FORMULA 1 - 2015

[foursite12]

"Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene hopes Marchionne's fighting talk will act as a positive force on his staff, as they work on the 2016 F1 challenger.

"I hope the terror can be positive – because people who are frightened run away before they hit problems," he said. "The positive terror gives us the strength to do things.

"That is what the president means when he speaks of terror in the next three months."

Hard to correct the negative spin of words like "you all need to be terrified" but at least Arrivabene is trying. The terms "people skills" and "Formula One" are not often seen in the same sentence, but nonetheless this approach by Marchionne is brutal management and will ultimately be, IMHO, counterproductive.

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"Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene hopes Marchionne's fighting talk will act as a positive force on his staff, as they work on the 2016 F1 challenger.

"I hope the terror can be positive – because people who are frightened run away before they hit problems," he said. "The positive terror gives us the strength to do things.

"That is what the president means when he speaks of terror in the next three months."

Hard to correct the negative spin of words like "you all need to be terrified" but at least Arrivabene is trying. The terms "people skills" and "Formula One" are not often seen in the same sentence, but nonetheless this approach by Marchionne is brutal management and will ultimately be, IMHO, counterproductive.

Indeed, very much a dictatorship. I only hope this is perhaps miscommunicated from the press through translation...?

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ALONSO: I WANT BIGGER ENGINES, MORE POWER, MAYBE MORE AERO

Fernando Alonso says whether he stays in F1 beyond his current contract depends on McLaren-Honda’s form and the direction of the sport.

The Spaniard, arguably the best and most highly paid driver on the grid, endured a nightmare 2015 after switching from Ferrari, as the new McLaren-Honda union faltered badly.

But Alonso swept aside talk about a sabbatical for now, amid hopes and rumours that next year’s McLaren could be up to two seconds per lap quicker.

“You need to be very open to any possibility,” said Alonso, whose current contract runs for another two full years.

“Right now I think it’s too long ahead to think — let’s see what approaches in 18 months’ time, whether the targets we met or didn’t meet and what the motivations are to keep going in F1.”

He admitted that one of his concerns is the basic direction of the sport, as he keenly awaits F1’s final decisions about what should be radically different rules for 2017.

“Bigger engines,” said Alonso when asked what he wants. “More power. Maybe more aero.

“More freedom for the teams to develop, and more testing. Like F1 was 10 years ago, which is sometimes perceived to be more expensive, which I doubt because the technology now – simulators, for example – increases the cost.”

Alonso said he thinks the rules have been tweaked into their current controversial state due to efforts to keep costs down for the smaller teams, which in his opinion may have been a wrong turn.

“If some teams cannot afford to test, well that’s natural, it’s a sport,” said the 34-year-old, who finished the championship 17th and behind even his teammate Button.

“Real Madrid can buy some players and other teams cannot. But they can’t say sorry for that. In F1 there is always a need to protect the smaller teams, but if they cannot test, then they cannot test,” Alonso added.

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TAFFIN: WE CAN’T HIDE THAT IT WAS A DIFFICULT SEASON

Renault F1 Sport Director of Operations, Rémi Taffin, answers questions regarding a dramatic and stressful season in Formula 1 for the French engine suppliers

How would you review Renault’s 2015 season ?

We can’t hide that it was a difficult season, but I think we have to see it as a glass half full, glass half empty. We end the season much more knowledgeable and information-rich, but unfortunately we did not get the results we wanted to be out in front. We had to make some adjustments and go back to basics with items such as reliability, but everything has allowed us to prepare in the short term for 2016 and longer term beyond that. It’s not as though we put a cross through the season early on, but we are now able to take a longer term view, knowing that even though the short term has been painful, it will get better.

The first part of the season was a big challenge. To what do you attribute the issues you experienced early on?

We arrived at the first winter test believing that we had made a big step forward between seasons. We genuinely thought that we had done a good job. It was the case in certain areas, but we were caught out in three principal ways. The first was a significant reliability problem with the pistons. We had not seen the particular issue in any of the testing conducted and all the parts were signed off in the usual way. The other issue was that we had another part inside the PU electronics that we could not put our finger on and it continued to be a source of problems. The final element is that we braked so late for 2015, taking decisions until the last possible moment. The specification of PU for the first race was determined very late in the day and quite simply we braked too late, and we weren’t ready. We wanted to make up the gap so badly that we pulled the rug out from under our own feet… But this particular cocktail of problems did allow us to learn a lot and make sure that the same issues will not reoccur in the future.

