INDIA in F1

Tag: Force India

  • Melbourne was excellent but a lot of work to do: Robert Fernely, Sahara Force India

    TEAM REPRESENTATIVES – Robert FERNLEY (Force India), Matthew CARTER (Lotus), Paul HEMBERY (Pirelli), Franz TOST (Toro Rosso), Cyril ABITEBOUL (Renault Sport F1), Christian HORNER (Red Bull Racing)

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Paul, can I start with you, what did we see today in practice with these extreme temperatures – up to 60 degrees this afternoon – what’s it going to mean for the racing this weekend?

    Paul HEMBERY: Well, of course here it depends on what the weather brings along, that’s one of the big variables for everybody. But the hottest conditions we’ve seen for some time, hotter than anything we saw last year. The medium tyre in particular was overheating. About second, eight tenths to a second different maybe between the two compounds. If it was like this on Sunday that would lead us to certainly a three-stop race we think, which would be good after maybe a few too many one-stops in recent times. So it’s tough conditions but we didn’t see any levels of blistering that would have caused any concern. We had a little bit of graining this morning but the track evolves here quite quickly, so relatively straightforward for us.

    Well you mentioned one-stops, we saw that in Melbourne last time out. The tyres, apparently, are more consistent but also a little bit, perhaps, more conservative. So without these higher temperatures, like this weekend, is one stop going to be more or less the default for the season or are you hoping to see more stops as we go on.

    PH: Well the input has always been two to three in reality and that’s what we’ll be aiming to do. We’re understanding now the evolutions of the cars this year and as we gain more confidence as to where they all are then of course we can make choices that will make sure that we’re closer to the two and three stops rather than the one.

    Franz, coming to you, obviously two exciting rookies in your cars this season, both had solid weekends at the opening round in Australia. What are you seeing that these two have got when you look at the data?

    Franz TOST: I’ve seen that they are matured to do Formula One. They are very highly skilled and we prepared them quite well during the winter months and in Melbourne and so far they have really done a fantastic job. Also today I must say that both drivers competed quite well and I expect that if we get everything together both of them tomorrow will be within the first ten.

    There were some quotes since the last grand prix from Dr Marko of Red Bull about a possible sale of Toro Rosso to Renault. As the team principal of the team what’s your view on that or do you have any comment on that?

    FT: I think this would be a fantastic opportunity for Toro Rosso to make the next step forward, because the team wants to be established in the future within the first five in the constructors’ championship and to be part of a manufacturer, to work together with a manufacturer, to be owned by a manufacturer would be exactly this step forward which the team needs to be established in the first five.

    Cyril, coming to you then, from a Renault points of view how far along are you in that consideration of acquiring a team like Toro Rosso and how would that fit in with a plan of working with Red Bull?

    Cyril ABITEBOUL: I think the first priority is to get the engine right. We’ve seen in Melbourne that it was not really the start of season that we were expecting, both on track and off track, so before starting really to think about doing a car I think we need to get the engine under control, so that’s the priority for the time being. Then if we can do that we’ll have to review the situation from a marketing and strategic perspective and see if there is anything better to do than we are doing currently, from more of Formula One to less of Formula One, but for the time being we are focused on what we are doing.

    Now it’s no secret that there have been quite a few quotes from you since the Australian Grand Prix about the problems with Red Bull’s competitiveness not being just about the power unit. Can you elaborate on that?

    CA: What I can elaborate is that Melbourne was a big disappointment for the whole team and when I say the whole team it’s Red Bull, Renault and it’s Toro Rosso, so those two guys and myself were all extremely disappointed. I’m sure also extremely frustrated because of the amount of work and the level of expectation for this season when we are all very keen to reduce the gap to Mercedes. Everyone has his own challenge and agenda and we were not where we wanted to be. So I think this has created a lot of frustration and maybe led to some comments that were unjustified on both sides. But I think we need to move on and focus on making progress.

    Christian, what’s your view on the points that Cyril has just raised?

    Christian HORNER: Well, first of all I think he’s very brave to be sitting there between Toro Rosso and Red Bull. Look, I think that what happened in Melbourne happened. It was a frustrating weekend. We’re all racers at the end of the day; we all want to do the best that we can. Melbourne from start to finish didn’t go in any way to plan. I think that’s what’s encouraging is the way that the two teams have reacted between Melbourne and here and the positive steps that have been made, and we’re experiencing some of those steps on track today. It’s always a difficult situation particularly when you’re race team with an engine supplier and I think that the way the two teams have worked in the time available has been very commendable.

    So what’s the best way forward for Red Bull Racing? And what are your thoughts also on what Franz has been saying about Renault’s possible takeover of Toro Rosso?

    CH: Well, it sounds like Franz wants to sell his team to Cyril and we then need an engine. We’ve enjoyed a great deal of success with the Renault/Nissan alliance over the last five or six years – 50 grands prix have been won, eight world championships, four drivers’ and four constructors’ – all with Renault power. There are some very capable people within Viry but I think that we’ve seen this year, well not this year, really from last year that Mercedes have set the benchmark at an extremely high level. That’s not their fault, they’ve an incredibly good job and it’s down to the rest of us to work hard to try to catch up and I think the frustration more than anything coming into the first race was that expectations were higher than what we saw in Melbourne and we appear to have taken a retrograde step. But I think having researched properly into those issues, Renault have really started to understand them now and already we’ve seen here a positive step forward.

    Robert, a delayed start to testing for you and Force India and the new car, so in light of that how satisfied were you with the points scored in Melbourne in the opening round?

    Robert FERNLEY: I think Melbourne for us was an unexpected but very pleasurable finish because the team has worked exceptionally hard over the winter and it’s very nice to be able to go back with points in the first race and a very credible finish. So I think that was excellent but we’ve still got a lot of work to do.

    What lies ahead for the rest of the season for Force India, especially as it seems that Toro Rosso, Lotus and Sauber are all stronger this year than last year?

    RF: I think what we’ve got to look at is where Force India was at the end of last year and we had a choice to make between staying with our own wind tunnel in Brackley, which is a relatively old tunnel with a 50 per cent model, or restructuring the whole aero department and moving forward. Fortunately for us we’ve got Vijay there to support the team and he made the decision that we would move forward and we’ve restructured the aero. We’re now working exclusively in Cologne with the Toyota wind tunnel, we’ve upgraded the CFD. Unfortunately in that process there’s a slight step backwards and I don’t think we will see really Force India coming to the front again until probably mid-season.

    Coming to you Matthew, it certainly looks like Lotus has put 2014 behind it and is getting back to the right level. What has it taken in financial and personnel terms to get here?

    Matthew CARTER: I think it’s safe to say that the team had a very difficult 2013 off the track whereas on the track it was very successful. There was some natural loss of personnel and we needed to restructure the team and put it on a more secure footing, which is what we spent most of last year doing. The problems that we had on the track last year certainly didn’t reflect anything that was going on off the track. And then moving into this year, obviously with the change of power unit, with the restructure we have done, a more stable future, as it seems to be for Lotus, then we can hopefully turn that into some points.

    And how far can you go? Are you targeting getting on the tail of that Ferrari/Williams battle or…?

    MC: Absolutely, yes. We’re looking forward, not looking back. The performance in Melbourne was very strong. Obviously it was unfortunate what happened to both cars in the first lap, but the performance was very strong and yeah, we’re definitely looking forward.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Pierre van Vliet – F1i.com) A question for Cyril. Is it true you’re your hierarchy at Renault asked you to reply to Red Bull criticism? Otherwise, why be so aggressive publicly?

    CA: Well, clearly I don’t think there was a lot of enthusiasm from the corporate offices on the Monday after the race but I don’t think that there is any surprise but obviously the first disappointment will come from engine performance over the weekend. No actually the answer to your question is no, because actually the sequence of events… the quote that you refer to, which again I would like to leave behind, is something that happened over the course of the weekend, so not in reaction to any sort of instruction.

    Q: (Luc Domenjoz – Le Matin) It’s also a question for Mr Abiteboul. Since the engine regulation change, your engine seems to be far from being the best and this season seems to be even worse. In any other normal business in the world such a disaster would lead the person in charge to either resign or to be fired. So at Renault did you get your technical director’s resignation or do you consider changing your technical department?

    CA: Well, there have been quite a few changes happening actually in the engine structure. First, I would like to comment that I don’t think we are that miles away or doing that bad, let’s see how the season is panning out. Clearly last year was not at the level that we wanted but obviously we were the only one to be capable of winning races [apart from Mercedes]. But answering to your question there have been a lot of changes in Renault Sport F1, which is the unit that is responsible for engine. In particular we have completely restructured back in December, so I was back in that unit in September. December we announced the new organisation, which entered into play in January. We are [in] March and I think it would be a bit of an overreaction trying to change again the structure that we have just operated. Having said that we need to progress, on track but also at the factory, I’m not denying that fact.

    Q: (Olav Mol – Sport1 SBS) I have a question for Matthew and for Robert and maybe also for Cyril. After Melbourne we heard Felipe Massa talk about, and answering whether he thought they had the same engine as the Mercedes team, and the answer came “yes of course we have the same engine,” and “yes, everything is the same.” But shouldn’t the question be: ‘do we have the same software?’ So my question to Matthew and Robert is, do you feel you have the same software version as the Mercedes team. And my question to Cyril is: do you deliver to the guys left and right of you, the same software version for the engine you’re using here?

    RF: Coming from a Force India point of view, I’ve no complaints at all from Mercedes. They’ve delivered everything we’ve ever wanted. We’ve been with them now for six or seven years and we have absolutely no issues that they are supplying us the same as they are. However, one also has to accept that they are a works team and there are going to be development programmes that come in that will automatically go there first and then trickle down to all the customer teams. So it would be unrealistic to expect it to be the same all the time. But I think primarily where they can, they’re supplying us the same equipment and same software.

    Matthew?

    MC: Being in the unique situation that we’ve had a contract with both Renault and a contract with Mercedes, I can confirm that we, in the Mercedes contract, it is stipulated that we have complete parity. In the Mercedes contract.

    Cyril?

    CA: I don’t want to reveal any details of the contract but yes, obviously it is common practice that we chose at Renault. And with the complexity of the new power unit, already managing one is enough, so if you have to manage diversity, honestly it is not something that you want to do.

    Q: (Kate Walker – Motorsport.com) Question for everyone except Cyril and Paul really. Christian, when we were talking about cost-cutting over the winter, you did mention the potential of a wind tunnel ban. Now, with limited investment in computing teraflops you can actually get an awful lot more bang for your CFD buck than you can out of wind tunnels. Have you changed your position on banning wind tunnels? And I would like to know how the other three of you feel about that. Thank You.

