FORMULA 1 - 2015

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SAM BIRD: F1 TEAMS ONLY INTERESTED IN DRIVERS WITH BIG MONEY

Former Mercedes tester Sam Bird says Formula 1 teams no longer scour the world’s top racing categories in search of the best possible drivers but rather hunt down pay drivers.

Bird, 28, was until recently a Mercedes simulator driver and a GP2 winner – a CV that in decades past would have seen him knocking loudly on the door of the grand prix grid.

Instead, he is a frontrunner in the new Formula E series, on a grid filled with former F1 stars like Jarno Trulli and Jean-Eric Vergne, and F1 nearlymen like Bird and Antonio Felix da Costa.

Bird is currently third in the standings, having won in Malaysia, but ahead of the forthcoming race in Buenos Aires he is not expecting the eyes of formula one to be on him.

“Formula one won’t look at this and think ‘Gosh he’s a good driver, I’ve got to have him’,” he told The Times. “Unless you’ve got a bottomless pit of money, they don’t really look at you anymore.”

Bird, however, thinks that although the F1 teams are being forced to weigh money with talent, the strategy could ultimate backfire for the sport.

“Formula one needs youth in the long run because there’s only so many years that Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button are going to be around and when they’re gone, who are we going to end up with?” he said.

“The big teams spend so much money to get the points to get the prize money that makes them richer. It’s just an endless circle in favour of the big teams, so the small teams don’t have any choice but to take on drivers who have 15 to 20 million euros.

“There are some drivers, whether it’s myself or drivers in GP2 or world endurance series, who have had potential or results required to warrant a chance but haven’t even had a sniff of it due to lack of funding,” Bird added. “It’s very frustrating but that’s the way it is and it’s not going to change.”

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RICCIARDO: WITH A GOOD WINTER WE SHOULD CATCH MERCEDES

Daniel Ricciardo is confident that Red Bull can close the gap on dominant 2014 Formula 1 title winners Mercedes this year.

Given Mercedes’ level of dominance last season and the restraints of the engine development freeze, many believe the German team will be hard to challenge even in 2015.

La Gazzetta dello Sport, for instance, thinks Mercedes is already knocking on the door of the 900 horse power mark.

“Can Renault and Ferrari get to Mercedes’ level? It’s going to be a very difficult challenge,” Red Bull designer Adrian Newey, who is stepping back from the front line this year, told Sky.

Ricciardo, however, was the only driver to challenge Mercedes’ otherwise uninterrupted run of victories last year, and he is sounding confident.

He told L’Equipe, “When I think back to Melbourne last year, we finished second after missing some of the pre-season testing.”

“Then Mercedes continued to develop through the season. But I hope that they have now reached the pinnacle, while on our side we have room to improve.

“If we have a good winter, we should catch up,” Red Bull driver Ricciardo added.

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JARNO TRULLI: ALONSO FACES TOUGH 2015 SEASON

Fernando Alonso’s former teammate Jarno Trulli doubts the Spaniard’s high-profile switch from Ferrari to McLaren will result in instant success, and expects the Spaniard to have another tough year in Formula 1.

But Trulli, who was Alonso’s teammate at Renault over a decade ago, does think the end of the five-year partnership with Ferrari was inevitable.

“I think after five years of marriage with Ferrari, when it did not result in a world championship, which is what Fernando expected, it is normal that the end came,” the 40-year-old Italian said.

“For both sides. For Fernando and for Ferrari, who both want to win races and titles,” said Trulli.

A former Monaco winner, Trulli was speaking to EFE news agency from Buenos Aires, where as a team owner and driver he is preparing for the next Formula E race.

“It was the natural end of a relationship,” he added, referring again to Alonso’s Ferrari split.

“But now Fernando is at McLaren and, unfortunately, it doesn’t look to be a better option for Alonso than Ferrari. At the moment, there is nowhere better to be if not at Mercedes.

“There are very few options, because the quality of formula one has suffered a dramatic decline in performance. There are only a few teams that can afford to develop engines and cars, because budgets are very high and the economic situation is not helping.

“That leaves you with very few options, and that’s the situation Fernando is in now.

“It is a difficult situation,” Trulli explained, “and hard to accept, even for him, because he obviously wants to fight for victory. But I think it’s going to be another tough season this year with McLaren.

