FORMULA 1 - 2016

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HAMILTON: I WILL NOT BE USING THE HALO ON MY CAR

World champion Lewis Hamilton has reiterated his opposition towards the Halo safety device for cockpits after declaring he will not use it should it become mandatory in Formula 1.

The controversial concept, which was pioneered by Hamilton’s Mercedes team and is designed to improve driver head protection, has been trialled by Ferrari at this week’s final pre-season test in Barcelona.

But after describing the safety device as the “worst modification in Formula One history”, Hamilton went one step further by saying he would even contest using it.

The FIA, Formula One’s governing body, announced last week that it intends to improve cockpit protection for the 2017 campaign with the Halo their preferred option.

“If it is going to come in I hope we have an option to use it or not because I will not be using it on my car,” Hamilton told reporters on Friday.

“I hope that’s not what they’re bringing, I really do. Ultimately it’s the driver’s protection so we should have a choice individually. I like it the way it is now and when I get in the car I know there is a certain risk.”

“Safety is a very, very important issue for sure, but there are risks that we take and you have to decide how much of a risk you are going to take. For me I would rather drive without it and risk it.”

The FIA has explored a number of designs aimed at protecting drivers from flying debris after Felipe Massa was struck by a spring from Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn during qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Henry Surtees, the son of 1964 world champion John Surtees, was killed in the summer of that year after he was hit on the crash helmet by an errant tyre while competing in a Formula Two race at Brands Hatch.

Briton Justin Wilson died last August after he was struck on the crash helmet by a piece of flying debris in an IndyCar race.

Sebastian Vettel, who followed Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen in testing the concept on Friday, believes the Halo would have saved both the lives of Surtees and Wilson.

“In principle I agree it doesn’t look very nice, but equally it helps increase the safety, it helps saving lives,” said Vettel, the four-time champion.

“There would be at least two drivers in the last four years that I remember that would still be around – Henry Surtees and Justin Wilson – if we had this type of system. I think it can be very ugly, but nothing justifies not having these two guys around.”

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BARCELONA TEST: VETTEL AND FERRARI TOPS AS MERCEDES FUMBLE

The usually faultless Mercedes experienced a rare blip Friday during an otherwise impressive eight days of preseason testing that showed the car’s outstanding reliability ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

The incident was small enough not to cause any concern at Mercedes. It happened when Lewis Hamilton stalled the W07 car at the pit lane exit shortly before the end of the morning session.

While four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel clocked a leading time of 1:22.852 seconds in his smooth-running Ferrari, Hamilton’s car had a transmission problem and went back to the garage for further assessment.

That delayed teammate Nico Rosberg’s afternoon stint by a couple of hours, and Rosberg finished the day in the unusual position of having the slowest time — although he was running on medium tires and not testing out his speed.

Vettel’s mark stood for the rest of the day. Ferrari has shown good speed in testing and the German driver was 0.282 of a second quicker than Spanish driver Carlos Sainz, who underlined the reliability of the Toro Rosso car with 133 laps.

Brazilian Felipe Massa had the third best time for Williams ahead of Mexican Sergio Perez’s Force India and Hamilton, who did 69 laps — one less than Rosberg.

But Hamilton will doubtless feel frustrated that he did not get a chance to try out the new ultra-soft tires ahead of the March 20 GP in Melbourne.

Hamilton, who was on medium tires when the incident happened, had spoken enthusiastically on Thursday of testing out the ultra-softs and putting the car on a “knife edge.” He was not granted his wish.

Instead, the red flag ended his day and Hamilton was more than a second behind Vettel’s leading time on super-soft tires before handing over to Rosberg.

It was a good day for Ferrari, although Vettel did not read anything into the Mercedes mishap.

“There are potentially one million reasons why you could have a problem with the transition, from software issue to major hardware problem,” he said. “I’m not sure they’ll publish exactly what it was. The laps they have done the last two weeks, in terms of reliability they look very strong.”

It is also unrealistic to directly compare Ferrari and Mercedes for speed, considering Mercedes used medium tires for the entire testing program, whereas Ferrari was regularly trying out softer tires.

Like his teammate Kimi Raikkonen the day before, Vettel also did an installation lap with a prototype of the new head protection device fitted to his Ferrari SF16-H.

The sport is looking at ways of improving cockpit security to leave drivers less exposed to the risk of head injuries after French driver Jules Bianchi and British IndyCar driver Justin Wilson died last year.

The “halo” design works by forming a kind of semi-circular barrier around the driver’s head and is the concept most favored as it offers protection against flying debris without completely closing the cockpit.

Although Vettel thinks it needs improving, visibility does not seem to be a major concern.

“To go around it’s OK, you can see what you need to see. You can improve the aesthetics,” Vettel said. “In principle I agree it doesn’t look very nice. It’s not a picture we’re used to in Formula One. But it helps increasing the safety and saving lives.”

Rosberg also backed the decision to use the halo system.

Meanwhile, French driver Romain Grosjean, who is driving for American-led newcomer Haas, was relieved to have a stress-free day after stopping three times on Thursday because of braking issues.

“It felt much better, it was a good relief for everyone,” Grosjean said. “The guys worked hard, all night long to solve the issue.”

Grosjean handed over to teammate Esteban Gutierrez for the last hour, giving the Mexican driver some more lap time after he spent all day Wednesday stuck in the garage.

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For once I agree with Hamilton - those Halo devices are fugly

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NEW F1 QUALIFYING FORMAT GETS GREEN LIGHT FOR MELBOURNE

Formula 1 team bosses have given the nod of approval to the controversial new elimination-style qualifying format set to be introduced from the season opening Australian Grand Prix.

The idea was voted through unchanged on by the FIA World Council which governs the rules of F1.

The World Council appears to have decided to ignore calls for changes to the system which may result in a deserted track at the end of qualifying.

The rule has been pushed through despite F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone announcing last week that FOM would not be able to implement the system as early as the first race in Melbourne.

