| By Lawrence Barretto and Ben Anderson | Wednesday, April 15th 2015, 11:19 GMT |
Lotus now has the fourth-fastest car on the Formula 1 grid after a strong showing in the Chinese Grand Prix, according to engineering chief Alan Permane
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| By Dieter Rencken and Jonathan Noble | Wednesday, April 15th 2015, 14:43 GMT |
Renault says Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz's threats to quit Formula 1 do not add extra pressure to its troubled 2015 season because it has sufficient recovery plans in place
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Wednesday, April 15th 2015, 15:35 GMT |
Williams needs to understand why it has struggled to make Formula 1's soft tyre work if it is to challenge Mercedes and Ferrari, says performance chief Rob Smedley
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| By Lawrence Barretto and Ben Anderson | Tuesday, April 14th 2015, 13:21 GMT |
Romain Grosjean said the Chinese Grand Prix was a "breakthrough" for Lotus after he scored the Formula 1 team's first points of the 2015 campaign, and his first in 11 months
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Tuesday, April 14th 2015, 09:47 GMT |
Felipe Massa is currently driving better than at any other point in his Formula 1 career and is still improving, according to Williams performance chief Rob Smedley
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Tuesday, April 14th 2015, 14:37 GMT |
Daniel Ricciardo is hopeful there is "one magic button" which can transform Red Bull's Formula 1 fortunes after another difficult race in the Chinese Grand Prix
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Monday, April 13th 2015, 10:59 GMT |
Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas accept that Williams has now fallen back to being Formula 1's third-fastest team
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Monday, April 13th 2015, 10:58 GMT |
Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda says Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are right to take a selfish approach to racing against each other in Formula 1
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| By Ben Anderson and Lawrence Barretto | Monday, April 13th 2015, 14:20 GMT |
Red Bull boss Christian Horner says Ferrari's transformation back into a race-winning Formula 1 team is proof his team can turn its fortunes around too
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| By Ben Anderson and Jonathan Noble | Sunday, April 12th 2015, 11:33 GMT |
Mercedes Formula 1 team boss Toto Wolff insists Lewis Hamilton did nothing wrong in his Chinese Grand Prix battle with Nico Rosberg and says the tensions have now cooled
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| By Ben Anderson and Matt Beer | Sunday, April 12th 2015, 10:54 GMT |
The Red Bull Formula 1 team believes the poor start that ruined Daniel Ricciardo's Chinese Grand Prix was the result of a procedure error by the Australian driver
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| Sunday, April 12th 2015, 10:49 GMT |
Chinese GP post-race press conference with Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel
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| By Ben Anderson and Lawrence Barretto | Saturday, April 11th 2015, 12:47 GMT |
Nico Rosberg says the Pirelli Formula 1 tyres will be "on the edge" in Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix, which could allow Ferrari to threaten Mercedes' chances of victory again
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| By Ben Anderson and Matt Beer | Saturday, April 11th 2015, 13:10 GMT |
Jenson Button was "puzzled" that the McLaren-Honda Formula 1 team was eliminated from Chinese Grand Prix qualifying in Q1 given the encouraging pace it showed in Shanghai practice
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Saturday, April 11th 2015, 14:22 GMT |
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says the team must be prepared to be flexible with strategy calls in the future, in the wake of its defeat to Ferrari in Malaysia
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| Saturday, April 11th 2015, 05:02 GMT |
Lewis Hamilton completed a clean sweep of Chinese Grand Prix Formula 1 practice sessions by beating Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg on Saturday morning at Shanghai
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Friday, April 10th 2015, 11:07 GMT |
Security has been tightened at the Shanghai Formula 1 track after a spectator ran across the circuit during second Chinese Grand Prix practice
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| By Lawrence Barretto and Dieter Rencken | Friday, April 10th 2015, 11:14 GMT |
Nico Rosberg is unsure whether the Mercedes Formula 1 team's single-lap performance advantage over Ferrari in Chinese Grand Prix practice will translate into race pace
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| Thursday, April 9th 2015, 16:11 GMT |
Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz has reiterated that his company will quit Formula 1 if his teams cannot get a competitive engine
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Thursday, April 9th 2015, 15:02 GMT |
Roberto Merhi still does not know how long his deal for a Formula 1 race seat with Manor will last despite sporting director Graeme Lowdon backing his current line-up
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| Friday, April 10th 2015, 03:36 GMT |
Lewis Hamilton led Nico Rosberg in a commanding Mercedes one-two in the opening practice session for Formula 1's Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai
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| By Edd Straw and Lawrence Barretto | Wednesday, April 8th 2015, 11:38 GMT |
Manor sporting director Graeme Lowdon says Ferrari's Formula 1 success in Malaysia will have a knock-on effect on his team when it launches its 2015-spec car later this year
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| By Ben Anderson | Wednesday, April 8th 2015, 09:19 GMT |
Sebastian Vettel's shock defeat of Lewis Hamilton in Malaysia helped re-invigorate Formula 1, but the focus now switches to if that momentum can continue
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| By Dieter Rencken and Lawrence Barretto | Wednesday, April 8th 2015, 15:40 GMT |
Formula 1 teams must better support race promoters to help improve the overall show for fans, according to Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost
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| By Lawrence Barretto and Matt Beer | Tuesday, April 7th 2015, 09:36 GMT |
Ferrari Formula 1 technical director James Allison says his main influence so far has been to end a culture of short-term thinking and ease the pressure on the design team
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Tuesday, April 7th 2015, 12:04 GMT |
Force India has pushed back the introduction of its B-spec Formula 1 car until the Austrian Grand Prix in late June, according to deputy team principal Bob Fernley
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| By Edd Straw and Lawrence Barretto | Tuesday, April 7th 2015, 15:49 GMT |
