FORMULA 1 - 2015

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RAIKKONEN BRACED FOR SEASON OF QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS FUTURE

Kimi Raikkonen believes another season of predictable speculation about his future in Formula 1 will begin early in the new year

In 2015, all the talk was about whether Ferrari would replace him with Valtteri Bottas, even though the Maranello team ultimately signed Raikkonen again.

But Raikkonen, who will race in F1 for the fourteenth full season next year, thinks the same journalists will be asking all the same questions in 2016.

“I’m used to it,” he told the Finnish broadcaster MTV during a media event in Helsinki.”It is the same people (journalists) year after year and pretty much the same questions. Every year, it is (questions about) motivation problems, the contract running out, this and that. It’s not very surprising.”

“Sadly it won’t change and it will probably start around February next year,” Raikkonen, 36, said, presumably referring to the start of pre-season testing for the 2016 season. “It is the same whether you have a one year or a ten-year contract. It is just formula one,” he added.

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VERSTAPPEN TIPPED FOR LAUREUS AWARD

Formula 1’s teenage sensation Max Verstappen’s flow of high-profile awards looks set to continue.

Since his meteoric first season in F1 ended, the 18-year-old Dutchman has been showered with awards at the FIA prize-giving gala and also in London for a traditional end-of-year awards ceremony by a British magazine.

Now, a high-profile Laureus World Sports Award could be the next plaudit for the Toro Rosso driver.

Laureus has announced that its nominations panel, consisting of hundreds of leading sports writers, is currently casting its votes for the 2015 nominees.

Lewis Hamilton is tipped to be in the running for the overall prize in the World Sportsman of the Year category, alongside Usain Bolt, Lionel Messi, cycling’s Chris Froome, boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and others.

But Verstappen looks set to be among the candidates for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year title.

Among the other nominees, Laureus suggested, could be the Chile football team, golf’s Jason Day and Brooke Henderson, swimmers Adam Peaty and Alzain Tareq, and female jockey Michelle Payne.

“Whoever is nominated, it’s going to be one of the closest contests ever in so many of the categories,” said Laureus chairman and Olympic legend Edwin Moses.

The nominees will be announced in the new year.

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F1 CARS TODAY NOT EASY TO DRIVE SAYS MASSA

Formula 1 veteran Felipe Massa has hit back at suggestions driving a modern F1 car is easy.

It is suggested the sport is pushing ahead with plans for more powerful engines and faster chassis regulations for 2017 or 2018 because the actual challenge for the drivers has become diminished in recent years.

But Massa, who has driven across F1’s V10, V8 and now V6 eras, said: “When we had refuelling we were faster because the cars were lighter, but I don’t think the cars are therefore easier to drive now. I think it’s just different,” said the Brazilian.

Massa said it is too simplistic for pundits and fans to compare laptimes between the past and present and come to conclusions about what the cars are like to drive.

“They say it is now ridiculously easy to drive a formula one car,” he said, “but I’m sure that an experienced guy would have problems in these cars.

“If you ask me if I’d like a faster car with more downforce, then of course,” Massa continued. “But I don’t think that would necessarily make it more difficult. Physically maybe yes, but the car would not be more difficult to drive.”

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SAINZ BELIEVES TORO ROSSO CAN BEAT RED BULL IN 2016

Carlos Sainz thinks it is possible Toro Rosso could beat Red Bull’s premier Formula 1 team in 2016.

Toro Rosso – meaning Red Bull in Italian – is known as the energy drink company’s second or ‘junior’ F1 team.

But the Faenza based squad is switching from Renault to 2015-spec Ferrari power next year, while Red Bull Racing merely rebrands its Renault power units as TAG-Heuer.

“In theory,” Toro Rosso driver Sainz said, “next season we should be ahead of Red Bull. The Ferrari engine has maybe 50 or 60 horse power more,” he told Spanish media at an event at the Jarama circuit on Wednesday.

“For us that means between 6 and 8 tenths, while Red Bull this season was about half a second ahead of us with the same engine.

