Formula1

Maybe. There was supposedly keen interest in the team from a pair of UK businessmen and the potential prize money would no doubt be a huge boost to them next year. So this news does seem quite sudden.
 
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so...after 10 years qualifying record in Interlagos has been beaten. Previous record was 1:10.646 held by Rubens Barrichello. New record is 1:10.023 set by Rosberg
 
but they might have advantage here because turbo engines don't loose so much performance as normally aspirated engines in those places that are high above sea level. Thing to consider this year is that track is also 1-2 meters longer because last corner (where pit entry is) has been re-profiled a bit to accommodate new pit entry
 
More generally, across the season the cars haven't been much slower - in some cases faster - so I think it's a credit to how much performance can be extracted from smaller engines. Some people were predicting the cars would be too slow this year but that hasn't been the case.

The GP2 car isn't much slower than the current F1 cars but I don't see that as a problem. I don't believe F1's reason for existence should be purely about being the fastest. It's about innovation and extracting every last drop of performance from a car within strict regulations.

Now, just sort out the engine sound.
 
Would make no sense with some teams having 3 cars and others only 2...

Just see the track for the first time this year, the new tarmac really looks good. Race more or less interesting so far, hope for Lewis to win to get a bigger advantage for Abu Dhabi.
 
what Hamilton needs to do to win the title
10406364_719290361497262_6974668887616122188_n.jpg
 
I think Rosberg will continue to be Di Caprio of F1...they look pretty similar and always someone else wins all the awards :D


Marussia administrators have stated that they are still working on finding new owners for the team and that there is still hope for team to be on the grid in 2015 (they have until the end of this month to pay the entry fee). They also say they will be in Abu Dhabi if they manage to find between £3m and £5m before the end of this week.
http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/1...8221-with-one-group-about-a-possible-takeover
 
Hope for Lewis to win and Marussia and Caterham to get out of F1. Why? Because Nico is just one of those Monaco douches with a rich daddy plus Lewis is the way more entertaining guy. And the two teams have hardly added anything to F1 besides filling up the grid. And if they need crowd funding there was/is something really wrong with at least one part of their business.
 
Cuky said:
they are currently on 52% of what they asked for 2 days to go
https://www.crowdcube.com/caterham/


And if they make it in FP1 we could see another women, Alice Powell as her grandfather will donate 35,000 pounds to buy her a drive in FP1. If that happens she might even drive for a whole weekend if some of her sponsors pay some more.
http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/1...erham-at-the-season-finale-in-abu-dhabi?34567
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She's nowhere near good enough for F1. The fact that someone can buy a seat in F1 as a gift is why F1 is in such a poor situation.
 
I'd be amazed if she was let anywhere near a race seat. It would be insane to have someone that inexperienced getting lapped several times by Nico and Lewis when they're deciding the championship. The amount of poo that would fly if she took either one of them out doesn't bear thinking of.
 
Jamezinho said:
The fact that someone can buy a seat in F1 as a gift is why F1 is in such a poor situation.
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I can't agree on that because that is how most of now established drivers got their places in F1...Alonso, Kobayashi, Perez, Ricciardo, Vettel, M. Schumacher just to name a few...they all started with lower teams which funded themselves mostly from sponsors that would come together with a driver. Some of them, like Schumacher, paid for their drive and they did fantastic job to secure themselves a contract with stronger team later.


EDIT: Great news for McLaren and Honda. They will run their modified MP4-29 with Honda power unit in Silverstone tomorrow at the PR event which will together with MP4-29H include 2 classic McLaren F1 cars
 
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Caterham has just announced on their official facebook page that they will be racing in Abu Dhabi

We are delighted to announce that we will be racing in Abu Dhabi next week thanks to the support of the fans. THANK YOU

Finbarr O’Connell of Smith & Williamson, joint administrator of Caterham Sports Limited: “We set ourselves a major challenge, but it’s definitely been worth it! In only a week the fans have made the impossible, possible. We knew that the best way to keep this team alive and attract possible buyers was to show that it’s still a racing team and be in Abu Dhabi for the finale, and there aren’t enough words to say how grateful we are to all the fans that have made this possible.

“We now head to Abu Dhabi ready to show what a hard-working and positive group of people this is and to hopefully secure a future for the team. During the past few days the interest of many potential buyers has increased massively and by racing in Abu Dhabi the team will be showcasing itself as a live and functioning team that deserves to continue into 2015 and beyond. It has hard-working people, team spirit and experience and now it only needs a secure financial future which I’m very hopeful we can achieve. Once again, I’d like to reiterate that we are racing in Abu Dhabi thanks to all the fans out there – an achievement that will go down in F1 history and one that we can all be very proud of. We still need to raise a bit more cash so please do keep an eye on the Crowdcube website. Let’s go racing!”
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EDIT: McLaren Honda did first few laps today after 2 decades
B2ahdU6CQAEcRkg.jpg


Car didn't break down and they did their 100km that they are all allowed to do for filming purposes.


EDIT2: BBC reports that car did actually stop once, but team was able to start it again almost immediately
The MP4-29H/1X1 car stopped on track once, but the team managed to get it going again immediately.
McLaren said the car was not run at racing speed, so they were unable to glean accurate first impressions of the engine, but said there was "a lot of positivity"
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reports are that Honda is close to this years Mercedes power unit performance-wise. But just a bit later this came up

BBC: 'sources say Mercedes have improved their engine enough to translate into a performance gain of about a second a lap for next season'
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I mean, WTF?! Keep calm guys, leave something for your competitors :D
 
Cuky said:
I can't agree on that because that is how most of now established drivers got their places in F1...Alonso, Kobayashi, Perez, Ricciardo, Vettel, M. Schumacher just to name a few...they all started with lower teams which funded themselves mostly from sponsors that would come together with a driver. Some of them, like Schumacher, paid for their drive and they did fantastic job to secure themselves a contract with stronger team later.


