Austrian GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

What a race, what a race indeed! Coming back to the calendar for the first time since 2003, Austria was quite the fan-packed spectacle everyone had hoped it would be.

Before the race started, it was announced that Romain Grosjean, would start from Pit-Lane after the team changed his gear box and made some other changes on the back of the car. 

While Williams started as the front two, it certainly didn't turn out that way, as Nico Rosberg took the win in Austria, and he was absolutely overjoyed. His team-mate Lewis Hamilton finished Second and appearing on the podium in F1 for the first time, Valtteri Bottas, who secured 3rd! Super big congrats to all three of them, it was superb racing out there.

But the star of the race for us was Sergio Perez, who started in 16th, got a slight advantage when it ended up being 15th after Grosjean's gearbox penalty, and still managed to finish 6th for Force India. His team-mate, Nico Hulkenberg finishe in 9th after a tough battle with Button at the beginning of the race. All-In-All, a total of 10 points for the team. So, big congratulations!

Some people who fell unlucky during the race included both Toro Rosso drivers. Jean-Eric Vergne retired with brake failure and Daniil Kvyat retired with suspension failure after a puncture to his right-rear tyre.

Sebastian Vettel also retired after he lost power in the beginning of the race. Even though he ended up being able to continue, he later hit Esteban Gutierrez and ruined the nose/front wing of the Red Bull. He pitted and had it changed, but later the team announce they were going to retire the car to save mileage.

While Esteban was lucky to not have suffered too much damage from Vettel's hit, he'd already had issues during an earlier pit-stop, when he was released with a wheel not secured. He is now paying for the pit-crew's mistake, taking a 10-Place-Grid-Penalty to Silverstone for the next race. He also recieved a Drive-Through penalty during the race. 

We're not sure how this seems fair, when Maldonado flipped Esteban's car in Bahrain and only recieved a 5-Place-Grid-Penalty. How is it that, that recieved lesser of penalties than a pit-crew's mistake? As we say.. Things in F1 aren't always fair.

Overall, it was a wonderful race and I quite enjoyed seeing Austria for the first time! Here are the results.

RESULTS:

1. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes / Germany / + 25 Points

2. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes / Great Britain / + 18 Points

3. Valtteri Bottas / Williams / Finland / + 15 Points

4. Felipe Massa / Williams / Brazil / + 12 Points

5. Fernando Alonso / Ferrari / Spain / + 10 Points

6. Sergio Perez / Force India / Mexico / + 8 Points

7. Kevin Magnussen / McLaren / Denmark / + 6 Points

8. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull / Australia / + 4 Points

9. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India / Germany / + 2 Points

10. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari / Finland / + 1  Point

11. Jenson Button / McLaren / Great Britain

12. Pastor Maldonado / Lotus / Venezuela

13. Adrian Sutil / Sauber / Germany

14. Romain Grosjean / Lotus / France

15. Jules Bianchi / Marussia / France

16. Kamui Kobayashi / Caterham / Japan

17. Max Chilton / Marussia / Great Britain

18. Marcus Ericsson / Caterham / Sweden

19. Esteban Gutierrez / Sauber / Mexico

- Retired -

Sebastian Vettel / Red Bull / Germany - Retired to protect car.

Jean-Eric Vergne / Toro Rosso / France - Brake Failure

Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso / Russia - Suspension Failure

----

As always, thanks for tuning in to our commentary this weekend! On to Silverstone next for the British Grand Prix. After that race, there will be another set of 2-Day In Season Testing, which we will be doing commentary for on Twitter.

Make sure you're following us @F1Insider78

Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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Austrian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Force India

Next quotes from the Force India drivers!

Nico Hulkenberg - "Together with Russia, this race is one of the big question marks for everyone this year. The track has some long straights and a few slow corners that should suit us, and we can count on making the most of softer compounds as we did in Canada. When you go to a new track it's even more important to maximise the practice sessions because there is so much more to learn. The lap is quite short so the gaps between the cars will be minimal and even small mistakes can make a big difference. We have shown once more to be both competitive and consistent, but we will need to keep our guard up and keep working hard as we did from the start. There will be tracks where we will be stronger and where we can capitalise on the opportunities we have, and tracks that will be more of a challenge. I know what plans the team has for the rest of the season and I see no reason why we cannot keep battling at the level we are at now."

