Chennai, 5 March 2014: 2013 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) winner and MRF driver Gaurav Gill on Thurs
File photo of MRF team, winners of 2013 APRC title. An Adrenna Communications photo
day confirmed that he and co-driver Glenn Macneall will defend their title with the Team MRF ŠKODA Fabia S2000 for the 2014 championship. Gill became the first Indian to win the prestigious APRC title and more importantly won it using MRF Tyres, adding yet another title to the leading Indian tyre manufacturer.
Team MRF Skoda will field two teams again with European Rally Championship winners Jan Kopecky and Pavel Dresler in the other car, an Adrenna Communications release said here on Thursday.
Gill was the first Indian to win the overall title but it was Sanjay Takale who won his class to become the first Indian APRC winner in any class.
Team MRF will be hoping to continue on their near perfect season last year, where they won five of the six APRC rounds throughout the season and totally dominated the championship. Team MRF will also be gunning for their third successive title after winning in 2012 with Chris Atkinson and 2013 with Gaurav Gill.
MRF is no stranger to APRC after being regular participants for over a decade. MRF is the only Indian Tyre manufacturer who develops rally tyres that are used internationally. The MRF R&D team work closely with the drivers to develop tyres for the different terrains and conditions. The MRF Tyres are prepared for all surfaces and conditions.
Mr. Arun Mammen, Managing Director, MRF Tyres, commented, “We are thrilled to be defending our APRC title with Gaurav and Glenn. Having Jan and Pavel in the other Team MRF Skoda car further strengthens our intention and commitment to the sport. APRC has been a great platform for MRF to showcase how our tyres are adaptable to different conditions. The R&D team work really hard to ensure we give our drivers the best possible tyres to extract maximum from all terrains. Rallies take place on all surfaces and in all conditions from asphalt to gravel to dirt surfaces and it is our job to ensure that the tyres are competitive in all conditions. We are excited to continue our great relationship with Skoda and looking forward to the upcoming season. ”
Enroute to his 2013 APRC title, Gill took victories in the New Calendonian and Japanese rounds of the championship, while finishing second in New Zealand and China. His team-mate Esapekka Lappi, in his first APRC campaign, won three times, in China, New Zealand and Australia, but non-finishes in the other three events put him out of the championship running.
Gaurav Gill, who became the first Indian to win an FIA Championship was excited to defend his title. He commented“Firstly I would like to thank MRF and Skoda for their continuous commitment and support. We had a great season where we created history last year but now our focus is squarely on this year. I will be working much closer with the MRF R&D team as well to ensure we have the best possible tyres. These guys are capable of developing tyres to match the best in the world and together we hope to achieve this. We will not rest on our laurels and will continue to push to ensure that we are fighting for the title again.”
In 2014 six events make-up the championship starting in New Zealand in April with the fast and smooth roads at Rally of Whangarei. A month later is the tropical island paradise and rough roads of New Caledonia followed by Australia’s Sunshine Coast and the International Rally of Queensland. The APRC then heads to Asia to the very hot and humid Malaysian Rally based in Johor Bahru. Japan is next and the fast forestry and public roads of Rally Hokkaido, followed by the championship finale in the bamboo forests and mountains of Zhejiang province, China.
It will be big challenge for the European Rally Champion Jan Kopecký, known to be more of a tarmac specialist, and will have to adapt to the challenges of gravel surfaces. He commented, “It will be something special for me – new rallies, new territories and lot of them real exotic ones, and most importantly it will be completely different racing conditions. It will be great, I’m looking forward to working together with my co-driver Pavel Dresler. We had a fantastic season in 2013 and we look to continue that form with Team MRF Skoda this year as well. We have a good car, great team and perfect team-mate! And I hope Gaurav will give us lot good tips as well“.
2014 APRC Calendar
Round 1 – April 11-13: Rally of Whangarei – New Zealand
Round 2 – May 16-18: Rally de Nouvelle – New Caledonia
Round 3 – June 20-22: Rally of Queensland – Australia
Round 4 – August 15-17: Rally of Malaysia
Round 5 – September 26-28: Rally of Hokkaido – Japan
Sakhir, 2 March 2014: Formula One’s pre-season testing programme finished today with the fourth day of the second test at the Bahrain International Circuit. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time of the session though it was a far from faultless day for 2014’s presumptive favourites. Mercedes, however, were not alone in having a troubled end to winter testing, and eight red flags during the day led to the test finishing under floodlights as an extra 25 minutes was tacked on to the end of running time. Although Sebastian Vettel did 77 laps, the Renault-powered team is yet sort out issues as the world champion feels that the issues not just about pace. Will the Sun set on Red Bull this year? Only time will tell….
Red Bull continues to face issues at the Bahrain Testing which ended Sunday. An FIA photo
The news before the scheduled start was that Sauber had elected to split their day with Adrian Sutil driving in the morning and Esteban Gutiérrez in the afternoon. Sutil did not get a time on the board yesterday as the C33 suffered a failure on its installation lap and was therefore given more time in the car. Also continuing from day three were Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull Racing (scheduled, though he too failed to record a time on Saturday), Nico Hülkenberg for Force India and Romain Grosjean for Lotus.