“So in theory we should be ahead but I think Red Bull will have learned what their weaknesses are and are certain to bring a better car in 2016.

“Their budget is about EUR 200 million but more than that, we all know that Red Bull is Red Bull,” Sainz, referring to that team’s four world championships, added.

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“Who do you think you are – Lewis Hamilton?”

Lewis Hamilton appeared on popular American talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live this week and told a story about being pulled over by a police officer early in his Formula One career:

“I got pulled over when I was younger, probably my early twenties. I’d finally got to Formula One, I had a really good car, an AMG Mercedes that made a lot of noise and I got pulled over because of the noise I was making with it.”

“And the guy came to the window and said ‘Who do you think you are, Lewis… Oh. Hey. Have a good night, Lewis!'”

Hamilton has had run-ins with the police in the past. During his first F1 season he was caught speeding in France. Three years later he was fined AUS$500 for driving dangerously in a road car near the Albert Park circuit during the Australian Grand Prix weekend.

He probably won’t be the last racing driver to have his knuckles rapped by the traffic police.

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Fernando Alonso prepared for Jenson Button tension in 2016

Fernando Alonso admits "a bit of tension" with McLaren team-mate Jenson Button would be welcome in 2016 if it came as a result of the team returning to competitiveness.

McLaren has just completed its worst season since 1980, a campaign plagued by Honda's uncompetitive and unreliable power unit. Despite several public outbursts from Alonso about the team's engine supplier he and Button kept a brave face on for much of the season, memorably visiting the podium together after being eliminated from Q1 in Brazil.

At the other end of the grid, Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg's relationship was been the source of much attention over the final few races of the season. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has warned either man the team could make a line-up change if the tension continues into 2016.

Alonso thinks this kind of friction between team-mates is a natural by-product of success in Formula One and acknowledges the possibility of similar at McLaren next year.

"There is always more stress when you are fighting for championships and wins within your team, as we have seen with some other teams who are having issues," Alonso told Sky Sports News. "But let's say it's a good stress to have when you are fighting for big things. I'm looking forward to working with Jenson next year and if there is a bit of tension then it would be welcome as well!"

Though Alonso has said a "question-mark" still exists over where McLaren will be next year, he has no doubts the team will be competing for podiums at the very least.

"I am very positive about next year. We've been through very difficult times but we understand our problems and the solutions, at least on the theoretical side. Next year will definitely be a much better year and our intention is to fight for the championship or, minimum, fight for podiums. There is a huge potential we need to unlock."

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McLaren extends Santander sponsorship until 2020

McLaren has received a sponsorship boost by announcing the extension of its partnership with Santander.

Santander has been partnered with McLaren since 2007 and has extended that deal until the end of 2020. McLaren is still without a title sponsor and recently lost long-time partner TAG Heuer to Red Bull as part of the Milton Keynes team's engine plans for next year.

Ekrem Sami, managing director of McLaren Marketing, said: "Our renewed partnership demonstrates a well-founded belief in the team's ability to successfully activate brands around a shared, common vision for the future. I look forward to developing the relationship and hope to see it continue to go from strength to strength for both brands."

Button says he is pleased to work with Santander due to the other passions he has away from Formula One.

"I'm really pleased to continue working with Santander, as is everyone at McLaren-Honda," he said. "We've enjoyed a great partnership to date and I look forward to that continuing. While first and foremost I'm a racing driver, I'm also a passionate cyclist, and so I'm looking forward to doing more with Santander Cycles and helping encourage more people to get involved."

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Formula 1 too focused on protecting small teams - Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso believes Formula 1 bosses concern themselves too much with helping the independent teams when the championship should be about survival of the fittest.

Formula 1 has introduced a host of measures aimed at cutting costs, including slashing on-track testing, reducing the amount of windtunnel time and a cap on staffing numbers.

Now teams are confined to two pre-season tests and two days where 100km is permitted for promotional purposes with a greater emphasis put on CFD.

