Latest F1 news in brief

No one knows for sure weather Mercedes is struggling or whether they miss the now semi-retired designer Aldo Costa

Vettel thinks Mercedes could be struggling
Alonso admits 2020 return possible
Kubica says good result in Australia unlikely
Racing Point planning big upgrade for Melbourne
Vandoorne says McLaren was focused on Alonso
Verstappen keeping quiet ahead of 2019 season
Raikkonen admits Alfa Romeo 'fast'
Now Magnussen admits to 4kg weight gain
Ferrari unsure of 2019 pecking order – Gene
Bottas says 'B'-spec Mercedes is better
Sirotkin to be ready for F1 return – Rothenberg
Ferrari reveals wheel rim issue caused Vettel's crash

Vettel thinks Mercedes could be struggling

Vettel talking to media

(GMM) Sebastian Vettel has admitted he thinks Mercedes could be struggling.

While the 2019 pecking-order may be muddied, the general consensus is that Ferrari is leading the pack.

"I have not analyzed the times so much," Vettel, after crashing the 2019 Ferrari in Barcelona, said.

"But I think we should be good. Red Bull looks very strong and consistent, and reliable so far.

"There could also be a few surprises," the German added. "Alfa Romeo, for example, looks very good."

As for Mercedes, the dominant world champion since 2014, Vettel admits the German team may be struggling.

"It's a bit difficult to read what's going on," he said. "Some runs look good, others less so."

But Vettel admitted he was "a little surprised" to see the extent of Mercedes' aerodynamic upgrade for the start of the second Barcelona test.

"But everyone chooses their way. And it only really starts in Melbourne anyway," he said.

Alonso admits 2020 return possible

Fernando Alonso – McLaren Ambassador for now

(GMM) Fernando Alonso has admitted he could return to formula one in 2020.

During his visit to the Circuit de Catalunya for pre-season testing, McLaren announced that the former team driver will be an 'ambassador' this year.

Alonso will also drive "at selected tests", the team revealed.

"I will be a link between the drivers and the engineers," Alonso explained.

However, contrary to speculation, Alonso ruled out driving the 2019 car before Melbourne.

"At the moment every lap for Sainz and Norris is precious," he insisted.

But Alonso said he might "sit in the car" later in the season, whilst also attending about half of the 21 grands prix.

"Mostly in the second half of the season," he said. "Over the next few months, the Indy 500 and my WEC program will have priority."

However, the 37-year-old insists he has not 'retired' from F1.

"I was at the top of my game last year," he said. "It would be a waste to stop now.

"That's why I want to do some of the most famous races before looking again at formula one.

"If I have another chance to drive a competitive car, I want to be ready. And that wouldn't work if I'm sitting on the couch at home."

In view of a 2020 comeback, Alonso's new role does make sense. He said that simply by listening to Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris, "I can judge which of the weaknesses of last year's car were ironed out and which were not".

"I do not have to sit in the car myself for that."

Kubica says good result in Australia unlikely

Robert Kubica

(GMM) Robert Kubica has admitted to having "mixed" feelings as the winter test season prepares to wind down.

Only two days of pre-season running before Melbourne remain, and Williams lost the first two days amid a 2019 car delay.

"My feelings are mixed, because on the one hand we are happy to finally have a normal test day," Kubica, who is returning to F1 in 2019 after an eight year absence due to injury, said on Wednesday.

"But it's not very long until the first race and we are not where we want to be."

For instance, he says he is yet to get to the part of the test program where he can really start to experiment with the car as a driver.

"I will try to do my best and do my job, whatever is required of me," said the 34-year-old Pole.

"It obviously doesn't help to travel to Australia with few test kilometers," Kubica added.

When asked what his goal for Australia is, he answered: "Regardless of the outcome, I want to finish the weekend knowing I did a good job.

"We probably won't be able to fight for the results that people might expect from us."

Racing Point planning big upgrade for Melbourne

Sergio Perez talks to reporters Wednesday

(GMM) Racing Point is putting a brave face on a notable shortage of test kilometers so far in Barcelona.

Not including Williams, the former Force India outfit has collected the least test mileage of any team.

But technical boss Andy Green insists the Racing Point plan is in fact "on schedule".

Mexican driver Sergio Perez is also quoted by motorsport-magazin.com: "We need more kilometers on the last two days to see where we really are.