    CH: I think that if we really are serious about addressing costs in Formula One then you’ve got to be able to look at turning it upside down in many respects. One of the holy grails that the teams are reluctant to go near is the wind tunnel. Red Bull has a very strong aerodynamics department. It has a good wind tunnel that we’ve invested a lot of money in over the years – but if you look at the amount of consumption of cash it takes to feed that tunnel, to feed those ideas. If the sport is serious about reducing costs, then we have to look, maybe to say, OK, let’s get rid of wind tunnels, let’s commercially rent them out, as some of the teams already do with their second tunnels, and put in a standard teraflop, or a standard amount of capacity for CFD, and loosen the regulations in certain areas so that you come up with more ingenuity. I think that way you will also come up with different shapes to the cars. Because currently, through the iterative programmes that we all run. If all the cars were painted the same colour, it would be very, very difficult to differentiate between one and the other. I think more technical freedom from a regulatory point of view but constricting the tools that you can do that with, I think would certainly be quite a positive thing for cost-saving in Formula One.

    Franz, your thoughts?

    FT: Yeah, if you look at the cost aspects. First of all it is the number of people which are working at the teams. If there are 800 people for the chassis and 400 people for the engine, I think it’s far too much. We must come down with the number of employees. Then, of course, we are using very expensive tools. Whether that’s the wind tunnel or CFD, whatever. If we continue working with these tools, then we must reduce the working hours much more than is currently the case. Then the use of standard materials, the use of standard parts, the use of homologated parts and if we really want to come down with the costs then there are always possibilities to do it but the problem currently is that the top teams do not want to come down with the costs because they get anyway the money and they want to spend it. And, I think there we have to first discuss how to go on and how to come down at the end with the costs. The possibilities are more than enough.

    Robert?

    RF: I completely endorse what Franz and Christian have said. Force India has been an advocate of doing this for at least 18 months, so there’s no question of that. But I think there’s another very important part to it. Apart from what both Franz and Christian said for the existing teams, one of the biggest barriers I think for entry for new teams coming in is the huge cost of wind tunnel programmes. I think it would remove one of those big obstacles to attract new entrants into Formula One. So, I would definitely be for it.

    Matthew, your thoughts?

    MC: Yeah, it’s no surprise that we at Lotus agree exactly. Exactly with what the other three have said. There is a huge cost to the wind tunnel programme and it makes absolute sense to take it away.

    RF: If I could just add one more thing to that. One of the arguments for not getting rid of wind tunnels is that Formula One is the pinnacle of motorsport and should use all of the tools that are available to motor manufacturers and everybody else who use wind tunnels. But if it is the pinnacle of motorsport it should be pushing the boundaries. And the boundaries for us, technically, are in CFD, the same way as we’re pushing the boundaries in hybrid. So, for me, we always have to move the goalposts for Formula One and, taking what is a bit of a dinosaur technology is not one of the options. And I think environmentally it’s sending the wrong message as well. These things are huge consumers of electricity.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) The two team representatives in the back, Bob Fernley and Matthew Carter, it’s well-known and well-documented that you’ve been approaching the commercial rights holder and pushing him for additional revenues. Do you honestly believe… first of all, could you give us a progress report on your quest please, but also, do you honestly believe that two or three teams could actually be effective against a commercial rights holder like that, in terms of getting more money out of somebody who is notorious for not wanting to pay any more money.

    RF: I think the key element is that Bernie, at the end of the day, when things are tough, he understands when they’re tough. He’s shepherded this sport for many, many years, he’s done a great job, and whilst we may have arguments with him along the way, at the end of the day, he’s kept it all together, and I think when he genuinely sees there’s something that’s not quite right, he will address that. We’ve got to go back a little while to

    Top row left: Bob Fernley of Force India at the FIA Friday Press Conference at Sepang. An FIA image
    Top row left: Bob Fernley of Force India at the FIA Friday Press Conference at Sepang. An FIA image

    where I think the problems have started, and I think, a few years ago we had FOTA operating in a very good way, it was a consolidated approach, it was well-stewarded by Martin Whitmarsh, we were in joint negotiations with CVC at the time to obviously renegotiate those contracts and everything else. Unfortunately – and I say that because obviously Christian is here – Red Bull felt the need to take the 40 pieces of silver and that was the downside I think for Formula One and I don’t think we’ve recovered from that particular action.

    Matthew?

    MC: I obviously agree with everything Bob said – but I would add that whilst it’s easy for us to sit here and ask for more money, there is only a certain size of cake – and any more that we ask for has to be taken away from the bigger teams. Now, whilst I understand that they can probably afford to lose some of that money, it’s no question that they’ve built their businesses and structured their businesses on that income which was guaranteed and secured. So it’s not quite as easy as just saying: “you should give more to the smaller teams.” I think it needs to be looked at and that’s why it’s taken such a long time to get to this stage. However, I think that things are starting to move. There seems to be a shift in the tide of opinion within the sport and hopefully it will continue down that route.

    Christian, your right of reply to Bob’s comment…

    CH: Yeah, I think it’s a little harsh of Bob to suggest that the plight of the smaller teams is all Red Bull’s fault. What you have to remember at the time, FOTA was pretty dysfunctional. It was focussing on the wrong aspects. Ferrari went and cut their own deal, Red Bull weren’t the first team to sign an agreement with Bernie. At the same time, McLaren were also in dual discussions and cut their own deal. That’s the way of the world. We all represent our own entities and y’know, guarantees had to be given by the companies in order to be eligible for that funding. And, y’know, that’s the situation. I can understand the other teams’ frustration but it’s not down to Red Bull to decide what the revenue distribution is – or Ferrari or McLaren. That’s down to Bernie and the board members at CVC. They distribute the money how they see fit.

    Q: (Wei An Mao – Titan Media) A question to Matthew. Now we have a Chinese Hong Kong driver in Lotus, Adderly Fong, would you please reveal more the detail about his appointment and is it possible we will see him take part in FP1 in China in two weeks?

    MC: I’ll answer the second part first. He won’t be driving in FP1 in China in two weeks. Jolyon Palmer will be driving in FP1 in China. Adderly has been tracked by Gravity Motorsports, who are one of our parent companies and they also run the Lotus junior team, for a number of years. And he’s been highlighted as a potential talent and a potential talent in F1. As a team we are trying to look for young talent, again in terms of trying to make this business work on a business footing, we need to look for young talent, we need to spot young talent at every place that we can. And Adderly’s been highlighted as being a potential F1 star of the future.

    Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports) Christian, Red Bull as a brand run many extreme sports around the world, very successfully, and attract a lot of attention. Were Red Bull as a brand in charge of Formula One, and running Formula One, how would you distribute the revenue to ensure that the sport had a healthy future and survived for many years to come and was exciting and loved by all?

    CH: Fortunately I run the team but I can see where you’re getting at. I mean, Red Bull don’t run Formula One. Formula One’s run by Bernie and by CVC and, as I say, the distribution of funds, they’ve applied accordingly. Red Bull promotes events, it promotes championships and has done so successfully. Formula One is an expensive business and I think that what we should also be looking at is, what are the cost drivers? What is driving the cost for it to be unsustainable for teams? Even though the distribution isn’t equal, teams like Force India and like Lotus and others actually are receiving more money compared to where they were five years ago by a significant amount – but their problems are still considerable. And I think the problems are there because the regulations, technical and sporting, are driving the costs far too high in the sport. And until we get those under control, we’re all going to have these issues. Big teams are struggling with budgets – not to the same extent – but y’know, there are budget pressures, and I think to get those under control needs a fundamental look at what is Formula One and what does Formula One need to be in the future?

    Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Sorry, can I ask one follow-up question to that please? Is it then the percentage gap between what the big teams earn and what the smaller teams earn that is the root of the problem, not the actual amount but the fact that you’re perceived to be getting way more in a percentage term and are able to spend more and are then forcing other teams to try and keep up with that?

    CH: Well no, it’s all relative. What causes or drives your spend are the rules. You look at the rules and you look at the best way to exploit those rules. Ferrari obviously get more money than any of the teams on the grid, irrelevant of where they finish and it doesn’t mean that they’ve been competitive over the last five, six, seven years. Toyota spent more money in the history of Formula One than perhaps any other entrant, didn’t win a Grand Prix, so money doesn’t guarantee success. It enables you to obviously recruit and get the right resource but unless you’ve got the right personnel involved… Formula One is still a people business, it’s still a people sport and you’ve got to have those ingredients in place in order to be successful.

    Q: (Haoran Zhou –  LETV) Christian, last year at this stage, you were posting some interesting numbers;  with two 800 meters straights here, 1.2 kilometer back straight and 800 meter start/finish straight in Shanghai and four long straights in Bahrain, what kind of straightline performance deficit can you project at the moment?

    CH: You’ve just depressed me! It’s getting better, so Cyril keeps telling us. It’s been a tough start and – as we’ve said – things happened in Melbourne that… frustration boils over because we’re racers at the end of the day. We want to compete, we’re used to competing and we want to run up at the front and that applies to Red Bull as much as it does to Renault. We’ve got some challenging circuits coming up but Renault have also got some aggressive plans in their pipeline as well, in order to try and reduce that deficit. It’s clear that Ferrari have done a good job over the winter, you can see the step that they’ve made and the target should be exactly the same, to try and replicate that in the tokens and time that we have available.

    CA: Indeed, if you look at those numbers it’s not good for the morale but we think that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that the tunnel may not be as long as some people think so let’s keep our heads down, focus. I think that actually with those new technologies there is more than just the absolute power of the engine. We actually see that the crisis which we are going through related to driveability is telling us more than there is just power in those engines and that’s maybe where we need to focus. And the good thing about driveability is that you can change that without using tokens, towards which we are also in a good position because we are the manufacturer who has the most tokens to spend over the season. So let’s see. It’s a people game so if we have the right people, the right structure, I’m sure that we can catch up.

    Q: (Kate Walker – Motorsport.com) Paul, we heard this week that you’re undergoing a change of ownership with a new Chinese board. You’ve also said recently that you need to know the changes that are coming in Formula One if you are going to continue as a supplier and as a sponsor because you are uniquely both. Has the change of ownership altered that at all? Is there any indication that the Chinese are interested in continuing in F1 or that they’ve been scared away by the financial messes we find ourselves in at the moment?

