Jack Leslie F1: November 2013

30 November 2013

Several rule changes proposed for 2014

The FIA is considering several rule changes for the 2014 season, including the addition of a pole position award, permanent numbers and mandatory two-stop races.

All three ideas mentioned above will be tabled for discussion at the next F1 Strategy Group meeting, scheduled to take place on December 9th.

Lotus announce Grosjean and Maldonado for 2014

The Lotus F1 Team has finally announced their 2014 driver line-up, with Pastor Maldonado filling the seat vacated by Kimi Raikkonen and partnering Romain Grosjean.

The Venezuelan made his F1 debut in 2011 for Williams, taking maiden win for the team at last year's Spanish Grand Prix. After a difficult 2013 campaign with the Grove outfit, he announced his departure from the team prior to this season's US GP.

Here is Alice Powell, F3 Cup and GP3 driver, with the latest volume of Powell Post, going through what she has been up to this November.

Hello Powell Post readers! I hope you are all well.

My 2013 season is now over… Unfortunately, I was runner up in the F3 Cup, after a very tough season with a number of car problems. We started very well, but lost pace and had engine issues which lost us the championship.

F1 2013 for Dummies

YouTube channel Pole Position teamed up with American animator Joe Nicolosi to create this fantastic dummies guide to the 2013 Formula 1 season.

The series was split into three, the first looking at races from Australia to Bahrain, the second tracking the season from Spain to Belgium and the third going through the final eight races.

F1 2013 Season Review - Part One

The 2013 season just flew by, didn’t it? After 10 months, three winter tests and 19 races and three winter tests, we now get to reflect on what a stunning year it has been for Formula 1 and look ahead to what will be a dramatically different series when the 2014 cars are unveiled next January.

We haven’t had the unpredictability of 2012 or a title battle that went down to the wire, like 2010, but the final 19 races of V8 engine era have thrown up plenty of surprises, a lot of domination and some truly edge-of-your-seat moments. Here’s part one of my season review.

Mercedes confirm Brawn departure

Mercedes AMG Petronas has confirmed that team principal Ross Brawn will step down and leave the team at the end of the year.

Brawn, who moved to the team when it was known as Honda at the end of 2007, will hand over his responsibilities to executive directors Toto Wolff (business) and Paddy Lowe (technical).

Horner: "We have yet to see the best of Vettel"

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner believes Formula 1 has yet to see the best of Sebastian Vettel.

This is despite the German driver dominating the final half of 2013 and winning his fourth title with three races to spare.

JLF1 Blog End of Season Competition

To celebrate another brilliant Formula 1 season and to kick off the winter break in style, I'm running a very special competition. Unfortunately you can only enter if you live in the UK and it will take place between Wednesday 27th November and Wednesday 4th December.

But what are the prizes, I hear you ask? Two Red Bull Racing caps - supplied by the team - signed by four-time champion Sebastian Vettel AND nine-time race winner Mark Webber. Enter at the 'competition' page here. Good luck!

26 November 2013

Formula Legend Game Review

Formula Legend is a clever new management game available for iOS and Android devices. It is not only fun but also slightly addictive...

The game gives players the chance to start a fictional racing career and compete in races using tactics and strategy. There is a real shortage of Formula 1 games on phone and tablet devices so BeerMogul's latest offering is a refreshing change.

Tour the MTC with Google Street View

It isn't open to the public, but now McLaren fans can tour the famous McLaren Technology Centre without having to move a muscle. This is thanks to the iconic team opening their doors to the Google Street View cameras in celebration of their 50th anniversary. Highlights include their impressive collection of trophies and the MTC Boulevard:

View Larger Map

25 November 2013

Perez set to land Force India drive?

Respected F1 news outlets are reporting that Sergio Perez is close to signing a deal with Force India for the 2014 season.

The Mexican driver was dropped by McLaren for 2014 ahead of his 'home race' in Austin, Texas, earlier in the month. His replacement, rookie Kevin Magnussen, was announced a few days later.

2013 Brazilian Grand Prix Driver Reaction

The 2013 season has now come to a close after a thrilling Brazilian Grand Prix. A huge range of emotions were felt up and down the grid, as F1 waved goodbye to its current era and looked on to 2014 and the incredible changes that will take place.

