Latest F1 News in Brief

Hamilton picks Ricciardo to win Australian GP. Yeah right.

Hamilton names Ricciardo as favorite
Mateschitz prepared to 'let Ricciardo go'
Williams' 'daring' car needs more time – Stroll
Ecclestone backs Marchionne's F1 quit threat
F1 breakaway championship is a realistic possibility, says Toto Wolff
Ricciardo ready to bring back 'shoey' – if he wins in Melbourne
Hamilton, Vettel savor competing against the 'best'
Verstappen: Melbourne straights could be 'painful' for Red Bull
Formula 1 Appoints OgilvyOne As First Customer Marketing Agency
Formula 1 Agrees To Multi-Year Broadcast Deal With China's CCTV

Hamilton names Ricciardo as favorite
(GMM) Lewis Hamilton has named local hero Daniel Ricciardo as the favorite in Australia this weekend.

Although the bookies and pundits think reigning champion Hamilton is the favorite, the Briton thinks Red Bull will in fact have the edge in Melbourne.

"I think they're favorites, personally," he said. "Not because it's Daniel and it's Australia, but I think Red Bull are currently the team to look out for. They've done a great job.

"This is a high downforce circuit and they are renowned for having more downforce than everyone," Hamilton added.

"When you come to another circuit where you don't need all that downforce that's sometimes where they perhaps struggle, but I think they will be very hard to beat this weekend."

Mateschitz prepared to 'let Ricciardo go'

Dietrich Mateschitz

(GMM) Red Bull's chassis and drivers can do the rest if its Renault engine is within half a second of Mercedes this year.

That is the view of team owner Dietrich Mateschitz, as he gave a rare pre-season interview to Austrian media including Salzburger Nachrichten.

First, he said he is delighted with Toro Rosso's shift to Honda power, saying the Japanese engine is "on par with Renault".

As for Red Bull Racing, he said the 2018 car is "outstanding".

"We think we are closer to the top than last year. In both chassis and engine," said the billionaire.

"We don't know much about what Mercedes did over the winter with the engine, but if we are within half a second, we can catch up with our drivers and our chassis," Mateschitz added.

Beyond that, he said Red Bull hasn't yet decided whether it will switch to Honda engines for 2019.

"We have to see how the season develops," said the Austrian. "We don't know our speed in qualifying mode yet, even if it looks good over a race."

Mateschitz said he is also happy with the drivers, even though Daniel Ricciardo's contract is ending.

Asked if the Australian is staying, he answered: "You'll have to ask him that.

"After a long collaboration, probably everyone is looking for a new challenge, especially if a top team is offering.

"We'll let him go if he wants, but we'll be happy if he stays. And if he leaves, we have good guys at Toro Rosso. But all of this is a problem for later," Mateschitz said.

Finally, he spoke about Liberty Media's decision to ban grid girls, calling it a "Punch and Judy show".

"Formula one has more important things to do than debate about grid girls," he added.

"We're thinking about having grid boys in Spielberg with six packs and lederhosen. You don't have to react to everything so seriously," said Mateschitz.

Williams' 'daring' car needs more time – Stroll

Just how radical is the new Williams?

(GMM) Lance Stroll has admitted Williams needs "time" to get the most from its 2018 car.

Once a stronger force behind the top three teams, the British outfit had a less competitive winter with its new car and young driver lineup of Stroll and rookie Sergey Sirotkin.

"The design of the new car is more daring, and it will take a little more time to get the most out of it," Stroll told the Canadian newspaper La Presse.

"The car is already better than last year's, but that's the same for everyone," he added. "We'll only know in Melbourne where we are."

Stroll, still 19, is often dismissed as a 'pay driver', and he admitted that it's "true" that he struggled at times last year alongside Felipe Massa.

"But I feel much better in the car now and, with experience, I think I can be much faster," he said.

"It's hard to do well in qualifying when, like me last year, the day ends in Q1 or Q2. It's hard to get used to the tires and find the limit of the car when you only have one or two laps to do it.

"But I now know more about what to expect, so I think I can do a lot better in qualifying," Stroll added.

He also said he has learned a lot about setting up the car and finding a good balance, and is therefore ready to be the most experienced Williams driver.

"Sergey and I have a very experienced team around us, and I'm very comfortable in the team. I know all the circuits and the routine.

"I will do my best, and I don't see why I will not have a better season than the last. What remains to be seen is if the car will be competitive," Stroll said.

Ecclestone backs Marchionne's F1 quit threat

Marchionne has learned the Ecclestone negotiating tactic

(GMM) Bernie Ecclestone says he is supportive of Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne's F1 quit threat.

Ecclestone, 87, was ousted as the sport's long time 'supremo' following the arrival of new owners Liberty Media.

So now with Marchionne at loggerheads with Liberty and Ferrari threatening to quit, Ecclestone met with the Italian-Canadian at the recent Geneva motor show.

La Gazzetta dello Sport quoted Ecclestone as saying: "It's easy to imagine the things we spoke about because, as ever with Sergio, there was a total convergence."

Marchionne told the press he had met with a "very fit Ecclestone".

When asked about Liberty's plans for the future of F1, Ecclestone said: "I too dream of a world championship with 20 teams and 20 different engines. But that's utopia.

"Perhaps Liberty Media are thinking of doing things that I cannot imagine."

Ecclestone said Liberty should not try to find out if Marchionne's quit threat is real.

"Marchionne is someone who, when he says something, he does it and does not look back. Liberty should therefore be careful about what they do.

"I've been close to Ferrari since the days of Enzo. F1 – or my F1 – was a company that distributed large dividends to its shareholders. Of course, there were always quarrels and discussions, but in the end we always came out best," said the Briton.

"Marchionne knows my position," he said. "Sergio knows what whatever he wants to do I will be there. We have discussed many things."

When asked about Liberty's flagging financial accounts, Ecclestone said: "Many of the existing contracts were made by me and passed to them. At that time, the money was there."

And much of that money was given to Ferrari as bonuses, which Liberty would now like to take away.

"It's not a bonus," Ecclestone insisted. "It was a prize for participation — because Ferrari has always been there.

"I never gave anything away — when I gave something there was always a reason."

He would not say much that was flattering about Liberty, including the decision to ban 'grid girls'.

"I no longer have direct involvement so I just see what others see. Things that seem incomprehensible. The grid girls (ban) did not seem like a brilliant idea," he said.

Asked if there is anything positive, Ecclestone answered: "I have not seen much.

"I see that they are throwing a lot of money away. My FOM was always less than 30 people. A small but efficient structure."

Liberty, on the other hand, has a staff of 150 and growing.

"They're probably not necessary," said Ecclestone. "Unless they can produce 3-4 times what I produced in a short amount of time."

F1 breakaway championship is a realistic possibility, says Toto Wolff

Wolff: Show us (Ferrari and Mercedes) the money

A breakaway championship to rival Formula One has picked up momentum after Mercedes’s executive director, Toto Wolff, warned that it is a “realistic" possibility and “could happen".

Bernie Ecclestone, who governed Formula One for four decades, claimed the disgruntled Ferrari chairman, Sergio Marchionne, had already held talks over a rival championship.

Ferrari are disappointed with Liberty Media’s vision for the sport beyond the expiration of the Concorde Agreement – a deal which binds the teams and stakeholders together until the end of 2020 – with Marchionne warning on a number of occasions that his famous Italian team will quit if F1’s American owners do not revise their future plans.

Ferrari are unhappy with the proposed redistribution of prize money and the concept of a simpler engine. And while Wolff stressed that he was keen for the sport’s major players to work together and seek consensus on the correct way forward, the Austrian, who has overseen Mercedes’ dominance of F1 for the past four years, could not rule out the prospect of a breakaway championship.

“The perspective of doing something else is a realistic one, and it could happen if we don’t achieve to align our vision," said Wolff.

“Marchionne has a clear vision of what Formula One should represent for Ferrari, which is a purist sport that isn’t a shopping channel. I would strongly encourage all of the sport’s stakeholders not to try and provoke him.

“I agree with most of the things Sergio says because Formula One has a certain DNA and it is a sport that needs to stick to its roots. So, don’t mess with Sergio Marchionne. Formula One needs Ferrari much more than Ferrari needs Formula One.

“I will give it everything to align the vision among us by seeking consensus and accepting compromise."

Ricciardo ready to bring back 'shoey' – if he wins in Melbourne

Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo has banned his signature move, the celebratory "shoey", since July last year.

But he says an unsuspecting guest better get ready to drink from his boot should he enjoy a maiden win at Albert Park on Sunday.

Ricciardo said heading into last year's Formula One race at Silverstone that he felt he had "dug a hole" for himself after his podium ritual had taken on a life of its own, where even fans at a promotional event in London had been demanding he take his shoe off and drink from it.

The celebration involves the pouring of podium champagne into his sweaty racing boot, which an unlucky victim is then urged to drink from. However, there have been others, such as former drivers-turned-commentators Martin Brundle, Mark Webber and David Coulthard, who eagerly awaited the chance to drink from Ricciardo's boot.

Ricciardo, 28, and his Red Bull team are desperate to start the new campaign strongly, to the point the Australian star would have no problem rekindling his celebration should he be able to edge out favorites Mercedes and Ferrari on Sunday and claim a sixth career F1 victory.

"If I win, absolutely. The shoe will come back. It's been a while," Ricciardo said.

Hamilton, Vettel savor competing against the 'best'

Hamilton and Vettel at Thursday's Press Conference

At the year’s first pre-race news conference Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel they staged little more than a mutual appreciation society when comparing their challenges, trading smiles and light-hearted banter while sitting side-by-side.

“When you come to the end of your career you want to know that you’re competing against the best," said reigning champion Hamilton, who overhauled Ferrari’s Vettel last year to claim his third title with Mercedes.

“There are those that bow out early, those that have one championship maybe, that has not been as competitive and the ultimate goal to be the best is that you’re going to have to go up against the best.

“It’s great because it’s been a great experience for me to be able to race Sebastian.

“He’s got the four world titles, had the most of any other driver at the time and I think this is an exciting year for Formula One fans being that we have two four-time world champions battling it out." German Vettel, who took four consecutive titles for Red Bull from 2010-13, was similarly generous to the driver he shook his fist at in a rage at Baku last year when he claimed the Briton had brake-tested him before their clash of wheels on track.

“He’s done a very good job for many years now," the 30-year-old said. “In my case, if I look at people I raced throughout my career then you care about what it means to you and it gives you more satisfaction.

“And now I am searching for the ultimate satisfaction to win with Ferrari, which is the greatest team in history, greatest team in the paddock.

“That’s my ultimate target now, win for Ferrari and win against the best, which arguably Lewis is one of them." Barring their racing pedigree, the pair share little in common, with Hamilton’s high-profile social life at odds with Vettel’s fierce protection of his privacy.

However, they agreed that matching Fangio, whose record of five titles is second only to Michael Schumacher’s seven, was the last thing on their minds.

“I’ve not (thought about it), honestly," shrugged Hamilton.

For Vettel, there was no point in thinking ‘what if’.

“I think nowadays the times are different, they are very different times to what Fangio achieved," he added.

“Every era has its own challenges."

Verstappen: Melbourne straights could be 'painful' for Red Bull

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen is refusing to make predictions ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix this weekend, but is concerned Melbourne's straights may prove to be Red Bull's weakness.

"We have to wait and see," he said. "The car compared to last year, it's definitely made some good improvements. For sure everybody also improved but from my personal feeling we have quite a strong car.

"But we have to wait and see how good our overall package is with the straights here. It is definitely going to be a bit painful there. For sure I am optimistic but also realistic, so we will just have to wait and see."

Asked if Renault's engine was the only thing holding Red Bull back this year, Verstappen added: "And the development of the car during the season. We have to be on top of that as well compared to Mercedes and Ferrari.

"Honestly I am very neutral. I can say a lot of stories right now but also I don't know because we not even driven one practice session. We have to wait and see. There are a lot of questions from me also, so we just to discover everything on track."

Formula 1 Appoints OgilvyOne As First Customer Marketing Agency
Formula 1 picked OgilvyOne as its "first customer marketing agency as part of its strategy to reach a wider audience," according to Gurjit Degun of the CAMPAIGN LIVE.

The agency will "work on developing" the brand’s customer engagement programs and "encourage consumers to sign up to F1 TV," the brand’s new OTT product.

F1 launched its "first ever global campaign created by Wieden & Kennedy London ahead of the new season last week."

F1 Dir of Marketing & Communications Ellie Norman said, "It's an exciting time for F1 as we look to place fans at the heart of our marketing and communications strategy more so than ever before." CAMPAIGN LIVE

MAXIMIZING POTENTIAL: MARKETING WEEK's Sarah Vizard reported F1 Dir, Commercial Operations Sean Bratches said that when he was hired, his first job was "working on the basics" — understanding what "F1 is as a brand and how it is perceived by the fans."

Bratches: "[On the old] F1 website there was a pithy statement about what F1 is that ended with 'Pursuit: speed.'

What we found out is that what attracts people to F1 is not the speed, it's the racing." F1 had "just five" sponsors under previous CEO Bernie Ecclestone, and Bratches compared that to a Premier League team like ManU, which has 96. Bratches said, "When you juxtapose us with other similarly situated sports entities or leagues, we are way under-punching our weight class."

He admitted that for half the time since he joined, he has not known whether to "laugh or cry." MARKETING WEEK

Formula 1 Agrees To Multi-Year Broadcast Deal With China's CCTV
Formula 1 will return to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV this season, according to MOTORSPORT WEEK.

In a new multi-year deal, all qualifying sessions and races will be shown on CCTV, with more than 100 hours of live coverage expected. China is regarded as "an important market for Formula 1 due to its population and its current growth."

The Chinese Grand Prix has been held at the Shanghai Int'l Circuit since '04 and its current contract runs through '20.

It was also confirmed that Shanghai will host a multi-day fan festival in the build-up to this year's GP.

F1 Dir of Strategy Yath Gangakumaran said, "China is a key market for Formula 1 where we have an ambitious plan to significantly grow the fan base and deepen engagement with our sport.
Increasing the reach of F1 through this agreement with CCTV is a crucial component of the plan. … In the coming months, there shall be more announcements related to the China growth strategy." MOTORSPORT WEEK