Austrian GP 2014 Team news & quotes

[Nero Horse]

[FerrariF60]

looking at taht weather forecast, it may be TOO HOT on sunday to be able to run the SLIM configuration engine cover...but i think we should take the risk and run it anyways, after all we GOT nothing to LOSE

[Rob]

Austrian GP – Alonso: “The President is right”

Spielberg, 19 June – Fernando Alonso claimed to have no memories of his past races here at the refurbished Austrian circuit and in fact, the major changes to the facilities, new pits, new grandstands, new media centre, mean there is not much except the actual track layout that has stayed the same. “I do remember it as very short,” said the Scuderia Ferrari man in today’s FIA conference. “There are only five or six corners where you can make up time, so I expect lap times to be very close, with one or two tenths making a big difference. Therefore we must aim for a perfect lap on Saturday.”

As usual some new parts will be fitted to the F14 Ts this weekend: “we will try them on Friday free practice and see which ones we can use on Saturday and which need more time,” explained the Spaniard. “I hope we have some good ones!” Next up was the topic of Luca di Montezemolo’s comments regarding the need for a brainstorming session on the sport’s future. “I think the President is right in a way,” commented Fernando. “The show has not been good enough at some races this year and with one team dominating, the spectators want more excitement. It’s right that if the teams and fans have any ideas to have a better show then they should be welcome.”

The recent decision to reduce in-season testing again has good and bad points according to the Ferrari man. “I know it is important to reduce costs, as it means more teams can survive, but on the other hand, this is the only sport with no training and for young drivers especially, it is difficult if almost the first time in the car is in Free Practice 1: that is unique to this sport.”

Finally, Spain’s departure from the football World Cup. “I am surprised, but not disappointed,” maintained Alonso. “We have been winning for several years so sooner or later we had to lose. All we can do is say thanks to the team for everything they have given us over the last few years.”

- See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/aus....2ZTZWZdY.dpuf

Austrian GP – Raikkonen: “Good memories of this circuit”

Spielberg, 19 June – As one of only four drivers on this year’s grid who has raced at this track before, Kimi Raikkonen seemed delighted to be here when he spoke to the media this afternoon. “First of all I have to say I like racing in Europe!” began the Scuderia Ferrari driver. “This is a nice place to come and they seem to have built a lot of new facilities. I have good memories of this circuit and I think the track makes for pretty good racing. The layout means you can overtake and so I am very happy to be here. I think this circuit should suit us better than Canada, which, along with Bahrain, was the most difficult for us. But at the moment, I am just guessing. We must wait and see what happens tomorrow.”

Last weekend, a Ferrari won its class in the Le Mans 24 Hours race and Raikkonen was asked if that’s a race he would like to tackle. “I enjoy racing and Le Mans is one of the things that would be on the top of my list, as a very famous race,” replied the Finn. “I would have to see what happens in the future, but for sure there is some interest in doing that race, but at the moment, it’s too early to say. Rallycross would also be nice to try as it looks good fun. I enjoy Rallying a lot, it’s a difficult sport with a good challenge, but Le Mans is probably closest to Formula 1. It’s good to try different things because it’s good fun and you always learn something.”

Kimi also had words of praise for the Scuderia’s new Team Principal, Marco Mattiacci. “Everybody has their own way of doing things and it’s early days for Marco,” said Kimi. “He is a very nice guy who really wants to make a difference. These are good signs and there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes. I think sometimes it can be a good thing when someone comes in from outside Formula 1 with a different view of things. I expect he can do a very good job.”

- See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/aus....PRdghw5H.dpuf

[vcs316]

Mercedes and Ferrari to test sparking skid blocks during Austrian GP practice



Ferrari and Mercedes will both test titanium skid blocks during Friday practice ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, as Formula One teams look to reintroduce sparks, long since absent, back to the sport in the near future.

AUTOSPORT revealed back in April that the F1 Strategy Group, in its efforts to spice up the spectacle of grand prix racing, was set to propose the reintroduction of sparking cars, as well as active suspension and glowing brakes to make current cars more “visually spectacular.”