Here's some of the driver reaction from after the last race of 2013.

Tooned 50: The Grand Finale

The season finale of Tooned 50, the second series of the McLaren animation, aired over the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend. It includes Jenson Button, Emerson Fittipaldi and even a cameo from the great Murray Walker, to name just a few. Watch the grand finale here:

24 November 2013

2013 Formula 1 Championship Standings

The 2013 Formula 1 season has now come to a close, with Sebastian Vettel taking his 13th victory of the year at the finale in Brazil.

Here are the final drivers' and constructors' standings for 2013.

The F1 Evolution

Formula 1 is an ever changing sport, with new rules, regulations, teams and faces continuously coming and going.

The JLF1 Blog Partner "DieHardF1Fan" have used the beauty of PhotoShop to create these evolution time lines of the sport we love, as they evolve and change with the new flow of rules and safety regulations that have created what we have today.

The pictures really emphasise the change of rules as time has passed, along with liveries and sponsorship too.

Here we see the Williams F1 Team Cars from 1974 to present. Here they pass from Turbo to V10's and Yellow and Blue, to Blue and White Liveries.

We see the title winning Williams of 1990's, to the slow demise of the legendary squad in the mid-2000's. It really does show how times have changed.

The team struggled early on but took their first victory in 1979.

Here we see the current Lotus F1 Team, who have had their fair share of name changes. They once raced as Renault, before the Lotus name took over in 2011.

The Yellow has stayed with the car, but now comes with a slightly golder tint. The dominant R25 and R26 took Fernando Alonso to two drivers titles, as well as the constructors titles too.

The large gap between the 1985 and 2002 Renault is where the team left F1 for a time, before buying out the old Benetton team in 2001.

They arrived from the ashes of Jaguar, to form the Red Bull Racing team. Here we see their rise to dominance with the additional help of Adrian Newey and drivers Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.

Mark joined the team in 2007 after a few years struggling with Williams. Vettel moved from the teams junior squad in 2009 after a few impressive rookie seasons, before taking the title in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The team are now triple world champions.

The now Caterham F1 Team have had a rather illustrious path, formerly known as Lotus.

The legendary squad have had a chequered past with the sport, dominating in the 60's and 70's but fading in the early 90's, before leaving the sport altogether.

They returned in the name of "Lotus Racing" in 2010, as a new F1 team. However a name battle and the emergence of the former Renault team meant the Caterham name made its debut in 2012, with the Lotus name moving across to the former Renault team.

Ferrari are the most historic and well known teams in Formula 1, and the cars have certainly changed since the front engines machines of 1950.

The squad have proved to be consistently fast during their 850 Formula 1 starts.

Here we see machines raced by Alberto Ascari, Niki Lauda, Gilles Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher and more recently Fernando Alonso.

They are the most successful squad in the sports history, with the passionate Tifosi cheering them on at every round.

Another huge F1 success story, the now Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team have had a long and successful career in the sport.

Formerly the white and red livery thanks to sponsor giant Marlboro, 722 starts later they race in eye catching chrome.

Like Ferrari, you really see the huge and dramatic evolution of the sport through the images. From the wingless, fragile racers of 1966 to the fast, grippy and detail driven cars of today.

Images via Die Hard F1 Fans, check them out on their social network accounts:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/diehard_f1_fan
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DieHardF1Fan
Google+: https://plus.google.com/101443032616581166067

2013 Brazilian Grand Prix Weekend Report

Here it is: the final weekend review of the 2013 Formula 1 season. The charming, old-school Interlagos circuit, once again, hosts the season finale as the current V8 engine era comes to a close.

The track is a driver favourite for its challenging middle sector, high-speed layout and passionate atmosphere. Weather is always a factor in Brazil and the race always produces excitement.

Alonso: Hulkenberg one of the best

Fernando Alonso believes Nico Hulkenberg is one of the best drivers on the 2013 grid.

The Spaniard thinks he deserves a drive with a top team. Hulkenberg had a difficult start to his first year with Sauber but has performed strongly in the second half of the season.