Apparently the software shortcomings have been resolved and it is all systems go for the new format which will see drivers eliminated every 90 seconds in the closing minutes of each of three qualifying stanzas.

Seven drivers will be knocked out in the final minutes of a 16 minute first session and another seven in the final minutes of a 15 minute second session, leaving eight for a 14-minute shootout for the top positions at the end.

Many drivers are against the change because they believe it will make qualifying too complicated for fans to follow.

There are also concerns the final minutes of the FP3 shootout will be an anti-climax because drivers may have used up their fresh tyres too early.

FIA Statement:

The World Motor Sport Council approved the new qualification format, the principles of which were unanimously accepted by the F1 Commission. The new system should be introduced for the first round of the 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship.

The new qualifying elimination-style format:

Q1

• 16 minutes
• After 7 minutes, slowest driver eliminated
• Slowest driver eliminated every 1 minute 30 seconds thereafter until the chequered flag
• 7 drivers eliminated, 15 progress to Q2

Q2

• 15 minutes
• After 6 minutes, slowest driver eliminated
• Slowest driver eliminated every 1 minute 30 seconds thereafter until the chequered flag
• 7 drivers eliminated, 8 progress to Q3

Q3

• 14 minutes
• After 5 minutes, slowest driver eliminated
• Slowest driver eliminated every 1 minute 30 seconds thereafter until the chequered flag
• 2 drivers left in final 1 minute 30 seconds
• The final elimination in each session occurs at the chequered flag – not when time is up.

The wording of the Sporting Regulations relating to this new qualifying format will be submitted to the F1 Strategy Group and F1 Commission.

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ALONSO AND HAMILTON SLAM BROKEN FORMULA 1

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, two drivers with five world titles between them, portrayed Formula One on Thursday as a ‘broken’ sport burdened with over-complicated rules and uncertain where it was heading.

Hamilton, who can win a third successive title with Mercedes this season and the fourth of his career, was asked during pre-season testing whether he felt the sport was broken, lacking direction or healthy.

“I would probably say the first two,” he told a news conference. “I don’t want to say too much about it, but I do agree with the first two.”

With the opening race of the 2016 championship in Australia little more than two weeks away, the sport has yet to decide what format qualifying will be this season and when any new version might be introduced.

A change was announced last week but commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said the necessary software could not be ready in time for Melbourne.

Team managers then agreed a further change, with a knock-out system for the first two phases but reverting to the old format for the last one. That has yet to be accepted by the governing FIA, however.

“It was fine, it was okay. Why confuse people more,” Hamilton said of the proposed qualifying switch to an elimination format.

There is also uncertainty over future rules, with an attempt to reach agreement for 2017 — when cars are supposed to be faster, more aggressive and harder to handle — kicked down the road for further discussion.

Much of the talk at the Circuit de Catalunya on Thursday was about a proposed new ‘halo’ cockpit head protection device being trialled on Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari.

Hamilton made his views clear on Instagram: “Please no! This is the worst looking mod (modification) in Formula One history,” he said.

“I appreciate the quest for safety but this is Formula One and the way it is now is perfectly fine,” added the 31-year-old Briton.

Alonso, a double world champion who endured a nightmare season with McLaren last year, told reporters separately that he felt ‘sad’ for the sport and the direction it had taken with the qualifying change.

“It’s sad. I am sad,” said the Spaniard. “I am sad for the sport… it doesn’t look right from outside when in one week we change the qualifying format three times.”

“If I was… from another sport, I would look at Formula One a bit surprised. I don’t think it’s right… too many changes, and the complexity of the rules, also for the spectators, is quite high.”

Alonso said his friends wanted to watch big battles, fast cars, big tyres, plenty of noise and clear rules.

Instead they were baffled by the complexities of the hybrid energy storage systems and a baffling range of tyre choices and compounds.

“Things like that… it’s normal they switch off the television,” he said.

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Red Bull in a 'much better position' than previous seasons

Red Bull find themselves in a "much better position" post-testing than in previous seasons, according to the team's head of race engineering Guillaume Rocquelin.

The team completed 123 laps with Daniel Ricciardo on the final day of testing and have enjoyed similar mileage across the seven previous test days this year, which is in stark contrast to previous years where Renault's power unit often limited their on-track time.

However the French manufacturer has worked on reliability over the winter and their efforts are paying off according to Rocquelin who said the team were "happy" with what they'd achieved over the eight days.

"I think we can be satisfied with the work we’ve done during these two weeks and happy with where we’re at," he said.

"We are in a much better position at this point than we have been over the past couple of seasons. The drivers are happy with the balance of the car, we so far have good reliability and we are happy with all the systems and procedures we need to get right."

Whilst Red Bull haven't set the timing screens alight with fast laps, Rocquelin insists the pace is in the car but they've strategically chosen to focus on other areas.

"These tests have always been about figuring out everything we can about the car in order to put us in a position where we can race it in Melbourne or Bahrain or anywhere else.

"It hasn’t been about chasing lap time, which in these conditions is pointless. It’s been about building a platform we can build from and this year I think we have done that.

"I think overall the team will go to Melbourne in a good frame of mind. As for what the pecking order is, well, we’ll all find out on Saturday in Melbourne.”

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Ricciardo slams Hulkenberg over halo comments

After Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg said that he doesn’t like the look of the prototype halo device, fellow Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo has hit back at him about his remarks.

Hulkenberg blasted the look of the device saying that it is not pleasant on the eye and pleaded with FIA not to implement it.

In contrast, the Red Bull racer could not understand how Hulkenberg could criticise the device for it's looks when it is focusing on the safety of the racers.

"It's not about if we like it or not. It's if we can run it and if it's safer," the Australian told autosport.com.

"From what I saw it seems OK. For me when the cars went from 2008 to 2009 it was a big change and the cars were ugly. I don't think the halo is as dramatic as that.

"I heard Hulkenberg say some things. I don't agree with that because there's no need to be a hero about this situation.

"It doesn't change the sport or the speed of the car. It's just if there are any flying objects it's extra protection for us.

