that we had to manage.” Confirmed Mark Webber after the race, “It’s maybe hard for people watching to know what it affects on the car, its power on the straight obviously, but also managing brake balances and those sort of things. The guys were trying to help me get the KERS to recover and were talking with me on the radio. Overall, I was pretty happy with how I drove; we should have finished further up the road, but it’s the way it was today.”

As the race entered its closing stages, Lewis Hamilton began to reel in the Red Bull of Mark Webber at a tremendous pace. This forced Webber to defend extensively in the final few laps, however a slight mistake by the charging McLaren of Hamilton during the final laps enabled the Australian driver to retain his 3rd place. With no KERS on his car, Webber was most certainly vulnerable down the long straight, however Hamilton was unable capitalize on his speed advantage.

“I think I was very lucky that Lewis made a mistake in Turn Three, I think on lap 57. I saw it in the mirrors, it was either [lap] 57 or 58.” Explained Mark Webber, “And that was important because I think he was starting to get a bit of momentum and I was very keen to keep him off the DRS as long as possible because once he got that I was toast. I think another two laps and he would have got me.”

Despite a tough race for the Australian driver, this result has seen Mark Webber move ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship, with the two now separated by only two points in 4th and 5th in the Drivers’ Championship. Lewis Hamilton was only one point ahead of the the Red Bull driver heading into the weekend, but his inability to overtake him in the closing stages has seen him slip further down the Championship order.

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Heikki Kovalainen Suffered From KERS Failure During Indian Grand Prix

Heikki Kovalainen lost out due to a KERS failure during the latter stages of the Indian Grand Prix, which forced the Finn to cede his track position to team-mate Vitaly Petrov. Despite this unfortunate turn of events, Kovalainen was still able to finish the race ahead of the Marussias and HRTs in 18th position.

After starting the race from 20th on the grid, Heikki Kovalainen was able to enjoy a positive start after picking several places through the opening few corners. As the opening stint played out, Caterham decided switch from a two-stop to a one-stop strategy, with tyre degradation less of an issue around the Buddh International Circuit. However, roughly two thirds of the way through the race, Kovalainen suffered the KERS failure which plagued him until the end of the race.

“My start was good.” Explained Heikki Kovalainen, “We had planned to do two stops but with the way the car was performing we went long on the first stint and switched to a one stop, boxing just after halfway. I had a good stop but about two thirds of the way through the race I had a KERS problem which meant I had to let Vitaly [Petrov] pass. From there it was really just a matter of getting my car to the end of the race. Losing KERS obviously didn’t help but it was still pretty easy to pull away from the cars behind and without that problem I’m sure I’d have finished higher.”

Despite the KERS issue on the car, both Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov remain confident for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next weekend, with the team set to introduce several new upgrades to the CT01. With the Leafield-based outfit still striving to catch Marussia in the Constructors’ Championship, any new upgrade packages will be warmly welcomed in the closing stages of the season, regarding they benefit the overall pace of the car.

Picture Copyright © Caterham F1 Team

Daniel Ricciardo Relishes Michael Schumacher Battle

Daniel Ricciardo has relished his battle with Michael Schumacher during the closing stages of the Japanese Grand Prix, in which the Australian driver was able to defend against the seven-time World Champion’s onslaught. With the assistance of KERS, Ricciardo remained in 10th and was able to bring home one point for Toro Rosso.

After running as high as 5th throughout the race, Daniel Ricciardo was able to fend off the much quicker Mercedes of Michael Schumacher during the final stages of the 53-lap race. The German had started the race from 23rd on the grid after incurring a 10-place grid penalty due to his collision with Jean-Eric Vergne at Singapore. Daniel Ricciardo started from 14th, but after the first lap carnage including Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg, the Australian driver was able to benefit greatly and enjoy a relatively competitive remainder of the race.