Elsewhere, the final day of testing saw Fernando Alonso return for Ferrari, Valtteri Bottas for Williams, Jenson Button for McLaren, Max Chilton for Marussia, Kamui Kobayashi for Caterham and Jean-Eric Vergne for Toro Rosso.
After a flurry of early installation laps is was Hülkenberg who completed the first timed lap of the day, setting the standard with 1:38.560. Button and then Bottas went through quicker, with Bottas dropping the benchmark several times to end the first hour of the session with a time of 1:36.281 and thirteen laps on the board. Ten of the 11 teams had appeared at that point, the notable absentee being Mercedes. The team reported it was having gearbox problems and would be delayed in starting its programme.
90 minutes into the session Alonso rose to the top with a lap of 1:35.509. The Ferrari stayed there for 40 minutes before Bottas retook the position with 1:35.153. He subsequently improved on that at noon his best time was 1:34.797.
“We’ve learnt a lot over the course of these last few weeks and overall it’s been a good winter of testing for us.”
Lewis Hamilton
The two standout features of the morning were the non-appearance of Mercedes and the unusual situation of the session having run interrupted for three hours from its commencement. Sadly the latter situation was the first to change with Vettel causing the first red flag of the day at 1202. It was difficult to tell what Vettel’s problem had been because while the car appeared to be smoking it also came to a halt pointing in the wrong direction. The team later identified a front-end mechanical issue.
The session was green flagged with a little over 40 minutes remaining before the scheduled lunch break. That was enough time to see Hamilton begin his day in the W05 and also for a second red flag, this time caused by Grosjean halting the E22, causing teams to begin their lunch break five minutes early.
After two red flags in the final hour before lunch, a further six post-lunch made for a disjointed final afternoon, interrupting many teams’ attempts to complete a race simulation. McLaren were responsible for the first with Button parking the MP4-29 after it suffered an engine failure – albeit one attributed to the unit being high-mileage rather than problematic. McLaren mechanics would spend the rest of the afternoon replacing the engine, but Button only had time to add one further lap to his tally, finishing the day with 22 on the board, the lowest of any runner.
The next stoppage was caused by Grosjean, flames visible at the rear of his car. This was proved to be terminal for the E22 and ended the participation of Lotus three hours before the scheduled close. Hülkenberg caused the next red flag with 90 minutes remaining and while fast work by the marshals and Force India crew got the session restarted in quick time, the track went from green to red almost immediately as Alonso stopped the Ferrari.
By this point, however, Kobayashi had passed the 100-lap mark, reinforcing the perception that Caterham, while never troubling the top of the timesheets, was the most reliable of the Renault-powered cars. Vettel was making up ground after his morning spin, albeit running at reduced speed well off the long-run pace of Red Bull’s rivals.
“We did a lot of laps today so that was useful,” said the World Champion when the session concluded. “We tried to do a race distance today; for one reason or another that didn’t work out, but in two week’s time things should look a little bit different. Obviously it’s difficult to know where the car is. It’s not just the number of laps you do, but also the type. There are so many different running options, not just with tyres and high or low fuel, there are engine options as well – full power, low power etc, so it’s impossible to say where we are. We know we have to catch up in a lot of areas, but that said, I’m happy today, we did a lot of laps, we learned a lot and it was a positive end to a tough week here.”
With 25 minutes officially added to the day’s running, Mercedes upped the ante for the final hour and a half by pointing out only 34km separated themselves and Williams at the top of the pre-season mileage chart – but Williams participation in that particular race was hampered when Bottas caused the seventh red flag of the day, stopping on the main straight – this did, however, allow Williams to wheel the car back to the garage without the tow truck, giving them bragging rights of not having troubled the marshals across all 12 days of testing.
“We know we have to catch up in a lot of areas, but that said, I’m happy today, we did a lot of laps, we learned a lot and it was a positive end to a tough week here.”
Sebastian Vettel
Running resumed after a very short hiatus but it did so without Caterham, the team calling a halt to their day early with a clutch problem. Force India also stopped early with another component failure put down to high mileage rather than an underlying problem.
With the floodlights coming on Hamilton was making up for his lost morning and set the fastest time of the day with a lap of 1:33.278. This was comfortably quicker than Bottas’ best effort but two-tenths slower than the fastest time of the test set by Felipe Massa on Saturday. There was time before the end for one more red flag – this one intentional as Sauber ran their car out of fuel. The session restarted with 11 minutes remaining and with Red Bull currently bottom of the timesheet. Perhaps considering morale more than engineering necessity, Vettel increased speed in the RB10 for the final minutes and moved up to 9th.
Mercedes ended the 12 days of testing with the most laps completed and the lion share of fastest lap accolades, and so go on to Melbourne perceived to be favorites for victory. Hamilton, however, was downplaying those expectations in his post-session comments:
“This has definitely been the most challenging winter I’ve experienced and the car is still very much a work in progress,” he said. “We’ve learnt a lot over the course of these last few weeks and overall it’s been a good winter of testing for us. There’s been an incredible amount of work put in by the team back at the two factories and on track.
