F1 Fans Mag November 2013 @F1FansMag www.f1fansmag.com
-The Genius of Newey -Abu Dhabi & US Review -Brazil Preview -Antonio Felix da Costa -Interview -Legends of F1 -The Red Bull Story - And much, much more... i
2013 US GRAND PRIX Circuit of the Americas •
Track Length 5.5 km
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Lap Record 1:39.347
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Laps 56
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Anti clockwise
Race profile The 2012 grand prix in Austin marked a return to America for the sport after five years away and remains the only American race until 2015 with the expected arrival of New Jersey. The race track incorporates many elements both old and new, with inspiration such as in the Esses section from Maggotts and Becketts at Silverstone. A steep incline going into turn one provides a challenge and an opportunity for great overtaking moves as seen last year, as well as the two DRS zones between turn’s eleven and twelve and the main straight. 2012 Last year saw the inaugural Austin Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton taking the win from second on the grid. The track quickly became a favourite with fans as the circuit of the Americas provided both a technical challenge to the drivers and a great spectacle to the audience. The steep incline into turn one saw a lot of action on the start last season, and showcased that there was an advantage in being on the “clean side” of the track. An advantage that Ferrari exploited last year by changing Felipe Massa’s gearbox and incurring a five place grid penalty that put championship contender Fernando Alonso onto the better side of the grid. This advantage allowed Fernando Alonso to fully exploit his fantastic race start to gain fourth place, which became third as Mark Webber crashed out. Lewis Hamilton managed to pass Sebastian Vettel in the dying laps of the race with a fantastic late breaking move to secure his last race win for McLaren and his second American win. Fernando Alonso finished on the podium to keep his championship challenge alive into the final race and Felipe Massa fought ii
his way up to fourth just one place behind the teammate he incurred a penalty after qualifying. This year This weekend Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes will be looking to replicate his win to feed their constructors championship challenge to retain second place over Lotus and Ferrari, a challenge that is looking slightly easier in recent races as Ferrari have struggled and it has been announce Kimi Raikkonen will not be racing for Lotus for the remainder of the season due to surgery on his back. 
 The favourites going into this race will undoubtedly be the Red Bull pair of newly crowned four time world champion Sebastian Vettel and the retiring Mark Webber, both on good form with a fantastic car looking to add to their statistics in the penultimate race of the season, despite already securing the constructors and drivers championship. So going into the penultimate race of the season will we see the American race specialist Lewis Hamilton, the retiring Mark Webber hoping to secure the tenth win of his career or the imperious Sebastian Vettel upon the top step of the podium? The answer waits in Austin Texas.
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THE F1 2014 GRID SO FAR...
VETTEL RICCIARDO
ALONSO RAIKKONEN
ROSBERG HAMILTON
GROSJEAN
TBC
?
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BUTTON MAGNUSSEN TBC
?
TBC
?
BOTTAS
TBC
? TBC
? MASSA
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VERGNE KYVAT TBC
?
TBC
BIANCHI
? TBC
? Who will end up where in 2014? With the likes of Hulkenberg, di Resta, Maldonado and Perez all fighting for their F1 future, will money once again overrule talent in F1?
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Maria de Villota It was announced on 11th October 2013 that Maria De Villota had sadly passed away in her sleep after suffering a heart attack and a suspected brain haemorrhage that could be related to her accident from last year while testing for the Marussia team. Maria’s personal assistant discovered her body in a Spanish hotel room in Seville after going to wake her up at 7am. This news shocked everyone in the paddock. Maria was a unique sports women who had achieved her dream of becoming a top class racer and was a reserve driver for the Marussia team. However, sadly last year during a test with the team she had crashed into a lorry and suffered life threatening injuries but pulled through after surgery. Maria had lost an eye as a result of the accident which ended her sporting career as a driver but she continued to inspire the F1 paddock with her determination and her outlook on life despite everything she suffered. Maria was on 12th October expected to give a talk in Seville today ahead of her releasing her autobiography Life is a Gift. The Formula One paddock and fans of the sport at the Japanese Grand Prix were all united in their grief at his tragic time. Jenson Button spoke very highly of Maria by saying, ‘This girl has been through so much, more than most people could go through in their lives. This is horrific news and a real shock for the paddock and the world of motorsport.’ Jenson’s boss Martin Whitmarsh for me sums up Maria as a person:‘She was an inspiration, not just to women in this sport but also to all those who suffered life-threatening injuries. Her story, her determination and subsequent inspiration flowed from F1 through sport as a whole.’ vii
