FORMULA 1 - 2016

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MANOR FACES TOUGH MISSION TO MAKE THE GRID IN 2017 F1 SEASON

Manor is facing an uphill struggle to get on the grid in 2017 after missing out on prizemoney as a result of losing tenth place in the 2016 constructors’ championship to Sauber.

The British team, which was saved from closure by energy businessman Stephen Fitzpatrick at the start of the 2015 season, held a one point lead over Sauber heading into the final two races of the season thanks to Pascal Wehrlein’s tenth place finish at the Austrian Grand Prix.

But Sauber’s Felipe Nasr finished ninth in the heavily weather-disrupted race in Brazil after staying on wet tyres for the duration of the event and putting on fresh ones during the red flag stoppages.

Industry sources say that the team is working on a variety of avenues to ensure that it is on the grid next year, but it’s clearly hard yards.

Fitzpatrick told reporters in Abu Dhabi that a deal for the former Virgin Racing and Marussia squad had “agreed terms with an investor”.

There has been speculation since then that this could be Tavo Hellmund, the man behind bringing the Austin and Mexico races onto the F1 calendar.

But so far there has been no official confirmation of any final agreement in the weeks since the season finale, although Fitzpatrick has said that things are still on track.

Fitzpatrick described his reaction to the final twist in the battle for tenth place in the constructors’ championship as “one of real disappointment”, but he paid tribute to Sauber because of the close competition the two squads had enjoyed throughout 2016.

He said: “The first reaction I had was one of real disappointment for the team. I think they’ve worked incredibly hard for the last 18 months since the start of last season without much reward and it looked like we were heading for a tenth place finish, which was a big step forward for us.

“I [then] thought of the opposite feeling that must be going on in the Sauber garage and I thought that the guys in the Sauber team had been fantastic competitors for us all year, we’d enjoyed a great battle with them and I knew how much those points meant to the Sauber team and I was trying to imagine the joy they would be having and they worked so hard all season to bring it back in the end.”

Manor was unable to respond at the final event of the season in Abu Dhabi – a race that does not traditionally throw up the kind of unexpected results often seen at Interlagos – and the team is set to lost out on around £15m in FOM bonus money as a result.

After that race, the squad’s racing director, Dave Ryan, said: “We know we still have big strides to make, but it’s a challenge we are all looking forward to as we strive to move Manor up the grid in 2017.”

The team ran two Mercedes junior drivers in 2016 – Wehrlein and Esteban Ocon, who joined for the second half of the season – but it could be without both rising stars in 2017. Ocon has already been signed by Force India as a replacement for the Renault-bound Nico Hulkenberg, and Wehrlein may yet be confirmed as a replacement for Nico Rosberg at Mercedes.

Even if the triple world champion constructor opts not to sign the 22-year-old German driver, he could also switch to Sauber, as the two sides were discussing a potential deal for his services before Rosberg made his shock retirement announcement five days after sealing the 2016 drivers’ title in Abu Dhabi.

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Mercedes won't announce Nico Rosberg replacement until January

Mercedes has confirmed it will not reveal the identity of its replacement for Nico Rosberg this year.

The championship-winning outfit has been left without a team-mate for Lewis Hamilton after Rosberg surprisingly quit the sport five days after winning the championship.

That Anglo-German team have therefore frantically been searching for a replacement and have a shortlist of drivers to work from, but it's believed they've yet to agree terms with anyone.

Mercedes won't therefore be announcing who will partner Hamilton until next year, a team spokesperson confirmed.

"Nothing is planned for the period between now and our return to work on January 3," they said, suggesting an announcement may take some time.

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Christian Horner rules out letting Carlos Sainz move to Mercedes

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has ruled out letting Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz move to Mercedes to replace the retired Nico Rosberg next season.

Sainz has emerged as a possible candidate to replace the current world champion, having impressed during the latter stages of the 2016 season against Daniil Kvyat, whilst also holding his own against Max Verstappen in the opening four races.

The Spaniard is however tied into a long-term deal with Red Bull, and although it includes a buy-out clause, it's unlikely Sainz can raise enough funds to break free, despite the lure of a top team seat.

Horner meanwhile has ruled out any move, insisting he wouldn't want to help out their main rival by gifting them one of their assets.

"Why would we do that?" Horner told the BBC. "Carlos has done a great job. He is a Red Bull driver. We have invested in him to get him into F1 and they are all on long-term contracts so it wouldn't make any sense to feed one of your main opponents with one of your assets."

Horner suggests Mercedes would be wise to promote a younger driver as Red Bull have often done.

"You give these guys a chance," added Horner. "Let's see what people can do in a front-running car.

"If they did take Wehrlein or Bottas, both are probably capable of running right at the front, you just don't know until you give them the chance, which is what we did with Sebastian Vettel, and Daniel Ricciardo."

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HONDA OPEN TO SUPPLY SECOND F1 TEAM IN 2018

With Ron Dennis no longer at the helm of McLaren it has emerged that Honda are willing to supplying a second Formula 1 team in 2018 and have set the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix as a deadline to conclude such a deal.

