FORMULA 1 - 2015

[MIKA27]

ECCLESTONE: GRID PASSES SHOULD BE USED FOR REALLY GLAMOROUS LADIES

A letter to Renault F1 chief Cyril Abiteboul has revealed the grid access conditions set by Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

A photo of the signed document emerged on social media on Wednesday, dating back to 2013, when Frenchman Abiteboul was boss of Caterham.

It reads: “Dear Cyril, Please be reminded that where possible, grid access passes should be used for celebrities or people of note or as always, really glamorous ladies.

“This is not so much a sporting matter,” Ecclestone added, “but a part of the show business of formula one.”

The Daily Mail said Ecclestone’s office declined to comment.

But the matter of exclusive paddock passes hit the headlines last week, when Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene mingled with spectators in the Barcelona grandstand.

He admitted it was a protest against the latest reports that grid access would be severely curtailed by FOM.

“I heard that in Australia there will be further restrictions in terms of passes for the paddock and so I thought we might as well get used to going to the grandstands!” said the Italian.

“These restrictions do not seem acceptable. Having an ‘exclusive’ atmosphere doesn’t mean having an empty paddock,” Arrivabene added.

[MIKA27]

ROSBERG: LEWIS NO LONGER COMES AROUND FOR HAMBURGERS

Nico Rosberg has fired the yet another salvo as his rivalry with teammate Lewis Hamilton is set to reigite at the opening round of the 2015 Formula 1 season in Melbourne.

The pair, once boyhood karting friends, endured a tetchy relationship last year as they battled alone at the front of the grid for the 2014 title.

Briton Hamilton ultimately won the day, but only after some notable low-points, including a crash at Spa and having accused his Mercedes teammate of deliberately running off the road during qualifying in Monaco.

“There were difficult times,” runner-up Rosberg admits, “which is inevitable, and it will be that way again. But in the end, there is respect and we always found ways to communicate.”

Indeed, after raising the 2014 trophy aloft, Hamilton claimed that tensions with Rosberg had finally cooled.

But Rosberg told Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport their relationship is no longer what it once was.

“I don’t think we’ll never talk again in our building in Monte Carlo, but a couple of years ago, Lewis would come to my house for a hamburger. That doesn’t happen anymore,” Rosberg revealed.

[MIKA27]

TEAMS COULD BOYCOTT MELBOURNE OVER ALONSO CRASH

Formula 1 teams are threatening to boycott unless clearer information about Fernando Alonso’s mysterious testing crash is revealed.

That is the claim of Sport Bild, after McLaren-Honda’s star driver was sidelined for next weekend’s season opener in Melbourne.

McLaren insists Alonso is completely uninjured, but he will sit out Australia after a mysterious incident saw him spend four days in hospital.

“Sport Bild has learned that several teams are thinking about not letting their drivers race in Melbourne on safety grounds,” said correspondents Ralf Bach and Bianca Garloff.

They said teams fear speculation that Alonso was rendered unconscious by an electric shock from the sport’s controversial hybrid technology may be true.

Sport Bild quoted a team boss as saying: “If a plane crashes and there is even the slightest risk that it happened because of a system fault, other planes of that type are not left in the air.”

The unnamed boss added: “Formula one has been lucky that nothing serious has happened with these hybrid systems.

“If any of my drivers had an incident, I would invite all the other teams to study the data — just so we can be sure. Honda must provide answers to the FIA.”

Another new voice calling for more information about Alonso’s mysterious crash belongs to Gian Carlo Minardi, a former team owner and boss.

“Silence in cases like these is not helpful,” he is quoted by Italy’s La Repubblica. In recent years, the FIA has made great strides in the area of safety and has all the tools to find out the truth.”

“It would be desirable if it was known before the race in Australia,” Minardi added.

When asked about the electric shock theory, he commented: “I have no evidence to support that so I can’t comment. I have never worked with these power units, but I am told there are three or four fail-safe systems.

“There is this investigation of the FIA, so for the good of F1 there cannot be any classified information,” Minardi insisted.

The 67-year-old Italian, however, did say he is not surprised Alonso is sitting out Melbourne, “No. It’s the only normal thing in this whole affair. He is like a boxer who went down with a heavy blow. It takes time to come back, even if all the tests were positive.”

