FORMULA 1 - 2016

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ALONSO: I THINK THAT PODIUMS ARE POSSIBLE

Ahead of the new Formula 1 season, his 15th at the pinnacle of the sport, Fernando Alonso said the podium is too high a target for McLaren-Honda early in 2016, but added that the season is long and things could change later in the year.

But as he spoke in Baku as an ambassador for the inaugural grand prix in Azerbaijan later this year, the Spaniard suggested he has high hopes for rapid improvement after the team’s disastrous 2015.

“I will be more optimistic when I come back here in June,” he said.

Most insiders are predicting early one-two finishes for Mercedes this year, beginning with the season opener in Melbourne next weekend.

“It depends an awful lot on how Ferrari perform,” F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone told the Australian grand prix podcast.

“If they don’t show that they can win the championship we are going to – fortunately or unfortunately depending on where you are – have Mercedes dominate again,” said Ecclestone.

Alonso agrees that the podium will be locked out for silver and red cars at least early this year, “I think in the beginning it will be difficult to be on the podium.”

“But the championship is very long and if we develop the car quickly enough then yes, I think that podiums are possible,” Alonso added.

He is confident that Honda has made the right moves over the winter, changing “the whole concept of the power unit”.

“At the same time it is necessary to strike a balance between speed and reliability — you first need to get to the finish,” he said.

A more realistic early target, therefore, might be to be among the Q3 qualifiers, “Hopefully we can, but no one knows yet. The results of testing were somewhat mixed so we need to wait to see the true balance of power.

“I think we are in a much better position compared to 2015, but others have improved as well — Williams, Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Force India. To catch up with them, we need to put double the effort.

“But I am pleased with our progress, and whether it is enough for Q3 or not, we will soon find out,” he added.

Meanwhile speaking at a specially arranged press conference in Baku – venue of this year’s Grand Prix of Europe – for whom he is an ambassador, Alonso gave first impressions of F1’s newest venue.

“It’s a real honour for me to be the first F1 driver to visit this magnificent city. The welcome I have received from everyone since my arrival has been wonderful. I have been really impressed with everything I have seen.”

“I feel absolutely confident in saying that Baku City Circuit is going to be the most memorable circuits on the F1 calendar this year. Much like this beautiful city, it successfully manages to showcase its modernity with a lovely nod to the past.”

“Indeed, the way the track stretches along the Old Town walls with the magnificent Flame Towers in the background is a clear example of this! On a technical level, I am excited to test my skills on such a challenging circuit, in particular along those tight, winding corners.”

“I really can’t wait to race here this summer,” added the double F1 world champion.

The Baku race, Round 8 of the world championship, takes place on 19 June.

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HORNER: RENAULT JUMP SHOULD BE AS BIG AS FERRARI LAST YEAR

Renault is tipped to make considerable progress with its Formula 1 power unit in 2016, as the works team prepares to unveil its new race livery.

After the Lotus buyout, the Enstone team has been running in familiar black during testing but is expected to switch to Renault’s traditional yellow – with a weight-saving matte finish – for the race season.

Renault has announced that the livery will be shown mid next week in Melbourne, but was giving little away about the colours. “Black, blue, yellow, red, striped?” the French carmaker teased.

The works team aside, Renault is also expected to put its full concentration into improving the power unit in 2016, after two seasons of sub-standard performance with Red Bull in the ‘power unit’ era so far.

Despite the re-branding of the engines as TAG-Heuer, Red Bull is looking forward to the progress.

Auto Motor und Sport claims Renault’s step forward since the end of last year has been modest, but a 35 horse power step for Canada is now scheduled.

“The jump should be as big as the one made last year by Ferrari,” declared Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.

After dominating the sport from 2010 to 2013, Red Bull only won three races in 2014 during the first year of the new F1 turbo power era. Last season they did not win a grand prix for the first time since 2008.

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PALMER: I WON’T BE TOO CAUTIOUS IN MY OWN F1 CAR

Jolyon Palmer has dismissed claims he might take too “cautious” an approach to his job of being a formula one driver.

Last year, the British rookie was Lotus’ reserve and Friday driver, and was signed up to race for 2016 before Renault took over the struggling Enstone team.

But even Lotus admitted to having some doubts about the 25-year-old, as trackside chief Alan Permane went on the record to question Palmer’s aggression during his numerous outings in Friday morning practice sessions.

“He told me that personally, so I wasn’t particularly surprised when I saw the interview,” Palmer told the March edition of F1 Racing magazine.

“He had a point, but when you drive a car in FP1, it’s not perfectly designed for you and if you crash, then you ruin your teammate’s weekend. You can’t really drive flat-out; if you do and crash, you’re a villain.

“It will be very different when I have my own car to race,” Palmer promised.

F1 veteran turned broadcaster David Coulthard thinks 2016 will be a perfect opportunity for Palmer to prove he belongs in F1, as he is paired with the more experienced Kevin Magnussen.