Honda F1 boss Yusuke Hasegawa revealed in an interview, “We are discussing the possibility of cooperation and the chance to supply the engine but so far, there is no fixed negotiation.”

“There has been informal interest. They are very kind to show some level of interest. Mercedes customers have no strong intention to change their engine to Honda.”

“We have to prove we can show a decent step in the performance of the Honda engine. Until then, I don’t think they can show us a concrete request,” added Hasegawa.

Honda have not quite set the F1 scene alight since their return as an engine supplier. Furthermore former McLaren boss Dennis was always adamant that he would veto supply to a second team until his team were winning with Honda power.

However it may be that with Zak Brown, now in charge at Woking, will take a more pragmatic line regarding the issue. It is well known that an extra team would provide a great deal more data for Honda to work with in their quest to be competitive at the highest level.

Hasegawa admits that a second team will also alleviate the financial strain of the project, “We need to pay costs as well, but it’s very obvious we can increase the data and the chance of spotting a failure.”

The current McLaren-Honda engine supply deal expires at the end of 2017.

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ABITEBOUL: 2016 WAS ALWAYS ABOUT LAYING FOUNDATIONS

Renault Sport Racing management reviews the state of play at the end of the team’s first season in Formula 1 as a works team, since their return.

Renault Sport Formula 1 Team has ended its first season of incorporation with strong foundations for its future. That’s the assessment of Renault Sport Racing Managing Director Cyril Abiteboul, who points to the growth and expansion taking place at Enstone, as well as the significant power unit progress seen in 2016.

Announced in February 2016, Renault Sport Formula One Team is the third full manufacturer entry in Formula 1, alongside Ferrari and Mercedes Benz. The team came into being through the 2015 purchase of the Enstone-based chassis construction facility which was combined with Renault Sport’s Viry-Châtillon power unit facility.

“We’ve stated the reasons for Renault returning to Formula 1 as a full manufacturer entry for 2016 many times, but they are worth reiterating; through having our own team we are the masters of our destiny and we can promote our image as well as showcase our technology to a massive global audience,” explains Abiteboul.

“2016 was always about laying the foundations for the future as we are committed to Formula 1 for the long haul. Our 2016 car, the R.S.16, was conceived in an unbelievably short timeframe – literally a couple of weeks – so our focus for this year has been on expansion of headcount and infrastructure and looking to next year and beyond.”

To these ends, the workforce has already increased by 20% at the team’s Enstone chassis base, where three distinct extension projects are currently underway.

“Expansion is not the work of a moment so we’ve been recruiting people through the year and they have been joining us throughout the season,” says Abiteboul. “It’s definitely a case of targeting a quality workforce to come join us, but we do require a significant quantity of personnel in Enstone as we grow at a level allowing us to fight against the top teams.”

“As part of this I’m happy to confirm that we have two appointments to Enstone’s senior management with Rob White transferring from Viry-Châtillon as Operations Director and Ciaron Pilbeam returning to us as Chief Race Engineer.”

“In terms of facilities, we are significantly increasing our on-site CNC machining capacity with two new machines in a dedicated building, a new spray and preparation facility is currently being built and we will shortly start extending our main factory building by approximately 800m2 to house the expansion of almost every department at Enstone.”

Whilst Enstone has seen the most physical manifestations of the team’s growth, Viry-Châtillon has seen more subtle evolution.

“At Viry-Châtillon we’ve been working on the structure with a process of further evolution to the changes started in the recent past,” says Abiteboul. “This has meant adapting the structure to change from a power unit supplier to part of a full manufacturer entry in addition to continuing as a supplier to other parties, as well as targeted headcount expansion for better control of our skills and talents.”

The progress and improvement on the power unit side has been well documented over the year.

“One of our most tangible successes in 2016 has been the performance and reliability improvements of our power unit and the confirmation of long-term supply contracts with both Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso is the strongest illustration of this improvement,” says Abiteboul.

For 2017, Fred Vasseur, Team Principal of the team, has secured a new driver line-up. The team sees a new driver arrive in the form of Nico Hükenberg. Nico joins Jolyon Palmer who will embark on his third season of working out of Enstone.

“Our driver line-up for 2017 shows our intent and aspirations. Nico comes to the team at a perfect time for both us and him,” says Vasseur. “He has experience of working with different teams, including those we expect to be our rivals next season.”

“As well as a significant amount of experience, he has youth and hunger on his side. He has been a driver hungry for the right opportunity to help build a team and we are that team. It’s a perfect match.”

“Jolyon has shown great development over the course of his rookie season with us, combined with his motivating approach and team spirit, and we feel we have a very good driver line-up for what we want to achieve in 2017.”

Next year’s regulation changes should give scope for the team to move forwards.

“2017 is a fantastic opportunity for us to take a significant step forward for many reasons,” says Vasseur. “The change of regulations could mean quite a shake-up in the order of relative competitiveness, plus the fruits of our expansion will be ramping up. We made an early start to developing next year’s car with this in mind.

“Whilst 2017 should see a good step forward, we are realistic in our expectations as we know that we won’t leapfrog the midfield in a single season. However we are all pushing for a big improvement in competitiveness.”

