FORMULA 1 - 2015

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FERRARI WORKING HARD TO CLOSE GAP TO MERCEDES

Ferrari spent tokens to upgrade its engine in Canada, and it is now being reported that the Italian team could debut further upgrades at Monza and again in Austin in October.

“Our cars are evolving all the time,” Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne confirmed, “and I think that by the time we are at Monza we will be in much stronger positions.”

But by then, it might be too late. Vettel is already almost 100 points behind Hamilton’s lead, meaning the German needs to start reducing the gap now.

“If we extend or maintain our position until Hungary,” said Wolff, “then it does become more difficult for Ferrari.”

According to Mercedes chief Toto Wolff, Vettel is still clinging onto contention for the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship title.

The Italian team has closed the gap on Mercedes this year, but Niki Lauda admits he was “surprised” how easily Rosberg and Hamilton drove away in Austria.

Vettel admitted: “We were not as close as we had hoped.”

Wolff confirmed: “The first 10, 15 laps, we drove flat out. Then we could relax a little.”

Indeed, Rosberg said after a fast start on Sunday, it had actually been “one of the easiest victories of my career”.

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ENGINE PENALTY RULES A FARCE SAY MOTORSPORT LEGENDS

Three racing legends have slammed the farcical nature of Formula 1’s long-life engine rules.

In Austria, the full destructive potential of the rules was laid bare when Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button were moved back a farcical 50 combined places on the grid as they exhausted their supply of four engines for the season.

“It’s crazy,” quadruple world champion Alain Prost said. “This aspect of the regulations should be changed — the driver is already penalised by the failure of his engine, so why should he be further punished?”

“What is the logic?” the French legend added.

Carlos Sainz, the father of the Toro Rosso rookie and a world rally legend, agreed: “This rule should be changed, as it stops people from understanding the formation of the grid.

“The rules of formula one are generally too complicated for the public,” he added.

And former F1 driver Jean Alesi said: “I think to understand the rules now you need to be an engineer. Let’s stop this while there is still time.”

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MERCEDES NOT WILLING TO SUPPLY ENGINES TO RED BULL

Mercedes has refused to follow in Ferrari’s footsteps in offering to supply Formula 1 power units to rivals Red Bull.

At the weekend, Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne said the Italian marque is willing to take struggling Renault-powered Red Bull on board as a customer.

The same offer, however, has not been forthcoming from Mercedes, whose own turbo V6 ‘power unit’ is clearly the best in the pitlane.

“We are at full capacity,” Mercedes’ Toto Wolff told news agency APA.

Indeed, as well as leading the field with its works team, Mercedes supplies customer engines to Williams, Lotus and Force India.

“Four teams including our own is the maximum,” Wolff confirmed. “So at the moment we are happy with that.”

However, it might also be argued that Mercedes is simply not willing to help Red Bull – the dominant world champions of 2010 through 2013 – to get back to the top of F1.

“There are many reasons,” Wolff admitted.

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HULKENBERG DESERVES PLACE IN TOP TEAM SAYS LAUDA

Nico Hulkenberg has earned and deserves a place at a top team, says Niki Lauda, referring to the Force India driver who recently made international headlines by winning Le Mans on debut.

Back in Formula 1, however, Hulkenberg drives only for Force India, where in Austria he qualified an impressive 11 places ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez.

“The guy is really good,” Lauda, who doubles as Mercedes’ team chairman, told German television RTL. “I’ve known that for a long time.”

Lauda said Hulkenberg, 27, clearly deserves a “better car” than the Force India. It is believed Hulkenberg, who is yet to score a single podium in F1, is out of contract at the end of 2015. He has been tentatively linked with Ferrari.

“Of course he has earned a place in a top car. No discussion! He has to fight for that. I do not know what will happen with Kimi (Raikkonen) — maybe there will be a place at Ferrari but there are also others who are good. (Valtteri) Bottas for example,” added Lauda.

MIKA: I been saying this exact same thing for a couple years now. The guy needs a better car to show his talents which we all know he has.

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NASR CANDIDATE FOR WILLIAMS SWITCH

Impressive rookie Felipe Nasr looks set to burst onto the 2016 Formula 1 silly season.

Globo suggested the rookie Brazilian could be at the front of the Williams queue if Valtteri Bottas replaces Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari at the end of the year.

Nasr, 22, let his frustration show after Austrian grand prix, as he suffered a repeat of a brake overheating issue that also married his race in Canada.

“It is unacceptable,” said the Sauber driver. “It is the second time I have faced exactly the same problem.”

Nasr arrived at the Swiss team this year with the strong backing of sponsor Banco do Brasil, raising suggestions he is a ‘pay driver’.

But he has impressed from the very first race, clearly out-shining teammate Marcus Ericsson.

So if a vacancy opens at Williams for 2016, might he be in the frame to return to Grove, where he spent last season as reserve driver?

“I think it’s too early to talk about it. I am committed to Sauber,” he told correspondent Livio Oricchio, who said Nasr signed a three-year contract at the beginning of the season.

As for Williams, however, Nasr commented: “I had a great year with them in 2014 so I see the door open. Who knows if in the future an opportunity there may arise.”

