Latest F1 news in brief

Gene Haas says budget caps will help smaller teams

Liberty continues push for budget cap
Whiting inspects Paul Ricard modifications
Nicolas Todt to be Mick Schumacher manager
Vettel says 2019 world title target 'clear'
Gasly 'not the number 2 driver' – Marko

Liberty continues push for budget cap

(GMM) The proposed budget cap remained a hot topic of conversation at the latest meeting of the strategy group.

The first strategy group meeting of 2019 took place last week in Geneva, Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport and Germany's Auto Motor und Sport report.

It was Mattia Binotto's first such meeting as Ferrari boss, and La Gazzetta dello Sport cited a source who said the Italian was more like Stefano Domenicali than the harder Maurizio Arrivabene he replaces.

As for the FIA and Liberty Media, they presented their renewed push for a budget cap that will begin in 2021. In the first year, the cap would start at $185 million, reducing to $160m and $135 over the following seasons.

Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren are said to have agreed.

This is in part because the FIA and Liberty have agreed to exclude engine costs, top manager and driver salaries, and marketing and hospitality expenses.

The legal sale of parts from one team to another was reportedly also discussed.

Gene Haas, the Haas team owner, says the budget cap could help the smaller teams catch up to the big-spending top three.

"Probably (it will), if it reduces the size of their research and development," he said.

"I guess for every person we have they have five people. If there's anything that can reduce that gap between the technology they have and what we don't have, that would probably be very helpful," Haas added.

Whiting inspects Paul Ricard modifications

Paul Ricard

(GMM) Charlie Whiting has inspected key changes at the French grand prix venue.

Last year, as the Paul Ricard circuit returned to the calendar, teams and drivers expressed concerns about the supposedly dangerous pit entry and exit.

Auto Hebdo, and Var-Matin newspaper, now report that Paul Ricard is in the process of completing circuit modifications for 2019.

Whiting, the FIA race director, inspected the changes last Friday, including a renewed asphalt surface.

"All the corners have been redone. Only the straights remain as they were," said circuit boss Stephane Clair.

Auto Hebdo reports that the pitlane entry has been relocated to the penultimate corner rather than the beginning of the following straight.

Clair added: "The new asphalt is of impeccable quality, so we have every reason to assume that all the problems will be solved.

"But the main change concerns the entrance to the pitlane," he confirmed. "It will be particularly good for the spectators in that area."

Nicolas Todt to be Mick Schumacher manager

Nicolas Todt

(GMM) Mick Schumacher has signed up a new manager.

Previously, the new Ferrari junior driver's career was being handled only by Sabine Kehm, who famously also worked with Mick's father Michael Schumacher.

"The son of the champion, who joined the Ferrari driver academy, has chosen to work with manager Nicolas Todt," Sky Italia reports.

A few days ago, Todt – the son of FIA president Jean Todt – said 19-year-old Schumacher is not in a rush to make his grand prix debut.

"Mick does not say now or never," he told Speed Week. "He knows he still has a lot to learn.

"Most drivers rush everything, and that later turns out to be a mistake."

Michael Schumacher and Jean Todt worked together at Ferrari during the Italian team's ultra-successful era, and Todt remains a close friend of the German driver's family.

"He's closer to me than ever," the former Ferrari boss told Bild newspaper recently.

"I would say that I know everything about him."

The media has hailed the reunion of the Schumacher-Ferrari-Todt combination, with Corriere della Sera saying it is a "great coup" for the fabled Maranello team.

Nicolas Todt also manages Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.

Vettel says 2019 world title target 'clear'

If Binotto cannot design a better car than semi-retired Aldo Costa, Vettel can kiss his title dreams goodbye

(GMM) Sebastian Vettel says it is "clear" that he wants to win the 2019 world championship.

The German has taken a lot of heat in the paddock as he and Ferrari failed to secure the crown despite having a competitive car last year.

But Vettel, who appeared for the race of champions event in Mexico last weekend, says they are ready to try again.

"The ingredients are there, now it's up to us to do the job," he is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

There have been changes at Ferrari over the winter, with Mattia Binotto taking over as boss and Charles Leclerc replacing Kimi Raikkonen.

Vettel said of 2019: "It will be a great challenge. What we want to achieve I think is clear.

"The opponents? Let's see how the first tests go, as at this time of the year everything is hidden. When we see the cars on the track we will know better and at the first race we will know for sure."

Vettel made obvious mistakes in 2018, but he says the real problem is that the Ferrari was not quite as good as the winning Mercedes.

"I think we need a stronger package," he said.

"We certainly had our moments last year when we had strong races, but we also had races which weren't very strong.

"I think overall it's the speed that decides and I think more often than not we were lacking a little bit of speed.

"But we're working very hard and the motivation is there to do that final step that is still missing," Vettel added.

Gasly 'not the number 2 driver' – Marko

Once Verstappen buries him, Gasly will be the defacto #2 at Red Bull

(GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has allayed Pierre Gasly's fears that he might be Red Bull's 'number 2' driver in 2019.

Gasly has been promoted from the junior team Toro Rosso to replace Daniel Ricciardo from 2019. Many believe Ricciardo has fled to Renault because Max Verstappen is now regarded as the top Red Bull star.

Frenchman Gasly has been quoted as saying he does not want to be the number 2.

"He's not a number 2 driver," Marko, the Red Bull driver manager, told Auto Bild.

"That is off limits at Red Bull."

However, Dr Marko admits that Verstappen is now hitting his absolute prime in F1.

"Max took the next step last season and Daniel Ricciardo got the feel of that. Max overtook him. But we will give Gasly the time he needs," he said.

"My guess is that he'll initially be closer to Max in qualifying than he will be in the races, but this is normal for a debutant in a top team," the Austrian added.