And Martin is right. As a women who has followed Formula One since the age of eight, I was extremely happy that women like Maria and also Susie Wolff (Susie is Williams development driver and the wife of Toto Wolff) have pushed for women who would like to achieve their dream of driving for the sport. And their dreams came true, which I am absolutely thrilled about. Maria despite everything that she went through continued to support and dedicate her life to the sport that she dreamed about driving for, supported and finally loved so much. She will remembered by her legacy that she has left in the sport and also her autobiography that I am sure that everyone will take something away from. I personally will take away her hard work, grit and determination to actively make a difference to the sport that we all love so much and that she loved so much. And she should be remembered as a woman who strove and fought to achieve her dream to drive at the pinnacle of motorsport and always never gave up. Our thoughts are with Maria’s family and friends at this sad time and I’m sure everyone would like to her family to know that everyone associated with motorsport and also within Formula One will honour her personality, her working ethic and her achievements within the field. And that we all so proud of everything that she had achieved in her life and will be greatly missed by all who knew and worked with her. By Sarah Jones
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Sebastian Vettel: “The Man For Four Seasons” “The man for four seasons” is how BBC F1 commentator Ben Edwards described Sebastian Vettel after the German won his fourth consecutive World Drivers Championship in India. Edwards was spot on. Like him or not, Vettel is truly one of the sports finest drivers. He is one of only three drivers to have scored four consecutive titles and one of only four drivers to have actually one four titles. You could argue that he has had the best car but every world champion had the best car. Just because a driver has the best car doesn't necessarily mean they can win championships. You only need to look at the other side of the Red Bull garage to see evidence of that. We've even seen what Vettel can do in an inferior car when he qualified on pole and then went on to win the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. Undoubtedly, Sebastian's strongest point is qualifying. To date he has claimed an incredible 43 pole positions. His qualifying laps are so on edge yet so controlled, they are almost Senna like. Lets not dispute his race craft. So far he has won 37 Grand Prix. On quite a few occasions these victories have come from pole position but when required, he has fought his way through the field rather excellently. Remember Abu Dhabi last year?
Vettel celebrating his fourth World Championship by donuting on the Buddh International Circuit pit straight ix
However, for me, what sets Vettel apart from the rest of the field is his personality. In the car he is utterly ruthless but out of the car, behind the scenes, we see a completely different person. He is easy going and has a keen sense of humour which, in today's very corporate world of F1, is not something you see too often. During the BBC's pre-race build up show at the Indian Grand Prix in an interview with Lee Mackenzie, after she described him as a “funny guy and a great racing driver”, Sebastian adds to Mackenzie's list of compliments by stating that he is “an amazing lover”. A joke which I doubt someone like Alonso or Raikonnen would have made. It still baffles me why people dislike Sebastian. I can understand that events at Sepang may have left a bitter taste in the mouths of fans but if anything, that race showed his true determination to win. And that is something that is always evident with Sebastian. With four championships under his belt he has absolutely nothing to prove yet he still feels the needs to go for pole and go for race wins and go for fastest laps which, if you ask me, is what a driver should be like. It's this undying passion for success which could very much see Vettel surpass Michael Schumacher's seven world titles. He's already halfway there!
(All information accurate at time of writing)
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F1 WORD SEARCH
Can you find all 22 F1 2013 Drivers in the word search? xi
THE GENIUS OF NEWEY Adrian Newey has been seen as the person who creates world champions, responsible for championships at Williams, McLaren and more recently Red Bull Racing. As one of the most formidable designers in Formula One, he holds the record of winning championships with three different teams as the leading designer, and is one the most sought-after in the paddock. His career hasn’t always been as successful and predictable as you might think though, with many obstacles blocking his path on his road to Formula. We often think of people devoting their life to the sport, but Newey has always loved everything, not just his particular craft. This has gone as far as an interest in club racing, including that of Ginettas and racing at Le Mans. In a professional capacity he has always shown great interest in designing a America’s Cup yacht during his time at McLaren, but the move to Red Bull meant he had to put those plans on hold. He was born in Stratford Upon Avon in the midlands, and attended Repton, a highly regarded public school in Derbyshire, where he studied alongside BBC Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson. Not having the best of times there, he was asked to leave aged 16 after blowing out the stained glass windows in the schools 11th Century Pears Building by turning up the sound levels during a concert. He went to get a degree at the University of Southampton in Aeronautics and Astronautics, and was quickly snapped up by F1 legend Harvey Postlethwaite, who was working at the Fittipadi Formula One team at the time, although Postllethwaite would move to Ferrari for the following season and Newey to March. xii
