Showing posts with label Formula1. Show all posts
Saturday, 1 November 2014
Sauber sign Marcus Ericsson for 2015 season
Ericsson, 24, made his Formula 1 debut in 2014 with Caterham, who went into administration last month.
Their decision means one of their current drivers, Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez, is likely to lose his place in the sport next season.
Sauber team boss Monisha Kaltenborn described Ericsson as a "highly motivated driver" whose signing would give the Swiss outfit "fresh impetus".
Sauber have been struggling financially this season and Ericsson comes with substantial backing from his native country.
Ericsson said: "Fresh from a very turbulent week, I was suddenly given my best early Christmas present ever.
"Sauber has put its trust in me for 2015 and it makes me proud as Sauber is known as one of the best teams in developing young drivers. It will be a great challenge."
The move leaves three drivers hoping to land one empty seat.
Along with Sutil, who says he has a contract for 2015, and Gutierrez, reserve driver Giedo Van Der Garde said at the US Grand Prix on Friday that his target was a race seat at Sauber next year and that it was "looking good".
Their decision means one of their current drivers, Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez, is likely to lose his place in the sport next season.
Sauber team boss Monisha Kaltenborn described Ericsson as a "highly motivated driver" whose signing would give the Swiss outfit "fresh impetus".
Sauber have been struggling financially this season and Ericsson comes with substantial backing from his native country.
Ericsson said: "Fresh from a very turbulent week, I was suddenly given my best early Christmas present ever.
"Sauber has put its trust in me for 2015 and it makes me proud as Sauber is known as one of the best teams in developing young drivers. It will be a great challenge."
The move leaves three drivers hoping to land one empty seat.
Along with Sutil, who says he has a contract for 2015, and Gutierrez, reserve driver Giedo Van Der Garde said at the US Grand Prix on Friday that his target was a race seat at Sauber next year and that it was "looking good".
Thursday, 30 October 2014
Lewis Hamilton: Losing title on double points would "suck"
Lewis Hamilton says it would "suck" if he lost the world championship as a result of the controversial final-race double points system this year.
Hamilton is 17 points clear of Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg with three races to go, starting in the US this weekend, and has nine wins to the German's four.
But, depending on results, he could win in Austin and Brazil and still lose the title if he retires in Abu Dhabi.
"It would suck if that was the case - big time," Hamilton said.
"But I'm not even going to put that negative energy out there. I'm just going to try and do the best job I can with the car that I have and what will be will be, I guess."
Hamilton added: "This is the rule that they have brought in for the first time.
"Do I really agree with it? I don't know if any of us agree with it or do not agree with it, but it is the way it is and you just have to deal with it and just hope for the best really."
Rosberg was one of the most vociferous opponents of the double-points idea when it was introduced and said he was still opposed to it, but added F1 had to be open to new ideas.
"It is a bit artificial, the double points," Rosberg said. "My opinion is keep it straightforward, which is the way F1 has been forever.
"But maybe it's not contemporary anymore and we need to rethink it and maybe it is important to keep it exciting all the way through because we have had a couple of seasons when the drivers' championship has been decided early and that is the worst thing that can happen."
Hamilton heads into this weekend's race in Austin looking for a fifth consecutive win, having won four races in a row for the second time this season.
His run of success in Italy, Singapore, Japan and Russia has turned around what was a 29-point deficit to Rosberg after the Belgian Grand Prix in August, when the two controversially collided and Hamilton failed to finish as a result.
Mercedes's success - they have won all but three of the 16 races held so far this season - led them to clinch the constructors' title with a one-two finish in Russia three weeks ago.
Hamilton is 17 points clear of Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg with three races to go, starting in the US this weekend, and has nine wins to the German's four.
But, depending on results, he could win in Austin and Brazil and still lose the title if he retires in Abu Dhabi.
"It would suck if that was the case - big time," Hamilton said.
"But I'm not even going to put that negative energy out there. I'm just going to try and do the best job I can with the car that I have and what will be will be, I guess."
Hamilton added: "This is the rule that they have brought in for the first time.
"Do I really agree with it? I don't know if any of us agree with it or do not agree with it, but it is the way it is and you just have to deal with it and just hope for the best really."
Rosberg was one of the most vociferous opponents of the double-points idea when it was introduced and said he was still opposed to it, but added F1 had to be open to new ideas.
"It is a bit artificial, the double points," Rosberg said. "My opinion is keep it straightforward, which is the way F1 has been forever.
"But maybe it's not contemporary anymore and we need to rethink it and maybe it is important to keep it exciting all the way through because we have had a couple of seasons when the drivers' championship has been decided early and that is the worst thing that can happen."
Hamilton heads into this weekend's race in Austin looking for a fifth consecutive win, having won four races in a row for the second time this season.
His run of success in Italy, Singapore, Japan and Russia has turned around what was a 29-point deficit to Rosberg after the Belgian Grand Prix in August, when the two controversially collided and Hamilton failed to finish as a result.
Mercedes's success - they have won all but three of the 16 races held so far this season - led them to clinch the constructors' title with a one-two finish in Russia three weeks ago.
Sunday, 12 October 2014
Hamilton says Bianchi was always on his mind
(Reuters) - The champagne was sprayed on the podium, and celebratory glasses clinked in the Mercedes hospitality, but Russian Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton never lost sight of the bigger picture on Sunday.
With French driver Jules Bianchi critically ill in a Japanese hospital after suffering severe brain injuries in a crash at Suzuka only seven days ago, a cloud has hung over Formula One all week.
It was less evident in the Sochi sunshine, with the drivers feeling free to smile and soak each other in the champagne that had stayed in the bottles the previous weekend, but the memory was always there.
"All week there's just been one person on my mind, and that’s Jules," Hamilton told reporters after the team photographs were done with Mercedes jubilant at a first constructors' title.
"Of course there's excitement and happiness for the team," continued the Briton, whose victory in Russia's first race brought him a ninth win of the season and a podium handshake with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
"But without a doubt every time I’ve got in the car this week, coming here, and being here, I’ve been thinking about him and his family and keeping him in my prayers every day.
"Whether it means anything, or whether it does anything, it would be great to be able to dedicate this to him and his family. It will make very small difference to them, for sure. But every bit of positive energy hopefully will help."
All the 21 race drivers gathered in a silent circle in front of the safety car on the starting grid before the race, and carried the message 'Tous Avec Jules #17' (All with Jules) on their helmets.
Bianchi's car remained in the quiet half of the Marussia garage, race ready but going nowhere, with the 25-year-old's name over the entrance as if he were present.
Max Chilton was the team's sole driver, with the Briton lasting just 10 laps before retiring with an undiagnosed mechanical problem.
Hamilton may have had an easy afternoon run to the chequered flag, after a mistake by team mate and title rival Nico Rosberg lifted any pressure, but the moments before the start were difficult for all the drivers.
"In the car you don’t think about anything," said McLaren's Jenson Button. "That was always the thing with my dad (who died earlier this year) as well. Before the race, after the race, national anthems. It’s horrific.
"But when you get in the car and close your helmet and you're racing, it's a nice place to be. You go into another world.
"But on the grid it was quite emotional for everyone and we, the drivers, had our little time together. We were there for Jules. Then getting back into the car, that was the trickiest bit," added the Briton.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)