MIKA: It would be fair to say with any boycot threat that Christian Horner is at the helm of all this along with Ferrari.. Just get on with the race already!

[MIKA27]

MARUSSIA LOOKING FOR YOUNG DRIVERS TO COMPLETE LINEUP

The revived Manor Marussia Formula One team have indicated they are more likely to sign a promising young rookie than an established name to complete their driver lineup.

The remaining seat at Marussia, who came out of administration formally last Friday, is the only one still to be filled and time is running out with the season starting in Australia next week.

“We are in discussion, very detailed and very advanced discussion, with some very quick young guys,” Lowdon told Reuters.

“Manor has always had a history of bringing some great driving talent on to the grid and we really want to try and continue that,” he added.

The team, who are hoping to get two cars on the Melbourne starting grid, have already announced Briton Will Stevens as their other driver although that is subject to the 23-year-old securing his super licence.

That is unlikely to be a problem, with Stevens making an appearance in Abu Dhabi at the end of last season for now-defunct Caterham.

“There are some young, quick guys around,” said Lowdon, whose team have the smallest budget of any and are sure to require funding as part of any driver package.

“What we are looking for is a quick driver and with the right temperament to have the challenges that they are going to have in a small team facing this kind of comeback.

“It’s not a straightforward decision but hopefully one we can make very soon.”

[MIKA27]

FITZPATRICK: MANOR WON’T WIN RACES UNTIL MID-SEASON

Set to race as Manor Marussia, the backmarker almost collapsed but will return with a $92 million budget in 2015 and will be on the Melbourne grid for the Formula 1 season opener, and with tongue firmly in cheek the team’s new boss admits he does not expect tow in races until mid-season.

At a launch event in London, the team confirmed it has won its race to make it to Melbourne thanks to the personal investment of Stephen Fitzpatrick, who heads the British electricity company Ovo Energy.

British newspapers say he is putting in about $45 million, with the rest of the budget coming from 2014 prize-money that is expected to arrive later this month.

Fitzpatrick told reporters he invited Justin King to buy half the team, but the former Sainsbury’s boss has instead been appointed interim chairman and advisor.

“We are not expecting to win any races,” joked 37-year-old Fitzpatrick, “at least not until halfway through the season.”

Manor has scrambled to modify Marussia’s 2014 car to comply with this year’s rules, but the team said a fully 2015 car will be debuted “later in the season”.

Fitzpatrick said the situation at Manor had appeared initially “hopeless”.

“It has been a challenging period for all of us but we’ve come through it and now we just want to go racing again,” continuing team president Graeme Lowdon said.

It is believed the modified 2014 car will be crash-tested on Thursday, while Manor said Will Stevens’ teammate will be appointed “soon”.

[MIKA27]

MERCEDES BOSS HUNGRY FOR MORE F1 SUCCESS

Mercedes remains hungry for even more Formula 1 success in 2015, the German carmaker’s chief executive Dieter Zetsche insists.

“We are hungry and not yet satisfied,” he reportedly said at the Geneva Motor Show, echoing team boss Toto Wolff’s claim that Mercedes wants to prove it is in Ferrari and Red Bull’s league by winning multiple titles on the trot.

Zetsche is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport: “We have worked hard over the winter and have a good car. But we cannot know how we will go before we race.”

As for claims the so-called engine development ‘unfreeze’ will specifically hurt Mercedes, however, he insisted: “I don’t think it is a disadvantage for us.”

What may ultimately hurt Mercedes is a political push by key rivals like Ferrari and Red Bull to radically shake up the current technical rules by 2017.

Zetsche responded: “I think there should be internal discussions, but I also think that we already have everything we need for a great show.”

[MIKA27]

ONLY DOCTOR’S ADVICE PREVENTED HAKKINEN COMEBACK

Not one but two potential comebacks for double Formula 1 world champion Mika Hakkinen never transpired due to health reasons.

It was already known that, three years after his 2001 retirement, the Finn was linked with a return to formula one with Williams.

But now it emerges that McLaren, for whom the now 46-year-old competed so successfully between 1993 and 2001, also tried to woo Hakkinen out of retirement in 2006.

