Latest F1 news in brief – Thursday

Will Bottas prove to be better than Rosberg?

• Bottas 'as good as Rosberg' – Lauda
• Wolff admits Bottas rivals on 2018 radar
• I can deal with Mercedes pressure – Bottas
• F1 door open for Lamborghini – Domenicali
• Bottas more talented than Rosberg – Merhi
• New Formula 1 Managing Dir Of Commercial Operations Lays Out Four-Point Plan
• New Digs
• Brawn presents vision
• Abu Dhabi joins test roster
• COTA Chair Bobby Epstein Says Track Has No Immediate Plans To Renegotiate F1 Deal
• COTA eager to hop on fast track with new F1 owners
• Formula 1 confirms new in-season test program
• Ocon: The cars will look awesome, but the racing might not be

Bottas 'as good as Rosberg' – Lauda
(GMM) Niki Lauda says Mercedes will not miss reigning world champion Nico Rosberg in 2017.

"Not at all," said the team's famous chairman and F1 legend, when asked by Sport Bild if Mercedes will miss Rosberg.

Earlier, Lauda had reacted with frustration and even apparent anger when Rosberg stunned the team and the F1 world by suddenly quitting the sport.

"Now he's gone, he's gone," Lauda added. "We had to come to terms with it and we did. We are now looking into the future and do not mourn Rosberg at all."

For 2017, Mercedes has brought in former Williams driver Valtteri Bottas, following complex negotiations that involved financial compensation and also moves for Paddy Lowe and Felipe Massa in the periphery.

"Replacing Rosberg was not easy," Lauda admits.

"Bottas now has the opportunity to drive the best formula one car in the world, which always gives a racing driver a personal boost.

"I believe he is at least as good as Rosberg," the triple world champion added. "Nico was able to improve so much, because of the team and the car.

"So you have to see it as a combination of Rosberg and Mercedes. Rosberg alone would not have been world champion," said Lauda.

Wolff admits Bottas rivals on 2018 radar

Drivers are knocking on Wolff's door wanting to replace Bottas in 2018. Everyone wants to drive an Aldo Costa car

(GMM) Toto Wolff has admitted that Valtteri Bottas needs to prove he should keep his new seat at Mercedes beyond 2017.

Unusually for a top team, Mercedes has signed only a one-year deal with the Finn.

Wolff admitted to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport that the short deal leaves Mercedes' options open in the event that Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz might be available for 2018.

"Of course," said the Mercedes boss.

"Neverthelesss, we would like the Bottas solution to work and the question of a new driver will no longer be posed.

"But as you can see from Nico (Rosberg), tomorrow's situation can be different from today's. We'll see how Bottas compares with Lewis (Hamilton) and how the other drivers are going as well. Also our own boys at Sauber (Pascal Wehrlein) and Force India (Esteban Ocon).

"There are a lot of options for 2018 onwards," Wolff added.

Wolff also played down Mercedes' loss of its technical chief Paddy Lowe, saying the team is "very strong" in terms of other technical personnel.

But asked if Lowe's successor will be the Ferrari refugee James Allison, he answered: "We will have to wait, but of course, James must be on the radar of every top team."

Finally, Wolff responded to those who say that although the chassis and tire rules are changing dramatically for 2017, it will be Mercedes' engine that continues to set the pace.

"At the end of last season, the difference between the power units was only one and a half tenths," he said. "So it could be less than a tenth this season. Then it will be again be more about the chassis."

I can deal with Mercedes pressure – Bottas

Bottas ready for Mercedes pressure

(GMM) Valtteri Bottas says he knows how to deal with the pressure of his new assignment in the cockpit of now-retired reigning world champion Nico Rosberg.

The Finn said it was not too difficult to make the decision to leave the comfort of Williams to switch to F1's dominant German team for 2017.

"Both teams want to win races and be successful," he told the Finnish broadcaster MTV, "but what really convinced me is that Mercedes is still really hungry to succeed.

"Although they've won all the championships for the past three years, it is still not enough."

With a great opportunity, however, comes great pressure for the 27-year-old, who will be paired with triple world champion Lewis Hamilton and needing to prove himself to Mercedes with a mere one-year contract.

Bottas said: "It would be very easy to take a lot of pressure and stress yourself. But in formula one I have noticed that if pressure piles up, it only does you harm.

"My goals are always so high – I set the bar really high – so I believe that if the pressure comes, it is mostly from me rather than the outside.

"I want to win races and championships and in that sense the objective is not changing. I have huge support from the team and that will certainly help me in every situation," he added.

Bottas admits he starts 2017 needing to quickly adjust to a new environment, but insisted: "My task is still to drive the car as hard as I can. That will never change."