When asked what he would like from the major regulation change planned for 2017 if he could design the rules, Alonso said: "Bigger engines, more power, more aero, more freedom for the teams to develop and more testing.

"I guess it is something like F1 was 10 years ago maybe.

"I know sometimes it was more expensive, which I doubt because now the technology of simulators and other technology increases the cost.

"If some teams cannot afford to test, it's their problem, it's the nature of the sport.

"Real Madrid can buy some players and other teams cannot. They cannot say sorry for that.

"In F1 there is always the need to protect the small teams and sometimes if they cannot test, they cannot test."

For 2017, the plan is to increase the speed of F1 machinery by five-to-six seconds per lap and for cars to look more aggressive with bigger rear tyres and wider front and rear wings.

While Alonso is in favour of faster cars, he's unsure whether the planned changes will have a positive impact on F1.

"The expectations are to have a fast F1 car because now we have a slow F1 car," he said.

"A fast F1 car will be a better show for people watching the race.

"But to have better races, it's difficult to know what you need.

"If you look at his year, you have maybe four or five boring races where nothing happens and then suddenly two races which are spectacular and nothing has changed.

"It's the same cars and the same teams. Even with the circuit, one year you see a boring race and the next year it's spectacular."

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Toro Rosso working 24/7 on 2016 F1 car to be ready for testing

Toro Rosso has enforced a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week shift pattern until the first day of pre-season testing to ensure its 2016 Formula 1 chassis is ready on time.

Red Bull's delay in announcing its engine plans for next term had a knock-on effect on Toro Rosso solidifying its own project.

However, earlier this month Red Bull confirmed it would use Renault engines badged as TAG Heuer, which opened the way for Toro Rosso to confirm it would use 2015-spec Ferrari units.

The delay has severely hampered Toro Rosso's plans for 2016, forcing team boss Franz Tost to introduce a three-shift constant working pattern at its factory.

"We re-planned the manufacturing processes and decided to go for a three-shift, across seven days, 24 hours to be ready for the first test," Tost told Autosport.

"From Toro Rosso's side, we can organise everything in the best possible way.

"Our main problem is other suppliers and their Christmas holidays.

"Most of them are closed for a minimum 10 days and this will make it tough for us."

"We've never had to enforce a 24-hour a day shift pattern for this long before.

"In February, the last days before you finish the car, you sometimes have those days but it's maybe normal for only one or two days.

"But we will have this system in place now for December, January and half of February so two and a half months.

"We have brought in a high number of contractors just for this short period to do this."

Pre-season F1 testing starts on February 22 at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya.

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RAIKKONEN: THERE IS NO SECRECY OR POLITICS AT FERRARI NOW

The calm and peace exuded by Ferrari’s new driver lineup was a relief to the sport’s most popular Formula 1 team according to their last world champion and current driver Kimi Raikkonen.

Last year, turmoil at the fabled Maranello marque was arguably worsened by tension in the pits, where Finn Raikkonen and the now-departed Fernando Alonso barely exchanged a word.

But this year, in a lineup that will remain in place for 2016, Raikkonen was paired with Sebastian Vettel, who is not only a quadruple world champion but also a rare friend of Raikkonen’s within the F1 paddock.

“It is of course nicer for the drivers that they are on speaking terms, are able to work together and talk about things,” Raikkonen told MTV this week on a media visit to Helsinki.

“For the team, it is a pretty big relief and also an advantage that there is no secrecy or politics,” the 2007 world champion added.

As for working with Vettel, Raikkonen continued: “We both like pretty much the same sort of car — our setups are always pretty close. That makes it easier for the team to work and also to develop the car.”

Ferrari, however, openly considered ending the pairing for 2016, with Valtteri Bottas said to have been the obvious candidate to replace the older Finn.

But Bernie Ecclestone thinks Ferrari was right to re-sign the 36-year-old, telling La Gazzetta dello Sport: “Are you sure there is someone who could have done a better job for Ferrari than Kimi Raikkonen? I’m not sure.”

Raikkonen also dismisses the notion that he is now struggling to be fully competitive in F1.