“I don’t wish that for him, but it does not look good.”

Trulli admitted that the political situation for McLaren’s new works engine supplier Honda, who have been left out of the controversial development ‘unfreeze’, is yet another problem.

“For now,” said the former Toyota driver, “I think the only good thing is that Fernando is going to be paid well. But on the technical side, I do not see McLaren being able to match the two or three best teams.”

But one positive for Alonso, Trulli explained, is that he will likely not overly regret his decision to leave Ferrari.

“It has been difficult times for them (Ferrari),” he said, “changing people, taking wrong decisions. They did not benefit from the rule changes and lag behind technically, and – until recently – also politically.

“Now at least they succeeded politically with opening the engine freeze, but the main problem is that they need to turn the technical side around completely.

“You don’t do that in a day. Not even in a year — it takes a long time.”

Trulli therefore tips Mercedes to dominate yet again in 2015.

“They have an enormous advantage,” he said, “and the others are not going to catch up yet because I think last year they (Mercedes) still had something in their sleeve.”

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HAMILTON SET FOR €60 MILLION THREE YEAR MERCEDES DEAL

Mercedes is positioning to keep Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton well beyond the 2015 season, with a lucrative new deal which will amount to €60 million over three years.

Talks over the Briton’s expiring contract were scheduled towards the end and then just after the 2014 season.

But in what was interpreted as a ‘hurry up’ to the 30-year-old, boss Toto Wolff recently declared that Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas are first in line for Hamilton’s seat should he leave the Brackley team late this year.

Now, La Gazzetta dello Sport claims Mercedes “has prepared a three-year renewal [of the deal] for a fixed €20 million per season”.

The report speculated that the deal to be presented to Hamilton, who is currently not represented by a manager, is for the years 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Hamilton’s new contract may also include a million euro bonus for each race win, and 5 million for his third world title, La Gazzetta added.

Daily Star said the Mercedes renewal beyond 2015 will make Hamilton the highest paid driver in F1.

He is quoted as saying: “Not everyone gets to work with such a great team. They helped me to my dream with a great and dominant car.”

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FERRARI SPENDS €40-MILLION ON NEW F1 TECHNOLOGY

Ferrari is spending a whopping €40 million as it steps up its off-track technology at Maranello, in an effort to become the dominant team in Formula 1 once again..

Having struggled in 2014 and subsequently undergone a revolutionary shakeup, the fabled Italian marque is now spending big on a dynamic platform that will allow in-factory testing of the entire car-plus-engine package.

La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the move is part of Ferrari’s new collaboration with the Austrian giant AVL, even though the research and simulation specialists were formerly closely aligned with Red Bull.

Amid the tight restrictions on actual track testing, the AVL platform will allow Ferrari to run and develop the car and systems including brake-by-wire at simulated speeds of up to 360kph, the report said.

The report adds that AVL technology, also falling outside the strict limits on wind tunnel testing, will be housed in a special building at Maranello and also connected to a driver simulator.

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MCLAREN DENIES PRE-JEREZ RUN FOR 2015 CAR

McLaren has denied reports it will run its Honda-powered 2015 Formula 1 car a few days before its launch and official test debut.

Spain’s El Mundo Deportivo claimed that, following news the MP4-30 will be launched on 29 January, the car will actually clock up some laps beforehand.

“A few days before [the launch], the car will run at Silverstone for a shakedown and to shoot a promotional film,” the report added. “It is hoped the software problems of the post-season test in Abu Dhabi have been solved.”

But a McLaren spokesman told us: “We are not planning to run the MP4-30 before the Jerez test.”

El Mundo also claimed McLaren is likely to enter a second consecutive season without a title sponsor, given that talks with the Spanish mobile operator Movistar are not promising.

Meanwhile, the Swiss newspaper Blick reports that Sauber is likely to launch its 2015 car in a simple pitlane unveiling ceremony ahead of the Jerez test.

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MELBOURNE NOT KEEN ON EARLIER RACE START TIME

Australian Grand Prix organisers are reluctant to shift the start time for the 2015 edition of the race.

In response to Jules Bianchi’s horror crash at Suzuka, the governing FIA vowed to look into ensuring that races are no longer started too close to dusk.

Races at the season opener Melbourne, for instance, are traditionally now started at 5pm local, creating a better morning television timeslot for the bulk European audience.