What did you do to overcome the problems?

Australia was not a brilliant start, and it took until the Spanish Grand Prix to get the majority of issues under control. The first four races were disappointing, and really we were conducting the work we should have done in winter testing. From Melbourne through to Bahrain we worked very hard on reliability and driveability, and came back to form in Spain. Monaco showed that we had got back to a good level. We improved the reliability by checking over our validation processes and getting the rogue parts, such as the pistons, into a much better shape, or changing the specification where necessary. We had to make sure that the parts in question would last the distance, and that if there was an issue it would show in the dynos during the testing process rather than on track. We really took it back to basics, changed the process of validation and the parts themselves where we found issues.

From that point onwards, reliability was good in races…

Yes. Before we could get to performance work, we really had to bring reliability under control. We saw we had multiple issues in those first races, and then had to take penalties for introducing new parts, which then compounded the situation. Furthermore, we had to use power units at the end of their life, so they misbehaved in practice, which further muddied the waters. However, the power units we introduced in races from Spain onwards were reliable, allowing us to work on performance. Over the season we had six major problems, three at the start of the year and three at the end. The three at the end of the year were operational and not linked to the specification of power unit.

Once reliability was under control, what performance work did you do?

Rather than performance for 2015, when we knew that the 2015 power unit was reliable and driveable, we tried to introduce steps for 2016, or to test concepts to get as much information as we could. By mid-season we were in the throes of the 2016 PU development and we had the opportunity to introduce the Spec D PU at the end of the year. It was a tiny spec of 2016, but even though it was just a small step, it was important to use it and to gather information and see if we were on the right track. We were impatient to see if what we found was correct. It was a step backward in some respects and the gain was not so significant, but it was necessary to go forward.

This year you started to work with Ilmor Engineering. Even though their concepts were not ultimately used, did you find that the collaboration was useful?

Yes, and we are continuing with them next year! They were able to bring different concepts to the table, such as a different combustion concept, and now we will continue with them into 2016. We will continue to develop a lot in-house but with partners such as Ilmor we have a greater bandwidth and a richer experience and expertise. We did not see the full extent of the collaboration in 2015 for various reasons, but now they are under our control and we have a clearer direction we should see this more in 2016 and beyond.

What are Renault’s technical plans for the winter?

We will try to go through things in the right order and not make the same mistakes again. In December, the 2016 PU we will use in Melbourne will be running in the dyno and doing endurance testing, mapping and calibration so at the end of January we can go to winter testing without any issues. The spec for the first race has been fixed and seems to be generally reliable, as it has run several thousands of kilometres in the dynos. Naturally there are some details to sort, as can be expected, but this is really only refining and we are in much better shape now than we were at this point last year, for sure.

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AUSTIN UNCERTAINTY BAD FOR F1 SAY EXPERTS

Two Formula 1 figures say it would not be good for the sport if Austin falls off the 2016 calendar.

Although many say the United States Grand Prix is now a highlight of the season, a funding dispute between organisers and the Texas government means Austin has been granted mere provisional status on next year’s schedule.

“To lose Austin so soon after getting there – and it’s a good circuit and a well organised show which the fans enjoy – would be phenomenally negative for the sport,” Pirelli’s F1 chief Paul Hembery told the Guardian.

Veteran F1 driver Jenson Button agrees: “It was the best race in 2015 and that is the one that might not be around next year.

“It will be a real shame if it is not. It is a fun circuit, a fun city and it is nice to be racing in the States.”

But – like Mercedes and Ferrari earlier this week – McLaren-Honda’s Button is also expressing concern about the unprecedentedly-long, 21-race calendar for 2016.

“I think it is difficult for any mechanic or engineer to have a relationship right now,” the Briton is quoted by the Daily Express. “So having 21 races is very tough and for those guys it is not going to be easy.”

Mercedes’ Toto Wolff has argued that teams might need to add a second layer of staff to cope with the schedule, while Button fears that working in F1 for a living may begin to prove unattractive for its people.

“It is tough,” said Button.

“You are going to get new people coming in after one year, which is a shame because it is nice having that atmosphere with people that you know and have worked with for years.”