As well as the sporting and technical growth seen, there have also been structural changes above and beyond the formation of the Formula 1 team.

“2016 was a year to rebuild relations, re-energise both Enstone and Viry and create synergies within the Renault Sport Racing group and the wider Renault-Nissan Alliance. Our return to Formula 1 was part of a larger strategy for the Renault Sport brand to highlight to a global audience all the evolution of Renault’s corporate profile in so many key markets,” says Abiteboul.

One aspect illustrating the long-term goals of Renault Sport Formula One Team was the formation of the Renault Sport Academy.

“It’s been an interesting first year for the Renault Sport Academy and we thank our first season line-up of Oliver Rowland, Jack Aitken, Louis Delétraz, Kevin Joerg and Sun Yue Yang for their efforts this season,” says Vasseur.

All of Renault Sport Formula One Team’s efforts would not have been possible without the support and input of its extensive portfolio of partners.

“We pay particular thanks to Infiniti who as well as being a partner are also a family member in the Renault-Nissan Alliance. They have used their expertise in hybrid technology and make a genuine contribution to the new generation of Energy Recovery System (ERS) used in the team’s power units.

“Also a big thanks to Total for the quality and the performance of its fuel and lubricant products which have facilitated the top level of engine performance we have seen,” adds Abiteboul.

Looking to the future, Renault Sport Formula One Team will compete on French soil in 2018, with the return of the French Grand Prix.

“Formula 1 continues to grow in new and exciting markets but we are also very pleased that it is returning to the first market for Grand Prix racing, France. As a company and individually, we are very pleased about the news that Paul Ricard will host the return of the French Grand Prix from 2018 and we hope to be challenging for podiums at that race!” says Abiteboul.

Now the 2016 season is well and truly over, the focus is very much on 2017.

“Next year promises a fantastic show. The cars will be faster and more aggressive looking. The tyres will be wide. The action will be tremendously exciting. We certainly expect to be in the thick of it from the very beginning,” concludes Fred Vasseur.

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Hulkenberg doubts Force India can improve on 2016

Nico Hulkenberg says Force India's lack of budget and squad size compared to the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull means the team will struggle to trump its 2016 F1 campaign in the future. 

The Renault-bound driver helped Force India to its best-ever F1 season finishing fourth in the world constructors' championship, while Hulkenberg enjoyed equalling his own best year in the sport by finishing ninth in the drivers' standings. 

While Sergio Perez feels Force India can continue to progress and potentially target the top three in 2017, Hulkenberg says it will be 'very difficult' for the Silverstone-based squad to close up to the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull without backing from a manufacturer or additional outside financial help. 

“It is difficult to predict. To move on further, to close the gap in terms of being in the mix with the top three teams, it's very difficult,” Hulkenberg said. “I think they would need a bit more budget, more resources. 

That thinking was part of the key reasons behind Hulkenberg's switch to Renault in 2017 with the German driver putting faith in the French manufacturer's long term goal of returning to the top table in F1. 

Reflecting on his final season with Force India, the former Le Mans 24 Hours winner is pleased with his consistency, having scored points in 14 out of 21 races, but laments the near-misses at Monaco and Spa of a maiden F1 podium. 

“There's a few cases for sure where things happened and we were just unlucky,” he said. “Don't know why. But it's not that I think about it and cry like 'I'm always the unlucky one', it's just life. Hopefully it returns the other way, a favour in the next few years.” 

Hulkenberg joins Jolyon Palmer at Renault in 2017 while Esteban Ocon takes up the second race seat at Force India alongside Sergio Perez. 

 

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ROSS BRAWN: EARLY STARTERS ON 2017 CAN “SHAPE ARGUMENTS” OVER NEW F1 RULES

Ross Brawn says that the teams that made the earliest start on their designs for the 2017 Formula 1 season will have an additional advantage because they can shape the direction of arguments over the interpretations of the new rules.

The 62-year-old was in charge of the Honda squad that later became his own eponymous team in 2009, and Mercedes during the design process for the two most recent major F1 regulation changes and both of those teams went on to win the championship in the first year of the new rulebooks (although Brawn left Mercedes before the start of the 2014 season).

Brawn, who was also a championship-winning technical director for Benetton and Ferrari during previous F1 regulation sets, therefore knows from experience how making an early start on a new set of F1 rules can reap huge rewards for teams.

As well as having more time to design the fastest car, Brawn explained that teams that quickly came up with innovative interpretations of the rules – such as the double diffuser that appeared on his team’s cars in 2009, as well as the Williams and Toyota machines – will be in a better place to defend themselves when those plans are questioned by other teams who are seeking to stop advantageous designs from being raced.

In an interview with the FIA’s AUTO magazine, Brawn said: “Once you get into the application of the regulations for your team, then you defend your corner in order to get all the advantages you can.

“If you start early enough, if you’re the first team to query interpretations with the FIA, is that then you have an advantage because you can start to shape the arguments.

“Being early in that process was important and we found that with the engine when I was at Mercedes. We’d started the engine project very early. With the queries we were making to the FIA for clarifications, it was clear that we were the first ones to do that, so we could start to debate various elements of it. It also gave us some encouragement because we knew no one else was ahead of us.”

