FORMULA 1 - 2015

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ARRIVABENE HAILS RAIKKONEN’S DRIVE AT SEPANG

After two races in 2015, Ferrari is happy with its driver lineup as Sebastian Vettel powered to victory in Malaysia and Kimi Raikkonen stormed through the field to finish fourth.

Having struggled alongside Fernando Alonso last year, Raikkonen went into the last year of his current contract in 2015 admitting he is not sure if he will still be wearing red next season.

But so far, although Alonso’s successor Vettel has the upper hand after two podium appearances including a win, Raikkonen seems much happier with his new Ferrari.

The Finn was quick in Melbourne but ran into trouble in the race, and he had a similarly troubled Sunday in Malaysia but ultimately finished fourth.

Understandably, Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene focused on the importance of Vettel’s breakthrough victory after the Malaysian grand prix.

But after speaking to reporters late on Sunday, the Italian remembered: “One more thing, and it’s important to me that you write it.

“Kimi has shown with his great comeback what a fabulous driver he is,” Arrivabene is quoted by Speed Week. “I cannot imagine a finer driving pairing.”

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MARKO WON BET BY GAMBLING ON FERRARI VICTORY AT SEPANG

Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko left Sepang €400 richer by betting on a Ferrari winning the Malysian Grand Prix.

Sport Bild reports that, in an internal paddock bet, the Red Bull official put his money on his former protege Sebastian Vettel.

“I knew that Sebastian could do it,” he said. “You could see it as early as Friday practice.”

Although Vettel left Red Bull after a fallow season last year, Marko says it was obvious the 27-year-old had not lost his quadruple title-winning talent.

“He did not forget how to drive in one year,” Marko insisted. “He just could not drive our car as he needed to. Maybe people will realise at last that it was not our car alone that gave him those four titles.”

Marko also hinted that Red Bull might be missing Vettel’s technical input already.

“Today we had extreme problems with the brakes,” he said. “After Sebastian left we changed to a manufacturer that he never liked, but we will change back now.”

It was a rare magnanimous show of form by Marko, who after Melbourne had threatened Red Bull’s withdrawal from F1 if the regulations are not urgently changed.

After his silver cars lost to a red Ferrari driven by Vettel on Sunday, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff said he hopes it stops all the “nonsense” talk about equalisation.

Team chairman Niki Lauda agreed: “I think this result is very good for the image of formula one, which we’re always complaining about — not me, but other people.”

The great Austrian was quoted by Spain’s AS: “Even Bernie Ecclestone cannot complain now.”

So after the politics dominated in Melbourne, the sport is suddenly celebrating a thrilling race, a different winner, a resurgent Ferrari and the prospect of more to come.

“Maybe next year when McLaren has resolved its problem with Honda, we will have a very good championship with Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull,” said former driver Patrick Tambay.

“I was a little worried about Formula 1, but not anymore!” he told RMC Sport.

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PIRELLI REPORT FROM MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel took the first win for Ferrari since Spain in 2013 and his own first victory since Brazil in 2013, using a two-stop strategy in the hottest possible conditions and on very abrasive asphalt to finish in front of both Mercedes drivers.

Vettel started on the P Zero White medium tyres and stopped for the mediums again on lap 17, finishing the race on the P Zero Orange hard compound from lap 37. His fourth victory in Malaysia – the 40th of his career – means that he is now the most successful driver in the history of the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who started from pole, used a three-stop strategy en route to second. His team mate Nico Rosberg adopted a different three-stop strategy to finish third: ending the race on the medium whereas Hamilton’s last stint was on hard.

The race got underway in track temperatures of 56 degrees centigrade: similar to the hottest conditions seen throughout last season. Despite driving on a surface hot enough to fry an egg – as proven by Pirelli on its Instagram account – there was no blistering or graining seen on the tyres that finished the race.

All the drivers started the race on the medium compound, with the exception of the two McLaren drivers, who started on the hard tyre and got into the points before retiring.

An early three-lap safety car period helped to contain tyre degradation but also provided an opportunity to switch to fresh tyres, which was taken up by many of the frontrunners, while the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel stayed out. The Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg both made an early stop, switching to the hard tyres.

Vettel pitted from the lead for his first stop, emerging in third place behind the Mercedes drivers, and then used the speed of the medium tyre to close in on the leader and regain the advantage. The German’s second and final stop for the hard compound fed him back into second place behind Hamilton, setting up a successful run to the finish after his Mercedes rival pitted for the hard tyre one lap later, following a race that revolved around tyre strategy.

Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen used a three-stop strategy to become the youngest ever driver to score points in a Formula One race at 17, comprehensively beating the record previously held by Daniil Kvyat. A three-stop strategy also helped Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen to climb to fourth at the finish from the very back, having had to pit on the opening lap after a rear tyre was punctured following contact from another competitor.

Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery said: “I think we did our bit today. We saw a great strategic battle between Ferrari and Mercedes, with two different approaches to the race, which were also influenced by an early safety car period. Despite the highest track temperatures we are likely to see all year, the tyres did not suffer from blistering or graining, enabling a two-stop strategy to be not only possible, but victorious. The different tyre strategies available set up an exciting battle for the race victory and underlined the difference that using the tyres to the best effect can make. Congratulations to Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel for a truly memorable victory.”

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MERHI KEEPS OPTIONS OPEN AMID MANOR UNCERTAINTY

Rookie Roberto Merhi is having to keep his options open even after making his grand prix debut on Sunday.

For now, the rookie Spaniard is part of the resurrected former Marussia team, Manor, having travelled to Australia and Malaysia in the race driver role.

After the troubles of Melbourne, Merhi finally made his F1 debut on Sunday, while teammate Will Stevens could not make the grid with a technical problem.

Merhi even made it to the chequered flag, but the modified 2014 car is a long way off the pace and the 24-year-old was lapped no fewer than three times.

He admitted that, by the time he saw the chequer, he was sick of the constantly waving and flashing blue flags and lights.

“I was wishing that, instead of having to let cars past, I could fight them, because at the moment Manor does not have sufficient means to do so,” he is quoted by Spanish media.

According to El Mundo Deportivo newspaper, Merhi then went straight from a post-race shower to the Kuala Lumpur airport, to catch a flight back to Spain.

His next, immediate outing will be at the Aragon circuit, where his Formula Renault 3.5 team Pons is testing. Merhi is under contract for the whole ‘World Series’ season in 2015, despite some clashes with the F1 schedule.

He knows that if a better funded ‘pay driver’ steps up to claim his seat at Manor, the struggling backmarker will have to replace him.

“After the test at Motorland (Aragon),” said Merhi, “hopefully the team (Manor) will trust in me again for the Chinese grand prix. Whatever happens, I thank Manor for giving me this opportunity to fulfil my dream.”

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Manor's one-car strategy raises eyebrows

Force India's Bob Fernley says Manor's decision not to run two cars at the same time in Malaysia was "not good for their own image".

Although the team made the trip to Australia, they failed to take part in any of the sessions with F1 commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone saying they went to Melbourne with "zero intention" of running.

They made their way to Kuala Lumpur this weekend, but their drivers Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi failed to appear on track at the same time.

Stevens ended up missing both qualifying and the race due to a fuel system problem, but his Spanish team-mate completed the race, albeit three laps behind race winner Sebastian Vettel.

Force India deputy team principal Fernley admits he is not impressed by the Banbury squad's approach.

"It doesn't surprise me!" he told F1i.com. "I don’t think I need to say anything, the powers that be will deal with that accordingly. There was a clear program in Australia of going to Australia and not running at all - to my knowledge that was not even enough fuel to run - and that was a clear strategy.

"I think it was a very clear strategy here to run one car and you have to look at it from the point of view of is that in the spirit of what you’re trying to achieve? But that’s up to the FIA and the commercial rights holder, it’s not up to us. Manor are doing what they can do as best they can, it’s up to them to decide their tactics.

"If you can run one car you can run both, and then you can test them even better - you get twice the testing! I think they need to [run both in China], it’s not good for their own image what they’re doing.

"I think they have to look at themselves and look at do they feel that’s the right approach to things, because clearly they’ve been determined before they’ve even arrived at the circuit."

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Ricciardo: I just felt helpless

Daniel Ricciardo has lamented a tough day at the office in Malaysia on Sunday as he could only manage 10th place at Sepang.

The Australian was expecting a solid race as he started fourth on the grid after a brilliant display during the wet qualifying session on Saturday, but he damaged his front wing at the first corner and went backwards after that.

He also struggled with brake issues and had to settle for P10, one place behind his team-mate Daniil Kvyat.

"I probably had high hopes coming into the race and I was ready for a fight to try to do something special, but the race was anything but special," he said. "We knew we had a bit more pace in the wet than in the dry, but we still expected to run top five or top six.

