In the round-up: Caterham team principal Tony Fernandes is reportedly seeking to sell his Caterham Group, including the group’s F1 outfit.
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Tony Fernandes preparing to offload his Caterham F1 interest (Times – Subscription only)
“Little wonder Fernandes has given up on motor racing: the QPR owner wants to sell his Caterham Group, including the F1 team who failed miserably again at the Monaco Grand Prix, for an optimistic £350 million.”
Formula One Teams Lost $500 Million In The Last Three Years (Forbes)
“Formula One’s teams made combined net losses of $520.6 million over the three years to the end of 2012 according to new research which also reveals that nearly half of it was burned up by Russian outfit Marussia.”
Hamilton: We’re not friends (SkyF1)
“We are not friends,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. “We are colleagues.”
Jenson Button is encouraged by progress made at McLaren (BBCF1)
Button: We put a few things right. This is a course where you need mechanical grip, and that bodes well going into Canada.”
Kimi Raikkonen says Max Chilton destroyed his race (Autosport)
“Kimi Raikkonen feels a collision with Max Chilton’s Marussia under the second safety car period “destroyed” his Monaco Grand Prix.”
Bianchi hails Marussia determination after first points (Formula1.com)
Bianchi: “Nobody knows just how much work and determination goes into our races, so today I am thrilled that I have helped them to achieve their long-held target of our first points. To achieve them together makes me very proud.”
Nico Hulkenberg Q&A: We punched above our weight (Formula1.com)
Hulkenberg: “I want to deliver good performances and races where you make the maximum from your possibilities – these are the races that really put a smile on your face. For me it could go on and on and on like this.”
Tweets
Yess!!! #wediditagain @MercedesAMGF1 #MonacoGP https://t.co/Zrc7AmNFFS
— Nico Rosberg (@NicoRosberg) May 25, 2014
https://twitter.com/LewisHamilton/status/470643531439439875
Cool to be on the podium in the principality. Race didnt start well but ended better so pretty content with 3rd. Thanks for everyones…
— Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) May 25, 2014
… support it's been a fun week as always here. Driving round here in an F1 car will never get old. Just awesome pic.twitter.com/2z8dYA8vbr
— Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) May 25, 2014
Congratulations to Bianchi who finishes eighth on the road, which will be ninth after his 5s penalty, for Marussia's first points! #F1
— RaceFans (@racefansdotnet) May 25, 2014
#F1 The Race: P9 !! #Monaco #RockAndRoll #2Points2Home
— Jules_Bianchi (@Jules_Bianchi) May 25, 2014
Yes!!!!!!!!!!
— Manor Racing (@ManorRacing) May 25, 2014
Deux Points! Hardly dared to dream in the closing stages of the race, but what a fantastic reward for everyone. pic.twitter.com/IyzG9MLp1R
— Manor Racing (@ManorRacing) May 25, 2014
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
After Jules Bianchi secured Marussia’s first ever world championship points with a ninth place finish in yesterday’s Monaco Grand Prix, KeeleyObsessed is delighted for the team.
I was at the Young Drivers Test at Silverstone last year, and we got a chance to go into the pitlane at the end of a great session and have a look at the teams. A lot of teams put out ‘show cars’ with bits from different years. I think I identified one car as having rear wing, exhausts and front nose all from different years. One team didn’t. They put a current car out.
A lot of teams just had a few minor mechanics out giving out ‘driver cards’. One team didn’t, they had their test driver out there talking. Me and my Dad got talking to another guy from the same team. He said that at events like the Goodwood Festival of Speed, most F1 teams run older cars due to the testing restrictions. They didn’t, running the 2013 car, with the 2013 engine and drivers. They had to apply to the FIA as part of their testing day count. They did it for the fans.
Coming away from that Silverstone test, I looked up on my phone to check who that man was. I was right in my suspicions. The man was Graham Lowdon, the team was Marussia. From that day I gave the Marussia team my full respect, always hoping they would make that move into the points at long last.
I asked Graham whether he thought Marussia could get points in 2014. He said he hoped so. I’m so glad they scored points today.
KeeleyObsessed
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On this day in F1
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Daniel (@collettdumbletonhall)
26th May 2014, 1:07
A bit worrying to see that Marussia are making huge losses like that. I hope they have their debt under control.