Sergio Perez - "I don't really know what to expect because it's my first visit to the track, but I'm really looking forward to going there. It's a circuit that not many people know and so it can give you an opportunity to find a small advantage. You have to learn fast and be ready to adapt. A new circuit is always a bit more of a challenge, but it's interesting and I like the look of the track layout. I think the layout of the track will work well for our car. Hopefully we will have the opportunity for another strong performance there."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

No copyright infringement intended.

Quotes made by drivers.

Canadian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Force India

Next quotes come from the Force India F1 Team!

Nico Hulkenberg - "Monaco was not our strongest track, or our weakest track, but we still brought the car home for a great result - it's my best run of results in Formula One and I'm really enjoying the racing. I've said many times that consistency is our strength and we showed that again. It's difficult to say how we will perform in Montreal. In theory it should be one of the better tracks for us, but things change from race to race. It's good that we have the soft and supersoft tyres again because I think the softer tyres are more suited to our car. As an overall event the Canadian Grand Prix is one of my favourites because of the buzz around the city and the unusual track. To get a quick lap you need good top speed, a car that can attack the curbs and you also have to be brave enough to get close to the walls."

Sergio Perez - "I have very good memories from Montreal. In 2012 I started at the back of the grid and managed to finish in third place. It was an amazing race and my one-stop strategy worked perfectly. It was my second podium in Formula One and a great feeling - one I hope to experience again soon. It's another track where you need good top speed and traction from the slow corners. You also have to maximise the limits of the track to be quick and get really close to the walls, so it's easy to make a mistake. After a very disappointing race in Monaco, I just want to get back in the car and get the best possible result for my team. Points will be the target."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

No copyright infringement intended.

Quotes made by Drivers.

Monaco GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Force India

Next quotes come from The Force India boys!

Nico Hulkenberg - "It's the event of the year. Your heartbeat goes up when you arrive there and walk over the bridge into the pits. The place looks amazing with the buildings, the scenery and the mountains. Of course the biggest thrill is driving the track because it's so unique and gives you the biggest excitement of the year. In terms of precision it's right up there with Singapore as the toughest race of the year. You never get a break during the lap; you are always working hard because it's corner after corner. Even the straights are really short and it's high-speed for such a narrow track. I particularly enjoy the swimming pool area, which is very quick, and the two right-hand corners before the tunnel. I think it will be a normal track for us. As far as the pecking order is concerned, it's very tight and competitive at the moment so we need to keep working hard and keep developing."

Sergio Perez - "It's a big challenge and I have always believed it's a circuit where ýthe driver can really make a difference. So you always have the chance to do something special there. It's not the most difficult lap of the year, but you have to always keep your concentration. I don't believe that there will be a major surprise and I expect the same teams to be at the front. It's hard to predict how strong we will be, but I hope we can continue our good form."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

No copyright infringement intended.

Quotes made by Drivers.

Spanish GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Force India

Here are the preview quotes from Force India!

Nico Hulkenberg - “Even though we know the place inside out, it remains a tough, tricky circuit and one of those places where it’s especially important to optimise the car balance. If you don’t feel totally comfortable with the car it really hurts your lap time. Barcelona is the true test for downforce because of the quick corners in the first and second sectors. Traction is also important in the final part of the lap with the low-speed corners and we should be strong there.”

Sergio Perez - “I love coming back to Europe to race on some of the classic circuits. I enjoy Barcelona and for me it’s one of the best circuits on the whole calendar. It’s very complete with a mix of everything and some very long, quick corners. It’s tough physically, especially on the neck with so many right hand corners, but it’s a fun place to drive a Formula One car. It’s always a race where teams bring new updates so it’s going to be interesting to see how everyone will perform there.”

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

No copyright infringement Intended.

Quotes made by drivers.

Chinese GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Force India

Next preview quotes for the Chinese GP are from Sahara Force India!

Nico Hulkenberg - "We’ve shown we have a good package and we have the hunger to keep fighting at the front. We’ve performed well at all the tracks so far and they all had very different characteristics. So we can feel positive that the car will perform quite well in China. We are going there after the test in Bahrain and hopefully we can bring some more performance too. So I think we can aim for another competitive weekend and come away with some more points."

Sergio Perez - "To get the podium in Bahrain was great - it’s a great result for this team and a big boost of confidence for me. The target is to move on, keep improving and target more podiums. Bahrain was the first real opportunity I had to develop the car through the weekend without any issues so it felt like my season really started there. Now we need to think about how we can do better in China. At the same time we must not get carried away because we know how competitive Formula One is and how things can change very quickly."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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Quotes made by Drivers. 