"We damaged the front wing a bit on the first lap, which I think hurt us somewhat, and there was quite a bit going on with the brakes. We couldn’t really look after the tires that well. I think with the other issues we had they were hurting our driving style.

"It wasn’t exciting. I just felt helpless, to be honest. I feel like I came in fired up and ready to go, but it was hard to put up a fight."

What added insult to injury was that Ricciardo's former team-mate Sebastian Vettel not only took the victory for Ferrari, but he also lapped both Red Bulls.

"[it was the] Icing on the cake. Congratulations to Seb, but getting lapped by him is not the best feeling in the world," the Australian said.

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Vettel one win away from equalling Senna

Sebastian Vettel needs just one more victory to equal Ayrton Senna’s tally of wins.

Vettel lies fourth on the all-time list of winners following his 40th grand prix victory yesterday, which also made him the first driver to win the Malaysian Grand Prix four times.

This was the 222nd win for Ferrari, who are now 40 victories clear of McLaren at the top of the all-time team winners’ table. It ended a win-less streak for the team which stretched back to Fernando Alonso’s win in the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, 34 races ago.

This isn’t their longest win-less run: between 1990 and 1994 they went 58 races without a victory. Gerhard Berger brought that to an end with their 104th win, which at the time put them level with McLaren as the most successful F1 team in terms of wins.

Uniquely, Vettel is the first driver to score his debut win for Ferrari having already won an F1 race using one of their engines. This is because he is the only driver in F1 history to have won a race powered by Ferrari but not in a Ferrari – his breakthrough victory in the 2008 Italian Grand Prix for Toro Rosso.

Vettel started the race from second position, which was the first front row start for a Ferrari driver since Felipe Massa’s second place at the same race two years ago.

Following a win-less 2014, Ferrari took their first win with turbo power in F1 since 1988. On that occasion the team also halted a streak of domination by one of their rivals.

Yesterday Vettel ended a run of eight consecutive wins for Mercedes, while in 1988 it was Berger again who broke McLaren’s eleven-race monopoly on the top spot.

While Vettel scored his 40th win, Lewis Hamilton took his 40th pole position. This was also Hamilton’s 150th F1 start.

The fastest lap went to Nico Rosberg, who has now scored ten during his career, as many as world champions Graham Hill, John Surtees and Mario Andretti.

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Ferrari fears Mercedes backlash in China

The Ferrari Formula 1 team is not expecting to continue with its winning form in next month's Chinese Grand Prix despite Sebastian Vettel's victory at Sepang.

Four-time champion Vettel gave the Maranello squad its first win since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday to end his and the team's victory drought with a superb drive to defeat the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

Although the Mercedes duo were clear favourites for victory after a dominant display in Australia, they had no response to Vettel's pace and strategy in Malaysia.

But Ferrari's technical director James Allison concedes the extreme heat at Sepang flattered Ferrari, and he expects Mercedes to be back up in front in the next race in China.

"The track is quite rough and hot, which is hard for tyres, and we are fortunate that the car goes quite well on its tyres," said Allison after the race.

"Quite what problems are being carried on the other side of the equation [Mercedes], I don't know, but I'm fairly sure that we will have our work cut out in China to do anything like as impressive a job as we have done here."

Vettel himself also admitted Ferrari is still some way behind Mercedes in terms of pace.

"We have to be realistic. They (Mercedes) had a very big gap in winter testing and in the first race, which does not just evaporate," he said.

"Our target has to be that the gap between them and us keeps getting smaller, as the gap will still be there."

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Jensen Button claims McLaren front wing breakthrough

Jenson Button believes that McLaren made a major step forward with the understanding of its MP4-30’s front wing just before he was forced to retire from Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix.

Button made a radical front wing angle change to the car ahead of his last stint, just before his Honda engine’s turbo expired, and said the handling of the chassis was transformed.

“It was quite useful to work out the front wing angle, because running quite a lot of front wing is unusual for a McLaren, so we finally worked it out in the last stint, so we’re happy with that learning,” said Button.

McLaren’s front wing concept is vastly different this season, thanks to the arrival of aerodynamics ace Peter Prodromou from Red Bull.

It now features many more wing elements, but the lack of running after a troubled pre-season test programme has hampered its development.

A big step forward

Button claims the change allowed him to catch the cars in front, and believes the understanding will move McLaren closer to the teams in front.

