Latest F1 news in brief

Alfa Romeo front wing – let the copycats begin

New Alfa Romeo has 'revolutionary' front wing
Lack of partner team no problem for Renault – Prost
Perez 'will not change' with Stroll as teammate
Stroll aims to avoid 'war of words' with Williams
Alonso is de-facto 'reserve driver' – Brown
F1 will not scrap Friday practice – promoter
Formula E boss not ruling out F1 'merger'

New Alfa Romeo has 'revolutionary' front wing

Did Alfa Romeo come up with a better design for a wing?

(GMM) Sauber's Alfa Romeo-branded new car for 2019 turned heads when it hit the Fiorano circuit for a shakedown on Thursday.

On display was not only the striking camouflage livery, but a front wing design that many are calling "revolutionary".

"It has not been seen on any other car," said Tobias Gruner, a writer for Germany's authoritative Auto Motor und Sport.

It remains to be seen if other teams follow Alfa's lead by the time the Barcelona tests start next week, but Italian driver Antonio Giovinazzi is confident.

"We had a very high evolution in the last races of last season, so we are hoping to start from there," he told Sky Italia.

Also attracting attention this week is McLaren's newly-unveiled 2019 car, with new team driver Carlos Sainz saying those at the factory at Woking have been working "extremely hard".

"It seems that McLaren has taken a leap of a couple of years in just one," said Marco Canseco, correspondent for the Spanish newspaper Marca.

Sainz, though, is cautious.

"It would be a mistake to set goals at this point," he said. "We started the car for the first time a week ago and we are going step by step."

Lack of partner team no problem for Renault – Prost

Alain Prost

(GMM) Alain Prost says Renault is not missing out by not having a 'junior' partner team.

Red Bull and Toro Rosso have moved much more closely together for 2019, while the ties between Ferrari and Alfa Romeo are obvious.

But F1 legend Prost, an advisor to the works Renault team, says not having a real partner or 'B' team is not a problem for the French outfit.

"I don't think it's a problem," he told Ouest France newspaper.

"It's more about the drivers. With Toro Rosso, Red Bull has managed to have Vettel, Ricciardo, Verstappen, so we may have a handicap in relation to that.

"But for me the real advantage is not for the factory team, but those who benefit like Haas or Alfa Romeo.

"At Renault, we are not going to focus on that," Prost said. "We have our identity, we have a reference with McLaren who have the same engine, and we hope that they will come back."

Renault was the fourth force in 2018, and has targeted a clear step forward for this year.

Does that mean the team is targeting displacing former customer Red Bull for third overall?

"It will depend as much on us as on them," Prost answered.

"Chassis wise, I do not think we can be at their level yet. But on the engine side, we have no fear.

"I think if they (Red Bull-Honda) are fast but not necessarily very reliable, we'll see what happens. We aim to get closer to the best, and that is not done by focusing on Red Bull," he added.

"We have no problem of misplaced pride in relation to them. They are one of the three that must be caught up."

Perez 'will not change' with Stroll as teammate

Perez has to play nice with his teammate now. Daddy Stroll owns the team and can fire his arse at any time

(GMM) Sergio Perez says he has no problem teaming up with Lance Stroll at Racing Point in 2019.

The Perez-Stroll dynamic is a fascinating one, with Perez being the highly experienced ongoing driver but Stroll joining the team as the son of new team owner Lawrence Stroll.

Perez and Stroll also have history, with the pair having argued as rivals following a first-lap crash in China in 2017.

"I remember it very well," Mexican Perez told Le Journal de Montreal, "but it's a thing of the past.

"Now we have to work together for the sake of our new organization. Our relationship must be healthy, both on and off the track," he insisted.

Perez, 29, said he will not change his approach to racing his teammate this year, even if the occupant of the other car is Stroll.

At Force India, Perez clashed regularly with Esteban Ocon, and ended the year saying his relationship with his teammate was "never great".

But now that the boss's son will be his teammate, Perez insists: "I will not change the way I drive, even if my teammate is the owner's son.

"I'm not worried," he added. "We are at the highest level of our sport and we have a job to do."

Stroll aims to avoid 'war of words' with Williams

Lance Stroll so happy not to have to drive a Paddy Lowe car

(GMM) Lance Stroll has hit back after his former boss accused him recently of arriving in F1 "too early".

Stroll, now 20, spent his first two seasons in F1 at Williams.

Last year, the once-great British team finished dead last overall, and technical boss Paddy Lowe said Stroll had "arrived in F1 too early".

When asked about Lowe's comments, Stroll – who has switched to Racing Point for 2019 – said he did not want to get into a war of words.

"All I can say is that the car was badly born last year and the engineers did not know how to develop it during the season," the Canadian told Le Journal de Montreal.

"When I took part in a test session two days after the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi, I was 1.4 seconds faster in a car I had never driven," Stroll added.

"I think the times did the talking in Abu Dhabi. But it's a thing of the past," Stroll insisted. "I'm starting a new chapter in my career."

Indeed, prior to the Racing Point rebranding, Force India was a top midfield contender in 2018 and Stroll says the team will do "great things" this year.

"We have an outstanding organization, which we have proved in recent years with limited resources," he said.

"We don't want to be at the back of the pack, which happened too often last year," Stroll added, referring to Williams in 2018.

"Podiums are achievable. Our new team has the means to beat many teams in F1."

Alonso is de-facto 'reserve driver' – Brown

Alonso and manager Abad

(GMM) Fernando Alonso might be regarded as a de-facto "reserve driver" at McLaren this year.

That is the news from team boss Zak Brown, even though earlier speculation that the newly-retired Alonso might drive the 2019 car in winter testing was wide of the mark.

"Fernando is still part of the team with our Indy 500 project," Brown insisted to Europa Press at the launch of McLaren's new orange and blue car.

"I think it's likely that we will not announce a reserve driver, but I think there are drivers who, if we need someone at short notice, could play that role."

It is believed Brown was not referring to official test driver Sergio Sette Camara, who is linked to McLaren sponsor Petrobras. The F2 driver does not have a super license.

Sette Camara confirmed that he will focus on Formula 2 this year.

"For me, this is my most important program," he told Brazil's Globo. "In my opinion, it is this (F2) that will dictate my future, not so much my work as test driver."

Boss Brown said the newly launched 2019 car is the start of McLaren's return after years of disappointing results.

"We are rebuilding and it will take time," he is quoted by AS newspaper.

"Andreas Seidl is joining the project (on May 1) at the front of the team, and James Key will be our technical director," Brown added.

F1 will not scrap Friday practice – promoter

Francois Dumontier (L)

(GMM) F1 is not about to scrap Friday practice.

That is the claim of Francois Dumontier, boss of the Canadian grand prix in Montreal.

This year, negotiations over the 2021 Concorde Agreement will be front and center. There have been rumors the race weekend format, the points system, and restrictions on engineers' working times will be subject to change.

Dumontier tried to play down media reports of a 'war' between the race promoters and Liberty Media.

"It has been highlighted by the media, but what we did was more suggestions rather than any desire to make a revolution," he insisted.

On the potential changes, though, Dumontier said the least likely is the scrapping of Friday practice.

"The idea is there, we talk about it, but the deadlines are too short for that to happen," he told La Presse Canadienne.

"I can say that, two weeks ago in London, it was not even discussed," he said of a recent race promoters' meeting with Liberty Media.

A more likely change is to the current points system.

Lance Stroll, the Canadian driver for Racing Point, said he likes the idea of extending the points-getting positions all the way down to 15th.

"Every driver gives everything he has on the track, so I think every driver should be rewarded for his efforts on the track," he said.

Formula E boss not ruling out F1 'merger'

Alejandro Agag predicts the end of F1 when cars are all electric

(GMM) Alejandro Agag, the boss of Formula E, is not ruling out a "long term" merger with formula one.

Once dismissed as slow and quiet and obviously eclipsed by F1, Formula E has been gaining in popularity and now boasts high level drivers and top car manufacturers.

And series driver Lucas di Grassi, a former F1 driver, thinks electric power is clearly the future of motor racing.

"Internal combustion engines will soon be frowned upon, like cigarette advertising," he told Sport Bild.

If that happens, F1 will be in genuine difficulty, as Formula E has exclusive rights to all-electric racing cars until 2039.

Series boss Agag confirms: "This includes hydrogen and all other forms of electric motors."

Jean-Eric Vergne, the Formula E champion and another ex F1 driver, thinks a merger could be on the cards.

"We all love formula one, it's great," he said. "But I think Formula E will be the only form of motor sport in 20, 30 or 40 years. So it would be great if both series merged."

Boss Agag, however, says that possibility is not around the corner.

"A merger with formula one will only be an issue in the long term. Not yet," he said.