    PH: The change in ownership… we’ve had many different shareholders, international shareholders over the years so we have a new major shareholder that’s come in. The biggest change will actually be in our industrial truck business where we will be combining both activities to make the most of the synergies in those businesses. Mr Tronchetti will remain for another five years as our CEO. They’ve bought into the management team that we have in Pirelli and an integral part of our vision and our work is also Formula One so from that point of view, no change. Having said that, we have many discussion, we read many discussions where the sport is looking, what it wants to do going forward and of course, if you’re going to go through a tendering process, you would like to understand what those changes are and what the sport’s going to look like, so it’s just a practical thing really. Assuming we get some of that visibility and it looks good and we do hear some good suggestions coming through, if the sport allows the change to happen and that tends to be the biggest issue, people tend to agree to disagree rather than get a commonality of view and that tends to hinder the introduction of a lot of very sensible and a lot of very good ideas. So if that can change and we can actually get the visibility going forward, then we’re very happy with the sport.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Christian, you’ve referred on numerous occasions about the guarantees that your parent company had to issue in return for the premiums that are paid. By that, I assume you mean your commitments through to 2020. In which case, how does that square with the comments or possible threats that were made in Melbourne about Red Bull possibly withdrawing from Formula One?

    CH: I think you have to – like with all these things – look at the context that that comment was made in. I didn’t make that comment. It was a comment by Helmut and I think that what he was trying to refer to is that should we find ourselves in a situation where we could ultimately find ourselves without an engine supplier should Renault chose to withdraw from Formula One, Mercedes would refuse to supply Red Bull with an engine, it’s unlikely that we would be in a position to take a Ferrari engine so you could find yourself actually forced out of the sport and I think that as with any company, Red Bull again reviews its return on investment: is Formula One delivering for Red Bull as a brand? There are some worrying signs when we see races like we saw in Melbourne but hopefully that’s one chapter in a long story; there’s a long season ahead of us. Red Bull want to compete, Red Bull want to be in Formula One and we want to try and address some of the issues that are currently plaguing the sport that we don’t seem to be able to find any traction with.

    Q: (Craig Scarborough – ScarbsF1) Following on from that, we’ve seen Red Bull get deeply involved in the Renault engine programme with engine staff at Milton Keynes, with the talk about the virtual test track at Milton Keynes, obviously bringing in Ilmor involved. How much ownership and pushing have you been involved in the relationship and would that potentially lead to a Red Bull Technology engine, for example?

    CH: Well, first of all we have no intention of being an engine manufacturer. We have an amount of resource that we try to supplement and assist Renault where we can. We have a strong simulation group. We have strong facilities and cfd capacity within Red Bull Technology. Basically, what we’re trying to do is work in co-ordination with Renault, to assist the areas where they’re perhaps not so strong and it’s more of a long term view than a short term view but hopefully the strengths that we have in Milton Keynes can be applied to helping Renault engineer themselves out of their current predicament.

    CA: I’m not sure that Christian will actually confirm that there is a lot of Red Bull in the engine that was in Melbourne! No, no, seriously, it’s true that we are trying to improve the way that we are working together. I think Christian is absolutely right that we can complement each other very well. There are areas where we have been a little bit complacent in developing where we were extremely successful like in particular simulation and software development and so on and so forth. We have the opportunity to have a better collaboration. The culture is different, the mindset is different, working practice is different, so I think this is basically the change management that we have to drive in order to… and make sure that we align the interest of both parties long term and from a strategy perspective. If we do that, I’m pretty sure that we can be a very successful formula.

    Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) Cyril, you’re working together with Red Bull to have a better partnership in the future but how difficult is it to do that when you claim it’s hard to work with a partner who lies and in what areas do you think Adrian Newey has lied to you during your partnership?

    CA: I think there has been a bit of a similar question, so I don’t want to say too much of that. Again, that’s one of those things that has a bit also been taken out of context, I guess, just like Helmut’s comments regarding Formula One so let’s leave Melbourne behind us, what goes on tour stays on tour… It’s not what I said. Let’s leave that behind. Let’s look at the progress we have made over these two weeks. Again, Melbourne was extremely frustrating  for everyone. I think everyone now has to focus on what’s not performing in the package overall, is not performing in accordance to the expectation. Already this weekend it’s better so let’s be positive, let’s keep morale high and let’s make sure that we continue on that path.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) To Cyril, Robert and Matthew: Franz has already admitted that there have been some possible talks about a possible purchase of Toro Rosso by Renault but a prudent buyer looks at other options and I believe that Force India and Lotus could also be on the market. Have you looked at them, and also from the back row, your comments… have you had discussions with Renault please?

    CA: I can confirm that we are looking at a lot of options, including getting out of Formula One. Honestly, if Formula One is that bad for Renault’s reputation, if we see that we struggle with the current formula, if Formula One is not delivering value what it costs Renault, bearing in mind that when you are an engine supplier you have no financial incentive to develop and to fund engine development, so this is what we are looking at, and obviously we think that we are a credible player in the sport but we want to compete amongst the best brands and that Formula One is good for meet and plan as a brand, then we need to think about what else can we do to what we are doing and if you do that, this is an open market, we have the capacity to have discussions with lots of parties. But as I’ve said, for the time being the focus is on engines.

    MC: The first comment is that Lotus isn’t for sale so we’re not looking for a buyer and we’re not for sale. And the second comment is that we’ve just signed a long term deal with Mercedes Benz which takes us through to 2020 so any talk of any change of engine or change of ownership or anything is completely off the cards for Lotus.

    RF: Similar really to Matthew. We have a contract with Mercedes until 2020 and I’ve had absolutely no discussions whatsoever with Renault.

    eom/FIA transcript of the Friday Press Conference

  • Hulkenberg, Perez raring to go as Force India gets ready for the Sepang heat

    Sepang: Sahara Force India gets ready for this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang.

    Team Principal Vijay mallya reflects on Melbourne and looks ahead to this weekend’s race in Malaysia saying:  “Starting our season in Melbourne with both cars in the points was the ideal way to open our 2015 account. Those seven points were an important reward for all the hard work of everyone in the team over the winter and give us something to build upon as we head for Malaysia.”
    However, with main rivals Sauber back in their elements, the Indian liquor baron sounded a word of caution: “Despite scoring well in Melbourne, we know the VJM08 is only just beginning its development journey and that we need to add performance if we want to finish consistently in the points. There will be some small tweaks this weekend before bigger steps can be made during the European season.
    “Malaysia is an interesting track for us. We had a good race there last year with Nico and it’s a track that generates good racing. The hot weather usually plays to our strengths and the risk of rain can add another dimension to the strategy. Hopefully we can capitalise on these elements to be competitive and come away with another strong result,” he added.
    Meanwhile, Nico Hulkenberg gets ready for racing in the heat of Malaysia.
    Hulkenberg said: “I am really looking forward to getting back to action in Sepang after a fairly positive start of the season. We knew the VJM08’s reliability was one of our strong points and we were able to play that card well. We didn’t make any mistakes and we had a good strategy, and that helped us capitalise on a day when others ran into trouble. We need to keep our feet on the ground, however, because we know the circumstances in which we got this result and we know the next races will be tough.
    “The track in Sepang is quite challenging and is very different compared to Melbourne. The various sectors have unique characteristics: there is a nice variation of high and low-speed corners and two very long straights. You need to balance your setup between top speed and downforce to make the most of your car in each of them. The high temperatures and humidity add to the challenges of this track, and you always have a threat of rain, especially at the start of the race.
    “I have spent the week after Melbourne in Indonesia, having a bit of a holiday, but also training and getting used to the climate. It’s always better to stay on the local time zone and I’m feeling in good shape for this weekend.”
    Sergio too is raring to go.
    “Malaysia is a very special place for me. It is where I got my first podium in Formula One, in one of the best races of my career in 2012, so I will always have happy memories about this circuit. The track is really interesting and the three sectors each have their own character. The track is physical but it has some very technical parts as well. You also have some very long straights at the end of the lap that offer a lot of opportunities for overtaking.
    “The weather always makes it interesting. When you are racing in Sepang it is something that is always in the back of your mind, because you know a sudden rainstorm can throw up some unexpected strategies and opportunities you can exploit. The heat and the humidity are a big challenge, but as a driver you are prepared for this. You work really hard during the pre-season and every day with your trainer to be at your best in these circumstances, so I know I am ready.
    “I am looking forward to going racing again after our first run in Melbourne. We are still learning a lot about the full potential of the VJM08 and every time we hit the track we are going to find some improvements. We are aware of the work needed to make our car more competitive, but we also know it is going to take time. The car feels really promising but it needs development and I look forward to getting some upgrades soon.
    “Malaysia is a very beautiful country, but I can’t say I have any favourite spots. You don’t get to see much of a place when you arrive for a race weekend, but sometimes you manage to squeeze in some nice experiences. I heard Kuala Lumpur has a lot of great dining opportunities so I hope to be able to try a few – I really like Asian food!”
    eomMotor Racing - Formula One World Championship - Australian Grand Prix - Qualifying Day - Melbourne, Australia

  • Sahara Force India team raring to go as they begin the new season

    Bangalore, 9 March 2015:  Sahara Force India, who began the season with the launch of the beautiful last month, and the subsequent testing at Barcelone, notwithstanding lesser test time, are raring to go during the first race of the season in Melbourne.

    After seven successful seasons, Force India has put to rest all the rumours that the team bosses are struggling to find the finances to run a team at such a high level of performance but despite all the odd, team co-owners have put their belief in the team and pumped in monies at regular intervals.

    Team Principal Vijay Mallya was in a jubilant mood and is convinced that the hard work of the team would bring in better results this season: “It’s great to get back to the racing. Melbourne in March is the perfect place to begin the season and one of my favourite cities. It’s also where the Force India story began eight years ago when we lined up on the starting grid of Albert Park for the very first time. Eight years and 131 races later, I feel very proud of the journey we’ve taken to establish our position in Formula One.

    “We started our 2015 season in Mexico City six weeks ago when we launched our stunning new livery. I always thought the new colours would appeal to fans and I was very happy to see the VJM08 topping some polls on social media as the best looking car. The fans have spoken and they clearly have good taste!

    “It’s no secret that we have faced some delays and challenges over the winter, but we’ve put that behind us and can now focus on the racing. When the VJM08 appeared in Barcelona it ran reliably from the very first moment and didn’t miss a beat during its 365 laps. To deliver such a solid performance out of the box was a fantastic achievement from everyone in the team and will stand us in good stead for the first race.

