In the round-up: Ross Brawn confirms he will not be returning to Formula One.
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Your daily digest of F1 news, views, features and more.
Brawn announces his retirement from F1 (The Telegraph)
“Brawn, 59, has been heavily linked with a move to McLaren following the return of Ron Dennis to the team, but in a shock announcement to a fishing event in Aberdeenshire, he said he would not be returning to the sport.”
Ron Walker confident of Albert Park grand prix until 2020 (The Age)
“Chief among the hurdles is the government’s insistence that the annual sanction fee for the race, which will reportedly reach almost $36 million (£19.2m) this year, be significantly reduced.”
Red Bull denies staff exits have hurt (Autosport)
Dietrich Mateschitz: “The current problems arose from the engine side and not from our team, which still has the high-level know-how it needs.”
Analysis – Red Bull RB10 Front Aero (ScarsbF1)
“Typically Red Bull found their own solution to the new Nose regulations, albeit what Newey described as a ‘Keel’ nose is not far from the more common ‘Finger’ nose in concept.”
“Most Formula One fans – who, let’s face it, are devotees who understand the nuances of their sport – are also largely opposed to it. They don’t want to see the rest of the season devalued in favour of a finale that amounts to a powerplay on wheels. It’s up there with drivers rotating cars from race to race.”
The aesthetics of the Formula 1 nose (MotorSport)
“Yes, form follows function in the binary chase of the last nth, but a line – preferably a pleasing one – must be drawn when a new batch of F1 cars, rather than provide a frisson and surge of pride, makes the sport a laughing stock. That’s now.”
Tweets and pictures
Felipe Massa posted this picture illustrating his choice of number for 2014 and beyond.
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
There was no shortage of great suggestions for our latest Caption Competition. obo01, JackySteeg, Max Jacobson, Klaas and IsaacTham all came up with amusing captions.
But my favourite was this from Meridabob:
I’m finding everything’s packaged too tightly, did Adrian design the underwear too?
From the forum
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Invoke, Oliver Queisser, Sriram, Photozen, Cucamest, Michael Brown and Noah!
If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.
On this day in F1
Ferrari launched their 412 T1, powered by a V12 engine, 20 years ago today.
The team’s new car for the 1994 season would be driven again by Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi.
Having failed to win a race in the previous three seasons – the longest winless streak of the team’s F1 history – team principal Jean Todt had rehired John Barnard as designer.
Image © Mercedes/Hoch Zwei
matt90 (@matt90)
2nd February 2014, 0:07
“Most Formula One fans – who, let’s face it, are devotees who understand the nuances of their sport – are also largely opposed to it. They don’t want to see the rest of the season devalued in favour of a finale that amounts to a powerplay on wheels.”
I’m rather impressed by how many newspapers have found so many different ways to perfectly summarise my own thoughts on the matter over the last month or so. This is just one example of many.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
2nd February 2014, 16:22
@matt9 Same, but it won’t change a thing, sadly. All I want now is whoever wins the championship, to win it before Abu Dhabi.
Dave (@)
2nd February 2014, 22:59
After which the super-bonus-double-points-season-finale-extravaganza will become a super-bonus-double-points-triple-header-season-finale-extravaganza
matt90 (@matt90)
2nd February 2014, 23:03
Wa-hey, super-bonus-double-points-season-finale-extravaganza-bonanza really is taking off. I won’t rest until even the most serious F1 publications only ever refer to to the final race in such a way.
matt90 (@matt90)
2nd February 2014, 23:01
Or win it at Abu Dhabi in a way which won’t be affected by doubling the points.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
2nd February 2014, 0:29
Fundamentally, the RB10 looks like a tidy car – as we have come to expect from Red Bull. However, whether they will really be reeling from the loss of downforce can only become clear if and when the Renault engine is fixed – which I’m hoping will be soon enough.
I’d rather not a repeat of the teapots!