Toro Rosso says its target is not to beat Red Bull in the constructors' championship but instead ensure a career-best fifth place in the end-of-season Formula 1 standings
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| By Ben Anderson and Matt Beer | Monday, April 6th 2015, 09:21 GMT |
Mercedes expects to bring forward some of its 2015 Formula 1 development programme to fend off the emerging threat from Ferrari
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| By Lawrence Barretto and Edd Straw | Sunday, April 5th 2015, 08:59 GMT |
Roberto Merhi's hopes of retaining his seat with Manor in Formula 1 this season have been boosted after sporting director Graeme Lowdon said he was happy with his current driver line-up
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Monday, April 6th 2015, 11:45 GMT |
Valtteri Bottas is expecting his back to be "100 per cent" fit for the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, following the injury he sustained during qualifying in Australia
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Friday, April 3rd 2015, 15:21 GMT |
Marcus Ericsson has described his Malaysian Grand Prix weekend as a "breakthrough" in Formula 1, despite spinning out of the race
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| By Lawrence Barretto and Edd Straw | Saturday, April 4th 2015, 14:04 GMT |
Renault made a "massive step" forward with its Formula 1 power unit in Malaysia compared to Australia, according to Toro Rosso technical director James Key
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| By Lawrence Barretto and Edd Straw | Sunday, April 5th 2015, 08:59 GMT |
Roberto Merhi's hopes of retaining his seat with Manor in Formula 1 this season have been boosted after sporting director Graeme Lowdon said he was happy with his current driver line-up
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| By Lawrence Barretto and Ben Anderson | Friday, April 3rd 2015, 13:26 GMT |
Lotus is "still finding our feet a little bit" following a troubled start to the Formula 1 season, according to engineering chief Alan Permane
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Friday, April 3rd 2015, 15:21 GMT |
Marcus Ericsson has described his Malaysian Grand Prix weekend as a "breakthrough" in Formula 1, despite spinning out of the race
You have viewed over 15 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.
| By Lawrence Barretto and Edd Straw | Saturday, April 4th 2015, 14:04 GMT |
Renault made a "massive step" forward with its Formula 1 power unit in Malaysia compared to Australia, according to Toro Rosso technical director James Key
You have viewed over 15 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.
| By Lawrence Barretto and Ben Anderson | Friday, April 3rd 2015, 13:26 GMT |
Lotus is "still finding our feet a little bit" following a troubled start to the Formula 1 season, according to engineering chief Alan Permane
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Friday, April 3rd 2015, 09:02 GMT |
Valtteri Bottas says the Williams Formula 1 team is missing "quite a big amount" of race pace as it fights to remain one of the sport's frontrunners
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Friday, April 3rd 2015, 15:21 GMT |
Marcus Ericsson has described his Malaysian Grand Prix weekend as a "breakthrough" in Formula 1, despite spinning out of the race
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| By Edd Straw and Lawrence Barretto | Thursday, April 2nd 2015, 10:08 GMT |
Ferrari's Formula 1 car is giving Sebastian Vettel "the feel that he needs" says his former team boss Christian Horner of Red Bull Racing
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| By Ben Anderson and Matt Beer | Thursday, April 2nd 2015, 09:41 GMT |
McLaren-Honda is already seeing a "massive difference" in its Formula 1 performance across the first month of the season, says the team's racing director Eric Boullier
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Thursday, April 2nd 2015, 14:32 GMT |
Williams driver Felipe Massa believes Ferrari's tyre affinity was the biggest factor in its Malaysian Grand Prix success, but admitted the Scuderia has improved more than its Formula 1 rivals
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| By Edd Straw and Lawrence Barretto | Wednesday, April 1st 2015, 14:40 GMT |
Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost believes "stupid people" who criticised Max Verstappen as too young for Formula 1 will have been silenced by his first two grands prix.
Verstappen, the youngest ever F1 driver at 17, became its youngest scorer as well when he finished seventh in last weekend's Malaysian GP, having qualified sixth in the wet.
Asked by AUTOSPORT if he felt Verstappen's critics were now answered, Tost replied: "I said this in October and November when all the people criticised: he will answer them on the racetrack because the answer on the racetrack means stupid people can understand."
Verstappen's team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr - also an F1 newcomer - has scored points in both the first two races of 2015, and Toro Rosso technical director James Key said the duo do not seem like rookies at all.
"I think the drivers did brilliantly in really difficult conditions," Key told AUTOSPORT.
"But they're both doing exactly what we want them to and the feedback in the race about the tyres is exactly what you want.
"It doesn't feel like they're rookies in many respects.
"There's no major drama behind, they just got on with the job."
Tost added that he has been particularly impressed by Verstappen's and Sainz's work ethic.
"I'm more than happy with both of the drivers," said Tost. "Both of them have done a fantastic job without any mistakes.
"They are open-minded and they want to learn until late at night.
"They want to see what is going on, what's being changed on the car and this understanding helps them perform well.
"They are also very high-skilled drivers."
| By Dieter Rencken and Lawrence Barretto | Wednesday, April 1st 2015, 11:09 GMT |
Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene believes Formula 1 needs to become "a bit more affordable" to safeguard its future, but thinks any proposals for standardised cars are too extreme.
The cost of competing in Formula 1 has been high on the agenda after Caterham and Marussia went into administration towards the end of last season.
Marussia required a last-minute rescue package to survive and now run as Manor, while teams including Force India asked F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone for support with their finances before Australia.
Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley has repeatedly called for a reduction of costs so that independent teams can survive while making the sport more attractive to new entrants.
ARRIVABENE INTERVIEW: The new man in F1's hottest seat
And although Ferrari is among the wealthiest teams on the grid, Arrivabene agrees that something needs to be done.
He insists the situation is being looked at with sufficient seriousness.
"We have to do our best to make Formula 1 a bit more affordable," Arrivabene told AUTOSPORT.
"I have to say it is a work in progress at the moment and everybody - they are really committed."
