INDIA in F1

Author: David Bodapati

  • Latvala-Anttila claim their third Rally Sweden victory: WRC

    Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila claimed their third Rally Sweden victory today, taking the win by 53.6 seconds over Volkswagen team-mates Andreas Mikkelsen and Mikko Markkula. Third position was taken by the Citroën DS3 crew of Mads Østberg and Jonas Andersson.

    In the FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers, Latvala’s victory and additional points in the Power Stage see the Finn head the leaderboard, five points ahead of team-mate and reigning World Champion Sébastien Ogier. Mads Østberg rounds off the top three, another five points adrift. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, wins in Monte-Carlo and Sweden put Volkswagen Motorsport in the lead, the German marque 16 points ahead of the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team.

    Today’s final day of competition took in two identical loops of four stages covering 142.16 competitive kilometres. The rally was rounded off with the televised Power Stage, in which all-important points are awarded to the fastest three drivers through this single stage. Here, Østberg, Latvala and Mikko Hirvonen collected the extra points. Latvala started the day in control of the field and a clean sweep of fastest times in the opening loop helped the Finn extend his advantage. This afternoon he was able to control the field to notch up his first WRC victory since Greece last year. Mikkelsen has driven a fine event, the Norwegian always in the frame for his first-ever WRC victory. Today he went off in the second stage and damaged the suspension, but otherwise escaped unscathed to secure his maiden WRC podium. Mads Østberg won two of this afternoon’s stage and finished a deserved third overall.

    Mikko Hirvonen finished a more distant fourth, just over 30 seconds ahead of Ott Tanak in a similar Fiesta RS WRC. After going off the road yesterday, Sébastien Ogier managed to climb up to sixth, overhauling reigning Junior WRC Champion Pontus Tidemand and Henning Solberg. Craig Breen finished ninth and Kris Meeke 10th after losing time stuck in a snow bank this morning. Robert Kubica endured a difficult rally and went off again today; he nevertheless gained valuable experience of all the stages and finished 24th overall.

    The FIA World Rally Championship contenders now head across the Atlantic for the first full gravel event of the season, Rally Guanajuato Mexico (6-9 March).

    Rally Sweden – Final Unofficial Results (subject to scrutineering)

    1. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila
    2. Andreas Mikkelsen/Mikko Markkula
    3. Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson
    4. Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen
    5. Ott Tanak/Raigo Molder
    6. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia
    7. Henning Solberg/Ilka Minor
    8. Pontus Tidemand/Ola Fløene
    9. Craig Breen/Scott Martin
    10. Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle
    Volkswagen Polo R WRC
    Volkswagen Polo R WRC
    Citroën DS3 WRC
    Ford Fiesta RS WRC
    Ford Fiesta RS WRC
    Volkswagen Polo R WRC
    Ford Fiesta RS WRC
    Ford Fiesta RS WRC
    Ford Fiesta RS WRC
    Citroën DS3 WRC
    3hr 00min 31.1sec
    3hr 01min 24.7sec
    3hr 01min 30.6sec
    3hr 02min 58.0sec
    3hr 03min 31.6sec
    3hr 05min 01.0sec
    3hr 05min 18.6sec
    3hr 06min 09.3sec
    3hr 09min 26.5sec
    3hr 11min 49.1sec
    FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers (after 2 of 13 rounds)

    Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN)
    Sébastien Ogier (FRA)
    Mads Østberg (NOR)
    Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR)
    Bryan Bouffier (FRA)
    Kris Meeke (GBR)
    Mikko Hirvonen (FIN)
    Ott Tanak (EST)
    Elfyn Evans (GBR)
    Henning Solberg
    Jaroslav Melicharek (SVK)
    Pontus Tidemand (SWE)
    Matteo Gamba (ITA)
    Craig Breen (IRL)
    Yuriy Protasov (UKR)
    40 points
    35 points
    30 points
    24 points
    18 points
    17 points
    13 points
    10 points
    8 points
    6 points
    4 points
    4 points
    2 points
    2 points
    1 point

    FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers (after 2 of 13 rounds)

    Volkswagen Motorsport
    Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team
    Volkswagen Motorsport II
    M-Sport World Rally Team
    Hyundai Motorsport
    RK M-Sport World Rally Team
    72 points
    56 points
    26 points
    22 points
    8 points
    4 points

