Latest F1 news in brief – Wednesday

• Vietnam

  Time short to build new Vietnam circuit – Tilke

• Brexit would be 'very negative' – Zetsche
• 2019 McLaren livery to be 'papaya' again
• Leclerc arrival 'alarm' for Vettel – Zanardi
• Gasly vows to 'try' to win races in 2019
• Ferrari 'perfect' for Schumacher – Stuck
• Force India not confirming end of pink livery
• Raikkonen's book 'best seller' of 2018
• Norris wants to beat Sainz Jr. in 2019

Time short to build new Vietnam circuit – Tilke

(GMM) Hermann Tilke says he has enough time to build the new formula one circuit in Vietnam.

The street track in Hanoi, set to host its first race in April 2020, represents the first new race deal concluded by F1 rights holder Liberty Media.

Construction will be tight, with F1 circuit architect Tilke's company not set to begin work until the end of January.

"Then we have just one full year until everything has to be finished," Tilke told Auto Motor und Sport. "That's pretty ambitious.

"But it is not the first time we have done this. We only had 14 months in Bahrain for a complete track."

However, Tilke said that just because the Vietnamese race will be a street circuit, that doesn't make construction easier.

"You'd think it would be easier because the roads are already there," he said. "But that's not true. There are many more details to consider than a completely new course. In the end, the effort is similar for us."

Tilke promises that, unlike some other modern street circuits, Hanoi will be liked by the drivers.

"It will not be that easy for them to drive," he said.

Tilke also revealed that the racing should be exciting in Vietnam, thanks in part to a very small time penalty for making a pitstop.

"When a driver pits, they miss a whole combination of turns," he said.

"That was a wish of the formula one bosses. They wanted the time lost in the pitlane to be as small as possible to create more pitstops and give teams more options with the strategy."

Brexit would be 'very negative' – Zetsche

Dieter Zetsche and Lewis Hamilton

(GMM) Mercedes CEO Dieter Zetsche has warned Britain against completing its 'Brexit' deal.

Amid the controversy about the British people's vote to leave the European Union, F1 teams admitted late last year that they are worried.

"We are monitoring it very closely because we have a large operation in the UK," admitted Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff.

Also worried is Wolff's boss Zetsche, who heads Mercedes' parent company, Daimler AG.

He told Deutsche Welle: "It (Brexit) would have very negative consequences, especially for the automotive industry."

In Britain, the parliament is in deadlock, after prime minister Theresa May's attempts to broker a Brexit deal were rejected.

It is now possible Britain could exit the EU with no deal at all in place.

"We would miss Britain as part of the European Union, especially in these troubled times," a letter published by The Times and signed by German signatories including Zetsche read.

"Therefore Britons should know: from the bottom of our hearts, we want them to stay."

Along with Mercedes, Red Bull, Renault, McLaren, Force India and Williams are also all based in the UK.

2019 McLaren livery to be 'papaya' again

With still no primary sponsor, the McLaren is forced to remain McLaren Papaya in 2019

(GMM) McLaren's F1 car will remain orange this year.

Last year, the once-great British team reverted to its iconic 'papaya' livery, which dates all the way back to 1968.

And on a recent visit to Woking, new McLaren driver Carlos Sainz let slip on social media that the 2019 McLaren will indeed be colored "papaya", as it was last year.

McLaren has now confirmed the news.

The team said reverting to orange last year was "A nod to the past, with a focus firmly on the future".

"This year's livery will once again deliver in those terms, building on the equity of the brand colors which have been synonymous with success", McLaren added in a website post.

Leclerc arrival 'alarm' for Vettel – Zanardi

The media thinks Leclerc is going to destroy Vettel

(GMM) Charles Leclerc's arrival at Ferrari this year is an "alarm" for Sebastian Vettel.

That is the view of famous former F1 and Indy driver Alex Zanardi.

He was asked by Corriere della Sera about the arrival at Ferrari of youngster Leclerc, after Vettel failed to win the 2018 title.

"It is a very positive choice, and also useful to give Vettel a little alarm, not that he needs it," said Zanardi.

"Raikkonen is still a great champion, but a check was needed. Leclerc's talent is great, but I hope Vettel remains the leader of the team, because in recent times Ferrari's problem was not the drivers.

"Now we need to improve the car and beat Hamilton, who never makes mistakes," Zanardi added.

Zanardi, who lost his legs in a 2001 Indycar crash, also took a moment to wish Robert Kubica well as the Pole prepares for his return to F1 in 2019.

"Just like me, he has limitations that prevent him from doing everything he did before. It's called disability, but it's rather relative," the Italian said.

"There is no man who can fly, but we scratched our heads and now it is normal to take a plane," Zanardi added.

Gasly vows to 'try' to win races in 2019

Well duh Pierre, isn't every driver in F1 trying to win races?

(GMM) Pierre Gasly says he is in formula one "clearly to win".

Despite it being only his first full season on the grid last year, 22-year-old Frenchman Gasly was chosen to replace Red Bull's Renault-bound Daniel Ricciardo for 2019.