The claim was made by Oskari Saari, a pundit for the Finnish broadcaster MTV3, in his new book about McLaren doctor and fellow Finn Aki Hintsa.

He claims Hintsa, famously close to Hakkinen, was summoned to England by Ron Dennis.

“Aki,” Dennis is quoted as saying, “do you believe that Mika would be able to return to formula one?”

“No chance,” Hintsa reportedly replied. “I sincerely believe that, and I cannot lie.”

The book said Hintsa concluded that Hakkinen’s four-year absence from F1 would have made his return too difficult.

MIKA: Hakkinen is my favourite driver of all time. I prayed this guy would return to Formula 1 and every yea it didn't and hasn't happened... Seriously miss those days where racing was real with powerful cars and great skill of all drivers on the grid.

[MIKA27]

HAMILTON NOT IMPRESSED WITH 2015 PIRELLI F1 TYRES

Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton has admitted his ongoing concerns about what he calls Pirelli’s unspectacular Formula 1 tyres.

In 2013, drivers were bemoaning the quality and high degradation of the Italian supplier’s product, but last year Pirelli was accused of being too conservative.

In pre-season testing, however, the cars of 2015 have proved significantly quicker than last year.

“We’ve seen a difference of up to two seconds,” said Pirelli chief Paul Hembery, “and that gap could be even bigger on the softer compounds.”

For 2015, Pirelli has tweaked the construction of the rear tyres, and a brand new ‘super soft’ compound has been introduced.

However, F1’s official supplier will not take the super-soft to Australia; a move described by insiders as conservative.

Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton admitted recently that he remains unimpressed with Pirelli’s 2015 range.

“The biggest issue is the tyres,” he told the French broadcaster Canal Plus during recent Barcelona testing. “They just don’t work, they’re so hard. They’re not spectacular.”

But Hembery suggests that the new Pirellis should not be judged until the season starts, when temperatures will be higher than in testing.

“(Testing) conditions were still generally much cooler than we will typically see at most of the races, so this is a factor that has to be considered,” he said.

[MIKA27]

BOTTAS AND MASSA RISING TO THE TOP WITH WILLIAMS

Valtteri Bottas could be on the brink of a breakthrough into the realm of Formula 1 super stardom with Williams this season, but do not write off his veteran teammate Felipe Massa.

So says the British Formula One team’s engineering head Pat Symonds, an old hand who has worked with champions Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso and knows a thing or two about talent.

Former champion Williams, winners of nine constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ championships between 1980 and 1997, are back and hungry for wins after clambering from ninth overall in 2013 to third last year.

They go into the new season, which starts in Australia on March 15, tipped by many to be champions Mercedes’ closest rivals.

That could see Bottas, 25 and Finland’s brightest hope since Kimi Raikkonen, step up as a winner and title contender after multiple podium appearances last season.

“I think he’s got huge talent and is very, very intelligent. And those are important things in a racing driver,” Symonds told Reuters at the final pre-season test in Barcelona this month.

“I think he’s more than capable of being a champion and part of my ambition is that if he’s going to be a champion, I want it to be in a Williams. That’s really important.

“I think if we can produce the equipment, why not? It is going to be a quite significant year for him.”

Bottas had two second places and four thirds last year on his way to finishing fourth overall.

Williams, who have the same engine as Mercedes, have looked quick and reliable but there remains a big gap between them and the Silver Arrows of double champion Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

“I think to expect Valtteri to be challenging for the championship this year is asking rather a lot,” said Symonds. “I think it’s going to be quite a formative year for him, I expect him to improve more. I expect him to gain confidence.

“And like all these guys, the most important win is the first one. If he can get that first one this year then it will make a big difference to him.”

Massa, 33, won 11 races for Ferrari and missed out on the 2008 title to Hamilton by a single point. However, the little Brazilian has not won since he suffered a severe head injury in Hungary in 2009.

Williams have given him back his mojo and Symonds warned against under-estimating what he could do.

“When Felipe joined the team [in 2014] I had to remind people it wasn’t that long ago that he damn nearly won the world championship,” he said.

