FORMULA 1 - 2015

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V6 turbo formula not a failure - Toto Wolff

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has rejected suggestions F1's current engine formula is a failure.

Apathy towards the V6 turbos and their complex energy recovery systems has been driven by a lack of noise compared to the V8s they replaced and the apparent advantage Mercedes gained over the rest of the field. Within the sport, the extra cost of the power units has increased the financial burden on several teams and contributed towards Marussia and Caterham going into administration at the end of last year.

Amid plans to tweak the current engines to produce 1000bhp, Wolff defended the existing formula, saying Ferrari's resurgence this year is proof it can provide an exciting product.

"I don't think it's a failure," he said. "We have clearly, like any other sport, our challenges. And you need to be able to reinvent yourself if you think that the formula or format is not good enough. I think that with Ferrari resurging there is a pretty tough fight out there for the championship, we have seen indications in the last races that viewing figures have been up."

Wolff said he was happy to let Bernie Ecclestone drive through plans to make the show more exciting, but said Mercedes would continue to have its input to ensure its interests are protected.

"Clearly you see differences between promoters and the show they are being able to put up. But again in my role it's not so much up to me to judge whether the show is good enough or not, because I'm not selling any tickets and I'm not trying to sign promoters or TV stations. So we need to follow Bernie's guidance on that, this is his job, what we can do is be part of these discussions and come up with our standpoint with some sensible guidance that we think is wrong and right.

"From my perspective it's what is important for Mercedes from the technology point of view, from the communications point of view, from how we see ourselves in that sport and how we see that sport itself and we try to bring that opinion on the table and then there is a governance in place and a decision is going to happen."

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Football chief interested in Grand Prix job

Paul Little, chairman of the Essendon Football Club, has expressed interest in becoming the head of the Australian Grand Prix.

Little, a known motor racing fan and former V8 Supercar team owner, has said he would be interested in taking over the Australian Grand Prix Corporation chairman role that was recently vacated by Ron Walker.

“I’d be interested in it but I think there is a long way to go,” he was quoted as saying by Melbourne newspaper The Herald Sun.

“Motor racing has been a big part of my life as a driver and as a Formula 1 fan,” he said.

“I certainly haven’t had any discussions with the government but if an offer was made I’d certainly be interested.”

Melbourne premier Daniel Andrews responded to the story on 3AW radio, explaining that “we’ll make an announcement soon.”

Paul Little Racing competed in the V8 Supercars Championship until the end of 2005, running a Perkins Engineering-built VY Commodore for Anthony Tratt.

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GRACIA: FERNANDO KNEW FERRARI WAS GOING TO IMPROVE

Fernando Alonso knew Ferrari would take a step forward in 2015, that is the claim of Carlos Gracia (above), the head of Spain’s motor racing federation.

“People keep saying Fernando was wrong to go to McLaren,” he told Marca ahead of the country’s home grand prix next weekend.

Indeed, after five seasons of trying to win the title in red, 33-year-old Alonso left Ferrari at the end of last year to spearhead the new works McLaren-Honda project.

But he is now buried in the midfield, while Ferrari’s resurgence has powered his successor Sebastian Vettel to title contention and the race win in Malaysia.

“Well,” Gracia said, “I think Fernando would also have won races with that car. Just look at the performance of Kimi Raikkonen last year and then this year to see that it is the car that has improved, not the drivers.”

“Fernando knew that Ferrari was going to improve a lot this year,” Gracia insisted, “but his path was already made — due to many circumstances it was the end of a story.”

But now, many observers say Alonso obviously made a mistake to leave Ferrari just as it put its slumped performance and turmoil in the past.

“I think differently,” said Gracia, “(and) that Alonso instead initiated a new way to create inspiration among the fans.”

Now, Alonso is predicting that McLaren will make a big step forward at his home race in Barcelona, now that the team and Honda is kicking off the start of the European season.

But, according to AS newspaper, he warned: “Let no one think that we will finish on the podium, but I hope that we will be better.”

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CLAIRE WILLIAMS SAYS HER FATHER WILL NEVER RETIRE

Claire Williams says her legendary father will be “face down on the desk” on the day he retires from his role as team principal.

Claire, 38, is now the Grove team’s deputy and undoubtedly first in line to succeed her father Sir Frank, who founded his racing team almost 50 years ago.