"I don't know why he's puffing his chest out on something like that. It doesn't make sense."

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Vettel: Who cares if the halo is ugly

Having put in his first lap with the halo cockpit protection, Sebastian Vettel says it does not matter if it is ugly if it can saves lives.

In recent years motor racing lost two drivers, Henry Surtees and Justin Wilson, both as a result of head injuries sustained when they were hit by debris from another car.

Their deaths, as well as that of Jules Bianchi, forced Formula 1 to look into various ways to protect the drivers.

One idea, the halo, was trialed by Ferrari in Spain with both Kimi Raikkonen and later Vettel using the device for a single lap.

Vettel gave his assessment on Friday: "I think, first of all, to go around it's OK, you can see what you need to see.

"I think we can improve the system, in terms of aesthetics and also how much visibly is in your way. But I've also tested it in the simulator and I think you will see evolutions of it soon.

"In principle I agree it doesn't look very nice, it's not the picture that you're used to from Formula 1 for a long time, but equally if it helps increase safety and save lives, there would be at least two drivers that I remember who would still be around, Henry Surtees and Justin Wilson, if we had this type of system.

"I think it can be as ugly as possible, and nothing justifies not having these two guys around anymore."

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How Mercedes has taken F1's S-duct to the next level

When Mercedes unveiled its shark nose S-duct concept at Barcelona, it raised a few eyebrows about how it had managed to incorporate the design within the framework of the current regulations.

For while a number of teams have used S-ducts in recent years, getting them to work as effectively as they would like has been difficult because of a regulatory clampdown from the FIA.

So to fully understand how the Mercedes concept, which has also been adopted by Toro Rosso, differs from others, we need to look at other designs first.

Let's start with a small history lesson, using the Ferrari F2008 which is the baseline for the current iteration of the S-ducts.

Like the S-ducts currently being used, it took airflow from the underside of the nose and ejected it out of a hole on top of the nose and chassis juncture.

The premise of this was to both improve under nose performance and overcome the inclination of the nose's upper surface, through the use of the Coanda effect.

This powers nearby airflow back to the surface of the nose/chassis, which would have ordinarily detached and thereby reduced performance.

However, when the regulations changed in 2009, loopholes that allowed these old style S-ducts were closed down.

Then, following Mercedes using the front wing stalling double-DRS system in 2012, the FIA made clear that the only holes allowed in the nose were for driver cooling. These could be set no further forward than 150mm from the front wheel centre line.

This measurement is what has allowed teams like Sauber, Red Bull, McLaren and Force India to run S-ducts in recent years.

The inlet is set at 150mm forward of the front wheel centre line, and the pipework weaves its way, shaped like an S, to a point of the chassis where the exit lies.

As has been observed at the first test, Mercedes and Toro Rosso's inlets are placed much further forward than this line - which is more desirable for aerodynamic performance.

And although this in theory does not sit within the regulatory framework, the teams have followed the example set by Force India with its nose 'nostrils' – whereby a clever spoon-shaped lip ensured it only counted as a single section.

Mercedes and Toro Rosso have also created inlets where none should exist, thereby allowing a more direct route for the airflow to exit out the top of the chassis.

And to comply with the rules, the hole is not completely open – as you can see in our exclusive video.

In terms of performance, we are not talking tenths of a second, but the solutions are certainly better than those that have gone before – and in F1 everything that boosts performance must be considered.

It will be no surprise to see other teams quickly adopt this solution now that they have spotted it.

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Did an unnoticed Raikkonen lap reveal Ferrari's true pace?

Was it an under-the-radar lap from Kimi Raikkonen during this week's Barcelona testing that prompted Mercedes to fear that Ferrari is very close?

Nico Rosberg surprised a few people at the end of Formula 1 testing with his claim that his Mercedes team did not know if it was behind or ahead of its Italian rival.

For the message speaking to teams up and down the pit lane – judging by the remarkable efficiency by which Mercedes had completed nearly 20 grands prix distances over the two weeks – was that the Silver Arrows were in a league of their own.

But while test two at Barcelona had begun surrounded by doubts about Ferrari's pace and reliability, by the end of it there emerged some cautious optimism from within the Maranello outfit itself about where things were at.

Sebastian Vettel is not a man to let excitement get the better of him, but even he reckoned that Ferrari was closer - it just did not know how much closer.

“Obviously we’ve tried to close the gap, it’s been quite big across the last year,” Vettel said as he rounded off testing.

“I think we’ve done a good job across the last season to get a little bit closer and now I think the new car gives us the chance to close the gap. How much? We need to be a bit more patient for a few weeks at least.”

Benchmarking times

Naturally, it is always hard to draw definitive conclusions from testing, because there are multiple factors that come in to play when best lap times are delivered.

On a base level, there are the tyre compounds and fuel loads, but nowadays there are also engine settings to contend with, allied with the fact Barcelona is invariably quicker in the mornings than it is in the afternoons when the wind picks up.

The only factor that we can know for sure is on what tyre compound each driver set his quickest time, which will then allow us to get a slightly clearer look at where things stand.

So to get a better judgement, let's aggregate the best times of the week to give us a theoretical time that each car could achieve.

Pirelli's estimates of the time difference between the compounds was that there was an average 0.65 seconds difference between the ultrasoft and the supersoft, a 0.5 seconds difference between the supersoft and the soft, and a 0.95 seconds difference between the soft and medium.

Pirelli was quite eager to point out that the challenging Barcelona track was not ideal for the ultrasoft and supersoft, so we will base our calculations around a theoretical or real soft compound time.

Using the fastest times of the test, we can then add 1.15 seconds to the ultrasoft times, and 0.5 seconds to the supersoft times to balance things out.

That would appear to show that while Ferrari and Williams have closed the gap to the front (pending fuel load variability, of course), but Mercedes still appears to have a decent edge.

The hidden lap

But finding answers in F1 is all about the details, and it is by digging a bit deeper into what the teams have done that throws up a fascinating insight in to the relative pace of Ferrari.

