FORMULA 1 - 2015

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MARKO: RED BULL WILL BE READY FOR FIRST TEST

The wait for an end to the engine supply crisis was long, but Helmut Marko says Red Bull will be ready for the first winter tests of 2016.

Renault finally announced on Thursday that it is staying in F1, which meant Red Bull could lift the lid on its novel new TAG Heuer-branded engine deal a day later.

Asked on Friday if he is happy the secret is out, Marko told Speed Week: “Naturally. I am especially pleased that Renault has finally decided to take over Lotus and therefore remain in F1.”

He said that for Red Bull, that is also good news, “We will get the Renault power units at the same level as the factory team. Mario Illien will cooperate with his company Ilmor as a consultant with Renault,” Marko added.

Asked if the delay has compromised the development of Red Bull’s 2016 car, meanwhile, he answered: “Although we have to cope with that two month delay, we will do it. We will be in Barcelona.”

As for what the future looks like for Red Bull, he said the current Renault deal is for a year, “We hope to have an alternate engine from 2017, or else Renault develops so well in 2016 that we seek an extension.

“The concepts presented by Renault look good. Now they need to be implemented and shown in practice what is promised in theory. The question is how quickly that will be possible,” Marko added.

Marko also admitted that, with the Red Bull and TAG-Heuer news out of the bag, the next piece of the puzzle will be junior team Toro Rosso’s Ferrari deal, “Yes. Everything was clear and we only had to wait.”

Marko also dismissed any lingering doubt about Red Bull’s driver lineups for 2016, confirming: “We have confirmed all four drivers, so Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat at Red Bull Racing, and Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz at Toro Rosso.”

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HAMILTON: IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT INTO WORDS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A THREE-TIME WORLD CHAMPION

In the shadow of the Arc de Triomphe, the most significant triumphs of the motor sport year took centre stage at the iconic home of cabaret on the Champs-Elysées.

While the gala evening was naturally somewhat restrained in light of the shocking events in Paris three short weeks ago, the evening was still a celebratory and quintessentially French affair, while giving the year’s biggest winners their due.

At the head of the list of Champions sits 2015 FIA Formula One World Champion, Lewis Hamilton who in accepting the Drivers’ Championship trophy for the third time took his place among the legends of the sport.

Hamilton’s 2015 triumph writes his name in the history books alongside iconic names such as Sir Jack Brabham, Sir Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet and his boyhood hero, Ayrton Senna.

On his way to the title, the Briton climbed to third on the lists of both all-time wins and pole positions, and matched the record for the highest number of podiums in a season.

“It’s pretty much impossible to put into words what it means to be a three-time world champion,” said Hamilton. “It is a dream, it’s an incredible feeling and I’m very proud of my family for everything they did to get me here today.”

“I remember how hard my Dad and my Mum worked to make sacrifices for me. It’s been a long, long journey – I’ve been racing for 22 years.

“This year, winning the race in Austin and sealing the championship there was one of the most special races – there’s a huge sense of pride in what I have achieved.”

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VERSTAPPEN: AMAZED AND VERY HAPPY TO HAVE WON THREE AWARDS

Teenage motor racing sensation Max Verstappen concluded an incredible rookie season in the FIA Formula One World Championship by taking all three of the Federation’s special vote-based awards at the 2015 FIA Prize-Giving in Paris

The Dutch racer took the Personality of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Action of the Year – the first time anyone has claimed more than one of the non-Championship related awards in the same season.

The FIA Personality of the Year award is handed out according to votes cast by accredited media from across the FIA’s Championships. The first round of votes establishes a top 10, with the second round deciding the Personality of the Year. Verstappen’s selection is even more impressive given the media have had just one season to get to know the Toro Rosso driver.

The Rookie of the Year award is decided by the FIA Drivers’ Commission, presided over by two-time World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi. The Commission, made up of drivers with a combined 12 World Championships and 14 Le Mans victories, forms a supremely qualified judging panel for the selection of the most impressive first-year driver in an FIA Championship.

Finally, in the category voted for by motor sport fans from across the world, Verstappen won the Action of the Year award for his daring move around the outside of Sauber’s Felipe Nasr at the fearsome Blanchimont corner during the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix.

The pass clearly impressed fans, with the online vote seeing Verstappen take the award over nine other nominations, and by a ratio of 10:1 votes over second place, the FIA European Rally Championship’s Alexey Lukyanuk. It was actually the second consecutive Action of the Year win for Verstappen, who won the 2014 award while in Formula 3.

It was an unprecedented achievement for the 18-year-old racer, who took this year’s FIA Formula One World Championship by storm.

“I am amazed and very happy to have won three awards this evening at such an important event, and at the end of only my first year in Formula 1,” said Verstappen. “It’s nice to win the Action of the Year for the second time, because I really enjoy overtaking on track.”

“It’s a great honour to win the Rookie of the Year award, as it’s voted for by the Drivers’ Commission and I have to say, getting two fourth place finishes in my first F1 season is more than I expected.

“Personality of the Year? I’m not sure why I won that, but it’s nice to know the media like me!”

The FIA Prize-Giving celebrates the Champions of the FIA’s various disciplines around the world, with this year’s event being held at the famous Lido theatre on the Champs-Elysées.

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MALDONADO AND PALMER AWAIT RENAULT DRIVER DECISION

Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn has cast doubt upon the driver contracts agreed between Lotus and Pastor Maldonado and 2016 rookie Jolyon Palmer.

After months of delays, the French carmaker finally announced late this week that it will proceed with the buyout of the Enstone based team.

“It required several months of reflection, discussion and negotiation with partners and stakeholders of formula one,” Ghosn told the Paris daily Le Figaro.

During that delay, Lotus came close to financial collapse and agreed 2016 driver contracts with heavily backed drivers Maldonado, a controversial Venezuelan, and Briton Palmer for next year.