“Closing on the pack in front in that last stint was quite a lot of fun,” said Button, who remarked as much over the team radio at the time. “You could see where our strengths and weaknesses are.

“I think it’s quite apparent compared to the Force India, but then we could also compare ourselves to the Sauber and even some of the quicker cars like the Lotus, which was quite interesting.

“Useful day, just a pity we both ended up finishing early."

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MARKO: IMPOSSIBLE FOR US TO CATCH UP THIS SEASON

Straight talking Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko remains doubtful that his team can catch up in 2015, and is still hinting that the root of their troubles is with the Renault power unit.

After Australia, the Red Bull official was warning the energy drink company could quit the sport unless ‘equalisation’ measures were imposed.

And although Ferrari has managed to close the gap to Mercedes over the winter, Marko remains doubtful Renault can now do the same.

“It is not possible to get where Mercedes is,” he told the Austrian broadcaster Servus TV.

He blames Renault, saying Ferrari has simply done “a better job” than the French manufacturer. “We need an engine that works,” insisted Marko.

But not everyone is buying Red Bull’s story. Renault, for one, is not giving up on 2015.

“Ferrari has done a great job in recent months,” boss Cyril Abiteboul is quoted by Agencia Estado.

“This shows that Mercedes can be beaten. We have to focus on our work, play the game and continue to improve every time we are on the track.

“Finishing a lap behind the leaders is not where we need to be,” he added, “but now we have very clear goals.”

However, not every Renault-powered car was a lap down at the chequered flag at Sepang. The sensational teen Max Verstappen, in seventh, finished the race on the lead lap.

Auto Motor und Sport reports that the reason is simple: the 2015 car produced by the junior team Toro Rosso is better than Adrian Newey’s RB11.

Red Bull has already admitted its issues with the brakes at Sepang, and the tyres were also a problem. “Degradation was extremely high,” admitted team boss Christian Horner.

Part of Red Bull’s problem is that its aerodynamic development is delayed because the team is having trouble passing the FIA crash tests with its new short nose solution.

Marko said: “When the new parts come, we will make a significant step.”

But it will not be enough, he warned: “With the stupid [engine] token system, it is impossible for us to catch up this season.”

Not only that, he is worried Ferrari is set to continue to chew into Mercedes’ dominance during the course of 2015.

“According to my information, Ferrari has an update package for its engine for Canada,” Marko told Bild newspaper, referring to the June race in Montreal. “Then they will be level with Mercedes, or maybe even better.”

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VETTEL’S MOST IMPORTANT WIN

Victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix will go down as one of the most important, if not the most important of Sebastian Vettel’s career, not because it is his first as a Ferrari driver but because it has finally given him the credibility that the previous 39 grand prix victories did not.

Prior to that memorable day in the heat of Sepang, many of Vettel’s detractors claimed he was not capable of winning in anything other than the best car, which he supposedly had during the four year period in which he won his quartet of world titles with Red Bull.

Rewinding to his first win in 2008 at the rain soaked Italian Grand Prix, on that day the Adrian Newey penned Toro Rosso STR3 was very good, but it still took a fine drive to take that victory – it was his 22nd F1 race.

In 2010 Vettel won the title in a car which was not head and shoulders better than the rest, he simply kept his cool and rose to the occasion to steal the title in Abu Dhabi from the sport’s acknowledged master: Fernando Alonso and his own teammate Mark Webber.

In 2011 and 2013 Newey’s genius concocted cars that suited Vettel down to the ground and those particular world titles were a cake walk for the German. He still had to deliver and one can hardly criticise a driver who makes the most of a superb car.

In 2012 Vettel was made to work hard for his third title, and only a flurry of wins late in the season allowed him to take the big prize by a mere three points. Sure the Red Bull RB8 came good from Singapore onward, but it still took nerve, skill and determination to win those decisive four races in a row.

What about 2014? Sure it won’t go down as his best and there really are no excuses. But the true measure of a great sportsman is not only how they perform at their peak, but also how they recover from the troughs which they all sink into from time to time.

Formula 1 history is dotted with legendary drivers winning in dominant cars, but few of them attracted as much disdain as Vettel did from fans – and his rivals – who begrudged his success.

Even with four world titles under his belt when he departed Red Bull, there were the doubters. Few expected early fireworks at Ferrari, but now in the wake of a superb weekend in Malaysia many have had to hold up their hands and say: I was wrong.

