FORMULA 1 - 2016

[capitalpg]

Exciting first week leads me to believe this will be more than a one team campaign.

With obvious bias, Ferrari looks to be the best prepared they have been in several seasons!

Can't wait!

[MIKA27]

Hamilton admits Rosberg friction

Three-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton acknowledged that the rivalry between himself and teammate Nico Rosberg had been particularly fierce, but added that it was a matter which had been blown out of proportion.

Speaking to Formula1.com this week, Hamilton said both drivers were highly competitive, adding that they too were sometimes guilty of making more of the friction than they needed too.

"It is there," Hamilton said of the friction that existed between himself and his teammate.

"But it is a small fire that everybody pours a lot of gasoline on to make it bigger. And then, of course, also me and Nico, we unintentionally pour more gasoline on to the fire depending on who is winning a race. So it is real – a real competition," added Hamilton.

Rosberg won six races in 2015 and on five occasions, Hamilton finished behind him. The trend when Hamilton won was similar. Hamilton won the championship by 59 points last season. It was a tight contest and there is every possibility that Rosberg will continue to be a menace this term.

"Honestly it was good for him at the end of the year. I had good races – I got the points. I did not do the bare minimum, but I did what I needed to do to finish the year," said Hamilton of Rosberg's push towards the end of last season, where he won three races in a row.

"I didn't do what I had to do to win the championship because I already had won the championship. If you fight for the championship you have to bring that extra five or ten percent – after I had bagged the title I didn't need that anymore. I used my energy elsewhere. But now my sole focus is again on winning the title – but Nico also has grown, so I have to accept that he is exceptionally fast and so I also have to lift my bar again. I don't know how – but that is my goal," explained Hamilton.

The reality is that last season was a two-horse race, between Hamilton and Rosberg. Some pundits think that will not be the case this year and Hamilton has embraced the idea of the entire field being more competitive.

"I hope it is not purely a 'Lewis and Nico show' – I hope Ferrari gets involved in that show and that we will have fierce competition beyond me and Nico," said Hamilton.

The jury is out on whether a stern challenge from Ferrari will become a reality this year.

"We will not have an answer until Melbourne."

[MIKA27]

Vijay Mallya Strikes a deal

Vijay Mallya has stepped down as non-executive chairman of United Spirits Ltd, the India spirits company that is controlled by Diageo Plc, after striking a deal with the firm to drop all allegations of financial irregularities and pay him $75 million over five years.

As part of the agreement, Diageo has extended Smirnoff’s sponsorship of the Force India Formula 1 team of which Mallya is team principal and part-owner for the next five seasons, at an estimated cost of $15 million per season. In exchange Mallya has agreed a non-compete arrangement with Diageo.

Mahendra Kumar Sharma, currently a non-executive director of United Spirits Ltd will now become the chairman.

Though some may see this as a victory, it should be remembered that USL was once the star company in the crumbling Mallya empire. Mallya still holds four percent of the firm but may have to give that up as creditors continue to chase him for money related to the defunct Kingfisher Airlines. Diageo had agreed to the deal to get Mallya out of the way so that the firm can concentrate on making money in India.

What is not clear from the statements made by the two parties is where this leaves $135 million that Mallya owes Diageo for a loan to Watson Ltd, the company that holds Mallya’s shares (42.5 percent) in Orange India Holdings, the holding company of the Formula 1 team. Diageo Holdings Netherlands BV issued a guarantee to Standard Chartered Bank for the $135 million loan to Watson. The money was then used to pay another bank. Diageo received a counter-indemnity from Mallya, agreeing to repay Standard Chartered and if Mallya defaulted, Diageo could then seek to recover the money from him. Diageo was forced to pay the money at the end of January. The Standard Chartered loan was granted on a guarantee of shares in the Force India team, but Diageo has filed paperwork saying that the stake has lost so much of its value that it might not be able to recover the money. It could try to get the money from shares pledged by United Breweries, Mallya’s main remaining company, but a consortium of Indian banks has already obtained an order from the Karnataka High Court preventing the sale of these shares because they want them.

It could be that the Diageo will continue to go after ownership of the team, despite its lack of any book value as a rebuilt team could be worth a great deal more. The team’s other main shareholder, Roy Subrata Sahara, is currently in jail in India and says that he wants to sell his shares in Orange India Holdings, but it is believed that Mallya has the first right to buy Sahara’s 42.5 percent stake. He cannot afford it and it is unlikely that Diageo will invest more. It is not clear what would happen to Mallya’s first rights claim if Diageo was to take over his Orange India shareholding.

Diageo had a plan a few months ago to take control of the team, in league with Aston Martin, and rebuild the operation as Aston Martin Racing, with Diageo sponsorship and thus use the sport to sell more cars and vodka. Aston Martin does not appear to have the money to take such a step.

[MIKA27]

EXCLUSIVE! W07 behind the scenes footage & 2016 Mercedes F1 exhaust explained!

We take you behind the scenes during W07 launch week and reveal what’s different about the 2016 Mercedes F1 tailpipe and wastegate configuration. All that and we even catch up with drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg before they put the new car through its paces!

[MIKA27]

Driver of the Day ‘pointless’ – Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton has given more short shrift to the proposal of new rules and regulations for 2016, labelling the introduction of 'Driver of the Day' as 'pointless'.

In an effort to engage with fans during race weekends, the FIA has announced a Driver of the Day award will be introduced for the opening round, with the winner decided by viewers.

