Latest F1 news in brief

McLaren can kiss this year goodbye. Mercedes won't give them their latest stuff knowing it may end up at Honda.

McLaren to pass Mercedes information to Honda – Wolff
Rosberg tips rivals to be closer in Spain
No regrets as Maldonado insists Lotus 'not lost'
Haug predicts 'close duel' for Mercedes duo
Dickie Stanford Appointed General Manager of Williams Heritage
Mansell: Hamilton close to perfection in 2014
Pirelli hoping for no more than three stops
Video: Sahara Force India drivers preview Spanish GP

McLaren to pass Mercedes information to Honda – Wolff
(GMM) Toto Wolff suspects McLaren will pass on knowledge about Mercedes' turbo V6 to its 2015 engine supplier Honda.

This year, Mercedes is in the awkward situation of being contractually bound to supply its industry-leading new technology to McLaren, whilst knowing the British team is already setting up its new works relationship with Honda.

When asked by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport how much information about Mercedes has already passed from Woking to Japan, team boss Eric Boullier smiled whilst insisting: "Nothing!"

Indeed, correspondent Tobias Gruner insists Mercedes is "using every means" to prevent Honda from learning from McLaren's final year with Mercedes.

But Wolff admitted: "I am convinced that what McLaren learns is being exchanged with Honda in the context of what is allowed."

He said McLaren's own telemetry will allow Honda engineers to see information about things like torque, power delivery and drivability.

"And also what is needed for cooling, hydraulics, electronics — all these things are of course passed on," said Wolff.

Wolff said he trusts McLaren – famously fined $100 million by the FIA for the 2007 'spygate' scandal – to stick to what is allowed as it moves from Mercedes to Honda power.

"We have a very clear understanding of what can be disclosed and what cannot, but I am convinced that they acknowledge the partnership and the confidentiality that they enjoy as a client today," he added.

Wolff also acknowledged that even the transfer of some information will not overcome Honda's inherent "disadvantage" of only returning to formula one in 2015.

"Honda has a natural disadvantage," he said, "because they are coming into the sport when everyone else has already been there (in the V6 era) for a year," he said.

At the same time, he also thinks rivals Ferrari and Renault will be closer to Mercedes next year.

"Our concepts are very different," said Wolff, "but the others will certainly catch up a lot, because they have information about how our engine runs when they see it on the track.

"Next year the field will automatically be closer," he added.

Rosberg tips rivals to be closer in Spain
(GMM) Nico Rosberg has tipped Mercedes' rivals to have closed the gap during the three-week break since last month's Chinese grand prix.

The Brackley based team has utterly dominated the opening four 'flyaway' grands prix of the new turbo V6 era.

But the start of the European season is traditionally the scene of vast improvements up and down the pitlane, as teams add the first major developments to their fledgling cars.

"Until now we have had a big gap to our nearest competitors," championship leader Rosberg is quoted by German-language Speed Week.

"But three weeks have passed since China and for sure a lot has happened. So we will have to wait and see," said the German ahead of this weekend's Spanish grand prix.

"I hope that we still have an advantage, but we will have to see how big it is. I am confident that we will still be the fastest.

"But we are also aware that the competition has been working around the clock to catch up," added Rosberg.

At the same time, Barcelona is usually a key indicator of how the rest of a F1 season will look.

Not only is the Circuit de Catalunya a frequent test venue for the sport, the nature of its layout is a good indicator of how a car will perform on most types of tracks.

"A car that performs well in Barcelona should perform well everywhere," agreed Paul Hembery, tire supplier Pirelli's F1 boss.

No regrets as Maldonado insists Lotus 'not lost'
(GMM) Pastor Maldonado insists he has no regrets about moving from Williams to Lotus for 2014.

On the face of it, the Venezuelan switched his millions in PDVSA backing from a resurgent team to one entering a deep slump.

But Maldonado told Spain's El Confidencial he was right to join Renault-powered Lotus.

"Williams was not working as it should and so after three years I had to look for a new challenge, a new hope, something to motivate me.

"I decided to come here because history said it was a great team," he insisted, "and when I arrived I found exactly what I had sought.

"The atmosphere is terrific and I say this because we are having many problems," added Maldonado.

"People say that the team is lost, it's not the same as before but I think what has changed is the cars. We are experiencing a major technological transformation," he explained.

"We've had millions of problems, many of them insignificant and silly so it has taken us a lot of time."

While grappling with the troubled Renault-powered E22, Maldonado is having to watch the resurgent form of Williams, whose Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas have already scored 36 points in 2014.

In contrast, Maldonado and Romain Grosjean's combined tally is zero.

"I'm very calm, really," Maldonado insists.

"Williams knew they were going to have a better car this year — for sure, being worse (than 2013) would have been virtually impossible.

"It can always be worse, but it was on a scale where it was more likely to go up than down — we were fighting with the small teams, compared to Williams with its name, its structure, its factory.

"They have shown they can do well but it is still hard to say if they can win races again," Maldonado added.

He said the biggest difference between 2013 and 2014 is the change of emphasis within the regulations from aerodynamics to engine.

"Lotus was the only team that could attempt to reach the level of Red Bull," said Maldonado. "Now the engine is dominant."

Finally, Maldonado was asked whether he is a fan of the 'new' F1.

"Yes and no," he responded.

"First it is the same for everyone and so you have to adapt to the rules," he explained. "It is what it is. No more.

"I liked what we had before, but for sure we will develop soon and have better cars," Maldonado added.

