Patience is a virtue. As time inevitably marches on, all the answers to our motorsport questions come to fruition. Earlier in the year we posed the question that 2013 was a make or break year for Scuderia Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo (see Archives-January 2013). Well Australian fans can rejoice in the news that he's been signed to a multi-year deal with F1's big hitters, Red Bull Racing.
    However, expectation and media attention will rise, and therefore pressure will be higher for Ricciardo than previously experienced. No doubt that will be at fever pitch by the time he contests his first race for Red Bull alongside Sebastian Vettel at his home GP at Albert Park. With compatriot Mark Webber retired, all scrutiny with be on Daniel Ricciardo.
    Now that Ricciardo has made the step up from Scuderia Toro Rosso to Red Bull Racing, can he make the next step up to the podium? Obviously he hasn't the credentials of his illustrious team mate, but can he push Vettel hard enough to fight for race wins? Besides, with a new set of regulations coming in next year, another team may design a better package than Red Bull. How will both drivers react? One may come to terms with the new turbo engines and Energy Recovery Systems quicker than the other. Sure be intriguing to see how amicable the relationship stays if Ricciardo starts competing right at the sharp end of the grid. Let us know what you think. Send us an email at: [email protected] or simply leave a comment.
    Early speculation we know, but we also know that time will reveal all. Just got to be patient.
    Monza tonight. Ciao....  

    During the F1 summer break we found ourselves contemplating the 2014 switch from high-revving 2.4 litre normally-aspirated V8 powertrains to 1.6 litre turbo engines limited to 15000 rpm. After delving a tad deeper into next year's regulation changes, we've come to the conclusion that the next time F1 arrives Down Under to tackle the Albert Park street circuit, the cars will look vastly different.
    Narrower front wing, slimmer rear wing with the lower beam outlawed, but one of the most interesting concerns exit exhaust positioning. Since the last major changes from 2009, F1 teams have been utilising exhaust gases to influence rear diffusers and improve airflow to the rear bodywork. However, from 2014, there is to be a single exhaust, angled upwards, and with no bodywork behind. In the interest of safety, nose height has drastically been reduced to 185mm from 550mm. Open wheel race cars are more prone to launch into the air in the event of a rear end collision with another car. Think Webber-Valencia or Schumi-Singapore or Ralf Schumacher-Australia.
    The aero sensitive bodywork mysteriously shrouds a number of changes. Gearboxes must now have 8 forward gears instead of 7 and race fuel will be limited to 100kg/race with the emphasis on fuel efficiency. F1 and the auto industry have recently ventured into the world of Energy Recovery Systems. 2014 sees greater emphasis on ERS as the quantity of fuel permitted is not enough to complete the minimum 300km race distance. Therefore the new systems in addition to harvesting energy under braking, can also stockpile energy from waste heat generated by the turbocharger. This equates to an extra 160bhp for approximately 30 sec/lap. Impressive or what? F1 being F1, they'll endeavour to perfect the technology which will filter down to the auto industry.
    But how will this all affect the racing, and more importantly, the show to the viewing punter? Will we see cars retiring amid a huge plume of smoke courtesy of a shat engine/turbocharger? The packaging under the skin must surely present cooling issues for the teams. Will we see the leader dramatically splutter to a halt with 2 laps to go as a consequence of fuel mismanagement? With the emphasis on development pointing more towards the mechanical package, will the teams produce markedly different looking cars to each other now they're starting with a relatively clean slate? The big question? How will they sound?
    Let us know what you think. Send formulafrontrow.com an email at: [email protected] or simply leave a comment. The 2013 European season culminates with this weekend's Belgium GP around the formidable Spa-Francorchamps, followed by the Italian GP at Ferrari's spiritual home, Monza. 10-time GP winner Mark Webber? Now that sounds good.... 