With the winner rewarded, Mercedes' Nico Rosberg has supported the move, saying it is a good way to reach out to fans, but his team-mate Hamilton is rather less impressed by its introduction.

“It's probably good for the youngsters that are coming in, but Driver of the Day doesn't sound good to me. It seems like a pointless exercise.

“I don't really have positive things to say about these rules. I just think these ideas they are coming up with are no good.”

“I don't know what the other drivers want but I don't care to be consulted about it. I just don't think they are particularly special or will add to the spectacle for the fans and that's what we've got to do. Definitely on race weekends, for example we are limited on tyres and engines so we do less running.

“When these people turn up and spend so much money to watch a test day they are sat there watching nothing for a period of time because we have no tyres. There are loads of things I just feel it's to make headlines and all it does is cause everyone to talk about it, but it's not going to make much difference.”

[MIKA27]

Mercedes trialling new nose on final day

Mercedes has pulled the wraps off a new nose for its W07 on the fourth and final day of the opening F1 pre-season test at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Having teased a number of 'unusual' parts to be trialled at the test, Mercedes rolled out a revised nose and wing featuring an s-duct at the top and 'turning vanes'.

With Mercedes pushing on with the testing of 'innovative' parts having amassed huge mileage over the first three days – which totals 490 laps already -, Lewis Hamilton is testing the intricate nose as the team evaluates a possible introduction for the opening round.

.@MercedesAMGF1 gets rivals scrambling for a view as it reveals a new nose on the W07 #F1Testing

So here's what everyone's talking about today... we've named it Bruce. Any guesses as to why? #SharkAttack #F1

[LLC]

Exciting first week leads me to believe this will be more than a one team campaign.

With obvious bias, Ferrari looks to be the best prepared they have been in several seasons!

Can't wait!

I hope your right and I'd love to see Ferrari do well but I'd be shocked if Mercedes isn't sandbagging big time.

[capitalpg]

LLC, great point as nothing would surprise me.

Hope continued friction

between Lewis & Nico makes them lose focus throughout the season;)

[Lotusguy]

I hope your right and I'd love to see Ferrari do well but I'd be shocked if Mercedes isn't sandbagging big time.

This.

It will be another Mercedes-dominated yawner season with the other teams fighting for the "best of the rest".

[MIKA27]

ECCLESTONE: WE NEEDED TO WAKE EVERYBODY UP A LITTLE BIT

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone says the sport faces a brighter future after teams agreed a new qualifying format from this season, even if he had sought a more radical approach to liven up racing.

Speaking to Reuters after he said current F1 was the worst it had ever been and he would not buy tickets for his family to watch races, the 85-year-old sounded a much more positive note.

“I think now I’d be a bit more confident that we are going to see some good racing,” he said in a telephone interview. “Then I’ll be happy.”

Ecclestone said teams, who agreed the new qualifying format, had finally woken up and taken a step in the right direction with more change to come, “I think there’s lots of things we can do and will be doing.”

“What people needed was a bit of a shake up. I seem to be the only person that has thought we should do something in Formula One, to wake everybody up a little bit. And maybe that’s what’s happened.

“I wasn’t talking down the sport at all, quite the opposite. I was trying to sort of explain that unless we did something that’s the way we’d be going.”

Formula One’s core strategy group, which includes Ecclestone and the top six teams as well as governing body, approved a range of measures — yet to be formally ratified by the International Automobile Federation — in Geneva on Tuesday.

The changes are aimed at making cars faster, louder, harder to handle and more aggressive for the 2017 season.

The new qualifying format was passed unanimously, meaning it can be introduced at this season’s opening race in Australia on March 20 instead of waiting a year.

Under the new procedure, the slowest drivers will be eliminated as the session progresses rather than at the end of each phase. The final shootout for pole will be between two drivers rather than 10.

“The idea really is that it will be the same as qualifying in wet conditions. Maybe one or two of the hotshoes aren’t going to make it. So we won’t see the obvious on the front of the grid,” Ecclestone said.

His own “dollar’s worth of input”, he said, was something more extreme.

“My idea was to leave qualifying just as it is, don’t touch it. And then penalize people if you want from pole position downwards depending on their result in the previous race,” Ecclestone explained.

He explained that would have allowed a driver’s pole to be entered in the record books for posterity, even if he did not start from the front of the grid because of the ensuing demotion.

“I think if we had a different grid we would certainly have different racing,” he said.

Looking further ahead, Ecclestone said the sport needed to do more to reduce the dominance of champions Mercedes and rivals Ferrari, who between them provide eight of the 11 teams with engines, both on and off the track.

“It’s no good just seeing Mercedes in the front, without any competition. That’s what I complained about,” he said.

“I want the public to enjoy Formula One. I want them to go to a race and not be able to say before they go ‘I’m sure (triple world champion Lewis) Hamilton is going to win’. I don’t want that.”

In his previous interview with Britain’s Daily Mail, Ecclestone compared the influence wielded by Mercedes and Ferrari to that of an “illegal cartel”.

Teams they supply usually vote in accordance with their wishes, while Ferrari can also exercise a veto over matters deemed to be against their sporting and commercial interests.

Ecclestone also said then that FIA president Jean Todt was too much of a diplomat and should hand over the running of Formula One to someone else.

He clarified those remarks on Wednesday, “What was quoted by me about Mr Todt was very simple.”

“What was intended is that he is very busy doing the road safety and things like that and for him, or me, to spend a whole day at these meetings knowing full well we are going to achieve nothing before the meeting starts is just not on.

“The moment the way we are structured… where Ferrari and Mercedes can get together and their teams will have to follow them when they vote… is not good. We don’t need two Formula One teams running Formula One. They are competitors.”

[MIKA27]

HAS THE FORMULA 1 PECKING ORDER REMAINED UNCHANGED?

After a full winter, and with a field full of new cars and a four day test done and dusted, it appears little has changed about the pecking order in Formula 1.

“I have the impression that, over the winter, the order has not really changed,” said Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat as the first half of pre-season testing ended in Barcelona.

In fact, if anything, Mercedes might even have pushed its advantage out even more, with Williams chief Pat Symonds describing the silver team’s reliability in initial testing as nothing short of “amazing”.

Kimi Raikkonen, however, is part of the Ferrari team that has pushed hard to produce a Mercedes-beater for 2016. Surely, the first week of 2016 running has the Maranello camp worried…

“Why should it worry me?” the unflappable Finn questioned. “We are interested in what we are doing, not the others. Of course I would like to have done more laps but that is just testing.”

Mercedes’ pre-season, however, has gone so well so far that Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton have been on duty in Barcelona all week, to share the unprecedented amount of testing laps that are being accrued.

“They’re having a laugh,” an insider working for a rival team said on Thursday.

For F1 – as it tries to spice things up by tweaking the qualifying format for 2016 – there is a risk that an increase in Mercedes’ domination will utterly turn off the fans.

“Boredom has nothing to do with it,” F1 legend Alain Prost told Welt newspaper. “Each team, each manufacturer starts from the same position — Mercedes has just done the best job, it’s as simple as that,” he said. “It’s always been the same in formula one.

“If someone adapts to new regulations better than everyone else, that doesn’t mean you start to question everything. You just have to work hard to close the gap,” said Prost.

That gap between Mercedes and the rest, however, appears to still be there for 2016, but Williams’ Felipe Massa says the season should still be exciting.

“Taking Mercedes and Ferrari out, there will be a very big fight,” he told Brazil’s Globo, “and I put ourselves in this fight with Red Bull and Force India.”

And there will be other interesting elements to 2016: whether McLaren-Honda can make progress, the newly Ferrari-powered Toro Rosso, and the impressive new Ferrari ‘B’ team Haas.

“I must say that Haas is a surprise,” Williams’ Valtteri Bottas told Finland’s MTV, referring to the early pace of the Gene Haas-founded American outfit.

Newly Mercedes-powered Manor has also been impressive in Pascal Wehrlein’s hands, even if his Indonesian-funded teammate Rio Haryanto has made notable errors.

And Haryanto’s pace is so far from Wehrlein’s that Bild, a major German daily, concluded the Barcelona test wondering if the 23-year-old is in fact from ‘Blind-onesia’.

MIKA: I agree with Alain Prost.

“Boredom has nothing to do with it,” F1 legend Alain Prost told Welt newspaper. “Each team, each manufacturer starts from the same position — Mercedes has just done the best job, it’s as simple as that,” he said. “It’s always been the same in formula one.

“If someone adapts to new regulations better than everyone else, that doesn’t mean you start to question everything. You just have to work hard to close the gap,”

Seriously, it amuses me to read and hear people saying bore fest etc about a team who has won two consecutive WDC's fair and square when one can historically look at F1 and see there were several team's who dominated for, much longer.

- McLaren won 3 consecutive WDC's between '84-86 then another 4 WDC's between '88-91 (Williams broke what could have been 8 potential consecutive WDC's by one team in 1987 )

- Williams won 2 WDC's between '92-93

- Benneton won 2 WDC's between '94-95

- Williams another 2 WDC's between '96-97

- Then let's talk Ferrari who won 5 consecutive years between 2000-2005 (I'm a Schumacher fan but that was bloody boring from a fans perspective! )

- Red Bul racing, 4 WDC's back to back to back to back. THAT was boring because we had to also listen to the likes of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko complaining about all sorts of rules, regulations, politics and just plain winging whilst they were dominating.

Seriously, take a look at the link and tell me if Mercedes dominance is killing Formula 1 because anyone looking at the link I provided will see that historically, this has always been the norm for team dominances and thus far Mercedes are yet to win anything beyond the two WDC's so far. Boring, not really, yes, I'd like to see the pack closer, but I think the differences are a bunch of politics and artificial tampering which make's Formula 1 boring such as tyres, loss of aero and mechanical grip, the loss of spectacle from refuelling etc.

[MIKA27]

SAINZ: IT’S NOT OUR JOB TO BE EXTREMELY SKINNY

Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz fears he and some other Formula One drivers have had to lose so much weight before the season starts, to compensate for heavier cars, that they risk compromising their health.

“How do you tell a driver to perform at his highest level while taking into account that he needs to lose three or four kilos?,” the 21-year-old Spaniard told Reuters at the first test of the year.

“It’s one thing against the other. You turn up to a test wanting to be as strong as possible but you cannot be as strong as possible because of weight (loss),” added the driver who did a massive total of 161 laps on Wednesday.

Drivers from three of the 11 teams told Reuters they needed to lose weight before the opening race in Australia on March 20.

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo has shed three kilos, and says more must go, while Renault’s Kevin Magnussen and Sainz’s 18-year-old team mate Max Verstappen have been told to lose a few.