“There’s so much to learn with these new cars; it’s just mind-blowing and I don’t think anybody can be fully ready for the challenge of this season. But I feel as ready as I can be and I’m looking forward to seeing where we are in Melbourne.”
There are 12 days before Friday practice for the Australian Grand Prix.
2014 second Bahrain test day four – unofficial times
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:33.278 69
2 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:33.987 +0.709 108laps
3 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:34.280 +1.002 74laps
4 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:35.577 +2.299 74laps
5 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:35.701 +2.423 74laps
6 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1:36.467 +3.189 91laps
7 Max Chilton Marussia 1:36.835 +3.557 61laps
8 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:37.303 +4.025 86laps
9 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:37.468 +4.190 77laps
10 Jenson Button McLaren 1:38.111 +4.833 22laps
11 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 1:38.391 +5.113 106laps
12 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:39.302 +6.024 32laps
Sakhir, 2 March 2014: The last day of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit here, brought to an end the three Testing sessions before the new season begins in Melbourne, with the first of the 19 races scheduled for March 16.
The talk of the town is the lack of speed for champions Red Bull, but as the teams try to finalise different issues, the ten days before the season opener become crucial. Sebastian Vettel finally was able to complete 77 laps for Red Bull, the highest on a day, thus far.
Many feel that the time sheets may not reveal the true pace right now, but one important factor may be the “homologation” . Teams will not have much leeway once the engines are homologated and the last date ended on Feb 28. So Renault-powered Red Bull may not be as dominant as they were for the last three years. However, the team is still capable of pulling back as the season progresses and one should not forget that the points are doubled for the last race. So the battles will still be interesting.
At the moment, the Mercedes-powered teams are in the forefront and Sahara Force India, have put behind the problems to Sahara Group’s chief, and completed its pre-season testing programme in Bahrain as Nico Hulkenberg clocked up 74 laps in the VJM07.
Day Four Statistics:
Chassis: VJM07-01
Laps: 74 laps
Mileage: 401 km
Fastest lap: 1:35.577
Classification: P4
Nico Hulkenberg: “The final day of testing went pretty well. In the end we didn’t do the race simulation, but we did some long runs and signed off a lot of other things on the job list. We didn’t do as many laps as yesterday, but we still made progress and learned some new things. So it’s been two good days for me and I’m feeling pretty satisfied. You always want more time to prepare, but I think we’re in good shape. The car has come a long way since the first Jerez test and we have made progress every day.”
Andrew Green, Technical Director:
“The final day in Bahrain saw a continuation of yesterday’s work improving the car balance, collecting tyre data, and some long runs. Our programme ended slightly early with a suspected component failure, which was a result of high mileage, and so we didn’t manage to complete our target number of laps. Nonetheless our time in Bahrain has gone largely to plan with the mileage achieved during the previous three days leaving us in good shape going into Melbourne. We’re feeling positive about our reliability and have explored some encouraging directions for improving car performance. The other focus has been on our race readiness and we’ve done a great deal of homework to prepare the drivers for the challenge that awaits them in Melbourne.”
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Hulkenberg completes testing for Force India on Sunday. A Sahara Force India photo
Sakhir, 1 Mar 2014: Nico Hulkenberg returned to the cockpit of the VJM07 today as Sahara Force India completed the penultimate day of pre-season testing in Bahrain doing 100 or more laps for the third day.
Day Three Statistics:
Chassis: VJM07-01
Laps: 115 laps
Mileage: 622 km
Fastest lap: 1:36.205
Classification: P6
Nico Hulkenberg: “Lots of laps today, which is good, and it’s the third day in a row that the team has done more than 100 laps. When I jumped in the car this morning I could feel the progress the team has made since I last drove at the end of last week, so it shows we are moving in the right direction. The track conditions were quite tricky because it was windy, but otherwise it was a successful day and my feeling with the car is pretty good. We got through the test programme and hit the objectives for the day, including a race simulation in the afternoon. For the final day tomorrow we will continue doing our homework for Melbourne, ticking off the boxes and try and do another race simulation.”
Andrew Green, Technical Director:
“Once again we were able to do a lot of valuable work today and hit our target number of laps, which is very satisfying. At this stage of testing we still have lots of items to evaluate, but we’ve been able to combine this with giving Nico the opportunity to explore numerous set-up options ahead of Melbourne. He managed to try all the different tyre compounds available today and did three solid long runs at the end of the day, which went to plan. Nico also ran through some of the new procedures needed this year, especially those for grid formation.” -A Sahara Force India press release.Nico Hulkenberg at Bahrain Testing. A Sahara Force India photo
A short statement on the home page ot Formula One Teams’ Association at www.fota.co said:
As of the 28th of February 2014 FOTA will be disbanded, as a result of its members’ having re-evaluated their requirements in the face of a changing political and commercial landscape in Formula 1.