Iestyn Davies (@fastiesty)
26th May 2014, 2:26
It was all written off by the Russian Oligarch owner, although he’s not as interested in F1 anymore.
JCost (@jcost)
26th May 2014, 7:48
But apparently, the biggest losses come from top teams… in this regard, F1 is not much different than other major sports. Big teams are making big losses in their quest for glory. Modern sports is getting ever more unsustainable.
Iestyn Davies (@fastiesty)
26th May 2014, 23:52
Well, like the rich owners in football, it’s just spending money for them. For Ferrari, Red Bull etc. it can count as ‘advertising spend’.. some of the lower teams aren’t exactly promoting anything, they exist just to race, e.g. Williams
DominikWilde (@dominikwilde)
26th May 2014, 1:11
“Tony Fernandes preparing to offload his Caterham F1 interest ” Good! Let’s hope the buyer will treat the name with the respect it deserves! Bikes, a planned city car and SUV, please! Even an F1 team isn’t very Caterham-like.
I don’t mean to sound nasty but I’ll be glad to see Fernandes out of F1. I’ve never been the biggest fan of his ideas, or in fact him
Nick (@npf1)
26th May 2014, 1:54
I’ve never really understood the way he used the Caterham brand either. The general public is typically unaware of Caterham and the people who do know Caterham will only think of one thing; their 7s. If anything; the Caterham brand used to be about low cost, lightweight race cars. Fernandes has turned it into a cluster of businesses, running a ‘futuristic Lotus’ paintscheme and doing absolutely nothing to incorporate legacy into the F1 team.
I liked the team when they entered as Lotus; but it seems Fernandes’ motives were more of a ‘give me a brandname and I’ll milk it’ kind of thing than anything else. He couldn’t have Lotus, so he went with another British brand; Caterham.
I hope the team manages to stay in F1 under a different moniker, but I too won’t miss Fernandes.
Jarnooo (@jarnooo)
26th May 2014, 2:19
I wouldn’t be sad to see the new owner give the team a new name.
While it initially seemed that Fernandes was doing it out of passion, it turned more and more into “I really really really want to be Lotus” and a grasp at fame through inherited history and results. Not that Renault/Lotus helped that situation.
3 team names in 3 years was a sign of pathetic desperation in my eyes. That and the way he dumped Trulli weeks before the season started was very sad (had he been sacked weeks earlier it would have been reasonable).
Anyway, I would hope for a new name and a new brand for the team. Start fresh, and create a team that can actually have the hope to catch up to the midfield.
JCost (@jcost)
26th May 2014, 7:57
With all the buzz around Lotus (Caterham Lotus!) when they entered F1 I expected them to outclass HRT and Virgin (Marussia) and then continuously progress towards a mid-field spot, but this guys lack something Marussia has: true races at the helm. I hope he finds a buyer soon.
Iestyn Davies (@fastiesty)
26th May 2014, 23:53
They did at first, but once they went backwards with the blown diffuser era it was game over. At that point, it was at least $200m pumped in with no points to show for it..
Jay Menon (@jaymenon10)
26th May 2014, 2:36
Tony came into F1 to market his brands, its as simple as that. He isnt a racer, he is a businessman.
Nick (@npf1)
26th May 2014, 7:40
He has done an appalling job at that, though. As Jarnooo mentioned above, the name changes of the F1 team don’t create lasting power. The Caterham brand hasn’t got that much international appeal (not the kind Fernandes seems to be looking for, anyway) and between finishing last in F1 and creating Caterham teams in series that have nothing to do with the core business of Caterham or AirAsia, he seems to be flailing around, rather than create maximum exposure.
The people behind Marussia are hardly in it for the love of the sport either (and I’m willing to bet even Force India started as a marketing vehicle) but compared to Caterham, their approach seems to be a lot better adapted to modern F1.
Iestyn Davies (@fastiesty)
26th May 2014, 2:42
It’s an interesting conundrum. Fernandes has learned business from Richard Branson, and has taken a fringe Malaysian airline carrier to new heights, being the ‘easyjet’ of South East Asia. Mallya’s airline fell flat – AirAsia is now launching in India. He has a good cashflow there – witness losing huge amounts of money in F1 and Football (hundreds of millions).