    “As for our hopes in Melbourne, it’s difficult to make a prediction. In terms of mileage we are clearly behind the other teams so there is some ground to make up. Equally, the performance work we could do in Barcelona was quite limited. Until we run in qualifying trim and race conditions it’s hard to know where we are in terms of competitiveness. What I do know is that we will give it our best shot to come away with a result.”

    Team’s lead driver who was sometimes unlucky to show the results despite hardwork and talent has however, kept the team in the hunt for a better berth last season. Nico spoke about Melbourne and how exicted he is to start the new season. He talks about the challenge of Albert Park and how much he enjoys visiting Australia.

    Hulkenberg: “The first race of the season is always a special occasion: a race you really look forward to for a long time. You have a new car to push to the limit in race conditions for the first time, you are often working with new people in the team and it’s the first occasion to spend a race weekend with them: there is always a lot to keep you excited in addition to the regular weekend activities. As a driver, the first race is very interesting – we are as curious as anybody to see where everyone really is compared to the others.

    “Albert Park is a pretty nice track and a great venue to start the season. There are plenty of interesting corners, but if I had to pick my favourite part of the lap I would choose the section between turns nine and twelve in sector two – the slow chicane leading to the straight and that fast left-right combination. It’s a track with a few good overtaking spots – turn three and 13, the right-hander after the back straight, come to mind. A lot depends on how the tyres are degrading because being on different strategies can open up new opportunities. Having good downforce is essential and is the main priority when setting up the car.

    “I haven’t been very lucky in Melbourne in the past, but I have very good memories from last year’s race. We finished sixth in our first race with the VJM07 – and considering that I had never managed to finish more than one lap in Australia until then, that was a quite welcome development! It was a very good race and I hope we can have another one this year.

    “The Australian Grand Prix is a great event, not just for the race, but because of the city and the public. I really love Melbourne and Australia in general. The vibe of the whole country is great; the people are friendly and it’s one of my favourite places to visit. I am also very fond of Sydney: I often go there for a couple of days before the race weekend and I have a lot of friends there. I really enjoy the cool and relaxed Australian lifestyle.”

    Sergio Perez who got a second podium for the team is also in a mood to get ready for Melbourne and the start of a new season with a bang.

    Perez: “The Australian Grand Prix is one of my favourite races because it’s one of those events in which everything comes together: the excitement of a new season, a great track and a fantastic city.

    “Albert Park is a special circuit and it’s great to get back to action on such a challenging track. Even though it is classified as a street circuit, it doesn’t really feel like one – there are only a few corners in which you get close to the walls. Driving on it, it feels like a permanent track, although if you make a mistake you realise pretty quickly how close the walls really are!

    “There are many difficult corners and it is not easy to get a perfect lap here: turn one, in particular, is very technical and difficult also because you can’t really see the apex. It is a great feeling to get that corner right. In terms of set-up, you are mostly looking for front end grip and it is not easy to find the right balance for the car.

    “Melbourne is the place where I had my first Formula One race. That’s a great memory that will stay with me forever. It’s my best memory from Melbourne so far, but I hope to refresh it with some new memories soon!

    “Australia is a great place to start the season. It’s one of the most beautiful countries in the world and the people and the weather make it a great place to visit. It’s just a shame it is so far away from my home because it’s definitely one of my favourite places. Every time we come here for the race, we also get to do some very cool activities: I once went to see the koalas and it was fantastic. I remember this experience very fondly and I definitely think the koala is my favourite Australian animal.”

    Perez and Hulkenberg. A Force India image
    Perez and Hulkenberg. A Force India image

    eom/David/Force India inputs

  • Sahara Force India welcomes Skullcandy to Formula One

    Silverstone, Motor Racing - Formula One Testing - Test Three - Day 2 - Barcelona, Spain5 March 2015: Sahara Force India is pleased to announce the beginning of a partnership with Skullcandy, the original performance and lifestyle audio brand.
    The multi-year deal will see Skullcandy supply the team with headphones for use during the season, while the Skullcandy logo will be visible on the rear element of the side pod and on all garage headsets. From a product development standpoint, getting exposure to how Sahara Force India works on extremely compressed schedules with high performance parts also represents a unique opportunity for Skullcandy.
    Otmar Szafnauer, Chief Operating Officer of Sahara Force India: “Skullcandy is a fun, exciting brand and it’s a real pleasure to begin working with them. Their desire to develop products that combine style and performance makes Formula One the perfect environment to showcase their brand. With a distinctive combination of colour and character, as well as outstanding audio quality, the Skullcandy range will appeal to all our supporters, especially the younger generation.”
    Sam Paschel, Chief Commercial Officer of Skullcandy: “We couldn’t be more excited about our partnership with Sahara Force India, which allows us to align with one of the most thrilling and exciting sports in the world.  The dedication and focus that it takes to compete and excel in F1 demonstrates many of our core values and is a natural fit with the Skullcandy brand and our commitment to make products that help people live and perform at their full potential. On the product side, working with Sahara Force India is inspiring because the team is constantly operating in a highly competitive industry with great emphasis on innovation and efficiency. Being involved in this environment will feed our own learning as we engineer and develop a wider range of products and continue to innovate in the audio space.”
    About Skullcandy, Inc.
    Skullcandy is a global designer, marketer and distributor of performance audio and gaming headphones and other accessory related products under the Skullcandy, Astro Gaming and 2XL by Skullcandy brands. Skullcandy became one of the world’s most distinct audio brands by bringing color, character and performance to an otherwise monochromatic space; helping to revolutionize the audio arena by introducing headphones, earbuds and other audio and wireless lifestyle products that possess unmistakable style and exceptional performance. The Company’s products are sold and distributed through a variety of channels in the U.S. and approximately 80 countries worldwide.  Visitskullcandy.com, or join us at facebook.com/skullcandy or on Twitter @skullcandy.

  • Pastor Maldonado sets the pace at Barcelona test Day 1 ahead of Kimi

    Barcelona, 19 Feb 2015: Pastor Maldonado set the pace as Formula One’s second pre-season got underway in Barcelona, the Lotus driver setting a time of 1:25.011 to finish 0.156s ahead of Kimi Raikkonen.

    However, the Venezuelan had to bolt on a set of soft tyres to eclipse the Ferrari driver’s best effort set on medium compound rubber. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, was forced to quit the test after just 11 laps because of illness.

    Maldonado had an eventful outing at the Circuit de Catalunya, the Lotus driver twice bringing out the red flags in the morning. He ran more consi

    Pastor Maldonado (VEN) Lotus F1 E23. Formula One Testing, Day 1, Thursday 19th February 2015. Barcelona, Spain. A Lotus F1 team image
    Pastor Maldonado (VEN) Lotus F1 E23.
    Formula One Testing, Day 1, Thursday 19th February 2015. Barcelona, Spain. A Lotus F1 team image

    stently in the afternoon, however, and when he bolted on a set of soft tyres with an hour left in the session he shot to the top of the timesheet where he would remain.

    Raikkonen’s time of 1:25.167, set on softs, confirmed that the pace Ferrari showed at the opening test in Jerez has translated to the more representative Barcelona circuit and while Ferrari conducted few long runs in Jerez, Raikkonen today worked through some medium length double-digit runs to show that Ferrari have indeed taken a step forward over the winter.

    Over at champions Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton began the day brightly but after an hour and a half of running the team reported that would not be driving for the rest of the day, as he “felt unwell”.

    With Nico Rosberg present but under advice of doctors not to drive due an inflamed nerve in his neck, Mercedes were forced to recall reserve driver Pascal Wehrlein from Force India, where the DTM racer was driving the Silverstone outfit’s 2014 car.

    Wehrlein completed 32 laps for Force India before slotting into Mercedes’ WO5 for a first outing shortly before the lunch break. He would eventually set the day’s eighth and ninth fastest time for Force India and Mercedes respectively.

    Sergio Perez, meanwhile, was readying himself to take over Force India’s afternoon running. Perez would eventually claim the day’s fourth fastest time in last year’s VJM07, with a lap of 1:26.636.

    Another driver whose morning running was restricted was Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian completed just eight untimed laps in the first three hours of the session as the team struggled to fine-tune updates to its Renault power unit.

    Ricciardo’s first timed lap came soon after midday local time but he was then quickly into the lap time mix, if not the battle for lap total. By the end of the day the Red Bull driver had completed 59 laps, mostly made up of short runs, the best of which yielded a time of 1:25.547, set on soft tyres, for third place on the day’s timesheet.

    McLaren’s running was also brief. Jenson Button began in positive style, working through 21 trouble-free laps in the Honda-powered MP4-30, with his best lap less than a second off the morning’s best times.

    However, an issue with the seal on the MGU-K then forced the Briton back to the McLaren garage and after a lengthy investigation the team confirmed that because repairs would require the replacement of the power unit Button would not run again.

    The problems worsened, however, when Honda’s F1 chief Yasuhisa Arai revealed that the manufacturer will need to redesign the component won’t be available until Saturday, meaning that Fernando Alonso could encounter a similar problem tomorrow.

    “We’ll need to run a re-designed component to avoid a potential repeat of the problem,” said Arai. “Unfortunately, we won’t be in possession of that updated part until Saturday, which means that we may face the same problem when we run again tomorrow.”

    The morning’s lap total award went to Williams’ Susie Wolff, the Scottish driver racking up 77 trouble-free laps by the time the lunch break arrived.

    However, after her successful morning, Wolff’s running was interrupted shortly after the lunch break, with 83 laps on the board. The Williams driver and Sauber’s Felipe Nasr collided on the entry to Turn 5 with both being pitched into the gravel traps. It appeared that the Brazilian drive clipped the front left wheel of the Williams as Wolff worked her way round the circuit on a slow lap.

    Nasr was able to return to the fray despite his Sauber shipping heavy damage, losing a rear wheel and the rear wing. After extensive repairs he return to track action with half an hour left on the clock though he was unable to improve on his best time of 1m27.307s, which left him fifth on the timesheet. He then had a late technical problem which brought out the red flags in the closing moments of the session.

    Wolff, meanwhile, was also able to rejoin the action, though with just 12 minutes remaining in the session.

    However, while she managed an impressive 86 laps over the course of the two sessions the time lost due to Wolff’s collision meant that the day’s lap total award went to Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen. The 17-year-old put in 94 laps and finished sixth on the timesheet showing that the power unit issues affecting Red Bull Racing do not seem to be hindering its sister team.

