Latest F1 news in brief

Ricciardo says Newey's latest creation much improved

Day of contrasts marks start of test season
Kobayashi to keep career alive in Japan
Hamilton, Dennis say Alonso not Mercedes-bound
McLaren not ruling out livery change
Alonso puts brave face on McLaren struggles
Newey not expecting Red Bull to match Mercedes
Ricciardo notes 'step forward' with RB11
Video: Red Bull's first day at Jerez
Video: Pre-season interview with Red Bull's Adrian Newey

Day of contrasts marks start of test season
(GMM) F1's 2015 test season kicked off on Sunday amid stark contrasts, as Mercedes looked set to extend its utter dominance into a second championship campaign.

The German giant, in fact, stunned rival engineers up and down the pitlane as Nico Rosberg pounded around the Jerez circuit almost 160 times — a first-day feat perhaps unprecedented in the history of the sport.

Mercedes figures could even joke about it.

"Today we reveal our secret," smiled boss Toto Wolff, who is on crutches after a training accident.

"We want to do endurance racing at Le Mans as well," he joked, according to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

And world champion Lewis Hamilton, who spent the day in contract talks with Wolff and Niki Lauda, laughed: "Tomorrow we want to do 180 laps!"

In utter contrast, Force India is entirely absent at Jerez amid rumors of debt and supplier troubles, McLaren struggled to run at all amid more Honda teething trouble, while Lotus' new E23 only arrived at the circuit late on Sunday.

"It was expected that we would not run on the first day," Lotus driver Romain Grosjean told RMC Sport.

"I don't know if we will be ready on Monday but we will run on the last two days.

"We have pushed the development and parts arrived later than expected, but things are looking better than last year," the Frenchman added.

Sebastian Vettel, meanwhile, surprised the paddock by topping the times, although he conceded he might have been even happier had his new Ferrari been able to match Mercedes' stunning reliability feats.

"They (Mercedes) are very quick," said the German, "let's just hope not quite as fast as last year.

"Our aim this year must be to close the gap to them," he told reporters in southern Spain.

Italy's authoritative La Gazzetta dello Sport claims Ferrari may have been able to improve its engine by up to 80 horse power compared to last year, which if true will surely guarantee a much better season than 2014.

Vettel, meanwhile, pushed back against rumors he came close to quitting F1 last year as he struggled to thrive and enjoy the sport under the new V6 rules.

"You can either pack it in or accept it," he said. "I'm still here even if it's true I would prefer a big V12."

So for now, the paddock is expecting another year of Mercedes dominance, even if Rosberg and Hamilton are already playing down talk of more easy winning.

"Not long ago, Red Bull was unbeatable," said Rosberg. "They'll be strong again.

"Williams was just a few seconds behind Lewis at the last race in Abu Dhabi, and you always have to expect something from Ferrari and McLaren," the German added.

World champion Hamilton agreed: "We have taken a step, but to repeat what we did last year will be difficult.

"It's easier for those who are behind us to make bigger steps forward," the Briton mused.

Kamui Kobayashi

Kobayashi to keep career alive in Japan
(GMM) F1 favorite Kamui Kobayashi has kept his motor racing career alive for 2015.

The popular Japanese raced last year with Caterham, and although the ailing backmarker's administrators have not given up, the team is not at Jerez for the first test of the new season.

Kobayashi, 28, tested late last year for his native Japan's premier open wheeler category Super Formula, and reports have emerged that he has subsequent signed for Toyota.

Kobayashi's F1 career began with the Japanese marque, initially as a test driver in 2008 and 2009, before he signed full-time for Sauber in 2010.

He confirmed on Facebook: "I join Super Formula series for 2015.

"Happy to race back home after 12 years in Europe."

Hamilton, Dennis say Alonso not Mercedes-bound
(GMM) Lewis Hamilton and Ron Dennis have dismissed speculation Fernando Alonso could be planning to spoil their respective plans.

