Latest F1 news in brief

Alfa Romeo surprised everyone with their unique front wing design

Alfa Romeo surprised to have aced front wing design
Ricciardo hopeful passing will be easier
Russell defends Williams after test delay
Sainz Jr. plays down 'very small' garage fire
Leclerc wants first win 'soon'
Norris preparing hard for F1 debut
Bottas expects 'equal' treatment early in 2019
No B-team alliance leaves Mercedes 'alone' – Marko
Mercedes brings heavily revised car back to Barcelona

Alfa Romeo surprised to have aced front wing design

(GMM) The team formerly known as Sauber says it is surprised to be apparently leading the pack when it comes to front wing design in 2019.

The aerodynamic rules have changed for this year to aid overtaking, and it is Alfa Romeo with the innovative design that big teams like Mercedes and Red Bull are now contemplating copying.

"For our engineers, this was the only concept right from the start. They assumed that everyone would follow this path," said team manager Beat Zehnder.

"When we saw the launch photos of Mercedes and Red Bull, we thought they were just to distract. We were sure that in the test they would come up with the same solution as us," he told Auto Motor und Sport.

In reality, it is believed both Mercedes and Red Bull are now thinking about abandoning their own concepts and copying the Alfa Romeo-Ferrari solution.

"It would be more work for Mercedes than for Red Bull," said Racing Point's technical boss Andy Green. "Red Bull only has to make a few adjustments, but Mercedes has the wrong nose.

"But Mercedes is so big and experienced that they could do it in a reasonable amount of time."

Adrian Newey, the Red Bull designer, confirmed that the energy drink team could switch to the other concept "quickly and easily".

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff told Spain's Radio Marca: "When there is a change in the regulations you must have the mentality that if something works better, you have to try it."

However, he added: "They are not changes made from one day to the next. Changing the aerodynamic concept is not a matter of days or weeks, but of months."

Ricciardo hopeful passing will be easier

Daniel Ricciardo

(GMM) Daniel Ricciardo is hopeful overtaking will indeed be easier in 2019.

The front wings in particular have been changed for this year to allow chasing cars to have a better chance of following and passing his rival.

But the early reports based on simulation data and the opening Barcelona test last week indicated that passing will in fact not be easier this year.

However, Renault driver Daniel Ricciardo is more hopeful.

"I can't remember exactly who was in front of me, and I suspect that he had more fuel than me. Maybe that's why it was a little easier for me to follow him," he is quoted by Speed Week.

"But for me, it definitely felt like progress," Ricciardo added.

"We will have to wait and see if the rules do what we want them to do, but I would like to take it as a good sign that things will be better in the future."

Russell defends Williams after test delay

George Russell

(GMM) George Russell has defended Williams after the struggling British team's high profile 2019 car delay.

Already dead last in 2018, Williams missed the first two days of testing in Barcelona and Robert Kubica said at the end of the test that he learned "nothing".

But Russell, the baby-faced Formula 2 champion, defended his team.

"Even I did not realize how much work is needed to get a F1 car up and running," he is quoted by Speed Week.

"We've seen it already with Force India, because they also missed the tests in 2015 and still finished fifth in the championship," the 21-year-old added.

"You don't get points for testing, and who knows what's going to happen. Of course it was frustrating to have to watch everyone else driving, but at the same time I understood how much work was being done behind the scenes.

"So that part wasn't frustrating. I know that no one put us in this situation deliberately," Russell said.

"I am very proud of the guys who work so hard. It's a privilege to drive for this team. Yes, we have less kilometers on the board than the others. But I have every confidence in our team."

Sainz Jr. plays down 'very small' garage fire

Carlos Sainz Jr.

(GMM) Carlos Sainz Jr. says a garage fire was a minor blip in an otherwise positive start to McLaren's 2019 season.

During a filming day on Friday, a few team mechanics had to be treated for burns.

"It was very small," driver Sainz told Movistar.

"There were little burns on the arms of some mechanics but the car was damaged at all," he added. "No one was happy but it was minimal."

Apart from that, Sainz said he is happy with how McLaren's testing is going so far.

"I would say we are behind Ferrari," he laughed. "Seriously, we don't know where we are."

What he does know is that McLaren embarked on a course to correct its competitive decline that led to Fernando Alonso's decision to quit the sport.

"It was difficult but it had to be done," said Sainz. "There had to be a change of mentality, philosophy, a reset, a self-criticism.

"I don't know how long it will take us to get where we want but at least we have started."

Sainz said the 2019 car is a "new concept" with "many changes".

"It seems to have very little to do with last year in a visual and conceptual sense," he said. "We have a lot to learn from this car."

And so he says even failing to score a single point in Australia will not be regarded as a "failure or a disappointment".

"It would be a starting point," Sainz added.

He says even the Renault engine has taken "a step forward" for 2019, but Sainz admitted that the power unit is still "a little behind Ferrari and Mercedes".

Finally, Sainz was asked about the man he replaces at McLaren: his countryman and mentor Fernando Alonso.

"I've been in contact with Fernando but not about what he is going to do with the team. Zak Brown will know more about his agenda.

"But while Carlos Sainz will always miss Fernando, I hope the team will not miss him as much, because they have me," Sainz smiled.

