The Australian Grand Prix, the first of the brand new 2014
season, has been hailed by some outlets as an eventful race already. The
excitement we’re all deriving from the race largely stems from the new
regulations, particularly those pertaining to the new hybrid engines. As part
of the ongoing commitment to making the sport more environmentally aware (…really?),
the new breed of F1 car has a 1.6 litre, turbo charged V6 engine, as opposed to
last year’s 2.4 litre, naturally aspirated V8. Combine this with a 100 kilogram
per hour limit to the fuel flow, a myriad of energy recovery systems feeding
battery packs and electric motors, you wind up with an impressively efficient
machine.
The real challenge for the teams has been packaging all this
new technology in the sleek aerodynamics of the prohibitively-governed design
regulations. Changes in permitted downforce mean the rear wing has lost its
lower element as well as being 150 millimetres narrower. To cut through the
technicalities, not only will the teams be working harder to put the car on the
starting grid, but the driver’s will have to work harder to even get the car
round the track. Mercedes began investing their time in this technology early,
restricting their in-season development of last year’s car in favour of getting
to grips with the new regime ahead of time.
And boy has it shown.
Two pre-season tests, in Jerez and Bahrain, have seen
Mercedes’ pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg dominate, posting many
laps and registering fast times too. Compare this to Red Bull, whose
preparation prior to the season has been woeful. Four-time champion Sebastian
Vettel, for all his methodical, precise and detailed work as a developer of
racing cars, has struggled to get any laps in. It’s clear that Renault, who are
supplying engines for not only Red Bull, but also sister team Toro Rosso,
Caterham F1 and works oufit Lotus F1, are not at the same stage
developementally as rivals Mercedes (see also Williams, McLaren and Force
India, all Mercedes customers). The third engine supplier, Ferrari, has played
its cards close to its chest, though it would seem they still lack the pace of
the Mercedes equipment.
The race proved to be a huge contradiction of all these
pointers, as Formula One often is. Both Vettel and Hamilton retired in the
earliest stages of the race, Hamilton citing a misfiring cylinder and Vettel
complaining of a lack of power from the electronic part of the power train.
This left the support players of Rosberg and Ricciardo to battle it out for
victory, with Rosberg the eventual winner. Ricciardo would eventually be
stripped of his second place – his best finish in Formula One thus far – for an
infringement of the fuel flow regulations, although Red Bull are vehemently
appealing and expect to overturn the decision.
But what else is there to look out for as the season
progresses?
Williams. They were unlucky today to have Felipe Massa
punted off at the first corner by ‘Calamity’ Kamui Kobayashi. Massa has been a
forgotten hero, showing promise in his early days at Sauber. Then later, at
Ferrari, a heart-breaking moment where for 15 seconds he was world champion,
only to be toppled by Lewis Hamilton at the last curve of the Interlagos
circuit back in 2008. His team-mate, Valtteri Bottas, had a stunning race
despite hitting the wall a third of the way in to the race. That car is rapid,
and with a little bit of luck, it could well be winning races this year.
Tyres. There was evidence of graining today on the tyres of some of the
less-clean drivers. Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery was quick to
clarify that this was highly manageable and this year’s tyres are several kilos
heavier than last year’s with the extra material that has gone into their
production. It will be interesting to see how these tyres cope with the high
degradation tracks later on in the season.
Kevin Magnussen. Cool as a cucumber. To stand on a podium on
your debut is a huge achievement. To have as big a torque-snap as he did on the
start-line would be enough to finish most rookie drivers, but Magnussen controlled
it and got on with job of driving his race. He might even have taken 2nd
place from Ricciardo, had the race been two or three laps longer. He still does
hold second place, as it stands, which brings me to my next point...
Policing of regulations. The reason for Ricciardo’s
disqualification was his fuel flow was consistently over the specified limit,
according to the official FIA sensor. Christian Horner has since elaborated on
the situation, telling the BBC:
"We could see a significant discrepancy with what the sensor was
reading and what our fuel flow was stated as - that's where there's a
difference of opinion. These fuel-flow sensors, which have been fitted by the
FIA to measure fuel, have proved problematic. Since their introduction, there
have been discrepancies and the sensors have been unreliable. We didn't feel it
was correct."
For what it’s worth and on the basis of the above, I think Red Bull will most likely win
their appeal, although it does make you question whether everyone else was
religiously following their FIA-appointed sensor and ultimately suffering a
weaker performance because of it. In any case, it will force the FIA to prove their
working so to speak. This is an interesting precedent so early in the season.
We await with baited breath…