In the late 70s, Williams – now 73 and believed to be one of the world’s oldest tetraplegics – founded his British-based F1 team alongside Patrick Head, who has since retired.

But Claire told the Guardian that her dad is not going to follow suit, “Frank is TP (team principal). Always has been, always will be, until we find him one day face down on the desk.”

Sir Frank spent some considerable time in hospital last year, but he is once again attending grands prix in 2015. But his travails in 2014 triggered speculation Claire is his obvious successor in the top job.

However, she says Frank remains as passionate today as he ever was, “Frank is in there 24-7 – he’s in the office more than any of us. He loves it, he’s passionate about it. Frank is there, he always will be and he has no plans to retire. It wouldn’t be the same without him.”

Although Williams ran teams in various guises throughout the seventies, the team as we know it today made it’s debut at the 1977 Spanish Grand Prix and became an official constructor the following year at the season opening Argentine Grand Prix.

Since then Sir Frank has made his team the third most successful in the history of the sport, starting 623 races to date, winning nine Formula Constructors’ titles (1980, 1981, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997), seven Drivers’ Championships (1980, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997) and 114 race victories in the process.

Many of Formula 1’s greatest drivers, all world champions, of the modern era have raced for Williams including: Australia’s Alan Jones; Finland’s Keke Rosberg; Britain’s Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and Jenson Button; France’s Alain Prost; Brazilians Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna, and Canada’s Jacques Villeneuve,

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Vettel: Great atmosphere and results

Hailing Ferrari's progress this season, Sebastian Vettel says the "ambition is there" to catch Mercedes.

The German joined Ferrari from Red Bull Racing in the off-season and has reaped the rewards of a much-improved SF15-T.

Finishing on the podium in his debut grand prix, Vettel has gone on to add one race victory and another podium result.

As such the four-time World Champion is third in the Drivers' standings on 65 points, 28 adrift of Championship leader Lewis Hamilton.

And he reckons credit for the team's massive step forward should go to technical director James Allison and new team boss Maurizio Arrivabene.

"James is on the technical side, whereas Maurizio is on the business side, looking after things globally," he told Crash.net.

"There is still a lot of change going on. Some things are in place, others are not, but are due to be in place sometime soon.

"The atmosphere is great, people are happy, including myself, and the results have been phenomenal for us as a team.

"The ambition is there to do better, to catch Mercedes, even if it is at this stage very ambitious. For sure, that's the target for myself and the whole team."

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Silverstone boss fears F1 has become too predictable

Formula 1 is becoming too predictable and that's putting fans off, according to Silverstone managing director Patrick Allen, despite increased ticket sales for this year's British Grand Prix.

Allen, who recently took over at the historic Silverstone circuit, believes the sport has lost its way recently and has called upon the powers that be to bring back the excitement.

"If I can predict, before I get out of bed, that Lewis will win by four seconds, followed by Rosberg, Vettel, Raikkonen, Bottas and Massa, and that's every race, then the product isn't good enough," he is quoted as saying by the Guardian.

"My opinion is we need a sport that's a bit more exciting than that. We mustn't lose sight of what the fans come here for, and they come here to watch their heroes in a gladiatorial sense, not a guy on a data screen. When it gets to that, we've lost the very soul of the sport.

"We need some help from the FIA and Formula One Management (FOM) in terms of the rules to make it more exciting," he added. "I don't know what the answer is but my feeling is that it's not as exciting as it could be. It's more about the technical development of the car and not about the drivers' skill."

Allen's concerns are justified. Falling ticket sales has already led to the loss of the German GP ealier this year, whilst races like Italy and Belgium are also under threat due to financial concerns.

That could spread to Silverstone which can't simply rely on its historic status to draw crowds in.

"If we start to see it slip away, for circuits like this F1 is a large chunk of our business and the whole thing starts to unravel.

"If we get to a point where, five, six, seven years from now the fans are dwindling away because the product isn't interesting we have a problem," he admitted.

"This is a heritage site so it strengthens our hand. But you can't rely on it. As you get fewer and fewer, it becomes like the World Wildlife Fund - you need to protect it."

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Mosley urges F1 to adopt budget cap with a twist

Former FIA president Max Mosley has urged Formula 1's rule-makers to consider a budget cap once again, amid an ongoing financial crisis which has somewhat been swept under the carpet.