“In my mind’s eye, Kevin should be the team leader as he’s had that bit more experience,” said the Scot. “But if Jolyon can beat Kevin regularly, I think that will confirm Jolyon as a really good driver.

“This is a great opportunity for him and could be the start of something big,” added Coulthard.

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COURT DECISION MAY PREVENT MALLYA ATTENDING F1 RACES

Whether embattled Force India boss and co-owner Vijay Mallyawill be able to attend Formula 1 races in 2016 will come down to a court decision.

Seventeen banks that are owed money by the Indian businessman relating to his collapsed airline Kingfisher on Tuesday asked a court to urgently stop Mallya from leaving India.

“List it for hearing tomorrow,” the judges decreed on Tuesday, according to the news agency PTI.

Mallya was not at the Barcelona tests recently as his F1 team Force India prepared for the new season, but deputy Bob Fernley distanced the Silverstone based outfit from what is going on in India.

“I think it’s speculation coming from Indian media that is then exaggerated,” Fernley said. “There are no issues at all. Vijay is fully in charge of Force India.”

Indeed, Mallya also slammed the recent press coverage, declaring: “The past few days have witnessed a near hysterical campaign in the media directed against me.”

He rubbished claims he might deal with the Kingfisher turmoil by “absconding” from India in order to base himself full-time in England, where Force India is based.

“I have been most pained as being painted as an absconder,” said Mallya. “I have neither the intention nor any reason to abscond. I have always lived an honourable life and, the calumny notwithstanding, shall continue to do so.”

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ROSBERG HAILS PIT-TO-DRIVER RADIO CLAMPDOWN

Formula 1 rules to further clampdown on pit-to-driver radio communications will spice up the action in 2016.

That is the view of a couple of 2016 drivers, after Mercedes chief Toto Wolff this week declared that the incoming rule changes should make the Lewis Hamilton versus Nico Rosberg battle more exciting this year.

Some interpreted his comments sceptically, but German Rosberg agrees that the task for the drivers this year will be more complicated.

“We’ll have to fend for ourselves in most situations,” the Mercedes driver told Brazil’s Globo Esporte.

Sauber’s Felipe Nasr agrees that the further clampdown on what drivers can be told about the operation of their complex cars will mean the workload increases.

“I am studying what my responsibilities are now with the restriction in dialogue with the team,” he said.

“I believe we will have situations where the driver does not know what to do, as there are several things we can do when there are problems.”

So with many believing 2016 will be another Hamilton versus Rosberg showdown at the front, the clampdown could be an advantage for the hardworking Rosberg over the more seat-of-the-pants Hamilton.

“It is getting closer to his now or never period for Nico,” F1 veteran David Coulthard told the Sun newspaper. “He has my respect. He is a fast racing driver, but what we are looking for is an exceptional racing driver.”

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MALDONADO LINKED WITH INDYCAR SWITCH

Formula 1’s once favourite villain Pastor Maldonado could keep his motor racing career alive in America’s top open wheeler series.

Diario Motorsport reports that the Venezuelan, ousted by Renault amid sponsorship problems, is in talks with Ed Carpenter’s Indycar team about racing on the road and street tracks in 2016.

Whether Maldonado’s departure from F1 is a loss to the sport has been the subject of recent debate, as while he was a race winner, his description as ‘Crashtor’ attested to his tendency to get involved in incidents.

Pat Symonds, the highly-experienced technical chief at Williams, certainly thinks it was a good thing for Valtteri Bottas to be paired with a different teammate.

When Bottas made his F1 debut in 2013, the occupant of the sister Williams was Maldonado.

Now, the Grove team pairs Bottas with the long-time former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa.

Referring to 2013 when Williams was struggling with its car, Symonds said: “It was a difficult situation and the car wasn’t easy to understand.

“With all due respect to everyone – as all the drivers in F1 are good – but with respect to Pastor, Valtteri did not have the best mentor when he came to F1,” he is quoted by Finland’s MTV.

“I often say that 2014 was the first real season for Valtteri, when fortunately he got a really good mentor in the form of Felipe Massa,” Symonds added.

Meanwhile, L’Equipe (France) and La Gazzetta dello Sport (Italy) report that former F1 driver Robert Kubica will make his return to circuit racing, five years after a rally crash ended his F1 career.

The reports say the Pole, who has been competing in the world rally championship, will race a Mercedes GT3 at the Mugello 12-hour later this month.

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COULTHARD CRITICAL OF HALO AND NEW QUALIFYING

Grand Prix winner turned pundit David Coulthard says he sympathises with drivers who are openly questioning the latest changes within formula one.

While most drivers are either publicly or privately calling for better tyres and faster cars, the next two changes in fact look set to be a controversially-revised qualifying format and the ‘halo’ cockpit safety collar.

Coulthard, the long-time McLaren and Red Bull driver and now a respected British broadcaster, said he knows why the drivers are rebelling against making the qualifying format even more geared to ‘the show’.

He thinks they would prefer the changes go the other way, perhaps back to the simple days of one-hour, 12-lap qualifying.