    Barcelona Test – Times
    1 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:25.011s 69
    2 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:25.167s  +0.156 74
    3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:25.547s  +0.536 59
    4 Sergio Perez Force India 1:26.636s  +1.625 34
    5 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:27.307s  +2.296 79
    6 Max Verstappen Toro Rosso 1:27.900s  +2.889 94
    7 Jenson Button McLaren 1:28.182s  +3.171 21
    8 Pascal Wehrlein Force India 1:28.329s  +3.318 32
    9 Pascal Wehrlein Mercedes 1:28.489s  +3.478 48
    10 Susie Wolff Williams 1:28.906s  +3.895 86
    11 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:30.429s +5.418 11

    eom/FIA press release

  • Pascal Wehrlein to test with Sahara Force India in Barcelona

    Silverstone, 18 Feb 2015: Sahara Force India is pleased to announce that Pascal Wehrlein will drive for the team at the upcoming testing session in Barcelona, Spain beginning on 19 February. The 20-year-old German, who is the official reserve driver of the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team and a works Mercedes AMG DTM driver, will spend two days behind the wheel of the team’s 2014 car, the VJM07.
    Sahara Force India’s testing programme will focus primarily on evaluation of the 2015 Pirelli tyres. The test will also provide the opportunity for Pascal to continue his Formula One learning and build on the strong performance he showed with MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS at the season-ending test in Abu Dhabi last year.
    The test in Barcelona marks the beginning of Pascal’s association with Sahara Force Indiawith the Mercedes-Benz junior driver also scheduled to participate in two in-season tests.
    Pascal will drive the VJM07 on Thursday and Saturday. Sergio Perez will drive on Friday and Nico Hulkenberg on Sunday. Given the team’s current build schedule, the VJM08 is now expected to make its debut at the second Barcelona test scheduled to begin on 26 February.
    Pascal Wehrlein: “I am very happy that Sahara Force India has offered me the opportunity to drive their car for two days at the official test in Barcelona and that Mercedes-Benz has supported me to make this happen. As a young driver, any time youcan spend in the car is extremely important and you can learn a lot. I know the simulatoralready, but I don´t have much experience on the track. My first goal in Spain will be to do a great job together with the team, to learn as much as possible and to give good feedback to the engineers. I have already driven the world champion Mercedes-Benz F1 W05 Hybrid and the comparison with Sahara Force India will be very exciting for me: the way the team works, how they improve the car and handle problems – all this will help meto gain experience and to reach the next level in my development. Everybody knows that lap times only play a secondary role when you’re testing. But of course I want to be as competitive as possible. Sahara Force India performed very strongly last season and Ihope I will be able to make a small contribution to push the team forward and be ready for the opening race in Melbourne.”
    Dr Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director: “I’m pleased to give Pascal a chance to work with us in Barcelona. He’s an exciting young talent who has already proved he has what it takes to be successful at the highest level in motorsport. As a reserve driver for Mercedes-Benz, he’s clearly destined for a career in Formula One and I’m sure the test will be a positive experience on both sides. Being able to call upon Pascal for testing duties is also a clear demonstration of our strong working relationship with our engine partner, Mercedes-Benz, and I thank them for their collaboration.”
    eom/Sahara Force India Press Release

    File photo of Sahara Force India team interview area in Sepang, KL, 2012
    File photo of Sahara Force India team interview area in Sepang, KL, 2012

  • Inter begins partnership with Sahara Force India

    23 Jan 2015: Sahara Force India is delighted to announce the launch of a new partnership with leading insurance broker Inter. The multi-year deal will see Sahara Force India display Inter’s logos on the front wing of the new VJM08, on the drivers’ suits and on the team gear.

    Inter is major player in the insurance market in Mexico and Latin-America with over 35 years of experience delivering bespoke products to its clients. The asso

    The 2015 Sahara Force India F1 Team livery. Sahara Force India F1 Team Livery Reveal, Soumaya Museum, Mexico City, Mexico. Wednesday 21st January 2015.
    The 2015 Sahara Force India F1 Team livery.
    Sahara Force India F1 Team Livery Reveal, Soumaya Museum, Mexico City, Mexico. Wednesday 21st January 2015.

    ciation with Sahara Force India demonstrates Inter’s desire to continue building its international business base by capitalising on the unique global reach of Formula One.

    Dr Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director of Sahara Force India: “We are extremely pleased to welcome Inter to the Sahara Force India family. This partnership highlights the growing global appeal of our brand, a trend reflected by the interest generated by our team launch in Mexico City. This multi-year deal is another important step in our long-term strategy to continue moving towards the front of the grid.”
     
    Juan Ignacio Casanueva, CEO of Inter: “Inter is committed to the highest standards with both our clients and our partners – a philosophy that is reflected by the approach of Sahara Force India. The way the team has opened up to Mexico in recent years shows how they, too, believe in the strength of this market and in the role the country can play on the world stage. We have a long history of supporting Mexican talent in various categories of motorsport so it’s exciting to partner with a team with a Mexican driver in the year that Formula One returns to Mexico City after a 23-year absence. We are excited to be part of Sahara Force India’s journey and we are looking forward to sharing in the team’s success in the coming seasons.”
     
    ABOUT INTER
    Inter is a Mexican firm with over 35 years of experience that has become the market leader in insurance brokerage in Latin America. It has more than 4,000 corporate customers in over 150 countries. Its business goal is to generate increasing profitability and provide the best brokerage services being an expert in integrated risk consulting.
    Inter is a proud partner of Sahara Force India Formula one Team and looks forward to a great deal of success, both on and off the track.
    eom/Sahara Force India press release

  • Season begins for INDIAinF1.com with launch of VJ08 in Mexico City

    Mexico City, 21 Jan 2015: : Sahara Force India launched its 2015 season today offering fans and media a first impression of how the VJM08 will look when it makes its track debut next month. Aspectacular event at the Soumaya museum in Mexico City saw Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg pull back the covers to reveal the team’s fresh new look for 2015.
    The new car livery is guaranteed to get heads turning. The chassis features an elegant combination of silver and black with the team’s traditional colour of orange streaking from the nose cone to the rear of the car in two symmetrical curves.
    Key to the new livery is the introduction of several commercial partners for 2015. Prominent NEC branding appears on the engine cover to signal the beginning of a relationship with the global ICT firm based in Tokyo, Japan. Also on the engine cover are the logos of telecommunications branMotor Racing - Sahara Force India F1 Team Livery Reveal - Mexico City, Mexicods Claro and Telcel as America Movil begins its second season supporting the team.
    Branding from world-famous tequila brand, Jose Cuervo, features on the car’s headrest, while logos from Latin America’s leading insurance broker, Inter, appear on the front wing end plates. Motor oil brand, Quaker State, also partners with the team placing its logos on the rear wing end plates.
    The team is also delighted to extend its partnership with Smirnoff for a second season, in addition to the continuation of long-time partners United Spirits, Kingfisher and Royal Challenge.
    Team Principal, Dr Vijay Mallya, was the first to praise the team’s new livery: “It’s another evolution of the contemporary look we introduced last year, which reflects the growth of the team and the global brands with which we are working. I love the addition of silver, which makes the car appear more sleek and aggressive and I’m sure it’s something that will appeal to the fans as well. Our traditional team colours remain integrated in the livery, but we’ve given it a very modern twist.”
    With relatively stable technical regulations, the VJM08 has been designed with evolution rather than revolution in mind. The most significant changes from the outside will appear at the front of the car with the lowering of the front of the chassis and nose. “The front of the car looks very different from what we had developed previously,” explains Technical Director Andrew Green. “It is a redesign that involved a lot of work over the winter, as the new regulations caused a loss in terms of downforce and we’ve been working to claw back all that performance.”
    The VJM08 will also feature several subtle changes, including modified sculpting of the sidepods and new cooling intakes. Underneath the skin there will be a completely new rear suspension layout with a new hydro-mechanical system replacing the original torsion springs. The VJM08 is expected to make its track testing debut in Barcelona next month with the VJM07 running at the first test in Jerez.

  • Sergio Perez continues with Sahara Force India with multi-year contract

    Yas Marina, 22 Nov 2014: Sahara Force India is pleased to confirm that Sergio Perez has extended his contract to continue racing with the team for 2015 and beyond. Nico Hulkenberg was retained for 2015 in an October announcement and now the duo will continue to pair for another year and Checko, as Perez is known among his near and dear, will look forward to a home race in Mexico next year.
    The 24-year-old Mexican joined the team at the start of 2014 and enjoyed immediate success with a podium finish in only his third race for the team. Since then, he has continued to demonstrate his speed by scoring points in eleven races so far this season. The contract extension provides the opportunity for one of Formula One’s brightest young talents to continue his association with one of the sport’s most ambitious teams.
    Dr Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director: “I am delighted that Checo will continue with us. He’s a true racer who has done a fantastic job for us this season. The whole team has been impressed with his speed and racecraft, as well as his role away from the track. He has a very bright future in Formula One and we will do our utmost to give him the equipment to match his talent. I look forward to celebrating more strong results with Checo this year and in years to come, and I cannot wait for Checo’s first home Grand Prix in Mexico in front of his huge following of passionate fans.”
    Sergio Perez: “It’s good to announce my plans. As soon as I joined Sahara Force India, I noticed the hunger and determination of everyone in the team, and I’m very proud to be part of that. I feel at home here and I’m fully committed. I’m enjoying my racing and we’ve already celebrated some special results together. It’s important for me to establish myself in a team and have some continuity. The team have given me a competitive car this year and I believe we can continue to achieve great things together in the future.”
    eomMotor Racing - Formula One World Championship - United States Grand Prix - Race Day - Austin, USA

  • After 4 World titles, 38 GP wins we can look back with pride in the way we have grown together: Horner on Vettel

    Vettel Abu Dhabi 2014 with team personnelAbu Dhabi, 21 Nov 2014: Following team personnel attended the FIA Friday Press Conference ahead of the last and 19th round of the FIA Formula One World Championship at Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday:

    TEAM REPRESENTATIVES – Federico GASTALDI (Lotus), Finbarr O’CONNELL (Caterham), Christian HORNER (Red Bull Racing), Otmar SZAFNAUER (Force India), Toto WOLFF (Mercedes), Claire WILLIAMS (Williams), Marco MATTIACCI (Ferrari)

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Toto, we have to start with you. Obviously the showdown this weekend between your two drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg; how tense is the atmosphere in the garage this weekend and how do you feel about today’s performance?

