FORMULA 1 - 2016

[MIKA27]

MALLYA: F1 HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MY STEPPING DOWN

Vijay Mallya has hit back at speculation his involvement in as boss of Force India is coming to an end.

Last week, after a long battle with Diageo, the flamboyant Indian stepped down from his alcoholic company United Spirits.

According to local reports, the $75 million ‘golden handshake’ involved him also severing his involvement in sporting arenas, including Indian IPL cricket.

And there were also rumours he would have to leave Force India as well, as Diageo had been holding Mallya’s 42.5 per cent stake in the Silverstone based team as collateral against a loan.

The speculation has been building for some time, and not only because of jailed team co-owner Subrata Roy and title sponsor Sahara’s troubles.

Eagle-eyed observers also noticed that only the ‘Sahara Force India’ branding on the front of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez’s race overalls in pre-season testing appeared to be temporarily sewn on.

But Mallya insisted to the Indian news agency PTI: “Nothing has changed at Force India. I remain team principal and managing director.

“If you take a loan, you give some shares as security. That does not mean [the] security has changed. Diageo may have security over my shares but ownership has not changed.

“I don’t know why everybody is making a [big] deal about it. Formula 1 has nothing to do with my stepping down from United Spirits. They are not connected at all,” he added.

[MIKA27]

RENAULT STARTING WORK ON 2017 F1 CAR

Renault is likely to start work almost immediately on its 2017 Formula 1 car after the team acknowledged that the 2016 machine is a hastily-compiled version of a car designed by Lotus for a Renault engine.

But team boss Frederic Vasseur said it would be the wrong approach to simply write off this year, “Are we going to introduce a more successful car during the season? First we will see where we are in Melbourne and then get an idea about what are the clear regulations for 2017.”

But engineering chief Alan Permane has told Auto Motor und Sport that the 2016 gearbox, at the very least, will not be re-done.

“We halfway adapted it for the Renault power unit and will try to improve this intermediate solution with a second step,” he said. “But we will not do a new transmission.”

Meanwhile, having already worked with Renault power in 2014, Permane gave the changes made by the French marque since then the thumbs up.

“Compared to then (2014) there is no comparison,” he said. “The drive-ability is excellent, and the mood among the engine people is very different. They have a plan and are no longer afraid that something will go wrong.”

As for Vasseur’s intimation that a B-car cannot be ruled out, however, that appears wide of the mark.

Still a shareholder in the Enstone team for 2016 is Gerard Lopez and his Genii group, and he suggests that Renault will soon get to work on 2017, “Unlike many other teams we can concentrate fully on the new generation of car for 2017.”

[MIKA27]

QUALIFYING SHAKEUP MAY NOT HAPPEN NOW

The proposed new Formula 1 qualifying format may not happen at all in 2016 .

Earlier, the changes touted to mix up the grid were approved by the F1 Commission, but Bernie Ecclestone subsequently told the Independent newspaper that his software-writers would not have time to be ready for Melbourne.

Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene admits he is no particular fan of the shakeup.

“In my opinion, it is still necessary to understand if it will increase the entertainment or it will be a flop,” he told La Stampa newspaper.

In any case, F1 supremo Ecclestone has said ‘musical chairs’ was also a compromise solution as the teams refused to back his real idea for reverse grids.

Now, he has told Forbes’ F1 business journalist Christian Sylt: “We will see if the changes that have been announced get overturned.”

[MIKA27]

Alex Lynn retains Williams development driver role for 2016

GP2 driver Alex Lynn has been retained as Williams Martini Racing’s development driver for the 2016 Formula 1 season.

The British racer joined the team in the development driver role last year, completing simulator work and running at the Barcelona in-season test.

Having won the GP3 title in 2014, Lynn debuted in GP2 last year with DAMS, finishing sixth overall with two wins. He remains at the team and will focus on mounting a championship challenge in 2016.

"I am really delighted to continue in my development driver role with the team this season and remain grateful for their on-going support,” he said.

"I relish the opportunity to build on the hard work I put in last year, to continue helping develop the Formula 1 car and gaining further knowledge of the inner workings of the Williams team from both a technical and human perspective.

