Latest F1 news in brief – Thursday

• Hamilton in Barcelona – has he been eating too many pancakes and Cheetos?

  Hamilton put on 5kg since 2018

• Wolff admits Ferrari 'half a second ahead'
• Red Bull 'ahead of Mercedes' – Marko
• Perez hopes for Mexico GP rescue
• Giovinazzi to learn from 'teacher' Raikkonen
• Hamilton questions 2019 rule changes
• Sponsor comments about Red Bull 'alright' – Steiner
• Pressure on Leclerc 'unfair' – Hamilton
• Merc could quit F1 over 'no deal' Brexit – Richards
• Mercedes must replace Bottas with Ocon – Surer
• No date set for Lauda's F1 return – son
• Claire Williams says team will race in Australia
• US GP loses $20m in government backing
• F1: Drive to Survive will come to Netflix on March 8.

Hamilton put on 5kg since 2018

(GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he has put on 5 kilograms because the weight rules have been changed for 2019.

A regular on magazine covers, the five time world champion has admitted he has enjoyed the relaxation of the rules.

It's the same story with many other drivers, who have put on between 1 and 2 kilos over the winter.

"Oh, it's more with me. But I'm still within the limit, so everything's fine," Hamilton said.

He says he only put on muscle, but admitted he indulged in "pancakes and Cheetos".

"I am not trying to be the Hulk, but it takes time to put on muscle in the right way and it has been great to eat bigger portions," said the Mercedes driver.

"I feel in the best shape I have ever been and can lift more weights."

Wolff admits Ferrari 'half a second ahead'

How can Wolff say the Ferrari is 1/2-sec ahead when Mercedes have their engine turned way down?

(GMM) Toto Wolff has confirmed reports that Ferrari appears to be leading the entire 2019 field by half a second.

"I agree with Franz (Tost)," said the Mercedes boss.

"Realistically, it looks like Ferrari is half a second ahead."

Not only that, the perception in the paddock is that not only Ferrari is ahead of the reigning champions, but Red Bull as well.

"You can't be the favorites forever," Wolff said in Barcelona. "But we haven't shown everything possible that we can do yet."

However, he admitted that Ferrari is yet to max out its 2019 performance either.

Some believe the reason for Ferrari's lead is its front wing design, with the rules having changed over the winter.

"We appreciate the concept of their car, but we are confident that our choice will work across the season," said Wolff.

"If not, we will have to change the approach, but it will take weeks."

World champion Lewis Hamilton admitted that Ferrari looks "very, very strong" at the first test of 2019.

Sebastian Vettel recently said his car is "close to perfection", to which Hamilton responded to a reporter when told about it: "Good for him."

Even Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto thinks Mercedes is currently lagging behind.

"Mercedes is good at solving problems. If they are behind, they will catch up quickly," he said.

F1 legend Alain Prost is in Barcelona as a Renault advisor, and he told Auto Bild: "The Ferrari is like on rails, while the Mercedes is more nervous."

Proof Mercedes is sandbagging – no way they are slowest on straights

Red Bull 'ahead of Mercedes' – Marko

How fast is the Red Bull?

(GMM) Red Bull appears ready to challenge for the world championship.

After the opening three days of 2019 testing, the provisional pecking order is Ferrari in the lead, half a second ahead of Mercedes.

But between those two teams, it appears, is Red Bull-Honda.

Getting a lot of the credit for that is the team's new works engine partner.

"We have been able to greatly improve reliability and at the same time increase performance," admitted Honda F1 boss Toyoharu Tanabe.

He admitted that winning in 2019 is the goal.

"But we always make winning the goal, whether it is F1 or another series," the Japanese told Speed Week.

"Our goal is certainly to achieve better results than last year with both teams."

Team officials at Red Bull are enthusing about their new engine, with Christian Horner admitting it is "clearly better" than the customer Renault.

"We see Ferrari ahead of us at the moment, but we are not worried about the times," said Dr Helmut Marko. "We are ahead of Mercedes."

Rumors are about excessive engine vibrations, meanwhile, were denied.

"We are totally satisfied," Marko told Auto Bild. "The package works as expected."