    Toto WOLFF: Hi everybody. The tension is on I would say, and it is pretty normal. It has come to the last race now, it’s between the two of them, it’s the all-defining, decision-making race and it’s pretty normal. I wouldn’t say that there is more tension than expected in the garage. There is a good spirit. Today was a good day. It might sound a bit boring but we did our programme, lots of running. We did the long runs we expe3cted so all OK for Friday.

    Now I don’t know if you know this but the last time that one engine maker managed to take every pole position during a season was back in 1969. How does it feel to be on the verge of that particular record?

    TW: I wasn’t so much into statistics before this season but breaking these kind of records is a great achievement for the team and makes me really proud. I remember when I was a child the McLaren records, these orange and white cars would dominate everything and now us being in such a position and having equalled those records and beaten some of the records is very satisfying indeed.

    Thank you for that, Finbarr, coming to you. At the other end of the grid, obviously your team is also in the spotlight this weekend. Can you give us an idea of the logistics of getting the team here this weekend?

    Finbarr O’CONNELL: Yes, it’s been absolutely crazy. I think about two-and-a-half weeks ago I met all the employees of the Caterham company. They weren’t my employees at the time, I wasn’t even appointed to 1MRT at that stage. And we just spoke about the position they were in and how they hadn’t heard anything from 1MRT. We moved from that to a couple of days later thinking if we could get here and actually showcase the team, show the world it was still there and needed new ownership that I would have a much better chance of getting someone in to buy it, to thinking up the idea of going for the crowd funding – we got 6,500 fans and supporters who have put money in there and huge support from the all of the people we work with, and that’s basically Red Bull and Renault, Pirelli, Dell and Total as well. With their support we’ve raised the money, raised the support, amazing. We’ve signed a new English driver, which is extremely exciting as well. We’re there today. Our purpose here to show people we are here. We’re not a blank canvas, but we are an operational team that somebody can effectively buy an F1 team off the shelf and become part of the most amazing club in the world I would say.

    The other half of that question is, how optimistic are you that you will find a buyer? Have you got any interested buyers that you think might come through?

    FO’C: Yeah, I’ve got a number of people who could acquire. It’s just persuading people to make that decision. It’s a huge acquisition decision because of everything… everybody knows what you have to do, those budgets you have to meet etc etc. But we have people who could do it and with the achievements we’ve had up until now I really hope and believe we’re going to get there.

    Thank you very much. Claire, coming to you. A slightly tricky start to free practice one for the Williams team. Do you think you have the pace though to get involved at the front?

    Claire WILLIAMS: We have to; we don’t have a choice. We’re here to secure P3 in the championship and with the double points that’s going to be even harder for us. We do always tend to have, not a difficult Friday, certainly not as strange as the one we had today but we’ve resolved the problem. So we’re looking forward to going into qualifying tomorrow. We’ve just got to do the job on Sunday and that’s all that we’re focused on.

    You’ve had the second-fastest car very often this season. Do you think it should have been quick enough to have finished second in the championship rather than third and what have you got in the pipeline to try to move things forward for next year?

    CW: I think Red Bull have done a great job, as you would expect them to do. We didn’t start really scoring the points or the podiums that we needed to in order to take that challenge to them until much later on in the season. To make that transition, to make that jump that we’ve done this year, from where we were last year in P9 and then to take that up to P3, I think the team can be really proud of the job we’ve done. And, you know, moving forward it’s just about making sure that we can sustain that position and to be closing the gap to Mercedes next year and to Red Bull and to hopefully taking the challenge to them.

    OK, thank you. Marco, obviously this weekend you have announced the departure of Fernando Alonso and the arrival of Sebastian Vettel. Can you say a few words about both situations and why you feel that Vettel is the right man for you going forward?

    Marco MATTIACCI: First, we need to thank Fernando for all he has done for us, what we have done together over the last five years. But at the same time it is clear to everybody that we want both to open new cycles but it was important to do it with the utmost motivation and commitment. With Sebastian we get one of the youngest world champions ever, four championships. I met him personally in the last few months. He is an extremely hard-working guy, humble, disciplined. I’m sure he will bring the phenomenal experience that he went through Red Bull and the enthusiasm needed to go through certain difficult moments that are waiting for us, but again sharing the overall project that I think is to go back to the top.

    It’s been quite a year for you. Twelve months ago you were in America thinking a 2014…

    MM: Seven months ago I was in America!

    Exactly! You were then thinking about selling road cars and now you find yourself here at the end of your first part season as a team principal. What have you learned from this whirlwind year?

    TW: He hopes to wake up from this nightmare!

    MM: (Laughs) No, the intensity, the complexity but also the incredible amount of talented people that are in Formula One. How amazing is this sport, that is a global platform, the visibility that specifically in my case I don’t like for myself, but which is a consequence of the job. But it’s definitely the pinnacle of motor sport. The level of competition, aggression is really high, so a lot to learn, but at the same time I think I brought understanding of people, choosing the right people and from here how to create an organisation for the future.

    Thank you very much. Christian, I guess the other half of the question I just put to Marco a moment ago. Obviously this is Sebastian’s final race for Red Bull Racing. Your feelings on losing him to Ferrari and what you’ve achjeved together and any lingering sadness or regret about this?

    Christian HORNER: Obviously we’ve had a wonderful relationship with Sebastian. He’s been with the Red Bull family since he was 12 years of age. He’s grown through the junior programme, through the junior categories, into his opportunity in Formula One with Toro Rosso, winning a grand prix in Toro Rosso and then coming to Red Bull Racing. Four world championships and 38 grand prix victories later I think we can look back with a huge amount of pride. We’ve grown together. He came to the team, which was still a young team at the time, and together we’ve grown into a race-winning and championship-winning combination. But as in life all things move on and evolve. Obviously this opportunity has come up for Seb, he’s felt it’s the right time for him and I think probably in reality it’s the right time for the team too. Whilst we’ll be very sorry to him go and close his career with Red Bull on Sunday evening, we’ll wish him the very best of luck and he’ll be a good friend of the team for life and as of the first of January he’s a competitor. Obviously more than that, I think it’s not just the experiences you share on track, we’ve got some wonderful memories from this circuit, it’s outside the cockpit and as not much more than a boy when he arrived, he now leaves us a young man, as a father and he can be incredibly proud of what he’s achieved and I think he’s been a tremendous ambassador for the sport and we’ll certainly miss him.

    Well Daniel Ricciardo is going to be third in the championship, with three wins this season. He now becomes the team leader, how do you feel about that: him as your man going forward?

    CH: I think Daniel has had the most amazing year this season. I think that anybody that could have predicted the performance from Daniel… we couldn’t have predicted it, I don’t think even he could. The way he has raced, the way he has driven this year has been outstanding. I think that what he has done on track, he deserves that third place. He’s the only driver to have beaten a Mercedes driver this year and he’s done it three times so far. So obviously we’re hoping for some kind of misdemeanor between the two Mercedes drivers and a huge points deduction and Daniel to be crowned world champion but obviously that’s rather unlikely in the circumstances we’ve got.

    Thank you. Otmar coming to you. You’re running Jolyon Palmer next week, the GP2 champion, in the test here at Abu Dhabi. Is he under consideration for something in 2015?

    Otmar SZAFNAUER: That’s not the purpose for running him. Shortly, maybe even later on this weekend, we’ll announce our full driver line-up. It’s for the future. As you know we’ve run young drivers in the past. We’ve often run them in FP1 even during the season to help out. Jolyon having won the GP2 championship, we thought he’d be a good driver for us to run in the test post this weekend. He’s driven our simulator and has performed very well. We also want to see how that correlates to track performance but we anticipate he will do a good job for us. It’s also a test for us, so we need good feedback from him as well.

    Going into this weekend, yourselves, Lotus and Sauber called for a meeting on revenue sharing. Where are you at with those discussions?

    OS: Fortunately I haven’t been in any of those meetings, so it’s hard for me to answer that question. I focus on other things at the team – mainly performance and seeing how we can compete with some of these people behind me and that’s what I’ll be doing this weekend.

    Thank you. Federico, same question to you really. What are your feelings on the financial discussions going on at the moment?

    Federico GASTALDI: Well, to be honest, Gerard [Lopez] has been involved in dealing and wheeling and leading with the rest of the guys all the conversations, all the meetings with Mr Ecclestone. So it’s up to them, they are putting together a programme that they are working with, so not much to say, obviously.

    On the young driver front, Esteban Ocon ran for you this morning in FP1. How did he do and what plans do you have for him?

    FG: Well, we’re very happy because he comes from Gravity’s young driver programme and he won the FIA F3 championship and we are now looking to put him on the next step, so we are trying to work out on the GP2 team programme for next year, we are talking to different teams at the moment. So very pleased with the experience this morning so we will see how it goes next week in the test.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Joe Saward – Grand Prix Special) I’d like to know from all of you what you consider the demographic of your target audience in Formula One, both in terms of sex and age, and geographic location? Marco?

    MM: I know where you are going but to be honest, you know, as Toto was saying my previous background is on the car side, selling cars, and I met a lot of customers that told me they decided to dream of Ferrari when they were between eight or 10 years old, when they had the first poster hanging in their room or watching Gilles Villeneuve racing. I think it depends on the purpose, it depends on the objective. But for an aspirational brand like Ferrari definitely our demographic is from the moment they can switch on TV or they can enter in a Ferrari store until when they can afford a car. Our brand is more a culture, a passion, so we really don’t have that kind of segmentation less than we discuss about when we sell cars, but Formula One is a great platform to attract, to engage with a wide range of audience. The sooner we start that engagement, the sooner we start that connection, because you can foster and nurture that kid to become someone in the Ferrari family. Geographically, today, as Ferrari we are in almost 65 countries, so we target the world, that’s why I think Formula One is a great platform. Female, male, I don’t think it’s a debate for us, we sell cars to everybody, that’s not under discussion.

    Toto?

    TW: There’s not a lot to add actually to what Marco said. I think it needs early education that this is the highest form or competition with cars and obviously for Mercedes this is important as well. Educate the children and you grow them into being customers and understanding that Mercedes is successful on the racing track in Formula One and, yeah, what Marco said.

    Christian, obviously Red Bull is a fairly youth-oriented brand?

    CH: Yeah, Red Bull is very much about youth and absolutely the team has a huge following from the youth segment, that’s male or female it’s irrelevant of sex, or age or race, it’s a sport as well that is accessible to everybody. I know where Joe’s question is getting at and the comments it’s referring to but what you have to remember is that when you’re 84, a 70-year-old is still pretty young.

    Otmar?

