Latest F1 news in brief – Thursday
10/22/15
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For all intents and purposes, Ecclestone gives America the finger. He's badmouthed America and CART since the late 70s US GP chief says Ecclestone 'entitled to opinion'
- Charlie Whiting approves Mexico City circuit
- Marko now 'confident' of Red Bull crisis solution
- Rosberg refusing to admit 2015 title now gone
- Haas to complete 2016 driver lineup
- Three drivers in race for two Manor seats
- Ricciardo signs with former Beckham manager
- Mercedes fixes Sochi glitches for Austin
- Mansell hits out at F1 rules New
- Booth pleased to give Rossi home chance in Manor 'slug' New
US GP chief says Ecclestone 'entitled to opinion'
(GMM) US grand prix boss Jason Dial has responded to disparaging remarks made about America by F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
In the days leading into this weekend's Austin race, the formula one chief ruffled feathers by backing Russian president Vladimir Putin and admitting he is "not very enthusiastic" about Western democracy and particularly America.
"Obviously, he's entitled to his opinion," Dial, the president of the Circuit of the Americas, told Sports Business Daily.
"The team principals that we talk to unabashedly state how important the US market is to them and their sponsors," he added.
Dial did admit that the United States is "still under development" when it comes to fully embracing formula one.
That would undoubtedly be helped if US GP promoter Bobby Epstein's desire for many more American races on the calendar would happen.
"Two races wouldn't help much," he told the Guardian. "But six could. I'm talking about building an audience.
"You have to get up very early in the morning to watch F1 in America. So if you had six races in this time zone it would make a big difference," added Epstein.
This year, Austin is paired back-to-back with a second North American race, as Mexico City makes its return to the calendar.
But Dial says Mexico has actually only caused "headwinds" for the US grand prix, even though ticket sales are slightly up compared to a year ago.
"Given the proximity of Mexico City and it's the very next Sunday, our team has done a fantastic job," he said.
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| Mexico City track |
Charlie Whiting approves Mexico City circuit
(GMM) Mere days before the F1 teams begin to touch down in Mexico City, the renovated Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit has been officially approved by the FIA.
On his way to Austin for this weekend's US grand prix, FIA race director Charlie Whiting inspected the Mexican site, which last hosted a grand prix in 1992.
"We are very pleased with the work that has been done here," the Briton is quoted by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. "I expect a spectacular race."
The report said the laying of the crucial final layer of asphalt had been delayed due to weather conditions, meaning that last-minute finishing touches including curbs, braking markers and advertising hoardings are only now being applied.
Undoubtedly the biggest change to the circuit's layout is the absence of the fearsome, 180-degree Peraltada corner, but promoter Federico Gonzalez insists what is left in its wake is also spectacular.
"This is the new landmark of our venue," he said, referring to a baseball stadium that the cars will race through before speeding to the old Peraltada apex.
"The drivers will arrive like rock stars in a stadium that will be fully packed with 28,000 people," Gonzalez explained.
The atmosphere should also be electric, with the original 80,000 seats selling out within two weeks, prompting promoters to erect additional grandstands.
"After such a long break, the people are hungry for formula one," said Gonzalez.
Mexican driver Sergio Perez commented: "I am sure the whole paddock of formula one will be shocked with the support we get there."
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| Dr. Helmut Marko |
Marko now 'confident' of Red Bull crisis solution
(GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says he is "confident" Red Bull's engine supply crisis will finally end this weekend in Austin.
If it is not solved, team owner Dietrich Mateschitz's end-of-October deadline will arrive and the Austrian billionaire could pull the plug on the sport.
"It would suck," Daniel Ricciardo, the lead driver of the senior team Red Bull Racing, told the Guardian newspaper.
On the face of it, Red Bull is out of options. Mercedes and Ferrari have said no and the relationship with Renault is poisonous.
F1's only other engine supplier, Honda, has also ruled out adding a customer team for 2016, but Autosprint correspondent Alberto Sabbatini says there is a faint hope of a deal with the Japanese manufacturer.
