Magnussen one step away from race seat

Kevin Magnussen, son of former F1 driver Jan Magnussen, is now just one step away from becoming the next Dane in F1.

McLaren has promoted the 20 year old from their Young Driver Programme to reserve driver for Jenson Button and Sergio Perez at this weekends Chinese GP, if anything should happen to one of the drivers. He will also be a reserve driver for the drivers during the Bahrain Grand Prix.

“I am to follow all practice sessions, as well as the race from the pit, and attend all the meetings between drivers and engineers. That way I am able to jump to the task with short notice, and I will no doubt learn a lot as the weekend unfolds,” said Magnussen.

“Both here(China), and Bahrain next week, I amthe official reserve driver. Therewill be more races during the season, but those are not planned yet.”

McLaren-Honda returns in 2015, Whitmarsh says

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh is not promising anything in regards to whether the team will stick to Mercedes engines in the future or switch to a different supplier. However, though Whitmarsh is refusing to confirm claims that McLaren will continue using Mercedes engines beyond 2014, he is not confirming their replacement, though everyone strongly believes that the team will use Honda engines.

Talks have been made and Honda has indeed confirmed that they have made plans to return to the sport as engine supplier for McLaren, but for 2015. McLaren has a contract in place for 2014, but for 2015 the situation is different. McLaren only has an option to use Mercedes engines and asked if Mercedes would still be engine supplier beyond 2014, Whitmarsh said:

“I can definitely say that we are with them for some time, we have a contract and we have been talking about it for some time. There is nothing to announce at the moment. I can’t elaborate any further. We have a contract that covers the next three seasons at the moment and we will certainly go into next year with Mercedes-Benz. We have a long and successful partnership with them.”

So did Whitmarsh say that McLaren will use Honda engines? Not specifically, but Honda has been doing this for some time. They don´t let the cat out of the bag, unless they are serious. So Whitmarsh might not technically say that Honda will supply engines for McLaren from 2015, but then again, he just did, didn´t he?

The last time McLaren partnered with Honda, the results were staggering. Four drivers titles in as many years, one for Alain Prost, three for Ayrton Senna.

The Official 2013 Formula One Update F1 Season Preview 1/3

Yup, nothing less than a catchy headline will do, as we tread carefully into the bewildering forest of making a preview. It´s all the rave and every website is doing one, so why not jump on the bandwagon as well, right?

Making a preview requires extensive knowledge into the finer dealings of F1. The writer is expected to have his or her finger on the button at the right time, contacting the right people at the right places. I do have media access to all the teams and also several key people as sources – just look at the older articles, you´ll see – but I am not leaning against test times or how one team has made a different exhaust detail compared to the other. This preview is simply a run-down of who will do best. Team and driver.

Red Bull

The Austrian team, based in the very British Milton Keynes, of Her Majesty the Queen´s England, is entering their 9th season in F1 and they do so with the best material, the best drivers and of course three consecutive world championships. There is little doubt that Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull will be in the very best of starting places once the season takes off, and they will expect nothing but a winning car. Red Bull also has the same driver line-up as before, Mark Webber will be celebrating his 7th season with the team, while Sebastian Vettel is entering his 5th season. With three world titles to his name, notched up in just five years, Vettel could become quadruple champion this year, and this will mean he is in very exclusive company. Only Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher and the great Juan Manuel Fangio has won four or more titles.

So how will they do?

Red Bull is not known to be complacent or happy to settle with second best, so they will try everything they can to surprise their opponents and hope for an early advantage. It did take them a little while to win their first race last year, Bahrain, and for 9 straight races, Vettel was not on the top step of the podium. Mark Webber secured 2 wins, while the mechanics scratched their heads. When they were done doing that, Vettel won four races in a row, and also managed to score some vital championship points when he was not the best driver of the day.

Prediction:

Red Bull will win a fourth championship title, but Vettel will finish second. Mark Webber will be sharper and closer to Vettel, finishing in the top 5, but will announce his retirement after the season, concentrating on building ships in small bottles.

McLaren

The team is celebrating 50 years of high-class racing, since its foundation in 1963 by Bruce McLaren, the team has notched up 8 drivers titles and 12 constructors trophies. Jenson Button began the season by winning the first race, but then hit a snag,while Lewis Hamilton secured some crucial third places. The 2012 season was hampered by silly mistakes, a design flaw in the wheel nut and a general running around and not knowing exactly what they needed to focus. 4th and 5th for Hamilton and Button was all they could do, and the team will be looking to improve in every single area.

So how will they do?

