Latest F1 news in brief – Friday (Update)
12/16/16
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Bottas eyes Mercedes deal Mercedes seat intrigue to continue for now
- Valentino Rossi almost switched to F1 – father
- Mercedes will be strong again in 2017 – Brawn
- Austrian broadcaster to end F1 deal for 2020
- Sauber to name second driver in January
- Renault steals Pilbeam from McLaren
- Red Bull rules out Mercedes/Sainz Jr. deal
- Renault expect to gain on Mercedes in 2017 New
Mercedes seat intrigue to continue for now
(GMM) F1 will head into the Christmas and New Year's break without announcing the identity of Mercedes' second driver for 2017.
Earlier, the reigning world champions said they wanted to decide Nico Rosberg's successor within 2016, but a spokesman told us that there are "no announcements" planned until at least the end of the forthcoming break on January 3.
However, that doesn't mean there is no intrigue ahead of the last fortnight of the year.
Moves are still afoot to get the Toto Wolff-contracted Valtteri Bottas out of his Williams contract.
The key to that deal, according to France's L'Equipe, could be Felipe Massa, whose retirement could be one of the shortest-lived in F1 history.
Williams deputy Claire Williams told the BBC: "We would only allow Valtteri to leave if an experienced, credible alternative was available, such as Felipe Massa."
L'Equipe added that the negotiations with Bottas and Massa are at an "advanced" stage.
If it is ultimately 27-year-old Finn Bottas rather than a big name like Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso who gets the nod, that could be a relief for Hamilton.
The Briton revealed to Channel 4 television that Mercedes must "contractually" at least discuss their "shortlist" with him.
"They can put any driver they want — bring Sebastian, Fernando, bring whoever you want.
"But in terms of what is best for the team, probably not the best idea," said Hamilton, referring to some teammate relationships in the past that were "poisonous".
"So for sure that's really important," Hamilton added, "because I'm really happy here.
"There have been some interesting scenarios (with Rosberg), so we have to make sure that whatever we bring is at least as good as what we had, if not better, in terms of creating that energy."
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| From bikes to F1? |
Valentino Rossi almost switched to F1 – father
(GMM) Valentino Rossi's father has admitted the MotoGP legend came "very, very close" to switching to formula one a decade ago.
Graziano Rossi, himself a former international motorcycle racing star, told the Italian press that his now 37-year-old Italian son's multiple tests for Ferrari last decade were extremely serious.
"Valentino was very, very close to being a formula one driver," he said.
"The only thing comparable to MotoGP is F1; anything else would have been a step backwards. But he didn't do it because his love for MotoGP was too big."
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| Brawn brought in Aldo Costa at Ferrari and later at Mercedes. He knows how good he is. |
Mercedes will be strong again in 2017 – Brawn
(GMM) Former team boss Ross Brawn thinks Mercedes will still be a leading force in formula one next year.
Some believe that, with the radically different 2017 rules coming in and Red Bull and Ferrari pushing hard to improve, next year could finally see Mercedes' three-year championship winning streak end.
But Brawn, who headed the Brackley team until the end of 2013, thinks Mercedes' position of dominance this year is still the perfect launching pad for more domination next season.
"Mercedes will have been pulling resource off this year's program onto next year very early, once they saw where they were with the car," he told the FIA's in-house magazine Auto.
"If I was there, and I'm sure they've carried on a similar philosophy, I'd be saying 'Right, we've got a strong car, we can only beat ourselves, let's get everyone onto next year's program'. I don't know how many other teams could do that."
However, the 2017 regulations are finally tipping the balance back in the direction of aerodynamics, with the last three years regarded by many as having been dominated by Mercedes amid the 'engine formula' era.
But Brawn insisted: "Success breeds success. Mercedes will be strong next year, despite the greater emphasis on chassis."
Austrian broadcaster to end F1 deal for 2020
(GMM) Austria could lose its free to air television coverage of formula one from 2020.
In the country, F1 is currently shown on ORF, an Austrian public broadcaster.
But reports suggest that, to cut costs, ORF will end its current deal after the 2019 season.
"It is clear to us that (cutting) skiing and the Bundesliga are out of the question, and only formula one remains," ORF director general Alexander Wrabetz told the Wiener Zeitung newspaper.
The report said ORF currently pays about EUR 10 million per year for its broadcast rights.
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| Monisha Kaltenborn |
Sauber to name second driver in January
Sauber is now also planning to announce its second driver for the 2017 season at the beginning of next year, amid the knock-on effect of Nico Rosberg's shock retirement.
Sauber team boss Monisha Kaltenborn initially stated that she hoped to settle the team's line-up before the 2016 finale, but only Marcus Ericsson has been confirmed in a seat.
"As of now, the plan is to announce the second driver [at the] beginning of January 2017," a Sauber spokesperson stated to GPUpdate.net, when asked for an update.
Ericsson's team-mate for the past two seasons, Felipe Nasr, is fighting to remain in F1, after losing financial support, with his manager admitting that his situation was "not ideal".
Nasr scored two crucial points for Sauber at the Brazilian Grand Prix, lifting the outfit above rival Manor in the standings, following Pascal Wehrlein's top 10 finish in Austria.
Meanwhile, Wehrlein, despite his Mercedes backing, and Sauber's engine deal with Ferrari, has also been linked to the drive, though Rosberg's decision complicated matters.
Mercedes is pushing to release Williams' Valtteri Bottas from his 2017 contract, but Wehrlein is seen as another leading candidate, should talks fail to produce an agreement.
Mercedes will not make an announcement until at least January 3.
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| Ciaron Pilbeam back in his Lotus days |
Renault steals Pilbeam from McLaren
Renault has announced the signing of Ciaron Pilbeam as its new Chief Race Engineer.
Pilbeam started his Formula 1 career with BAR in the late 1990s, gradually working his way up the ranks, before spells at Red Bull (2006-2012), Lotus (2013-2014) and McLaren (2014-2016).
He will now make a return to Enstone, as part of Renault's ongoing recruitment push, while the manufacturer has also transferred Rob White from its Viry-Chatillon factory as Operations Director.
"Expansion is not the work of a moment so we've been recruiting people through the year and they have been joining us throughout the season," said Renault Sport Managing Director Cyril Abiteboul.
"It's definitely a case of targeting a quality workforce to come join us, but we do require a significant quantity of personnel in Enstone as we grow at a level allowing us to fight against the top teams.
"I'm happy to confirm that we have two appointments, with Rob White transferring from Viry-Chatillon as Operations Director, and Ciaron Pilbeam returning to us as Chief Race Engineer."
Renault finished ninth in the 2016 championship standings with eight points.
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| Sainz Jr. gets shafted by Red Bull again |
Red Bull rules out Mercedes/Sainz Jr. deal
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has made clear that Carlos Sainz Jr. is not an option for Mercedes, as the manufacturer pushes on with efforts to confirm Nico Rosberg's replacement.
Rosberg's shock retirement has opened up a space alongside Lewis Hamilton for 2017, with Williams' Valtteri Bottas emerging as the top target, ahead of Mercedes-backed Pascal Wehrlein.
Sainz Jr., after making an impression at Toro Rosso, has also been linked with the drive, should Mercedes fail to secure Bottas, but Horner insists that Red Bull will not release him to a rival team.
"Why would we do that? Carlos has done a great job. He is a Red Bull driver. We have invested in him to get him into F1 and they [Red Bull's drivers] are all on long-term contracts," Horner told BBC Sport.
"It wouldn't make any sense to feed one of your main opponents with one of your assets."
Horner reckons both Bottas and Wehrlein are quick enough to compete at the sharp-end of the Formula 1 grid, despite neither driver winning a race, and the latter only making his debut in 2016.
"You give these guys a chance; let's see what people can do in a front-running car," he said.
"If they did take Wehrlein or Bottas, both are probably capable of running right at the front, you just don't know until you give them the chance, which is what we did with Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo.
"A lot of people were saying we should take Kimi Raikkonen at the time we took Ricciardo.
"Until you give them the chance, you don't really get to see if they can cut it at the front."
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| Can Renault really make gains in 2017? |
Renault expect to gain on Mercedes in 2017
Renault expect to make "a good step forward" in Formula One next season after building up staff numbers and investing in new equipment and facilities this year, team bosses said on Thursday.
"The change of regulations could mean quite a shake-up in the order of relative competitiveness, plus the fruits of our expansion will be ramping up," team principal Frederic Vasseur said in a look forward to 2017.
"We made an early start to developing next year’s car with this in mind.
"Whilst 2017 should see a good step forward, we are realistic in our expectations as we know that we won’t leapfrog the midfield in a single season," he added. "However, we are all pushing for a big improvement in competitiveness."
Renault Sport Racing managing director Cyril Abiteboul said the workforce at the Enstone factory in England had increased by 20 percent since Renault took on the failing Lotus team at the end of 2015.
As part of a recruitment drive, Rob White had transferred from the Renault engine plant at Viry-Chatillon to become operations director, while Ciaron Pilbeam had returned as chief race engineer after a stint at McLaren.
Abiteboul said work on extending the main factory building at Enstone, to house the expansion of almost every department, would begin soon.
On the engine side, performance and reliability had been improved notably, with Red Bull winning two races in 2016 with the French manufacturer's rebranded units.
"Next year promises a fantastic show. The cars will be faster and more aggressive looking. The tires will be wide. The action will be tremendously exciting. We certainly expect to be in the thick of it from the very beginning," said Vasseur.
Renault have a changed line-up next year, with Germany's Nico Hulkenberg joining from Force India to race alongside Britain's Jolyon Palmer.
World champions with Spaniard Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006, the team finished ninth of the 11 this year with only eight points. Alan Baldwin/Reuters