Latest F1 news in brief

With the wide tires and more downforce Hulkenberg says at tracks like Monaco there will be zero passing. He expects less, maybe zero passing everywhere. It will be physically demanding for the drivers, but boring for the fans

2017 cars 'brutally fast' – Hulkenberg

'Too soon' to say less overtaking in 2017 – Sainz Jr.
Vettel welcomes driver penalty rule tweak
F1 'must not give up' on hybrid engines – Wolff
Haas deal allows early F1 payment for Force India
FIA 'fair' amid $80m windfall controversy – Carey
Austin would welcome more US races
Wolff set to sign new Mercedes deal
Big teams to pressure F1 over income – pundit
Experts doubt Ecclestone will go quietly
Liberty must reduce F1 ticket prices – Prost
Prost wants 'less mood swings' from Ferrari

2017 cars 'brutally fast' – Hulkenberg
(GMM) Nico Hulkenberg has tried the 2017-spec regulations in the Renault simulator — and he says the new cars will be "brutally fast".

To address criticism the cars had become too slow, F1 has dramatically changed the aerodynamic and tire rules for the new season.

"The new car feels brutally fast," German Hulkenberg, who has switched from Force India, told Auto Motor und Sport.

Referring to the Barcelona layout he tested in the simulator, he reported: "Corners 3 and 9 are absolutely flat."

But Hulkenberg worries that, with the faster cars and shorter braking distances will come more difficulty in overtaking.

"In Monte Carlo you won't be able to pass," he said. "You will just drive in the middle of the track with your wide car, and that's it."

Hulkenberg said he has been training hard for the physically more demanding cars, reporting: "I'd say I've been doing 20 to 30 per cent more.

"I can promise everyone that for us in the car, it will be really hard again."

'Too soon' to say less overtaking in 2017 – Sainz Jr.

Sainz Jr. keeping an open mind….for now

(GMM) Carlos Sainz Jr. says F1 commentators should wait for the season to begin before declaring that overtaking is more difficult in 2017.

Because cornering speeds will be higher, top speeds lower and braking distances shorter, many are worried that although the cars will be faster this year, there may be much less overtaking.

"How do they know?" Sainz is quoted by Spain's El Confidencial.

"For me, hearing so many negative people these past months, I honestly don't like it," he said. "And I don't know how they can say it before we've tested the cars. It's too early.

"We have this opportunity of a new F1 now, so let's see how it goes," Sainz added.

"Maybe DRS will have more effect. Maybe the better tires allow us to attack more, overtake more. It could be very positive," the Toro Rosso driver said.

Indeed, Sainz said he thinks the 2017 formula is actually likely to be positive.

"The engines already have 1000hp," he said. "We have more aerodynamics than in a long time, and similar to the magical years that everyone talks about.

"We have not seen such wide tires for a long time, and Pirelli says that they will not degrade and we will be able to attack.

"Overtaking? In 2004 and 2005 there were millions of people watching on television, and there was not much overtaking," Sainz insisted.

Also positive, he said, is news that the rules have been relaxed so that drivers are less often punished for incidents.

"There will be more tension, more overtaking, because we have been very limited in what the stewards would allow, and it was inconsistent. Now it looks like they are going to open it up and let us fight, which is what everybody wants," he added.

Vettel welcomes driver penalty rule tweak
(GMM) Sebastian Vettel has welcomed news that less driver penalties will be handed out in 2017.

A rule tweak means that stewards no longer have to investigate incidents identified by Charlie Whiting, while only drivers "wholly or predominantly to blame" for incidents can be punished.

Ferrari driver Vettel told the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag: "Wheel to wheel racing is always welcome, as people want to see duels.

"Racing should be the focus," he added.

F1 'must not give up' on hybrid engines – Wolff

In other words, don't mess with our Mercedes advantage

(GMM) Toto Wolff says F1 should not give up on its 'hybrid' engine era.

Mercedes has utterly dominated in the quieter, controversial 'power unit' era since 2014, with even new F1 chief Ross Brawn admitting the sport should think about how it proceeds with the next engine rules for 2020.

But Mercedes chief Wolff told Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper: "We need to look at how we can pull even more power out of these hybrid engines.

"Formula one is the fastest laboratory in the world and we must not give up," he insisted.

Wolff indicated that returning to extremely loud, normally-aspirated engines would be the wrong move for F1, in a world where he says "100pc electrical power within 10 or 15 years" is imaginable.

Haas deal allows early F1 payment for Force India
(GMM) A deal has been struck whereby Force India will get an advance on its official F1 prize money early in 2017.

That is the news from Auto Motor und Sport, having earlier reported that the American team Haas vetoed the move to help its fellow small team.

But correspondent Michael Schmidt reports that the impasse has now ended, after the FIA agreed to repay early the $20 million 'new team' deposit lodged by Haas when it entered F1.

Normally, a new team must complete its second year in F1 before getting the deposit back.

FIA 'fair' amid $80m windfall controversy – Carey

Chase Carey and Bernie

(GMM) Chase Carey says the FIA is "fair" and "even-handed", amid a bubbling controversy that could spell trouble for Liberty Media's F1 buyout.

Because the governing body owns a 1 per cent stake in F1's commercial rights, some believe the fact the FIA had to approve the Liberty deal as a regulator reveals a blatant conflict of interest.

