Latest F1 news in brief

Grosjean and Magnussen: non-American drivers for the anti-American Haas team

Haas drivers exchange compliments
WEC eyeing calendar tweak for Alonso
F1 drivers to wear biometric glove in 2018
F1 to redraw TV landscape
Button celebrates birthday with Ricciardo

Haas drivers exchange compliments
(GMM) Haas' two F1 drivers are exchanging compliments ahead of the 2018 season.

Late last year, Romain Grosjean said his relationship with Kevin Magnussen is "the best I've had with a teammate".

Speaking to France's Auto Hebdo, Dane Magnussen has now replied: "I appreciate the compliment.

"Romain is also a very strong driver. I would even say he is unique as I have never seen someone who can overcome the blows in the way that he can.

"It's amazing how he can put together the pieces of the puzzle which is frustrating at times but I learned a lot from him last year," Magnussen added.

WEC eyeing calendar tweak for Alonso

Desperate for TV ratings because they have none, WEC hopes to ride popular Alonso's coattails

(GMM) The world endurance sports car championship is reportedly considering changing the date of a key race so that Fernando Alonso can take part.

This week, McLaren announced that Alonso will contest not only Le Mans, but also the full 2018 WEC race calendar — with the exception of Fuji as it clashes with the US grand prix.

But Spanish reports including the El Mundo Deportivo and Marca sports newspapers say the sports car series is now "considering changing the date" of the 6 hour race in Japan.

Reportedly, prior to the Alonso announcement, the Fuji round was initially scheduled for October 14, which would have avoided the Austin clash. But it was moved so that it did not clash with the 'Petit Le Mans' event.

Now, the Spanish newspapers claim WEC organizers are "seriously rethinking" re-installing the Petit Le Mans clash so that Alonso can race at Fuji, particularly as it is Toyota's home event.

F1 drivers to wear biometric glove in 2018
(GMM) F1 drivers will wear a 'biometric glove' in 2018.

Late last year, we reported that the glove developed by the FIA will include a 3mm sensor that feeds lifesaving data to the medical team to help in the event of a serious crash.

Now, Germany's Sport Bild reports that the glove will be ready for 2018, even though it will not be made mandatory until next year.

"We asked ourselves how we could use state of the art technology to help our medical team and therefore the drivers," confirmed the FIA's Laurent Mekies.

"The drivers are very supportive of this move to improve safety," he added.

Explaining how the glove is useful, Mekies said: "If you know whether the driver is moving and breathing, you can make quite different decisions. For instance, does the car have to be moved quickly to access the driver, or can the recovery be done more cautiously?"

The FIA's move to beef up driver safety comes as Liberty Media announces that 'grid girls' will no longer be seen in formula one.

"We feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern day societal norms," said F1 commercial boss Sean Bratches.

F1 to redraw TV landscape

Formula 1 understands the importance of a TV deal in most countries to bring its sponsors global exposure

As it seeks to recoup the money it laid out in buying Formula One, and then set about making the sort of profits CVC could only dream of, Liberty Media is planning some major changes for the sport.

The engine rules and the division of the prize pot aside, Liberty is looking at how to not only keep current fans happy but win over many millions of new ones.

It is hoped that taking the sport into new territories – Vietnam for example – will not only mean more race promotion fees to add to the coffers but win over millions of new fans in the region… ignoring the fact that such projects spectacularly failed in Korea, India, Turkey…

As part of its masterplan, Liberty is looking to seriously revamp the way the sport is delivered to the world, ironic really when at one time Bernie Ecclestone's TV coverage was setting the standard for all sports.

In recent weeks a number of deals have been announced that essentially see the sport moving in the same direction as it looks to be heading in the UK, with live coverage only available on pay-per-view, while free-to-air fans are left with the scraps.

Furthermore, the sport is looking to advance in areas Ecclestone gave scant regard to, delivering race coverage and more into fans homes and to their various devices courtesy of its own streaming service.

Last week saw Liberty in a number of meetings including the teams, race promoters and TV broadcasters, not forgetting the infamous Strategy Group.

Though some of the plans have been quicker to leak out than others, a picture is beginning to emerge, and for some it will not be pretty.

First off, it is being proposed that all sessions, including the race, at a majority of the races, be moved back by an hour, with races scheduled to start at 15:10 as opposed to the current 14:00.

Ignoring the fear that the extra ten minutes might allow more travesties such as Michael Buffer and his Austin fiasco, one can only presume it is for comfort breaks and additional "words from out sponsors", while the extra hour is intended to make the timing more 'viewer friendly'.

Thus far it is thought the timing change mostly applies to European races, but while it is said Singapore and Abu Dhabi will be unaffected, Bahrain is likely to become a full night race.

However – and this is where it gets really worrying – while we can expect to hear an improved sound this year – courtesy of the repositioning of microphones on the car as opposed to changing the engine formula – there is talk of TV camera angles being adapted to make the cars look quicker and thereby more exciting.

Also – and those fans of a certain age and high blood pressure should look away now – there is even talk of a music soundtrack being played at certain parts of the race along with an in-screen highlights display… which in the case of Abu Dhabi last year would have involved Chopin and a blank screen.

More will become clear in the weeks and months ahead, but as Liberty's vast army of marketing men get to work, perhaps one should be heading to Amazon and investing in a few box sets for Sunday afternoons. We've recently purchased Gomorrah, Follow the Money and Spiral… when we've finished them we'll be happy to swap. Pitpass

Video: Button celebrates birthday with Ricciardo
Jenson Button shares with you a sneak peek at his Birthday weekend which kicked off with a lot of cake & laughter at Big Bear Lake in California. No skiing in the end but off road driving and fun in the snow with some of his buddies.