Red Bull Racing has put together this nifty video guide for the 2014 F1 season. You’ll see our Daniel and their Sebastian go through the key points of difference between the 2013 cars and the new and so far troublesome RB10. If only the team’s pre-season testing went as smoothly as this!
Sebastian Vettel’s dominant 2013 season is responsible for 50 million television viewers staying away Formula 1, according to Bernie Ecclestone.
The recent publication of the F1 media report 2013 shows the annual television audience dropped by 10% compared with 2012. The last time F1 confirmed an annual audience tally was in 2011 when 515 million viewers tuned in for at least 15 minutes of coverage across a full season. It’s thought the 2012 figure also had a slight drop to around 500 million, meaning the 2013 audience was approximately 450 million.
“The less-than-competitive nature of the final few rounds, culminating in the championship being decided ahead of the races in the USA and Brazil, events which often bring substantial audiences, had a predictable impact on reach,” explained Ecclestone.
It’s also worth noting there were only 19 races in 2013 compared with 20 grands prix in 2012. The biggest fall in the 2013 audience was seen in China (down 30 million viewers) and Brazil (down 9 million). Even in Germany approximately 3 million viewers stopped tuning in to F1 in 2013.
With the dramatic new changes in the technical and sporting regulations introduced this season Ecclestone is hopeful viewing numbers will rise.
“One thing I am sure of is that this coming season will not only offer a heightened level of unpredictability, but renewed excitement and fierce competition,” he said.
[Source: Mail Online | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Speaking to reporters in Jerez Sebastian Vettel says he is praying for Michael Schumacher, following the seven-time world champion’s skiing accident in France late last year.
“We still don’t know what shape he will be in when he wakes up,” Vettel said. “I pray and hope he will come back and the miracle will happen and he will be the person he was before.”
While Vettel was growing up Michael was winning world championships for fun and when they ultimately raced against each other, during Michael’s comeback with Mercedes, the young charge formed a bond with his idol.
“I have known him for a long time. I have been looking up to him all my life,” Sebastian said. “I got to know him a little bit more when he did his comeback. He became a friend. We spoke to each other regularly.”
Vettel added that his thoughts are also with Schumacher’s family as they endure this prolonged period of uncertainty.
“It’s horrible, especially for his family and close friends, not knowing what is going to happen,” Vettel said.
[Source: BBC | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Red Bull Racing has just released studio images of its 2014 F1 car, the RB10. Yes, it has an anteater nose, but thankfully, Adrian Newey has overseen a clever use of paint and carbon fibre to help hide the ugly snout.
Overall, we think this is the best looking car we’ve seen so far in 2014. Thanks only to the disguised nose.
Not only because it is the defending world champion, Red Bull will be the team to watch in 2014. The arrival of Daniel Ricciardo will, of course, keep Australian interest high in the Milton Keynes outfit. It will be fascinating to see how well Daniel manages the step into the team and the expectations that come with.
Red Bull’s approach to the release of info for the RB10 has been low key and after a small series of images there’s an even smaller press release complemented by a quartet of video interviews with Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Adrian Newey and Christian Horner.
It’s also worth noting the press release states the car you’re looking at now is the “first interpretation of F1’s radical new technical regulations”.
Four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel has spoken out against the sport’s decision to award double points for the last race of the season. This is one occasion were Vettel will have majority support from F1 fans, as a poll conducted by F1 Fanatic shows.
Speaking to Germany’s Sport Bild newspaper, the 26-year-old father-in-waiting said: “This is absurd and punishes those who have worked hard for a whole season. Drivers, fans and experts are horrified.
“I value the old traditions in Formula 1 and do not understand this new rule. Imagine, in the last Bundesliga match of the season there was suddenly double points.”
Sadly, we don’t have to imagine it Sebastian, it’s happening!
For the record, if the double points rule had been in place in recent years then Fernando Alonso would have become a triple world champion last year, Felipe Massa would have enjoyed his 2008 championship for a lifetime—rather than a few seconds—and Kimi Raikkonen would be a dual world champ at the expense of Michael Schumacher’s 2003 crown.
[Source: BBC | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Here in Australia it’s accepted that four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel plays the pantomime villain to Mark Webber’s hero. As a result Vettel has been harshly judged by most Aussie F1 fans to the point that many find it hard to enjoy any success the young star achieves.
Worse, it’s expected that villain role will continue next season when Vettel pits his wits against the younger Australian F1 hope, Daniel Ricciardo.
In truth, as far as anyone on the outer can tell, Vettel has fast matured from the precocious twerp he was when he first arrived at what has become the sport’s premier team into a sage old man accepting his success with as much grace and humility as one can realistically expect in a sport that is all about massive egos.
