| 2070 Beiträge - Forenlegende
|
|
|
JEREZ, Spain -- Formula Ones sweeping rule changes may be contributing to defending champion Red Bulls dismal start to the preseason. The smaller teams just dont see his troubles transferring into a major shift in the balance of power this season. F1 decided to overhaul its rulebook after the 2013 season, when Sebastian Vettel paraded his Red Bull to victory in the last nine races to win his fourth consecutive title. However, team bosses and chief engineers told The Associated Press that the move to more expensive turbo engines, as well as numerous other changes, will only reinforce the dominance of the front-runners who are better equipped to absorb the increased costs and have money left over to spend on other aspects of their vehicles. Many of those who help run the teams that rarely, if ever, reach the podium expect the gap between the top and bottom to only get bigger. Williams chief technical officer, Pat Symonds, said the best way to encourage parity was not through change, but rather by creating "stability" that would level the technological playing field. "If you stir up the rules to make it economically more difficult, absolutely no, you are not going to make the racing closer," he said. Symonds spoke to the AP in Williams hospitality tent pitched at the end of a row of the other teams luxurious motorhomes at the Jerez track, where preseason testing is being held until Friday. Symonds joined Williams this season from struggling Marussia to help in what he called a rebuilding of the team, whose ninth and last constructors title came in 1997, last grand prix victory was in 2012, and which earned just five points last year. "Changing to the 2014 power unit and then running the 2014 power unit is very significantly more expensive than it was prior," Symonds said. "Now that hits the smaller and the mid-sized teams much harder than it does the big teams." Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley said his team and others agreed. "The disparity between the teams that are lower down the grid and the ones at the front is also connected to how much you can spend on development," Fernley said. "We are all having to spend roughly 100 million euros ($135.74 million) to go racing; thats to build a car, to go to each of the 19 races. So whatever youve got above that is your development. So if youve got 10 million and Ferrari have got 100 million, theres always going to be a difference." Besides switching to a 1.6-litre V6 turbo engine from last years 2.4-litre V8 engine, the rule changes focus on boosting cars energy recovery systems, and alter their fuel limit, weight, and body. F1 also decided to award double points to the seasons last race to keep the title race alive, and fans and TV audiences interested. Caterham team principal Cyril Abiteboul called the double points decision an "artificial" fix to try to increase competition in appearance, while not in reality. Abiteboul said he supported the move to push innovation in F1 so that it could continue its mission of "preceding the automobile industry." But he said applying so many changes in one year instead of over two or three hurts smaller teams like Caterham, which didnt win a point in its first two seasons. For both Fernley and Abiteboul, the new regulations put more importance on the engine manufacturers: Renault (Red Bulls engine maker), Mercedes and Ferrari, who in addition to having their own factory teams, also sell engines to the other eight teams. For a smaller team "to win a race I think is a little bit extreme," Abiteboul said. "That would really only happen if one of the three engine manufacturers we have this season has a real performance advantage on the other two, firstly, and even if that happens I would expect that the factory team of that engine manufacturer would have an edge." Although Red Bull has managed just 14 laps through three days of testing due to engine problems, it should still be in fine shape come season end. The season begins with the Australian Grand Prix on March 16. David Silva Jersey . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. http://www.soccerspainonline.com/Santi-Cazorla-UEF...in-Jers ey/ . Hey!" The lower tier of the School End of Queens Park Rangers Loftus Road was packed solid with a very festive-sounding Chelsea choral section in this particular part of South Africa Road London, W12. http://www.soccerspainonline.com/Alvaro-Morata-UEF...in-Jers ey/ . Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey last Sunday. The fine is the fourth this season for Goldson. He was fined $30,000 for a hit on the New York Jets Jeff Cumberland in Week 1. Gerard Pique Spain Jersey . Sulaiman, 44, was chosen unanimously Tuesday in a vote by the leadership, the World Boxing Council said. Sulaiman becomes the sixth president of the organization. Mario Gaspar Spain Jersey . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue.MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Twins entered the off-season with a desperate need for starting pitching, and theyre off to a pretty great start in addressing it. Right-hander Ricky Nolasco and the Twins agreed to terms on a free-agent contract Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person requested anonymity because the team does not plan to announce a deal until Nolasco passes a physical. Terms of the deal were not immediately available, but Yahoo! Sports reported that it was for four years and $49 million. Thats a hefty price for the Twins, who historically have been reluctant to hand out big-money deals to free agents. Prior to Nolascos contract, the most the Twins had spent on a free agent who did not come through their system was the three-year, $21 million deal they gave Josh Willingham in 2011. But their need was acute and Nolasco was widely considered one of the top available free agents in a thin crop of starting pitchers. Hes walked just 2.1 hitters per nine innings for his career, which makes him a perfect fit for the Twins, who have always placed a premium on control from their starters. Pitching to contact has become a bit of a sore spot for Twins fans, who have watched their tteams starting staff get bludgeoned while throwing strike after strike right down the middle.dddddddddddd. But Nolasco also has a healthy 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings, and hes shown the ability to get out of jams without letting the hitter put the ball in play. Nolascos Twitter account already has a Twins logo as its avatar, and this beleaguered team will no doubt be just as eager to welcome him into the fold. Nolasco pitched at least 185 innings in five of the last six seasons and will immediately slot in right near the top of what was the worst pitching staff in the majors last year. The Twins have lost at least 96 games in each of the last three seasons, thanks in most part to their woeful starting pitching. Last year the starters had an ERA of 5.26. Toronto was the next worse at 4.81. Only two of their starters had ERAs under 5.00, with Samuel Dedunos 3.83 leading the way and Kevin Correias pedestrian 4.18 next. The Twins have also inquired about veteran Bronson Arroyo among other available arms, and are expected to continue adding players to beef up the rotation. Matt Garza and Phil Hughes are among the other viable options, and the Twins also could bring back Mike Pelfrey for depth. Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China ' ' '
|