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Monza not keen on Italian GP share

Monza officials have made it clear that sharing the Italian Grand Prix with Imola is not something they are very keen on.

The future of the iconic race is under threat as its current deal with the Formula 1 commercial rights holders runs out at the end of 2016 and talks about renewing the deal doesn't appear to be going well.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has also revealed that he has held talks with Imola, which last hosted a race in 2006, about alternating the Italian race with Monza.

However, President of the Automobile Club Italia (ACI) Ivan Capelli

"We respect others' work and projects. Presently, we, ACI Milan and SIAS, are working hard to renew the contract with FOM which expires in 2016," he told Pitpass in an interview.

He added: "Our goal is to keep the Italian GP in Monza and we can't help considering that in 2022 we will celebrate the centennial of the track."

When asked about sharing the race with Imola, he replied: "As of today we didn't get any official communication from Imola about such plans; nevertheless, the rotation to which they make reference has always been a bad strategy: therefore, what will be needed is a totally new approach in implementing this strategy, that frankly I can't see today.

"(However), we are sportsman and the interest of (the) sport comes first in our minds," he continued, "should the rotation be the last possible resort, at that point we should at least consider it."

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Wehrlein fastest for Merc on rain-hit day

The Austria test got off to a soggy start on Tuesday, but there was still plenty of action as Pascal Wehrlein was the fastest for Mercedes, McLaren's MP4-30 got some mileage under the belt and Antonio Fuoco crashed in the Ferrari.

It was a wet start to the morning session and Stoffel Vandoorne in the McLaren and Antonio Fuoco of Ferrari were the only two drivers to venture out in the first few minutes for installation laps.

However, the heavens opened up after 15 minutes, bringing out a red flag and washing out the rest of the morning session. Race Control decided to extend the day's running by two hours to make up for the lost time.

The green flags eventually came out at 14:00 local time to mark the start of the afternoon session, and for most the start of the test.

Several of the drivers were quick to get their installation laps out of the way and Vandoorne was the first to post a flying lap of 1:38.209 in very damp conditions.

Naturally the lap times continued to drop as the track dried up with Romain Grosjean hitting the 1:22s in his Lotus to set the early pace.

Mercedes waited nearly an hour before sending out Wehrlein, who was initially set to test on Wednesday but the team opted to hand Nico Rosberg the driving duties on the final day, for his first run and he lapped in the 1:20s.

The times came down all the time with Max Verstappen in the Toro Rosso doing a 1:18 and Wehrlein a 1:15 before Dutchman Verstappen posted a 1:11.946.

After a brief delay following another shower, the action resumed and the sun even threatened to come out.

Ocon, who drove the B-spec Force India in the afternoon with the VJM08 sporting an interesting new nose, got his five seconds of fame at the top of the timesheets with a 1:11.192 while Fuoco slotted in behind him in P2.

However, the Ferrari Academy Driver was unable to improve on his time as he crashed the SF15-T at Turn 1. Although the medical car was on the scene, he managed to walk away unharmed, but his car was damaged.

After the restart, Wehrlein showed the true pace of the Mercedes and posted the best time of the day, a 1:11.005, to move ahead with Ocon second and Verstappen third.

Although the rain returned with just under 90 minutes of the session still to go, it once again cleared up for the final hour and all the drivers had a final go, but times were once again slow.

It still proved a productive day for Verstappen, who topped the timesheets with 97 laps, while McLaren-Honda's MP4-30 also got some much-needed track time with Vandoorne completing 76 laps.

Times

1 Pascal Wehrlein Mercedes 1:11.005 67 laps

2 Esteban Ocon Force India 1:11.192 73 laps

3 Max Verstappen Toro Rosso 1:11.328 97 laps

4 Antionio Fuoco Ferrari 1:11.331 71 laps

5 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:11.509 45 laps

6 Pierry Gasly Red Bull 1:11.757 78 laps

7 Raffaele Marciello Sauber 1:11.826 53 laps

8 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1:12.530 76 laps

9 Susie Wolff Williams 1:13.248 37 laps

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A closer look at McLaren's upgraded MP4-30

Pressure continues to pile on McLaren and Honda as their burgeoning relationship has failed to deliver in 2015 so far.

In Austria the team arrived with a raft of aerodynamic updates for the MP4-30 in order to both rectify inefficiencies and boost performance. The updates were only available for one car and so Fernando Alonso had them on his car, as Jenson Button took an upgrade earlier than him at the start of the season.

Meanwhile, Honda introduced reliability upgrades to the RA615-H but focused their attention on their current weakness: ERS, in an attempt to increase drive-ability and more importantly power.

The most prominent element of the update package is the new nose, which replaces the elongated one run since the cars launch.

Much has been made of the use of a shorter nose with the rule changes made for 2015, with many citing it as a reason for the loss in performance. However, I'm always struck by the fact that not only do Ferrari continue to run an elongated nose, there seems to be no rush from them to adopt the shorter nose either. Lest we forget they are the closest team to Mercedes in terms of race performance, calling into question the logic behind their use.