Toro Rosso and Renault have changed engine supplier since last year, with the decisions coming very late in the day and causing design headaches, but Sainz saw other reasons too.

“There are new parts, more aerodynamic parts in the car which means more carbon fibre. A longer wheelbase so the car is a bit longer which makes it a bit heavier,” he said.

Cars have more cockpit protection and also an extra exhaust pipe this year. All teams aim for the lightest car and driver combination, with ballast used to bring it up to the minimum weight. This can be moved around, improving performance.

The heavier the driver, the less ballast available. Sainz said his athletic weight was around 70kg and he had been asked to lose three or four.

“It’s a bit drastic,” he said. “Maybe we (drivers) have to discuss it. I heard really drastic things from Jean-Eric Vergne, what he had to do.

“It’s not safe and not the right way to go. We like to be fit and thin, that’s our job, but it’s not our job to be extremely skinny.”

Former Toro Rosso driver Vergne was so weak he was taken to hospital after the 2014 Australian Grand Prix after dieting to reduce the advantage enjoyed by much lighter Russian team mate Daniil Kvyat.

Minimum car weights were increased for 2015.

Kvyat, now with Ricciardo at Red Bull, told Reuters he did not have to lose any weight. Other teams, such as Williams, said it was not an issue.

Verstappen said he had lost two kilos.

“I’m still growing in terms of strength because I’m only 18. Then you do the training and at the end muscle is weight. So it all gets a bit more tricky,” the Dutch driver told Reuters.

“I am 68 or 69kg now but it’s quite hard if you are 1.80 metres. And in general the whole family is quite strongly built.”

MIKA: This is another factor of S**t that is destroying Formula 1.

[MIKA27]

PIRELLI ULTRASOFT TO MAKE F1 DEBUT IN CANADA

The all new Pirelli ultra-soft Formula 1 tyre will make its first appearance at this year’s Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, in June.

The Italian tyre manufacturer said in a press release:

Pirelli will bring the following three compounds to the seventh round of the 2016 Formula One season in Canada (June 10 – 12):

• P Zero Yellow soft; P Zero Red supersoft; P Zero Purple ultrasoft

These are the mandatory tyres to be available for the race:

• Two sets of P Zero Yellow soft

Each driver must have both these sets available for the race, and must use at least one of them.

These are the tyres assigned for Q3 in qualifying:

• One set of P Zero Purple ultrasoft

Following on from the 2016 regulations, each driver must save for Q3 one set of the softest of the three nominated compounds. This set will be given back to Pirelli after Q3 for those who qualify in the top 10, but the remaining drivers will keep it for the race – as is the case currently.

The teams are free to choose the remaining sets; making up 13 sets in total for the weekend.

The new 2016 tyre regulations mean that tyre choices for long-haul events have to be made 14 weeks in advance, whereas for European races the deadline is eight weeks in advance.

Meanwhile in the aftermath of the frist F1 preseason test in Spain last week, Paul Hembery, Pirelli Motorsport Director said,“There are not too many conclusions you can read into the first test of the season, as teams are all trying different things with different specifications of car, making it quite hard to interpret from the outside the characteristics of each tyre.”

“However, from the inside, all the data we have seen so far indicates that the overall tyre performance is about where we expected it to be, during both longer and shorter runs.”

“Our biggest news was the debut of P Zero Purple ultrasoft tyre, which set the fastest time of the test and provided the extra performance we had aimed for, even though Barcelona is not the type of circuit it is particularly suited to,” added Hembery.

[MIKA27]

MANAGER SAYS HARYANTO CONFIRMED FOR FULL SEASON

Rio Haryanto’s manager has clarified reports the Indonesian rookie might not complete the entire 2016 Formula 1 season.

Although backed by Indonesia via the state-owned oil company Pertamina, Haryanto’s entourage is still looking for more sponsorship to deliver everything promised to the Manor team.

His manager Piers Hunnisett, however, denied the claims, telling GMM on Saturday: “All is confirmed for a full season.”

Haryanto, 23, had a troubled start to his F1 career this week, going off track more than once and lagging teammate Pascal Wehrlein’s pace by several seconds.

Asked if the long-time GP2 driver simply pushed the Mercedes-powered car beyond its limits, new racing director Dave Ryan confirmed: “I think so.

“Frankly, I would have been surprised if there were no incidents. As long as he is learning, it’s ok,” the former McLaren sporting director said.

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NEW QUALIFYING DELAYED BECAUSE FOM IS NOT READY

Formula 1’s new ‘musical chairs’ qualifying format has hit a roadblock and it’s introduction will be delayed.

Bernie Ecclestone told F1 business journalist Christian Sylt that Formula One Management’s software team does not have time to prepare the system for the Melbourne season opener next month.

“The new qualifying won’t happen because we can’t get everything together in time,” the F1 supremo said in an exclusive article in The Independent.

“It was going to come in at the start of this year but we are not going to be able to get all the software done in time. So the qualifying changes will probably be in Spain,” Ecclestone revealed.

“In Australia it will be the old qualifying. All of the software has got to be written so it’s not easy,” he added.

The new format is based on the existing ‘knockout’ qualifying system, but with a car eliminated every 90 seconds instead of in a group at the end of the three segments.

Ecclestone admitted he actually wanted a more radical shake-up for 2016, involving reversing the grids.

