FORMULA 1 - 2016

[MIKA27]

The Full F1 Cast for 2016 - Well, Nearly

We cannot yet produce a full picture of all the F1 cars of 2016 because the new Sauber is yet to be seen, the Toro Rosso is going to be heavily revised and the Renault is going to turn yellow at some point, but here is an idea of the field as it stands, with 10 of the 11 cars. They are not to scale and the angles are not 100 percent right, but it gives you a good idea.

[MIKA27]

Haas mileage great for a new team - Gutierrez

Esteban Gutierrez says the Haas team can be very satisfied with the pre-season Formula 1 test mileage it has racked up, considering it's a brand new team.

The Mexican driver, taking over from teammate Romain Grosjean on the second day of the Barcelona test, managed to complete a total of 79 laps on the way to sixth fastest time.

After the front wing failure that compromised Grosjean’s running on Monday, Gutierrez said that the team’s response – and the subsequent miles it completed – was a promising sign for the sport’s newest squad.

“It seems we have a good baseline,” Gutierrez told media at the end of the day. “I had a very good feeling with the car.

“We still don’t have the complete car, we are working on it, but the approach was to do as many laps as possible, get away from the reliability issues, which was the target for this test, then focus on performance next week.

“Being a new team, it was quite impressive to do 79 laps on the second day.”

Points still the target

Gutierrez however admitted that the team did not manage to get through its entire programme today, having spent the first 90 minutes of the morning in the garage.

“We wanted to do more laps, but you do the best you can,” he said. “As a new team, we can be satisfied with the amount we did today, we can expect to do even more the next two days.”

Asked if scoring points remains the team’s goal for the season, Gutierrez added: “That’s our target. We are confident, and we will do our best.”

[MIKA27]

Mercedes to run new nose on third F1 test day

Mercedes executive director Paddy Lowe has confirmed that the W07 will run with a new specification of nose on the third day of the pre-season Barcelona Formula 1 test.

Toto Wolff previously alluded to the reigning champion outfit running some “unusual” parts on its 2016 contender this week, after making big progress on the opening day of the test.

That was immediately in evidence on Tuesday, as the team introduced a radical new bargeboard design on the car in which Nico Rosberg completed 172 laps.

Now, the team is set to introduce a new nose design on Wednesday, as revealed by Lowe in a keynote speech in Barcelona.

“Tomorrow we will have a new nose,” he said. “That’s typical of the sport at this stage; we’re bringing lots of new parts to the car on a daily basis - all the way up to the first races.”

'Floor W'

Lowe added that a new floor design that was introduced on Tuesday was deliberately given a code name unrelated to its purpose.

“[We used] a new floor today, which we code-named Floor W,” he said. “It caused a lot of excitement in the pitlane this morning."

“We code name things internally, so that they are completely unrelated to what they are.

“It means that when people talk about them, nobody really understands what it means, unless they are closely involved.”

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Wehrlein: More to come from "impressive" Manor

Pascal Wehrlein has warned the Manor car has not yet shown its "full potential" after an impressive showing in Tuesday's running in Barcelona.

Wehrlein was eighth quickest on the day, lapping three seconds off pacesetter Sebastian Vettel and bringing the overall lap count of the new MRT05 to 125 in the test thus far.

His best time on Tuesday was two seconds up from his Monday lap, and more than five seconds quicker than Manor's top qualifying effort in the 2015 Spanish Grand Prix.

"I am really happy with today," Wehrlein. "I think we improved the car quite a lot from yesterday to today.

"We can still improve the car [more] and we need to work on it, but for my first two days I am impressed.

"There is more potential after the two days, I hope. We have not shown our full potential, there is definitely more to come - but you never know."

Explaining Manor's staggering gains in pace compared to their 2015 form, the German elaborated: "Last year, I think, they had an old car, an old chassis they didn't really develop much last season.

"So the balance of the car improved, the Mercedes engine is definitely better than the 2014 engine that they had last year and we have many new things in the team.

"And I hope I myself am too a reason for why [Manor] is getting quicker."

"Not too bad" compared to others

Wehrlein refused to say with certainty whether Manor would escape its position as a backmarker and fight with the rest of the pack in the Australia season opener - but the German certainly appeared buoyed by the early signs, having outpaced McLaren, Renault and Toro Rosso on Tuesday.

"It's really hard to tell [where Manor is in the running order] with tyres and fuel loads and all that, but I think it didn't look too bad," he said.

"Some other teams already drove on the super softs and the ultra softs, so it was not too bad. But you never know until Australia."

The team's other new signing Rio Haryanto will take over in the car for the final two days of February running.

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Fernando Alonso denies retirement rumours, saying 'I'm here to win'

Fernando Alonso says he is in Formula One to win after dismissing rumours he might retire at some point this year.