A number of teams would likely have missed the opening race in Australia had it not been for advanced prize money payments issued by Bernie Ecclestone.

This certainly hasn't solved the crisis, but delayed it. The only way to truly fix the problem is to implement a budget cap - something Mosley attempted back in 2009 but failed when the teams threatened a breakaway series.

The Briton says the idea must once again be considered, but with a twist to appease the larger teams which can afford to spend hundreds of millions.

Those that want to spend over the odds can do so, but under the current regulations. Whilst those that agree to run on a capped budget will be allowed greater technical freedom.

"I can imagine that very soon all the teams would fall into the camp of the budget limit," the 75-year-old told Auto Motor und Sport.

"They would realise that you can also do great motor sport and build technically advanced cars with 100 million."

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Only true fight is with team-mate - Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton is looking forward to a battle with Sebastian Vettel this year, but believes he could only truly judge himself against the four-time champion if they were in the same car.

Vettel is the only driver other than Hamilton to win a race this season as Ferrari looks set to give Mercedes a run for their money this year. Asked if he was looking forward to a closer fight with Vettel, Hamilton said it would only be a true fight if they were in equal machinery.

"I'm looking forward to being able to have a fight with him on the track [this year], as well as with other drivers," Hamilton said. "I think ultimately you will never have a true race unless you are driving the same car, because there is always going to be differences in the cars. We might have more power but they might be better on the brakes, we might be better at one circuit but they might be better at another.

"I remember in the days of McLaren v Ferrari they had a slightly longer wheelbase and their car was better at looking after tyres - the rears in particular; theirs was a more was more of an understeering car whereas ours was an oversteering car; they were better on the medium to high-speed circuits and we were better on the medium to slow-speed circuits.

"It balances out over the year, but naturally if you are fighting it out with your team-mate it's a real battle because you've both got the same materials. The cars are getting closer and closer matched, so I'm looking forward to having that battle with not only Nico but now Kimi and Vettel."

Hamilton currently leads the championship by 27 points from team-mate Nico Rosberg and 28 points from Vettel.

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Formula 1 season to start later in 2016

The Formula 1 season is set for a later start in 2016, with the opening race in Melbourne shifting to an early April date.

The race will be held over the first weekend in April next year, meaning it will take place after daylight savings time has finished in Melbourne. As a result, the race is unlikely to be a twilight event, with a shift back to a more traditional afternoon time slot expected.

While an exact start time is yet to be confirmed, Australia will definitely still be the season opener next year.

"It's fantastic that Melbourne will again play host to the opening round of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship,” said Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Andrew Westacott.

“Over the past 20 years Melbourne has become synonymous with the start of a new Formula 1 season, and we look forward to again welcoming all the teams and drivers to our great city in 2016.

"The new date will see an earlier start time, and fans can expect the same great on-track action and off-track entertainment across the four days."

The Australian Grand Prix has been traditionally held in March since shifting from Adelaide to Melbourne in 1996, the only exception being the 2006 race, which was run in April to avoid a clash with the Commonwealth Games.

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PRODROMOU: MCLAREN HAD LOST ITS WAY AERODYNAMICALLY

Next year’s McLaren car will be an evolution of the current MP4-30 which, according to the team’s new chief engineer Peter Prodromou marks a turnaround for the team, that had lost their way in the aero department.

Last year, the British team finished the season just fifth best, despite having clearly the best engine in the field in the form of the Mercedes.

This season indeed, while Honda is still struggling to add power and reliability to its turbo V6 power unit, McLaren insists the actual chassis is on the right track.

Much of that credit might go to Prodromou, who was formerly known as a key deputy to Red Bull’s aerodynamics guru, Adrian Newey.

“Over the last couple of seasons, the team [McLaren] slightly lost its way aerodynamically,” Prodromou admits. “It became obvious that if we’d carried on with the previous concept, there’d only be so much we could achieve.”

And he said that the current aerodynamic concept is sound, “Next year’s car will be an evolution of this year’s, so we need to keep developing it right until the final race.”

Behind the scenes, team boss Eric Boullier has revealed, that things were just not working, “There has been a huge change in overall culture and philosophy.”

The Frenchman is not just referring to the huge shift from customer Mercedes to works Honda power, which for the moment has left McLaren again trailing the field.

Boullier insists McLaren is now taking an altogether “new approach”, which is bearing fruit.

