FORMULA 1 - 2016

[MIKA27]

Audi's decision to stay away from F1 disappointing - Williams

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams says it is disappointing Audi has decided Formula 1 is not on its agenda.

Stefan Knirsch, a board member responsible for technical development said Audi's focus on electric and hybrid technology was better served in the World Endurance Championship.

It followed head of motorsport for Audi's parent company the Volkswagen Group Wolfgang Durheimer dismissing F1's sporting and political situation as "not predictable enough" to justify any of his brands entering.

"It's disappointing," Williams told Autosport. "This is a sport where we would like to have the likes of Audi in it.

"But they have other motorsport commitments. If F1 isn't for them, it's not for them.

"People have been trying to get Audi into F1 for decades and they haven't changed their position."

F1's engine regulations are currently in a state of flux with the manufacturers working towards a way forward on cost, performance, noise and supply of power units.

But Williams does not believe the uncertainty was the sole reason for Audi choosing not to enter F1.

"I don't think we can blame it on the current political landscape of our sport," she said.

"I'm sure there are lots of factors which come into their decision-making process as to why F1 isn't for them.

"We're lucky in this sport that we already have four of the world's biggest manufacturers.

"Of course we want to attract more but we have Ferrari, Daimler, Honda and Renault competing.

"There's a fine balance between independent teams being able to survive if the sport is flooded by manufacturers.

"We need a healthy mix of manufacturers and independent teams."

[MIKA27]

F1 missing an opportunity with 2017 rules, Red Bull's Horner says

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes Formula 1 is missing an opportunity to draw up regulations for 2017 he feels would 'sort the men out from the boys'.

Horner was eager for F1 to embrace the initially planned wide-sweeping changes that would have seen cars dramatically improve in laptime by six seconds next year, but ultimately found himself in the minority.

Following a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Geneva on Friday, the plans to be put in place by April 30 will improve performance by around four seconds per lap, depending on the circuit.

"We've still got to the end of April to tidy up the rules," Horner told Autosport.

"From a sport point of view, to come up with a car that is a real challenge for the drivers, that sorts the men out from the boys, to see them earning their money, is something truly spectacular, is something everybody wants to see.

"The initial concept was tabled a year and a half ago by us to be more aggressive with the cars, to go back to basics with what a grand prix car should look like.

"Over a period of a year we've ended up where we are. It's a step forward, we're going down the right route, but we're not quite there yet.

"At least with what's proposed and with what has been fundamentally agreed, it will be a step towards that - not quite as big a step as we would have liked - but certainly a step in the right direction."

Horner feels more can still be done before next month's deadline, adding: "We've a great chance to address some of the issues, although there is reticence in certain quarters.

"But hopefully in the time available between now and the end of April there's still an opportunity to ensure the product for 2017 addresses the criteria, because it would be a great shame to miss that opportunity."

Horner feels despite the focus on aero, with the front wings to be less of an influencing factor and with more downforce to be applied, the power units could ultimately play even more of a significant role than at present.

"What we are slightly nervous of is by putting big wheels on cars it creates a lot more drag," explained Horner.

"Unless you create efficient downforce, and when you consider the amount of mechanical grip, you are going to end up spending more time on full throttle.

"That makes power a bigger differentiator than vice versa, so that's a slight concern we have from a personal perspective."

[Lotusguy]

Audi's decision to stay away from F1 disappointing - Williams

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams says it is disappointing Audi has decided Formula 1 is not on its agenda.

Stefan Knirsch, a board member responsible for technical development said Audi's focus on electric and hybrid technology was better served in the World Endurance Championship.

It followed head of motorsport for Audi's parent company the Volkswagen Group Wolfgang Durheimer dismissing F1's sporting and political situation as "not predictable enough" to justify any of his brands entering.

"It's disappointing," Williams told Autosport. "This is a sport where we would like to have the likes of Audi in it.

"But they have other motorsport commitments. If F1 isn't for them, it's not for them.

"People have been trying to get Audi into F1 for decades and they haven't changed their position."

F1's engine regulations are currently in a state of flux with the manufacturers working towards a way forward on cost, performance, noise and supply of power units.

But Williams does not believe the uncertainty was the sole reason for Audi choosing not to enter F1.

"I don't think we can blame it on the current political landscape of our sport," she said.

"I'm sure there are lots of factors which come into their decision-making process as to why F1 isn't for them.

"We're lucky in this sport that we already have four of the world's biggest manufacturers.

"Of course we want to attract more but we have Ferrari, Daimler, Honda and Renault competing.

"There's a fine balance between independent teams being able to survive if the sport is flooded by manufacturers.

"We need a healthy mix of manufacturers and independent teams."

Audi would be stupid to enter this circus act. Huge expenses, completely unpredictable rules, rapidly shrinking audiences, a clown in charge of promotion, the list goes on and on.

[skalls]

I'd like to see Audi in F1, but I agree. Ever changing rules just doesn't make any sense to get into it.

Maybe when someone else is in charge instead of Bernie things might change.

[MIKA27]

THROWBACK THURSDAY: NOT A LOT OF LOVE FOR THE FIRST MELBOURNE GRAND PRIX

When Melbourne's Albert Park hosted the first F1 Grand Prix of 1996, it was the beginning of a new era. Previously held on a street circuit in Adelaide, the Australian GP was traditionally the last race of the F1 season. But now, with a new track in the heart of Melbourne's inner suburbs, Australia was leading out the season on the world stage.

You'd think being presented to a global audience hungry for the F1 season to start would have been an achievement that Melbourne's people would have gotten solidly behind. That having the world view a beautiful vista of lake and palm tree with the high rises of the CBD in the near horizon would make all Australians celebrate the positive impact the race would have on our reputation. And the nostalgia of the Australian Grand Prix returning to Albert Park where it had been held for a few years in the 1950s would draw people in.

You'd be wrong. Couldn't be any more wrong. Just, wrong.

When, in 1993, Victorian Premier, Jeff Kennett, proudly announced that he had stolen the Australian F1 Grand Prix away from Adelaide to be held in his state's capital of Melbourne from 1996, a lot of people weren't happy.