It has been refreshing to soak in the sentiment of true Formula 1 fans post-Malaysia, including many comments made here on Grand Prix 247, who have acknowledged they were wrong and have accepted that Vettel is special, is the real deal.

Prior to that race at Sepang the general consensus was that Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are the only two modern generation drivers who can win without the best car. Now you can add Vettel’s name to that short list.

Perhaps it is early days to trumpet a Ferrari revival amid Mercedes domination, but this is the first crack in the Silver Arrows armoury and oozing out is the blood red of Ferrari instigated by their renaissance man. And let’s be honest the sport needs the Reds to be up there for obvious reasons…

Sunday, 29 March 2015 will go down as the day when millions of true Formula 1 fans, grudgingly or not, have had to dish out the respect that Vettel has for so long deserved but been denied.

Here are some of the choice post-Malaysia soundbites:

Sebastian Vettel: “To be honest – and I shouldn’t say – but I was shitting myself the last couple of laps because the thoughts were coming into my head. I was looking at the top of the chassis and thinking: This is a red car and you are about to win!”

Lewis Hamilton: “Huge congratulations to Ferrari and Sebastian, they did an amazing job. Jeez, they had some good pace. I gave it everything I could, we did as a team. We knew coming into this weekend that they had made a step, we didn’t know how big but they were too fast for us today.”

Christian Horner: “It is fantastic for him – it was classic Sebastian Vettel. He made the tyres work, on a different strategy, Ferrari had tremendous durability. And then once Sebastian is in the lead we’ve seen so many times what he is capable of. He’s got his feel back and his confidence is high. Hopefully we can give him a harder time soon.”

Niki Lauda: “I was surprised by the pace of the Ferrari at the end but Vettel did an incredible job. They were unbeatable. They had the right pit stop strategy and Vettel’s speed was outstanding.”

Toto Wolff: “We were beaten fair and square by Ferrari and Sebastian, who did a fantastic job, and I’m not sure we could have matched their long run pace at any point. They took a well-deserved win.”

Byron Young: “Remarkable result by Sebastian Vettel really given the expectation on his shoulders as a Ferrari driver.”

David Coulthard: “Thoroughly well deserved by Vettel and Ferrari. An incredible performance. They have trounced the opposition with this performance.”

Joe Alexander: “Vettel was brilliant. A+++”

Snowman: “Gotta admit… Vettel really earned my respect today. I can almost feel my opinion of him changing…”

Empee: “I’m glad Vettel appears poised for success away from Red Bull. Not that he needs anyone else’s validation of his accomplishments thus far, but I think it could go some way towards silencing the detractors adamant that he’s nothing without Newey.”

MB: “First time since 1995 cheering for Ferrari – and first time since 2010 cheering for Vettel… but this Is just what the championship needs!”

NapoleonSolo: “Wow! Wow! What a great race. Haven’t rooted for Vettel in a long time, but I did today.”

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FORMER MERCEDES BOSS LAMENTS DEMISE OF GERMAN GP DEMISE

Former Mercedes motorsport chief Norbert Haug has lamented the demise of Germany’s historic grand prix.

“It does not send the right signals about the car industry in Germany,” Haug told the Sudwestrundfunk broadcaster.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone confirmed that “money” was the stumbling block as he negotiated with the Nurburgring and Hockenheim about keeping the July 19 race on this year’s calendar.

2015 will be Germany’s first absence from the annual schedule for six decades.

“Germany is a Formula 1 nation,” Haug insisted, “and not just because there was a race. This is serious,” he lamented.

Indeed, F1 has a German quadruple world champion as well as a leading manufacturer and engine supplier that is also the reigning title winner. Haug saves some of the blame for the race’s demise on the organisers, but also F1 as a whole.

“Football does it right, as the stadiums are full,” he said. “Motor sport must come up with something to satisfy the customers.”

It is believed Malaysia has renewed its race contract for just three years, rather than the customary five or more, due to concerns about the sport.

Sepang boss Razlan Razali told AFP an example of his worry is the state of the Manor team, having not fired an engine in Melbourne and failing to properly qualify in Malaysia.

“It makes a mockery of the sport, I think,” he said.

Another struggling team is Force India, whose deputy boss Bob Fernley said the sport needs a “very in-depth” look at itself to “to make sure it addresses the concerns of the fans, the teams, the TV, the media, the whole group”.

“I don’t believe that we’re doing a good job at the moment at that,” he added.