    The Formula One summer break usually triggers a raft of anticipation regarding which driver will drive for which team the following season, and it seems that this season is no exception. Whether it's a case of drivers with substantial funding, exciting up and comers, current drivers underperforming, star drivers coming off contract, or frustrated drivers wishing to change teams, speculation undoubtedly reaches fever pitch.
    The coveted Red Bull Racing seat has materialised by fortune of the retiring Mark Webber. But who will partner 3-time (possibly 4-time) world champion Sebastian Vettel for 2014? Red Bull seem to have their crosshairs pointed towards Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen. But would Raikkonen be tempted away from a team that he has stated he's very happy with, and is already fighting at the sharp end? Red Bull have also evaluated Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo. The young Aussie continues to improve in Formula One, and performed admirably in a 2013 RB9 at the recent Silverstone young driver test. 
    Whilst the focus seems to be on those two drivers, are there other current drivers that Red Bull should be considering? Scotland's Paul Di Resta is a regular point scorer for team Force India and is off contract at the end of this season. If you've ever seen Di Resta's racecam you'll realise what a smooth driver he is, with minimal steering inputs, and therefore corrections are subtle to the point of non-existent. A joy to watch. Highly rated German, Nico Hulkenberg would dearly love to leave Swiss team Sauber, due to an underwhelming F1 car. We remember seeing Nico destroy the opposition many moons ago at Sydney Motorsport Park in the now defunct A1GP. Both drivers would complement Vettel at Red Bull very well. Not to mention, amid rumours of tension between the team and their star driver Fernando Alonso, Ferrari may opt not retain 11-time winner Felipe Massa. 
    So how will the 2014 driver market shakedown? Don't forget the sub-plots. Will Lotus retain Romain Grosjean? Is Sergio Perez' seat safe at McLaren? Let formulafrontrow.com know your opinion. Send us an email at: [email protected] or simply leave a comment. 
    As Aussies ourselves, no need to guess who we'll be supporting. Go Dan! 
                                                    Cheers....  

    The first half of the 2013 V8 Supercar season is now consigned to history, and with the season's endurance races lurking just over the horizon, it would be safe to conclude that the new V8 Supercar "Car Of The Future" (COTF) has to date been a resounding success.
    Success can be measured from a number of perspectives. Common components improves manufacturing turnover, quality control and replacement techniques. Driver safety has no doubt also improved. Both these points are reinforced by the fact that we've seen drivers walk away relatively unscathed from some horrific shunts, and majority of the time, their car is ready for the next day's hostilities. The teams are simply turning the cars around quicker between sessions, allowing them to focus more on set up and strategy. 
    Parity across the field regarding downforce levels, horsepower and the like has also been achieved, as evidenced by there regularly being little more than 1 sec. after qualifying across the entire grid. 
    New manufacturers were encouraged to join the traditional Ford vs Holden rivalry, of which Nissan and Mercedes obliged. Now we have Garry Rogers Motorsport welcoming Volvo into the fray for 2014. V8 Supercars must now be considered a viable avenue for these marques to utilise to promote their respective brands. 
    V8 Supercars has done a stellar job in promoting its brand. COTF has enticed new combatants, crowd numbers at events are strong, TV ratings are performing well, and the Nascar loving Texans seemed to really embrace V8 Supercars during their recent junket to Circuit Of The Americas. Now there's talk of bringing V8 Supercars into prime time viewing hours by staging some twilight and night races under lights. Question is, where? Our temporary street circuits Down Under are second to none, and there have been suggestions that events such as Adelaide's Clipsal 500 or Surfer's Paradise's Gold Coast 600 could be constructed to incorporate lighting for night racing. But would the extra cost involved to accommodate lighting in addition to the usual expenditure involved erecting and dismantling the catch fencing and other necessary infrastructure be too difficult to sustain? Would it be more feasible to light an existing, permanent circuit? That way, installation only takes place once, as does the cost, and the circuit can host all sorts of night time motorsport events.
    Would V8 Supercar night racing prove to be commercially viable? With the working week starting on Monday, would crowd numbers be affected by staging a Sunday night race or would the race itinerary need tweaking? Would you be more inclined to attend an event or watch it on TV if the racing's at night? Let us know what you think. Send us an email at : [email protected] or simply leave a comment.
    Sure be cool to see V8 Supercars under lights at Sydney Motorsport Park or the Sydney 500 though....

