ZitatFerrari signs Lotus' head of aerodynamics Derk de Beer By Jonathan Noble Friday, September 13th 2013, 10:07 GMT
Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Hungarian GP 2013Ferrari has further boosted its technical structure with the signing of Lotus' head of aerodynamics Derk de Beer.
As part of a concerted effort by the Maranello outfit to push itself forward so it can capture its first title since 2007, it has convinced de Beer to join.
Although there has been no official announcement about Ferrari's plans, it is expected that de Beer will work alongside the team's current head of aero Loic Bigois when his current contract with Lotus runs out at the end of this year.
Ferrari showed how serious it is in its efforts to ramp up its organisation when it signed Lotus' former technical director James Allison earlier this year.
Allison joined the team at the beginning of this month and is likely to have targeted the key individuals that he thinks can help make a difference at Ferrari.
Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali revealed earlier this week that it was Allison's input in to the progress that Kimi Raikkonen had made on the technical front that helped convince the team to swoop for him as replacement for Felipe Massa.
De Beer's departure from Lotus will be another blow to the team, which had already lost Allison and Raikkonen to Ferrari.
The Enstone-based team still has hopes that an investment deal with partners Infinity Racing can help deliver the financial backing that will allow it to push forward with an improved infrastructure.
" title="there" /> to Lotus. I've read this guys Biography on multiple occasions and its mighty impressive. He's from the good old days of when F1 personnel would hang around the English universities. And that's how he got his "in" to Formula1.
More importantly.. This is starting to become quite concerning for Lotus. Why are so many "faces of the franchise" (sorry for the American saying) willing to leave?
On the other hand: this really shows the true pecking order in F1. Ferrari obviously need to react to Red Bull. And this is an outward admission of their current deficiencies. Good on them for being willing to hire such highly touted engineers as they try to chase down red bull.
Zitat Montezemolo says Raikkonen could beat Alonso to the championship
Posted on September 17, 2013 Screen Shot 2013-09-17 at 07.38.22
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has spoken about the rehiring of Kimi Raikkonen, comparing him to Niki Lauda, who returned to F1 after a short break more motivated than he had been before and suggesting that he can emulate the Austrian and beat his team mate to the world championship,
“Raikkonen’s case is almost identical to Lauda,” Montezemolo says in Gazzetta dello Sport today. “Also Niki at a certain point said ‘enough’ because he couldn’t do it any more. I’m speaking of the twin brother of Kimi, because the driver who we had racing for us wasn’t the one we hired.
“The break has done him good, he has returned to greatness, he’s won races, he’s finished lots of races. I wanted a driver who would make me look back on Massa with regret and I’ve got one. From Raikkonen I am demanding victories, consistency, podiums. Alonso will be the main beneficiary. Returning to Lauda, when he came back remember he beat Prost (his McLaren team mate) to the world championship..”
Montezemolo’s words are designed to stir up both drivers. In the interviews he recalls his jokes of 2009, Raikkonen’s last season with Ferrari, where Montezemolo kept saying that Raikkonen’s twin brother was in the car, not the champion, while he stirs the pot with Alonso, suggesting that Raikkonen will put pressure on the Spaniard and that will benefit him. Like Enzo Ferrari before him, who liked to consider himself “an agitator of men” Montezemolo is filling the role in the modern era.
Asked at what stage he spoke to Raikkonen, Montezemolo said ten days before the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
Montezemolo says that there has been no reconsideration of the position of team principal Stefano Domenicali, despite a difficult season for the team, suggesting that the Raikkonen decision was driven by Domenicali so he must see it through and take responsibility for it, “We would miss him. He was the main factor in rehiring Kimi,” said Montezemolo. “He’s done great work for the future. And let’s not forget that in the last three years we’ve lost the title at the last race, through no fault of his.”
Maybe it's from this:
ZitatDimi PAPADOPOULOS @f1enigma 1h
Here is the cover at Gazzetta today pic.twitter.com/7q6WW92rvF
ZitatFernando Alonso/Kimi Raikkonen will clash at Ferrari - Felipe Massa By Lito Cavalcanti and Pablo Elizalde Tuesday, September 17th 2013, 08:59 GMT
Felipe Massa has warned Ferrari that the Fernando Alonso-Kimi Raikkonen partnership will result in a clash that the Maranello squad will struggle to deal with.
Lotus driver Raikkonen will join Alonso at the Italian squad in 2014 after securing a two-year deal that means Massa will leave Ferrari after eight seasons with the team.
It will be the first time Ferrari has two world champions in its line-up since 1953.
"I know both Fernando and Kimi on and of the track and I rate them as excellent drivers, but I'm afraid they will collide when sharing the team," said Massa in an interview with Brazilian F1 broadcaster Galvao Bueno on TV Globo.
"I told the bosses to breathe as much as possible while they still can because it will be hard for them to breathe next season."
Massa was Raikkonen's team-mate from 2007 to 2009, and has partnered Alonso at Ferrari for the past four seasons.
What now for Felipe Massa?
The Brazilian says he has enjoyed his time with the Spaniard.
"I'm sure Fernando likes me, he has to," he said. "We have a nice relationship, I'm sure he sees me as a personal friend as I see him.
"Kimi and myself are also good friends, much more than when we were team-mates."
Fernando Alonso F1 Ferrari 2013
Massa, however, made it clear that he will not play a supporting role to Alonso this year now he does not have a contract with the team.
"I will not race for Alonso from now on," he said.
"Right from Friday at Singapore I'll be working for myself.