"With the team’s blessing and support, my main focus this season will be to fight for the GP2 title. I am determined to prove myself worthy of graduating to become a fully-fledged Formula 1 race driver at some point in the not too distant future."

Deputy team principal Claire Williams added: "After a really encouraging first season with the team, we are pleased to be able to continue working with Alex in 2016.

"Alex played an important role in helping develop the team’s race cars in 2015, while at the same time demonstrating his talent with a strong debut season in GP2. We’re looking forward to seeing him progress this year, both within the team and as he fights for the GP2 title."

[MIKA27]

Ecclestone: US GP will happen

Bernie Ecclestone believes the United States GP will take place this year despite funding being slashed by the government.

The Circuit of the Americas made its Formula 1 debut in 2012 and since then has received a reported $25 million subsidy from the government.

Last year, though, COTA chairman Bobby Epstein announced that they were "screwed" after the Texas state reduced their subsidy by 20 per cent.

Added to that the grand prix weekend was a near washout resulting in fewer spectators and therefore less money coming in.

This raised some questions about the future of the United States GPs.

Ecclestone, however, has reiterated his belief that the race will go ahead as scheduled.

"I think Austin will happen this year," the F1 supremo told Forbes.

"Epstein is confident. He knows the money is coming."

[MIKA27]

Manor will ‘absolutely’ develop the MRT05

Dave Ryan is adamant Manor will continue to develop their MRT05 as the 2016 season progresses but says they won't just "throw things at the car" and hope.

In previous years Manor's attempts at moving up the order have been hindered by a lack of money and therefore a lack of development.

And although money is by no means flowing freely, racing director Ryan insists the team will introduce new parts for their Mercedes-powered car.

"Absolutely," he told Crash.net. "Just because we're a small team, it doesn't mean we've just built a new car and then stopped. We haven't – it's just the opposite.

"This is a new era for us: we've got a new car, we have a development programme, we have some great people back at the factory. Every single person back at the factory is so full of enthusiasm and optimism, the work they're putting in is phenomenal.

"The thing we need to do is not spend that money badly. If we do development, we have to be sure they're developments that will benefit us, so we can't just throw things at the car and hope they benefit us.

"We have a programme of changes throughout the year but, as long as we validate them properly, they will get on the car. If they don't get through that phase, we won't put them on the car. So in terms of 'are we going to develop the car?. Absolutely!"

Manor made a solid start to pre-season testing as the team covered 257 laps in the new car with Pascal Wehrlein 16th fastest of the 23 drivers on the overall timesheets.

[MIKA27]

Symonds: Ferrari is a target

With back-to-back P3s the last two seasons, Pat Symonds says there is no reason Williams can't do it again or even go one better by finishing runner-up.

While Mercedes have dominated the championship over the past two years, Williams have been involved in the battle to complete the podium. First up against Red Bull and then last season Ferrari, Williams finished third in both campaigns.

However rather than targeting another P3 this season, chief technical officer Symonds says another year fighting for the podium will once again yield a strong result in the championship.

"Why not say P2?" he said in an interview with the official F1 website.

"I would say our realistic goal is always to fight for the podium and if you fight for the podium it means you are fighting in the top three – and that is realistic. But I also have to say it is still quite ambitious.

"I think we would be proud if we maintained third. The fact is to finish third in the championship is a good thing in any given year."

Pressed as to whether 'Williams be able to attack Ferrari', he responded: "Ferrari is a target. Ferrari is iconic and therefore every team dreams of beating them. They did a great job last year and they can be a tough challenge this year!"

Symonds also weighed in on the team's first test in the FW38 which saw Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa covered 377 laps while setting the 13th and 14th fasest lap times.

"When you start testing and things are going wrong you definitely know; if they are going well you can never be quite sure and I think we are in that kind of situation," he said.

"We certainly don’t have any problems, but particularly now that testing is compressed to eight days there is a lot of routine work to do and you are never quite sure how people go about that. I was very much surprised on day one that people already started to run the ultra-soft tyres, as this is something that you normally wouldn't see.

"So all I can say at this stage is that everything is going well for Williams and I think we will be out there and fighting."

[MIKA27]

Kvyat will be ready to fight for F1 title in 2017, says Tost

Scuderia Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost has said that his former driver Daniil Kvyat will be ready to fight for grand prix victories and the Formula 1 title by 2017.