For, while Kimi Raikkonen's best ultra soft lap on Thursday will go down as the best lap overall of the week, it is the not the lap that shows us what Ferrari is fully capable of.

Just before he left the track on Thursday night, Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene was instead raving about another lap that Raikkonen had done that same day.

“Kimi got his best time with ultrasoft tyres [1m22.765s] but the lap that impressed me the most was one with the softs [1m23.009s],” Arrivabene told Motorsport.com.

“We know that when he used the softer compound [ultrasoft] he complained about the presence of a strong wind on the track, and probably did not use all the speed potential in the tyres.”

The message was clear. Raikkonen's best ultrasoft lap may have been good enough for the fastest time overall, but it wasn't actually anywhere near what Ferrari could have delivered.

So instead, if we compare Raikkonen's best soft lap effort with Rosberg's, we end up with the Finn edging out the Mercedes by 0.013 seconds.

Of course, endless variabilities (fuel loads, engine settings, test programme, track conditions) means that the pace change could put either car ahead by a margin, but it means there is definitely no guarantee Mercedes is in a complete class of its own either.

That Raikkonen lap may have prompted Rosberg's comments on Friday night; but equally Ferrari is not taking anything for granted.

“We have not seen all the resources of Mercedes,” added Arrivabene. “So it is still early to draw conclusions. We must always keep our feet on the ground and continue in our work programme.

"Having said that, we are happy with the feedback we have had from the track.”

There will be more number crunching over the next few days, but it will not be until Saturday afternoon in Melbourne – when everyone is on the same fuel, same tyres and same track – that we will know for definite whether it is game on for the 2016 F1 title battle or just another year of Mercedes dominance.

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Unboxing F1: Lewis Hamilton's new 2016 steering wheel

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Give new Formula 1 qualifying format a chance - Claire Williams

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams believes those not in favour of Formula 1's new qualifying format should reserve judgement until after the Australian Grand Prix.

Under the new system, which makes its debut in Melbourne, the slowest driver will be eliminated after a series of time intervals in a move instigated by F1's bosses to spice up the show for fans.

The revamp met with a lukewarm response from drivers, with Sebastian Vettel saying: "I'm not a fan of the qualifying changes and speaking on behalf of all the drivers, no driver is."

But Williams said: "Let's wait and see. It's too early to judge. I'd like to get to Melbourne and see how it plays out and then we will comment on it.

"If it doesn't work then fine. We tried. All we are trying to do is make this sport more exciting, which is what everyone wants."

When asked by Autosport if it is a concern that the majority of drivers are not in favour of it, Williams said: "Yes, because they are the ones who are the big players.

"You want to come out with a new regulation and hope people look at it positively.

"But we see in F1 people immediately focusing on the negative rather than saying hold on a minute, let's not criticise until we see it play out."

Williams was among those who voted it through at a Strategy Group meeting last month before it was approved by the F1 Commission.

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone then suggested there could be a delay in introducing it because software needed to be rewritten, but that problem has now been overcome.

It then emerged there could be a slight change to the format with Q1 and Q2 adopting the knockout configuration while Q3 retained the previous system, before the World Motor Sport Council opted to go with the original full knockout set-up.

When asked if the uncertainty and negative response had proved damaging to F1, Williams said: "It's not been a smooth ride but that is Formula 1.

"It makes it more exciting for everybody. Bernie came out because there were some issues as to whether we could do it.

"But it wasn't a case of 'we think the idea is not a good one so we are going to have a rethink'.

"It was 'we're going to have to work out whether we can implement it in time for Melbourne'."

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All The F1 Constructors' Champions In History

Formula One racing mixes man with machine so much that both are essentially responsible for victory. That’s why F1 gives out awards to both drivers (F1 World Drivers’ Champions) and the constructors of the cars (F1 World Constructors’ Champions). The constructor is basically the automobile maker of the vehicle (think Ferrari and Mercedes and so on) and the winner is determined “by adding points scored in each race by any driver for that constructor”.

The drivers drive and control the vehicle, but the F1 cars are powerful beasts that are carefully constructed to exact specifications. Without one, there isn’t the other. Here are a list of all the F1 Constructors Champions in history.

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ALONSO: YOU ALWAYS WANT TO BE WHERE THE BEST CAR IS AND THAT’S MERCEDES

McLaren driver Fernando Alonso is still refusing to rule out a move to Mercedes in the future. while revealing that the lack of power in the current generation Honda power unit will be the main problem Woking team.

Although fully committed to the remaining two seasons of his McLaren-Honda contract, the Spaniard began his 2016 campaign by revealing he almost switched from Ferrari to Mercedes last year in a swap deal involving Lewis Hamilton.

“You always want to be where the best car is, and that’s Mercedes,” he has now told Spanish radio Onda Cero. “I am now where I try to be happy. And yes, I’m happy.”

His comments about being ‘happy’ at McLaren are almost certainly in reference to his previous situation at Ferrari.

“Montezemolo told me that drivers like Prost, Lauda and Senna all asked him if they could go to Ferrari. He did not understand that I asked to leave.”

The start of the new McLaren-Honda project last year, however, was nothing short of utterly disastrous, but Alonso says his car is definitely better for 2016.

“What we are behind is between 30 and 80 horse power,” Alonso said. “There is no 100 or 200hp deficit to Mercedes. “The engine last year had serious structural flaws. This year our Achilles heel will again be the power as I do not think we can recover all of the lost ground.

“But this season will be different and we started well, not to get victories but it will be very different from last year. I am very motivated and willing to do the best season of my life. The car was born well with some limitations, but I am told there will be major improvements,” he added.

Where he also wants major improvements is in the regulations, as he warns that he may have exhausted his desire to drive the current generation of cars by the end of his McLaren tenure.

“I still have several years at the highest level – two at least – and then we will see,” he told the Spanish broadcaster TVE.

“The F1 cars now are too slow,” Alonso said plainly. “It has taken the pleasure of driving. They are extremely slow cars, with hard and difficult to understand tyres with extremely high pressures to further reduce grip.”