“I think a driver having four runs at his best lap in an hour is exciting for the driver,” Coulthard told the Daily Mail. “If the driver is excited that radiates to what the fans pick up on.”

“I have to believe in my heart that the simpler the system for the masses to understand, that can only help broaden the appeal of the sport,” he said.

Coulthard also sides with drivers like Lewis Hamilton who are railing against the likely introduction of the ‘halo’ cockpit cage, after Daniel Ricciardo even told Nico Hulkenberg there is “no need to be a hero” in slamming the safety feature.

But Coulthard thinks F1 drivers actually should be heroes, “Life is dangerous.”

“If we invented F1 now and drivers were wrapped in something where it was impossible to sustain an injury, it would still be impressive, but people wouldn’t marvel at how they do it because the consequence has been reduced,” explained Coulthard.

He admits it is a “sensitive topic” to express views like that not long after the deaths of Jules Bianchi and Justin Wilson.

But: “Do I think that grand prix cars should be the size of trucks where the driver sits in the middle of that truck surrounded by the world’s safest airbag? I personally don’t,” said Coulthard.

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Video: Red Bull prepares for the F1 2016 season

MIKA: Awesome stuff: Watching that you wouldn't know all that effort goes into a race car. Almost looked like Radiologists carrying out lab tests etc.

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Channel 4 announces F1 line-up for 2016 season

Channel 4 has officially announced its broadcast team for the 2016 season, after taking over from the BBC as F1’s free-to-air home in the United Kingdom.

The channel will show 10 races live this year, with highlights packages for the remaining 11 rounds of the 2016 season.

Steve Jones, who has presented a variety of shows for Channel 4 including T4, will lead the coverage as its main presenter.

David Coulthard was previously confirmed at Channel 4 and will return to the commentary box alongside lead commentator Ben Edwards, who joins him in switching across from the BBC. Coulthard will also present alongside Jones.

Channel 4 has announced a number of expert analysts for the season, with Susie Wolff, Alain Prost, Mark Webber and Eddie Jordan all acting as pundits at selected events.

Lee McKenzie also moves across from the BBC to remain pit lane reporter, while Karun Chandhok joins as the team’s technical expert.

Bruno Senna and broadcasting legend Murray Walker join to complete special features and interviews respectively.

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Ricciardo willing to give new qualy system a try

Despite receiving mostly negative reactions around the grid, Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo is willing to give the new qualifying system a chance before he gives his final verdict.

The Australian speedster explained that while he expects the new knockout system to be more intense than last season, there won't be much variation in terms of eventual order of the top finishers.

"If it is the whole knock out system it puts a bit more emphasis on us going out and putting in a banker early, putting in a lap time straight away," the 26-year-old told crash.net.

"Maybe it will make it a bit more intense than it already is, but otherwise not much else.

"We can't rely on the pitwall too much, there is a big lack of communication this year, so it is going to make it a little more interesting for sure. I need to fully understand what is happening with qualifying to give some proper comments, but the whole knockout thing in dry conditions probably won't change that much."

While he mentioned that if they were qualifying in dry conditions there wouldn't be much change, Ricciardo did add that if they were to get out the track while it's wet it could become more problematic for the pole-position hopefuls out there.

"We should have enough time to put in a lap, but if it starts to rain it is going to get quite chaotic and then trying to fight for track position will be interesting," he said.

"There will be a few more emotions on track between drivers, so if that spices it up, then why not?"

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Webber: F1 must give Halo more time

Former Formula 1 driver Mark Webber thinks it wrong for anyone to get entrenched about their opinions on the Halo right now, because so much more work is needed.

The first public appearance of the Halo concept on the Ferraris during last week's pre-season F1 testing led to divided opinion in the paddock, with some drivers backing the idea and others being more critical.

Lewis Hamilton even went as far as suggesting it was the 'worst' modification that there had been in the history of F1.

Webber, who has just been announced as an F1 expert for Channel 4's new F1 coverage, says he fully understands both arguments about the Halo.

However, he says people must give it more time for the aesthetics to be honed.

"It's really 50/50, isn't it? And I'm not surprised," he said, when asked by Motorsport.com for his views during a press launch for C4's new F1 coverage.

"We have just gone through a really tough run of bad accidents... a lot of tragic stories here. So we can't sit on our hands and say we shouldn't learn from any of these scenarios.

"With the Halo, it was an extremely open first attempt at trying to protect a lot of the scenarios we saw.

"Would it protect Felipe's [Massa] issue? There might still be a window for something like that to happen. Is it the entrant step to finally be fully closed? Could well be. But I think you're always going to be divided on it. "

Safety wins

Webber, who was a pallbearer at Justin Wilson's funeral, says that safety has to be the over-riding winner in the debate, even if other issues need resolving in the short term.

"I'm a purist," he said. "If you look at the motorbike guys, they can't believe what we're doing. But in the end it's got to be so safe.

"And that's always again the balancing act, isn't it? It's tricky - I can't give you an answer, mate.