F1 door open for Lamborghini – Domenicali

Stefano Domenicali

(GMM) Stefano Domenicali is leaving a door open for a return to formula one.

The Italian left the sport after being ousted as Ferrari's boss some years ago, and he is now the chief executive at the famous sports car marque Lamborghini.

So if Domenicali does return, it could be as a team boss again.

"You are touching a very sensitive part of my heart," the 51-year-old is quoted by Spanish publications.

"I want to be very honest with you — today we have other priorities and we have to be very focused on them. Tomorrow? Motor sport will always be a part of Lamborghini, so if the platform changes then the answer is 'Why not?'"

As for what he means by the F1 "platform" changing, Domenicali said he is talking about costs.

"For us, to enter with the level of costs that are necessary, not only to race but to be competitive, it is too far from what we want.

"So if we see a change in that specific area, I think it's worth considering," he added.

Bottas more talented than Rosberg – Merhi

Roberto Merhi thinks Bottas is better than Rosberg

(GMM) One of Valtteri Bottas' former rivals thinks the Finn is actually more talented than the reigning world champion he is replacing at Mercedes.

In 2008, a then teenage Bottas won the European Formula Renault series ahead of Daniel Ricciardo and former Manor driver Roberto Merhi.

Now, Spaniard Merhi thinks 27-year-old Bottas will give triple world champion Lewis Hamilton a run for his money at the world champion team.

"I'm sure Bottas has more talent than Rosberg," Merhi, now a sports car driver, told Spanish radio Cadena Cope.

"Yes, Rosberg managed to win a title and is a hard worker, but I think Bottas has more innate talent and I really think he's going to fight with Hamilton," he added.

Merhi also rejects the theory that because of Hamilton's success, Bottas will struggle for traction at Mercedes.

"Although it doesn't seem like it, it's also his (Bottas') home," he said.

"He was already a Mercedes driver when he raced in Formula 3 and was managed by Toto Wolff since 2007," Merhi explained.

Merhi also played down the theory that if Bottas was unable to clearly dominate Felipe Massa at Williams, he will definitely struggle alongside Hamilton.

"I think his 2014 season was very good," he said.

"Perhaps with a car that instead of getting a little better each year actually got a little worse affected him as a driver," added Merhi.

But although clearly rating Bottas' talent, Merhi expressed surprise that Mercedes went for the Finn rather than one of the German marque's own junior drivers.

"Perhaps it is only by the fact that Toto Wolff was his manager," he said, "especially considering that Bottas was never 100 per cent in the Mercedes program unlike Pascal Wehrlein.

"I personally thought they would put Wehrlein in there. It seems to me that it's more the Toto Wolff (development) program than the Mercedes program," Merhi concluded.

New Formula 1 Managing Dir Of Commercial Operations Lays Out Four-Point Plan

Sean Bratches (L) with Chase Carey and Ross Brawn

Formula 1's new commercial chief "has revealed the four key areas that are his immediate priority as Liberty Media bids to make the sport better," according to Jonathan Noble of MOTORSPORT.

Sean Bratches, a former ESPN exec, has been drafted in as F1's managing director of commercial operations to work alongside CEO Chase Carey and Managing Dir Ross Brawn, "who focuses on sporting matters." Bratches identified "some key areas that he believed needed the most attention in this first phase in his new role."

He said, "There are four real things I am going to focus on. One is the brand — the brand is the entry-point for any company, any brand, any sport. And we are going to work to understand the brand. …

The second is digital. I think there is a huge opportunity in the digital space to re-imagine the digital products that F1 has today, and to engage fans in very new ways and also to use sponsors to activate it.

The third is creating a much more democratic approach in terms of how we approach our partners — from teams, sponsors, promoters and rights holders. There is a lot of opportunity to leverage the F1 IP to integrate it to their businesses.

And the last one is the race experience. Creating a better race experience that engages fans, spectators there and on television is a huge opportunity." MOTORSPORT

New Digs
In London, Jonathan McEvoy reported F1's post-Bernie Ecclestone era "will be directed from a new headquarters — a structural and symbolic break from the Knightsbridge domain the 86-year-old owns and runs."

That is one of the "clean breaks Liberty Media outlined on Tuesday," its first day in "total charge."

Carey said, "We will not be able to run the business from Bernie's offices. They are too small. There isn't even room there for me now. We will find somewhere else. I am living here most of the time in an apartment in central London, and Formula 1 will still be based in the United Kingdom." DAILY MAIL

Brawn presents vision
The BBC's Andrew Benson reported Brawn said that he wants to develop a "purer, simpler sport in which more teams and drivers can win."