    OS: Well, our brands on the car are varied and, like Christian says, Red Bull focuses on the young and ours might be a little bit older than that. We have Smirnoff and Kingfisher so there’s some age restrictions on drinking some of those products, so we’re focussed on a bit older – but maybe not 70. We also have Claro and Telcel and teenagers these days are on the phone all the time so, we’ve got a varied audience that follows the team.

    Finbarr, anything to add?

    FO’C: I think all I would say is that we’ve got the Renault engine and the Red Bull gears and that’s what people associate with our car and the name, a number of people I’m talking to have said that they would probably change the name if they acquired the team, so I think it is just at the moment the Renault engine and the Red Bull.

    Federico?

    FG: Well, we’re not a car manufacturer as everyone knows but we are linked to very big sponsors that actually are linked with the youth market so yes, we need to try to educate as soon as possible the next generations in order to make sure that we are all in the same boat.

    And final word on this subject from Claire.

    CW: Not a lot – except that we’re not discriminatory. We want everyone to love Williams and we want everyone to love Formula One.

    Q: (Jerome Pugmire – AP) Question for Toto. Yesterday there appeared to be some tension here between Lewis and Nico – is there any message that you’re going to give to them before the race tomorrow? What will you say to them?

    TW: No. I think at that stage the team doesn’t need to interfere anymore in the relationship between the two. It’s down to them, we need to give them the best car so that they can fight it out on track. It makes no sense to try to pretend a… schmoosing – it that how you say it? – environment. They are out there to win the World Championship. It’s man against man and the tension is there, all in a respectful manner.

    Q: (Dan Knutson – Auto Action / National Speedsport News) Finbarr, what will a buyer get besides the entry? Will they get the factory, equipment? And will they have to assume some or all of the debt outstanding?

    FO’C: They will get the factory, equipment, the entry. Any purchaser will then have to enter into negotiations with all the race partners. This car, as I said earlier, is linked into Renault and to Red Bull. Pirelli is clearly an important race partner for us, and also Dell, so it will have to enter into discussions with all those people.

    And the debt?

    FO’C: Well, that will be a matter of discussion with all of those as regards, this will be a new relationship and how do both parties see that relationship going. And I think depending on the answer to that question will be the answer to the first question.

    Q: (Kate Walker – crash.net) I have a question for the members of the strategy group. We’re now coming to the end of the first season where you’ve had significant input and we had a number of misses in terms of things of overthrowing cost control, the radio communications flip-flop. I was wondering first what the long-term strategy you guys had for the sport: what it was, how you see it, and secondly, what role the strategy group has a regulatory body?

    CH: Lovely to get all the easy questions. I think that, look the strategy group is a forum to sit down and discuss the bigger issues. Y’know, we’ve done that, we haven’t always agreed – obviously – this year and of course we have another meeting coming up next week followed by a Formula One Commission meeting. As far as the regulatory value of the strategy group, anything that the strategy group discusses has to still go through the Formula One Commission that every team is represented on, as are the promoters and the FIA, before it’s passed into being a regulation. So it’s very much a discussion forum. Of course there are some big issues at the moment and y’know, a team like Caterham is in this situation because of the costs. The costs are too high and I think one of the crucial aspects in those costs is the power unit and that’s something the strategy group, as well as the other players within Formula One have a duty of care to look at very carefully and I think, whilst probably not a lot can be done for 2015, I think an awful lot can be done for 2016 and maybe we need to even go as far as looking at a different engine, y’know, a new engine. Maybe still a V6 but maybe a more simplified V6 that controls the cost. Cost of development, cost of supply to a team and to the privateer teams. I think that’s something we need to have a serious discussion about during the next strategy group.

    Toto, what do you think about that?

    TW: On governance, everything has been said. I think that the big teams have a responsibility towards Formula One. We need to be open-minded, we need to discuss, we need to keep the small teams alive, keep the grid together and all that is being addressed. As Mercedes we take that responsibility pretty seriously. We have addressed the issues and will continue to address the issues.

    Marco, do you agree with Christian about maybe looking at a different kind of power unit for 2016?

    MM: Definitely we need to look at something different 2016. In terms of power unit and in terms of regulation. 2015 is clear we will have to – at the moment – accept the status quo but definitely we are not going to accept the status quo for 2016. The cost of the power unit is a problem. The fact that we cannot enhance our power unit during the season is a cost for us, for not performing. So, the difficulties that that the small teams are facing is an issue on the table – so I think all these problems are very well connected. I think that the strategy group and the F1 Commission are the proper arena where to touch these points trying to find a common direction but, indeed, 2016 is sort-of different.

    Claire, what’s your perspective on that?

    CW: The strategy group, I think it provides a forum for debate which I think is always sensible in a sport when we haven’t had that necessarily before. This year it’s obviously been exploratory. It’s been it’s first year and everybody’s got their agendas and their own issues that they want to talk about. For Williams, that group, the purpose of it, has always been to ensure the sustainability of our sport. I think we’d like to see more conversations around that. I think with the kind of comments around engines and looking at potentially changing the engines, I think potentially it’s too soon but Williams has always been very vocal about our position around cost control. I think that’s one of the disappointments for us this year – that the strategy group wasn’t able to come to achieve any cost control within Formula One. I think we have to consider very carefully any changes around the power units. We’ve already ploughed a huge amount of money into them, into developing them. The manufacturers have done that, all the teams have had a… a fifth of our budget is spent on our engine. There are important messages around those engines as well, with their hybrid technologies which are relevant to us and relevant to the sponsors that we’re trying to pitch to at the moment. I think making a U-Turn so quickly, I’m not sure is a way we want to go. I’m not sure it puts us in a very credible position. But again, the strategy group is a forum for that debate and one that we’ll probably end up having.

    And finally a word from Federico.

    FG: All has been said. I think, again, cost control, a cost cap has been a major failure this year. I mean, after all the meetings we have had. On the other hand, I think that we pretty much should, all the teams here, on each of their capacities to put the best possible…  to push for a better situation for all of us and be more secure and more stable in the future.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Based on what’s just been said about the strategy group. Claire, you used the word ‘forum’, Christian, you used the word ‘forum’. You also said that everything that’s been discussed needs to go to the Formula One Commission. Claire, you said that consensus wasn’t reached on cost controls. If we take these two statements, does this not imply that the strategy group is, in fact, not a forum? Because if it needs to reach consensus, that’s not a forum for discussion. But apart from that, looking at it from a legality perspective, if everything needs to go to the Formula One Commission, why did cost control not go to the Formula One Commission if it was, in fact, blocked by the strategy group in the first place.

    CW: It’s a forum for debate, that’s exactly what it is – but there’s a process around voting within that group in order to send proposals up to the Commission. FOM have a number of votes, FIA do and the teams as a collective do as well. So if that doesn’t reach majority in there, it doesn’t go up to the Commission.

    Christian?

    CH: I think what you have to remember about the stragegy group is that the members of that group are the teams that have given a guarantee that they will be in the sport until 2020 – and so they’ve got a vested interest and long term interest in the sport being attractive, sustainable and addressing all of those issues. Now, of course, there has to be a process that things are agreed on or disagreed on, otherwise what’s the point of that group at all? We have a simple majority basis of it being moved on to the Commission or not. Therefore should a team – even Finbarr will be able to sit on the Commission next week and, if there’s something he doesn’t like he has the opportunity, certainly for 2015, to either block it or voice his position for 2016.

    Toto?

    TW: Nothing to add.

    Q: (Luigi Perna – La Gazetta dello Sport) A question for Mattiacci. What kind of arguments did you use during your meetings with Sebastian Vettel to let him join this new challenge with Ferrari. And what kind of guy is he, in your opinion?

    MM: [no sound] …very straightforward. I think I was really impressed with how clever he is, and being an extremely clever person and with great passion for Ferrari. I think the arguments have to be solid arguments. That was a discussion about the project, the investment, typical when you want to bring in a four time world champion, you don’t just over-sell, you talk about a few things.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Christian, sorry to belabor the point but you said that Finbarr can actually vote for/against something at the Formula One Commission next week. It if doesn’t reach it because it’s been blocked by the strategy group, how could he for example, vote for or against cost control because it didn’t reach the Formula One Commission, having been blocked before then?

    CH: Well, each team obviously participates in different forums as well for items to arrive in the strategy group. So, there are discussion forums where issues can be discussed, whether that’s technical or sporting, before it gets to the strategy group but the strategy group are the teams that have given a parent-company guarantee to be in the sport for the long term, up to a minimum of 2020. I think they’re the teams that do have the right to say, potentially, what the future does hold, that have a responsibility strategically, to discuss where or not the sport should go. Obviously there are some big issues on the table at the moment.

    Q: (Walter Koster – Saabrucker Zeitung) Mr Wolff, how do you appreciate the share of Mercedes success in person under the management of Ross Brawn, and your time, your start and the team. Secondly, how does the team celebrate the title Sunday evening, and why without winner T-shirts?

    TW: Welcome back to the press conference! Ross had a big influence in the team. When he joined the team in 2010, or when he took it over into the Mercedes era, it went through a couple of difficult years but then he initiated the first crucial steps of what we see today, the success we see today. So, he has played a very important role in this year’s success. In terms of the winners T-shirt, we will have a driver who is going to win the world championship and a driver who is going to come second. I think through the year as a team we have tried to balance it out between the two of them and keep it neutral. They are valuable members of the team, we are going to continue with them next year, and although we are going to honour and celebrate the world championship-winning driver, you need to respect that, for the other guy, it’s going to be a very difficult day in his life. This is why we would like to maintain our role as being fairly neutral in that situation.

    Q: (Hoaran Zhou – F1 Express) Two questions, both for Toto, Christian and Marco. The first one is, do you have a deadline on the engine freeze because now it’s effectively the end of November and you can’t release a press release on December 31 at 11.59pm, can you? The second question is now the first year of the V6 turbo hybrid has passed, you’ve gathered enough data. Can you give us a figure as to how much fuel-saving has been done through the combustion engine and how much fuel-saving is done through the hybrid part, because Toyota, this year, in the World Endurance Championship has shown that a nice-sounding, naturally aspirated engine, partnered with a huge hybrid can give topline performance and good fuel efficiency?

    TW: I have a difficult one. There is a governance in place, a governance states a certain timing, the timing is clear for 2015. For 2016, power unit regulation changes, that needs to happen until March 1, so that’s 2015, March 1 2016. The answer to your second question is, I can’t really tell you the exact percentage. What we can see is that the development on the internal combustion engine and on the hybrid system has been tremendous this year, with the fuel reduction of a third. We’ve had almost equal performance today, comparing free practice one to free practice one last year in Abu Dhabi with a car that has been sized down in aerodynamic performance so that is a pretty impressive performance.