Todfod (@todfod)
2nd February 2014, 6:35
I dont think its so much to do with the Renault engine. It could easily be Red Bull’s packaging that is too aggressive. Caterham had a not so tightly packaged rear end and they managed to put in a decent amount of laps with that Renault engine.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
3rd February 2014, 2:00
@todfod Renault hinted that the caterham was running at half chaff.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
2nd February 2014, 8:36
@vettel1
Adrian is one of few people on the paddock that can have a global vision on a project before even it was started and he can figure the difficulties very early so that he can make it unreachable for the competition
Since last year Adrian was complaining about the new rules (Red Bull’s favourite attitude), now he is playing the safety card (when he spoke about the front wing), there is something in the rules impeding him from doing his usual business because he always opts for extreme solutions that are without the track testing reveals difficult to interpret, that’s why he has returned to the drawing board
Maybe there is something incompatible from the Renault powertrain with his extreme ideas, i don’t know but i don’t expect RBR to lock the front in Melbourne and i don’t expect them either to struggle to reach Q3, their situation is better than Ferrari in 2012 who recovered by the spanish GP
I just hope that if RBR are going to solve their problems they will solve them by themselves like Ferrari in 2012 and not by their “Standards” of problem solving (enforcing rule change, special permission from the French FIA to Renault ……..)
Patrick (@paeschli)
2nd February 2014, 16:57
@tifoso1989
When was the last time they were ‘enforcing rule change’ ?
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
2nd February 2014, 17:47
last year, Back to the 2012 tyres
Dave (@)
2nd February 2014, 17:53
I didn’t know Newey worked for Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, Lotus, Sauber, Force India, Toro Rosso, Williams, Caterham and Marussia last year, all at the same time.
Dave (@)
2nd February 2014, 17:53
Oh, and only the construction changed. The compounds remained the same.
Kingshark (@kingshark)
5th February 2014, 17:43
@raceprouk
Newey himself admitted that the change to the 2012 tyres helped Red Bull. Also, Red Bull were the leaders of the anti-Pirelli campaign as early as China.
Dave (@)
5th February 2014, 18:12
@kingshark – Firstly, there was no, and has never been, an ‘anti-Pirelli campaign’. Secondly, Pirelli were obviously so swayed by the complaints in China they waited two-and-a-half months before changing the tyres.
aka_robyn
2nd February 2014, 0:35
Sorry, but I’m just not buying any of this as a permanent retirement announcement. He will be back!
dragoll (@dragoll)
2nd February 2014, 0:44
I think of Ross as an intelligent person who obviously feels he needs to find something else, but hasn’t shut the door in case he can’t fulfill his life without F1… It is easy to be cynical, however, at age 59, I am doubting this is some bold move to make a come back with some grand plan with a team like McLaren or anyone else.
If you were inclined to speculate on a future in F1, wouldn’t it be back at Ferrari? There are murmurs at Ferrari, where Ross has had so much success in the past, granted not in the top job, however, quite senior within the team.
aka_robyn
2nd February 2014, 1:02
I doubt it’s any kind of bold move or indicative of a grand secret plan. I just think he’ll inevitably be drawn back into F1, because he’s so **** brilliant at it, and nothing else will give him quite as much satisfaction — and I doubt he has *really* ruled that out. But, then again, that’s just my $0.02 as a fan!
And yeah, I could definitely see him coming back to Ferrari, although it’s hard to imagine him coming back as anything other than Team Principal…
matt90 (@matt90)
2nd February 2014, 1:28
Being forced out this time might have left a bad taste in his mouth though.
Spinmastermic (@spinmastermic)
2nd February 2014, 1:35
I hope he comes back as a tech pundit for the BBC. I’ll miss Gary Anderson this year.
regs (@regs)
2nd February 2014, 13:49
He didn’t even announce it. They story is 100% made up by journalists. All he said is that he takes a break for this year and then will see.
regs (@regs)
2nd February 2014, 13:50
The*
Mach1 (@mach1)
2nd February 2014, 1:03
He’ll come back – for Bernies Job!!!
Grosjean's smile (@testacorsa)
2nd February 2014, 16:59
Oh Yes, please let that happen. I hadn’t even thought about him in that role, but he would be perfect for it!
Ciaran (@ciaran)
2nd February 2014, 1:05
I don’t think the new noses have turned F1 into a “laughing stock”. People have had their laughs, most have already gotten over it and they don’t actually look bad (except the Force India and Toro Rosso). I’m sure the same kind of reaction must have happened during the stepped noses in 2012, and no damage came to the sport then either.