“It was an eventful race.” Enthused Daniel Ricciardo, after finishing 10th. “The last two stints were good, at first having a battle with Webber who was on a different strategy. Then right at the end, I was holding off Michael and I was really pleased to have won that battle. It’s always tougher when you are the slower car in a duel, but with good advice from the pit wall on how to use the KERS to defend in the DRS zone, I managed it. It’s not every day you have a seven times World Champion on your tail and given he only has a few more races, it was nice to have a battle with him to put in my scrapbook!”

This was Daniel Ricciardo’s second points finish in succession, after finishing the Singapore Grand Prix last time out in 9th. After a difficult start to the season for the Faenza-based outfit, Toro Rosso have finally begun scoring points on a regular basis, as the F1 circus heads to Korea next weekend.

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Vitaly Petrov Plagued By KERS And Radio Issues During The Race

Vitaly Petrov has confirmed he was plagued by KERS and radio issues throughout the 53-lap Japanese Grand Prix, the latter leading to the Russian driver incurring a drive-thru penalty as he was allegedly unable to hear the blue flag calls. However, the Caterham driver was still able to finish 17th in the race, after a tough weekend at Suzuka.

After miraculously avoiding the first lap carnage which ensued ahead of him, Vitaly Petrov was able to settle into a decent rhythm towards the back of the pack. However, as the race progressed the Russian driver lost the ability to use KERS, before then loosing radio communication with the pit wall. This naturally put Petrov at a disadvantage, especially when it came to adhering to the blue flag calls. Due to Petrov’s inability to hear his team informing him of the blue flags as the leaders came through, he was issued with a drive-thru penalty towards the end of the race.

“My first stop was fine but after that we lost KERS and that obviously cost me time.” Explained Vitaly Petrov, after a difficult Japanese Grand Prix. “I also had a problem with the radio and couldn’t hear the blue flag calls and that ended up with the drive-through penalty. From where I started on the grid and with the KERS issue I think I probably got as much as I could out of the car today. It’s been a bit of tough weekend but it’s good to see the team working so hard to keep pushing us forwards and next week in Korea we have another chance to keep fighting.”

Both Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov enjoyed a relatively successful race in comparison to Singapore last time out, and will be hoping they can continue doing so next time out at the Korean Grand Prix. Regardless of Caterham’s improved competitiveness at Japan, they remain behind Marussia in the Constructors’ Championship.

Picture Copyright © Caterham F1 Team

Mark Gillan: “It Was A Character Building Weekend”

Although Pastor Maldonado started the Singapore Grand Prix on the front row of the grid alongside the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton, Williams ultimately suffered a frustrating weekend around the streets of Singapore. Both Maldonado and Senna failed to finish the 61-lap race, after eventually retiring due to mechanical issues.

However, the team’s Chief Operations Engineer, Mark Gillan, believes the Singapore Grand Prix weekend was a “character building” weekend, one which the Grove-based outfit are looking to bounce back from next time out at the Japanese Grand Prix. Pastor Maldonado, who looked on course to scoring his first World Championship points since his illustrious victory at the Spanish Grand Prix in May, retired shortly after Lewis Hamilton’s gearbox issue with a hydraulic issue on the car.

“In brief it was an extremely frustrating weekend.” Explained Mark Gillan, “It was what I would call a character building weekend, with the high expectations following a front row qualification and fast race pace ultimately dashed due to a double DNF and a risky strategy call. It [the pace of the FW34] gives us a tremendous amount of confidence. We saw that the car was capable of qualifying on the front row and that the race pace was equally impressive.”

Prior to the Singapore Grand Prix, the Williams duo had only suffered from two retirements due to mechanical issues all season. This tremendous track record was brought to a sudden end during the 61-lap race, when both drivers were struck with two separate mechanical issues. Although Williams are confident the Singapore heat did not contribute to the issues, the team are currently investigating the causes of the issues so they do not reappear in the remaining six races.

“We are currently investigating the failures and have full confidence in getting to the root cause quickly and implementing the required fixes as soon as possible.” Said Mark Gillan, “At this stage we do not believe that the heat played a part in the failures.”

