Formula 1 General Chat & Discussion

> > Ferrari has confirmed that his next year's car passed the FIA crash tests.

In addition, as disclosed by the new head of the stable of Maranello - Maurizio Arrivabene, tentatively called the 666 car will be presented on the Internet at the end of January. "It will be shown [car] at the end of January on the website.

Official news : Ferrari announced on Twitter that Mexican Esteban Gutierrez will be the 3rd driver and test-driver for the 2015 season.
In the last two seasons Gutierrez drove a Sauber, with a Ferrari engine.
"It' s an honour to be part of a team with such an extraordinary history" said Gutierrez "I' m impatient to begin the new season
with passion and dedication".

Official news : McLaren announced today the drivers for the 2015 season : Fernando Alonso (what a surprise ) and the confirmed
Jenson Button, with Kevin Magnussen as test driver.
Alonso returns in McLaren after 8 years with a two years contract (32 mil. € each year), with an option for the third.

The Official Calendar for the 2015 season as it is published today !!!

The F1 calendar in 2015 :
March 15 - Australian GP
March 29 - GP of Malaysia
April 12 - GP of China
April 19 - GP of Bahrain
May 3 - GP of Korea (to be confirmed)
May 10 - Grand Prix of Spain
May 24 - Monaco GP
June 7 - Canadian Grand Prix
June 21 - GP of Austria
July 5 - Grand Prix of Great Britain
July 19 - GP of Germany (Nürburgring)
July 26 - Hungarian GP
August 23 - GP of Belgium
September 6 - Italian GP
September 20 - GP Singapore
September 27 - Japanese GP
October 11 - Grand Prix of Russia
October 25 - Grand Prix of the United States
November 1 - GP of Mexico
November 15 - GP of Brazil
November 29 - GP Abu Dhabi

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Jean Eric Vergne announced today with a tweet that he' s going to leave Toro Rosso after three years : "Despite a good season with 22
points scored, I won' t drive anymore for Toro Rosso in 2015. Thanks for these years, now I' m going to another challenge".
He will be replaced by the 17 y.o. Dutch driver Max Verstappen.

Short News :

Maurizio Arrivabene replaces Mattiacci as Ferrari F1 team boss :
Ferrari boss Marco Mattiacci has left the Formula 1 team only eight months after joining and will be replaced by Maurizio Arrivabene. Just hours after Mattiacci said he was fully focused on helping the Italian outfit move forward with its plans for 2014, a statement from the Maranello team announced his departure in favour of Arrivabene, a senior Phillip Morris executive and F1 Commission member. Arrivabene, who has known Ferrari for a long time via his work at sponsor Philip Morris, joins with immediate effect in a move that has been put together by new Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne. "We decided to appoint Maurizio Arrivabene because, at this historic moment in time for the Scuderia and for Formula 1, we need a person with a thorough understanding not just of Ferrari but also of the governance mechanisms and requirements of the sport," said Marchionne. "Maurizio has a unique wealth of knowledge: he has been extremely close to the Scuderia for years and, as a member of the F1 Commission, is also keenly aware of the challenges we are facing. He has been a constant source of innovative ideas focused on revitalisation of Formula 1. "His managerial experience on a highly complex and closely regulated market is also of great importance, and will help him manage and motivate the team. "We would also like to thank Marco Mattiacci for his service to Ferrari in the last 15 years and we wish him well in his future endeavours." Speculation about Mattiacci's future surfaced at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as the Italian drew short of confirming he would be at the team for the start of 2015. When asked whether he expected to remain as team principal next season, Mattiacci replied: "I'm very focused at working very hard, as the first day I arrived at the Scuderia. "I'm working extremely hard and I will keep working extremely hard." Mattiacci said Ferrari's final race of the 2014 season in Abu Dhabi, where it finished ninth and 10th with Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen and secured fourth place in the constructors' championship, was "nothing to celebrate". "It was a very difficult race as always in Abu Dhabi," he said.
"The overall package was not at the level to be at the usual fourth/fifth/sixth place. "We have been able to maintain fourth place [in constructors'] but we have nothing to celebrate." Despite frustration at Ferrari's failure to win a race in F1 for the first time since 1993, Mattiacci - who will now leave the company completely - said the restructuring he began would leave the team in better shape to bounce back in 2015. "Absolutely it's frustrating and a difficult season, but I always look at the positive side," he added.
"We learned a lot. I'm happy that in some way I contributed to putting this altogether. "Our goal is to create as soon as possible a very effective organisation that produces a very competitive car. "The sign we are seeing for next year's car is promising. James Allison and his people are doing a tremendous job."

Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the Final race of the Formula 1 season 2014 :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP 1h39m02.619
2. Felipe Massa - Williams + 2.576
3. Valtteri Bottas - Williams + 28.880
4. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing 1:44.496 + 37.237
5. Jenson Button - McLaren + 1m00.334
6. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India + 1m02.148
7. Sergio Perez - Force India + 1m11.060
8. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing + 1m12.045
9. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari + 1m25.813
10. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari + 1m27.820
11. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren + 1m30.376
12. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso + 1m31.947
13. Romain Grosjean - Lotus + 1 lap
14. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP + 1 lap
15. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber + 1 lap
16. Adrian Sutil - Sauber + 1 lap
17. Will Stevens - Caterham + 2 laps
Did Not Finish :
18. Kamui Kobayashi - Caterham
19. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus
20. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso

Fastest Lap : Daniel Ricciardo - 1:44.496
Pitstop K Kobayshi : DNF
Bat 2 Teams : Sergio Perez > Jean-Eric Vergne
Grid Pos. S.Vettel : 8th place

Lewis Hamilton wins race and 2014 Formula 1 title :
Lewis Hamilton clinched his second Formula 1 world championship by winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as engine problems ruined title rival Nico Rosberg's race. Hamilton came into the 2014 F1 finale with a 17-point lead over Rosberg in the standings, and only needed to finish directly behind his Mercedes team-mate to guarantee the title, regardless of the unpopular double points awarded for this race. Rosberg secured his 11th pole of the season in qualifying on Saturday, and his title hopes rested on another car coming between himself and Hamilton if he converted that pole into victory. As it transpired, excessive wheelspin at the start ensured Rosberg lost the lead to Hamilton before the first corner, which consigned him to chasing his rival. He stayed within a handful of seconds through most of the first half of the race, but suffered an energy recovery system (ERS) failure on lap 24 of 55, which cost him engine power and effectively ended his challenge. Rosberg tried to manage the problem with help from his Mercedes team, but tumbled down the order and eventually hobbled home a pointless 14th, refusing a suggestion by the team to retire his car in the closing stages as the engine problems worsened and insisting he end his title bid by taking the chequered flag. Hamilton also lost pace in the middle of the race, though not to the same extent as his team-mate, but recovered sufficiently to beat the charging Williams of Felipe Massa by just 2.5 seconds and clinch the crown with his 11th grand prix victory of the season. Hamilton narrowly denied Massa his first win since the 2008 Brazilian GP - scene of Hamilton's maiden title triumph for McLaren - but second placed nevertheless represented Massa's best result of his first campaign with Williams. Team-mate Valtteri Bottas recovered from a slow start from third on the grid to record Williams's first double podium finish of the year, while Daniel Ricciardo charged from a pitlane start to fourth following Red Bull's exclusion from qualifying for a technical infringement concerning the RB10's front wing. Jenson Button produced another strong drive in what could turn out to be the final grand prix of his career to finish fifth for McLaren, ahead of Force India pairing Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez, and the second Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel, which also started from the pits. Fernando Alonso finished ninth in his final race for Ferrari, a couple of seconds clear of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, who claimed the final points on offer for 10th place. McLaren's Kevin Magnussen survived a collision with the Sauber of Esteban Gutierrez, and being forced off the track by Hulkenberg - who was penalised five seconds - on the first lap to finish 11th, ahead of Jean-Eric Vergne's Toro Rosso.The second Toro Rosso of Daniil Kvyat started fifth on the grid, but retired early on after its Renault engine lost power.