The title of that quote doesn’t actually contain a link to the MotorSport article by the way @keithcollantine.
petebaldwin (@)
2nd February 2014, 1:07
You forgot the Caterham…..!!!!
I agree though, F1 hasn’t done itself any damage with these noses. Certainly not as much damage as they have done by racing in Bahrain.
Ciaran (@ciaran)
2nd February 2014, 1:13
@petebaldwin The Caterham is a special case – so absymally ridiculous I actually kind of like it…
But yeah I agree on Bahrain, when the majority of worldwide news agencies are saying nothing positive about it year after year it turns into nothing but a liability for F1.
matt90 (@matt90)
2nd February 2014, 1:30
Super-duper-bonus-double-points-extravaganza-finale-bonanza is the real problem.
Thecollaroyboys (@thecollaroyboys)
2nd February 2014, 1:28
It’s February so The Age has its predicatable F1, oh my God it’s so expensive, it’s all under threat, story. Bring it to Sydney Ron.
VMaxMuffin (@vmaxmuffin)
2nd February 2014, 1:47
Or back to Adelaide, preferably. Although we’d never pay for it and probably get the same complainers… :P
Bosley (@)
2nd February 2014, 5:13
I’d much prefer to see F1 in adelaide than the V8’s mind you.
clay (@clay)
2nd February 2014, 8:42
Nope – Perth has to get the nod. Closer to Europe time-wise, a rumored new track to be built just south of Perth aimed at both F1 and MotoGP, and (despite what out state government says about the state of our finances) more cash than most of Australia to lure the circus here.
At least I hope so…
@HoHum (@hohum)
2nd February 2014, 19:27
Personally I don’t think any track should have to run F1 at a loss, a subsidy based on increased tax revenue as in Texas is acceptable, but these multi million $ gifts to CVC/FOM are ridiculous and every track owner should say no to such a one-sided deal. Yes, even if it means losing an Australian-German-Spanish-British- etc. GP. F1 is ridiculously profitable to those people who have bought control of its revenue stream and they have to have somewhere to race and can’t afford a vacum in their fans heartland as another series will be bound to fill it.
Dave (@)
2nd February 2014, 23:05
IIRC, the British GP is the only one that actually turns a profit. Helped by ticket prices being eleventy-million-squintillion quid, of course.
Iestyn Davies (@fastiesty)
2nd February 2014, 1:59
You can tell Ricciardo has already lost weight. Now that Mercedes themselves might not even make the weight limit, veto’ing it for 2014 was a bad call. Just like the FIA with the noses having to reach out infront of the front wing – now they are trying to check that they will have sufficient structural integrity in the event of a crash. I think a lot of teams have styled the paint work how they would like it to appear.. Noses, double points and weight limits are a good distraction from the real issues in the sport. You would wonder who is behind all these ideas.. but I imagine it’s both Bernie and the FIA.
coefficient
2nd February 2014, 2:03
So all we need now is for Newey to retire and we’ll have some decent racing.
Dave (@)
2nd February 2014, 11:20
Newey’s been in F1 since 1988. Are you really claiming there’s been no decent racing in the last 26 years?
Kingshark (@kingshark)
2nd February 2014, 2:14
Shame that Brawn wont be around to experience Mercedes’ glory in 2014. He was a big part of making it.
aka_robyn
2nd February 2014, 16:36
Are you from the future…? O.O
Kirk (@kirk)
2nd February 2014, 3:57
Glad to see the end of old Ross cheating Brawn.
Benetton: traction control
Ferrari: too numerous to mention cheats, and FIA collusion
Brawn: GP double diffuser
Mercedes: illegal tyre testing
Not to say there aren’t more than enough others pushing the rules, and that all his success is *only* due to cheating, but who knows how many other cheats he’s run without getting caught.