“Felipe is just rejuvenated. He’s enjoying life again, he’s enjoying racing again and that reflects in his performance.

“I think a number of people did feel the accident (in Hungary) took the edge off him. I personally think it was his environment that took the edge off him and in a new environment he’s right back there.”

Williams have not won since Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado’s success in Spain in 2012 and Symonds said it still rankled that the three races last year that were not won by Mercedes all went to Red Bull’s Australian Daniel Ricciardo.

This year, the team are determined to do better.

“While 2014 was a year that I really rate with my championship years (at Benetton and Renault) in terms of achievement…I still felt a little bit sore that we hadn’t had a win,” said Symonds.

“The fact was that Mercedes tripped up three times and those happened to be three times when Red Bull were around to pick up the pieces. They could have been three different occasions when we’d have been around to pick up the pieces.

“That’s life. All things being equal this year, maybe we will be there. Because it does look like they (Mercedes) are still ahead. But getting a win this year is psychologically very important for the team.”

[MIKA27]

Lauda: Expectations enormously high

Niki Lauda is predicting that yet again Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will fight for the World title but reckons a "third guy" could get involved.

Last season the Mercedes drivers dominated Formula 1, winning 16 of the 19 grands prix.

11 of those wins went to Hamilton, who clinched the Drivers' Championship title ahead of Rosberg while Mercedes wrapped up the Constructors' crown.

That success has one down side in that expectations are now sky high - and Lauda doesn't believe it will be as easy for Mercedes this season.

"Expectations are enormously high because we won everything that we could win last year," the non-executive chairman told Reuters in an interview.

"The logic is that everybody expects and wants to have the same thing (again) but I can tell you it is not that easy. A new season is a new season and everything starts from scratch.

"I think Lewis and Nico will fight again like always for the Championship but my worry is there will be a third guy also getting involved, no question."

As for which team he believes that 'third guy' could race for, the Austrian says Williams, Red Bull and Ferrari could all be a threat.

"At the moment I would say that Williams is the closest, Red Bull and Ferrari I cannot tell you now because they had some signs of speed and then nothing happens again. Red Bull you can never under-estimate.

"They are all trying to catch up...the question is how close can they get?"

[MIKA27]

An Interesting Legal Challenge In Melbourne

Dutch Formula 1 driver Giedo Van der Garde is taking the Sauber team to court in Melbourne on Monday, claiming that he has been unfairly dismissed. The indications are that this is probably what happened, but there is a clear explanation as to why that was deemed to be necessary and while Van der Garde may not like the explanation, the team can argue that it was forced by circumstances to do it. What is not clear is what Van der Garde hopes to gain from this action. The team is set on running Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr and is obviously not keen to change from that path. If Van der Garde forces the team to take him on, he will have to fulfil the terms of the contract, which will mean paying a considerable sum of money to Sauber, so he is fighting a case in order to have the right to spend money and then race a car that he has not tested. That hardly makes any sense.

The team could pay Van der Garde a settlement but it is not entirely clear – in legal terms – what Giedo has lost from the decision not to run him. He has not lost out financially because he was the one who would be paying (and that is presumably written into the contract that he signed). Van der Garde may claim damages but, as he was the one paying, it is hard to see how he will win anything financial from a court because arguments about damage to his reputation and career are not going to be very successful, given that he has always been seen in F1 circles as a pay-driver, even though he does do a decent solid job. It is hard, however, to argue that being dropped by Sauber would in any way materially affect his image and longterm prospects. That may sound harsh, but that is the way the law will look upon it.

The team had planned to run Van der Garde and Jules Bianchi, a Ferrari protege, in 2015 but Bianchi’s accident in Suzuka sidelined the Frenchman and resulted in the need for Sauber to change the entire arrangement. Thus the team did deals with Ericsson and Nasr and took on Raffaele Marciello as a test driver, to keep Ferrari happy. The decision was taken because the other drivers were paying more and the team will no doubt argue that this was necessary because Sauber was in danger of going out of business. It is believed that Ericsson’s deal involved an up front payment that was of vital importance to the team at the time. The whole thing could get pretty messy as Sauber might also point out that Giedo himself denied signing anything after the deal was done on June 28 last year, which would be true but also understandable.