    After 12 seasons competing in the Formula One world championship, Australian born Red Bull Racing ace Mark Webber has announced his retirement from the pinnacle of motorsport at the end of this season. He's joining Porsche as lead driver in their LMP1 assault on the FIA World Endurance Championship which includes the fabled Le Mans 24 Hr. 
    Queanbeyan born Webber made his way to the top of motorsport through shall we say, traditional categories. Started karting in 1991 as a 14yo, progressed through to Formula Ford, took himself off to Europe, continued in Formula Ford, then F3 (plus GT with Mercedes in 1998-99), then Formula 3000 before being signed as F1 test driver to Arrows in 2000, then Benetton in 2001. But it was anything but easy. Without the support from Yellow Pages, rugby legend David Campese, Fosters, former Euro Asiatech F3000 and Minardi F1 boss Paul Stoddart, long time manager Flavio Briatore and partner Ann Neal, he may very well not have made it.
    2002 saw Webber make a stunning F1 debut at Albert Park by claiming P5 in an incident filled race for backmarkers Minardi. Two seasons followed for each Jaguar and Williams before winding up at Red Bull Racing in 2007 where he has remained. 
    Mark Webber has finished 3rd in the championship in 2010 and 2011. Along the way he has accumulated 9 wins, 36 podiums, 11 pole positions and 15 fastest laps to date, with 12 races to go, starting with tonight's British GP. There's still work to do. Webber's won the prestigious race twice and would love to be a 3-time winner of the British GP and so far this weekend appears racy. Will Mark Webber add to his win tally before he retires from F1? Let us know what you think about Mark Webber leaving F1? Should he have gone around one more time, or was it the time right to leave with a new formula coming in next season? Send us an email at : [email protected] or simply leave a comment. 
    We'd like to congratulate Mark Webber for a wonderful F1 career (with more success to come) and have enjoyed cheering for 12 seasons from either the Brabham Stand at Albert Park or at home. At all times you've done Australia proud and should be commended for leaving a cut-throat sport at the top of your game on your own terms. Not every F1 driver can do that. Have especially loved the wheel to wheel stuff with Fernando Alonso. Good luck.
    What chance Porsche send a factory backed GT team to Oz for the Bathurst 12 Hr? Drawing a long bow we know. Still be cool to see Webber doing Mt Panorama if it didn't clash with LMP1 duties in FIA's WEC. 
    P1 for Mark at British GP? Let's go! We'll be cheering....

    Is Sebastian Vettel already in an unassailable position for this year's Formula One championship? Can anyone stop Jamie Whincup's relentless march to yet another V8 Supercar crown? Both no doubt answered as their respective seasons come to fruition. 
    Well if you're a fan of Australian open wheel racing, you may be asking if Tim Macrow can extend his lead over John Magro and Nick Foster in the 2013 Formula 3 Australian Driver's Championship as Round 4 forms part of a huge Shannons Nationals programme on 13th-14th July at Sydney Motorsport Park? Australia's fastest racing cars contest two races on Saturday and a feature race on Sunday. Complementing F3 will be mini enduros from the Radical Australia Cup, Australian Swift Racing Series and Australian GT Championship featuring exotic marques like Ferrari, Mercedes and Lamborghini, a 3 hour enduro for the Australian Manufacturers Championship, and Porsche GT-3 Cup. Massive!
    Formula 3 has done an excellent job in promoting its brand. They recently supported V8 Supercars at Symmons Plains, Tasmania for Rd 2, and this weekend at Hidden Valley for Rd 3 racing for the City Of Darwin Cup. Tim Macrow led home Nick Foster in an incident filled Race 1, with positions reversed for Race 2. The F3ADC is certainly hotting up and by supporting V8 Supercars have increased exposure to a potential new fanbase. Multimedia has also been ramped up. For online savvy punters, the remaining rounds will all be streamed live via itvlive.com.au. Free to air punters can enjoy increased TV coverage on SBS Speedweek, whilst pay TV folk can enjoy F3 via Fox's Speed TV which is worldwide. 
    At formulafrontrow.com we love all forms of motorsport, but we especially love open wheelers. Can't help but wonder how cool it would be to have our premier open wheel category, F3, back on the support bill for the pinnacle of motorsport, F1, at the Australian GP. After attending Rd 1 as part of the Bathurst Motor Festival at Mt Panorama, we wait with great anticipation to see F3 again around the sweeping, long radius corners of Sydney Motorsport Park. Bring the kids, a picnic lunch, drive straight in to the circuit precinct, and don't forget your cameras. Cheers.... 
     