Adelaide was up in arms that their main international sporting event was taken away from them. Melbourne has their Cup, they said. Melbourne has the Australian Open tennis. Melbourne has the Boxing Day cricket test and the AFL Grand Final. Can't we just have this one thing?

And the people of Melbourne? They weren't happy either. 20 thousand people at an anti-Grand Prix rally unhappy to be exact.

Most of the anger came from (Hippies) what a lot of people saw as the destruction of a public park for financial gain. And when legislation was created for the Grand Prix to be exempt from all other Acts of Parliament, the Save Albert Park organisation grew even larger.

This was in spite of a hundred million dollar upgrade to the parklands and sporting facilities to make way for the roads that would make up the F1 track.

And yet, in the face of widespread condemnation, Mr Kennett was not to be stopped, and a little over two years after announcing his coup, Albert Park hosted its first F1 Grand Prix.

The strange thing about the race was that given the final Grand Prix of the 1995 season was held in Adelaide, Australia had the honour of hosting back to back F1s.

As for the race itself, the inaugural Melbourne F1 Grand Prix is remembered for a horrifying crash by veteran English driver Martin Brundle. Brundle's Jordan-Peugeot flipped through the air and broke in two when it landed upside down in the gravel trap at Turn 3. And yet, he was uninjured and ran back to the pits to get into a spare car and continue the race.

"I was flat out in sixth doing about 290kph so the closing speed was too high for me to do anything about it," he said to the press at the time. "I was a passenger on a high-speed merry-go-round. I just concentrated on making sure I didn't hit my head. The accident seemed to go on for a very long time."

The winner of the Grand Prix was another Englishman in Damon Hill, but only after his teammate on debut, Jacques Villeneuve had car trouble and finished the race not at full speed. Villeneuve would end his career having never triumphed on the Albert Park track despite going so close at his first try.

You'd think, with the vast condemnation of the Australian Grand Prix moving to Albert Park in 1996, that the experiment may have been short lived, but no. This year, Melbourne celebrates the 20th anniversary of Albert Park F1 Grand Prix and will host the race until at least 2023.

I'm so glad the Grand Prix won.

[MIKA27]

HAMILTON: I ENJOY EVERY MOMENT AND DO MY JOB THE BEST WAY I CAN

Lewis Hamilton can become Britain’s first four-times Formula 1 world champion this season, but some former racers fear the Mercedes driver’s celebrity lifestyle could make the task harder.

The 31-year-old, who has risen from an under-privileged background to global superstardom, spends much of his down time in the United States with Hollywood and music A-listers.

From Super Bowl with Jay Z, to Hollywood parties and New York fashion shows, he is living a life that few of the current crop of drivers have access to or are up for.

German team mate Nico Rosberg, rival and championship runner-up for the past two seasons but winner of last year’s final three races, is more likely to stay home with his wife and baby daughter.

Ferrari’s four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel, a father of two who is likely to be Mercedes’ biggest threat this year, lives in Switzerland where he keeps his family out of the public eye.

Both are fully focused on beating the Briton.

“It seems crazy to question whether Lewis can win another title, given that he’s won the last two,” former racer turned television pundit David Coulthard told British reporters.

“But you have to ask where his energy is going… There is no question that Lewis is fit and focused when he’s at the racetrack. But he does have a full-on social life away from grand prix racing. We all know it’s not easy jumping on and off aircraft. Is this the year that’s going to take it’s toll?”

That may be wishful thinking from someone who still represents Red Bull, the dominant team before Mercedes, but the Scot is not alone in expressing concern.

When Hamilton was at McLaren, where he won his first championship in 2008, he was kept on a tight leash but since he joined Mercedes in 2013 he has been allowed to be himself.

He now has more money than he knows what to do with, a collection of supercars, a house in Colorado, an apartment in Monte Carlo and a bright red private jet.

He has gone skiing with U.S. Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn and been filmed driving Justin Bieber around Beverley Hills in a LaFerrari supercar.

“I feel I know him less today than I knew him 15 years ago,” says former racer and Sky television commentator Martin Brundle. “He’s moved on to a new level and I don’t say that in any way as a criticism.

“The Lewis I knew as a racer has moved into a whole sphere of life that I don’t have access to, don’t know and don’t understand. He seems like he’s gone somewhere else, to me.”

After completing huge amounts of mileage in the first pre-season test in Barcelona on the Thursday, Hamilton flew to Los Angeles for an Oscars party before testing resumed on Tuesday.

As his 2.5 million followers on Instagram are well aware, he then went to Paris where he was photographed with ex-Beatle Paul McCartney at Stella McCartney’s fashion show. On Saturday, he was at Vivienne Westwood’s.

If some traditionalists would rather he spent more time in the factory talking to engineers, which he also does, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is delighted and Hamilton sees no need to change anything.

“I try to find a balance in my life,” the Briton, who also spends many hours making music in the recording studio, told the official F1 website last month.

“Sure, you need to be recharged and have full batteries for the season. And yes, the lifestyle that I live is definitely different to the other drivers. But who says that it has to be the way they are doing things?

“My style works perfectly for me. It’s all about enjoying every moment. I move as much as I can… and do my job in the best way I can.”

Brundle echoed Coulthard’s comments but felt sure Hamilton’s relentless desire to win was as strong as ever.

Mercedes have won 32 of the last 38 grands prix and Hamilton accounts for 21 of them — 10 in 2015 and 11 in 2014. A drop off in form at the end of last season came only after he had clinched his third championship in Texas.

“I believe he gave Rosberg a confidence and a self-belief that he didn’t ought to be letting him have,” said Brundle of those last three races.

“(But) I think that street-fighting Lewis will be a greater opposition (in Australia) than he was at the end of last year when he relaxed because the championship was in his pocket.”

[MIKA27]

ROSBERG: IT IS GOOD LEWIS SETS SUCH A HIGH BENCHMARK

Nico Rosberg says he is determined to make 2016 “my year”, after two consecutive Formula 1 world championship defeats to his teammate Lewis Hamilton.

The Mercedes driver said the lowest point came in Austin, where he threw away a race win – and later his cap – allowing Hamilton to wrap up the title with three races to spare.