And it’s the latter assessment of Vettel’s personality which Red Bull is promoting with this somewhat camp video of him riding a vintage bike through the alps.
Is there anything Red Bull won’t do for Sebastian?
Following Mark Webber’s second place in the Brazilian Grand Prix here’s your last chance to read what the straight shooting Aussie had to say in one of his last official engagements with F1.
Before you do, this is what Daniel Ricciardo had to say before he steps into Webber’s shoes at Red Bull.
“The conditions were very difficult with the occasional drop of rain,” Daniel said. “From the cockpit, it’s actually quite difficult to judge how much rain there is. You see a few drops on your visor, look at the guy in front of you and if he doesn’t go off, you assume it’s dry.
“We were not very quick from the start and I was struggling with cold graining on the front right. We did try and rebalance it during the race, but we struggled in terms of pure pace, so I was quite happy to come away with a point.”
Young Daniel didn’t forget to say goodbye to his friends at Toro Rosso. “At midnight tonight I become an Infiniti Red Bull Racing driver,” he added. “But for now I just want to say thank you to everyone at Scuderia Toro Rosso, here at the track, back in Faenza and at our wind tunnel for two fantastic years. Thanks guys!”
The full transcript of the post-race press conference featuring the first three drivers can be read after the break.
[Pics: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Sebastian Vettel’s record season has been capped with another victory. It’s his ninth win a row, the first time that’s ever been done in a calendar year, and it’s his thirteenth win of the season, which equals Michael Schumacher’s 2004 season. How crucial does that controversial Malaysian Grand Prix win look now?
Off the line both Red Bulls lost ground. Vettel was swallowed up by Nico Rosberg, although restored his natural order by reclaiming the lead at the start of Lap 2. Webber dropped one position to P5, but his race pace was soon apparent and by Lap 13 he had found a way past both Mercedes AMG drivers and Fernando Alonso to earn himself P2.
Mark lost that position due to an uncharacteristic error from Red Bull during his pit stop. Although with new boots Webber was able to catch and overtake Alonso within a couple of laps. He didn’t really make any inroads into Vettel’s lead until another pit stop drama. Red Bull was waiting for Webber to pit, however—anticipating a Safety Car after an incident between Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas—Vettel dived into pit lane for his final set of tyres. He caught the team off-guard and half of his 13 second lead was lost waiting for his tyres.
Although, with Mark soon stacked behind Seabstian the impact to Vettel’s lead was minimised to a degree. As the race drew to a close light rain increased as the skies threatened to open. Late drama was averted when the downpour didn’t eventuate and Vettel won the race by just over 10 seconds.
Perhaps finishing second to Sebastian was a fitting result for Mark in his final F1 race. Mark won nine races in his 215-race career, the same number of wins Vettel has strung together in succession at the back-end of this season.
Webber ensured he left the sport with nothing to hide, by allowing the crowd got to see his emotion after he removed his helmet during his cool down lap.
The 18 points earned by Mark for P2, coupled with a drive-through penalty for Hamilton for causing his incident with Bottas, ensured Webber finished third in the drivers’ championship. While Mark didn’t win a grand prix in 2013, third in the title race equals his best season results from 2010 and 2011.
Webber has certainly made his mark on F1, maybe not as much in terms of net results as he would like, but we can’t ever remember a driver leaving F1 with the overwhelming support and grace Webber has enjoyed from his peers. The admiration of his character appears universal. Even on the podium his fiercest rival, Sebastian Vettel, ensured the post-race interviews defied protocol by starting with Mark in honour of his final F1 appearance.
Fernando Alonso will be happy with P3 after a poor end to the season for Ferrari. Although, it emerged he would have moved aside for teammate Felipe Massa had the Brazilian not been pushed down the field following a drive through penalty for crossing the pit lane entry in race conditions.
McLaren, too, finished a poor season well by seeing Jenson Button and Sergio Perez finish in fourth and sixth respectively. Perez qualified in P14, but started from P19 after a gearbox change, which meant Button started from P14. McLaren will no doubt be hoping to see an improvement in fortunes when F1 enters its turbocharged V6 “power unit” era in 2014.
Lotus ended the year in disappointment when Romain Grosjean’s final race with a normally-aspirated V8 engine behind him was over after just two laps when said engine dropped its guts all over the circuit. Heikki Kovalainen, filling in for Kimi Raikkonen, was unable to make an impact at Sao Paulo and finished in P14.