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BUTTON SAYS VETTEL LUCKED INTO FERRARI SITUATION

Veteran F1 driver Jenson Button believes that Sebastian Vettel cannot take too much credit for turning Ferrari into an immediate winner after his Red Bull switch.

“He has definitely lucked into a situation, I would say,” said the McLaren-Honda driver. “It is one of those situations which sometimes works out for you.”

Even so, it must be a bitter pill to swallow for Button’s new teammate Fernando, who after five years at Ferrari is now racing the woefully slow McLaren.

“I sat next to Sebastian [on Sunday] and thought: What is Fernando thinking?” admitted Lewis Hamilton, an avowed admirer of the Spaniard.

“It could have been him. It’s just strange how things turn out,” the two-time world champion added.

Alonso, however, insists he has no regrets about leaving Ferrari, even though Vettel is now driving a winning car that could contractually have been his in 2015.

“When I saw Mercedes win by half a minute in Australia,” he is quoted by El Confidencial, “I was very clear about my decision.”

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MONTEZEMOLO SAYS FERRARI OLD REGIME DESERVE CREDIT

Ousted Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo insists the team’s former management should not be forgotten after the fabled team returned to the top step of the podium with victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Long-time president Montezemolo was just one of many victims of Maranello’s 2014 turmoil, as Ferrari also shed two team principals, numerous engineers and number 1 driver Fernando Alonso.

“I am very happy,” the 67-year-old, now chief executive of Alitalia, said. “I did not expect that the team would win so quickly.”

He insisted, however, that the new guard at Ferrari, headed by Sergio Marchionne and Maurizio Arrivabene and Sebastian Vettel in the cockpit, do not deserve all the credit.

“This is the reward for hard work,” Montezemolo said. “It began on this car in Maranello in February 2014, and was then picked up by those who run the Scuderia now.”

He continued: “This victory is perhaps also due to some small errors by Mercedes, but also to all those who planned the car and engine last year.”

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BERGER SAYS ECCLESTONE IS WRONG TO CRITICISE VETTEL

Gerhard Berger has hit back at F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, following the sport’s boss recent criticism of Sebastian Vettel.

Before Vettel won for Ferrari on Sunday, 84-year-old Ecclestone said in Malaysia that Lewis Hamilton is a better world champion than German Vettel.

“He (Hamilton) is a good guy, he gets out on the street and supports and promotes formula one,” Ecclestone said.

“I told Sebastian he should do what Lewis is doing — put himself out there. He won four titles but went to ground. He should have done the job of world champion.”

Former F1 driver, winner and team boss Berger, however, insisted Vettel should not be criticised for living a low-profile and fiercely private life with his family in Switzerland.

“I don’t understand Bernie,” said the great Austrian, who was Vettel’s team boss at Toro Rosso seven years ago.

“Does he want his drivers to run wild on the Reeperbahn?” Berger, referring to the infamous red-light district of Hamburg, told Sport Bild. “On Sunday, Vettel trod on the only red carpet that matters – as the winner of the race.”

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Smedley: We need to up our game

Williams head of performance engineer Rob Smedley has warned that the team have their work cut out if they are to keep in touch with Mercedes and Ferrari.

The Grove squad were expected to be Merc's main challengers this year after an excellent finish to the 2014 campaign, but they have been overtaken by Ferrari with the Scuderia winning in Malaysia.

Smedley says there are quite a few things they need to work on to make up the ground.

"We need to develop the whole package from the back," he is quoted as saying by Autosport. "We just have to keep pushing on and make sure we are developing at a faster rate than them."

He added: "There's a car package pace deficit from both Mercedes and Ferrari and we have to work hard to improve that. At the same time, we need to look at our tyre management.

"I think that we were not the worst on using the tyres, but we certainly weren't the best.

"Why were there cars in the race which could do one less stop than us? That's a key point. It's not that we looked at it afterwards and said, 'oh we could have done one less stop' because we couldn't."

Another area of concern for Williams is the pit stops as they had problems both in Australia and Malaysia and both Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas lost out as a result at Sepang.

"We have work to do. We have to improve the consistency of the pit stops as we had some good pit stops but then both cars had some slow pit stops," he said.

"The positive thing is they were two problems which we haven't encountered before.

"One was getting the tyre blanket off during the double pit stop, so it's a procedural thing, we just didn't take the blanket off quick enough.

"The second one was with Felipe. The jack didn't engage properly on the rear crash structure so we didn't get the rear of the car off.

"We have got to go away and look at it and understand what has happened and tidy up and make sure it doesn't happen again."