"I will attack all the time, every lap. It's come the time to look after myself."
Maranello, 17 September – The whys and wherefores of a choice, a review of the current situation and a look ahead to the near future, the Scuderia’s top man covered all these points in an interview with the doyen of Italian journalists, Pino Allievi. The story was published in today’s edition of Italian daily sports paper Gazzetta dello Sport, as Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo took an overall look at the current state of the Maranello team and its prospects for 2014.
The President began with another appreciation of Felipe Massa. “He’s an exceptional guy and a wonderful person,” he said when explaining the reasons that led to the decision to end the relationship with the Brazilian and start another one with Kimi Raikkonen. “The relationship (with Felipe, Editor’s note) was clear. “He needed results and so did we. He did get some, but he was inconsistent, having some good races but not on a regular basis. In 2012, we felt the lack of his points in the Constructors’. It will be good for him to have a change of scenery. We are not masochistic enough to take on a driver without informing Alonso. Fernando was always in the picture regarding the choice of Raikkonen, taken partly because the alternative, that of employing a youngster, in what will be a complex 2014 season, did not inspire confidence. Today, Raikkonen is one of the best, along with Alonso, Vettel and Hamilton and Alonso is the first to be happy that he is coming here. Raikkonen’s situation is identical to the one we had with Lauda. At one point, even Niki had had enough. I spoke about having his twin brother because the guy racing for us was not the one we had employed. The break did him good and he returned in great form, he won and finished a lot of races. In a nutshell, I wanted a driver who would not make me regret Massa. What I ask of Raikkonen is wins, a consistent performance level and podiums and Alonso will be the first to benefit. I am pleased he is back with us and the Ferrari staff greeted the news enthusiastically, as they had good memories of him. Going back to Lauda, when he returned with a different energy level, he won the title, beating Prost…”
Montezemolo strenuously reiterated that the 2013 game was absolutely not over yet. “I am expecting updates that will bring improvements. We should bear in mind that there’s only one Red Bull getting the results…The team will support Alonso until the very last metre and on top of that, I am also expecting Massa to have a great end to the season. Felipe is an exceptional guy and a wonderful person. They say he won’t help Fernando? Please! He will definitely do so, giving us a hand for the Constructors’ and Alonso for the Drivers’.
The President didn’t shirk from the question regarding what percentage chance he would give Ferrari of taking the title in 2013: “I would not talk about percentages, but I would bet on Ferrari in order to win a lot of money, given that we are apparently outsiders. Looking to 2014, I would say however that we can no longer afford to be the contender beaten in a photo-finish. I can’t wait to be winning again. The time is now, believe me…”
Time for two potentially delicate topics, the suggestion that Alonso is dissatisfied and Raikkonen’s PR skills, which Montezemolo dismissed with these words. “I am the first to understand his (Alonso’s, Editor’s note) discontent. Let’s say his dissatisfaction is like the anger of a footballer who is called to the bench and tells the manager to get stuffed. But I’d rather deal with someone like that than a wuss! The PR business is ever more mediatised. I hope that his (Raikkonen’s, Editor’s note) public relations will consist of wins, as well as a contribution to the team and a diligent presence in Maranello. Alonso cannot take all the work on his shoulders alone.”
The interview was also an opportunity to talk about the man who heads up the Scuderia and the team’s new technical organisation. Asked if Domenicali’s position was ever in doubt, Montezemolo had a clear response: “Never, he would be missed. He was the first to advocate the choice of Kimi. He has worked well, preparing for the future and now I expect to see results in the present. But, over the past three years, we have lost two World titles at the last race and it was not his fault. I’ve been around a long time, from the point eleven years on from Surtees’ title. Then as President, with Schumacher and the Todt-Brawn-Byrne triumvirate, we created a golden era and now the team is ready to start winning again. The void since the Schumacher era was caused by delays on the simulation front and with the aerodynamics. However, in all but three years, Ferrari has always been in the title fight right to the last race. I am counting a lot on James Allison. With him came the head of aerodynamics from Lotus and other new faces. Finally, we will have the creativity we were lacking. Allison knows the team and the men and he speaks Italian. Others wanted him, but he preferred us and his arrival will also bring a change in working methods in many areas. Pat Fry will concentrate on improving our on-track operations, our methodology and the simulator.”
Finally, Montezemolo also spoke about two topics that always get plenty of attention, the costs of Formula 1 and an eventual future without Ecclestone. The President had this to say when asked if costs had effectively been reduced over the past five years. “No, they’ve not been reduced. The rate of increase has reduced, but the level is still too high. We would have to return to the less sophisticated F1 of the mid-Nineties, resuming testing to give youngsters a run, because today, GP2 is a laughingstock with no value. And the few tests we do have, well naturally the race drivers do them.” There was also a question about FIAT’s contribution to Ferrari’s Formula 1 programme: “Zero,” explained Montezemolo. “We get no financial contribution from them and Ferrari survives on its sponsorship, prize money and the cars it sells.”
As for Formula 1 without Ecclestone, Montezemolo repeated his view, which he has expressed several times in the past: “We will need to rethink everything, with a structure that provides for a head of administration and finance, a commercial director and a Number 1 for technical matters. The work can no longer be centralised around just one man.” - See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/the-te ... tBX8G.dpuf
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" title="there" /> to Lotus. I've read this guys Biography on multiple occasions and its mighty impressive. He's from the good old days of when F1 personnel would hang around the English universities. And that's how he got his "in" to Formula1. 
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