On Tuesday Alonso completed his first day in the new McLaren-Honda MP4-31, taking to the track not long after an online bookmaker put out odds of 3/1 for him to retire at the end of the year.

A disappointing season in 2015 led to continuous rumours he might leave McLaren just one year after his return, but when asked directly if he would stay this year, Alonso said: "Of course, and next year as well.

"I'm absolutely surprised by the rumours. But all week there have been some rumours. I think that when there are too many weeks or months without action on the track then there is a dangerous tendency to be creative on the news. It's good now we are on track and hopefully there will be no more rumours."

Alonso said it was too early to judge his chances of winning races this year, but his objective is still clear.

"Sitting here [at testing] or last week or in the factory or even taking the plane to Australia, the ambition will be very high because I'm not here just to travel around the world and jump in the car to have some fun on Sunday, I'm here to win. I think all 22 drivers want the same and I am no different.

"There is not a crystal ball in Formula One where you can bet and know more or less which direction the year will go after the first day of testing. We need to wait until Australia when we are all in the same conditions with super-soft tyres and low fuel on the same track conditions. Even then, we need to wait two or three races to make sure how the year will turn for you."

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Nico Rosberg warns Merc rivals: 'We haven't shown our cards yet'

Nico Rosberg has warned Mercedes' rivals that the world champions "are still holding back" after two days of winter testing.

Rosberg completed a mammoth 172 laps on Tuesday, taking Mercedes' tally over two days to 328. He finished fourth in the standings on a medium tyre lap, behind Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo's super-soft times and a lap from Sergio Perez on super-softs.

The German driver says it would be foolish to read into Mercedes' times at this stage.

"It was a great day," Rosberg said. "I was excited to get in the car again and go flat out. It was a real Formula One marathon today, lots and lots of laps and kilometres because we need to do that to push the car to its limits and find little problems with the car.

"At some point something will break but for now nothing is broken so we need to keep on going with laps and see where the weak points are. Lap time is not realistic to where we are so far and we haven't shown our cards yet as we are still holding back. For sure the car is quick and the opposition seems to be quick. How quick we are nobody knows for now but of course we are confident."

Rosberg, who took over from Lewis Hamilton, ran a Mercedes with a radical new bargeboard design. It came after Toto Wolff promised the team would be running some "unusual" parts in winter testing, with a new nose expected on the car tomorrow.

Rosberg has praised Mercedes for its innovative upgrades and thinks it could help Mercedes retain an edge on its rivals.

"We have a real innovation on the floor which looks quick futuristic and I am very excited about that. It is important for us to be innovative and be one step ahead of the others because it is easy to copy. When they see the things on our car they will take them and automatically go faster so we have to try and be one step ahead."

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Formula 1's Geneva accord

While official confirmation of the outcome of Tuesday's F1 Strategy Group and F1 Commission meetings in Geneva has yet to be released, initial indications are that the meetings were positive, and that progress is being made.

According to initial murmurings, 2017 bodywork proposals have been finalised, while the teams are said to have reached an agreement on both power unit supply and cockpit protection, although the details of said agreements are still under wraps.

Ahead of the meetings much of the paddock chatter focussed on proposed changes to the race weekend set-up, with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner opposing throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

"I think you have to respect the history of the sport," said Horner. "Snooker has still got one table and six pockets, but they're playing short frames now and making it more exciting that way.

"Football has still got 22 players and two goals. OK, the ball changes slightly and maybe the size of the goals changes now and again, but fundamentally the basics are the same, and I think it's important that we keep the DNA of grand prix racing the same.

"Personally, perhaps I am a bit old fashioned in this but I think qualifying should be about man and machine over a single lap, who is the quickest, and I think that's what we currently see in F1.

"A grand prix should have the prestige and be the duration that it is. Can we make what happens in a grand prix more exciting by tweaking a few things? Then yes I think we can, but doing that artificially I don't think is the right thing to do."

Horner's wishes appear to have been granted, with rumours circulating of a shake-up of the current elimination-style qualifying. There has as yet been no mention of Bernie Ecclestone's proposals regarding reverse grids, and it is not currently thought that the revised qualifying will see shuffled Sundays.

More details are expected to be released tomorrow, and with them official confirmation of what is currently largely paddock chatter.

Even without confirmation of the details, however, the news that the perenially in-fighting teams have managed to reach agreement on a number of the key issues currently facing the sport needs to be seen as a positive step for Formula One.

It is to be hoped that Ecclestone's Monday comments rubbishing F1 from top to bottom were in fact the trigger of a brave new era in which the sport's stakeholders start to approach discussions with a view to long-term benefit over short-term self-interest, irrespective of the sides of the political, wealth, and power divides on which they sit.