Horner continued: "We are fully on schedule. The car works as we predicted, and the Honda engine is a rocket.

"Pierre Gasly told us that the engine is better than last year's. And Max is raving about it. He feels much more power."

And so Horner said Red Bull is not considering simply copying Ferrari's front wing design.

"What we have works best for us," he said. "We looked at the Ferrari concept but our simulations tell us that our wing has more potential."

Perez hopes for Mexico GP rescue

Sergio Perez talks to reporters

(GMM) Sergio Perez says he hopes Mexico can save its grand prix.

Although the Mexico City race is highly popular, mayor Claudia Sheinbaum has announced that governing funding will stop after the event this October.

"By 2020, the federal government no longer has the resource because it is allocating most of the fund to the completion of the Mayan Train," she said.

In Barcelona for winter testing, Mexican driver Perez says he is hoping for "good news" in the near future.

"I think it's very important for our country to keep the grand prix. It's a great place for formula one," he told the Spanish daily Marca.

"There are many countries that want to have a grand prix and I think that once you lose the place, it's very difficult to recover," the Racing Point driver added.

When asked if the organisers can find the funding from elsewhere, Perez answered: "I have no idea. I am not in charge of that and I really do not know anything.

"I think it's difficult because all the investment is made by the government, so I do not know if it can be done any other way," he added.

Giovinazzi to learn from 'teacher' Raikkonen

Antonio Giovinazzi

(GMM) Antonio Giovinazzi says he wants to learn from his experienced teammate in 2019.

The Italian, with only two grands prix under his belt, is making his full F1 debut this year for Alfa Romeo.

"With Kimi next door, for me he can be a teacher and I have a lot to learn," said Giovinazzi, a 25-year-old Ferrari junior.

39-year-old Kimi Raikkonen has won 21 grands prix, and the world championship for Ferrari in 2007.

"He has more experience than me, he is a reference and his results will be connected to mine," Giovinazzi is quoted by Sky Italia.

"I think I have a great teammate, very strong, and he can be a good teacher and a point of reference."

Alfa Romeo, formerly called Sauber, has had a strong start to the 2019 winter test. Giovinazzi said: "In the end last year they were in the top ten, and now we hope to start from there."

Raikkonen says he is also enjoying his fresh start, after several years with Ferrari.

"There is no more politics here," he is quoted by Blick. "I really enjoy driving and here everything revolves around the sport. There is no bullshit."

Hamilton questions 2019 rule changes

Lewis Hamilton

(GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he doubts the new front wings for 2019 will improve the racing.

The reigning world champion was asked about the aerodynamic rules tweaks that are designed to make it easier for cars to follow each other.

"For me it's the same," said the Mercedes driver.

"In terms of feeling, hardly anything has changed. The foundation is just the same.

"Ok, the front wing is slightly different which affects the balance in the corners a bit. I'm curious to see what the effect will be in the race, but for now it just feels like a normal formula one car from this era," Hamilton added.

"Slightly less downforce, but that was to be expected."

At present, the pecking order for 2019 appears to have Mercedes behind not only Ferrari, but also Red Bull.

But Hamilton is confident his formerly dominant team can remain a force.

"We are the only team that has won consecutive world championships with big changes in the rules in between," he said.

"So I'm convinced that even if we do not immediately start ahead at the first race, we will still be able to improve ourselves."

Sponsor comments about Red Bull 'alright' – Steiner

Gunther Steiner

(GMM) Gunther Steiner says he is not alarmed by the statements being made by Haas' controversial new title sponsor.

Eyebrows were already being raised about the legitimacy of Rich Energy, an energy drink run by a long-bearded Briton called William Storey.

On Twitter, Rich Energy said after the opening day of running in Barcelona: "Our first day in F1 and we are faster than Red Bull."

When asked about that bold statement, Haas boss Steiner said: "You enjoyed it?

"I haven't seen it, but (press officer) Stuart keeps me well informed," he told Ekstra Bladet newspaper.

As for the comments about Red Bull, Steiner said he thinks it's "alright".