    A WRC participant flying through the snow in Rally Sweden. An FIA photo
    A WRC participant flying through the snow in Rally Sweden. An FIA photo

  • Director’s Cut’ Debut For Jaguar Land Rover Film Starring F-Type R Coupé, Range Rover Sport And Narain Karthikeyan

  • Narain Karthikeyan and Jaguar Land Rover Show Their Latest Vehicles at the Delhi Motor Show 2014

  • Ogier-Ingrassia slid into snow as teammates Latvala-Anttila take lead

    7 Feb 2014: The Volkswagen pairings of Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) and Andreas Mikkelsen/Mikko Markkula (N/FIN) lead the Rally Sweden after a gripping battle on Friday. The all-Volkswagen duel saw the experienced Latvala and rising star Mikkelsen match each other punch for punch on day two. Latvala came out of the head-to-head with his nose just in front on five occasions, while bragging rights went to Mikkelsen on four stages. Going into the final 142.16 kilometres of special stage on Saturday, just 3.6 seconds separate the #2 Polo R WRC and the number 9 car. However, a mistake from the World Champion prevented a three-way Volkswagen scrap at the top of the standings: starting the day as leaders, Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F) slid into a wall of snow on the opening special stage, losing 4:30minutes as a consequence.
    The ensuing fightback, which included six stage wins, saw the World Championship winning pairing storm back from 20th to ninth, a Volkswagen Press Release said.
    The second day of the Rally Sweden was dominated by light rain and thawing snow and ice. As a result, the character of the loop, which featured the four special stages “Lesjöfors“, “Fredriksberg”, “Rämmen” and “Hagfors Sprint”, had changed dramatically by the time the drivers returned to tackle it for a second time. In the morning, the World Rally Cars were greeted by a covering of soft snow and ice, while gravel was already a prominent feature in the afternoon. As such, wear and tear of the standard studded tyres played a major role. The Volkswagen drivers did a good job of looking after the valuable commodity, with only 28 tyres available over the course of the rally. In total, the trio has now set 34 of a possible 48 top-three times, with the works team from Wolfsburg winning 14 of the 16 stages so far.

    Quotes after day one of the Rally Sweden
    Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1
    “That’s rallying! We skidded into a snow wall twelve kilometres into the first special stage of the day. It was a slow corner, which is perhaps why I lost my concentration a little. I missed the entry to the corner and next thing we knew we were stuck. A stupid mistake, but these things happen. Thank you to all the fans who helped us out. We obviously have nothing to lose now. The conditions are not easy, but we will do our best to still pick up valuable points towards the World Championship. The realistic goal for Julien and me is now sixth place. However, I hope for the sake of our team that Andreas and Jari-Matti top the standings come the end of the rally.”

    Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2
    “It is obviously a great feeling to lead the Rally Sweden. At the same time, we still have a lot of work ahead of us: Saturday is the longest day, and it will be all about looking after the studded tyres as well as possible, right up until the finish ramp in Karlstad. The spikes break very quickly on gravel, and you lose an awful lot of grip then. Today was very good for long periods and we were able to open up a small gap ahead of our team-mates. However, we then lost a lot of time on the penultimate stage. That just goes to show that the rally is still very open. We will continue our battle with Andreas Mikkelsen tomorrow. It would be awesome to win the Rally Sweden for a third time.”

    Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
    “A fantastic day for us, and I am very happy with the way the Rally Sweden is panning out for me. I am yet to stand on the podium in the World Rally Championship, and that is exactly where I would dearly love to end this rally. However, I am a born-and-bred rally driver, and victory is within my grasp. I tried to keep up the pressure on my team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, but without taking too many risks. That was a real balancing act, which we pulled off really well. Tomorrow is another long day of rallying, and we want to go about our work calmly and intelligently.”

    Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director
    “It is great fun watching the battle between Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen develop. Both have been outstanding and are driving both extremely sensibly and quickly at the same time. There are no team orders at Volkswagen. They are both free to fight for the victory. It is a shame that Sébastien Ogier slipped up today, and is no longer in contention as a result. However, he reacted the right way to his mishap, bouncing back in impressive style to set the fastest time on six special stages. All in all, we are extremely happy with day two of the rally in Sweden. Let’s hope it continues this way.”