"I carried Justin Wilson's coffin, I don't want that to happen again but... you take that [Halo] system to Eau Rouge as well, the viewing, we know with the sportscar it's very tricky to see in certain corners and profiles.

"So I think it's an evolving situation. It's very emotional, a hot topic. But I think some sense will come with the aesthetics and... I believe it's a halfway step but it's a hard balance."

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Verstappen: Third year at Toro Rosso possible but "not my aim"

Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Max Verstappen admits he could end up staying at Toro Rosso in 2017, but says he "wants to go forward" with his Formula 1 career.

The Dutch prodigy, who made his debut last year at the record-breaking age of 17, is believed to be on the radar of a number of teams for 2017.

Asked whether spending a third season with Toro Rosso in 2017 was a possibility, Verstappen told Motorsport.com: "[it] can be. [but] it's not my aim.

"I want to go forward. I mean, it's a great thing [being at Toro Rosso] - I have a lot of fun and it's a great family.

"But at one point you want to win races and you want to go forward and you want to go to the top of the top."

Verstappen also insisted that he is feeling no pressure from being a young driver in Red Bull's famously tough programme.

"The future looks very positive, for next year as well," he said. "I'm just enjoying this season, trying to gain a lot of experience and we'll see where we end up next year."

"Nothing is happening" regarding Ferrari links

Ferrari is rumoured to be among the teams that have taken an interest in Verstappen for 2017 and onwards - and the Dutchman is not displeased by such links.

Asked whether he was happy with his debut season and whether the Ferrari rumours are a reflection of his on-track successes, he said: "Yeah, and it's good that other people see it that way.

"It's always nice to see that your name is up there, even though, I mean, nothing is happening. I am happy where I am at the moment."

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Why serrated wings have made an F1 return

The old saying goes that you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. But in Formula 1, teams often use those old tricks to make improvements.

Recently we have seen a trend among teams to use serrated trailing edges on their flaps.

It is not a new idea but it is interesting they have returned again to current designs as teams seek ways to find gains within the constraints of very tightly-worded regulations.

McLaren idea

Let us start our journey in 2014, at Hockenheim, where McLaren arrived with a new rear wing, inspired by both nature and designs that had gone before.

The trailing edge of the mainplane and leading edge of the upper flap had knuckle shapes carved out, something marine biologists would recognise as tubercles - small nodules found on the dorsal fins of humpback whales.

Research into these tubercles suggests that they improve manoeuvrability, allowing a steeper angle of attack before separation occurs, improving performance through modification of the boundary layer.

At the same time, the span of the surface appears improved, reducing the tip vortex strength and reducing drag.

This was clearly something that McLaren felt at that point in its development cycle was worth exploiting, and could remedy some of its inefficiencies.

In 2015, Mercedes re-purposed this idea – using it on its front wing instead. It placed a serrated strip on the trailing edge of the penultimate flap.

This not only gave a direct improvement to the flap it was attached to, but also boosted the airflow that shifts the separation point on the upper flap too - improving performance.

In the latter stages of 2015, Mercedes also looked into the viability of using serrations on the rear wing, something it investigated again during this year's pre-season tests.

As our exclusive photographs show, it used a serrated 'trip strip' (above), mounted at differing heights on the flaps, to ascertain what type of performance it would get in the real world.

It was likely doing this before making a mainplane with the desired serrations.

On the last day of testing, a new rear wing mainplane and top flap arrived, matched to the new endplates that had been tested earlier in the week.

This new mainplane flap is a physical representation of the tests that had already been conducted by the team

As you can see, midway from either side of the centreline slot gap separator is an adjoining serration (highlighted in yellow), which is not an anomaly but done in order to meet the regulations and allow the team to design the serrations so that they traverse the wing in opposing directions between the outer slot gap separator and the centreline one .

Not to be outdone by the current champions, Ferrari also turned its attention to serrated flaps, with a short-lived test on their rear wing gurney flap on the first day of the second test.

The gurney design is not the first time we have seen such devices used in Formula 1 though, with Williams in 2004 and Renault in 2005 using serrated trailing edge devices in an attempt to improve the overall efficiency of their wings (below).

Williams FW26 rear wing Monza & Renault R26 rear wing Budapest

There still seems plenty of life left in some old ideas.

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Mark Webber: Speed increase meaningless if drivers aren't on the limit

Mark Webber says increasing the speed of Formula One cars is meaningless if drivers are still unable to drive on the limit for an entire grand prix.

Regulation changes for next year hope to achieve a lap time increase of at least three seconds a lap with wider cars and tyres, while car weight is increasing by over 20kg. The current generation of cars have been criticised for being too slow and requiring too much fuel and tyre management, with McLaren's Fernando Alonso recently saying the pleasure of driving in modern F1 "has gone".

Webber, who won last year's World Endurance Championship with Porsche after switching from F1, does not think a speed increase means much if drivers cannot push all the time.

Asked about the imminent changes at the launch of Channel 4's F1 broadcasting team, Webber said: "The weight, they've got to keep an eye on that. You've got categories like that one I'm in now, we're right there [with F1 cars on weight] and we can [push] all day long, actually for 36 hours we can do in race trim.