Now, Fernandes originally wanted Lotus and West Ham. In principle, West Ham are in the top 15 well supported teams in the country (I think he supported them as a boy). He could have thrown the QPR cash at West Ham – they could now be approaching European football, and playing in the Olympic Stadium. Lotus could have really been rescued by Fernandes’ cashflow and started making new cars again; instead they/Malaysia got taken for a ride by an ex-Ferrari chancer.
The Malaysians decided not to back Fernandes (not surprising, he’s not ethnically Malay, but Portuguese/Indian), backing Mercedes instead with Petronas (guaranteed success at least), so Lotus is a dead horse, despite getting free exposure in F1, as Genii have no other name for it. West Ham are owned by ex-Birmingham management, who have risen from lads’ services to Olympic Stadium, while Fernandes is stuck with QPR and a small ground. At least they got back into the PL by a slice of luck. But Caterham is going nowhere.. £350m sounds like a very high price for probably a loss making organisation..
JCost (@jcost)
26th May 2014, 8:14
It surprises me that passport isn’t enough these days, why dig the man’s ethnicity if he’s a proven national? If their decision not to back him is related to his ethnic background, shame on them.
Mr_Peabody
26th May 2014, 9:09
Apparently you’ve not spent much time in Malaysia.
Gordon (@)
26th May 2014, 11:25
But as someone else has already mentioned, making losses in F1 is ‘normal’, besides the buyer will get an F1 entry without having to go down the route with the FIA like Haas did.
I’m thinking the Kolles-led team might try and bid for the Caterham F1 team (separately) since the FIA haven’t announced their entry yet but said they were considering it – this would be quicker and easier.
Also, the £350m is for the Caterham F1 team, Caterham Cars and Caterham Composites – which makes the number much more reasonable.
Deej44 (@deej92)
26th May 2014, 12:59
@fastiesty That’s the thing – on the sporting front, QPR have just won the play-offs while Marussia have scored points for the first time leaving Caterham with an almost-impossible task of catching either them or Sauber. Fernandes is bound to want to focus on QPR from now on as he knows what happened the last time they were in the Prem, and that’s where the greater potential lies. I think the two events coinciding made up his mind for him.
Kingshark (@kingshark)
26th May 2014, 1:15
Tragic.
Calum (@calum)
26th May 2014, 1:21
In twenty years time, well after this is all over, and regardless of who comes out on top, I’m sure they will share a drink and reminisce all their race memories from go-karts to the F1 title fight.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
26th May 2014, 1:39
@calum yeah, like Rubens and Schumi, and Mark and Seb :P
Kingshark (@kingshark)
26th May 2014, 1:48
@fer-no65
To be fair, it hasn’t been 20 years yet between those two. ;) Piquet and Mansell made up.
AmirAnuar (@amiranuar)
26th May 2014, 2:01
even prost and senna is on good term before senna death
Yappy
26th May 2014, 2:26
I think he is annoyed because it stopped him from beating SV at 9 in a row. He is 4-1 on Nico(Australia doesn’t count since he was leading and retired with mechanical failure). He has a car that can start from pit lane and still make second. Last year he said that he would like to fight for the championship rather than have it gifted to him. All the cards that he wanted are stacked in his favour. To spit chips now is reducing his intended status as a legend and becoming more of a spoilt child. If he wins there would have to be an asterisk beside his name saying”threw a tanty so we gave it to him – Mercedes”
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
26th May 2014, 6:55
@kingshark
nico_rosberg “We’re always friends”
LewisHamilton “We’re not friends”
PaddockNews
Kingshark (@kingshark)
26th May 2014, 7:23
@ruliemaulana
Ouch.
Someone’s a traitor.
BasCB (@bascb)
26th May 2014, 8:36
If we take Sutil’s experience with his almost best friend Hamilton in account, that might give a hint … @kingshark
Kingshark (@kingshark)
26th May 2014, 10:17
@bascb
Looks like Lewis has lost yet another “friend” in F1. Although in all fairness, it’s not his fault that Sutil is so dangerous with a glass bottle. God forbid if that guy ever gets a podium.