Volkswagen to “sweep streets” of León as 1st, 2nd and 4th in WRC standings
First gravel rally of the year around the geographic heart of Mexico
High altitudes pose additional challenge for man and machine
Wolfsburg, 28 Feb 2014: Gravel for the first time, high altitudes, and a welcome problem – Volkswagen face a special challenge when they line up at the Rally Mexico (06–09 March). The three Volkswagen works duos will feel gravel under their Polo R WRCs for the first time this season at the third round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). The teams swap the winter of Monte Carlo and Sweden for the summer temperatures of Mexico. And then there is a geographic anomaly on the WRC calendar: with altitudes on the special stages ranging from 1,832 metres above sea level to a staggering 2,781 metres, the World Championship leaders will quite literally be hoping to race off into thin air at the head of the field, according to a Volkswagen Press Release.
The engines lose up to 30 per cent of their performance in these conditions. And Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) as World Championship leaders, Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F) in second place, and Andreas Mikkelsen/Mikko Markkula (N/FIN) in fourth place in the World Championship find themselves confronted by another problem. Their positions in the World Championship standings mean they have the dubious honour of being first out onto the route. As such, they will take on the role of “street sweepers” in León, clearing the special stages of loose gravel – the scourge of good stage times – for the following cars.
“While the focus was more on driving ability at the first two WRC rallies of the year in Monte Carlo and Sweden, the material will be put to a bigger test this time around in Mexico,” said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Jost Capito. “Adjusting the engine management system to cope with the extreme altitude is a fiddly job for the engineers, who must find the right balance between reliability and losing as little performance as possible. Furthermore, our driver/co-driver pairings have a Herculean task ahead of them. Their positions at the top of the World Championship mean they may – or must – open the route. Despite this huge handicap, I firmly believe that Jari-Matti Latvala, Sébastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen will provide the odd bit of magic here and there, and hopefully surprise everyone.”
Who is quicker than Speedy Gonzales? – Small miracle needed on day one
With every World Rally Car that passes, more and more of the thick layer of gravel is cleared from the special stages. This effect even continues into the second loop of special stages at the Rally Mexico. This is a clear disadvantage for those opening the route. As such, even more pressure is on the drivers and co-drivers in the Volkswagen team. The works duos will be looking to limit damage on day one of the rally with a flawless job and perfectly calculated risks. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila top the Driver and Co-Driver standings with 40 points. As such, they will be first out onto the special stages on the opening day. Their team-mates Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia will follow two minutes later. With 35 points to their name, they are currently second in the World Championship. Another four minutes later, it is the turn of Andreas Mikkelsen/Mikko Markkula (24 points, fourth place in the World Championship) to hit the road.
The rules regarding the starting order in the WRC were revamped ahead of the season. The first day of the rally is now always run in the same order as the World Championship standings. The order on the remaining days is according to the overall standings at the end of the previous day’s rallying. Unlike in previous years, there will be no qualifying ahead of the start of the rally.
Like jogging with a snorkel – engines toil in thin air
The performance of the 1.6-litre turbo engines in the World Rally Championship is limited using an air restrictor, in accordance with WRC regulations. The effect is similar to breathing through a snorkel whilst jogging. With altitudes of around 2,800 metres above sea level in the Sierra de Lobos and Sierra de Guanajuato mountains, this effect is compounded at the Rally Mexico. The higher you get, the lower the oxygen content in the air, resulting in less efficient combustion. Furthermore, the air resistance for the turbo charger is also reduced. This increases the revolution speed in this component, and only by making adjustments with the engine management system is it possible to avoid a mechanical overload. The engines consequently generate 28 to 30 per cent less power than they do at the Rally Sweden.
“The altitude at the Rally Mexico affects the engine more than any other part of the Polo R WRC,” said Dr. Donatus Wichelhaus, Head of Engine Development at Volkswagen Motorsport. “On the one hand, the air pressure drops the higher you get, which in turns results in lower oxygen content in the air. On the other hand, the air resistance in the turbo charger is also reduced. As a result, this component achieves higher revolution speeds than at any other rally. In order to guarantee stability, but still lose as little performance as possible, we used various simulations even before last year to prepare for Mexico.”
In the heart of Mexico: mine shafts, winding roads, and “El Chocolate”
The extremes at the Rally Mexico provide a distinctive, contrasting programme for drivers, co-drivers and fans alike. The pop concert feeling of the “Guanajuato Street Stage” with 80,000 adoring fans is in stark contrast with the solitude of the highlands. A short special stage of just over one kilometre is more than offset by a 56-kilometre boneshaker. The Rally Mexico is one of the most multifaceted on the WRC calendar. Three special stages are worth particular mention, purely because of their length: “El Chocolate” on Friday at 44 kilometres, the 54-kilometre “Otates” on Saturday, and “Guanajuatito” with about 56 kilometres against the clock.
The most popular spectator point comes on the “Derramadero” special stage. Among the exquisite ingredients that combine to make the final, televised Power Stage so mouth-watering are the ultra-quick winding roads, a descent of about 200 metres within just 2.5 kilometres, and the “El Brinco” jump, which sees the World Rally Cars fly through the air in spectacular fashion. And all that just four kilometres from Cerro del Cubilete, at the top of which a 30-metre tall statue of Christ marks the geographic centre of Mexico.
