FORMULA 1

[BrightonCorgi]

12 minutes ago, foursite12 said:

I have been to several US GP (all at Indy) but only one in Europe (Magny Cours).  I have always considered Spa as a bucket list event and am considering the planning for 2019.  Anyone who has attended that venue have any thoughts? If recommended, any advice (seat locations, travel in/out, lodging, etc.)?  Thanks in advance.

Mike

SPA would be fun, but where the Jumbotron is, is critical.  Big track and you don't see the cars come by as often.  Canada is one of most fun weekends on the calendar and I hear Mexico is a blast with a great facility where the track is.

[foursite12]

Yes, I have read about the LCDH in Maastricht. Supposedly quite nice.

[MIKA27]

LIBERTY MEDIA TUCK INTO FORMULA 1 DEBTS

Liberty Media announced today that it intends to launch a process to refinance the $3,302 million first lien term loan of certain subsidiaries of Delta Topco Limited, the Liberty subsidiary which holds all of its interests in Formula 1, the iconic global motorsports business.

Concurrent with the refinancing, the relevant subsidiaries of Delta Topco Limited intend to repay up to $400 million of the first lien term loan using a combination of excess cash on the balance sheet and loans under the first lien revolving credit facility, subject to obtaining necessary consents and funding of the relevant loans.

As of December 31, 2017, the first lien revolving credit facility was undrawn. The contemplated transaction will be net leverage neutral and the refinanced term loan will remain non-recourse to Liberty. Delta Topco Limited and its subsidiaries, together with the debt described herein, are attributed to the Formula One Group tracking stock.

[MIKA27]

SAINZ TO DRIVE MONTE CARLO RALLY COURSE CAR

Renault Sport Formula One Team driver Carlos Sainz will follow in the footsteps of his double World Rally Championship-winning father when he takes on the final stage of the 2018 Rallye Monte-Carlo.

The 23-year-old Spaniard will make his Monte-Carlo debut when he drives the 13.58km La Cabanette-Col de Braus Power Stage on 28 January in the New Renault Mégane R.S.

Carlos Junior will pass through the stage as the VIP course car that checks the stage before the timed World Rally Championship contenders. The road starts in the Alpes-Maritimes surrounding the Principality of Monaco at 1,400m above sea level and descends through a series of tight hairpin bends before climbing again over a high mountain pass and ending at the Col de Braus.

For Carlos, this marks his official rally debut. His father won Rallye Monte-Carlo three times, in 1991, 1995 and 1998.

Carlos Sainz: “I’m really looking forward to experiencing Rallye Monte-Carlo for the first time. I’ve heard so much about it from my dad – how difficult the stages are, how the conditions can change in an instant from snow to rain or bright sunshine and of course how you need nerves of steel for some of those mountain passes and hairpins!”

“It’s going to be a real thrill to take part in such a legendary event behind the wheel of a Renault Mégane R.S, which will be fitted with snow and studded tyres so I can get a more complete sensation of rallying around these stages.”

Fans will be able to follow the stage live as it will count as the rally-closing live TV Power Stage. Rallye Monte-Carlo starts on 25 January at 17h50 at Casino Square, Monaco, followed by two tough stages in darkness in the Alps near the town of Gap.

The action remains close to the town on Friday and Saturday before Sunday’s finale in the Alpes Maritimes mountains above the Principality.

[MIKA27]

Sean Bratches confirms more F1 Live events for 2018

Formula 1's Managing Director of Commercial Operations, Sean Bratches, has confirmed that the top tier motorsport series will hold more 'F1 Live' events in 2018.

Last year, Formula 1 took to the streets of London ahead of the British Grand Prix, with all ten teams and 19 of the 20 full-time drivers of last season making appearances, driving cars of past seasons and classic racing machinery.

"The next events of this kind will not be quite that big," Bratches told Auto Motor und Sport. "We're planning something similar in Marseille, Berlin, Milan, Shanghai and Miami, but not with so many cars.

"We believe that this contact with the audience outside the race track is important. It carries our message to people we would not otherwise reach.

"Formula 1 has been so exclusive over the years that it was only accessible to interested people. The same applies to sponsors. There is a lot of interest from companies that are not yet in F1," he added.