But when asked by Le Figaro if there will be a Frenchman at the wheel of a works Renault in 2016, Ghosn answered: “We will wait a few weeks. I refer to a meeting in January 2016, when we will explain the organisation, goals, strategy and we will also talk about drivers and partners.”

He also warned that Renault’s return to the top step of the podium may take some time, “Given the high motivation of our employees in Enstone and Viry, we will take three years to become competitive.”

“We will also continue to supply engines to other teams, but it will be according to the interests of our own team,” he added, referring to Red Bull who will re-brand their French-made engines as Tag-Heuer next year.

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GROSJEAN WORK FOR HAAS STARTS AT MARANELLO

Haas F1 driver Romain Grosjean is preparing to get to work on his future as soon as this month — by travelling to Maranello.

After a tough few months for the financially-ailing Lotus team, the Frenchman is switching to the new Ferrari-linked American project Haas for 2016.

Grosjean admits 2015 – particularly the latter half – has been difficult.

“The biggest problem was that we hardly brought updates to the car,” he told Auto Motor und Sport. “We finished the car basically with the Melbourne car.”

He said he will miss the team at Enstone, with whom he entered formula one as Renault back in 2009, but is now looking forward to the future.

Asked if Haas will be able to immediately take on opponents like Force India in 2016, Grosjean answered: “I think that with the partnership with Ferrari, we will have a good car.”

And a bonus, he admitted, is that it gives him a foot in the door at Maranello.

“It (driving for Ferrari) is a dream for any driver,” said Grosjean. “But first of all I want to be the driver who finally puts an American team on the way to success.”

When asked when he will start work, he answered: “As early as December. In Maranello. That’s where our wind tunnel and simulator are.”

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TORO ROSSO TO RETAIN DRIVERS AFTER FERRARI SWITCH

Toro Rosso F1 team announced a switch from Renault to year-old Ferrari engines on Friday and said they would race next season with the same young line-up of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz.

“The Toro and the Cavallino are together again… what a stable! Scuderia Toro Rosso’s 2016 challenger, the STR11, will feature a Ferrari power unit,” the Red Bull-owned team said on their website.

Ferrari supplied Toro Rosso from 2007 to 2013. Current Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel took his first F1 win with the team in 2008.

“Because of the last minute nature of the decision relating to our power unit supply for next year, the team will use the very last specification used in the 2015 season,” Toro Rosso added.

Ferrari finished the season as overall runners-up, with their engine more reliable and offering better performance than the Renault unit used by Toro Rosso.

“With our engine supplier just a short drive up the autostrada and even linguistically, the return to Ferrari will make for an easy working relationship,” Toro Rosso said.

“Taking this into account, and considering the past achievements with our friends from Maranello, we can certainly expect an improvement in our performance next year.

“We can also count on Carlos and Max who, after being confirmed for the 2016 season, will be able to translate all this year’s learnings and experience into additional valuable feedback throughout the season.”

Dutch driver Verstappen, who turned 18 during the season, was the highest-placed rookie of the year with a best result of fourth. Spaniard Sainz, son and namesake of the former world rally champion, also impressed and outqualified his team mate over the course of the season.

Renault announced on Thursday that they would return as a full works team next year after taking over Lotus.

Red Bull will be using an engine provided by Renault but with the branding of the team’s new partner, luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer.

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FORMULA 1’S CONFUSING NEW TYRE RULES PUZZLE DRIVERS

New tyre rules for Formula 1 starting in 2016, giving more choice on the selection of compounds and strategy, have left some drivers confused.

“So far the new tyre regulation isn’t clear to me. I’m glad I have an engineer to help,” commented French driver Romain Grosjean, who raced for Lotus this year and is switching to Haas, on Twitter.

“I’ve got a headache after reading this,” added India’s former F1 racer Karun Chandhok, referring to Pirelli’s explanation.

Formula One’s governing body said after a meeting of its World Motor Sport Council on Wednesday that changes had been approved in order to encourage differing race strategies.

It explained that Pirelli would now provide three dry-weather compounds instead of two.

“Of the 13 sets of dry tyres available to each driver, the tyre supplier will choose two for the race (only one of which must be used in the race), and one set (the softest available) that may only be used in Q3 (the final phase of qualifying.

“Each driver may then choose their remaining 10 sets from the three available compounds,” added the International Automobile Federation.

“Unless intermediate or wet-weather tyres have been used, a driver must use at least two different specifications of dry-weather tyres — at least one of these must be the one chosen by the tyre supplier.”

Pirelli issued further information on Thursday, which may have added to the headaches.

“The teams will make their choices within a deadline set by Pirelli. They will communicate their choices to the FIA, which will in turn tell Pirelli how many tyres to produce,” it said.

“The choices for each car will remain secret until two weeks before the race. If a team does not meet the deadline, the choice will be made by the FIA.

“The choices made by each team can vary for each of its cars: so each driver within a team can have a different allocation.”

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Alonso would welcome team-mate tension

Fernando Alonso says he would welcome the inter-team rivalry that Mercedes are having to deal with as that would mean McLaren are fighting for prizes worth winning.

As this year's dominant team Mercedes once again had to deal with two squabbling drivers as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fought for the World title.

The tension between the two was palpable, a sharp contrast to the relaxed relationship between Alonso and his McLaren team-mate Jenson Button.

The McLaren pairing were often seen speaking outside the garage while one of the best light-hearted moments of 2015 was their photo op on the Brazilian podium after dropping out of qualifying in the early stages.

Alonso, though, says he'd rather have the tension.

"There is always more stress when you are fighting for championships and wins within your team, as we have seen with some other teams who are having issues," the Spaniard told Sky Sports News HQ.