“That was a very, very tough moment,” Rosberg recalled during an interview with the broadcaster RTL. “But I was also able to fight back again with three wins consecutively and very dominantly.”

“It was cool to do that and now I have tried as much as possible to carry it over to this year. But unfortunately that is difficult to do as the car is new, the situation is new,” Rosberg acknowledged.

Some believe Rosberg only faltered because the hard-partying Hamilton lost his focus in Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi. But the 30-year-old said he is determined to keep beating Briton Hamilton.

“It is good that my teammate sets such a high benchmark,” said Rosberg. “If I beat him all the time, the challenge would no longer be interesting.”

So can 2016 really be the season in which Rosberg emerges as champion?

“Who knows,” he answers. “It’s a fact that Lewis has beaten me for three years, unfortunately. So it’s a great challenge.

“But I have often managed to beat him over long periods, but not for an entire season. It has been close, though. In 2014, for example, the title was decided in the last race. I just need a clean season.”

“I’m sure it will be a good season, with the lineup that we have and the form that I have had. Whether it will be enough to be first place for me or not, I still have to wait. It’s still in the stars,” Rosberg added.

[MIKA27]

MALLYA FACING EXTRADITION AND ARREST

Doubts Vijay Mallya might have to miss next weekend’s season opener in Australia appear over, but the Force India chief’s troubles in India are far from over.

As over a dozen aggrieved banks line up to recover debts following the collapse of the former billionaire’s airline Kingfisher, they called for the seizure of his passport.

But as the application was heard in an Indian court on Wednesday, it became clear that Mallya had left India over a week ago.

“Where is Vijay Mallya?” read a headline at Forbes, concluding that he is probably in England, where his F1 team is based.

Before leaving, Mallya had reacted angrily to suggestions he is an “absconder”, but it is not clear when he will be returning to his native country.

“Let him appear personally and deposit his passport,” Mukul Rohatgi, the Indian attorney general, is quoted as saying by India’s Telegraph newspaper.

A report in India’s Economic Times added: “The government will take all steps, including seeking extradition if required, to bring Mallya back”.

A correspondent for the Times of India, who was staking out one of Mallya’s residences in England, described the flamboyant 60-year-old as being “on the run”.

And an official for the elite Indian police agency CBI was quoted by the Hindustan Times: “CBI will seek the assistance of Interpol to get Mallya detained or arrested by local authorities of wherever he might be, to be brought back to India via deportation for joining the due process of law.”

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RICCIARDO: WE’RE CONFIDENT WITH WHAT WE’VE GOT

Daniel Ricciardo reckons he is in good shape to make a decent impression when he and Red Bull Racing arrive in Melbourne for the season-opening 2016 Formula 1® Rolex Australian Grand Prix on March 20.

After the first of two four-day pre-season tests in Spain, the big-grinning Perth racer told the media he felt confident and “in a good place” ahead of the Albert Park event.

“I think we’re confident with what we’ve got,” said the Aussie, who gave a solid showing at the Circuit de Catalunya, near Barcelona last week.

He and the rest of the F1 circus are due back in Spain for the second and final test starting Tuesday.

“Reliability was pretty good, which is nice. I think we got pretty much 200 laps across my two days and I’m happy with that… The car feels pretty good and it’s nice to get back in. I think we’ve set a good rhythm from quite early on and it’s good for me to get into that.”

“Normally, you’ve already done groundwork with the car, but this time, it was straight into it for us and I’m happy. The team’s positive, we’re all feeling like we’re in a good place.

“We didn’t expect to set the world on fire during the first part of the season, but I think we’re on schedule now to be in a good position. We’ll see where we end up in Melbourne…”

Ricciardo’s optimism ahead of the new season contrasted to a widespread sense of déjà vu after a bullet-proof demonstration of reliability last week by word champions Mercedes.

Ricciardo reckons that his reliability, and an improved starting point compared to 12 months ago, are crucial factors, but they pale compared to the Mercedes’ showing.

The champion team managed 675 laps in the opening four days at Barcelona, more than 200 clear of nearest rival Toro Rosso.

“That is already a big warning to the rest of us for the season,” said Williams’ driver Brazilian Felipe Massa. “That, along with what they did in the last two years, and how they finished the season, and the car they have, and with the same rules….

“It is a warning whatever the situation. What they’re doing on the track definitely shows they’re going to be very, very strong again.”

Massa and the rest – including our Dan – may be glad of some help from Ecclestone’s shake-up by the time the opening races of the season has unfolded.

“It’s not what I wanted in the end,” said a disappointed Ecclestone, who has also talked of bring in time penalties to add confusion.

“All I’m trying to do is muddle up the grid, so that the guy that is quickest in qualifying doesn’t sit on pole and disappear…”

At the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, his debut race in the senior Red Bull team, Ricciardo finished second and celebrated heartily in front of his delighted home crowd. However shortly afterwards he was stripped of his second place and disqualified for a fuel flow infringement.

Thus the records show that the big smiling Aussie has yet to ‘officially’ finish on the podium in his home race.

[MIKA27]

HARYANTO: MELBOURNE WILL BE HUGE FOR ME, MY COUNTRY AND MY FANS

Rio Haryanto says he feels “really well prepared” for his Formula One debut at Albert Park on March 20 in the 2016 season-opening Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix.

He may say that, of course, but the impact of his maiden race could go beyond all his best-laid plans – as he becomes Indonesia’s first F1® racing driver, one of three rookies making their bow in Melbourne.

Along with his Manor Racing team-mate German Pascal Wehrlein and Briton Jolyon Palmer, with the revived Renault team, the 23-year-old Haryanto makes the final step after a European winter spent waiting and testing for this day to arrive.

“Melbourne will be a huge moment for me, my country, my supporters and my fans,” he said. He may be relatively unknown to the general motor racing follower, but his story has the potential to make him a household name for Indonesia’s population of more than 250 million.

That, of course, is if his MRT05 car, powered by a Mercedes engine, stands up to the job in a team that has changed greatly since they turned up in Melbourne only to end up watching last year’s race from the pit lane.