F1 cars will be built to a new set of chassis regulations for 2017 and the cars will feature wider bodywork and front wings, wider and lower rear wings, as well as bigger tyres.

Brawn believes the arrival of the new rules will mean cars will look more exiting next season and a change from F1 being such an engine-dominated championship.

He said: “Outwardly they should make the cars a lot quicker. They’ll look racy, with wider track, wider tyres, and the way the wings are profiled the cars are going to look pretty exciting.

“It will be fascinating, though, as it’s putting the emphasis back on the chassis. There is a view that it was too much towards the engine, but actually I think it brought some balance. We went through a phase where the influence of the engine was almost neutral because everything was frozen and they were almost just a bracket between the gearbox and the chassis, whereas now people talk about the engines.”

Mercedes was either “going to stop or step up” after 2011

In the same interview, Brawn also revealed that Mercedes came close to pulling out of F1 at the end of the 2011 season, two years after it returned to the sport and signed Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg to drive the Silver Arrows 55 years after its works team had last participated in the championship.
At that stage the Brackley-based team had scored no wins and just three podiums, and had twice finished fourth in the two years since it had won both championships as Brawn GP.

But the German manufacturer ultimately decided to up its investment in F1, a decision that has brought three consecutive titles drivers’ and constructors’ championships since 2014, and 55 wins, 65 poles and 108 podium finishes since 2012.
“Mercedes’ 2014 success was actually born at the end of 2011, 2012 when we had a tough meeting with the board,” said Brawn. “They were either going to stop or they were going to step up, because 2010 and ‘11 weren’t good enough. We had been following the resource restriction philosophy, which was collapsing. We were 450 people and we were fighting teams that were 500 or 600 people, and there’s no solution to that.
“We said to the board: ‘Either we step up or we ought to step back because we’re in between at the moment.’ The board, all credit to them, said: ‘OK, we’ll step up. We’ll give it a go. What do you need?’

“So it was then that we put the project teams together for 2014. We hired Aldo Costa. We hired Geoff Willis. We hired the people we needed and it started to come together. That’s the strategic planning you need. You’ve got to have a vision of where you want to be in six, 12 months, a year, two years.”

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MASSA TO RETURN ALLOWING BOTTAS TO GOT TO MERCEDES

Reports in Brazilian and German media claim that Felipe Massa has accepted a deal to remain in Formula 1 for another year with Williams, allowing Valtteri Bottas to fill the most desired seat in the sport at Mercedes.

Auto Bild claim that Massa, who a month ago gave a tearful farewell to his fans at Interlagos, is set to remain in the sport to fulfill Williams’ contractual obligations to have an experienced driver alongside teenage rookie Lance Stroll who secured his drive thanks to a huge payment by his billionaire father Lawrence Stroll.

A number of sources suggest that a one year retainer of €6-million has enticed the Brazilian veteran to stay with Williams for another year.

His presence in the team ticks two very important boxes: the first being an experienced driver to mentor young Stroll; the other to provide Martini with a credible and marketable driver for the brand driver which a teenager is not.

This in turn allows Bottas to fill Nico Rosberg’s seat at Mercedes alongside Lewis Hamilton for 2017, fulfilling the wish of team boss (and Bottas manager) Toto Wolff  to have the Finn at the Silver Arrows team.

Adding intrigue to the scenario is that Auto Bild reports that Hamilton is not keen to have Pascal Wehrlein as his teammate, because having the the young German in the team reminds him too much of the situation at 2007 at McLaren where Hamilton teamed up alongside Fernando Alonso.

Furthermore Wehrlein has proven to be very fast during his stints testing for Mercedes, and he has also clocked up more mileage in testing of the wider 2017 Pirelli tyres than any other driver.

The report goes even further and suggests that Hamilton is lying when he says he does not care who his teammate is next year, because the triple World Champion has vetoed Wehrlein’s promotion according to Auto Bild.

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SCHUMACHER FAMILY LAUNCH KEEP FIGHTING INITIATIVE

Michael Schumacher’s family have launched an initiative to help others inspired by the seven-times Formula One world champion’s career and character to ‘keep fighting’ in the face of adversity.

“We would like to encourage others to never give up,” the stricken German racer’s wife Corinna said in a statement presenting the not-for-profit movement on Saturday.

December 29 will be the anniversary of a 2013 skiing accident in which the former Ferrari driver suffered severe head injuries when he fell and hit his head on a rock in the French Alps.

Schumacher, the most successful F1 driver of all time with 91 wins, turns 48 in January. He has been treated at home in Switzerland since he was released from hospital in September 2014.

His son Mick, who was with him at the time of his accident, is now embarking on his own career in motor racing and is working through the junior series.

Few details about the champion’s condition have been made public and manager Sabine Kehm said that silence would be maintained.

“Michael’s health is not a public issue, and so we will continue to make no comment in that regard. This is also because we have to protect his intimate sphere,” she said in a statement.

“Michael has always been very protective of his privacy, even during the most successful times of his career. He has always made sure there is a clear and distinct line between his public persona and his private one.