The challenge of designing a short nose is not only an aerodynamic one but also one limited by the structure itself. Shortening the nose makes it more difficult to pass the crash test, with the deceleration distance reduced. The obvious answer is to add more material into the nose, but as weight is such a key issue, the team desire the lightest version possible, making it a tough balancing act.

In terms of aerodynamic gains the most obvious advantage of running a shorter nose is improving the flow under the nose, something teams have chased extensively since 2009. A more expansive flow region under the nose obviously helps to improve flow to the splitter, floor, sidepod undercuts etc. However, if that flow isn't dealt with efficiently it is just a waste and so changes will be made to the MP4-30 to better utilise this.

The other consideration is how the nose influences the neutral centre section of the front-wing (marked in yellow above), with this section the same up and down the grid, teams use the nose as a way of influencing it how they see fit aerodynamically.

Think of the nose as a shadow, casting the shadow over the neutral section at different points will influence its flow structure. The old nose cast an extremely long shadow, with the nose well beyond the neutral section, whilst the thumb style nose bought to Austria protrudes only slightly above it, casting much less of a shadow, therefore influencing the central section in a very different way.

FRONT-WING ALTERATIONS

Although the main focus of the McLaren upgrade was focused on the nose, alterations were also made to the front-wing, with an evolution of the upper flaps (marked in green). The changes not only focus on flap geometry and chord length but also their tips, which adjusts the vorticity along the Y250 axis. This is key to the management of the additional airflow passing under the nose. Furthermore, the team have been toying with the movement of their adjustment system over the last few races, with the adjuster moved inboard, this has been retained as a feature of the new wing.

MINOR AERODYNAMIC MODIFICATIONS

As part of a larger upgrade of the area around the sidepod, that is likely to be tested in the post race test and be used at Silverstone, the bargeboards saw a minor revision. A slot was added to the rearward slope [1], whilst a new vane [2] hangs off the bargeboard, mirroring the floors geometry behind it. These changes will help to improve the performance of the airflow moving around the sidepods undercut and the floor.

At the rear of the car the team have also revised the floor ahead of the rear tyre. Having previously employed a singular dog-legged tyre squirt slot, the area has been furnished with a multitude of new slots/louvres.

The introduction of these new slots allows airflow to move between the upper and lower surfaces, improving performance, especially in transient conditions.

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US-Qatar led group looking to bid for control of F1

An American-Qatari led investment and sporting group is looking to buy a majority stake in Formula 1 according to well-placed sources.

Stephen Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins American football team and RSE Ventures, is working with investors from Qatar to bid for CVC Capital Partners' 35.5 per cent stake in the holding company that currently owns F1.

It's believed the deal could be worth upwards of $8 billion (£5bn) according to The Financial Times.

Both CVC and RSE Ventures declined to comment on the reports, whilst Qatar Sports Investments was unavailable for comment.

The move, if successful, could see F1 build a stronger presence in the American market, something which remains relatively untapped with IndyCar and Nascar dominating

It could also see additional races in America, with just one at present in Texas after a potential deal to race in New Jersey fell through.

CVC is known to be looking to offload its share in the sport. In 2012 it came close to floating the business on the Singapore stock market. It has also held sale talks with US-based Liberty Media and Discovery Communications.

However a deal with RSE and Qatar Sports Investments could bear fruit, with reports the group have appointed investment banks to advise on a deal, suggesting that talks could be at an advanced stage.

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Williams and Force India unveil radical concepts at test

Williams and Force India took the opportunity during the opening day of the Austrian in-season test to unveil some radical new concepts on their cars.

Williams introduced a new winglet attached to the floor ahead of the rear-tyre, aimed at increasing downforce and conditioning the airflow around the tyre to decrease tyre wake.

Sadly, the winglet won't be seen in a race anytime soon as it's illegal under the current regulations. The team could be using it to evaluate other parts of the car, future updates or possibly changes for 2017.

Meanwhile Force India is pushing ahead with the debut of its B-spec car which will officially debut at the British Grand Prix. In Austria they ran several new parts including revised sidepods and a tweaked front-wing, but the most notable change is the nose.

It now features two large openings, what have understandably been dubbed 'nostrils', which it's believed are there to aid airflow under the car.

Teams have been trying to find a way around the new nose regulations since they were introduced. This has brought about many weird solutions including Lotus's two-pronged nose last year.

Designers are keen to get as much airflow under the nose as possible to increase the flow to the rear of the car. It's believed the low pressure under the nose will help draw airflow passing over the nose through the nostrils where it will then be channelled to the splitter (or T-tray).

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Ferrari not ready to switch focus as they target wins in 2015

Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene insists his team will not switch focus to 2016 and remains committed to winning three races this season.

The team remains Mercedes' closest rival, but they've been unable to mount a challenge for victory following Sebastian Vettel's win in Malaysia earlier this year.

However Arrivabene is convinced that more success will follow in 2015 and he's not willing to give up on his pre-season target of three wins.

"I don't want to start like my predecessors in the past to talk about now we are concentrating on next year's car," he said.

"We have a certain team that are working for next year's car, but the team is working for this year's car.

"We are not going around the world to do racing and go on vacation. We need to do always our best and we need to sooner or later to catch Mercedes, not in 2020, but this year.