    And then there was …
    … snow graffiti. Five hours of work and 50 cans of spray paint – prior to the Rally Sweden, the Volkswagen Polo R WRC was ‘immortalised’ on a snow wall by graffiti artist Robert “Super-G” Forsberg in his home town of Karlstad. There is just one catch: the onset of spring is threatening to destroy the impressively realistic work of art – by melting it.

    ends

    A sequency shot of Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), drifting their Volkswagen Polo R WRC car on Day 2 of Sweden Rally as they take lead. A Volkswagen photo
    A sequency shot of Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), drifting their Volkswagen Polo R WRC car on Day 2 of Sweden Rally as they take lead. A Volkswagen photo

  • Sahara Force India expands driver development programme to GP2

    Silverstone, 7 Feb 2014: Sahara Force India has expanded its driver development programme by teaming up with Hilmer Motorsport to create Sahara Force India’s official GP2 team.
    The new partnership will see Facu Regalia and Daniel Abt race on the GP2 grid in the distinctive colours of Sahara Force India in the Hilmer Motorsport GP2 car.
    The development programme expands on the success of Sahara Force India’s reserve driver programme, which has already helped progress several drivers to Formula One race seats. It also represents a logical addition to the team’s ‘One From A Billion’ talent hunt, which helped unearth a selection of young Indian karting talents. The most successful candidate has been Jehan Daruvala, a 15-year-old from Mumbai, who graduated into the team’s ASFi_GP2_2014cademy last year and was crowned British KF3 Junior champion.
    Dr Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director of Sahara Force India: “As a team we’ve always placed great emphasis on nurturing young drivers so I’m delighted to announce our partnership with a GP2 team. It’s the logical next step as we look to bring through the next generation of drivers and provide them with the opportunity to showcase their talent. Our presence in GP2 moves us closer to having a holistic development programme to school drivers from grassroots karting to the higher echelons of professional motorsport.”
    Franz Hilmer, Team Principal and Managing Director of Hilmer Motorsport: “We are very happy about the collaboration between Hilmer Motorsport and Sahara Force India Formula One Team. I’ve had an association with Sahara Force India for ten years and we are looking forward to working together on a sporting level going forward. With Facu Regalia and Daniel Abt we have two very talented young drivers with the potential to progress to Formula One. We will do our best to support them on their way to the pinnacle of motor racing.”
    Facu Regalia, Driver #12 Hilmer Motorsport:
    “It is incredible news for me to be a GP2 driver with Hilmer Motorsport and Sahara Force India’s driver development programme. I appreciate the belief Franz Hilmer showed in my performances last year and the opportunity to race with him in 2014. I am also very proud to be associated with Sahara Force India and will make the most of the opportunities it presents. The chance to drive a Formula One car at the end of the season is also a huge motivation. My focus is to work as hard as I can to make sure we are fighting at the front of the field and getting the best results possible.”
    Daniel Abt, Driver #11 Hilmer Motorsport:
    “I am very happy about the association between Hilmer Motorsport and Sahara Force India Formula One Team. Over the last few years, Sahara Force India has given young and talented drivers the opportunity to race in Formula One so it’s great to have their support this season. I am determined to have a successful year with Hilmer Motorsport in the GP2 Series and I’m sure that we have the right package to achieve our ambitious goals.”
    eom

  • Narain Karthikeyan unveils new Jaguar F-Type coupe

    New Delhi, 5 Feb 2014 – Jaguar Land Rover’s latest award-winning products made their Indian debut at the 12th 

    Narain with Jaguar F-Type coupe at the Delhi motorshow on Wednesday. A TVC photo
    Narain with Jaguar F-Type coupe at the Delhi motorshow on Wednesday. A TVC photo

    Delhi Auto Expo Motor Show today. Amongst the star attractions, the Jaguar F-TYPE Coupe was unveiled by India’s racing driver, Narain Karthikeyan and the Range Rover long wheelbase by leading Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra.

    The celebrities appeared alongside Jaguar Land Rover’s new Indian product range, including the latest Land Rover Discovery and the Range Rover Evoque with 9-speed transmission. Also making their much anticipated Indian debut were the Jaguar C-X17 crossover concept and the D-Type inspired Project 7 concept car.