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FERRARI WARY OF POSSIBLE MCLAREN-HONDA RESURGENCY

Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene has tipped McLaren-Honda to take a clear step forward for the 2016 season.

As the iconic partnership reunited this year, McLaren-Honda endured a nightmare campaign and finished the championship ahead only of backmarker Manor.

Team supremo Ron Dennis says those in the Woking factory will be working hard this winter, “Put it this way: if you visit the McLaren Technology Centre on a Saturday or a Sunday this winter, you won’t find many free car parking spaces!”

But Dennis said he was not at all surprised that Honda struggled on its return to F1 this year after a seven-year absence, because “that’s what formula one is like”.

McLaren, however, will continue to go it alone with the Japanese carmaker in 2016.

That is despite talks with Red Bull about a second Honda engine supply, with team official Dr Helmut Marko telling Servus TV that “Honda offered us engines for EUR 35 million per year”.

Dennis vetoed the deal, and respected F1 journalist Alan Henry said he has heard that the McLaren-Honda union is on track for a big step forward in 2016.

“I hear positive noises from the folk at Woking,” he wrote in a McLaren blog, “but perhaps the most telling piece of evidence is just how keen Red Bull Racing was to get its hands on a Honda supply.

“I’m told that team boss Christian Horner was impressed by what he’d learned about ongoing development, and he clearly believed that it was a route worth pursuing.”

Henry also said that throughout Honda’s long history in F1, the manufacturer always takes “time to get up to speed”.

The question now is how much time the new McLaren-Honda partnership will need.

“There will be no surprises for next year,” said Ferrari’s Arrivabene, “because the rules are stable. But for sure we will see a more competitive McLaren, because Honda is not someone to underestimate. I think it will definitely be a much more interesting championship than the one just concluded.”

Another positive sign is that, amid all the talk about potentially tearing up the current rules, Honda apparently spoke up to defend F1’s new ‘power unit’ era recently.

“Usually Honda is very quiet in the meetings,” revealed Arrivabene, “but at the last one they made clear that they’re back in formula one to work on the hybrid.

“So I think that any change in the regulations that would go against what we have now, we would find them (Honda) opposed,” he added.

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ECCLESTONE DOUBTS GERMAN GP WILL HAPPEN IN 2017

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is not sounding confident about the future of the German Grand Prix.

Just a decade ago, the country was still in the grip of Michael Schumacher fever, which had revolutionised the popularity of F1 in Germany.

But even though Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg and Mercedes proudly wave the flag today, spectator numbers and television ratings are badly down and Germany did not even host a grand prix last year.

“It’s a mystery to me,” F1 supremo Ecclestone told Die Welt newspaper. “I don’t know what’s going wrong but obviously Germany has lost the joy for F1.”

Currently, Hockenheim is confirmed to return with a 2016 race, but as the contract is for an annual alternation with the Nurburgring, 2017 could see Germany disappear from the calendar yet again. Ecclestone blames the Nurburgring.

“When it was for sale, I agreed to buy it,” he told the specialist German-language website Motorsport-Magazin.com. “They came back to me and said they had an offer that was one or two million higher.”

Ultimately, it is the higher bidder that has got the Nurburgring into its latest trouble, with Ecclestone charging: “The stupid thing is that, for the sake of two million, they lost someone who would have made sure the race is there for 100 years. It is disappointing and annoying, but that is why we lost the Nurburgring.”

And he said he cannot imagine the situation changing in time for a German grand prix in 2017, “I think we can say for sure that there will not be a race (then). Next year is fine, because we have a contract,” he added. “Not a very good one, but there is one.”

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JOCK CLEAR JOINING FERRARI BUT NOT HOYLE

Benjamin Hoyle, an engineer at the centre of a new spy saga in Formula 1, will never be joining Ferrari.

That is the claim of Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene, a week after it emerged that Mercedes is suing Hoyle for copying confidential data about the German marque’s championship-winning F1 ‘power unit’.

Bloomberg news agency had said Hoyle was preparing to move to Ferrari within weeks, while Mercedes’ court filings against the engineer alleged that “Hoyle and potentially Ferrari have gained an unlawful advantage”.

But after the story broke, Ferrari insisted that its talks with Hoyle had only ever been “informal”, and that he is not moving to Maranello “in the foreseeable future”.

Team boss Arrivabene now explains: “The only new arrival will be Jock Clear (pictured above with Lewis Hamilton) and no one else. What is said about Hoyle is completely unfounded, even if he is now the most talked about engineer in formula one!”