Jorge H. (@kobe08)
26th May 2014, 10:19
@ruliemaulana
And then, Nico clarified what he means: “We have a good relation and work togther”.
We all know how good a relation can be between racing rivals (HAM-ALO at McLaren or VET-WEB at RedBull) :)
I guess, when you have racing in your blood, you can’t be friends with your most immediate rivals… with the WEB-ALO exception.
Todfod (@todfod)
26th May 2014, 10:19
To be honest.. Lewis doesn’t strike me as a mature individual. He’s a hell of a racer… no doubt about that … but he lacks the verbal tact that some of his teammates have observed (Button and Rosberg).
I think when you’re in f1, its hard to be real friends with other drivers, as Sutil (hamiltons close friend) found out. But making statements like ‘ we’re not friends’ isn’t great from a PR perspective, and the media pressure will only add more room for mistakes as compared to a cooler head
Robbie (@robbie)
26th May 2014, 22:15
I envision that they don’t hang out together, and didn’t last year, but that they do have a history together as friends in their youth, and I also believe that one day, and it won’t take 20 years, they will be friends, or at least any stuff from these recent days will be water under the bridge.
I think there has been too much of a mix in recent days of quotes from when the drivers were in the heat of the moment, and quotes where they have been a little cooler, and I think the cooler calmer comments are the more realistic ones.
Calum (@calum)
26th May 2014, 1:19
Pleased to see a ‘new’ team finally score points!
trotter
26th May 2014, 1:23
Not to be confused with the F1 drivers, Max Chilton takes off his overalls.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bof8c9sCMAAaw4w.jpg:large
Iestyn Davies (@fastiesty)
26th May 2014, 23:50
Heheh
David-A (@david-a)
26th May 2014, 1:28
Marussia scores points, so Fernandes ragequits.
Iestyn Davies (@fastiesty)
26th May 2014, 2:28
Losing $30m+ would make a lot of people rage-quit I reckon!
Nick (@npf1)
26th May 2014, 7:41
You’d be surprised how many companies are making net losses and keep on trucking. Not to mention the deficits in football..
dragoll (@dragoll)
26th May 2014, 9:51
@npf1 and hasn’t that business model worked out well for the likes of Leeds Utd and luckier escape was Liverpool… Too much debt will kill you off
Fumbles (@)
26th May 2014, 16:39
@dragoll
Rangers of course. Or is it New Rangers now? i don’t know
BasCB (@bascb)
26th May 2014, 8:34
I am sure this is not something of a moment. Instead while Marussia now has a VERY good position, its not all bad for Caterham either. At least until Sauber improves enough to get a first point in they are currently 10th in the constructors’ which would mean confirmation of their status and a step up in what they can get from FOM from next year onwards.
Ivan (@wpinrui)
26th May 2014, 8:52
Actually Caterham are still last… Caterham have 11th and 13th; Sauber have 11th and 12th.
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
26th May 2014, 8:47
@david-a haha indeed, typical RQ
Dave (@)
26th May 2014, 21:07
He’s been thinking of selling up for a good few months now.
Spencer Ward (@)
26th May 2014, 1:38
I know he says otherwise, but Haas surely must at the very least take a look at buying Caterham hasn’t he?. Even if it was for a European base.
Nick (@npf1)
26th May 2014, 1:47
The Caterham facilities have a lot of things he isn’t explicitly interested in, though. He doesn’t want to build his own cars just now, so that department of Caterham would not be kept on.
I hope either the team is taken over entirely, or at least the staff can find work quickly. If it becomes official, of course.
PeterG
26th May 2014, 1:56
He doesn’t want a European base, He wants everything to be done in the US.
They already have an F1 factory nearing completion next to his Nascar operation & he already has a state of the art Wind Tunnel in the facility, Plus am additional & brand new wind tunnel at Dallara’s new plant in Indianapolis which he will be able to use given how Dallara will likely be handling the car design.
Buying a 2nd factory in Europe which is as well equipped & as expensive to run as the main base in the US makes no sense from an economic standpoint.
If he was going to have a European base it would be best to have the entire operation based there from day 1 rather than split the operation in 2.