Last season saw a growth in TV viewing figures in Formula 1 by 6.2 per cent while there was also a growth of 54.9 per cent for the brand on social media platforms, and Bratches described PR events such as F1 Live in London as "very important" for increasing the series' presence.

[MIKA27]

McLaren/Renault pose "significant" threat to Force India

Formula 1 rivals McLaren and Renault will pose a "significant" threat to Force India this season, according to the team's deputy team principal Bob Fernley.

Force India secured fourth in the constructors' championship for the second successive year, finishing a comfortable 104 points clear of fifth-placed Williams.

But Fernley is aware Renault is on an upward trajectory, snatching sixth in the constructors' championship at the final race of the season, where Nico Hulkenberg finished ahead of both Force India drivers to take sixth in Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, McLaren, which like Renault has a notably bigger budget than Force India, is ditching Honda for Renault power for 2018.

"Caution would be both Renault and McLaren look quite handy so make sure we focus on the winter," Fernley told Motorsport.com.

"They are a significant threat and we need to take it seriously. We need to do quite a bit of work ourselves to make sure that we accommodate that.

"There will be no quarter given for those three cars. The three teams will be locked into a massive battle."

Force India has one of the smallest budgets on the grid, at around £90m, compared to Renault running on £150m and McLaren £185m.

"It'll always be difficult to compete against the bigger budgets, but saying that, we've done it for two years in a row so there's no reason why we can't do it for a third," said Fernley.

Force India started the season consistently and reliably and then pulled clear of the midfield, slotting in behind the top three teams with an impressive rate of development.

When asked if McLaren and Renault's increased threat will change the way Force India approaches this season, Fernley said: "I don't think so.

"If you looked at the beginning of the season, which was the hard part, we didn't have the car underneath us. So we had to use a lot more racing strategy, reliability and good driving.

"That has to stay in place for next year but on top of that, hopefully we're performing properly next year.

"You'll still have that gap to the top three but there will be three teams going for fourth place."

[MIKA27]

Formula 1 future rules to focus on three performance factors

Formula 1's team of specialists tasked with shaping the future direction of the championship are focusing on improving three areas of car performance - aerodynamics, engines and suspension.

F1 is keen to boost its audience and increase engagement with fans, and Ross Brawn's team, which includes former Benetton/Renault/Williams technical chief Pat Symonds, is looking at ways to improve the show.

A key focus is the technical regulations, with Brawn's team having marked out three sections of the rules as key performance differentiators.

"We're looking at the technical and sporting regulations," said Symonds, who was speaking at the MIA's Entertainment and Energy-Efficient Motorsport Conference.

"We need to use this lens [audience research] to inspect each change we want to make. Now we can say, let's decide what our performance differentiators are.

"F1 technical regulations are split into 21 sections. As we go through those sections, we can see some of them aren't very relevant to the spectacle.

"So we decided that what we wanted to do was technically, we wanted to have three performance differentiators.

"Those would be aerodynamics - it is interesting to a lot of people and no one could write rules that didn't make it a performance differentiator so we might as well expect it and make it one of the things that matters.

"Equally, the power unit. For manufacturers involved in F1, it's important to them. It interesting to fans so let's make it a performance differential.

"Finally is suspension - and by that I mean the way we treat the tyres, the way the teams use the tyres.

"Those are the three technical differentiators that we want to see.

"There will be others - drivers, pitstops, pit crew, strategy. But these are the technical things we're really going to focus on."

The F1 technical team is also looking at other aspects that need addressing, such as costs and predictability of races.

"We need to look at the costs," Symonds said. "Costs are making it difficult for those further down the field to make an impression on the leaders.

"We want to get rid of predictability. Over the last couple of decades, the worst times in racing have been when the result has been predictable.

"We had a little bit of it with the Mercedes domination. At least for a couple of years we didn't know which driver might have won.

"We want to look at the spectacle, we want visual appeal, we want to recognise the role of the driver.

"We need to look at the problem of the live audience and the TV audience as they have different requirements.

"And we have to look at the race week experience. It's no longer good enough to think about just what happens on Sunday."

[BrightonCorgi]

F1 needs to give points for Qualifying.  Would make the starting grid more entertaining with some back runners setting their cars up solely for Qualifying to get points.

[MIKA27]

6 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

F1 needs to give points for Qualifying.  Would make the starting grid more entertaining with some back runners setting their cars up solely for Qualifying to get points.

