Latest F1 news in brief – Wednesday
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Mark Webber calls today's F1 a complete farce Haas not determined to have American driver
- Mercedes not preparing 'Hamilton' or 'Rosberg' title t-shirts
- Today's F1 'is not racing' – Webber
- Webber not surprised at Vettel switch
- Ecclestone hits back at F1 'cartel' accusation
- Correspondent slams underperforming F1 drivers
- Amnesty report slams Abu Dhabi before F1 finale
- Michelin not ruling out F1 return
- Meetings could decide Toro Rosso future for Sainz
- Horner rejects Ecclestone proposal for engine unfreeze
- GP2 champion Palmer gets Force India test
Haas not determined to have American driver
(GMM) Haas, F1's new team for 2016, is not determined to field an American driver.
The outfit is setting up camp alongside founder Gene Haas' Nascar operation in North Carolina, but Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper quoted boss Gunther Steiner as saying there will also be an operations headquarters in Oxford, UK.
Haas has said an American driver would be ideal, but Steiner insists: "We want, above all, an experienced driver. We're a new team so we're not going to take too many risks. We need to be clever."
Behind the scenes, Haas continues to take shape. The team has now appointed long-time Nascar engineer Matt Borland to be president of technology, in a split role between the Stewart-Haas Nascar outfit and Haas F1 Team.
"He is well suited for this dual role that will ultimately lead to the betterment of Haas F1 Team and Stewart-Haas Racing," said Joe Custer, who also has a split role as Haas F1's chief operating officer and executive vice president of Stewart-Haas.
Borland said: "Now I have the best of both worlds, as I can continue to help improve Stewart-Haas Racing while building Haas F1 Team."
Mercedes not preparing 'Hamilton' or 'Rosberg' title t-shirts
(GMM) As the Abu Dhabi paddock begins to fill, F1 pundits are busily picking their favorite for the 2014 world championship.
"I have seen some excellent races from Lewis (Hamilton) this year," said former F1 driver Mark Webber, "and he will be very strong in Abu Dhabi.
"He always is," said the Australian, who echoes the sentiments of the majority of the paddock who agree Briton Hamilton is the title favorite.
But Webber insists that Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, although 17 points behind, is still in the reckoning.
"It doesn't matter who was strong where — that was then, this is now," he said. "Both have done an incredible job this year," he told the Austrian newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten.
Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion, is putting his money on countryman Hamilton.
"Lewis will do it," he is quoted by the German newspaper Bild.
"I simply cannot imagine a race situation now where he loses the title to Nico, who I think knows that Lewis is just a little bit better than him."
John Booth, the team boss at Marussia, told the Mirror that if Rosberg does snatch victory from Hamilton at the last hurdle in Abu Dhabi, "It would be a travesty".
Mercedes is remaining impartial, but boss Toto Wolff admitted to reporters this week that the "nightmare" scenario is a technical failure that robs Hamilton of the title win due to the highly controversial 'double points' system.
No matter what happens, one silver-clad driver will be disappointed after the checkered flag waves on Sunday.
Austria's Sportwoche reports that, because of that, Mercedes has not prepared the customary celebratory t-shirts bearing Hamilton or Rosberg's name.
Wolff explained: "I had a long conversation with Lewis and he said very clearly that Sunday will be the best day of his career for one of them, and the bitterest for the other. He is spot on."
Team chairman Niki Lauda agrees: "To me they are both world champions, but after Abu Dhabi only one of them will be."
Whether he wins or loses, Hamilton looks set to sit down with Lauda and Wolff in the days immediately after Abu Dhabi to talk about a new contract beyond 2016.
Lauda told the Daily Mail: "I have heard stories that Lewis wanted to sign for Ferrari, but that is absolutely wrong.
"Lewis requested we leave the contract talk until the season was over. He wanted to concentrate on his racing. We had exactly the same opinion.
"He will stay regardless of whether he wins or loses on Sunday," the F1 legend added.
Today's F1 'is not racing' – Webber
(GMM) Mark Webber has admitted he is concerned about the road on which F1 has turned.