Kvyat spent his first year in Formula 1 with Tost's STR outfit back in 2014, finishing 15th overall and securing a promotion to the main Red Bull team.

"If I would be team principal of an absolutely top team, I would take him for 2017 immediately," stated Tost.

"Because in 2017 he will be ready to win races and he will also be ready to fight for the championship, I am convinced of that.

"He has all the ingredients you need to win a race or a championship," Tost continued. "Like he did in GP3, because he won the races and he won the championship at the end of the season, which is much more difficult than if everything is clear from the middle of the season onwards.

"He got everything together and he was, from the mental side, strong enough to do it.

"And therefore, I am convinced he can do the same in Formula 1."

Second year toughest

After his successful rookie season with Toro Rosso, Kvyat went through a relatively tough first few races with Red Bull, which Tost says was to be expected.

"I've always said to the drivers that they need a minimum of three years to understand Formula 1, because Formula 1 is very, very complicated.

"The first year, they just learn what's going on - and Kvyat had a very good first year with Toro Rosso.

"The second year most often is the more difficult year, also because of the expectations. I always tell to the drivers 'you need three years' but, of course, they don't believe me. They think they know everything, but that's not true.

"Daniil had to face this, like every other driver. You want to be fast but you don't understand the tyres 100 percent or the setup for the car. Only in the third year you learn what's really going on in Formula 1.

Crash period

Tost also theorised that Kvyat went through what he calls a "crash period" last year.

"[it happens] within three years and is something a driver has to have," Tost explained. "Because otherwise he doesn't know where the limit is.

"Daniil had a part of this crash period last year, which is very normal for such a young driver - because don't forget, he is coming from GP3 to Formula 1 and he is 21 years old.

"Dany's problem was that he came from Toro Rosso to an absolutely top team. Normally he should have stayed a minimum of two or three years with us at Toro Rosso because the crashes wouldn't be the focus.

"But in a top team, it's 'why is he crashing, why is he not performing?' For me it was normal.

"He got it under control, in a very short period of time, and therefore I am even more convinced he is a highly-skilled driver."

[MIKA27]

The state of play in F1's engine politics

Lost among the fuss about Formula 1's new qualifying format was the FIA's assertion that progress has been made on the power unit discussions triggered last year by the threat of the alternative engine.

You may recall that, in order to head off the introduction of a cheap “spec” engine, the four current manufacturers agreed to address the key issues affecting power units - supply cost, obligation to supply, performance convergence and what it terms “further improvement of noise.”

Discussions have been ongoing for months, and are still not finished.

Indeed the FIA reported last week that “a working group consisting representatives of the FIA, Commercial Rights Holder, Power Unit suppliers and customer teams will undertake further work with the aim of reaching agreement on a plan to meet the above requirements by 30 April, 2016.”

It's not too much of a simplification to say that this process is happening because Jean Todt was keen to see supply prices come down in order to help the smaller teams.

Meanwhile, Bernie Ecclestone was motivated by the desire to prevent manufacturers from refusing to supply strong rivals, having been frustrated by his inability to force either Mercedes or Ferrari to do a deal with Red Bull for 2016.

Power play

For once, Ecclestone and Todt are on the same page on this issue, even if they are coming at it from different angles.

The bigger picture is Ecclestone's desire to reduce the political power that the manufacturers, and in particular Mercedes and Ferrari, have managed to amass thanks to the success of their power units.

What already know that, as part of the deal, the token system being abolished for 2017. The manufacturers will thus be free to develop as they wish, and spend as much as they want.

Given that prices will be fixed, in theory they won't be able to pass those costs onto the customer teams. However, the details are still under discussion, a reflection of how complicated it can be when sporting regulations cross into commercial territory.

The notion of being forced to supply a particular team, and at a low price, doesn't sit well with the manufacturers.

“It's a complex system, anything that's related to the circumstances or the way that the whole customer/supplier relationship is working,” Renault Sport's Cyril Abiteboul told Motorsport.com.

“We understand what the FIA and the commercial rights holder want to protect, they want to make sure that there's stability on the grid, and that means all teams have an engine, whatever their identity. And make sure also it's sustainable commercially.

