Preview: 2013 Pre Season Testing

Pre-season tests, the opportunity for the teams, drivers, media and fans to get a glimpse of the 2013 challengers and where they roughly stand in the pecking order 
compared to the competition.

The main talking point going into the pre season tests is the emergence of news from chief Red Bull designer Adrian Newey that their 2013 challenger, naturally named the RB9 after the title winning RB6, RB7 and RB8, is facing a huge challenge to be ready and developed to maximum potential as a result of their last gasp efforts to claim both titles in the last races of the 2012 season, bringing major updates right up until the penultimate race in Austin, Texas. Whilst it paid off, it may yet live to hinder their 2013 chances at least at the beginning of the year. 

Nevertheless, this is money filled Red Bull, and this is British engineering genius Adrian Newey. Their turnaround to win four races in a row in the Asian races in 2012 after only winning three of the first fourteen races after the dominance of 2011 showed their caliber and class.  Fan of Red Bull's or not, you have to admire that. The genius of the man combined the budget and resources of Red Bull's fizzy drink funding will ensure they arrive at the pre season in superb shape still - they will just be hoping not too many tenths per lap have been lost.

Lotus Were The First Team To Unveil Their 2013 Challenger The 'E21' After A Successful  2012 Campaign

It will also be the first chance to see a new face in one of the top three teams for the first time since both Jenson Button for McLaren and Fernando Alonso for Ferrari in 2010. Sergio Perez joins McLaren from Sauber with a lot of pressure on him to deliver consistency from the outgo. Mistakes and bad races made in 2012 around his podium successes will rarely be tolerated with the Woking team. However, I expect him to be thrilling to watch after he finds his stride, much like Massa joining Ferrari in 2006, with a few podiums and one or two of wins to his name. Can McLaren deliver the car, and the impressive times without Hamilton?

It will also of course see Hamilton in a silver arrow for the first time too, will he instantly regret his decision? Will he be as patient as he insists he will be, or have Mercedes sorted out their aerodynamics department and brought their resources together in time for his arrival to partner Nico Rosberg.

Lower down the grid, three seats are still to be filled, one at Force India, Caterham and now Marussia after Timo Glock was recently let go, so between now these should be filled. Perez' compatriot and replacement at Sauber Esteban Gutierrez will settle into his team, up against his more experienced and 2010 GP2 champion Nico Hulkenberg, who has impressed many particularly towards the end of 2012, brilliantly and deservedly leading the Brazilian Grand Prix until his collision with Lewis Hamilton. Hulkenberg has been tipped to join Ferrari or Red Bull in the 2014 should Massa or Webber not perform as expected this year.

Lastly, Britain's fourth and latest driver to the grid is Max Chilton for Marussia, graduating from GP2 who was Marussia's test driver last year. Let's hope he can perform and be the best of the lower grid from the outgo at the tests.

Driver Fact: In 2010, there were 7 German's on the grid to Great Britain's 2. Now with only a handful of race seats left to fill for 2013, there are 3 German's and 4 British. 

F1 Hub will be bringing reviews of all three pre-seasons tests in their entirety so check back soon.

Nick, F1 Hub


Pre-Season Test Dates
Jerez, Spain: 5th to 8th February
Barcelona, Spain: 21st to 24th February
Barcelona, Spain: 1st to 4th March

Australian Grand Prix: 14th to 17th March

UNVEILING OF LOTUS E21

Murray Walker: One Of The Few F1 Legends Outside Of The Car

Gentleman, passionate, inspired, thrilled and dedicated are a mere few descriptive words and feelings linked to this commentating legend. 

Having commentated on all seasons of Formula 1 from the first championship in 1950 right up to over fifty years later in 2001, rarely missing a single race, it's fair to say he deserves his place in Formula One's greatest hall of fame. 

Murray Already A Well Established Voice Of The BBC Even in 1967 Here Pictured [BBC]

Who else can you really say that about that isn't a Formula One champion or at least a significant racing figure? Formula One CEO Bernie Ecclestone? Ferrari President Luca di Montezemola? Red Bull car design guru Adrian Newey? Sure yeah. But to be a commentating legend is some feat. He thrilled us syncing the on track action into our living room televisions.

Martin Brundle after retiring in 1996, joined Murray in the commentary box for the 1997 season when ITV won the television contract from the BBC until Murray's retirement, and at his final race Martin rightly spoke, "I'm sure I speak for many millions of people - tens of millions all around the world - when I say to you, thank you so much for what you've done for Formula 1 over the decades" - Martin Brundle, US GP 2001. 

