Latest F1 news in brief

Alonso accused of tax evasion, which he denies

Ecclestone eyes 'second division' with old Red Bull and 'screaming' engines
McLaren designer says race finish in Melbourne 'realistic'
Alonso vows to sue over tax evasion reports
Ferrari tester says Mercedes is 2015 'favorite'
Some teens can be ready for F1 – Verstappen
Nurburgring makes proposal to save German GP
Vettel camp denies copying Schumacher helmet

Ecclestone eyes 'second division' with old Red Bull and 'screaming' engines
(GMM) Bernie Ecclestone is working on a contingency plan in case the F1 grid continues to dwindle.

If Marussia's bid to return this year should fail, the pitlane looks set to house just nine teams in 2015.

And with other teams including Force India, Sauber and even Lotus thought to be stretched financially, there is a risk the grid could fall below 16 cars in the near future.

One oft-touted solution is three-car teams, but according to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, F1 supremo Ecclestone is working on another fix to boost grid numbers.

Ecclestone is doing everything he can to get the 'scream' back in F1

Correspondent Michael Schmidt claims Ecclestone quietly prefers the idea of a "second division" for the pinnacle of motor sport, "with 2013 Red Bulls and Mecachrome V8 engines".

Originally, Ecclestone's touted idea was for a sort of 'Super GP2', featuring cars from the feeder series with more powerful engines.

But Schmidt said the 84-year-old Briton's new idea is to attract entrants for his second division with a EUR 15 million startup package.

"The former F1 team boss Colin Kolles would prepare the base as the 2013 Red Bull chassis. The V8 engine would be produced by Flavio Briatore at Mecachrome," the Auto Motor und Sport report reads.

Schmidt said the initial proposal was rejected by Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren at last Thursday's strategy group meeting in Paris.

McLaren designer says race finish in Melbourne 'realistic'
(GMM) McLaren-Honda is confident it will see the checkered flag in Melbourne.

Together again after more than two decades, the famous British team and the returning Japanese manufacturer notably struggled at the opening winter test at Jerez.

"I thought they would be on the same level as Renault and Ferrari," said former McLaren driver David Coulthard.

"They (Honda) had an extra year to develop the package for racing, having announced two years ago that they are returning to formula one.

"I was really surprised to see their problems at the post-Abu Dhabi test, and they're still having problems now," the Scot told German-language Spox.

McLaren chassis designer Matt Morris admitted to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport that testing so far has obviously not been perfect.

"The number of laps and the performance was disappointing," he admitted, "but we were able to tick off some things on the program that showed us that our new car is good."

Morris said the correlation between the wind tunnel and the track, as well as cooling, was spot-on, "which is good news, as problems in that area cannot be easily solved".

However, other areas of the development program have been delayed, Morris admitted.

"We have slowed the aero program," he said. "It makes no sense to bring upgrades when you have a lack of kilometers on the basic package.

"The plan was to start the season where we left off in 2014. However, this will require a testing program without any major incidents."

That now seems unlikely, so when asked if McLaren-Honda is instead hoping simply to see the checkered flag in Melbourne, Morris admitted: "I think that's realistic."

Alonso vows to sue over tax evasion reports
(GMM) Fernando Alonso is threatening legal action after being named on a list of those suspected of tax evasion.

The so-called 'Falciani list', named after a whistleblower, features thousands of names of those with Swiss accounts who reportedly used the HSBC bank to evade tax by placing money offshore.

Also on the list are Michael Schumacher, Flavio Briatore and Heikki Kovalainen, according to major newspapers including the French daily Le Monde.

According to the Spanish news agency EFE, Spaniard Alonso – accused of holding $42 million in four separate accounts – has hit back at the reports by threatening to sue over damage to his reputation.

A source close to Alonso, who today lives in Dubai, insisted: "Revenue authorities have never asked him anything because his situation has always been impeccable."

EFE claims Alonso confirmed in a statement that he has ordered the "filing of several lawsuits" in the wake of the media reports.

Former Renault boss Flavio Briatore, who was linked managerially both to Alonso and Kovalainen, also hit back at the claims, insisting that his "accounts with HSBC had for years been reported to the authorities who never found any tax irregularities".

Reports had claimed Briatore's nine HSBC accounts contained EUR 64 million.

Marc Gene

Ferrari tester says Mercedes is 2015 'favorite'
(GMM) Ferrari tester Marc Gene has acknowledged that Mercedes remains the favorite for the 2015 season.

After Jerez, where the formerly struggling Maranello team surprised the F1 world with its headline test times, many predicted Ferrari might be in a position to challenge the ultra-dominant 2014 champions Mercedes this year.

