Latest F1 news in brief

Villeneuve does it again

Bottas 'only number 2 driver' – Villeneuve
Hamilton cool on venue for French GP return
Mick Schumacher staying in F3
Copenhagen, Nurburgring eye F1 race deals
Wolff expects Hamilton to stay at Mercedes
Less overtaking due to teams, not cars – Whiting
Wolff Says Mercedes Formula 1 Is Considering Creating B-Team
Hamilton sure Mercedes can repeat reliability

Bottas 'only number 2 driver' – Villeneuve
(GMM) Valtteri Bottas is a "solid number 2" for world champion Lewis Hamilton.

That is the view of 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, who is never shy to offer forthright views about F1's teams and drivers of today.

"Mercedes won because they still have the best engine, but only Hamilton was able to take advantage of it. Bottas' performance was almost embarrassing," he told Auto Bild.

"He is a solid number 2 and no more. I would have chosen Wehrlein," Villeneuve said.

The French Canadian said Kimi Raikkonen is also a good number 2 driver for Ferrari, but that Finn is "much better than Bottas".

Hamilton cool on venue for French GP return

The long Paul Ricard straights should ensure a Hamilton win

(GMM) Lewis Hamilton thinks a better venue could have been selected for this year's return of the French grand prix.

After a decade's absence, France is back on the F1 calendar this year, at the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet.

World champion Hamilton told Canal Plus broadcaster: "Honestly, I don't like Paul Ricard. I liked it when the French grand prix was at Magny Cours.

"When I says I don't like Paul Ricard, I just mean it's not as good as Magny Cours," said the Mercedes driver. "I'm just being straight.

"The most important thing is that we're going back to France which is important for the European season, but I think there's a lot of great tracks in France like Le Mans. For some reason we don't race there.

"Who knows, maybe we'll have the best race of the season there (in Paul Ricard)," Hamilton concluded.

Mick Schumacher staying in F3

Poor Mick inherited little of Dad's skill

(GMM) Mick Schumacher is set to remain in European F3 for a second season this year.

F1 legend Michael Schumacher's 18-year-old son had a moderate first year in the highly competitive category for the Italian team Prema.

Now, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that a 2018 contract with the same outfit will be agreed "in the next few days".

One of Michael Schumacher's former engineers at Ferrari, Luca Baldisserri, is happy to be working with Mick today.

"It was very emotional to work with Michael's son, and in many ways he reminds me of his father," he said.

"A couple of times, I've even called him Michael on the radio," Baldisserri admitted.

Meanwhile, as the four year anniversary of his skiing crash passes, Michael's manager Sabine Kehm has explained why she is so coy about the seven time world champion's health today.

"Before the accident, he told me 'Don't call me to plan things, I would like to disappear. It was his secret wish. That's why I do not say anything now," she told L'Equipe.

Wolff expects Hamilton to stay at Mercedes

Well of course Hamilton will stay at Mercedes. He'll be winning titles for as long as Aldo Costa is designing the cars

(GMM) Toto Wolff is sure Lewis Hamilton will race on with Mercedes.

However, world champion Hamilton spent 2017 to-ing and fro-ing over his potential retirement plans, with his current contract set to expire after 2018.

At the end of 2016, Hamilton's then teammate Nico Rosberg suddenly quit F1, but team boss Wolff does not think the Briton will now follow suit.

"I don't think it's going to happen, but you never know," he told the Austrian broadcaster ORF.

"We didn't expect anything like that in 2016, but then came the call from Nico," Wolff added.

As for Hamilton, the controversial driver clashed with the media and social media followers over Christmas, after posting a video in which he jokingly chided his nephew for wearing a "princess dress".

In response, the 32-year-old deleted most of the content from his Instagram and Twitter accounts.

Wolff said: "Right know he's in Los Angeles, which is always dangerous terrain because of all his other activities. But I expect him to be in the car next year.

"We're happy with him and he's happy with us."

Less overtaking due to teams, not cars – Whiting

Wider tires and more downforce always leads to less passing. Whiting must be suffering from the onset of Alzheimer’s

(GMM) Charlie Whiting has defended F1's regulations, declaring that the biggest issue for the sport is in fact the competitiveness of the midfield teams.

Many teams and drivers rounded out 2017 by declaring that while the new cars were faster, they also meant overtaking was more difficult.

"The wider cars look great and they've given us more grip, but when they take up more space on the track you have less clean air so it does make following harder," said Daniel Ricciardo.

But F1 race director Whiting doesn't agree with that assessment.

"I don't think closer racing is the issue, and I don't think the cars are the problem," he told the New York Times.

"The biggest problem we've had this year is that it's clear the big three teams – if you want to call them that – in Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull are significantly quicker than the rest.

"I don't think the racing has been bad, it's just that some have done a significantly better job than others, which is nothing new in formula one," Whiting added.

Wolff Says Mercedes Formula 1 Is Considering Creating B-Team

Wolff dreams of a B-Team

Mercedes Motorsport Dir Toto Wolff said that the Formula 1 team "could follow in Ferrari's footsteps" by creating its own "B-team" like the Italian brand has done with Alfa Romeo and Sauber, according to Ryan Wood of MOTORSPORT WEEK.

Sauber will be known as Alfa Romeo Sauber in '18 following "a link-up with the Italian manufacturer which shares a president with Ferrari in Sergio Marchionne."

The partnership is focused on selling more Alfa Romeo cars, "but will run Ferrari engines and a Ferrari-backed driver in Charles Leclerc." The team "will also receive technical support from Ferrari, effectively making it a B-team."

Wolff reckons that is a "clever strategy" that could "aid Ferrari's championship hopes, whilst giving it more power in the sport."

Wolff said, "I think what Sergio Marchionne and [team principal] Maurizio [Arrivabene] are doing is very clever. They've had a good relationship with Haas.

"That has helped Haas and helped Ferrari and what they are doing now with Sauber is very visionary. It can be an alliance that can be dangerous for us. … It's something that we are considering." MOTORSPORT WEEK

Hamilton sure Mercedes can repeat reliability

The Mercedes engine finishes 100% of the races

Reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton says repeating his reliability record in Formula 1 this year will be tricky, but believes the achievement is within Mercedes' reach.

Hamilton finished each Grand Prix in 2017, and did so in the points, becoming the first World Champion to classify at every race since Michael Schumacher in 2002.

Unlike in 2016, Hamilton was also able to stick to Mercedes' engine schedule, taking a penalty only in Brazil, after clinching his title, having crashed out in the first phase of qualifying.

Mercedes also displayed strong reliability elsewhere, with Valtteri Bottas retiring just once, while customer team Force India's only failures to finish came through collision damage.

Hamilton believes that repeating the reliability feat this year will be harder, accentuated by the reduction in engine allowance, but sees no reason why Mercedes cannot maintain a high level.

"We plan on completing every lap, that's our goal," Hamilton explained.

"Of course it's going to be harder for us to do that, but that's what we plan to do.

"I have every faith and belief in the team they can do that, it's a huge, huge task and perhaps [2017] is a golden year for us, but no reason for us [not to repeat it]."

Hamilton also reckons any reliability setbacks between the main three engine suppliers will prove influential in the outcome of the championship.

"I think between us, Ferrari and Renault's engines, the power teams, that's going to be definitely something that potentially will determine some of the championship," he said.

"But as I said we plan on finishing every single race.

"We had the best reliability we've ever, it's going to be even harder to achieve what we have achieved, but we work with the same approach we've done [in 2017] it's achievable."