    Q: Marco, any thoughts on deadlines with regards to the engines?

    MM: Let’s say at the moment we are targeting what the regulations are telling us so we are working on what governance, as Toto was saying, has suggested, so there is no difference to what we did this year.

    Q: And do you have a view on the amount of fuel saved with these V6 hybrid turbos?

    MM: No, at the moment no. I would have to talk with the engineers. There’s a great focus on making the combustion engine as efficient as possible to weekly improve the energy recovery but I can’t give you figures.

    Q: And Christian?

    CH: I think the engine question is an interesting question. If you roll back the clock for when this engine was thought about, you go back to Max (Mosley’s) rule, we’re talking about a four cylinder engine and it was quite different. Those regulations were given to engineers, engineers then discussed them and there was a compromise sought because a four cylinder was felt to be wrong for Formula One. The four cylinder at the time was supposed to bring in more manufacturers into Formula One and the compromise was to go to a V6. And then, unfortunately when a bunch of engine engineers are left on their own to come up with a set of regulations, they’ve come up with something tremendously complicated and tremendously expensive. The engines that we have today are incredible bits of machinery, incredible bits of engineering but the cost to the collective manufacturers has probably been close to a billion euros in developing these engines, and then the burden of costs has been passed on, unfortunately, to the customer teams so unfortunately, I think we have to recognise what’s been done from an engineering point of view and now look to simplify things, potentially retaining the V6 philosophy, perhaps going to a twin turbo that would address the sound issues that we’ve had this year and maybe even a standard energy recovery system would dramatically reduce the costs, dramatically reduce development and therefore the supply price to the customer teams also. So I think that’s something that the strategy group need to discuss and look at.

    Q: When you say a standard energy recovery system, do you mean standard across all teams like a standard ECU?

    CH: Absolutely, we’ve had a standard ECU, why not potentially take it a step further and it would negate obviously an enormous amount of development cost.

    Q: (Joe Saward – Grand Prix Special) Just a quick first question: anyone here who’s not committed until 2020, can you please raise your hand?

    CH: You ought to ask who’s guaranteed they’ll be here, it is a different question, Joe, I think.

    Q: (Joe Saward – Grand Prix Special) Alright, who has to guarantee they’ll be here until 2020 and what do you have to pay if you don’t turn up?

    (Visual reaction)

    Q: Right, I think you’ve got your answer there.

    Q: (Joe Saward – Grand Prix Special) OK, the last one is on a question of philosophy: is it logical that the competitors in the sport make the rules, philosophically speaking?

    CW: I knew you were going to do that to me. It is what it is, isn’t it? We don’t have an alternative and until we do, that’s the option available to us. From Christian’s comments, you can tell we all care about Formula One, we all care about its future and the group that sits around that strategy group table… our overarching agenda is to ensure that we protect the future of our sport and we’re looking at ways to do that. There’s an argument perhaps to say well, who better to make the rules than the competitors? Failing an alternative, there isn’t an alternative at the moment and if there’s one in the future, then that could bring its disadvantages as well.

    OS: If we all get a chance to make the rules then I’m all for it but it shouldn’t be a small group.

    Q: (Ian Parkes – Press Association) Christian, two weeks ago in Russia you suggested the possibility but the highly unlikely possibility of reverting back to the V8 engine. Now you’re talking about a V6 engine with lots of different standardised parts. Why would three manufacturers that have spent a billion euros developing this current power unit for the sake of the motor sport industry itself and the car industry per se, want to revert back to something that’s similar? Are you not sounding like someone who’s desperately clutching at some of straws because your team is no longer winning the championship? Just give us your thoughts please.

    CH: Well, first of all, two weeks ago I wasn’t in Russia. Look, I think that… you know, I can understand your question but I think the scenario is such that it’s unsustainable, it’s unsustainable for manufacturers, any of the manufacturers, to keep spending at the level that they are, and therefore, rather than perhaps going backwards with the V8, maybe we should potentially keep the basis of what’s been achieved but look at simplifying it because if the development costs stay at where they are, we will not attract new manufacturers into the sport and we may well drive current manufacturers out of the sport. So we have to think, not just about today but about the future. 2015, there’s very little that can be done with the regulations but for 2016, an awful lot can be done and I think that the teams, together with the FIA and the promoter, have to have that responsibility to ensure that those issues are addressed and the sport is sustainable and attractive to new manufacturers to come in.

    Q: Toto, you haven’t spoken on this. Do you have a rebuttal?

    TW: Yes. First of all, I fully agree that we have a big responsibility for all teams and we need to look at the costs but you can’t turn the time back. Formula One is the pinnacle and the pinnacle of technology as well and it is important to attract engine manufacturers in the sport, and actually have brought Honda back into the sport. The current format of power units was actually being proposed by Renault back then and for us, as Mercedes, it’s a hugely important showcase of technology, road-relevant technology, hybrid technology, the future. It helps us to attract sponsorship and for us, as a car manufacturer – and I guess the same was the case for Renault when they came up with the idea –  that is very important. It’s less important for Red Bull, for sure, but for us it’s crucial.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Toto, for next year, the other two manufacturers cannot do very much if you don’t agree on what they want, but are you not afraid that in 2016 they could force you either into complete open development of the current engine or as Christian just said, into a completely different format or let’s say a similar engine format which costs less and you can’t do very much about it because the others have the majority?

    TW: We are all talking about costs and if you would open up the regulations in the way it has been described in that press conference, that clearly means you don’t care about costs because that would be like digging a grave for Formula One. We have spent considerable amounts in the development of the power unit, far away from the billion, I would say it’s ten percent of that in our case. But anyhow, I think we need to be sensible and we need to come up with solutions which enable the small teams to survive and which still enable the big teams to showcase the technology. Reversing everything, changing the format, changing the engines would just increase costs, it would be the opposite for what we need for Formula One at the current stage. And to come back to your question: yes, in terms of the governance, if we become insensible and if these decisions are being made for 2016, in my opinion that would be disastrous for the sport. We will be very vocal in addressing that issue.

    Q: (Kate Walker – crash.net) Finbarr, the vast majority of crowd-funding sites actually return money to donors if the target is not met. Does Crowdcube work like that and if so, how are you going to go about returning funds to your six and a half thousand fans?

    FO’C: Kate, the principle of what we did was to set it up on the basis… the objective was to get here and to race and to showcase the team and that’s clear on the website. So the fact that we are here shows that we have reached that objective and the funds we’ve raised have actually been spent in actually getting here. If we hadn’t made the decision to come which we made on November 14, then the funds raised at that stage would have been returned.

    Q: (Leigh O’Gorman – Walker Watson Ltd) Finbarr, how long do you have to make a final decision on a buyer and in addition to that, how far down the line were the design team with the ’15 car? And bearing in mind how much it’s going to cost to actually buy a new team, can you actually make it worthwhile for any buyer, considering the new season only starts in four months time?

    FO’C: Sure. I’m talking to a number of people who have got different interests. I’m talking to some people who are interested in making a decision in the next few weeks and if that happens, they can take over the team as it currently stands. The employees have all kept together, they’ve all been made redundant. Even though they’ve been made redundant, it meant they are absolutely fantastic people. They’ve come here to showcase the team and between themselves, 120 of them have all agreed that they will come back and work for any purchaser. So one option is, in the next few weeks, that something like that happens. I’m also talking to people who are interested in the facilities, in the building, in the facilities we have and in looking at a longer strategy, whereby they would use that as the basis for beginning a new team, and that team, clearly would look for a new racing licence in the future. As regards the car, my engineering team tell me that it’s not hugely advanced but that if a purchaser comes along now, it will race in the championships next year.

    Q: (Thomas Maher – formulaspy.com) Finbarr, first of all, are you enjoying your time in Formula One and is your current position one that you consider may be long term? And secondly, we’ve been reading that Mike Gascoyne has said that he has greater faith in your administration in terms of safety. Can you shed any light on why he might have had any doubts about the previous management’s running of the cars?

    FO’C: I cannot. I know there were issues in the press in a previous race which did shine a torch on safety issues in the car. The business I’m in, I’m not somebody who just decides I’m going to have a punt and race this car. Safety is absolutely huge and we wouldn’t be here racing these cars unless I was absolutely certain they were completely safe and I think people have seen the cars out there today. Going back to your other question, this is a sport that people love, they are hugely enthused by it and that’s fantastic but all I can feel really is a responsibility, responsibility for this team, the absolutely wonderful people who have come here and I would happily hand over my team principal badge straight away to anybody who would take it out of my hands and then I could go and sit in the stands and enjoy the Grand Prix. I will enjoy it if I can achieve my objectives, but it is a professional assignment and a responsibility and the team are probably watching this and that’s the sort of person that I think they would want to be him.

    Q: (Chris Medland – crash.net) Finbarr, how difficult is it for you to try and convince a buyer to buy your team when, as the contents of this press conference has shown, there’s squabbles over how much it costs for engines, no one can agree on what to do with them? You’ve got groups where the members can’t always get voted in what they want to do and when the sport’s in this situation.

    FO’C: Yes, I think that any potential purchaser would prefer there to be more certainty on the way forward. I don’t think the uncertainty is unusual or strange. Every sport, every business goes through times like this. It probably doesn’t help any potential purchaser, I would say.

    Q: (Daniel Ortelli – Agence France Presse) I would like an instant survey: we have a team who is considering using 2014 engines next year to save costs. Is anybody on this panel – that’s six other teams – against this perspective, that is, to save costs and maybe save Caterham?

    CH: We’d have absolutely no problem in Caterham or any other team using 2014 power unit if that assisted cost-saving, but that would mean a change in the regulations.

    OS: No issues for us. For sure we would support that.

    FG: No issues for us either.

    TW: We would need to look at the regulations how we can make that happen and whether it saves costs and if it does, we need to find a way.

    CW: Yeah, agreed.

    MM: No problem, that’s why no issues for us.

    Q: (Joe Saward – Grand Prix Special) Claire, you said that there was no choice but to use the strategy group. Surely the FIA is an alternative rule-making body which it has been for many many years. Surely that would be the most logical thing to do?

    CW: It would but that’s not my decision to make. At the moment, the structure that we have is that we have a strategy group that the FIA is a part of, that was the group that was set up at the start of this year. We agreed to it and that’s how the sport is run currently.

    eom/FIA transcript of the Friday Press Conference