    Congratulations to Nico Rosberg and the Mercedes F1 team for winning the glamorous Monaco Grand Prix around the tight confines of the Monte Carlo street circuit. The first father and son in F1 to win the prestigious race with Nico's father and 1982 world champion Keke winning 30 years ago. 
    Mercedes F1 team are a team on the improve. Of that there is no doubt. The "Silver Arrows" one lap qualifying pace has been nothing short of mesmerising, yet up until the Monaco GP have occasionally slid down the order during the race. China saw Lewis Hamilton's pole position convert to third place. In Bahrain, Rosberg, Q1 then P9 come race day. Ouch! The most alarming was Spain. A front row lock out to Rosberg and Hamilton translated to P6 and P12 respectively around Catalunya's aero demanding circuit, despite Rosberg holding on bravely to P1 until the first round of pitstops. Yet, impressively, another front row lock out in Monaco scored Mercedes P1 for Rosberg and P4 for Hamilton. Did Monaco mask a deeper problem?
    Mercedes have clearly built a quick 2013 car with scope for development, but sometimes it has quite a large appetite for the rapidly degrading Pirelli rubber. Is this because the questions asked by a fast,high downforce generating car cannot be answered by the tyres? In other words, are Mercedes hampered by the need to nurse the tyres during races and therefore cannot exploit their car's full potential? Is the car that good?
    A couple of points to note. Monaco is not a circuit brandishing big sweeping, big aero corners. It is more demanding of mechanical grip, meaning tyres can be managed with less concern. This confirms Mercedes have a tidy package on their hands. The other point concerns the recent tyre test held the day after the Spanish GP, before Monaco. It was conducted by Pirelli, not the team, conducted in good faith to test the 2014 tyres. Therefore no advantage was gained by Mercedes for 2013. We fear we may hear more on this though.
    So does Mercedes' Monaco victory shroud their true race pace? Will we continue to see a Mercedes driver on the top step of the podium? Can Mercedes allow their drivers to push whilst maximising tyre durability? Next race at Canada is also more reliant on mechanical grip than aero to get out of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve's numerous hairpins and chicanes. Maybe we'll get a more objective picture at the British GP around aero sensitive Silverstone? Let us know what you think. Send us an email at: [email protected] or simply leave a comment.
    Cheers....


    

    Australia's premier motorsport series, V8 Supercars have ventured across the Pacific to the newly constructed Hermann Tilke designed race circuit marvel that is the Circuit Of The Americas. The circuit just outside Austin, Texas was purpose built for Formula One, but now V8 Supercars have arrived to stage their first ever championship event on US soil, the Austin 400. This weekend sees the event comprise 4 x 100km races around the fast, undulating circuit.
    The Saturday Races 13 and 14 have run, with both races producing the same podium trio of Jamie Whincup, Craig Lowndes and Fabian Coulthard. However the racing was frenetic and uncompromising right through the field and therefore exciting for us watching back in Oz. If the Saturday races are a benchmark, cannot wait for the Sunday races.
    One team steadily on the rise is Kelly Racing with their new Nissan Altimas. Race 13 saw Rick Kelly achieve Nissan's Car Or The Future's best result to date when he passed the chequered in P6. He then backed up a strong qualifying for Race 14 by finishing P8 and was unlucky not to get P6 albeit for want of fuel. Whilst admitting that the Nissan is down in straight line speed, the team are slowly coming to grips with it's cornering capabilities.  A team to watch. Let's see if they can continue to please their Nissan and Jack Daniels partners in the Sunday races who are both in attendance at the event.
    At formulafrontrow.com we quite often mention the importance of brand exposure and promotion. We'd like to know if you find the idea of staging regular event/s overseas appealing and whether this would help garner a wider fan and sponsor base and consequently higher TV ratings? Can V8 Supercars promote itself to higher levels in overseas markets such as the USA where NASCAR rules the tin-top racing world? Would love to know the TV ratings on SPEED in the US. Email us at: [email protected] or simply leave a comment. Circuit Of The Americas certainly fulfils its end of the deal.

