Auto News 5

From GMM

Pastor Maldonado doubts Ferrari can turn around its disappointing start to the season and win races in 2014.

Fernando Alonso appeared to be putting the F14-T's early troubles behind him in China last time out when he finished the race on the podium.

But the Spaniard is not promising more of the same this weekend in his native Spain, where he marked his most recent grand prix win one year ago.

"We need to see. We enjoyed the result of China but there is still a long way to go and we cannot promise anything for Barcelona," said Fernando Alonso.

Like all the major teams, Ferrari has used the three weeks between China and Spain to prepare a significant package of upgrades.

Team president Luca di Montezemolo, who recently installed Marco Mattiacci as Ferrari's new F1 boss after Stefano Domenicali's exit, is pushing hard for improvements.

"We must find ways to be faster, otherwise the 2014 season will be over soon," he is quoted by Switzerland's Blick newspaper.

Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari F14 T. (Photo: WRi2)

Citing Ferrari sources, Italy's specialist Autosprint magazine reports that the 2014 car's small sidepods have been singled out by the team as a fundamental aerodynamic problem.

"We are learning how to get performance out of this new set of regulations and hopefully to make this car more competitive," said technical director James Allison this week.

Pastor Maldonado, Lotus' Venezuelan race driver, was asked by Spain's El Confidencial if he thinks Ferrari and Alonso can recover and win races in 2014.

"It will not be easy. Ferrari is a great team and for sure they are going to give 200 per cent to allow Fernando to fight to win again. But it is always difficult to win," Pastor Maldonado insisted.

"If you doubt that, look at Red Bull and Lotus this year," he added, referring not only to his own beleaguered employer but also the reigning world champions.

Canadian racer Victor "Al" Pease, who contested three Formula 1 Grands Prix in the ‘60s, sadly passed away May 4th at the age of 92.

Al Pease was born in Darlington, England but arrived in Canada shortly after WWII.

He contested the 1967 Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport Park, Ontario. His Eagle-Climax suffered from serious battery problems all race long and he was not classified.

In 1968, he failed to qualify after a major engine problem forced him to park his car in the paddock.

Finally in 1969, back at Mosport Park, Pease qualified for the Canadian Grand Prix but was disqualified form the race for being too slow.

However, Pease was highly successful in domestic Canadian motor sport competitions, and was inducted as a member of the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 1998.

From GMM

Only one Sauber driver will be racing under F1's minimum weight limit this weekend in Barcelona, according to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

The Swiss team, whose Ferrari-powered C33 has been substantially overweight so far in 2014 at the start of the new turbo V6 era, announced ahead of the Spanish grand prix that its Barcelona upgrade features an "extensive weight reduction".

Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt said it is in the order of 10 to 15 kilograms.

But he explained that only one Sauber driver will actually enjoy a C33 in Spain that is now below the FIA's mandatory minimum weight of 692 kilos -- the featherweight Esteban Gutierrez.

It is believed the Mexican tips the scales at well below 60kg, while his German teammate Adrian Sutil is reportedly at least 15 kilograms heavier.

Nevertheless, even though Sutil will have no ballast to ideally position around the car, both drivers will benefit from the lighter Sauber, which should be minimally several tenths per lap quicker, Schmidt added.

Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil, Sauber C33-Ferrari. (Photo: WRi2)

The new F1 turbo hybrid Power Unit generates a lot of heat.

Additional hybrid systems, a more complex exhaust system, plus an intercooler required for the pressure charging system are all contributing factors to the cooling requirements of the car.

Managing heat is not only necessary in terms of car integrity but also performance and efficiency.

Special cooling fans, Mercedes AMG, (Photo: Mercedes AMG)

Two opposing influences thereby exist: one focused on ensuring that each of these components operates within an optimal temperature range, the other on packaging the related cooling systems in such a way as not to detract from the aerodynamic efficiency of the car.

Several companies have developed off-board cooling solutions for the F1 cars. One of them is ebm-papst who is now working with Mercedes AMG.

The company has produced a highly specialised off-board cooling solution optimised for the sidepod radiators and roll-hoop of the F1 W05 race cars which will be deployed when the car is on the grid and in the garage.

Ambient temperatures at F1 races can reach up to 40°C with ambient on-car temperatures up to 75°C and an operating temperature of over 120°C for the sidepod radiators.

Special cooling fans, Mercedes AMG. (Photo: Mercedes AMG)

For grid and parc fermé the sidepods and roll-hoop will be cooled with the new 'S Force' axial fans whose performance curve match the high back-pressure characteristics of the Mercedes system and provide a 518% improvement in delivered airflow. This high performance contained within a small packaging size meets the requirements for a small portable powerful system.