As then, various technical problems have interfered with their progress in testing, but both Haryanto and Wehrlein, who is only 21, retain belief in the enthusiasm of a Manor outfit, now managed by New Zealander Dave Ryan, formerly of McLaren, which has also recruited ex-Ferrari men Pat Fry and Nikolas Tombazis.

Their arrival followed the upheaval at Manor at the end of last year when former team bosses John Booth and Graeme Lowdon departed.

“It has all been a bit of a whirlwind to be honest,” said Haryanto after completing his final day’s pre-season testing in Spain. “But I feel prepared after the many test items we have covered.

“I think the car has developed well, to a good place, and I am excited to see how it goes in Melbourne.” He was fifth last year in GP2.

His first on-track action at Barcelona confirmed the interest he has generated at home when, it was reported, an upload of an eight-second video generated 200,000 ‘viewings’ in nine minutes.

Given the pressure of expectation, it will be a cause of satisfaction to complete the race distance respectably and give Manor a base to build on.

Alongside him, Wehrlein is regarded widely as a ‘hot-shoe’ with a big future. At 21, he shone with Mercedes in winning the German Touring Car Championship last year.

“He has the ability to be in Formula One and to be one of the very successful ones,” said Mercedes executive director Toto Wolff last year, when contemplating a next step for the protégé, whose mother is from Mauritius.

Wehrlein said: “It will be a tough challenge, but I think we should be able to challenge for points along the way…. It’s going to be good fun.”

His confidence is shared by the third rookie, Palmer, 25, son of former F1 driver Jonathan Palmer, who has also gained much respect for his speed and potential en route to the top tier. He won the GP2 championship in 2014 and has been testing in preparation.

His debut with Renault follows the takeover by the French owners of the former Lotus team. His team-mate will be ex-McLaren man Dane Kevin Magnussen.

Though Palmer has not raced in F1 before, he has plenty of track experience from his work as a test and reserve driver. “It’s important to fall back on that,” he said. “Although we have had some pre-season problems in testing, I’m confident we can turn up and do ok in Melbourne.”

[MIKA27]

GROSJEAN: I WANT TO BE THE DRIVER AMERICANS CAN CHEER FOR

Just finishing in the points will be something for Romain Grosjean this season but the experienced French Formula 1 driver sees his switch to the new Haas team as a stepping stone to the very top.

The 29-year-old has left Lotus, now reborn as the Renault works team, for the U.S.-owned Ferrari-powered new kids on the grid and has no regrets.

“It’s the best chance to be world champion one day,” Grosjean told Reuters ahead of the Australian season-opener on March 20.

“I can get a different experience, I can learn more, I can be more ready, you need to get the best car to be world champion. Is it going to be with Haas one day? Is it going to be with another team? I don’t know.”

Grosjean said he needed a new adventure after effectively spending his entire F1 career to date with one team, and Haas offered it.

The newcomers are seen by many as a Ferrari ‘B team’, benefiting from a close technical partnership with the sport’s oldest and most successful outfit.

With 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen out of contract at the end of the season, and the Finn’s seat among the most highly coveted, being part of the ‘Ferrari family’ could be good for Grosjean.

The only driver on the starting grid with experience of the Renault, Mercedes and Ferrari V6 turbo engines introduced in 2014, he would love the chance but says it is just a dream at present.

“The social media was like ‘Ah, Grosjean signed for Haas, he must have a contract with Ferrari signed already’. That is completely wrong,” he said.

“Since I was a kid, since I was five, I wanted to drive for Ferrari. Is it going to happen one day? Is it never going to happen? I have no idea.

“It would be a dream. But right now I think the chance I have to live something unique by taking a brand new team… as close as we can to the top team or top result would be a big achievement.”

An eventual return to Renault, former champions returning as a full manufacturer and eager to relive past glories, could be a future option also but for the moment Grosjean is revelling in his new role.

“I want to be the driver that when you go to America everyone is cheering for you because you brought the American flag up there. And you live only once in your life,” the Frenchman said.

A family man, proud to have beaten Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel to become the first of the current crop of drivers to have two children, Grosjean said his feet were firmly on the ground.

The dream would be to score points in Melbourne and cement Haas among the mid-field runners. That, said the veteran of 83 grands prix with 10 podium appearances, was realistic.

“I think we could potentially be in the points early in the season. From there we need to move from the points to the top five and then to the podium and then the win. It’s a long process, how long it is going to take I don’t know,” he said. “I think there are the resources capable of doing something like that.”

Grosjean’s career has had plenty of ups and downs. He made his debut with Renault in 2009 as a stand-in after a race-fixing scandal and returned in 2012 after winning the GP2 support series in 2011.

Branded a ‘first lap nutcase’ by Australian Mark Webber in 2012 after multiple crashes that earned him a one-race ban, Grosjean used sports psychology to get back in the right frame of mind and is a genuinely quick talent.

Last season the Lotus cars were impounded by bailiffs and the team locked out of paddock facilities with the Frenchman frequently having to hand his car over to British reserve Jolyon Palmer in Friday practice. This year promises stability.

“I think all the experience you have in your life makes you stronger,” said Grosjean. “It was crashes, podiums, difficulties financially with the team … but here we are ready to have a new adventure and I’ll try to lead the team as much as I can.”

[MIKA27]

HAAS: WE’RE HERE TO WIN RACES

The first United States owned Formula One team in 30 years will get lots of attention next week but the sleek new Haas car is, without denigrating its performance, more commercial vehicle than all-American racer.

There is a splash of red on the VF-16 (for Very First) that will make its race debut in Melbourne on March 20 but forget about any white and blue, stars and stripes flag-waving patriotism. Grey, light and dark, is the standout colour and Haas branding dominates.

“The colours on the car are kind of Haas primary colours. That’s what we wanted,” said Gene Haas, the industrialist whose Haas Automation company is the largest machine tool manufacturer in North America with more than $1 billion in annual sales.

“Our sales thrust here is to sell more machine tools. We are doing this more as a challenge to market our products and be involved in the races,” said Haas, a familiar face to U.S. motor racing fans as co-owner of the Stewart-Haas Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup-winning team.

