Latest F1 news in brief

Fabian Vettel

Vettel's brother makes racing debut
Verstappen 'disappointed' in 2017 – Brundle
Berger tips nephew for F1 seat
Races not boring in 2017 – Minardi
Sainz Jr. 'happy' at Toro Rosso
Schumacher eyeing F1 'one step at a time'
Haas to use Brembo brakes at Spanish GP
Ricciardo hopes to be surprised by update
Lauda: Mercedes needs 'two steps' in Spain

Vettel's brother makes racing debut
(GMM) Sebastian Vettel's brother is taking his first steps in the world of professional motor racing.

The 2017 championship leader's 18-year-old brother Fabian has made his debut in the Audi Sport TT Cup, according to German reports.

He said the level of interest in his debut surprised him.

"I was partially expecting it," he said, "but not necessarily as extremely. But I can handle it."

Fabian Vettel said his older brother supports him, but insisted he is determined to make his way in motor racing independently.

"Of course he (Sebastian) is a contact, because you cannot find a person with more motor sports experience," he said.

"But I have decided that I want to tread my own path. I want to have to talk to people so that I have the money I need at the end of the year," Fabian added.

"The family is there for me, but together with my father I am doing it as normally as any other driver."

Verstappen 'disappointed' in 2017 – Brundle

Max Verstappen getting beaten by his teammate, the Ferraris and the Mercedes

(GMM) Former F1 driver Martin Brundle has urged Max Verstappen to keep his "disappointment" in check this year.

Brundle, a former McLaren driver who is now a veteran commentator for British television, told the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that he can sense the 19-year-old's frustration with Red Bull's 2017 car.

"He's so smart that I don't think he needs advice," Brundle said.

"But he shouldn't get too frustrated that his car isn't faster. I can just see the disappointment on his face."

Indeed, Red Bull has started the 2017 season admitting its chassis deficits, while an improved engine from Renault has been delayed.

Further up the grid, Brundle tipped a season-long battle for the title.

"The battle between Mercedes and Ferrari will continue throughout the season," he said. "Both teams have great drivers."

Berger tips nephew for F1 seat

Lucas Auer

(GMM) F1 legend Gerhard Berger thinks his nephew could be the next Austrian on the formula one grid.

Berger, the former BMW and Toro Rosso chief and a 10-time race winner, has just started his new role as boss of the German touring car series DTM.

And his nephew Lucas Auer started the 2017 season in the best possible way with a win at the weekend.

"It's time for a new Austrian formula one star," former Ferrari and McLaren driver Berger told Krone newspaper.

"I think we will not have to wait a long time now. If Luki delivers a season with consistent top performances in the DTM, I believe he will get the chance."

Races not boring in 2017 – Minardi

There hasn't been a single on-track pass for the lead in F1 all year. All passing is done in the pits and the start sprint to turn 1

(GMM) Giancarlo Minardi has hit back at claims the new F1 regulations have made the races boring.

Last time out in Russia, there was only a single overtaking move all race, with the faster 2017 cars being blamed for the lack of action.

But Minardi, a former F1 team owner, told Italy's Autosprint: "I analyze a grand prix with the times that the drivers are posting, and what was noticeable was how close the grand prix (at Sochi) was.

"There were the three protagonists, Bottas, Vettel and Raikkonen, but also Verstappen who improved lap after lap. It was a beautiful fight," he insisted.

Minardi said the missing protagonist in Russia was Lewis Hamilton, who was outperformed all weekend by his new Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas.

"I think first of all Hamilton underestimated Bottas," he said. "Hamilton is a strong driver but he easily becomes demoralized."

As for Ferrari's strong start to the 2017 season, Minardi said he is happy the Maranello team pushed ahead with its own plan to improve.

"I argued for years that we do not need to go looking for people abroad," he said. "Now the team must not lift its head but continue to work and believe in creating a new winning cycle after the Schumi-Todt era."

But while Minardi was full of praise for Sebastian Vettel, he was critical of the German's Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

"I don't understand those fast laps Kimi did late in the race," said the Italian, referring to Sochi. "What was he doing earlier? Even in Bahrain he complained of the tires and then did his fast lap with two races to go.

"For me, Kimi remains a mystery and it's unfortunate because if he went as fast as he should, the constructors' title would be within reach for Ferrari."

Sainz Jr. 'happy' at Toro Rosso

Sainz Jr. stuck at Toro Rosso

(GMM) Carlos Sainz insists he is "happy" at Toro Rosso.

Actually, the Spaniard has been linked with moves to bigger teams like Renault, but is bound to his Red Bull contract for now.

But when asked if he feels fenced in at the energy drink company's junior team, Sainz said: "No.

"I think I'm in a place where people notice me and I'm flattered that there are those who think I should have a car fighting for victories and more.

"But I don't think my car is not worthy of me," he told El Spain's Confidencial. "Toro Rosso is a very serious team that slowly shows that it can do things very well with a strong technical team.

"Many big teams would want to have James Key. We have our budget, it's not the highest but we still get things done. Today, I am happy where I am," said Sainz, 22.

Schumacher eyeing F1 'one step at a time'

Mick Schumacher

(GMM) Mick Schumacher insists he is in no rush to become the next teenager in F1.

As teens, Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll both powered straight out of European F3 onto the formula one grid.

But Schumacher, son of the F1 legend Michael Schumacher, says he is in no such rush.