Even Mercedes clarified that, amid an ongoing investigation, there is “no reason to believe that information has been transferred to Ferrari”.

In a statement, the German team also denied that “any of the court documents made any allegation regarding any inappropriate conduct by Ferrari”.

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Wolff worried by busy 2016

Mercedes AMG Petronas boss Toto Wolff believes the team may have to restructure in order to cope with the demanding 2016 Formula One calendar.

The number of races has been increased from 19 to 21, with the brand new Grand Prix of Europe at Azerbaijan's Baku City Circuit added to the schedule and the German GP at the Hockenheimring making a return.

"It's definitely a lot for the traveling team. Nineteen races already was a lot this year and next year back-to-back races are quite difficult,” Wolff told F1i.com.

"We need to have a look at the organisation – everyone is getting pretty tired at the end of the season – and I am not sure we can actually cope with 21 races in the current structure," Wolff concluded.

"We have to be looking at maybe having second shifts, rest times after the race weekends. It's quite a complex thing to do for next year."

The season will also have six back to back weekends, including six races between 12 June and 31 July.

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Dennis admits he found Alonso sunbathing funny

McLaren chairman Ron Dennis admits he found Fernando Alonso sunbathing by the side of the track in Brazil rather funny, despite it happening as a result of yet more reliability troubles for the team.

During qualifying, Alonso's McLaren came to a halt, but rather than heading back to the pits, the Spaniard chose to find a camping chair to relax in the sun for several minutes.

The images, which were shown on the live feed, spawned a trending hashtag on Twitter #PlacesAlonsoWouldRatherBe, which saw Alonso photoshopped into different locations.

Whilst Alonso's aim was likely to express frustration - similar to comments he made in Japan comparing the Honda engine to that of a GP2 car - Dennis admits he found it amusing.

"I chuckled to myself, to be honest," he told the official Formula 1 website. "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. There's nothing wrong with a bit of humour.

"And Fernando is as hard-working as he is talented, be in no doubt of that. He's matured enormously since he last drove for us, eight years ago, and he's now one of the most complete drivers I've ever had the privilege of working with."

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Vettel found a new lease of energy at Ferrari - Ricciardo

Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel has found a "new lease of energy and life" after his move to Ferrari, former Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo believes.

The German was comprehensively beaten by Ricciardo when they raced together at Red Bull in 2014, with the Australian standing on the podium eight times, three of those being race wins, whilst Vettel failed to win a race at all.

Vettel later admitted he considered quitting before switching to Ferrari, a move which has paid off for the 28-year-old, winning three races and finishing third in the championship.

"Seb picked himself up from, by his standards, not a great 2014," Ricciardo told the official Formula 1 website. "He found a new lease of energy and life at Ferrari, and ran with that opportunity.

"Mercedes are still the team to beat [in 2016], I'm sure of that. Ferrari are interesting. They made a big step this year, and if they make another step like that they'll be in good shape to fight with Mercedes."

Speaking about his own year, Ricciardo believes there are many positives to take away, despite what can be described as a troubling season for Red Bull.

"I look back with a smile. Sure it had some frustrations but there were still some positives. I feel I learned a lot. I'm still young, I feel I still have a lot to learn and achieve in the sport. Some of the harder times, I took a lot out of," he said.

"Hopefully we can find a few more occassions to battle [at the front]. We can definitely make progress, and I definitely enjoy fighting at the front."

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ITV to step in as BBC backs out of Formula 1

The BBC is to back out of its Formula 1 coverage three years early, with ITV poised to pick up free-to-air rights from next season.

Broadcast understands ITV is ready to swoop for the motorsport in a deal that will allow the commercial broadcaster to follow Lewis Hamilton’s title defence from the first race in Australia on 20 March 2016.

Like the BBC, ITV will broadcast a selection of races live, while others will be covered via highlights. Sky Sports’ coverage is unlikely to be impacted by the change.

The commercial PSB is ready to step in after the BBC decided to walk away early from its seven-year deal, which was due to run until 2018, as it battles to cut costs.

Sources have indicated that the BBC could save up to £60m per season - or around £180m in total - as a result of its U-turn, but will have to pay F1 rights-holder Bernie Ecclestone a termination fee, which could run to tens of millions of pounds.