One can understand that Van der Garde might be angry and that it upset his plans but one hopes that he has found a back-up plan in the interim and it would not be ridiculous to suggest that the reason we have heard nothing about the second drive at Manor Marussia is because it is being kept open for Giedo. There must be some reason that Max Chilton and Alexander Rossi have given up hope and signed deals elsewhere and there is no obvious reason to delay a decision about a driver who is being paid. If Van der Garde was named as a Manor Marussia driver before the case is heard he would have no case at all.

One might surmise from all of this that the legal action is not designed for anything other than to embarrass Sauber, which would be revenge for the team’s cynical, but some might say necessary, decision. All things considered it is hard to see what anyone has to gain from all of this.

One hopes that Giedo does have an agreement with Manor Marussia and that he will soon get back to racing because he does have some talent.

[MIKA27]

TODT: FORMULA 1 TURBO V6 ENGINE ERA IS HERE TO STAY

Jean Todt appears increasingly unlikely to agree to any major revisions to Formula 1’s current engine regulations, while Bernie Ecclestone has led the charge for the turbo V6s to be scrapped.

FIA president Todt, however, insists the V6 rules are going nowhere and told the New York Times, arguing that the sport’s new hybrid credentials are crucial, “I feel it is one of the few sensible decisions which has been taken over the last period.”

“Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motor sport, so we must be an example to society. It is not all happening in a kind of closed golden-gated community where nothing is happening on the other side of the world,” added Todt.

However, the V6 rules are undoubtedly expensive, particularly at a time when Caterham has collapsed, Marussia is clinging to survival and even midfield teams are obviously struggling.

Todt insists F1 remains strong, saying the problem of collapsing teams “has always happened”.

“In 2016 we have a new team coming,” he said, referring to Haas, “and we may make a tender again for one or two teams to encourage teams. And try to reduce the costs.”

On the other side of the fence it appears Niki Lauda, team chairman of the ultra-dominant Mercedes team, sides with Ecclestone’s opinion and believes the technical regulations need to be revamped.

He said the aggressive-looking drawings of Ferrari’s ‘concept’ car were “interesting”.

“These cars we have now are so comfortable even 17-year-olds can drive them,” Lauda told the Austrian press. “Formula one must be uncomfortable again.”

[MIKA27]

SCHUMACHER DOCTOR’S LAPTOP REPORTEDLY STOLEN

The office belonging to Michael Schumacher’s personal doctor has been burgled, according to a report in Bild newspaper.

Cash, prescriptions and a laptop were among the items stolen from the clinic belonging to Dr Johannes Peil, but added that the dcotor would not confirm if medical data about the F1 legend or his other patients including Nico Rosberg were on the computer.

It is not the first time medical records belonging to Schumacher have been compromised.

As the great German was recovering from his brain injury last year, an employee of a Swiss air rescue company was accused of stealing a medical report. The suspect later committed suicide.

[MIKA27]

GERMAN GP MUST MEET CONDITIONS SAYS ECCLESTONE

F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone has suggested the matter of the embattled German grand prix is purely financial.

Ecclestone has set a deadline of this weekend for the conclusion of contract talks with the Nurburgring or Hockenheim.

Many, however, have argued that as one of F1’s traditional host nations, the sport should make an exception to keep the German grand prix alive. Ecclestone told the German news agency DPA he begs to differ.

“If an organiser wants to schedule a rock concert or a tennis match or whatever,” he said, “then they know what the conditions are. “If they cannot meet the conditions, then it doesn’t happen.”

The 84-year-old Briton also dismissed the notion that a race in Germany is necessarily crucial for F1.

“If it’s such a great market,” he said, “then you wouldn’t think it (organising a race) would be such a problem for them.”

Asked why Germany is struggling so much in F1, Ecclestone answered: “I don’t know. It’s pretty strange.”

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, however, has said a home race is important for the German carmaker, and vowed to help.

“Whether it is money in the hand or not is not the question,” he insisted. “It’s basically a matter of the promoter and the rights holder agreeing.”

[MIKA27]

SAUBER SAY VAN DER GARDE SACKED IN INTEREST OF TEAM

Sauber has found itself in legal trouble just one week before first practice for the Australian Grand Prix season opener in Melbourne.