He "was critical of some rule changes of recent years." Brawn said that he wanted to "narrow the gap between the top and bottom" of the field and give F1 a "broader appeal."

He said, "I have ideas we should study and perhaps use in 2018 or '19."

Brawn added, "We all know the analogy of Leicester City — that would be the ideal in F1, when a good team on a great year with a great driver could really mount a challenge. But at the moment that's not really possible." BBC

Abu Dhabi joins test roster
Noble reported in a separate piece F1's '17 test plans have been finalized, with Abu Dhabi and Hungary both added to the roster for all teams.

Following discussions among team execs about "their plans for the season ahead, it has now been confirmed by the FIA that there will be three group tests this year" beyond the preseason running.

The first in-season test will take place on the Tuesday and Wednesday after the Bahrain Grand Prix from April 18-19, while the second test has been shifted from Silverstone to Hungary and will take place from Aug. 1-2. MOTORSPORT

COTA Chair Bobby Epstein Says Track Has No Immediate Plans To Renegotiate F1 Deal

Bobby Epstein

The removal of long-time Formula 1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone will not lead to an immediate contract renegotiation, Circuit of the Americas Chair Bobby Epstein said.

The purpose-built F1 racetrack near Austin, Texas, signed a 10-year deal with Ecclestone's company, Formula One Management, in '12. As part of the agreement, COTA pays an estimated $25M per year for the right to host the U.S. Grand Prix. "It's a little early to guess whether anyone needs to renegotiate," Epstein told SBD Global.

"I think Liberty is aware of the weak spots in the sport's infrastructure and they are hopefully contemplating a variety of ways to help the promoters."

F1's crippling sanction fees have led to uncertainty surrounding several high-profile races, including the British and German Grand Prix events. COTA itself was put into financial trouble after the Texas state government cut its annual subsidies by more than 20% from $25M to $19.5M in '15.
COTA would like to leave those woes behind and last year's record F1 attendance of 269,889 for the three-day weekend was a positive sign. Epstein said he has not had the chance to talk to Liberty about its plans for F1 in the U.S., but he's hopeful the new owners will increase the series' presence in the market.

"The opportunity that Liberty saw in buying F1 was the opportunity to make changes and I think that's what they are doing," he said. "What I'm looking forward to is the chance for F1 to have a presence in the U.S. year-round, from a promotions and events standpoint. One of the disadvantages that the sport has right now is that its presence is limited and it's left to the local promoter to build the sport on its own."

COTA is open to any ideas that focus on building the sport's U.S. audience and helping the track sell more tickets, Epstein said. Liberty Media has raised the possibility of additional U.S. races as well as turning grand prix events into week-long festivities, similar to the NFL's Super Bowl.

The U.S. media company is also expected to put an increased emphasis on F1's digital and social media presence, something Ecclestone neglected for years.

An easy way to increase the series' viewership numbers in the U.S. is by adopting new start times overseas, in particular for the European races, Epstein suggested.

"Later starts for races in Europe would be good," he said. "If they could start races later in Europe they would be on TV in the U.S. at a better hour, when it's easier for the viewer to follow it. I'd put the races as late in the day as possible when they are in time zones east of the U.S."

COTA, which, based on various reports, cost between $300M and $450M to build in ‘12, is an asset that could also be used to feature F1 and its technology throughout the year and not only during the U.S. Grand Prix weekend, Epstein said

"I think there have to be some things done on this continent, in different parts of the year than just when the sport is here." HJ Mai/SportsbusinessDaily.com

COTA eager to hop on fast track with new F1 owners

COTA

Formula One's new American owners are speaking boldly about expanding the sport's reach in the United States, even adding a second race in the next few years.

Circuit of the Americas chairman Bobby Epstein likes what he hears, telling the American-Statesman on Tuesday that another U.S. event should eventually build more interest in the United States Grand Prix, even if the Austin race might suffer a bit initially.

"In the long run, it will bring more attention to the sport and our race," Epstein said. "A second U.S. race would keep the sport in front of people for a longer period.

"One of the drawbacks of F1 in America is most races (on the schedule) start at 7 a.m. 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."

Right now on the 20-race calendar, only the U.S. Grand Prix and events in Mexico City, Montreal and Brazil are televised live when most Americans are awake.

"We'd love to see one or two more races in the U.S. in that afternoon window," said NBC president of sports programming Jon Miller, whose network televises F1. "The more races here, the better visibility and media coverage the sport would get. I don't think that would hurt the Austin race, I think it would enhance it."