"Formula One needs to be there on Sundays, not just when you talk about four or five seconds a lap in quali ... OK, that's fine, but these guys need to be on the limit.

"Downhill skiing ... look at all the other sports, they're on the limit. How do we bring that backwards from the athlete when they're not on the limit? That is something we've got to address and they're more than capable of doing that."

Webber can understand why the likes of Alonso speak out in frustration about the current state of Formula One and thinks the tyre management needed during winter testing in Barcelona highlights a wider problem.

"I think what these guys say is real, they're not inventing these comments. Especially the guys that have a position of some authority, I think it's important they talk. Come winter Barcelona is a horrible track for Pirelli because the degradation is massive ... that for a driver is like Rodger Federer hitting a tennis ball which is getting wetter and wetter and wetter and wetter.

"So when you are operating on that fine edge of a needle, which they do for not a huge percentage of the time, that is what a driver is trained up to do. That's the end point of Formula One to make sure you can go out and operate at that level for 80 or 90 percent of the operation and then there's a small slither that's not -- at the moment the ratio is a little bit inverted, the wrong way round, and that's when you get this frustration from the likes of Fernando who say the cars aren't fast enough."

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UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX WILL HAPPEN

The United States Grand Prix will take place in Austin on 23 October at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) chairman Bobby Epstein said on Wednesday in an announcement that ended months of uncertainty about whether the race would happen.

Epstein also said that American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, a 10-times Grammy winner, would perform at the circuit after race qualifying on the Saturday in what should prove a significant boost for ticket sales.

“We are so happy to confirm F1’s return to COTA as well as Taylor Swift’s headline performance,” Epstein said in a statement.

Epstein told Reuters that the race, previously in doubt due to the threat of reduced state funding, now had a bright future.

“I think it’s going to be here for a long time,” he said in a telephone interview.

Swift, a 10-times Grammy award winner whose fifth album ‘1989’ sold almost 1.3 million copies in its debut week last year, will be the headline act on the Super Stage after Saturday qualifying on Oct. 22.

Epstein said the aim was to reach people who would not otherwise come to a Formula One race, and encourage regular fans to make it a family outing.

“That’s the real key. How do we expand our audience? That’s what this headliner does,” he said.

“In the past we have chosen headliners that are a great match with our existing demographic. But I don’t need our existing demographic alone. We need the future.

“We think we’ll sell every ticket that we’ve got and it’s because of the combination of both Formula One and Taylor Swift,” added Epstein.

The race has seen attendances fall since some 125,000 on race day in 2012, when there was a weekend crowd of more than 250,000, but Epstein said the circuit could manage far more.

Bad weather hit revenues significantly at what turned out to be last year’s title decider, with Britain’s Lewis Hamilton taking the championship with Mercedes.

Saturday’s final practice took place behind closed doors due to flooded conditions and, when fans were admitted, qualifying could not go ahead and was postponed until Sunday.

Epstein said the circuit took a big hit financially, ironically because it had not rained enough when it really mattered.

“We wound up getting 27 inches in eight days. But we only had insurance purchased for 24 hours prior to the race,” he explained. “And believe it or not that was our lowest rainfall total of the five-day period. We missed it by three eighths of an inch.”

A week later, a tornado wreaked further damage.

Media reports in November said that state subsidies, based on a formula for calculating how much economic activity the race generates for Texas, were being reduced to about $19.5 million from $25 million.

At the time, Epstein was quoted as saying to local media that it looked like organisers were ‘screwed’ but he said attitudes had changed.

“I think we’ve had enough conversations with the state to know that they recognise this is a good thing for Texas. I feel good that if we perform we will comply with the statute and will get the full reimbursement,” he said.

“The big crowd is part of it, and also in complying with the statute there are certain things that you need to demonstrate in terms of impact. We may not have filed in a sufficient way to demonstrate the whole impact.”

Epstein said that the circuit may have been “complacent in some of our reporting”, but were better prepared now. The threat of a massive property tax bill had also lifted, he added, enabling COTA to secure more funding.

He was confident last year’s weather was a freak event, “They say it was a once in 2,500 year event… so we’ve got a few years of good weather ahead. We’ve got 2,499 years to go.”

MIKA: I am so pleased to hear COTA being confirmed, I love this circuit.

On another note, the entertainment side is also a good direction to take to lure more people, families etc.

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BOULLIER: HONDA HAS NOT YET REACHED THE NUMBERS PLANNED FOR 2016

McLaren team boss Eric Boullier has revealed that, engine partner, Honda is running behind schedule with their power unit as the start of the 2016 Formula 1 season fast approaches.

After the disaster of 2015, Boullier seems happy with the management change at Honda, although the impending arrival at McLaren of Jost Capito might be reason for him to be nervous.

“I did not hire him,” Boullier told Auto Motor und Sport, “so you would have to ask Ron Dennis. “But his experience will help the McLaren Group, of which McLaren Racing is only a part. He has experience with major manufacturers, which can be helpful in the relationship with Honda.”

