Latest F1 news in brief

Hamilton's father (R) says his son will destroy Bottas

Hamilton could be Bottas 'career killer' – father
Bank guarantee secures 2018 French GP return
Rosberg backs Kubica for F1 test comeback
Verstappen-Vandoorne like Senna-Prost – pundit
F1 designer worried about 2017 rules shakeup
Ousting Ecclestone a mistake – Mosley
Kaltenborn says Wehrlein not 'junior' driver
Force India offers fans F1 factory tour

Hamilton could be Bottas 'career killer' – father
(GMM) Lewis Hamilton's father has fired an ominous warning in the direction of Mercedes newcomer Valtteri Bottas.

Anthony Hamilton, who guided his son's early career in formula one, said anyone signing up to be the triple world champion's teammate puts their entire career at risk.

Finn Bottas, 27, has signed just a one-year contract after being selected to replace the suddenly-retired world champion Nico Rosberg, with whom Hamilton shared an acrimonious relationship.

"My own personal view is that anyone who goes up against Lewis really needs to have their career mapped out for them because it's a career killer," Anthony is quoted by The Sun newspaper.

"Lewis kills drivers. He gets under your skin, because he is fast like hell. And you can't figure out how he's developed the car, how he has got the speed, how he can take that corner, how he can take that lane and it screws with your head," Hamilton snr added.

Since entering F1 in 2007, Hamilton's teammates have been Fernando Alonso, Heikki Kovalainen, Jenson Button and Rosberg.

Bottas, meanwhile, has spent his entire F1 career to date with Williams but has always beaten teammates Pastor Maldonado and Felipe Massa in the championship standings.

Anthony Hamilton continued: "Lewis would much rather have Nico as his teammate because they have known each other since they were 13 and it spurs Lewis on.

"It was a good rivalry but Lewis only has one desire and ambition right now, which is to claim back the title if he can."

Bank guarantee secures 2018 French GP return
(GMM) France's return to the F1 calendar is definitely on for 2018.

In December, it emerged that after a decade's absence, France will be back on the 2018 schedule with a race at Paul Ricard and a new five-year contract.

But until now the actual deal was not complete.

However, French publications including La Provence now report that Paul Ricard's 2018 race will definitely happen.

"December 5 was a historic date because that was when we announced the return," said organizer and local politician Christian Estrosi.

"But this is another historic date, because now we can say 'The return of the French grand prix is go!'

"We have just obtained the bank guarantee for the sustainability of our race with Credit Agricole Alpes-Provence", Estrosi announced.

"There was no viable grand prix without a bank guarantee, but it was accepted a few days ago," he revealed.

Rosberg backs Kubica for F1 test comeback

Robert Kubica

(GMM) World champion Nico Rosberg has welcomed news Robert Kubica could be looking to get back into F1.

The Pole had to leave the category after almost severing his wrist in a 2011 rally crash, but he will return to full-time circuit racing in 2017 with a top prototype Le Mans seat.

And now a Telegraph headline says the 32-year-old former BMW and Renault driver "would like to try" to test a grand prix car in the near future, despite the fact Kubica was earlier unable due to movement limitations.

So, responding to a news item published by F1 broadcaster James Allen, Rosberg said to his followers on Twitter: "What (do) you think?

"I hope a top team gives Robert the opportunity. It would be great to watch! (I'm) sure he would be fast immediately as always!"

Rosberg has been active on social media since shocking the F1 world with his sudden retirement news, even commenting on supremo Bernie Ecclestone's exit.

"Bernie, mega job!" he said. "But a change has been overdue. Mr. (Chase) Carey, all the best in making our sport awesome again."

Verstappen-Vandoorne like Senna-Prost – pundit

Is Vandoorne as good as Verstappen?

(GMM) F1 could be heading into a new 'Senna versus Prost' era.

That is the view of a well-known F1 pundit, as two youngsters from the Benelux region prepare to go head-to-head in 2017.

Peter Windsor, a former Williams team manager turned journalist, told the Dutch magazine Formule 1: "I'm a big fan of (Stoffel) Vandoorne's.

"I see F1 heading for an era like Senna and Prost, but with (Max) Verstappen and Vandoorne," he added. "Verstappen as the Senna, Vandoorne as the Prost."

While Max Verstappen is shaping up for his third season and possibly even a title charge in 2017, Belgian Vandoorne is actually five years older but a F1 rookie this year.

And while Dutch youngster Verstappen is spectacular and aggressive, Vandoorne gives an account of his style that sounds contrasting.

"I am consistent not only in a race but over a full season," said the 24-year-old McLaren-Honda driver. "Quick without making mistakes.

"My strength is that I can take an inferior car into the top five," Vandoorne added.

F1 designer worried about 2017 rules shakeup

Luca Furbatto predicts Aldo Costa and Adrian Newey will produce better cars than everyone else

(GMM) A well-known F1 engineer is concerned the sport is setting off down the wrong path with its radical new rules for 2017.

On social media, Carlos Sainz posted a photo demonstrating that he has drastically bulked up muscle in preparation for the much faster cars set to race this year.