It is reported that the F1 Commission has accepted the proposal to reintroduce sparking cars from 2015 onwards, with a plan to run mandatory skid blocks underneath the cars to produce the desired sparks.

As a part of the plans Ferrari will fit two skid blocks to Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari, while Mercedes will fit similar blocks to Nico Rosberg’s car, but in two different positions.

This initial test is the first step ahead of the expected full introduction of mandatory skid blocks, which is set to be ratified alongside a series of other proposals by the FIA World Motorsport Council when it meets next week in Germany.

http://richlandf1.com/?p=24066

[vcs316]

Fernando Alonso: “I hope we have some Good Upgrades”

Ferrari hope the Austrian Grand Prix brings better results for both Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen when the European races of the Formula 1 season resume this weekend. Both Spaniard Alonso and Finn Raikkonen have prior experience of the Red Bull Ring, then called the A1 Ring, between 2001 and 2003.

Alonso finished sixth in Canada last time out, and sits fourth in the championship having been leapfrogged by Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull after the Australians victory in Montreal. He knows how costly any kind of mistake will be at the Red Bull Ring, believing the short nature of the track will make lap times in qualifying especially close.

“There are only five or six corners where you can make up time, so I expect lap times to be very close, with one or two tenths making a big difference,” said Alonso. “Therefore we must aim for a perfect lap on Saturday.”

Ferrari are expected to bring a whole host of upgrades to Austria, and the Spaniard hopes some of them work to bring them closer to the front of the field.

“We will try them on Friday free practice and see which ones we can use on Saturday and which need more time,” added Alonso. “I hope we have some good ones!”

Team-mate Raikkonen scored a solitary point for tenth position in Canada two weeks ago but has yet to finish higher than seventh in 2014 and finds himself down in twelfth place in the championship. He is happy the series is returning to Europe and remembers his previous races in Austria where he had a best finish of second for McLaren in 2003, and finished fourth in only his sixth race in F1 for Sauber in 2001.

“First of all I have to say I like racing in Europe,” said Raikkonen. “This is a nice place to come and they seem to have built a lot of new facilities. I have good memories of this circuit and I think the track makes for pretty good racing.

The layout means you can overtake and so I am very happy to be here. I think this circuit should suit us better than Canada, which, along with Bahrain, was the most difficult for us. But at the moment, I am just guessing. We must wait and see what happens.”

Technical Director James Allison is unsure of how the Austrian weekend will play out, but is hopeful that the hard work and dedication shown at the factory will pay dividends with an improved performance around the Red Bull Ring.

“We will have the Soft and Supersoft Pirellis, just as we did in the last two races,” said Allison. “We cannot be sure what to expect but, as at any of the tracks this year, management of the Option in qualifying will be extremely important. You need to ensure you get the tyre prepared for a hot lap in Q2, while being sure the tyre can then cope with the first stint of the race.”

“Every season is dominated by the efforts back at the factory to try to improve the package. If you’re in front you work to stay in front and if you’re not, then your efforts are aimed at moving your way up the grid. Currently, we’re doing our level best across every aspect of the car: mechanically, aerodynamically, electronically, every single component, set up wise, everything we can do to try to improve is being done.

“In recent races we have brought more upgrades than usual to the track and this has improved our position marginally. We just need to keep fighting the same fight, we have upgrade plans race by race. If we do a good job with all of those, it will start to tell and we will start to see Ferrari run more consistently relatively to the opposition. But it’s not an easy fight, and it’s a fight that never ends.”

http://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/20...ckered+Flag%29

[Hornet]

Mercedes and Ferrari to test sparking skid blocks during Austrian GP practice

Ferrari and Mercedes will both test titanium skid blocks during Friday practice ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, as Formula One teams look to reintroduce sparks, long since absent, back to the sport in the near future.