Their drivers are French and Mexican, Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez respectively, the team have a European base and the number of actual Americans on staff are in a distinct minority.

Most of the race mechanics have been recruited from British-based F1 teams. The chassis is made in Italy by Dallara, the engines are provided by Ferrari and the principal is Guenther Steiner, a German-speaking, Italian-born naturalised American who has spent much of his career in Europe.

There was some disappointment when Alexander Rossi, who last season raced for Manor Marussia as the first U.S. Formula One driver since 2007, was passed over for a race seat but that was never the plan.

“We were not looking at nationalism when we came to put this team together, we were looking at obtaining the best possible people and products and engines and transmission that we can,” 63-year-old Haas told reporters at pre-season testing in Barcelona. “We’re here to win races, not to do it the hard way.”

Haas have forged close ties with Ferrari and used their NASCAR experience to keep costs down with as much as possible outsourced.

The headquarters are in Kannapolis, North Carolina but there is a European operational base in Banbury, central England for logistics. The team use the Ferrari wind tunnel at Maranello in Italy.

Previous American teams have been shortlived, the most recent being Lola Haas which competed without success in 1985 and 1986. That team’s founder Carl Haas is no relation to Gene.

Before that there was the Parnelli Jones outfit that raced between 1974 and 1976 and the Anglo-American Racers Eagle team in the 1960s that won the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix with Dan Gurney at the wheel.

Winning races is very much a dream for Haas at the moment and an achievement that few teams have managed when dependent on an engine provided by a manufacturer that also has its own factory team.

Toro Rosso did it against the odds with Ferrari engines in 2008, and Haas have a winners’ mentality from NASCAR, but scoring points — maybe even in the opening race — is more realistic.

With only 11 cars finishing last season’s opening race in Melbourne, and points going to the top 10, just having the reliability to get to the finish can be sufficient.

“Our plan is to basically capitalise on reliability. If we can just be reliable and stay in the races we can actually probably finish eighth or ninth just by that,” said Haas. “If we have performance, then we can even move up from there.”

Even if Haas says the team have a reasonable budget and do not need sponsors to go racing, he is open to other backers coming in once the team have shown how professional they are.

He also hopes American fans will get behind the project, “We’ve been involved in NASCAR for over 15 years so this is just a continuation of that on an international basis.”

“Certainly we’d like to be an American team… but we haven’t specifically gone out there and said ‘We’re doing this because we’re an American team’. We’re doing this because we’re in motor racing and we just happen to be an American team.

“If we can beat them [the Europeans], or at least keep up with them, I think people are going to want to watch,” added Haas. “They are going to watch to see if you beat them and if you don’t, how badly you crash.”

[MIKA27]

PLANS FOR FASTER CARS STILL ON TRACK CLAIMS LAUDA

Formula 1 remains on track to speed up significantly in the near future, according to Niki Lauda.

It has been suggested that, despite touted plans to make the cars considerably faster, the teams and Pirelli were struggling to find a unified road forwards.

But F1 legend Lauda, the team chairman at back-to-back world champions Mercedes, said: “Everybody is working on making formula one five seconds quicker.

“This will happen next year or the year after,” the great Austrian told the German broadcaster Sky Sport News HD.

“The cars must look more aggressive and the drivers must work harder to control them, so that we can get back what makes formula one so interesting,” Lauda added.

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Haas F1 appoint Santino Ferrucci as development driver

Haas F1 has confirmed 17-year-old American driver Santino Ferrucci as their development driver for the forthcoming Formula 1 season, their first in the sport.

The former FIA European Formula 3 racer will attend various races and test sessions with the outfit, whilst also completing work in the team’s simulator throughout the year.

Alongside his role as development driver for Haas, Ferrucci will also compete for DAMS in the GP3 Series.

Last season the Connecticut-born racer competed in the FIA European Formula 3 series, as well as the Toyota Racing Series New Zealand where he finished third overall in the championship with one victory to his name.

Team principal Guenther Steiner firmly believes Ferrucci has strong potential, after showing maturity during his time in the lower categories.

Last year he finished sixth in the coveted Macau Grand Prix.

“In Formula One, developing your personnel is as important as developing your race car. You can’t have one without the other,” explained Steiner.

“Santino Ferrucci has done a very good job of proving himself in each of the racing series he’s competed in, and his maturity outside of the race car is impressive.

“We see Santino as a young, American driver with a lot of potential.”

Ferrucci is understandably thrilled with his appointment at Haas, and is proud to be a part of America’s most recent team in F1.

There’s no denying the knowledge available to him as the development driver will firmly boost his overall confidence, which will set him up well for his debut in the GP3 Series later in the year.

“To be an American who is part of an American team is something I take a tremendous amount of pride in,” explained Ferrucci.

“There is still a lot of work I need to do, but being paired with Haas F1 Team will allow me to learn more and at a faster rate.

“It’ll allow me to make the most of my GP3 drive with DAMS and, ultimately, prepare me for Formula One.”

[MIKA27]

Force India planning short-term car upgrades

Force India's chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer says the team is planning to introduce short-term upgrades to its car in order to keep its momentum going.

Force India achieved its target of fifth in 2015, and having analysed the results of Barcelona testing, the team is hoping to use that as a springboard for further improvement this year.

Szafnauer says that the Silverstone-based team can challenge the likes of Williams and Red Bull for fourth place in the world championship this season.

"We think we're not far off starting where we left off last season," Szafnauer told Motorsport.com. "I think we're in that realm, which is good for us, to maintain all the improvements we made in the latter half of last season over the winter.

"We'll have some more upgrades to come in the short term in Bahrain and Barcelona, and then we should be in relatively good shape from a performance perspective.

"Plus we have two experienced drivers, so we should be in good shape to challenge some of the established bigger teams like Red Bull and Williams.

"Nico and Checo are at the height of their game, and a good mix of youth and experience. They now have a lot of races under their belts."

However, Szafnauer acknowledged that just maintaining fifth place would be still a challenge, given the strength of the competition: "You're right, hanging onto fifth would be an achievement.