Hamilton moved to Mercedes and the new boy is former Sauber superstar Sergio Perez. His learning curve at McLaren will be steeper than at Sauber, ut we must not forget that he is a very, very talented driver who understands the way a machine works. He has a way of feeling the car, much like Button really, and their driving styles should fit very well together. The car is also not that remarkable to look at, it´s been cropped and shaved here and there, and as always it´s the minor details that will be upgraded.

Prediction:

McLaren will finish second in the constructor’s championship, with Perez taking his first podium for his new team after just three races. Button will have a fantastic year, with four wins and several podiums, and will be right on Vettel´s heels for some time.

Ferrari

The new flyer, the F138, is the car that the Maranello-based team will use to propel Alonso into his third title. Nothing less than a miracle turn-around is needed and nothing less than victories is expected. Or is it? Ferrari have learned the hard way, that old ways are not always the right way and being overtaken by an energy drink manufacturer, has a negative effect. Last season Alonso was within a nose hair´s distance to secure the title, when Alonso took second, Vettel was third. If Vettel won, Alonso was right there on the podium with him. So close. Felipe Massa got his groove back around the halfway mark, and had some excellent races. He will be hungry for more and so will Alonso.

So how will they do?

Ferrari will be right out the box fast. But then again, I really have no clue. The car seems easier to handle and manage, Massa himself said that it is a completely different experience than the 2012 car. And he needs a good car. Alonso has matured a lot in the last few season´s and have this “we´ll get there”- attitude about him. I would expect some close racing between Perez, Alonso and Vettel.

Prediction

Ferrari will be the team who develops the most during the season, with plenty of minor upgrades. But eventually they will lose second place in the championship to McLaren by a few points, however I think Alonso might take the title this year. And how is that done, you ask? Massa is still a lieutenant to Alonso and will be sacrificed in order to allow Alonso to win. Simple as that. Massa will hit a small bump of performance, bounce back a little, eventually do better than last year, but his results will mean Ferrari will finish third, with Alonso as champion.

Remember that this preview is entirely personal and I do not use any influences whatsoever. I look at a couple of factors to determine the view, but in the end it´s all a bit of fun.

VIDEO: McLaren-Mercedes MP4-28 is alive

McLaren-Mercedes MP4-28 revealed-gallery

A bit of everything

Catching up a little is always a good thing, and now that I have re-booted the blog, slowly but surely, I have decided to make the format a little different than before. Formula One Update originalle started as a gateway to all the relevenat news stories related to F1, I made huge attempts to cover as much as possible and tried to be the first with the story. But I ran out of energy, I didn´t feel I got enough out of the work I did, so for some months the blog has been disabled. Until now.

The idea is that now I try to find some relevant stories whenever I feel like it, and they might not be brand spanking new, but at least you get my weird sense of humour to go along with it, so hey. I will not be covering every angle or every story out there, I just don´t have the time for it. So for now, this is a cozy little project and I hope you feel that you still get something out of it. Enjoy.

Red Bull has become the next team in line to reveal their launch date of their 2013 car, the RB9. The team has admitted that their development on the new car has been somewhat delayed, since they concentrated on getting everything out of the 2012 season, eventually finishing with Sebastian Vettel taking his third consecutive championship. The new car will be revealed on february 3, at the Red Bull factory in Milton Keyes, just two days before the first pre-season test at Jerez, Spain.

Over at Williams, Valtteri Bottas, who has been promoted from test and reserve driver for this season, after Bruno Senna was dropped, says that the un-popular stepped-nose design of the FW34 from last year, will not be on the new car. The frton nose of the FW35, which is the brilliant new name for the 2013 car, will instead be covered by a laminate panel, so the design will look more like a 2011 model, Bottas says.

“In terms of looks, the car is pretty much the same as last year,” Bottas said. “With the new rules, the stepped nose has been straightened. It is the biggest difference in its appearance.

“The new car is a development of last year’s car. There are certain improvements in aerodynamics, we have tried to gain more traction in the corners.”

Williams enjoyed a boost in their confidence in 2012, as the team managed to score points on 15 occasions, 5 for Maldonado and 10 for Senna, leading to 8th in the championship with 76 points. For 2013 Bruno Senna is no longer part of the driver line-up.

New McLaren-Mercedes driver Sergio Perez, who will partner Jenson Button, has said that a mentality change is necessary in order to be competitive at this new level in his career.

“It definitely changes,” Pérez said of his overall approach to racing. “At McLaren, you are not here to just fight for the points. You are here to fight for victories at every single race.