March had its fingers in many different pies, with Newey first working on the March GTP sports car, before progressing to IndyCar in 1983. Both were highly successful for him, taking many victories including the revered Indy 500, something that most in motorsport say should be included on any ‘bucket list’ of must do’s. The next season with Al Unser, they took the championship which was also followed up with another championship winning year with Bobby Rahal in 1986. With much success in America, he decided to come home to Formula One, originally with Haas (Formula One Race Car Engineering ︲ FORCE), but when that dissolved, he returned back to the March team, but this time as their chief designer. 1988 was his first year, and the March 881 driven by Ivan Capelli and Mauricio Gugelmin. It was a much more successful year than expected with Capelli getting a 2nd place at the Portuguese Grand Prix, ending the season 7th in the championship. With the new Judd V8 engine the car was constantly the fastest in the speed traps, clocking the fastest 194mph at Hockenheim. With the next year car, the CG891 running late, Gugelmin also recorded a respectable 3rd at his home Grand Prix in 1989. March became Leyton House Racing in 1990, and the performances slid, and with Newey in charge of the car he was fired. With the changeover of the team Newey wasn’t happy with the way that it was run, leading to the overall decline. The firing from Leyton House, would though cement his future, departing to the much better funded Williams team. In the early 90’s the dominating team was McLaren, but Williams with the stalwart figure of Patrick Head as technical director were looking to close that gap. The Newey and Head partnership would go on to be one of the most successful ever. The first version, the FW14 in 1991, driven by British legend Nigel Mansell narrowly missed out on winning the championship by the McLaren of Ayrton Senna. Reliability would be their downfall, something that Newey would suffer from in later seasons. 1992 saw complete dominance by Williams, giving the championship to Mansell after coming so close many seasons before. 1993 was a similar story with Alain Prost winning the championship that year, again with a highly dominant car. xiii
The dominance of the Williams car brought Ayrton Senna to team for 1994 alongside Damon Hill. It wasn’t a great start, with both drivers complaining that it was difficult to drive after all the electronic aids of the previous seasons had been banned. The worst happened at Imola of that season, with the death of Ayrton Senna. It was attributed to a broken steering column, but it was inconclusive if it was that that caused him to go off the road, or if it was broken in the accident. Damon Hill, and test driver David Coulthard would battle hard for the rest of the season to take the third contractors championship, and for Damon Hill to narrowly miss out on the drivers at the last race to Michael Schumacher. With a manslaughter charge over the heads of the leaders at Williams, the relationship between Newey and the team changed, and Newey looked at moving teams and becoming a technical director again. With wins in 1995, the team missed out on the drivers and constructors champions, beaten again by Michael Schumacher and the Benetton team. 1996 would be a different story though, with Michael Schumacher joining Ferrari, Williams would move back to the front of the field again with Damon Hill winning the world championship, alongside F1 rookie Jacques Villeneuve. In the same season it was announced that Newey would depart to McLaren for 1997, but he had already designed the Williams for the following season. That car would go on and win the championship for Villeneuve, and would herald the end of the works Renault engine supply they had enjoyed so much success with.
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Not able to make much progress on the McLaren 1997 design, Newey would go on and design the championship winning cars for Miki Hakkinen in 98 and 99. As always with Adrian, there has always a controversy, when the team were using a ‘brake steer’ system, which was soon outlawed, although they did still win 5 races that season. Heading into the 00’s that success wasn’t repeated. With Schumacher and Ferrari dominating winning year after year, it sparked a decline in the performance of the McLarens. In 2003 with Raikkonen and Coulthard, the team started well, although the year was dampened by the terrible crash test and reliability problems of the MP4-18, causing the team to use a revised version of the MP4-17. As Newey’s such extreme way of designing the car was never a success, and even the following version, the MP4-19 struggled only getting the team to 5th in the constructor’s title. While the performance of the team was sliding Newey was approached by Bobby Rahal, who was running the works Jaguar team, to take over as their technical director. They had signed a contract, but wasn’t completed after Ron Dennis, the boss of McLaren, convinced him to stay. Those rumours persisted until it was announced in November 05, that he would join the Red Bull team (which was born out of the withdrawal of the Jaguar team). Again, with little input into the following season, Newey was unable to make the 2006 car a success, but David Coulthard who by this time had also moved to the Red Bull team, achieved a podium at the Monaco Grand Prix. In 2007, the common trait of Newey came up again, the car was reasonably fast, but unreliable, although they did achieve 5th in the championship, an improvement from the previous year.
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With the news rules in 2009, Newey designed a clever car, although didn’t take advantage of the ‘Double Deck Diffuser’ in the early part of the season, it did take three wins later on in the season to record its highest ever standing in the championship, 2nd. 2010 though proved to be the crucial year, with the RB6 dominating and Sebastian Vettel going on to becoming the world champion for the first time, and Newey setting the record of winning championships with three different teams. It also proved that he was able to design a car again that was both fast and reliable, although that didn’t mean that the packaging of the car was safe, something that carries over to the car of today. 2011 and 2012 proved to be fruitful years for the team, with tough competition of McLaren and Ferrari, and more latterly Mercedes, they went to win both championships again. Due to the huge success over the previous 3 years, Newey was awarded an OBE in the 2012 New Years Honour list for his services to Motorsport, a testament for success over the previous 30 years in the sport. 2013 was always going to be a good opportunity for Red Bull to win the championship again, with major regulations changes for 2014 few dramatic changes would be made. With such a roll of form, it looks impossible that any other team will be able to catch them, with Mercedes, Ferrari and Lotus all faltering at some point in the season.