"But let's say it's a good stress to have when you are fighting for big things. I'm looking forward to working with Jenson next year and if there is a bit of tension then it would be welcome as well!"

Although this season has been a wretched one for McLaren-Honda, P9 being the team's worst result since 1980, Alonso is confident of a better showing next season.

The double World Champion said: "I am very positive about next year. We've been through very difficult times but we understand our problems and the solutions, at least on the theoretical side.

"Next year will definitely be a much better year and our intention is to fight for the championship or, minimum, fight for podiums. There is a huge potential we need to unlock."

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A sense of disappointment we finished third - Williams

Claire Williams, deputy team principal of Williams, has confessed that there is "almost a sense of disappointment" amongst the team after they failed to better their 2014 performance.

The Grove outfit finished third in the Constructors' Championship last year and matched that position this year. Whilst they emerged ahead of Red Bull in 2015, they weren't a match for a resurgent Ferrari.

Meanwhile the team scored just four podium finishes, compared to nine in 2014.

Although the team has come along way compared to 2013, when the team finished ninth with just five points, Williams admitted there is still a lot of room for improvement.

"I think everyone knows that there is almost a sense of disappointment that we're third at Williams," she said. "We want to be winning races and fighting for that world championship.

"We've worked hard over the past two years in order to turn this team around. We’ve made a lot of changes within the team and fortunately a lot of those changes are paying off.

"We've made some mistakes this year that have been fairly visible for people to see and we need to improve upon our operations to make sure we don't make those mistakes next year and we can continue to improve in 2016."

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F1’s toughest deal? How to buy a Hakkinen McLaren from Ron Dennis

McLaren chief Ron Dennis is renowned as one of the toughest negotiators in the Formula 1 paddock. So how do you make him part company with one of his most cherished racing cars?

The man with the magic touch when it came to achieving the seemingly impossible is F1 sponsorship guru Zak Brown.

A renowned racing car collector and historic racer, as well as a contract-clincher extraordinaire, Brown pulled off perhaps the deal of his life when he persuaded Dennis to part with a 2001 Mika Hakkinen British Grand Prix winning car.

So how long did it take to achieve?

“It took about two years,” Brown tells Motorsport.com. “He keeps in his briefcase a list of all his cars; he’s got about 125. It was combination of Ron and Martin [Whitmarsh, the former McLaren COO], I have to give Whitmarsh credit – he helped get the deal over the line.

“It was a Martin/Ron deal: I’d been bugging Ron, and Martin knew I’d been bugging him, and I’ve done a lot of business with them over the years – both in sponsorship and in GT3.

“When I was finally successful in convincing him I was surprised I got the caliber of car that I did – a British Grand Prix-winning Hakkinen car [the only British GP that Mika ever won – Ed].

“It was exactly what I wanted: I’ve got four British GP-winning cars, and Hakkinen was one of my favourite drivers – it was good to get such a great car out of the collection. The only other West car I know of in private hands is Adrian Newey’s – but that’s a Kimi Raikkonen car, and I’d rather have a Hakkinen all day long.

“It’s an unbelievable car to drive – it took 14 of them to run me at Silverstone. The electronics is the tricky part, it takes a crew.”

Brown’s car collection is maintained and run by his racing team, United Autosports, which has been a regular in GT racing since 2009 and is about to make a move into prototypes in next year’s European Le Mans Series.

Run by former F3000 racer Richard Dean out of workshops in Leeds, England, it has built a reputation for immaculately-presented machinery – much in the image of its owner.

Dean explains: “Zak started collecting cars and we were looking after them. Then other clients came along, and we started to race them in the big historic events.”

What’s the key to success?

Brown has been credited with many high-profile deals in recent history, and has also been responsible for pulling in the most ‘new money’ sponsors in the paddock.

It’s the relationships he’s built by generating revenue streams for teams that has led to him being able to obtain the seemingly unobtainable.

“I’m doing business with these guys, and it’s the same with the sponsorship – it’s persistence that pays off,” he says. “I’ve sold you something, now give me something.

Dean quips: “They give him something just to go away!”

For example, Brown’s involvement in the Martini title sponsorship at Williams allowed him to grease some wheels to obtain the cars he desired from Sir Frank.

“I’ve got the Alan Jones championship-winning ’80 car, the Mansell ’87 car that won the British GP and another four races, and Jacques Villeneuve’s rookie-season car that won the British GP and a couple of other races,” he smiles.

Also in his F1 collection: an Ayrton Senna ‘86 Lotus, a ‘90 Nigel Mansell Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton 2013 Mercedes. Of the latter, “That took some arm-wrestling as well!”

He adds: “I’ve got good relationships with them all, so I can get cars that are not for sale – the Hakkinen car, the Jones and Villeneuve Williamses and the Lewis car, they weren’t for sale at any price tag. You gotta know when to ask… and that’s when they want something!

“We’re fortunate we’ve got relationships that mean we’re able to get access to cars that other people might not, and ability to work on them – like with Mercedes, we got spare engines for my Hakkinen McLaren. Those aren’t for sale from Mercedes, you gotta lean on some relationships…”

The deal is just the beginning

Once the car is in his hands, the real challenge often begins in terms of getting it out on track. While the Hakkinen McLaren was painstakingly prepared at Woking, not all the cars arrive at United’s door in perfect fettle.

Dean explains: “We rebuilt the Alan Jones Williams FW07 as a ground-up project. When we started to explore and pull it apart there were a few bits that weren’t quite original. For example, it was originally a ground-effect car, and it had clearly suffered some damage in the past, so they’d built some standard pods – same shape, and it looked right, but it didn’t have it exactly how we wanted it.

“So with Zak’s relationship with Williams, we got onto them and they couldn’t have been more helpful. They’ve got one in their museum, let us pour all over it – and even got the drawings out – so we were able to get it just right.