On the positive side, Daniel Ricciardo ended his season and career with Toro Rosso by claiming the single point offered for P10. We look forward to greater things from Daniel when he moves to Red Bull in 2014.
Another year, another title for Vettel. He and Red Bull have collected four championships on end now. Well done them. Yet, with mixed emotions, considering Daniel’s move to RBR, we do hope to see a different script in 2014.
[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Even in the face of heavy rain Sebastian Vettel cannot be stopped. He claimed his 45th career pole position and ninth for the year at the Brazilian Grand Prix this morning with a blistering lap (1:26.479), almost 0.7 seconds faster than Nico Rosberg (1:27.102) in P2.
The final Q3 session was delayed for around 40 minutes to allow heavy rain to pass and track conditions to improve. Once underway drivers first took to the track in full wets but it soon became clear that intermediates were the best option.
Fernando Alonso (1:27.539) qualified third and said he was no hope of catching Vettel but felt with a better lap he could have eclipsed Rosberg. Amazingly, for a man of Alonso’s talent, P3 equals his best grid position for the year, meaning he has not started on the front row all season.
Mark Webber (1:27.572) was fastest in a compromised FP3, but could only manage P4 in qualifying.”We are where we deserved to be I think, as I didn’t feel that quick in qualifying,” he said. “The car felt slow and I was struggling for grip. It was tricky for all of us, but we’re on the second row and we can still do something from there.”
Lewis Hamilton (1:27.677) will start from P5, ahead of Romain Grosjean (1:27.737) and Daniel Ricciardo (1:28.052). Indeed, Toro Rosso will be well pleased to see Jean-Eric Vergne (1:28.081) starting alongside Daniel after both drivers only just scraped through Q1 in 15th and 16th place.
“It’s the best qualifying the team has had in a long time and I am very happy that both cars are in the top eight,” Daniel explained. “I don’t think there was much between me and JEV today. Tomorrow? The weather will probably decide the story, but anyway, seventh is a great place from which to start. I will be very motivated to convert today’s work into points tomorrow on what will be my last race with Toro Rosso after two very happy seasons with them.”
Felipe Massa (1:28.109) and Nico Hulkenberg (1:29.582) round out the top 10.
[Pics: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Sebastian Vettel reckons the public perception of his relationship with Mark Webber does not align with reality. Mostly perception has been shaped from the fallout of three races, the 2010 Turkish GP, 2010 British GP and the 2013 Malaysian GP.
Vettel’s theory is his professional relationship with Webber and Red Bull has produced a record of which only one outcome can be reached: it has been successful.
“I think generally people have a worse impression of the relationship that we’ve had,” Vettel said. “People tend to forget how successful we have been; I think it has been one of the strongest pairings in Formula One. Obviously we didn’t have the best relationship on a personal level but I think in terms of working professionally together for the team it has been very strong.”
The theory that Mark has been great at setting up and developing cars will be put to the test next year when Formula 1 switches to its new era of turbocharged V6 “power units” instead of normally aspirated V8 engines.
“Both of us have tried very hard to improve the car and surely the fact that he will not be around next year will be a loss for the team,” added Vettel. “A loss for myself because it has been always a huge challenge. I’ve learned a lot from him and I can stand up straight and say that there were many times and many places where I benefited from him.
“You could obviously say the same thing the other way around but I think—as I said—we’ve been extremely successful together and in that regard for sure it will be a hit for the team. But equally it is a new season, a new step next year anyway and with Daniel coming in a new time starts as well.”
[Source: ESPN | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]
So it’s eight straight for Sebastian Vettel and with the chance of a record-equaling thirteenth win for the season on the cards in Sao Paulo next weekend we can forget any hopes of a consolation race victory handed to Mark Webber in his final Formula 1 appearance. Indeed, with Mark’s sometimes loose run with good fortune in F1 we should probably take bets on which lap his car will expire.
For now, though, let’s relive the good times from Austin and enjoy seeing Mark on an F1 podium for what could be the last time ever.
The post-race reflection from the 2013 United States Grand Prix gave Sebastian Vettel a chance to answer even more questions about his eighth win in a row. Romain Grosjean reckons being a dad is ace and Mark Webber rued his lost opportunity to grab pole position during qualifying.
Further down the field Daniel Ricciardo was bitterly disappointed to miss out on a world championship point.
“It was a tough end to the day, really tough,” Daniel said. “It looked as though we were going to hang on to the flag to get the point for tenth place, but then in the last five laps, I lost pretty much all the grip I had and I saw the guys closing in on me. I tried to hold them off but I didn’t have enough left in the tyres to do it.”
The full transcript of the post-race press conference featuring the first three drivers can be read after the break.
[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]