    Jaguar Land Rover CEO, Dr. Ralf Speth said: 

    “We are here in India to showcase the very latest offerings from our two great British brands. India continues to be an important and dynamic market for Jaguar Land Rover with year on year sales growth. This demonstrates that we are delivering our promise to create exciting products and unrivalled customer experiences. We aim to enhance the potential of the Indian market by growing our dealer network by 25 per cent this year and will now manufacture our flagship model, the Jaguar XJ, in Pune”.

    Today, the company confirmed that Jaguar’s flagship model, the XJ, would become the third model to be made at the firm’s local manufacturing facility in Pune, following the introduction of the Land Rover Freelander 2 in 2011 and Jaguar XF in 2013.

    This positive trend is reflected in India where the Jaguar and Land Rover brands have gained significant prominence and popularity since entering the market in 2009. Retail sales were up by 21 per cent in 2013 and Jaguar was one of the fastest growing luxury car brands in the country.

    ends

  • Three-way lead for Volkswagen at Rally Sweden: WRC

    Hagfors (SweSébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), in a Polo R WRC. A Volkswagen Motorsports photo

    Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), in a Polo R WRC. A Volkswagen Motorsports photo

    den), 6 Feb 2014: On course for gold, silver and bronze at the rallying world’s Winter Games – Volkswagen ended the first day of the Rally Sweden in first, second and third. Just with their noses in front are Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia (F/F). Over the course of the first seven of 24 special stages, the World Champions were involved in a thrilling internal duel at the top of the standings with fellow Volkswagen pair Andreas Mikkelsen/Mikko Markkula (N/FIN). A mere 5.8 seconds separate Ogier and Mikkelsen, who both have three stage wins to their name. And team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) are not to be forgotten either. They are a further 6.4 seconds behind Mikkelsen/Markkula in third place – well within striking distance of the leaders, a Volkswagen press release said.

    Following yesterday evening’s opening stage in Karlstad, the Rally Sweden took its competitors on a loop into Norway and back to the Service Park in Hagfors. Four of the six special stages were held over the border. Despite unusually warm weather in the run-up to the Rally Sweden, the “Torsby”, “Kirkener” and “Finnskogen” special stages were in good condition. As World Championship leader, Sébastien Ogier was first out onto the route. His team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen followed him in third and sixth positions respectively. All three Volkswagen drivers now find themselves excellently placed going into day two: the Polo R WRC has so far set 14 of a possible 21 top-three times at this year’s Rally Sweden. 

    Quotes after day one of the Rally Sweden
    Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1
    “To be first onto the route at a winter rally in Sweden is always difficult. As such, I was not sure what position we would find ourselves in come the evening. Anything in the top three would have been great. I am really extremely happy that we are actually leading the rally. The conditions were remarkably good, and better than we had expected. I am very happy with my own performance. It was a perfect day for us, and to have won three special stages from this starting position is a dream result. We now go into day two full of optimism.”

    Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2
    “I coped very well with the fast, flowing sections today. However, I unfortunately lost too much time on the short, winding stages. I had problems finding enough grip and a good rhythm on them. Séb and Andreas really set fantastic times. Andreas, in particular, was virtually unbeatable in his native Norway. Tomorrow is a new day, and I start from a good position in third. Maybe I can mix things up a bit at the top of the standings.”

    Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
    “That was definitely the best day I have had since I joined Volkswagen. I won three stages and led the rally – and all on my own doorstep. Then there were the many Norwegian flags, my family and friends who came here to cheer me on. You obviously want to put on a particularly good show with all that support. The conditions were not easy today. I actually held a slender lead going into the final special stage of the day, but decided to save my tyres for tomorrow morning. As such, I lost a bit of time. My goal remains a podium finish. I will certainly not risk everything, but anything is possible.”

    Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director
    “The job of Volkswagen Motorsport Director is a dream job – especially today. One, two and three – it just doesn’t get any better than this. I am extremely proud of the entire team: the drivers and co-drivers, engineers and mechanics. However, I am particularly proud of Andreas Mikkelsen and Mikko Markkula. They produced an outstanding display today, going head-to-head with the World Champions and leading the rally for a while. I am delighted for them both. However, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia took full advantage of their opportunities today, even though they were first out onto the route. Last, but definitely not least: Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila in third place, who still have a good chance of winning and were in no way inferior to their team-mates. They rounded off the most successful day of rallying to date for Volkswagen.”