“We ran it at a Williams day at Silverstone and they were delighted to see a big part of their history running on track again. Dickie Stanford was the guy who helped work it out for us, and he worked on it originally – you can’t get any better than that.

“At Silverstone, he said: ‘You’ve got it spot-on’. A nice endorsement for our guys.

Brown adds: “I think they like to see the cars out there. They want them in the right hands, they don’t want them driven by a car dealer who’ll go flip ‘em.”

So what comes next?

You get the feeling that Brown isn’t someone who sits still on his spoils of victory for long, and that there’s always another deal in the offing around the corner.

How about the toughest of nuts to crack: Bernard Charles Ecclestone?

Everyone knows he has a bunker full of Brabhams – and many other true classics – hidden away. How about it, Zak?

“I’ve tried,” he says. “I want one Brabham, and he’s saying ‘if you want one, buy the other 44 too and then sell them’.

“I have been trying to get a Brabham out of him, but I’m not interested in buying 44 cars. I’ll stay on him, I’d love to have a Brabham. He’s got them all sitting in his shop. A Piquet car would be the one I want.”

Well, if anyone can… And you get the feeling it’s the passion for making an ‘impossible’ deal possible that drives him on.

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Analysis: Azerbaijan's plan to make the F1 race pay off

Azerbaijan will be joining the F1 calendar next year but, without any racing culture and very limited availability of tickets, can the new European GP become a success story?

The current era of Formula 1 can be seen as a period of expansion, with the sport adding new countries to the calendar on a quasi-annual basis since the turn of the millennium.

The next new entry on the F1 calendar will be the Grand Prix of Europe (Azerbaijan), set to take place on the streets of Baku in 2016.

F1's new venues have had varying degrees of success, with modern classic Singapore the shining example of how to get it right and a long list of white elephants (India, South Korea, Turkey, Valencia…) showing just how easy it is to get it wrong.

Those countries that have been tempted to become stop-offs in Formula 1's travelling road show often cite putting their country on the map as one of the main inducements for signing up to costly circuit development (whether temporary or permanent) and expensive annual contracts with in-built escalators.

In a round-table interview in the Yas Marina paddock, Baku race organiser Arif Rahimov acknowledged that hosting Eurovision and the European Games in the past few years had put Azerbaijan on the map, but said that Formula 1 offers its host countries something a little different.

"Obviously all of these big events are different markets, and the F1 market is very unique - you get very high-end spectators, a very good crowd both on TV and at the different races as tourists," Rahimov said.

"Apart from that, I think the visibility that F1 gives you is incomparable to Eurovision and the [European] Games. We've done a very good job hosting the Games and developing the Games as a brand, because that was something that never existed before.

Whereas Formula 1 is an existing brand - you don't need to promote Formula 1 as a brand because it's already so promoted. You just need to make sure that your country understands what it is. So it's a different sort of animal.

"The primary objective is to promote our city from different points: from the touristic point of view, investment… This is a great opportunity to do so," he concluded.

Misguided plan

But the plan - while laudable - looks to be somewhat misguided.

The cost of hosting a grand prix runs to the tens of millions of dollars per annum, and that's without considering the costs of erecting a street circuit on an annual basis. With only 9,500 hotel rooms in Baku, the capital offers limited accommodation for prospective tourists.

Complicating matters further, the layout of the city centre and the track itself makes for very limited availability of tickets both seated and general admission.

"We do have a constraint in Baku, which is the overall number of hotel rooms," Rahimov conceded. "At the moment, we have about 9,500 hotel rooms in town, and some will obviously be taken by the stakeholders of Formula 1 - let's say 2,500.

"So we're left with about 7,000 rooms, which is about 10,000 visitors, more or less, that we can actually host. That's the maximum capacity we can actually invite to Azerbaijan. We're very confident that we will sell out on the international tickets, because this is a very limited amount of tickets and we are sure that they will go fast.

"We're not limiting [foreign ticket sales] to about 10,000 - it's just the fact that before they book their F1 ticket, people need to make sure they have a place to stay. We're very limited in the number of hotel rooms, as I said, and there's no way we can fit more.

"Our maximum seated capacity is just under 20,000. We're also going to have some general admission tickets, so in total it will be about 28,000. That's very, very small. We're guided by the limitations in the city. …

"To be honest, we're looking into every single piece of land that we can put a grandstand on, and at the moment [28,000] is what we could get, that's the number we could get. We're trying to expand day by day, but at the moment it looks realistic that we're going to be at that number.

"Maybe for the coming years we'll find some opportunities for new grandstands, new hospitality areas."

Given that race promoters rely on ticket sales to make money from F1 grands prix, is the limited capacity a concern?

"It's not a concern - it's reflected in our business plan," Rahimov explained. "It's obviously restricting our inflow of turnover, but it's not a concern, it's just a fact we have to bear. … Our business model means we're going to try and get as much money out of it as possible!"

Many of F1's new hosts have relied on government funding, but Baku will be a private enterprise, Rahimov said.

"We have strong links with the government. They're supporting us with what we do - anything to make sure the race happens and that it's a success. …

"The government is supporting us in everything that we do, because obviously we're in the city and we need to work with them and they're helping us a lot with getting things done. [The race itself] is a private initiative."

"Baku City Circuit Operations Co. [the company behind the race] was created with the sole purpose of organising and hosting the European Grand Prix," he explained.

"We want to create a big event with a lot of entertainment, lots of surprises, star appearances… It's going to be a very entertaining race, and there will be a lot of stuff to do both on the track and off the track."

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Haas F1 constructs its garage setup

Haas F1 Team constructs its first garage setup in the Banbury facility.

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Evolution vs revolution - the science of performance

In two years' time, if all goes according to plan, F1 cars will be louder and faster and more challenging to drive. Reports that they will also make a decent cup of tea and pick up your dry-cleaning on the way back to the pits are yet to be confirmed.