"We want to win three races, and I am still here: we want to win three races."

Vettel currently sits just 49 points adrift of championship leader Lewis Hamilton and just 39 points off second-placed Nico Rosberg.

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I Am... Felipe Massa

Celebrating Felipe Massa's first podium of the 2015 season at the Austrian Grand Prix. This is how he does it...

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McLaren fortunes will 'change very quickly' - Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso is convinced McLaren's fortunes will "change very quickly" after its Austria setback and thinks it will happen no later than the Japanese Grand Prix.

McLaren's season hit a new low at the Red Bull Ring, with 25-place grid penalties for Alonso and Jenson Button after engine and gearbox changes. Alonso was running an upgraded aero package, including a new nose, but his race and the new parts lasted just two corners before he was collected by Kimi Raikkonen's wayward Ferrari.

Team-mate Button retired after nine laps with an intake sensor failure as Honda's reliability problems continued. The team hopes to fare better at Silverstone and Alonso says the team has a very defined timetable for when it expects to be competitive once again.

"Definitely we are moving in the right direction," Alonso said. "Inside the team we know the progress, we know the plans for the near future and we are optimistic because things will change very quickly. I don't know if it will take two races or six races, but no more than that."

That prediction suggests Alonso expects the turnaround to happen no later than the race at Suzuka on September 27 . The Spaniard is keeping a positive outlook on the current situation and says maintaining team unity is vital.

"I think it's just teamwork, what we need to have now. It's normal that the expectations of the McLaren-Honda combination are higher than what we are achieving now."

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Rosberg: Race craft going in right direction now…

Nico Rosberg says he can take confidence and satisfaction from winning the Austrian Grand Prix on pace alone, suggesting it is proof his race craft is improving.

Having qualified behind team-mate and title rival Lewis Hamilton, Rosberg got the jump at the start and proceeded to dominate thereafter for his third victory of the season.

Pleased to beat Hamilton on equal terms, Rosberg says it is important for him to prove that he can beat his team-mate by simply being the faster driver, adding that it shows his race craft is improving.

“It was an awesome day,” he said. “The start was the most crucial part of the race and I managed to get that. After that, I was happy that I was just faster in the race - that was important. It was one of the easier wins, which was good for once, no pressure from behind.

“Race craft was a thing that I needed to improve on from last year and it is going in the right direction, so I am pleased with that.

“Only 10 points to Lewis so it is getting close, but a long way to go and anything is possible.”

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THE ART OF THE OVERTAKE AND THE COUNTER STRATEGY – BY BOTTAS AND HULKENBERG

The Austrian Grand Prix may not have produced much uncertainty once the lead changed between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at the start, but there were some very interesting cameos going on in the race and some lessons to be learned about how the second half of the season will pan out.

Pre race expectations

Based on the practice running on Friday this looked like a comfortable one stop race, with the problem for the strategists being that the warm-up of the soft tyre made it look like an undercut would not be possible. This means that the tactical option for the car behind of pitting a lap earlier than the rival ahead and then using the performance of the new tyre on the out lap, would not put you ahead of your rival.

The projected life of the soft tyre was 45 laps and the super soft was 35 laps, making it an easy one-stop race with tyre graining the limiting factor.

Bottas vs Hulkenberg

One of the highlights of the race was the 5th place battle between Valtteri Bottas in the Williams and Nico Hulkenberg in the Force India. Hulkenberg qualified ahead and stayed ahead at the start. Bottas passed the German on Lap 25, with a deft pass down the inside under braking into the uphill Turn 2.

This is a good passing place at the Red Bull Ring as it’s a difficult braking zone and getting the energy deployment right is a challenge. Where Bottas showed great tactical awareness was that, as he had been close behind Hulkenberg in the DRS detection zone on the approach to the corner, he was entitled to use DRS on the following straight, even though he was now the lead car. So he was able to make the pass stick as he accelerated more quickly than the Force India.

Then team strategy kicked in; Force India pitted Hulkenberg immediately and performed the fastest stop of the day. He then pushed hard on his out lap. Williams responded and pitted Bottas, but he had a slow stop, losing over a second, so Hulkenberg was ahead again when Bottas rejoined!

The pair battled for a further eight laps before the superior pace of the Williams finally told and Bottas passed Hulkenberg for good.

It was a great little cameo, illustrating great strategy in the cockpit by Bottas and also good tactical awareness by Force India in responding to the loss of position with a strategy challenge.

Was Hamilton left out too long?

Lewis Hamilton lost the race at the start; he didn’t get away as well as Nico Rosberg and surrendered the lead in the opening corners. With limited strategic options at his disposal to come back at Rosberg, there was little he could do in an equal car. Also Rosberg had raised his game in terms of race craft from last year. He maintained his pace more consistently and used his ERS energy and other tools effectively. He picked up the pace straight away on the second set of tyres after his stop.

Rosberg had pit stop priority as the leading car and he pitted on Lap 33. Hamilton came in two laps later. After the race Hamilton felt that he had been left out too long before pitting, that it had perhaps cost him a chance to get closer and challenge, as the gap grew from 2.2 seconds to 4.4 through the stops.