2013 Brazilian Grand Prix Thursday Snap Shot

It has arrived, the final race of the 2013 season. It was a busy 'media day' at the Interlagos circuit on Thursday ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Mark Webber looked ahead to his final F1 race, Felipe Massa hoped for a strong last drive for Ferrari and the V8 engines were fitted to the cars ahead of first practice for the final time. Take a look at some of the goings-on from the circuit ahead of the on-track action with my Thursday Snap Shot.

Webber looking forward to new chapter

Mark Webber will compete in his final Formula 1 race at this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix. The popular Aussie will leave the sport and switch to a new challenge with Porsche in the World Endurance Championship.

He doesn't have any regrets about leaving in 2013 and is looking forward to the new chapter in his career.

F1 Flashback - Rain causes chaos at Interlagos

The 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix was one of the most chaotic races in recent F1 history. Rain showers caused a number of high-speed crashes, particularly at turn three, but it was a huge smash for Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso hitting the debris late in the race which caused it to be stopped.

This sparked confusion over who had actually won the race. Kimi Raikkonen was handed the win on the day but it was later found that Giancarlo Fisichella, in the Jordan, was the real winner.

IndyCar a "serious option" for di Resta

Paul di Resta has admitted that a switch to IndyCar could be on the cards if he cannot find a Formula 1 drive next season.

The Force India driver has had a difficult third year with the team. It started with promising run of six consecutive points finishes between China and the British Grand Prix, including fourth place in Bahrain. However, the second half of the year has proved to be a different story.

2013 Brazilian Grand Prix Preview

Hot off the back of another Vettel victory at the United States Grand Prix, the F1 paddock heads to Brazil and São Paulo for the final round of the 2013 season.

The Autódromo José Carlos Pace, also known by its former name Interlagos, will host its 31st race this weekend. It will mark the end of the current 2.4 litre V8 engine era as the sport switches to 1.6 litre V6 powerplants in 2014.

Red Bull smash pit stop record

Red Bull Racing broke two records over the United States Grand Prix weekend.

Sebastian Vettel smashed the record for the most consecutive race victories in one season by taking his eighth win in a row and his mechanics completed the fastest pit stop ever recorded in the sport.

Maldonado: Williams criticism was wrong

Pastor Maldonado has admitted that criticising Williams and suggesting that the team sabotaged his car during qualifying for the United States Grand Prix was wrong.

The Venezuelan's departure from the Grove based outfit was announced just prior to the race in Austin, Texas. He was vocal about his feelings towards the team, saying he was "very happy" to be leaving.

2013 United States Grand Prix Driver Reaction

The 2013 United States Grand Prix was record breaking. Sebastian Vettel became the first driver to ever win eight consecutive races in one season at the Circuit of the Americas after finishing 6.1 seconds ahead of Romain Grosjean.

Mark Webber finished his penultimate F1 race in third place and well clear of Hamilton and Alonso behind. Here's some driver reaction from the 18th round of the season.

2013 United States Grand Prix Weekend Report

Formula 1 returned to Austin, Texas, and the Circuit of the Americas for the penultimate round of the 2013 season.

The high-speed, undulating circuit hosted its first F1 race 12 months earlier as the United States Grand Prix returned to the F1 calendar after a five year absence. With Vettel dominating the final half of the season and the two titles already wrapped up, attentions turned to the battles behind.

2013 United States Grand Prix Thursday Snap Shot

Thursday - or 'media day' - at the Circuit of the Americas was a busy one with track walks, engineer meetings, media commitments and setting up to do alongside the odd driver announcement.

Kevin Magnussen was confirmed as a McLaren driver for 2014 in the morning, replacing Sergio Perez, and their announcement was shortly followed by the news that Heikki Kovalainen would stand-in for Kimi Raikkonen at Lotus for the final two races. See all the goings-on from the track in the penultimate Thursday Snap Shot of the season.

Lotus confirm Kovalainen as Raikkonen stand-in

The Lotus F1 Team has officially announced that Heikki Kovalainen will drive for the team in the final two races of the 2013 season.

The Finn will stand in for Kimi Raikkonen, who is currently undergoing back surgery, in the USA and Brazil. The team chose not to promote reserve driver Davide Valsecchi, deciding instead to go for the experience of Kovalainen - who has 109 Grands Prix under his belt.