The BBC and Sky have both got super commentaters currently and both give fans at least one channel to enjoy watching, but old times sakes, feast your eyes on these classic 'Murrayisms'. Also see the videos below of more Murrayism's, and the man himself taking a hot ride with Martin Brundle in a two-seater version of the classic 1998 McLaren.

Nick, F1 Hub

"He's obviously gone in for a wheel change. I say obviously because I can't see it"

"With half the race gone, there is half the race still to go"

"Do my eyes deceive me, or is Senna's Lotus sounding rough?"

"Anything happens in Grand Prix racing and it usually does"

"Alboreto has dropped back up to fifth place"

"As you look at the first four, the significant thing is Alboreto is 5th"

"I can't imagine what kind of problem Senna has. I imagine it must be some sort of grip problem"

"He is shedding buckets of adrenalin in that car"

"It's raining and the track is wet"

"And there's just a few more corners for Nigel Mansell to go to win the Canadian Grand Prix...and...he's going rather slow...HE'S STOPPING HE'S STOPPING!"

"And this is the third placed car about to lap the second place car"

Murray "What's that? There a BODY on the track!!!" James: "Um, I think that that is a piece of bodywork from someone's car"

Murrayism Quotes

Double Seater Ride with Martin Brundle in a 1998 McLaren at the age of 75

Talking Point: McLaren's New Boy Has High 2013 Campaign Aspirations

Even the speculation of Lewis Hamilton leaving McLaren for another team for his and the team's fans was a somewhat unsettling thought in itself, never mind the confirmation.

In the wake of Hamilton's departure post Singapore retirement from a comfort lead, the announcement was made that Eddie Jordan predicting his move to Mercedes was made. Of course this was always going to bring a massive split in opinion for anyone involved in Formula 1, and even more interesting for those involved in McLaren. Sir Jackie Stewart recently claimed the move as 'risky'.

Many Didn't Want To Believe Eddie Jordan's Feature On The BBC Breaking The News First Of Lewis' Departure

Several months later, here we are, with Hamilton not due to a rocket red winning t-shirt any time soon, and instead it is the young Sergio Perez of Mexico looking not only to wear these t-shirts a good handful of times this season, but believes in his first season in a top of the grid team he could win the championship. Prior 2013, Sergio finished 2nd to Pastor Maldonado in the 2010 GP2 Series, before graduating to Formula One in 2011 to the Sauber team. He battled out Rookie of the Year with Paul di Resta, with an impressive 7th place finish in his debut Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia. In 2012 he upped his game with an improved Sauber car, with three widely impressive podium finishes in Malaysia, Canada & Italy, including two 2nd places - 2nd only to Alonso and Hamilton at that, who themselves pulled out spectacular drives in what were superb races to watch, and re-watch. If he hadn't run wide in Malaysia, he'd likely have picked up Sauber's first win since their debut in 1993.

Hamilton Sprays Champagne With Perez After Their 1-2 Italian Grand Prix Result
McLaren Teammates 2015?

Now he's wearing a Vodafone red cap, with the teammate of Jenson Button, now the most experienced man on the grid ahead of Mark Webber, with the departure of Michael Schumacher and Pedro de la Rosa. Perez stated at his first appearance in front of the press as McLaren Technology Centre, 'I have got a lot to learn from him, his experience, his knowledge, will all be useful for me. I am so much looking forward to working with a champion, a great guy'. McLaren Team Principal has also stated that both Perez and Button will have 'equal treatment', and that after the successes of taking on young talent such as Lewis Hamilton and Mika Hakkinen and turning them into champions, there of course the possibility to repeat success with Perez.

Perez At His First Address To The Press In McLaren Colours

Of course he's right to aim high and for the ultimate goal, particularly now he's in a team and car that have a wealth of success in their long history; but can he challenge for the title on 2013? Challenge - perhaps. Win? No. As much as it would be phenomenal to see on so many levels, realistically it's too much for ask. 2013 should be and is likely to be a year for Sergio to find consistency, challenge at the top end on a regular basis and take a couple of wins. 

Regardless, good luck to him, it's the first time since 2010 we've had a new driver in the top three teams amazingly, so I believe a lot of eyes, including mine and yours to be on him this season. Fingers crossed he thrills us.

Nick, F1 Hub

58 Days Till 2013 Sunday Race Time - Melbourne, Australia.

5 Red Lights - GO GO GO