Formula 1 Silly Season 2015

By +Frank B.
in The Sporting Arena

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MightyJordan

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Jenson Button is to partner Fernando Alonso at McLaren next season.

 

The team are to announce their driver line-up at a news conference at their factory in Surrey on Thursday.
 
But BBC Sport has learned they have decided to retain Button after weeks of leaning towards Kevin Magnussen.
 
Button, the 34-year-old 2009 world champion, will continue into a 16th season and has his wish granted to test himself against the man widely regarded as the best in F1.
 
McLaren signed Alonso some weeks ago, but had been vacillating over the identity of his team-mate.

Chairman Ron Dennis had been keen to retain Magnussen, 22, but the continuing delays over making a decision have tipped the balance back in favour of Button.
 
The two were evenly matched for pure pace in 2014, with Button out-qualifying the novice 10-9 in 19 races.
 
The Englishman scored more than twice as many points as Magnussen over the season.
 
McLaren had intended to retain Magnussen on the basis that the team's data had suggested he was fractionally quicker and had youth and promise on his side.
 
But Button's strong finish to the season, his experience and perhaps unrest at boardroom level over Dennis's position has influenced the team to go the other way.
 
Magnussen may be retained as reserve driver for 2015.
 
McLaren, as well as representatives of both Button and Magnussen, were unavailable for comment on Wednesday.

The farrago over the identity of the team's second driver has detracted from the impact of McLaren's signing of double world champion Alonso.
 
This is quite a coup considering his standing in the sport and the fact McLaren have succeeded in luring him away from Ferrari.
 
Ferrari had their least successful season for 21 years in 2014 but still finished ahead of McLaren, largely thanks to the efforts of Alonso.
 
But the Spaniard was convinced by the arrival of new engine partner Honda and a restructuring of the team, including the signing of key personnel, that they were more likely to give him the chance to secure the third title he has been seeking since he won his second in 2006.
 
Alonso is reputed to have signed a deal worth $40m (?25.5m) a year, which would make him the best-paid driver on the grid.
 
His contract is believed to be for two years with the option for one more, but Alonso will almost certainly be able to leave at the end of 2015 if McLaren's performance is not up to expectations next season.
 
Button will be on a one-year deal at a salary reduced by at least half from the reputed ?12m he was earning in 2014.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/30328327

 

Great news! :D

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+Frank B. Subscriber²

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Updated grid:

Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team
Mercedes F1 W06 Hybrid ? Mercedes PU106B Hybrid
Executive Director Business: Toto Wolff ; Executive Director Technical: Paddy Lowe ; Technical Director: Bob Bell
44. Lewis Hamilton (signed for ?13-?15)
6. Nico Rosberg (on a multi-year deal beyond ?13)

Infiniti Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing RB11 ? Renault Energy F1-2015 (engine deal until ?16)
Team Principal: Christian Horner ; Chief Technical Officer: Adrian Newey
3. Daniel Ricciardo (on a long-term deal)
25. Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull junior driver)

Williams Martini Racing
Williams FW37 ? Mercedes PU106B Hybrid (multi-year deal)
Team Principal: Frank Williams ; Technical Director: Pat Symonds
19. Felipe Massa (confirmed for '15)
77. Valtteri Bottas (confirmed for '15)

Scuderia Ferrari
Ferrari F15T ? Ferrari 059/4
Team Principal: Maurizio Arrivabene ; Technical Director: James Allison; Engineering Director: Pat Fry
5. Sebastian Vettel (on a three-year contract)
7. Kimi R?ikk?nen (contracted through ?15)

McLaren Honda
McLaren MP4-30 ? Honda RA168-E 1.6 V6T
Team Principal: Ron Dennis, ?ric Boullier ; Technical Director: Tim Goss, Neil Oatley

14. Fernando Alonso

22. Jenson Button

Force India F1 Team
Force India VJM08 ? Mercedes PU106B Hybrid (multi-year deal)
Team Principal: Vijay Mallya ; Technical Director: Andrew Green
27. Nico H?lkenberg (confirmed for '15)
11. Sergio P?rez (confirmed for '15)

Scuderia Toro Rosso
Toro Rosso STR10 ? Renault Energy F1-2015
Team Principal: Franz Tost ; Technical Director: James Key
38. Max Verstappen (Red Bull junior driver, on a long-term deal)
**. Carlos Sainz, jr. (Red Bull junior driver)

Lotus F1 Team
Lotus E23 ? Mercedes PU106B Hybrid
Team Principal: G?rard Lopez ; Technical Director: Nick Chester
13. Pastor Maldonado (confirmed for '15)
8. Romain Grosjean

Sauber F1 Team (team rumoured to be (partly?) sold)
Sauber C34 ? Ferrari 059/4
Team Principal: Monisha Kaltenborn ; Chief Designer: Eric Gandelin
9. Marcus Ericsson (confirmed)
40. Felipe Nasr (confirmed)

Caterham F1 Team (went into administration in October '14)
Caterham CT05 ? Renault Energy F1-2015
Team Principal: Manfredi Ravetto ; Technical Director: Colin Kolles
10. Kamui Kobayashi
**. ...
Forza Rossa Racing to participate from '16; expected to run French power units
Haas F1 Team to participate from '16; Ferrari technical partnership confirmed.
Manor F1/Marussia has folded as of November 7, 2014.

