| 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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| By Ben Anderson | Monday, March 2nd 2015, 17:04 GMT |
Renault admits it will arrive at the first race of the new Formula 1 season with work still to do to meet its target of closing the gap to Mercedes
You have viewed over 15 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.
| By Lawrence Barretto | Sunday, March 1st 2015, 17:11 GMT |
Valtteri Bottas's morning run on the super-soft tyres was enough to ensure Williams ended the final session of pre-season testing on top, as McLaren endured another difficult day.
The Finn's qualifying simulation run before lunch yielded a time of 1m23.063s, 0.4 seconds clear of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who was on the same tyres.
Such was Williams's confidence with its progress that the team chose to end its running at the Circuit de Catalunya early for the third consecutive day, packing up with 89 laps on the board.
After a flurry of super-soft runs in the morning, the focus switched to longer stints after lunch as teams finetuned their preparations for the season-opening grand prix in Australia on March 15.
Sauber's Felipe Nasr was third quickest and achieved the highest lap tally with 159. Four drivers broke the 100-lap mark during a busy afternoon.
Jenson Button was not one of those drivers, as McLaren's problems continued.
The Briton missed most of the morning because of a sensor issue that required the team to remove the Honda power unit so it could fix the problem.
He eventually got out just before lunch, but only made fleeting appearances in the afternoon as he put 30 laps on the board - the fewest of anybody.
Mercedes topped the table in terms of laps completed across all three tests. Nico Rosberg covered 148 laps for the seventh fastest time on a low-key day for the world champion team.
Meanwhile, Force India had another trouble-free day, despite its 2015 car having only made its debut on Friday, with Sergio Perez completing an impressive 130 laps.
Pastor Maldonado was involved in the first crash of the four-day test when the Venezuelan went into the barriers at Turn 4 to bring out the second red flag.
Lotus was unable to fix the car in time to get Maldonado back out and he ended the day bottom of the timesheets.
Daniel Ricciardo, who finished fifth quickest, caused the first red flag of the day, when the Red Bull driver stopped at the end of the pitlane with an ERS problem, but he returned to clock up 72 laps.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen was responsible for a third red flag when the Dutchman rolled to a stop at Turn 12 due to engine trouble not long after lunch.
But Toro Rosso did an impressive job to repair the car to allow him to get back out for the final 10 minutes of the session and he ended fourth fastest.
SUNDAY TEST TIMES:
| Pos | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams/Mercedes | 1m23.063s | - | 89 |
| 2 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1m23.469s | 0.406s | 129 |
| 3 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber/Ferrari | 1m24.023s | 0.960s | 159 |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Toro Rosso/Renault | 1m24.527s | 1.464s | 85 |
| 5 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull/Renault | 1m24.638s | 1.575s | 72 |
| 6 | Sergio Perez | Force India/Mercedes | 1m25.113s | 2.050s | 130 |
| 7 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1m25.186s | 2.123s | 148 |
| 8 | Jenson Button | McLaren/Honda | 1m25.327s | 2.264s | 30 |
| 9 | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus/Mercedes | 1m28.272s | 5.209s | 36 |
| By Matt Beer | Sunday, March 1st 2015, 17:50 GMT |
Pastor Maldonado's crash in Sunday's Barcelona Formula 1 test was caused by a brake problem rather than any form of driver error, says Lotus.
The team's test was brought to an early end when Maldonado went into the barriers at Turn 4 on the final afternoon of pre-season F1 running.
Lotus technical director Nick Chester underlined that there was nothing Maldonado could do to avoid the accident.
"Pastor was unfortunate to have a braking-related issue which meant he wasn't able to slow sufficiently into Turn 4 and the car was damaged," he said.
"There was nothing Pastor or any driver could have done to avoid this accident, which was systems related, and we're investigating thoroughly to ensure it doesn't happen again.
"It was a pity we weren't able to run any low fuel laps later in the day."
Maldonado ended up seventh on the timesheets due to his curtailed programme, but said he remained very optimistic after Lotus's stronger winter.
"It was a shame to end the day early, but that was the only issue we've had like this during testing so we can look to the positive that we have a lot of information to take the car in the right direction," he said.
"My braking was compromised coming into Turn 4, meaning I went off the track and hit the barriers.
"I was able to brake and slow, just not as much as the maximum otherwise possible.
"The car was not too badly damaged and I am fine, but it's a shame we had this issue as we would have been looking at running the softer tyres in the afternoon and putting in some fast laps.
"I'm looking forward to getting back in the car in Melbourne as I think we have good potential this season."
| By Ben Anderson and Jonathan Noble | Sunday, March 1st 2015, 18:03 GMT |
A bullish Nico Rosberg has no doubts Mercedes will be ready to "nail it" at the Australian Grand Prix, after ending pre-season Formula 1 testing full of confidence.
Having set the fastest time of the winter at Barcelona earlier this week, Rosberg says he has no concerns at all about the potential of the new W06.
"It has been a great winter for us," said the German. "We got off to a running start with not many reliability problems, and have been doing the mileage - which was great and important.
"Now we are able to extract performance from the car.
"I am not 100 per cent happy yet, but we know what we need to do, so that is important.
"And that is why I am sure we will nail it completely in Melbourne."
Rosberg also said that there also a personal psychological boost from having been the fastest overall at Barcelona.