AUTOSPORT revealed back in April that the F1 Strategy Group, in its efforts to spice up the spectacle of grand prix racing, was set to propose the reintroduction of sparking cars, as well as active suspension and glowing brakes to make current cars more “visually spectacular.”

It is reported that the F1 Commission has accepted the proposal to reintroduce sparking cars from 2015 onwards, with a plan to run mandatory skid blocks underneath the cars to produce the desired sparks.

I can't believe I'm reading this. We reduce the engine capacity in the name of improving efficiency, and now we want to intentionally induce friction to create sparking cars

I believe the main complains from the fans are the engine sound, and lack of close racing (one team dominating the entire season, lack of overtaking, etc). Leaving the engine sound aside, close racing may not be an issue that is easy to solve. But I don't think that means we should put up some fancy cosmetic effect to cover up the underlying problem, it's not going to work.

If we can improve racing, allow more overtaking and closer competition across the grid, I think people will find F1 more enjoyable again. Sparking floor and glowing brakes isn't going to make any difference, IMO.

[Senna4Ever]

ei ei ei ... Alonso should have said: This is the best track in the world ever and Austria the most beautiful country on earth ....

His summary about the characteristics of Austrian circuit (short, only view corners to gather time, ... ) are interpreted as critics ...

[Nero Horse]

Spielberg, 20 June –It was a productive second practice session for Scuderia Ferrari as the two drivers completed 85 laps between them, acquiring valuable data for the engineers to now analyse, to prepare for tomorrow’s qualifying and Sunday’s race. The extensive running was also a good thing for the drivers, returning to Spielberg after an eleven year break and thus letting them get to know the track again.

Fernando Alonso did 40 laps, with a best time of 1.10.470, which put him third fastest. Kimi Raikkonen did 45 laps, stopping the clocks in 1.10.974, which put him in eleventh place, although the Finn never got a proper clean lap. Once again, a Mercedes driver topped the time sheet, this time Lewis Hamilton in 1.09.542.

As usual, in the final third of the session, the focus switched to running in race configuration, with Alonso and Raikkonen, as well as the other drivers doing some long runs on both the Soft and Supersoft tyres. Front tyre graining was a feature of the session for many. Free practice 3 takes place tomorrow at 11h00.

See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/aus....TusPN6Lv.dpuf

[Nero Horse]

Fernando Alonso: “It’s nice to be back racing here, the track has many changes of gradient and that always makes for enjoyable driving. In both sessions, Kimi and I were on different programmes and now we must put all the data together to choose which of the elements we tested have worked best. There were no surprises on the tyre front, the Supersoft seems quicker and will definitely be the tyre for qualifying, but for the race, it’s impossible to establish now what the strategy will be. It was always cloudy today and there were even a few drops of rain, but the next days are meant to be sunny and so tyre behaviour could change. The good forecast means that anything is possible and hopefully that means the chance to put on a good show for the fans who were already here in large numbers today.”


Kimi Raikkonen: “Today was particularly busy, which is normal when you go back to a track for the first time in many years. Despite the changeable weather reducing the amount of track time in the first session, we still managed to complete our programme, which today centred on analysing new aerodynamic parts brought for this race. Along with Fernando, we concentrated on different set-up tests, me on the front end and him on the rear, so as to compare the data from the second session. In the afternoon, I had a better feeling from the car, but for various reasons, including a lack of grip, traffic and the wind, I didn’t manage to put together a good lap, or to improve in the final sector.”


Pat Fry: “Coming back here after eleven years made for a bit more work on this first day on track. Kimi and Fernando did a total of 129 laps and even if this is one of the shortest tracks on the calendar, Spielberg presents a demanding series of drops and climbs and luckily, both our drivers are among the few to have driven here before. The cold track in the morning complicated the task of getting the Soft tyres up to temperature, but things went better on the Supersoft in the afternoon. Over the two sessions, we made various set-up changes to meet the demands of the different driving styles of our drivers and we did see a slight improvement. Of course, we can’t say we’re pleased with that, because we still need to find the perfect balance and therefore we will need to make the most of today’s data to work on the handling of the car. Qualifying will be very close, especially because on such a short track, just a tenth of a second can win or lose you several places on the grid, so we will need to get a clean lap without traffic. As far as race pace is concerned, behind the Mercedes there’s a group of cars all quite close together, doing very similar lap times, so a good grid position would mean not having to chase after the others.”