One of the suggestions to reduce costs is for teams to run a standardised car, but Arrivabene believes that is a step too far.
DIETER RENCKEN explains the 'core car' proposal
"I think that was one of the proposals on the agenda," he said. "You know, sometimes somebody starts from an extreme, which is something else.
"Standardisation in certain parts of the car could be an interesting cost saving way. Of course, not in all of the parts in the car.
"We are Formula 1, not another series where all the cars look the same and there is no spectacle."
| By Lawrence Barretto | Wednesday, April 1st 2015, 16:48 GMT |
Red Bull development driver Pierre Gasly will drive a Formula 1 car for the first time when he gets behind the wheel of a Toro Rosso in Barcelona next month
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| By Ben Anderson | Tuesday, March 31st 2015, 12:01 GMT |
The Manor Formula 1 team insists there is no reason why it cannot run both its cars at the same time, following speculation over Will Stevens' Malaysian Grand Prix absence.
Having solved the software problems that prevented the revived F1 squad appearing in any of the sessions at the first race of the season in Melbourne, Manor took to the track for the first time in 2015 at Sepang.
But it only fielded Roberto Merhi in qualifying and the race after team-mate Stevens' car developed what Manor described as a "complex fuel system problem" in final free practice on Saturday.
The team said it had deliberately avoided running both cars simultaneously in practice to minimise the risk of making operational mistakes.
When Stevens - who had been its quicker driver in practice - failed to appear in Q1 or the race, there were rumours that Manor simply was not capable of running both cars at the same time.
But Manor sporting director Graeme Lowdon refuted these suggestions as "complete, utter nonsense".
"I can guarantee you if that car could have moved, it would have raced," Lowdon told AUTOSPORT.
"There is absolutely no question about it. And it would have qualified.
"The systems and the people were perfectly happy with the results of everything in [practice] one, two and three from that point of view, and if you look at the run plans we weren't going round and round and round in one, two and three because we had very specific tasks in ticking things off.
"Quali we had very clear run planning for both cars, and we would have definitely raced with two cars."
Lowdon said Manor was clearly doing everything in could to get both its cars into every race as the current high attrition rate meant there were big opportunities just for finishing.
"Look at Melbourne - why would you not want to be in a race at the minute?" he said.
"You would drag the car kicking and screaming.
"It's complete utter nonsense. Elvis is not alive on Mars and all the rest of it.
"We'll just keep our heads down, crack on with what we have to do, and keep moving forward."
Merhi finished 15 in the grand prix, three laps down, on his F1 race debut.
He had not lapped fast enough to mee the 107 per cent cut-off in Q1 but was given dispensation to start due to Stevens having lapped within that margin during practice.
| By Lawrence Barretto and Matt Beer | Tuesday, March 31st 2015, 13:38 GMT |
Valtteri Bottas believes he and Williams Formula 1 team-mate Felipe Massa have proved they can be trusted to race without team orders after their Malaysian Grand Prix battle.
Massa lost fifth to Bottas in their late dice at Sepang, which included near-contact at the first corner and ended when the Finn pulled off an outside-line move on the Brazilian through the long, fast Turn 5 on the penultimate lap.
Williams was involved in a team orders controversy at the same event last year when Massa declined to follow a request to let Bottas past to attack Jenson Button's McLaren for sixth.
But this year it allowed them to resolve their battle between themselves.
"It was really good to get the green light from the team to allow us to race," said Bottas.
"It was hard and fair. In the end there was no contact.
"In any situation, I think they can trust us that we can race hard but fair. That is nice."
Williams's performance chief Rob Smedley said it would be wrong to put limits on intra-team racing.
"We are not going to stop them racing," he said.
"It has to be clean, they have to not jeopardise any points for the team, but they are two great drivers, two professional drivers.
"They give each other a lot of respect and just enough room to race.
"It was good wheel to wheel racing, it's good for Formula 1 and we're not going to stop them doing it."
Massa said he had raced Bottas more carefully as they were team-mates, but he felt he had little chance of retaining his position anyway.
"I tried to fight but I had two laps older tyres than him," he said.
"I was fighting to keep my position but I had no tyres to fight.
"We race but you have to take care because if you have two cars out on the last lap of the race it would be not nice."
COMMENT: Ex-F1 designer GARY ANDERSON on the Williams battle: "The team allowed Valtteri Bottas to challenge and overtake Felipe Massa on the last lap of the race.
"That is criminal because they had everything to lose and nothing to gain, as fifth and sixth were assured.
"I am a Bottas fan but it was only Massa's experience that ensured they didn't both end up in the gravel trap."
Click here for Gary Anderson's full re-cap on the Malaysian GP weekend, and his take on the Ferrari revival
| By Lawrence Barretto and Matt Beer | Tuesday, March 31st 2015, 16:34 GMT |
Formula 1 must be wary of reverting to a harsher stance on collision penalties says Force India's Bob Fernley, after both his drivers were penalised at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Last year the FIA decided to show more lenience over driving standards investigations from the British Grand Prix onwards.
Both Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez were given 10-second penalties in quick succession during last Sunday's Sepang F1 race after tangles with Daniil Kvyat and Romain Grosjean respectively, with both drivers feeling the stewards had been excessive.
While Fernley emphasised that Force India accepted the stewards' ruling, he said the decision appeared to be a throwback to the previous rules position.
"It's difficult because I can't see all the data," Fernley told AUTOSPORT.
"You need to look at all the angles the stewards can look at and I think we have to abide by the decisions of the stewards at the end of the day, because they are operating Formula 1.
"But some time ago we looked at it from the point of view that unless it was a blatant or dangerous manoeuvre, we would try to give the benefit of the doubt to racing incidents.
"I just think we have to be careful we don't go back to where we were.
"But equally, we accept fully the decision of the stewards.