F1Insider Featured Article: Perez takes Force India to the Podium

Late last year, one of the biggest questions in F1 was "Where will Sergio Perez land?" - The young driver from Mexico was replaced at McLaren with Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen. Although there is no hard feelings between Perez and the Woking-based team, he still needed somewhere to go.

Sergio was picked up by Force India at the end of 2013 and partnered with Nico Hulkenberg, who drove for Sauber that year. Sergio has never been a driver for Force India before, but was welcomed and greeted like a part of the family.

The team had only ever got a podium finish once, back in 2009 and while most people would rate them as "Midfield" - I rate them much higher and say they're in the same playing field as Mercedes this year. With 3 races already completed this year, Nico finished all 3 in the top 10. Sergio, unable to start in Malaysia, shocked many when he rose to secure 3rd in Bahrain, getting the first Podium for the team in over 5 years. It was an incredible feeling, as he was quoted saying he'd almost "Quit" F1 after being left-out of McLaren's 2014 Line-Up. He didn't want to take a back-marker seat just to stay in the sport. He wanted a good team and car capable of winning and it seems he has it this year.

I believe both he and Nico can finish on the podium more than once this year and I'm definitely cheering them on.

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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In-Season Test #1 - Bahrain / Day 1 Line-Up

The F1 2014 has in-season testing and the first one takes place at the Bahrain International Circuit, where our last GP was just held. There is a total of 2 days for this test and this is the line up:

Redbull: Daniel Ricciardo
Ferrari: Fernando Alonso
Mercedes: Nico Rosberg
Lotus: Pastor Maldonado
McLaren: Kevin Magnussen
Force India: Nico Hulkenberg
Sauber: Sergey Sirotkin
Toro Rosso: Jean-Eric Vergne
Williams: Valtteri Bottas
Caterham: Robin Frijns
Marussia: Max Chilton

I will be posting a follow-up article after the session of testing is over!

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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F1Insider Feature: Post-Race Quote

"Well, I want to first congratulate Hamilton on an amazing win and Nico in Second. But to be honest, the biggest congratulations goes to Checo (Perez), for his podium finish. I'm very proud of him and Force India. They fought the whole way through and it's great to see such good results.

The situation between Maldonado and Gutierrez is very worrying. Maldonado has a very dangerous driving-style and I don't think the 5-Place-Grid-Penalty is enough for what he did to Esteban. I was beyond relieved to see him (Esteban), get out of the car without injury and I hope he's feeling okay. That was probably one of the worst accidents I've seen since Spa back in 2012. Driver safety is very important and I would've thought Maldonado would get a race ban for China, but sometimes things don't work the way they should.

I'm very looking forward to the teams getting to Shanghai for the next GP. I'm hoping Force India can keep their pace. We'll see what happens!" - Amy Hawk from Formula1Insider78

Quote available for use with permission. All rights belong to owner.

Bahrain GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

    The Bahrain GP is now over, and let me just start by saying it was the most thrilling and exciting race of this season so-far. 

       This was a very special race as it was the official 900th Grand Prix of Forumula 1 and it also marked Jenson Button's 250th GP start. With Nico Rosberg on Pole and his team-mate Lewis Hamilton starting beside him, it was a sure thing that Mercedes was going to dominate this Grand Prix and they absolutely did just that. 

    Rosberg spent most of the race leading, but it wasn't long before Hamilton took over and gained 1st Position. It was also a very exciting race for Force India, when Sergio Perez held 3rd for pretty much the entire race and gave Force India their second Podium, the first one being in 2009. For Sergio, it was his first Podium with Force India and his 4th Podium altogether. His last was in Monza in 2012. Sergio's team-mate, Nico Hulkenberg became unlucky when he got trapped by The Williams and Daniel Ricciardo, who passed him on the last few laps. He still managed to finish 5th, bringing Force India into 2nd for the Constructors Championship and 3rd for the drivers Championship. Perez, who was unable to start in Malaysia is now currently in 9th for the drivers Championship.

       It was an unlucky day for McLaren when they faced a double-retirement due to a sort of Clutch failure/issue. Also enduring a double-retirement was Sauber, with Adrian Sutil retiring with damage from a minor incident with Jules Bianchi. Meanwhile, Esteban Gutierrez was unable to continue racing when Pastor Maldonado came speeding into him and flipped his car into the air. The Sauber came crashing down heavily and abruptly. Esteban remained still for a few moments, before he climbed out of the car, unharmed and without assistance. He was sent to a local Hospital for a routine check-up and tests and was released later with no injuries or harm done. However, what Maldonado did was extremely dangerous and he was given a 10-Second-Drive-Through-Penalty, along with a 5-Place-Grid-Penalty for China and 3 Penalty points on his Super License. To me, this seems not enough for what he did. I would highly prefer a race ban for Maldonado.