The decision marks the end of a six-year relationship between the BBC and F1. It returned to the sport in 2009 when ITV backed out midway through its contract after it was unable to justify airing both F1 and Champions League football. Then in 2012, the BBC agreed a deal to share its coverage with Sky, saving it an estimated £50m.

The corporation has now decided that it can no longer afford the sport, following its decision to take £35m out of its budget as part of measures taken to close the £150m funding gap created by the so-called iPlayer loophole.

“The BBC is slashing costs,” said one source with knowledge of the deal. “Now it has started talking about cutting channels it is difficult for it to justify spending so much on sports rights and production.”

Earlier this year the BBC walked away from its live coverage of The Open golf championship 12-months early, citing financial constraints. The move allowed Sky Sports to start its scheduled coverage of the tournament one year earlier than anticipated.

At the time, a Sky insider suggested BBC Sport’s focus was firmly on the Olympics 2016.

Securing the sport could provide a shot-in-the-arm for ITV, which is trying to lure male viewers following its loss of Champions League football to BT Sport from this season.

June’s Canadian Grand Prix, which was won by Mercedes driver Hamilton was watched by a season-high crowd of 4.7m (24.6%), with a peak of 5.6m (28.6%). Almost two-thirds (61.4%) of the audience was male.

The BBC and ITV declined to comment.

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F1 race with donuts! - Lewis Hamilton vs Nico Rosberg

Three-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg battle on track at the Mercedes-Benz Stars & Cars event. It's Mercedes AMG PETRONAS vs Mercedes AMG PETRONAS! That'll be a double portion of donuts then!

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Ron Dennis: I'm still the right man for McLaren

Ron Dennis insists he is still the right man to lead McLaren and thinks the team is still paying for mistakes it made ahead of the 2013 season.

McLaren has just completed its worst season since 1980 after struggling with new engine supplier Honda's uncompetitive and unreliable power unit. The team has not won a race since the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and its podium-less season the following year prompted Dennis' return as CEO of the company.

That return was part of an overhaul which saw Martin Whitmarsh leave as team principal and be replaced by current racing director Eric Boullier. Though that change did little to reverse McLaren's fortunes Dennis still believes he is the right man to steer the famous team back to the pinnacle of Formula One.

"Do I feel fit for the job? I feel I am extremely healthy, as far as I know," Dennis said. "I look after myself, I don't get falling-over tired and I am highly motivated ... and I will die with ambition. I will always be ambitious.

"F1 is challenging but, as I've said, it isn't my challenge. It is the challenge that I choose the right people. That is the challenge in any business: choose good leaders. You don't always get it right but that is the challenge."

Dennis looks back to that last victory at Yas Marina and the mistakes made directly afterwards, notably the decision to design a completely new car for the following season despite ending 2012 with six victories and the quickest package at the season finale.

"When we left what was a dominant season in 2012, we came [to Abu Dhabi] and we were by far the quickest car. There was no regulation change, so it was not the right decision to make a new car [for 2013].

"It was not the right decision not to immediately revert to that [2012-spec] car after the first grand prix. And that was a real point at which the company made a mistake.We should have reverted to that car and then we should have developed that car. Then we would have not lost, instead of constantly pursuing something that, with the benefit of hindsight, was fundamentally flawed."

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MARKO: HOPEFULLY OUR MARTYRDOM RESULTS IN A BETTER FUTURE IN F1

Mercedes baulked at supplying Red Bull for 2016 after analysing the pace of their chassis, claims of Helmut Marko, who said that although the team is having to stick with underpowered Renault for now, he is “somewhat proud” that Mercedes but also Ferrari and Honda refused to sell Red Bull a different power unit.

“At the Hungarian grand prix, it is easiest to know the power numbers of your rivals,” he told Austria’s Servus TV. “And Mercedes found that our chassis is better. This strengthened the front against us even more, and therefore there was no deal.”

“We are somewhat proud that everyone is so afraid of us,” he continued, “but the FIA has now recognised that it is not acceptable for the manufacturers to determine who gets an engine and who does not. Hopefully, our martyrdom is the impetus for a better future in F1.”

Mercedes’ Toto Wolff, however, rejected the theory that Red Bull was left high and dry by the carmakers.

“Red Bull has an engine, a Renault, so what are we talking about?” he told Auto Motor und Sport. “Ferrari and Mercedes did not help out for various reasons, but it was not as though they (Red Bull) were forced out of F1. They just couldn’t get the engine they wanted.”