He explained that Red Bull got itself into the situation because it intended to hook up with Audi from 2018, but Mercedes and then Ferrari got wind of the project and baulked at being a mere stop-gap solution.
Then, VW's diesel-gate scandal struck and Red Bull was left with nothing.
Autosprint reports that Honda could be a lifeline for Red Bull, as the energy drink marque could help Honda develop its struggling hybrid technology, even though works partner McLaren "is strongly opposed".
In truth, the more realistic solution for Red Bull is simply to somehow patch up its almost terminal relationship with Renault.
"There will be a meeting in Austin," Marko, Red Bull's closest F1 official to Mateschitz, told Osterreich newspaper. "I am confident that we will find a solution."
The report cited insiders who believe the most likely outcome is that Red Bull will stay with Renault while Toro Rosso switches to 2015-spec Ferrari power.
When asked what he thinks will happen, Mercedes' Toto Wolff answered: "I don't know.
"I am not part of the management of Red Bull," he told the Spanish sports daily Marca.
"In the last two months we have heard of various ideas but I cannot judge. It seems that they are talking with Renault, and for F1 it would be good if they continue."
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| Rosberg has no chance |
Rosberg refusing to admit 2015 title now gone
(GMM) Nico Rosberg is refusing to give up on the 2015 drivers' championship, although even his Mercedes boss does not agree.
"It's a shame that Nico was not able to keep fighting for the title because he has done very well," Toto Wolff told the Spanish daily Marca ahead of the US grand prix.
The Mercedes chief admitted reliability has thwarted Rosberg's chances, warning that even second place for the German is now in doubt.
"Second place is in danger," Wolff admitted, "as Sebastian (Vettel) is now ahead, but Nico has had very bad luck.
"It's not finished, we have four races to go and in Sochi he (Rosberg) was very strong with pole position and leading the race until the car broke down.
"The results we have seen (from Rosberg) are below his actual level."
Rosberg acknowledges that his 73 point gap with just 100 points left to win is a major hurdle, but he refuses to give up.
"I'm still fully focused on it and there are still four races," he told the German broadcaster RTL in the days before Austin.
"We have an amazing car and I go to the last four races trying to win them. That's my aim," he said.
But even if Rosberg does complete the season with a winning spree, Hamilton would have to strike an equally-unlikely patch of terrible luck.
Indeed, in Austin, Rosberg's quest will end if he scores just 2 points fewer than Hamilton, while Vettel's mathematical chances will be over if his deficit in Austin is more 9 points or more.
It would complete the back-to-back clean sweep for Mercedes of two drivers' and two constructors' world championships in 2014 and 2015.
"Yes, the great triumph is close," agreed Wolff, "but it is not done yet. 66 points is a lot, but there are still 100 in play.
"We've seen great comebacks before in F1, so I don't like to start celebrating until it is actually done.
"This is always the danger of sport — you always need to be awake and ready to react. Formula one is a very rapidly changing world," explained Wolff. "You always need to be careful."
For instance, the weather specialists Ubimet have announced that Austin is currently bracing for "the biggest rain event" seen for months in Texas, which "will affect" the US grand prix.
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| Haas isn't going to pick the better driver – American Alexander Rossi – he will pick the one with the biggest checkbook |
Haas to complete 2016 driver lineup
(GMM) Rumors indicate Haas will complete its 2016 driver lineup this weekend in Austin.
Insiders report that with Frenchman Romain Grosjean already signed up, the new American team will use the scene of its home race to announce that Esteban Gutierrez will race the second Haas car next season.
Team boss Gunther Steiner has already admitted that a driver from the Ferrari stable is likely to get the nod, adding that "It would be good for the sport to have a driver from North America".
Californian Alexander Rossi, racing for Manor on home turf this weekend, says it is not him.
"It was a little bit of a surprise they were as against the concept as they were," he told the Associated Press. "But I'm very aware this is as much a business as a sport."
And so it is Ferrari reserve and Mexican Gutierrez who fits the bill, with Steiner further narrowing down the field to say Grosjean's teammate is experienced and will help to compliment Haas's budget through sponsors.