   Other unlucky drivers included Jean-Eric Vergne who had to retire with damage to the car and Marcus Ericsson who had an oil leak. Redbull finished in the top 10, with Ricciardo in 4th, unable to get past the incredibly fast Sergio Perez, while Vettel finished in 6th, unable to pass Sergio's fast team-mate, Hulkenberg. The Williams finished in 7th (Massa) and 8th (Bottas) - Not the ideal race they had in mind, but at least they were able to both finish the race.

  Now, on to the final results from the race!

RESULTS:

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes / Great Britain - + 25 Points
2. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes / Germany - + 18 Points
3. Sergio Perez / Force India / Mexico - + 15 Points
4. Daniel Ricciardo / Redbull / Australia - + 12 Points
5. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India / Germany - + 10 Points
6. Sebastian Vettel / Redbull / Germany - + 8 Points
7. Felipe Massa / Williams / Brazil - + 6 Points
8. Valtteri Bottas / Williams / Finland - + 4 Points
9. Fernando Alonso / Ferrari / Spain - + 2 Points
10. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari / Finland - + 1 Point
11. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso / Russia - + 0 Points
12. Romain Grosjean / Lotus / France - + 0 Points
13. Max Chilton / Marussia / Great Britain - + 0 Points
14. Pastor Maldonado / Lotus / Venezuela - + 0 Points
15. Kamui Kobayashi / Caterham / Japan - + 0 Points
16. Jules Bianchi / Marussia / France - + 0 Points
17. Jenson Button / McLaren / Great Britain - + 0 Points / Finished over 90% Of the race.
18. Kevin Magnussen / McLaren / Denmark - + 0 Points / RETIRED / Clutch Issue
19. Esteban Gutierrez / Sauber / Mexico - + 0 Points / RETIRED / Accident
20. Marcus Ericsson / Caterham / Sweden - + 0 Points / RETIRED / Oil Leak
21. Jean-Eric Vergne / Toro Rosso / France - + 0 Points / RETIRED / Accident
22. Adrian Sutil / Sauber / Germany - + 0 Points / RETIRED / Accident

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
No Copyright Infringement Intended.


 

Australian GP: Race - Results

The first race of the year has come, but it has not gone, as it has stirred up some deep controversy and drama. With teams uncertain how the V6 Turbos would perform in the first race, everyone was on edge and cautioned with how things would go.

The first lap called for a safety car, when Kamui Kobayashi's brakes failed and his car launched over the Williams of Felipe Massa, sending them both out of the race. Esteban Gutierrez in the Sauber made contact with the Force India of Sergio Perez and gave Perez a puncture, causing him to have to pit within the first 5 laps. More drama followed when the Mercedes team radioed to Hamilton that they needed to retire his car. He was then prompted to keep going by the team, and confusion ensued. He was then called to Box and when he did so, they retired the car, saying they needed to save the engine. Sebastian Vettel, who is currently a 4-Time-World-Champion in consecutive wins, also was called to retire as something had gone wrong with his car as well.

 The Marussia of Jules Bianchi had an issue, which they fixed and then released him back out to gain information on the vehicle, even though he was no longer in contention for getting points. With Hamilton out of the race, Rosberg quickly took the lead, with Daniel Ricciardo right behind him.

21-Year-Old Kevin Magnussen was keen to show what he could do with the Mp4-29 and quickly leapt into Third, batteling to get past Ricciardo proved hard, but the young Dane was trying his hardest. His dad, Jan Magnussen watch watching the race in Florida.

Marcus Ericsson was then retired when he had an Oil Pressure issue. It was an unfortunate day for the Caterham-Renault team. Also unfortunate day for the Lotus team, when both drivers, Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean, both had ERS problems and retired from the race.

Nico Rosberg went on to take the win, something his father did so many year ago. This also marks Nico's first win in Australia. Other Nico, Hulkenberg marked his first Australian GP Finish, after having problems in previous races in Australia.

Daniel Ricciardo came in second and became the first Australian driver to stand on the Australian podium and Kevin Magnussen stood happily in Third, greatful for everything he had just accomplished. Daniil Kvyat broke Sebastian Vettel's record for Youngest Driver To Score A Point In A GP. There was much to be celebrated, until later that day.