Haug predicts 'close duel' for Mercedes duo
(GMM) Former Mercedes chief Norbert Haug is predicting a "close duel" between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in 2014.

Haug's German countryman Rosberg is currently leading the world championship, but his British teammate Hamilton has won the last three races on the trot.

"Nico and Lewis are very close to each other," Haug, now a commentator for the German touring car series DTM, claimed in an interview with Bild newspaper.

"Each of them has a good chance of dominating the rest of the season," he added.

The battle between Rosberg and Hamilton is likely to be a focal point of the rest of the 2014 season, given Mercedes' current dominance over the other top teams.

"I hope it will be a close duel between them for a long time," said Haug.

He denied he has a favorite: Rosberg, who he worked with at Brackley since 2010, or Hamilton, whose career dates all the way back to his junior years with the Mercedes young driver program.

"No, I like them both," said Haug. "I have known Lewis and Nico since they were kids and I'm proud of them both.

"I hope we see many more hard, exciting races as we did recently in Bahrain. But it's also clear that there is a loser and a winner at the end of every duel.

"Hero and zero is never far away in motor sport," he smiled.

Dickie Stanford Appointed General Manager of Williams Heritage
Williams is pleased to announce that Dickie Stanford has been appointed to the position of General Manager for Williams Heritage, a new division of Williams that oversees the maintenance and public demonstration of the team's historic Formula One cars. Dickie was most recently Race Team Manager for Williams.

Dickie began his long career with Williams in 1985 as a mechanic on Nigel Mansell's FW10 and worked his way up to Chief Mechanic, before becoming Team Manager in 1995. He remained in that job for 10 years, before stepping back to spend more time with his family. In 2010 he returned to take up the reins once again as Race and Test Team Manager and helped guide the team through a difficult period. After seeing the team through a successful winter ahead of the 2014 season, Dickie has now decided to retire from life on the road for a factory based position.

As General Manager of Williams Heritage, Dickie will report to Jonathan Williams and have responsibility for the team of highly experienced Williams mechanics that maintain the team's historic racing cars at the Williams Grand Prix Collection in Oxfordshire, the largest private collection of Formula One cars in the world. Dickie will also help manage the regular series of events and promotional activities that the cars take part in each year such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Speaking about Dickie's new role Sir Frank Williams, Founder and Team Principal, said; "A team of our longevity has many historic assets that need to be cherished and preserved for future generations to enjoy. Dickie combines strong mechanical knowledge of our cars from his time as a mechanic, with first class operational and logistical skills honed as Race Team Manager. He is therefore perfectly placed to take on the day-to-day operational running of our historic car program and provide support to Jonathan in ensuring that Williams' Heritage program goes from strength to strength. I would personally like to add my thanks to him for his services to the team during his time as Race Team Manager."

Dickie added; "I have a lot of passion for the company and its heritage and the opportunity to take charge of our historic car program is too good to turn down. With the formation of Williams Heritage as a distinct division within Williams, we will be well placed to ensure that our legendary cars continue to be well looked after and can be showcased to Formula One fans for many years to come."

Mansell: Hamilton close to perfection in 2014
Former World Champion Nigel Mansell believes that Lewis Hamilton has been "close to perfection" so far this season, as the Mercedes driver prepares to battle for his fourth successive victory in Spain.

Although Hamilton failed to finish the season-opening Australian Grand Prix after encountering a cylinder issue, he went on to triumph in Malaysia, Bahrain and China and stake his claim for a second world title.

"He has been close to perfection, just brilliant," Mansell, who won the title with Williams in 1992, told the BBC.

"I think he has been given the freedom to express himself. When you get a few more wins under your belt, you get even more confidence and that gives you another half a second in your pocket.

"It doesn't get any better than knowing you have a good car – it's the most wonderful feeling."

Mansell added that he expects Mercedes to remain a formidable force as the season wears on.

"They are the class act of the field in 2014," he explained. "I don't see them dropping the ball.

"They're not going to be unbeatable during the year, but I think it will be very hard to close the gap because of their superior engine performance. Lewis and Nico [Rosberg] are going to have a tremendous time in 2014."

Pirelli hoping for no more than three stops
Formula 1 drivers should not have to pit for fresh tires more than three times at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, according to Pirelli Motorsport Director Paul Hembery.

Fernando Alonso won last year's race after completing a four stop strategy, while second place Kimi Raikkonen pitted three times for tires.

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is one of the toughest circuits on tires and as a result Pirelli will bring their two hardest compounds – the white Medium and orange Hard tire – to Spain.

"It's often said that Barcelona provides the most accurate representation of the form a season will take, because a car that performs well in Barcelona should perform well everywhere," said Hembery. The same is true of the tires, because the Spanish circuit is one of the most demanding circuits we race on all year.

"Long and fast corners such as Turn Three put a huge amount of energy into the tires, as a result of which degradation is high. The track surface is also quite abrasive, and ambient temperatures can be high, which increase the workload on the tires further. In the past we've seen up to four pit stops in Spain. With the changes we have made to the tires this year, we would now hope to see no more than three for the majority of drivers.

Following the race there is a two day test for all 11 teams and this will see Sauber, Toro Rosso, McLaren and Force India devote one day of running to conducting tire tests at Pirelli's behest.

"We made a solid start to our preparations for next year with the first dedicated in-season tire tests in Bahrain," said Hembery. "We're looking forward to building on that work with four teams in Spain after the grand prix."

Video: Sahara Force India drivers preview Spanish GP