“Driving is now different and more boring, with audiences continuing to go down as you cannot cheat them. So I hope we can find the right direction for the sport,” he added.

Interestingly, in a GrandPrix247 poll, 58% of readers would choose Alonso over Hamilton when asked who they would pick for their own F1 race team.

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KALTENBORN: PART OF THE FEBRUARY SALARIES ARE STILL DUE

But 2016 could turn out to be harder than ever for Sauber, as while the team is using Ferrari’s 2016 power unit, it is the new Haas outfit that is more closely aligned to the fabled Maranello marque.

Alain Prost’s own Ferrari-powered customer team collapsed some 15 years ago, and he told Speed Week he definitely would not try again in today’s era.

“It is important that you have a strong partner, a manufacturer, behind you,” said the F1 legend and Renault ambassador. “The rules need to be changed so that the small teams have more of a chance. With the current situation it is not possible.”

Haas, however, is receiving widespread praise for cleverly entering F1 with so close an alignment to Ferrari.

“They have pursued an entirely different concept than we did,” said Prost, referring to his eponymous team. “There’s a lot of support from Ferrari. It is practically the B-team of the Scuderia, which is a much more comfortable situation for them.”

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SAINZ: THE CHANCE OF A PODIUM IS LOW

Carlos Sainz has questioned his boss’s target of a podium finish on merit during the 2016 Formula 1 season.

The Red Bull junior team’s chief Franz Tost declared recently: “Realistically, I expect that we can achieve a podium this year after getting so close to it last year”.

Indeed, Toro Rosso has switched from Renault to the more powerful, 2015-specification Ferrari engine, although it will not be developed throughout the season.

Max Verstappen says that is why it is important that the Faenza team has a fast early start to 2016.

As for Tost’s podium prediction, however, teammate Sainz is quoted by El Mundo Deportivo: “I think the chance of a podium is low. Under normal circumstances, I don’t think it’s possible.”

“Mercedes and Ferrari are on another planet, and Williams and Red Bull should be behind them. We aspire to be the fifth team on the grid, so from 9th or 10th it is not easy to reach the podium.

“To do that, the circumstances would need to be abnormal,” Sainz insisted.

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VETTEL: ANYTHING LESS THAN F1 WORLD CHAMPION IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH

Sebastian Vettel says he is yet to give a nickname to his 2016 car, which will carry the hopes of the entire Ferrari team and much of the wider Formula 1 world, but has revealed that he has high expectations for the forthcoming season

“I think first of all that my own expectations are always higher than those externally,” Vettel told the German broadcaster RTL. “On the other hand it is very positive that you hear that expectations are very high — it means in a way that people have confidence in us.”

“My goal is clearly to win races and be world champion. Anything else is not good enough, which goes not only for me but I think the whole team,” he added.

After the mere eight days of official pre-season running, the general impression is that while Mercedes has been sandbagging, Ferrari’s less reliable new car may actually be tantalisingly close to setting the pace.

“I think there is still a lot to do, but the base is very good — we have made a big step forward,” Vettel agrees. “I think we are in the position that we want to be, with our goal of course to win the world championship.”

Whether Ferrari and Vettel can do that is the million-dollar question.

“It will be like 2015,” Sauber’s Felipe Nasr predicted in an interview with Sonntagsblick. “The title for Hamilton but maybe Vettel ahead of Rosberg this time.”

Marcus Ericsson, however, said: “I bet on Vettel, before the two Mercedes of Hamilton and Rosberg.”

Ericsson’s ‘bet’ may be based on Ferrari’s impressive pace in the final Barcelona test, which left Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel in first and second places.

And Raikkonen’s best time, according to Williams’ Valtteri Bottas, was very good, “[Ferrari] will be fast. It will not be easy to beat them, but I still see Mercedes as stronger than Ferrari.”

Meanwhile when asked if he had nicknamed his 2016 car yet, Vettel replied, “No, not yet. Together with my mechanics we will come up with something before the first race.”

Last year’s ‘Eva’ – the Latin form of the Biblical Eve – was the nickname of the German’s first Ferrari F1 car.

As for the new season, it is not just the fans who are hoping Ferrari can challenge Mercedes’ dominance this year, but also president Sergio Marchionne who has set his targets very high.

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MASSA: WE HAVE IMPROVED BUT WE STILL CAN IMPROVE MORE

F1 veteran Felipe Massa has confirmed that Williams is hoping to get a new nose and front wing up and running as soon as possible.

With the British camp’s current short nose strongly resembling the pioneering version of 2015, technical boss Pat Symonds hinted that the plan is to introduce an even more aggressive version within the first few races of 2016.

Brazilian driver Massa confirmed that more changes are coming in Australia, “Changes in the bodywork – the rear – we should use in Australia, plus a few (other) small details.”

“An interesting change is the front wing, but we still need to pass the crash test to make sure we can use it. So hopefully we can do that as soon as possible because it is good for the car,” Massa added.

Despite not having the third-biggest budget, Mercedes-powered Williams finished the 2014 and 2015 seasons third overall.

Massa identifies the aerodynamics as the area with the most room for improvement, “We have improved, but we still can improve more.”

“The car we have now has more downforce, but we did not expect it to still be the fastest on the straight. This shows that there is still work for us to do to improve the car with downforce,” added Massa.

As for a prediction of the pecking order for Melbourne, he revealed: “Well, if I had to make a bet, I would put Mercedes in front of Ferrari.

“Then I think we have a great chance to be third. Of course it is always difficult to be sure, but anyway it would already be a positive result even if definitely we want more.”

[MIKA27]

PROST HOPES NEW QUALIFYING FORMAT WILL NOT HAPPEN

Formula 1 legend Alain Prost has warned that the qualifying saga of recent days could drag on even longer.

While the World Motor Sport Council rubber-stamped the controversial new ‘musical chairs’ format on Friday, a statement declared only that it “should” be introduced for Melbourne in two weeks.

