Kimi Raikkonen to Ferrari in 2014

Kimi Raikkonen will return to Scuderia Ferrari, starting in 2014. Felipe Massa announced a few weeks ago that he will not be driving for the team next year. Which currently leaves the Brazilian without a seat in F1 for next season.

Rumours are now going around about Lotus's driver line-up for 2014 and the biggest name being talked about at the moment is: Nico Hulkenberg. Currently driving for Sauber, Nico has definetly proved himself ready for a bigger seat. But nothing has been confirmed yet.

Both Raikkonen and Alonso seem to be alright with the idea of being team mates and so far there has been no drama. I believe Ferrari will be even stronger next year with Kimi's return.

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

James Calado to Force India.

Today, along with the announcement of Daniel Ricciardo heading to Red Bull in 2014, Sahara Force-India made the announcement that 24 year old, British GP2 driver, James Calado will join their team as the new Reserve driver. He will start this weekend in Monza where he will do Free Practice 1.

James Calado did very well in The Young Drivers Testing earlier this year and Force India is very happy to have him on the team.


Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

Daniel Ricciardo will replace Mark Webber in 2014

Earlier this year it was announced that Mark Webber would retire from Formula 1 at the end of 2013 and go to race for Le Mans. While most of the commotion was filled sadness about Mark no longer driving for Red Bull... There was also 1 other thing on peoples minds: Who would get his seat in 2014?

Within the first few days of the announcement, the most rumoured about replacement was Lotus-Renault driver, Kimi Raikkonen. There was also a list of other drivers who seemed they'd be in contention for replacing Webber. Those mentioned, included: Daniel Ricciardo, Jenson Button, Nico Hulkenberg, Paul Di Resta, Fernando Alonso, Jean-Eric Vergne and Pastor Maldonado. Of course, most people stuck with Kimi Raikkonen as the main choice.

Daniel Ricciardo, from Toro Rosso was also very highly talked about for the seat, People were very anxious for any confirmed announcements regarding this situation. Most assumed there would be a choice made over the Summer break and rumours broke out that Red Bull would announce their new driver sometimes during the Belgian GP weekend.. But that weekend came and went without any word about the situation and people went right back to taking anxious guesses.

Finally after two more weeks, Christian Horner and the Red Bull team announced publicly that Daniel Ricciardo would officially be taking Mark Webber's place in 2014. Daniel later also confirmed this on twitter, very happily.



Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

Where oh where will Raikkonen go?

Well, he might not go anywhere, actually! Earlier in the season when Mark Webber announced he was going to be retiring from Formula 1 racing at the end of the season, it opened up a seat at Infiniti-Red Bull Racing. Speculations began with naming off Lotus driver, Kimi Raikkonen, as Mark's replacement. Most people were a bit taken-aback that Kimi would leave Lotus, afterall... He's been getting good results with them. But maybe it's time for a change? Possible, but not to Red Bull.

Earlier today his (Kimi's) Manager, Steve Robertson announced that Kimi isn't in the running for Mark Webber's spot, but that the Fin' does have other options outside of Lotus-Renault. And yes! He did say "Options" - Which leaves the question: Which other teams are offering Raikkonen a seat with their team? Ferrari? Mercedes maybe? Or could we even see a return to McLaren? Anything is absolutely possible.. But it's more than likely he'll stay with his current team: Lotus.


Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

Massa's Ferarri future uncertain?

Felipe Massa, has been making headlines recently in Formula1 news. But they haven't been on the good side. The Ferarri driver has had a very unsteady start to the current 2013 Formula1 Season, and has not achieved the best results. Multiple crashes have ruined numerous races, and one crash even leaving him seeking medical attention.

The President of Ferarri, Luca Di Montezemolo made a public statement, backing Massa as a driver for their team. Below is what he had to say about the Brazilian.

"Felipe is fully aware he can count on our total confidence in him. I hope he will soon secure the results thast will show his talent to the full, such as the great starts he pulled off at the last two Grands Prix. The future? We will talk about that further down the line as there is no hurry."

But, many people know that having 1 bad year in Formula1 can really jeopardize what team you are with. There are already talks about Massa being replaced for 2014 with: Jules Bianchi, Paul Di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg as the key drivers in talks.

Stefano Domenicali also released a statement, saying:

"I always said we have a lot of confidence in Felipe. I know this is a very critical, very tough moment because he is the first to be disappointed. The only thing to do is to stay always behind him to make sure we are fighting for the constructors' championship."


Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

 

Indian GP cut from 2014 Calendar

So, it was announced earlier today that the Indian GP will not make a return until 2015, due to scheduling conflicts. Although it is set to return in 2015, it will not be at the end of the F1 season, but instead in the beginning, shoved somewhere around Malaysia and Bahrain. 

The Indian GP will still run later this year, in October. Bernie Ecclestone wants the GP to be moved to the beginning of the season but due to the fact it's already running at the end of this year, running it at the beginning of next year would set the same GP too close together.