Leclerc wants first win 'soon'

Charles Leclerc expects to win right away

(GMM) Charles Leclerc is showing no sign of being willing to fall in line as Sebastian Vettel's 'number 2'.

It is believed Vettel and now departed team boss Maurizio Arrivabene fell out last year after the German surmised that he was not getting enough support.

The new boss at Ferrari is Mattia Binotto, and amid speculation newcomer Leclerc may mount a serious challenge this year, Binotto said it will be Vettel with "priority".

However, Sky Deutschland quotes Leclerc as saying: "I'm going to accelerate. I really want to win my first race soon.

"I think if Mattia has the problem of dealing with two fast drivers, that would be a good sign for me."

Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton also expects Leclerc to be fast in 2019, saying: "He will surprise many people, even within his own team."

But 21-year-old Leclerc also doesn't sound like he wants a war with Vettel.

"We work very well together," he said. "Seb is a really nice guy, it's not difficult to get along with him, which is good."

Norris preparing hard for F1 debut

Lando Norris

(GMM) Lando Norris says he is hard at work preparing for his F1 debut.

The 19-year-old Formula 2 runner-up is making his debut for McLaren this year, as the once-great F1 team rebuilds after an uncompetitive last few years.

Norris told the Dutch publication Formule 1 that the workload as he prepares to debut is often "overwhelming".

"Yes, there are so many different situations where you have to process a lot of different information," he said.

"That is a step up for me. In F2 the driver is limited in what he can adjust.

"So I've been busy studying that kind of thing this winter. I hope that I know what to do in Australia, but I am confident. The team has helped me a lot," said Norris.

He thinks McLaren has taken a step forward compared to 2018, which will be remembered as Fernando Alonso's last in formula one.

"The atmosphere has really improved," said the Briton.

"When I look at the motivation of the whole group, things are going in the right direction. Problems we had are gradually being ironed out.

"It can always be better but it also takes time to get everyone on the same page."

As for the car, Norris says the 2019 machine is "going pretty well".

"Obviously there are aspects we are still struggling with, as it is a really different car than last year," he said.

Bottas expects 'equal' treatment early in 2019

Valtteri Bottas – Hamilton's Wingman…i.e. 'bitch'

(GMM) Valtteri Bottas says he is sure Mercedes will allow him to take on Lewis Hamilton in 2019.

Ferrari has opened its account for this year by saying that Sebastian Vettel has "priority" over new teammate Charles Leclerc.

A newly-bearded Bottas, on the other hand, has come out in 2019 declaring that he is determined to chase for the world championship, after a disappointing season last year.

When asked about the dreaded 'team orders' issue, the Finn said: "I think we are very clear about it.

"Certainly at the beginning of the year we will be equal," he told Ilta Sanomat newspaper.

"If at some point there are clear point differences then it (team orders) may be possible."

It is not known to what extent Mercedes' policy will differ from that of Ferrari in 2019, with the Italian team often running clear 'number 2' drivers in the past.

"They've made certain choices in the past, but now less often," Bottas said.

"There is only one season behind Leclerc. Maybe they will allow him to grow and develop."

Bottas also commented on the plight of the team that brought him into formula one: Williams.

"Hopefully they will be able to drive and the car will work well," he said ahead of the final Barcelona test.

"It's not nice when I know the team and there's still a lot of the same people there. I wish them all the best."

No B-team alliance leaves Mercedes 'alone' – Marko

Up until now Mercedes did not need any 'B' team alliance – they had Aldo Costa. But now he is partially retired and only doing special projects for them. He did design most of the new car before he moved back to Italy.

(GMM) Mercedes has been left "alone" without a key team alliance in formula one.

That is the view of Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko.

He points out that Ferrari has allied closely with Sauber-Alfa Romeo, while Red Bull is now collaborating more strongly than ever with Toro Rosso.

"Ferrari is the bar at the moment, very clearly," Marko told Auto Bild.

"The car is impressive. How far ahead they are of us is hard to say. But what we can say is that we are clearly ahead of Mercedes."

One reason for that could be that Mercedes has not followed Ferrari and Red Bull's lead by forging a key 'B' team alliance.

"I think Mercedes is a little alone there," Marko confirmed.

"I cannot imagine that the influence Mercedes has on its customer teams Racing Point and Williams is so great," he added.

Referring to the Red Bull alliance, Marko explained: "Toro Rosso did some development work for us with Honda and probably even sacrificed some races for it as well.

"But that makes them stronger in 2019 too. They also benefit from it," he added.

Mercedes brings heavily revised car back to Barcelona

Sandbagging Mercedes is testing some new aero this week. Note the bulbous nose tip.

Mercedes is running a heavily revised car design during the second Formula 1 pre-season test at Barcelona in the search for added performance.

The second week of winter testing kicked off on Tuesday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with Mercedes getting to work early as Lewis Hamilton hit the track in the team’s W10, which was seen sporting a number of new aerodynamic components.

Among the plethora of major updates included a new bulbous nose and front wing, as well as revisions to the floor, sidepods, endplates and T-wing elements.

These changes seem to hint at being Mercedes' first steps to iron out the handling issues reported by the drivers after the first test by increasing front end downforce.