“At the same time there are a number of laws, particularly competition laws, that we need to to adhere to. So we have to be extremely careful, and the margin is extremely thin.

"We are going to do something sensible. There are a couple of weeks in order to get to something to make sense.”

Market forces

Abiteboul remains wary of complex restrictions being imposed, insisting that, if the four power units were closer together in terms of performance, then market forces will take care of themselves.

In other words, teams would have a wider choice, and Mercedes and Ferrari wouldn't be in a position to charge a premium for access to the best power units, or hold the sport to ransom, as Ecclestone sees it.

And, as Abiteboul says, there are always deals to be done in conjunction with engine supply, such as Infiniti's past sponsorship of Red Bull.

“Frankly, if we manage – and when I say we it's Renault and Honda mainly – to get our act together and do a better job on the track, and make sure that the disparity is at an acceptable level, that's the end of all the problems.

"And there won't be any need for any complex agreement and for paying the lawyers. People will want to use any engine, and that's when the law of the market is starting to come to the fore, and there will be a discussion about sponsorship, marketing and so forth.

"Frankly it's much better to have a free market. But for it to be a free market the products need to be a close as possible, which is not the case right now.

"Almost you have to impose the law of the market in a market that is skewed, which is super-difficult to do.”

Mercedes position

Sources have suggested that Mercedes has been particularly keen to dictate the direction of the regulations.

However, it was pointed out at this week's meeting that the marque already has three customers signed up for the long term, and thus in theory Stuttgart won't be as affected as others by the rules it wants to shape.

One rival team boss reportedly suggested to Toto Wolff that it might be appropriate for Mercedes to cancel its current contracts, and start afresh, which presumably didn't go down well.

“I think you are being a bit harsh,” says Abiteboul. “Mercedes is only trying to do a good job and protect their advantage.

"It's not going to affect massively the position Mercedes has built because of its own success, but what it could do is lower the price for the independent teams, and make sure Red Bull doesn't put itself or end up in the situation it was in last year.

"But we have to remember the reason why they put themselves in that situation...”

[MIKA27]

Mercedes tempted to make fifth engine a 'performance special'

Mercedes engine boss Andy Cowell says his team might consider saving one of its engines this year to use as a "performance special" now that five power units are permitted over the course of the season.

The addition of a 21st race on the calendar has upped the allocation of engines per driver from four to five this year, although if a race were to drop off the calendar before the season opener it would return to four.

As a result, Mercedes has been planning on using four power units over the course of the season, meaning it could have one extra engine left over if there are still 21 races on the calendar by the start of the Australian Grand Prix. Asked if the team might save that engine in order to run it at the very top of its potential for one race towards the end of the season, Cowell said it was "tempting".

"Our plans were all based on there being 20 races and therefore four power units - that's what all our targets are based on," he explained. "Depending on how the next two or three weeks go determines how aggressive we are with the running from Melbourne onwards and that will determine whether we plan just to use four and therefore have that bonus power unit, which might help us out if we have a quality issue or might help us out if we want to play a performance special.

"But we'll work all that out in the days before Melbourne. There are long runs going on in the factory and four examples being run here [in testing] to see whether the hardware with the fuel and the lubricant are durable and reliable."

The limit on the number of engines per season is designed to keep costs down and drivers are hit with grid penalties if they exceed more than their allotted number of power unit components for the year. Last season Mercedes and its customers managed to stay within the limit of four, while Honda used as many as 12 power unit components on the two McLarens.

[MIKA27]

Cautious Nasr won’t make 2016 F1 predictions

Felipe Nasr says it is 'hardly possible' to predict where Sauber will feature in the 2016 Formula 1 pecking order, but is pleased with the level of improvements made to his car over the winter.

The Brazilian enters his second season of F1 racing with the Swiss team looking to build on a positive maiden campaign, headlined by a surprise fifth place finish on his race debut in Australia, en route to 13th overall.

However, having aired his frustration at the lack of development over the course of the 2015 season, Nasr is hopeful the 'innovations' introduced by new technical director Mark Smith will spur him on to a more consistent mid-field challenge.

“It's difficult for me to predict how the positions behind the top teams are going to pan out this season – and where we'll be able to line up in that part of the field. We're going to put innovations on the grid, but so are our competitors, and their efficiency remains to be seen.

