BAHRAIN – We caught up with well-established Formula One journalist and broadcaster James Allen to find out his views on the track action so far in pre-season testing.
Q1: What are your thoughts on testing so far?
Allen: The whole point of testing in motorsport is to rake in new technologies, to evaluate things, to try new things out and to measure things as there's lots of instrumentation on the car. Although, as expected, reliability has been an issue for most teams as these cars are extremely complex. This is exactly what testing is for.
Q2: Is the general lack of running and technical glitches a surprise to you?
Allen: Not at all. The cars are so complex this year and there is very limited pre-season testing. They have done a lot of dyno testing with the powertrains, so they have an idea of how they perform. But it's tricky to integrate these systems into the cars so the reliability issues are not a surprise. Although some teams lost time in the first two tests, it is not the end of the world.
Q3: When do you think we will start to see the pecking order of the teams in terms of performance?
Allen: That is the big question. If you look back in the last few years with the bullet proof V8 engines, you could put the car on the ground and it would run all day during the early tests. Back then they were working on long runs and performance runs, and it would be a surprise if you weren't doing that.
This year the question is how soon will it be before the teams start to run regular race distances. That will be the big acid test for me and give us an idea of where everyone is at in terms of performance.
Q4: What are your thoughts on the look of the cars?
Allen: I think Formula One has the capacity to miss the point and to miss the opportunity. It was obviously going to be a talking point, but the sport should have learned its lesson a couple of years ago when the noses were horribly ugly and they eventually made a change to that. Why waste time going round in circles. It is clear most of us dislike the look of the cars this season.
The teams knew the cars were going to look ugly, and they report back to the FIA who should have worked with the teams to review the situation because they have opened themselves up to ridicule. Some of the designs this season are ridiculous.
It will be interesting to see if there will be a change in regulation of the noses and how this will affect the overall aerodynamic performance of the cars as the season goes on.
Q5: But they're not all bad, right? The INFINITI Red Bull Racing RB10 is the best looking, no?
Allen: Absolutely. Not surprisingly Adrian Newey has not only thought about the efficiency but at the same time wanting the car to look good. It looks fantastic.
Q6: How well do you think Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo will fare in 2014?
Allen: Sebastian is 26 years old, a four-time world champion and still getting better. His opening stints of the Singapore and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix were two of the most impressive stints of driving I have ever seen. I don't think people really understood just exactly how good he was when he simply drove away from the rest of the field. He is clearly still improving and working on areas of his game where he has weaknesses to get even better. You can only admire that, and it's absolutely fantastic to have that level of dedication and precision.
I think Daniel is very quick, but lucky that he was in the right place at the right time. Mark Webber stayed there signing new contracts year after year while other drivers were knocking on the door. But when the opportunity arose, it was Daniel who was closest to the seat at that time. I think he is fully equipped to take advantage of the opportunity.
About INFINITI
INFINITI Motor Company Ltd. is headquartered in Hong Kong with sales operations in approximately 50 countries. The INFINITI brand was launched in 1989. Its range of premium automobiles is currently built in manufacturing facilities in Japan and the United States. Production in China and Europe will start soon along with the expansion of the brand's portfolio.
As the Title Partner and Vehicle Performance Partner of INFINITI Red Bull Racing, INFINITI has a far-reaching technical collaboration with the Formula One team, and Sebastian Vettel, its four-time World Champion driver, serves as INFINITI's Director of Performance.
More information about INFINITI, its Total Ownership Experience® and its industry leading technologies can be found at www.infiniti.com. For the latest news on INFINITI, visit INFINITINews.com, "like" INFINITI on Facebook or follow the brand on Twitter @INFINITIUSA. For interesting content on INFINITI in Formula One visit: www.infiniti-gp.com, www.youtube.com/INFINITIGP or follow on Twitter @INFINITIGP.
About INFINITI in Formula One
INFINITI, the premium automotive brand, starts the 2013 season as Title Partner and Vehicle Performance Partner of INFINITI Red Bull Racing. With a deepened technical collaboration across people, process and technologies, an 'open door' approach is enabling both sides to access a pool of innovation, new technologies and R&D resources in the shared pursuit of precision and performance.
Since the partnership's inception in 2011 it has already seen the launch of the INFINITI FX Vettel Edition and product development input from Sebastian Vettel and test driver Sebastien Buemi for the all-new INFINITI Q50 premium sports saloon. INFINITI continues to be the most visible automotive brand in Formula One, and the deepened partnership will ensure closer alignment on an increasing number of future team collaborations.
For interesting content on INFINITI in Formula One visit: www.infiniti-gp.com, www.youtube.com/INFINITIGP or follow on Twitter @INFINITIGP.
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Contacts:
For INFINITI U.S Communications, contact:
Kyle Bazemore
Senior Manager
Office: 615-725-3210
E-mail: kyle.bazemore@infiniti.com
For INFINITI Global Communications, contact:
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General Manager, INFINITI Global Communications
INFINITI Motor Company Ltd., Hong Kong
Phone: +852 3948 0126
Mobile: +852 9447 9973
Email: stefan.weinmann@infiniti.com
Jon Walsh
Senior Manager, INFINITI Global Communications
INFINITI Motor Company Ltd., Hong Kong
Mobile: +852 9447 9705
Email: jon.walsh@infiniti.com