The local Herald Sun newspaper claims race organisers have now received a request to reverse the scheduled start time by several hours.

But race chief Andrew Westacott insisted: “The race time will remain at 5pm as per agreement with the Australian grand prix corporation and formula one management, which means Melbourne, as the opening race of the season, airs in Asia at lunchtime and Europe at breakfast.”

Last year, the state government agreed a five-year agreement to keep the grand prix at Albert Park until 2020.

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MALLYA SUBJECT TO TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS BY AUTHORITIES

Indian authorities have moved to restrict international travel for embattled Force India supremo Vijay Mallya.

Amid ongoing action relating to his ailing airline Kingfisher, a Mumbai court said the former billionaire can no longer leave India unless he submits a detailed itinerary 48 hours in advance.

The Economic Times also said the action brought on behalf of the tax department means Mallya will have to provide two references for any international travel.

“This order is a significant one,” the tax department’s lawyer is quoted as saying, and “sends the right message in such cases that court orders cannot be taken lightly and reinforces that no one is above law.”

There are 20 grands prix on the 2015 F1 calendar scheduled between March and November.

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RENAULT UNHAPPY WITH NEW SUPER LICENCE SYSTEM

Renault has reportedly hit back at the FIA’s controversial new system for issuing Formula 1 super licences set to come into effect in 2016.

In light of 17-year-old Max Verstappen’s controversial debut this year, the governing body is installing a new system for 2016 to ensure new grand prix drivers are older, more experienced and successful in the junior classes.

But the proposed system is also causing raised eyebrows, as it emerges future champions like Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen would have been denied their F1 debuts, while even the great Michael Schumacher’s 2010 return may not have happened.

Also ruled out would have been Paul di Resta’s 2011 debut, despite the fact he was the reigning DTM champion.

“I think the system needs some work,” another DTM driver and long-time F1 tester Gary Paffett, whose F1 debut would also have been theoretically denied under the 2016 system, told Reuters.

Also reportedly unhappy with the new system is Renault, whose premier category, the Formula Renault 3.5 series, will attract fewer super licence points for its top drivers than GP2, F3, sports cars, Indycar and the currently non-existent F2.

Italiaracing reports that the French manufacturer promptly responded by sending a letter directly to FIA president Jean Todt. Renault will now have a meeting with the FIA, probably around the middle of January.

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FERRARI CONFIRM ONLINE LAUNCH FOR 2015 CAR

Ferrari will present their new Formula 1 car online on 30 January, a day after McLaren take the wraps off their Honda-powered challenger.

The Maranello team, with four times champion Sebastian Vettel signed from Red Bull, said in a statement that the as-yet unnamed, but code named 666, successor to the F14T car would be presented to the world through the team website and social media platforms.

The car will then make its first track appearance in the opening pre-season test at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain from 1 to 4.

McLaren, who have signed double world champion Fernando Alonso from Ferrari as Jenson Button’s team mate, said on Twitter that the new McLaren Honda MP4-30 would be presented online on 29 January.

The car will be the first McLaren Honda since 1992 with the team, who have not won a race since 2012, ending their partnership with Mercedes last year.

Force India, who have Mexican sponsors as well as driver Sergio Perez, have a livery launch scheduled for Mexico City on 21 January.

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PORSCHE CHIEF MULLER CONFIRMS NO F1 PROJECT

Porsche chief executive Matthias Muller (above) has now added his confirmation to reports the German marque is not interested in entering Formula 1.

Already this week, the fabled Volkswagen-owned sports car company’s research and development chief Wolfgang Hatz said F1 “has never been an issue for us and won’t be.”

“Le Mans is a more attractive environment for us — there are more and more competitors and we learn more about the production of road cars,” he told Auto Motor und Sport.

Now, Hatz’s boss Muller has nailed the lid on the total rejection of formula one by Porsche, who in 2015 will field drivers including Mark Webber and Nico Hulkenberg in the premier LMP1 prototype category at fabled Le Mans.

Referring to the three-year decision to enter Le Mans in 2014 rather than another top category like F1, he told DPA news agency: “We have not looked back once and we are perfectly happy.

“We think LMP1 is the future”, Muller said, adding that in contrast F1 appears to be “in more and more difficulty”.