Regards
Shaky - Schumi

CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL STANDINGS :

1. MERCEDES 701 points 2014 WORLD CHAMPIONS
2. RED BULL 405 points
3. WILLIAMS 320 points

4. Ferrari 216 points
5. McLaren 181 points
6. Force India 155 points
7. Toro Rosso 30 points
8. Lotus 10 points
9. Marussia 2 points

DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL STANDINGS :

1. LEWIS HAMILTON GBR Mercedes 384 points 2014 WORLD CHAMPION
Second world title for the British driver (first in 2008 with McLaren)

2. NICO ROSBERG GER Mercedes 317 points
3. DANIEL RICCIARDO AUS Red Bull 238 points

4. Valtteri Bottas FIN Williams 186 points
5. Sebastian Vettel GER Red Bull 167 points
6. Fernando Alonso ESP Ferrari 161 points
7. Felipe Massa BRA Williams 134 points
8. Jenson Button GBR McLaren 126 points
9. Nico Hulkenberg GER Force India 96 points
10. Sergio Perez MEX Force India 59 points
11. Kevin Magnussen DEN McLaren & Kimi Raikkonen FIN Ferrari 55 points
13. Jean Eric Vergne FRA Toro Rosso 22 points
14. Romain Grosjean FRA Lotus & Daniil Kvyat RUS Toro Rosso 8 points
16. Jules Bianchi FRA Marussia & Pastor Maldonado VEN Lotus 2 points

News Update :

Red Bull excluded from qualifying over illegal wing :
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo have been excluded from qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after their cars were found to be in breach of the regulations. A report by F1 technical delegate Jo Bauer on Saturday evening said that the "front wing flaps were designed to flex under aerodynamic load." Following discussions between the stewards and Red Bull representatives, the FIA decided that the cars were illegal. A statement issued by the stewards said that both Vettel and Ricciardo were excluded from qualifying, but would be allowed to start from the back of the grid. Ricciardo had qualified fifth, with Vettel just one place behind him. The long straights of Abu Dhabi, allied to the low speed nature of many of the corners, means that flexible wings would be particularly advantageous around the Yas Marina circuit. The team said it accepted the decision, but suggested it was not happy with it. "We have been singled out for a front wing deflection test when it is clear that other teams are interpreting the rules in similar fashion," said Red Bull in a statement.

Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the final qualifying of season 2014 :

1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:40.480
2. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:40.866 +0.386
3. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:41.025 +0.545
4. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:41.119 +0.639
5. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:41.267 +0.787
6. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:41.893 +1.413
7. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:41.908 +1.428
8. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:41.964 +1.484
9. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:42.236 +1.756
10. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:42.866 +2.386
Q2
11. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - 1:42.198 +1.718
12. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:42.207 +1.727
13. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:42.239 +1.759
14. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:42.384 +1.904
15. Adrian Sutil - Sauber - 1:43.074 +2.594
16. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:42.768 +2.288
Q1
17. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:42.819 +2.339
18. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:42.860 +2.380
19. Kamui Kobayashi - Caterham -1:44.540 +4.060
20. Will Stevens - Caterham - 1:45.095 +4.615

Qualifying Time : 1:40.480
Pole : Nico Rosberg
Team Bat : Raikkonen > Alonso
Grid Pos. F. Massa : 4th place

Rosberg on pole for Abu Dhabi title decider :
Nico Rosberg stormed to pole position during Saturday evening's qualifying session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, comfortably outpacing Mercedes team-mate and championship leader Lewis Hamilton. Rosberg had trailed Hamilton ahead of the top 10 shootout but set a blistering time of 1:40.480 when it mattered to finish 0.386s clear. Hamilton only narrowly beat Williams duo Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa, after his Q3 efforts were tarnished by a number of errors. Hamilton holds a 17-point lead over Rosberg heading into Sunday's twilight race, with a maximum of 50 points on offer to the drivers. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo came close to the second row of the grid, but ultimately had to settle for fifth, more than half a second up on outgoing team-mate Sebastian Vettel. Daniil Kvyat placed seventh for Toro Rosso, while Jenson Button finished eighth to ensure that he outqualified McLaren team-mate Kevin Magnussen 10-9 over the course of the season. The top 10 was completed by the Ferrari drivers, with Kimi Räikkönen getting the better of Fernando Alonso despite completing just one Q3 run. Magnussen was edged out of the final shootout by a late Räikkönen improvement, and is due to share the sixth row with Jean-Éric Vergne's Toro Rosso. Force India drivers Sergio Pérez and Nico Hülkenberg also fell at the second hurdle, while Sauber driver Adrian Sutil was the slowest of the Q2 runners. Romain Grosjean missed out on a place in Q2 by just two hundredths of a second, and looks set to take a drive-through in the race due to his complex 20-place penalty. The Frenchman was joined on the sidelines at the end of Q1 by the remaining Sauber of Esteban Gutiérrez and Lotus team-mate Pastor Maldonado. At Caterham, Kamui Kobayashi held the upper hand over Formula 1 newcomer Will Stevens, but the gap was again reduced, this time to half a second. Stevens had been on target to match his more experienced team-mate, but made a mistake during the final sector of his best lap.

Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 3rd & final practice session of the 2014 F1 season :

1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:41.424
2. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:41.793 +0.369
3. Felipe Massa - Williams -1:42.429 +1.005
4. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:42.653 +1.229
5. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:42.679 +1.255
6. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:42.768 +1.344
7. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:42.773 +1.349
8. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:42.794 +1.370
9. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:42.809 +1.385
10. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:43.038 +1.614
11. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - 1:43.112 +1.688
12. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:43.352 +1.928
13. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:43.360 +1.936
14. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:43.501 +2.077
15. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:43.643 +2.219
16. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:43.718 +2.294
17. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:43.778 +2.354
18. Adrian Sutil - Sauber - 1:44.022 +2.598
19. Kamui Kobayashi - Caterham - 1:45.044 +3.620
20. Will Stevens - Caterham - 1:45.959 +4.535

Rosberg moves ahead in final practice of the season :
Nico Rosberg topped the timesheets during Saturday afternoon's final practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, moving ahead of early weekend pace-setter and Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton. Rosberg delivered a time of 1:41.424 on the late Super Soft runs, putting him almost four tenths of a second clear of title leader Hamilton. Hamilton, who approaches the race with a 17-point lead, had gone purple through the first two sectors, but lost time in the final third of the lap. Mercedes continued to lead the rest of the field by a comfortable margin, with Williams driver Felipe Massa six tenths off the ultimate pace. Fernando Alonso wound up fourth despite switching to the Option rubber much earlier in the session, a move prompted by his Friday woes. Having completed just two laps in second practice, the Spaniard completed work on both compounds before returning to save engine mileage. Ferrari replacement Sebastian Vettel wound up fifth in his Red Bull, ahead of McLaren's Jenson Button and team-mate Daniel Ricciardo. Valtteri Bottas suffered a massive lock-up on his Super Soft run, meaning he finished five places and 0.365s behind team-mate Massa. Daniil Kvyat placed his Toro Rosso ninth, while Kimi Räikkönen's Ferrari completed the top 10, the Finn struggling to keep his car on track throughout the session. After an encouraging first day with McLaren's upgrades, Kevin Magnussen tumbled down the order and ultimately wound up 11th. Jean-Éric Vergne followed in the second of the Toro Rosso machines, lapping narrowly faster than Force India duo Sergio Pérez and Nico Hülkenberg. The Sauber and Lotus drivers completed the midfield pack, with Esteban Gutiérrez and Adrian Sutil sandwiching Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean.
At the tail-end of the field, Kamui Kobayashi again finished ahead of new Caterham team-mate Will Stevens, but the latter cut his deficit to nine tenths of a second.

Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Thursday Press Conference :



Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 2nd practice session :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:42.113
2. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:42.196 +0.083
3. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - 1:42.895 +0.782
4. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:42.959 +0.846
5. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:43.070 +0.957
6. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:43.183 +1.070
7. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:43.489 +1.376
8. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:43.503 +1.390
9. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:43.546 +1.433
10. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:43.558 +1.445
11. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:43.746 +1.633
12. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:44.005 +1.892
13. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:44.068 +1.955
14. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:44.157 +2.044
15. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:44.316 +2.203
16. Adrian Sutil - Sauber - 1:44.763 +2.650
17. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:44.986 +2.873
18. Kamui Kobayashi - Caterham - 1:45.505 +3.392
19. Will Stevens - Caterham - 1:47.057 +4.944
20. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari -no time