EDIT: Great news for McLaren and Honda. They will run their modified MP4-29 with Honda power unit in Silverstone tomorrow at the PR event which will together with MP4-29H include 2 classic McLaren F1 cars
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A: I'm well aware of that.

B: Those guys had/have the talent to cut it in F1.
 
Just to add to my last post: getting a points score in GP3 is the high point of Powell's career so far. To me that's not enough of an achievement to qualify for a drive in F1 on merit.

The majority of drivers in F1, past and present, have got there by working their way up the motorsport pyramid and proving themselves at every step. Therefore someone trying to buy their way into an F1 seat, even just for a practice session, is a problem to me if they haven't demonstrated their ability. Prove yourself in GP2, World Series by Renault, even the DTM, WEC or Indy Car, and a driver has enough credit to have a go at F1.

Powell's grandfather was trying to buy her a one-off F1 experience, not a credible attempt at getting into the series. Anyway, it doesn't matter as it looks like Jolyon Palmer is being considered:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formulaone/article-2832364/Alice-Powell-s-fading-dream-opens-door-Jolyon-Palmer-Abu-Dhabi-Grand-Prix.html

As reigning GP2 champion, so he should be (yes, I realise he is bank-rolled by his dad, etc).
 
@Jamezinho
I agree with your latest post. And if I am not wrong here Powell probably wouldn't be able to run in any practice in Abu Dhabi as she just doesn't have enough experience for FIA to award her with superlicense needed to drive in official F1 sessions. Verstappen for example did more than 300km in testings with Toro Rosso's old F1 cars and he was than allowed his superlicense because of that minimum required experience in F1 car.
 
Ferrari has confirmed that Alonso is leaving the team
Full statement from Ferrari

'Scuderia Ferrari and Fernando Alonso announce that, by common consent, they have ended their relationship. Fernando Alonso leaves the team at the end of this season, after a five year period which, with one race remaining, saw him score 1186 points, 44 podiums and 11 wins.

'Everyone at Scuderia Ferrari thanks Fernando for his great contribution on both a personal and professional level.

“In the Scuderia Ferrari roll of honour of great drivers, Fernando Alonso will always occupy a special place” commented Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal, Marco Mattiacci. “We offer him our heartfelt thanks for what has been an extraordinary adventure with the Scuderia, when in the past five years, he twice came so close to winning the world championship. I am sure that a great driver like Fernando will always hold the Prancing Horse dear to his heart and I also expect the Ferrari fans will continue to hold him in high regard in his future endeavours.”

“Today is not an easy one for me, because even if I always look to the future with great enthusiasm and determination, at the end of this season my journey as a Ferrari driver will come to an end” – said Fernando Alonso.

“It was a difficult decision to take, but a carefully considered one and from start to finish, my love for Ferrari was a prime consideration. I have always been lucky enough to make my own decisions about my future and I have that possibility now too. I must thank the team for that, as it understood my position. I leave Scuderia Ferrari after five years, during which I reached my very best level professionally, tackling major challenges that pushed me to find new limits. I also proved to be a true team-player, putting the interests of the Scuderia before my own.

"When I had to take important decisions about my future, I did so with Ferrari in my heart, driven by my love for the team. I am very proud of what we have achieved together. Thanks to the efforts of the men and women of Maranello, on three occasions we came second in the Formula 1 World Championship, two of them fighting for the title right up to and including the final race, running in a championship winning position for many laps.

Without a shadow of a doubt, these five years produced some of the best moments of my career and I also feel that, in leaving the team, it is family rather than friends I am leaving behind. Now I look to the future."
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And have also confirmed that Vettel will replace him
Ferrari have confirmed Sebastian Vettel will take Fernando Alonso’s place at Ferrari next year.

Alonso has cut short his contract with the team by two years, while Vettel’s departure from Red Bull was announced during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend.

Vettel will take his place alongside Kimi Raikkonen from next season as he begins a three-year contract with Ferrari.

“The next stage of my Formula 1 career will be spent with Scuderia Ferrari and for me that means the dream of a lifetime has come true,” said Vettel.

“When I was a kid, Michael Schumacher in the red car was my greatest idol and now it’s an incredible honour to finally get the chance to drive a Ferrari.

“I already got a small taste of what the Ferrari spirit means, when I took my first win at Monza in 2008, with an engine from the prancing horse built in Maranello. The scuderia has a great tradition in this sport and I am extremely motivated to help the team get back to the top. I will put my heart and soul into making it happen.”
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EDIT: Will Stevens will be partnering Kamui Kobayashi in Caterham at Abu Dhabi
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2014/11/20/will-stevens-make-f1-race-debut-abu-dhabi/
 
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Currently confirmed drivers for 2015

MERCEDES
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg

RED BULL
Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat

FERRARI
Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen

WILLIAMS
Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa

McLAREN
TBC

FORCE INDIA
Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez

TORO ROSSO
Max Verstappen and TBC

LOTUS
Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado

SAUBER
Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr

MARUSSIA (ENTERED AS MANOR F1 TEAM)
TBC

CATERHAM
TBC
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