Wouldn't it be much the same? Probably for the worse for the smaller teams over the entire race distance?

My point being, back runners would set up their cars for qualy, the opening stint, but would they have overall race pace for the remainder of the race? The bigger teams would leave their cars "As is" I can't see any changes for them. Reverse grids wouldn't work either.

I think the best solution IMO as a fan, would be to bring back refueling. Cars on the grid would have variations in fuel loads and tires as a result of fuel load weights. This is where we'd see the spectacle of Formula 1 return. It would change everything, pit stop strategies etc. I can't see any other way that would work but I also know that refueling will probably never return. 

I guess, something has to be done.  

[MIKA27]

LAUDA BUYS BACK AIRLINE HE FOUNDED

Three times Formula 1 world champion and Mercedes F1 team chairman Niki Lauda has won the bidding for the Niki airline he founded, convincing the insolvent carrier’s administrators in marathon talks and undoing an agreed deal with British Airways owner IAG .

The previously agreed sale of Niki to IAG fell through after two courts ruled the insolvency proceedings had to move to Austria from Germany.

That cleared the way for other parties such as budget airline Ryanair and Lauda to again bid for the carrier, which most recently was part of failed German airline Air Berlin .

Niki’s creditors met on Monday to pick the best bid, and their meeting ran past midnight.

“In the early hours of this morning Laudamotion GmbH emerged from a transparent bidding process as the best bidder,” Niki’s Austrian and German administrators, Ulla Reisch and Lucas Floether, said in a joint statement, referring to a company controlled by the three-times Formula One world champion.

They did not disclose a purchase price and said they expected legal approval for the transaction to follow soon.

“Of course, I am delighted,” Lauda, who founded Niki in 2003 but sold his remaining stake to Air Berlin in 2011, said in an interview with Austrian broadcaster Oe24. “There’s no doubt that I have always put my heart and soul into Niki.”

The 68-year-old moved into the airline industry as his driving career was coming to an end in the 1980s. He plans to scrap the Niki brand name and integrate the carrier into the Laudamotion business, he told Austria’s ORF radio.

The aviation industry has been in turmoil for more than a year, with British airline Monarch, Italy’s Alitalia and Air Berlin entering administration, following intense price competition in Europe.

Lauda, who offered to take on nearly all of Niki’s 1,000 employees, said he had secured 15 aircraft and planned to bring them back into operation by the end of March, focusing on tourist destinations in Turkey, Greece and Spain.

City routes, as offered under Air Berlin, were currently not planned, he said.

Niki planes have been granted around 1,700 slots, or about 0.8 percent of available slots in Austria, for the summer season which begins late March, according to the coordinating authority Slots Austria.

Lauda said earlier he would look to work with an operating partner such as Thomas Cook for functions previously provided by Air Berlin, such as ticket sales, crew planning and marketing.

“Laudamotion has asked us for operational support services to enable Niki´s flight operations to restart as quickly as possible,” a Thomas Cook spokesman said. “We are prepared to start such discussions shortly.”

While Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz welcomed the decision, saying he was pleased an Austrian solution had been found and jobs saved, industry experts were less enthusiastic.

“From an industry perspective, IAG would have been a much more sustainable solution and they had concrete expansion plans,” said one industry source, who wanted to stay anonymous.

IAG Chief Executive Willie Walsh had said he wanted to grow business in eastern Europe and saw potential for at least 30 planes in Vienna within 2-3 years.

“We cannot help but feel a bit dismayed that while the creditors’ committee’s decision may be the most advantageous for them, they are doing the airline itself a disservice,” said Berenberg analysts in a note to clients.

Niki filed for insolvency in Berlin last month after Germany’s Lufthansa scrapped plans to buy the carrier.

After hurried talks to ensure Niki retained valuable runway slots, IAG agreed at the time with the German administrator it would buy the business for 20 million euros and provide 16.5 million in liquidity to make it part of its low-cost business Vueling.

But courts in Germany and in Austria ruled the proceedings had to move to Austria.

IAG accepted defeat on Tuesday.

“IAG is disappointed that Niki will not be able to develop and grow stronger as part of the group,” it said in a statement.

