Formula 1's Latest Rumours and Talk: Paddock News from 2014 Russian Grand Prix
It was a sombre and subdued Formula One world which descended upon Sochi this week for the inaugural Russian Grand Prix.
The sport has been shaken to its core by the news Jules Bianchi suffered a severe brain injury in his horrific crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The six drivers sent out for the official pre-race press conference looked like they'd rather be anywhere else than in front of TV cameras, and the usual upbeat interviews and tweets are conspicuous by their absence.
Bianchi's countryman Jean-Eric Vergne arranged for the printing of stickers reading "Tous avec Jules" (All with Jules), which all the drivers will wear on their helmets over the weekend.
Suffering more than most, Bianchi's team, Marussia, have elected to run only one car in this weekend's race. A full second car, bearing the Frenchman's name and number, sits poignantly on his side of the garage, a tribute and sign of hope that he will make a full recovery.
A number of drivers have called for closed-cockpit solutions to be researched further in the wake of the accident.
Other News
Away from the wait for further news of Bianchi, the main stories going into the weekend have focused on changes for 2015—both on the driver and engine side of things.
Lewis Hamilton has, to a degree, brushed off rumours linking him with a return to McLaren in 2015. The Brit says that, for now at least, he is fully focused on doing the best he can for Mercedes.
But one big change has finally been announced. Lotus will definitely use Mercedes engines from next season onwards, replacing McLaren as the German supplier's third customer.
On the track, Sergey Sirotkin made his race weekend debut at Sochi, replacing Esteban Gutierrez for first practice.
And in a bonus slide, we take a look at the finest (?) F1 t-shirt of all time.
Read on for a full roundup of the top stories heading into the race weekend.
Marussia Withdraw Second Car for the Race
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Marussia will run a single car driven by Max Chilton at this weekend's race after electing to not replace injured Jules Bianchi.
The Frenchman remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital after suffering a severe brain injury in a collision with a recovery vehicle at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The team had named Alexander Rossi as a replacement on the official entry list for Sochi.
But early on Friday morning, the stewards received a request from Marussia to withdraw Rossi's entry. The request was granted.
A statement on the Marussia website explained their decision. It said:
"We will run a single car for the duration of the forthcoming Grand Prix weekend in Sochi, out of respect for our driver Jules Bianchi, who remains in hospital in Yokkaichi, Japan, in a critical but stable condition.
We have written to the Stewards of the Meeting to inform them that we have withdrawn our second car. Notwithstanding the presence in Sochi of Alexander Rossi, the nominated Official Reserve Driver for the 2014 Russian Grand Prix, the Team feels strongly that fielding a single car, that of driver number 4, Max Chilton, is the appropriate course of action under the difficult circumstances of the weekend.
Jules' car crew have built a second car, which has been scrutineered and is ready to race, and this will remain on his side of the garage throughout the weekend. In support of Jules and his family, the Team and its cars will carry the familiar #JB17 graphic, to ensure that, although Jules is not with us in Sochi this weekend, he is, nonetheless, racing on with the Marussia F1 Team.
"
The decision on whether or not to bring in a replacement for Bianchi was always going to be difficult for the team. No one could have faulted them whichever choice they had made.
Drivers Call for Closed-Cockpit Research
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Several drivers have expressed a desire for closed cockpit solutions to be examined in the wake of Jules Bianchi's terrible accident in Suzuka.
Speaking at the official FIA pre-race press conference, the drivers were asked for their views on the matter. Fernando Alonso said:
"I probably tend to agree to at least check and try or test the idea. I think we are in 2014, we have the technology, we have aeroplanes, we have had many other samples that they use in a successful way so why not think about it?
All the biggest accidents in motor sport over the last couple of years have been head injuries so it's probably one part where we are not at the top of safety. Even in my case, in 2012 at Spa, I could probably have died there in corner one if it had been 10 cms closer to my head.
If the technology is there and available, and there is the possibility, I would not exclude it, for sure.
"
Felipe Massa had a similar viewpoint, and Adrian Sutil agreed it should be looked at. But Sebastian Vettel—who appeared especially uncomfortable discussing the incident throughout—gave a mixed response, and indicated he didn't feel now was the right time to think about such things. He said:
"Sort of a mixed feelings to be honest. If you look at Formula One cars since the beginning of Formula One and open-wheeled racing, I think it's one of the things that are very special about Formula One.
On the other hand, as Fernando touched on, there's a lot of reasons why we should look into closed cockpits for the future.
As I said, at this stage, after what happened, I don't think it's right to... I don't really have an opinion to be honest.
"
Jenson Button's viewpoint was broadly similar, with Daniil Kvyat also suggesting any decision should not be rushed.
The idea of introducing jet-fighter-style canopies to F1 cars is not new. In 2007, the idea was mooted during the pre-race press conference at the Malaysian Grand Prix, but nothing came of it.
Two seasons later, Felipe Massa was struck on the head by a spring which fell off the back of a rival car during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix. His injuries caused him to miss the rest of the season, but he recovered for the start of 2010.
It was in the aftermath of this incident that significantly greater head protection for the drivers became a massive issue. Closed cockpits or other safety features to protect the drivers' heads from debris or impacts have been on the agenda ever since.
Artist Daniele Sanfilippo produced a concept piece for Autosprint in 2011, which you can see here, showing what a Ferrari with such a canopy may look like.