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Haas VF-16 - A closer technical look

Though few may expect much from the Haas VF-16 this season based on the form of previous all-new entries, a closer look at the tidy car suggests it could well prove something of a surprise package.

Firstly, the car is certainly conventional without many major remarkable details of note. The only thing which really jumps out at me is an odd bump on the nose just where the torsion bars, bell crank and damper tops sit. As Haas has all of its suspension components direct from Ferrari, perhaps the Italian team changed the design of its components after Dallara had finalised the monocoque; either way it looks rather clumsy on an otherwise very neat car.

Indeed, so much of the Haas has come directly from Maranello it is probably a surprise that the car is not more like the Ferrari SF16-H. The two cars share uprights, suspension, gearbox, power unit, electronics, hydraulics, and control systems, and I have heard that they also share the same fuel tank design: this defines much of the rear of the chassis along with the battery pack (again direct from Ferrari).

By regulation, the aerodynamic surfaces must be bespoke to the team, but Haas - jointly with Ferrari - took advantage of a loophole in 2015 to allow them to increase the amount of aero data for both sides. The aerodynamic testing restrictions in F1 limited Ferrari on wind tunnel time in 2015, but the rules did not apply to Haas as in 2015 they were not an F1 entrant. Taking advantage of this, Ferrari and Haas shared aerodynamic data and the two teams both used the same (Ferrari) wind tunnel. There were even rumours that at times the two even used the same 60% scale wind tunnel model.

What is certain is that a number of engineers - including Ben Agathangelou - worked across both projects and that knowledge from both was transferred. The details of how integrated the two projects were is unclear, but it annoyed other teams - such as Mercedes - to the point where a stewards' decision had to be made in Abu Dhabi about the situation. The conclusion was that neither Ferrari or Haas had done anything wrong, but the data sharing could not continue and engineers working on the aero designs would have to work on one or other project but not both.

Whatever the reality, exploiting this loophole in essence allowed Ferrari to get more wind tunnel time than its rivals, while Haas got a solid basis on which to develop the VF-16 with more resource than they would have otherwise had. As a result, I rather expected the Haas to be very similar in terms of aero to the Ferrari and as such it was no shock to see that the Haas uses near-identical front wing, rear wing, brake ducts and more.

There are some notable differences, and these centre around the parts of the car which Dallara built. The nose is quite different to that of the Ferrari, as are the upper impact structure and the air box. The sidepods too appear a bit larger on the Haas, probably because the coolers were developed jointly by Dallara and Haas, not Ferrari - which has a different type of radiator core.

I do get the impression that the team has not fully gelled yet. It is made up of a mix of full-time Ferrari staff, former Manor staff and a number of Ferrari staff on secondment from the Italian company. There are a few staff from Haas in North Carolina, but these tend to be on the design side, especially in terms of fabrication and CFD. This lack of gelling is perhaps to be expected, and has resulted in the VF-16 getting a bit less running than expected with a few small issues in both private testing and in the official sessions.

A front wing failure at 320kph was caused by a manufacturing issue with one of the Dallara-built parts and saw the Ferrari-made wing part company with the new car. But with a new project failures like this are not uncommon: let's not forget that the Mercedes W05 lost its front wing in similar fashion at Jerez at the start of the 2014 season.

It will be very interesting to see how the VF-16 develops through the season and if it follows any of the technical directions of the Ferrari now the two aerodynamic programmes have been separated. In conclusion, although the Haas car is a very good piece of work considering it is from such a new team, it was never going to be a bad car thanks to the unusual way it was developed. It remains to be seen if other teams follow this almost customer car direction set by the newcomers.

[skalls]

172 Laps by Merc again. I bet Renault is wishing they had that kind of reliability. And they aren't even putting the hammer down yet either. I wonder if Ferrari will have closed the gap or if it will get larger. Really looking forward to the first race.

Also like the mileage Haas put on today.

Reverse grid? No thanks. Ditch these dumbass hybrid engine, switch to v8 or v10s, keep kers for chosen boost areas and ditch the KERS. That would solve 99% of the problems F1 has. Actually, just siwtching the engine would solve the problems.

[MIKA27]

172 Laps by Merc again. I bet Renault is wishing they had that kind of reliability. And they aren't even putting the hammer down yet either. I wonder if Ferrari will have closed the gap or if it will get larger. Really looking forward to the first race.

Also like the mileage Haas put on today.

Reverse grid? No thanks. Ditch these dumbass hybrid engine, switch to v8 or v10s, keep kers for chosen boost areas and ditch the KERS. That would solve 99% of the problems F1 has. Actually, just siwtching the engine would solve the problems.

If I had a choice I'd wish for V10's but I really feel we will never see the likes of those engines again, I think even the V8's is a huge ask. One can wish and hope bud.