See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/aus....C1USGNY6.dpuf

[gjoko-mkd]

empty words,nothing new to explain what we have new for this race

[stefa]

I can't believe I'm reading this. We reduce the engine capacity in the name of improving efficiency, and now we want to intentionally induce friction to create sparking cars

I believe the main complains from the fans are the engine sound, and lack of close racing (one team dominating the entire season, lack of overtaking, etc). Leaving the engine sound aside, close racing may not be an issue that is easy to solve. But I don't think that means we should put up some fancy cosmetic effect to cover up the underlying problem, it's not going to work.

If we can improve racing, allow more overtaking and closer competition across the grid, I think people will find F1 more enjoyable again. Sparking floor and glowing brakes isn't going to make any difference, IMO.

Amen to this!

[Kiwi Nick]

ei ei ei ... Alonso should have said: This is the best track in the world ever and Austria the most beautiful country on earth ....

His summary about the characteristics of Austrian circuit (short, only view corners to gather time, ... ) are interpreted as critics ...

Kimi seems to like Austria!

[Nero Horse]

Spielberg, 21 June –Qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix produced a surprising front row, while the Scuderia Ferrari drivers will be starting from the second and fourth rows. Fernando Alonso was fourth fastest in 1.09.285, equaling his best result of the season in Malaysia. Kimi Raikkonen will start from eighth, with a time of 1.10.795.

Both men had a relatively smooth passage into Q2, but from then on life got harder. Fernando was on a perfect lap but made a mistake at the end of the final corner, going off on the grass, which meant he had to try again. Kimi pushed hard all the way to squeeze through in last place for the top ten shoot-out.

The final stages were action packed. Fernando posted a strong 1.09.285, while Williams locked out the front row with Felipe Massa taking his first pole since Brazil 2008 in 1.08.759 and Valtteri Bottas doing a 1.08.846. In third was championship leader Nico Rosberg in 1.08.944, who was unable to improve as he came up behind team-mate Lewis Hamilton who had spun at Turn 2. Kimi never got a clean lap and could do no better than eighth.


See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/aus....QtwKLcMd.dpuf

[Nero Horse]

Fernando Alonso: “I have mixed feelings after this qualifying, because on the one hand, this is the best result since early in the season, but it’s also true that the session was very unusual and it’s highly likely that the final order does not reflect the true hierarchy down the field. In Q2, I made a mistake at the final corner, which meant I had to try another run and in Q3, I went long in turn 3. But fourth place makes up for the disappointment of not having done a perfect lap and it should make us proud of what we have accomplished so far, because the updates we started bringing since Canada seem to indicate we are on the right road. With some faster cars behind us, we can expect a difficult race, in which defending will be as important as attacking. Now we must try and work out how to make the most of this advantage for as long as possible in terms of strategy and to have a solid race.”


Kimi Raikkonen: “In these two days I have found it more difficult to put together a good lap and again today in qualifying things did not go well. In Q3, I went out for just a single run on the Supersofts, but the mistakes made at the first corner affected my lap times. On my last run I locked the wheels, damaging the left front tyre, but at that point, I decided to keep on trying to improve. Even if eighth place is not a disaster, I am disappointed because we were quicker than that today, but I was never able to be consistent in the three sectors. Race pace is good and even if I am finding it a bit hard to get the tyres up to temperature, I will try my best tomorrow.”