He will be paired with Max Verstappen this year but Dr Helmut Marko insists Gasly will not be the "number 2" driver.

"This will be my second season in F1 so I know I still have things to learn," Gasly told RMC.

"I was in Mexico for the race of champions and I talked to Vettel to ask him about when he really felt at his peak in terms of developing. He said it was 28 to 30.

"We are constantly developing with experience, so I know that I am going to improve myself," Gasly continued. "But if I'm in F1, it's clearly to win and to one day go for the world championship.

"It will take the time that it takes to get that experience, but to be world champion you have to beat the best and Max is clearly one of the best at the moment.

"So for me it is a superb opportunity and comparison," he added.

Red Bull and Verstappen are bullish about their title chances for 2019, but Gasly says he is not sure how competitive Red Bull will be.

"I do not have specific goals for the season yet, because we do not know how competitive the car will be," he said.

"The regulations have changed, and we have changed our engine supplier. We only have three power units for 21 grands prix, and that's a difficult situation. If I am not mistaken, last year we (Toro Rosso) used eight engines.

"But if Red Bull builds a good car, and we get the chance to compete for the podiums and for victories, I will try to use it," Gasly said.

Ferrari 'perfect' for Schumacher – Stuck

Mick Schumacher

(GMM) Mick Schumacher will get a "perfect" preparation for life as a formula one driver with Ferrari.

That is the view of Hans-Joachim Stuck, a former racing driver and now president of Germany's motor racing federation.

This week, the 19-year-old son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher started work at Maranello after being signed up as a Ferrari 'academy' driver.

Schumacher will be managed by Nicolas Todt as he races in Formula 2 this year.

But he will not have a home race.

Bild newspaper claims that despite Hockenheim managing to rescue its grand prix, the German venue was unable to put together a Formula 2 support race.

"We made an effort after Mick won the Formula 3 title and especially after it was announced that he will drive in Formula 2," Hockenheim boss Jorn Teske said.

"We clearly communicated with formula one that we would like to have had it (a F2 race) so we are especially disappointed. Fans would have loved to see Formula 2 and Mick Schumacher at the Hockenheimring," he added.

However, Stuck is still confident about Schumacher's future.

"Slowly I believe that we could have our next Schumacher in formula one, and that would be great for motor sport in Germany," he told Auto Bild.

"The Ferrari junior program is clearly a step ahead and he is there at the right time. The boy will now be perfectly prepared for formula one," Stuck added.

Sebastian Vettel warned this week that he hopes Schumacher can handle the rising pressure.

Stuck said: "Even if he's driving at the back, he knows what to do and how to handle it. He showed that in formula 3. I'm sure he'll find his way."

Racing Point not confirming end of pink livery

The Pink Panthers

(GMM) Racing Point (formerly Force India) is not commenting on reports that it could drop its pink livery for 2019.

SportsPro reports that the newly Lawrence Stroll-owned team has secured a $18 million deal with SportPesa, an African sports betting platform.

In 2017 and 2018, Force India – to almost certainly be renamed 'Racing Point' for 2019 – had an all-pink livery in deference to its Austrian water sponsor BWT.

A Force India spokesperson would not comment on the SportPesa news, or the suggestion that it will no longer have a pink livery from 2019.

Raikkonen's book 'best seller' of 2018

Kimi Raikkonen, a man of very few words

(GMM) Kimi Raikkonen's book was the Finnish best-seller of 2018.

The 2007 world champion's official biography, written by Kari Hotakainen and called 'The Unknown Kimi Raikkonen', was hailed for its sensational revelations.

Ilta Sanomat newspaper reports that the book sold over 191,000 copies, making it "by far the best-selling book of 2018".

"It's just something I decided to do," said the 2019 Sauber driver.

"It's not such a big thing in my view. I lived through it and it just happens to be now it's in a book," Raikkonen added.

Fernando Alonso, who has retired from F1, has admitted that he will also write a biography.

"Yeah, next year I will," said the former McLaren driver.

Norris wants to beat Sainz Jr. in 2019

Well duh Lando, doesn't every F1 driver want to beat their teammate? In F1, where the car is 99%, that's about all you can hope to beat

(GMM) Lando Norris has admitted he wants to beat his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. in 2019.

The British rookie is making his debut this year alongside Spaniard Sainz, who debuted for Toro Rosso in 2015.

Sainz switches from the works Renault team to McLaren for 2019.

"Every driver tries to beat his teammate," Norris, 19, is quoted by France's Auto Hebdo. "He will obviously try to do the same.

"In an ideal world, I will be able to beat him or anyone at every race, but that is unlikely," he added.

"I will have to learn from Carlos and the other drivers. It is my first year and there will be areas where I will not be comfortable."

Indeed, Norris has been champion of Formula Renault and European F3 and other junior categories, but he failed to beat George Russell to the Formula 2 crown last year.

"In a way, it was a pretty good year to learn that I cannot always win," Norris said.