"Let's just not air on the side of caution too much and let them race a bit because that's part of the excitement of racing."
Grosjean strongly criticised Perez's driving over team radio after their contact, which happened as the Lotus completed an outside-line pass on the Force India.
Fernley felt Perez had little option in the situation he was in.
"It's a fast corner, Romain was going around the outside, Checo [Perez] was obviously having difficulties in the corner," said Fernley.
"I'm not sure there were a lot of places for Checo to go. I didn't see it as necessarily dangerous.
"It was a strong move from Grosjean, I don't think Checo had a lot of room and it is what it is."
Perez suggested that he would raise his concerns over his Malaysia penalty with the FIA.
"I think we have to try to do something on that but it won't change anything," he said.
| By Lawrence Barretto and Ben Anderson | Monday, March 30th 2015, 11:29 GMT |
Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff says Sebastian Vettel's victory for Ferrari in the Malaysian Grand Prix was a "wake-up call" to his team
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| By Lawrence Barretto and Edd Straw | Monday, March 30th 2015, 10:18 GMT |
Ferrari must stay realistic about its goals for the 2015 Formula 1 season despite a shock win in the Malaysian Grand Prix, according to team principal Maurizio Arrivabene
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Monday, March 30th 2015, 14:59 GMT |
Williams has to develop the whole car package and improve operations if it is to remain a Formula 1 frontrunner, according to performance chief Rob Smedley
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| By Edd Straw and James Bolton | Sunday, March 29th 2015, 12:33 GMT |
Red Bull Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo said he was "just a passenger" in the Malaysian Grand Prix as he struggled to 10th position with damage and brake problems
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| By Edd Straw and Andrew van Leeuwen | Sunday, March 29th 2015, 12:38 GMT |
Kimi Raikkonen says he had a "poor" Malaysian Grand Prix, despite finishing fourth for the Ferrari Formula 1 team at Sepang
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| Sunday, March 29th 2015, 16:03 GMT |
Malaysian GP post-race press conference with Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Saturday, March 28th 2015, 14:33 GMT |
Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton says that he was not blocked by Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg during qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix
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| By Edd Straw | Saturday, March 28th 2015, 14:42 GMT |
The Williams Formula 1 team's disappointing performance in qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix was a result of not operating the tyres correctly, according to performance chief Rob Smedley
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| By Edd Straw and Matt Beer | Sunday, March 29th 2015, 06:15 GMT |
Will Stevens will miss the Malaysian Grand Prix after the Manor Formula 1 team was unable to cure the fuel system issue that stopped his car running in qualifying
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| By Edd Straw | Friday, March 27th 2015, 12:08 GMT |
The Ferrari Formula 1 team showed strong long-run pace during Friday practice that, if repeated on Sunday, could allow it to challenge Mercedes in the Malaysian Grand Prix
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Friday, March 27th 2015, 11:38 GMT |
Renault admits it is considering leaving Formula 1, prompting Red Bull to suggest it could do likewise if its engine partner pulled out of the world championship
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| Friday, March 27th 2015, 15:41 GMT |
Reigning GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer will make his Formula 1 free practice debut with Lotus at the Chinese Grand Prix next month
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| By Edd Straw | Friday, March 27th 2015, 03:38 GMT |
Nico Rosberg topped opening practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix, with Formula 1 title rival Lewis Hamilton completing only four laps before stopping on track
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| By Ben Anderson and Edd Straw | Thursday, March 26th 2015, 16:03 GMT |
Felipe Massa believes Williams has lost its key advantages of straight-line speed and fuel consumption this year, as it faces a tough fight against Ferrari
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Friday, March 27th 2015, 05:49 GMT |
The Williams Formula 1 team has been given a suspended €10,000 (£7300) fine after Felipe Massa used a set of tyres outside the permitted window in Malaysian Grand Prix practice
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Thursday, March 26th 2015, 05:17 GMT |
McLaren's Fernando Alonso will compete in this weekend's Formula 1 Malaysian Grand Prix after passing the FIA's mandatory fitness tests on Thursday
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Thursday, March 26th 2015, 04:44 GMT |
Williams driver Valtteri Bottas has been cleared to drive in this weekend's Formula 1 Malaysian Grand Prix.
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| By Edd Straw | Thursday, March 26th 2015, 06:45 GMT |
Manor is "100 per cent" certain of being able to run in Friday morning's first free practice session ahead of the second Formula 1 race of the year in Malaysia, according to team principal John Booth
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Tuesday, March 24th 2015, 12:06 GMT |
Felipe Massa says Williams needs to focus on consistency if it is going to improve on last year's third place in the Formula 1 constructors' championship
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| By Lawrence Barretto and Dieter Rencken | Tuesday, March 24th 2015, 11:21 GMT |
Renault believes its customers Red Bull and Toro Rosso will have to wait until next season at the earliest for the French manufacturer to provide them with a race-winning engine
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Tuesday, March 24th 2015, 16:15 GMT |
Lotus Formula 1 driver Pastor Maldonado is pleasantly surprised by how close the pack behind Mercedes is, and by his car's pace relative to those currently fighting for the podium
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| By Edd Straw | Monday, March 23rd 2015, 12:11 GMT |
The shortcomings of Renault's Formula 1 power unit are compromising Red Bull more than junior team Toro Rosso, according to Christian Horner
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| Monday, March 23rd 2015, 15:13 GMT |
Ferrari protege Raffaele Marciello will make his Formula 1 grand prix weekend debut in Malaysia, when he contests Friday's first practice session with Sauber
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| By Glenn Freeman | Monday, March 23rd 2015, 14:15 GMT |
McLaren has revealed that Fernando Alonso felt the steering of his Formula 1 car went 'heavy' in the moments before his testing crash at Barcelona last month
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Friday, March 20th 2015, 17:40 GMT |
The German Grand Prix has been officially removed from the 2015 Formula 1 calendar by the sport's governing body, the FIA
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| By Edd Straw | Saturday, March 21st 2015, 12:15 GMT |
Sauber Formula 1 team principal Monisha Kaltenborn has admitted she is surprised by the size of the step Ferrari has made with its 2015 engine
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Sunday, March 22nd 2015, 11:42 GMT |
Williams is confident it can outdevelop any of its Formula 1 rivals and maintain a consistent challenge throughout the 2015 season, despite falling behind Ferrari in the Australian Grand Prix
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| Friday, March 20th 2015, 17:06 GMT |
Daniil Kvyat was unable to start last Sunday's Australian Grand Prix because a lack of oil pressure caused the gearbox to overheat, according to the Red Bull Formula 1 team
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Friday, March 20th 2015, 17:40 GMT |
The German Grand Prix has been officially removed from the 2015 Formula 1 calendar by the sport's governing body, the FIA
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| By Edd Straw | Saturday, March 21st 2015, 12:15 GMT |
Sauber Formula 1 team principal Monisha Kaltenborn has admitted she is surprised by the size of the step Ferrari has made with its 2015 engine
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Friday, March 20th 2015, 14:55 GMT |
Pirelli says it would be difficult to commit to a contract extension that goes beyond 2016 until it knows Formula 1's plans for a rules revolution the following year.
