Latest F1 news in brief

De la Rosa to step down

De la Rosa wants to step down as GPDA chief
Briatore, Rossi dislike 'new' F1 era
F1 cannot just turn up the volume – Lauda
New F1 to struggle in Malaysian heat
Williams still second best after Mercedes
McLaren chimes in on Red Bull fuel controversy
Rivals begin chase to catch Mercedes
Formula 1 – Sport or Just Entertainment?
Lotus: We need a big leap forward

De la Rosa wants to step down as GPDA chief
(GMM) Pedro de la Rosa wants to step down as president of the F1 drivers' association, the GPDA.

Speed Week said the Ferrari reserve driver's decision became clear last weekend in Australia, with a vote on his successor likely to take place next week ahead of the Malaysian grand prix.

"Wanted: a driver with experience," said correspondent Mathias Brunner.

Alongside 43-year-old Spaniard de la Rosa, the other GPDA directors at present are Jenson Button and reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel.

Briatore, Rossi dislike 'new' F1 era
(GMM) Former team boss Flavio Briatore has slammed the new face of formula one.

The 63-year-old Italian, absent from F1 in the wake of the 'crashgate' scandal, said he watched the Melbourne race last weekend and thought it was "disrespectful" to the spectators and television audience.

"They (the spectators) do not understand why the drivers do not attack, why and how they're saving fuel, and why champion drivers refuse even to defend their position.

"This was a strange spectacle, leaving behind the most beautiful sport in the world," Briatore told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport.

He said it was wrong to let the car manufacturers succeed in their push for the all-new regulations, featuring 'greener' engines that use less fuel.

"They delegated the writing of rules to engineers who do not care about the fans or entertainment," said Briatore.

"The result is terrible. Of course it is true that the principles of the rules are correct, but we must not forget that formula one must be about the competition between drivers.

"Obliging them to drive slowly is contrary to common sense. It's like introducing a rule that means Ronaldo can only touch the ball ten times in a match.

"Now we have the stars (drivers) forced to behave on the track like accountants.

"If formula one does not change again in the near future, then the audience will be lost. Look at the comments on the internet, in blogs, on Twitter — they did not like the Australian grand prix.

"It was an indecipherable and depressing show.

"This new F1 came too fast with too little testing, so at the very beginning Vettel and Hamilton were missing from the fight. This is unacceptable and now we have chaos."

Also unhappy with the 'new' F1 is the flamboyant MotoGP veteran Valentino Rossi.

"I was expecting something different from the new formula one rules, instead I just found it boring," the Italian is quoted by Tuttosport.

"I think motorcycles and cars should race with the fuel they need, but what is happening now is just an exercise for the engineers," added Rossi.

F1 cannot just turn up the volume – Lauda
(GMM) It is "absurd" to suggest formula one should urgently turn up the volume of the new turbo V6 engines.

That is the view of Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda, who days ago in Melbourne admitted the sound of the 22 cars charging to the first corner left him underwhelmed.

Williams technical boss Pat Symonds agrees: "For me the start is the most exciting part of the race, and I loved it when the 22 drivers revved up their engines.

"I don't generally complain about the sound, but at the start (in Melbourne) it did seem a bit quiet," he told Auto Motor und Sport.

Lauda, however, said: "The debate about the engine noise is absurd — you can't change that now.

"It was decided by all parties five years ago that they wanted turbo engines, and so we put in a turbocharger before the exhaust.

"It has a different sound, any child knows that," the great Austrian told Osterreich newspaper. "If you take the turbo away, you don't have hybrid engines anymore."

As for the duller sound, "We have to get used to it," Lauda insisted.

With a slightly more open attitude, however, is Lauda's Mercedes colleague Toto Wolff.

"I'm not much of an engineer," he told Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper. "These things will be looked at.

"If it is decided that something must be done, then we would have to think about it carefully.

"I would think that it is possible, but whether it is right, I don't know.

"The V8 engines sounded fantastic, but I saw this race (Melbourne) up close and I can assure you that F1 is still the top of motor sports, it's not GP2.

"This (move to V6) was the right step," Wolff insisted.

New F1 to struggle in Malaysian heat
(GMM) 'Cooling' will be the buzzword in Malaysia, according to Mercedes.

The German marque dominated in Melbourne, but Sepang is always among the very hottest destinations on the F1 calendar — and the new 'power unit' rules for 2014 are posing much greater cooling problems for the teams.

"New GP, new problems," Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda told Osterreich newspaper.

He also told German broadcaster RTL: "Malaysia will be more difficult (than Melbourne).

"In Sepang actually we are starting from scratch because of the high humidity and temperature — I doubt it will be below 35C.

"In such circumstances, effective cooling of the power unit would indeed be a problem. We will have to make changes to the car to resolve the issue."

Lauda's Mercedes colleague Toto Wolff agrees: "I think all the teams are seeking to create the most efficient cooling system.

"Every test or race weekend has been more difficult than we expected, so it will be difficult to cope with the heat in Malaysia," he admitted.

Williams still second best after Mercedes
(GMM) Williams remains one of the top favorites in 2014, despite the events in Melbourne.

Piloted by Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas, the new Mercedes-powered FW36 was a standout of the winter season, but it struggled in the wet qualifying session last weekend.

In the race, Massa was punted out at the first corner while Bottas finished sixth, fighting through the pack after hitting the wall and damaging his wheel.

Pat Symonds says the Finn should thank former team driver Pastor Maldonado for the robustness of the car's suspension.

"Our suspension is very strong," Williams' technical boss told Auto Motor und Sport. "Pastor pushed the limits very often in the past and that probably had an influence on the design."

Symonds said that if Massa and Bottas had clean races, they would have set their sights on the podium.

Former F1 driver Mika Salo told the Finnish broadcaster MTV3: "Williams' car is the second fastest after Mercedes."

According to Turun Sanomat newspaper, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff agrees: "If their weekend had gone normally, most likely they would have been driving for the podium."

Asked if Williams can now challenge every single team except Mercedes, Symonds insisted: "I want to beat Mercedes as well.

"Our view is that Mercedes is at the front, and then there is a group of cars and we feel that in optimal conditions, we are narrowly at the front of that group."

McLaren chimes in on Red Bull fuel controversy
(GMM) McLaren has chimed in on the fuel flow controversy.

After Daniel Ricciardo was disqualified in Melbourne, Red Bull argued that it went its own way with the new fuel consumption rules because FIA's mandatory sensors were not accurate enough.

However, engine supplier Renault's rivals Mercedes and Ferrari backed the FIA in the wake of the ruling, while the sensor supplier Gill insisted it has the full support of F1's governing body.

Now, Mercedes-powered McLaren says it was aware of some problems with the sensors for some weeks.

Former F1 driver Mika Salo thinks the Ricciardo controversy will not be the only fuel-related rule drama in 2014.

"I believe we will see it quite a lot," he told the Finnish broadcaster MTV3.

Salo said Red Bull will appeal the disqualification, so "let's see what the FIA does. The teams have complained about it a lot."

However, McLaren team boss Eric Boullier insists: "The FIA made clear in Bahrain that their sensors were the only reference for the calculation of the flow.

"We knew we had to be extremely careful," he is quoted by Italiaracing.

"It is true that there were some problems, but it is also true that in the end we were consistent (with fuel flow) during the race and, like almost all the teams, even during the whole weekend," the Frenchman added.

Rivals begin chase to catch Mercedes
(GMM) Given Mercedes' dominance in Australia, the German marque's rivals have now begun their chase.

Second on the road in Melbourne was the later-disqualified Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo.

"When you think about where they were three weeks ago," said Mercedes' Toto Wolff, "then we need to be really aware of what they are capable of.

"We are yet to see a reliable Vettel, and when that happens he'll be really fast," the German told Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper.

Williams is currently regarded as the second-fastest team behind Mercedes, but technical boss Pat Symonds is expecting a tough fight in 2014.

"Look at how quickly Renault has caught up," he told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. "Three weeks ago they were nowhere, suddenly they have a car that can be second."

Indeed, a lot of the responsibility for Red Bull's issues is in engine supplier Renault's court.

"It is obvious that we are slower on the straights than Mercedes," the French marque's Remi Taffin is quoted by Italiaracing.

"I don't know if it's a second, and it's definitely more than a tenth, but there are no unsolvable problems," he insisted.

Also chasing Mercedes hard are McLaren and Ferrari.

"We believe that their (Mercedes') advantage is between five tenths and three quarters of a second," McLaren team boss Eric Boullier is quoted by France's Auto Hebdo.

"From our side we wanted above all to develop a reliable car, as we think it is essential to win a lot of points early in the season.

"Then we will have a very aggressive development," said Boullier.

"We need to catch up with Mercedes but also other teams that will be successful when their engine is as well."

Ferrari agrees that, despite a disappointing opening weekend in Australia, nothing is lost in terms of the overall battle for the 2014 title.

"I honestly believe that there is time for this team to fight for this world championship," boss Stefano Domenicali is quoted by the Spanish sports newspaper AS.

"Sure, it will not be easy, but of course there is time and we have the resources to do everything possible to bring it about."

Formula 1 – Sport or Just Entertainment?
A collection of rules and regulations are not only the foundation of any sport, they also dictate how every sport is performed.

The ‘code’ that makes up a sport becomes almost gospel to those who follow it and if there are some who wish to change it they are politely told to find a sport which is more to their liking.

These ‘codes’ are therefore the very reason why people follow their favorite sports.

It’s also probable to say that if you’re a fan of a particular sport there’s a good chance you find that sport entertaining to watch. Of course there would be no point in watching it in the first place if it were otherwise.

Formula 1 however, seems that it can’t make up its mind whether it’s a sport and entertaining or just pure entertainment.

Formula 1 is a collection of some of the best drivers in the world, driving some of the most technologically advanced pieces of machinery that race around a track.

They do this for the glory that comes with winning and their teams pay millions along the way to share in that glory.

Concurrently, the FIA are constantly trying to make the sport safer for the drivers, more economic for the teams and more sustainable and relevant so Formula 1 can continue for years to come.

Though changes to rules and regulations is inevitable in a sport like Formula 1, as long as the essence of the sport is not hindered then the long time fans are not troubled.

Though in recent years the intrinsic nature of Formula 1 has been almost forgotten.

In an effort to make Formula 1 more “entertaining" to watch, the FIA first introduced KERS, DRS and recently a range of Pirelli tires which wear quicker and therefore require teams to make more pit stops throughout the race.

By far and wide, DRS is the worst black spot on the sport. Its allowance of overtakes with the push of a button down a straight should be abolished from Formula 1. Though there is more overtakes now then before, DRS assisted overtakes seem too easy and unbearably false.

Unfortunately, the sound of the new V6 turbocharged engines are now being met with criticism because they aren’t loud enough. And because of this, Bernie Ecclestone has declared that he and the FIA will come to an agreement that will see the new engines made louder.

Though they may sound louder and maybe even better, fans should be aware that the sound will be purely manufactured by an add on exhaust system as the technical specifications of the engine will have to, no doubt, remain the same.

As such, soon we may be left with false overtakes, false sounds from race cars and purely fabricated tire wear.

Regrettably, the sport of Formula 1 is in danger of becoming purely entertainment for the masses. Christopher Greenough/Beyond The Flag

Lotus: We need a big leap forward
Lotus will need to make a big leap forward in Malaysia later this month, Trackside Operations Director, Alan Permane has conceded.

Lotus struggled in the Australian Grand Prix last weekend, the 2014 Formula 1 season opener, with Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado both retiring in the race after failing to make it through Q1 the day before.

“In simple terms, we've finished a disappointing weekend with a disappointing race, with neither car finishing," Permane reflected. “However the 45 laps completed by Romain’s car is the longest run completed by the E22 and while we accept we're way behind, we're working hard to catch up.

“It's not the way we want to go racing. We need to make a big leap forward in Malaysia and we’re working every hour to ensure we make this leap. I'm very sure and very confident that we’ll see a big improvement in two weeks’ time."

Federico Gastaldi, Lotus’ Deputy Team Principal, added: “Though the results do not show it, everyone in the team has done a fantastic job in very challenging circumstances. Both our cars finished with problems related to the same MGU-K component so we and Renault F1 Sport both know where we have to focus for our improvements heading to Malaysia.

"It’s clear we also have other improvements to make, but the team spirit and resolve has not diminished. We know what we have to do and we will do it."