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Bottas unfazed by Ferrari rumours

Valtteri Bottas has downplayed talk of a possible move to Ferrari for the 2016 Championship.

The Finnish driver impressed many during his second season in Formula 1 when he took the fight to F1's front runners.

Securing six podium finishes, Bottas ended the year fourth in the Drivers' Championship.

His performances led to some speculation that Ferrari could be interested in signing him in 2016.

Bottas, though, has downplayed the possibility.

"Rumours have all kinds," he told MTV3.

"It is nice if you are talked about but it is this season now, which is my only focus."

Weighing in on Williams' preparations for the upcoming campaign, Bottas is expecting another solid season with the Grove team.

"Everything has gone according to plan and schedule," he said. "The car will be ready for the first test.

"We know that we can improve our car from last year, but a lot depends also on the ability of others to improve and by how much."

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Should Honda be barred from updating their engine?

Honda may find its return to Formula One in 2015 is going to be more difficult than it expected.

A rules clarification by the FIA means Honda is the only engine manufacturer which is forbidden from introducing engine upgrades during the season. The manufacturer is now in discussion with the sport’s governing body over the situation which threatens to leave them at a disadvantage.

The situation arose after the FIA failed in its attempt to impose the same block on in-season development which was in place last year. Following lobbying by Renault and Ferrari, the FIA accepted its own rules did not enforce that point for 2015.

That means Ferrari and Renault along with Mercedes, all of which homologated their engines last year, may now introduce upgrades during the season. But the FIA has ruled Honda cannot do so after it homologates its first engine at the end of February.

While the existing manufacturers can alter up to 32 of their quota of engine items over the coming season, Honda cannot change their design after the first race gets underway. But should they have the same opportunity as their rivals?

For

The scale of the disadvantage this puts Honda at should not be underestimated – and it doesn’t just threaten their performance this year. The disadvantage may remain with them throughout the life of the current engines, which are set to remain in use until 2020.

Next year each engine manufacturer – including Honda – will only be able to alter 25 items. This number will continue to fall over the following seasons. By the end of 2020, Honda will have only been able to introduce around two-thirds as many new components as their rivals.

The current situation is a blow for the only new manufacturer to commit to Formula One since the 1.6-litre hybrid turbo engines were introduced. The FIA should not put their commitment at risk by forcing them to play to a different set of rules to their rivals.

Against

As it was Honda’s choice not to enter Formula One until the second year of the new engine regulations, they will have been aware this would place them at a disadvantage compared to their rivals when it comes to developing their engines.

But while Honda did not gain the benefit of running their engine at races every other weekend last year, they have been able to start a clean-sheet engine design with some prior knowledge of how their rivals had addressed the problems posed by the new rules.

Honda even had the chance to run a test unit last November – over two months earlier than any of their rivals had their engine running last year. The playing field isn’t necessarily level to begin with, so it doesn’t matter if the rules distinguish between Honda and their rivals to some extent.

I say

The FIA may have had no choice, but it is a shame it has felt it necessary to allow teams to push on with engine upgrade programmes after the season has begun. This was an important part of the original rules and will surely lead to an escalation in costs.

This is the most unsatisfactory aspect of the current engine regulations, as it comes at a time when engine costs should be encouraged to fall, not allowed to rise.

But now that some in-season development has been allowed, it’s hard to justify this being denied to the one team which has far less experience with the new units than their rivals. And it raises difficult questions over how the arrival of a new manufacturer could be accommodated in the future.

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Tilke confident that Mexico City revamp will be successful

Hermann Tilke has tried to retain circuit's character.

Track designer Hermann Tilke is confident that his revisions to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City will prove to be successful.

The track, which last hosted an F1 race in 1992, is being substantially rebuilt for the return of the GP on November 1. However, Tilke says he has tried to retain its character.

“There will be a new pit and paddock,” he told this writer. “But we don't have so much space. And then after the straight we did some new corners, because this is a highlight for the spectators. We're moving the 'snake', the very fast corners, to the inside. We're almost copying it, because it was successful, but we had no safety, no run-off. And there is a big concert stadium, and we'll lead the cars through the stadium. Of course it's slow, but it's for the spectators, and there will be action there.”

Baku layout

Meanwhile Tilke countered criticism of the layout of the Baku street track in Azerbaijan, which will join the F1 calendar in 2016. The German insists that the real circuit will be much more exciting than the map issued a few months ago might suggest, due to elevation changes and so on.

