Vietoris behind already
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Christian Vietoris' hopes for an opening season win have been hit, following a gearbox failure in practice this morning. The German was on a flying lap when the car refused to exit out of third gear upon acceleration from turn 6. Returning to the pits, the damage was done, and Vietoris was unable to get out of the pits for the remainder of the session. Not only did this mean that the German, runner-up to Gary Paffett in 2013, lost precious track time, but he will take a five-place grid penalty into qualifying tomorrow. "I'm not even sure what happened", said Vietoris, "the car was working fine for most of the session, and then I lost all other gears all of a sudden. It's incredibly frustrating for both me and the team, but we'll continue to work hard towards the best possible result for the race tomorrow".
Formula Super A 2014 about to kick off
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Exactly four months since the last championship ended in Fiji, the Formula Super A circus is about to start up once again, starting at the Kylami circuit in South Africa for the very first time. Up until now, all the season openers have been held at the Melbourne Circuit, in Australia. Everyone will be watching to see who emerges triumphant, when the lights go out this weekend. Will Gary Paffett win a third straight title? Or will it be wrestled from his grasp by his own team mate, Gianmaria Bruni? Can the likes of Epsilon Euskadi, with last seasons runner-up, Christian Vietoris and Stefan Mucke, be the ones to beat? Or can we expect a return to form from the most successful driver in the series, Loic Duval? Not to mention the expectations on the Alfa Romeo team, with Jules Bianchi and Jeroen Bleekemolen. And then perhaps someone will emerge from the midfied to leap to the top. Not long to go now.
Kojima: We have no excuses this time
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Owner of the KojimaTech Team, Matsuhisa Kojima, has said his team have no excuses for failing to perform on the track this season. 2013 saw the team struggle at the back of the pack for most of the season, despite the occasional flash of speed, in particularly in the wet of the German Grand Prix, where they ran as high as 6th, before engine troubles forced them out. But having only had one days testing prior to the beginning of last season, and limited sponsorship, Kojima says his team is heading into 2014 in much better shape; "we have completed all the days of testing, completed all our race simulations, and we are considerably more confident of our results improving this year. With a driver of (Franck) Montagny's calibre onboard, we fully expect the development of the car to push forward, and to benefit our other driver, Daisuke Nakajima". When asked what his main aims for the season ahead are, Kojima responded; "more finishes, and scoring points. I don't want to see my team at the bottom of the table again".
Gene still open to racing return
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Spaniard Marc Gene has said he is still "fairly interested" in making a racing return to the Formula Super 1 series. Gene spent one season at Alfa Romeo, another at Lotus Racing, before turning out four races for the Motori Moderni team at the beginning of last season, before quitting due to the uncompetitiveness of the car. At the time, it seemed as if Gene had quit FS1 for good, but he has really announced his interest to return to racing. The one time pole sitter, famed for his speed over one lap, but also his aggressive style on tyres that left them worn too easily, spoke out today, saying; "for sure, I had some bad luck over my time in FS1. I was unable to agree a proper contract with Alfa Romeo at the end of 2011. If I had done so, I think I would be racing in 2014, for sure. But the fire for me to race is still here definitely, I just needed time away to find the spark again. Many teams have my number, my C.V, so now we just wait and see". With all the 2014 driver's seats currently filled, Gene may find himself waiting until 2015 before he gets another chance.
Duval signs contract extension with Kronos Total Renault
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The most successful driver in the history of Formula Super 1, Frenchman Loic Duval has signed a contract extension with the Kronos Total Renault. Duval has driven for the Belgian based team for the past 3 seasons, delivering 16 out of their 19 wins, as well as a Drivers Championship in 2011, and the Constructors Championship in 2012. Duval was set to continue with the team throughout 2014 before his contract ran out, but has now signed up till the end of the 2017 season. "I am very happy to be continuing my partnership with Kronos Total Renault, and remain confident we will both continue to deliver consistent and regular wins and championships, not just in 2014, but in the coming seasons", said Duval, in a media presentation during testing this afternoon. Duval will be joined at Kronos for 2014 by rookie and reigning Formula Super B champion, Adriano Buzaid.
Piccione: German GP win was "no fluke"
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Audi driver Clivio Piccione has hit out at critics ahead of the 2014 FS1 Season who dismissed his, and the Audi team's win in the wet at the German Grand Prix last season as a "fluke". "For sure, we had some luck at the weekend", noted Piccione, "but it is not as if every other driver crashed or broke down or something. We had strong pace at a number of races last season, especially at the wet races. In Germany, we ran strongly all weekend, and were set for a podium, and we simply benefitted from other's misfortunes. This is racing". Quizzed about the upcoming season, Piccione remained positive; "for sure, it will be a difficult job to turn up in South Africa and expect us to dominate the weekend, but judging from our testing times, we have a strong, reliable car that myself and the team are confident of delivering regular points and podiums".