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Pastor: We can score points in clean race

Pastor Maldonado is yet to see the chequered flag this season, but he is confident he will be able to fight for points in a "clean race".

After retiring on lap one in Melbourne following an accident, the Venezuelan was hoping for better luck at Sepang, but he was once again involved in an opening lap tussle.

Although he managed to recover from the puncture he suffered and fought his way up the grid, he eventually retired with nine laps to go due to a brake problem.

Maldonado, though, believes the Lotus E23 Hybrid has a lot of "potential" and the team can finish in the top 10 if they have incident-free races.

"As soon as we have a clean race, we will be fighting for good points," he said.

He added: "The potential is clearly there, especially in the race where the car pace is very competitive and we can score good points. Unfortunately there was an incident on the first lap which lost me a lot of time and compromised the race from then on.

"Despite dropping to the very back of the field, we switched to a different strategy and we recovered well. Unfortunately, we suffered from a brake issue, which isn’t great but it’s effectively our first race and we need to keep working through issues, ready for the next Grand Prix."

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Mercedes to push through developments for China

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has hinted that the team will speed up its development programme, starting with pushing through a number of updates earlier than expected for the Chinese Grand Prix.

The move is in response to Ferrari's shock win in Malaysia, which saw Sebastian Vettel finish almost ten seconds ahead of second placed Lewis Hamilton who simply had no answer for the German's pace.

That put Vettel within three points of the championship lead and it seems to unsettled the Mercedes camp which, just two weeks earlier, dominated the Australian Grand Prix.

"We just need to analyse in the next couple of days where we went wrong, what we need to improve, whether we need to bring any developments forward, put them on the car quicker, what we are doing about engine number two. And assess that properly," Wolff is quoted as saying by The Telegraph.

"But definitely, we need to increase the pace of our development. We have everything we need. We feel confident in the resources we have, and that we are well placed."

The Austrian says the lost victory is no cause for concern and even suggested it was good to have closer competition for the season ahead.

"We just need to stay calm. Maybe take some things earlier on the car than we planned, but there is no reason to panic," he added.

"We are back into a regular racing season where you have more than just one contender. We are back to normal business."

[MIKA27]

Manor says claims it can't run two cars is nonsense

Manor have denied reports they're unable to run both cars at the same time due to software problems and limited parts.

Whilst the team attended the first race in Australia, neither car managed to leave the garage. Meanwhile in Malaysia, both cars competed in practice, but never together and only Roberto Merhi qualified and raced, leaving Will Stevens in the garage.

Team principal Graeme Lowdon has denied the reports and says they were simply unable to get Stevens out on Saturday and Sunday because of an ongoing 'fuel system problem'.

"I can guarantee you if that car could have moved, it would have raced," he told Autosport. "There is absolutely no question about it. And it would have qualified.

"Quali we had very clear run planning for both cars, and we would have definitely raced with two cars."

He says the claims are "complete and utter nonsense" as it wouldn't make sense to miss the first races where they're more likely to score points due to a high attrition rate.

"Look at Melbourne - why would you not want to be in a race," he said, noting the fact that just 11 cars finished the race. "You would drag the car kicking and screaming.

"It's complete utter nonsense. Elvis is not alive on Mars and all the rest of it.

"We'll just keep our heads down, crack on with what we have to do, and keep moving forward."

[MIKA27]

High winds cause major damage to Silverstone wing

High winds over the weekend caused major damage to Silverstone's pit and paddock building, with photos showing large parts of The Wing missing its roof.

The new building opened in 2011 as part of Silverstone's bid to retain the British Grand Prix and is now an iconic part of the circuit.

Sporting director Stuart Pringle played down the severity of the damage, describing it as "largely cosmetic", but urgent repairs will be required in order to have the building ready for the British GP in early July.

"Although it looks a bit of a mess at the moment, the damage is largely cosmetic and the structural and functional integrity of the roof remains completely intact," said Pringle.

"Whilst clearly we will have to smarten the section of roof and clear the insulation debris from the paddock, we don’t anticipate any impact on this weekend’s BRSCC race meeting."

It's likely insurance will cover much of the repairs, but it is a setback for the circuit which has recently undergone a management restructure as it looks to become more financially viable.

[MIKA27]

Monza reveals plans to secure new F1 deal

Monza is optimistic that it will secure the future of the Italian Grand Prix until at least 2020 after unveiling a recovery plan to boost activity at the legendary track.

