2014 Gran Prix Returns to Austin
The high pitched whine of the F1 Gran Prix engines that once rolled across the central plains of Texas will be quite different beginning in 2014 at least on paper.
New rules reduce the number of cylinders from 8 to 6. The new V6 turbos top end rpm’s are restricted to 15,000 down from 18,000 rpm for the non turbo V8’s being replaced. Putting that into perspective the average 8 cylinder Suburban filled with race fans cruising at 85 mph on the toll road leading to the Circuit of the Americas will see their tachometer settle in around 2300 rpm.
The 17% lower rpm change may not be perceptible to the fans who visit the race track that was voted Track of the Year by Gran Prix 247. But to the engineers, machinists, drivers and team members it represents a two years development process to get the new engines and cars ready to enter the 2014 season.
The casual sports fan of course has heard of some of the teams like Ferrari, Mercedes and Lotus. Other stalwart teams like Williams, a team established solely to compete in F1 by Frank Williams, has competed in F1 since1969 and has won 114 times and placed in the top three nearly 300 times. What all fans might be surprised to learn is how team William’s has 500 employees devoted to designing, building and racing their newest car, the FW36.
Then there is the young upstart, Marussia F1 Team. Established in 2009 they are a smaller operation that relies on a technical partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies to produce it’s cars. The field of cars would be far smaller if the sport lacked new entries. Marussia is a Moscow based luxury car company. As the economic wealth of Russia increased F1 took notice and there will be an inaugural Russian Gran Prix in 2014 at the Black Sea resort of Sochi which is also home to the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Infinity - Red Bull Racing features F1 Champion, Sebastian Vettel, that means the fight for second place may be where the real challenges lay. Bringing the changes to the cars is difficult but manageable for this 10 year old team as well as all of the F1 teams. Beating the 26 year old driver from Germany who is the reigning 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 champion will far less manageable. The crash tubing which was developed by Infinity - Red Bull Racing and is the F1 standard for all cars beginning in 2014. Improved driver safety from side impacts is the result of the change.
F1 teams cannot simply modify their 2013. The changes are so extensive the 2014 season will sport all new cars. Gear boxes go from seven forward gears to eight. There are plenty of changes you might notice like the narrower expanse of the front wings, the lowering of the front nose and a shallower rear wing. Other changes will be not be visible but involve capturing energy to keeping the turbo spinning and increased battery size and weight.
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso finished 2nd in the 2013 driver standings sandwiched between Vettel and his retiring team mate Mark Webber. The most successful team in F1 history is formally known as Scuderia Ferrari. When your brand is the dream of millions of car enthusiasts you always expect to return to the front of the pack. In 2014 Alonso and his team mate Felipe Massa will vie for Ferrari’s 17th World Championship. They will pilot identical new cars, the F14-T. It has a carbon fiber chassis with a specific ready to race weight including it’s driver of 1520 lbs. At the Spnaish Jerez track it has been earning the praise of former World Champion F1 driver, Kimi Raikkonen, as "very strong and precise". Perhaps fortune will continue to shine on the team Enzo Ferrai built in 1950.
Mercedes driver, Lewis Hamilton stands apart from his competitors. He is the only Briton in the group of 22 drivers. He is a former World Champion having beaten the field over the 2008 season becoming the youngest F1 champion ever. The year before he missed the brass ring by a single point and "settled" for second. The Queen of England herself made him a Member of the British Empire. He will need to win a few more championships if he has dreams of Knighthood though. Oh, yes, Hamilton is the son of a black father and a white mother. If more championships do arrive soon and it is likely he will be compared to one of America’s more famous golfers. His success is no accident having started out behind the wheel as a child. He had access to race cars and influential members of the racing community such as McLaren team principal Ron Dennis. As a youngster of ten he told Dennis of his desire to drive for Team McLaren someday. Mercedes placed second among all teams last year. Hamilton has followed second place finishes with championships before. Can he and Team Mercedes do it in 2014? Time will tell.
F1 will return to the United States Oct. 31st to Nov. 2nd. The Circuit of the Americas hosts racing all year long and is located off SH 130 east of Austin, For event and ticket information log on to CircuitoftheAmericas.com