“I wanted a very simple thing,” he said. “I wanted qualifying to stay as it is, because it is good, and then if a guy is on pole and has won the last race he gets so many seconds added to his time so he has to fight through the bloody pack to get in the lead, which he would do in the end.”

Amid F1’s democratic processes, Ecclestone said he is frustrated the teams are not more supportive of his moves to spice up the racing.

“There are a million things they could do but they are completely mad,” he said. “We can’t do it alone because to get the things voted through it has to go through the commissions and then we have got the teams all deciding.”

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TORO ROSSO DENY THEY WERE TESTING 2015 CAR

Toro Rosso technical chief James Key clarified reports that the Red Bull owned junior team did not take its 2016 car to the first Barcelona test.

Carlos Sainz had been quoted as saying that, amid the Faenza team’s rush to fit its new Ferrari engines for 2016, Toro Rosso had prepared an interim car built around the 2015 car.

The Spaniard suggested the “full” STR11 will then make its debut next week in race livery.

Key, however, is quoted by the Spanish sports daily Marca as saying the all-blue single seater collecting laps this week “is definitely this year’s car”.

“There are two parts that are temporary, because the new ones will come for the next test,” he added. “But they are the only two pieces from 2015 that are in this car.”

Key admitted that the 2016 machine is very much based on last year’s model, “We were very happy with the chassis last year — it was a big step for us. So we wanted to keep everything that worked,” he added.

But it seems that the 2016 Toro Rosso may actually be heavier, as compromises were made to accommodate the last-minute switch from Renault power.

It means Sainz, who spent some of the winter training with top triathlete Mario Mola, was asked to lose weight.

[MIKA27]

Formula 1 'too narrow-minded' in its social media approach - Grosjean

Haas driver Romain Grosjean has hit out at Formula One Management and its approach to social media, after they told him to remove videos he had posted of Formula 1 testing on his social media accounts last week.

The Frenchman uploaded several videos of his Haas car lapping the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with team-mate Esteban Gutierrez at the wheel, but they were later deleted.

Grosjean revealed that FOM, which often removes unauthorised footage filmed by fans and posted on the internet, took the same approach with him, despite the videos racking up millions of views which most would assume is great marketing for a product.

"I ran a live video on my Facebook page during our filming day, as well as from my room yesterday," he told Motorsport.com "And the FOM asked me to remove all the videos. We had more than a million views on all the videos.

"I think it's great, it allows people to see F1, what it's like inside, behind the scenes, but we're not allowed.

"F1 is too narrow-minded - we say that we lose fans, but nowadays, social networks have so many billion people in the world - and we're not allowed to make the most of them."

[MIKA27]

Tech analysis: The big trends of F1 2016

A flurry of activity over the first four days of testing means we have seen most of the 2016 machinery, with just Sauber yet to unveil its car. Giorgio Piola and Matt Somerfield of motorsport.com analyse the prevailing trends.

Stability in the regulations inevitably leads to a convergence of several key concepts and are usually areas of the car that must be fixed within a team's overall philosophy.

There are a few design features that seem to be cropping up on multiple cars, as everyone looks for bolt on performance whilst in the early design phase, before searching for refinement.

Of course, all of these are interpreted differently by each team as they look to improve upon what has gone before.

Blown axle

When the FIA reduced the width of the front wing in 2014 from 1800mm to 1650mm, it was done knowing that it would have an impact on how airflow would move around the car.

Whilst it isn't a huge deal in terms of the downforce generated by the wing itself, it is in terms of how the wing is used to shape the wake shed by the front wheel and tyre.

Williams FW35 "B" Duct

In order to marginalise this problem, each team will use different methods [see the Williams FW35 above to illustrate this], with both wheel design and the way in which airflow is ejected by the brake ducting important to how the air flows around the wheel and tyre.

On top of this, the teams have been playing around with the idea of a blown axle now for years, with Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull [below] using them last year, albeit with the latter only utilising it on higher downforce tracks due to how it reshapes the airflow downstream, either improving or destroying floor and diffuser performance.

RB9 "B" Duct right view

In 2016, we've seen Toro Rosso and Haas join those ranks as they too go in search of aerodynamic gains.

Airflow collected by the front brake duct is sent off in various directions, be it to cool the caliper, brake discs or, in this case, feed the hollowed out axle.

Carlos Sainz Jr., Scuderia Toro Rosso STR11

Using the image above to illustrate how the blown axle works, yellow is the wake shed by the tyre and blue is the airflow blown out of the axle, which helps shape the tyre wake.

Remember though - this is just for illustrative purposes, with each design different based on a huge amount of factors.

Front suspension

Racing RB12 detail

Having pioneered the conjoined wishbone arrangement in 2014, Mercedes has continued to develop its offering.

However, other teams have since caught on, with Ferrari and Force India running one both this and last year, whilst Red Bull [pictured], Toro Rosso and Haas have all followed suit this season.

The idea is that the suspension elements, which ordinarily create turbulence, are shaped more carefully so that the airflow has less work to go through.

McLaren MP4-31 front suspension

Meanwhile, McLaren has bucked that trend, choosing to move the rear arm of the upper wishbone closer to the lower rear arm [marked in yellow], which should create a bulk flow structure, rather than individual ones.

'S' Duct

Sauber C31 "S" duct

Like the blown axle, the 'S' duct is nothing new [see the Sauber C31 illustration above] and how it is used changes based on the prevailing regulations.