“Next year will be another chance to start from zero,” he said, admitting that his 2015 campaign overall was only “average”.

“However, the pace was ok compared to last year. If you do not have the momentum, that is a much more worrying situation, even if of course there is always a lot of room for improvement.”

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MARKO: VERSTAPPEN AND SAINZ ARE BEST-EVER TORO ROSSO LINEUP

The bright spot in Red Bull’s otherwise-difficult 2015 Formula 1 campaign was the discovery of meteoric junior Max Verstappen and his rookie teammate Carlos Sainz..

That is the claim of Helmut Marko, who said Verstappen alongside fellow rookie Carlos Sainz made up what is “definitely” the best ever Toro Rosso lineup.

“They both surpassed all expectations,” the Austrian told Auto Motor und Sport. “Both are very fast. Perhaps Verstappen is a touch more aggressive but Sainz had much more bad luck with the car.”

What is a blessing for Red Bull, however, is also a problem. With Daniel Ricciardo, Daniil Kvyat, Verstappen and Sainz all performing well, the energy drink stable will now struggle to find places for its next generation.

“We will look at that when we have to,” said Marko. “There is still plenty of time.”

One solution could be that Dutchman Verstappen is poached by a rival top team like Mercedes and Ferrari, who are obviously interested in the 18-year-old.

“No. We always make multi-year contracts,” Marko insisted. “What is interesting is that the very people who said employing a 17-year-old is dangerous and irresponsible are now suddenly supporting him.”

More generally, Marko admitted that 2015 was very difficult for Red Bull’s senior team, with owner Dietrich Mateschitz almost pulling the plug.

“We spend a lot of money on F1,” said Marko. “We have two teams, a grand prix, we promote young talent. The boss (Mateschitz) sees spectator interest dramatically down and then we had our engine situation.

“If it had not been for the hope that there are changes coming for better engines and chassis, then we would have almost certainly gone,” he added.

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HAAS TO HAVE YELLOW LIVERY FOR DEBUT SEASON

Haas F1 Team looks set to use a yellow livery in their debut Formula 1 season next year.

In recent days, the new American team has been practicing pitstops at its factory with a black-liveried show car.

But La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the actual race livery next year will be yellow, like the Ferrari logo.

Owner Gene Haas, however, rejected claims the team is little more than a Ferrari ‘B team’.

“I keep getting asked that and my answer is unequivocal: no,” said the Nascar co-owner. “Haas has an unique image and we will have our own way of working, even if Ferrari is an important technical partner.”

And team boss Gunther Steiner played down suggestions Haas is skirting too close to the regulations, after Mercedes recently queried the close relationship between the new team and Ferrari.

“We are only doing what is permitted by the regulations,” he insisted.

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ROSBERG SYMPATHISES WITH MICK SCHUMACHER HYPE

Nico Rosberg has sympathised with Mick Schumacher, amid the hype surrounding the 16-year-old son of F1 legend Michael.

Fellow German Rosberg, Mercedes’ runner-up driver of 2015 and Michael Schumacher’s former teammate, witnessed the hype first-hand this weekend as young Mick also attended the end-of-year Stars and Cars event in Stuttgart.

“I hope that it [motor racing] remains fun for him, because that is the thing that matters the most,” Rosberg said, according to German media. “It’s very difficult, but the only way for him is to accept the hype.”

Rosberg said he has some understanding of the situation facing Mick, as his own father Keke was also a F1 champion.

But he explained: “He (Mick) has it much worse than I ever did, definitely.

“It’s also understandable that everyone is interested in him,” Rosberg added, referring to Mick who this year made his single seater debut in German Formula 4.

“I think the people around him will be very important, but in this respect he has Sabine Kehm who looks after him really well,” he said.

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INDONESIAN MONEY SET TO LAND HARYANTO SEAT WITH MANOR

Rio Haryanto, a 22-year-old who finished this year’s GP2 championship in fourth place, appears to have leapt into pole position to race for the F1 team Manor in 2015.