    And then there was …
    … the unofficial Rally Norway – won today by Volkswagen. And by a Norwegian. The “Kirkener” and “Finnskogen” special stages, each of which was tackled twice, were held just over the border between Sweden and Norway. The only Volkswagen driver in the top three on all four stages: Andreas Mikkelsen.

    ends

  • Prithvi elected new FMSCI President, as King-maker `Hardy’ calls the shots

    By B David

    Chennai, 3 Feb 2014: J Prithviraj of Coimbatore Automotive Sports Club, an active council member in promoting the rallying in India for the last few years was announced as the President of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India while pre-election favourite Bharat Raj, of Karnataka Motor Sports Clubs, who pumped in monies in the last few years to keep the rallying scene alive in India, was forced to support the new team.

    It was Tutu Dhawan, who took Bharat Raj’s place as Vice-President in the Federation, which is under severe pressure to prove its efficiency and capability after the outgoing team’s high performance, at least, as far as Formula One is concerned.

    Just like FIA and Formula One, both of whom are steeped in secrecy as far as financial transparency is concerned, FMSCI will also come under the scanner as far as Governance and Transparency issues are concerned especially as the National body which is the ASN (Association recognised by FIA, the World Governing boday) has paid a hefty income tax which would have been avoided, had it spent the money on promoting sport at the grassroot level or sharing the booty with the hard-working Clubs, who are suffering for lack of funds. Motorsports experts in the country feel that had FMSCI spent the money sharing the expenses of running events with the clubs, they would not have ended up paying a huge amount in scores of lakhs to the Income Tax department.

    Coming to the elections, while Prithviraj serves as the President, Tutu Dhawan will be the Vice-President. The FMSCI also announced the formation of the new Governing Council for 2014-15 which will see the introduction of two new members. The change of guard promises a new direction that will focus on taking the sport to a higher level and the team and its members at various forums including Facebook, have expressed their inclination to come clean as far as transparency is needed. Prithvi, as he is popularly known in the rally circles, promised to look into the possibility of bringing the Federation under the ambit of RTI act.

    Prithviraj has been a part of the rallying scene for over two decades, both as a participant and organizer. He has been a councillor since 2007 and the Vice President of FMSCI for two years, being Chairman and a member of various FMSCI sub committees.

    Prithviraj was humbled to be elected President and commented, “I am honoured to be elected FMSCI President by my fellow councillors. Firstly I would like to thank the outgoing President and team for all their efforts over the years. As part of the last council our biggest achievement was bringing Formula One to India. Now our role will be to ensure we maximize the benefits of that to build national motorsport events across the country. The newly elected council is extremely excited of the task that lies ahead and I am confident that this is the perfect team to take the sport forward.”

    The newly-elected Council will focus on the following few areas for the year ahead. The first area of focus will be the fact that policies and procedures will take precedence and not just the people involved. Secondly the council will select the best man for the job to ensure that seamless running of the sport comes first. The third objective will be to ensure total access to all information with regard to all aspects of the Federation. The FMSCI will also continue to partner with the auto and auto ancillary manufacturers to increase their involvement in the sport.

    The FMSCI announced that they will launch an interactive website which will aim at making all event details easily accessible. From entry forms to regulations to schedules to officials to penalties everything will be made available on the website for everyone to see. Most importantly the online platforms will be interactive and open to queries and suggestions. There will also be an effort to ramp up marketing activities to ensure there is more reach and visibility for events.

     Prithviraj commented, “We will look at coming under the ambit of Rights to Information act. The sport has been built to this level with the help of the media and we are looking forward to their continued support as we march on. All these factors will help us in offering better support and returns to our promoters, sponsors and partners.”

    The FMSCI will also continue to make sure motorsports reaches all ends of the country from Kashmir  to Kanyakumari and Kutch to Kohima. The North-East has already proved a popular motorsport venue with one of our promoters holding rallies there under the aegis of the FMSCI. The FMSCI will continue to give more importance to the region.