Here’s an ariel view of the near completed F1 factory, The Nascar operation is the building on the left-
http://www.autoweek.com/storyimage/CW/20140521/F1/140529969/V3/0/V3-140529969.jpg
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
26th May 2014, 2:59
The whole idea of the main base in the US makes no sense from an economic standpoint anyway… maybe he can make it a double :P
JCost (@jcost)
26th May 2014, 8:39
Maybe it does @fer-no65. Moving to Europe implies huge Capex in wind tunnel and other facilities he already has in the US. Sure being should be logistically less demanding but maybe in terms of operating expenses it’s not a big difference. F1 calendar is not so Eurocentric anymore and time and cost to transport supplies from Europe to US should be bearable.
BasCB (@bascb)
26th May 2014, 10:42
I understood the possible cooperation with Lotus to be about doing repairs and buildup, stripping, rebuilds there during the season @jcost. The huge point is that Bernie’s planes take crating the cargo around for the teams take off from Frankfurt, Heathrow and from Milan.
Haas would have to either ship his stuff himself or first bring it to one of those spots. Both is too expensive to do too often as @fer-no65 mentions
JackJ
26th May 2014, 7:25
All I can say to him if he decides to do everything from the US is, good luck. He’s going to need it.
TMF (@)
26th May 2014, 6:20
@sward28 Haas has already decided to base the operation in the US and work on a few collaborations with Lotus and Dallara . So it’s too late to even consider a take over.
JackySteeg (@jackysteeg)
26th May 2014, 2:01
A few months back Fernandes did say this was a make-or-break year for Caterham. After Sunday’s race, it’s not looking good for them at all. The championship is over already. They can’t beat Marussia. The opportunity to score points for either team has taken more than 4 years to arise and it’s highly unlikely the chance will come up again this season. If Fernandes expected them to move up the field this year then they’ve already failed. Caterham are will almost certainly be the wooden spoon holders once more.
schooner (@schooner)
26th May 2014, 2:13
I’ve been a Hamilton fan since his GP2 days, but he is beginning to wear a bit thin. Ill-considered comments, and his pouty demeanor when things haven’t worked out to his advantage are making it increasingly difficult for me to keep pulling for the guy. I’m also beginning to think that he is going out of his way to fabricate strife between himself and Rosberg. Personally, I haven’t seen much (yet) that has transpired between the two that warrants it. That said, I also think that over the long run, Hamilton will out-perform his teammate. I’d just like to see him be less petulant when he doesn’t.
D (@f190)
26th May 2014, 2:33
For me thats a perfect summary. I got back into f1 around 07/08 mainly because of Hamilton. For that reason ive overlooked and tried to understand some of his comments. I still think a lot is being blown up by the media, but his attitude does need to change. After qualifying I cut him some slack as he had every right to be angry and not seeing the incident before his interviews probably didn’t help. But today he still went back to it amd wouldnt let the issue drop. I didn’t like Rosbergs celebrations after qualifying, but Hamiltons after race attitude was just wrong.
MtlRacer (@mtlracer)
26th May 2014, 2:41
I’m glad I’m not the only one who finds Hamilton kind of a cry-baby.
D (@f190)
26th May 2014, 3:03
I don’t like to see hate to any one driver. Name calling on forums contradicts their points in calling someone else childish. Not so much on here, but some of the insults etc towards hamilton have been too much. He over reacted this weekend, thats in no doubt. Lets see how he continues from here. I hope he can drop the qualifying issue as I really dont think he believes nico would do that. I admit I was skeptical at first, so my interviews would have been simmilar ( although I like think id have kept my mouth shut a little more ) but his after race comments and trying to add more heat to the fire is already becoming tiresome. He should have celebrated 2nd with Nico and put the issue to bed. If this continues and Nico wins the WDC there could be a risk of him being dropped, possibly for Vettel.
Kimoni Nakamoto (@)
26th May 2014, 9:34
Some of us are wise enough to take what we read in the newspapers with a pinch of salt and aware that drivers make comments like this all the time, the only difference is with some the media like to take them out of context and blow them out of all proportion. Reality check: objective truth is not high on the list of media priorities.