Gutierrez is backed by strong Mexican brands including the Mexican telcom Claro, and it is believed the delay in announcing the deal has been talks to decide how the branding between Haas and Ferrari is split.
As for whether Haas is actually planning a driver announcement for Austin, Circuit of the Americas boss Jason Dial told Sports Business Daily: "I don't know that they will or won't."
What is clear is that Haas' sporting and business model is raising eyebrows up and down pitlane, with even Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff admitting some concern.
"I am convinced that we are not the favorites for next year," he told the Spanish sports daily Marca.
"Ferrari is developing a very intelligent union with Haas, and they are sure to benefit from it, which is something we have to look for in the future as well.
"We hope that Ferrari is very strong in 2016. From my view, if they are not the team to beat next year, they will be a very strong competitor," Wolff added.
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| Get a good look at Rossi this year when the Manor is a slug, where is he going to come up with $10M to buy his ride next year when the Manor gets the superior Mercedes engine? |
Three drivers in race for two Manor seats
(GMM) At Manor, three divided by two plus a Mercedes power unit means the British team has revved up its asking price for 2016.
Toto Wolff, the Mercedes chief, has said now on several occasions that while he would like to place Pascal Wehrlein at Manor next year, the two sides are currently negotiating over price.
Some reports suggest the gap is as much as $7 million, with Mercedes offering to pay $3m but Manor insisting that its cockpits are worth $10 million apiece for 2016.
The team has struggled through most of 2015 with Will Stevens alongside Roberto Merhi.
Briton Stevens brought money to his seat this year, but Manor is now asking for more for 2016. And Merhi – who brought no significant backing whatsoever – was recently displaced by the sponsored American rookie Alexander Rossi.
And so with Wehrlein now also in the reckoning, incumbents Rossi and Stevens are scrambling to put together their backing packages for 2016.
"I (have) got a seat," Rossi told the Associated Press. "Now I have to find a way to stay."
Stevens' manager Glenn Beavis, meanwhile, told the Telegraph: "We are currently in negotiations over 2016 and hope to sort out Will's future by the end of the season."
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| Ricciardo |
Ricciardo signs with former Beckham manager
(GMM) Daniel Ricciardo has signed up with sports manager Simon Bayliff, known for managing Tour de France star Mark Cavendish and formerly with British football legend David Beckham.
Earlier in 2015, Australian Ricciardo – whose career to date has been guided by Red Bull – played down the need for a manager.
"Red Bull has always pretty much picked where I go," he said. "So I haven't really had the need."
But Ricciardo then began to court interest from Ferrari, while at the moment Red Bull's entire involvement in formula one is up in the air amid the engine supply crisis.
And so the popular 26-year-old has signed up with Bayliff's newly-created agency Arete, which also has top female triathlete Jodie Stimpson on the roster.
Bayliff said: "Daniel is without doubt one of the most engaging, personable and talented athletes on the formula one grid.
"These unique on and off track characteristics have our team extremely excited to be working alongside him to help achieve his commercial ambitions."
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| Glitches fixed so Mercedes can again parade 1-2 at the front in Austin |
Mercedes fixes Sochi glitches for Austin
(GMM) Mercedes has travelled to Austin with fixes for the two reliability problems suffered at Sochi recently.
Nico Rosberg's title chances were effectively destroyed when a small and inexpensive 'O-ring' in the throttle mechanism broke.
It was a tried and tested design, but Auto Motor und Sport reports that Mercedes has reacted by re-designing it anyway.
"We never expected that it would fail," an engineer is quoted as saying.
And even though Lewis Hamilton went on to win in Russia, the pitwall was nervously watching an intermittent 'stalling' problem with his rear wing — probably caused by chunks of tire debris sticking to it.
"The wing has been modified in the area of the endplates in order to guarantee stable downforce," correspondent Michael Schmidt reports on Thursday.
Marc Surer, a former F1 driver turned TV pundit, said he expects Hamilton to seal the lid on the drivers' world championship this weekend.
"I think so," he told the German broadcaster Sky. "Unless his car fails.