Kimi4WDC
2nd February 2014, 6:39
Brawn also came with solution for suspension to give huge advantage to Williams cars when they had those crazy turbo engines.
dkpioe
2nd February 2014, 8:07
I disliked him from 2003, first for calling Montoya an unclassy driver, because he dared pass Schumacher at nurburg (schumi was the unclassy one who spun), and then for the way he managed the tyre thing and had Michelin change their tyres at monza I think it was, effectively handing the championship to Ferrari – the way he spoke at those press conferences around that time was disgusting and not in the spirit of any sport at all – he was like a dirty poletician. he was a terrible sport and showed his colours that year. he lucked in with the Brawn GP car, which Honda built, and slapt his name on one of the best modern f1 cars, but since 2009, every year under Brawn, the team he is in charge of seemingly went backwards as the year went on (including the Brawn car). he is overrated, he has just been in the right position at the right time, especially in Ferrari days. Mercedes realised this finally and gave him the boot.
David not Coulthard (@)
2nd February 2014, 8:35
Brawn GP didn’t have that much money, apart from the ones Honda used the year before to develop the car. And I’m pretty sure Mercedes didn’t go backwards last year.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
2nd February 2014, 9:00
Don’t you think the fact that he can place himself in the right position at the right time is some kind of genius ??
matt90 (@matt90)
2nd February 2014, 11:40
The rest sounded fair enough, but that just shows that you didn’t understand what happened.
Dave (@)
2nd February 2014, 11:28
1. No traction control was found in the B194.
2. Any Ferrari/FIA collusion would have been by team principal Jean Todt.
3. The double diffuser should be credited to chief aerodynamicist Loïc Bigois before Brawn.
4. This is the only one where you have even a vague semblance of a point, and not a good one.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
2nd February 2014, 13:18
Loic Bigois was head of aero at Brawn but he didn’t invent the double diffuser, a Junior Japanese engineer came up with the idea and if i’m not wrong he was an ex Super Aguri
Dave (@)
2nd February 2014, 13:26
It appears Williams and Toyota independently created their own as well, based on what I’ve read recently.
BasCB (@bascb)
2nd February 2014, 13:21
This is not true @raceprouk.
The FIA did find traction control in the car, but Benetton was able to convince them that it was not used, but just a leftover in their software.
Dave (@)
2nd February 2014, 13:27
Either way, I think it’s safe to assume it wasn’t Brawn who wrote the software ;-)
BasCB (@bascb)
3rd February 2014, 6:54
Yeah, well, Dennis wasn’t sharing Ferrari secrets himself either. Nor was Luca drawing up Flex rear wings and Flex floors for Ferrari.
But they were responsible for them.
Dave (@)
3rd February 2014, 10:27
@bascb – Which makes Briatore responsible for the B194 software :P
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
2nd February 2014, 11:39
What do you think of McCheatingLaren now, and all the cheating tyre cheats last season then?
matt90 (@matt90)
2nd February 2014, 11:41
If you think the double diffuser was cheating then you just don’t understand the rules.
jimbob (@vuntoosree)
2nd February 2014, 4:12
this
Hedge (@hedge)
2nd February 2014, 7:42
I’ve already noticed on Button’s helmet design and now on Massa’s, as the picture above illustrates, that from on board cameras the numbers will appear upside down… now I’m no graphic designer, but doesn’t that seem like a bit of an oversight?
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
2nd February 2014, 7:47
I’ve noticed that too… So Sutil’s car will say 99 but from the onboard it will say 66..
Chris (@tophercheese21)
2nd February 2014, 8:46
Yet another reason to choose 69. It’ll be correct which ever way you flip it.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
2nd February 2014, 8:56
69 oh my god !!!! I bet no driver will pick that number otherwise …..
Hamilfan (@hamilfan)
2nd February 2014, 11:36
I don’t know why no one’s done that at all . I think that number is reserved for Bernie ;-)
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
2nd February 2014, 11:46
At least JB’s 22 is the same upside down. But Massa would be 61 on telly, unless he puts his helmet on backwards.
Timothy Katz (@timothykatz)
2nd February 2014, 9:31
I wondered if Brawn would take a year – or two – off.
I’m sure that Mercedes would have written something like a ‘fallow year’ into his contract. 59 is too young just to go fishing permanently – if Big Ron can make a comeback at 68 (I think), there’s years yet for Ross!
Personally, I would like to see Brawn as the consultant to whom the FIA passes proposed new regulations for detailed checking before publication and implementation. Something like “Here Ross, where’s the loophole in this lot? And what will the long term effect be?”
He’s always seemed deviously creative and able to exploit any imprecise rule or regulation to his team’s advantage. Time for this particular poacher to turn gamekeeper.