"As a stretch objective we should be targeting more than one podium this year. And if we can do both those things, maintain fifth and get more podiums, then maybe challenging for fourth wouldn't be far-fetched.

"We had only two days of testing last year, and we've done every one of them this year, and learned from it. That on itself bodes well for our performance."

Meanwhile, Szafnauer says that Vijay Mallya's recent legal issues in India have no impact on the team.

"Whenever I've talked to Vijay it's all about the performance of the car, the performance of the team, how are we going to do, when is the next upgrade coming, how many podiums are we going to have? That's what it's about, and that's what it should be about."

[MIKA27]

Toro Rosso rules out switch to 2016 Ferrari engine

Team principal Franz Tost has ruled out that Toro Rosso will be switching to a 2016-spec Ferrari engine during the upcoming F1 season.

Toro Rosso secured an engine deal with Ferrari at the end of last year after experiencing a difficult period with Renault.

The downside of this agreement is that the Faenza-based outfit has to use a one year-old power unit in 2016.

At the start of the year there was talk in Italy that a switch to the latest engine spec could be a possibility later in the season, but Tost says this will not happen.

"No, this is not taken into consideration, because this means to build a completely new car," Tost made clear.

"This is a question of time and a question of money. Toro Rosso is not in the situation to come up with so many upgrades and to build two new cars in one season. So no, I don't think so."

No upgrades

The 2015 Ferrari engine will not be getting any development this year, something that could harm Toro Rosso in the second part of the season, when other teams are getting updated engines.

For Toro Rosso this was clear from the very beginning and Tost doesn't expect this situation to change.

"If Ferrari comes up with some new upgrades I would be more than happy," the Austrian said.

"But I think they will be concentrating on developing their 2016 engine and not spend time on the 2015 engine. At least, this is what I know.

"It would be a positive surprise if they come up to us and say: we have a new upgrade."

[MIKA27]

Williams must target wins in 2016 - Bottas

Valtteri Bottas says his Williams team must target a victory in the 2016 F1 season, even though he admits beating Mercedes will not be easy.

The Grove-based team has finished third in the constructors' championship in the past two seasons, scoring a total of 13 podium finishes but failing to claim a victory.

Its last win came in the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix thanks to Pastor Maldonado.

Bottas reckons it is just a matter of time for Williams to return to wining ways.

"For sure I want to win. At the moment in Formula 1 with the level where we are as a team it's very difficult, but you always need to try," said Bottas during a Martini event in Italy.

"I believe it is possible. It should be just a matter of time. We need to keep pushing for that and wait for the opportunity. I also want to be consistently on the podium.

"So I think that is a good goal for the year."

He added: "I still haven't won a race, so I'm definitely aiming for that. It's been a few times on the podium, but no wins, so I think that's a good goal for the year."

Deputy team principal Claire Williams admitted that while she would not be disappointed to finish third again, she really wants her team to win again.

"My business head says no, and my heart says yes – because I want to win a race," Williams said when asked if she'd be disappointed with third.

"I want this team to win a race. That is what I want for us.

"And not just one: I don't want it to be a fluke or a one off, because someone else has not done what they need to do. I want us to win a race.

"I hope we have done enough to get in the mix because people want to see more teams at the top. I would like to think we are: I would like to think it is going to be tough.

"Everyone knows the might of Mercedes and Ferrari and what they are able to put into their programmes is somewhat greater than what we are able to, but I believe we have done a good enough job.

"But I don't believe we will know exactly where we are until we do get to Melbourne. I really do hope we are in that mix."

[MIKA27]

Can Red Bull stand another year out of title contention?

Furious at Renault’s lack of progress with its power unit, Red Bull courted every alternative supplier available last year. But it was to no avail.

For 2016 the name on the engine cover has changed but the manufacturer remains the same: the Red Bull-TAG Heuer is truly another Red Bull-Renault.

Worse, Red Bull now finds itself as the secondary partner to a manufacturer which is going to put its factory team first. But don’t expect that to mean Red Bull will immediately drop behind the new Renault outfit.

By the second half of last year the RB11 looked a match for anything else on the track aerodynamically. Fears that Adrian Newey’s reduced role in the team would seriously compromise them appeared to be ill-founded, especially once the team got to grips with the latest tweaks to the front nose regulations.

Heading into 2016, the team has a chassis which appears to have drawn on the strength of its predecessors. The team have always been tactically razor-sharp and it believes the new tyre rules will play into its hands.

Whatever gains Renault has found from its engine over the winter, Red Bull will surely be better-placed than the factory team to exploit them. An upgrade is already planned for the Canadian Grand Prix where the team expects to see significant gains.

At twisty tracks and on wet days Red Bull could be a threat, but a title shot is surely out of the question. Will they consider this sufficient?

Christian Horner’s bitter complaining last year made it clear Red Bull considers it worthless to be involved in F1 if they are not championship contenders. Last year they repeatedly threatened to pull out irrespective of the commercial deal they had signed with Bernie Ecclestone until 2020.

The team is favoured by Ecclestone and he made finding an alternative engine supplier for them a priority – even if it meant a controversial rewrite of F1’s engine regulations. This plan failed and there’s no sign of another engine manufacturer appearing in time for 2017.

Red Bull’s future in F1 therefore rests on the competitiveness of their Renault power unit. If it falls short, and they spend the year being beaten by Toro Rosso and their year-old Ferraris, don’t expect them to quietly accept the situation.

[Hypersomniac]

I'm starting to get excited for this year. it's really cool having HAAS on the grid sinceit's probably the best connection I I have to the sport being American. I will be pulling for them to do well.

[skalls]

So I know Indy Car isn't Formula 1, but you know, it has passing. And lots of it. This race, only 20 laps in has been far more entertaining than most of the F1 races last season.

[MIKA27]

So I know Indy Car isn't Formula 1, but you know, it has passing. And lots of it. This race, only 20 laps in has been far more entertaining than most of the F1 races last season.

Is this Bernie Ecclestone....?

[MIKA27]

MATESCHITZ: IF WE DO NOT HAVE A COMPETITIVE ENGINE WE WILL LEAVE

Red Bull’s billionaire boss Dietrich Mateschitz’s thoughts about quitting Formula 1 are apparently still alive and kicking.