“It's hardly possible to make any predictions under these circumstances. The whole team has been working very hard to explore areas in the car that we can improve. That's why I'm confident that we've made progress. The season will show what positions we'll be able to achieve with it.”

[MIKA27]

BARCELONA TEST: MERCEDES GIVE A GLIMPSE OF THEIR HAND

For the first time this season Mercedes unleashed one of their drivers with the Pirelli soft tyres when Nico Rosberg had a set bolted on to his car during the morning session on the first day of the second Formula 1 preseason test, at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

The German promptly popped the W07 onto the top of the timing screens where it remained for the rest of the day with his best lap time of 1:23.022 setting the benchmark.

Williams driver Valtteri Bottas was second fastest, two tenths down on the pace setting Silver Arrows, but he used the Ultrasoft tyres to set his best time.

Ominously – for Mercedes’ rivals – Rosberg was 1.7 seconds up on the next best driver who used soft compound tyres on the day which was Fernando Alonso in the McLaren who set the third best time.

Fourth fastest was Kimi Raikkonen in the Ferrari, who was best of the bunch who used Pirelli medium tyres to set their fastest laps. He was a couple of tenths up on Lewis Hamilton who took over the Mercedes cockpit, from Rosberg, for the afternoon stint whereupon he concentrated on race simulations.

The reigning world champion set his best lap time on mediums and along with his teammate they were able to mass 172 laps, substantially more than the next best on the mileage count, namely Max Verstappen who managed 144 laps solo on the day.

Splitting the Ferrari and the [Hamilton] Mercedes on the timing sheets in fifth was Daniil Kvyat in the Red Bull, the Russian’s best time on soft tyres was two seconds down on the top time set using similar rubber.

Sauber had their new car running for the first time, after using a 2015 car to the first test, and Brazilian Felipe Nasr did 103 laps and ended ninth quickest.

Kevin Magnussen was tenth in the Renault, after causing a red flag at the end of the day when he came to a halt out on track with 119 laps to his credit.

Haas, with Esteban Gutierrez on duty, had a shortened day thanks to fuel system problem which curtailed their running to a mere 23 laps.

Rookie Rio Haryanto had a troublesome day with Manor, an oil leak causing him to miss out most of the morning stanza as the team repaired the problem. He went on to rack up 45 laps, but was slowest of all.

[MIKA27]

MARCHIONNE: MERCEDES IS SO CALM AND THAT MAKES ME WORRY

\

Ferrari big boss Sergio Marchionne said that the serene Formula 1 winter pre-season testing enjoyed so far by Mercedes makes him a worried man.

Earlier, the president of the Maranello squad had targeted a winning start for the red team at the forthcoming Melbourne season opener. But that was before Mercedes began dazzling its rivals with lap after lap in Barcelona testing.

“Around the world in four days,” Marchionne declared with a grin to Italian journalists at the Geneva Motor Show.

He said Ferrari is also having a good winter, as the “power unit and the car are matched well and the drivers are happy, even if there is still work to do.

“I hope we can put it on the front row at the first grand prix,” said Marchionne. “I’m hesitating, because I see that Mercedes is so calm, and that makes me worry.”

Marchionne also spoke about F1’s proposed new ‘musical chairs’ qualifying format, apparently warning that Ferrari might wield its famous veto once again.

“I think there is still a great need for discussion,” he said. “We must take good care not to turn the system on its head without first understanding.

“I’m not sure whether the proposals from Bernie Ecclestone are acceptable to Ferrari, and nor do I believe this new elimination process enjoys the support of all the other teams.”

Finally, he spoke yet again about speculation Alfa Romeo might launch an F1 foray.

“It would be a great thing,” said Marchionne, also the Fiat Chrysler president, “but first we have to establish the brand commercially. Ferrari might be willing to help with engines as we did for Toro Rosso.”

[MIKA27]

ALONSO: I TRIED TO SWAP FERRARI FOR MERCEDES WITH HAMILTON

Fernando Alonso says he almost switched to Mercedes at the start of last year in a move that would have involved Lewis Hamilton replacing him at Ferrari.

As it became clear during the 2014 season that all was not well with Alonso and Ferrari’s relationship, rumours emerged that the Maranello team and Mercedes might do a sensational driver swap.