Indeed, in the paddock, almost no one questions whether McLaren can still make fast racing cars.

When asked about the new MP4-31, Boullier says: “From the McLaren side we are on schedule. For the engine, not yet. But at Honda there are good signs of progress. We could at least start to develop the car in the second week of testing, which was not possible last year.”

But the most pressing question is whether Honda can start to make big progress this year.

“The car is not yet where we want it,” Boullier admits. “The engine has not yet reached the numbers that were planned for 2016.”

Fernando Alonso, however, is sounding notably upbeat, predicting podiums later this season. “I think that should be possible,” Boullier concurs.

He says more power – “30 horse power” – is coming for Melbourne through software, while Honda has an aggressive plan for deploying its tokens, “I’m not saying we will beat Mercedes, but we can improve massively.”

And he agrees with Alonso that McLaren can truly aspire to having the very best chassis on the grid this year, perhaps by the European race season.

“So far we have kept all that we have promised him,” said Boullier, referring to the reasons for Alonso’s optimism. “He looks at the simulation, what we are planning, and that they are now completely transferrable to the track.”

It has been suggested, however, that Alonso’s lofty optimism and setting of clear targets for 2016 is a sort of ultimatum to the McLaren-Honda project, amid rumours he might not continue to wait for progress.

Asked if the Spaniard is a ticking bomb, Boullier responded: “(There is) no additional pressure. We want to win, not just Fernando. McLaren must win.

“If Honda can reach a certain level this year and we have one of the best cars in the field, Fernando will have fun again,” he added.

“I was hired by McLaren to ensure that we put the best car on the circuit. The car is my responsibility. For the engine, I cannot (promise).”

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WILL HAMILTON’S JETSET LIFESTYLE IMPACT HIS SEASON NEGATIVELY?

A trio of former Formula 1 drivers have considered whether reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton’s increasing global celebrity will hurt his bid for a fourth title in 2016.

Some, like current GPDA president Alex Wurz, think the Mercedes driver’s off-track antics – his ‘rock star’ or jet-set lifestyle and amateur forays in the worlds of fashion and music – are simply good for Hamilton.

“As long as he’s performing, it’s good,” the former Benetton and Williams driver told the March edition of F1 Racing magazine. “He has chosen to show off his wealth and planes and lifestyle and he is very calculating, for in doing so he is establishing his position as a global star. I think it has no influence.”

Others are not so sure. An unnamed team boss said: “Lewis is lucky he has Rosberg as his teammate. He wouldn’t be able to get away with that stuff if it was Alonso or Vettel or Ricciardo in the other car.”

Indeed, 1996 world champion Damon Hill said he was not surprised when, after wrapping up the title early last year, Hamilton’s string of defeats to his teammate Nico Rosberg coincided with a spate of heavy partying.

“Last year, at one point he Tweeted he was here, there and everywhere between races, and I thought: Bloody hell, that would wipe me out. That was before a grand prix, and sure enough, Nico beat him.”

Another F1 veteran, David Coulthard, also questions whether Hamilton spreading his focus beyond the actual track could eventually catch up with him.

“It seems crazy to question whether Lewis can win another title, given that he’s won the last two, but you have to ask where his energy is going,” the former McLaren and Red Bull driver told the Mirror and asked: “Is this the year that is going to take its toll?”

But there are those who think Hamilton can successfully manage keeping on top of his game in F1 and diverting his attention elsewhere, particularly in an era where the cars are less physically demanding to drive.

“If it was having an effect, I think he would change his lifestyle and raise his game,” an insider told F1 Racing. “You have to keep coming back to the fact that he is just a phenomenal talent, and he knows he is. So he knows he just has to get that back and he is there again.”

MIKA: I don't see any issue with this type of lifestyle personally.. The only gripe I have is why can't Lewis get a better group of women around him

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MERCEDES PROPOSE 20 HORSEPOWER BOOST FOR RIVALS

A surprising proposal by Mercedes could help solve the issue of their seemingly endless domination in the new Formula 1 ‘power unit’ era.

As many predicted a third consecutive season of regular Silver Arrows one-twos this year, the so-called ‘Power Unit Working Group’ was this week meeting in London.

The group has been tasked with tabling proposals for the future of the engine regulations at the Bahrain grand prix in early April, with the headline problem being the big performance difference between Mercedes and the other three power unit suppliers.

Auto Bild Motorsport claims that a proposal made by Mercedes is that Ferrari, Renault and Honda be allowed to turn up their ‘fuel flow’ by a factor of two per cent.

With Mercedes standing still, that would give the trailing three almost 20 extra horse power, and potentially satisfy the F1 Commission’s demand for ‘performance convergence’.

If Sebastian Vettel was in charge, however, the Ferrari driver would probably scrap the current restrictions on fuel flow and usage altogether.

“As a sportsman, I think Formula 1 should be about who can drive his car the fastest, not who is best at saving fuel,” the German told Sport Bild in a pre-season edition.