As a sport, Formula One goes through cycles of evolution and revolution dependent on the technical regulations. A total overhaul - say, 2014's move from V8 engines to the current V6 hybrids - comes about every few years, followed by a period of evolution as the regulations mature.

But each and every off-season we arrive at winter testing to hear teams speak of the next season's car - "following the success of last year, Team Champion has elected to design a car that is an evolution of the previous model", while "here at Team Mobile Chicane we have chosen a revolutionary concept that will keep us from completely humiliating ourselves on track for the eighth year running".

It's all pre-season BS, of course - truly revolutionary cars (the Brabham fan car, or the Tyrell six-wheeler, for example) are few and far between. Coke-bottles with four wheels and front and rear wings with slightly different twiddly bits from year to year are the very definition of evolution.

Dr Paolo Aversa, Lecturer in Strategy at City University London's Cass Business School, and co-authors, Alessandro Marino, Luiz Mesquita and Jaideep Anand have written a paper on evolution vs revolution when it comes to improving F1 performance, and have found - broadly speaking - that evolution is the superior approach.

"Evidence shows that in the majority of cases radical innovation pays off in years of regulation stability, but it backfires in years of radical regulation change," Dr Aversa said.

"In 2016 moderate F1 rule changes mean radical innovation will be critical for winning, but in the following year, if radical rule changes are confirmed, teams with conservative approaches toward innovation will outperform more teams with extreme innovation efforts. What our study does not show is 'the more innovation, the better', but there is an optimum level of innovation beyond which returns on performance decrease."

Aversa et al. "statistically examined all the strategic factors influencing Formula One competitions between the seasons 1981 and 2010," and found that a focus on radical tech often pushed teams beyond the limits of their technical expertise, creating the ideal conditions for dead ends, limited efficacy, and an increase in reliability problems, all of which cost time, money, and championship chances.

"Experimenting is not always the most profitable choice, particularly when the continuous turbulence in the competitive environment makes it hard to understand and foresee future scenarios," Aversa explained.

"In such cases organisations should focus on the knowledge they already possess, and exploit them the best they can, to make it fit to what the competitive environment requires, rather than trying to push the boundary of current technological standards."

Exploiting existing strengths and making gradual improvements is the motorsport equivalent of natural selection, in essence. And what could be more evolutionary than that?

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Haas targets midfield at start of ten-year plan

Haas F1 has no intention of bringing up the rear as it makes its debut on next year's grand prix schedule, and believes that its route into the sport gives it every chance of gaining a foothold where others have failed.

Since the grand expansion plan of 2010 led to the arrival of Caterham (then Team Lotus), Manor (then Virgin Racing) and HRT (initially know as Campos Meta 1) – as well as witnessing the stillborn USF1 project – the state of the global economy has made life difficult for more than just the newcomers. Caterham left the sport after the 2014 season, two years after HRT's demise, while Manor only survived to compete in 2015 after an unstinting resurrection effort led by John Booth and Graeme Lowdon, both of whom have now left the squad. But even the likes of Lotus have run into financial problems this season, notably being shut out of their own hospitality units and experiencing logistical issues as they struggled to pay the bills, so why is Haas so confident that it can succeed where others have failed?

“[Team owner Gene Haas] is not trying to be a genius and more clever than anybody,” team principal Gunther Steiner told USA TODAY Sports, “He listens to people and we try to keep all the unnecessary stuff out. Keep it simple. Keep focused on going racing and not all that other stuff.”

While the newcomer's technical relationship with Ferrari was limited by recent tweaks to the rules that prevent data flowing in both directions, Haas makes no apology for the fact that he is taking advantage of being able to link up with the sport's grandee instead of spending millions of dollars to forge its own path.

“If you can buy a team which goes under, there's usually a problem with it,” Steiner said, “You know there's a problem, but you don't really know what the problem is. We still have to prove that our way works, but we believe in it otherwise we wouldn't be doing it. We haven't shown anything, but we believe in it. If someone is willing to supply it to us, it would be foolish to try and do it yourself. It would take too many years. It would be impossible. I think that's what tripped up some other teams.”

Being frugal helped Haas not only survive in NASCAR, but move to the front of the field, winning titles with both co-owner Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick after forging a technical alliance with a rival, and the American outfit is happy to follow the same route for its introduction to top flight open-wheel racing.

“We're not here to prove we can out-fancy [anyone] in terms of our colours or equipment,” Steiner confirmed, “And we are not here to be last. I don't want to be arrogant, but we will not [be] happy being last. Just participating is not what Gene or the team wants to do. We've been planning this now for 18 months and the sense of urgency is definitely to the point of 'we need to get racing'.”

While those who have tried and failed, or been involved in the trying and failing, have issued their own warnings to the US start-up – with former HRT team principal Colin Kolles and BAR boss David Richards both telling television interviews that Haas may have under-estimated the financial cost of competing in F1 – the American tool magnate remains optimistic of being in for the long haul, starting in 2016 with Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez behind the wheel.

“For every success we've had, we missed out on a bunch of things, [but] I think NASCAR has been an incredible run [and] F1 brings that excitement again, that we could do this all over again,” the team owner concluded, “I think anything more than ten years is about as far as I go out, so I got the next ten years covered. Hopefully, we'll win a couple more NASCAR championships in between and that'll keep me busy.”

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Hamilton v Hakkinen at Mercedes Stars & Cars

Three-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton will face off against two-time former champ Mika Hakkinen in the opening round as Mercedes' traditional end-of-season Stars & Cars event introduces a competitive element for the first time.

Race fans voted for their favourite drivers to go head-to-head in the first round of the Race of Champions-style event, which will be held at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Stuttgart next weekend, and the process threw out a number of intriguing match-ups.