[MIKA27]

SENNA’S 1993 MCLAREN UP FOR AUCTION

The ex-Ayrton Senna, record-setting, final Monaco Grand Prix-winning, 1993 McLaren-Ford MP4/8A Formula 1 racing single-seater is to be offered at Bonhams Monaco sale on 11 May and will be on view at Le Grand Palais, Paris on 6-8 February.

This startlingly well-preserved, running-order Formula 1 car won the 1993 Monaco Grand Prix – 25 years ago – in the hands of the legendary Ayrton Senna. The Brazilian three-time Formula 1 World Champion Driver, rated by many as the greatest of all time, won a record six editions of the prestigious round-the-houses Monaco Grand Prix.

The 1993 season was Senna’s last with McLaren. The great team had just ended its long and successful partnership with Honda for engine supply, and would link up with Peugeot in a new Formula 1 racing partnership from 1994. For the interim 1993 season, a last-minute agreement had been struck with Ford to run their Cosworth-built ‘HB’ V8 engines on loan. Ayrton Senna was initially sceptical that these compact Ford V8 engines would be able to compete with the dominant Renault V10s as deployed by the Williams team, led by the Brazilian’s former team-mate and deadly rival Alain Prost.

Senna consented to remain with McLaren on a race-by-race basis, in return for a rumoured $1-million fee for every start. However, the team’s latest McLaren-Ford MP4/8A model – like chassis ‘6’ now being offered by Bonhams – demonstrated such technological and mechanical sophistication that by season’s end, it was one of the most competitive of all contemporary Grand Prix car designs.

Ayrton drove this actual car – McLaren-Ford MP4/8 chassis number ‘6’ – in no fewer than eight of the 1993 season’s Formula 1 World Championship-qualifying Grand Prix races. In his debut with the brand new car at Barcelona’s Spanish Grand Prix he immediately finished 2nd overall, headed only by Alain Prost’s Williams-Renault.

For the following Monaco Grand Prix, he experienced an apparent problem with the car’s ultra-modern ‘active’ suspension system which sparked a violent crash into the barriers at Ste Devote corner.

The incident unfolded so suddenly that even Senna was unable to let go of the steering wheel in time, and the impact painfully injured his thumb. Chassis ‘6’ was then repaired in time for Saturday running, and he qualified third fastest behind Prost’s Williams-Renault on pole and Michael Schumacher’s Benetton-Ford second. Prost then jumped the start, incurring a 10-second stop-go penalty, to be served in the pit lane.

Schumacher then led the race from Senna until lap 33, when the Benetton-Ford retired with hydraulic failure. Senna promptly took control of the great race, 15 seconds ahead of Damon Hill’s Williams-Renault. As the great Brazilian took the Monaco chequered flag for his sixth time, he broke Graham Hill’s record for the most Monaco GP victories, set back in 1969.

This McLaren MP4/8A was raced again by Senna in that year’s Canadian, French, British, German, Belgian and Italian GPs, finishing 4th at Magny-Cours (France), Hockenheim (Germany) and Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium). At Silverstone in the British GP, Senna looked set to finish 3rd, only to run out of fuel in the closing stages – being classified 5th. Chassis ‘6’s frontline career was then completed as spare car at both the 1993 Japanese and Australian Grands Prix.

Mark Osborne, Bonhams Global Head of Motorsport, commented: ‘Ayrton Senna was the most charismatic Grand Prix car driver of the modern era, and the MP4/8A was the car with which his team, McLaren, surpassed Ferrari as the most successful team in Formula 1 World Championship history.

This particular chassis, number 6, cemented Senna’s legend as The Master of Monaco. We at Bonhams are both honoured and thrilled to be presenting one of the most significant Grand Prix cars of all time. It is his Monaco winner, it is a runner, and now it could be yours.’

Bonhams is delighted to offer this iconic ex-Ayrton Senna, Monaco Grand Prix-winning Formula 1 McLaren-Ford upon the 25th anniversary of its record-breaking Monte Carlo victory. With this success, McLaren toppled Ferrari from its throne as contemporarily the most successful marque in World Championship Grand Prix racing. Yet another landmark achievement for this wonderfully iconic, magically charismatic, truly historic racing car.

[MIKA27]

JAMES KEY: THE HALO IS SOMETHING WE’LL JUST GET USED TO

Love it or loathe it the Halo cockpit safety device is here to stay. as they will mandatory from the moment Formula 1 cars turn a wheel in anger for pre-season testing in Barcelona next month.