MIKA: Fascinating that Mercedes are willing to do this... Makes you wonder what they have up their sleeve and what they haven't yet shown.

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MERCEDES BOSS WOLFF SELLS HIS REMAINING WILLIAMS SHARES

Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff has sold his remaining stake in the Williams Formula One team to U.S. shareholder and healthcare executive Brad Hollinger, both parties said on Wednesday.

Hollinger had bought a 10 percent stake in the team from Wolff in two prior transactions, with the Austrian saying last year that his remaining shareholding accounted for “just short of 5 percent” of the former champions.

Team principal Frank Williams has a 52 percent stake and co-founder Patrick Head 10 percent.

Of the remaining shares, 20 percent are listed on the Entry Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and a further 3 percent are held by an employee trust.

Wolff had agreed to divest his holding, which he acquired in 2009 for investment purposes, when he became a managing partner at world champions Mercedes in 2013.

“I am surprised how emotional I am about this day, to be cutting my final business ties to Sir Frank (Williams) and to the team at Williams,” the former Williams executive director said in a statement.

“The plan to sell my stake was a long-term one agreed with Daimler in 2013 — but it was always important to find the right investor, who was doing it for the right reasons.”

The Formula One season starts in Australia on March 20.

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ROSSI CONFIRMED AS MANOR RESERVE

Alexander Rossi is back in the Manor Racing fold as Official Reserve Driver. Although he’ll be racing in the 2016 IndyCar Series, he will also be making history as the first driver to perform a Formula 1 role simultaneously.

Alex will attend 11 Grands Prix with Manor Racing, where he will work with the engineers and drivers to help develop the MRT05, contribute to team and partner marketing activities and be available to deputise should he be required to compete at short notice. His first F1 event will be the Russian Grand Prix in May.

Dave Ryan, Racing Director: “We’re very fortunate to have someone of Alex’s calibre in the role of Official Reserve Driver. The fact that he’s racing full time in the IndyCar Series this year was simply a challenge to be overcome; something we’re pretty good at. We need a safe pair of hands for the role, which always carries the potential to have to step up to race, but also someone who can really contribute to the development of the car. For Alex, F1 is still unfinished business. He did a great job when he drove for us in five of last season’s races and he’s a highly rated and valuable part of our line-up. He does have one heck of a schedule ahead of him and it’s a commitment that only the most disciplined of drivers would be able to manage. We’re confident he’s the man for the job.”

Alexander Rossi: “I’ve invested most of my career in F1 and I’m not one to kick my heels and wait for things to happen, so this is my way of staying sharp and prepared. It was disappointing to miss out on a race seat with Manor Racing this year; everyone knows I pushed and worked hard for it. As Official Reserve Driver though, I have a very complimentary dual program at the highest level of motorsport. IndyCar Series is the premier category of open wheel racing in North America and extremely competitive. I also have the privilege of racing with a championship winning team, Andretti Autosport. I’m confident this experience will add to my role as a very important cog in an F1 team’s wheel. My schedule this year is demanding, but no more than a full time F1 schedule. I will attend 11 Grands Prix, only five of which take place during the IndyCar season, and I am certainly used to the travel demands of the F1 calendar. It’s great to be back with a team I know and with whom I share a mutual respect and passion for the sport we love.”

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SITUATION SERIOUS BUT SAUBER WILL NOT MISS AUSTRALIA

Sauber will race in the season opening Australian Grand Prix next weekend, despite the serious financial cloud that looms over the struggling Swiss team.

Boss and co-owner Monisha Kaltenborn confirmed earlier that “part of the February salaries” of the more than 300 staff at Hinwil are yet to be paid.

“Two thirds of our employees have not received the February wages,” Sauber spokesman Robert Hopoltseder has now revealed to the Swiss broadcaster SRF.

But a source told Tages Anzeiger that Sauber’s participation in Melbourne race is in doubt. After that, however, Sauber’s future is “extremely uncertain”, the source warned.

Sauber spokesman Hopoltseder admitted: “As was the case in recent years, these are difficult times.”

But Michael Stauble, a commentator for Swiss television, said the current situation for Sauber is in fact new.

“Wages not being paid over a longer period is unique in Sauber’s history,” he said. “So the situation is very serious. If I look beyond 2016, I am anxious and worried about Sauber.”

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Watkins Glen 'would be a wonderful venue' for F1 - Charlie Whiting

Formula 1 race director and FIA delegate Charlie Whiting visited the newly-resurfaced Watkins Glen circuit this week, describing it as an "absolutely wonderful" circuit for F1 to race on, prompting speculation on social media that the circuit could return to the F1 calendar.

Whiting often visits the New York state circuit to complete an inspection and his most recent visit coincided with resurfacing works.

Speaking to local media, he had high-praise for the work that has been done and the circuit itself.

"I think the track looks marvellous. I am really, really impressed with the work that has been done. It has been done to a very, very high standard," said Whiting.

"I think it is one of the most charismatic circuits in the US. There are newer ones like the Circuit of the Americas but it hasn't got the character that this has got."