When the car is in the garage, the sidepods and roll-hoop will be cooled via a larger low-noise forward-curved centrifugal solution where the motor and impellor have been integrated into a bespoke designed scroll housing to fit perfectly on to the car.

We searched the archives and here are 8 important things and facts race fans must know about the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix.

1. The first Spanish Grand Prix was held in 1951 on the Pedralbes street circuit in Barcelona. The race has subsequently been held at Barcelona's Montjuich Park, Jerez, Jarama before moving to the Circuit de Catalunya in 1991, where it has remained ever since.

2. In 1981, Gilles Villeneuve kept five close rivals behind him to win the race. During the second half of the race, Villeneuve used the power of his Ferrari turbo engine on the straights to stay ahead of the pack. Villeneuve, Jacques Laffite, John Watson, Carlos Reutemann and Elio de Angelis crossed the finish covered by just 1.24 second!

Michael Schumacher, Benetton-Ford, 1994 (Photo: WRI2)

3. In 1994, Michael Schumacher (Benetton-Ford) finished a strong second, despite being stuck in fifth gear for most of the race. Schumacher used his World Sports Car experience to modify his driving style to find new trajectories and corner apexes.

4. The biggest winning margin in a Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya was in 1995 when Michael Schumacher led home Benetton team mate Johnny Herbert by 51.988 seconds.

5. The smallest winning margin came in 2011 when Sebastian Vettel pipped Lewis Hamilton by just 0.630 seconds.

6. Several drivers stepped onto an F1 podium for the first time at the Spanish Grand Prix - Luigi Musso (in 1954), Brian Redman (1968), Mario Andretti (1970), George Follmer (1973), Gunnar Nilsson (1976), Johnny Herbert (1995), Juan Pablo Montoya (2001) and Pastor Maldonado (2012).

Ayrton Senna - Nigel Mansell, 1986 (Photo: WRI2)

7. In 1986 at Jerez de le Frontera, Nigel Mansell pitted for fresh tires and charged back, making up over 19 seconds in the final 10 laps of the race. It was not quite sufficient to take the win, but it was very close with Ayrton Senna beating Mansell by just 0.014 second.

8. The 1969 Spanish Grand Prix was the last ever race featuring Formula 1 cars with the "high-wing", the two Lotus cars suffered massive rear wing failures with drivers Jochen Rindt and Graham Hill lucky to escape with their lives.

Sergio Marchionne will remain CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles through at least 2018 to oversee the rollout of the combined automaker's latest five-year business plan.

Sergio Marchionne said he will remain CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles through at least 2018 to oversee the rollout of the combined automaker's latest five-year business plan. That's two years longer than indicated earlier.

Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has faith in Alfa Romeo and doubts about aluminum-bodied pickup trucks while continuing to oppose the long-term viability of two-tier UAW wages.

Congressional investigators are examining whether General Motors CEO Mary Barra and other senior executives were more involved than they have publicly acknowledged as the automaker considered how to deal with a deadly ignition switch issue linked to...

VL Automotive, a sports car start-up founded by Detroit 3 veteran Bob Lutz, has merged with EV venture GreenTech Automotive to bring its Fisker Karma-based Destino car to market.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, a bit player in Asia, plans to boost local production and sales significantly in China and India through 2018. In 2018, the automaker wants to sell about 850,000 vehicles in China, versus 130,000 in 2013.

Volvo Car Group has been conducting extensive tests - working with UK-based tech firm Flybrid - on flywheel-based KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) technology that it is claimed can yield fuel consumption savings of up to 25%. Ian Adcock took a closer look for just-auto.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles today projected that it will have roughly the same 2018 market share in the United States as Ford Motor Co. had last year and that its global sales would grow more than twice as fast as the rest of the industry.

Fiat Chrysler ended the first quarter with a net loss, hit by one-off charges linked to a deal to fully acquire Chrysler and by currency fluctuations.

Fiat Chrysler ended the first quarter with a net loss, hit by one-time charges linked to a deal to fully acquire Chrysler and by currency fluctuations.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles plans to introduce 34 new or redesigned models to its portfolio in Europe, Africa and the Middle East and is targeting an overall 27 percent increase in sales in those regions by 2018.

Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram dealerships in North America will sell significantly more vehicles in 2018 than now, the automaker said today. Each dealership sold an average of 566 vehicles last year, the company said.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles plans to introduce 34 new or redesigned models to its portfolio in Europe, Africa and the Middle East and is targeting an overall 27 percent increase in sales in those regions by 2018.

Episode six of and#8220;Inside Koenigseggand#8221; is live online today. The Swedish supercar-maker is touting its latest technology for the new

Once little more than restorers' fodder, the demand for unmolested, unrestored cars is at an all-time high.