Minardi (@gitanes)
26th May 2014, 3:40
Yeah same here. I like Lewis because he of his raw passion and awesome speed – but its getting painful now to listen to him. He said in his post-race interview with Lee McKenzie that he was grown-up now compared to 2007 (with Alonso) but I really don’t see how. More over-dramatic than my 8 year-old daughter.
I really don’t see how I can possibly root for him any longer. Its that bad.
Hamilfan (@hamilfan)
26th May 2014, 4:16
Same here .Massively disappointed with his attitude. Coming from a fan . He seems to sulk a lot. Maybe there’s something going on that we are not privy to .
TMF (@)
26th May 2014, 6:31
@schooner for me it’s strange that people want drivers to be perfect human beings while maintaining a level of competitiveness that requires them to be complete and absolute egomaniacs – I understand why you would find his behaviour annoying, but imo they all deserve a bit leeway.
JackJ
26th May 2014, 7:27
Pouting! That’s the word I’ve been looking for. Nico’s behavior when he lost to LH was markedly better. I’m baffled why Lewis can’t act the same way.
JCost (@jcost)
26th May 2014, 8:31
I think Lewis don’t want to play the PR game. Friedship is broken and he wants the world to know it, just like Massa did when asked to move over for Alonso. Is it polite? Probably not, but that’s his position because deep inside he believes Nico cheated (actually it looks like Nico did it, to me).
Lewis said:
JCost (@jcost)
26th May 2014, 8:43
[FIX]
I think Lewis don’t want to play the PR game. Friedship is broken and he wants the world to know it, just like Massa did when asked to move over for Alonso. Is it polite? Probably not, but that’s his position because deep inside he believes Nico cheated (actually it looks like Nico did it, to me).
Lewis said:
Seems to me both sides can exploit this new stage of their relationship, Nico could bet that Lewis will break down if he manages to beat him fair and square in Canada and/or Austria. On the other hand, if Hamilton wins in Canada and in Austria he will be bragging that Rosberg can’t beat him fairly
Lewisiabamf (@lewisisabamf)
26th May 2014, 9:49
And f1 driver who dose not like to lose, we have never seen any of them before.
juan fanger (@juan-fanger)
26th May 2014, 12:05
Does anybody know if there is something wrong with Hamilton’s turbo? The engine is switched off but I still hear whining.
kpcart
26th May 2014, 14:06
modern f1 engines, and lewis Hamilton – both sound irritatingly whiney
trotter
26th May 2014, 14:47
COTD! :)
Chris (@tophercheese21)
26th May 2014, 2:29
So happy for Marussia!
johnny stick
26th May 2014, 2:54
Call me an armchair aero-guy, but maybe it is time for McLaren to dump the butterfly suspension. Seems nobody else is interesting in copying it, and they aren’t living up to expectations. JMO
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
26th May 2014, 3:02
Maybe it’s very very hard to copy. Or even impossible because of the effort involved, or because it’d need another homologation which is never a good idea.
A single component doesn’t make the car bad. Maybe that bit is good, but the rest of the car is not working properly.
BasCB (@bascb)
26th May 2014, 8:39
It is very hard to change indeed, because you have to change the complete suspension if you want them to be more or less straight below the rear wing. That likely also means adapting the rear crash structure and the gearbox housing @fer-no65, Johnny Stick.
That said, I don’t get the impression it helps McLaren much, as they still seem to struggle for Downforce instead of having heaps of it.
Mouse_Nightshirt (@mouse_nightshirt)
26th May 2014, 9:53
The McLaren is currently front end limited, the rear end of the car is allegedly ok.
Supposedly the suspension is designed to decrease pressure at the diffuser so is mainly rear end.
BasCB (@bascb)
26th May 2014, 10:43
Good point @mouse_nightshirt.
Diego (@ironcito)
27th May 2014, 0:36
If it’s hard for other teams to move from normal to McLaren-style suspension, then it’s likely equally hard for McLaren to move from them-style to normal suspension. The performance difference is probably not worth the effort for either, at this point.
Iestyn Davies (@fastiesty)
26th May 2014, 23:58
McLaren really gelled with their stiff suspension and push rod.. so going pull rod was an interesting decision. What hampered them last year was that they had to re-learn suspension AND aero – the suspension being different meant that it affected the aero of the whole car and the air getting to the rear diffuser….. I would have thought they would have factored that in before making the decision to go pull rod, personally..