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As an engineer, it is a great challenge when regulations change in the sport, which is why Newey is still with Red Bull and has the motivation to continue designing winning cars. Not only have they over the years dominate the sport, he still designs using pencil and paper, against the grain of the current designers who use advanced CAD/CAM software. With turbo engines and a larger use of recovery energy in 2014, it’s going to be important to maintain reliability, something that the current KERS unit of the team has struggled, due to its unusual layout within the car. However many years he chooses remain in F1, with Red Bull or with a different team, he will still be regarded as one of the best designers ever, with a level of success that will be difficult to replicate. We think often of drivers in F1 having legend status, but you could label Adrian Newey as a legend within the sport. Feature by Ashley James (@PurpleSectorF1)
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F1 QUIZ Test your F1 knowledge with out F1 quiz 1 - When did Mark Webber make his Formula One debut? 2 - With which team did Jenson Button win his first race with? 3 - When was the last time Sebastian Vettel didn’t finish a race? 4 - Who was the last driver to win 9 races in a season? 5 - Who was the last British driver to win a race other than Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button 6 - At which race in 2005 did only 6 cars start? 7 - Which drivers holds the record for most F1 races started? 8 - How many races has Mark Webber won in F1? 9 - At which track and in what year did Sebastian Vettel win his first Grand Prix? 10 - Which former F1 driver did Lotus reportedly ask to drive in the final two Grand Prix for the season? Answers at the back!
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Abu Dhabi GP Ahead of the race we knew that Kimi Raikkonen was going to start at the back of the field, after being disqualified in Qualifying after the front of the floor was to be found to have flexed too much in Park Ferme. At the back of the field, Jules Bianchi also had a 5 place penalty after having a crash in practice which needed the gearbox to be changed. With Mark Webber in pole position after getting the perfect lap, and the sister car of Sebastian Vettel 2nd it was clear the Red Bull had a clear pace advantage over the rest of the field. The Mercedes of Rosberg and Hamilton would start on the second, ahead again of Hulkenberg in the Sauber who is able to get the car in the top 5. Grosjean, Massa, Perez, RIcciardo and Alonso rounded out the top 10. With talk of some drivers having the possibility of going for a one stop on the tyres, Jenson Button was the first of the drivers starting on the mediums in 12th, along with Bottas, Gutierrez, Sutil, and Raikkonen. At the start, Webber had a bad start, overtaken by Vettel and Rosberg. Hamilton had a good start also, but was chopped off by Mark Webber into the first turn, loosing the position to Grosjean on the exit. Jenson Button lost his front wing in the crunch through the first corner, and Raikkonen his the back of Van der Garde’s Caterham, knocking the front right tyre, forcing him out of the race at the second corner. Perez tried to overtake Alonso. Struggling after the start Hamilton lost further ground, going behind Hulkenberg, quickly though regaining that position into the chicane. With the team worried about losing performance on his tyres, Hamilton was told to drop back from GutiÊrrez. With Hamilton still unable to overtake the Saucer which was quick in a straight line. Vetted who was still in the lead and the two Ferraris were yet to stop, with Vettel lapping faster than than everyone else, even those on new mediums. Webber was making good progress, passing Sutil having not stopped. Vettel pitted, again for the mediums and Massa stayed on, looking like that he was going to try for a one stop. At the same time, it was seen on the television Kimi Raikkonen leaving the track, after another disappointing weekend for the Finn, after having such a good run earlier on in the season. Rosberg past Vergne, up into to 5th, with Mark Webber the next to pass. Grosjean was stuck behind Sutil, but was able to pass into the Chicano at the end of the straight. Sutil repassed Grosjean using the DRS, and Hamilton tried again to overtake Gutierrez. xix
Going longer than most, Alonso pitted on lap 17 for the medium tyre coming out behind Sergio Perez, while Jean-Eric Vergne also pitted. With Hamilton still not making it past Guttierez, Hulkenberg was gaining on the two of them. Grosjean past Sutil into the first chicane, but had DRS on the exit trying to get past, but wasn't able retake the place. Massa pitted on lap 19, as well as Gutierrez. Massa came out behind Hamilton, but ahead of Hulkenberg, also with fresh medium tyres. Vettel still in the lead though, with a 22 second ahead of Paul di Rasta who had yet to stop with Rosberg in 3rd, Webber 4th and Grosjean in 5th after being stuck in the traffic. Rosberg and Webber scrapped with both having the DRS, with Webber moving into 3rd place on lap 20 into the 2nd chicane. Di Resta pitted on lap 21, coming out 10th, behind Bottas who had yet to stop on the mediums. Sutil his team mate was 5th, after also starting on the mediums. Making his way through traffic, Alonso got past Perez into the 2nd chiane for 10th place on lap 22. Next up for Alonso, the yet to stop Bottas for 9th. Overtaking into the 2nd chicane. Sutil was challenged by Hamilton and Massa, with both having DRS, but neither abe to pass. Bottas pitted on lap 25 who started on the medium tyre, going again onto the medium, which would mean that he would have to two stop. Vettel set a fastest lap on lap 30, 30 seconds ahead of any one else, including his team mate, a dominate performance again from the German, showing that he is the class of the field. As expected it was announced that Hulkenberg would get a drive though after the unsafe lease into he pillage on Perez, dropping him down the field. On Lap 34, the order was – Vettel, Webber, Rosberg, Grosjean, Hamilton, Alonso, Di Resta, Vergne, Hamilton and the Williams of Valtteri Bottas in 10th. Rosberg pitted along with Webber, which elevated Grosjean into 2nd. Vettel pitted lap 38 for more mediums, Grosjean pitted the same lap, but dropped behind Webber and Rosberg, and just ahead of the two Ferraris, staying ahead of Massa. Alonso had a go a massa ito the hairpin, didnt make it stick, loosing out along the straight.