“You have to see it in three dimensions, you cannot see in those pictures. It goes really uphill to the old city, it follows the city wall from the 1200s, and it will be really exciting. It's one hundred per cent a temporary circuit, all existing roads. We'll refurbish some of them, but not all.

“It's a very fast track. It's an absolutely different challenge, and the track is different from every city track in the world. It will be different from Monaco, different from Singapore, it will be completely outstanding.”

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Hamilton can win title by the summer says father

Lewis Hamilton's father, Anthony Hamilton, believes his son could secure his third title with several races remaining if things go his way this year.

The Mercedes driver eventually won the battle between himself and Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg to clinch the 2014 title at the final race of the season, but had reliability been in his favour, his father reckons the title would have been decided much earlier.

Should Mercedes construct another strong car and maintain their advantage, he sees no reason why it couldn't happen this year.

"You never know, but I think if you look at what Lewis went through last year, we started the year where we felt that if everything had gone well, by mid-year he probably would have won the championship," he told Sky Sports.

"I think the same thing could potentially happen this year – if he starts well, if the car is good, performance is good, I think Lewis could win the championship again this year."

However Anthony knows Rosberg won't give Lewis an easy time when the pair rekindle their battle, as he expects the German will come back stronger following his defeat.

"I am expecting 150 per cent extra from Nico this year," he said.

"I think he'll come with a different mind-set, a different approach, a different understanding of Lewis and how to beat Lewis – because it is difficult to beat Lewis, he's a mercenary when it comes down to it.

"I think Nico has probably gone back to the drawing board and had a re-think, because no one is unbeatable, you've just got to find the right way."

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David Coulthard: Formula 1 superlicence system needs flexibility

Thirteen-time grand prix winner David Coulthard believes that there has to be room for flexibility within the new Formula 1 superlicence regulations to accommodate exceptional rising stars.

A framework based on allocating points via finishing position in selected championships during the previous three seasons was revealed earlier this month, with drivers needing 40 points to qualify for the requisite licence.

But Coulthard argues that there has to be potential for exceptional talents who have not achieved the required points but have proved themselves ready for F1 to step up.

"It shouldn't be locked down and, that's it, we never adjust it," said Coulthard on the main stage at AUTOSPORT International.

"There is a championship in there that doesn't exist right now [Formula 2] that gets many more points that some of the championships that do, so I think that we need to get going and then see how it works out.

"Let's say if there was someone that seemed to be exceptional and the sport as a whole gets behind that person, we shouldn't just restrict it to points alone.

"Maybe some guys can't do the whole championship so can't win it, yet they have more talent than the one that does win the championship."

Coulthard also suggested that the weighting of the different series, which has been a controversial topic, could need to change even though he agrees with the principle of the system.

"I haven't looked closely at how the points situation plays out but it seems to me that they have created a league that favours some of the lower formulas over others," he said.

"Personally, having been to a few of the undercard race series, I am not sure the actual points are how I would lay them out.

"Some of those championships deserve more than they have been given.

"That said, you are not going to please everybody so you have to create a system which at least makes it that someone has to achieve a level of success to be given the opportunity to move up to the big time beyond just turning up with a big cheque.

"So the basis of the concept of it, I agree with."

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Pirelli urges Formula 1 teams to support proper wet tyre test

Formula 1 teams have been urged to follow up on the recommendations of the Jules Bianchi accident panel and support Pirelli in its desire for a bespoke wet tyre test.

One of the lessons that came out of Bianchi's Japanese GP crash was that Pirelli should have more support in helping deliver the best possible rain tyres.

The panel that looked into the circumstances of the crash suggested that there be an annual test that was focused solely on wet running.

Pirelli has faced criticism from drivers about its wet tyres, but it is hamstrung in what it can do by severe limitations on testing.

Although F1's sporting regulations stipulate that one day of pre-season running should be devoted to wet work, and the FIA has discussed a proper test, there has not yet been significant progress in sorting the matter out.

Speaking to AUTOSPORT, Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery said his company was willing to hold a full-on wet tyre test, but team support was lacking.

"It is in the regulations, but a water tank around Jerez is not exactly what we had in mind," explained Hembery, in reference to the use of a tractor to water the track last year.