Last year, amid the arguments with Renault and dissatisfaction about the direction of the sport, the Red Bull mogul and billionaire reportedly thought seriously about pulling his two teams out of F1.

Ultimately, Red Bull is still in the paddock, but Toro Rosso’s engine is a year old and the premier outfit is still with Renault – on a one-year deal.

“The contract with Renault allows different options,” Mateschitz told the Red Bull-owned publication Speed Week.

He said the highest goal Red Bull Racing can aspire to this year is third, behind the “works” outfits Mercedes and Ferrari.

But: “We are too good to be domestiques,” said Mateschitz. “And formula one is not the Tour de France. If we do not have a competitive engine, we will leave. We will certainly not accept fifth place for the next five years.”

However, he made clear he doesn’t blame Bernie Ecclestone for the situation, saying the F1 supremo’s controversial recent criticism of the sport is right.

“It was not Bernie who drove Formula 1 into the sand, but the manufacturers who dictate everything,” said Mateschitz.

More struggling for Red Bull could therefore cost the brand its star drivers, even though Dr Helmut Marko has been warning that one of the current quartet could be dropped at the end of the year.

When asked about a works team coming knocking for Daniel Ricciardo or Max Verstappen, however, Mateschitz admitted: “I do not care about the length of contracts. If someone wants to go, I would not be able to stop them.”

[MIKA27]

FINAL STAND FOR F1 OLD GUARD AS YOUNG GUNS EMERGE

The clock is ticking for some of Formula 1’s big name drivers, with world champions and race winners out of contract at the end of the season and a restless young generation eager to take their places.

McLaren’s Jenson Button and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, the 2009 and 2007 world champions respectively and both 36, have deals expiring at the end of the year as does Brazilian Felipe Massa (34) at Williams.

Nico Rosberg (30), runner-up to Britain’s triple world champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for the past two seasons, also faces contract negotiations having been with the now-dominant team since 2010. There is no shortage of fast and hungry potential replacements.

“This season, more than others, there are things opening up. It’s no secret. It’s a big prize and that’s why it’s an important season, not only for me,” Toro Rosso’s 21-year-old Spanish hotshot Carlos Sainz told Reuters.

“It’s my second year and everyone says there’s more pressure in your second year. No. There is the same pressure for me as for every single driver on the grid. It’s an important year for all of us and we are all going to push like hell to get one of those spots.”

In Sainz’s case, the primary focus is following the familiar path of graduation from Toro Rosso to bigger sister team Red Bull.

But that will require either Australian Daniel Ricciardo or Russian Daniil Kvyat moving elsewhere, as well as him seeing off the challenge of 18-year-old Dutch sensation and team mate Max Verstappen.

“I have no idea what is going to happen. What is true is that for 2017 there are many options, many things opening up,” Sainz added.

“What I want to show is first that I can be a top team driver and I want Red Bull to spot that first of anyone. That’s it. If they don’t spot it, or someone else spots it, then it’s not up to me. But I want to show it first for Red Bull.”

Raikkonen, who will be 37 in October and is the oldest driver on the grid, was the subject of much speculation last year before he agreed a new one-year deal and will be the key to the impending merry-go-round.

The Finn scored 135 points last year, compared to 266 for team mate Sebastian Vettel who won three races. Many felt he was fortunate to stay, despite being regularly rated as a fan favourite.

Any change at Ferrari — the sport’s oldest, most successful and glamorous team — is big news and the seat is one every driver dreams of with the Italian team now also Mercedes’ closest rivals.

Raikkonen’s compatriot Valtteri Bottas at Williams, Ricciardo and Verstappen have all been seen as potential successors while Frenchman Romain Grosjean will be hoping he has put himself in the frame by moving to Ferrari-powered Haas.

“Since I was a kid, since I was five, I wanted to drive for Ferrari. Is it going to happen one day? Is it never going to happen? I have no idea. It would be a dream,” Grosjean told Reuters.

Button, who has been in the sport longer than any of the current crop of drivers, considered retirement last year but agreed a one-year extension.

If this is his farewell season, then McLaren already have a ready-made replacement in last year’s GP2 champion Stoffel Vandoorne, the Belgian reserve seen as the next big talent waiting to break into the sport.

Any vacancy at Mercedes-powered Williams would have a queue of candidates but Massa wants to stay.

“I don’t feel that,” he told Reuters when asked whether this would be his last season. “I didn’t see yet that I am not quick, that I am not competitive, something that shows me that maybe it is time to stop. Until I see that, I am ready to carry on.”

Rosberg, winner of the last three races of 2015 from pole position and 14 in his career, has a crucial year ahead and can take nothing for granted.

Even if major rule changes shake up the pecking order in 2017, almost every driver in the paddock would leap at the chance to replace the German.

Mercedes have a rising star in 21-year-old rookie Pascal Wehrlein, making his debut with tailenders Manor Racing after becoming the youngest champion in the DTM (German Touring Car) championship last year.

There is also Verstappen, who Mercedes tried to sign before Toro Rosso snapped him up at 16 with a guaranteed race seat. If there is a risk of him moving to Ferrari, the champions might want to get in there first.

“I’d probably be looking over my shoulder a little bit if I was Rosberg. At Pascal or Max,” 1996 world champion Damon Hill, now a Sky television pundit, told reporters.

[MIKA27]

CLOUDS OF CONTROVERSY LOOM AS NEW F1 SEASON BECKONS

When the Formula 1 season begins next week, spare a thought for the staff in the marketing department trying to give the sport a positive spin.

Sure, they do have some good promotional material to work with: Ferrari’s times in preseason testing have raised hopes of a genuine challenger to Mercedes; the entry of the Haas team creates an overdue American presence; Renault returns as a team owner a decade after its most recent championship; and the Manor team has a couple of intriguing new drivers.

But the good news has been buried beneath the negative headlines throughout the off season.

Bernie Ecclestone, the 85-year-old commercial chief of the sport who this year marks his 60th year of involvement with F1, last month said the sport was “the worst it has ever been. I wouldn’t spend my money to take my family to watch a race. No way.”