“I do not think that it will come,” Prost, Renault ambassador, told Speed Week in Geneva. “And I also hope that it will not come.”

Indeed, the quadruple world champion is not the only one who wonders why F1 is tinkering at the edges of the rules, especially when the existing qualifying format in particular was widely regarded as being a positive aspect of the sport.

Prost will therefore not follow the lead of Bernie Ecclestone, who recently said the sport is so bad he would not buy a ticket as a spectator, “I don’t want to criticise something that I don’t have a complete picture of.”

“It seems that everybody wants to change something in F1, but if you change in only one area, it does little for the whole package,” he said.

And Prost said comprehensive change for F1 is proving difficult, as the teams cannot agree the way forward.

“In this regard I agree with Bernie,” he said. “Sometimes it needs somebody to say ‘We’re doing it this way!’ Right now we have meeting after meeting and nothing coming of it.

“Qualifying is a good example: they make a decision and find out after the fact that it cannot be done immediately.”

Prost is hoping the F1 show is exciting in 2016, amid claims Ferrari may actually have caught Mercedes and is ready to put up a fight for the title.

“Formula 1 as a product is not so bad,” said the famous Frenchman, “even if people complain constantly about Mercedes dominating. But hasn’t this always been the case in F1?”

Prost said even the media is playing a role in F1’s current predicament, “The journalists always pick out one thing and criticise it, as everyone has their own opinion. But this is very bad, because from the outside if then appears as if everything is wrong.”

“It is far from that,” he insisted. “The situation in formula one is more positive than it seems, even if we do need to analyse and adapt some things.”

[MIKA27]

Renault to unveil revised 2016 F1 livery in Melbourne

Renault will unveil its official livery for the 2016 season during an event ahead of the opening race of the season, the team has confirmed.

The French manufacturer launched what it described as a "show car" in early-February following its takeover of the Lotus team.

The car featured a primarly black test livery with yellow accents, but hinted that its livery would change come the start of the season.

Now the team has confirmed it will launch its new livery on March 16, two days prior to the opening practice session for the Australian Grand Prix.

"Black? Blue? Yellow? Red? Striped," read a teaser to the event.

The team most recently ran a black and yellow livery before it sold its team to Lotus in 2010, but prior to that it ran with its now famous blue and yellow livery, which saw Fernando Alonso claim back-to-back championships.

[MIKA27]

How can a Dakar Truck help Lewis Hamilton retain his F1 crown?

The high-tech world of Formula 1 seems a world apart from the Dakar Rally, so how can the winning Truck in the gruelling South American marathon have anything to do with Mercedes' success in Formula 1?

What can unite Gerard De Rooy's winning Iveco 'bison' of the famous Rally Raid classic to the sophisticated car that Lewis Hamilton has driven to World Championship glory?

Here's the short answer: horsepower. Almost 900bhp is produced by both machines.

In F1, the Mercedes is a turbocharged V6 1.6-litre petrol engine, fitted with hybrid system equipped with two electric motor-generators.

In contrast, the Iveco gets the same level of power from its Powerstar Strator Torpedo that uses the Cursor 13 straight six, a 12.9-litre diesel engine with Holset turbo.

The other factor that ties them together is the use of Petronas fuels and lubricants, which is not just the sponsor of the two teams – it plays an integral role as an exclusive supplier in an area which affects both reliability and performance.

R&D expertise

In Moscow, at the Research & Development Centre of Petronas, expert engineers investigate the requirements of gasoline, lubricants and additives to meet the needs of motorsport in its most extreme forms.

The operation, directed by Andrew Holmes, studies in the same laboratory to develop specific products that are used in hot deserts as well as F1's temple of speed, Monza – where the gas pedal remains open for 67 percent of the lap time and maximum speeds exceed 350 km/h.

This complex integration between chemistry and 'tailor-made' engineering is coordinated by Motorsport Technical Manager Andrea Dolfi with a specific approach based on co-engineering.

"This methodology and interdisciplinary usage can provide the best technological solutions for both road use and the most extreme applications," she says.

"Based on a constantly changing dynamic of our formulation know-how, it allows us to identify significant points of contact between the two worlds, from track to road [in F1's case] and road to track [in Dakar's]."

Dakar: A Rally of extremes

De Rooy, the 35-year-old Dutchman who won his second Dakar rally raid in an Iveco Powerstar, dominated the event that wound around Argentina and Bolivia on a path considered too easy in the first week, but then became awfully difficult in the second.

The most challenging stages led competitors to over 5000 meters above sea level, with prohibitive temperatures.

"In the cabin," he explained, "we had almost 60C degrees, while the air temperature was about 50C degrees. Breathing had become hard and maintain concentration complicated, let alone how they are hurting your engines."

At high altitude the air is rarefied causing a loss of power that has been estimated at about 40 percent – which in this case is no less than 360 less horsepower…

He added: "In addition to suffer a significant drop in performance there is also less air flow that has undermined the engine cooling. And to further complicate matters there were bushes and low vegetation that could obstruct the radiators.

"In fact, at one point the cooling system crashed: we should have cleaned up the outlets of the radiators, but we didn't want to stop in order not to lose the advantage we had established. So the electronics went into protection mode, and we had to go slower.

"The engine had overheated and there were risks for reliability of the six cylinders, but the Petronas Urania lubricant allowed us to win by safeguarding the mechanicals.

"That's where we share the basis of our success with the Petronas researchers."

Petronas has developed the low-viscosity lubricant Urania Next 0W-20 for commercial vehicles by taking advantage of all the the experience accumulated by De Rooy's Iveco team on the Dakar, as well as customized transmissions and cooling fluids for use specifically in motorsport.

How that transfers to F1

The need to transfer the heat in the desert has also come good for Formula 1. Last year in Moscow, the researchers developed a new patent for a fluid that has enabled Mercedes to improve the performance of its hybrid system.

Engineers at the F1 team's Brixworth plant managed to arrest the temperatures of its ERS system, allowing the MGU-H – the generator that uses the heat from the turbo – to turn faster. Petronas supports Mercedes with five fluids that are used by the Silver Arrows: gasoline, engine oil and coolant, heat exchange of ERS and cooling system.