Things came in like a hurricane for Daniel Ricciardo when he and the Redbull Racing team were called to the FIA after an investigation of Ricciardo's car showed that he had been racing with more fuel than allowed. I, like many other people, stayed awake until a brutal 8:30 AM to find out the end-result, and the result was that Daniel had been stripped of his Second place finish, his trophy and his points. He had been, in other words, completely disqualified from the Australian GP.

This changed things for many other drivers, everyone who had finished behind Ricciardo, moved up a spot, putting Magnussen in Second and promoting Jenson Button to Third, making that a Double-Podium for McLaren, something they'd missed out on last year with the Mp4-28 and its multiple problems. Sergio Perez, who'd finished in 11th was promoted to 10th and received the last Championship Point, and his Team-Mate, Nico Hulkenberg moved up to 6th and got 8 points, putting Force India in 5th for the Constructors Championship. Redbull is currently in 11th, with no points and having it stand as neither driver finished the race after Ricciardo's disqualification.

Here are the standings after the inccident involving Daniel Ricciardo.

Results:

1. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes / Germany - 25 Points
2. Kevin Magnussen / McLaren / Denmark - 18 Points
3. Jenson Button / McLaren / Great Britain - 15 Points
4. Fernando Alonso / Ferrari / Spain - 12 Points
5. Valtteri Bottas / Williams / Finland - 10 Points 
6. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India / Germany - 8 Points
7. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari / Finland - 6 Points
8. Jean-Eric Vergne / Toro Rosso / France - 4 Points
9. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso / Russia - 2 Points
10. Sergio Perez / Force India / Mexico - 1 Point
11. Adrian Sutil / Sauber / Germany - 0 Points
12. Esteban Gutierrez / Sauber / Mexico - 0 Points
13 Max Chilton / Marussia / Great Britain - 0 Points
Not Classified /  Jules Bianchi / Marussia / France - 0 Points
Did Not Finish / Romain Grosjean / Lotus / France - 0 Points 
Did Not Finish / Pastor Maldonado / Lotus / Venezuela - 0 Points
Did Not Finish / Marcus Ericsson / Caterham / Sweden - 0 Points
Did Not Finish / Sebastian Vettel / Redbull / Germany - 0 Points
Did Not Finish / Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes / Great Britain - 0 Points
Did Not Finish / Felipe Massa / Williams / Brazil - 0 Points
Did Not Finish / Kamui Kobayashi / Caterham / Japan - 0 Points
Disqualified / Daniel Ricciardo / Redbull / Australia - 0 Points

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
No Copyright Infringement Intended.

 

Australian GP: Free Practice 1 - Results

With day 1 of the Australian GP weekend complete, I now have all the times from the first 2 practice sessions. Let's go over what happened in Session 1.

The day started off (And stayed) hot, hot, hot. Track temp' was over 95 degrees with the air temperature got to around 77-ish. One of the biggest questions for the start of the session was "Will Redbull run?" - Well, indeed they did. They may not have had the best times, but at least they set times. Some teams including Caterham and Lotus were unfortunate and did not set times in the first session. Here is how things turned out.

 TIMES:

1. Fernando Alonso - 1:31.840 / Ferrari
2. Jenson Button - 1:32.357 / McLaren
3. Valtteri Bottas - 1:32.403 / Williams
4. Felipe Massa - 1:32.431 / Williams
5. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:32.599 / Redbull
6. Nico Rosberg - 1:32.604 / Mercedes
7. Sebastian Vettel - 1:32.793 / Redbull
8. Kevin Magnussen - 1:32.847 / McLaren
9. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:32.997 / Ferrari
10. Jean-Eric Vergne - 1:33.446 / Toro Rosso
11. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:33.533 / Force India
12. Sergio Perez - 1:33.855 / Force India
13. Daniil Kvyat - 1:34.272 / Toro Rosso
14. Esteban Gutierrez - 1:35.578 / Sauber
15. Adrian Sutil - 1:36.445 / Sauber
16. Max Chilton - 1:40.859 / Marussia
17. Jules Bianchi - 1:46.922 / Marussia
18. Marcus Ericsson - No Time Set / Caterham
19. Lewis Hamilton - No Time Set / Mercedes
20. Kamui Kobayashi - No Time Set / Caterham
21. Pastor Maldonado - No Time Set / Lotus
22. Romain Grosjean - No Time Set / Lotus


Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
No Copyright Infringement Intended.