Bruno Senna’s retirement came in the closing stages of the race, after the Brazilian driver had impressed many by clawing his way up through the field after starting a lowly 22nd on the grid. However, once the 28-year-old emerged from his car after retiring, Senna complained of burns on his back. The team are currently investigating as to what might have caused these mysterious burns to their driver.

“We have a good idea [what caused them] but are still investigating just to make sure that we have covered all potential cause.” Explained Mark Gillan, as the team prepare to head to Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix.

Williams haven’t won at the circuit since 1996, when Damon Hill became the World Champion for the team after a season-long battle with team-mate Jacques Villeneuve. The Grove-based outfit expect another strong performance in Japan, and are striving to score further valuable World Championship points.

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team

KERS Failure Forced Bruno Senna Into Retirement At Singapore

Bruno Senna endured a highly frustrating Singapore Grand Prix last weekend, hitting the wall twice throughout the race weekend before incurring a 5-place grid penalty prior to Sunday’s race. During the race, Senna was able to begin fighting for points before retiring due to a KERS failure with only 16 laps remaining in the race.

After starting the race from way back in 22nd place, Bruno Senna steadily rose through the field in the opening laps. When Pastor Maldonado retired on lap 36 due to a hydraulic issue, any hope Williams had of clinching valuable points resided with Bruno Senna. After battling for points and nearly colliding with fellow countryman Felipe Massa, Senna unfortunately joined team-mate Maldonado in retirement due to a KERS issue.

“Considering we had a few problems we were having a good race.” Explained Bruno Senna, after a lively race. “I had a very eventful first few laps but was able to overtake when I needed to and had good pace at the beginning. With 16 laps to go I lost KERS and so it was difficult to defend towards the end, but that’s racing. I’m happy with the race I did today, being able to come from 22nd to be fighting for points.”

Williams were hopeful of a decent result at the Singapore Grand Prix, especially after Pastor Maldonado’s superlative qualifying performance which saw the Venezuelan driver qualify alongside Lewis Hamilton in 2nd. However, any hopes of points ceased to exist once Maldonado and Senna retired from the race. The Grove-based outfit will now head to Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix hopeful of further competitiveness, after a bittersweet race around the streets of Singapore.

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team

Jerome D’Ambrosio Positive After Being Plagued By KERs Failure

Jerome D’Ambrosio has ended his return to Formula 1 on a positive note, after suffering a majority of the Italian Grand Prix with a KERs failure on his Renault-powered Lotus E20. The Belgian driver, standing in for the banned Romain Grosjean, was able to finish 13th after a tough race long battle in the midfield.

The 26-year-old Belgian driver, who had not raced in the sport since the 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix, started the race around the historic Autodromo Nazionale di Monza from 15th on the grid. After several laps into the race, D’Ambrosio was informed that his car had suffered a KERs failure, thus leaving him at a large disadvantage over the majority of the opposition. However, D’Ambrosio was able to battle his way through the 53-lap race to eventually finish only three places away from a point scoring position.

“It was a pretty long and difficult race for me today.” Explained Jerome D’Ambrosio, “After losing my KERs on lap 6 it was always going to be tough as that’s worth about half a second per lap around here. Once I lost that extra boost it was impossible to keep up and I dropped back. My main aim was to finish the race and I’ve achieved that so it’s not so bad overall. It was great to be back in the car and especially with such a fantastic team; I’ve learnt a lot this weekend.”

Jerome D’Ambrosio will now return to his reserve driver duties for the Lotus outfit, as Romain Grosjean prepares to return next time out for the Singapore Grand Prix after serving his one-race ban. The Frenchman will be eager to prove he has learned his lesson, after causing the first lap incident at the Belgian Grand Prix, amongst others. With the FIA proving a point by banning Grosjean at Spa-Francorchamps, it’s unquestionable that dangerous driving will not be tolerated in Formula 1.

Picture Copyright © Lotus F1 Team