"I've just come into Formula 3 — my second weekend is just over," the 18-year-old German told the ARD broadcaster.

"For me it's about taking one step at a time. I cannot say anything concrete yet."

But Schumacher said he already feels comfortable in the highly competitive junior series, although he is currently just fifth overall.

"I have no real trouble," he said. "The car is extremely fast — I think almost as fast as DTM. It's extremely fun."

Norbert Haug, the former Mercedes F1 chief, hailed Schumacher's progress so far.

"He is very, very controlled, he looks very good and I have a good feeling," he said. "He drives close to the limit but not beyond it.

"We can all expect a great deal from him."

Haas to use Brembo brakes at Spanish GP

The Haas team will stick with Brembo brakes

Haas team boss Guenther Steiner says that the outfit will use Brembo brakes again at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, having encountered problems with alternative supplier Carbon Industrie in Russia.

Haas switched to Carbon Industrie brakes at Sochi Autodrom, following a successful in-season test in Bahrain, but suffered overheating in practice and reverted to Brembo.

After assessing the situation between races, Haas has made the call to continue with Brembo for the time being, while working towards a fix with Carbon Industrie.

"We weren't getting enough cooling for them, and if you don't cool them enough, you overheat the brake itself and the pedal gets long," said Steiner.

"Also, the wear is very high. We looked into it to see if we could survive a race, but we realized we could not.

"Therefore, the decision was taken to go back onto the Brembo. As it stands now, we will race Brembo in Barcelona."

Steiner admits there is no quick fix to the issues encountered with Carbon Industrie's products.

"To figure out how we can fix the problem will take a bit, but we will get there," he added.

"It isn't an easy problem to solve. We will take our time.

"We know what we've got after our Bahrain test with CI brakes, and after Sochi in FP1 and FP2. We know what we need to do and what needs to get done, but it will take a little bit of time."

Haas sits seventh in the standings after the first four races.

Ricciardo hopes to be surprised by update

Hoping to catch up

Daniel Ricciardo says that he hopes to be "pleasantly surprised" by Red Bull's upgrades at the Spanish Grand Prix, stressing the need to make sizeable gains.

Red Bull has emerged as the third-best outfit in 2017, under new regulations, unable to compete with Mercedes and Ferrari, but a chunk clear of the midfield pack.

As teams arrive in Europe, and apply their first big batches of updates, Ricciardo is eager to see how much of a step in performance Red Bull will be able to take.

"I know we still need to see where we are in Barcelona, but unfortunately we're too far away from the front at the moment," said Ricciardo in an interview with the Red Bull website.

"Even if we have a good update in Barcelona, it's hard to see how that instantly puts us on the top step, and we all know that.

"It could take a little while for us to be able to fight for some wins, but we're optimistic we can make up some good ground.

"There's no magic bullet in Formula 1 that's going to see us start winning every race from here, that sort of thing just doesn't exist.

"So I'm hoping we can be pleasantly surprised with any gains we make next weekend.

"Spain will probably shape the season from Barcelona until Budapest and the mid-year break, so it's an important one for us to get as right as we can."

Although frustrated at the situation, Ricciardo at least sees the positives in Ferrari emerging as a frontrunner and ending Mercedes' dominance of Formula 1.

"It's positive for the sport that we don't have Mercedes dominating by two seconds a lap again and there's some competition up front with Ferrari giving them a hard time," he said.

"That's definitely a good sign for the sport based on what has happened the last few years – it'd be nice if we can join in though, and I'm optimistic we can."

While Red Bull will be bringing a chassis upgrade to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, engine supplier Renault has delayed its planned update.

Lauda: Mercedes needs 'two steps' in Spain

Bottas blew past the Ferraris at the start in Russia and led all the way. Just what two steps do they need Niki?

Niki Lauda says that Mercedes needs to take "two steps forward" with its Spanish Grand Prix upgrade package if it is to move clear of main rival Ferrari.

Mercedes and Ferrari have started the 2017 campaign in a battle of their own up front, comfortably ahead of Red Bull and the remainder of the Formula 1 pack.

Sebastian Vettel took victories in Australia and Bahrain, while Lewis Hamilton won in China, and Valtteri Bottas in Russia, leaving the title race finely balanced.

As it stands, Mercedes leads Ferrari by a point, with Vettel 13 points up on Hamilton, and Lauda stressed the importance of the updates coming in Barcelona.

"Ferrari is clearly ahead," Lauda told Austrian newspaper Krone.

"We need to analyze exactly why it is not working, and then put the right measures in place for Barcelona, where all teams will bring their updates.

"Ferrari will certainly make a step forward, so we need to make two steps forward, and Red Bull needs to make three steps forward."

Lauda says Mercedes' main focus is on reducing car weight, improving aerodynamics and getting Pirelli's new tires into their working windows more efficiently.

"This week we had a huge discussion with our engineers," he said.

"I know that we can make up the gap [to Ferrari] and have a competitive car from Barcelona. We can then enjoy a slight advantage again, but it is a matter of time."

Lauda also praised the dynamic between new team-mates Bottas and Hamilton, after Bottas took his maiden Formula 1 victory at Sochi Autodrom last time out.

"It was a perfect performance; I never expected such a drive," he said.

"It was the right decision from Toto Wolff and myself to get Bottas onboard – it's paid off."

Asked how Hamilton has responded to Bottas' early-season form, Lauda said: "He's happy when someone else wins and doesn't have any issues with Bottas."