    Periodically the validity of Formula One is brought into question regarding relevance to the ordinary motorist and modern day road car production. The pinnacle of motorsport to some outsiders seems like a form of motorsport terminally married to massive expenditure that very rarely translates technologically down the line to the average punter. But is this truly the case?
    All F1 teams in their eternal, relentless quest to gain a tenth or two on their opponents have devised new technologies to help propel them to that goal. A lot of these have permeated through to road car manufacturing. Whilst some have been subsequently banned in F1 in the spirit of competition, some are prevalent in road cars to this day. Active suspension, launch control, traction control and the ultra strong carbon fibre to name a few. Now we have kinetic energy recovery systems which harvest the energy when the driver is off the throttle.
    Next year sees F1 dispense with 2.4litre normally aspirated V8's and adopt 1.6litre V6 turbos with the emphasis on energy recovery systems. F1 are already using bio-fuel and from 2014 are mandated to carry a shade over a third of the amount of fuel they currently carry for a race distance, therefore placing the focus firmly on fuel efficiency and energy recovery. Will this increased engine efficiency eventually filter through to road car production? Can F1 be credited for pioneering new technologies that end up benefiting the average motorist? Let us know what you think. Send us an email at: [email protected] or simply leave a comment.
    Can't help but wonder, it's been a while since we've witnessed anyone in F1 run out of fuel. Remember Sir Jack Brabham in his last season in 1970 handing victory to Jochen Rindt at Brands Hatch when he famously ran out of fuel? Big question is though; what will the new turbo 2014 F1 cars sound like? 
    The European F1 season is upon us. Roll on....

    Last weekend at the newly upgraded Pukekohe Circuit in New Zealand, V8 Supercars crowned its youngest ever winner of a championship race in the form of 19yo Scott McLaughlin.
    The Christchurch born Kiwi's rise through V8 Supercar ranks borders on meteoric. After plying his trade in karts, in 2010 McLaughlin debuted in the Fujitsu Development Series, the youngest ever at 16, driving a FG Falcon for Stone Brothers Racing. 2012 saw him win the NZ V8 SuperTourer Series in a VE Commodore for MPC Motorsport, plus clinching the 2012 Dunlop Series at 2012's season ending Sydney 500. Before the champagne had even dried on his racesuit, he was drafted in to Alex Premat's seat in the main game, who was unable to recover after his coolsuit failed in the oppressive heat of the Saturday race. 2013 sees him acquire a full time drive with the Fujitsu Racing Garry Rogers Motorsport outfit. The faith shown by GRM has already been substantiated by winning the 4th race at the Australian F1 Grand Prix and now Pukekohe in the main V8 Supercar show. Despite his crash and subsequent retirement in the Sunday race at Pukekohe, Saturday's race was a drive mature beyond his years to convert an encouraging grid position into an emphatic win.
    But how will Scott McLaughlin fair once V8 Supercars descends upon the super circuits like Phillip Island and Mt Panorama where experience is invaluable? Will the challenge from GRM be sustained throughout the season spearheaded by Scott McLaughlin and quickly improving Frenchman, Alex Premat? Whilst McLaughlin might appear to be having the time of his life,  innocently smiling his way through events, underneath is a steely racer who rarely makes mistakes, all the time appreciating the opportunities afforded to him. He's been compared to a young Craig Lowndes. But will McLaughlin and Premat promote GRM to the fore of V8 Supercars and upset the likes of Red Bull, FPR and HRT? Let formulafrontrow.com know what you think. Send us an email at: [email protected] or simply leave a comment.
    Congratulations to Jason Bright and Brad Jones Racing for winning the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy at Pukekohe. Couldn't think of any team more fitting than JR's former team, who perennially display the JR Star on their cars, that ended up winning the trophy. Well done.