Latest F1 news in brief

Sandbagging, Hamilton and Mercedes have been doing full race testing with heavy fuel loads.

Silent Hamilton in a spin after split
Schumacher son close to F4 contract – reports
McLaren-Honda working on cultural barriers – report
Kvyat says Red Bull playing catch-up
Hamilton lauds 'amazing' Mercedes mileage (sandbagging)
Statistics from Jerez test

Silent Hamilton in a spin after split
(GMM) Defending champion Lewis Hamilton went into a silent spin on Wednesday as the first test of the 2015 pre-season concluded at Jerez.

The Briton was back in his silver Mercedes for the last of four test days in southern Spain, just as news hit the celebrity headlines about his latest split from long-time girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger.

Mercedes' PR team made it clear questions about Hamilton's private life were not welcome at Jerez, but elsewhere, pop-star and actor Scherzinger confirmed to the Mirror: "I'm devastated that it didn't work out."

Hamilton was silent on the topic but he did spin the new W06 car, leaving observers like Times correspondent Kevin Eason wondering if "the break-up of his relationship will have the same effect that dizzied his senses on each of the three previous occasions he has split up with the singer".

At the top of the times, yet again, was the surprisingly dominant new Ferrari, driven on Wednesday by Kimi Raikkonen.

Raikkonen and Ferrari were fastest all week, but once Mercedes brings their new engine and takes fuel out of the car they will smoke the field by seconds

New team boss Maurizio Arrivabene, however, joined those who sense that Mercedes may be sandbagging.

"In terms of performance, I don't think our competitors – one in particular – have shown their true potential over these past days," he said.

"I think we will only discover the truth about them and about ourselves at the last Barcelona test session."

Like Mercedes, another 2015 favorite keeping a low profile at Jerez has been the similarly-powered Williams, but Felipe Massa said the Grove team wants to take on its dominant rivals this year and aim for wins and the title.

"They (Mercedes) seem to be very good, so it is on them that Williams must focus," he is quoted by Brazil's Globo.

"Really it's too early to say anything. Actually it's impossible," Massa added.

"Ferrari does seem to have improved not only the car but also the engine, but we will only know who will be the opponents after the second Barcelona test.

"Only there will teams run with low fuel, to see how the car behaves when it is light," he predicted.

It is possible, then, that Ferrari has already taken fuel out of its new SF15-T car.

"My engineer told me that Ferrari is on a different program to us," Hamilton said on Wednesday. "Their runs were much shorter."

Mick Schumacher

Schumacher son close to F4 contract – reports
(GMM) Michael Schumacher's son is set to begin down his own road to formula one.

Following in the footsteps of his father and also uncle Ralf, 15-year-old Mick – who has raced karts in recent years under the pseudonym 'Mick Junior' – is reportedly about to tread into the world of single-seater cars.

Dutch reports say he is close to signing for Van Amersfoort's Formula 4 outfit. Last year, Max Verstappen – only two years older than Mick – leapt straight from a F3 campaign with Van Amersfoort into a Toro Rosso race cockpit for 2015.

Two-time DTM champion Timo Scheider told Austria's Sportwoche: "Especially in the rain, Mick seems to be exceptionally fast — obviously he has inherited the genes of his father."

Van Amersfoort did not confirm the media reports.

McLaren-Honda working on cultural barriers – report
(GMM) Horse power and downforce are not the only challenges taking place behind closed garage doors at McLaren-Honda this pre-season.

A report in the Spanish sports daily Marca claims that although the famous companies achieved huge success in F1 decades ago, they are once again going through the motions of learning how to work closely together in 2015.

"There is a group of mechanics and engineers working on the car," team boss Eric Boullier is quoted as saying, "and another learning how to work with the Honda technicians.

"Then they will change so everybody learns," he added.

Marca said the cultural and language barrier between the British team McLaren and the very Japanese engine manufacturer Honda is being overcome.

"Before, with Mercedes, there were some Germans but also Englishmen, but now there are only Japanese and that requires adaptation," Boullier admitted.

A useful key to unlocking the cultural divide is Jenson Button, the British driver who won his first grand prix for the works Honda team in 2006.

He also has a Japanese wife, the model Jessica Michibata "and I know how they are culturally", the 35-year-old said.

"It is true that even when they say 'yes' it does not always mean the same as when we say it," Button added.

Former F1 driver Pedro de la Rosa also knows well the Japanese way of working, having raced in the country's premier GT and open-wheeler series.

"I remember going out for a few laps, speaking to them and saying 'change the floor' or the wing. They said 'yes, yes, yes', I went out again and the car was the same," the Spaniard said.

McLaren's engineering director Matt Morris, however, paints a different picture, claiming the language and cultural barrier is not too high.

"All the senior engineers, all the engineers here at the race track, speak good English," he is quoted by Speed Week at the Jerez test.

"Even during our visits in Japan, the language was not a problem," he added.

On the track, it was a tough opening test of the pre-season for McLaren-Honda, but Morris said that with eight more test days before Melbourne, he is not worried.

"Honda brings something new almost every day," he revealed. "And that will be the same in Barcelona too.

"We have an internal goal for Melbourne, and we still running to the plan."

Kvyat says Red Bull playing catch-up
Daniil Kvyat admits that Red Bull has catching up to do at the next pre-season tests in Barcelona, despite a positive final day at Jerez.

Both Kvyat and teammate Daniel Ricciardo endured delays as Red Bull struggled with Renault's power unit throughout the opening test.

Although the Russian was encouraged by an improved 63-lap haul on Wednesday, he says there is plenty of work ahead of the team.

"It's been a very productive day overall; we can pick up very good points from today," said Kvyat, who bounced back from an ERS-related stoppage in the morning.

"Every lap counts, every lap is important and today we managed a few laps. I think it was one of the most productive days of this test.

"Obviously we are not where we want to be, or where we need to be, and we will keep the progress up."

Kvyat, whose running was also affected when he damaged the team's only front wing on Monday, says he has trust in Red Bull and Renault moving forward.

"Problems are always problems and you just have to sort them out," added Kvyat.

"It's not something I can fix personally. We will keep working with everyone supporting each other. I personally trust Renault and Red Bull that they will make good use of it."

Hamilton lauds 'amazing' Mercedes mileage (sandbagging)
Lewis Hamilton has praised his Mercedes team for the extensive mileage it was able to complete during the first pre-season test at the Circuito de Jerez.

Despite a few minor issues, Hamilton racked up 208 laps over his two days in the new F1 W06 Hybrid, adding to the 308 team-mate Nico Rosberg logged.

Rosberg's Sunday haul of 157 laps was the record for the week, with only three other outfits – Ferrari, Sauber and Toro Rosso – hitting 100 in a day.

"It's been pretty amazing this week to see how reliable the car has been and how much mileage we've covered," Hamilton commented.

"The team here at the track and back at the factories is so enthusiastic and energized which is great to see; we all loved the experience of last year and everyone wants to do it again.

"This is where you prove out the car – looking for as many laps as you can, not searching for fast times.

"It's been really positive from that perspective and every day the car has got better as we learn more about it."

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will host the remaining two tests from February 19-22 and February 26-March 1 respectively.

Statistics from Jerez test
Combined testing times at Jerez:
1. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1.20.841 (197 laps)
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1.20.984 (148 laps)
3. Felipe Nasr, Sauber, 1.21.545 (196 laps)
4. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1.21.982 (308 laps)
5. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1.22.019 (184 laps)
6. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1.22.172 (208 laps)
7. Felipe Massa, Williams, 1.22.276 (144 laps)
8. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1.22.319 (134 laps)
9. Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso, 1.22.553 (170 laps)
10. Pastor Maldonado, Lotus, 1.22.713 (137 laps)
11. Carlos Sainz Jr., Toro Rosso, 1.23.187 (182 laps)
12. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1.23.338 (83 laps)
13. Romain Grosjean, Lotus, 1.23.802 (53 laps)
14. Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull, 1.23.975 (81 laps)
15. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1.27.660 (41 laps)
16. Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 1.35.553 (38 laps)

Total number of laps per team:
1. Mercedes (516 laps)
2. Sauber-Ferrari (380 laps)
3. Toro Rosso-Renault (352 laps)
4. Ferrari (345 laps)
5. Williams-Mercedes (278 laps)
6. Lotus-Mercedes (190 laps)
7. Red Bull-Renault (164 laps)
8. McLaren-Honda (79 laps)

Total number of laps per engine:
1. Mercedes (984 laps)
2. Ferrari (725 laps)
3. Renault (516 laps)
4. Honda (79 laps)