In the first year of the new hybrid F1 rules in 2014, Petronas caused a stir by allowing Mercedes to take a competitive advantage of 0.3s per lap.

Andy Cowell, Managing Director of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, is keen to point out how the efficiency of the power unit has leapt to 45 percent, while the old 2.4-litre V8 naturally-aspirated engines of 2013 did not exceed 34 percent.

In two years of hybrid research, there has been a huge technological leap that has significantly increased performance, while reducing consumption and emissions. The objective of 50 percent engine efficiency in F1 is no longer a pipe dream and Petronas is bringing new fuels and lubricants in 2016 targeted at achieving these goals that once seemed miraculous.

Giuseppe D'Arrigo, CEO of Petronas Lubricants International, told Motorsport.com: "The first tests at the desk were very encouraging, and we believe we have kept an advantage – both in gasoline and hybrid element fluids – which will enable the Mercedes to remain in front of the competition."

And winter testing in Barcelona seems to have confirmed these expectations.

[MIKA27]

The full scope of F1's 2016 radio ban

Almost 18 months after the idea of a team radio clampdown in Formula 1 was first proposed by the FIA, it will finally fully come into force at the Australian Grand Prix.

After originally coming up in September 2014 as part of an effort to make drivers 'heroes' again, that first attempt to limit communication between teams and drivers was put on the back burner after complaints it was technically a step too far to introduce too quickly.

For at that stage, F1's new turbo hybrid regulations were still in their infancy and teams and drivers still had plenty to learn about how to manage fuel economy, energy deployment and race tactics.

Instead, the introduction got staggered. The first phase – which has been up until now – has focused solely on driver coaching.

This effectively outlawed information like racing lines, gear selection, braking points and speed comparisons.

A push to widen the scope for 2015 was abandoned last year but, ahead of this season, it has been deemed that teams and drivers know enough about how their machinery operates for the communication ties between pit wall and cockpit to be severely limited.

So from now on, the FIA will strictly enforce Article 20.1 of F1's Sporting Regulations which states that: "The driver must drive the car alone and unaided."

What does this mean?

In a note that F1 race director Charlie Whiting sent to teams last December, he made clear just how wide the ban would extend.

For rather than making a list of what teams were forbidden from communicating, he stated that only certain messages would be allowed – either on team radio or the pit boards.

Whiting wrote: "Any other message is likely to be considered a breach of Article 20.1 of the Sporting Regulation."

However, it is understood that discussions remain ongoing about items that should be removed or added to the list - something that may not be nailed down until the eve of the Melbourne weekend.

The original restrictions though does offer an insight in to how much things will change in 2016

The original list of what is allowed

* Indication of a critical problem with the car, e.g. a puncture warning or damage+

* Indication of a problem with a competitor's car+

* Instruction to enter the pit lane in order to fix or retire the car+

* Wet track, oil or debris in certain corners+

* Marshalling information (red flag, yellow flag, race start aborted or other similar instructions or information from race control)+

* Instructions to swap positions with other drivers+

* Acknowledgement that a driver message has been heard

* Lap or sector time detail

* Lap time detail of a competitor

* Gaps to a competitor during practice session or race

* 'Push hard', 'Push now', 'You will be racing xx' or similar

* Helping with warning of traffic during a practice session or race

* Giving the gaps between cars in qualifying so as to better position the car for a clear lap

* Tyre choice at the next pit stop

* Number of laps a competitor has done on a set of tyres during a race

* Tyre specification of a competitor

* Information concerning a competitor's likely race strategy

* Safety Car window

* Driving breaches by team driver or competitors, e.g. missing chicanes, running off track, time penalty will be applied etc.

* Notification that DRS is enabled or disabled

* Dealing with a DRS system failure

* Change of front wing position at next pit stop

* Oil transfer

* When to enter the pits

* Reminders to check for white lines, bollards, weighbridge lights when entering or leaving the pits

* Reminders about track limits

* Information concerning damage to the car

* Passing on messages from race control

* Number of laps remaining

* Test sequence information during practice sessions, e.g. aero-mapping

* Weather information

* Instructions to select driver defaults for the sole purpose of mitigating loss of function of a sensor, actuator or controller whose degradation or failure was not detected and handled by the on-board software. In according with Article 8.2.4, any new setting chosen in this way must not enhance the performance of the car beyond that prior to the loss of function+

(+) These are the only messages that may be passed to the drivers, whilst he is in the car and on the track, from the time the car leaves the garage for the first time after the pit lane is open on the day of the race until the start of the race.

[MIKA27]

F1 radio ban opens door to freak results - Wolff

Formula 1's tougher team radio clampdown for 2016 will open the door for increased tension between drivers, and the possibility of underdog victories, reckons Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff.

As part of an effort by the sport to increase the importance of drivers, the FIA is imposing much tighter restrictions on what teams can tell drivers while they are out on track.

It has been done through a stricter enforcement of Article 20.1 of F1's Sporting Regulations, which states that: "The driver must drive the car alone and unaided."

More errors

While messages are still allowed for safety critical items, one of the biggest differences compared to 2015 is that there will no longer be allowed constant feedback about tyre wear, fuel consumption and engine settings.

And with these areas so key to the outcome of F1 races, Wolff thinks it likely that drivers are going to be making errors – which could increase the likelihood of some shock results.

"It will create more error and therefore more variability in the results, which is important for the sport," said Wolff, when asked by Motorsport.com about the impact of the radio clampdown.

"People want to see the underdog win. They get bored with the dominant car winning.

"Having said that, I have to be careful because pride becomes a fall. I am not saying we are dominant again, but I am saying that people, fans and spectators, they do like the thought that the underdog could win and the result could be different.

"This is why we switch on a football game – there were more varied world champions in F1 than there were in the Premier League which is always the same teams, but there is the possibility of an underdog winning or a freak results.

"This is what these new regulations could cause."

