Latest F1 news in brief – Thursday
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Cyril Abiteboul whining again. He needs to go out and establish Renault's own 'B' team. Surely McLaren needs the help and could be their 'B' team Renault worried about F1 'B teams'
- Too early to assess 2019 wing – Kubica
- Lauda left intensive care after flu
- Norris waiting on Alonso's decision for 2019
- Ferrari's talks with Liberty still on – Camilleri
- Villeneuve plays down 'Jesus Christ' comparison
- 2019 'interim year' for Red Bull-Honda – Horner
- Raikkonen still waiting on Ferrari decision
- Ricciardo says 2019 announcement due soon
- Wolff: 2018 a 'marvelous advertisement' for Formula 1
- Verstappen apologizes for cursing rant
Renault worried about F1 'B teams'
(GMM) Renault is worried about the rise of 'B teams' in formula one.
We reported that Williams, McLaren and Renault are opposing the straightforward transfer of income and rights to Force India's next owners.
In the case of Renault, it appears boss Cyril Abiteboul is concerned that Force India will become a Mercedes 'B team', along the lines of Haas-Ferrari and Sauber-Ferrari.
"This is not the formula one we like," the Frenchman admitted.
"We are slightly concerned that this approach will deprive anyone who does not enjoy the advantages of such a scheme."
"We need to ensure that it will not become a necessary condition for performance in formula one, otherwise our model will not work," Abiteboul added.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says he understands Renault's concerns.
"I understand that if large teams start buying small teams, this is a question and I certainly respect this point of view for the future," he said.
"I hope we can discuss everything so that small teams can benefit from common infrastructure but at the same time not get the advantage that is currently possible," said Wolff.
Too early to assess 2019 wing – Kubica
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| Williams tested the new, simpler, 2019 front wing |
(GMM) Robert Kubica says it's too early to assess the effectiveness of the new front wings for 2019.
Several teams, including Williams, were running 2019-spec front wing designs at the post-Hungarian grand prix test this week.
The wings are designed to help boost overtaking from next year.
"It's wider and you can feel that," Polish test driver Kubica said in Budapest.
"But it's too early to have a good opinion about it," he told sport.pl.
"It was a test for our aerodynamic engineers so that they can collect data about how the air flow is affected and so on," said Kubica.
Lauda left intensive care after flu
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| Niki Lauda recovering |
(GMM) F1 legend Niki Lauda is currently in hospital.
The Mercedes team chairman missed the past two grands prix, amid reports he has the flu.
Actually, his condition was more serious than that.
Osterreich newspaper reports that the 69-year-old has actually been in hospital for 12 days, having flown himself in his private jet from Ibiza to Vienna.
It is believed Lauda's kidneys were affected, following a transplant some years ago.
The Austrian was even in intensive care for a time, but his condition has now improved and he is on a normal hospital ward and expected to be released shortly.
"The doctors say that after this episode, Niki must take his health seriously," a friend is quoted as saying.
Norris waiting on Alonso's decision for 2019
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| Lando Norris |
(GMM) Lando Norris says it is up to McLaren to decide if he will make his F1 debut in 2019.
The 18-year-old Briton is fighting for this year's Formula 2 championship, but linked with a seat at McLaren for next year.
"Ideally, I'll be with McLaren next year," Marca sports newspaper quotes Norris, a McLaren development driver, as saying.
"That's the perfect scenario, but it's not up to me to decide, it's up to the bosses and Fernando to make the decisions."
Fernando Alonso does not decide McLaren's driver lineup, but he is weighing up a full-time move to Indycar for 2019.
"It's very difficult to say what will happen, as nobody knows what Fernando wants to do next year," Norris continued.
"Being in formula one would be very good, but at the same time maybe it would be better to do free practice and get more chances to drive," he added.
"Until everyone starts deciding, I don't know what to say."
Ferrari's talks with Liberty still on – Camilleri
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| Louis Camilleri |
(GMM) Ferrari's new CEO says talks about the future with Liberty Media are progressing.
Louis Camilleri has replaced Sergio Marchionne, who died last week of cancer.
Marchionne is believed to have been locked in complex talks with F1 owner Liberty Media, after threatening to quit the sport over the commercial arrangements beyond 2020.
"There are ongoing talks with Liberty Media," Camilleri is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I think there has been progress on the technical side, but less on the budget cap and governance," he added.
"I'm not sure about new ideas, the goal is to divide the cake as it is. We do not talk about how to increase it. I am sure I can bring my contribution," said Camilleri.
Villeneuve plays down 'Jesus Christ' comparison
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| Jacques Villeneuve – open mouth, insert foot |
(GMM) Jacques Villeneuve has played down quotes that suggested he thinks Lewis Hamilton behaves like Jesus Christ.
The quotes spread like wildfire on the internet, but outspoken 1997 world champion Villeneuve says they were taken out of context.
"I never made this statement in an interview with a media outlet," he told Le Journal de Montreal. "It was never an answer to a question."
Villeneuve also backtracked on another story, in which he said his former team Williams is "dead".
"I never said it was dead. I said it was dying. It's not the same thing," he said.
"My comments were translated into German and then into another language. When you do that, the meaning can change.
"When these are not organized interviews, there can be changes to the meaning that are enormous," Villeneuve added.
Finally, the 47-year-old was asked about rumors linking fellow Canadian Lance Stroll with a move from Williams to Force India for 2019.
"Honestly, it's not much more rosy than Force India, as that team is failing because of an owner who does not pay debts," Villeneuve said.
"I even read that their main sponsor is not really giving support but rather a loan," he added.