Magnussen announced as McLaren driver for 2014

McLaren has confirmed that Kevin Magnussen will partner Jenson Button at the team in 2014.

The Danish driver will be the first rookie to race for the Woking based squad since Lewis Hamilton in 2007. Before the Brit, the last driver to debut for the team was Kevin's father Jan at the 1995 Pacific Grand Prix.

Relive the United States Grand Prix FOTA Forum

The Formula One Teams' Association Fan Forum is a great way to get fans involved, put questions to their favourite drivers and meet their racing heroes. A new FOTA Forum took place on Wednesday in Austin, Texas, ahead of the United States Grand Prix and was live streamed on motorsport YouTube channel Pole Position. Relive the event here:

Maldonado "happy" to leave Williams

Pastor Maldonado has said that he is "happy" to be leaving Williams at the end of the 2013 season.

The Grove based squad announced their 2014 line-up of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas earlier in the week, leaving the Venezuelan driver without a drive.

Perez confirms McLaren departure

Sergio Perez has announced that he will leave the McLaren team at the end of 2013.

The Mexican released a statement in both Spanish and English on Twitter confirming the news.

F1 Flashback - 2005 United States Grand Prix

The infamous 2005 United States Grand Prix was one of the most controversial Formula 1 races in recent history after just six of the 20 entered cars lined up on the grid. This was due to safety fears for the 14 Michelin-shod cars after several tyre failures on Friday.

With no compromise being agreed to between the FIA and Michelin, the teams decided not to participate and pitted at the end of the formation lap. Michael Schumacher won the race for Ferrari, on Bridgestone tyres, from team-mate Rubens Barrichello and the Jordan of Tiago Monteiro.

12 November 2013

Did Williams make the right decision?

The Williams F1 Team recently announced that Felipe Massa will join Valtteri Bottas for the 2014 season.

The Brazilian will replace current driver Pastor Maldonado, who is in contention for the vacant seat at Lotus. But have Williams made the right decision? Here I share my view on the latest driver announcement.

Kubica admits F1 return "nearly impossible"

Robert Kubica has admitted that a return to Formula 1 is "nearly impossible" at the moment.

The Polish driver is still recovering from a rally crash in February 2011 that partially severed his right hand and left him with several compound fractures. The 28-year-old still has restricted movement of his arms and fingers.

Williams announce 2014 driver line-up

The Williams F1 Team has announced their line-up for the 2014 Formula 1 season.

Images (c) Octane Photographic

Valtteri Bottas will remain at the Grove based squad for a second year, however current team-mate Pastor Maldonado will be replaced by Felipe Massa.

Kvyat obtains F1 superlicense

2013 GP3 champion Daniil Kvyat has secured his Formula 1 superlicense, just in time for his first practice runs for Toro Rosso at the United States and Brazilian Grands Prix.

The Russian driver, who will replace Red Bull-bound Daniel Ricciardo at Toro Rosso next season, completed a test session in a two year old car last Friday.

2013 United States Grand Prix Preview

After a brief break, F1 now heads west to the United States and Austin, Texas, for the penultimate round of the 2013 season.

The United States Grand Prix returned to the Formula 1 calendar last year, after a five year break, at the new Circuit of the Americas, the first facility in the country to be purpose built for Grand Prix racing. The weekend was a huge success with over 117,000 people turning up on race day.

Raikkonen to miss final two races of 2013 season

Kimi Raikkonen will miss the final two races of the 2013 season in the United States and Brazil.

The Finn will undergo back surgery next week. He was almost forced out of the Singapore Grand Prix due to the back injury, which dates back to a testing car for Sauber in 2001.

Rossi ready for FP1 outing in Austin

Alexander Rossi is feeling fully prepared for his second FP1 outing of the 2013 season, replacing Giedo van der Garde at Caterham.

The American is looking forward to driving this year's car on home turf and in front of family, friends and supporters. He drove the Caterham CT03 in first practice for the Canadian Grand Prix earlier in the year and also completed 69 laps at the Silverstone Young Driver Test in July.

Third a more realistic target for Lotus

The Lotus F1 Team may still be fighting for second in the constructors' championship but team principal Eric Boullier has admitted that third is a more realistic goal.