Liberty Media, a giant firm that counts the Atlanta Braves among its holdings, completed a multi-billion dollar takeover of Formula One this week and named long-time Fox News Corp executive Chase Carey as CEO. He replaces Bernie Ecclestone, who had ruled the sport for four decades.

High on Carey's wish list to improve the sport's limited appeal in the States is the addition of a street-course race in a major U.S. market like New York, Los Angeles, Miami or Las Vegas.

While Epstein, who spent time with Carey during USGP weekend, welcomes additional American exposure, he has doubts about the street-course format.
"Races are very expensive," Epstein said. "It would take $60 million to $90 million to set up a street course, and the logistics are extremely difficult.

"Street races tend to be very boring. There's not much opportunity to overtake. A fan can't watch many turns. From COTA, you get to see as many as 10 turns. On a street course, you see the car go by once and then it's gone."

Carey said that while sports like Major League Baseball have 80-plus people working on sponsorships, Formula One has just one person — and nobody working on marketing.

"The sport has clearly been underserved," Carey told The New York Times. "It doesn't do anything digitally. There's no marketing. It doesn't tell any stories. We have great drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, an 18-year-old who broke out. We have wonderful stars, incredible cars. We have to create vehicles to allow fans to connect to them."

Epstein agrees with Carey's criticisms and offers some suggestions for addressing them.

"I'd like to see our drivers, the cars themselves and the sport in general be more accessible," he said. "I'd install a year-round F1 garage experience, a touring experience where you bring the kids, families. We need to expose them to the sport in a real up-close and educational way.

"We've got to figure out how to get the product in front of people. Once somebody is exposed to F1, they like it. The challenge is delivering it to them."

Former ESPN marketing chief Sean Bratches, F1's new commercial chief, said there will be emphasis on race weekends morphing into race weeks and adding more entertainment options. The goal: a collection of mini-Super Bowls.

"Austin and COTA have moved to a festival-style atmosphere with a lot of high-end acts," said NBC F1 announcer Leigh Diffey. "You see that in Melbourne (Australia) and Montreal. Singapore has top-tier international acts, but not many other places."

Epstein, who brought in Taylor Swift and Usher among other artists last year, said plans call for more big names at COTA's sixth U.S. Grand Prix from Oct. 20-22.

"That's the model we're delivering, and we plan to keep expanding," he said.

F1's nomadic U.S. trek

Formula One has struggled to gain a foothold in America. The United States Grand Prix dates all the way back to 1908, but the race had a 41-year lapse from 1917-57. Since its return, the USGP has endured several more stops and starts. Here's a look at the sometimes bumpy road:

1958: Riverside (Calif.)
1959: Sebring (Fla.)
1960: Riverside (Calif.)
1961-80: Watkins Glen (N.Y.)
1981-88: not held
1989-91: Phoenix
1992-99: not held
2000-07: Indianapolis
2008-11: not held
2012-17: Austin (COTA) The Statesman

Formula 1 confirms new in-season test program

Testing at Barcelona will be underway soon

Formula 1 teams will visit the Hungaroring instead of Silverstone for its mid-season test this season.

The Hungarian circuit will host the second in-season test from August 1-2, an honor which has been previously bestowed on Silverstone.

The test will follow an outing at Bahrain's Sakhir International Circuit from April 18-19.

In accordance with F1 regulations, teams must utilize young drivers who have competed in three grands prix or less on two of the four days.

The FIA has also confirmed a two-day post-season test will be held from November 28-29.

Teams will use the test to trial new tire specifications for use during the 2018 season.

Meanwhile, pre-season testing will begin with a four day run at Barcelona from February 27 – March 2.

Ocon: The cars will look awesome, but the racing might not be

F1 cars might look better with more downforce and wider tires, but the mental midgets of F1 may have made F1 races even more of a boring parade

Force India’s latest addition Esteban Ocon has praised the look of the new Formula 1 cars, but reckons that it will probably be harder to overtake.

The new regulation changes in 2017 will see cars with increased downforce, so their speed will drastically improve.

The Frenchman, though, admits there will be fewer overtaking opportunities, but at least the look of the cars will be easy on the eye.

"I think from the look, it's going to be awesome," Ocon told Motorsport.com.

"I think people lost a bit of interest when the cars started to be ugly in 2014, as the look makes a lot of difference to people.

"And also the sound was not great. The sound will still be poor – from my side I preferred it when it was an atmospheric engine.

"But looking at it, it's going to be mega impressive now in corners, it's going to be so quick. The camera will see a speed that we saw only in qualifying, now we will see it all the time.

"But then for the races it's not going to be interesting, it's going to be harder to overtake, and there's going to be less opportunities."