Hamilton stays ahead of Rosberg in FP2
Lewis Hamilton drew first blood in the battle for the Formula 1 title by outpacing Nico Rosberg in Friday practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Rosberg was faster in the first part of the session when the field was running on the slower soft-compound Pirellis by over six tenths of a second. But once the field bolted on the super-softs, it was Hamilton who emerged as the pacesetter, shading Rosberg by 0.144s on his first flier and then improving by almost half-a-tenth on his second attempt. Rosberg subsequently shaved a tenth off his laptime, but ended up 83 thousandths of a second slower than his Mercedes team-mate. Both had very brief visits to the run-off during the session as they fought for supremacy, but Mercedes still had a crushing advantage on pace.
Kevin Magnussen was best-of-the rest in third place ahead of Sebastian Vettel, but such was the advantage of Mercedes that they were the only other drivers to better Rosberg's earlier top time on the soft rubber. Valtteri Bottas was fifth fastest, just under a second off the pace, pipping the second Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo. Kimi Raikkonen was seventh fastest for Ferrari, but it was a disappointing session overall for the Scuderia as the second car of Fernando Alonso stopped after two laps with a suspected engine problem. Jenson Button's running was limited thanks to a hydraulic leak that delayed him early on, but he was able to completed 21 laps and ended up eighth fastest. Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat and Felipe Massa rounded out the top 10.
The lead Force India of Sergio Perez missed out on the top 10 by less than two tenths, with Pastor Maldonado 12th fastest. With Alonso bottom of the timesheets after not setting a time, the returning Caterhams brought up the rear. But Kamui Kobayashi was just over half-a-second off the back of the midfield pack. Behind him, Will Stevens completed 33 laps in the second Caterham and continued his learning curve after a disrupted morning session, ending up within five seconds off the pace.

Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 1st practice session :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:43.476
2. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:43.609 +0.133
3. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:45.184 +1.708
4. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:45.334 +1.858
5. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:45.361 +1.885
6. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:45.718 +2.242
7. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:45.835 +2.359
8. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:45.913 +2.437
9. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:45.983 +2.507
10. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:46.030 +2.554
11. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - 1:46.049 +2.573
12. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:46.131 +2.655
13. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:46.549 +3.073
14. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:46.556 +3.080
15. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:46.711 +3.235
16. Esteban Ocon - Lotus - 1:47.066 +3.590
17. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:47.235 +3.759
18. Kamui Kobayashi - Caterham - 1:47.971 +4.495
19. Adderly Fong - Sauber - 1:48.269 +4.793
20. Will Stevens - Caterham - 1:50.684 +7.208

Lewis Hamilton fastest in first practice session
Lewis Hamilton recorded the quickest time in the opening practice session for this weekend's Formula 1 title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver set a laptime 0.133 seconds quicker than his team-mate Nico Rosberg. Once again the two title protagonists dominated the top of the timesheets, with a 1.7-second margin over Fernando Alonso's Ferrari in third. The two Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo were next up in fourth and fifth places respectively. The Toro Rossos set the sixth and seventh quickest times with Jean-Eric Vergne lapping a tenth ahead of his team-mate Daniil Kvyat. Valtteri Bottas was eighth, but just half an hour into the session he suffered an alarming moment when the engine bodywork was ripped off the right-hand side of his Williams at high speed. His Williams team-mate Felipe Massa was also forced to pit with a similar problem and the team elected not to run again in the session. Massa was 13th. Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top 10 in their Force Indias ahead of Kevin Magnussen's McLaren and the second Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen. Another driver near the bottom of the timesheets was Jenson Button. He suffered a problem with his McLaren and could only manage eight laps in total, leaving him 17th. Lotus was forced to replace one of its front wings after it was damaged by hitting a bird on track. Briton Will Stevens was last on the timesheets in his first ever F1 session for Caterham. His running was curtailed after just a single installation lap due to a suspected problem with his Renault power unit. After a long fix, Stevens was able to resume the session with just over 10 minutes remaining.Two other drivers made their practice debuts on Friday lunchtime at the Yas Marina circuit. Formula 3 European champion Esteban Ocon stepped into Romain Grosjean's Lotus, while GP3 and sportscar racer Adderly Fong took over Adrian Sutil's Sauber.


Regards
Shaky - Schumi