[joeskow]

If I had a choice I'd wish for V10's but I really feel we will never see the likes of those engines again, I think even the V8's is a huge ask. One can wish and hope bud.

Though the V10/V8 engines sound unbelievable to revert to them would be a huge step backwards.. Other than the lack of noise and yes for now reliablity the new hybrid units are really damn impressive. The fact that it took Honda so long to figure it out is a testament to how advanced they really are.

[MIKA27]

Though the V10/V8 engines sound unbelievable to revert to them would be a huge step backwards.. Other than the lack of noise and yes for now reliablity the new hybrid units are really damn impressive. The fact that it took Honda so long to figure it out is a testament to how advanced they really are.

If the FIA allowed for more aero/mechanical grip with these current engines, people wouldn't think about the V10/V8's I agree these engines are amazing but I guess from a fans persepctive, especially those who have gone through the various stages of engine change, I for one miss the sound. V10's, even with ear buds, they were screaming in your ears.

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ALONSO: WE ARE ON TRACK AND HOPEFULLY NO MORE RUMOURS

Fernando Alonso sought to put an end to speculation about his Formula 1 future on Tuesday after a positive first run in the new McLaren a year on from a heavy testing crash that left him in hospital.

The double world champion, who did 119 laps of Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya compared to just six on a troublesome first day in Jerez last year, faced questions about his commitment to the Honda-powered team after a nightmare 2015.

With one British bookmaker reportedly offering odds of 3-1 on the Spaniard not seeing out the season, the driver moved to reassure fans that he had no intention of walking away.

“I need to check that website,” he retorted.

Asked how much he would be prepared to bet, he replied: “Everything. All week has been some rumours… when there are too many weeks or months with no track action there is a dangerous tendency to be creative on the news.

“We are on track and hopefully no more rumours,” he said. Asked again whether he would see the season out, Alonso replied: “Of course. And the next one.”

Speaking later to Spanish reporters, the former Ferrari driver reiterated: “I have a contract for three years. I’m not thinking about anything else. This is a very important year for us.”

Alonso crashed at the circuit on last year, ending up in hospital with concussion and missing the opening Australian Grand Prix.

The crash was just one low in McLaren’s worst ever season, the start of a new partnership with Honda turning into a sequence of engine failures and frustration at the lack of performance.

In comparison, Tuesday offered a far more optimistic outlook even if the programme was all about basic aerodynamic study and reliability tests rather than any attempt to probe the car’s ultimate performance.

Alonso said the engine had definitely improved, but that had never been in doubt given just how much performance was lacking last year. He said he was proud of what the team had done and his motivation was high.

“I think on the aerodynamic side there are some parts that are quite innovative and new, in our car at least,” added Alonso. “The others had these ideas in the past but for us they are new.

“We need a little bit of time to mature the package and in the power unit the same thing. For us last year was a lot of learning, a lot of pain, but we learned many things.”

The season starts in Australia on 20 March, a race which Alonso missed last year as he was recovering from the test crash. He was replaced by McLaren reserve, at the time, Kevin Magnussen who this year will spearhead Renault’s return as a works team.

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ALONSO: MERCEDES DOMINATION IS NOT OVER

Fernando Alonso believes his McLaren team could have the best chassis in Formula One before long this year but the Spaniard also sees no end to champions Mercedes’ domination after pounding out the laps in testing.

“I think the target to have the best chassis is reachable, it is something very possible — maybe by the European races,” he told reporters after his first full day in the new car at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya.

The season, which features a record 21 races, starts in Australia on March 20 and the first European round is in Spain on May 15.

McLaren had a miserable season last year, finishing ninth of 10 teams and struggling with an unreliable and under-powered Honda engine that cancelled out what was undoubtedly a competitive chassis. They have not won a race since 2012.

Mercedes, winners of 32 of the last 38 races, have done more laps than anyone in testing, with triple champion Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg both completing nearly 2 1/2 race distances without a hitch over the first two days.

“I think the Mercedes domination is not over,” said Alonso, a double world champion with Renault who returned to McLaren last season. “I think they are very, very strong.

“They are doing some interesting days … with that amount of laps it means you have very clear things so when they put the potential as well, they are stronger than ever probably — even more than the last two years. So I think (for McLaren) to win is not an easy task.”

Alonso’s initial 119 laps on Wednesday was more than he managed in all of 2015 pre-season testing, when he had endless problems.

He said fixing reliability had been the first priority of the winter.

“I am very proud of the team, of what we achieved in the last couple of months … I enjoyed today but I think there is performance we need to unlock in the car,” he said.

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HAAS: WE’D LIKE TO GET MORE AMERICANS INVOLVED IN F1

Gene Haas, the man to bring back an American team to Formula One for the first time in 30 years, wants Haas F1 to be a launching pad for the sport in the United States.