"We thought maybe Paul Ricard or going to Fiorano would be ideal.

"These are the only tracks where you can do something sensible but that opens up other discussions. Equally we need to look at the bigger picture.

"We feel a proper wet session at the start of each season would be beneficial for everybody.

"The teams can work on crossover points really early on, drivers can get used to the impact of changes to their car, how it affects the performance, and if we have made changes what effect those changes have had."

When asked whether discussions had moved on to make the test a reality, Hembery said: "We don't really have any indication of that at the moment. We are happy to do it but it has to be done in the correct way."

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Qatar wants Formula 1 grand prix on Lusail street circuit by 2016

Qatar has given the green light for ambitious plans to hold a Formula 1 grand prix on a new street circuit in the city of Lusail, AUTOSPORT has learned.

Following weeks of speculation that Qatar was evaluating a bid to become the third Middle East country to hold an F1 event, the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Ben Hamad Al Thani has thrown his official support behind a push to secure a GP.

But rather than previous suggestions of an F1 race at the Losail circuit that has hosted MotoGP since 2004, the plan is for the race to take place on a street circuit in the new city of Lusail, which has already been named as venue for the final of the 2022 football World Cup.

FIA vice president Nasser Khalifa Al Attiyah, who is the chief of Qatar's motorsport federation the QMMF, said that the government had asked that everything be done to finalise the race as it will help promote Lusail.

He suggested that the GP could happen as early as 2016, but there was a chance it would have to wait until the following season.

Qatar has built up good links with the FIA in recent months, having hosted the governing body's official awards ceremony last year, and with Al Thani having approved a request from FIA president Jean Todt to support road safety initiatives.

BAHRAIN NOT IN FAVOUR

Amid recent rumours about Qatar evaluating a grand prix, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone suggested that the fate of the race rested on Bahrain, which could veto the plan if it wanted.

Bahrain's F1 CEO Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa has denied that there is any clause in its contract that would allow it to actually block a race in Qatar - although he suggested that Ecclestone would be unlikely to let it happen without Bahrain's support.

He told AUTOSPORT: "The thing with Mr Ecclestone is how he values friendship. He appreciates the step we took [in hosting F1] - as we were the first people to take a chance [in the Middle East]. But I wouldn't read too much into [reports of an official veto]."

Al Khalifa has made it clear, however, that he does not believe the Middle East region should host another grand prix just yet, so he would be against Qatar getting a race.

"I think F1's culture is growing [in the Middle East], and we can see it slowly coming about," he explained.

"But my personal opinion of having another race - wherever it is - I don't think we are ready for that."

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SERGIO MARCHIONNE: I HOPE TO SEE IMPROVED PERFORMANCE BY END OF 2015

Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne has warned the team’s legion of fans yet again that the 2015 Formula 1 season will be a difficult one for the legendary Scuderia.

Speaking at the Detroit auto show, he refused to wade in deeper on a war of words with the Italian marque’s ousted long-time president, Luca di Montezemolo.

“Unfortunately we have dropped back, but I will not argue with those who want to make a controversy,” Marchionne is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport. “We start behind but we will keep our heads down and try to win.”

Italian-Canadian Marchionne is also chief of Fiat-Chrysler, and reportedly focused on finding strategic partnerships for the group whilst also preparing a stock market floatation for Ferrari.

“I would like to say to the fans that I will go to some grands prix,” he revealed, “but we have appointed a team leader [Maurizio Arrivabene] and he will deal with the management directly.”

According to the Spanish news agency EFE, Marchionne also said Ferrari has “much work to do” after a tumultuous period, and warned that improved results are likely only in the “final five or six races” of 2015.

“I’m encouraged,” he said, referring to the political victory on the engine ‘unfreeze’ issue, “because now we have the ability to make changes during the season.

“My hope is that we will see improved performance on the track at the end of the season. I think the most interesting part of 2015 will be the last races,” added Marchionne.

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BOTTAS THINKS LOOK OF F1 CARS WILL CHANGE

Williams driver Valtteri Bottas thinks the odd and at times downright ugly look of modern era Formula 1 cars is about to end.

Last year, unseemly ‘anteater’, ‘vacuum cleaner’, ‘walrus-tusked’ and other descriptively-derided solutions filled the grid as designers made the most of the new aerodynamic rules and loopholes.