Aside from the prospect of Hamilton taking on Hakkinen, the poll also paired the remainder of the eight seeded drivers - Hamilton, Christian Vietoris, Paul di Resta, Pascal Wehrlein, Daniel Juncadella, Gary Paffett, Robert Wickens and Nico Rosberg -

with opposition of their choice, including pitting 2014 and '15 F1 runner-up Rosberg against second-generation star Mick Schumacher and creating an all-Scottish battle between di Resta and 2014 RoC champ David Coulthard.

The full slate of races in the opening round is as follows:

Lewis Hamilton - Mika Häkkinen

Christian Vietoris - Maximilian Götz

Paul di Resta - David Coulthard

Pascal Wehrlein - Jean Alesi

Daniel Juncadella - Lucas Auer

Gary Paffett - Bernd Schneider

Robert Wickens - Bernd Mayländer

Nico Rosberg - Mick Schumacher

The main competition consists of four rounds, reducing the original field of 16 to two in time for the final. Competitors will compete against each other in identical cars in every race, with the winner moving on to the next round. Each of the four rounds will be contested using different classes of vehicles, progressing from Mercedes-AMG A45 4MATIC, through Mercedes-AMG C 63 S and Mercedes-AMG GT S before using the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 in the final. There will also be five 'special' races, featuring current and historic racing cars that represent Mercedes-Benz's peerless motor racing heritage, as well as all of the marques' 2015 championship-winning cars, from the Mercedes F1 W06 Hybrid to the Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM.

“I have celebrated each of my world championships at Stars & Cars, so I'm very excited about going back again for title number three, to share that experience with the fans and with my colleagues at Mercedes-Benz,” Hamilton commented, “The atmosphere is always something very special, and it's great to hear that Mercedes is trying something new.

“I'm excited that we're thinking out of the box a little bit for Stars & Cars 2015, because that's what I try and do as well. I've been a member of the Mercedes family since I was 13 years old and it is always special to be representing the company right in the heart of Stuttgart. Plus I love to race, so I'm looking forward to a really competitive event to round off this amazing year.”

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Red Bull F1 team announces split with backer Infiniti

Red Bull has confirmed it is to split from long-time Formula 1 commercial partner Infiniti at the end of the year.

The move, as predicted by Autosport, comes in the wake of Red Bull announcing on Friday an engine-branding tie up with new sponsor Tag Heuer.

Red Bull has made clear that as part of its renegotiated deal with Renault for the supply of power units in 2016, there will be no marketing activity for the Renault-Nissan alliance.

It is understood the financial arrangement with Infiniti, which ran from 2011-15, was worth in the region of $70million per annum.

Commenting on Infiniti's departure, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: "We would like to say a big thank you to Infiniti for their contribution to the team since they joined us as a commercial partner in 2011.

"They became the title sponsor of the team in 2013 when Infiniti enjoyed greater visibility than any other manufacturer in the sport.

"We wish them all the best with their plans for the future."

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Petronas ready for battle with Shell in 2016 F1 season

Petronas has vowed to take the fight to rival fuel and oil supplier Shell over the course of the 2016 Formula 1 season when the battle between Mercedes and Ferrari is expected to intensify.

Shell recently claimed it had delivered a 25 per cent gain to Ferrari's engine in 2015, equating to half a second per average lap, and around 30 seconds over a full race distance.

It is a claim Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff described to Autosport as "an interesting number, but probably not quite where the reality lies".

Petronas, Mercedes' primary sponsor and key technical partner, made gains of its own after introducing a new fuel at the Italian Grand Prix, and it expects the battle with Shell and Ferrari to intensify next year.

Andrea Dolfi, global manufacturer liaison and motorsport manager in research and technology for Petronas, told Autosport: "We battle and strive to keep up with the continuous engineering approach at HPP [Mercedes High-Performance Powertrains], and move forward.

"Since F1 solutions are truly tailor made to co-engineer with the fluids, we have to move along with them.

"If you want to visualise it, yes, it's a technical race, and what matters at the end of the day are the results on the track.

"There are contributions from all sides. We are working together, moving together and we are striving to achieve tangible, sensible improvements."

Petronas is planning on introducing a further fuel and oils upgrade for next season, hopefully for the start of the campaign.

Speaking to Autosport at a recent Petronas event in Kuala Lumpur that celebrated Mercedes' title successes, Chan Ming-Yau, fuel technology and oil business manager, said: "We tend to launch a fuel when we have sizeable gains, something we are sure can be taken advantage of.

"We launched a new fuel at the Italian GP earlier this year, together with the new-spec engine, and time gains were made

"But we continue to improve because we can't stand still. We are making incremental gains.

"As we go along and find numbers we are happy with, then we will introduce.

"We are looking at doing something for the new season, and for the start if we can, but if not, as soon as we can.

"When we launched the formulation of the new fuel for 2014 I thought there was not much room for improvement, but actually we found it.

"That was a surprise. So let's keep on working and eventually we will find something."

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McLaren's Ron Dennis admits he fell out with TAG Heuer chief

Ron Dennis has conceded to a falling out with TAG Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver that resulted in the company jumping ship from McLaren to Red Bull.

A 30-year partnership between McLaren and the luxury watchmaker recently came to an end, adding to the losses of title sponsor Vodafone at the end of 2013, and Hugo Boss.

TAG Heuer has now teamed up with Red Bull, not only as a sponsor, but also in lending its name as an engine badge in 2016, with Biver describing the team as "young, dynamic and driven".

Speaking before the Red Bull engine deal was announced Dennis said: "With regard to TAG Heuer, it was a brand we were associated with for a very long time, and we had equity involvement.

"I controlled the sales and marketing of that company in the early periods, I was a shareholder, it went through a variety of iterations, changes of ownership.