Toro Rosso technical chief James Key predicts that they will not be such an eye-sore as the prototype versions that were tested last year and it will become part-and-parcel of future Formula 1 cars which fans will eventually get used to.

Key told Racer, “We’ll have to see how it goes. I think with the aero bits on it then [the Halo] will look slightly more Formula 1, let’s say, than the frames we saw before. They will be a little bit more refined visually, because teams have had time to work a bit on optimizing the aerodynamics around them.”

“My gut feeling is it’s something we’ll just get used to. There will be talk and all sorts of opinions I’m sure – all of them no doubt valid – but I think ultimately it’s just something we’ll get used to, and we’ll get back to worrying about the racing pretty quickly.”

Toro Rosso successfully completed the mandatory FIA crash-tests for the STR-13 which were trickier than they had been in the past because of the introduction of the Halo and the tests tweaked to incorporate the device.

Key explained, “I think it was harder for two reasons, really. One is that it is a new test and so there’s always some unknowns, there’s no historic reference you can take with something as new and very different as the Halo tests compared to before.”

“And also because they’re quite tough tests, as well. Clearly, this has to be a very robust frame around the driver, and that requires some quote heavy loading and tricky conditions applied to it to make sure it complies.”

“It was certainly quite a new test and new set of requirements to take on board for chassis design, and obviously everyone’s a little nervous the first time you try it, but I’m glad to say it worked as planned,” added Key.

[MIKA27]

BROWN: RENAULT HAVE GOT THE POWER

Last year Renault power units were hardly the most reliable pieces of kit on the Formula 1 grid last year, but this is a risk McLaren are prepared to take in their quest to return to the sharp end of proceedings in 2018 after three years of frustration and below par performances.

McLaren chief Zak Brown explained the reasoning behind the pragmatic approach they will take with their new F1 engine supplier, “I think we’ve got lots of concerns going into every racing season, not just power unit. Ultimately we’re very confident.”

“[Renault have] got the power, they’ve demonstrated that they’ve got the power. They’ve had some reliability issues when they’ve turned the power on. You saw that in Mexico, someone said to me that they blew up four engines – yeah, but they did dominate the race.”

“We want to get back to the front of the field. We know motor racing – performance can cause some reliability issues. We think they’re on top of it, they think they’re on top of it and they think they have identified what the issues were.”

“I’m sure we’ll have an engine issue at some point during this year, but that’s racing. We just hope not to have too many and we hope we have them at the front of the field.”

“That would be a big improvement. We’ve got to rebound now so we need to set expectations; we’re not going to go back to challenge for the championship. And a Formula 1 team is more than just the power unit.”

“So, no more concerns than I think anyone would have at any race course at the start of any season of any unknowns, but they know what they’re doing. They’ve won six championships in the last 13 years, so they’re very close,” Brown pointed out.

[MIKA27]

Robert Kubica must earn 2019 race seat – Lowe

Robert Kubica can't expect to land a race seat because of his past form according to Williams chief technical officer Paddy Lowe, who says the Polish driver must earn a seat on the 2019 grid if he's to fulfil his comeback dream.

Kubica was in the running to return in 2018 with Renault at first before that gap was filled by Carlos Sainz. An opportunity to replace Felipe Massa at Williams then arose, but following multiple tests, the team opted for Russian rookie Sergey Sirotkin.

Lowe admits Sirotkin was the "clear favourite" when all factors were taken into account, but wouldn't elaborate on which areas Kubica was lacking.

"I'm not going to talk about that," he told Motorsport. "We've done a lot of work with many drivers in this selection process.

"We picked Sergey on the full range of his performance, against many drivers, not just Robert. He was the clear favourite."

Kubica will take up a reserve and development role with the team which will include test outings as well as Friday practice runs, which Lowe says will give the 33-year-old a chance to prove them and other teams that he is deserving of a seat.

"Robert has been on a journey to find his way back to Formula 1, from the trauma that occurred to his arm in the rally accident.

"And all credit to him, it's required an incredible commitment, a lot of bravery and a lot of dedication to that objective. And he's on that journey, and I think with us this next year as the development driver that journey will continue.

"Ultimately, it's not always about what's missing - it's a competitive market, to obtain a race seat. There are many more very, very talented drivers than there are seats.

