Formula 1's Latest Rumours and Talk: Ross Brawn, Team Radio and More
Formula One team will be banned from giving advice and information to their drivers from the Singapore Grand Prix onwards.
The FIA will now strictly enforce Article 20.1 of the F1 Sporting Regulations, which state the driver should operate the car "alone and unaided."
Elsewhere, two teenagers have taken a step closer to making their full F1 debuts. Max Verstappen completed his first full test for Toro Rosso on Wednesday, while Sergey Sirotkin will drive for Sauber in free practice for the Russian Grand Prix.
As they arrive, two faces from the recent past could be joining them. Ross Brawn and Bob Bell have both been linked with senior roles at Ferrari following the announcement that Luca di Montezemolo will step down as president.
And the famously combative Nigel Mansell fears the title race will end with not a bang, but a whimper.
Read on for a full roundup of the week's top stories.
Team Radio Advice and Driving Tips Banned
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The FIA has announced that team radio transmissions telling the drivers how to drive will be banned from the Singapore Grand Prix onwards.
Messages of this nature have been common in 2014. They include informing the drivers when they're losing time to their team-mates and suggesting modifications to cornering style, advice on where to lift and coast to save fuel and tips about tyre management.
Radio calls of this nature to the two Mercedes drivers have been especially evident, as the FOM feed often chooses these to broadcast—but it's by no means limited to the German team.
In response, the FIA has now decided to strictly enforce Article 20.1 of the F1 Sporting Regulations (pdf), which states "The driver must drive the car alone and unaided."
In a letter sent to the teams, race director Charlie Whiting told them (h/t Autosport):
"In order to ensure that the requirements of Article 20.1 of the F1 sporting regulations are respected at all times FIA intends to rigorously enforce this regulation with immediate effect.
Therefore, no radio conversation from pit to driver may include any information that is related to the performance of the car or driver.
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The move is likely to prove popular with fans, but it could make things very difficult for the drivers—especially those at teams without large LCD displays on their steering wheels, like Red Bull and Lotus. Modern cars are incredibly complex machines, and the list of things covered by the new enforcement is not just limited to "babying" messages about lines through corners.
Per a series of FIA responses given to GPUpdate.com, advice on tyre wear, fuel consumption, pre-race procedures, the presence of slow punctures and warnings about brake wear will also be banned, as well as instructions on which fuel mix or engine mode to use.
It's a huge change, and it might have been better done at the end of the year—there are, after all, only six races to go.
If only the FIA knee could jerk in the direction of awarding double points for the final race of the year...
Max Verstappen Completes First Full Formula 1 Test
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Max Verstappen has completed his first F1 test for Toro Rosso.
The Dutchman, who will make history as the sport's youngest-ever driver when he makes his debut as a race driver in Australia, completed an impressive 395 kilometres at the Adria circuit in northern Italy.
".@MaxVerstappen3 @ #Adria: action and behind the scenes. @VerstappenNL #Verstappen #GOTOROROSSO pic.twitter.com/0rX6BJktmz
— Toro Rosso (@ToroRossoSpy) September 10, 2014"
After the test, Toro Rosso sporting director Steve Nielsen praised Verstappen's performance. Speaking on the team website, he said:
"In his first real test in a Formula One car, Max did a very competent job, giving the impression he has been driving a Formula One car for quite a while, not like someone on their first day behind the wheel. He made no mistakes all day, seemed confident and once he was told something he remembered it. In general, he coped very well with this first test.
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The 16-year-old Dutchman's first laps were done on a damp track, but the circuit soon dried up enough for slicks to be used.
Sky Sports F1 reported that Verstappen exceeded the necessary 300 kilometres needed to qualify for the FIA Super Licence—a requirement for taking part in an F1 race weekend.
He remains on course to make his real track debut in Friday practice sessions later in the year.
Sergey Sirotkin to Drive in Practice at the Russian Grand Prix
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Sergey Sirotkin will make his F1 debut at his home grand prix in October.
The 19-year-old Russian will drive for Sauber in the first free practice session at the new Sochi Autodrom.