Kevin Magnussen was also asked about the comments, and said: "William has great ambitions to challenge Red Bull not only on the track, but also in the energy drink industry.

"It's probably not realistic to challenge Red Bull this year, but it's the right goal to have and I don't think there's anything bad about those ambitions," he added.

Pressure on Leclerc 'unfair' – Hamilton

Charles Leclerc

(GMM) Lewis Hamilton says the pressure being put on Charles Leclerc is "unfair".

Many are predicting that, after Sebastian Vettel's difficult 2018 season, youngster Leclerc can challenge him in his first season with Ferrari.

The speculation even prompted Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto to come out and say Vettel will still get "priority" in 2019.

"It is unfair to put so much pressure on Leclerc," world champion Hamilton said in Barcelona.

"It's just his second year. He has already shown that he is fast, he surprised many people, but next to him now is a four-time world champion with a lot of experience.

"The only way to get experience is to get experience," he added.

Hamilton continued: "The interesting thing will be to see how the two of them work together.

"Sebastian is a multi-time champion but Charles will bring a lot of energy to the relationship. I was in the same position at McLaren (with Alonso) so it will be interesting to see," he added.

Merc could quit F1 over 'no deal' Brexit – Richards

Toto Wolff singing like a baby

(GMM) 'Brexit' could cause Mercedes to quit formula one.

That is the alarming claim of David Richards, a former F1 team boss who is now chairman of Motorsport UK.

Speaking to Press Association Sport, he was referring to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff's warning this week that a 'no deal' Brexit could spell havoc for F1's UK-based teams.

"Looking at the investment that Mercedes have in Brackley, and the infrastructure that is already in place there, could a no deal Brexit precipitate them stopping in formula one?" he asked.

"It's not going to make life for a formula one team based in England any easier."

Richards said he is "surprised" that other UK-based team bosses have not joined Wolff in sounding the alarm about Britain's impending withdrawal from the European Union.

"For some months now, Toto Wolff is the only person that has been very clear on the problems," he said.

"Transport in and out of the country between the European rounds will be a major headache.

"If we get a no deal Brexit, the early part of the season is going to be very challenging for all the teams, and I don't think some of them have fully considered that yet," Richards added.

Mercedes must replace Bottas with Ocon – Surer

Valtteri Bottas driving on borrowed time?

(GMM) A former F1 driver thinks 2019 will certainly be Valtteri Bottas' last season at Mercedes.

Bottas is under intense pressure this year, as he is out of contract at the end of 2019.

When asked if Esteban Ocon – who is in Barcelona observing the tests as Mercedes' new reserve – will replace Bottas for 2020, Marc Surer told Speed Week: "Yes, I believe so.

"Otherwise, the Mercedes junior program is not working. They have to do that," he said.

One person hoping Bottas stays put is probably Lewis Hamilton, his current teammate.

The five time world champion says he has an "excellent working relationship" with the Finn.

As he did with Force India, Esteban Ocon likes to crash with his teammates

"We communicate constantly and cooperate normally, and I don't remember that sort of relationship with any other teammate," said Hamilton.

"Thanks to his character, we have a great atmosphere in the team and we have successfully defended the championships since he has been here," he added.

Bottas, though, is determined not only to secure another contract, but to beat Hamilton in 2019.

When asked about the 'new' Bottas, Hamilton smiled: "All I've seen is that he has a beard.

"I'm not the type of person who has big expectations, but I can assume that he is more aggressive this year," he said. "He weighs more and has trained hard.

"He will definitely know what things he needs to focus on," Hamilton told Finland's MTV.

"It takes time to really get used to a team and he has helped us a lot. I'm sure he wants to be stronger this year and I hope he is.

"He's probably the most humble driver I've worked with and he's easier to work with than Nico (Rosberg)," he said. "It's easy to work with a Finn."

No date set for Lauda's F1 return – son

Lauda

(GMM) Niki Lauda will return to F1 when he is ready.

That is the news from the F1 legend's son Mathias. Earlier, Lauda – who turns 70 on Friday – targeted his return to the paddock from a lung transplant for the Barcelona tests.

But he is not yet strong enough even to travel to Australia for the season opener.

