Formula One 2014: Circuit de Catalunya

So Vettel starts in 15th because his gearbox blew up and Vergne in 21st because he left the pits with a loose wheel.  Maldonado could barely complete 2 laps in Qualifying before crashing.

It’s all very entertaining if you’re a Mercedes fan and this appears to be their year.  They have the only reliable power plant (ok, Ferrari is reliable but it’s also slow).

On offer are the Hards and Mediums because Circuit de Catalunya is notoriously abrasive.  It will be 66 laps and unlike other years there has been no testing there this season.  At that it may be a two stop race for the leaders.

Caterham has booted their technical director but honestly, who cares?  There may be the first woman driver since 1976 next year.  Renault is considering cutting off the deadbeat teams which, considering its power plants are unreliable and slow, may or may not be such a good idea.

This is Ayrton Senna Memorial weekend-

• Ayrton Senna to be remembered in Imola 20 years after his death Paul Weaver, The Observer, Saturday 26 April 2014 17.30 EDT
• Ayrton Senna: Imola F1 circuit to host 20th anniversary commemorations Press Association, The Guardian, Wednesday 30 April 2014 11.43 EDT
• Safety on the F1 track is a lasting legacy of the Ayrton Senna tragedy Paul Weaver, The Observer, Saturday 26 April 2014 17.00 EDT

Other stories about Formula One-

• Rosberg Fastest in Final Spanish GP Practice By REUTERS, MAY 10, 2014, 6:26 A.M. E.D.T.
• Hamilton on Pole for Spanish Grand Prix By REUTERS, MAY 10, 2014, 2:32 P.M. E.D.T.
• Rosberg Declares Game on After Hamilton Plays Pole Ace By REUTERS, MAY 10, 2014, 1:14 P.M. E.D.T.
• Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo gives the thumbs-up to team orders Press Association, The Guardian, Tuesday 6 May 2014 13.10 EDT
• Lewis Hamilton goes into reverse over Mercedes psychologist in F1 Paul Weaver, The Guardian, Thursday 8 May 2014
• Lewis Hamilton puts Mercedes on pole again for Spanish Grand Prix Paul Weaver, The Observer, Saturday 10 May 2014 09.52 EDT
• Mark Webber says Lewis Hamilton and Williams will dominate F1 season Giles Richards, The Guardian, Thursday 6 March 2014 16.31 EST
• Five reasons why this could be an F1 season to savour Martin Brundle, The Guardian, Friday 14 March 2014
• Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes will take some stopping in race for F1 title Martin Brundle, The Guardian, Friday 14 March 2014 10.09 EDT
• Formula One turns back time and looks to revitalised future Richard Williams, The Guardian, Friday 14 March 2014 11.52 EDT
• McLaren are stuck in reverse despite Ron Dennis’s obsessive will to win Paul Weaver, The Guardian, Monday 21 April 2014 06.15 EDT

Formula One Interactive Track

Oh, you want to hear about Bernie-

Formula One holds its breath as Bernie Ecclestone’s bribery trial begins

Paul Weaver, The Guardian

Wednesday 23 April 2014 13.34 EDT

The judge Ecclestone will be up against does not take any prisoners; or rather, he does. Peter Noll convicted the former German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky, a central figure in the Munich hearing, and sent him down for eight-and-a-half years in 2012. In his concluding statement, Noll said: “In this process we assume the driving force was Mr Ecclestone.”

Last month the same prosecutors, who have spent two years preparing for the Ecclestone case, brought down Uli Hoeness, then president of the European football champions Bayern Munich. Hoeness was jailed for three-and-a-half years for tax evasion.

If all this was not enough to seriously daunt Ecclestone – who will be 84 in October – Noll has also been handed what could be a loaded gun. In February Ecclestone – who denies any wrongdoing – won a civil case brought by the German media company Constantin Medien.

…

But although F1’s chief executive won that time, the comments by Mr Justice Newey were immensely damaging. He said it was “impossible” to regard him as a “reliable or truthful witness”.

Bernie Ecclestone launches defence against bribery charges

Philip Oltermann, The Guardian

Thursday 24 April 2014 08.44 EDT

The 256-page indictment against Ecclestone, formulated after a two-year investigation, accuses him of bribing a German banker with the intention of cementing his powerful position at the top of the motorsport.

The banker, Gerhard Gribkowsky, was notionally the chief risk assessment officer for the Formula One shareholder Bayern Landesbank at the time. But, the indictment alleges, payments totalling $44m (£26m) and the promise of future employment in Formula One swayed Gribkowsky to act against his employers’ interests, easing the sale of Bayern LB’s share to a company that had guaranteed to keep Ecclestone in charge as chief executive.

…

Far from being an easily manipulated pawn, Ecclestone painted a picture of Gribkowsky as a power-hungry man who dreamed of becoming “Mr Formula One” and owning his own race team.

In one meeting, Ecclestone said, the German had made himself comfortable in the chief executive chair and smoked a cigar throughout, causing Flavio Briatore, then a senior figure in Formula One who had recently quit smoking, to storm out halfway through the meeting.

The indictment acknowledged that Gribkowsky had made “insinuations” about Ecclestone being ultimately in charge of Bambino, but seemed to dismiss the possibility of blackmail as Ecclestone had “no concrete evidence to hand”.

Ecclestone’s defence is that he had been forced to act even though he felt he had done nothing wrong in his affairs with Bambino, because the risk involved of a reputable banker like Gribkowsky contacting the UK tax authorities was “hard to calculate” and could have led to a fine of “more than £2bn”.

“Some people have asked me how it is possible that someone like Bernie Ecclestone can be put under pressure”, said his statement. “I say: Yes, it’s possible, if you know exactly where to apply the right pressure, and Gribkowksy got the right spot for me and Bambino”

Starting Grid

Driver Standings

Constructor Standings