F1 News
Date:
6/September/2013
A draft version of the 2014 F1 calendar, featuring an
unprecedented 21 events, was released in the run-up to this weekend’s Italian
Grand Prix at Monza.
Three new grands prix were named as joining the schedule - in
Mexico, Russia and Austria - while the troubled event planned for New Jersey
(USA) was absent.
Asked for his reaction to the list, McLaren’s Martin
Whitmarsh replied: “I think 21 is tough. Will those 21 all happen? There’s lots
of rumours and speculation in the paddock about whether they’ll all make it.”
On the apparent loss of a second US event, Whitmarsh said: “New
Jersey, of course, would be fantastic in my opinion. It would be great for the
sport. [But] who would you lose? I think Bernie’s got to work hard to make sure
we’ve got a good calendar. He generally succeeds and I suspect he will next
year.”
On the positive side for McLaren and Sauber is the inclusion
of the Mexican event - both teams having a Mexican driver.
“It’s very important, not only for us a team but for Formula
One itself, because we know that Latin America, generally America, is a very
important market, so it attracts new partners as well,” said Sauber’s Monisha Kaltenborn.
“Texas last year was amazing - you felt you were actually in
Mexico. It’s clear that there’s a huge passion there,” added Whitmarsh. “Some
of us remember going to Mexico quite a few years ago. We know it’s
entertaining, different and certainly passionate, so it’s good for the sport.
It’s a huge and exciting market for Formula One and for some of the teams.”
Meanwhile the new round at Sochi will be a boost for the
Anglo-Russian Marussia team. “Sochi is a venue that is of particular interest
to us because we obviously have a large following in the Russian market place,”
confirmed team president Graeme Lowdon.
Regardless of the geographical location, this weekend’s
Monza round is one of the few remaining low-downforce circuits left on the
calendar. Mercedes Team Principal Ross Brawn would like to see a few more tracks
with such high-speed characteristics.
“I think that when we had [the ‘old’] Hockenheim and Monza
as the two low drag circuits it was always interesting to have some variety,”
Brawn said. “I think the type of racing you get at these circuits is a little
bit different and I would welcome more circuits of the type we have in Monza. Not
sure how we achieve that, unfortunately.”
Red Bull drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber led the
Friday practice timesheets at Monza, ahead of a surprise strong early showing
from Lotus team-mates Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean.
Fernando Alonso was fifth for home team Ferrari. Alonso
starts this weekend 46 points behind reigning triple Champion Vettel.
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