But there was good reason for him staying out; if he had pitted the lap after Rosberg he would have come out behind Felipe Massa’s Williams. Not knowing how much longer that car was going before pitting, Mercedes would not want Hamilton on new tyres to lose time behind Massa on old ones.

When the Brazilian pitted on Lap 34, it then made sense to pit Hamilton on Lap 35 and he resumed in second place.

However a slow stop for Ferrari handed the third place to Massa in the Ferrari vs Williams battle. Ferrari has suffered a few reliability problems in pit stops this season; remember that in Australia Raikkonen had to retire out on track after a pit stop with doubts over whether the wheel was attached properly, for example.

After the race Vettel observed that the Mercedes is now able to run more aggressive engine modes than earlier in the season and this is one of the reasons why Ferrari has not been able to mount as great a challenge as expected on race day. Also Ferrari’s Friday practice running has flattered to deceive in the last few races, partly due to running lower fuel than Mercedes, but also due to engine modes.

Pastor Maldonado makes a counter strategy work

The final point of note was Pastor Maldonado coming through from 10th on the grid to finish 7th ahead of Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen.

The Lotus driver qualified outside the top ten, so had a choice of starting tyre, but was promoted to 10th on the grid due to penalties for the Red Bull cars. Maldonado went for the soft tyre for the long opening stint and was helped by the fact that Toro Rosso pitted Verstappen a bit too early on Lap 26, to move from super soft to soft tyres.

This meant he ran out of tyre performance in the closing laps of the race and Maldonado was able to get by two laps before the end.

Verstappen was in a battle with the Red Bull cars, both of which were running on the soft tyres, so were set to run a long first stint. He came out behind them from his stop and got ahead of Kvyat, but took longer to get ahead of Ricciardo, as he ran longer than expected to Lap 50.

Meanwhile Maldonado had pitted on Lap 37 onto supersofts and shadowed Verstappen, making up 11 seconds on him in 20 laps before some lurid side-by-side moments eventually led to a pass for position.

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RED BULL RING TEST: ROSBERG ENDS FINAL DAY ON TOP

After rain had disrupted much of the first day of testing at the Austrian circuit, leading to Tuesday’s running to be extended by two hours, the final day saw better conditions and a largely trouble-free session for the drivers on duty.

Bottas set the early pace, with the Finn topping the timesheets as the lunch break arrived. His best time of the first part of the session was a 1:10.495 set on supersofts.

When the running resumed Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo was a notable absentee and the Australian remained in the garage until just after an hour into the afternoon, though the team later said morning aero work had given way to planned changes that delayed their re-entry to the session.

Ricciardo eventually put in 116 laps though this included a stoppage 45 mins from the end of the session when he halted at the end of the pit lane with a brake pedal issues that caused overheating a small fire. He managed to return to the fray for a final run in the closing minutes of the session.

Bottas’ benchmark was quickly erased in the early afternoon, with Rosberg setting a best time of 1:09.113 that kept him in P1 until the end of the session. The Austrian Grand Prix-winner managed to get through 110 laps as he kept Mercedes at the top of the timesheet for the second day running.

Gutierrez got through the same number of laps on his way to second place, with lap of 1:09.931, set relatively late in the afternoon.

With Bottas third, fourth place went to F1 debutant Marco Wittmann, who was at the wheel for Toro Rosso. The DTM champion put in an impressive performance to log a time of 1:10.103 and completed the day’s largest lap total, with 158 tours of the Red Bull Ring.

Fifth was Pascal Wehrlein. The German claimed top spot yesterday but today moved from Mercedes to Force India for whom he recorded a best lap of 1:10.253. Jolyon Palmer was sixth for Lotus. Fernando Alonso put in 104 laps for McLaren-Honda, taking over at the wheel of the MP4-30 from Stoffel Vandoorne. Felipe Nasr was last on the timesheet but the Brazilian got through 138 laps for Sauber.

Driver Quotes from Red Bull Ring Test Day 2

Nico Rosberg (Mercedes): “Monday and Tuesday were two long days waiting for better weather, so today was important as there are only four test days during the season now. Luckily, the track was consistent and we could try a lot of different things. We had a gearbox issue just before lunch but luckily it didn’t really cost us any time as we could work on it during the break and the guys did a great job to get me back out there so quick, so thank you to them for that. It was an intense programme but we got through everything and learned a lot. We started with was some aero work then spent time looking at tyres and a few mechanical things like spring settings. We also ran a stiff setup in preparation for Silverstone, which will be useful for next week. The car felt good with that so I’m sure we will be strong at the next race. It’s a very fast track and you have to drive it very hard. But that sort of content – high-speed corners needing good downforce – is a specialty of this car, so I’m feeling confident.”

Valtteri Bottas (Williams): “It was a good day overall and luckily the weather was kinder to us. The work Susie did yesterday was really important as we continued our programme. We focused on aero and mechanical work, and now have a clearer idea where we need to push in terms of development. I now have to switch my focus to Silverstone, which I am really looking forward to.”

Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull): “We did a lot of laps today and that included a pretty big break over lunch to make some car changes, so to get in more than 100 laps was very good. We learned a few things and we tested a lot of stuff. We had a big aero rake on the car this morning that looked like something out of ‘The Terminator’ but it’s all good information for the aero guys and will help going forward. We had a small problem at the end with the brakes but it wasn’t a major issue and we were able to get out again for one last run. I’m looking forward to Silverstone now – there are a few more corners and less straights in Silverstone [than here in Austria], so I think it should suit our car a bit better. We have some updates coming to Silverstone as well, so I hope we can take the fight to our immediate rivals.”

Felipe Nasr (Sauber): “I am quite satisfied. Today was very productive, as we went through the planned programme. We were able to go through a job list of things that could not be done during a race weekend. We completed some useful work after the lunch break, as we worked on the brakes. In the end we completed over a hundred laps. We will now analyse the large quantity of data and informations we gathered to further improve our performance.”

Marco Wittmann (Toro Rosso): “This has been an amazing experience for me. I was surprised at the power of the car; if I compare it to DTM, it’s got quite a lot more power! I enjoyed the whole day, which was trouble free, so I was able to do a lot of laps. I’m happy with my day, I hope the team is too. I would like to thank Red Bull, Scuderia Toro Rosso and BMW for giving me this great opportunity.”

Jolyon Palmer (Lotus): “It was a good day for me and we completed all of our programme. It’s always productive to get a good tally of laps on the board so anything over one hundred is a real bonus. It’s a bit sad as that’s my final day of testing in the car, but I’ve got a good schedule of FP1 sessions ahead of me, starting with my home Grand Prix at Silverstone next week.”

Formula One Testing – Red Bull Ring Day Two

Nico Rosberg – Mercedes 1:09.113 117

Esteban Gutierrez – Ferrari 1:09.931 +0.818 110

Valtteri Bottas – Williams 1:10.029 +0.916 79

Marco Wittmann – Toro Rosso 1:10.103 +0.990 158

Pascal Wehrlein – Force India 1:10.253 +1.140 132

Jolyon Palmer – Lotus 1:10.373 +1.260 110

Fernando Alonso – McLaren 1:10.718 +1.605 104

Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull Racing 1:10.757 +1.644 116

Felipe Nasr – Sauber 1:10.922 +1.809 138

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MARKO: HORNER EXIT IS ALL ABSOLUTE NONSENSE

Helmut Marko has slammed reports that Red Bull is set to oust its Formula 1 team boss Christian Horner.

Horner has already dismissed the rumours about him being replaced by F1 legend Gerhard Berger, insisting he has a “long contract” and a good relationship with Red Bull mogul Dietrich Mateschitz.

And now Marko, Mateschitz’s right-hand man and, like Berger, a fellow Austrian, said of the rumours: “That’s all absolute nonsense.

“Whoever put that rumour into the world plucked it completely out of thin air. It is simply not true,” he told Kleine Zeitung newspaper.

The rumours, however, contend that Berger, 55, has been stalking the paddock recently in search of a new job, having sold his stake in Toro Rosso some years ago and stepped down as the FIA’s junior single seater chief.

Asked if he can imagine a job helping F1 to solve its problems, he insisted: “No. We have a very competent FIA president and a super-successful top executive in Bernie Ecclestone.”

“When the two combine their powers, they will soon have the problem under control,” he told the Austrian news agency APA.

Interestingly, Horner has also been linked with a top job in F1 management and told Bild, “I see it this way, I have a commitment to this team (Red Bull) for many more years.

“My mission is to bring Red Bull back to the top. But it’s true that you can’t always predict what will happen in the future,” Horner added.

Also fascinatingly, Berger’s fellow F1 legend Alain Prost is also not ruling out a return to a management role in the sport. The Frenchman told the broadcaster Canal Plus that returning to F1 is “not impossible”.

Prost is already an ambassador for Renault, Red Bull’s troubled works engine supplier. Berger said: “I see no sign that Renault is doing what it needs to do to get out of this situation.”

And he added it is “absolutely conceivable” that the situation could cause Red Bull to quit F1.

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MERHI STILL LOOKING FOR SPONSOR TO REMAIN IN F1

As the mid-point of the 2015 Formula 1 season approaches, Roberto Merhi has clung onto his Manor seat so far, but admits he is still seeking sponsorship to remain on the grid.

The rookie Spaniard’s place has been under a cloud all year, as the former Marussia team left the back door open for a driver who can bring more funding.

But it emerges that Merhi, 24, will retain his seat for the forthcoming British grand prix, even though he has not given up the search for a sponsor.

“We’re seeing if we can bring a sponsor,” he confirmed to the Spanish daily Marca, “but the results are coming now and that is what helps me.”

Merhi said Manor will finally add some new parts to the outdated 2015 package at Silverstone, while he is feeling happier with his own performance.

“The team is happy with the times and the consistency,” he revealed.

“It is true that it took me time to adapt to the car and the Pirelli tyres, but everything has changed now.”

It was said that Merhi’s place was in doubt due to the recent signing as reserve driver of 2013 GP2 champion Fabio Leimer.

But the Swiss is in fact headed to London this weekend for the Formula E race, after Virgin regular and former F1 driver Jaime Alguersuari had his licence suspended by the FIA following a recent fainting spell.

