Latest F1 news in brief

Who will Max Crashstappen take out next?

Red Bull crash saga 'closed' – Marko
Title favorite Vettel's Ferrari car 'legal' – Marko
Hamilton, Horner say Vettel 2018 favorite
Advisor Wurz backs Williams to survive
Alonso not worried about missing Indy 500
FanVision returns after 5-year hiatus

Red Bull crash saga 'closed' – Marko

Marko has to babysit Max Crashstappen

(GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says the affair surrounding the Red Bull drivers' crash in Baku is now "closed".

Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen crashed during the Azerbaijan grand prix, earning a hefty rebuke from their bosses.

But Marko told Sport Bild: "There is no bad blood. The chapter is closed."

However, it is believed Marko has empowered the drivers' engineers to close down a battle in the future if another crash appears likely.

Marko added: "They have to have enough brains that they don't get into a situation like that.

"We let them race, but they have to show respect, which they didn't do."

Much of the blame has been put at Max Verstappen's feet, and Marko agreed that the Dutchman is under pressure.

"Max wants too much and puts himself under too much pressure," he said.

"He has to learn to be able to give in sometimes — especially now, because of the frequency of the incidents," Marko added.

"It's hard for him, but he knows. It was also the same with Sebastian in the past. I see the parallels.

"Max knows that he will be automatically blamed for the next incident, whether he can do anything about it or not.

"We also need the points," he said. "So next time he has to think even more than he did before."

Title favorite Vettel's Ferrari car 'legal' – Marko

The biased British F1 media are hoping the Ferrari is illegal to explain why Vettel is faster than Hamilton

(GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has nominated Sebastian Vettel as the world championship favorite for 2018.

That is despite the fact that Ferrari driver Vettel, once a Red Bull protege of Marko's, lost his title lead two weeks ago at Baku.

But Marko told Sport Bild: "He is my world championship favorite.

"Sebastian looks even more mature and balanced than he did last year. But also Ferrari has the better car. Now they have to not make any mistakes."

Marko played down speculation Ferrari has moved ahead of Mercedes due to several controversial technical solutions on its 2018 car.

"The FIA looks very closely, for example with the oil, and they say everything is correct," said the Red Bull official.

"There was speculation about the batteries and this too will be looked at by the FIA, but it didn't come from us.

"For us, the Ferrari is legal, because we trust the FIA," Marko added.

Hamilton, Horner say Vettel 2018 favorite

Vettel can beat Hamilton now that he has an equal car

(GMM) Lewis Hamilton has admitted he is not the favorite for the 2018 title.

The Mercedes driver took the championship lead from Sebastian Vettel two weeks ago in Baku, but he insists the Ferrari is actually the better car.

"For now the car is much more difficult to setup and drive," Hamilton is quoted by France's Auto Hebdo.

"It's not a car that you just put on the track and it works, like the Ferrari," he added.

Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko agrees with Hamilton that Vettel is the 2018 favorite — and so too does Christian Horner.

Like Marko, Red Bull boss Christian Horner was central to Vettel's development, with the energy drink marque having taken the German to his four titles.

"We are seeing an extremely mature Vettel," Horner told Auto Bild.

"We saw it with how he dealt with Max. I think he saw the young Sebastian in front of him in China, because in his early years Seb was not flawless.

"But even more than that, Seb sees now that he has a car that's on par with the Mercedes. That means he can win on his own without driving and acting like hell.

"That's probably why it's easier for him to deal with defeats," Horner added.

Advisor Wurz backs Williams to survive

Alex Wurz

(GMM) Former team driver Alex Wurz says Williams can bounce back from its current slump.

With two 'pay drivers', poor performance, and the impending departure of main sponsor Martini, many worry that the once-great British team will soon fold.

But Wurz, who according to Speed Week is now an 'advisor' for the independent team, said: "The turnaround will come."

Firstly, he said fans should not worry that Williams will not replace the money of departing backer Martini.

"There are some contacts and prospects," Wurz revealed. "We will be able to replace Martini.

"The future of the team is not in danger."

And he said Williams can also improve its 2018 car, which in the hands of Sergey Sirotkin and Lance Stroll has not looked competitive so far.

"I've always been skeptical about technical advances during a season, but we've found solutions that should work by the summer," Wurz added.

Alonso not worried about missing Indy 500

Alonso last year

(GMM) Fernando Alonso says he doesn't have time in his busy 2018 schedule to worry about missing the Indy 500.

Last year, the Spaniard was a highlight of the fabled American oval race, but in 2018 he is busy splitting his time between F1 and the full world endurance championship including Le Mans.

So when it comes to Indianapolis, Alonso is quoted by Speed Week: "To be honest, I don't even want to be there.

"Of course I will watch, following every session and test. I have many friends there and maintain close contact with the engineers," he added.

And in some ways, he admits he will miss not driving in 2018.

"Everyone tells me that the new aero package works really well, so when I see it on TV then I will want to turn a lap.

"I do miss being there, but currently it's hard for me to add another race to my program," Alonso added.

FanVision returns after 5-year hiatus

FanVision

Ahead of this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, which marks the start of a long European season – even longer than 2017 following the return of France and Germany to the calendar – Formula One Management has announced two initiatives aimed at making "visiting races this season even better".

In the first, Formula 1 has partnered with FanVision Entertainment to create F1 Vision which allows Grand Prix attendees to dive deeper into the event experience with a state-of-the-art handheld device.

Initially introduced to motor sport via NASCAR, FanVision subsequently made it to F1, but was suddenly dropped by Bernie Ecclestone at the end of 2012, when he opted not to renew the contract, much to fans dismay.

F1 Vision will combine the live race broadcast and replay highlights, while direct audio feeds allow the user to listen to live driver and team communications, and the Grand Prix radio broadcast. F1 Vision also taps directly into the F1 timing system, providing fans with real-time race data and statistics.

The device is a compact and powerful handheld controller, featuring a five-inch high-resolution touchscreen display, rugged exterior, kickstand for hands-free viewing, and includes earbuds for listening comfort.

Its content is delivered via FanVision Entertainment's dedicated digital transmitters, meaning the devices aren't dependent upon venue WiFi. This technology ensures a consistently high-quality interaction with the F1 Vision device from any grandstand location at the Grand Prix.

In the second initiative announced by FOM, Fanatics will become the sport's exclusive merchandise retail partner at Grand Prix weekends and online from the 2018 season onwards.

Fanatics operates more than 300 online and offline stores, including the e-commerce business for all major American professional sports leagues, (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, MLS, PGA), major media brands (NBC Sports, CBS Sports, FOX Sports) and more than 200 collegiate and professional team properties, which include several of the biggest global football clubs (Manchester United, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City among others.)

According to FOM, "Fanatics will elevate the merchandise assortment by offering a wider range of premium products from Formula 1 and the ten teams participating to the Formula 1 World Championship, and items specific to each Grand Prix.

These products, along with a wide variety of items from other top brands, will all be made available at the majority of the 21 Grand Prix this season, starting this weekend.

The new retail experience will make it easier for fans to purchase souvenirs over the course of the weekend, with additional vending locations around the circuit, as well as the enclosed Superstore location in the FanZone. Premium storefronts will be also introduced for supporters at the Paddock Club.

All Fanatics locations will be integrated into F1's digital concierge app for fans at the circuit, called F1 Grand Prix (available free on Apple and Android app stores.) The agreement also includes an extension of Formula 1's online store partnership with Fanatics.