While Nico Rosberg pounded around Jerez on Sunday in the impressive new Mercedes, world champion Hamilton was meeting with bosses Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda.

The hot topic was a new contract, as the Briton's deal is set to expire.

Hamilton and his personal lawyer are dealing with the negotiations alone, after the 30-year-old split with his former management, XIX Entertainment.

Hamilton and Mercedes undoubtedly want to stay together beyond 2015, but the stumbling block could be money, particularly as the Briton is now charging for his third drivers' title and a place in the history books as a true F1 great.

"I am my own man. I know my worth," he is quoted by the BBC.

"It is going to be hard," Hamilton admitted. "Toto is a big businessman and is great at negotiating and he is up against a rookie, but I have good grounds for it."

Recently, Wolff appeared to step up the pressure on Hamilton by declaring that Alonso is at the front of the queue should a vacancy arise for 2016.

But Ron Dennis, having secured the highly-coveted Spaniard for the new Honda project, dismissed that by insisting no McLaren driver "has ever had performance clauses in his contract".

Hamilton, however, hinted at Jerez on Sunday that Alonso is indeed keen to take his seat.

He recalled telling his bosses late last season: "I'm not speaking to anyone else, and I know you're being called by a certain individual, but I'm solely focused on things so I won't be making any calls."

But Hamilton said that now his own former mentor and boss has secured Alonso, Dennis will not be letting him go any time soon.

"Ron's a very smart man," Hamilton said. "He would never sign Fernando for one year, and Honda would never do that either."

The Hamilton camp may also be returning fire at Wolff with its own style of pressure, amid new rumors the driver may have begun preliminary talks with Ferrari.

Lauda, Mercedes' team chairman who wooed Hamilton from McLaren at the end of 2012, said: "There is no problem with the contract.

"We just need to find a time to do it and then all the speculation can go away."

Wolff, however, said he is in no rush to seal the deal.

"We have a good, stable and open partnership," he told Auto Motor und Sport, "we trust each other, so there is no immediate pressure to do everything before the start of the season.

"We certainly hope to do it sooner rather than later, but we do not think something unexpected is going to happen," said Wolff.

McLaren not ruling out livery change
(GMM) McLaren supremo Ron Dennis is not ruling out a change of livery for the newly-launched MP4-30.

We reported last week that, amid raised expectations of an orange or iconic red and white livery to herald the new works Honda partnership, some fans were disappointed when the familiar silver and black car was launched for 2015.

Dennis responded to the criticism on Sunday, where the MP4-30 managed just 6 sluggish laps as the uniquely-growling Honda V6 continued to struggle in Fernando Alonso's hands.

"This is the livery of McLaren," he insisted. "It has always been a combination of these colors and it will only change for commercial reasons."

Indeed, McLaren is entering a second consecutive season without a title sponsor, but there are hints of perhaps advanced negotiations.

For instance, the team trucks and garage at Jerez is notably devoid of a corporate theme, indicating McLaren could be shaping up for a change some time soon.

"It (the livery) will change," Dennis confirmed. "But I'm not going to say when."

He acknowledged that some fans were disappointed with the MP4-30's current colors, but insisted: "You can't just go with Twitter."

Confusingly, however, McLaren promptly took to Twitter to consult with the fans over their preference for the new livery.

"RT (re-tweet) for orange, FT (favorite) for red and white," the British team declared.

Alonso can write off the 2015 season right now

Alonso puts brave face on McLaren struggles
(GMM) Fernando Alonso on Sunday put on a brave face as he admitted his first day in the MP4-30 was a "slow start" to his new chapter at McLaren.

The Spaniard, having switched from Ferrari to spearhead the new works Honda era, did just 6 uncompetitive laps all day in his new 2015 office, while Mercedes looked set to dominate yet again.

"They (Mercedes) have the continuation of a dominant car," Alonso told reporters, "so it is a little bit easier than for us who have a new power unit.

"But we have a very streamlined, aggressive car design and I don't think that Mercedes will win so many races this year. They are the favorites, yes, but I think all the other teams are closer than last year," he added.