“We are now celebrating the loyalty of the fans by a range of initiatives, including exhibitions, social media and now ‘Keep Fighting’. Most of the fans have expressed their appreciation and have embraced these initiatives.”

‘Keep Fighting’ will be managed by Schumacher’s office on behalf of the family.

Kehm said it hoped to “spread the belief that giving up is not an option, a message that is valid not only in motor racing. In this way we hope to turn a terrible event, which affects the whole Schumacher family, into something positive.”

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Romain Grosjean takes Trophee Andros win at Alpe d'Huez

Haas Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean won on his return to the Trophee Andros ice racing series at the Alpe d’Huez.

The Frenchman joined reigning champion Jean-Baptiste Dubourg at DA Racing to drive a Renault Clio in the series.

He qualified eighth for the opening race of the weekend but retired. However, he bounced back in the second round.

Having claimed pole position, Grosjean stormed into the lead and claimed victory in the eight-lap race by just under one second.

It was a clean sweep for Grosjean, having topped qualifying, finished fastest in Superpole and took victory in the final race with fastest lap too.

He beat Jean-Philippe Dayraut, while former F1 driver Olivier Panis was fighting for third with Adrien Tambay when the two collided on the run to the chequered flag.

Footage from the L'Equipe TV channel after the race appeared to show Panis and Tambay getting into a fight. Both were excluded from the race.

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Lewis Hamilton picks his greatest ever F1 drive

With his 10th Formula 1 season now done and dusted, Lewis Hamilton has taken a look back at his career to name his greatest ever F1 performance. Here’s the race he picked.

 

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Liberty Media gets antitrust approvals for F1 takeover

Liberty Media has announced it has gained all the necessary approvals from antitrust authorities related to its planned takeover of Formula 1.

The news brings the American entertainment company one step closer to completing its purchase and takeover of F1.

In September Liberty outlined its plans to purchase F1 in a $8billion deal. It initially acquired an 18.7% stake in F1 with a $746million cash deal and intends to eventually purchase 100% of F1 parent company Delta Topco’s shares.

Liberty announced earlier this week it had raised $1.55billion from investors, but said the purchase of F1 remained subject to several conditions.

One of those was approval from antitrust authorities, which Liberty has now confirmed it has received.

It is also subject to approval from its shareholders, who will meet on January 17, and F1’s governing body the FIA.

Liberty is still expecting its acquisition of F1 to be completed before the end of the first quarter of 2017.

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Renault boosts Enstone workforce with two key appointments

The Renault Formula 1 team has boosted its engineering team ahead of the 2017 season with appointment of Rob White to the role of operations director, whilst Ciaron Pilbeam has taken up the position of chief race engineer.

White moves over from engine partner Renault, where he held a deputy managing director role as well as and engine technical director.

Meanwhile Pilbeam, who previously worked at BAR, Red Bull and Lotus (which is now Renault) before switching to McLaren in 2014, returns to the Enstone-based team.

Renault has been looking to boost its staffing numbers following its takeover of Lotus in late-2015 and managing director Cyril Abiteboul says they've already boosted their workforce by 20 per cent in just a year.

"Expansion is not the work of a moment so we've been recruiting people through the year and they have been joining us throughout the season," Abiteboul said.

"It's definitely a case of targeting a quality workforce to come join us, but we do require a significant quantity of personnel in Enstone as we grow at a level allowing us to fight against the top teams.

"As part of this I'm happy to confirm that we have two appointments to Enstone's senior management with Rob White, transferring from Viry-Chatillon as operations director and Ciaron Pilbeam returning to us as chief race engineer.

"In terms of facilities, we are significantly increasing our on-site CNC machining capacity with two new machines in a dedicated building, a new spray and preparation facility is currently being built and we will shortly start extending our main factory building by approximately 800m2 to house the expansion of almost every department at Enstone."

There have also been changes at Viry, where the engine department is based, following the move from supplier to works team.

"At Viry-Chatillon we've been working on the structure with a process of further evolution to the changes started in the recent past," added Abiteboul.

"This has meant adapting the structure to change from a power unit supplier to part of a full manufacturer entry in addition to continuing as a supplier to other parties, as well as targeted headcount expansion for better control of our skills and talents."

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What was F1 World Champion Nico Rosberg's favourite race?

F1 Champion Nico Rosberg describes his best race - Monaco 2013. He clinched pole position in difficult conditions, led from the start and managed to control the pace until the chequered flag. 

 

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RECENT SCHUMACHER PHOTO FOR SALE FOR €1-MILLION

At one point in his illustrious career Michael Schumacher was one of the most photographed sportsmen in history, but since his skiing accident in 2013 there have been no new photos of the Formula 1 legend, but now it has emerged that a photographer is trying to peddle a recent photo of him for €1-million.

Mundo Desportivo reports that an unidentified person has attempted to sell a photograph of Schumacher convalescing at the family’s Swiss mansion where he is under constant highly specialised care. Reports suggest that the German is extremely frail and unrecognisable from the ultra-fit sportsman he once was.

Among some there is a morbid fascination to see what he looks like since his accident, as a result the family have instated stringent security measures at their home, where paparazzi have tried numerous ploys to film and/or photograph the seven times Formula 1 World Champion, including flying specially equipped drones over the property.