Haas, a machine tool magnate, already has motorsport experience as part-owner of NASCAR team Stewart-Haas racing.

However, despite international appeal, Formula One has struggled to oust NASCAR’s domination of motorsport in the US, something Haas is hoping to change.

“I know there are a lot of fans in the USA,” he said at the second day of pre-season testing in Barcelona ahead of Haas F1’s maiden campaign.

“We’re hopeful Americans will stand behind us. We’d like to get more Americans involved in Formula One because it is a great motor racing sport and we’d be humbled to have more Americans support us in this endeavour to bring Formula One back to the United States.”

Haas, 63, admitted he needs to create at least a competitive product before bringing other sponsors on board, but admitted expectations for their debut season would be limited to “fighting at the back of the gird” and trying to finish as many races as possible.

Yet, he believes further American investment in the future could see a revolution of the sport’s image and popularity in the States in what has traditionally been a European dominated field.

“Having the car branded under our name is good for our product line, but if the right sponsor comes along we’re definitely going to listen.

“I think we could do a good job of marketing especially an American product all over the world because there is a huge audience for Formula One in the rest of the world.

“American people love sports, they like that competitive edge. They want to have some association with it, so if there is an American team out there and doing something no one else has done before, Americans will be very interested.

“I think the problem with Formula One in the past is that they never really had any association with a bunch of Europeans. As an American in an European sport people are going to want to see two things: how badly you do, or, if you can beat these guys.”

Yet, Haas has resisted the temptation to bring an American driver on board with the experienced duo of Frenchman Romain Grosjean and Mexico’s Esteban Gutierrez to take the wheel this season.

“An American driver would be the ultimate aim, but at the moment we want to put the best pieces we can obtain and right now having an experienced driver like Grosjean was the best nut to put on the steering wheel. We want the best possible people.”

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ECCLESTONE UNDER FIRE FOR LATEST COMMENTS ON STATE OF F1

While the Barcelona pitlane was full of brand new Formula 1 cars, the bulk of the paddock banter on Monday was actually about politics.

It had been triggered by F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who told a British newspaper just hours before the first pre-season test began that he would not waste money on a ticket to a grand prix.

“It’s a bit surprising when someone says something like that about his own product,” Nico Hulkenberg told Bild newspaper.

Ecclestone’s barbs had been fired in all directions, including at Toto Wolff who is one of the main obstacles to radical rules change for 2017 and beyond.

“If that’s the way he wants to tread as a promoter,” Wolff said, “then that’s his decision.”

Others were less forgiving.

“Everything is just starting to get going, everyone is very positive and he (Ecclestone) has to do this and destroy everything,” F1 legend and Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda blasted.

“I just don’t understand why he does it — the master of the sport being so critical. We are having a big meeting with Bernie and I hope someone asks him his reasons for saying those things,” Lauda added.

The meeting Lauda is referring occurred in Geneva on Tuesday, and it is billed as F1’s last chance to pass radical reform for 2017 with a majority vote.

“I think Bernie is frustrated with where Formula 1 is,” said Red Bull’s Christian Horner, who like Ecclestone would like significant rule changes to pass.

“In the old days it would have been easier to fix it. Now we have this democracy it’s very hard to get everyone to agree. But we need to do it now because if we need unanimous agreement then you might as well forget it,” Horner added.

That is because Mercedes, the back-to-back world champions in the controversial ‘power unit’ era, will not agree to changes that are too radical.

“We believe that an excessive increase in aerodynamic downforce could hurt formula one and be difficult for the tyre manufacturer to cope with,” Wolff insisted.

“It’s like asking the engine guys to build a 2000hp engine. They will say it’s impossible. Yet we are going to ask Pirelli to do something impossible?

“We are not against change, but there are diverse opinions from staying where we are to making the cars into aeroplanes. There has to be balance. The outcome is unknown,” said Wolff.

As for Ecclestone’s criticisms, Wolff answered: “When I came into the sport, I was upset with criticism but now I understand that Bernie and the headlines is part of formula one.

“Ecclestone always says directly what he does not like, and this causes a reaction. It has always been like that. He is the promoter and these are his tactics.”

Indeed, Ecclestone is believed to be preparing to table a proposal in Geneva to give out points to the top-ten qualifiers but then reverse the grid.

“Let’s see what happens,” said Horner. “He wants to shake things up a bit — he’s the promoter, he’s got to sell formula one around the world and he wants it to be the most exciting and spectacular that it can possibly be.”

Ecclestone also has some other allies who are alarmed that the trend for television ratings in the past few years is sharply downwards.

“He (Ecclestone) is the commercial leader of the sport so if you see your TV figures going down it is concerning,” said McLaren-Honda’s Eric Boullier.

