Latest F1 news in brief

Alex Zanardi knows only Aldo Costa and Adrian Newey designed F1 cars win titles

Zanardi not sure Ferrari ready to win
F1 legend Stuck likes 2017 cars
Verstappen ready for F1 title – Marko
Ferrari won't win 2017 title – Prost
Bottas has 'chance' to beat Hamilton – Prost
No late livery change for Renault
Mallya hits back at extradition moves
Force India thinks Melbourne protest possible
Szafnauer: Force India full of 'true racers'
Ericsson's initial impressions 'really good'

Zanardi not sure Ferrari ready to win
(GMM) Alex Zanardi is not sure Ferrari is ready to ace the new regulations in 2017.

Like many fans, the former F1 driver is looking forward to the reveal of the new red car, following a disappointing campaign last year.

"I have no doubt the men at Maranello are extremely keen to redeem themselves after a season that certainly disappointed from the point of view of the great expectations generated by the Scuderia," he told Corriere dello Sport.

But Zanardi said even the radical new rules might not be enough for Ferrari to catch up.

"The problem is that bravery is often a synonym for mediocrity in F1," he said. "To win means to be exceptional in comparison to your competitors in every way.

"From the point of view of organization, the leaders at the moment are Mercedes and Red Bull, while from the inside there have been various revolutions at Ferrari.

"There is talent in abundance, but without time to work together it is possible that it will still not be enough for Ferrari," added Zanardi.

F1 legend Stuck likes 2017 cars
(GMM) As the new generation of F1 cars are steadily unveiled this week, German legend Hans-Joachim Stuck likes what he sees.

So far, Williams, Sauber, Renault and now Force India have shown off their new cars that are tipped to be up to 6 seconds per lap faster than in 2016.

"It's the right direction," Stuck told Bild newspaper.

"Wider, faster, more power, it all helps to bring the driver back to the forefront," he said.

"Formula one must be spectacular again, not a drive for coffee."

But Stuck, 66, said the sport still has some way to go, and a good start would be lower ticket prices.

For instance, Germany is not on the calendar at all this year.

"For me that's unthinkable," Stuck said.

"The first thing to do is to lower the ticket prices, and secondly the fan has to be offered more. In 2014 there were 50,000 spectators at Hockenheim (for F1), but 140kms away at a truck race there were 140,000.

"Why? Because it was affordable, you could get up close, and because it was a good show," he added.

Verstappen ready for F1 title – Marko

Dr Helmut Marko and Max Verstappen

(GMM) Dr Helmut Marko thinks Max Verstappen is ready to battle for the F1 title.

This week, 19-year-old Max's father Jos said he thinks the young Dutchman needs another year before Red Bull is ready to take on Mercedes.

But Marko, who is Red Bull's driver manager, said on the Dutch program Jinek: "Now with a year's more experience, I think both of our drivers can fight for the title."

Verstappen grabs a lot of the headlines, but the teenager's teammate is Daniel Ricciardo, with Marko insisting: "We must remember Daniel. He is a very fast and competitive racing driver."

Red Bull is currently preparing to launch its 2017 car, the RB13, and Marko said it is "Sexy, fast and aggressive".

He also said it looks good in the simulator.

"But at the moment it's only the simulator. Only in winter testing will we see where we really stand."

Marko said Red Bull is now strongly supported by Renault, explaining: "They promised us more power, so in terms of the engine we will be closer to Mercedes."

As for Verstappen, he said the youngster's "explosive character" is not an issue.

"Now he enters his third year, it is actually a strength," he said.

"Other drivers now know they have to watch out when Max is coming. The risks are getting smaller."

As for the complaints coming from Verstappen's rivals, Marko responded: "If someone so young is passing them, they're just angry. He has it under control."

Ferrari won't win 2017 title – Prost

Alain Prost knows only Aldo Costa and Adrian Newey designed F1 cars win titles

(GMM) Alain Prost does not think a Ferrari driver will win the world championship in 2017.

Despite high expectations, the fabled Italian team failed to win even a single race in 2016.

But now the technical regulations are changing radically, with former Ferrari driver Prost commenting: "When the rules and the cars change a lot, as they are now, Ferrari is almost always not at the top.

"That's why I don't think Ferrari and its drivers will have chances this year," the Frenchman told the Finnish newspaper Ilta Sanomat.

Prost, 61, is now a team advisor for the works Renault outfit, but he added: "I think the situation this year will be 50-50 between Mercedes and Red Bull."

Bottas has 'chance' to beat Hamilton – Prost
(GMM) Valtteri Bottas has a "good chance" to take on triple world champion Lewis Hamilton in 2017.

That is the view of F1 legend Alain Prost, while other observers wonder if Mercedes newcomer Bottas is up to the challenge of a head-to-head with Hamilton at the sport's dominant team.

"I think Valtteri has a good chance against Lewis," quadruple world champion Prost told the Finnish newspaper Ilta Sanomat.

"Mercedes' philosophy is such that there is no first or second driver, and from Valtteri's point of view that's good.

"For sure it's hard to beat Lewis because he's been at Mercedes for many years, but Valtteri at least has a chance, sure," he added.

No late livery change for Renault
(GMM) Renault has shot down a rumor that it might be considering a livery change for the start of the season in Melbourne.

A year ago, as the French carmaker returned to the sport as a full constructor, it launched a black test car only for it to switch to all-yellow for the actual world championship.