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Massa pitted a lap later, releasing Alonso on lap 39. A slow stop, coming out ahead of Bottas and behind Hamilton. Di Resta and Vergne in 6th and 7th 1 stopping, with Hamilton and Massa behind. Bottas in 10th needs to stop again after going Medium, Medium on his tyre strategy.vPerez crusied up to the back of Sutil, with Vergne 9th, Sutil 10th and Perez 11th. Sutil past Vergne on the first straight, with Perez trying to overtake on the 2nd. Maldonado also closed on Perez in 12th. Lap 48 and Hamilton started to close quickly on the one stopping Di Resta. Di Resta was being attacked by Hamilton and Alonso on fresher tyres. Maldonado in the Williams past Vergne for 11th using DRS, very close to the team getting another point this year, in what has become a very disappointing season for the team. Grosjean setting fastest laps closing on Rosberg for 3rd. Alonso got right behind Hamilton overtaking using the DRS for 6th place, and then quickly dispatched di Rasta, using the advantage in his soft tyre. Falling back on the one stop, Vergne fell into the clusters of Bottas, and then pitted at the end of the lap. Hamilton was unable to pass Di Resta, although McLaren team mate Perez tried on Sutil, again without success. Perez though did manage to take the place on the final lap, with Sutil dropping back to 10th place, still getting a point for Force India. Vettel won from Mark Webber, Rosberg and Grosjean. Alonso finished 5th, from Di Resta, Hamilton, Massa and Perez with Sutil rounding out the top 10.vIn another exuberant celebration, Vettel did some more doughnuts on the slow down lap. Not in keeping with the protocol, but at least this time he followed the park ferme rules with bringing the car back to the pit lane at the end of the race. Report by Ashley James (@PurpleSectorF1
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What is missing in this wonderful world? Well there’s lots of things and one of them is a fun, F1 Simulation game. Well fear not fellow F1 Fans, Nathan Harper at BeerMogul has gave us Formula Legend! The F1 game where you create your own driver and race the current drivers. Start off at the bottom and fight your way to the top. Choose tire strategies, when to pit, how aggressive you are, gain or lose time in chichane and passing backmarkers. The easy-to-play and extremely addictive F1 simulation game is here. Available for FREE on iOS and Android, you should go and download it NOW!
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So far, This Column has featured former Formula One World Champions such as Hunt, Lauda, and Damon Hill. But what about our current World Champion? The newly crowned 4 time world champ? Anyone who wins 4 world championships is a legend. Right? Back in 2007, Robert Kubica had a massive shunt in his BMW-Sauber during the Canadian GP. A shunt that is still etched on my memory as a real heart in mouth moment. Due to the injuries and required recovery period Kubica was not able to take part the following week in the US GP and as such BMW needed a stand in. As the third Driver of the team Vettel was called upon to stand in for Kubica and immediately showed promise. At the age of just 19 years and 349 days being the youngest ever driver to score a point in Formula One. Not long after this performance Vettel was released by BMW to take the seat at Torro Rosso, The Red Bull sister team (red bull had been funding his career thus far as a member of the Young Driver Program). He replaced Scott Speed from the 07 Hungarian GP onwards. Within a few races for Toro Rosso, Vettel was making a name for himself, specifically rear ending his future team mate Webber during a safety car period & putting them both out of the race. With Vettel in tears, Webber was damning in his criticism of Vettel, as a Kid who was out of his depth in F1. Although in the following week at the Chinese grand prix he drove from 17th on the grid to an amazing 4th place. Torro Rosso’s best finish at that point. 2008 was to be a big year for Vettel’s career although it started badly with 4 poor results: RET / RET / RET / 17th However after this point the season improved with points in Monaco Germany and Europe. At the European GP the team noted a change in Vettel’s driving especially Giorgio Ascanelli (The technical director) who stated: "Suddenly Vettel understood something about how to drive an F1 car quickly. It made a huge difference – not only to the speed he could unlock, but also to his ability to do so consistently."