Now it appears the stringent security system has been breached and a recent photo of Schumacher is being peddled to the media. As a result an investigation has been opened with regards to the photograph which is up for sale for one million dollars.

Family spokesperson Sabine Kehm stated recently, “The health of Michael is not a matter of public interest.”

And indeed Schumacher’s minders have protected his privacy with relentless tenacity and any transgression deemed as an invasion of privacy is dealt with using all legal might at their disposal.

Bunte Magazine who claimed in a report last year that Schumacher could walk and raise his arm, were successfully sued by the family, who along with close friends are the only ones aware of his exact condition.

Despite this militant attitude to Schumacher’s privacy, the family have ironically set up accounts on Facebook and an Instagram in the name of the sport’s most successful driver.

While recently launching the “Keep Fighting” initiative on his behalf, which many believe only serves to pique the curiosity of people regarding his current state and welfare.

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Ferrari confirms launch date for 2017 Formula 1 car

Ferrari has confirmed the date its 2017 car will be launched, making it the first team to do so.

The Italian team confirmed on Monday during a Christmas media event that its new challenger, which has yet to be named but is currently known as 'project 668', will hit the track for the first time on February 24.

Ferrari will use two of its allowed filming days to run the car at its Fiorano test track just three days before pre-season testing officially kicks-off in Barcelona on February 27 for four days.

It's quite common for teams to use filming days for pre-launch shakedowns, ensuring all systems function as expected before the cars are shipped to Spain.

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Lewis Hamilton urges Mercedes not to change his mechanics again

Lewis Hamilton says he will ask Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff to ensure his mechanics remain where they are, insisting his crew needn't change ahead of the 2017 season.

The Briton made it clear at the beginning of the current year that he wasn't happy with Mercedes' decision to switch some of his mechanics with team-mate Nico Rosberg's, but now says he's happy with his "guys" and no changes need to be made.

"Next year I'll speak to Toto [Wolff] and say 'look, I don't want my guys being changed'," Hamilton told Channel 4.

"I want to keep all my engineers, there's not a single person that needs to leave. All my mechanics, there's not a single person that needs to leave.

He added: "Let's go racing. I'm committed, hopefully they're committed to me, I'm now their only world champion so hopefully they respect and appreciate that and the commitment that I'll put into next year."

That interview was conducted a day before Hamilton met up with Wolff, which was followed by an Instagram video in which Hamilton said he had an "amazing meeting" with the Austrian, adding: "I just wanted to send on a message to let you know that we are going to be the strongest partnership next year and we look forward to fighting for this championship again."

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Capito set to leave McLaren F1 team

McLaren CEO Jost Capito is set to leave the team just a few months after having joined the British squad.

Capito, who quit his role as Volkswagen motorsport boss, had agreed to join the Woking-based outfit in January, but had not started work with the team until September.

The 58-year-old had been one of the appointments from former team chief Ron Dennis, who is now on gardening leave after being forced out of the company last month.

Although he is still a McLaren employee, Capito will leave the team according to a report from Motorsport.com's sister publication Autosport.

McLaren recently appointed sponsorship guru Zak Brown as its new executive director.

Following Capito's exit, racing director Eric Boullier will report directly to Brown.

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Giovinazzi joins Ferrari F1 team as third driver

GP2 runner-up Antonio Giovinazzi will be the Ferrari F1 team's driver third in 2017, president Sergio Marchionne revealed on Monday.

The Italian, who lost out to the GP2 title to Red Bull Junior Pierre Gasly, had already been in the Maranello's squad simulator earlier this year after winning the Monza GP2 round.

While Giovinazzi has yet to announce his racing plans for 2017, Marchionne said on Monday that the 22-year-old will begin working with the team next year.

"I can confirm that in 2017 he [Giovinazzi] will be our third driver," Marchionne told the media during Ferrari's Christmas lunch.

"We took him because he is a great driver, but I'm am very pleased also that he is an Italian," he added.

Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene said Giovinazzi will kick off a simulator programme in January, and is expected to drive the 2017 car during in-season testing.

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MASSA SIGNS WILLIAMS DEAL FREEING BOTTAS FOR MERCEDES

Felipe Massa’s retirement from Formula 1 could go down as one of the shortest ever – less than a month – as we have learned that the veteran Brazilian has signed a deal to remain with Williams for another year, allowing Valtteri Bottas to replace Nico Rosberg at Mercedes.

Sources in Brazil indicate that Massa signed a one year €6-million deal offered by Williams on Monday, 19 December, which means he will line-up on the grid at the season opener in Melbourne as teammate to Canadian teenager Lance Stroll.

To release Bottas, for an engine barter fee said to be between €10 to €12 million, Williams needed to sign an experienced driver for a number of reasons.

One of them being Martini’s title sponsorship. The brand is not allowed to use athletes or entertainers for promotional activities who are under the age of 25 as per law in several countries – including the UK.

Thus having 18 year old Stroll alongside another young driver or rookie would mean that the main sponsor of the team could not use either of the two drivers for publicity purposes.