Now, the color black has returned prominently to the newly-launched 2017, triggering rumors Renault could revert to all-yellow or even a striking yellow and blue color scheme for Melbourne.

But a team spokesman told Auto Bild: "Those rumors have no substance."

Mallya hits back at extradition moves

Vijay Mallya

(GMM) Vijay Mallya has hit out at the Indian media, a day after his F1 team's 2017 car was revealed to the world.

The embattled businessman has high hopes for this season, rebuking Renault chief Cyril Abiteboul who doubts Force India can keep up with the pace of development amid F1's new technical regulations in 2017.

"Good luck to him. He might have to eat his words," team boss and co-owner Mallya said.

Some, however, might surmise that the 61-year-old former billionaire has an even bigger battle on his hands, as the Indian government moves to extradite him from Britain.

The Times of India newspaper reports that healthy talks about the extradition – with the government pursuing Mallya following the collapse of his airline – have already taken place with British authorities.

"Both sides reiterated their determination to strengthen legal cooperation and expedite the pending requests," the newspaper quoted a government source as saying.

Mallya, however, slammed the Indian press for focusing on the extradition rather than Force India's hopes of breaking into F1's top three teams as a smaller privateer in 2017.

"Very sad that Indian media do not share pride that an Indian entry in formula one is so successful," he said on Twitter. (They are) only focused on blasting me."

Force India thinks Melbourne protest possible
(GMM) Force India thinks rumors of official protests in Melbourne over an argument about suspension systems could be right.

A spat has broken out between Mercedes and Red Bull on one side and Ferrari on the other over the legality of 'active suspension'-mimicking systems.

"I think it's possible we'll have a protest," Force India technical boss Andy Green said at the launch of the team's 2017 car, according to Speed Week.

So far, the FIA has declared the Red Bull and Mercedes-like concept to be technically legal, but Ferrari does not agree.

Green commented: "We see the situation relatively calmly, because we're on the safe side with our suspension.

"But in general the situation is unsatisfactory. And I can well imagine that a team will protest in order to create clarity," he said.

"At the moment we don't know how much of the suspension is allowed to move into the area of aerodynamics. We are waiting for an explanation from the FIA, but unfortunately at the moment we don't have it."

Asked whether Force India is working on a Mercedes and Red Bull-like concept just in case it does get a full green light, Green is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport: "We have a few ideas in this direction.

"But we're waiting until we know how the tires behave and whether the FIA rewrites the definition. We hear that they're working on it."

Szafnauer: Force India full of 'true racers'

Otmar Szafnauer

Force India's growing success in Formula 1 is a result of it building a workforce of "true racers", according to Chief Operating Officer Otmar Szafnauer.

Force India started its Formula 1 journey back in 2008, after it bought out Spyker, and has steadily worked its way up the pecking order over the years.

It recorded its best ever classification of fourth last year, behind only Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari, with Sergio Pérez scoring podiums in Monaco and Azerbaijan.

Assessing the team's upward trajectory, Szafnauer said: "It's hard to try and capture the route of our progress in a simple catchphrase.

"One of the reasons we have been able to improve year after year is down to the employees and the way we work together.

"We've tried to create a unique environment so that people enjoy their work, make a genuine contribution and are recognized for their efforts.

"We've also built a team of true racers. We are all extremely competitive and share a burning desire to do well.

"The unified team spirit and harmony of everybody pulling in the same direction, without internal politics, is a big contributing factor towards our success story."

Force India hopes to challenge for third overall in 2017 and, although wary of adding to the hype, Szafnauer says the team has met its pre-season targets with the VJM10.

"It's impossible to know what our competitors could achieve given such a huge change of regulations," he commented.

"What I can say is that we have met our internal targets for the car – for example in terms of the aero numbers we set as the goal for the launch car.

"How those targets compare to our competitors is impossible to say until we hit the track."

Ericsson's initial impressions 'really good'

Ericsson driving the new Sauber on a filming day

Marcus Ericsson says he was encouraged by his first impression of the Sauber C36-Ferrari after carrying out a filming day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Wednesday.

Ericsson took to the track in Spain, two days after images of the team's new car were shared for the first time, to shake down Sauber's new package.

Each team is permitted to carry out two filming days per year, in which running, limited to 100km, must be undertaken on Pirelli's promotional tires.

"Initially it feels really good," Ericsson said.

"I think obviously this year's regulations are very exciting for everyone in Formula 1.

"The initial feel is good, the cars look really brutal as well with the wider tires and wider dimensions in general, so the first impression is good."

Ericsson failed to score a point in 2016 with Sauber finishing only 10th in the standings, courtesy of Felipe Nasr's ninth place result at a rain-affected Brazilian Grand Prix.

Ericsson reiterated Sauber's desire to return to the midfield in 2017 after a challenging campaign last season.

"It's very difficult in F1 to aim for results as you don't know where you stand compared to competitors until the first race really," he said.

"But as a team we want to be back in the midfield and fight there and fight consistently for points, that's the first aim: to be a consistent midfielder and be there every weekend and fight for points, it's where we need to get back to."

Ericsson has this year been joined by Pascal Wehrlein, who was present for the filming day but did not drive due to the back injury he sustained at the Race of Champions.

Wehrlein will miss next week's opening test in Spain, with Ferrari reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi poised to act as a replacement.