Formula 1 - 2013 Championship Season

[visran]

A wonderful 2012 action packed F1 season is behind us where we saw an young German Sabastian Vettel take the crown of a Champion.

Let's concentrate on 2013 championship season,most of the teams have announced their driver line up except our very own Force India team.

Teams & Drivers

Infiniti Red Bull Racing
S. Vettel
M. Webber

Scuderia Ferrari
F. Alonso
F. Massa

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
J. Button
S. Perez

Lotus F1 Team
K. Raikkonen
R. Grosjean

Mercedes AMG Petronas
N. Rosberg
L. Hamilton

Sauber F1 Team
N. Hulkenberg
E. Gutiérrez

Williams F1 Team
P. Maldonado
V. Bottas

Scuderia Toro Rosso
D. Ricciardo
J. Vergne

Caterham F1 Team
C. Pic

Marussia Racing
T. Glock
M. Chilton

Here is the 2013 Grandprix calender:


2013 FORMULA 1 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX (Melbourne)
15 - 17 Mar

2013 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX (Kuala Lumpur)
22 - 24 Mar

2013 FORMULA 1 UBS CHINESE GRAND PRIX (Shanghai)
12 - 14 Apr

2013 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX (Sakhir)
19 - 21 Apr

FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA 2013 (Catalunya)
10 - 12 May

FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2013 (Monte Carlo)
24 - 26 May

FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA 2013 (Montréal)
07 - 09 Jun

2013 FORMULA 1 BRITISH GRAND PRIX (Silverstone)
28 - 30 Jun

FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS VON DEUTSCHLAND 2013 (TBA)
05 - 07 Jul

TBA (TBA) * 19 - 21 Jul

FORMULA 1 MAGYAR NAGYDÍJ 2013 (Budapest)
26 - 28 Jul

2013 FORMULA 1 SHELL BELGIAN GRAND PRIX (Spa-Francorchamps)
23 - 25 Aug

FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO D'ITALIA 2013 (Monza)
06 - 08 Sep

2013 FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX (Singapore)
20 - 22 Sep

2013 FORMULA 1 KOREAN GRAND PRIX (Yeongam)
04 - 06 Oct

2013 FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX (Suzuka)
11 - 13 Oct

2013 FORMULA 1 AIRTEL INDIAN GRAND PRIX (New Delhi)
25 - 27 Oct

2013 FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX (Yas Marina)
01 - 03 Nov

2013 FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX (Austin)
15 - 17 Nov

FORMULA 1 GRANDE PRÊMIO DO BRASIL 2013 (São Paulo)
22 - 24 Nov

 

[Theferrarifan]

Re: Formula-1 2013 Season

This season is going to be great! Alonso should be able to take the cup if ferrari gets his car right.

 

[Theferrarifan]

I just noticed that Catheram has only one driver. Is that a typo or they couldn't afford another car?

 

[ronz_2507]

Season will be awesome Mercedes GP with Hamilton and Rosberg will be an interesting combo. Is Force India not there this season and yes as ferrari fan mentioned only 1 driver from Caterham?? Also wasnt Marussia pulling out this season??

 

[P3T3R]

As always, I still support Ferrari!

 

[visran]

Force india is yet to announce their driver line up.

 

[Theferrarifan]

Also wasnt Marussia pulling out this season??

No Marussias competitor, Hisspania has pulled out.

 

[visran]

Final 2013 F1 seats set to be filled

The fight for Formula 1's leading seats may have been over months ago, but the battle for cockpits further down the field remains intense as judgements loom on the final two vacancies.

Force India and Caterham are the only remaining outfits that have yet to finalise their line-ups, but with just one month to go before the start of 2013 testing, decisions are now expected within days.

The increasingly tough economic climate worldwide means that teams at both ends of the grid have had to be more mindful of commercial considerations when it comes to drivers, which is why neither outfit is having an easy time making its choice.

Force India: Bianchi vs Sutil

The Force India vacancy is a plum seat, with Nico Hulkenberg having shown at theBrazilian Grand Prix that the team has the capability to fight right at the front.

Although Paul di Resta has not yet been confirmed, his performances last year left the team in no doubt that he justified another opportunity for 2013, so his place is secure.

Towards the end of last season, the list of candidates for the seat alongside di Resta stretched to double figures though, as youngsters like Luiz Razia, out of work men like Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi, and current racers like Bruno Senna and Kamui Kobayashi vied to fill Hulkenberg's place.

Although each driver had varying amounts of sponsorship behind him, Force India CEO Otmar Szafnauer told AUTOSPORT at the end of last season that the decision would ultimately rest on ability rather than backing.

He made it clear his preference was for speed to ultimately win out, because that would be the only way of ensuring both its men performed.

"I am a believer that you need someone like that," he said. "Not everyone does, and it is a subconscious thing.

"You think you are driving the best you can, but there is nothing like competition for us humans to really sharpen our focus, attention and skills in all sort of stuff. If you have competition you end up driving yourself more."

That process has culminated in the selection whittling down now to what appears to be a straightforward decision between veteran Adrian Sutil and rising star Jules Bianchi.

Sutil has the experience and speed to keep things moving forward after Hulkenberg, and would bring some funding from his long-term backers.

Bianchi would be more of a gamble on the driving front - because he has yet to race in F1 – but he has the added attraction of closes ties to Ferrari.

The Frenchman has been retained as part of the Ferrari Driver Academy for 2013, and a long-term deal could tie in to a potential engine partnership for 2014 and beyond.