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After this we had the memorable wet race in Monza, Italy in which Sebastian scored his, and the team’s maiden GP win. A massive win as it put him on the map as hot property and a star of the future. It also made him the youngest ever Grand Prix Winner. Red Bull Racing decided to snap up the youngster for the 2009 season to replace the retiring David Coulthard and partner Australian Mark Webber. 2009 bought a change in the regulations of Formula One which shook up the competitive order. with BrawnGP (Risen from the ashes of the departed Honda) stealing a march on all other teams with their Double Decker Diffuser. Clearly Mclaren and Ferrari not only missed this trick but had delivered poor cars and struggled to adapt to these rules. The second best team quickly became Red Bull Racing. And this was without the trick diffuser. Red Bull duly had their first win in China, to make it even sweeter it was a 1-2 with Vettel leading home Webber. As the car developed and Adrian Newey worked out a way of incorporating a Diffuser the Car became a lot more competitive and quickly started to take points out of Jenson Button and BrawnGP’s lead in the tables. Vettel took further wins in Britain, Japan and Abu Dhabi to earn 2nd place in the drivers championship in only his second full year in F1. 2010 Saw Vettel’s steepest challenge to date. With 5 Grand Prix wins, he never led the championship,however his consistency and tenacity saw him constantly scoring points throughout the year and keeping him in contention for the title. At Abu Dhabi, the win (and difficult races for Webber and Alonso) gave him the Championship. Oh and of course, he was the youngest ever championship winner to add to the records! The year did however see his relationship with Webber deteriorate irreparably with their crash in the Turkish GP in which the team backed up Vettel even though the F1 paddock’s senior figures felt that the blame was pretty squarely on his shoulders, and then the front wing debacle at Silverstone in which Vettel damaged his new front wing, and the only other version of this was removed from Webber’s car and given to Vettel prior to qualifying. This became a very public spat and fanned the flames of favouritism towards Vettel within the team.
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2011 bought more records to the young German. with 11 Grand prix wins and a dominant year for himself and the team. With the Title wrapped up at the Japanese GP with 4 races still to go, it was an amazing year for Vettel who had really grown in maturity and adapted very quickly to the new Pirelli Tires. (Unlike his team-mate who clearly struggled) 2012 was a more difficult year then the previous, with a tougher challenge for the title from Hamilton in the Mclaren and Alonso in the Ferrari. In fact Vettel struggled through the middle of the year and only gained the momentum in the championship with a momentous comeback in the final fly-away leg of the season. Vettel’s mental strength through stand out drives in Abu Dhabi and Brazil really showed his quality which had been previously questioned by many. The 2012 Brazilian GP decided the World Championship and was certainly not without incident. Vettel got squeezed towards the wall by his team-mate at the start and ended up facing backwards after tripping over Senna’s williams. The Red Bull was badly damaged but managed to continue and earn the required points to take the third consecutive world title. 2013 has been an incredible year for Vettel. With a clumsy win in Malaysia in which he defied the team to take the win from Webber, and the even clumsier way he handled the press afterwards which led to booing from fans at his wins throughout the season whilst on the podium. Many fans booing as Vettel was the Villain of the pack in the webber incident, and his constant winning perceived to be boring by the casual fan.
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Once again it was a relentless push in the latter part of the season which earned Vettel the title, and at the point of writing this column, Vettel has won every race since we came back from our August Summer break (8 back to back races- a new record!) So Vettel is a four time world champion. Only the 4th driver to do so (Fangio, Prost, Schumacher being the others) He holds 45 Pole positions and 38 wins. He is also only 26 years old giving him plenty of years to add to this. Vettel holds many records in F1 (Mostly in the ‘youngest driver to’ category) and will only continue to add to those. He is clearly the star of his generation who has found himself in the best team and best car on most occasions, but has clearly got the most out of the package he has been given. (Compared with Mr webber!) Many fans find the ‘domination’ of vettel boring, much as they did when it was Schumacher dominating 10 years ago in a Ferrari, but I think its all about the way you look at it. Surely we are privileged to be watching greatness in action. A legend being created, and history being made. In my mind, I look at Vettel, and see a legend. not in the same way as I look at Schumacher, or Senna, or Fangio, but with a different view, as Vettel IS a legend….a legend that is still being created. Feature by Paul Gawne
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Antonio Felix da Costa Renault 3.5 Driver and member of the Red Bull Junior Programme Antonio Felix da Costa very kindly took time out of his busy schedule to talk to the F1 Fans Mag Do you feel you are ready for Formula 1? I think that you are never 100% ready to F1 until you get there. But I think I would be ready to be on the grid on 2014 and do a good job, but now it´s time to think about the future and continue fighting to get there. I am only 22 and have all my energy here to fight for this dream. How disappointed were you to miss out on the 2014 Toro Rosso seat? On the beginning I was sad and disappointed but I am a professional racing driver and I have to accept the decision of Red Bull. It was difficult on the beginning but now I just want to prove them that I deserve to be there. Are you still hopeful in future seasons that you will get a Formula 1 drive? Yes, I am working to be there. It doesn’t finish here. I am part of the Red Bull family and my goal is to get into F1. Who were you racing idols when you were growing up? I had some good references like Ayrton, Schummacher and now Vettel but idols is something that I never had a particular one. This is because I respect all of them, try to take the best out of all but on the other hand hope to be fighting with the top drivers one day. xxvii
When did you know that you wanted to be a racing driver as a career? I think I was born like this because I always loved racing and cars. Probably because my brother Duarte was racing and that was the confirmation of my passion which is racing. What sort of racing series would you like to do in the future if you don’t get in Formula 1? At the moment I am focused to get into F1 and doing what I can to achieve that together with Red Bull. In the future we will have to see other options if I don´t get there, but at the moment my focus is Macau Grand Prix, try and win it for second time and than continue working hard to get into F1. The F1 Fans Mag would like to thank Antonio and his management for taking the time to answer our questions.