“No one is afraid of anything, but we want to compete with the same conditions. Red Bull can use its budget mainly for chassis development, believing they also have the right to the best engine.

“That is not our philosophy,” he insisted. “The second aspect is how to deal with your partner when you’re in trouble.”

As Marko suggests, however, the Red Bull situation is forcing change in F1, including the FIA giving Bernie Ecclestone and Jean Todt a controversial “mandate” to act on certain issues.

“Some of the things that have come up lately, I’d rather not comment on,” said Wolff.

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WOLFF: IF WE HAD TWO HAMILTONS THE TEAM WOULD HAVE PROBABLY EXPLODED

Mercedes motorsport chief Toto Wolff has denied that the Silver Arrows spent much of the 2015 Formula 1 season sandbagging to hide its true performance advantage, while admitting that having two Lewis Hamilton style drivers in the team would have been a disaster for the world champions.

Wolff admitted that a lot of attention after the season concluded went into working out why Lewis Hamilton’s performance suddenly slumped, just as Nico Rosberg rounded out his year with three wins from pole.

“We are a bit cleverer [about it],” said Wolff, “but not much. I think a major role is the psychology. Lewis has achieved his goal, bagged the title and then relaxed a bit,” he said. “Although perhaps only subconsciously. At the same time I don’t want to detract from Nico’s performance, which was great.

“It shows we have two drivers who will be driving at peak performance for us next year, which is the key to success even though it caused us a few grey hairs.”

Indeed, Wolff’s grey hairs prompted him to warn recently that if the growing animosity between the drivers spills into the ‘spirit’ of the team, Mercedes would have to think about changing the lineup.

But he clarified now that Mercedes remains happy with Hamilton alongside Rosberg, “If we had two Hamiltons, the team would have probably exploded. But two Nicos wouldn’t make it easier either.

“The combination of the two is quite good. It is the ideal situation, even if it makes life hard for us sometimes. But precisely because they are so different, with individual approaches, it helps us to be better,” said Wolff.

Meanwhile Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo said recently that amid talk Ferrari now seems poised to mount a title challenge for 2016, he thinks Mercedes is still a long way ahead.

“Ferrari caught up a little bit,” said Ricciardo, “but I think in general when they [Mercedes] wanted to turn it on they could.”

Wolff, however, responded: “There were races where we looked after the cars, when it was not necessary to go full blast.

“But these were the exceptions rather than the rule. In most of the races, we had to show our full potential in order to win, and in Singapore we saw clearly that it wasn’t enough,” he told Auto Motor und Sport.

And so Wolff says Mercedes will head into next season treating Ferrari in particular as a very real championship threat.

“Our philosophy is to be permanently sceptical,” he said. “In all areas we have very ambitious development objectives that we want to achieve, but that does not protect us from losing another part of our lead if our competitors do a better job.”

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WOLFF SAYS LAUDA IS HIS FRIEND WHO HE LEARNS FROM

Mercedes motorsport chief Toto Wolff has rejected speculation he and Niki Lauda no longer get along.

The rumours had spread around the paddock towards the end of Mercedes’ dominant 2015 campaign, but the Austrians tackled it by amusingly joining hands as they exited a meeting.

Wolff, the team boss, now insists that he still sees eye-to-eye with the F1 legend and Mercedes team chairman, even regarding him as a rare “friend”.

“We often discuss things with different viewpoints, but we are together with the aim of developing this team,” he told Auto Motor und Sport.

“In this environment, it’s hard to make friends, but I believe that my relationship with Niki comes very close — even if he says he has no friends,” added Wolff.

“He is my friend, my sparring partner, my business partner, my travel companion on long overseas flights. I appreciate him in all of his roles,” Toto continued.

“He is a triple world champion, an icon, he plays a greater role for Formula 1 and he is always someone that I learn from,” he added.

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RENAULT SPORT BOSS DENIES THEY WILL BREAK BANK FOR F1

Jerome Stoll, the Renault Sport chairman, has dismissed reports the French carmaker is ramping up its annual F1 budget.

The reports had suggested that after only supplying Red Bull and Toro Rosso with engines in 2015, Renault would now match Mercedes’ budget as it returns to full works team status next season.