Although McLaren is struggling at present, Alonso said he is settling in for the long haul, and not predicting any of the problems that so badly marred his first tenure at Woking in 2007.

"I've changed," he is quoted by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

"I was only 25 years old. Now is the perfect time to get back together.

"With Eric (Boullier), the team is more open and international, the design has changed completely with Peter (Prodromou), and Honda is back after 22 years.

"The whole team believes in this project and it's a fantastic feeling," Alonso insisted.

The 33-year-old also could not resist throwing a couple of barbs at Ferrari, where his replacement Sebastian Vettel managed to top Sunday's times in the new red SF15-T.

"Last year we were also among the fastest on Fridays," Alonso is quoted by Brazil's Globo, "and then on Saturday and Sunday we fell back."

And he also alluded to Ferrari when asked if he is prepared to sit and wait for McLaren-Honda to get up to speed.

"I think the past five years has shown I can be patient," Alonso answered.

Newey not expecting Red Bull to match Mercedes
(GMM) Adrian Newey has admitted that while Renault has improved its engine over the winter, it may not be enough to challenge Mercedes for the title.

The Red Bull technical boss, while heavily involved with the newly-revealed RB11, is now taking a step back to work on other projects, including the America's Cup and possibly a Red Bull road car.

Designer Rob Marshall told Auto Motor und Sport: "So far I've talked to Adrian every day. In the future it will be every second or third day."

Still, the striking zebra-like camouflage test livery is masking plenty of Newey secrets, with Mercedes' Paddy Lowe admitting to Bild newspaper: "It (the livery) is really effective!"

Dr Helmut Marko said he is "very confident" the RB11 is "really good".

Less certain is whether engine supplier Renault's restructuring and heavy modifications to the turbo V6 design of 2014 is enough to begin to challenge Mercedes this year.

Newey is actually predicting only "the odd win" for Red Bull, but Daniel Ricciardo on Sunday said he could already feel a "general improvement" from the engine as he debuted the RB11.

"Renault has said the deficit to Mercedes last year was 10 per cent," Newey warned. "That is a deficit that is really difficult to make up in a short time."

He said it is impossible to compensate for the horse power deficit through better aerodynamics alone, even though the design office is working hard on the new nose rules.

"There is no doubt that we will see many different solutions in this area," Marshall revealed.

But Newey insisted that the obvious favorite for 2015 is still Mercedes.

"Today's rules emphasize the engine and are extremely restrictive on the chassis side," the Briton is quoted by Italiaracing.

"I do not mean that there is no difference between the cars, but it is very, very difficult to gain a competitive advantage with such restrictive rules."

So after witnessing Nico Rosberg put an astonishing 157 laps on the new Mercedes on its first day of proper running, Newey said: "It's not a surprise.

"Thanks to their engine they have been able to focus on the chassis and make it reliable."

Daniel Ricciardo displayed Red Bull's new 'camo' livery yesterday at Jerez

Ricciardo notes 'step forward' with RB11
Daniel Ricciardo says he could feel clear improvements with Red Bull's new Formula 1 car as pre-season testing got underway at Jerez.

Ricciardo finished the opening day fourth fastest with 35 laps to his name, more mileage than the team managed during the whole of last year's test.

Although there were still issues to contend with following a smoky return to the pits, the Australian was encouraged by his first taste of the RB11.

"We got going pretty well this morning and I got a few laps under my belt," said Ricciardo, who showcased the team's camouflage testing livery.

"The first impressions are good. We'll get a few more laps over the next few days, but so far everything seems pretty encouraging.

"I can feel a step forward; I won't go into too much detail but it's there.

"In general, everything is behaving as it should. We had a couple of issues, but once the car is running it's all going pretty normally."

Ricciardo will hand over to new team-mate Daniil Kvyat for Monday's running.

Video: Red Bull's first day at Jerez

Video: Pre-season interview with Red Bull's Adrian Newey