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Brazilian GP The Brazilian grand prix became a fixture on the Formula One calendar in 1973 and returned in 1990 after ten years away, providing many legendary battles and tight championship deciding races. Steeped in tradition and a deep love of motor sport the Brazilian grand prix is a firm favorite with drivers and fans alike, providing both a challenge and an historic atmosphere. The desire to win in Brazil one of the calendars great traditional circuits is clearly a focus for drivers as Brazil provides a true home of motor sport akin to Silverstone, Monaco and the Nßrburgring. The season closer in Brazil always proves to be a fantastic spectacle, with many close championships being decided at the famous Interlagos circuit. Last year proved to be a race for the history books with Sebastian Vettel battling back through the field after early contact to take his third consecutive championship by just three points from Fernando Alonso. However, possibly the most gripping Brazilian grand prix has to be the 2008 race which saw Felipe Massa be a world champion for just a corner as Lewis Hamilton managed to take fifth place at the very last second to secure his first world championship. The threat of rain, the demanding circuit and the fight for championship deciding places sees the Brazilian grand prix to be one of the most fascinating grand prix races on the calendar. This year both championships have already been decided but the fight for second place is heating up with Lotus, Mercedes and Ferrari all vying for the honours. Lotus look to be at a massive disadvantage as it has been confirmed that 2007 World champion Kimi Raikkonen will not be racing in the final race, with his replacement not yet having been confirmed but most likely being reserve driver Davide Valsecchi. With Ferrari looking uncompetitive since the return from the mid-season break Mercedes look to be in the strongest position to retain second in the Constructors they gained with Nico Rosberg’s second place finish in Abu Dhabi.
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Felipe Massa and Mark Webber are the only drivers on the grid to have won the Brazilian grand prix more than once. Both will be looking to add to their victories as Massa leaves Ferrari for Williams and Webber leaves F1 for Porsche at the end of this season. Last year’s race saw Sebastian Vettel battle through the weather and contact to secure sixth place and the championship after an early collision and the McLaren’s rediscover a formidable pace. Lewis Hamilton looked set to take the win from pole position in his final race with McLaren until a collision with the fantastically qualified Nico Hulkenberg forced him to retire denying the team a one two finish. Fernando Alonso finished second on the podium ahead of his teammate Felipe Massa but could not secure the championship as Vettel lay in sixth place and three precious points ahead. Kimi Raikkonen’s string of point finishes ended with contact and an excursion from the track down a blocked escape road. Looking ahead to the final race of the season could we see Lewis Hamilton take his second win for Mercedes as they challenge for runners up in the Constructor’s championship? Will Sebastian Vettel continue his winning streak since the Belgium grand prix? Or can Felipe Massa or Mark Webber make it three times lucky in their last race with Ferrari?
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It’s not often that a leading team is faced with replacing a driver in the modern form of Formula 1 during the season. It however befalls to Lotus in 2013, with Kimi Raikkonen deciding to sit out the final two races to have a back operation in Europe in order to be fit for the 2014 season. Since having problems with his back in Singapore, Kimi hasn’t shown great speed for the team, with Romain Grosjean taking the plaudits for his amazing change in performance. Having injections before being able to race, and even an inability to sleep Kimi came to an arrangement with the team, given the rumours that he has yet to be paid that he could have the surgery before the end of the season. That left a problem for the Lotus team, they are battling for the runners up spot this year, and need a fast driver to help them make the jump against Ferrari and Mercedes. There have been presidents before, with Felipe Massa in 2009 where test driver Luca Badoer and later Giancarlo Fisichella drove the Ferrari, Miki Salo drove for Ferrari when Michael Schumacher broke both of his legs at the British Grand Prix in the mid 90’s, and David Coulthard who drove for Williams after the death of Ayrton Senna in 1994. In all those cases, the accidents all happened with a lot of the season remaining and would have time to settle into the car, and in the case of the 90’s they had unrestricted testing, so the test drivers were fully up to speed with the car. It was a disaster for Ferrari though when they put Luca Badoer into the car who was just not quick enough, and had to be replaced by Fisichella who was driving for Force India at the time.