"But we did not expect to drive too much because we plan to go to Melbourne with a heavily modified car," he added.

Vandoorne says McLaren was focused on Alonso

Stoffel Vandoorne

(GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne says McLaren was almost completely focused on Fernando Alonso during his time with the once-great British team.

Belgian Vandoorne raced at McLaren with Honda and then Renault power in 2017 and 2018, but for 2019 has been dropped and is now a Mercedes simulator and Formula E driver.

He said of his F1 career: "It was not always easy. Actually, it was very difficult.

"My motor sport career went almost perfectly up until formula one," Vandoorne told the Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport.

"I won almost every championship I took part in.

"The timing at McLaren was probably not the best because the car has not been good for several years. Unfortunately it was not the best years in my career."

The 26-year-old confirmed the paddock perception that he suffered because of McLaren's Alonso-centric focus.

"Yes," he said. "Unfortunately, I have never been able to tell 99 per cent of what happened."

Verstappen keeping quiet ahead of 2019 season

Max Verstappen

(GMM) Max Verstappen has suddenly gone very quiet about progress at Red Bull-Honda.

Prior to driving the newly Honda-powered 2019 Red Bull, the energy drink owned team including Verstappen were notably bullish about their chances.

But now, Verstappen says it is "unclear where we stand".

That is despite the fact team official Dr Helmut Marko said recently that Red Bull has moved clear of Mercedes, and is now trailing only Ferrari.

Verstappen said of the 2019 pecking order: "I don't think we will know until after the first race.

"And then the balance of power will shift during the season. Just look at how the pendulum swung back and forth over the past year," he is quoted by Speed Week.

"We are focused on preparing for Australia as well as possible, and we are well on track."

If that sounds vague, Verstappen admitted that he has a certain feeling about how the 2019 world championship will play out.

"Yes, but I will not say," the Dutchman concluded.

McLaren has dominated the top of the timesheets on the first two days of the final Barcelona test, but Renault's Daniel Ricciardo thinks "all the midfield teams could do a 1.17" as well.

"It's a good time, but we have to go faster," said the Australian.

Carlos Sainz, quickest in his McLaren on Wednesday, agrees that the British team is not suddenly leading the F1 field.

"It would be very easy to say we are now a Q3 team after being 16th, 17th, 18th last year, so it is not the time to make predictions," said the Spaniard.

"We do not have Mercedes' ability to suddenly bring a new car to a test. So I would tell the McLaren fans not to be so excited, because we are not going to win in Australia," added Sainz.

Raikkonen admits Alfa Romeo 'fast'

Kimi Raikkonen talks to media Wednesday

(GMM) Kimi Raikkonen has played down mounting speculation about Alfa Romeo's ability to be a dark horse of 2019.

His former Ferrari teammate, Sebastian Vettel, on Wednesday singled out the ex Sauber team as a notable standout of winter testing.

Now working closely with Ferrari, the 2019 Alfa Romeo was designed by former Ferrari designer Simone Resta, and has caught attention with its innovative front wing and other experimental details.

"The car feels good, fast," Finn Raikkonen confirmed to Germany's RTL.

"However in F1, all the cars are fast. Even the slowest ones," he added.

But Raikkonen, now 39, is not known for giving away much to the media. For instance, when asked to divulge something about his 2019 car, he answered: "It is fast."

As for the difference between the Alfa and last year's Ferrari, Raikkonen said: "The rules have changed and this has an effect on how the car looks and behaves, but so far the car has worked well.

"The first race will show us where we are compared to the others. Right now it's just guesswork."

Former F1 driver turned British television pundit Johnny Herbert told Ilta Sanomat newspaper: "It's still early, but Alfa Romeo seems to have a strong car.

"Ferrari was obviously more focused on Seb, and I think Kimi's character is such that he didn't try much to change that.

"But now Alfa looks good and Kimi seems to have more energy," Herbert added.

Now Magnussen admits to 4kg weight gain

Kevin Magnussen

(GMM) Kevin Magnussen has admitted he put on weight over the winter.

The Dane is just the latest driver to admit to bulking up ahead of the 2019 rule change, whereby the driver plus the seat must weigh at least 80kg.

Lewis Hamilton is visibly bigger, and Magnussen's Haas teammate Romain Grosjean admits his increase from 69 to 74kg leaves him with a kilo to lose before Australia.

Ekstra Bladet newspaper reveals that Magnussen has put on a similar amount of weight, going from 69 to 73kg.