“I guess about 50 per cent of the upgrades we brought to the track last year didn’t completely work,” he admitted. “This year, we’ve brought that down to about 5 or 10 per cent.”

Marc Gene, Formula 1 veteran and a test driver for Ferrari, says McLaren’s progress since the beginning of the year – when it was dead last – has been obvious.

“It is true that it has taken longer than I thought,” he told Diario Sport, “but the improvement has been very large.

“The evolution from Australia to Bahrain was spectacular, even though (Jenson) Button had many problems.

“Ferrari has turned out (in 2015) better than even the most optimistic outlook, and nobody could have imagined the start McLaren has had either,” Gene added.

“But McLaren is a team with a lot of resources and now they are already at an acceptable level when things are working.”

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LAUDA: NICO HAS THE HARDEST JOB IMAGINABLE

According to Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda, Nico Rosberg needs to start from scratch as he takes on the hardest job in the sport, namely to challenge Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton for race wins and the 2015 Formula 1 world title.

After fighting Hamilton hard throughout 2014, German Rosberg has notably struggled this season and is already 27 points behind after four races.

Austrian legend Lauda, a former triple world champion, sympathises and told Auto Motor und Sport, “Nico has the hardest job imaginable. Lewis is in top form at the moment — he makes virtually no errors and his self-confidence is boundless.”

Rosberg, on the other hand, is known as the ultimate F1 thinker, so that after losing to Hamilton by six tenths in Bahrain qualifying, he tried to over-analyse the reasons.

But “He should forget the complicated explanations and just say: I made a mistake,” Lauda advises. “Get the ballast out of your head and do your race as though the world championship is starting from scratch every time.”

Another former F1 driver, Gerhard Berger, says Lauda’s advice will be useful to Rosberg.

“It’s ok for him (Rosberg) to ask Niki how to become champion if you apparently don’t have the speed of your rival,” he said, probably referring to Lauda’s famous half-point victory against McLaren teammate Alain Prost in 1984.

“Above all, Nico must continue to believe in himself,” Berger added, according to f1-insider.com. “That’s the most important thing.”

Lauda, meanwhile, says the most important thing for Rosberg is to urgently put a stop to Hamilton’s run of form.

“Nico has to break this run from Lewis,” he insisted, “and put him under pressure. If he beats him just once, then the other one (Hamilton) will start to think about it.”

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RED BULL TO DEBUT SHORT NOSE ‘RB11-B’ IN SPAIN

Red Bull is tipped to finally debut the so-called short nose version of its 2015 Formula 1 car at the forthcoming Spanish Grand Prix, in an effort to use aero to make up the deficit in their Renault power unit

“The modified car is arguably an RB11-B,” report El Mundo Deportivo.

The former world champions, who have struggled so far in 2015 with both the car and its Renault ‘power unit’, made multiple attempts to pass the mandatory FIA crash tests with the very short nose that is now expected to debut in Barcelona.

Speed Week claims Red Bull in fact failed the tests several dozen times. El Mundo said the modified Red Bull will be shorter even than other short-nosed designs on the grid like the Mercedes and Williams, making it “very difficult to copy”.

Speed Week continued: “Red Bull is hoping for an improvement that brings it in line with Ferrari.”

Paddy Lowe, the technical boss at Mercedes, says the role being played by aerodynamics in the new ‘turbo V6′ era has been underestimated.

“So much is spoken about the power units and the energy recovery,” he is quoted as saying, “but I do not think aerodynamics have played a minor role.”

And Toro Rosso technical chief James Key added: “The short nose was the most difficult part of my work on the 2015 car.”

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ALESI WORRIED BY MICK SCHUMACHER EXPOSURE

Ex-Formula 1 driver Jean Alesi has expressed alarm at the massive media exposure surrounding Michael Schumacher’s 16-year-old son.

Mick Schumacher’s step from karting to the German Formula 4 series this year has captured the imagination of the world’s media.

But former Ferrari driver Alesi’s 15-year-old son, Giuliano, also made the move into F4 this year, in the French edition of the junior category.

Already in 2015, Alesi junior – who wears his father’s familiar helmet livery – has won two races from pole position.

Mick has also won a race early in his car racing career, but many around the world might not have even known that Alesi has a son that had begun his own rise to formula one.

On the other hand, Tuttosport have hailed the young Schumacher, proclaiming: “With his debut, it is clear that the genes of his father have been passed on.”