Quotes ahead of the Rally Mexico
Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1
“I like the Rally Mexico. The goal for this year is obviously to repeat last season’s victory. The special stages in Mexico, some of which are very long, are always a big challenge for us. As the second car out, we start in the knowledge that the road conditions will improve with each car. My starting position is definitely better than that of my team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, but the guys behind us will have even better conditions. As such, we will have to perform as well as possible on the opening day, in order not to throw away any hopes of victory early on. One of our strengths last year was the engine in the Polo R WRC. We had fewer problems with the conditions, the thin air and the ensuing loss of performance than our rivals did. However, we all start from scratch again in 2014.”
Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2
“The win in Sweden was a special moment for me, and has obviously given me an extra dose of confidence. We used tests in Spain to prepare meticulously for the forthcoming gravel rally in Mexico and the difficult conditions we will encounter there. The scrapping of qualifying means I, as the championship leader, have to be first out onto the route in Mexico. It goes without saying that this is a handicap. However, rules are rules. This is definitely outweighed by the pleasure of travelling to Mexico as the leader in the World Championship. I will be sporting about it and do my best whatever the circumstances. If everything goes perfectly to plan, it could still even be possible to win. However, that is not my main goal. We want at least to finish in the points. A place on the podium would be great.”
Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
“Sweden was a perfect weekend. We were in contention to win the rally, and second place was ultimately a fantastic result for Mikko and me. Once you have made it onto the podium, you obviously want to do it again. However, you cannot lose your sense of reality. We are now looking forward to Mexico, which is completely new territory for us. It will not be easy for us, as I have never actually competed at this rally. I was able to take part in the ‘Recce’ last season, which allowed me to gain an initial impression. My goal is the top five. I am definitely physically and mentally fresh going into the rally weekend. After Sweden, I went home and spent some time with my family and friends. I also went to New York for a weekend to relax a little. I’m ready to go again now though!”
Three questions for … Martin Hassenpflug
You are the Car Chief for World Champion Sébastien Ogier’s Polo R WRC. In order to be successful, there has to be absolute trust between the Car Chief and the driver. How long did it take you both to build up that level of trust?
Martin Hassenpflug: “It actually happened relatively quickly, as we are both about the same age. It was obviously also an advantage that we had contested the entire 2012 season together with the Škoda Fabia. Since then, there has been a blind understanding between us and we have cooperated absolutely seamlessly. That obviously pays dividends on hectic rally weekends.”
You have worked with many drivers. Can you tell us what makes Sébastien Ogier so special, and what makes him stand out from the other drivers?
Martin Hassenpflug: “Sébastien is definitely determined to win all the time. Ok, nearly all the drivers have that, but it is really extreme in his case. (laughs) When it is all or nothing and the rally is underway, he switches into winner mode – and away we go!”
You and your team pamper and look after the Ogier Polo several times every day. When was the last time you washed your wife’s car?
Martin Hassenpflug: “Actually, that happens very rarely. Every so often I will take it to the car wash, or vacuum the seats and floor at the petrol station. But that is about it. However, I have yet to hear any complaints that I have only been cleaning Séb’s Polo and not her car. After all, that is my work, while her car is private – as such, they are two completely different beasts.”
The number for the Rally Mexico: 3
Volkswagen have their sights set on win number three of 2014 in the third round of the World Rally Championship (WRC). The team from Wolfsburg, and its three driving duos, also travel to León and the surrounding area as defending champions and leaders in all three classifications (Driver, Co-Driver and Manufacturer). Last year, Sébastien Ogier not only claimed overall victory on Volkswagen’s third appearance in the World Rally Championship, but also picked up three bonus points for winning the Power Stage.
FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Overall Standings
Drivers’ Championship
Sakhir, 28 Feb 2014: On the first day of pre-season testing a Ferrari topped the timesheet, since then every day has seen a car with a Mercedes engine go quickest. Today added a slight variation to the theme with the same driver going quickest for the second day in a row, with Force India’s Sergio Pérez once again the fastest man at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Along with Pérez, Daniel Ricciardo and Pastor Maldonado were continuing for Red Bull and Lotus respectively, while the other eight teams opted to switch drivers for day two of this final test. That saw Fernando Alonso appearing for Ferrari, Fel
Sergio Perez tops time sheets again on Day 2 during the Bahrain testing on Friday. A Sahara Force India photo
ipe Massa for Williams and Jenson Button at McLaren. Jules Bianchi stepped into the Marussia, Lewis Hamilton took over at Mercedes, Jean-Eric Vergne at Toro Rosso, Esteban Gutiérrez for Sauber and Marcus Ericsson at Caterham.
It was Pérez who set the first time of the day with a lap of 1:46.166. He followed that with a more representative 1:38.014 on his next lap. That stood for half an hour before Alonso announced his presence, going quickest with 1:37.274, before the Mexican driver took top spot back with 1:36.440, 90 minutes into running.
