McLaren understand Honda engine problems

McLaren are confident that they have now understood the Honda engine woes suffered at their first public appearance in Abu Dhabi testing.

McLaren Racing Director, Eric Boullier, says that they have got to the root cause of the issues after the team engineers spent last few weeks working hard to fix the issues. 

"We changed a little bit the schedule and we sent Honda, McLaren people and the car itself back here [to Woking] for full investigations," the Frenchman said.

"They worked very hard for a week and they found out everything. A recovery plan is in place. Part of it has already been fixed, so there are now some further tests on dynos to validate."

Day 2 of the Abu Dhabi F1 Testing - Updated timings

The latest times from the final day of testing at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi at the end of the 2014 F1 season.

Ferrari Academy protege Raffaele Marciello made his F1 testing debut for the team on Day 2 of the final testing of 2014.

McLaren’s problematic start to their new Honda era continued on the second and final day of the Abu Dhabi test as their interim car completed just two laps.


1. Pascal Wehrlein Germany Mercedes-Mercedes 42 laps 1:44.557 

2. Max Verstappen Netherlands Toro Rosso-Renault 63 laps 1:45.222 

3. Raffaele Marciello Italy Ferrari-Ferrari 48 laps 1:45.376 

4. Daniel Ricciardo Australia Red Bull-Renault 59 laps 1:45.666 

5. Felipe Nasr Brazil Williams-Mercedes 21 lap 1:45.937 

6. Esteban Ocon France Lotus-Renault 34 laps 1:47.013 

7. Marcus Ericsson Sweden Sauber-Ferrari 61 laps 1:47.173 

8. Will Stevens Britain Caterham-Renault 43 laps 1:48.348 

9. Spike Goddard Australia Force India-Mercedes 33 laps 1:48.738

Bottas sets the pace in Abu Dhabi Test

Williams' Valtteri Bottas set the pace on the opening day of the season's final Formula One test in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

Abu Dhabi Test - Day 1 final timesheet:

1) Bottas, Williams, 80 laps, 1:43.396
2) Raikkonen, Ferrari, 80 laps, 1:43.888
3) Rosberg, Mercedes, 114 laps, 1:44.512
4) Palmer, Force India, 36 laps, 1:44.516
5) Sainz, Red Bull, 99 laps, 1:45.339
6) Stevens, Caterham, 101 laps, 1:45.436
7) Pic, Lotus, 88 laps, 1:46.167
8) Ericsson, Caterham, 1:46.253
9) Verstappen, Toro Rosso, 55 laps, 1:47.194
10) Vandoorne, McLaren-Honda, 3 laps, no time set

Jules Bianchi out of induced coma!

Jules Bianchi is no longer in an induced coma but remains unconscious, his family said in a statement.

The Frenchman has been in an artificial coma since he suffered severe head trauma when he crashed into a recovery vehicle that was removing Adrian Sutil's Sauber at the Japanese Grand Prix at the beginning of October.

His family, though, issued an encouraging press release on Wednesday, confirming he is breathing unaided and will be moved from the hospital in Yokkaichi to the Le Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice.

"Jules is no longer in the artificial coma in which he was placed shortly after the accident, however he is still unconscious," the statement said.

"He is breathing unaided and his vital signs are stable, but his condition is still classified as 'critical'. His treatment now enters a new phase concerned with the improvement of his brain function.

"Jules' neurological condition remains stable. Although the situation continues to be serious, and may remain so, it was decided that Jules was sufficiently stable to be repatriated to his native France.

"We are relieved, therefore, to confirm that Jules was transferred aeromedically last night from the Mie Prefectural General Medical Center in Yokkaichi, Japan, to Le Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice (CHU), where he arrived just a short time ago.

"Jules is now in the intensive care unit of Professors Raucoules and Ichai, where his care will also be monitored by Professor Paquis, Head of Neurosurgery Service."

The family also expressed their gratitude to the medical staff at the Mie Prefectural General Medical Center.

The statement added: "We are thankful that the next phase of Jules' treatment can continue close to home, where he can be surrounded and supported by his wider family and friends.

"We have nothing but praise for the outstanding care provided by the Mie Prefectural General Medical Center since the accident.

"We owe the medical staff there an enormous debt of gratitude for everything they have done for Jules, and also for our family, during what is a very difficult time for us.

"In particular, we would like to extend our thanks to Doctors Kamei and Yamamichi, and also to Mr Ogura, all part of the team of personnel caring for Jules in Japan."

Caterham F1 will race at Abu Dhabi

Just a few moments back, Caterham F1 team announced that they will be racing at the 2014 F1 season ender in Abu Dhabi. Caterham F1 team took up to social media to reveal the big announcement and thank all the fans for their contribution in generating money for the team. This is what they had to say...

Finbarr O’Connell of Smith & Williamson, joint administrator of Caterham Sports Limited: “We set ourselves a major challenge, but it’s definitely been worth it! In only a week the fans have made the impossible, possible. We knew that the best way to keep this team alive and attract possible buyers was to show that it’s still a racing team and be in Abu Dhabi for the finale, and there aren’t enough words to say how grateful we are to all the fans that have made this possible.

“We now head to Abu Dhabi ready to show what a hard-working and positive group of people this is and to hopefully secure a future for the team. During the past few days the interest of many potential buyers has increased massively and by racing in Abu Dhabi the team will be showcasing itself as a live and functioning team that deserves to continue into 2015 and beyond. It has hard-working people, team spirit and experience and now it only needs a secure financial future which I’m very hopeful we can achieve. Once again, I’d like to reiterate that we are racing in Abu Dhabi thanks to all the fans out there – an achievement that will go down in F1 history and one that we can all be very proud of. We still need to raise a bit more cash so please do keep an eye on the Crowdcube website. Let’s go racing!”