Ferrari is currently working on sorting out its future customer engine plans, and may need to secure another partner with Scuderia Toro Rosso likely to make the move to Renault after this season.

The final call on Force India's drivers rests with team principal Vijay Mallya, who will need to weigh up both the short-term and long-term benefits of either candidate.

Caterham: Petrov, Senna or van der Garde?

At Caterham, there is an equally tough decision to be made as to who will partner youngster Charles Pic.

The Leafield-based outfit may have secured its 10th place in the constructors' championship at the 11th hour with Vitaly Petrov's result in Brazil, but it remains eager to bolster its commercial situation even more.

Heikki Kovalainen is unlikely to be kept on for another year, with the leading candidates for the role now being Petrov, Bruno Senna and Giedo van der Garde.

Petrov added nearly $10 million to Caterham's coffers with his 11th-place finish at Interlagos that got the team back in the top 10 of the constructors' championship, so there is an obvious reason to retain him.

Furthermore, Petrov has the potential to unlock more sponsorship from Russia with the Sochi Grand Prix looming on the horizon for 2014.

However, Senna has valuable backing behind him right now, and has the kind of profile and attitude that the team would benefit from.

Like the decision facing Mallya, Caterham has candidates who each easily justify their place, but in the end there is only space for one man.

Final 2013 F1 seats set to be filled | News | Autocar India

 

[type-r]

i am still a Tifosi fan and will always be!! GO ALONSO AND MASSA!

 

[Theferrarifan]

Suderia ferrari for me. Alonsos driving was killer. But massa im not sure.

 

[type-r]

Massa regained his touch towards the end and also put in some brilliant drives in the end.

 

[Theferrarifan]

Massa regained his touch towards the end and also put in some brilliant drives in the end.

Massa is a great driver but since the crash he is not able to perform to his best.

 

[type-r]

yes i know but i feel in the end he picked up his level greatly and very close to the pre-crash Massa

 

[visran]

Mercedes reveals 2014 Formula 1 engine

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the first images of the 2014 Formula 1 power unit that it believes will put the 'motor back in motorsport'.

As dyno testing of its new V6 1.6-litre turbo charged unit continues at its Brixworth facility, Mercedes says early indications from its work are pointing towards an exciting era for grand prix racing once the 2014 rules come into force.

Andy Cowell, managing director of Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines, dismissed fears that the new power units would not deliver as exciting a sound as the current V8 engines, and predicted thrills for fans and challenges for drivers.

"The engines are going to be loud, but I think sweet sounding," he said on Friday. "The frequency will be higher and, with the turbocharger running at 125,000rpm, they will be loud. When you are stood next to it on the dyno it is not quiet and you need ear defenders.

"There will be a new quality to the racing too. It will edge towards a thinking drivers' formula to get the most from the car and the available fuel energy.

"The engines will also deliver much more torque - especially on the exit of the corners. Cars with more power than grip coming out of the corners - that is something that we all enjoy.

"They will also put F1 back at the cutting edge of new technology - which is what the fans want."

Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey suggested last year that the power units would become the critical factor in deciding the outcome of the 2014 championship.

Cowell believed it was too early to be specific about the impact the engines will have, but was confident that the importance of the engine manufacturer would be greater than it was now, a move he welcomed.

"We are putting the motor back in motorsport, but to what extent we will only know in 2014," he said. "It will definitely have more of an influence."

The new power units will produce the same 750hp figure of the current engines but a larger percentage of that will come from Energy Recovery Systems.

The current KERS currently produces 80hp for 6.7 seconds per lap, while the new ERS will deliver 161 hp for 33.3 seconds per lap.

Cowell said: "Today it is difficult to be quick without KERS - for 2014 it will be impossible to go racing without ERS."

Mercedes reveals 2014 Formula 1 engine - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com

 

[visran]

Bianchi still ‘waiting’ on Force India decision

Jules Bianchi is still in the running to become Paul di Resta’s teammate at Force India in 2013.

At the weekend, Scottish driver di Resta admitted he is “surprised” the Silverstone based team is taking so long to make its decision.

Reportedly, 2012 reserve driver and Frenchman Bianchi is a leading candidate.

And according to French commentator Jean-Louis Moncet, the 23-year-old’s chances have just stepped up a notch.

In his Auto Plus column, Moncet wrote that Force India will switch from Mercedes to Ferrari power in 2014, with Sauber having now signed a Mercedes engine deal.

Part of Force India’s Ferrari deal could be that the Nicolas Todt-managed and Ferrari-contracted Bianchi is placed in the race seat, with immediate effect.

“I am waiting,” Bianchi, who at the weekend won Felipe Massa’s karting event, told the French-language RMC Sport in Florianopolis.

“It has been quite a hard winter this time because I haven’t known what I am doing (next). We have a chance, and it’s a good one.

“We’ll wait and see what Force India will decide.”

Also waiting on the final pieces of the 2013 grid to take shape is Bruno Senna, who has been linked with the other remaining race seat, at Caterham.

“For 2013, it is still unclear,” the Brazilian, also in Florianopolis, is quoted by Totalrace.

“We are in the game but it is not easy to know where I’ll end up even if I imagine that it will not take long for the pieces to fit together.

“I hope everything goes well,” added the former Williams driver.

“We are looking at all the options, both inside and outside of formula one.”

Asked if Force India is one of those options, Senna answered: “I am talking to the teams that still have seats free.”