"Let's say the thread of history got pulled tighter and tighter, and the current chief executive and I fundamentally disagreed about some things.

"I didn't share his view on a radical approach to sponsorship that I felt was inappropriate for our brand.

"There was a particular moment in Monte Carlo I didn't feel was positive, so that thread was caught."

McLaren has since acquired another brand of the prestigious LVMH group in Chandon, with Dennis claiming the association to be "multiples more valuable than TAG Heuer".

Despite the loss of so many key names, though, in recent times, Dennis is adamant the McLaren Technology Group is in rude health when it comes to its sponsorship and financial position.

"As chief executive I have the overview as to where the revenue streams are, and I have to predict where we are going to go," he added.

"You don't have to be Einstein to know the environment for Formula 1, and sports sponsorship overall, is challenging.

"The worst thing you can do is get into a situation where you drop your A-card and then things spiral out of control.

"I'm quite optimistic about the discussions we're having, but better to wait and see how we start next season.

"Do I lose sleep over it though? No I don't. We're very strong financially.

"The equity value of our organisation is now well over £1billion.

"All of our businesses are profitable, and we will be profitable.

"We're a strong organisation, and you use that strength to make sure you take good decisions overall."

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RENAULT TO HAVE MERCEDES-SIZED BUDGET FOR F1

Renault aim to power back to the front in Formula 1 with a Mercedes-sized annual budget, claims Auto Motor und Sport, following the announcement late last week that the French carmaker has decided to definitely buy Lotus.

It should mean the struggling Enstone team’s court date over unpaid tax bills on Monday is a mere formality.

That is because Renault will reportedly return to full works status with a Mercedes-like budget in the range of €200 to €250 million per year.

But the carmaker has been smart about the acquisition. It has retained Gerard Lopez as a shareholder, and secured €70-80 million from Bernie Ecclestone in recognition of Renault’s ‘historic’ status — meaning Renault is not actually forking out a dollar of its own to buy Lotus.

Not only that, it will get €30 million from Red Bull next year for the TAG Heuer-branded engine deal, while taking back the former quadruple world champions’ title sponsor Infiniti, a luxury division of Nissan.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner confirmed: “This new agreement (with Renault) does not cover any marketing activity for the Renault-Nissan alliance. We wish Infiniti all the best with their plans for the future.”

Moreover, Renault is expected to also run Total-branding in 2016, while pocketing the millions brought to the team by the heavily PDVSA-backed Pastor Maldonado.

2016, however, will be a transitional year, with Lopez saying next year’s car will be effectively “a Lotus-Mercedes with a Renault engine”.

MIKA: ...ah... how is that a Lotus Mercedes without a Mercedes engine..?

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ECCLESTONE: THERE WILL DEFINITELY BE A DIFFERENT ENGINE IN FUTURE

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone says the idea of an alternative engine at the pinnacle of the sport is not dead yet.

Before the recent F1 Commission meeting, the sport’s supremo and FIA president Jean Todt were pushing for an independent supplier of a new, louder and more affordable engine to come in for 2017, with rules to run parallel to the existing ‘power units’.

The proposal was voted down. But then, at the subsequent World Motor Sport Council, Ecclestone and Todt were handed a new “mandate” to propose changes for the good of F1.

Ecclestone has told Die Welt that the biggest problem with F1 is Mercedes’ utter dominance, “It is basically nothing new, because we’ve seen it before with Ferrari. But it was different, actually. Mercedes’ domination is now so overwhelming that there is hardly a chance for anyone else.”

“Ferrari had a different feeling, a different presence. That is not to say that Mercedes has done anything wrong, but it is not good for the sport. It makes it boring,” he explained. “Their dominance is so great that many people watch the start of a grand prix and then switch off the television.”

Ecclestone said that is why he and Todt came up with the idea of an independent engine supplier with different rules, ensuring more “competition”.

“When I say independent, I mean independent of the major car manufacturers. But that does not mean we want to drive them out of formula one — on the contrary. We just want a powerful engine that teams can buy more cheaply,” he said.

The F1 Commission scrapped the original plan, with the car manufacturers like Mercedes and Ferrari vowing instead to come up with another solution for 2018.

But Ecclestone says: “Everyone, including the manufacturers, can make a suggestion if it means we have a good, cost-effective engine that is available to all the teams. Basically, the discussion about a new engine for 2018 is in full swing.”

Ecclestone warned that if the talks do not result in a “reasonable” solution, the FIA will step back in, “Should the teams and manufacturers not like the (new) regulations, they have the right to respond. Either they can stop being in formula one or make a protest to the FIA — or whatever.”

Told that it doesn’t sound like polite diplomacy will be the order of the day, Ecclestone answered: “We cannot allow formula one to be destroyed. And I won’t.

“There will definitely be a different engine in the future, with more horse power and much cheaper. That much is clear to me.”

He said the big problems with the current power units is that the technology is overwhelming the show, “We are in the entertainment business. Like any sport, we are massively dependent on the audience. And I am convinced that the audience is for the most part not interested in the engines.

“They have no idea about this highly complex technology. Many in the paddock don’t even understand, so how can they expect the fans to? What they want to see is exciting, entertaining races with various different winners.

“That’s what we have to deliver. Nothing else. We are not talking about manipulating or anything, but that we all do our jobs properly so that formula one stays alive,” he added.

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VETTEL: COMPARING DRIVERS IS ALWAYS VERY DIFFICULT TO DO

Quadruple F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel has declined to hit back at Lewis Hamilton’s recent jibe about his talent.

The new triple world champion recently said that because Vettel’s teammates Mark Webber and Kimi Raikkonen were and are not at their peak, “It’s difficult to assess how good he really is”.

When asked about Hamilton’s jibe, the German told Sonntagsblick newspaper: “I’m sure my teammates will be pleased to hear about that! I think in the end any comparison between drivers is always very difficult to do.”