“We are in favour of making the sport more exciting, faster. We have been talking about this for a long time, so if we can’t agree (on Tuesday) that is a failure in my opinion,” the McLaren team boss added.

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ARAI: I DID THE BEST I COULD

In the aftermath of the announcement by Honda that Formula 1 chief Yasuhisa Arai was shifted within the company, to the position of senior managing director of R&D, he spoke to media during the second day of testing in Barcelona.

Arai dispelled suggestions he was axed due to Honda’s woeful return to the sport with McLaren, “I was given a task and I was able to fulfill it. I was put in place to do a specific role and I did the best I could.”

“Whether or not I was able to achieve the results everyone was expecting is different. Because it is a big task, the results were difficult but personally because it was so difficult and it was the start of a large project, I am pleased to have been part of it.”

As for losing face for not delivering to expectations, Arai was adamant, “It is not for personal glory. It is a long continuance of the task. I fulfilled my part of the task and I fulfilled it in a way that I feel is the best I could do. I don’t see it as reaching the end.”

Honda have appointed Yusuke Hasegawa as Executive Chief Engineer and Head of F1 Project, and Arai approves, “I know Hasegawa-san is the best man to take over the project, I have no doubts in that.”

Meanwhile the soon to be boss of Honda’s F1 effort admitted, “I need to catch up the situation. I feel a huge responsibility and pressure but I also feel very excited.

“I have some experience in F1, but obviously the regulations are completely different so it’s still a learning process,” added Hasegawa.

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GROSJEAN SAYS REVERSE GRIDS WOULD SPELL DISASTER FOR F1

Reversed starting grids, one of several proposals under discussion by Formula One team bosses on Tuesday in meetings about the sport’s future look and direction, would spell “disaster”, according to French driver Romain Grosjean.

The concept of setting the grid by reversing the order of the top 10 drivers from qualifying, so that the fastest starts 10th, has been discussed previously to make races less predictable.

The usual front-runners would then have to fight through the field rather than pulling clear at the front without being challenged.

Championship points would be awarded for qualifying to give drivers every incentive to chase pole position.

Grosjean, now with the new U.S.-owned Haas F1 team, experienced the reversed format on his way to winning the GP2 feeder series.

“Disaster,” he told Reuters when asked about the idea during pre-season testing. “I’ve been doing it in GP2 and it’s probably why you win the title but it’s not why you win races.”

Grosjean said making cars harder and more physical to drive, and drivers more susceptible to fatigue and mistakes, would have the same end result in terms of adding to the excitement without being artificial.

“Formula One people want to see qualifying, they want to see a race, they want to see gladiators fighting with the best cars in the world, being the best drivers, finishing tired and exhausted and having given 100 percent,” he said.

The French driver, who raced for Lotus last season, said he did not like awarding points for qualifying and a recent fan survey had reinforced that.

“The fans are happy with the (existing) format, they are happy to see qualifying and a race,” he said.

“I think the format is good. We just want to make sure that…we have cars which take physically some really strong energy so then you can see mistakes at the end of the race.”

Red Bull principal Christian Horner said on Monday that the sport’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone was keen on reversing the top 10 qualifiers.

“I’m sure it will get discussed. Whether that will get agreed or not I really don’t know,” he told reporters.

“Let’s see what happens. He (Ecclestone) wants to shake things up a bit. He’s a promoter, he’s got to sell Formula One around the world and he wants it to be the most exciting and spectacular it can possibly be.”

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MERCEDES: THAT WAS AN F1 MARATHON!

Mercedes AMG Petronas continued the opening pre-season test of the 2016 season on Tuesday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with Nico Rosberg at the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz F1 W07 Hybrid.

• Nico emerged for his first run as the track opened at 09:00, completing 81 laps before the hour-long lunch break at 13:00 and a further 91 laps afterwards – finishing for the day at 17:40
• The F1 W07 Hybrid completed 801 km – a new record for a single day of running in the V6 Hybrid Formula One era
• Tuesday’s programme focused on setup evaluation, aerodynamic data analysis and race simulation work – including starts and pit stops
• Mercedes-Benz Power Units completed a total of 2,225 km
• Mercedes-Benz Junior Driver Pascal Wehrlein completed his second day of pre-season testing with Manor Racing, completing 71 laps (331 km)
• Lewis Hamilton will take the wheel of the F1 W07 Hybrid tomorrow for the third day of pre-season testing in Barcelona

Nico Rosberg: “That was an F1 Marathon today! It’s great to see that we are already able to do a lot of mileage – and we didn’t have a single problem either, which is really incredible. I’m very happy and proud of what the boys and girls at Brackley and Brixworth have done over the winter. I already feel very comfortable in the car. It’s a big positive to see everyone pushing so hard in all areas – bringing new developments like the floor we saw today, for example. The opposition are chasing us hard and we need to keep being innovative to stay ahead. At this time it’s not possible to say how quick we are compared to the others. We will maybe know more at the end of next week – but only Melbourne will give the full picture. Overall, it’s been a great start to the testing program and I can’t wait to be back in the car on Thursday.”