"And Robert would want it no other way. He's got to earn the right to the race seat, whatever race seats may be available in 2019."

[MIKA27]

Sponsor CNBC switches from Sauber to McLaren

McLaren has announced a new sponsor in CNBC, the leading global business news network, which has switched from the Sauber team after three seasons together.

McLaren said the new multi-year deal will be used to "unlock the potential of the network’s powerful audience of business leaders and investors", as it seeks to boost its fortunes following a dismal few seasons.

"CNBC is a world-class, industry-leading brand and a superb fit for McLaren," said team boss Zak Brown. "This partnership will greatly enhance our ability to reach a global business target audience while enabling both CNBC and McLaren to highlight shared attributes and values.

"Formula 1 is a sport undergoing exciting change at multiple levels and bringing that story to a global business will help raise the profile not only of McLaren and CNBC but the sport of Formula 1 too."

KC Sullivan, president and managing director at CNBC International, added: "With a shared passion for sporting excellence, CNBC is looking forward to working with the McLaren family of brands to tell the story of cutting edge innovation."

[MIKA27]

Manor could return to F1 but only if…

Manor, who dropped out of F1 at the end of the 2016 season, could return to the sport but only if Liberty Media introduce a cost cap.

Manor withdrew from the sport due to a lack of finances.

The team had hoped to find a new backer, but given their disappointing results and the hefty price tag that comes with competing in F1 went into administration in January last year.

The company, though, could yet return to F1 as new owners Liberty Media debate the possible introduction of a cost cap.

Manor CEO Graeme Lowdon told Turun Sanumat: “If nothing changes — if there is no cost cap and the costs stay the same — then we cannot go back because it’s impossible to race against the big teams.

“But we have heard from the FIA and Liberty (Media) that work is being done to reduce the cost for private teams.

“In that case, we are interested in returning. Both myself and (former Manor team principal) John Booth have unfinished business in F1.”

[MIKA27]

Silverstone resurfacing underway

Silverstone will have a new track surface in time for in time for what could be its penultimate British GP.

Last year the British Racing Drivers’ Club used a break clause to end their deal to host the British Grand Prix with 2019 marking the final year that the race will be at Silverstone.

The BRDC, though, are hoping in time to enter a new contract with Liberty Media, one that is more favourable financially.

In the meantime work continues at the circuit as normal with the start of a resurfacing project.

“It’s a very exciting day today as our track resurfacing has started on our National circuit, and will continue around to the International circuit over the next few weeks,” read the tweet.

[MIKA27]

Grosjean says he could race in F1 until he is 40

Romain Grosjean has no plans to retire from Formula 1 and instead feels like he could race on in the championship until he turns 40.
The 31-year-old has completed six full seasons in F1, following a short stint with Renault, and has a contract to continue with Haas for a third season in 2018.

It remains unclear whether the former Lotus driver will stay on at Haas for a fourth season or pursue a move elsewhere on the grid.

"I still have a long way to go to the end," he told Motorsport.com. "I started when I was 27 really in Formula 1, so I feel like I can go a long way, maybe 40, or just before 40.

"I still believe I've got eight, nine seasons ahead, so I'm pretty good."

Grosjean has said he would like to eventually return to Enstone and race for the Renault works team again.

The Frenchman said he still harboured hopes of making a move back, but added he still has ambitions to be successful with Haas.

"It would be nice, especially as Renault is going up with better and better cars," he said.  "I spent a lot of years with them, so it's still a good relationship.

"I don't know what the future is like. I like it here, I'd love to win races as well. It's OK.

"But again, being here and developing the team and getting it to a successful point, a Force India type thing, would be amazing."

Grosjean's teammate Kevin Magnussen, who raced for McLaren and Renault before joining Haas last season, said he harbours ambitions of driving for a big team again but for now is focused on taking Haas forward.

"Obviously, if one day I get a chance to race for a top team, I'd jump at it," Magnussen told Motorsport.com. "I'd go for it absolutely. We're all dreaming of that but until that happens, I'd be happy here.

"I'm very confident we can go forward and small teams can do well; Force India are showing that.

"If you look at Force India's first couple of seasons in Formula 1, as a new team we've raced and done better, so it's looking good and I think the team is going in the right direction."

MIKA: Sounds like wishful thinking!