“Your race preparation has to be 100 percent. It has to be 100 percent for all 20 races because at every race you have the opportunity to win. Then you can fight for the championship.”

Perez had a strong season at Sauber, scoring three podium places and finishing his season in 10th place. Throughout 2012 he was rumoured to be replacing Felipe Massa at Ferrari, but the Maranello-based team said that though they really would like to sign the Mexican, he needed a little more time in order to mature as a driver. McLaren snapped up the talented driver, as Lewis Hamilton found a vacant race seat at Mercedes, after Michael Schumacher finally retired his career.

Perez is adamant that he will learn a lot from Button, even though he eventually would like to beat the 2009 champion at some point.

“I have got a lot to learn from him,” Pérez said of Button. “His experience, his knowledge, it will all be useful for me. I am really looking forward to working with a World Champion, a great guy. The whole team has so much respect for him.

“I am looking forward to building my relationship with him, to help the team become the best and to have the best car possible. I think we’ll have a good relationship.”

Perez´ former team mate, Kamui Kobayashi, is without a race seat for 2013, as Sauber opted for a all-new line-up with Esteban Gutierrez and Nico Hulkenberg, but thinks that the japanese driver can find a seat for 2014.

“He’s a great driver and a great guy and someone who can do a very good job for a team,” Perez said. “I feel a bit sorry for him but I’m sure he’ll be back next year because with his speed he should be able to find a good seat and hopefully we’ll have him back.”

Hamilton starts Hungary weekend on top, Button second

Lewis Hamilton was the man to beat during the first practice session in Hungary, as the teams and drivers looks toward a well-deserved month long summer break before re-starting the season at Spa on September 2nd.

Jenson Button, who finished 2nd in todays´first session a tenth down, said on Wednesday that they are now back in the hunt, after a huge improvement in Germany due to an upgrade to the car that paid off.

“The result in Germany puts us right back in the hunt,” Button said. “In that situation, there’s nothing better than a back-to-back weekender: you return to the cockpit almost before you’ve unpacked your bags from the previous race, so it’s great to carry forward that momentum.

“There’s every reason to believe we can get another good result this year. Our pace at Hockenheim gives us cause for encouragement.”

Button finished 3rd in the race, but was promoted to 2nd after Sebastian Vettel received a post-race 20-second penalty, for his late race overtaking move on Button, where Vettel left the track to overtake the Briton.

McLaren have been very good in the practice sessions, but a string of bad luck, retirements, poor pit-stops and a scramble to find pace, has left Hamilton in 5th place with 92 points and Button in 7th with just 68. The team is still 3rd in the constructor’s championship, but has Lotus breathing down their necks, one single point behind.

3rd place finisher today was Fernando Alonso, who comes into the Hungarian Grand Prix on a high, after winning the German GP last weekend, 4th was Nico Rosberg, who held on for 3rd for some time, after taking it away from team mate Michael Schumacher, who finished in 6th, behind Grosjean in 5th. Felipe Massa ended his session in 7th, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez in the final top ten spot.

Pastor Maldonado ended his session in 11th ahead of Kamui Kobayashi, Mark Webber, Paul Di Resta and Sebastian Vettel 15th. Then we have the Toro Rosso drivers with Daniel Ricciardo leading Jean-Eric Vergne, Jules Bianchi 18th for Force India, as Vitaly Petrov goes 19th for Caterham. Charles Pic is 20th ahead of Heikki Kovalainen, then Timo Glock, Pedro de la Rosa and Dani Clos.

German Grand Prix – The Day After

At the halfway mark of the season, all the jokers were up in the air, once again without any clear indication of who would be the winner in this very unpredictable season.

I am sure I don´t need to repeat what I and many others have already been telling you, that this season is unpredictable, exciting as ever and full of surprises. After a while, it gets boring. NOT!

The German Grand Prix is a lot of things, but rarely this thrilling. The new modern layout has never been favoured by myself, but I appreciate the need to revise it, from the older, much longer Hockenheimring. But it doesn´t change the fact that it´s not that amazing. Luckily there was a lot of drivers and performances that were, and they put on a show for us, once again.

Driver of the Day: Fernando Alonso

A little recap from the first 5 races tells us that Ferrari didn´t built the car they needed for the job. This is old news now, but the base line was too far away from what they needed. Or was it? Alonso took 5th in the opening race, then took a surprise victory in Malaysia, only finish 9th and 7th in the next 2 races before taking 2nd place in home race in Spain. At this point in time, Alonso and Webber had the same points tally, but then things started to change. The car looks much more driveable now, much more calm and not so twitchy as before, and Alonso is also a lot more finely tuned, it seems. But his performance in the race on Sunday, was controlled, it was calculated, Ferrari had the best strategy for him and it would be a bigger surprise if he didn´t win. Still Alonso thoroughly deserves this award.