That came shortly after the first red red flag period of the day. Hamilton beached at Turn Three on new hard tyres. Mercedes, tongue-in-cheek, suggested they were testing the gravel. Running resumed as soon as the W05 was recovered and continued until Button necessitated a second red flag, slowing to a halt with a mechanical issue some two and a half hours into the session.
Repairing the McLaren took much of the day but Button was able to resume with 75 minutes of the day remaining and finished the session with a long run.
“We had a problem within the gearbox,” said Button after the chequered flag. “It took a while to change – as anything within the power-unit does these days – but we got back out at the end, and everything ran smoothly, which was good. It was a shame to lose that time – it’s the first major issue we’ve had this winter; but it’s better to suffer it here, rather than at a race weekend.
“We were still able to do a long-run on high-fuel this afternoon. The basic car is good, and there’s a great deal of potential there, but there’s still a lot of work to do. We have a good understanding of the power-unit, and we know how to race it, but, in terms of balance and grip, the car isn’t quite there yet.”
When running resumed shortly before noon, everyone had a time on the board baring Ricciardo, who to that point had only managed installation laps. That would change soon after with the Australian getting on the board with a lap of 1:40.867. Shortly before that, however, Pérez had improved upon his best lap, lowering the benchmark to 1:35.570. That time would stand until the end of the session, despite Force India completing 75 laps after lunch.
“It feels very good to have another full day and to do so many laps,” said Pérez. It’s my last time in the car until we arrive in Melbourne and I’m feeling positive about how things are going. The set-up work today was very useful because we tried some different things to have a better direction for the first race. Everything went to plan and we managed to complete all the long runs in the afternoon.”
After lunch it was Lotus’ turn to bring out a red flag as Maldonado’s E22 caught fire. It was sufficiently serious to end Lotus’ participation on day two. “We had a localised fire in the car which ended our running early and caused a reasonable amount of damage to the E22,” said trackside operations director Alan Permane. “We’re inspecting the chassis and installation very carefully to deduce the cause of the fire and rectify any issues we find. Clearly this is not how we wanted to spend our day, but our focus is getting the most from the remaining days of the test.”
Less spectacular was Mercedes decision to end their day 90 minutes before the close with a gearbox problem, but track marshals had to deal with another fire when Ericsson was required to exit the Caterham quickly as it started to burn, causing the final red flag of the day. It wasn’t all bad news for the Renault teams, however, as Vergne completed 61 laps for Toro Rosso and Ricciardo 66 for Red Bull. The Australian finished the day third quickest in the RB10, less than two-tenths off the best time of the day – though with Red Bull still lagging behind in its pre-season programme, the comparison with teams concentrating on long runs is invalid.
“It went a lot better today,” said Ricciardo. “In the afternoon we did some good stuff. We had a go on the soft tyre, which was nice, to see how the car responds with a bit more grip. We also did one long run at the end, which was very important, just to see how the car is behaving with the tyres. A big improvement everywhere over yesterday and a much more optimistic outlook now I think. We still have a lot to learn and understand, but we’re making progress and the past two days have been a big step in the right direction.”
Testing continues tomorrow.
2014 second Bahrain test day two – unofficial times
1 Sergio Pérez Force India 1:35.570s 108laps
2 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:35.634s +0.064s 122laps
3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:35.743s +0.173s 66laps
4 Felipe Massa Williams 1:36.507s +0.937s 103laps
5 Jenson Button McLaren 1:36.901s +1.331s 52laps
6 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:38.092s +2.522s 75laps
7 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:39.041s +3.471s 89laps
8 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:39.636s +4.066s 61laps
9 Esteban Gutiérrez Sauber 1:39.976s +4.406s 106laps
10 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:41.613s +6.043s 31laps
11 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 1:42.516s +6.946s 55laps
Sepang (Malaysia), 28 Feb 2014: Yamaha Factory Racing’s Valentino Rossi has completed the second official test of the 2014 MotoGP season as the fastest rider. Rossi wrapped up the three days of riding at the Sepang International circuit in Malaysia with a fastest time of 1’59.999, one of only two riders to drop under the two minute mark after an impressive fastest lap today.
Whilst still struggling to find a perfect solution to the new Bridgestone tyres, Jorge Lorenzo was able to find a change to make some improvement to set up today. The Mallorcan was still less than satisfied overall with the grip levels on offer from the 2014 rubber. Lorenzo was able to step a little closer to the front than yesterday, wrapping up in seventh, just over 0.6 of a second from his teammate in first.
The Team now move directly to Phillip Island in Australia for a further test before the season kicks off under the floodlights of Qatar on the 23rd March.
Valentino Rossi, who did 41 laps today, with a best lap of 1:59.999 topped the time sheets: He said: “First of all I am very happy because I am in first position and I did a good lap. I was one of the only ones in the 1’59s which is positive, especially because with the 2014 tyres in the first test we tried a time attack and I was more than one second slower than today. This test we have always been at the top and fighting for the first position so it’s positive. We still have some problems when it’s very hot over long distance with the new tyres, so we still have to work, but we made a good step from the first test. The next test in Philip Island will be very important to understand if also there we improved a lot like here because I am more than one second faster than the second test of last year so we have been working well.”