"Reliability at Mercedes has been a problem lately, with Rosberg suffering not only at the last race but also in Singapore.
"And it always seems to be something different. That is what is unpredictable and difficult for them to control now," Surer added.
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| Nigl Mansell unloads on F1 |
Mansell hits out at F1 rules
Not for nothing was Nigel Mansell known as Il Leone by the tifosi, the Briton proving as hard-nosed and determined in a Ferrari as he had been in the Lotus and Williams.
Though his out-of-cockpit persona left a lot to be desired, many in the paddock still suffering the after effects of the whine seemingly forever emanating from his garage, once behind the wheel there were none braver, none more exciting.
Nowadays, the Briton is clearly more at ease with himself and the world, including F1; as well as attending numerous races as a steward, he has built a loyal following on Twitter with his insightful, passionate and intelligent thoughts.
Never backward in sharing his opinion, ahead of this weekend's United States Grand Prix, the Briton has voiced his opinion on the current states of F1, and like many he is not happy.
"They must change the rules, and I've been saying that for years," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "In my era you were lucky if you had three engineers, while there are thirty in the pit box at this time. Tires were wider, but we still slipped around corners which allowed a driver to show their style.
"Today the cars are easy to drive, as the pit wall tells you everything all the time and the drivers aren't able to show their abilities," he added. "If you are aggressive, you wear out the tires, therefore you must go slower. And things like the DRS are madness: what skill is there in passing in that manner?"
Another aspect of contemporary F1 that rankles Mansell is the reliance on simulators. Indeed, whilst impressed by rookie Max Verstappen, the Briton feels that the manner in which he has become so competitive, so young and so quickly, is indicative of the direction F1 is heading.
"It is clear he has talent, but he is the perfect example of how drivers evolve today. It's surprising to see him so fast on tracks he has never been on before, but that is thanks to the simulators. He doesn't need to know the car, as the engineers take care of that.
"He also has one less thing to worry about thanks to improved safety. His accident in Monaco would have cost him in the past, as many others have had to retire after similar incidents."
Asked which driver, Hamilton, Vettel or Alonso is best, Mansell replies: "They are three great drivers. I would like to see them in the same car to find that out.
"Lewis has a great team, wins with little trouble and that is why everything is easy for him. He is enjoying himself and is relaxed. Like Sir Jackie Stewart said, he is racing on a red carpet.
"More competition, and a Ferrari that is closer in performance to Mercedes, is needed, so that things would be like my era when Senna, Prost, Piquet and I were always fighting." Pitpass
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| Rossi is happy to be on the F1 grid, but make no mistake about it, the Manor he is driving is a slug and he will come off looking like a wanker – which is perhaps the best way to ensure you have a very short career in F1. His only hope is that he finds $10M to buy his ride next year when the team will get the powerful Mercedes engine. |
Booth pleased to give Rossi home chance in Manor 'slug'
Manor Marussia team boss John Booth says it is a "pleasure" for the outfit to be able to provide Alexander Rossi with the opportunity to compete at his home event in the United States this weekend.
Having stepped back to GP2 for the most recent round in Russia, Rossi will return to the Manor Marussia cockpit in Austin to become the first American driver to compete at the United States Grand Prix since Scott Speed in 2007.
"It gives us great pleasure to provide any genuine young talent with the opportunity to showcase their potential in one of our cars, particularly in front of their home crowd," explained Booth, whose outfit was absent from the 2014 event after entering administration.
"Alexander more than earned his stripes in the two races he has competed in for us so far – in Singapore and Japan – and that experience will have equipped him well for the exciting challenge of this weekend's United States Grand Prix."
Booth nonetheless believes that, having trailed his new team-mate in Singapore and Japan, regular driver Will Stevens will be keen to beat the returning Rossi.
"We have been treated to a fascinating battle between team-mates over the past few races and we are sure that, in the nicest possible way – in as much as fiercely competitive drivers can afford – Will is going be keen to spoil Alexander's party this weekend," Booth said.
"That spirit of racing is what we are all about as a team, and although there is a championship being decided at the front of the grid, we'll have our own intense battle going on, I'm sure."