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With only two races remaining, Louts don’t have that luxury, especially while battling hard for 2nd in the championship. They have a test driver in the form of Davide Valsecchi, who was the 2012 GP2 champion, but hasn’t driven a F1 car at a race weekend, and in a way is really an unknown to the team as how he would perform in race conditions, and as such they were forced to look for other solutions for the final two races, with a driver that has a lot of experience to gain the points. Driver elect for 2014 for the team, Nico Hulkenberg was top of the list, but a contractual problem, rumoured to be that he is locked into Sauber for the rest of the year with Ferrari paying his salary, he walked away from the opportunity, ‘deciding’ to see out the season with Sauber. With rumours that Pastor Maldonado could take the seat at Lotus, it would be then difficult for the German to return back to Sauber if needed for the 2014 season. It was also floated that 7 times world champion Michael Schumacher was approached for the drive, although he was to have said that he was happy with life at the moment and didn’t want to do the final two races. It was then left to Caterham test driver, and fellow Finn, Heikki Kovalainen. He has experience of the 2013 tyres, he drove and was test driver for the team back in the Renault days, and has won a race. Seen as a safe pair of hands he was announced at the 2nd driver of the team on Thursday, even missing out on the media questioning while still on a flight from Europe. Such was the time that the deal was completed, he had to wear Kimi’s race underwear. With the deal done many now question the role of a third driver, especially when they are rookies and have little track time. This could change in 2014 with a dedicated 30 minutes in F1, but it still raises the question of developing the new talent within the sport. Article by Ashley James (@PurpleSectorF1)
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THE
STORY
Red Bull Racing. “4 Times Constructors World Champions” have come a long way in 10 years in F1 and have achieved more than even they could have imagined. I cannot forget the Picture of the Jaguar F1 team and staff with the big FOR SALE signs above their heads at the 2004 Chinese Grand Prix, The story was that Ford Motor Company could no longer afford F1 and didn’t feel that it promoted the brand well enough with its poor results to date. The team was duly put up for sale and without a buyer 100’s of staff & mechanics would have been out of a job. Along came a knight in shining armour - Dietrich Mateschitz and his Red Bull energy drinks brand, they purchased the team as a going concern and securing the jobs of 100’s of staff at Milton Keynes. The first year was 2005. With a car developed under the guise of the previous management, it was called the RB1 and was driven by David Coulthard, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Christian Klien. The team however quickly gained a reputation for being the party team in the paddock who concentrated more on having fun than getting the best out of the car. The team bought some Hollywood glamour to F1 with a couple of Movie sponsorship tie-ins at the Monaco Grand Prix. One year the team donned capes for the promotion of the Superman Returns film, another saw the pit crew dressed as storm troopers for a Star Wars promotion. This however was soon to change by making arguably the biggest signing, that of adrian newey to put together a team to design and build the future cars. This was a clear statement of intent and a line in the sand for the team, that they weren’t there just to make up the numbers, or indeed just to have a good party! Coulthard scored the first podium at Monaco in 2006. A memorable event for the team as it resulted in a forfeit for team principal Christian Horner who had jump in the swimming pool naked, with just a red superman cape to hide his modesty! xxxiii
The Red Bull team continued to make progress and moved to Renault engines for the 2007 season which was to mark the start of a great and very close relationship. 2009 was the breakthrough year for Red Bull, with the new regulations allowing them to close and overtake their more established rivals. They produced the fastest non double diffuser shod car and delivered their first race in win in true style at a wet Chinese Grand Prix with Vettel winning and Mark webber following in 2nd place. As the wins started to chalk up, the stakes got higher and the in team tensions rose between the drivers. We’ve seen a crash in Turkey in 2010, The front wing debacle of Britain in 2010 and most recently the Multi 21 affair in Malaysia of this year. 2010, 2011, 2012 and now 2013 have all delivered Drivers and Constructors world championship trophies for the team which has taken a clean sweep of titles in 4 years of its 9 year history. An incredible stat indeed! With Sebastian Vettel still young and growing as a champion and a competitor, arguably getting better every year, there is no sign that this trend is going to stop any time soon. This is a truly amazing story that is now etched into the Formula One history books.
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QUIZ ANSWERS 1 ︲ 2002 2 - Honda 3 ︲ Hungary 2013 4 ︲ No one, it has never been done before 5 ︲ David Coulthard 6 ︲ USA 7 ︲ Rubens Barrichello 8︲9 9 ︲ Monza/Italy 2008 10 ︲ Michael Schumacher
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