Various Indonesian sources, including Sindo News, Sidomi News and CNN Indonesia, claim Indonesia’s sports minister Imam Nahrawi has promised the British backmarker team EUR 15 million in exchange for a race seat for Haryanto.

The promise has even emerged in the form of a letter of guarantee to Manor owner Stephen Fitzpatrick.

Before the letter emerged, minister Nahrawi met with Haryanto and his parents at his Jakarta office, CNN Indonesia claims.

“It would be great for Indonesia,” Haryanto’s manager Piers Hunnisett said. “Now we will work hard and hopefully Rio really can race in F1 next year.”

Haryanto drove for Manor in the post-season F1 test in Abu Dhabi recently.

“After a very competitive season in GP2, I can’t wait to show how much I have developed to become a more complete driver,” he said at the time.

Will Stevens, Roberto Merhi and Alexander Rossi raced for the former Marussia team in 2015, while Mercedes junior Pascal Wehrlein has been linked with a seat for 2016.

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WURZ TO REMAIN GPDA PRESIDENT

Former F1 driver Alex Wurz’s next move in the world of motor racing is now clear, and one of his roles will be to remain as GPDA president.

Recently, the Austrian turned down an offer to become the new team principal at Manor, having decided to retire from competitive racing.

41-year-old Wurz’s latest seat has been with Toyota’s premier LMP1 project in Le Mans racing, and now Auto Motor und Sport reports that he will remain with the Japanese outfit as a consultant and ambassador.

Toyota confirmed the two-year appointment and said Wurz will also remain president of the F1 drivers’ body the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA).

“I always intended that the end of my racing career would not be the end of my active involvement in motor sport, so I am pleased to start a new chapter in my life with Toyota,” said Wurz.

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FERRARI CHALLENGING ECCLESTONE AND TODT MANDATE

Ferrari is challenging the new mandate given by the FIA to F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and Jean Todt to address problems within formula one.

In late October, F1’s governing body announced that while wanting to set a price limit for engines and gearboxes, Ferrari exercised its unique and historic “right of veto”.

“In the interest of the championship, the FIA has decided not to legally challenge (Ferrari’s) use of its right of veto,” the FIA said in a statement.

Then, at the latest meeting of the World Motor Sport Council, a “near unanimous” vote saw F1 supremo Ecclestone and FIA president Todt handed a “mandate” to address “a number of pressing issues in formula one”.

Ecclestone argues that the current governance processes in F1 are destroying the sport, with the new mandate relating to “governance, power units and cost reduction”.

But Ferrari is once again playing a spoiler role, Ecclestone told the BBC this week.

The 85-year-old Briton said he has received a legal letter from the Maranello marque suggesting the “mandate” is not enforceable.

But Ecclestone claims he could “ignore what Ferrari have said and carry on with it and say ‘You’ve got a choice — you can leave or go to arbitration and see what the arbitrators think’.

“I think if we went to arbitration, we’d win easy,” he claimed.

Ferrari is not denying that it is challenging the mandate. The “intention is simply to make sure that the governance principles” already in place in F1 “continue to be duly complied with”, a team spokesperson is quoted as saying.

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WHITING SAYS 2017 F1 RULES WILL NOT BE DOWNFORCE RELIANT

Formula 1 can speed up for the future without exacerbating the current problems associated with aerodynamics according to Charlie Whiting, the F1 race director and FIA technical chief.

Whiting told the December edition of F1 Racing magazine: “We’re trying to get most of the speed (for 2017) through tyre grip and not rely too much on downforce.”

And he said other tweaks to the chassis rules will also speed up F1, “By increasing the width of the cars, even with the existing tyres, you could gain a second. An extra contact patch would make us confident that we’d find at least half of the five or six seconds with the extra tyre grip.”

Recently, world champion Lewis Hamilton blasted the sport’s authorities amid plans to spice up formula one for 2017 or 2018 by slashing five or six seconds from the average laptime.