Furthermore it is believed that Stroll’s deal with Williams, bankrolled by his billionaire father Lawrence Stroll, stipulates an experienced drive be the youngster’s teammate for mentoring purposes. Massa ticks both boxes.

It is believed that Massa’s extension remains provisional and will only be confirmed when (and if) Mercedes conclude and confirm a contract with Bottas.

On Monday, Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda made it clear that Mercedes are still pondering which route to go with regards to their second driver, “We expected to make a quicker decision, but the discussions proved difficult.”

“There are two scenarios: either we get a young guy like Wehrlein, who could be a Verstappen of the future or not, or we get an experienced guy, but we’re still deciding, there are a lot of discussions,” added Lauda.

The Austrian F1 legend also hinted that the decision to confirm Lewis Hamilton’s teammate could drag into late January.

Meanwhile, in the wake of today’s announcement that Pat Symonds is quitting Williams, it is becoming increasingly apparent that Mercedes technical chief Paddy Lowe is set to leave the World Champion team to join the Grove outfit.

To sweeten the Bottas deal for Williams, Mercedes is prepared to waiver Lowe’s ‘gardening leave’ requirement as per his contract with the team.

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PAT SYMONDS LEAVES WILLIAMS

Williams chief technical officer Pat Symonds has left Williams according to media reports that have emerged today.

During his first full season with Williams, the Grove outfit finished third in the 2014 Formula 1 World Championship and repeated the result in the 2015 season.

This year the team struggled to match the pace setters and slipped to fifth in the table, behind Force India.

Symonds, who is 63, is reportedly set to be replaced by Mercedes technical chief Paddy Lowe, who is expected to slot into a senior role within the team.

Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal, said, “Pat has been a tremendous asset to this team over the past three years. Pat’s appointment was the start of a major restructuring exercise, and he has been pivotal in reshaping Williams into what is a much stronger racing team today.”

“I would like to thank him for all of his hard work and commitment during that time. We now look to the future and will be announcing details regarding the team’s technical leadership in due course.”

In an F1 career spanning more than 30 years, Symonds’ greatest successes (seven world titles and more than 30 GP victories) have been with the Benetton and Renault teams, for whom he fulfilled the roles of technical director and executive director of engineering.

He’s also worked with some of F1’s legendary drivers – Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, among others – and he’s nurtured some of the sport’s brightest engineers.

His career was tarnished due to his role in the ‘Crashgate’ scandal when Nelson Piquet, Jr. claimed Symonds asked him to deliberately crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix in order to manufacture a situation which would assist team-mate Fernando Alonso to win the race.

Symonds was subsequently suspended from F1 events for 5 years after expressing his “eternal regret and shame” to the FIA World Motor Sport Council.

However, his ban was overturned by the French Tribunal de Grande Instance on 5 January 2010, and he was also paid €5,000 in compensation.

In April, he and Briatore reached an out-of-court settlement with the FIA where he could return to F1 in 2013 but may be a consultant to a current Formula 1 team in the meantime.

Since 2009 Symonds ran his own motorsports technical consultancy, in addition to acting as a technical consultant to the Marussia F1 Team.

In August 2013 he joined Williams as Chief Technical Officer and has played a key role in the development of the Williams Mercedes FW36.

The FW37, the team’s 2014 challenger, was the first Williams car Pat worked on from its first inception through to the start line in Australia.

Career Highlights

• 2013 – Chief Technical Officer at Williams
• 2011 – Technical Consultant at Marussia F1 Team
• 2002 – Executive Director of Engineering at Renault F1
• 2001 – Appointed Executive Director of Engineering at Benetton
• 1996 – Appointed Technical Director at Benetton, Head of Research and Development at Benetton
• 1991 – Reynard F1 Team
• 1981 – Toleman F1

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MARCHIONNE: IN 2016 WE MADE A FOOL OF OURSELVES

Sergio Marchionne started the 2016 Formula 1 World Championship season with naive expectations of grandeur, but a year down the road in which time he witnessed his team endure a woeful season, the Ferrari president has proved to be a quick learner by acknowledging that he was foolish to think his team were a match for Mercedes.

Speaking during the team’s annual Christmas function for media, Marchionne said, “We did not have a successful season, and in 2016 we made a fool of ourselves saying that we had already reached the level of Mercedes.”

“After a strategic mistake in the first race in Australia we started to see the crash. The real problem is that we did not improve, but Red Bull was able to evolve, and they did an incredible job between the first race of the year and the first half of the championship. You can hold me accountable and criticise me for it,” he added.

Regarding 2017 Marchionne said, “The team is giving its all and has a great will to win. We have restructured and I prefer to look to the future in a different way. I don’t regret the choices made, they were well thought out, so there’s no need to change ideas.”

“There are still many things missing, but the team is the team and it was put in place over a period of years and we’re not about to change it now. Our working practice is already different to what it was back in August, which is when Mattia Binotto took over the reins. The organizational change was also partly made to bring some calm. Put in the work and the results will come,” explained the Ferrari boss.