But Luca Furbatto – a former designer for McLaren, Toro Rosso and most recently Manor – is concerned that the 2017 rules might not actually be good for the show.

Firstly, he is worried that the top teams will pull away from the rest of the field.

"In particular," he told Italian journalist Leo Turrini's blog, "Mercedes and Red Bull always build a better chassis than rivals with more modest resources."

And he thinks the new, bigger and wider Pirelli tires, while increasing mechanical grip, will also favor the teams with the better aerodynamic resources.

"For the cars that generate higher downforce, their grip will be even higher, which will also affect the difference between teams even though everyone hoped that it would be the other way around," he said.

As for the 'power units', Furbatto worries that the importance of the complex technology will continue to dominate in 2017 even though the emphasis appears to be shifting to aero.

"I don't think we will see a change for the better," said the Italian.

"Actually, I think it's the opposite. A 2017 car will spend a higher percentage of the lap at full throttle, so the benefit for the teams with the most power will only increase."

He said the extra power could also mean drivers have to conserve more fuel, while many commentators are concerned that faster cars and shorter braking zones could make overtaking harder.

"I don't want to criticize the new regulations," said Furbatto, "but I look at objective data and the results of calculations.

"As for entertainment, in my opinion this is not directly related to speed. At Mugello for example, a MotoGP is 25 seconds slower than a F1 car, but I cannot say that a MotoGP race is less spectacular."

He said a better route for F1 might have been to follow the Le Mans direction, where designers have more freedom to design fundamentally different cars than their rivals.

So when predicting the likely pecking order in 2017, Furbatto said: "I expect victories to be disputed between Mercedes and Red Bull.

"Red Bull have always made an excellent chassis under the leadership of Adrian Newey, while the Mercedes car as a whole is very balanced with the best engine in the series.

"But I fully admit that we could see some surprises that could shake things up."

As for Ferrari, Furbatto concluded: "I will refrain from making forecasts, but I do believe we will see some results from last year's reshuffle in the leadership team."

Ousting Ecclestone a mistake – Mosley

Bernie Ecclestone

(GMM) Max Mosley thinks F1's new owners have made a mistake by dumping Bernie Ecclestone.

Although given the honorary title 'chairman emeritus', 86-year-old Briton Ecclestone has been effectively ousted and replaced by Liberty Media's Chase Carey and Ross Brawn.

For years, Ecclestone and Mosley was a formidable double-act, and now the former FIA president thinks Liberty has erred in sidelining his long-time friend.

"I would never have dropped Bernie in the way Liberty Media have," he is quoted by the respected F1 correspondent Roger Benoit.

"It would only have been necessary to keep him doing what he's really good at: negotiating with the organisers and the promoters," Blick newspaper quoted Mosley as saying.

"Then, the Americans could concentrate fully on what has been neglected to date: the digital side of the business. But Liberty has bought everything and believes it can make it better, so let's wait and see," Mosley added.

Kaltenborn says Wehrlein not 'junior' driver

Pascal Wehrlein should destroy Ericsson if he is as good as Mercedes says he is

(GMM) Sauber boss Monisha Kaltenborn has denied claims the Swiss team has signed up a "junior" for 2017.

In the media, Pascal Wehrlein is often referred to as a junior due to his prominent role in Mercedes' driver development program.

But the 22-year-old made his debut with Manor in 2016 and this year is stepping up to Sauber, a former midfield team that almost collapsed last season.

However, Sauber's new technical boss Jorg Zander said this week: "Our objective (for 2017) is to establish ourselves in the midfield."

To that end, team boss Kaltenborn denied that Sauber has signed up a "junior".

"If we had signed a junior, we would give him a bobby (toy) car rather than a formula one car," she told Germany's Auto Bild.

Wehrlein is currently recovering from a rumored neck injury sustained in a rollover crash during last month's race of champions event, but Kaltenborn is confident about 2017.

"Pascal has proved his talents in his career so far, including formula one, and he will certainly be able to celebrate further career highlights in the future," she said.

Wehrlein's 2017 teammate Marcus Ericsson, however, said his goal for this season is clear.

"My goal is to beat him (Wehrlein) — what else?" said the Swede, who is reportedly linked with Sauber's new investors. "I expect a tough fight so I will have to do my best.

"He has been in the Mercedes program for a long time, so they seem to believe in him," Ericsson added.

More broadly, the 26-year-old Swede is upbeat about Sauber's 2017 chances after recovering from its near-collapse last year.

"It takes time, but when I look at the second half of last season there was massive progress, and now it will make a different that some experienced people are joining the team," Ericsson said.

Force India offers fans F1 factory tour
Force India is offering Formula 1 fans the opportunity to go on a tour of its factory.

Over the course of the next few months, Force India will open the doors to its "usually secretive" headquarters for a 90-minute behind-the-scenes tour, offering insight into how a Formula 1 team operates.

"Discover where our VJM10 is designed and manufactured: you will see all stages of this process, including the normally off-limits design office, inspection departments, proof testing, machining, composite manufacture, sub-assembly, race bays, our simulator and the cars themselves," read an explanation.

Force India has set aside nine dates for its tours, from February through April.

More information about the tour is available on Force India's official website.