If Romain keeps on performing at a lackluster level and keep on complaining every race, I seriously don't see him racing for HAAS for long let alone a top team. He had his chance with Renault, decided to give them the flick and now racing for HAAS. If HAAS don't retain him another season beyond this one, I doubt Romain would drive for a Sauber?

[MIKA27]

Sauber "scared" about F1 cost cap potential for trouble

Sauber team boss Fred Vasseur has admitted he is "scared" that a Formula 1 cost cap could leave the sport open to ridicule because of potential difficulties in policing it.
Although his small Swiss outfit would be one of the main beneficiaries of any move to cut the spending of the big teams over the long term, he is cautious about how such plans are introduced.

In particular, he has concerns that a simple budget cap may not be the right way to do it, especially if there was a risk of spending limits becoming the main talking point in the paddock.

"If we have the same money as the top teams we will close the gap," Vasseur told Motorsport.com.

"But I don't know if we have to do that by regulations – like with some standard parts. Then the biggest teams will be able to spend the same as now, but only for marginal gains.

"We could go with financial monitoring, but I am a bit scared about this. On paper it could work but then you have to see how we are able to monitor it during the season to avoid being in a situation that we have in the news or on websites that Ferrari or Mercedes spent 10 Euros more than is allowed.

"Something like that, for the show and the image of F1, would be a worst case scenario, because at this stage – for the fans – the bad side of F1 is that it has become a matter of budgets. And if all together we are only talking about budgets, it would be a nightmare."

Vasseur thinks that some form of cost control is essential, but believes the best way forward would be through limiting opportunities for bigger teams to find performance through extra spending.

"If you want to have a cost cap at $150 million, then it will not affect Force India, it will not affect us, and it will not affect a majority of the teams," he said.

"If you exclude the drivers and marketing, it will be just for the top three teams.

"The best way would be to do it through regulation: limiting the necessary budget to be performant through regulation.

"Mercedes will always be able to spend much more than us, which is fine. But at least you have to give the opportunity for the small teams to be in a position to fight for podiums.

"If you want a good teaser at the start of the race, then it is that [Esteban] Ocon or [Sergio] Perez could be on a podium at every race if they do a good job.

"At the moment you have two Mercedes, two Ferraris and two Red Bulls, and that is a bit boring."

  

Liberty support

Vasseur has also thrown his support behind the efforts that Liberty Media is making to improve F1 – even though its investment in the sport means the teams' income from commercial rights are set to come down over the next few years.

"When you are doing investment you are killing a part of your short term profits, and if that is the reason then it is fine for me," he said.

"On the one hand, I think things are moving forward in a good direction. We are probably a bit more close to the fans, and this part of the business is moving in the right direction.

"The engine regulations will be much more a matter for the engine suppliers, while my concern as a customer is that we have to maintain reasonable engine costs, and perhaps also close the gap on the grid between the engine suppliers – because otherwise you are killing the suspense."

[MIKA27]

PUNCHY FORCE INDIA TARGET FOURTH DESPITE MCLAREN AND RENAULT F1 CHALLENGE

Force India believe that they can retain their fourth place in the F1 Constructors’ Championship, despite the predicted resurgence of McLaren and Renault – and the fact that they have one of the lowest budgets in the sport.

Operations chief Otmar Szafnauer says that while the 2018 car is a development of the car which punched above its weight in 2017, there is plenty of scope to unlock performance and the target is to finish closer to third than last year.

“Our targets have been set already and we are aiming to start at the same level as we did last season and if our development rate is as last year, then we are well placed to finish fourth and maybe get closer to the top three,” he said.

“We passed all the FIA crash tests first time so that helps a lot (with the delivery timeline).

“I can see that McLaren and Renault are going to be stronger and I would also say Williams, because they have a new head of aerodynamics and we mustn’t forget that this is the first car for Paddy Lowe, who was winning world championships with Mercedes before that.

“We have a stable workforce, the key people have all stayed with us,” he added. “We continue to be the most efficient team in F1, we have probably the lowest budget now in the pit lane but it’s the same as last year.”

There have been suggestions from rivals that Force India has been struggling over the winter with cash flow, but Szafnauer said,” There are always issues with cash flow, but they are no more than last year’s.”

