Formula 1 roundup: Not down under

This week in quotes

* And then there were two for that highly coveted Red Bull seat. \"Essentially, probably,\" team principal Christian Horner told Sky Sports News. Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne appears to have been dropped from the list of candidates, which now features only Kimi Raikkonen and Vergne\'s teammate, Daniel Ricciardo. \"Obviously, there\'s a great deal of interest in the seat, but we will be looking to make some decisions later in the summer,\" Horner said ahead of the Young Driver Test, which ran at the Silverstone Circuit from July 17 to 19. \"It\'s an opportunity here for us to have a look at Daniel, for him to do some of the tire-testing work for us in an RBR car, and it\'s a great opportunity for him.\"

* The Aussie driver, however, had a minor off in the Red Bull on Thursday afternoon after putting his Toro Rosso on top of the time sheets in the morning. \"It was my mistake, really,\" he admitted. \"I lost the rear on the entry and was just probably pushing a little bit too hard. The gravel was a little bit like quicksand; I thought I would get out but I didn\'t, so I gave the guys a bit of a job to do. I saw them, they weren\'t really busy in the garage so I thought, \'I\'ll give them a job to do, clean the car!\' It was just a small error.\" Ricciardo did recover to set a time that was just 0.044sec off his best morning run, and said of the experience: \"I think I drove to my ability and did what I could. It was a good opportunity to get behind the wheel and experience two different beasts.\"

* With immediate effect, Marussia chief technical officer Pat Symonds is taking over from Mike Coughlan as the technical director of Williams. Do the names sound familiar? That\'s because both men were separately involved in two of the sport\'s biggest controversies in recent times: Coughlan in 2007\'s Spygate, and Symonds in 2009\'s Crashgate. \"Williams is a team steeped in success and engineering excellence, and I\'m honored to be asked to play a role in returning the team to its rightful place at the pinnacle of Formula 1,\" Symonds said. \"I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Marussia F1 Team over the course of the past two and a half seasons. The team has developed immeasurably during that time, and it now has all the right people and resources in place to achieve great things in the future. I wish the team the success it so richly deserves.\"

* Chief among those resources is Marussia\'s long-term engine deal with Ferrari beginning next season. \"The Marussia F1 Team is delighted to be entering into a technical partnership with Scuderia Ferrari for the supply of a full powertrain from 2014,\" team CEO Andy Web announced. \"The importance of this development to our team cannot be overstated. Not only will we benefit from a customer supply from the most successful engine manufacturer in Formula 1 history, but this also provides further confirmation, if it were needed, of our commitment to the sport and determination to maintain our progression toward our long-term ambitions.\"

 

This week in numbers

* 1:32.972, 1:33.187: Ricciardo\'s respective best times for Toro Rosso and Red Bull on the second day of the Young Driver Test. Note that casual observers can\'t really glean a lot from this info, as Ricciardo explained: \"It was a bit tricky with Pirelli and the circumstances, as we were not really allowed to adjust the car. Ideally, you would like to make some mechanical changes and set the car up for the conditions. But it was the same for all the other guys.\"

* 3: The number of companies from Russia (with love) that have signed up to be Sauber\'s new investors. The Swiss team\'s \"extensive cooperation\" with the Investment Cooperation International Fund, The State Fund of Development of North-West Russian Federation, and the National Institute of Aviation Technologies is meant \"to showcase Russian innovation at the pinnacle of motorsports,\" stated a press release. \"At the same time, the Sauber F1 Team will have a solid foundation to increase its competitiveness on a long-term basis.\"

* 17: The age of Russian racer Sergey Sirotkin, who is set to be given a seat in Sauber next year thanks to the above-mentioned deal. Currently, Sirotkin is in his first full season in Formula Renault 3.5 and ranks eighth in the series standings.

 

This week in tweets

* Lots of trucks here, but looks like one team is missing. Which means no visit from the paddock\'s canine friend #YDT

* #WhereIsRoscoe
- Lotus (@Lotus_F1Team) asked on its car and via Twitter as a way of ribbing the absent Mercedes squad. For those who don\'t know, Roscoe is Lewis Hamilton\'s paddock-pass-wearing British bulldog. Mercedes was banned from the Young Driver Test because of its tire shakedown with Pirelli earlier this season. (Photo from Lotus F1 Team\'s Twitter feed)

* No need to panic people. Roscoe\'s here testing out some new tires @Lotus_F1Team #WhereIsRoscoe
- Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) displayed a good sense of humor, but his Photoshop skills could use a hell lot of work. (Photo from Lewis Hamilton\'s Twitter feed)

Top photos from Infiniti Red Bull Racing