With a maximum of 86 points still available to the team, the 37 point deficit to Mercedes - who currently occupies second place - isn't impossible. However, judging by recent race pace third is a more sensible aim.

Video: P1 Greats - F1 World Champion Jody Scheckter

I'm a big fan of Pole Position, one of the biggest and best motorsport channels on YouTube, and for their latest video, presenter Rosanna Tennant visited 1979 F1 champion Jody Scheckter for a tour of his incredible F1 car collection.

Check out Pole Position on YouTube and be sure to follow them on Twitter, 'Like' their Facebook page and add them to your circles on Google+.

Who will partner Button at McLaren in 2014?

Jenson Button's future at the McLaren squad is safe, for 2014 anyway, but over recent weeks the position of his current team-mate Sergio Perez has come under threat.

It is thought that the Woking based squad are keen to replace him with 2013 Formula Renault 3.5 champion Kevin Magnussen, who is on their young driver programme. So who will partner Button next season?

Vettel: Battle with Webber closer than it looked

Sebastian Vettel says his battle with team-mate Mark Webber has been closer than it might have looked.

Webber will exit Formula 1 at the end of the season for a new challenge in the World Endurance Championship with Porsche. He joined Red Bull Racing in 2007, with Vettel moving to the Milton Keynes based squad in 2009. F1's new four-time world champion feels the contest between the two hasn't been as one-sided as some think.

Red Bull dominance to continue in 2014 - Brawn

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn believes the new rule and regulation changes for 2014 will not halt the current dominance of Red Bull Racing.

F1 will enter a new era in 2014 with the return of V6 Turbo engines alongside numerous other changes, including the introduction of ERS (Energy Recovery System), bodywork changes to reduce downforce and an increase in the minimum weight.

Hamilton unhappy with 2013 performance

Lewis Hamilton is unhappy with his performance so far this season and is confused by his loss of race pace in comparison to his one-lap speed.

The Brit is currently fourth in the drivers' standings with 169 points. In his debut season for Mercedes, he has scored one race victory and four further podium finishes.

Fan video captures Abu Dhabi Grand Prix donuts

Sebastian Vettel continued with his new favourite post-race celebration, donuts, at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and this fan video captures them brilliantly. He was also joined by team-mate Mark Webber, who took to the turn seven run-off area at the Yas Marina Circuit to entertain the crowd.

4 November 2013

Tooned 50: Episode 7 - The Mika Hakkinen Story

With the end of the F1 season closing in, season two of McLaren's cartoon series 'Tooned' will also be wrapping up soon. However, the story of the Woking based squad continues with an episode all about the 'Flying Finn' Mika Hakkinen.

2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Top F1 Pics

The Yas Marina Circuit is a truly stunning facility and when you add beautiful F1 machinery and a twilight race, you get some fantastic images.

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is always one of my favourite races, photography wise, because there are so many brilliant photos to take - particularly with the sun going down and the bright lights of the Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi Hotel. Here is a selection of my favourite images from the race weekend. See the full gallery on my Google+ page here.

Lotus and Quantum a done deal?

Mansoor Ijaz, head of Quantum Motorsports - an investment consortium made up of Middle Eastern investors, has revealed that major progress has been made with the the long-awaited deal between the company and the Lotus F1 Team.

The main story over the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend was the news that Kimi Raikkonen could miss the final two races of the 2013 season, due to on-going financial issues at Lotus preventing him from being paid.

2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Driver Reaction

It was inevitable really, wasn't it? Sebastian Vettel dominated the 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to win by over 30 seconds.

His team-mate Mark Webber finished in second place to give the Red Bull team their third 1-2 of the season. Rosberg rounded out the podium finishers, with Grosjean and Alonso completing the top five. Click "read more" for all the driver reaction from after the 55-lap race.

GP2 and GP3 seasons end in dramatic style

The GP2 and GP3 2013 seasons have come to a close with four thrilling races at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

Images (c) GP3 Media and GP2 Media

All four titles were won over the final race weekend. Fabio Leimer took this year's GP2 title on Saturday and RUSSIAN TIME won the teams' championship on Sunday. In the GP3 series, Toro Rosso's 2014 F1 driver Daniil Kvyat took this year's crown and ART Grand Prix raced to the teams' title.

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