It has emerged that, with a valid contract for 2015, Giedo van der Garde is suing the Swiss team in Melbourne and demanding he race this year.

The Dutchman’s case is based on a recent ruling in Switzerland, where it was found that van der Garde should indeed be given one of the places that ultimately were filled for 2015 by Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson.

“We are in an ongoing process with Giedo van der Garde,” Sauber confirmed to the Swiss newspaper Blick.

“We have terminated his contract, but we had good reason. We made our decision in the interest of the team and its 330 employees.”

Indeed, Sauber grappled with financial problems throughout 2014 and this year’s car is now in the prominent colours of Brazilian Nasr’s backer Banco do Brasil.

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports that another driver originally promised a 2015 seat – Adrian Sutil – is also suing Sauber.

Correspondent Tobias Gruner, however, said that action is taking place only in Switzerland, and Sutil is seeking “compensation rather than a forced reinstatement” from the Hinwil based team.

[MIKA27]

LAUDA: I SEE WILLIAMS AS THE GREATEST CHALLENGERS

Formula 1 legend turned team boss and pundit, Niki Lauda is not expecting Mercedes to totally dominate in 2015 as they did last season.

While rival teams say the German camp has kept its 2014-like advantage over the winter, Mercedes team chairman Lauda told the German broadcaster RTL that Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will be joined in their battle for this year’s title.

“After the tests,” Lauda predicted, “I see the greatest challengers as the Williams team.

“Valtteri Bottas is the biggest talent among the young drivers, but one should never underestimate Felipe Massa, who can be in front on a good day. ”

“Behind Williams, Ferrari and Red Bull are playing in about the same league,” Lauda added.

“With Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari has a very good team and they will fighting against each other.

“Red Bull’s top driver is clearly Daniel Ricciardo,” Lauda said, “as I do not expect too much from Daniil Kvyat.”

[MIKA27]

GROSJEAN: IT’S TOO EARLY TO TALK ABOUT PODIUMS

Romain Grosjean has played down talk of early podiums this year for what appears to be a resurgent Lotus team.

After proving F1’s fourth force in 2012 and 2013, the Enstone team’s performance plummeted last year but it is looking to bounce back with a top Mercedes engine in 2015.

Indeed, Grosjean and teammate Pastor Maldonado have hailed the much-better E23 car after winter testing, but Frenchman Grosjean told RMC Sport, “It’s too early to talk about podiums. I think you can say now that I will be reaching Q3 at times.”

“Being in the top ten, scoring points, that is the primary objective. Then it will be the top five and then we can dream about the podium, but you have to climb the steps one after the other,” Grosjean added.

Lotus’ decline last year was arguably the result of significant personnel cuts after 2013, but Grosjean said the team has now corrected that with recruitment to “important positions” in the last six months.

“Between 2013 and 2014,” he said, “there were a lot of departures, but people that have since arrived have become accustomed to their roles and are now offering us the best solutions.”

Grosjean says he has also improved personally in the last six months, having often let his frustration boil over in 2014, “Last year, I could have managed my frustration a little differently. I could have chosen better words.

“I am working on that, but I am impulsive and that is also why my strength is the qualifying lap,” Grosjean smiled.

[MIKA27]

RICCIARDO: I THINK I’VE PROVED WHAT I’M CAPABLE OF

Daniel Ricciardo believes he proved he could handle pressure during his stellar 2014 campaign and is ready to assume the burden of local expectation in the Formula 1 season-opener at Albert Park this weekend.

The 25-year-old has been feted like a superstar this week ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, a contrast to last year when he was number two to Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull and still struggling to step out of Mark Webber’s shadow.

A podium at his home race, albeit lost to a heartbreaking disqualification, and his first three race wins, however, saw him finish third in the drivers’ championship and the upstaged Vettel head off to Ferrari.

“I don’t feel any more pressure than last year – that was already a pretty big step for me,” he added.

“Coming into a top team everyone was asking questions of me. Can I be up to Seb’s pace? Can I get on the podium? I feel like I answered a lot of those questions.