Hamilfan (@hamilfan)
2nd February 2014, 11:37
“particular poacher to turn gamekeeper.”
LOL
@HoHum (@hohum)
2nd February 2014, 19:33
I think having $100million in the bank provides enough alternatives to work as a stimulus.
Timothy Katz (@timothykatz)
2nd February 2014, 20:19
True, and in my case having a sum even one hundredth of that size would probably rob me of whatever motivation I have. But I think Brawn is made of stener stuff, and I just can’t imagine him hanging a sign on the door “Gone Fishin'” for too long. His brain is too michevious!
Breno (@austus)
2nd February 2014, 22:13
I think it’s more likely he would create a fishing competition, instead of retiring from F1 forever. And then he’d find a loophole in the rules.
maxthecat
2nd February 2014, 11:27
Just as Ron Dennis announces his return, Brawn says he’s out. Personally i think he was in line for the top job at McLaren until Dennis decided to do it himself.
BasCB (@bascb)
2nd February 2014, 11:27
Happy birthday everyone!
tmax (@tmax)
2nd February 2014, 15:57
I am already starting to like the new noses. Mercedes has a very clean solution as well as Red Bull !!! Just took 4 days to get used to.
Moreover I am already feeling little awkward about the 2013 noses as they are raise un-proportionally. They feel like a bird flying with its beaks open. When I looked at the F1 cars of the 70s and 80 they all had low noses. In fact through the entire history of F1 the high noses were only predominant from 1995 to 2000 and later from 2009 to 2013. Maybe it is just a matter of getting rid of anteater !!!!
http://racingotaku.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/allf1_a02.jpg
Dave (@)
2nd February 2014, 23:11
If there’s an updated version of that pic to include all cars up to 2013, that’d make a cracking poster :)
rsp123 (@rsp123)
2nd February 2014, 16:41
Sutil reckons the cars (some at least) will be 4 seconds a lap faster by the end of the year. A lot of of that gain will come from some clever programming of the brake-by-wire system – a very complex task. It seems to me that one team might hit upon a solution that the others may well never find – after all, brake-by-wire software is not something you can see on a competitor’s car and copy (like McLaren’s new rear suspension “blockers”).
Here’s hoping for some unexpected podiums this year.
panache (@panache)
2nd February 2014, 17:15
If brake-by-wire for the rear wheels can be manipulated and reprogrammed then when does it effectively become ABS/EBD/EBC for the rear axle? Active modulation of the brakes by electronic systems when pedal pressure is applied should be completely banned as this could mimic the effects of the aforementioned braking systems.
Drivers can change the brake bias and ERS harvesting modes on the fly and often do but crucially these changes remain fixed until the driver makes another change. This is very different from a dynamic modulation of the brakes throughout a lap which could be exploited to prevent rear locking, enhance threshold braking and trail braking, preserve the tyres and ultimately improve lap time.
Am I right in thinking that brake force also has to be equal for both wheels on each axle? In other words the braking force of each wheel can’t be controlled independently. It should stay like this.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
3rd February 2014, 18:16
@panache
It was implemented for a reason, in that the amount of energy recovery/harvesting occurring next year would make it all but impossible to manage the rear brakes without some form of electronic modulation. Bearing in mind this is only the rear brakes also, which aren’t usually the ones which lock (what ABS is designed to prevent).
Ciaran (@ciaran)
2nd February 2014, 16:58
I spotted this interesting quote in the Independent article:
“But it is pretty insulting to suggest that Formula One fans are so fickle as to switch off just because one of the best drivers is routinely giving his rivals a masterclass.”
But isn’t that exactly what happened? I’d argue that fans are incredibly fickle to the extent where they’d let the identity of a winning driver spoil their view of a race/season as a whole.
Gerry
2nd February 2014, 23:56
Brawn retiring – Great loss to F1 – sad news!!
MarkM (@mpmark)
3rd February 2014, 16:20
He’ll be back, this is just how he gets the media off his butt every time someone in the paddock mentions his name, now he can fish in peace…
moblet (@moblet)
5th February 2014, 7:35
Going fishing more fun than working? Who would have thought?
I wouldn’t like to be the trout when Ross Brawn’s casting the lure.