Mercedes tensions

The inability of a team to influence drivers engine settings could prove particularly problematic for teams where there is intense rivalry between their two drivers.

For there could be temptation by one of them to run a more aggressive engine map to better defend or attack, which may then expose them to fuel economy issues later in the race.

Mercedes was well known to strictly enforce engine map modes on Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in recent years, something that it will not be able to do while the race is on from now on.

Wolff added: "The so-called 'strat' modes on the engine make quite a substantial difference, because the more powerful you run, the better you defend and the better you attack.

"If the driver needs to judge himself when to use what, it will make for different strategies, and drivers will use different power modes at different stages of the race. This will give more differences between cars – and less optimisation."

Wolff also admitted that there was the possibility of a team seeing a driver using a strategy that left him exposed to a rival and it being powerless to interfere.

"If you are a control freak – it will be psychotherapy watching it unfold in a way you wouldn't want it to happen, or you wouldn't do it. But now it is just down to the driver."

He added: "It will be down to greater planning before the race. It will be down to intelligence to remember what it was. It will be down to intelligence and instinct to do the right thing at the right time, in terms of engine deployment, power deployment.

"And in terms of tyre strategies, in terms of pit stops, in terms of judging where you are in the race. It is almost like cutting off radio transmission between the pit wall and the car. It is a little bit similar to MotoGP."

No remote control

Although increasing the likelihood of errors, Wolff believes the radio clampdown will be a positive for putting results back in the hands of the drivers.

"We are being so much more restricted in passing on information to the drivers during the race that a lot around strategy, around engine mode deployment, around tyre choices – even up to a point of pit stops – is down to the driver to decide," he said.

"And that will be less optimised by algorithms or clever engineers and it will give room for error.

"What I like is that it must be perceived again that is the drivers again who is taking the decisions and not remote control from the garage."

However, he thinks fans may miss a little the frequent radio messages that have entertained them over recent years.

"We like radio transmissions and the emotions around it, this is why it happened back 15 years ago that we wanted to be part of the emotions in the car.

"Maybe we have gone too far and need to cut it back a bit – but whether it is better for the fans I am not sure.

"They will have less understanding of what is going on in the car, because the driver will be on the radio less."

MIKA: Finally! I'm glad this has come in force. The likes of Hamilton will find this season more challenging as he is constantly on the radio last season wanting to know the in's and out's of everything during a race. About time the drivers became in charge. Some will welcome this, others will not.

[MIKA27]

F1 2016: Underestimating the underdogs

Felipe Massa is an odd soul. Despite having fought to the wire for the 2008 drivers' title, Formula One's chief scamp - who is incredibly popular in the paddock thanks to a cheeky sense of humour and a friendly and open personality - has spent his career being judged against his team-mates and found lacking in comparison.

Last year, Massa and Valtteri Bottas finished sixth and fifth in the drivers' standings, with 121 points for the Brazilian and 136 for the Finn. Each man collected two third-place finishes, and while Bottas logged a DNS in Australia, Massa was DSQed in Brazil. Massa had two retirements to Bottas' one, but Massa was the Williams driver who collected the most finishes in the points in 2015.

Despite the parity in their performances over the course of the season - only the Red Bull driver pairing ended last year with a smaller points margin - Bottas was heralded as one of the drivers of the year, while Massa was judged by many to have benefitted from his team-mate's misses.

Massa is far from alone in the shadows. While Nico Rosberg had a perfect end to the 2015 season, for much of the year he found himself compared unfavourably to Lewis Hamilton, who had managed to overturn the German's 2014 qualifying advantage and used it to run away with the season.

Rosberg was judged to have underperformed in what was undoubtedly the best car on the grid, which is an awkward state of affairs for a driver who finished second in the drivers' championship, nearly 50 points clear of third place and with six wins and nine podiums to his name. Whether 2016 sees a repeat of last spring's form or a continuation of his winning streak remains to be seen, but Rosberg deserves to be judged on his own merits before being compared to a team-mate with three world titles under his belt.

This season affords us with a host of opportunities to celebrate the underdog - in addition to those established but often underrated drivers who are familiar faces in the F1 paddock, we also have two new teams (ish) in the form of Haas and Renault, both of which should be celebrated simply for taking the plunge and committing to Formula One with significant programmes.

Renault may have decades of F1 experience and two highly rated young drivers, but they are also faced with the task of rising from the ashes of what was, by the end, an underfunded and under-resourced Lotus. Anything more than simple recovery is success in this season, with championship battles a distant point on a sensible roadmap.

Fellow newbie Haas comes in with a billionaire owner and a car considered by most to be the Ferrari B-spec, plus a proven talent in the form of Romain Grosjean. While all the signs are good for the team in the long term - both Gene Haas and team principal Gunther Steiner did a good job managing expectations in Barcelona, and know the size of the challenge they've taken on - this year is still going to involve a getting-to-know-you period in which the team gels with each other and with F1 itself. Don't expect miracles, but do expect slick professionalism and real commitment.

In this era where the sport's masters are being publicly critical of their golden goose, and in which the media are constantly accused of highlighting F1's ills, 2016 is the season in which I propose that we celebrate the small victories: the point-less but hard-fought battles at the back of the pack, an underrated driver out-performing his team-mate, those ballsy drives cut short by mechanical error...

There is much to celebrate in Formula One, if only we take the time to look past the glory and remember to also praise the guts.

[MIKA27]

PIRELLI ANNOUNCE DRIVER TYRE SELECTION FOR MELBOURNE

Pirelli announces the number of tyre sets and compound choices made by each driver for the Australian Grand Prix.

Most drivers have chosen similar quotas to their teammates, but Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have gone separate routes with their choices.

Hamilton has elected to have one Medium set of tyres, four Soft sets and six Supersoft sets, while Rosberg will have two sets of Mediums, five sets of Softs and six sets of Supersofts at his disposal.

Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez – drivers of the all new Haas F1 team – along with Sauber drivers Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson have also opted for different tyre allotments to use during the season opening weekend.