But Stoll told Auto Plus: “Not at all. (We will spend) No more. What we were spending as a supplier must remain the ceiling.”

When asked how Renault can possibly keep developing engines as well as running its own Enstone-based works team with the same budget, he explained: “As an engine supplier, you get nothing.

“No sponsors, nor the rights from FOM. No partnerships. But when you are a team, you have access to all of this. And we will make the most of it,” said Stoll.

What was missing from Renault’s recent announcement, however, was confirmation of who would be running the new team, amid rumours Frederic Vasseur and Alain Prost will be deeply involved.

“At the start of January,” Stoll said, “(CEO) Carlos Ghosn will reveal everything.”

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ECCLESTONE NOT CONFIRMING BBC’S F1 EXIT

Bernie Ecclestone is refusing to confirm that Formula 1’s free-to-air British broadcaster is pulling out of the sport.

British newspapers this week said the BBC has now decided to stop broadcasting F1 with immediate effect due to cost cuts, despite an ongoing contract.

The reports also said the BBC would be replaced by ITV, to take over the role of sharing Britain’s coverage with the pay channel Sky.

But F1 supremo Ecclestone said: “The bottom line is that they (BBC) are cutting back on all types of sport and if we really, really, really had to, we’d say ‘You have got a contract and you better get on with it’.

“They can’t leave the contract early,” he told publications including the Daily Mail.

As for whether ITV can simply take over the BBC’s deal, Ecclestone answered: “To do that we would have to agree to have that done so I don’t know.”

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VANDOORNE AIMING FOR F1 RACE SEAT IN 2017

Stoffel Vandoorne has acknowledged that his Formula 1 race career will have to wait until the 2017 season at least.

The McLaren-backed Belgian has been dominant en route to becoming the new GP2 champion this year.

“There is always pressure,” said the 23-year-old, “because I knew after coming second last year I had to win in 2015, but I feel that I’ve handled it well.

“I’ve broken almost every record in GP2, so that shows how strong my season has been.”

McLaren’s race lineup is all locked out for now with Fernando Alonso alongside Jenson Button, and as GP2 champion, Vandoorne cannot simply stay in the feeder series.

So he will be McLaren’s official reserve in 2016, almost certainly combining that role with a race seat in the Japanese open wheel series Super Formula, where Honda has a significant presence.

Vandoorne had his first test at the end of last month at Suzuka, driving for the Honda-powered team Dandelion. It is believed he is now close to signing a Super Formula deal for 2016.

“There’s only one or two clashes with F1,” Vandoorne told the January edition of F1 Racing magazine, “so it would be possible to do both.

“I don’t have a race seat in F1 for next season, but hopefully I can get one in 2017 — that’s what I’m working on, flat out.

“I’ve done everything right, everything that has been asked of me, and I’ll continue to work hard. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees in this sport,” he added.

[MIKA27]

FERRARI BOSS PRAISES RENAULT AND URGES VW TO ENTER F1

Sergio Marchionne, the Ferrari and Fiat Chrysler chief, says he is still urging his Volkswagen counterpart to consider entering Formula 1.

Currently, only four carmakers are on the grid, even though Renault has just stepped up its involvement by buying Lotus and returning to full works status for 2016.

“I know Carlos Ghosn,” said Marchionne, “and how much he had to realign himself to the reality of the Renault team that won the titles in the mid 2000s,” said the Italian-Canadian at Ferrari’s recent Christmas celebrations.

But he said more carmakers should now follow that example, “For example, I’ve always encouraged the CEO of Volkswagen to enter. For the largest automobile company in the world to not be competing is a bit strange.

“If others come in, it would be good for the sport, good for them, good for us. I also must not minimise the presence of Honda. I think they were so focused on giving the engine to [McLaren supremo Ron] Dennis who is a person who leaves not a lot of room.”

“That they had difficulties is a shame but they also have the ability to return to winning. That Ghosn is coming in with Lotus now is important,” said Marchionne.

However, Christian Horner has argued in recent days that Red Bull’s criticism of Renault as an engine supplier in the past couple of years was justified.

Marchionne insisted: “I think they [Red Bull] forgot that it was with the very same people (Renault) that they won the world championships, without properly recognising it.

“In short, a bit of balance would have been better,” he said. “I certainly do not blame Horner, but we must be fair in our assessment.”

