Heikki Kovalainen is a very good driver when it comes to Formula One and one of the nicer chaps around the paddock. Unfortunately last year he became a victim of “paid drivers.” Some teams have a financial shortfalls that has to be bridged in some shape or form, be it new sponsorship or someone wealthy enough to buy their way into Formula One. Heikki has been Caterham’s reserve driver this year, but he is soon to be back in the drivers seat with Lotus.
Taking over from Kimi Raikkonen, who is to miss the final two Grand Prix due to an operation on his back, Kovalainen will be driving the black and gold car for the races in America and Brazil. It is reported that Nico Hulkenberg turned down the opportunity, potentially due to contractual ties with his current team. Michael Schumacher was also approached by Lotus for a return to the sport after his second retirement but his manager said “Michael would still be fit enough but he has a new life.”
Clearly this is great news for Heikki that may even lead to a drive for the 2014 season.
The legendary British team McLaren are currently experiencing their worst season since 1980. Their car, the MP4-28 has proven to be nowhere near as competitive as its predecessor which was a machine that challenged for the championship. Sergio Perez was signed for the 2013 season to replace Lewis Hamilton but has struggled to meet the objectives the team have set him and has been unable to match his teammate. It has been speculated for days, but now it is official. Sergio Perez is to leave McLaren.
Via Twitter Perez announced his departure from the top team after only a year. “I have always given the best of me for the team and still despite this I could not achieve what I aimed for in this historical team.” He goes on to assure his fans that he will do his best in the remaining two races of the 2013 season. Earlier in the week Perez criticised McLaren for the way they have operated this year. “If I’m here next year there should be more organisation and many more times humility when facing reality.”
McLaren have announced officially that Perez is to be replaced by Kevin Magnussen, a talented 21 year old who has just won the Renault 3.5 championship and is also part of McLaren’s young driver program. He will partner Jenson Button for the 2014 season. Magnussen has already proven to be faster than Sergio Perez in the British teams simulator and is described by team principle, Martin Whitmarsh, as being “lightning quick.”
There is no doubting that Felipe Massa is a talented guy behind the wheel of a Formula One car. Making his F1 debut with Sauber in 2002 the rookie made some mistakes but it was clear that he had what it takes to compete in the sport finishing 5th in the Spanish Grand Prix. A year out in 2003 was spent as a Ferrari test driver, something that would later get him a race seat for the prancing horse, before a two year stint back at Sauber. In 2006 he got his drive for the season with Ferrari and in 2008 came within one point of winning the world championship. However, the following season would see him have an accident that nearly cost him his life when a spring from another car hit Massa at high speed. Upon his return in 2010 the drivers form appeared lessened but Ferrari stood by him in the hope of a performance improvement. For 2014 the Italians have let Massa go in favour of Kimi Raikkonen.
So where is Felipe Massa going? That answer is Williams. The legendary British team that holds multiple world championships have been going through a tough time. 2013 sees the worst season in their history, but with the rules changing so drastically for 2014 they vow to recover. Claire Williams, Sir Frank’s daughter and the teams deputy team principle, has said “Williams is determined to come back and determined to fight for world championships again.” Signing Massa is a clear show of that intention.
Formula One star Kimi Raikkonen has been in the news a fair amount over the past few months. Aside from some inspiring performances in his Lotus throughout the 2013 season, it came to light that the Finn had not been paid a singe Euro all this year due to cash flow issues within the team. He quite fairly threatened to boycott the remaining races until he gets paid. Kimi will not be attending the final two races, but not because of his strained relationship with Lotus…
An old back injury has come to haunt Raikkonen, something that started earlier on in the season at the Singapore Grand Prix. His back over the past month has been particularly problematic and so he is to have surgery in Austria on Thursday. In order to recover he will not complete the 2013 F1 season. Lotus have yet to announce who will replace him for the races in America and Brazil. Kimi wanted to get this operation out of the way as soon as possible to allow him to be at optimum fitness ready for his return to Ferrari in 2014.
Formula One is an extremely cut-throat business. Raw talent alone does not guarantee you a seat as many drivers are finding it hard to come up with the finical contribution that some require. Sergio Perez was signed by McLaren for the 2013 season after star driver Lewis Hamilton left for Mercedes. Though Perez proved in 2012 with Sauber that he is quick, it was still a risk for McLaren to take on a relatively inexperienced driver. After an uninspiring first season with the legendary British team, he may not be signed for a second year.
Kevin Magnussen has impressed team principle Martin Whitmarsh in previous tests with remarks of the Dane being “lightning quick.” He has just won the Formula Renault 3.5 series and also set faster lap times than Perez in McLaren’s simulator. The 21 year-old would be another risk for McLaren due to his lack of experience, but his pure pace could lead to Sergio Perez desperately looking for a drive in 2014. Though the MP4-28 has not been anywhere near as successful as its predecessor, Jenson Button has out qualified his team mate 9 times so far in 2013 with the same car.
We have been told for months and months that the next generation of games consoles are coming. Bringing us revolutionary new graphics and features that shall make our escapism into the virtual world all the more realistic. The Xbox One launches on October 22nd along with it the highly anticipated Forza Motorsport 5. We have been drip fed details up until now, but we art last have a full car list.
