Team boss Eric Boullier on Thursday played down Lotus' decision to sit out the opening test of the 2014 pre-season. The Enstone based team finished last season a competitive fourth, but also grappling publicly with financial matters. So the admission this week that Lotus will not be at Jerez, where most other teams will run their all-new V6-powered 2014 cars for the first time, raised renewed alarm bells about Lotus' financial health and competitiveness going forwards. But Frenchman Boullier said other teams will also be […]

Lotus technical director Nick Chester has revealed that the team's 2014 challenger will not be in action at the first test of the year at Jerez. Chester, who was promoted last year after the departure of James Allison to Ferrari, has overseen the development of Lotus's E22 for the past two years. The E22 is likely to be unveiled prior to the second of the three tests in Bahrain, which takes place next month. Lotus finished in fourth place in the 2013 championship and will […]

Sauber reserve driver Sergey Sirotkin will continue to race in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series this year. Sirotkin, 18, finished in ninth place in his rookie campaign in the category last season when he raced for the ISR team. Sirotkin will switch to championship frontrunners Fortec Motorsports in 2014, alongside his duties with Sauber. The Russian is still being prepared for future a race drive in Formula 1 by Sauber. "It was a difficult December, with many important decisions for my career," said Sirotkin. "Now […]

Red Bull Racing has confirmed that Sébastien Buemi and António Felix da Costa will be the team's test and reserve drivers in 2014. Buemi raced for Toro Rosso between 2009 and 2011, scoring 29 points, and has been Red Bull's test driver since 2012. Buemi has raced in the World Endurance Championship for Toyota this season, alongside his duties with Red Bull. With more in-season testing next season, Red Bull has opted to appoint Da Costa alongside Buemi. The Portuguese driver finished in third place in […]

World champion Sebastian Vettel says he was happy with the handling of the Red Bull RB9 after setting the fastest time during practice for the United States Grand Prix. Vettel, who was only 18th in first practice, was quickest on both compound tyres and demonstrated rapid long run pace around the Circuit of the Americas. "The circuit was quite slippery today; I was happy with the car, but you always know you can improve here and there," he said. "I think we got through the […]

GP3 champion Daniil Kvyat says he enjoyed every single moment of his practice debut at the United States Grand Prix. Kvyat, who will race for Toro Rosso in 2014, replaced his future team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne in the first practice session. Kvyat was 17th fastest and completed 20 laps of the Circuit of the Americas in the truncated session. "I enjoyed every single moment of driving the track even though there was a delay because of the fog and then a red flag," he said. "We […]

Antonio Felix da Costa has not been dropped by Red Bull, despite failing to impress enough to secure the Toro Rosso seat for 2014. Portuguese da Costa, 22, was the hot favourite all season to move into the energy drink company's second Formula One team next year. But, with Daniel Ricciardo moving to Red Bull, the F1 paddock was surprised to learn that 19-year-old GP3 driver Daniil Kvyat ultimately got his job. Is it because Russian Kvyat - although arguably the most impressive compared to […]

Dr Helmut Marko has characterised the promotion of Red Bull junior Daniil Kvyat for 2014 as a "no risk, no fun" strategy. When asked on Tuesday about the 19-year-old Russian's leap straight from GP3 to Toro Rosso, McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale said it was a "very big step". McLaren is bringing new Formula Renault 3.5 champion Kevin Magnussen and runner-up Stoffel Vandoorne through the ranks, but Neale suggested the move to the new turbo V6 rules next year is a big enough challenge "without […]

Daniel Ricciardo says he is encouraged after a positive day of practice for the Japanese Grand Prix. Ricciardo completed 30 laps on his way to setting the seventh fastest time in second practice. "I’ve been hoping to have a Friday like this one for a while now even if, of course, it’s the Saturday and Sunday that’s important," said Ricciardo. "So I am glad that I was tenth in the morning and seventh this afternoon, which is a good sign for us. It’s a complicated […]

Fernando Alonso says he is not expecting any surprises ahead of this weekend's Korean Grand Prix. Alonso was seventh quickest during second practice in Yeongam. "The impressions are the usual Friday ones and to say more, we will have to wait until tomorrow and see how qualifying goes," he said. "On this track too it’s aerodynamics that make the difference and for that reason, I am not expecting too many surprises when compared to the last few Grands Prix." "The time sheet follows the order […]

Replacing Michael Schumacher with Lewis Hamilton was the right thing for Mercedes. That is the claim not only of F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, but also the German team's own Niki Lauda. A year ago, Lauda was instrumental in convincing Lewis Hamilton to leave McLaren and replace the seven time world champion, Schumacher. "It was the right decision to sign Lewis," Ecclestone told Germany's Auto Bild. "He woke the team up. And he can push the other driver (Nico Rosberg) in a way Michael couldn't […]

Force India driver Paul di Resta says that the team needs to improve its one lap pace ahead of qualifying for the Korean Grand Prix. Di Resta was eleventh quickest in second practice, just a thousandth of a second behind team-mate Adrian Sutil. "It was quite a successful session and right from the first run I felt in the groove with the car," he said. "The long run pace looks promising and our tyre wear seems comparable to our rivals, which is a good sign. […]