    Prithviraj also announced the forming of a advisory body which will work with auto manufacturers, partners and government. He commented, “The dedicated committee will be entrusted with the task of working closely with auto manufacturers and government officials. Motorsport is the perfect platform for auto majors to showcase their products and get maximum visibility out of it. We are very happy by the government’s decision to modify the trade policy to facilitate easy import of cars and motorcycles for racing events. We still feel there is a lot of work to be done”

    The results of the election were not announced immediately after the elections in Dec due to a court case filed by Sportscraft’s Shrikant Karani. The court ruled in his favour and struck down FMSCI stand that profit making bodies are not eligible to contest as per a recent amendment, but Karani chose to withdraw from the contest at a later stage.

    However, it was Sanjay Sharma of JK Tyre, who called the shots. Hardy, as he is popularly known represented as an alternate member of Himalayan Motorspord Club.

    Akbar Ebrahim - Meco, S Karani - PCRT, J Prithviraj - CASC, J Balmurugan - Spitfire, Sanjay Sharma, the kingmaker - HMSA. A photo by Adrenna
    Akbar Ebrahim – Meco, S Karani – PCRT, J Prithviraj – CASC, J Balmurugan – Spitfire, Sanjay Sharma, the kingmaker – HMSA. A photo by Adrenna

    He also addressed the Press Conference.

    Two new member clubs made their entry into the council joining the three founding members. The eight members of the council are:

    1. Coimbatore Auto Sports Club
    2. Karnataka Motor Sports Club
    3. Madras Motor Sports Club
    4. Performance Cars Racing Trust
    5. Meco Motorsports Pvt. Ltd.
    6.  Spitfire Motor Sports Pvt. Ltd.
    7. Motorsports Club of Chikmagalur
    8. Himalayan Motorsports Association

    ends

     

  • Pirelli collects minimal tyre data during Jerez testing; next stop Bahrain

    Jerez, 31 Jan 2014: Formula One’s new era got underway with four days of testing at Jerez (to be followed by two more four-day sessions in Bahrain next month) with teams trying out their new cars and the 2014 tyres for the first time.

    With such a revolutionary series of technical changes, running was considerably limited compared to last year, and very little tyre work was carried out.

    Nonetheless, the teams were able to have their first taste of Pirelli’s 2014 tyre range, which features new compounds and constructions. The teams could also try out the new Cinturato Green intermediate and Cinturato Blue wet on the second day, which was designated as a wet-weather test day. More rain then fell on Friday, providing another opportunity.

    Pirelli additionally brought a bespoke ‘winter’ version of the hard tyre to Jerez, designed to enable teams to maximise running even in low ambient temperatures (which dipped down to six degrees centigrade).

    Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director:

    “The emphasis was not on tyres during this test: instead the teams were simply trying to get an understanding of this radical new set of regulations and put the first kilometres onto their cars. With so much to understand about the new power units and aerodynamic rules, the teams aimed simply to increase their knowledge about the cars. The upcoming tests in Bahrain should allow them to focus on tyres a little more, having had two weeks to develop their cars and remedy any issues that have been identified at Jerez. We too are completely open, flexible and ready to adapt our tyres should the tests in Bahrain, where more meaningful running will take place, identify any need to do so. This year’s test regulations stipulate a day of wet weather running, which we were able to carry out on Wednesday morning. With more rain fallingon Friday, the teams had the opportunity to try out the wet-weather compounds before using them in race conditions.”

    Testing Facts:

    The opening day of running was extremely quiet, with just 93 laps completed from eight drivers and cars on Tuesday. The on-track action then ramped up, with teams attempting longer runs. The final day was the busiest day of the test, with 688 laps completed.

    Teams had a maximum of 25 sets of tyres each at their disposal for Jerez. In total, 18 of those sets were selected by Pirelli (six ‘winter’, four hard, two medium, and three each of intermediate and wet). The teams were then allowed to choose in advance seven more sets of tyres to test per car, up to their total maximum of 25. In total, 135 sets of tyres are allowed per team for testing purposes throughout 2014.

    Owing to the huge number of new variables at work, and the very wide spread of lap times seen throughout the four days, there was no real significance in the time difference between the compounds that were tested at Jerez. More meaningful tyre data should be seen in Bahrain, with all the teams expected to be present.

    More Testing Facts:

    A total of 22 drivers took part in the Jerez test, completing 1,470 laps and 6,509 kilometres.

    The equivalent Jerez test last year took in 3,531 laps and 15,634 kilometres.