Discussions have taken place over a rapid overhaul of car regulations that would result in wider cars, bigger tyres, 1000bhp and bodywork revisions for 2017 - but nothing has yet been agreed.
Pirelli, which became F1's sole supplier in 2011, said earlier this year that it would favour increasing tyre size to bring the "wow factor" back.
But with a tyre contract expected to go up for tender later this year for 2017 onwards, Pirelli motorsport chief Paul Hembery said that the Italian manufacturer needs plenty of notice of any changes.
"We want to see what is happening in 2017," said Hembery. "If you're going to have a tender process you want to know what you're signing up to.
"What sort of sport are we talking about?"
When asked if Pirelli would sign up without knowing what the rules will be, Hembery said: "It would be hard to, almost impossible to go to the board if there are changes in the offing.
"If you don't know what those changes are, how can you possibly make decisions costing a substantial amount of money? It would be a bit remiss to do that.
"We've not heard any more. When they do the tender process, which we believe will be in the next three months, then we would want that to include what is selected.
"We are happy to do the right thing for the sport. Do they want 19-inch tyres or do we want to stay with 13-inch?
"It's down to the sport, but it has a big impact in the amount of work involved, we need to know when we can do verification testing.
"If the changes are as they described, with 1000bhp and huge rear wings etc, you'd want to be do running in October and November the previous year."
| Friday, March 20th 2015, 17:06 GMT |
Daniil Kvyat was unable to start last Sunday's Australian Grand Prix because a lack of oil pressure caused the gearbox to overheat, according to the Red Bull Formula 1 team
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Friday, March 20th 2015, 17:40 GMT |
The German Grand Prix has been officially removed from the 2015 Formula 1 calendar by the sport's governing body, the FIA
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| By Dieter Rencken and Lawrence Barretto | Thursday, March 19th 2015, 10:26 GMT |
Renault has no intention of leaving Formula 1 as it continues to evaluate its strategy in the sport.
The French manufacturer's focus is currently on improving its engine for clients Red Bull and Toro Rosso, but it has said its longer-term ambitions may include expanding beyond being just an engine supplier.
Earlier this week, Toro Rosso emerged as the leading candidate to be taken over by the French manufacturer should it decide on a return as a fully branded works effort.
While Renault is assessing several options in a bid to ensure it gets maximum benefit from F1, the French manufacturer says it will not consider quitting the sport.
When asked by AUTOSPORT what the percentage chance was of Renault leaving the sport, managing director Cyril Abiteboul said: "Not a chance, I would like to make sure we can find a way forward.
"We are also looking at overall situation of the sport, it's not just assessment of the teams but also how the sport is doing from a business perspective, the TV figures.
"I don't want to be out of F1, because it's a great marketing platform for what we are aiming to do in countries such as China and India."
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said in the wake of the Australian Grand Prix that Renault's 2015 engine project is in "a bit of a mess".
| By Lawrence Barretto | Thursday, March 19th 2015, 12:40 GMT |
Williams believes Ferrari's Formula 1 power unit is a "huge step forward" after the Scuderia's performance in the Australian Grand Prix.
Sebastian Vettel finished third on his Ferrari debut while the Ferrari-powered Sauber of Felipe Nasr finished fifth to mark a big improvement for both teams on last season.
Ferrari was fourth in the constructors' championship in 2014 and only scored two podiums while Sauber failed to score a point for the first time in its history.
Williams performance chief Rob Smedley said: "If you look at the two teams who have made a huge improvement, it's Ferrari and Sauber.
"And what's the common link? It's pretty clear that the Ferrari power unit has taken a huge step forward."
When asked if the difference in race pace between Williams and Ferrari was down to the Scuderia's power unit, Felipe Massa said: "Yes, 100 per cent.
"Who finished fifth? Sauber. Where were they last year?
"It is a team who don't invest so much in the team and they have just improved a lot.
"If you see where we finished the season and where we are now, [the Ferrari power unit] is a big step. Just look at the lap time.
"And at the end of the year, we were 12-15km/h quicker than Ferrari. Now they are similar, maybe a bit quicker than us."
| By Edd Straw | Thursday, March 19th 2015, 15:35 GMT |
The Force India Formula 1 team's morale has been given a boost after a difficult winter by its double points finish in the Australian Grand Prix.
The team's 2015 car did not hit the track until the final three days of pre-season testing, and in the build-up to the race driver Sergio Perez admitted he was anticipating a "painful" start to the season.