However, Mathias Lauda told DPA news agency: "He is fighting like a lion.

"He wants to return to normal life as soon as possible."

But Mathias said his father no longer has a particular return date in his diary.

"There is no time limit, what is important is that his body returns to his old strength," he insisted.

Mathias admitted that a return for the start of the 2019 season is too soon, but "wait and see".

Claire Williams says team will race in Australia

The Williams team will make it to Australia

(GMM) A contrite Claire Williams has faced the F1 media in Barcelona, admitting Williams' absence from the opening two days amid fierce speculation was "embarrassing".

But the once-great British team's deputy boss would not comment on precisely what the problem was back at the Grove factory.

"It wasn't just one thing," she told Finland's MTV, "but I'm not going to talk about it publicly.

"We need to focus all of our energy on this test."

Williams' delayed FW42 finally got up and running on Wednesday, some 8 seconds off the leading pace.

Many have observed that Williams' simple livery and car design, coupled with the Barcelona delay, hint at obvious money problems.

"No, it has nothing to do with money," Claire Williams insisted. "It's about not getting the car ready on time.

"First we wanted to do a shakedown and we found that we couldn't. The parts just did not match as we expected," she said.

"But I'm not going to go into any details about why this happened. We still need to analyze it and ensure that it doesn't happen again.

"There is no excuse. All the other teams finished their cars on time, and we did that as well for over 40 years. It is embarrassing that we are so late.

"I can only apologize to all the fans and to our drivers. We are all extremely disappointed," Williams added.

She said the team now has to "live with compromises" ahead of the 2019 season, just as Williams desperately needs to pull itself off the back of the grid.

But she rejected rumors Williams might not be able to race in Australia with two cars.

"I can guarantee that we will have not only two cars in Australia but a spare chassis and enough spare parts," she said.

"It would be an understatement to say that the last days have been terrible for us, but finally we have the car on track and we can start working."

One big rumor during the delay is that technical boss Paddy Lowe could be sacked. Lowe's media duties for the entire Barcelona test have been cancelled.

"I did not pay much attention to all the speculation," Williams said, "but we are not going to waste energy with blame or washing dirty laundry in public."

As for Lowe, Claire said he will "concentrate his energy on getting our car in the best possible condition" rather than taking difficult questions from the media.

US GP loses $20m in government backing

Bobby Epstein has to line Texas Governor Greg Abbott's pockets some more it appears

(GMM) A dark cloud has moved over the financial health of the US grand prix in Austin.

The Associated Press reports that race organisers have missed a paperwork deadline and as a result will lose $20 million of government backing.

The missing paperwork is reportedly a mandatory anti human trafficking plan.

A spokesman for Texas governor Greg Abbott said the state had no option but to not give the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) the funding.

Race promoter Bobby Epstein, and F1 owner Liberty Media, did not comment.

"The State of Texas and COTA have a productive partnership that has had a tremendous economic impact on the city of Austin and the state as a whole, and our office is already working with COTA on this year's race," the governor's spokesman said.

F1: Drive to Survive will come to Netflix on March 8.

Formula 1 has confirmed the release date for the Netflix docu-series covering the 2018 season.

Formula 1: Drive to Survive will document a number of stories, teams and drivers from last year in a 10-part series produced by the makers of films Senna and Amy.

The series will debut on Netflix globally on March 8.

“As we move into a new generation of Formula 1 we are thrilled to announce our new docu-series 'Formula 1: Drive to Survive'," said Ian Holmes, Director of Media Rights at Formula 1.

"This truly unique series embodies the sport and helps us to showcase and unearth the untold stories on and off the track. Partnering with Netflix to create an original series puts us at the forefront of becoming a media and entertainment brand and attracting new
fans to the sport."

Paul Martin of Box to Box Films said: "Netflix was the perfect platform on which to tell the inside story of this incredible sport. F1 has long been a world of colorful characters and super-sized egos, thrills and drama, victory and tragedy, but until now that world has been largely hidden and secretive.

"'Formula 1: Drive to Survive' takes the viewers right into the heart of this world and shows what it is like to live, work and race within the world’s fastest sport."