[MIKA27]

FERRARI: OVERALL WE ARE HAPPY

Ferrari report from day two of the first Formula 1 preseason test at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in Spain.

• Circuit: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – 4.655 km
• Driver: Sebastian Vettel
• Car: Ferrari SF16-H
• Weather: Air temperature 10/17°C, Track temperature 10/20°C. Sunny
• Laps/Km completed: 126/586
• Fastest time: 1:22.810
• Tyres used: Medium, Soft, Supersoft, Ultrasoft
• Programme: Aero mapping, tyres compound and setup test

Sebastian Vettel: “So far the first thing that matters is that the car is reacting and doing what I asked for. Now obviously it is crucial that Kimi has a similar impression. About the engine, I can say it is nice to have a bit more sound coming back, it is still not as loud as it could or should be but it is a lot better than it was, now sounds a bit more like Formula 1. We worked on a lot of things, it’s a brand new car, which means there are a lot of new bits and things are in a different place. We tried to understand how the car reacts, obviously we had an idea and certain expectation, but when you run the car on track it is always a bit different, you are then dealing with temperatures, cooling etc. Sometimes you have to stop a bit longer than necessary or than you really want, just to check, other times the driver goes off track, like I did this morning. But these things happen. Overall we are happy, but we know that we need now a lot of mileage, so there is a lot of work ahead of us.”

[MIKA27]

HAAS: ALL POSITIVE, THE TEAM’S REALLY STARTING TO GEL

The day began with an installation lap at 10:29 a.m., with Esteban Gutiérrez returning the VF-16 to the track for a handful of five-lap runs between 10:52 a.m. and 12:44 p.m.

A successful 12-lap stint at 3:33 p.m. set the stage for a strong afternoon. Among three runs totaling 33 laps, Gutiérrez not only ran lap after trouble-free lap, he methodically advanced up the timing charts.

At 6 p.m. when the track went cold, Gutiérrez was the sixth-quickest driver. His best time of 1:25.524 came on his 70th lap, when the VF-16 was shod on the Pirelli P Zero Yellow soft tire.

Gutiérrez ran the morning session on the Pirelli P Zero White medium (prime) tire before switching to the softs at 4:43 p.m., which was the team’s eighth multi-lap run of the day.

The 79 laps amassed today by Gutiérrez brings Haas F1 Team’s laps-completed total thus far in testing to 110, as Romain Grosjean logged 31 laps in the VF-16’s testing debut Monday.

• Date: Tuesday, Feb. 23
• Location: Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya
• Layout: 4.655-kilometer (2.89-mile), 16-turn circuit
• Driver: Esteban Gutiérrez
• Laps Completed: 79
• Distance Completed: 367.745 kilometers (228.51 miles)
• Best Lap Time: 1:25.524
• Fastest Lap: 1:22.810 by Sebastian Vettel (Scuderia Ferrari)
• Most Laps: 172 by Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)

Esteban Gutiérrez, Driver No. 21, Haas F1 Team: “It was a very positive day for us, especially as a new team. It was very exciting to do the first lap. Even though it was an installation lap, it was a very special moment. After months of analyzing, learning about the car, the different strategies, to finally get a feeling for the car was very important. I really want to thank the whole team because they have done a really big effort. Obviously, we found ourselves with some very basic problems, but we have reacted in a very positive way and the guys are working day and night. We have done a very good job – 79 laps today. So, pretty much what we wanted to do – a lot of miles. We’ll continue this program for the rest of the week.”

Dave O’Neill, Team Manager, Haas F1 Team: “Well, we started off a little late this morning as we had some updates on the power unit which we had to get on. Once they were installed there was obviously a bit of downtime checking over everything to make sure we had a car we can start testing with properly. Then we got into the program. We’ve cycled the tires so we’ve been through the softs and the primes. At lunch we made some setup changes and put on a new floor. In the afternoon we were just going for reliability running. We did a few sets of 10-lap runs with the soft tires. We made some mechanical changes to the car as well, including ride height and a couple of roll-bar changes. We’ve been stopping on the marks for the driver and checking out the pit equipment. Hopefully, we can start doing some pit-stop practice in the next day or so. We achieved 79 laps. We’ve had a good day and the team’s really starting to gel. It’s all positive.”

Next Up:

Grosjean is back behind the wheel of the VF-16 Wednesday in preseason testing at Barcelona. Testing runs through Thursday, whereupon Gutiérrez returns to the seat. After a four-day break, teams come back to Barcelona for a second and final round of preseason testing March 1-4. Gutiérrez will drive March 1-2 and Grosjean wraps the test March 3-4.