Ahead of the radically-new turbo V6 era, the Australian veteran called time on his F1 career and switched to the increasingly popular Le Mans with Porsche.
So as the first season without Webber since 2001 comes to a close this weekend, the popular 38-year-old was asked by Austria's Salzburger Nachrichten to contemplate the highly-anticipated title showdown between Mercedes' two drivers.
Webber duly gave his answer, but completed his comments with: "I have to say, there are more important things in formula one at the moment.
"I'm talking about the state … the prosperity of the entire sport."
Indeed, it is a tumultuous time for F1, with backmarkers going out of business and the next-smallest teams fighting viciously over income and power.
Webber thinks the sport also took a sharp turn with its new regulations this year.
"Look at Kimi (Raikkonen)," he said. "This is not racing. If you could drive the cars hard at the limit, he would be there. One fastest lap after the next.
"He's completely frustrated," said Webber, referring to the Finn who has struggled notably alongside Ferrari teammate Fernando Alonso in 2014.
"I also found Bernie Ecclestone saying he doesn't need a young audience in formula one very, very interesting," he added.
F1 will, however, have a 17-year-old on the grid next year. Webber is not impressed.
"I'm not sure if people want to pay 400 euros for a ticket to watch a seventeen year old," he said.
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| Mark Webber sounds off on a number of subjects in F1 |
"We've had other cases, like Fernando or Kimi, but these were very special cases and the cars back then were much more difficult to drive, especially physically. The probability of failure was much greater.
"Now it's almost embarrassing when an F1 car comes out of the pits. It's like a slightly stronger GP2; it's not the formula one we were all used to," said Webber.
He said he does not particularly miss the highest category of open-wheeler racing.
"It's been a few months since I watched an entire race on TV," Webber admitted.
"After Brazil I was in a car listening to the radio, and 85 per cent of what they were talking about was the tires. It's frustrating not only for the drivers but for the fans.
"DRS is embarrassing," he added. "It's so different to the mid-2000s. I think the development of the last three or four years did the fans no favors.
"Four pitstops, what's that about? And these pay drivers — we should have absolutely the best drivers in F1, but some guys who do belong there can't even afford the 400,000 euros they need for a single test day," Webber said.
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| Webber not surprised to see Vettel move to Ferrari |
Webber not surprised at Vettel switch
(GMM) Mark Webber has backed his former Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel's move to Ferrari.
The duo shared a famously tense relationship whilst paired together, but Australian Webber has hailed quadruple world champion Vettel's talent since retiring from F1.
Asked by Austria's Salzburger Nachrichten if Vettel's expected switch from Red Bull to struggling Ferrari was a surprise, Webber answered: "No.
"I've always expected him to eventually go where we all now expect him to go now.
"His next team will be his last in F1," 38-year-old Webber predicts.
"He was frustrated, he wants results, but he also knows better than anyone that he will need to be patient.
"Perhaps the decision is really correct," Webber continued. "When Lewis (Hamilton) left McLaren, everyone said he was crazy. Look at him now."
Ecclestone hits back at F1 'cartel' accusation
(GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has hit back with fury at a letter demanding talks with F1's small teams in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
Since backmarkers Caterham and Marussia hit their troubles, the sport's next-smallest teams Lotus, Force India and Sauber have been bemoaning the inequality of power and income, and even threatening to boycott races.
In a letter this week signed by the three teams, Force India deputy boss Bob Fernley even hinted legal action might be ahead, describing the income distribution model and rule-making Strategy Group as akin to a "cartel".
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| Ecclestone with one of his cartel drivers |
"I hope he understands what the definition is of a cartel, and if he does, how he could believe there is a cartel," F1 chief executive Ecclestone has now responded, according to PA Sport.
"He (Fernley) is talking complete and utter rubbish," he added. "This is the problem we get into in meeting with these team principals, or managers — they don't know what they're talking about."
However, it is believed Ecclestone will sit down with the bosses in Abu Dhabi, despite calling the talks in Brazil recently a "complete and utter waste of time".