“I think I’ve proved what I’m capable of and it’s just a matter of hoping we’ve got the equipment.”

After racing the best part of the 2011 season with Hispania Racing and three years with Toro Rosso before making the step up to Red Bull, Sunday’s race will be Ricciardo’s 70th grand prix start.

Ricciardo accepts that the strength of the Mercedes team means that winning a fourth grand prix win this weekend is probably beyond him but matching last year’s podium finish is not out of the question.

“It’s really a question of how much we have improved and if we’ve improved enough to close the gap on Mercedes,” he told reporters in

“Testing has shown us that Mercedes are still really strong, I don’t want to be pessimistic at all, but they seem to be the team to beat at the moment.

“Behind them it’s pretty close with us, Ferrari and Williams – we all look to be next in line. I think if we put it all together we can definitely fight for at least that last spot on the podium this weekend.”

[MIKA27]

WOLFF: IMPORTANT TO LET LEWIS AND NICO FIGHT ON TRACK

Mercedes will continue to let its drivers fight hard for the title, boss Toto Wolff has revealed ahead o the opening round of the 2015 Formula 1 world championship season in Australia.

Earlier, former champion Jacques Villeneuve said he hopes the German team dominates again in 2015, because if rival teams are too close, Mercedes might impose team orders.

But Wolff said letting Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg enjoy total equality and freedom to fight wheel-to-wheel is a Mercedes “philosophy”, not a matter of convenience.

“We are not going to change our approach in terms of philosophy on how to let the drivers race. Even if it is not always easy,” Wolf is quoted by AFP news agency.

“For us, for our brand, for Formula 1, it was important to let them fight, one against the other.”

Former F1 driver David Coulthard praised Mercedes for its approach, which is in contrast to how some former top teams managed their driver rivalries.

“I think the way they managed it was correct for the sport and correct for the fans of the sport,” the Scot said in an interview published by Laureus.

Hamilton insists, therefore, that although he is the reigning champion, German Rsoberg will fight him hard in 2015.

“I’m sure Nico is trying to train harder, studying more and trying everything under the sun to make sure he finishes ahead of me,” he told British reporters.

Last year, the intensity of the fight boiled over and affected the former friends’ relationship, but Hamilton said that relationship is currently “quite good”.

“But it’s before the season starts,” the Briton admitted. “In the heat of the moment you have to assume there’s going to be small bits of tension but that’s because we’re fierce competitors within the same team.”

Team chairman Niki Lauda expects the Hamilton vs Rosberg fight to be even more intense in 2015.

“The duels will be even harder this year because Nico will be doing everything to catch up to Lewis,” he told the German broadcaster RTL.

“Nico will increase the pressure, making Lewis increase the pressure in return,” the F1 legend added.

[MIKA27]

VIDEO: RED BULL F1 SEASON PREVIEW

[MIKA27]

HILL NOT SURE VERSTAPPEN IS READY FOR F1

The 1996 Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill is concerned that Toro Rosso rookie Max Verstappen, who makes his grand prix debut at the season opener in Melbourne, may be too young to be racing at the pinnacle of the sport.

Hill who won his one and only F1 world title at the age of 36 said he’ll be paying extra attention to 17 year-old debutant Max Verstappen, who’ll become the youngest-ever driver to start a Grand Prix in Melbourne this weekend.

“It does seem to me to be very young to enter into any complex professional sport like Formula 1,” Hill said of Verstappen.

“I hope for his sake that he hasn’t been accelerated up to that level too quickly, because that can set you back for a very long time if you’re not careful,” said Hill.

[MIKA27]

MCLAREN-HONDA IN TERRIBLE TROUBLE WARNS BRUNDLE

McLaren-Honda has found itself in “terrible trouble” ahead of the 2015 season according to their former driver Martin Brundle, observing that McLaren has struggled simply to run its newly works Honda-powered MP4-30 in testing.

Not only that, star recruit Fernando Alonso is missing the Melbourne season opener, amid rampant speculation about the cause of his Barcelona crash.

“There are even a few people saying Alonso doesn’t want to get in it yet,” Brundle, now a leading British television commentator, told the Express newspaper. “They are in terrible trouble, aren’t they?”