But deputy team principal Bob Fernley believes that Nico Hulkenberg's seventh place, backed up by Sergio Perez's 10th, is a bonus - having admitted post-race that it was "unlikely" that Force India could have scored points on pure pace.
"The team have come out after a tough winter and being late into testing but we have had a car that has been incredibly reliable from the minute it was launched," Fernley told AUTOSPORT.
"That gave us the benefit in the race. And we had a good strategy to make the best of what we had.
"The team should be pleased and it's positive to go back to the factory with some points under our belt because it lifts the morale."
The team's focus on reliability, which was key to its double points finish given that its car was the slowest of the midfield group.
Fernley is hopeful that this will allow it to continue to pick up some points in the early races while it awaits car upgrades to boost performance.
"That has to be the policy," said Fernley when asked if the team can continue to score points based on reliability early on.
"The consistency of the team has brought us through and if we can get ourselves picking the points where it's possible until we can get the upgrade through, at that point hopefully we can be in the points on merit rather than opportunity.
"We were expecting a few incidents and casualties in the race, probably not quite as many as there were, but you have to be there to take the opportunity and the team did a good job."
| Wednesday, March 18th 2015, 14:59 GMT |
The Sauber Formula 1 team has declared itself "surprised" by Giedo van der Garde's account of their contract row, but wants to move on from the affair
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Wednesday, March 18th 2015, 13:56 GMT |
Ferrari is now focusing on chasing Formula 1 world champion Mercedes rather than defending against Williams and Red Bull, following its strong start to 2015 in the Australian Grand Prix
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| By Edd Straw | Wednesday, March 18th 2015, 15:02 GMT |
The Williams Formula 1 team is making every effort to ensure Valtteri Bottas can return to the cockpit for the Malaysian Grand Prix, according to deputy team principal Claire Williams
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| By Jonathan Noble | Tuesday, March 17th 2015, 14:45 GMT |
Hockenheim boss Georg Seiler says his track has given up hope of hosting Formula 1's German Grand Prix this year
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| By Lawrence Barretto and Matt Beer | Tuesday, March 17th 2015, 12:58 GMT |
Kimi Raikkonen believes Ferrari has closed the gap to world champions Mercedes in terms of race pace and is now capable of fighting at the front in Formula 1
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| By Jonathan Noble | Tuesday, March 17th 2015, 16:26 GMT |
Fernando Alonso will move a step closer to his Formula 1 return on Wednesday when he drives the McLaren simulator for the first time since his testing crash
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| By Dieter Rencken and Gerhard Kuntschik | Monday, March 16th 2015, 12:21 GMT |
Toro Rosso has emerged as the leading candidate to be taken over by Renault should the French manufacturer decide on a return as a fully branded Formula 1 works effort
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| By Edd Straw | Monday, March 16th 2015, 11:21 GMT |
Renault's Formula 1 engine project is in "a bit of a mess", Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has admitted following a difficult Australian Grand Prix
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| By Edd Straw | Monday, March 16th 2015, 16:52 GMT |
McLaren racing director Eric Boullier has refused to set the timeline for when the Honda-powered team will start to achieve competitive results
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| By Edd Straw | Sunday, March 15th 2015, 10:42 GMT |
Red Bull suspects that the gearbox problem that prevented Daniil Kvyat from starting the Australian Grand Prix was caused by vibrations from the engine
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| By Edd Straw | Sunday, March 15th 2015, 10:18 GMT |
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has called on the FIA to take action to equalise engine performance and close up the Formula 1 field
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| By Gerhard Kuntschik and Glenn Freeman | Sunday, March 15th 2015, 19:33 GMT |
Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has warned that the Austrian firm could pull out of Formula 1, claiming that the current regulations "will kill the sport"
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| By Edd Straw | Sunday, March 15th 2015, 04:06 GMT |
Valtteri Bottas has been ruled out of the Australian Grand Prix as a result of back problems that developed during qualifying.
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| Sunday, March 15th 2015, 04:50 GMT |
Only 15 cars will start the Formula 1 season-opening Australian Grand Prix after both Kevin Magnussen's McLaren-Honda and Daniil Kvyat's Red Bull-Renault failed on the way to the grid
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Sunday, March 15th 2015, 06:49 GMT |
Lewis Hamilton began the defence of his Formula 1 world championship with a commanding victory in the Australian Grand Prix, as Sebastian Vettel began his Ferrari career with a podium
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| By Edd Straw | Saturday, March 14th 2015, 04:11 GMT |
Lewis Hamilton set the pace in the final free practice session ahead of qualifying for the opening race of the Formula 1 season in Australia
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| By Edd Straw | Saturday, March 14th 2015, 04:30 GMT |
Renault is planning a big step with its Formula 1 engine in the middle of the season following confirmation that it has more upgrade tokens available than its rivals
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| By Edd Straw | Saturday, March 14th 2015, 06:24 GMT |
The revived Manor team will be absent from the first race of the Formula 1 season after failing to participate in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Thursday, March 12th 2015, 15:40 GMT |
Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg says he has not yet reached his peak in Formula 1 and expects to be stronger in 2015 after missing out on last year's title
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| By Ben Anderson | Friday, March 13th 2015, 03:09 GMT |
Nico Rosberg edged Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton to top the first free practice session of the new Formula 1 season by less than half a tenth of a second
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| By Edd Straw | Friday, March 13th 2015, 07:03 GMT |
Nico Rosberg pipped Mercedes Formula 1 team-mate Lewis Hamilton to the top of the timesheets in the second free practice session for the Australian Grand Prix
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Thursday, March 12th 2015, 02:06 GMT |
Mercedes says it is not writing off a challenge from Red Bull this season, despite its Formula 1 rival's indifferent form in testing
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| By Edd Straw | Thursday, March 12th 2015, 05:14 GMT |
Adrian Newey is more involved in Red Bull's 2015 Formula 1 season than initially expected, according to the team's lead driver Daniel Ricciardo
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| By Glenn Freeman | Thursday, March 12th 2015, 05:53 GMT |
The Sauber Formula 1 team's appeal against a court verdict that Giedo van der Garde should race for it in the Australian Grand Prix has been dismissed
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| By Ben Anderson and Matt Beer | Tuesday, March 10th 2015, 16:57 GMT |
The rivalry between Mercedes Formula 1 team-mates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will become more intense still in 2015, reckons team boss Toto Wolff
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| By Jonathan Noble | Tuesday, March 10th 2015, 16:04 GMT |
The new Haas Formula 1 team has secured more key signings - with Ben Agathangelou becoming its new chief aerodynamicist and Dave O'Neill its team manager
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Wednesday, March 11th 2015, 02:33 GMT |
An Australian court has ruled Giedo van der Garde has the right to race for Sauber in Sunday's Australian Grand Prix, but the Swiss Formula 1 team has appealed the decision
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Monday, March 9th 2015, 11:04 GMT |
Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley has wished Manor well on its return to the Formula 1 grid but remains frustrated with the way the team went about it
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Monday, March 9th 2015, 17:19 GMT |
Williams driver Valtteri Bottas says his strong performance in 2014 has better prepared him to win his first Formula 1 grand prix this year
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| By Glenn Freeman | Tuesday, March 10th 2015, 00:08 GMT |
Roberto Merhi will race for the Manor Formula 1 team in this weekend's season-opening Australian Grand Prix, partnering fellow Formula Renault 3.5 race winner Will Stevens
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| By Ben Anderson | Friday, March 6th 2015, 17:07 GMT |
The Mercedes Formula 1 team has been impressed with the pace shown by rivals Ferrari and Williams in pre-season testing
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| By Ben Anderson and Matt Beer | Saturday, March 7th 2015, 13:58 GMT |
Williams was caught off-guard by just how far ahead Mercedes was when it unleashed more performance late in winter Formula 1 testing, admits Pat Symonds
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| By Ben Anderson | Sunday, March 8th 2015, 12:58 GMT |
Ferrari Formula 1 boss Maurizio Arrivabene believes Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen are the "perfect combination" for the Scuderia this season
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| By Ben Anderson and Matt Beer | Friday, March 6th 2015, 11:32 GMT |
Getting through the 2015 Formula 1 season on just four engines will be "a big challenge" for McLaren-Honda, admits Eric Boullier
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| By Ben Anderson | Friday, March 6th 2015, 17:07 GMT |
The Mercedes Formula 1 team has been impressed with the pace shown by rivals Ferrari and Williams in pre-season testing
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| By Ben Anderson and Matt Beer | Saturday, March 7th 2015, 13:58 GMT |
Williams was caught off-guard by just how far ahead Mercedes was when it unleashed more performance late in winter Formula 1 testing, admits Pat Symonds
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Friday, March 6th 2015, 09:59 GMT |
Sauber says it will "take all necessary steps" to protect the team's interests following Giedo van der Garde's decision to take legal action against the Swiss Formula 1 outfit
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| By Ben Anderson and Matt Beer | Friday, March 6th 2015, 11:32 GMT |
Getting through the 2015 Formula 1 season on just four engines will be "a big challenge" for McLaren-Honda, admits Eric Boullier
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| By Ben Anderson | Friday, March 6th 2015, 17:07 GMT |
The Mercedes Formula 1 team has been impressed with the pace shown by rivals Ferrari and Williams in pre-season testing
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| By Jonathan Noble and Andrew van Leeuwen | Thursday, March 5th 2015, 15:27 GMT |
DTM's three manufacturers are pushing the FIA to reconsider its new Formula 1 superlicence system so the category is not excluded from the list of series that qualify a driver
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| By Jonathan Noble | Thursday, March 5th 2015, 17:10 GMT |
Manor has moved another step closer its Formula 1 return after the team passed the mandatory FIA crash tests on Thursday
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Thursday, March 5th 2015, 17:38 GMT |
Sebastian Vettel says he first contacted Ferrari about a potential move to the team back in 2008 and has since had "secret" meetings in Maranello while racing for Red Bull
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| By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer | Wednesday, March 4th 2015, 16:43 GMT |
Manor investor Stephen Fitzpatrick says he could not stand to see the former Marussia Formula 1 team disappear after it had finally achieved its breakthrough points in 2014
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| By Jonathan Noble | Wednesday, March 4th 2015, 16:15 GMT |
Manor has confirmed that its Formula 1 car is ready to race at the Australian Grand Prix
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| By Jonathan Noble | Wednesday, March 4th 2015, 17:50 GMT |
Former Sainsbury's boss Justin King insists his focus in Formula 1 is on helping move Manor up the grid rather than chasing a role in running the sport
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| By Ben Anderson | Tuesday, March 3rd 2015, 16:54 GMT |
Williams technical chief Pat Symonds says Formula 1 "needs" teams like Manor GP, which is gearing up for a shock return from the ashes of the defunct Marussia project
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| By Lawrence Barretto | Tuesday, March 3rd 2015, 11:21 GMT |
Mercedes paid Force India to run its reserve driver Pascal Wehrlein at the second Formula 1 test, which made it financially viable for the Silverstone-based team to test at Barcelona
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| By Jonathan Noble | Tuesday, March 3rd 2015, 12:16 GMT |
Fernando Alonso has pulled out of the Australian Grand Prix after doctors advised him against getting back in a Formula 1 car just yet
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| By Mitchell Adam | Monday, March 2nd 2015, 10:19 GMT |
Only clues about Mercedes' 2015 performance emerged from Formula 1's first two winter tests, as other teams stole the limelight. That all changed in the final test at Barcelona.
The dominant force of 2014 asserted its authority on the final pre-season test and left no one in any doubt that it will be the team to beat this year, if indeed it can even be caught.
