Latest F1 news in brief

Ecclestone has been put out to pasture

Ecclestone no longer attending races
Briatore 'very sorry' Kubica comeback failed
Media still hungry for Schumacher news
Wolff winter 'less stressful' than 2017
New Logo for Red Bull too

Ecclestone no longer attending races
(GMM) Bernie Ecclestone says he may no longer attend grands prix.

The former F1 supremo began his first year as nominal 'chairman emeritus' in 2017 whilst still attending some races.

But towards the end of the year, Ecclestone was conspicuously absent, and he now tells Auto Motor und Sport: "I have the feeling that my successors do not want to see me at the track anymore."

In his annual Christmas card, the 87-year-old poked fun at his successor Chase Carey, but he denies he is "bitter" about the new Liberty Media era.

"On the contrary. I'm proud of formula one and I want it to be good," he said.

He applauded the fact that newly-released figures show that TV and spectator figures rose in 2017.

"The Ferrari against Mercedes duel mobilized the fans," Ecclestone said.

"I actually apologized to the promoters, because they paid for the old formula one and all they got was Mercedes winning. Now, they're getting value for money again."

Asked why he thinks Ferrari is suddenly more competitive, the Briton answered: "They were smart enough to look at the other teams and bring on board good people.

"Mercedes supplies three teams. Whoever does what Mercedes is doing is successful," Ecclestone added.

As for Liberty Media, he admits he doesn't like that the American company is heavily investing in F1 marketing.

"It is important that the teams market themselves, and that the promoters promote their event," he said. "If FOM competes as a third party, that's only confusing."

Ecclestone also sided with F1 manufacturers who are railing against Liberty Media's proposed engine changes for 2021.

"I would have scrapped this (current) engine. It was a disaster from the date on which it was introduced.

"But two years ago I told the teams they could keep the damn engine if they increase the fuel flow and the fuel load," he said.

Finally, Ecclestone warned Liberty to take Ferrari's threat to quit F1 after 2020 seriously.

"You didn't have to take Luca di Montezemolo seriously, because motor sport was his life," he said.

"But Sergio (Marchionne) can live without F1. He is only interested in the business. If Marchionne doesn't like what he sees, he will stop.

"I'm afraid that Ferrari can live without formula one, but not vice versa," Ecclestone concluded.

Briatore 'very sorry' Kubica comeback failed

Robert Kubica's check was not big enough to buy a ride

(GMM) Flavio Briatore says it's a shame Robert Kubica will not make a sensational return to formula one in 2018.

A source close to Kubica, the former BMW and Renault driver who almost lost his arm in a 2011 rally crash, admits the Pole's comeback bid is now "game over".

Other sources claim Williams has definitely signed up Sergey Sirotkin, the Vladimir Putin-linked Russian driver.

"I'm very sorry that Kubica did not manage to convince Williams," former Renault team boss Briatore is quoted by Speed Week.

"I have talked to (Kubica co-manager) Nico Rosberg several times and know that everything has been tried, but the Russian has an enormous budget. We're talking about 20 million. Kubica could muster between seven and ten," he added.

Briatore admitted that fans and insiders will be disappointed that Kubica's audacious bid to return to F1 ultimately failed.

"I'm very sorry about that," he said.

"If Robert had returned to F1, it would have been a major success for the sport. I find it very strange that the F1 leadership did not lend him a helping hand."

Media still hungry for Schumacher news

Michael Schumacher

(GMM) The media has not given up the quest to learn more about the current condition of F1 legend Michael Schumacher.

In the past days, the 4 year anniversary of the great German's skiing crash and his 49th birthday have left F1 fans saddened.

Among them is his friend Sebastian Vettel.

"I never saw him angry," the German told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "I never heard him say anything that did not make sense. He always had everything under control.

"It didn't matter if he was in a kart, a buggy at the race of champions or in a formula one car, you always had the impression that he is the master of his situation."

However, according to L'Equipe, Schumacher's current situation is that he is situated in a small house near the main mansion at his ranch in Switzerland that has been converted into a kind of on-site hospital.

The French report was compiled by two journalists who travelled to the outskirts of the property on Lake Geneva but were stopped and questioned by the Schumacher family's security.

And a paparazzi photographer commented: "It's our job to follow what is happening.

"We have taken some pictures but decided not to add them to our database. Publishing pictures of a person in a situation like that would only damage the publisher's image."

Wolff winter 'less stressful' than 2017

Wolff more relaxed

(GMM) Toto Wolff says he has enjoyed a more relaxing winter compared to a year ago.

"It's definitely less stressful than last year," the Mercedes boss smiled.

He is referring to the transition from 2016 to 2017, when the world champions had to suddenly replace Nico Rosberg with Valtteri Bottas.

Wolff told Kurier newspaper: "But who knows what's coming in the next few days. You never know what Lewis is thinking."

The Austrian was smiling and joking, but Hamilton can be notoriously fickle and a few days ago he deleted all of his social media content after a spate of intense online criticism.

But Wolff is happy with the Briton.

"His performance was unbelievable and he does not lack motivation even after four championships. I feel like he's seeing that Michael Schumacher's seven titles are within reach and we'll do everything we can to give him the car to do that," he added.

Finally, the Mercedes boss said he welcomed Niki Lauda's decision to quit his television role in order to focus on being the F1 team's chairman.

"It was a very personal decision and his role on the Mercedes supervisory board had nothing to do with it," Wolff said.

"But the good thing for us is that he now has more time, although in the past he was always the first into the paddock. When Niki gets to the motor home, the cleaners are normally still at work," he smiled.

New logo for Red Bull too

New Red Bull team logo

Ferrari and Red Bull "decided on some cosmetic surgery" as both revealed new logos ahead of the '18 Formula 1 season, according to SPORT24.
The Scuderia's logos in the past have been "heavily influenced" by long-time partner Marlboro, owned by Philip Morris.

Ferrari signed a renewal with Marlboro in September, which is worth a reported $160M a year, but the team unveiled a new shield logo which "simply includes the famous Prancing Horse and the Scuderia Ferrari initials."

The move away from the Marlboro-influenced rectangular logo "sparked rumors" that another Philip Morris brand — IQOS (I Quit Ordinary Smoking) — could soon become Ferrari's new major sponsor.

Meanwhile, at Red Bull, a "new, fresher logo has been unveiled" to reflect Aston Martin becoming its new title sponsor