So, instead of 22 races next year, we will be at 21, which is 1 more than the usual 20. We only have 19 this year due to New Jersey not being a ready circuit and no one was able to fill in for the extra European slot.

More info to come soon.

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

Q & A with Marcey Fehser - Hungary GP!

Today we did a Q & A with Marcey Fehser. She is a artist/painter and loves Formula1. Her artwork is abstract/provocative. The photo above is one she did and is called "Pole Position" - Available for purchase in her etsy store: www.etsy.com/shop/justmarcey

Here is the final result of our session!


Me: Alright, so first question. What do you think of the temperatures for this weekend at the Hungaroring?

Marcey: Hottttttt. But, besides "Hotttt" - It'll be uncomfortable for the spectators and it'll be boiling for the drivers down on the track. Boilinggg.

Me: Do you think it could affect the tyres?

Marcey: Ooo. I think if they're using the softs, there will be quicker tyre degradation. Hopefully none will explode.

Me: Which teams do you think have the upper-hand in the hot conditions?

Marcey: Hmm. -Giggles- I think Lotus and I think Ferarri have a better chance in heat.

Me: What about teams that might have some issues?

Marcey: For some reason I think Redbull's gonna' have a problem with the heat... And probably McLaren.

Me: What about some of the middle field teams? How do you feel the heat would affect them?

Marcey: I think Force India will do okay, and I think Sauber has a good chance. I think they may benefit from it, but I think the rest of the teams will do standard. Not much of a difference.

Me: Sebastian Vettel does hold fastest lap here. You sure the heat will trouble Redbull?

Marcey: Yeah, I think it will affect the Gearbox. It seems to have issues in the heat.. Both him and Webber.

Me: Do you know who won the first Hungarian Grand Prix? Haha.

Marcey: I don't.

Me: Nelson Piquet.

Marcey: If I would've grabbed my Formula 1 book, I would've known that. Ooo! I forgot about Mercedes.. Maybe they have a fairly good chance.

Me: What are your guesses on the starting grid? Top 3?

Marcey: Hmm... In no particular order. Hamilton, Alonso and Vettel.

Me: What about someone no one's expecting?

Marcey: Front of the grid? Maybe... Sutil, Di Resta or Perez. I think any one of them could get it.

Me: Okay, last question. What do you think of the circuit? Any particular part of if that is your favourite?

Marcey: That last turn between 12, 13 and 14 looks pretty hairy. And turn 1 looks like there could be some problems there. People are going to be flying down that straightaway. Yikes.

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If you'd like to check out Marcey's artwork you can go to: www.etsy.com/shop/justmarcey 


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Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
NCRI.

2014 To See Austrian GP

News this morning announced the come back of the Austrian GP, held in Spielburg at the Red Bull Ring. So far it was said the race will be held July 6th 2014. The last race was held in 2003, when the circuit was still called the A1 Ring. It's currently holding races for DTM. 

With 22 races now planned (So far.) on the 2014 schedule, racers and teams are unsure about it. Most agree there should be no more than 20 races during the racing season. But what's 2 more? We could possibly be seeing 21 if Korea's GP is to fall from the schedule. If not we will see 22, the new races being Austria, Russia and of course the highley talked about New Jersey GP. 

So far, there is no official draft calendar from the FIA. Things will be more clear towards the end of this race season.

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

Kobayashi crashes Ferarri at Moscow Event.

The Moscow City Racing event took place on Sunday, and Kamui Kobayashi crashed the Ferarri F60 into a barrier, when he lost control on the slippery grounds. Kamui was unhurt, but probably pretty embarrassed. The Ex-F1 driver is currently driving for Ferarri GT. He made this statement after the accident.

"The track was very slippery and there was a marked bump at that point, which is why I hit the barrier. A shame, but I am pleased the team let me out again after a few minutes. It was great to be able to represent Scuderia Ferarri at such an important event. For this I would once again like to thank the team and its sponser Kaspersky Lab. It is important to be able to bring Formula 1 close to the public with promotional events like this: a shame about the rain as otherwise the crowd might have been even bigger."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

Realistic Ambitions for Sergio Perez.

McLaren has been unfortunate this year, not finishing inside the points much, recently until the German GP. Button finished in 6th, while Perez finished 8th. But Perez wants to be realistic about how things will be going down in Hungary, and had this to say:

"I'm going to Hungary with realistic ambitions and after a positive weekend at the Nurburgring, we're focused on further improving and understanding the MP4-28. I think the race in Germany showed that, when things come together, we're able to be a force in the race, even if we can't quite set the pace at the front. That is extemely motivating during a difficult year. Hungary is the last race of the first 'Half' of 2013; it's the final event before the official Summer break, so there's usually a good feeling in the paddock. For everybody on the race team, or working back at the MTC, it would be great to send everybody off on their Summer holidays with another strong points finish. I haven't had the best results in my two previous outings at the Hungaroring, which is a shame [But] I enjoy the circuit, have usually qualified well there, and think the race is a great event for F1."

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk