Latest F1 news in brief

Ecclestone slams Liberty

Liberty 'doing everything wrong' – Ecclestone
Sirotkin hits out at 'ride-buyer' label
Renault engine 'one second' faster – Boullier
Boullier backs Alonso's Le Mans move
Ferrari-Liberty showdown 'inevitable' – Brown
Mercedes pushing limits with 2018 design – report
2018 Entry fees for each team

Liberty 'doing everything wrong' – Ecclestone
(GMM) Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has lashed out at the sport's new owners Liberty Media.

The 87-year-old said last week that he strongly disagrees with Liberty's decision to ban grid girls.

But he has now told Sonntagsblick newspaper: "So far I have not seen a single thing that makes sense.

"They are doing almost everything wrong," Ecclestone charged.

One theory is that Liberty – whose F1 operations are being run by Chase Carey, Ross Brawn and Sean Bratches – is making a deliberate effort to erase the entire Ecclestone legacy.

"That's the way it appears," Ecclestone agreed.

Sirotkin hits out at 'ride-buyer' label

Sergey Sirotkin does not like being called a ride-buyer

(GMM) Sergey Sirotkin says he is ignoring those who call him a 'pay driver'.

Some, including sections of the media, say the Russian secured Williams' second seat for 2018 thanks to the millions brought to the team by SMP Bank.

"I do not pay attention to names like 'pay driver'," Sirotkin told Russian radio Sport FM.

Criticizing the media who repeat the label, the 22-year-old added: "People write things but where do they get the information from?

"If you know something and can confirm it with facts, then please do," he said.

Sirotkin also offered his opinion about the banning of grid girls, insisting his focus is elsewhere.

"When you sit on the grid, you're not thinking about the girls," he said.

"If I had not been told about this news then I would not have even noticed.

"I can understand the position of both the opponents and the supporters of this decision, but I look at it from the professional point of view — that it does not affect the drivers in any way," Sirotkin added.

Renault engine 'one second' faster – Boullier

Boullier says Renault engine will make McLaren 1-second faster. Yeah but they were 2+ seconds off the pace

(GMM) Eric Boullier says McLaren will get a one second per lap boost simply by using a different engine in 2018.

After three years with Honda, the British team lost patience and will use customer Renault power this season.

Team boss Boullier says McLaren is on schedule for 2018.

"The Honda and Renault engines have a different configuration so we had to re-design the rear of the car," he told France's L'Equipe. "But we have made up the delay."

Boullier said communicating with Renault is easier, after McLaren struggled to adapt to the Japanese culture.

"I insisted upon attending the first technical briefing with Renault," he revealed. "Just to help my guys if they did not understand something.

"I am sure that both sides are happy."

Expectations of the McLaren-Renault partnership are high, with some even predicting wins and a championship tilt.

Boullier said: "We need a little time to adapt and it's still too early to say. We are not the only team and I do not know what the others did in the off-season.

"But we introduced the Renault data in the simulator and discovered that just by changing the engine it turned out to be a lot of laptime."

When asked how much exactly, he revealed: "One second."

Boullier backs Alonso's Le Mans move

Boullier OK with Alonso driving a Toyota in all the WEC races

(GMM) Eric Boullier says he supports Fernando Alonso's move into the world of Le Mans racing.

Some believe that the McLaren driver getting permission to split his time between F1 and sports cars this year is the brainchild of team executive Zak Brown rather than Boullier.

But team boss Boullier insists he is not opposed.

"No, I support it," he told France's L'Equipe.

Asked if Alonso simply needs an 'outlet' now that he is not winning, Boullier answered: "It is not an outlet.

"We are in a sport where the driving is reduced more and more in order to lower costs. But the drivers understand that the more they drive, even if it is in other categories, the more they keep up the practice.

"As a boss, I like this argument," he added. "And if you are constantly racing, you have less temptations and fewer distractions."

However, Alonso's 2018 program really does appear hectic, where just around the Le Mans date alone the Spaniard will be racing for five weekends in a row.

Boullier said: "Fernando is a professional sportsman who is able to prepare for this.

"Last year, Fernando raced on 34 weekends, competing under different names in karting and other series. It's what he likes to do," he added.

Asked if working with Alonso is as difficult as his reputation would suggest, Boullier answered: "Not at all.

"Fernando is a fighter and all champions are never satisfied and want more. It is a positive pressure."

But it might be argued that Alonso's pressure is sometimes over the top, including when he repeatedly complained about Honda's engine over the radio.

"If he had not let off steam, he would have exploded," Boullier argues.

"We are talking about a driver who won two titles fighting against Michael Schumacher, and for three seasons he was forced to cope with the fact that he cannot even fight for top positions.

"Worst still, when your engine doesn't work, you cannot warm up the tires and brakes, you use more fuel and so have to lift off the gas pedal. It's hard to reconcile a driver of his level with these facts," he said.

Ferrari-Liberty showdown 'inevitable' – Brown

At some point F1 will have to deal with Ferrari

(GMM) Zak Brown thinks the showdown between Ferrari and Liberty Media was "inevitable".

With Liberty reportedly proposing a fairer income distribution system among other things, Ferrari has threatened to quit F1.

McLaren executive Brown told AS newspaper: "It was inevitable that there would be a confrontation between Ferrari and Liberty.

"Ferrari wants to protect the money they receive, because they receive a disproportionate amount. We all recognize that Ferrari as a team has added more value to the sport than anyone and should be rewarded accordingly.

"But I think it is very unbalanced, and that Liberty only wants and has to do the best for the sport," he added.

Since joining McLaren, Brown has clearly developed a strong relationship with Fernando Alonso and has let the Spaniard race at the Indy 500 and now Le Mans.

"Alonso does what other drivers are not brave enough to dare and I admire that," he said.

"I did not know him before and obviously he had a reputation for being difficult to work with, but I've found that it's great to work with him."

And he thinks that although Alonso will be busy with his sports car program in 2018, he will also be much happier in F1.

"I think the Renault engine is close to the Mercedes," said Brown.

"It won three races last year, so even though people think it's the third best engine, I think they're all very close to each other."

As for Alonso being world champion, Brown answered: "This year? It's possible. We'll see.

"In the future, he will be champion again. He is driving better than ever so it's up to us to give him a chance."

Mercedes pushing limits with 2018 design – report

Mercedes wants more power from a lighter engine and transmission

(GMM) Toto Wolff has admitted Mercedes is pushing the development of its 2018 car to the limit.

Italy's Corriere dello Sport claims that with Ferrari and Red Bull closing in, Mercedes has pushed the limits with the performance parameters of the new car.

The report says several exhausts have broken on the test rigs at Brixworth during race simulations, apparently due to vibrations emitted by a shorter and smaller gearbox.

Team boss Wolff said: "Nothing ever goes completely to plan, because you're always trying to explore the limits and make the car as light as possible.

"But I would say that we had a good winter. There were no big dramas even if the stress is always there," he added.

2018 Entry fees for each team

In F1 the more you win the more the FIA takes from you – works just like taxes

Following the confirmation of 2018 entry list from the FIA, the fees that each team have paid for the upcoming season have now been revealed.

According to the current regulations, every team has to pay a base figure of $516,128 (Â£365,455), which is indexed by the US consumer price index of annual inflation. The champions must then pay an additional $6194 (Â£4386) for every point earned and the other teams must pay at a reduced cost of $5161 (Â£3654) per point.

After being involved in a slightly closer title fight in 2017, Mercedes' have seen their entry fees drop by $600,818 (Â£425,421), while Red Bull, Williams, Toro Rosso and McLaren are also paying less.

Ferrari's improvement means the Scuderia are paying $639,964 (Â£453,139) more this year, with increases, too, for Force India, Renault, Haas and Sauber.

Entry fees:

Mercedes – $4,653,720
Ferrari – $3,210,170
Red Bull – $2,415,376
Force India – $1,481,235
Williams – $944,491
Renault – $810,305
Toro Rosso – $789,661
Haas – $758,695
McLaren – $670,958
Sauber – $541,933

Figures via F1 Technical