Alesi insisted: “There is no jealously, in fact for me Mick is like a child. I also understand the special situation that Michael is in now has had an effect on all of this attention — I think he (Michael) would not have allowed this media exposure.|”

Frenchman Alesi also thinks he made the right choice to direct Giuliano into French F4, “because there are no teams — the 20 cars are all operated by the French academy that launched Bourdais, Grosjean and Vergne”.

“So there are no excuses,” Alesi added, “it is the driver making the difference and not the team.”

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'Vettel needs to stir things up'

Although many at Silverstone will be rooting for a Lewis Hamilton winy, the circuit's boss believes F1 needs more competition before it "damages the sport."

Having won the World title last season in what was a Mercedes-only battle, this year Hamilton is already racing towards a third Drivers' Championship title.

Winning three of the opening four races, and finishing second in the only one he didn't win - Malaysia, Hamilton already has a comfortable lead in the standings.

27 points ahead of his team-mate Nico Rosberg and a further one ahead of Vettel, Hamilton would take a race weekend off and still lead.

And that rampant form is a concern for Silverstone's new managing director Patrick Allen.

"My only concern is that if he wins everything by a country mile between now and July, if it becomes a procession, it damages the sport," Allen explained.

"So it would be great if Sebastian Vettel could stir things up a bit."

He added: "What we are seeing in F1 is a bit of a procession. How interesting is that to watch?

"Even Lewis has been quoted has saying it is great for Britain to see him back as World Champion but if he wins every week how long is it before people starting thinking it's a bit too predictable.

"Even the drivers themselves admit we need some help. We need the engine noise back, too, in my opinion."

But it is not just the noise that Allen says Formula 1 needs to work on.

According to the MD, who replaced Richard Phillips back in January, the outcome of grands prix are being decided by technical directors, not drivers.

He added: "I wonder sometimes if the technical director should be on the podium because it's the car that wins the race, not the driver.

"Five, six, seven years from now, if the fans start dwindling away because the product is no longer interesting then we will have a problem.

"That's why I would urge the likes of FOM and the FIA to look at the rules, look at how we make the car more challenging to drive and make it a more closely fought rather than more technical.

"Fans come to watch racing, they don't just come to watch a guy looking at a data screen, when we get to that we've lost the very soul of the sport.

"People like to see the nip and tuck, the duel. Drivers are the gladiators in this arena and that's what fans want to see."

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Analysis: The politics behind F1's parity engine proposals

Much has been made in recent days of plans to introduce a cheaper 'parity' engine for Formula 1's smaller teams. But there's more to the proposals than first meets the eye.

Bernie Ecclestone's recent suggestion that Formula 1 should consider the possibility of allowing teams to choose either a low-cost parity engine or to run with the current power units harked back to the days of Max Mosley's time running the FIA.

What Mosley and Ecclestone were adept at doing was presenting the teams with an unappealing option, so as to make it easier to get the concessions they were really looking for.

Just as in 2008, when an unpopular proposal to introduce standardised engines for 2010 made it easier to reduce engine costs, the proposal made by Ecclestone seems like a means of forcing Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes to subsidise the cost of their power units as they had done with the old V8s.

Speaking earlier this week Ecclestone said: "If the manufacturers then decide [the parity engine] would be a good thing, then that's OK. Or if they want to supply [current] engines at a realistic price to the teams, then good."

He later hammered the price point home, saying: "At the moment they are doing a very good R&D project supported by the teams that are paying. That engine will never be used in any car or a boat or anything. It was never designed to do that.

"Just the regulations were put out, the engineers got hold of it, and said this is what they can do. They've done a super job, but it has to be cheaper."

Much of the midfield dissatisfaction with the hybrid power units is the sense among the customer teams that they are subsidising the R&D efforts of global automotive giants through their high engine bills.

The justification for the new power units centred on the road relevance of hybrid technology, and the current V6s are packed with innovations that the manufacturers can utilise in their road cars – yet which Sauber, Force India, Williams and Lotus have helped pay to develop.

That is the disparity which needs redressing - projected profits from future road car sales should be used to subsidise the cost of Formula 1 engines to the customer teams.

But because the bulk of those who stand to benefit from such a regulation are those disenfranchised teams who no longer have much influence on the rulemaking process, Ecclestone finds himself in the position of having to go up against those to whom he gave the power.

In such a battle, the F1 supremo's best move is to present the manufacturers with a hated option and a tolerable one, in the hope they will pick the least worst option.

"What Bernie is looking at is that the independent teams will be offered a 'parity' engine, possibly a V8 with KERS, at a half of the price at least of what we are paying today," Force India's Bob Fernley told Motorsport.com.

"Of course, as an independent team to be able to cut our costs down by half and have parity with the V6s is attractive. It doesn't disadvantage us, we're still putting on a great show.

"If say Cosworth brought in a V8 with a KERS system it would be a very, very good unit. The advantage to that is we've got an independent supplier, and there's nothing wrong with that for the health of F1. I think Cosworth and Renault are the two operations that can do it."

Fernley found an unlikely ally in Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who told Motorsport.com: "We ought to have a good look at it and explore the pros and cons. It's happened before, and you might get certain engines competitive at different tracks, and it might move things around a bit.

"It's certainly interesting. It's more of a question for Renault than it is for me, but I would have thought they would certainly consider it."

So what do Fernley and Horner have to gain from lending their support to the two-engine formula concept?

If Ecclestone succeeds in getting the manufacturers to agree to an engine subsidy that will bring the V6s more in line with their subsidised predecessor, the customer teams' engine bills could drop by as much as 50 per cent, a great boost to the smaller teams.

Red Bull has less of a need to count its pennies, but Horner is not blind to the fact that cheaper power units would free up more money to other development work.

More critically, the notion of Renault being asked to provide the 'parity unit' would be a public assertion that the French firm's V6 was not up to par, and that Renault cannot compete on an equal footing with the sport's other suppliers.

For Renault – a major champion of hybrid technology - that cannot be allowed to happen. Red Bull's support for the two-engine formula is another means of exerting pressure on their supplier to ensure every effort is made to deliver power units that are reliable, powerful, and driveable.

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WARWICK: F1 RULES KILLING THE SPORT FOR TV AND SPECTATORS

Former grand prix driver Derek Warwick is yet another voice has been added to concerns that Formula 1 must change its rules to stop them killing the sport.

The powerful Strategy Group will meet in May and it is expected the headline agenda item will be a sharp change of direction for F1 in 2017.

Smaller teams are struggling to survive, bigger teams are struggling for success in the new ‘power unit’ era, while fans and promoters are calling for the cars to appear, drive and sound more aggressive.

And now, former F1 driver and current FIA steward, Briton Derek Warwick, says rules like those mandating long-life gearboxes and engines are “killing the sport for TV and spectators”.

“Most of them [the drivers] are only doing 10 laps in practice because they are saving something — whether it be engine, power unit, gearboxes,” he is quoted by Sportal.

“So they [the rules] are kind of backfiring a little bit, the principle is right but something needs to change to make F1 exciting, to make the drivers look like gladiators.”

Instead, Warwick argues, the stars of the show have become little more than polished PR machines, while the cars allow teenagers like Max Verstappen to leap almost straight from karting to F1 points.

In contrast, the cars of old were animals, Warwick said, “We had 1,600 horse power and downforce that made your eyes pop out.”

“[Today] you see them doing a test and within ten laps they are two tenths off the lead driver. That didn’t happen in my day, therefore these cars must be easier to drive,” Warwick said.

“We just need to take a step back, have a good look at ourselves before it is too late.”

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BOTTAS TO FERRARI? SILLY SEASON OFF TO AN EARLY START

Reports in Italy suggest Valtteri Bottas’s Formula 1 future may well be coloured in red.

Former double world champion Mika Hakkinen, now involved in the management of the Williams driver’s career, said this week that if he was the decision-maker at Ferrari, he is not sure he would retain Kimi Raikkonen.

On the other hand, “Valtteri showed how well he can handle the pressure” as he raced Sebastian Vettel in Bahrain, Hakkinen told his sponsor Hermes in an interview.

“It was exactly the sort of strong nerves that drivers need in the fight for world championships,” he insisted.

Media sources now suggest that Bottas may have already penned a preliminary contract with Maranello based Ferrari.

The rumours also indicate that the forthcoming F1 entrant Haas, which is being widely referred to as a Ferrari B-team, could house Raikkonen next year, as the Finn is pushing for the 2016 ‘option’ in his contract to be signed.