RL
26th May 2014, 7:22
We just have to live with the idea that many of our modern day F1 “champions” act differently to us, perhaps a bit more sour at defeat, easily frustrated at setbacks and a seemingly insatiable appetite for success. If it wasn’t Vettel getting attack, it’s Hamilton.
I’m not saying it’s every F1 driver, I guess some just hide it better than others.
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
26th May 2014, 7:42
I can’t see how this is any different to the various reactions of Mark Webber during his time at Red Bull or Felipe Massa on team orders day. I’m ignoring half the things the media come out with because it seems to be interpreted in a very different way.
nidzovski (@nidzovski)
26th May 2014, 8:47
I never ever heard Ricciardo talking trash or doing “mind games”, or being frustrated at his team. And not only out of the circuit but also while racing talking to his team. He is so mature and straight talking dude that it’s impossible to not like him as a person and racer too. And all of that rounded with that enormous smile :). You see I like the determination of Alonso, the coolness of Kimi, the raw speed of Hamilton, the precision of Vettel but this guy is really something. Daniel most definitely has a loads of charisma and I ‘m starting to think that he could be one of the greatest. As long as he stays firmly with his feets on the ground, that is.
dragoll (@dragoll)
26th May 2014, 9:54
@nidzovski As an aussie F1 fan, I’m too timid to jump on board the RIC train, but I really do wish him all the greatest of successes. Australia needs an F1 champion to keep the interest alive in the country. But selfishness aside, RIC is a true straight forward aussie guy, but no different to Webber, except as you rightly say, Webber did his fair share of trash talking, but you never know, perhaps RIC might get there too after a few more hard F1 seasons under his belt.
nidzovski (@nidzovski)
26th May 2014, 10:00
@dragoll Yeah mate, the more power and influence one gets the more of his true character will emerge. We’ll wait and see. Good luck to him however.
juan fanger (@juan-fanger)
26th May 2014, 12:10
@dragoll Did you see the look on Marko’s face at the presentation interviews when RIC referred to his team-mate as “Vettel” rather than “Seb” or “Sebastian”? Not happy, Jan.
Jules Winfield (@jules-winfield)
26th May 2014, 13:26
He does seem very grounded (like Webber). He even appears to say “thank you” when he hands his helmet over at the end of the race.
Ricciardo has been one of the (pleasant) surprises of the season for me.
kpcart
26th May 2014, 14:08
I think he is the driver of the year so far. imagine him in the Mercedes.
Iestyn Davies (@fastiesty)
27th May 2014, 0:01
He’d probably be giving Hamilton a tougher time than Rosberg, that’s for sure. Would his sunny demeanour make Hamilton crack even more?!
At the moment it appears things can only get better for Ricciardo.. outpacing Vettel, podiums flowing… soon he’ll be there to start picking up 2nds and wins! String them together and he’s a championship contender…. and even team leader of Red Bull????
HUHHII (@huhhii)
26th May 2014, 10:20
Has anyone seen video material from Kimi’s and Chilton’s collision? What on Earth happened there, and how is it possible to crash to another driver during safety car situation and not have a penalty?
Breno (@austus)
26th May 2014, 11:39
Apparently Chilton was unlapping and he tried to overtake Raikkonen in a tight corner, and Raikkonen was on his line.
Iestyn Davies (@fastiesty)
27th May 2014, 0:02
I knew we were in for trouble when the call was given for lapped cars to pass…… all the lapped cars except Chilton started moving up and passing the leaders. Chilton kept going slow behind Kimi….. so he must have gotten a wake up call from the pits, panicked and tried a risky move on Kimi when he didn’t expect it.
maxthecat
26th May 2014, 11:54
Seems like an easy in for the Hass team. Wouldn’t be surprised if he brought in. £350 million is about £300 million too much though.
Breno (@austus)
26th May 2014, 15:09
Who were the other two teams? Maybe one of them can buy it.
Rigi (@rigi)
26th May 2014, 15:36
i think forza rossa (which the fia has only considered for 2015 yet) might be in for a chance here. haas wants an american based team, so buying caterham shouldn’t really be an option for him.