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ITALIAN MOTORSPORT CHIEF WANTS MONZA FULL TIME ON F1 CALENDAR

The president of Italy’s motor racing federation says he wants Monza to keep its annual place on the Formula 1 calendar, and not alternate with any other venue.

The comments of Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI) chief Angelo Sticci Damiani (pictured above) follow Bernie Ecclestone’s claim that former San Marino grand prix venue Imola could step in so that financially-troubled Monza only has to stage the race every other year.

“For us,” Damiani is quoted by Speed Week, “there is only one place for the Italian GP, and that is Monza.”

As for the alternating plan, he added: “I’m not fond of dancing at two weddings.”

An interested observer of the situation is Ferrari, the most famous name on the F1 grid whose home race in Italy is an important event for the marque.

President Sergio Marchionne is quoted by Autosprint: “Let’s leave Ecclestone to do his thing, and until then we will not intervene.”

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Positive day for Alonso and McLaren

Fernando Alonso declared himself "pretty happy" with McLaren's performance at the two-day Austria test.

After Stoffel Vandoorne completed 77 laps on a trouble-free opening day for the team, Alonso followed it up with 104 laps on Wednesday while he also didn't experience any breakdowns behind the wheel of the MP4-30.

The Spaniard finished the day 1.605s off Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg's time of 1:09.113, but it was another good day for McLaren.

"Today was a positive day. The most important thing was to put some laps on the car after the problems we’ve had in the last couple of races," he said.

"We managed to complete more than 100 laps, and, together with Stoffel’s laps yesterday, I think we finished the test with some good information. Now, we need to go back to the factory and analyse everything, but we definitely have a lot of data to go forward with. I’m pretty happy with how the test has gone."

McLaren-Honda team manager Dave Redding says Alonso focused mainly on aero testing on Wednesday.

"Our aim after yesterday’s test was to continue the positive momentum into today, and we have definitely managed that," he said.

"The morning session began with data and system set-up checks followed by aero correlation tests, which included fitting the new shorter nose. The afternoon session was dedicated to further aero testing of a range of new bodywork components, tyre assessment, and further power unit functionality tests.

"Overall, we were able to make the most of the good weather and dry track conditions to complete solid sections of the test programme to our satisfaction."

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No more 'fake pace' from Ferrari

If team principal Maurizio Arrivabene gets his way, then Ferrari will be running Friday practice sessions on full tanks in future.

Mercedes remain the pacesetters in Formula 1, but Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen often appear to be a lot closer during the first two practice sessions, often topping the timesheets.

However, they usually fall away both in qualifying and on race day with the Merc drivers taking all eight pole positions so far this season and winning seven races.

Arrivabene believes his Scuderia outfit would be better off showing their true pace on Fridays.

"My analysis is that it depends on how much fuel Mercedes have compared to us," he is quoted as saying by Autosport.

"I said to the engineers that it's better to go on Friday with a full full tank so we can see a correct comparison instead of seeing a fake one."

Although Merc completed yet another 1-2 finish in Austria with Nico Rosberg leading Lewis Hamilton home, Arrivabene insists the team are not "that far away".

"As soon as the tyres went into [the right] temperature we were more or less two tenths slower than [Lewis] Hamilton," he said. "The gap from [Nico] Rosberg was bigger but it depends on a lot of factors.

"We were not that far away in the race.

"It's the downforce, it's the traction, they are all issues we are working on to be solved.

"I don't want to use an excuse - it's a challenge on us to work better and make sure we are very very good."

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DC: Tough for Ferrari to keep Kimi

David Coulthard admits it is becoming increasingly difficult for Ferrari to justify keeping Kimi Raikkonen, saying someone like Nico Hulkenberg would probably be a better option.

Raikkonen, currently in his second stint with the Scuderia, is once again playing second fiddle to his team-mate with Sebastian Vettel outshining him in the same manner in which Fernando Alonso got the better of him the previous year.

While Vettel has won one race and appeared on the podium another four times, the Finn has only one top-three finish to his name.

He has certainly not had a good time of late as his team principal Maurizio Arrivabene feels he threw away a certain podium in Canada when he spun on his outlap, while he crashed at the Turn 2 during Sunday's Austrian GP.

Raikkonen's contract with Ferrari is up at the end of this season, but BBC F1 commentator and former F1 driver Coulthard feels it would be difficult for the Italian outfit to offer him a new deal.

"Right now, there are inevitably questions about Raikkonen's future at Ferrari as a result of his on-track performances," he wrote in his latest column for BBC Sport.

"I can't judge the marketing side of things - there may be something about his rebellious personality that they feel really works for them.

"But if there is no marketing aspect to it, at the moment it is difficult to see what Raikkonen offers over someone such as, for example, Nico Hulkenberg, who is delivering great results for Force India, is cheaper and has more time ahead of him in F1."

Raikkonen's Austrian Grand Prix lasted less than a lap as he lost control of his SF15-T and went sliding into the barriers, taking Alonso with him in the process and the McLaren car ended up on top of his Ferrari in the end.

Several people, including Raikkonen and Alonso, have been puzzled by the incident.

"It is very strange to see an accident like that - Raikkonen was in a pretty high gear when he lost it," Coulthard wrote.