The 84-year-old F1 supremo played down the likelihood the new talks will satisfy the angry teams.
"They have a contract they signed. They know exactly what they signed and how much money they would be getting," said Ecclestone.
"What we don't have any control over is how much they want to spend. That's the problem.
"It doesn't seem like they've followed a normal business route."
In the same interview, however, Ecclestone said he feels sympathy for the teams whose customer engine bills have risen dramatically due to the switch from V8 to V6 engines this year.
Eddie Jordan, a former team owner and boss and now a pundit for British television, says the situation indicates Ecclestone should consider stepping down.
The Daily Mail said Jordan was particularly alarmed by Ecclestone saying F1 doesn't need the younger generation because 70-year-olds have more money.
"It is out of control," he said. "Nobody knows whether he means what he says or even knows what he is saying.
"We are only custodians of the sport. We have a responsibility to the next generation to hand it over in a fit, healthy and competitive state," Jordan added.
Correspondent slams underperforming F1 drivers
(GMM) A journalist for a leading British newspaper has dealt a heavy critique of some of F1's so-called 'pay drivers'.
As he ranked the performance of the field of 2014, Telegraph correspondent Daniel Johnson said Lotus' Pastor Maldonado deserved to be dead last.
"How many Friday practice sessions passed without Maldonado crashing?" he wondered. "Around $43 million of sponsorship money ensures he'll be there next year."
Next in the firing line was Swedish rookie Marcus Ericsson, who according to Johnson "was so poor that an F1 novice (Andre Lotterer) came in for one race in Belgium and was around a second a lap quicker. Explain that," he said.
The correspondent said Ericsson is now switching from Caterham to Sauber "due to money, with his credentials slim at best".
The driver Ericsson is replacing at Sauber is Esteban Gutierrez, who according to Johnson was "utterly anonymous all season".
Another well-backed driver struggling to find an alternate seat for 2015 is Marussia's Max Chilton, who while "solid and likeable" is "not quick enough for formula one" according to Johnson.
Also critiqued in his 2014 ranking was the outgoing world champion Sebastian Vettel, who was listed as just the 13th best driver of the year.
"Has this been the worst title defense ever?" he asked. "Unreliability has not helped, but he's failed to quickly adapt to the new cars."
Amnesty report slams Abu Dhabi before F1 finale
(GMM) Human rights organization Amnesty International has criticized Abu Dhabi in the days before F1's high-profile and glitzy season finale.
Political criticism of grand prix hosts like Bahrain and China is common, but a report entitled 'There is no freedom here' published this week by Amnesty said violations by the United Arab Emirates "has gone largely ignored by the world".
The report said activists critical of the government have been harassed, arrested and in some cases tortured.
Published to coincide with this weekend's title showdown in Abu Dhabi, it reads: "Beneath the facade of glitz and glamour, a far more sinister side to the UAE has emerged".
Amnesty's Middle East director Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui said the United Arab Emirates is a "deeply repressive state" that has overseen a "chilling" crackdown on activism.
"It is time for the UAE's international allies to stop turning a blind eye to the rampant abuses by the authorities and to place human rights firmly before business interests," he added.
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| Michelin left F1 after 2006 when F1 became a spec tire series |
Michelin not ruling out F1 return
(GMM) Michelin is not ruling out a return to formula one.
The French marque left the sport at the end of 2006, amid acrimony with the governing FIA and disappointed with the move to a single-tire formula.
F1 turned first to Bridgestone and now to Pirelli, but there have always been rumblings that Michelin may be interested in returning under certain circumstances.
"They (the F1 rules) must respect the tire," Michelin's motor sport boss Pascal Couasnon is quoted by the French website toilef1.com.
"We need the tire not to be an object of show, but an object of technology," he insisted.
Another of Michelin's conditions has been the move to a more road-relevant lower profile tire, which appears now to be on the cards for the near future.
Couasnon also said Michelin is not opposed to contributing to the F1 'show'.
"We have some ideas to make a great show," he said. "We are just saying that technology does not prevent a show.