However, with the nose regulations stable this year, we are seeing more refined concepts being used. Red Bull, Force India and McLaren all ran 'S' ducts during 2015, with the latter using a dual pipework and outlet installation [below].

McLaren S duct

Force India and McLaren have continued to use them on their 2016 challengers and at the moment they've been joined by Toro Rosso and Mercedes, although it is possible this list could grow to include Ferrari and Haas, based on key indicators shown in early trim.

RB11 'S' duct pipework

The oddity at the moment is Red Bull, as it has dropped their 'S' duct at this early stage, which is strange considering it's the team that, perhaps, pushed its development the most in recent years.

Toro Rosso "S" duct

Toro Rosso's solution is a very neat package that is all housed within the nose box, rather than having separate 'S' duct pipework mounted in front of the bulkhead, like we have seen before.

This is quite novel as it changes the point at which the airflow has an effect on the air passing over the nose, for which it is intended to help.

Two NACA-inspired ducts are placed on either side of the nose and collate airflow that is sent through the internal pipework and ejected out of the raised letterbox-style outlet at the rear of the nose section.

The idea is to use the Coanda effect - drawing nearby airflow that is detaching from the nose surface, by virtue of the steep inclination, and bringing it back onto the surface, improving performance.

'Tyre Squirt' slots

MP4-31 slots on the floor

This is an area that has been under heavy development for several seasons [see image above, from last season], however, from time to time, trends emerge. One such trend is all of the teams adding more slots than ever, extending quite far forward on the floors surface.

Mercedes AMG F1 W07

Haas VF-16

The solutions used by Mercedes and Haas [above] are similar to the design employed by Toro Rosso in 2015 [below], with several L-shaped slots raising the floor in order to mimic a hole.

The Mercedes AMG F1 W07 has similar cuts in front of rear tyres introduced by Toro Rosso in Austria together with new rear suspension

A fully enclosed hole in the floor, whilst more effective, was officially ruled out in Monaco, back in 2012, when Red Bull was pushing their interpretation of the regulations.

Since that moment, the teams have been adding almost imperceptible slots to the floors edge, by virtue of which it is then no longer a fully enclosed hole.

These slots, and the holes that preceded them, help to combat a common foe – "Tyre Squirt", something that has been more critical since the rules stopped the teams from sealing the diffuser with exhaust gasses.

Ordinarily, airflow is "squirted" laterally into the diffuser's path as the tyre rotates and is exacerbated as the tyre deforms under cornering load.

The idea of the slots, along with other devices on the floor, like the vertical strakes, is to minimise this issue, by creating vortices that help re-align the airflow before it even makes it into the diffuser.

Rear wing mounting pylon

While Toro Rosso has followed several design paths forged by others this season, it is one of the squad's designs that is now being proliferated up and down the grid.

The rear wing of the Toro Rosso STR10 support pylon intersects with the exhaust

As shown above, during 2015 the team used a rear wing mounting pylon that intersected with the exhaust, using, as is so common, a grey area within the regulations.

In doing so, it was able to trim a little weight, as it was no longer using a heavier inverted Y-Lon. The switch also has some aerodynamic payoffs, too. Firstly, this removed the circular Y-Lon from the equation, giving airflow exiting the engine cover one less obstacle to deal with.

Secondly, the mere fact that the exhaust has the pylon running through it means the exhaust plume is affected.

Although the engine manufacturers have gone to great lengths to design their turbo exhaust exit in such a way that is beneficial for performance, the plume generated is still likely to be more erratic than is desirable.

It can, therefore, be inferred that the pylon will act as a flow stabiliser, straightening the plume, perhaps not only improving things aerodynamically but indirectly improving turbo performance.

SF16-H rear detail

Even though it's using the 2015 Ferrari powerunit, Toro Rosso has retained its intersecting rear wing mounting pylon, whilst Ferrari [above], Haas [below] and McLaren have all copied the solution too.

Fernando Alonso, McLaren MP4-31

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Force India: "Door still open" for Aston Martin partnership

Force India says a partnership that would bring Aston Martin back to Formula 1 remains a possibility for the future, despite talks last year failing to produce a deal.

The Silverstone-based outfit had hoped to tie up a partnership with the British sportscar manufacturer for 2016, but in the end the discussions fell through.

However, while the matter is off the table for this year, Force India's COO Otmar Szafnauer says his outfit is still hoping that it can resurrect the idea and bring Aston Martin on board for 2017.

“I don't think the answer is no,” Szafnauer told Motorsport.com.

“It was just for 2016 we won't be collaborating. But we will have further discussions later on with Aston to see if there is a possibility for future years.”

Rules key

Szafnauer said that the talks with Aston Martin had been "serious", but thinks that key to completing an agreement will be in F1 delivering a platform of rules that entices the manufacturer in.

“For 2017 there is still a possibility and the door is still open,” he said. “We will reconvene again and see if there is any possibility for the future.

“There were just some decision-making points that were unknown at that time. And they just needed more time to see what the sport was doing about the engine and some other things.

“They need to have some of those answers before they can make that decision of entering Formula 1 or not. And only time would give them those answers.”

When asked if finalised 2017 regulations would be a help, he said: “Well, that's one of the things.

"So when those 2017 regulations are sorted out, everybody knows and then people can make decisions like: 'Do I like them or not?'

"But if you're trying to guess what those are, than people say: 'Oh, let me wait and see.' That is exactly one of the reasons. To understand what the regulations are going to be in 2017.”

