2014 winter testing season to begin in January
Formula 1 winter testing season will kick off early ahead of the 2014 championship. Normally, pre-season running doesn’t begin until February, but because of the radical new rules next year – including the shift to turbo V6 engines – some teams have been pushing for more testing. That hasn’t happened, but the teams have agreed [...]
Abu Dhabi wants Formula 1 winter testing
Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit has now officially thrown its name into the hat as a potential preseason testing venue for next season. We reported last month that venues in Bahrain and Qatar have applied to host Formula 1 next winter, as teams look to the Middle East for better testing weather than wet and [...]
Qatar keen to host 2014 pre-season F1 testing
Qatar has emerged as next likely Formula 1 host, and are lobbying for testing to take place in the country We reported last October that the Arab state, already the host of a floodlit MotoGP race at the Losail circuit outside capital Doha, was looking to host “Formula 1 teams (for) pre-season testing and other [...]
Silverstone to host young drivers’ test in July
This year’s young drivers Formula 1 test will take place at Silverstone in July, it has emerged. Last year, the concept for giving young drivers a break into Formula 1 amid the sport’s tight testing regulations became highly farcical, with the running split over three different locations and dates. But according to Germany’s Auto Motor [...]
Tost calls for winter F1 testing in the Gulf
Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost has called on Formula 1 to abandon winter testing in Europe, saying he would prefer the pre-season runs to be staged in “Abu Dhabi or Bahraini – as long as the track is licensed by the FIA”. Also capable of hosting F1 testing are Dubai Autodrome and Losail Circuit in [...]
Red Bull RB9 slowest in straight line speed
The Red Bull RB9 is the slowest of all the 2013 cars in a straight line, according to an analysis by respected German magazine Auto Motor und Sport. Based on the all-important final two days of Barcelona running last weekend, correspondent Michael Schmidt found that the RB9 (307.7kph) was 12.8kph slower on the long front [...]
Preseason testing: The final analysis ahead of Melbourne
Twelve days, three sessions, two circuits, and tens of thousands of kilometres driven. Formula One’s winter tests have come to an end and the competitive season is now underway, with people and freight making their way to Melbourne for the first race of the year. “The reliability, the mileage and the step-by-step improvements that we [...]
Mercedes boss plays down testing pace
Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has played down the significance of Mercedes’ speed and form that emerged on the final two days of testing in Barcelona, after Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg smashed the Circuit de Catalunya lap record on two consecutive days, during their stints in the W03. Wolff told DPA, “I have to [...]
Valsecchi spent a day being Kimi Raikkonen
Davide Valsecchi, the reigning GP2 Series champion, spent a day of testing ‘being Kimi Raikkonen’ and has revealed he will never forget Lotus’ offer of a role in Formula 1 this year. We reported last month that the 26-year-old Italian risks becoming the first ever GP2 title winner who might never sit on a F1 [...]