"We have been very clear: (tire) dimensions that resemble something that we can learn from and so that the money we spend on F1 can help us with the technology for both your car and mine.
"We also want regulations so that tires don't have to be changed every few laps, but if they want to make pitstops then why not?
"Why not reuse the tire that started the race also to finish it, and then we can make long-lasting tires that are stable and fast — it's very complicated and we like that," Couasnon continued.
Until now, however, the main condition placed on Michelin's return has been its insistence that there be a 'tire war' with at least one other supplier.
Couasnon said: "If they are open to having several manufacturers, great! But we are also ready to go alone, but with something (regulations) that make sense, otherwise we would not be Michelin."
Meetings could decide Toro Rosso future for Sainz
(GMM) Toro Rosso remains the "only option" for Carlos Sainz Jr's formula one debut in 2015.
That is the claim of the Spanish newspaper El Confidencial, citing 'various sources'.
He was already in the running for a seat at Toro Rosso, but backers Red Bull appear more inclined to pair the rookie Max Verstappen with the experienced Jean-Eric Vergne.
But El Confidencial claims that Sainz's chances depend mainly on the Spanish company Cepsa, who are contemplating leaving Toro Rosso and formula one.
"Vergne's candidacy could be interpreted as pressure on Cepsa not to withdraw from Toro Rosso," the report reads.
"Now it (Cepsa) is reconsidering its continuation to, among other things, ensure the presence of the Spanish driver.
"This weekend there will be important meetings in Abu Dhabi with options to reach a favorable agreement," El Confidencial added.
The report also said new Formula Renault 3.5 champion Sainz's management recently looked into a possible move to Lotus for 2015.
Horner rejects Ecclestone proposal for engine unfreeze
(GMM) An extreme proposal to equalize engine performance in F1 does not even have the support of Renault works team Red Bull.
As Renault and Ferrari struggle to get even close to Mercedes at the start of the new V6 era, the German manufacturer is under pressure to agree to relax the so-called development 'freeze' so that its rivals have a chance to catch up.
According to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone has proposed a radical measure to ensure that Mercedes does not continue to stroll to easy title wins in the future.
He reportedly wants Renault and Ferrari to be able to work on the performance of their 'power units' while only Mercedes' development remains frozen.
Even Christian Horner, the Red Bull team boss who is highly critical of Mercedes' attitude to keeping the 'freeze' in place, does not agree with that.
"The conditions should be the same for everyone," he said. "Mercedes should continue to develop in the same framework as the other manufacturers."
However, even that is unlikely, as Mercedes has indicated it is not willing to compromise as much as Renault and Ferrari want.
It is here that Horner is critical of the new constructors' world champions.
"Mercedes has been rewarded by being better than the rest with the world title," he said. "But why shouldn't we get the chance to catch up?
"It would not be good for the sport if this dominance lasts for years and years without the others even having the opportunity to get closer," Horner added.
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| Jolyon Palmer |
GP2 champion Palmer gets Force India test
(GMM) Force India is giving new GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer his F1 break.
We reported this week that although the 23-year-old won the sport's feeder category this year, he is unlikely to make his F1 debut next year or even complete returning Caterham's lineup for the Abu Dhabi finale this weekend.
He has, however, been given a chance to test in Abu Dhabi in the post-race test next week by Silverstone based team Force India.
"The son of former formula one driver Jonathan, (Palmer) will be looking to impress the team when he spends a full day in the car next Tuesday," the team said in a statement on Wednesday.
Force India has already confirmed Nico Hulkenberg for 2015, but although talks with Sergio Perez are reportedly advanced, the Mexican's future remains unclear for now.
Team supremo Vijay Mallya said: "I have been following Jolyon's progress this season in GP2 and he is clearly a big talent that deserves a chance in formula one."
Palmer commented: "This is a team that has always promoted talent and I hope this opportunity can lead to bigger things in the future."
Force India's Abu Dhabi test lineup will be completed by Australian Spike Goddard, a F3 driver.