Jorge Lorenzo clocked 7th fastest time after 70 laps. “We found a better solution today to improve our situation and adapt these tyres at this track. The tyres are much harder in the sidewalls. At this track, with this tarmac that is very slippery, it’s not the same as Phillip Island or Mugello for example, it’s impossible for us to be competitive. This tyre is much worse for Yamaha and better for Honda. Our bike is competitive, at a similar level to the competitors but with the tyre we have problems. We tried a simulation today and it was worse and worse every lap. In the edge there is a problem with no grip but also when you pick up the bike it spins. You can improve the feeling a little to get more grip but when the tyre starts to drop the problems get worse and worse,” Lorenzo said.
Sergio Perez who topped the time sheets in Bahrain on Thursday. A Sahara Force India photoBahrain: After a four-day hiatus Formula One returned to the Bahrain International Circuit today to begin its final pre-season group test before shipping out to Australia and the first grand prix of the 2014 season. Force India’s Sergio Pérez recorded the fastest lap of the day, though few teams seemed to be searching for outright pace. Headline times were several seconds slower than those recorded at the circuit last week. Instead, the day saw the front runners largely focussing on long-run pace and – as is now expected at the last test of the winter – fitting aerodynamic parts closer to a race-specification than those seen previously.
Pérez finished nine-tenths of a second quicker than Valtteri Bottas, though the Finn recorded the highest mileage of the day, with 128 laps for Williams. Kimi Räikkönen for Ferrari was third quickest, Nico Rosberg fourth for Mercedes and Adrian Sutil fifth for Sauber. McLaren’ Kevin Magnussen was sixth fastest. He completed 109 laps, joining Pérez (105) and Bottas in three figures. That was seventy laps more than seventh-fastest Daniel Ricciardo managed for Red Bull – he did, however, had the consolation of being the fastest of the Renault-engined cars. Eighth on the timesheet was Marussia’s Max Chilton who was followed by Daniil Kvyat for Toro Rosso, Pastor Maldonado for Lotus and Caterham’s Kamui Kobayashi.
Bottas was the first man out on track, leaving the garage almost immediately the pitlane exit light turned green, though all 11 teams were lapping within the first half-hour. The first time of the day was set by Ricciardo, with a 1:40.262. The Australian dropped that to 1:38.642 moments later, over a second faster than the RB10 managed at the previous test.
If that were a reassuring start for one Renault team, the opposite was true at another as Caterham caused the first red flag of the day, with Kobayashi pulling his smoking car over 40 minutes into the session.
Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg gave the timesheet a familiar shape when he went fastest an hour and a half after the start with a lap of 1:37.722. That stood as the benchmark for an hour before Pérez took a second out of it with a lap of 1:36.051. He then improved to 1:35.290 as the lunch break approached.
“We really needed a good day to start this week and today we had it,” said Pérez. “We managed to do a lot of laps, try several different compounds and mappings, and it’s been a fantastic day in terms of learning about the car. Tomorrow is my last day in the car before the season starts so hopefully we can have another solid day to be in good shape for Melbourne.”
In a change to the timetable for the previous test, a half-hour break was scheduled for 1300, compensated with an extra half hour on track at the end of the day. The change was for the benefit of the track marshals rather than the teams – though some had a busy lunch break as Pastor Maldonado stopped out on track a few minutes before the interval. Lotus had been trialling a new exhaust system and later revealed this to be the source of the breakdown. They did not run again during the day.
After lunch Kvyat caused another red flag, stopping the Toro Rosso at Turn Two but there was happier news from the other Italian team. An unspecified glitch had restricted Raikkonen to just 12 laps in the morning but Ferrari were able to resolve the issue and allow the Finn a full afternoon of running – though it was he who brought the session to a slightly premature conclusion, stopping out on track a few minutes before the scheduled close.
Things were going the other way at Red Bull. Ricciardo completed 32 laps in the morning but failed to build on that, spending much of the afternoon in the garage as the team suffered a problem with its exhaust. Ricciardo added a further seven laps at the end of the day – but with Red Bull wanting a significant increase in track time this week, it was not the ideal start to proceedings.
“We sent Daniel out for a long-ish run, but we had to abort about five laps in, as we noticed some issues on the sensors,” explained race engineering co-ordinator Andy Damerum. “We brought him in, had a look at the car and discovered that we had a problem with the exhaust. So we had a long afternoon in the garage, but we did manage to get Daniel back out at the end of the session, which was good. We have some work to do overnight but hopefully tomorrow we’ll be able to run in a similar style to this morning.”
Testing continues tomorrow and will run until Sunday.