Finally, the rumours suggest Williams would fill the seat vacated by Bottas with Pascal Wehrlein, who is engine supplier Mercedes’ reserve driver.

To accommodate the Bottas-Wehrlein movement, Mercedes may be prepared to discount the fee paid for its engines by Williams, who recorded a $50 million financial loss in 2014.

MIKA: Why on earth move to Ferrari when you have a great car and team in Williams? Seriously I don't get the whole Ferrari aura. As far as I'm concerned, if you're driving in a good car and more importantly are in a great team environment, why not stick with that team and succeed? I think Ferrari are overrated, they are a great team, great history BUT, they are just another team.

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Boullier hails culture change

As McLaren look to rebound, Eric Boullier says a "huge change" in the team's culture and a Championship-winning line-up are making a "big" difference.

This season, not only have McLaren swapped to Honda power but the team has a Championship-winning driver pairing in Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso.

The duo have struggled in the opening four races as the Woking team adapts to life with Honda.

Boullier, though, is confident that their race-winning creditials will help McLaren, who have not one a grand prix since 2012, return to the front of the grid.

"The driver line-up has made a big difference," the Racing Driver explained. "Jenson's attitude and feedback have always been phenomenal, but this year he's raised his game again.

"Our drivers are really committed: they're World Champions, they want to win again, they believe in the project, and they're pushing hard. They don't leave anything on the table in terms of performance, which is fantastic."

That, though, is not the only change that Boullier feels McLaren are benefitting from.

"There's been a huge change in overall culture and philosophy. At every level of the company, there is clear leadership. We agree the direction we want to pursue, and we bring people with us. The attitude has changed from 'telling' people, to 'asking' people; we've integrated people, and we share opinions and ideas.

"The main outcome of that new approach is that people now have a sense of ownership in the car. And they're more motivated and interested as a result. To give you an example, I guess about 50 per cent of the upgrades we brought to the track last year didn't completely work; this year, we've brought that down to about five or 10 per cent.

"There's tangible change at the factory, too: we've invested in some new Mazak machines and updated and upgraded a few old ones. In doing so, we've been able to increase our in-house manufacturing capability by around 30 per cent – which makes our development cycle lighter, faster and more flexible."

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Sauber support Mosley's budget cap proposal

The Sauber Formula 1 team has thrown its support behind former FIA president Max Mosley's proposal for a budget cap with a twist.

The 75-year-old called upon the sport to adopt a budget cap, but make it optional. Those that agree are given greater technical freedom to develop their cars, whilst those against can continue to spend hundreds of millions, but must adhere to the current regulations.

The Briton reckons that soon all the teams would be spending far less as a result.

"I can imagine that very soon all the teams would fall into the camp of the budget limit," he told Auto Motor und Sport.

"They would realise that you can also do great motor sport and build technically advanced cars with 100 million."

Sauber, which is one of a handful of teams suffering from a lack of financial backing, tweeted its support for the idea: "A good idea by Max Mosley which we fully support!"

A meeting of the F1 Strategy Group next month will determine the sports future, with increased horse power and more development freedom up for discussion.

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Love Bottas and I am sure we would all get to see him racing more if he WAS in a Ferrari.

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F1 should evaluate "every idea" - Williams

Claire Williams believes Formula 1 should evaluate all ideas as the future direction of the sport is discussed in the coming weeks.

The Strategy Group meeting on May 14 will consider possible avenues for 2017, such as the introduction of a cheaper engine for midfield teams.

"There are lot of ideas floating around at the moment," the Williams deputy team principal told Motorsport.com.

"And it's all about trying to find the greater good in F1, for the benefit of the teams, and the sustainability of our sport for fans coming watch us and tuning in on TV.

"I think we have to evaluate every idea and decide what's best for the sport at the end of the day, and that's the process we're going through at the moment."

Williams, however, is not convinced by talk of a cheaper engine option.

"I think the question you have to ask is whether any team would want to buy a lesser engine?

"Yes, of course there are financial implications of buying engine 'A', but every team is going to want to buy engine 'A' because of the performance delta."

Regarding suggestions that there would be performance parity between the works and budget engines, she said: "I think that's a conversation for the Strategy Group meeting."

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Aggressive style was strength and weakness, says Grosjean

Romain Grosjean says he has learned to control the aggression that infamously defined his early days in Formula 1, saying he had the 'wrong objective' at the start of races.