Those regulations have been tidied up for 2015, and Williams’ Bottas thinks the outcome will result in “a far neater appearance” at the front of all the cars this year.

“The rules are quite strict now,” he is quoted by the Finnish broadcaster MTV3, “so I think they will all be basically similar. I do not think we will see any more unusual solutions.”

The minimum weight of the cars has also been slightly lifted, at the same time as designers get to grips with the radical set of regulations that arrived last year.

It means drivers can now relax slightly, after drastically dieting this time a year ago.

“I have set a certain [personal] weight limit,” said Bottas, “but the situation is not as bad as last year. But it’s true that some other teams had bigger problems than we ever did.”

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BAHRAIN SAYS NO TO QATAR STREET RACE

Bahrain is blocking Qatar Grand Prix plans to join the Formula 1 calendar, which if successful would mean three races in the Middle East.

Despite agreeing to the spectacular floodlit Abu Dhabi grand prix, however, Bahrain is refusing to budge in similarly allowing Qatar on the calendar.

“My personal opinion of having another race – wherever it is – I don’t think we are ready for that,” Bahrain circuit chief Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa is quoted by British newspapers.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said last month that despite negotiating with a keen Qatari group, a race in the oil-rich Arab state is actually unlikely.

That is because he made one of his famous “handshake deals” with Bahrain’s crown prince years ago not to install any new races in the Persian Gulf.

“I put the people together and said ‘Can you sort this out between you?’. They haven’t managed to do it,” said Ecclestone.

Since then, Qatar has stepped up its F1 bid, securing the backing of the Emir, hosting the FIA’s recent gala awards and now unveiling images of a proposed new street circuit in Lusail.

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Frijns: New criteria backs good guys

The FIA may have laid out the criteria for a superlicence but Robin Frijns reckons there will be a bit of leeway given.

Earlier this month, motorsport's governing body announced new regulations for those wanting to apply for a superlicence.

Not only must the drivers be 18 years or older but they must also have a valid driver licence.

Added to that, they need to have proven themselves in feeder series, amassing 40 points - as scored by the FIA - in the preceding three years.

However, Frijns, who scored 30 points when he won the Formula Renault 3.5 title in 2012, expects the FIA will take each driver's situation into account.

"The fact that my career stalled last year does not help me. We will have to look at it, but I must say that I'm not thinking about this too much," Frijns told GPUpdate.net.

"I think that if I put my CV in front of the FIA, they won't make a fuss about it."

The Dutchman, though, says the FIA new system is the right way forward as it means only drivers with talent will make it into F1.

"If this was introduced a few years ago, some people who are now in Formula 1 would not be on the grid.

"It is good that soon only the really good guys will come into F1. I think that's the way it should be."

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STR10 passes crash tests

Toro Rosso's 2015 preparations are progressing as planned with news that the team's STR10 has passed all its crash tests.

With less than three weeks to go until the first pre-season test begins in Jerez, teams are hard at work ensuring their cars are ready to roll.

The latest step in Toro Rosso's plans saw the team's STR10 undergo its mandatory FIA crash tests. And pass them all.

The team is expected to present the car, which will be raced by Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr, to the world in the build-up to Jerez.

Toro Rosso ✔ @ToroRossoSpy

Our #STR10 has passed all the crash tests. Sneak a peek! La STR10 ha passato tutti i crash test! Sbirciata? #F1

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Silverstone plans to reduce future ticket prices

Silverstone's new managing director says he hopes to dramatically reduce the cost of attending the British Grand Prix in the near future.

Patrick Allen, who was appointed to the role just last week, hopes to see the basic race-day ticket come down to at least £99, a more than 36 per cent reduction.

The race is one of the most expensive on the calendar as it receives no government backing and is therefore reliant on ticket sales to cover its costs.

Whilst the race never struggles to draw a crowd - it has sold out for the past few years - Allen believes British fans "deserve" cheaper tickets.

"What I would like to do is see ticket prices falling for the British Grand Prix," he told BBC Look East.

"In my mind I have the benchmark of a £99 admission ticket. I think that's what customers deserve."

He hopes to increase capacity and improve facilities at the circuit, giving fans more things to do whilst they're their, in the hope the increased concessions will even out the books.

"I would much rather see better ticket offers and once people are here, do more for them," he added.