The Mercedes driver said he had heard the bulk of the laptime would come through more downforce, such as by simply introducing bigger wings.

“That’s the worst idea and just shows people don’t know what they are trying to solve,” said the Briton, who thinks the biggest problem with F1 is how difficult it is to follow a rival car.

“Drivers want more grip from their tyres and less wake from the car in front so we can get closer,” Hamilton added.

Part of the laptime boost will come from more powerful engines, with Renault’s Remi Taffin telling Auto Motor und Sport: “If we increase the fuel flow rate and lift the rev limit, we could achieve 1000hp (now)”.

As for the chassis, Pirelli has been granted up to 12 days of testing next year ahead of the rules revolution, to develop bigger and wider tyres for 2017.

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MICHELIN BLUNDERED IN NEGOTIATING FOR F1 RETURN

A strategic blunder reportedly cost Michelin as the French tyre maker failed to return to Formula 1.

Having left F1 under a cloud within memory of the six-car US GP debacle of 2005, F1 Racing magazine claims Michelin had secured the backing of drivers and teams as it tried to secure the contract to return to the sport in 2017.

With incumbent Pirelli also trying to secure the deal, the FIA had given both parties the green light for talks about money with Bernie Ecclestone.

Michelin’s “bosses visited Ecclestone to convince him of their approach and came away feeling the meeting had gone well”, F1 Racing claims in its December edition.

But the report said Michelin made a “major strategic error”.

“Sources claim Michelin presented their proposal to Ecclestone and said they would discuss commercial terms if and when they were appointed. Although they were prepared to pay serious money, this is not how Ecclestone does business, which put an immediate end to their bid,” F1 Racing added.

Indeed, Pirelli retained the support of Ecclestone and ultimately shook hands with CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera.

And now Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s F1 chief, has a radical idea to spice up the format of the F1 calendar.

“I will be talking to Bernie shortly about this,” he told the Guardian.

The report said Hembery proposes that F1 split its long calendar into separate regional championships, like Asia, Europe and the Americas.

“This is all about getting more interest in formula one, and particularly in the Americas,” he said.

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RALF PLAYS DOWN NEXT-GEN SCHUMACHER DREAM TEAM

Ralf Schumacher has played down the prospect of a ‘Schumacher dream team’ to rise back up the ranks towards F1.

Ralf, a former six-time grand prix winner, has teamed up with Gerhard Ungar in ownership of a Formula 4 outfit, with plans to step up soon to the highly-competitive world of F3.

Earlier this year, it was Mick Schumacher – the 16-year-old son of Ralf’s famous brother Michael – who stepped out of karts and into F4, driving for the Dutch team Van Amersfoort.

When asked why he has not teamed up with his nephew Mick, 40-year-old Ralf told Kolner Express tabloid: “When Mick was looking for a team and opted for Van Amersfoort, Gerhard and I had not talked about this merger.

“Now he (Mick) is happy there and in the new year will be a clear candidate for the title. So for us, Mick will be an opponent just like everyone else,” the former Williams and Toyota driver added.

Ralf’s 14-year-old son David already races for his father’s kart team.

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Ricciardo wants return to V8s

Infiniti Red Bull Racing team driver Daniel Ricciardo believes the switch from V8 to V6 engines has left Formula One lacking atmosphere and entertainment value.

F1 switched to the turbo charged engines in 2014, resulting in reduced noise levels and leading criticism from fans, observers and even those inside the paddock.

Ricciardo told Foxsports.com.au that many of the drivers sympathise with the fans and also want a return to larger engines.

“I think it’s on all of our wish lists. When you go to an event and see it live, part of that noise and sound creates an atmosphere. And how Formula One is now, it just lacks that a little bit,” said Ricciardo.

“People want something when they come to a live race, and that distinctive scream of an F1 car is just missing at the moment and we all want it back. It’ll happen one day soon hopefully and go back to its roots.”

Ricciardo’s wish for bigger engines will not be granted in 2016, but his hope for more noise may just well be. From 2016 onwards, the entire grid will have an additional exhaust pipe in hopes of increasing the volume levels at live events.