"If Stroll goes, it probably will not change his status a lot."
2019 'interim year' for Red Bull-Honda – Horner
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| Christian Horner |
(GMM) Christian Horner has played down expectations for Red Bull's first year with works Honda power.
One of F1's top three teams, the energy drink owned outfit will start using Japanese-made engines from 2019.
But boss Horner told La Gazzetta dello Sport: "I certainly expect that the first year will be an interim year for us.
"Compared to the competition, the necessary steps still have to be taken at Honda," he added.
But Horner said that Red Bull has not been happy with its season this year, which is the last in a long-term collaboration with Renault.
"We wanted more," he said.
"We could have won in Bahrain and had a double podium in China and Monaco. But we are the only ones who can make life difficult for Ferrari and Mercedes," Horner added.
Raikkonen still waiting on Ferrari decision
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| Kimi Raikkonen |
(GMM) Kimi Raikkonen says he is still waiting to know if he will be a Ferrari driver in 2019.
Not long ago, an Italian newspaper reported confidently that the Finn will be replaced by Charles Leclerc.
But then president Sergio Marchionne died, and it is believed the new management now thinks Raikkonen should be retained as Sebastian Vettel's teammate.
"Of course I would like to stay, but it's Ferrari's decision alone," Raikkonen told Sport Bild.
"I'm waiting just as much as you are," he added.
Raikkonen, 38, said he works very well alongside Vettel.
"Even if we crash, there's no issue after a conversation," he said. "He's a guy who will say it's his mistake and I'm the same.
"It's much better to work in that atmosphere, and it also makes the car faster," Raikkonen added.
"We both have the same goal — to make Ferrari world champion."
In that way, Raikkonen said he is even prepared to be Vettel's 'number 2' if the German has a better chance of winning the title.
"At a certain point in the world championship, the team takes precedence," he said. "I did not arrive yesterday."
Ricciardo says 2019 announcement due soon
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| Daniel Ricciardo |
(GMM) Daniel Ricciardo says his Red Bull contract is finally ready to be announced.
Having flirted with Mercedes and Ferrari, it was expected that Ricciardo's extended Red Bull deal could be made official last weekend in Hungary.
"A little tweaking is needed here and there, but everything is fine," the Australian said at the post-Hungarian grand prix test.
"You'll soon know something, I'm sure," Ricciardo is quoted by Speed Week. "Whether it's in the summer break or in Spa, I don't know."
It is believed Ricciardo's earlier negotiations stumbled over not only money, but the length of his new contract.
"The priority is a car that will make me world champion, as I've proven I am ready," he said.
"What you're worth is not just money, but I want to be paid appropriately," Ricciardo confirmed.
"It's easy to think somewhere else would be better, but I feel good here," he said.
Ricciardo also confirmed that a two-year deal is likely, so he can "stay flexible" ahead of the all-new F1 era in 2021.
Wolff: 2018 a 'marvelous advertisement' for Formula 1
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| Canada |
Toto Wolff feels the 2018 season has been a "marvelous advertisement" for Formula 1 to date thanks to the close competition both at the front-end of the pack and in the midfield, offering a number of surprise results.
Mercedes entered the new campaign looking for its fifth straight set of championships, but has faced stiff competition from Ferrari and lead driver Sebastian Vettel, who has pushed Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton hard through the first 12 races of the season. Red Bull has also emerged as a bigger threat through 2018, picking up three victories.
"The battle at the top is more exciting than ever before, and things are also very tight in the midfield," Wolff said.
"The races have not only produced some great wheel-to-wheel action on the track but also some surprise winners: seven of the 12 races so far were not necessarily won by the fastest car.
"All in all, I would say that the 2018 season has been a marvelous advertisement for the sport."
Despite trailing two races ago, Mercedes entered the summer break last Sunday leading both championships, with Hamilton running 24 points clear of Vettel in the drivers' standings. However, Wolff is still excited by the close battles throughout the field, believing it to be a very good thing for F1.
Looking back on Mercedes' performances so far this season, Wolff identified plenty of positives, but stressed the need for the team to identify its weaknesses and push to up its game following the summer break.
"For us as a team, the half-term report is a positive one, as we are currently leading both world championships. We owe this to the efforts of our team in Brackley and Brixworth and to the driving skills of Lewis and Valtteri [Bottas]," Wolff said.
"At the same time, though, we also realize that we have dropped points in more than one race, so we are going flat out to boost performance even more for the second half of the season.
"We will be working very hard on that right up to the weekend when the summer break officially begins as decreed by the regulations. It's a break that everyone on our team has more than earned. We will then come back refreshed with the necessary energy to raise our game even further in the second half of the season."
Verstappen apologizes for cursing rant
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| Verstappen learned that it is Adrian Newey's car design that is causing all the Renault failures |
Max Verstappen has apologized for his expletive-laden rant when he retired from the Hungarian GP, saying his emotions – and frustrations – boiled over.
Verstappen was hoping for a strong race and solid points on Sunday, if not even a bite at the victory given that the Hungaroring suits the RB14.
That, though, came to naught when he was told to shut off his car as it suffered yet another issue related to its Renault engine.
Verstappen let rip as he gave voice to his frustration.
The Dutchman has subsequently apologized.
"Looking back the disappointment is still there," he said on social media.
"However, I should not have used the words I did in the heat of the moment. Emotions were running high after a good start to the race.
"These frustrations came for a reason, after another unexpected engine failure which have been happening too often over the past few years.
"We came to Budapest with high expectations and not being able to be competitive made it hard to swallow for us.
"I will go into the summer break hoping we will be back stronger after it."