Many fans were shocked that such a comment could be made by the man tasked with drumming up interest from sponsors and broadcasters. To some, it was an understandable expression of frustration at the regulatory impediments to the changes needed to invigorate the sport.

Others hinted if it was a negotiating ploy in trying to buy back F1 from the controlling owner, the hedge fund CVC Capital Partners.

Soon after Ecclestone’s comments came the shambles of an ‘on again, off again, on again’ alteration to the format of qualifying. Announced at short notice, then almost shelved, the changes will proceed for the first race Sunday, March 20, in Melbourne, Australia.

Under the new system, drivers will get a brief period to set a time in each of the qualifying segments — seven minutes in Q1, six minutes in Q2 and five minutes in Q3 — after which the slowest driver will be eliminated every 90 seconds. So now even the top teams will have to spend most of the session out on track.

“It’s a little bit chaotic if a couple of weeks before the season you start to reinvent certain rules,” Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel said.

It’s unclear how much that qualifying system will shake up grid positions, or if it does anything to reduce the dominance enjoyed by Mercedes over the past two seasons.

Lewis Hamilton has comfortably won the past two drivers’ championships and is rated as an odds-on chance by bookmakers to join Juan-Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher and Vettel as the only men to win three consecutive titles.

Mercedes completed the most mileage of any team in preseason testing, with barely a hint of technical trouble.

“The team has done a fantastic job with the car and we feel that we’re probably in a stronger position than last year,” Hamilton said, “especially after the mileage we’ve done.”

Perhaps the only driver who can stop him is his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, who won the last three races of 2015 after Hamilton clinched the title.

Of the other teams, Ferrari seems to be mounting the best challenge. The Italian team set the best times in preseason testing, even if that is an unreliable guide to race performance, given the array of different tire compounds and fuel loads.

Vettel managed to win three races last year despite the Mercedes dominance, so even a slight narrowing of the gap between those teams in 2016 could produce a genuine championship fight.

A decisive factor could be how the teams adjust to the new tire rules. Instead of being limited to a defined number of sets of the two compounds of dry-weather tires which Pirelli supplied for each race, teams can now choose their own allocations and can split strategies for the two drivers.

Such tire strategies will be intriguing, but well down the list of priorities for two of the fallen giants of F1 in Red Bull and McLaren, which have more fundamental problems to address.

Red Bull is coming off its first winless season in seven years. Despite its bitter disputes with engine supplier Renault last year, Red Bull is again using Renault power in 2016 but with input from engineering group Ilmor, meaning the engine will badged TAG-Heuer.

McLaren had a predictably challenging but still frustrating first year with Honda engines in 2015 as the Japanese company returned to the sport.

Having spent large sums to retain world champion drivers Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, McLaren will certainly not tolerate another season at the back of the grid, among the likes of Sauber, Manor and Haas.

Sauber has had financial trouble in the offseason, with delays in the payment of staff. Force India has also had off-track distractions, with team principal Vijay Mallya being pursued by creditors in India, and authorities stepping up efforts to hold him accountable.

It has been a smoother offseason for Manor, which was unable to race in Australia last year after being rescued from administration. The financial improvement is due partially to the hiring of driver Rio Haryanto, who brings with him significant sponsorship from Indonesia’s state-run oil and gas company.

Haryanto’s arrival as F1’s first Indonesian driver has sparked great enthusiasm in the country, but he will have a tough time matching the anticipated performance level of teammate Pascal Wehrlein, who arrives at Manor as part of the deal for Mercedes to provide the team with engines. The young German driver is earmarked as a successor to either Hamilton or Rosberg at Mercedes.

Renault has taken its brand reputation back into its own hands and stepped up from engine supplier to stand-alone team, re-purchasing the entry from Lotus. It has hired Kevin Magnussen, who drove for McLaren in 2014, and former GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer.

NASCAR team owner Gene Haas has taken the plunge into F1, hiring ex-Lotus driver Romain Grosjean and welcoming Ferrari protege Esteban Gutierrez as part of the engine deal.

Haas will be able to perform on home soil this year, after a late deal was struck to secure funding for the United States Grand Prix at Austin, Texas. That Grand Prix will the 18th of an unprecedented 21 races this season.

[MIKA27]

WOLFF: WE OWE IT TO NICO AND LEWIS AND TO F1 TO LET THEM RACE

Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton and team mate Nico Rosberg will be given more freedom to race each other this season, Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff said on the eve of the F1 season opening Australian Grand Prix weekend..

“We owe it to them and we owe it to Formula One to let them race. The ride will be a bit more difficult for the team sometimes but I think that is absolutely necessary,” the Austrian told reporters in Germany.

The two have been title rivals for the past two years, with Hamilton coming out on top, and Wolff has had to bang heads together at times when the heat of battle risked damaging the dominant team.

Speaking at a Mercedes pre-season event in Stuttgart, Wolff explained the team would be taking a more relaxed approach to a rivalry that has veered from frosty silence to heated exchanges.

“In 2014 we won the championship and we confirmed that it wasn’t a one-off in 2015. But in order to contain that we tried to put a framework around that. Sometimes it functions, sometimes it doesn’t,” he said.

“We learned some interesting lessons and we improved as an organisation. With Nico and Lewis, we have been together for a couple of years. It functions pretty well.”

Hamilton, 31, can become Britain’s first quadruple champion this year but Rosberg, 30, is likely to be his closest challenger.

The German won the last three races of 2015, after Hamilton had clinched the title, and also ended the season with six successive pole positions. Hamilton questioned the team’s strategy in some of those races.

Wolff doubted the atmosphere between the drivers would be any different to last season when Mercedes won all but three races.

He also pointed out the regulations would also help, with the team not allowed to assist drivers over the radio or offer as much guidance as in the past in order to make the racing less predictable.

Hamilton expects a “real battle” once the season starts in Australia next week and says closest rivals Ferrari have stepped up their game.

“They did some incredible times in their runs in the last test. I think they will bring a good package to the first race so I think there will be a fight and I am excited about it,” said the Briton, wearing fashion spectacles.

When asked about his eyesight, he assured reporters he had “40-40 vision”.