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MightyJordan

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French power units? Is that a typo? :-)

Wouldn't surprise me to see a Romanian team team up with a French outfit; we have Dacia and Renault, after all. :P But yeah, the name does suggest Ferrari engines; they'll probably be like Haas F1.

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philcruicks

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Frank, you've got a mistake with Ferrari's Team Principal, they replaced Mattaiacci a few weeks back

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/11/16692.html

Maurizio Arrivabene is now the Team Principal.

 

But on the upside we finally have a confirmed grid and Button is still there, makes me much happier.

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+Frank B. Subscriber²

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Frank, you've got a mistake with Ferrari's Team Principal, they replaced Mattaiacci a few weeks back

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/11/16692.html

Maurizio Arrivabene is now the Team Principal.

 

But on the update we finally have a confirmed grid and Button is still there, makes me much happier.

What? The Ferrari team principal is correct. :shiftyninja:

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philcruicks

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What? The Ferrari team principal is correct. :shiftyninja:

hummm either I'm going mad or i was looking at the wrong list, I swear it said Mattaiacci... huh sorry.

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Chasethebase Reporter

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I hope JB runs that pink helmet for the whole season. It was a great deviation from the norm and looked stunning.

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Skiver Veteran

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Key 2015 dates;

 

Launches

Force India - January 21
More launch dates will appear here when announced by the teams

 

 

Pre-season testing

1st Test - Jerez, February 1-4
2nd Test - Barcelona, February 19-22
3rd Test - Barcelona, February 26-March 1

 

 

Races

Australian GP - Albert Park, March 15 
Malaysian GP - Sepang, March 29
Chinese GP - Shanghai, April 12
Bahrain GP - Sakhir, April 19 
Korean GP (TBC) - Yeongam, May 3
Spanish GP - Barcelona, May 10 
Monaco GP - Monte Carlo, May 24 
Canadian GP - Montreal, June 7 
Austrian GP - Spielberg, June 21 
British GP - Silverstone, July 5 
German GP - Nurburgring, July 19 
Hungarian GP - Hungaroring, July 26 
Belgian GP - Spa-Francorchamps, August 23
Italian GP - Monza, September 6 
Singapore GP - Marina Bay, September 20 
Japanese GP - Suzuka, September 27
Russian GP - Sochi, October 11 
US GP - Austin, October 25 
Mexican GP - Mexico City, November 1 
Brazilian GP - Interlagos, November 15
Abu Dhabi GP - Yas Marina, November 29

Read more at http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/188197.html#Ua4LCt6zdSYwLiB1.99

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MightyJordan

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McLaren's new engine partner Honda has won its fight to be allowed to develop its engine during 2015.

 

Formula 1's governing body the FIA has backtracked on an earlier ruling that allowed Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari to upgrade their engines but not Honda.
 
The move comes after Honda expressed its unhappiness about what it considered to be an unfair situation.
 
Honda will now be allowed to develop its brand new engine within limits explicitly laid out by the FIA.

Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari are allowed to change up to 48% of the engines they used in 2014 by the end of the 2015 season.
 
This is defined by a number of 'tokens', which are assigned to parts of the engine on the basis of their influence on performance.
 
Out of a total of 66 tokens, Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari can modify 32 through 2015.
 
Previously Honda had been barred from changing any of its engine after it was approved for competition on 28 February.
 
Friday's ruling will allow Honda to change a given amount of its engine calculated by the average of the number of tokens unused by the other manufacturers by the time of the first race in Australia on 16 March.
 
In the example given by FIA race director Charlie Whiting, and seen by BBC Sport, he writes: "If the three 2014 manufacturers have eight, seven and five unused tokens respectively at the start of the season, then the new manufacturer will be allowed to use six during the season (the average rounded down to the nearest whole number)".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/30860212

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MightyJordan

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Formula One drivers will only be allowed to use four power units during the 2015 season, a reduction from the five permitted last year.

 
The rules for this year specified a decrease from five power units to four but noted
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