"I am happy to be quickest," he said. "It is better than not being quickest!
"Of course it is not much worth much, but it gives a little bit extra. So it is always useful."
RELIABILITY NOT A MAJOR WORRY
Although Rosberg does not feel that Mercedes can relax totally about its reliability, having had a few problems over the winter, he thinks it is not anything to be seriously concerned about.
When asked about the most worrying aspect of the winter, he said: "Worrying is the reliability, but it is not really a worry.
"It is such a challenge to get these cars perfect for every team. That has been our weakness last year, and that is what we are looking to improve this year.
"We are on the right track, but it is so early in the season and that is one of our biggest challenges."
| By Lawrence Barretto and Glenn Freeman | Saturday, February 28th 2015, 18:43 GMT |
Nico Hulkenberg believes that Force India's start with its late 2015 car has gone better than the team could have expected.
The VJM08 only hit the track halfway through the second day of the final pre-season test, but Hulkenberg managed more than 200 laps in just a day and a half of running.
When asked if the team expected the car to run so reliably from the off, Hulkenberg said: "No, I think that's a surprise, even to me.
"It's very good that we brought it here and pretty much just shook it out like this.
"It's a surprise to me and the team - to everybody, and obviously it's what we needed."
Hulkenberg admitted that the late debut will inevitably hold the team back in some areas, but he feels it has made a very strong start.
"First impressions are good - yesterday 80 laps straight out of the box and now two and-a-half race distances today," he said.
"No hiccups, no issues - that's very positive. And we were able to do some good and proper work already.
"It's similar to last year's car so straight away we found a good base we can work from.
"I think we've achieved a lot today, and everybody is as happy as you can be."
McLAREN WILL BOUNCE BACK
Force India spent most of 2014 locked in battle with McLaren in the constructors' championship, and Hulkenberg said it would be naive for the team to expect to finish ahead of the Honda-powered team simply because it has struggled so far in testing.
"I don't know where McLaren stand," he said. "Obviously they've had quite a troubled testing period.
"But I also know that a Formula 1 season is very long and a lot can happen in those eight or nine months, so I wouldn't write them off.
"We're not thinking about them at the moment - we're just thinking about ourselves and working on our car."
| By Lawrence Barretto | Saturday, February 28th 2015, 18:37 GMT |
Daniel Ricciardo says new parts added to the Red Bull at this week's final Formula 1 pre-season test at Barcelona have helped address the car's weaknesses.
World champion Mercedes was better prepared for 2014's major F1 technical regulations change, taking 16 race wins, while previously dominant Red Bull had to settle for three victories.
However, the team gave itself the shortest build-time yet for a new F1 car this season, after locking down its final design as late as possible.
And while pre-season testing started badly at Jerez as issues with the Renault engine hampered progress, the team's fortunes have improved over the two Barcelona tests.
Ricciardo, who completed 128 laps on Saturday, said: "I think we have a lot of potential.
"We've added a few bits to the car which I feel are a step in the right direction.
"With some of our weaknesses from last year, I feel we are starting to iron them out so it's good.
"I can't be too specific, but there are a few aerodynamic things which I think we have started to understand a bit better now.
"It took us a little while to get on top of those last year but it seems like we made a good step in that direction for this season - and for Melbourne, we have got a few more bits.
"With Renault, we are getting there. There are still some gains to be made, but we know it will take some time.
"We have definitely started in a better place this year, but there is still some fine-tuning that needs to be made."
RED BULL RACE PACE BOOST
On Saturday Ricciardo lapped consistently in the 1m30s for a 16-lap stint on medium-compound tyres, and the Australian believes the team is in good shape in race trim.
"It looks more promising," he said. "I don't think we have shown our true pace on low fuel yet.
"High fuel stuff seems like we are a bit happier than where we feel like we should be.
"We will see in Melbourne when everyone is on the right fuel loads but I think we do look more competitive on high fuel for now."
| By Ben Anderson | Saturday, February 28th 2015, 19:12 GMT |
Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes is trying to understand why he and team-mate Nico Rosberg have felt uncomfortable in their car over the past two days of Formula 1 pre-season testing.
Mercedes' pace has shocked F1 rivals at the Barcelona circuit this week, but both drivers have complained about the set-up of the car.
Hamilton spent much of his final day of pre-season testing in the garage while Mercedes crosschecked changes to the car, but he still managed to top the times.
The reigning world champion suspected a shift in circuit conditions might account for the drivers' discomfort, but he said the team was investigating.
"It wasn't particularly a spectacular day," Hamilton said. "I put the lap together, but the track was quite slow compared to the first day.
"We're trying to understand. All of a sudden the car was feeling worse than my first day and we made some changes to understand why, whether something's happened with the track or the tyres.
"The track seems to have lost some grip from the last two days, so it wasn't the best in terms of feeling.
"Nico wasn't comfortable in the car yesterday and I felt the same.
"We think the tyres and the circuit are behaving a little differently these last two days, and we think the track's been half a second to seven tenths slower than the first day."
ILLNESS NO SETBACK
A fever sidelined Hamilton from his first day of driving at last week's Barcelona test, but the Briton said the after effects would not affect his preparations for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
"I should be fine," he added. "The bug's been around - my mum, my sister, my nephew, several of my engineers have it.
"It's just some nasty bug that's going around. I'm kind of on the end of having it, so it hasn't really affected preparations."