But he insists team supremo Ron Dennis is confident the British-Japanese collaboration will eventually succeed.

“You would think so,” said Brundle. “Ron says to me that they (Honda) have the best facilities that he has ever seen.

“It looks like they have some misery at the beginning but I wouldn’t write them off for the whole season.”

[MIKA27]

FERRARI TO USE CONSERVATIVE ENGINE IN MELBOURNE

Ferrari is reportedly travelling to the Formula 1 season opener in Australia with a few less horse power in their power units than expected.

The Italian team was arguably the surprise of the 2015 Formula 1 pre-season, with much of its improved pace credited to a much better turbo V6 ‘power unit’.

But the authoritative La Gazzetta dello Sport reveals that Ferrari ultimately decided to take a “more conservative” version of its 2015 engine to Melbourne.

That is because, although clearly better, question marks about the reliability of the fully-upgraded new engine remained ahead of the first two races.

“The SF15-T may therefore have slightly less performance (in Melbourne) than what was seen in the last hours of work in Barcelona,” the Italian report claimed.

In 2015, each driver is limited to just four ‘power units’ for the entire season, down from five engines last year.

La Gazzetta added: “Telemetry from the tests raised a few doubts about the latest version of the (works) Ferrari engine, while there were no such concerns with the ‘customer’ version.”

Ferrari’s ‘customer’ engine was tested throughout the pre-season period by Sauber.

[MIKA27]

MERHI TO RACE FOR MANOR MARUSSIA F1 TEAM

Spaniard Roberto Merhi will make his Formula 1 race debut in Australia this weekend after the revived Manor Marussia team named him in their lineup for the season-opener.

The team said the 23-year-old, who will partner Britain’s Will Stevens in Melbourne, would compete in the opening rounds of the season.

What happens after that remains unclear, with Merhi only recently agreeing a deal to return to the Renault 3.5 series that starts in late April.

Marussia have been more focused on securing their immediate survival than any long-term planning, with the British-based team only recently emerging from administration after missing the last three races of 2014.

Britain’s Jordan King, the 21-year-old son of the team’s interim chairman and former Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King, was also appointed as a development driver while also competing in GP2.

“It is fantastic to welcome Roberto and Jordan to the team,” said principal John Booth of an announcement that comes only three days before first practice at Albert Park.

“Not only are they very talented young drivers with exciting futures ahead of them, they have also been ‘graduates’ of Manor Motorsport in the junior formulae, which is obviously very rewarding for us.”

Merhi, who raced with Manor in Formula Three Euroseries in 2009 and finished third in last year’s Formula Renault 3.5 Series, will be the second Spanish rookie on the grid in Melbourne with Carlos Sainz lining up for Toro Rosso.

Spain’s most successful driver, double world champion Fernando Alonso, will be absent however after the McLaren driver crashed in testing.

Merhi took part in three Friday free practice sessions with now-defunct Caterham last season.

The Castellon-born driver said he was excited to be finally stepping up to the starting grid.

“It is a big responsibility but I feel ready to make this step in my career and to show that I can make an important contribution to developing a team,” he said.

Marussia will be starting the season with a revised 2014 car, tweaked to meet 2015 safety regulations, and last year’s Ferrari power unit.

[MIKA27]

HAMILTON TO FERRARI IS NONSENSE SAYS LAUDA

Niki Lauda has scoffed at reports that double world champion Lewis Hamilton could switch to Ferrari rather than sign a new Mercedes contract beyond 2015.

Briton Hamilton is conducting his own negotiations with the German marque, and has reportedly hit a snag in his demands for $1.5 million per week.

Team boss Toto Wolff has already slammed the reported wage figures, telling a reporter: “You must question where you get your drugs from”.

And now Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda insists there is no deadline for the conclusion of the talks.

“No, there is no timetable and we have no pressure because Lewis has a contract with Mercedes to the end of the year,” he told the German broadcaster RTL.

“But there will be a new contract, for sure.”

Austrian great Lauda therefore rubbished speculation Hamilton is now using reports of approaches by Ferrari last year as leverage in his negotiations.

“Nonsense,” Lauda told Germany’s Sport Bild. “Lewis will still be with us next year. You’ll see.”