"But one thing I know from driving last year's Williams car is that these new turbo hybrid engines produce massive amounts of torque, and keeping that under control is no easy matter.

"When I was a driver, my throttle pedal travel was routinely about 30-40mm. These days, it is more like 60mm, to give you more facility to control all that torque.

I don't know whether Raikkonen had a moment of brain fade and the torque came in too fast, but it does not look good coming two weeks after losing third place in Canada with another spin, again caused by a boost of power from the engine, although with much less severe consequences.

"We have seen a few tank slapper-type incidents, more than in the past, and I suspect that is to do with the behaviour of the Pirelli tyres.

"It could be something to do with the tyre sidewalls, in that if a driver builds up some momentum and torque in the tyre, it looks like the unloading from one side flicks the car to the other. Certainly, I don't remember really seeing it in my time, or watching it happen before.

"Whatever caused the incident, it is not something you would expect from someone with Raikkonen's experience."

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Kaltenborn: Allow trio to catch up

Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn is the latest to call on Formula 1's powers that be to open up engine development, but she believes Mercedes should be excluded.

Mercedes have dominated F1 since the introduction of the V6 turbo hybrid engines at the start of 2014, winning 16 of the 19 races last year and securing P1 in seven of the eight races so far this campaign.

Red Bull, who are powered by Renault, and McLaren-Honda, in particular, have had a torrid start to 2015 and many feel the FIA should change the regulations and allow them to catch up with Merc.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner insists "Formula 1 can't afford for Honda and Renault to be in the situation they are".

Kaltenborn has echoed his comments and feels F1 should follow DTM's example and allow Ferrari, Honda and Renault to develop their engines and close the gap to Mercedes.

"If you open this up it is going to be opened up for everybody. I don’t like to compare this now to DTM, but they did allow one big name [Mercedes] to develop and they themselves didn’t develop that much to bring them up to a certain level," she told Sky Sports.

"I think that is the kind of thinking we need that you have to make it a level playing field, because the advantages which are there will be for years and not be able to be caught up. So you don’t want to see this happening for the next two, three years."

Asked if Mercedes were likely to extend their advantage, she replied: "Exactly, if you open it up it is for everybody. So they will continue to develop as well and they have such a massive advantage that I think even if they were to stop their development others would take two years to get there.

"And that is something we have to be seriously thinking about because for two years fans are not going to accept these kinds of races. You look at other events coming up, TV stations paying far more to broadcast those events and we will just be suffering."

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Fuoco 'wants more' after realising dream

Antonio Fuoco's test debut with Ferrari in Austria on Tuesday proved to be an emotional and dramatic one.

Heavy rain at the Red Bull Ring meant the Ferrari Academy Driver had to wait until the afternoon session to really get going on the opening day of the in-season test.

However, once the track went green the 19-year-old was able to complete 71 laps with a best time of 1:11.331, but his session came to a premature end when he crashed the SF15-T.

"It was a great emotion to fulfil the childhood dream of testing a Ferrari Formula 1 car but now I want more," Fuoco said.

"The mistake had nothing to do with the car being difficult to drive. I was immediately comfortable with the car, from the first few runs.

"I also found the faster I was going, the extra downforce was making the car more comfortable to drive.

"It's a shame we couldn't finish the programme, partially because of my mistake and partially because of the adverse weather conditions we had.

"Of course I'm not happy with my mistake, but I also know these things happen."

The Italian, who is racing in the GP3 Series with Carlin this year, also held up his hand after his error led to him putting the car into the barriers.

"Unfortunately I made a mistake into Turn 1," he said. "I lost the rear of the car and was unable to catch it again, so I hit the tyre wall.

"In another corner it might have been possible to catch the car, but this experience will help me the next time I'll be in the car.

"Until then I think I did a good job. I was pushing harder every time I went out."

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Whitmarsh fears Formula 1 will 'crash and burn'

Former McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh fears Formula 1 could "crash and burn" due to the current situation, before finally recovering.

The Briton was ousted from McLaren by chairman Ron Dennis in January 2014 when the team hit a tough spell which saw it suffer one of its worst season in the sport.

When asked about McLaren's current predicament, which sees the team having scored just four points as it struggles with new engine partner Honda, as well as the overall state of the sport, Whitmarsh said he feared it would collapse if it doesn't diversify.

"I love Formula 1 and I love McLaren. I was there 25 years. I am saddened by it," Whitmarsh told Reuters.

"I am staying away as much as I can, and try not to comment on it, but I'm saddened by what's happening in the sport," the 57-year-old, who now heads up Ben Ainslie's America's Cup team, added.

"I think it [F1] will crash and burn before it gets turned around, in my view. It will [recover] eventually but I'm sad to see it go through the process it's going through."

Whitmarsh says it's not unusual for F1 to go through phases, but to do so successfully it must adapt.

"If you look at the cycle...you had the sport as it was 30 years ago, then the tobacco era which was the big growth spurt and the automotive era when we had at one time seven of the nine largest automotive companies.

"Then that went away with the economic crisis and it's diversified but in order to diversify it also has to recognise, which it's struggling with, that it has to be doing it at a slightly different level."