"Can't wait next Oct 10th first time driving #F1 @OfficialSF1Team @SochiAutodrom pic.twitter.com/RjilAw2dEw
— Sirotkin Sergey (@sirotkin_sergey) September 10, 2014"
Sirotkin, currently fifth in the Formula Renault 3.5 championship, joined Sauber last year. Per BBC Sport, the team originally had plans to promote him to a race seat in 2014, but these fell through amid uncertainty over a deal with Russian investors.
Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil got the nod instead, while Giedo van der Garde filled the role of primary test and reserve driver.
But Sirotkin remained with the team, and he is finally getting his opportunity.
The practice session will be a good opportunity for the team to evaluate his progress over the past year, and the public relations boost from having a Russian driving at Sochi might help them sell an extra t-shirt or two.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Ross Brawn and Bob Bell in the Frame for Ferrari
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Ross Brawn has refused to rule out a return to Ferrari after their president, Luca di Montezemolo, announced he is stepping down.
The Englishman left Mercedes at the end of last season and has since been ensconced in a form of pseudo-retirement. Only 59, he's a bit too young to leave F1 behind for good, and it seems likely he will return at some point in the future.
Could that be at Ferrari, where he became a household name?
Speaking to Auto Motor Und Sport (h/t grandprix247 for the English translation), Brawn said of rumours linking him with the Scuderia:
"I am living a very different life this year, and it feels good. I am determined not to return to a full-time job.
I think at the moment I don’t have a role at Ferrari or anywhere else. My visit to Maranello in May was purely of a private nature. We talked a little about ‘what if’ but nothing serious.
You have to give [new team principal] Marco Mattiacci the time to prove what he can do. I am not in contact with Ferrari and I am not actively looking for a new role in Formula One.
Never say never, because you never know what options are going to arise, but at the moment I am pursuing some interests outside of the sport that I never had the time to do before.
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Brawn isn't the only one being linked to Ferrari. A second experienced and highly regarded name has cropped up via numerous sources, including Adam Cooper's blog, in relation to a top role at Ferrari—Bob Bell.
Another ex-Mercedes man, Bell's resignation as technical director was announced on the same day Ferrari's former team principal, Stefano Domenicali, left Ferrari.
With Montezemolo out of the picture, the Scuderia will almost certainly need an experienced F1 hand running things. Mattiacci, who only got involved in the sport in April, does not fit the bill. Nor does Sergio Marchionne, Montezemolo's initial replacement as president.
Purely on the speculation side, it's possible Mattiacci—who had great success running Ferrari's road car operations in the United States—could step up to president.
Marchionne could then focus on his other roles as CEO of Fiat and Chrysler, while either Brawn or Bell could come in as team principal.
Or perhaps, if we're to truly speculate, Ferrari could employ a Mercedes-style management duo—a part-time Brawn (if he's serious about not wanting full-time work) and Bell.
Stranger things have happened...
Nigel Mansell Expects Team Orders at Mercedes
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Nigel Mansell believes Mercedes' bosses, not the drivers, will decide who wins the 2014 drivers' championship.
The last vestiges of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg's relationship collapsed after they collided at Spa, and the lack of friendliness between the two was evident throughout the recent Italian Grand Prix weekend.
With six races to go they are just 22 points apart. The stage is set for an exciting and tense title run-in—but Mansell doesn't think it'll come to that.
Speaking to Alan Brazil on talkSPORT, the 1992 world champion said:
"Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton have got [the title] in the bag between them. I think [who wins] is totally in the hands of the powers that be at Mercedes.
Whoever is favoured by them is the person who will win the championship.
I know that’s a tough thing to say but they've got two great drivers there and they are going to manage it how they want to. I hope they let them fight it out at the end of the year but I’m sure if there are any other repercussions [from their rivalry] they will enforce team orders in the next few races.
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But even if Mansell's prediction does come true, there's no guarantee it'll be that simple.
Can anyone really imagine Hamilton sitting dutifully behind Rosberg and letting him win, or Rosberg waving Hamilton through with a nice friendly thumbs-up?
Besides, the public relations fallout from such a policy would be more than the big bosses at Mercedes could bear.
Let's hope they're allowed to race all the way to the chequered flag at Abu Dhabi.
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