Featuring 200 of the most accurately rendered machines to ever be displayed on your T.V. Forza 5 takes realistic detail to a whole new level! Four wheeled stars in all shapes and sizes from cult classics such as the original MX-5 to the biblical McLaren P1 can be driven in a variety of locations including the new SIlverstone Grand Prix track, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix track and the streets of famous locations to name just a few. Also announced today was the inclusion of the 2013 Lotus E21 Formula One car that joins two famous 1960’s Grand Prix racers, as well as Indy cars, in the open cockpit class.
With realistic physics and some of the most advanced tyre simulation, we can’t wait to get our hands on FM5. Click HERE for the full car roster.
The brave men and women who strap themselves into some of the fastest land based machinery on Earth are of a special breed. They are highly focused individuals with fitness levels to rival Olympic athletes. Their talent is placed upon the world stage for our entertainment, and let us not forget, “motor sport is dangerous.” It is a hard old struggle in the world of Formula One but making it into a top team and becoming world champion is the dream that drives them all. Kimi Raikkonen is a man who has succeeded in his aspirations, but as he continues his career with Lotus he has become a victim of the F1 business model.
The 2007 Formula One World Champion has not been paid since this season began. His team, Lotus, currently has a cash-flow problem and until a new sponsor is signed that looks to continue. The black and gold liveried car has proven to be competitive this season but after months of patients he has understandably had enough. He says he has “not been paid a single Euro all year.” Raikkonen has signed for Ferrari next season, no doubt the switch was influenced by this. The Finn is owed his salary of £6.7m plus a £42,000 bonus for every point scored. The total comes to £14.5m.
It is pretty damning that a driver of his caliber is not being paid and it has cost Lotus their star for next season. Kimi has threatened not to attend the last races of the season if the situation is not rectified.
Much like his idol, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel has won his fourth consecutive Formula One world championship. The race that anointed him was the Indian Grand Prix, an event the young German has won every year. He needed to finish in 5th position or above in order to claim the title. Armed with pole position and very little opposition he won the race comfortably. Vettel now becomes one of only three drivers ever to have won four championships in a row.
Sebastian Vettel’s talent behind the wheel of a Formula One car is indisputable, that said the global following of F1 have not entirely fallen in love with him despite proving his dominance time and again. The Adrian Newey designed cars that have propelled Germany’s new number one driver to the top have always been technologically superior than its competitors. So is the real talent the man or the machine? That debate will surge for years, but to win a title so conclusively Sebastian Vettel deserves nothing but admiration.
The Formula 1 racing circuit has been utterly dominated for the last 2 months by Sebastian Vettel, with the result that the 2013 Drivers Championship is all but decided. To put things in perspective, Vettel – who drives for Red Bull Racing in partnership with Renault – is atop the standings with 297 points, with 2nd place driver Fernando Alonso following up with 207, and with only 4 races to go. A comeback for Alonso is not mathematically impossible, but it would require Vettel to drop completely out of contention in the remaining races, which given the fact that he’s won the past 5 consecutive competitions is unlikely to say the least.
However, the fact that Vettel has the Championship all but wrapped up, even in mid-October, has done nothing to affect the intrigue surrounding the rest of the competitors. Formula 1 is a sport that largely revolves around continued progress of drivers and constructors alike, as well as consistency in competitions, and for that reason fans will be intently focused on watching which drivers line up behind Vettel at the season’s close.
In looking at the rest of the contenders, we took a look at Betfair news online. This is a sports betting website complete with news and headlines in various sports, and which includes a section dedicated to Formula 1 odds, both on season finishes and individual races. Among the betting options is a particular section that offers odds for each driver to finish in the top-3 for the Drivers Championship. Based on these odds, here are the top-5 contenders (to finish top-3) behind Sebastian Vettel.
Fernando Alonso(1/20) – Alonso, driving for Ferrari, is fairly solidly in 2nd place in the standings, with 207 points, and seems like a fairly sure bet to finish top-3.
Kimi Raikkonen (4/5) – With 177 points, Raikkonen is alone in 3rd place, but he’s not in the clear yet, and will need to perform well in the closing races – he hasn’t won since his opening victory in Australia.
Lewis Hamilton (2/1) – The Mercedes driver’s 161 points are perfectly within range of catching Raikkonen, and it’s not completely out of the question that a strong finish could challenge Alonso.
Mark Webber (2/1) – Webber is beginning to become a long shot, but his 148 points are keeping him in the conversation.
Jules Bianchi (7/2) – Bianchi’s odds are a mystery, given that he has accumulated 0 points, sits near the bottom of the standings, and just failed to finish at the Japanese Grand Prix. We’d count him out of contention at this point.
Again, Vettel’s success has made the conversation about the championship a dull topic. But the race for a top-3 finish is not quite over yet. Alonso and Raikkonen are clear favourites, but in the upcoming races keep an eye out for final surges from Hamilton and Webber!
Formula One is the worlds top flight motorsport providing the fastest machines and drivers in the finest locations on the globe. From Monaco to Spa, each track brings its own local flavour to the show along with unique technical challenges. 2014 sees some very big changes for the cars in F1, but the recently published calendar also reveals big changes for the championships duration.
This year, with 19 races, represents the longest Formula One season in the sports history. However, for 2014 we could be seeing 22 races. The additions of Grand Prix of America on the streets of New Jersey, Austria and Mexico make up this vast amount of events. This extension of the racing year could prove to be a struggle for the budget of lower teams on the grid. The aforementioned tracks along with the Korean GP are all subject to change if the circuits aren’t up to scratch.
F1’s 2014 season would start in Australia on 16th March and run through until 30th November in Brazil.
Pirelli have also been signed as the sports tyre supplier for 2014.