Latest F1 news in brief

The Flu was the worst thing for Lauda to catch right now

Lauda back in intensive care
Sainz Jr. wants 'several years' stay at McLaren
Marko plays down early trouble at Honda
Ferrari to sign new simulator drivers – Vettel
Brawn eyes 'solutions' to Schumacher injuries

Lauda back in intensive care

(GMM) Niki Lauda is back in intensive care.

The F1 legend and Mercedes team chairman had been holidaying in Ibiza following his long recovery from a life-saving lung transplant operation.

But according to Kronen Zeitung newspaper, 69-year-old Lauda had to fly back to Vienna after contracting a serious flu illness.

The newspaper cited "sources" who said Lauda caught the flu because his immune system was weakened following his medical ordeal.

"There was an influenza case in his family, and he is treated in an intensive care unit with us," a spokeswoman for the AKH hospital confirmed.

Osterreich newspaper said Lauda should be able to leave hospital "in three to four days".

"He had to go back to Vienna because there were no specialists in Ibiza familiar with lung transplants," the report added.

"The situation was serious in the first days of the new year, but Lauda is already doing much better again."

Sainz Jr. wants 'several years' stay at McLaren

Sainz Jr. wants at least 3 years to bring McLaren back to the top

(GMM) Carlos Sainz Jr. says he wants to stay at McLaren longer than his current two-year contract.

The Spaniard arrives at McLaren – the once-great and now struggling British outfit that has lost Fernando Alonso – from the Renault works team.

"I want to see better results than in 2018," Sainz told Marca sports newspaper.

"McLaren is perfectly capable and that's why I'm here. It's the second most successful team in the history of F1," he insisted.

"They have won before and hopefully they remember how," said Sainz.

"Little by little, in a medium-term project, they will start climbing the steps to the top."

And 24-year-old Sainz said he intends to be at McLaren throughout that climb back to the top, despite having only a contract for 2019 and 2020.

"I have a two-year agreement with the team, but as a driver and also a fan of McLaren, I want to see the team grow," he said.

"I want to do a good first year and a good start when it comes to integrating into the McLaren family, but my goal at the moment is to spend several years here.

"I will go from year to year, but I want to be one of the key pieces that will help McLaren get back to the top," added Sainz.

Marko plays down early trouble at Honda

Dr Helmut Marko

(GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has played down reports of trouble at Red Bull's new works engine partner Honda.

Auto Bild reports that Honda and an Austrian technical partner, Avl, have split due to a disagreement between engineers.

Red Bull's Marko confirmed the split, and also that Honda and ex-Mercedes engine chief Mario Illien are also no longer working together.

"Appropriate measures were taken to solve the problem," he insisted.

And Marko added: "Honda has already overtaken Renault and will be even better in 2019.

"Then Max (Verstappen) will have everything he needs. He is improving all the time. There seems to be no limit for him."

Ferrari to sign new simulator drivers – Vettel

Will Sirothkin get to play Ferrari video games in 2019?

Will Sirotkin get to play Ferrari video games in 2019?

(GMM) Sebastian Vettel is sure Ferrari will sign up some good new drivers for its simulator.

The Maranello team has lost its 2018 development drivers Antonio Giovinazzi to Sauber and Daniil Kvyat to Toro Rosso.

"I'm not a big fan of the simulator," race driver Vettel is quoted by Corriere dello Sport, "but it is a very important tool for improving the car.

"We must thank the guys who work there, because it is not the best thing to do on a Friday evening," said the German.

"For next year (2019) we do not know who will be there, but I think we will be able to find drivers who can do the job well."

The Italian report said ousted 2018 race drivers Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso) and Sergey Sirotkin (Williams) are among the leading candidates.

Brawn eyes 'solutions' to Schumacher injuries

Brawn must realize some brain injuries are not reversible. If you smash the CPU in your PC (its brain) chances are it's not repairable either

(GMM) Ross Brawn is confident there will be "solutions" to Michael Schumacher's brain injuries in the future.

The F1 sporting boss is a close friend of F1 legend Schumacher, whose family is keeping the health condition of the seven time world champion secret.

Brawn says Schumacher's wife Corinna and children Mick and Gina-Maria have been through "such a tough time" in the five years since the skiing crash.

"They have never relented with their support for Michael and their belief there will be solutions ahead," he told BBC 5 Live.

"We're all optimistic about finding solutions in the future and there will be a time when things move forward for Michael."