Whiting would be happy to see F1 race there again, but understands that a good track isn't enough to entice those with the power to make such an event happen.

"I think it would be an absolutely wonderful circuit for F1 cars to race on – but we all know it is not quite as simple as that. As far as circuits in the US go, this is right up there," he added.

"It is always a pleasure to come over and see how things are done over here, to see how well things can be done without going to the silly levels of some of the modern tracks that get built by very wealthy governments – what we see here is an absolute gem of a track. It has got heritage and that is what I like."

With Whiting's comments sparking speculation on Twitter, the circuit - which last hosted an F1 race in 1980 - moved to deny such claims through its official Twitter account.

"We never implied that F1 may return. Many tracks receive FIA certifications that do not host Formula 1 events," read one tweet.

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Grosjean impressed by proactive Haas

After suffering two off-track incidents during pre-season testing in Barcelona, Haas racer Romain Grosjean has expressed his delight at the way the American team reacted.

The Frenchman was not discouraged by the fact that he and his racing partner Esteban Gutierrez had the fewest number of laps than of the other team on the grid, mainly because they had to withstand long stints in the pits.

Instead, Grosjean explained that he expected there would be some issues at beginning of his Haas career and added that it was a positive sign that the team handled the matter in a calm and precise manner.

"It is impressive. The way everyone has been working everywhere, the way they have been reacting to problems and the morale has never been down even though there have been some difficult times, so it is a good team," the 29-year-old told crash.net.

"It's been tough for everyone, especially for the guys who are away from their home for one month.

"First week was very good, the second week a bit less good but for a new team I think we impressed everyone. But they have done an amazing job, they've been on it all the time. They can relax a little bit and next week we need to work hard to prepare for Melbourne."

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Williams backs Red Bull 'jet fighter' cockpit concept

Claire Williams says if cockpit protectors are to be introduced in F1 they must suit the look of the cars and has backed Red Bull's 'jet fighter' design but wants all protectors to be given time and thorough testing.

The Williams deputy team principal gave her backing to the cockpit protectors after Ferrari debuted its 'halo' cockpit design on installation laps for both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen during pre-season testing.

The concepts have divided opinion within the F1 paddock with Nico Rosberg and Vettel vocal supporters while Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg have held the opposing viewpoint.

Williams has stressed all cockpit concepts are in the very early forms and need testing but having seen various efforts from Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull, is a supporter of the Milton Keynes-based team's design as it matches the style of F1 cars.

“I really like Red Bull's jet fighter concept,” Williams said. “If we are going for these new racing cars that are supposed to look futuristic, put a jet fighter type thing around it. I think that is exciting. But then you have to worry about water and condensation and all that kind of stuff. It is still a work in progress.

“I think it is really early stages. I have obviously seen both proposals. They are still in conceptual stage and they are still in full analyse stage with the FIA Institute. Most importantly it is which one provides the most safety for the drivers and until that has been determined I am in total support of whichever concept works best.”

With technical regulations yet to be decided upon for 2017 and beyond, the cockpit protectors are not confirmed to enter the F1 arena but have received a strong backing after the deaths of Justin Wilson and Henry Surtees which are believed could have been avoided with the use of cockpit protectors.

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Renault intrigued by tight midfield battles

Renault's chief technical officer Bob Bell says he is already enthralled by the prospect of a competitive midfield pack for the 2016 F1 season as the French manufacturer prepares for its return as a fully-fledged team.

After an intense pre-season testing schedule Bell says Renault is satisfied with its progress from Barcelona but would have liked to been able to give Jolyon Palmer more running time in the RS16 as his track time was halted due to mechanic breakdowns.

As is traditionally the case at pre-season testing many of the teams were hesitant to gauge where they may slot into the 2016 grid without knowing each other's true potential and while Bell agreed Mercedes and Ferrari would be at the front he is intrigued to see how the midfield pack with fall.

“I think it will be an interesting season in midfield although it is very difficult to judge where people are at the minute,” Bell said. “But it will be close and that is great, good for the sport.”

Assessing Renault's package Bell is confident it will iron out any mechanical issues before reaching Australia for the season opener and feels its new power unit is an impressive step up on last year's effort.

“The engine, in the works team, has been great - we had one issue early in the test where we changed a turbo but it wasn't a huge surprise to us, a known fault that won't be there for the race-spec engines,” he said. “Other than that, the engine, physically, has been great.

“We just haven't had those troubles - Viry-Chatillon has done a great job over the winter making the engine driveable and there is real performance in that that doesn't show in headline figures, so they've got reliability and they've got a big step forward in what the engine actually delivers.

“We are in pretty good shape. We didn't have an excessive checklist because we didn't have a large number of development items to bring here. The car that we have here is pretty much what we'll run in Melbourne.

“There are some pieces that will arrive there so that part of the programme wasn't particularly difficult to get through and, actually, we were very pleasantly surprised that, even though the car is clearly down on overall headline performance numbers, downforce and, probably, engine power for example, it actually runs very well.”