With regards to talk that Mercedes technical chief Paddy Lowe was on the team’s radar, Marchionne said, “Paddy Lowe is a great professional, just like Ross Brawn, but I have to say that we have the right team here and we do not need them. Said the executive.”

At the function it was also revealed that the team’s 2017 car will be unveiled during a function at Maranello on 24 February 24, three days before the start of preseason testing in Barcelona.

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ARRIVABENE: WE WILL DO OUR UTMOST NOT TO DISAPPOINT YOU

There were lashings of humble pie served at the annual Christmas function for media hosted by Ferrari, with Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne admitting his foolishness when early in the season he predicted his team would challenge Mercedes and team principal Maurizio Arrivabene thanking fans for their patience.

Speaking during the function at Maranello, Arrivabene addressed the tifosi directly, “You have been very patient and we will do our utmost not to disappoint you.”

The team’s legion of fans had to endure a season that promised much early on, but fizzled out as the year progressed only to gain some momentum in the final races, although it was a case of too little too late. In the end the team did not score a victory.

During the course of the year the team was rocked by James Allison’s tragic misfortune and subsequent departure, coinciding with reports that an “atmosphere of terror” prevailed at the team’s Maranello headquarters.

The saga compounded by Sebastian Vettel’s very public meltdown, which included an apparent spat between the German and Arrivabene who suggested – through Italian media – that the four times F1 World Champion should focus on driving and not on team management matters.

However, amid recent speculation that Vettel was on Mercedes’ radar in the wake of Nico Rosberg’s departure, the Italian team boss denied that their ace driver was demotivated.

“With Vettel and Raikkonen we have two world champions on our books. Sebastian was here [at Maranello on Monday], working in the simulator and he repeated the fact that he wants to win with Ferrari. It’s up to us to give them a car capable of doing that,” insisted Arrivabene.

On the topic of that 2017 car, which will be officially launched on 24 February at the team’s HQ, Scuderia’s chief technical officer, Mattia Binotto said, “There are so many changes to the rules relating to aerodynamics. We will see cars that are much quicker through the corners, under acceleration and in braking.”

“There is nothing to say that we here in Maranello cannot build such a car… It’s just a matter of time. What we lacked on occasions this year was the ability to react quickly. We must be able to introduce new solutions before the others do,” added Binotto.

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Sergio Marchionne eyeing Alfa Romeo F1 team for 'young Italian drivers'

Ferrari president and FCA chairman Sergio Marchionne has dropped further hints that he is seriously considering the return of Alfa Romeo to Formula 1, with a similar structure to that of Red Bull and Toro Rosso.

Alfa Romeo, which is owned by Ferrari's parent company FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), last competed in F1 as a constructor in 1985, but Marchionne has repeatedly said he would like to see the brand return to the grid.

This week he reiterated those comments and believes it could be a breeding ground for young Italian drivers to make the step up to F1 and Ferrari – similar to Toro Rosso and Red Bull – whilst also sharing components with Ferrari – as Haas does now.

"Alfa Romeo in F1 could become a fine breeding ground for young Italian drivers," said Marchionne on the same day Ferrari announced it had signed GP2 runner-up Antonio Giovinazzi as its third driver.

"The best one, Giovinazzi, is already with us, but there are others besides him, and they are struggling to find space.

"Alfa Romeo, more than our customer teams [Haas and Sauber], could offer them that space."

He added: "There is room for an Alfa Romeo return, possibly as a collaboration with Ferrari."

Alfa Romeo's return is some way off though, with Marchionne insisting it must first make more money through sales if it's to get its own team.

"Not yet, though, because Alfa must first make money through sales of the Giulia and the Stelvio [models]."

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Paul Ricard considering asphalt heating system for F1 tests

The Paul Ricard circuit is considering introducing a system to warm up the track's surface in order to help Formula 1 teams during winter testing.

Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli, as well as leading teams like Mercedes, pushed for 2017 pre-season testing to take place in Bahrain in order to have more representative running, given the warmer track conditions.

In the end however, it was decided that testing would take place in Barcelona, where temperatures are expected to be low.

Paul Ricard director Stephane Clair says the French circuit, which has hosted some of Pirelli's 2017 tyre tests and that will host the French Grand Prix when it returns in 2018, will be pushing to become the regular venue for F1 testing.

Clair revealed a system to heat up the asphalt is being considered when the circuit is resurfaced ahead of the French GP next year.

"We'll obviously fight to get that pre-season testing, and the new track will play to our advantage in that regard," Clair told Motorsport.com.

"We're currently considering heating it up to maintain a track temperature that allows testing with a perfect use of tyres. That's what has been missing in pre-season testing on some European tracks.

     

"This system could be used permanently but aims at increasing the track temperature, so usable mostly in the winter. In the summer, there's no reason to use it."

Although Clair said no discussions have taken place yet with F1 teams or Pirelli yet to host testing at the track, he is confident the circuit will be seen as a perfect venue for it.

"There have been no talks yet," he added. "Even for the 2017 tests – we're in a good position to talk about it, as Pirelli has been doing most of its development tests here – nothing's done yet.

"For 2018, the selection hasn't started, but one could very much imagine the pre-season testing taking place here, on a new track that perfectly suits development."