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New Williams car already ‘hitting targets’

Williams Martini Racing are happy with the early performance of the car currently in development for the 2016 Formula One season.

This according to Rob Smedley, the team’s head of vehicle performance, who told F1network.net that the target for the upcoming season was to “get back to the front”.

"The 2016 car we have in the wind tunnel and the 2015 car are significantly different, so there's nothing we could do from an aerodynamic point of view. Other parts of research and development and the mechanical design we are trialing all the time,” Smedley said.

"We think that everything we are seeing at the minute is good. We're hitting targets. We are always looking, not just at numbers, but in other areas aerodynamic development as well, other significant areas.

“It's all ongoing. It's a process of getting us back towards the front. At the moment, we are reasonably happy with what we are seeing.

"Of course, it's all relative. We could have a stellar development and Ferrari and Red Bull could have an, even more, stellar one.

"But everything we are seeing at the minute is good, we are hitting targets. We are always looking not just at headline numbers but in other areas of aero development, other important areas.

Drivers Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa claimed two third-placed finishes each to end 2015 in fifth and sixth places respectively on the driver’s championship and earn the team third place on the constructor’s championship.

Smedley described the season as “lackluster” and said constant development had been the reason for the stronger showing in 2014.

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Hamilton, Rosberg fail to make Stars & Cars final

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg both failed to make the final of Mercedes' Stars & Cars event, which pits drivers against one another in equal machinery.

The pair were knocked out in the semi-finals, with Hamilton going up against DTM champion and Mercedes F1 reserve Pascal Wehrlein, whilst Rosberg was beaten by eventual winner, Daniel Juncadella.

Juncadella beat fellow DTM star Wehrlein 2-0 in the best-of-three final.

Rosberg beat Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time champion Michael, in the opening round, before beating F1 Safety Car driver Bernd Mayländer.

Meanwhile Hamilton dispatched Mika Häkkinen and then Maximilian Götz. But a poor start against Wehrlein saw the Briton fail to make the final.

Other drivers competing included Jean Alesi, David Coulthard, Robert Wickens, Paul di Resta and Gary Paffett.

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Stars & Cars 2015 - Highlights

Mercedes-Benz celebrates the most successful motor racing year in the company’s history at Stars & Cars in the Mercedes-Benz Arena, Stuttgart.

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Perth Speed Fest - Daniel Ricciardo interview

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Pastor Maldonado tired of being 'news of the day'

Pastor Maldonado is frustrated with the way people react differently to crashes or mistakes involving him compared to another driver.

In Abu Dhabi Maldonado complained it would have been "big news" if roles had been reversed in his Turn 1 collision with Fernando Alonso, which saw the McLaren driver spear him off the track. Maldonado's erratic driving since his debut in 2011 has earned an unenviable reputation in F1 and has even spawned a popular website documenting the precise time since his last crash.

Maldonado, who is set to drive for the Renault team next year after it confirmed its buyout of Lotus, thinks he gets unfair attention when he is involved in an accident and points to the reaction to the collisions between Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas in Russia and Mexico to highlight his point.

"It is a difficult one," Maldonado said. "On the track it is always a competition and I always want to gain places or to defend. It is a part of the game, especially when we are fighting closely for position. Fighting with some drivers is easier than some other ones. I try to be competitive and hard on the track ... there are some drivers that are hard on the track, like Fernando, and when you fight with him he is very hard.

"We are all here for the same objective. When I do a mistake without touching anyone, everybody is surprised and this is the news of the day. Other drivers crash and have incidents, nothing happens. Look at Bottas and Kimi -- two times, but now all quiet and normal. Simple race incident. I have a stupid contact, everyone is 'argh'."

Maldonado thinks his reputation spills over to influence the race stewards at every grand prix and has a negative impact on the penalties he receives.

"They have different views at different races. I saw during the year so many crashes and incidents against two different drivers and they were maybe not that hard on the decisions. Sometimes with me they are a bit harder, but it is part of the game."