Pat Fry: “If you look at the results of qualifying since the start of the year, today’s is definitely unusual, but putting all other considerations aside, all my congratulations go to Felipe, because I think he really deserved pole position. Here in Spielberg, your overall power counts for a lot and so starting from the second row must be seen as a good result. It’s very easy to make mistakes here, especially in the first corner and the last two and, as it’s a very short track, traffic can also create problems. Fernando got the most out of the car and tomorrow with him we will work in two directions, attacking those in front while defending from those behind such as Hamilton. Unfortunately, Kimi didn’t get a clean lap, because of a mistake at the first corner and now we will work on improving his package so he can have greater confidence in the car, because his qualities are out of question. The race pace we had on Friday is encouraging, equal to that of the Williams and Red Bull and so we can expect the race to be as tight as qualifying.”


See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/aus....ZetDc8in.dpuf

[vcs316]

Austrian Grand Prix: Alonso: Ferrari definitely making progress

Fernando Alonso says Ferrari is definitely making progress after qualifying fourth for the Austrian Grand Prix.

The second-row grid slot matches Alonso's best of the season so far having previously qualified fourth in the wet session in Malaysia. While Alonso admits it is not an accurate reflection of Ferrari's place in the pecking order, he says the team should be proud of maximising the opportunities that arose in qualifying and feels the car is getting better.

“It definitely was not a normal qualifying so we probably took advantage of it,” Alonso said. “It's not normal to see Hamilton behind us for example, so we need to be proud of the position. Definitely the new parts we brought to Canada and to here seem to work fine. In Canada we felt more potential in the car but for some reason the track or the layout was not good for us and we didn't have a good race, but the new parts were better than the old ones so that was a positive sign.

“Here again we tested some others and they seem to also be positive so hopefully we are moving in the right direction. We know there is still a long way to go and the qualifying we need to be calm about the result because we were 1.1s behind the Mercedes this morning and in practice. Now we have one Mercedes a tenth ahead and one Mercedes behind, so I don't think everybody used their full potential because the conditions were a little bit tricky.”

With Daniel Ricciardo directly behind, Alonso expects a lot of pressure from cars further back on the grid but believes a podium is not out of the question.

“Ricciardo I don't think will back up too many cars. In fact, they've been very competitive especially on Sundays so I expect Ricciardo and [Sebastian] Vettel – with all the new tyres that he has now – to have a strong race. So it's going to be difficult to keep fourth. I probably won't sign for anything now because in the last race we saw in the last couple of laps how things can change quickly.

“We will try to do our race. It's true that sometimes we start in 7th, 9th, 11th and try to recover, tomorrow we probably start out of position because fourth is not realistic as I said. So we will try to combine the two things: attack to get to the podium places and defend because we know there are fast cars behind who will arrive later in the race so we will need to be ready for that.”

http://www.crash.net/f1/news/205867/...m_campaign=rss

[vcs316]

Austrian Grand Prix: Raikkonen bemoans Turn 1 issues

Kimi Raikkonen attributed his poor qualifying performance to being unable to get Turn 1 right at the Red Bull Ring.

In Q3, Raikkonen set a time that was two seconds off pole and 1.1s slower than Daniil Kvyat ahead of him. Reflecting on his afternoon, Raikkonen said he had locked up and damaged his tyres at the first corner but took advantage of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg failing to set lap times to at least take eighth place on the grid for the Austrian Grand Prix.

“I was struggling with the first corner a lot and couldn't get it right,” Raikkonen said. “I knew I had three laps so I tried to do it again and on the last lap I just locked a wheel – the outside wheel for some reason – and flat-spotted the front left. It was pretty much done at that point. It was the first corner so obviously I lost a lot of time after that and there was a lot of vibration in a straight line.

“I just did the lap to set a time. It's disappointing. It's been difficult to get one lap together the whole weekend and I think speed-wise wasn't too bad if I put the lap together but it's just been a big struggle to do that. It's disappointing in the end but it's only qualifying.”

Raikkonen added that he didn't expect to have as many problems with getting the tyres working over a race distance but says it is an ongoing issue that he has been facing.

“It's better in the race pace but to get the tyres working seems to be very difficult for me, not just this weekend. It seems to get a bit more easy in the race but it was just a difficult qualifying.”