"Every day I told my trainer how nice it is to feel that improvement," the 26-year-old said.

"When I step on the scales, I have put on four kilos. And it is clear that it really helps."

However, Magnussen admits that he is still struggling to get comfortable in his 2019 Haas car.

"I have a problem with my neck because the headrest pushes my head too far forward," he said. "So I sit in an uncomfortable position during braking.

"With some changes it is far better than last week, but it's still there."

Ferrari unsure of 2019 pecking order – Gene

The Ferrari appears fast but everyone is still sandbagging

(GMM) A Ferrari test driver will not confirm that the Maranello team is leading the 2019 field.

The paddock consensus is that Ferrari is clearly leading Red Bull-Honda and Mercedes.

Long-serving Ferrari tester and ambassador Marc Gene admits to Diario Sport: "The car debut we had has been very good.

"But we do not know where we are. We know the car is reliable and it responds well to the drivers — we are very happy with how things are going."

Asked if Ferrari is surprised that Mercedes appears to be struggling in the 2019 pre-season, Gene answered: "I know some people say that, but nobody knows. I promise it.

"We know what fuel we are carrying but we do not know what the others are carrying. We know we're fine, but where we are exactly, we don't know."

Former Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso, who will not be in Melbourne in his new role as McLaren ambassador, agrees with the perception that Ferrari is leading.

"Ferrari looks very strong," he said, "but that was also the case in recent years.

"It's a long season," Alonso added. "The midfield is within three to four tenths, and they seem closer to the top three teams than last year.

"But it's all still reading coffee grounds, because we do not know how much fuel everyone is using."

Bottas says 'B'-spec Mercedes is better

Bottas exits garage on Wednesday

(GMM) Mercedes is still scrambling to get ready for the first race of 2019.

That is the admission of Valtteri Bottas, who appeared to confirm the paddock perception that Mercedes is behind not only Ferrari but also Red Bull-Honda.

Indeed, Mercedes arrived for the second test in Barcelona with a visibly different car, admitting that "every aerodynamic surface" was changed after the first test.

"I think only Ferrari and Mercedes have the ability to suddenly bring a new car between tests, and probably another new car to Australia," said McLaren driver Carlos Sainz.

Bottas admits that the 'B' Mercedes is better.

"There is a clear difference compared to last week," he told the Finnish broadcaster C More.

"We had quite big problems in the first test. In fast corners, the car was very difficult, and it was also very difficult to get the setup right.

"Now it is closer to where it should be, but it is still not the way we need it for the first race. Yes, we still have work to do," Bottas added.

Sirotkin to be ready for F1 return – Rothenberg

Sergey Sirotkin – if he has check he will drive

(GMM) Sergey Sirotkin says his plan to return to the F1 grid in 2020 is on track.

The Russian, ousted by Williams at the end of 2018, has re-joined Renault as the reserve driver for 2019.

"I already worked on this team in 2017, so I know the management, the engineers and the mechanics already," Sirotkin told Russia's Championat.

"Yes I am the backup driver, but that does not mean a step backwards. I regard this as another way to achieve my goal."

The 23-year-old remains the top driver in the so-called SMP Racing program, headed by billionaire Boris Rothenberg, founder of SMP Bank.

"We have decided that in 2019 Sergey will return to the Renault team," Rothenberg said.

"The main competition this year for Sergey is the world endurance championship, but in parallel he will return to formula one as a backup driver.

"We expect that Sergey will maximize his potential in the WEC, and will also be ready for the possibility of returning to formula one in the future," the billionaire added.

Ferrari reveals wheel rim issue caused Vettel's crash

Vettel's Ferrari

Ferrari has concluded that Sebastian Vettel's crash in Formula 1 testing at Barcelona on Wednesday was caused by a damaged wheel rim failing.

Vettel lost control of his SF90 at Turn 3 during the morning session, and the car ploughed head-on into the barriers on the outside of the long right-handed corner.

Footage of the incident showed that some kind of failure at the front left of the car triggered the crash, but it took detailed analysis by Ferrari engineers to confirm that the problem was with the wheel rim.

The team said the rim had failed after incurring damage moments earlier.

A statement issued by Ferrari on Thursday said: "After thorough checks we found that Seb's off yesterday was due to a rim issue.

"The rim had been damaged a few seconds before by an impact with a foreign object."