[MIKA27]

PALMER EXPECTS NO RENAULT FIREWORKS IN EARLY 2016

Jolyon Palmer does not expect Renault to shine immediately as the carmaker returns to full works status in Formula 1 next year.

It was amid Lotus’ financial troubles that the Enstone team’s Friday driver was promoted to a full race seat for 2016.

Since the buyout, Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn has cast doubt on whether Palmer and Pastor Maldonado will actually race, but the British driver sounds confident.

“Renault coming in is huge, because this team would be insecure without them,” he told the January edition of F1 Racing magazine.

“It’s been tough going, but the shareholders have been working through things. Renault coming in is good for the sport and exciting for me next season.

“I don’t think there’ll be fireworks straight away, but they’ll secure the team financially and will be fully motivated to do a good job,” Palmer added.

[MIKA27]

ECCLESTONE SAYS FERRARI TIFOSI MORE LOYAL THAN MERCEDES FANS

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has gone on the record to suggest that while Mercedes is winning, it is Ferrari’s “incredible fan base” that makes the fabled Italian team even stronger.

“Ferrari have an incredible fan base even when they lose,” he told Motorsport-Magain. “You don’t find that with Mercedes. If they begin to lose, then you’ll see what happens.”

“If Mercedes stop winning, I don’t think that many people will feel any sympathy for them,” Ecclestone added.

MIKA: IMO the Tifosi are not fans, more of a religion the way I see it and nothing comes close to beating that. It's always great to see. Even here at Lygon Street in Melbourne, whenever a Ferrari won, they would go nuts! The Schumacher era was the best, street parties, Lygon Street was crazy. I can only imagine how it would be there at Monza.

[MIKA27]

HUGO HAKKINEN NOT FOLLOWING MICK SCHUMACHER TO F1

In 1999, as Mika Hakkinen won his second world championship, while his arch rival in Formula 1 Michael Schumacher welcomed a son – Mick – into the world.

Similarly, it was a year later in 2000 when Schumacher and Hakkinen had their now legendary overtaking dice at Spa — the same year that the Finn’s son Hugo was born.

Now, Mick is racing towards F1 stardom. It seems the 16-year-old German is hedging his bets between a future at Ferrari or Mercedes, the teams his father Michael most famously raced for.

Kolner Express newspaper reports that Mick’s team in German Formula 4, Van Amersfoort, has completed its switch for 2016 from Volkswagen to Mercedes power.

And the report added that Schumacher jr looks set to split his time next year between the German series and also Italian F4, with the Ferrari-linked Prema team.

The next step for 2017, it would seem, is the highly-competitive world of European F3, from which Max Verstappen launched his own F1 career. But it’s a different story for Hakkinen’s son Hugo, the 1998 and 1999 title winner reveals.

In 2012, we reported that Hugo embarked on a full season in the Italian kart championship, with Mika saying at the time: “I see now what a hunger my son Hugo has.”

But now, Hakkinen reports: “Hugo tried karting, and he was good, but it was not his passion. He is 15 now, and his passion is football. He is committed to trying to become a professional football player and I will support him in that.”

“I do not mind that he will not become a professional racing driver, although I would have supported him if that is what he had wanted,” Hakkinen added. “You support your kids like that, don’t you?”

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MONZA FUTURE BRIGHTER AMID CHANGES TO LOCAL LAW

In the days before Christmas, good news emerged this week from Italian parliamentary circles which may save the grand prix at Monza..

La Repubblica reports that after a marathon 37 hour sitting, the budget committee gave a green light to tweak the ‘Legge di stabilita’ (stability law) that had earlier cast doubt on Monza’s ability to host the Italian grand prix.

Article 183 has been reportedly rewritten to expand the funding of the historic race beyond Aci, the Italian automobile club.

Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport predicted that a new race deal with Bernie Ecclestone beyond 2016 could be agreed soon.

“This change has been decisive and so the most important work is now done,” said Angelo Sticchi Damiani, the Aci chief.

Much sadder news is emerging from Spain, where El Pais newspaper has published a series of photos showing the former Valencia street circuit in a state of disrepair.

Equipment is abandoned, tall weeds are growing out of the old blue-painted run-off areas, electrical boxes have been ransacked and spectator tunnels are flooded with standing water.

And La Vanguardia, another Spanish daily, said it will be 2023 before all the loans to cover the EUR 100 million cost of the failed European grand prix are even re-paid.