The other option under consideration was a forward roll hoop. A video of a test of such a structure, carried out by the FIA Institute in 2012, can be seen here.
And later in the same year, Autosport reported closed cockpits appeared "inevitable" according to Paddy Lowe, then technical director of McLaren.
But the same publication's Dieter Rencken reported earlier this week that research on the idea was effectively shelved after a Strategy Group meeting last year.
Race director Charlie Whiting felt canopies would not work, and the remaining option—the roll hoop—was rejected by team bosses.
Though it's unclear whether either a canopy or forward roll hoop would have prevented Bianchi suffering such serious injury, driver-power could now force them to reopen their investigation.
Sergey Sirotkin Makes Race Weekend Debut
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Sergey Sirotkin made his debut at an F1 grand prix weekend this morning when he drove for Sauber in first practice.
"Russian rookie Sergey Sirotkin heads out early in FP1 for @SauberF1Team #RussianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/nvCOVd2j3K
— Formula1.com (@F1) October 10, 2014"
The 19-year-old Russian completed 22 laps of the Sochi Autodrom and set a best time of 1 minute, 45.032 seconds. This was four-tenths slower than Adrian Sutil's quickest lap in the other Sauber, and represents a reasonable showing for Sirotkin.
He signed with the team in the middle of 2013 as part of a deal with Russian investors, and at the time it looked like he would be groomed to be ready for a race seat in 2014.
But Sirotkin has instead served as a test and reserve driver, while competing in his third season in Formula Renault 3.5. He currently lies fifth in the championship.
Esteban Gutierrez sat out the session, but returned to the cockpit for second practice.
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Lotus Announce Mercedes Engine Deal from 2015 Onwards
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Lotus have announced they will be using Mercedes engines from 2015 onwards.
Very strong rumours of the line-up have been floating around for several months—Adam Cooper reported on the story in late June. But the deal remained unconfirmed, with neither side issuing any official comment until now.
In a statement on the team website, CEO Matthew Carter said:
"We are pleased to have been chosen by Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains in a significant long term deal. We intend to return to the front of the field with the goals of winning Grands Prix and being a strong championship contender once more and we see this new agreement as one step towards this aim.
The Mercedes-Benz Power Unit has shown good performance on track and it is our goal to marry this motive force to Enstone’s chassis expertise. It is our desire that the E23 Hybrid, powered by Mercedes-Benz, heralds a new era of success for Enstone.
At this juncture we would also like to thank Renault, who have been so closely associated with the team over its history and for the joint success we have achieved together.
"
The deal marks the end of a long partnership between Renault and the team based in Enstone. The French company began supplying engines to Benetton in 1995, and bought the team in 2000. From 2002, it was the Renault works team.
After being sold to Genii Capital in 2010, the team was renamed Lotus in 2012 and continued using Renault engines. 2012 and 2013 were seen as very successful years, but everything has fallen apart in 2014.
Lotus have had a dreadful season, scoring just eight points from two Top 10 finishes. This has been in large part down to the relatively weak Renault powertrain, but a lot of blame must also be carried by the chassis itself.
The switch to Mercedes will help, but the E23 must also be a lot better than its predecessor if the team want to be anywhere near the front.
Lewis Hamilton Addresses Rumours of 2015 McLaren Return
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Lewis Hamilton has responded to rumours linking him with a return to McLaren next season.
On Wednesday, F1Today claimed sources had revealed to them that Hamilton had visited the team's base in Woking three weeks ago and had penned a deal to drive for them in 2015.
The following day, Hamilton took to Twitter to announce his current focus was entirely on 2014 and Mercedes.
"I'm focused on 1 thing & 1 thing only right now....Winning this championship!! I am committed 100% to @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/Vmbqor9dOK
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) October 9, 2014"
But speaking at Sochi ahead of the race weekend, he gave little indication his longer-term future was decided. Sky Sports F1 quotes the world championship leader as saying:
"I think it’s in an interesting time in Formula One—Ferrari’s making changes, top drivers making changes, a lot of fiction, a lot of silly stories going around.
Whoever is starting those silly conversations, I’ve made clear and always have been very clear that I’m here to do the job that I’m contracted to do until the end of next year.
We’ve confirmed that we’ll sit down and talk about the future at the end of the year.
"
Hamilton is contracted to Mercedes until the end of 2015, while team-mate Nico Rosberg is tied down until the end of 2016.
Sebastian Vettel looks like he'll be at Ferrari next year but no official statement has yet been issued to that effect. The man he will probably be replacing, Fernando Alonso, is most likely set to join McLaren.
But there's a chance—albeit a small one—that we haven't heard the last big surprise of the season.
Bonus Slide
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This one isn't really a story, but I've added it as a bonus because I couldn't not mention it.
Vladimir Putin must wish he'd acquired all commercial rights to his own face.
Days after the BBC reported on a series of bizarre paintings of the Russian President performing various heroic acts, journalist Adam Cooper found this magnificent t-shirt being sold at Sochi.
"This is either the worst F1 t-shirt ever made or in some strange way the best...: pic.twitter.com/CU04q2TceL
— Adam Cooper (@adamcooperF1) October 8, 2014"
Someone clearly thought editing Putin's head onto the body of a driver from the now-defunct Toyota F1 team and slapping it next to a mid-2000s ChampCar being driven by Justin Wilson would make a great little souvenir.
Wonder if they deliver?
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