"If you want to get more people here every year, you don't do that by putting the ticket prices up. We are desperately trying to bring the ticket price down."

Allen is confident the circuit's owner, the British Racing Drivers' Club, will remain committed to improving the circuit despite their recent attempts to sell it.

"Yes it's true they tried to sell the circuit. That didn't happen for whatever reason," he explained.

"They are very much concentrating now on making this a successful venue. You can ever say never, but for the foreseeable future we have to build this business.

"Right now my remit from the BRDC is very clear, which is to make this a profitable, blue riband venue."

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VERGNE CAN’T WAIT TO START WITH FERRARI: “I NEVER EXPECTED IT TO HAPPEN”

Toro Rosso refugee Jean Eric Vergne is racing in Formula E this weekend in Argentina, but his thoughts are on his new role as a development driver for Ferrari, which he starts next week.

“Ferrari is a dream for every driver and, sincerely, I never expected it to happen,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport in Buenos Aires on the eve of today’s fourth round of the championship.

“It all came together very quickly, Maurizio Arrivabene called me in December and very soon we had a deal. I’d never met him; I’ve been in the Red Bull orbit so long. I feel like I’ve come into a big family and I’m really pleased to come to Ferrari.”

On the face of it, Vergne is in the pecking order behind Ferrari’s new third driver, Esteban Gutierrez. The 24 year old Frenchman is clearly a superior driver, but the Gutierrez announcement was followed soon afterwards by the announcement of a deal with America Movil, the Mexican’s long term backer, as a Ferrari sponsor. Vergne’s main role will be to drive the simulator, particularly as Kimi Raikkonen is not a fan of simulators and the team has dispensed with Pedro de la Rosa, who did a lot of the development work.

“Being a third these days is all about being at every race without much to do,” said Vergne. “So honestly I prefer to do the simulator work. I think I can help the team. I want to give 100% to the team to return to the top.”

Vergne joins a long list of drivers who have been spat out by the Red Bull driver development programme. By definition the funnel effect of channelling many drivers in with only two seats at the top team Red Bull Racing available, means that there are many casualties. Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi are two recent examples. Buemi at least has reinvented himself as a sportscar driver and won the FIA Endurance Championship with Toyota this year.

The turning point for Vergne was in September 2013 when Red Bull chose Daniel Ricciaro ahead of the Frenchman for the seat being vacated by Mark Webber. Ricciardo was a revelation last season, winning three races and finishing best of the rest behind the dominant Mercedes drivers. He also wiped the floor with Sebastian Vettel. Vergne matched Ricciardo on the whole, especially in races, but his qualifying pace at that time was not a match for Ricciardo’s and so Red Bull went for the Australian’s pure pace.

Vergne is not bitter about being dropped. It appeared that he might be given a reprieve when Toro Rosso went for Max Verstappen for 2015 and some voices inside the team questioned whether it might be wise to retain an experienced driver alongside a 17 year rookie. But they went for Carlos Sainz Jr, another young rookie. “For years they have pursued a line of promoting young drivers and they went for that again,” said Vergne.

“I’m not disappointed. I know I did my best, gave it everything and for that I have no regrets. Any anyhow, excuse me, I’m at Ferrari now which gives me a great chance for 2016.”

Vergne is managed by the wily Julian Jakobi, who in his time has managed Juan Pablo Montoya, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna among many others. Vergne has some powerful supporters behind the scenes in F1. With Raikkonen likely to end his F1 career this season, Jakobi will have advised Vergne that being in-house with three years F1 experience might put him in a good position to replace the Finn.

He also has some old friends within Ferrari, like Sporting Director Massimo Rivola, who used to be at Toro Rosso.

Vergne is also well known by Sebastian Vettel, with whom he worked on the Red Bull simulator before he got the Toro Rosso opportunity. The Frenchman showed well in the closing stages of the 2014 season and left a positive impression as a fast and hard-charging driver. Ferrari spied an opportunity to look at him and time will tell where it leads. It would be difficult for them to present a driver whom Red Bull had rejected as their race driver in 2016 alongside another Red Bull refugee in Vettel, but stranger things have happened and they clearly don’t fancy any of the other young up and coming drivers in F1, maybe Bottas, despite his links with Toto Wolff.

Ferrari will launch its new car online on Friday January 30th. It will run for the first time on February 1 in Jerez at the first pre-season test.