Best Charge of the Day: Jenson Button

After a series of rather sad performances from Button, picking up points in just 6 races so far and 2 retirements, the Frome Flyer showed that he is fast and he is not a driver to count out. One can on,y imagine the extra hard work the team and he have been doing in preparations for the race, because whatever they did, it worked. Button was exceptionally fast, he knew when to charge, he knew when to hold back. He conserved the tyres at the right time, and when he got the green light, he could push them a little further. A flawless pit stop, according to McLaren a record of 2.31 seconds, also helped him along.

Best Climber of the Day: Sergio Perez

Perez started 17th and ended in 6th place, a very satisfying result for the Sauber team and Peter Sauber was of course as delighted as if they just won a championship. Sure there are lots of hard work and lots of time spent reading telemetry and adjusting things, but make no mistake. Sauber is not a mid-field team anymore, they are definitely among the top teams, along with Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren and Lotus. I could include Mercedes, but I think their performance curve is too unstable.

Not only did Perez once again prove that he is a massive talent, he is also the lead candidate for at least a couple of seats here and there. I hope that he will do the right thing and stay with Sauber for next year, they need each other.

Overtaking Master of the Day: Kimi Raikkonen

If you tought that the return of Kimi Raikkonen would see a dusty and rather anonymous Finn fiddling around in the back of the grid after a two-year hiatus, you´d be very wrong. From the start, he and Lotus has impressed the hell out all of us, not that we were surprised he would, but the performance and reliability of the cars, are better than I expected. That said, the overtaking manoeuvre he made on Paul di Resta was champion stuff. Side by side, through three turns and eventually he just persevered to take the position back he lost in the start. Kimi has given us many great moments already this season, and the hard ass has more up his sleeve.

Worst Driver of the Day: Romain Grosjean

Oh dear, it really is hard to have a good day these days, isn´t it? Ups and downs for Grosjean, who started 19th after a penalty carried over from Silverstone, post-race gearbox change, only to leave the track a number of times, lose the plot entirely, drive a completely anonymous and uninteresting race, only to improve one place to 18th and one lap down. To compare another fast driver, Lewis Hamilton had a puncture at the beginning of the race, pitted and then asked to retire. Was denied and fought hard, without any chance of points, but unlapped himself, much t the dismay of Sebastian Vettel, and unfortunately ended his day with retirement, but could have been finishing 13th.

Grosjean may be a really fast and good driver, but he has only taken points in half of the races and are trailing his team mate by 37 points.

Cry Baby of the Day: Sebastian Vettel, Christian Horner, Red Bull as a whole.

Red Bull has a remarkable tendency to not know when to shut up at the right time. Four hours before the race, FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer examined the RB8 and found irregularities in the torque mapping, reported it but the stewards decided to let the cars race without sanction. During the dying moments of the race on Sunday, Sebastian Vettel made an overtaking move on Button, which was outside the track, then first argued that he didn´t know Button was there, right…, then Red Bull argued that Vettel was ahead of Button when the overtaking move happened, which he clearly was not. All Vettel had to do was to look to his right and he would have easily seen Button right there, acknowledge that he made a mistake, give the position back to Button and fight him for the remaining two laps. This would be a walk in the park for Vettel, as Button´s tyres were cooked, and he could have ended up in 3rd. Instead Vettel was whining, again, that he did nothing wrong, and was rightfully penalised by 20 seconds.

More Unremarkable Performances: FIA, Felipe Massa, Pastor Maldonado.

I´m gonna keep this short. Fact: Lewis Hamilton punctured because of the debris left on track after Felipe Massa smashed into the rear tyre of Daniel Ricciardo´s Toro Rosso. Both were lucky not to cause more damage, but the FIA, notably Charlie Whiting should have deployed a safety car at this time, since the debris was lying around for several laps to come. A dangerous and unnecessary decision from the FIA. Massa had a damaged car, yes, but he still needs to find his A-game. He did it at Silverstone two weeks ago. And Pastor Maldonado? I am getting less and less impressed with him. The season has shown that there are many more drivers who can race for victories, and his win in Spain was remarkable, astonishing even. But because of that, his performances ever since has been even more disappointing. ten races and only points from two of them. Michael Schumacher, Paul di Resta and even Felipe Massa should have no problem overtaking Maldonado in the standings.