Australian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Force India

Next quotes are from my main team for this year, Force India with the pairing of Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg.

Nico Hulkenberg - “It’s been three races in Melbourne and I’ve still not completed a racing lap! They say bad luck comes in groups of three so hopefully attempt number four will work out better! The car has come a long way since Jerez. We made steps at each test and I think we made very good use of the time we had available. We signed off a lot of things during testing and I don’t think we’re in bad shape. There is always more you can do, but we’re pretty well prepared. I feel comfortable (in the car), but I think this feeling will grow stronger during the season. The cars are different compared to last year: the corner speeds are lower because there is less downforce and the engine behaviour is quite different. So it’s a new challenge and it’s difficult to tell just from testing how it will feel during a race weekend. It’s not easy (to set expectations). Testing only tells you so much, but I think we still have some performance in our pocket. I just hope we are competitive and can race for good points.”

Sergio Perez - “It’s the first race of the year so I’ve been looking forward to this moment for a long time. I hope we can have a great start of the season. The new rules are interesting and the cars are quite challenging. There is less downforce now, but there is a lot of torque from the engine so it’s quite a different feeling. You also have to think about managing the fuel load and we know that Melbourne is a circuit with high fuel consumption. There are more things to do in terms of managing the systems on the car so it’s more complicated than last year. The pre-season testing has given us enough time to get to know the new systems so I don't foresee any issue come the first race. I think we are feeling well prepared going into Melbourne. Testing has had its ups and downs, as always, but we ended the second Bahrain test in a good position. There are still areas we need to improve, but I think we have made a good start and we can build on that. It's always a good feeling to start with a new team. I had a full winter to get to know everyone and I’m feeling ready now. The team is very hungry and I hope we can achieve some great things this year.”

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
No Copyright Infringement Intended.
Quotes made by drivers. 

Sergio Perez to Partner Nico Hulkenberg at Force India in 2014.

Force India announced formally that Sergio Perez is indeed the other driver for the team next year, and will partner German driver, Nico Hulkenberg. Rumours said that Perez would land the Lotus drive or head back to Sauber, who had him in 2011 and 2012. But both of those were false and instead he heads to London based Sahara Force India, who have welcomed him with big hearts and are already getting him used to the team.

More info to come soon.

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
No Copyright Infringement Intended.

Updated Driver Line-Up 2014. (Updated DECEMBER 31ST.)

I am doing this article instead of updating the last Driver Line-Up that I had up, because so many things have changed and a lot of things are now official. 

Redbull: Sebastian Vettel & Daniel Ricciardo.
This is official and can't change. Both drivers have contracts and are already preparing.

Mercedes: Nico Rosberg & Lewis Hamilton.
Also official.

Lotus: Romain Grosjean & Pastor Maldonado.
This has been made official by Lotus recently. Hmm.. Should be interesting to watch.

Ferrari: Fernando Alonso & Kimi Raikkonen.
Official.

McLaren: Jenson Button & Kevin Magnussen.
Official.

Force India: Nico Hulkenberg & Sergio Perez.
This was complete a few weeks ago. This is a wonderfully strong pairing.

Sauber: Adrian Sutil & Esteban Gutierrez.
Made official by The SauberF1 team a few weeks ago. Sergey will be their New Test Driver.

Williams: Felipe Massa & Valtteri Bottas.
Official.

Toro Rosso: Jean-Eric Vergne & Danill Kvyat.
Official.

Caterham: To Be Announced & To Be Announced.
I have no idea who'll be on this team next year, though I have heard rumours that Charles Pic will not return.

Marussia: Jules Bianchi & To Be Announced.
With Jules confirmed officially by the team, everyone is waiting to find out his team-mate and it could be another week or two before anything is announced.

More to come soon.

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
No Copyright Infringement Intended.

 

Nico Hulkenberg signs to Force India.

Force India has announced that Nico Hulkenberg will return to the team in 2014, after having signed a multi-year contract. No word on how many years, or who his team-mate will be, but according to the team, it will be announced soon... Probably in a few weeks.

Nico was a driver for Force India back in 2012, partnering Scottish driver, Paul Di Resta, whowas also on the team this year alongside another German, Adrian Sutil. No word on where they have seats in Formula1 or if they even have seats at all. Paul is rumoured to be heading to Indycar.

Some names talked about for the other seat include Sergio Perez, who was let go from McLaren at the end of this year, and Esteban Gutierrez, who partnered Nico Hulkenberg on Sauber for this season.

More information to come soon.

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
No Copyright Infringement Intended.