Actually, while many critics earlier downplayed Vettel’s four world championships on the basis of Red Bull’s former dominance, the 28-year-old’s stock has undoubtedly risen during his strong first season at Ferrari.

“That is of course nice to hear,” Vettel said. “But what matters the most is that you are satisfied with your achievements yourself.

“On average, I am. The last year at Red Bull was not as bad as many made it out to be. For them [the critics], it is important that Vettel put on a different colour and returned to winning ways.”

What is clear, however, is that as Red Bull struggles to keep up with the might of Mercedes and Ferrari in the new ‘power unit’ era, the timing of Vettel’s move now appears inspired.

“In retrospect, you can say that. But at the time it was a leap into the unknown, as Red Bull was still the second strongest. But I think this year did not go well for them, so I can be happy with my decision,” he added.

Vettel was also asked by the Swiss newspaper how many times he has visited his mentor and friend Michael Schumacher since the F1 legend returned home to Switzerland.

“This is a very personal matter and nobody’s business,” the German insisted.

Indeed, Vettel is famously private, to the point that many of his fans do not even know his marital status or number of children.

“Never married, two children,” he admits. “I think if you look up the word ‘private’ in the dictionary, you get a clear definition.”

“Of course I can understand that today almost everyone reveals their private life, but my private life is mine. This has nothing to do with arrogance,” argued Vettel.

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ROSBERG WELCOMES NEW TYRE RULES

Nico Rosberg has welcomed the tyre-usage rule to be introduced in Formula 1 for the 2016 season and beyond.

The governing FIA and Pirelli announced last week that teams and drivers will get more freedom next year, as the range of different tyre compounds available at each grand prix is increased from two to three.

The details of the rules, however, caused some confusion, with Lotus driver Romain Grosjean admitting: “I’m glad I have an engineer to help.”

But 2015 runner-up Rosberg told the Austrian broadcaster ORF that he likes the sound of what was announced, “I think it has been very well thought through.”

“It is good to get another variable to make it both more interesting and difficult. This is great, because the tyres are very important for the excitement,” he added.

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ORGANISER INSISTS 2016 RUSSIA GP WILL HAPPEN

The future of the Russian Grand Prix is secure insists race organiser Sergei Vorobyov.

“The F1 round at Sochi is (secure) for many years to come and we know this for sure,” he told the government-linked Russian news agency Tass.

His comments follow local Krasnodar deputy governor Igor Galas having told the business news agency RBC that “We will not bear the costs for the next formula one round” in Russia.

The reports suggested Sochi needs to secure private sponsorship or risk losing the grand prix.

But Vorobyov said: “We have no problems.

“There are, indeed, various opinions and decisions. Constant work is ongoing to optimise the project’s management and ownership structure. But this has no direct relation to spectators of the grand prix in Sochi.”

Tickets for the 2016 race went on sale last Friday.

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ALONSO SURE SABBATICAL QUESTIONS WILL PERSIST

Fernando Alonso says he will be on the grid in 2016, despite McLaren supremo Ron Dennis causing a stir at the Abu Dhabi season finale recently when he hinted the Spaniard might not return next year if the Honda-powered car is not up to speed.

Asked, however, if he will be in Melbourne in March, the 34-year-old driver – who spent his weekend with Honda trying out a MotoGP bike – answered: “Yes. I talked to Ron on Friday. I told him what had been published. He said ‘I didn’t mean that and tomorrow I will clarify it’. On Saturday he clarified but no one copied that.”

“I said the opposite on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and I’m sure in January and February I will keep answering the same questions about my future,” Alonso is quoted by the Guardian.

Alonso, who had spoken glowingly about Le Mans-style racing as the F1 season concluded, has two years of his McLaren-Honda contract still to run, but he would not be drawn on what he might do beyond 2017.

“We have to be open to any possibility,” he insisted. “Right now it is too long ahead to think. Let’s see what happens in one and a half years, what the situation is, what targets we have met and what the motivations are to keep going on in formula one.”

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RED BULL RACING GEARS UP WITH PUMA

Press Release: Red Bull Racing is excited to announce that it has agreed a long-term partnership with Puma, as Team Partner and Supplier of Race and Teamwear as well as Licensed Partner for the 2016 Formula One season and beyond.

This new partnership aims to reinvent the concept of Formula One fashion. Puma will apply a unique and energetic approach to its licensed product collection with Red Bull Racing that will result in innovative, eye-catching designs in lifestyle and replica ranges, as well as race and teamwear.

The strong synergy between these two brands presents an exciting opportunity to activate global marketing initiatives as Red Bull Racing delivers F1 power to Puma in support of their mission to become the fastest sport brand in the world. The team will be part of Puma’s elite partnership portfolio, joining the likes of Usain Bolt, Arsenal Football Club and the Italian National Football team.

Red Bull Racing’s history with PUMA goes all the way back to its first years in F1 and this new agreement revitalizes a highly successful relationship enjoyed by the two between 2007 and 2010.

Commenting on the reinvigoration of the partnership between the team and Puma, Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing Team Principal said: “We are looking forward to working with Puma once again. This new partnership fits in with a global partnership that already exists between Red Bull and Puma, involving athletes in other disciplines, the Wings For Life charity and various other Red Bull projects. The licensed collection that will launch in 2016 is looking fantastic; I’m sure the fans are going to love it.”

Björn Gulden, Chief Executive Officer for Puma added: “Puma and Red Bull have a great brand synergy, and this new partnership with Red Bull Racing is another big statement for Puma. There is huge potential within the wider Red Bull organisation to build upon this partnership and explore new territory, and there is an enthusiasm amongst both companies to do so. Red Bull Racing is a great team with massive appeal, and this is another positive step in our desire to become the Fastest Sport Brand in the World.”