Mercedes is believed to have developed a new engine for 2018, to work with the new regulations which require a maximum of three engines per driver for the season. At the top end of its operating range, the motor is rumoured to be close to 1,000 horsepower, which will help with qualifying performance, but the key will be what level it can be run at in races to trade off pace against reliability.

Much attention will again be focussed on the duel between Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon, whose rivalry spilled over last season into some damaging collisions at Baku and Spa, but Szafnauer says that the team got that under control last year and is fascinated to see how the pair compete this season.

“Ocon is still learning, we certainly expect him to pick up where he left off last year, but he will have the advantage this time in the first half of this season of knowing all the tracks.”

Szafnauer predicts a three way battle for the title with Ferrari and Red Bull building on their strong performance at the end of 2017 and a very tight midfield battle.

The new cars will be launched and hit the test track in late February and early March so we will have a much better picture then.

[BrightonCorgi]

15 hours ago, MIKA27 said:

Wouldn't it be much the same? Probably for the worse for the smaller teams over the entire race distance?

My point being, back runners would set up their cars for qualy, the opening stint, but would they have overall race pace for the remainder of the race? The bigger teams would leave their cars "As is" I can't see any changes for them. Reverse grids wouldn't work either.

I think the best solution IMO as a fan, would be to bring back refueling. Cars on the grid would have variations in fuel loads and tires as a result of fuel load weights. This is where we'd see the spectacle of Formula 1 return. It would change everything, pit stop strategies etc. I can't see any other way that would work but I also know that refueling will probably never return. 

I guess, something has to be done.  

The back runners already do not have the pace to get points, that is reason to give them an opportunity with points on Qualifying.

I too agree about bringing back fueling.  I would also like to see a return of launch control, two way telemetry, and latitude to show up with "run what you brung".  All the cars are too similar looking.  I'd also love to see the removal of side view mirrors.

[Martin_F]

7 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

I'd also love to see the removal of side view mirrors.

I'd like to hear your reasoning behind this?

Seems to me even with mirrors, they hit each other too often already.

[BrightonCorgi]

54 minutes ago, Martin_F said:

I'd like to hear your reasoning behind this?

Seems to me even with mirrors, they hit each other too often already.

Drivers would not be able to defend their position as easily and more likely to keep their line around a corner.  Would allow for more passing.

[MIKA27]

ALONSO: WE COULD BE VERY, VERY COMPETITIVE WITH RENAULT

McLaren driver Fernando Alonso is predicting that his three years of misery as a Honda-powered driver will change in 2018 when a Renault engine is bolted to the back of the MCL33 he will race in the forthcoming Formula 1 season.

“Hopefully the last three years will be forgotten very quickly. It’s a completely different game for us. We believe that we could be very, very competitive with Renault power."

“All the preparations of the new car, it is looking much, much [more] promising than before. Our hopes for this year are very high. … Definitely, the mood of the team is completely different.”

Regarding the colour of his 2018 car, Alonso said, “I will be happy with any colour, but the orange is part of McLaren’s DNA…”

Alonso won both his Formula 1 world championship titles when driving for Renault in 2005 and 2006.

[MIKA27]

ALONSO: I’M DOING THIS BECAUSE I LOVE RACING

As he prepares for this weekend’s Daytona 24 Hours, Fernando Alonso points to his passion for racing as the motive to compete in series other than Formula 1 as he will do this when he will drive in the United Autosports Ligier team with fellow McLaren driver Lando Norris and Phil Hanson.

Alonso told reporters, “I’m doing this because I love racing, and I love competing. If those races and that the competition happens in iconic places and big names in motorsport like Daytona Speedway, it’s even more attractive.”

“I was the one telling Zak if there was still some seat available for the Daytona 24, and in 10 minutes, we managed to finish everything [to do it],” added Alonso who in December competed in the amateur Dubai Kartdrome 24 Hours karting race with some of his mates.

He also explained how the race in Florida has already impacted impact the new season for him, “Now I have the opportunity to train those muscles and to get into the racing spirit in the car and racing some of the best racers in the world. It’s a nice preparation and nice warm-up of the season in F1.”

Asked if the Daytona adventure could be a prelude to a foray at Le Mans with Toyota later this year, Alonso said, “It is one thing I would like to do. I would like to compete in the best races in the world, and Le Mans is one of the top races. One day I would like to do it. If that day will be this year or not, it’s to be discussed.”