    McLaren driver Kevin Magnussen set the fastest time of the Jerez test, with a time of 1m23.276s on Thursday. By way of comparison, the fastest time at the Jerez test last year was 1m17.879s, set by Felipe Massa in a Ferrari.

    The highest number of total laps completed at this year’s Jerez test by any one driver was Nico Rosberg, who racked up 188 laps with Mercedes.

    Testing numbers:

    • Total number of sets brought to Jerez: 250 sets which equals 1,000 tyres

    – of which supersoft tyres: 2 sets

    – of which soft tyres: 9 sets

    – of which medium tyres: 52 sets

    – of which hard tyres: 52 sets

    – of which ‘winter’ tyres: 69 sets

    – of which intermediate tyres: 36 sets

    – of which wet tyres: 30 sets

    • Total amount of sets used: 99

    – of which supersoft tyres: 1 sets

    – of which soft tyres: 2 sets

    – of which medium tyres: 23 sets

    – of which hard tyres: 11 sets

    – of which ‘winter’ tyres: 32 sets

    – of which intermediate tyres: 20 sets

    – of which wet tyres: 10 sets

    • Longest run: 10 laps on the supersoft compound

    9 laps of the soft compound

    17 laps on the medium compound

    24 laps on the hard compound

    23 laps on the ‘winter’ compound

    26 laps on the intermediate compound

    13 laps on the wet compound

    • Highest / lowest ambient temperature over four days: 17 °C / 5 °C
    • Highest / lowest track temperature over four days: 23 °C / 6 °C

    Testing Times:

    Day 1

    1. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1’27’’104s on Winter compound, New
    2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1’27’’820s on Winter compound, Used
    3. Valtteri Bottas (Williams) 1’30’’082s on Winter compound, Used

    Day 2

    1. Jenson Button (McLaren) 1’24.165s on Medium, New
    2. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1’24’’812s on Medium, Used
    3. Valtteri Bottas (Williams) 1’25’’344s on Winter compound, New

    Day 3

    1. Kevin Magnussen (McLaren) 1’23’’276s on Medium, New
    2. Felipe Massa (Williams) 1’23’’700s on Hard, Used
    3. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1’23’’952s on Medium, New

    Day 4

    1. Felipe Massa (Williams) 1’28’’229s, on Hard, New
    2. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 1’29’’145s, on Medium, Used
    3. Daniel Juncadella (Force India) 1’29’’457s, on Soft, New

    ends

    A Pirelli photo after Jerez testing on 31 Jan 2014.
    A Pirelli photo after Jerez testing on 31 Jan 2014.

  • Wet debut for Daniel Juncadella in Sahara Force India car

    Jerez, 31 Jan 2014: Sahara Force India wrapped up its first week of testing as Daniel Juncadella spent his first day in the VJM07.
    Day four statistic

    Daniel Juncadella makes his debut in a Force India car at Jerez. A Sahara Force India photo
    Daniel Juncadella makes his debut in a Force India car at Jerez. A Sahara Force India photo

    s:

    Chassis: VJM07-01
    Laps: 81 laps
    Mileage: 359 km
    Fastest lap: 1:29.457
    Classification: P3
    Daniel Juncadella: “It was my first day working with the team and it was a big challenge because of the tricky conditions. I took things very cautiously because I had never driven a Formula One car in the wet and for the whole day the track still had damp patches. It was a case of building up my confidence and learning how the team operates. It was a great experience and I made sure to make the most of it. We covered a lot of laps, which was a big improvement after quite a frustrating day yesterday. It’s what the team needed before the Bahrain test to really start understanding the car. I want to thank the team for today and I look forward to the rest of the season.”
    Otmar Szafnauer, Chief Operating Officer
    “The final day in Jerez has proved to be the most productive so far. Despite the mixed weather conditions, Daniel was able to cover 81 laps, which has given him valuable experience for his role as a reserve driver this season. The car has run reliably all day, which is a result of all the hard work carried out earlier in the week to resolve some of the initial reliability concerns. During these early days it’s paramount to get laps under our belt and over the last four days we have clocked up almost 650 km. It’s not been an easy test operationally, with lots of different challenges, but the whole team has done an extremely professional job to ensure we maximised the test days we had available.”
    ends