Following his brief flirt with F1 towards the end of the 2009 season, Grosjean returned to the sport with Lotus in 2012, his renewed endeavour earning him a podium after just four races, the first of three he would achieve in that year.

However, the season was also characterised by a number of controversial incidents, specifically on the first lap and most notably in Spa when a pile-up he triggered at La Source landed him a one race ban.

Looking back on those days, Grosjean says a desire to get himself into a race-winning position early on in what was becoming a relatively unpredictable season governed by tyre strategies ultimately skewed his judgements.

“In 2012 I got to Formula One and scored my first podium in Bahrain. Then we went to Barcelona and then Canada I almost won the race, then we went to Valencia and I was supposed to win the race and I had a problem with the alternator. Then it was all about winning the race and you kind of forget the rest. You get to Turn 1 and think 'I need to be there if I want to win the race'. It's just taking the wrong objective.”

Nonetheless, Grosjean expands on this by saying his aggressive style – which got him into trouble at the start – was beneficial in his qualifying strength and during key moments in a race.

“I've been learning a lot and if we take 2012 it was always in the same place. It was always at the start and it was a mistake from taking the wrong objective as the start was going on. When you learn that and you understand what you're doing wrong then you can change.

“I think then the aggressiveness I can have driving in qualifying is my strength as well. You can do a good lap and then in the race at some key moments it's important to have it. Of course you need to control it and you need to know that there is 500 people working hard for you to build a car and they don't want you to crash.”

Adding that it was never his intention to cause carnage, he insists the split-second nature of the moments create a fine line between hero and zero.

“You don't want to do something crazy and take stupid risks. There is a lot in a very short amount of time when you decide to go for the overtaking manoeuvre there's a lot going on so you have to think 'Is that a good place? How is it going?' And you don't want to crash.

“It's intense inside the car, there's a lot to think about and that's why taking the right or wrong decision is not being stupid or too brave it's just that sometimes you can point to little things to getting it right or wrong.”

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Sorry all, been away the past few days sick with flu.

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HAKKINEN: I WAS WRONG ABOUT VERSTAPPEN

Mika Hakkinen has admitted he was wrong in his assessment of teenage rookie Max Verstappen before the season began.

When Red Bull announced last year that the 17-year-old would be making his debut for Toro Rosso in 2015, Hakkinen said: “In no case is a driver ready for formula one at 17.

“Either as a manager or a father, I would never let a driver as young as that race in F1,” the former McLaren driver and two-time world champion said in August of 2014.

Four races into Verstappen’s grand prix career, however, the teenage Dutchman is now also the youngest-ever F1 points scorer and being hailed as a potential new Senna.

“I was against someone coming into F1 at the age of 17,” Hakkinen told the Spanish sports daily Marca on Monday, “but I am happy to admit that I was wrong. It is an example that times have changed.

“F1 technology is now very powerful and the information the drivers get is much higher – amazing – which you can study to become a better driver,” he explained.

“Everything is better organised, you can test in the simulator all day and in any conditions … I’m not saying it is easier now, but it is more possible to come in and reach a high level.”

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LAUDA: WE ARE ACCELERATING OUR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

Niki Lauda is expecting Mercedes to maintain a small advantage at best over Formula 1 world championship title challenger Ferrari in 2015.

The German camp has admitted that the level of Ferrari’s resurgence since 2014 was a surprise.

“They (Ferrari) have created a very big project this year,” F1 legend Lauda, also the Mercedes team chairman, told Brazil’s Globo.

“We knew it would be closer, but not this quickly. I see great potential in their car,” said the Austrian, “as they can still add a lot more speed yet.

“We are accelerating our development programme and trusting that we will still have an edge, however small,” he added.

Lauda said Mercedes’ 2014-style of domination, where victories were spread mainly between silver-clad teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, is over.

“That’s what I imagine will happen,” he answered, when asked if Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen will now make it a consistently winning quartet in 2015.

“The history of F1 is full of these examples. We have to enjoy it while we are still those tenths in front, especially in qualifying,” added Lauda.

“But if we continue to deliver Lewis a winning car, he will bring us victory,” he said. “As a driver, he is in a state of grace.”

There will be no new Mercedes engine in Barcelona, but the W06 will feature a substantial aerodynamic upgrade for the Spanish grand prix including a front wing, a spokesman confirmed.