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Preview of Baku F1 street circuit

Here is a video preview to the 2016 European Grand Prix's venue, the Baku street circuit.

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Pat Symonds: F1 still doesn't fully understand overtaking

Williams technical director Pat Symonds believes Formula One should spend more time trying to understand the science of overtaking before rushing in to rule changes.

F1 bosses have agreed to overhaul the regulations in 2017 with the aim of making the cars faster and more exciting to watch. The proposal is expected to reduce lap times by three seconds, but whether it will encourage more wheel-to-wheel racing than the current formula is unclear.

"I think that's one of the concerns that people have, because none of us really fully understand overtaking," Symonds told ESPN. "We can apply some truisms to it, roughly it's a truism that if you've got more downforce then it's harder to overtake, but that's not completely true because there are certain aerodynamics that are more harmful than others. I don't think any of us really understand enough about it and it would be nice if we did.

"I don't think what is proposed for 2017 will be disastrous in any way, the cars will be quicker but I personally don't think that will be very relevant because none of us can tell the difference in FP2 between a car on full tanks and qualifying pace; you've got four seconds per lap difference there and you can't see it without looking at the timing screens."

Between 2007 and 2009, Symonds sat on the Overtaking Working Group [OWG] alongside current Mercedes technical director Paddy Lowe and ex-Ferrari design chief Rory Byrne. The proposals they put forward were adopted in 2009 and increased the amount of overtaking in F1, but much of that work is expected to be undone in 2017.

Symonds admits the OWG never gained a full understanding of what makes good racing, but he believes a dedicated group of F1 engineers focused solely on encouraging overtaking could offer useful very proposals to F1's rule makers.

"If I go back to the Overtaking Working Group, we did begin to understand that there were certain things you could do to the wake of a car that were less detrimental to the following car than other things might be," Symonds added. "But that was very basic bit of work, and the amount of work and the level it was done at, compared to the level of work we do in our day jobs, was very very low.

"If we took an aerodynamic group out of any of the teams and sent them away for a year and gave them plenty of money and plenty of facilities and gave them nothing to do other than understand overtaking, you would have some very interesting answers."

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SAUBER PRESENT THE NEW C35 POWERED BY FERRARI

The rollout of the Sauber C35-Ferrari will take place on 1 March at the second winter test (1 to 4 March) at Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona.

For the Sauber F1 Team 2016 marks the 24th season in Formula One. The squad based in Hinwil in the Zürcher Oberland, after Ferrari, Williams and McLaren, is the fourth-oldest team among the currently existing brand names. In the 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship the Sauber F1 Team will again be competing with drivers Marcus Ericsson (SE, 25) and Felipe Nasr (BR, 23).

Team principal Monisha Kaltenborn’s aims can initially be put in a nutshell: “We want to clearly improve.” The team principal goes on to explain: “Obviously, there’s a certain position we’d like to achieve. But, to start with, it’s important to become established in mid-field. Only then are we going to focus on individual positions.”

With respect to the drivers, Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr, Monisha Kaltenborn says: “Both delivered a good, first season for us. Speaking for Marcus and Felipe is the fact that they made only few mistakes. And that they learnt from these mistakes. Now they’ll have to show how they’re going to keep working on their skills following the experience they’ve gained.”

Marcus Ericsson – and his expectations for his third Formula One year, his second with the Sauber F1 Team: “The battle for positions is getting fiercer. But I’m convinced that, with the new car, we’re going to take a step forward so that we can finish in the points with greater consistency and under our own steam. Last year we managed a good start. In the second half of the season it was a harder struggle for us to score points. This season I’d like to see us being in contention for points and fighting on a level where speed is decisive. I know that everyone at the factory in Hinwil is working very hard in this direction.”

Felipe Nasr – and his prediction for his second year in Formula One: “It’s difficult for me to predict how the positions behind the top teams are going to pan out this season – and where we’ll be able to line up in that part of the field. We’re going to put innovations on the grid, but so are our competitors, and their efficiency remains to be seen. It’s hardly possible to make any predictions under these circumstances. The whole team has been working very hard to explore areas in the car that we can improve. That’s why I’m confident that we’ve made progress. The season will show what positions we’ll be able to achieve with it.”

The winter break has shown that, following their first year as teammates in the Sauber F1 Team, Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr are now tackling their tasks in an even more focused and efficient manner.

Together with their physiotherapists both kept running at full speed in fitness regimens for weeks on end. Both of them leave nothing to chance and are also working meticulously at the race track to achieve the same goal. Their characters differ – which is not uncommon with drivers hailing from the northern and the southern part of the world. This is how they see each other in terms of teamwork:

Marcus about Felipe: “We work together well. Our discussions about the car, the setup or the further development take place on a very professional level. We both understand that working together is very important, not just for the team but also for the individual driver. That worked out in 2015 and I see no reason why it shouldn’t again in 2016.”

Felipe about Marcus: “It works. We get on well together. As teammates we deal with each other openly. We started with the same aims at Sauber and continue to pursue them – that is to put teamwork ahead of anything else. So, it’s an advantage if a well-gelled driver duo can stay on for another season. You simply know each other. That makes certain things easier and you can improve in your work and reach your goals faster. We will continue that in 2016.”

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MAGNUSSEN: PEOPLE HAPPIER AT RENAULT THAN AT MCLAREN

Renault is a happier team than McLaren according to Kevin Magnussen, who was dropped by the Woking outfit at the end of last year and since signed up for 2016 by the French team.