[MIKA27]

FORCE INDIA: THE BASELINE OF THE CAR SHOWS GOOD POTENTIAL

Sergio Perez completed his first day of work in the VJM09 as he covered 101 laps in Barcelona and set the third fastest time of the day.

• Chassis: VJM09-02
• Laps: 101 laps
• Mileage: 470 km
• Best lap: 1:23.650 (P3)

Sergio Perez: “I’m pretty happy with my first day in the VJM09. Everything went according to plan and we covered lots of laps. The baseline of the car shows good potential and I’m already feeling quite comfortable with the car. There are still lots of things for us to explore on the aero and mechanical side, but we managed to complete almost the entire programme and we are definitely moving in the right direction.”

Tom McCullough, Chief Race Engineer: “It’s been another solid day of work in Barcelona with Sergio covering 101 laps. A large part of the day included more aero correlation work and car sign-off tests. Sergio and his engineers also started to experiment with different set-ups while we continued to add more miles on the car. Sergio ran on the medium, soft and supersoft tyres during the day, giving us plenty of data for evaluation and comparisons.”

[MIKA27]

WILLIAMS: WE ARE NOT FOCUSSING ON PERFORMANCE YET

Williams report from day two of the first Formula 1 preseason test at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in Spain.

• Driver: Valtteri Bottas
• Chassis / Engine: FW38-02 / PU106C Hybrid
• Location: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, 4.655km
• Weather: Warm and Dry
• Maximum air & track temps: 20ºC / 27ºC

Rod Nelson, Chief Test & Support Engineer: “It has been quite a positive day for us. We were aiming for some longer runs and reliability work. We also did some aero work and quite a lot of chassis work. It has been an interesting day for all the engineers and the driver. I am looking forward to Felipe getting in the car for the first time tomorrow to get a different point of view. We are all working hard and it has been a good day.”

Valtteri Bottas: “We completed the whole programme we had for today, so that is always good. Everyone in the garage has been working very hard. I am pleased with the amount of laps we did today, with the mileage and reliability that we already have in the car. Like yesterday, we are just going through our programme and not focussing on the performance yet, so there is still a question mark as to where we are compared to the other teams. I think it will be interesting to follow what things Felipe is going to try with the car. I’m looking forward to next week now as well, to get back in the car and try to get a bit more out of it.”

[MIKA27]

MANOR: GOOD MILEAGE EQUALS PLENTY OF DATA

Pascal Wehrlein brought his Manor Racing debut to an encouraging conclusion in Barcelona today, pounding out the mileage in the MRT05 to end the day P8 of 11. His best time was a 1:25.925.

Pascal Wehrlein: “Another good day in the car for me. We worked on different mechanical set-ups, which was really interesting and gave me the chance to explore and understand the car a little more. I’m pretty pleased with our performance. We focused on consistency rather than the softer spectrum tyres, so we have yet to evaluate the car on the supersofts and ultrasofts, which means there is more to come. We’re making good progress and I can’t wait to get back in the car next week. For now though I must hand over to Rio for his turn but I’ll be keeping an eye on things from the garage.”

John McQuilliam, Technical Director: “Great job from Pascal again. He’s very consistent so we’ve been able to crack through the programme and push on with improving the car. As ever, good mileage equals plenty of data, so we’ll be ploughing through that tonight to feed back to the factory and into development. It’s Rio’s big day tomorrow, driving the car for the first time, but he’s been soaking it all up from the sidelines and I’m sure he’ll hit the ground running.”

[MIKA27]

TORO ROSSO: NEW FERRARI POWER UNIT FELT GOOD STRAIGHT AWAY

Toro Rosso report from day two of the first Formula 1 preseason test at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in Spain.

• Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, 4.655km
• Driver: Max Verstappen
• Car: STR11-02
• Laps: 121
• Best time: 1:26.539

James Key (Technical Director): “Today was Max’ first day driving the STR11, so it’s good to get his feedback and compare it to Carlos’. We already had a few small chassis-side updates today, which appear to be working okay. Generally, the reliability was also good. This morning we had a minor electrical issue that needed a reset in the garage and after that it was okay. To cover 121 laps on day two of the test is extremely encouraging given that this week is all about putting mileage on the car and concentrating on all the new systems that we’ve had to introduce quickly. So we can be happy with today’s progress.”

Max Verstappen: “It was very nice to be back in the car today, especially after three months waiting for this day to arrive! The first laps were very exciting, also because of the new power unit – it was nice to finally discover it and it felt good straight away. We did quite a lot of laps, which is very important for the team but also for myself to get comfortable with the car. In general I’d say it was a very positive day. Maybe the time sheets don’t reflect this, but we aren’t focusing on lap times right now. I’m happy!”