ANALYSIS: We rank the teams after testing
Friday afternoon, the 10th day of testing, was the first time a Mercedes driver used Pirelli's soft tyre and Nico Rosberg made it count, lapping 1.2 seconds faster than the Williams of Valtteri Bottas went on the compound 90 minutes earlier.
It was the fastest time of the week and when Hamilton got his chance on the tyre a day later, he lapped faster than Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen had earlier managed around the Circuit de Catalunya on the super-soft.
KARUN CHANDHOK answers your testing questions
While Mercedes' pace on the medium and hard rubber was imposing, there were positives for some of its rivals.
Both Williams drivers topped a day, albeit those without Mercedes using the softs, turned plenty of laps and looked sharp, while Ferrari underlined its progress over 2014 with another solid test.
Red Bull focused on race pace but suffered several mechanical dramas, including an ERS problem for Daniel Ricciardo on the final day.
CRAIG SCARBOROUGH analyses the latest tech developments
That, though, was nothing compared to McLaren. The team managed just 177 laps over the four days - Felipe Nasr alone turned 159 on Sunday - and if you take out Jenson Button's 101 on Friday, it averaged just 25.3 laps on the other three.
After a hydraulics issue limited it to just seven laps on the opening day, Button's Friday looked to have been a breakthrough, but it proved something of a false dawn, with an oil leak and sensor problem ruining the weekend.
And when the car was running, it was clearly down on engine performance.
Conversely, Force India enjoyed a stunningly reliable debut with its new VJM08, which first appeared just before lunch on the second day. By Sunday night, Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez had turned a combined 365 laps.
Sauber and Toro Rosso completed race simulations and also piled on the laps, as did Lotus until Pastor Maldonado crashed with a brake problem on Sunday.
TEST STATISTICS
FINAL TEST STATS:Combined times:
Pos Driver Car Time Gap Day Tyres 1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m22.792s 2 S 2. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m23.022s +0.230s 3 S 3. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 1m23.063s +0.271s 4 SS 4. Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 1m23.262s +0.470s 3 SS 5. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1m23.276s +0.484s 3 SS 6. Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1m23.469s +0.677s 4 SS 7. Felipe Nasr Sauber-Ferrari 1m24.023s +1.231s 4 SS 8. Carlos Sainz Jr Toro Rosso-Renault 1m24.191s +1.399s 3 SS 9. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Mercedes 1m24.200s +1.408s 3 SS 10. Marcus Ericsson Sauber-Ferrari 1m24.276s +1.484s 1 SS 11. Max Verstappen Toro Rosso-Renault 1m24.527s +1.735s 4 SS 12. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull-Renault 1m24.638s +1.846s 4 S 13. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m24.939s +2.147s 3 SS 14. Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes 1m25.113s +2.321s 4 SS 15. Kevin Magnussen McLaren-Honda 1m25.225s +2.433s 3 S 16. Jenson Button McLaren-Honda 1m25.327s +2.535s 4 SS 17. Daniil Kvyat Red Bull-Renault 1m25.947s +3.155s 1 M 18. Pastor Maldonado Lotus-Mercedes 1m26.705s +3.913s 2 S Mileage by driver: Pos Driver Laps Miles 1. Felipe Nasr 300 868 2. Sebastian Vettel 272 787 3. Nico Rosberg 254 735 4. Marcus Ericsson 245 709 5. Nico Hulkenberg 235 680 6. Max Verstappen 224 648 7. Carlos Sainz Jr. 218 630 8. Kimi Raikkonen 216 625 9. Felipe Massa 205 593 10. Daniel Ricciardo 200 578 11. Romain Grosjean 191 552 12. Valtteri Bottas 179 518 13. Pastor Maldonado 176 509 14. Daniil Kvyat 159 460 15. Jenson Button 138 399 16. Sergio Perez 130 376 17. Lewis Hamilton 124 359 18. Kevin Magnussen 39 113 Mileage by team: Pos Team Laps Miles 1. Sauber 545 1576 2. Ferrari 488 1411 3. Toro Rosso 442 1278 4. Williams 384 1111 5. Mercedes 378 1093 6. Lotus 367 1061 7. Force India 365 1056 8. Red Bull 359 1038 9. McLaren 177 512 Mileage by engine: Pos Engine Laps Miles 1. Mercedes 1494 4321 2. Ferrari 1033 2987 3. Renault 801 2316 4. Honda 177 512
COMPLETE 2015 WINTER TESTING MILEAGE: By driver: Pos Driver Miles 1. Nico Rosberg 2151 2. Felipe Nasr 1848 3. Max Verstappen 1760 4. Sebastian Vettel 1719 5. Marcus Ericsson 1697 6. Carlos Sainz Jr 1677 7. Kimi Raikkonen 1649 8. Lewis Hamilton 1512 9. Felipe Massa 1402 10. Valtteri Bottas 1400 11. Daniel Ricciardo 1393 12. Pastor Maldonado 1385 13. Daniil Kvyat 1310 14. Romain Grosjean 1018 15. Sergio Perez 824 16. Nico Hulkenberg 784 17. Jenson Button 641 18. Pascal Wehrlein 465 19. Fernando Alonso 333 20. Susie Wolff 248 21. Jolyon Palmer 222 22. Kevin Magnussen 113 By team: Pos Car Miles 1. Mercedes 3801 2. Sauber 3545 3. Toro Rosso 3437 4. Ferrari 3368 5. Williams 3051 6. Red Bull 2703 7. Lotus 2627 8. McLaren 1087 9. Force India 2015 car 1056 10. Force India 2014 car 878 By engine: Pos Engine Miles 1. Mercedes 11413 2. Ferrari 6913 3. Renault 6139 4. Honda 1087
| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, March 2nd 2015, 12:40 GMT |
The FIA has published details of Formula 1's new helmet livery rules, which will prevent drivers changing their designs during the season
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