With McLaren apparently still struggling with its works Honda power, and Renault having taken over the near-collapsed Lotus at the eleventh hour, many insiders are tipping that the teams may be similarly competitive – or uncompetitive – this year.

But Dane Magnussen says the atmosphere in the respective camps is markedly different, “There is a big difference. The first thing you notice is that the people at Renault seem happier. The atmosphere is more positive and people have faith in the team.

“When I was at McLaren, the team was down, but Renault is a team on the rise and you can notice how that affects the people,” added Magnussen.

However, he insists that while he was unceremoniously dumped by McLaren, he bears no grudge, “I still talk to some people at McLaren. “I have no problem with them. There are very few people at McLaren I have trouble with.”

Another man who might be forgiven for bearing ill feelings about McLaren is Dave Ryan, who has returned to F1 this year after an absence with Manor.

Formerly McLaren’s sporting director, Ryan was sacked in 2009 amid the ‘lie-gate’ scandal, involving a controversial meeting between the stewards and then team driver Lewis Hamilton.

“I’ve a completely clear conscience about what happened at McLaren and that didn’t enter my mind for a second when I agreed to join Manor,” he told The Sun.

Honda’s struggles means Manor, a backmarker with the title-winning Mercedes engine this year, could actually be racing the famous British team in 2016.

“Of course, if we can compete with them (McLaren) occasionally then it would be fantastic,” said Ryan, “but the reality of the situation is they ought to be at the front end of the grid.

“McLaren is a bit of a sleeping giant at the moment. They haven’t had a good few years and last year was particularly difficult, but they’ve got the potential to get it right.”

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RICCIARDO: FERRARI IS INTERESTING ONLY IF THEY HAVE THE BEST CAR

Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo is still refusing to rule himself out of the running for a future switch to Ferrari.

Earlier, the Australian predicted a frenzied ‘silly season’ this year, as top drivers like himself, Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) and Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) are all out of contract.

“I think it’s one that got asked last year,” Ricciardo told Sunday Age newspaper. “Obviously there was my name thrown around with a few others when they [Ferrari] were looking.”

After a stellar performance alongside Sebastian Vettel in 2014, Ricciardo admits to becoming frustrated last year as Red Bull faltered.

Now, the energy drinks team has admitted it will not challenge for the title again in 2016, meaning Ricciardo is keeping his eyes open, “Sure, you want to put yourself in a winning car at some point and have a chance. Whether one day that is Ferrari I don’t know.”

“I mean, obviously I won’t lie. I’m sure at least 90 per cent of drivers, at least if not now, they followed Ferrari as a kid because, in a way, that is what we knew formula one as. It’s interesting, but it’s only interesting if they have got the best car,” added Ricciardo.

The Italian connection runs deep through Ricciardo’s DNA as his father was born in Ficarra, Sicily and his mother was born in Australia, to parents from Calabria.

Meanwhile, the 26-year-old has revealed he is among several drivers on the 2016 grid who were asked by their teams to lose weight over the winter period.

“I’ve never eaten this healthy in my life,” he smiled to the West Australian newspaper. “It’s quite rewarding, but at the same time I’m doing it smart. I’m not just going to be skinny and weak.”

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ROSBERG: IT WILL BE A FIGHT BETWEEN FERRARI AND US

Ahead of the final week of Formula 1 pre-season testing, it seems Mercedes and Ferrari are still ahead of the pack in 2016.

Nevertheless all eyes are on Ferrari, the team with the best chance of taking on Mercedes this year, and Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen both say the 2016 car is better than its predecessor.

“Everyone is going to be saying that their car feels better than last year,” Williams’ Valtteri Bottas smiled to the Finnish broadcaster MTV.

And analysing the opening week of testing in Barcelona has proved difficult, with Mercedes reportedly having used only a single engine and no ultra soft tyres. Thus, Mercedes appears to still be ahead of the pack.

“There are other teams that have looked good but it will come down to a fight between Ferrari and us,” predicted Nico Rosberg, according to Le Figaro.

As to which of them is the strongest, Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene thinks more will be known after this week’s last four days of pre-season testing in Barcelona.

“According to our drivers and engineers, we have a good car,” he told La Stampa newspaper.

“But we still lack the comparison with Mercedes under identical conditions. I guess in the next four days of testing, we will get a clearer picture of where we stand,” Arrivabene said.

Meanwhile, finishing third for the past two years was Williams, but Felipe Massa seemed to acknowledge that the Grove team may not achieve the leap it wants.

“I really hope we can race the guys in front,” he told Fairfax Media, “but maybe Red Bull is in front so we have idea who will really be the team we are going to fight in most of the races.”

Massa said his only real prediction so far is that Mercedes is still leading the field, which is backed by evidence in Auto Motor und Sport and the BBC that suggests the German engine is the most powerful.

Brazilian Massa admits that may not be what the fans want to hear, “The fans want to see different cars winning races, but this is the most difficult thing for formula one to make it happen.”

Force India, who showed some handy pace with all three drivers they used in the Barcelona test, have been accused of ‘showboating’.

“No, we did nothing like that,” insisted Sergio Perez when asked if the team had put up artificially fast times by removing all the fuel from the car.

“Our times are completely genuine, even if it is hard for everyone to assess where they are. But I can say that we are moving in the right direction.”