Also vastly improved at Jerez was the Ferrari customer Sauber, amid rumors designers at Maranello have found between 40 and 80 horse power over the winter period.

Ferrari tester Gene, however, told the Spanish daily Marca: "Winning races is not what we expect this year. That would be a very pleasant surprise.

"The car is better, that was the goal, but the favorite is Mercedes."

Max Verstappen

Some teens can be ready for F1 – Verstappen
(GMM) Max Verstappen says he understands the FIA's decision to clamp down on the age and inexperience of future rookies in formula one.

In just over a month, the Dutchman will smash the all-time record for the youngest ever race driver on the grid, when he hits the throttle in Melbourne at the controversial age of 17 years and 5 months.

In reaction to Verstappen's signing by Toro Rosso, the FIA has imposed for 2016 a raft of new 'super license' rules that, firstly, will ban from F1 anyone under the age of 18.

The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf quotes Verstappen as agreeing: "Someone who is 15 or 16 is not ready for formula one. He should be karting.

"So I do understand what the FIA has done. But I'm glad I have a contract."

However, Verstappen insists that drivers in his situation should not necessarily be locked outside of the sport in the future.

"Those with the talent should not be deprived of their chance in F1," he said.

"If these rules had been around before, some big names like Kimi Raikkonen could not have made their starts.

"Some are more ready than others, which is also true for me," Verstappen, whose father is the former F1 driver Jos, argued.

"Since my childhood, formula one was the goal. It is what myself and my father were working towards during all those years in karting. I know of nothing else."

Notwithstanding his preparation, Verstappen admits that even he hesitated when the offer from Toro Rosso landed in his lap last summer.

"You only really know if you are ready for formula one after you've actually driven a formula one car," he said.

"In that respect, I took a risk because I signed without having driven one meter in a F1 car. But because Toro Rosso promised to give me experience in the practice sessions, I had no argument to say no," Verstappen added.

Nurburgring makes proposal to save German GP
(GMM) The Nurburgring has tabled an offer in the hope of keeping the German grand prix alive in 2015.

The F1 paddock – and particularly Germany's prominent representatives including Mercedes, Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel – has reacted with concern to Bernie Ecclestone's news that it is possible neither the Nurburgring or Hockenheim can afford to host formula one this year.

"It is important not to forget the backbone and history of formula one," former F1 driver David Coulthard insists.

"There are some historic grands prix, like Britain, Italy, Belgium, Monaco and a few others, and Germany is definitely among them," he told Spox.

As things stand, however, television and trackside audiences in Germany have been dwindling, leaving Hockenheim struggling to limit its financial losses.

And the Nurburgring is struggling for mere survival amid an ownership crisis.

But Nurburgring spokesman Carsten Schumacher has revealed that the circuit, which according to the official F1 calendar is due to host the race this July, has made a new proposal to Ecclestone in a bid to end the uncertainty.

"We made an offer to Bernie Ecclestone and we are awaiting his response," he told Motorsport Aktuell.

Explaining the proposal, Schumacher said Ecclestone would "organize the grand prix of Germany and also collect all the profits".

It is unclear if Ecclestone will agree, but Coulthard argues that the sport should be flexible in order to safeguard its 'historic' races.

"There is a strong case that circuits like this should remain part of the world championship," he said.

"Should they be given preferential treatment? I would say yes, but it is also a business decision. Formula one is a business, and at the end of the day, somebody has to run it."

Vettel camp denies copying Schumacher helmet
(GMM) The Sebastian Vettel camp has denied claims the quadruple world champion's 2015 helmet livery is based on a design once worn by the great Michael Schumacher.

Publications including La Gazzetta dello Sport (Italy) and Germany's Sport Bild had made the link between Vettel's new white design and an almost identical one reportedly worn by his mentor and idol Schumacher in his karting days in the mid 80s.

But Jens Munser, the designer behind Vettel's multitude of liveries, says he and the 27-year-old driver devised the 2015 helmet without Schumacher in mind.

"We deliberately kept the design simple," he told Sport Bild.

"We liked his provisional helmet from the first Ferrari test at Fiorano, and Sebastian wanted to add the German colors so that he is better recognized," Munser, who also painted the great Schumacher's latter red helmets, added.

Vettel's assistant Britta Roeske confirmed that the helmet was designed without either the new Ferrari driver or Munser having any knowledge of Schumacher's mid-80s karting livery.

Munser continued: "The off-centre stripe running from front to back was my suggestion.

"I originally wanted the helmet divided in two different colors. But we both liked the white helmet Sebastian used in November so much that we kept it."

Interestingly, the red used for Vettel's new tricolor stripe and the famous red of Schumacher's famous latter designs is an identical huge, given that Munser painted both driver's F1 helmets.