2014 second Bahrain test day one – unofficial times
1 Sergio Pérez Force India 1m35.290s 105laps
2 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1m36.184s +0.894s 128laps
3 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1m36.432s +1.142s 54laps
4 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m36.624s +1.334s 89laps
5 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1m37.700s +2.410s 89laps
6 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1m37.825s +2.535s 109laps
7 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1m37.908s +2.618s 39laps
8 Max Chilton Marussia 1m38.610s +3.320s 44laps
9 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1m39.242s +3.952s 56laps
10 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1m40.599s +5.309s 31laps
11 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 1m42.285s +6.995s 19laps
eom
The dispersion of water increases from 60 to 65 l/s (+ 8%)
Milan, 26 Feb 2014: Teams will get their final chance to test the 2014 P Zero tyres and prepare for the forthcoming Formula One season at the last four-day test in Bahrain this week. Coming straight off the back of the previous four-day test in Bahrain last week, the teams will be able to keep up their testing momentum as they assess the four new slick compounds in the Pirelli range: P Zero Orange hard, P Zero White medium, P Zero Yellow soft and P Zero Red supersoft. At the first test of the year in Jerez, the teams also got the chance to test the Cinturato Green intermediate tyres and Cinturato Blue full wets. Please see and utilise the attached copyright-free 3D video, the first of a series of to be issued by Pirelli this year, which explains the precise functionality of the tyres.
Here is how the Pirelli Formula One tyre range looks in 2014:
P Zero Orange hard
The toughest tyre of the range is designed for circuits that are often characterised by high ambient temperatures, putting the highest energy loadings through the tyres with fast corners or abrasive surfaces. The compound takes longer to warm up, but offers maximum durability – which frequently means that it plays a key role in race strategy. This is a high working range compound. Like all the 2014 tyres, this is a brand new compound with a new construction to meet the requirements of the latest cars, with increased torque, extra energy recovery systems, but reduced aerodynamics.
P Zero White medium
Theoretically this is the most perfectly balanced of all the tyres, with an ideal compromise between performance and durability. As a result, it is very versatile, but often comes into its own on circuits that tend towards high speeds and energy loadings. This is a low working range compound. As is the case with all the 2014 tyres, there is a new profile at the front to take into account the altered vehicle dynamics and improve handling.
P Zero Yellow soft
This is one of the tyres most frequently used tyres in the range, striking a very good balance between performance and durability, with the accent on performance. It is still biased towards speed rather than long distances, but is nonetheless capable of providing a competitive advantage both at the beginning of the race on full fuel and when used as a ‘sprint’ tyre at the end. This is a high working range compound. All the compounds are generally slightly harder than their equivalents last year, in order to deliver the same performance despite the extra forces placed on the tyres.
P Zero Red supersoft
The softest compound in the range is ideal for slow and twisty circuits, especially in cold weather, when maximum mechanical grip is needed. The supersoft benefits from an extremely rapid warm-up time, which makes it ideal in qualifying as well, but the flip side to that important characteristic is of course increased degradation. This is a low working range compound. One of the key evolutions this year has been optimisation of the footprint pressure and temperature distribution. This presents a more even contact with the asphalt, improving grip and handling.
Cinturato Green intermediate
The intermediates are the most versatile of the rain tyres, dispersing approximately 25 litres of water per second at full speed. They can be used on a wet as well as a drying track. The Cinturato Green is a new concept for this year, with a number of the development aspects also transferred to the full wet tyre.
Cinturato Blue wet
The full wet tyres can disperse up to 65 litres of water per second at full speed (increased from 60 litres last year) making them the most effective solution for heavy rain. The latest evolution of the Cinturato Blue means that it is also effective on a drying track, with increased durability. The full wet tyre has a new compound and a redesigned rear tread pattern to further reduce aquaplaning. The result of this intensive work is increased driveability in a wide variety of conditions.
Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery: “We saw more work on tyres at the recent Bahrain test than there had been at the very first test in Jerez, and with teams likely to be attempting more qualifying and race simulations this week in preparation for the opening grand prix, we would expect this upward curve of tyre work to continue over the final four days in Bahrain. It’s still early days, but so far we’ve seen both performance and durability from our latest P Zero tyres, which all feature new compounds and structures to maximise the unique power characteristics of the latest-generation cars. The contact patch is greater, to help put down the extra torque, and the working ranges are wider to reduce degradation. As the lap times in Bahrain have shown, we’re already very close to 2013 levels of performance, despite much smaller capacity engines and a completely fresh set of technical challenges.”
Testing Facts:
Teams are allowed an overall maximum total of 135 sets of tyres for testing this year, including the in-season tests. The maximum total for the three pre-season tests is 85 sets of tyres: 25 sets for Jerez and 30 each for the two Bahrain tests.
Teams have a certain number of fixed compound choices totalling 22 sets per car in Bahrain (see table below). On top of that each team was also able to choose in advance eight more sets to try in Bahrain. The ‘base’ slick compounds – ‘winter’, hard, medium and soft – were selected by Pirelli in advance together with the teams to reflect the characteristics of Bahrain.
More Testing Facts and Figures:
Compound
Amount provided per team *
Fastest time in 2013 **
Supersoft
N/A
N/A
Soft
2
N/A
Medium
10
1.32.330
Hard
8
1.36.961
‘Winter’ hard
2
N/A
Intermediate
N/A
N/A
Wet
N/A
N/A
* Above choice made by Pirelli in agreement with the teams. Each team could choose further 8 sets for this test.
** Based on the results of the 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix.