The circuit, which has hosted the Italian GP every year since 1950 – with the exception of 1980 when the race was held at Imola – has a contract with Formula 1 until 2016.

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said last year that the event could be dropped after the current deal expired as the conditions were not good enough.

Former F1 driver Ivan Capelli, the president of the Milan Automobile Club, is leading the push to secure a new contract for the track.

During the presentation on Tuesday of initiatives to boost the circuit's popularity, Capelli said he now feels very optimistic the circuit will stay on the F1 calendar in the medium term.

"As you can see, the recovery plan sets clear targets in the short and medium term," said Capelli.

"This strengthens our will to bring to Monza important races like the World Superbike Championship and, above all, in our negotiations to keep the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

"Thanks to the support from institutional and private parties we are confident we can secure a contract extension until the 2020."

Capelli said he will meet with Ecclestone during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.

[MIKA27]

Ecclestone on European races: Whatever goes, goes

Bernie Ecclestone says there is no guarantee the German Grand Prix will make its way back onto the Formula 1 calendar in 2016, while he intimates he is also willing to let Monza fall by the wayside if necessary.

The Nurburgring was originally scheduled to host the 2015 German Grand Prix race as a continuation of its event-rotation with Hockenheim, but financial difficulties would force it to withdraw.

Though attention turned to Hockenheim to step in for 2015, circuit owners couldn't reach an agreement with FOM after it felt it hadn't been given enough time to promote and sell tickets to a race that saw dwindling spectator figures last year.

However, while Hockenheim still has a pre-existing contract to host a race in 2016 and 2018, Ecclestone says that is no guarantee that Germany will return to the calendar at all.

"No,” he told Press Association when asked if he could confirm its return. "It doesn't make a difference [if it has a contract]. A lot of people have a contract."

"The trouble in Germany was the Nurburgring spent an awful lot of money which they borrowed. They didn't need to spend what they spent, and therefore didn't need to borrow the amount they borrowed. They forgot to pay it back, and that caused a few ripples. It sent a bad message."

Another European race to fall by the wayside, following France and the second Spanish race in Valencia, despite Germany's exit and ongoing concerns that Monza may also slip from the schedule after its current contract expires in 2016, Ecclestone remains unmoved by the prospect of losing another iconic event, saying 'if Monza goes, it goes - whatever goes, goes'.

Challenged on whether event hosting fees are too high, which in turn force organisers to increase ticket prices, Ecclestone admits there is arguably truth in that accusation, but apportions some of the blame to the teams.

"Probably right [about over-charging], but the teams get 62 per cent of whatever profit the company (CVC) makes, so if we make less money, the teams make less money."

With Germany off the calendar, Europe will host just 8 of the 19 F1 rounds in 2015 – Spain, Monaco, Great Britain, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, Italy and Russia. With Mexico rejoinig the schedule in 2015, a second US race and a new event in Azerbaijan is poised to be added in 2016, the latter adopting the 'Grand Prix of Europe' moniker.

[MIKA27]

Alonso expects McLaren success to come ‘soon’

Fernando Alonso says McLaren can expect 'success soon' if it continues at its current rate of improvement, despite the team suffering a double DNF in the Malaysian Grand Prix.

The Spaniard got as high as eighth at one stage on his return to F1 action in the Honda-powered McLaren and though he was out-of-sync in terms of pit-stop, he says he thinks a top ten finish was in the offing.

Nonetheless, though an ERS problem would halt him on lap 21 – before Jenson Button followed suit shortly afterwards -, Alonso was impressed by the 'surprisingly good' pace and convinced the team is heading in the right direction to reach its objectives.

“The pace was surprisingly good, we were running with the pack and even catching the Red Bulls at the end before the pit stops. It was a nice surprise and hopefully in China we can make another step forward.

“These reliability problems are normal and without winter testing, what you normally find in winter testing we have to find in the first couple of races unfortunately. But we need to accept maybe some retirements and we are ready to do so.

“Definitely it has been a very nice weekend and a very nice surprise to see the improvement from Australia to Malaysia. If we keep this rate we will enjoy [success] very soon.”

[spirit]

Mika - just wanted to say thanks for your efforts updating this thread constantly, love reading all the updates!

Cheers!

Will

[MIKA27]

Mika - just wanted to say thanks for your efforts updating this thread constantly, love reading all the updates!

Cheers!

Will

Mate, you're very welcome, THANK YOU for reading