That is because the FIA benefitted to the reported tune of $80 million through the Liberty buyout.

According to F1 business journalist Christian Sylt, that is in defiance of a 2001 agreement with the European Commission by which the FIA vowed to only be "a sports regulator".

"It is not a reflection on Liberty's ambition for F1 or whether they are adequate as an owner," UK parliamentarian Damian Collins is quoted by ITV. "It's a question of whether the FIA discharged its duties responsibly."

But new F1 chief executive Chase Carey is apparently unmoved by the controversy about the FIA's behavior.

"My experience of them is a handful of months," he said. "They regulate the sport in a fair and even-handed way."

The Paris-based Federation did not comment.

Austin would welcome more US races
(GMM) US grand prix organisers say they would welcome more American races.

F1's new owners, the US media group Liberty Media, are keen to expand the calendar to up to 25 races, with potential events in US cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas or New York.

Bobby Epstein, boss of the only US race at present in Austin, Texas, said he would welcome that.

"In the long run, it will bring more attention to the sport and our race," he told the Austin American Statesman newspaper.

"One of the drawbacks of F1 in America is most races start at 7am or even earlier. If you add a race in our time zone, it will grow the fan base, and that's good for all of us," he added.

However, Epstein expressed concern that the new US races would likely take place on street circuits.

"Street races tend to be very boring," he said. "There's not much opportunity to overtake. A fan can't watch many turns."

Wolff set to sign new Mercedes deal

Wolff will get a big pay increase

(GMM) Toto Wolff has indicated he is definitely heading towards a new contract with Mercedes.

The Austrian heads Mercedes' entire motor sport program, and is the team boss at the title-winning F1 team and also a shareholder.

But his contract with the German marque is set to end this year.

Wolff, 45, told Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that he is likely to ink a new deal.

"Working with the board is smooth, there are a lot of people that I learn from every day, which makes me really enjoy my work.

"So you can expect me to keep doing that for a while," he added.

Big teams to pressure F1 over income – pundit
(GMM) F1 must be prepared to call Ferrari's bluff in pursuit of a fairer income distribution system for the teams.

That is the claim of former F1 driver Christian Danner, referring to reports new owner Liberty Media intends to take away Ferrari's huge $100 million bonus payments in the future.

Ferrari is yet to comment, but during an interview with Germany's motorsport-magazin.com, Danner was told it is likely the great Italian marque will threaten to quit formula one.

"Then they should go," Danner responded.

"You would have to say 'If you don't want to be on the stage that built you, then go to Le Mans, where no one will watch'."

However, Danner said that Ferrari will probably not be alone in fighting back against moves to more evenly distribute F1's income among all the teams.

"Ferrari will threaten to quit, Mercedes will talk about its history and Renault will say there will not be enough engines without them — and so on," he said.

"Everyone will apply every possible means of pressure and try to use it for their own benefit."

Experts doubt Ecclestone will go quietly

Ecclestone hasn't played his last hand just yet

(GMM) The F1 world is poised to discover 'deposed' supremo Bernie Ecclestone's next move.

The sport's long-time but now former chief executive has denied reports he is planning a breakaway series, but some commentators are refusing to believe the 86-year-old Briton will simply fade into the night.

"Why should a man, who has always been the same for 86 years, suddenly say 'I'll just go away with this comical new title'?

"Sorry, but this is not Bernie," said former F1 driver Christian Danner, now a pundit for German television.

"I would not be surprised if something happens in the background and suddenly the whole situation looks completely different," he told Germany's motorsport-magazin.com.

The 'comical' title given to Ecclestone by Liberty Media is Chairman Emeritas', but some think Liberty would have been wiser to ensure his role is more hands-on.

"Of course it would be an advantage for Liberty and all of us if we could keep using the expertise of Ecclestone," Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, told Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper.

"But it is a tightrope to walk if you want that but also want to emancipate from Ecclestone," he added.

F1 legend Alain Prost told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that the Ecclestone era had to end eventually.

"Everything has an end," he said. "Bernie is 86 years old. It is natural, and even right, that sooner or later his era is over.

"The good news is that I understand that the new owners have a clear idea of what to do and are experts in communication and the show," Prost added.

Liberty must reduce F1 ticket prices – Prost
(GMM) Alain Prost says cheaper tickets should be new F1 owner Liberty Media's first priority.

Asked what he would do if he had just taken over, the F1 legend told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica: "Lower prices to get into the circuits.

"At the moment it makes no sense. Because with empty grandstands, everything dies.

"I agree with Ross Brawn that we need a project of 4-5 years, with targeted structural reforms in several areas: technical, regulations, communication," Prost added.

Prost wants 'less mood swings' from Ferrari

Alain Prost

(GMM) Alain Prost has urged Ferrari to be calmer as it heads into the 2017 season.

Early last year, the great Maranello team made bold predictions of race wins and the title, only to get to the end of the season without a single victory.

Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said Ferrari's problem is relying on too many Italians.

"What Bernie said was harsh," F1 legend Prost told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

"I was there for two years: one was beautiful, the other terrible. What I can say is that winning in such a competitive environment as F1 requires more linear behavior, with less mood swings," he added.

"Words should be used more carefully. It is clear that if you promise to win the championship, then it becomes difficult to remain calm when things go wrong."