“It was tried. Yes, yes, there was this offer,” Alonso told Cadena Ser radio. “There were the circumstances for this idea but in that moment Ferrari didn’t want it.”

“We were in full negotiations to renew with me until 2019, so in the end Ferrari did not convince me and I went to McLaren-Honda,” he said. “I don’t know if Hamilton knew about it.”

As for why he didn’t stick around at Ferrari to reap the fruits of the fabled team’s current resurgence, the 34-year-old explained: “I did not want to stay at Ferrari to be third until 2019.

“They were changing times at Ferrari and I still say that it was the right moment to close a wonderful story for me,” Alonso said.

Prior to joining Mercedes, Hamilton was a one time F1 world champion and in the past two years he has become a triple world title holder, while Alonso won back to back titles in 2005 and 2006 but no more since then.

Hamilton has 43 grand prix victories on his CV, with Alonso trailing with 32 Formula 1 wins.

[MIKA27]

ALONSO: I AM NOT THE MOST TALENTED BUT I WORKED THE HARDEST

Fernando Alonso insists that, although ultimate success in Formula 1 has eluded him for a decade, he has found happiness with the McLaren-Honda project while admitting that his work ethic, rather than sheer talent, is the reason for his success.

Some, however, see the Spaniard’s situation vastly differently, after he left Ferrari amid apparent acrimony only to find a vastly less competitive alternative. But Alonso, 34, scoffs at the retirement rumours.

“Never,” he insisted to Cadena Ser radio when asked if he had even considered it. “I never thought about retirement or a sabbatical.”

“I do not think I am the most talented on the grid, but I think I am one who has worked the hardest to get the results in these 16 years. A withdrawal or a year out is unthinkable for my character,” Alonso said.

He said an elusive search for a winning car is particularly common in the world of formula one, “In sport only one can win, and in F1 winning is very predictable — very early on you know you can or cannot win, which is cruel.”

It might be said that after early success, Alonso’s luck took a steady decline for the worst, first as he narrowly missed the title at Ferrari and now amid the deep McLaren slump.

Alonso disagrees, “I don’t think luck changes, it’s just the nature of sport, with only one winner.”

“At Ferrari we were close and now at McLaren we are starting a project that is still some way off. We are trying to improve, you always want it more or faster but my motivation is intact.

“Success is very temporary, it [the goal] is to find happiness in what you do because that way you perform better and better. I have found that in recent years,” said Alonso.

That is not to say that 2015 was not frustrating for Alonso, as his desperate radio calls about Honda’s “GP2 engine” and “embarrassing” situation showed.

“It was very hard,” he said. “Frustrating, because you had no chance. We left the pits knowing that after 10 laps we would lose cylinders, or that the batteries would not last.

“I was not angry. The project was at an early stage and we all needed to pull in the same direction to mature it. And that’s what we’re doing.”

Asked if he will have a car capable of being on the podium in 2016, Alonso answered: “We’ll see. We are coming from a very low base so our need for improvement is great. To be up there, our improvement has to be huge.”

He denies reports that Honda’s horse power deficit to Mercedes is still huge, “200hp is impossible. We will have less power for sure, between 30 and 80, but not 200.

“The feelings from the car are already good although I noticed there are improvements to do. But Mercedes is in another championship.

“I don’t think we are far from a podium, although I would be surprised if we achieve this straight away, as in the first races we will not have everything in place.”

That much was clear on the final day of the first Barcelona test last week, when Alonso’s tally of 3 laps for the entire day reminded the F1 world of the team’s woeful 2015.

“The last day of the week was very bad,” he admits. “To change an engine takes three to four hours, and to repair what happened with us took eleven hours. I think F1 now is very complex to understand.”

Asked if he likes F1 less today than when he won his titles, Alonso nodded: “Yes because the cars are slower. The aerodynamics now are very strict and the car weighs 120 kilograms more. But it has always been more of a championship for engineers than for drivers.”

And yet, he insists he has never felt more supported by the fans, “The audience and the popularity of F1 has fallen in all countries, because the races are a bit boring and there is less interest. But for me I feel more love from the people.”

[MIKA27]

ARRIVABENE: NEXT FOUR DAYS WILL TELL HOW STRONG MERCEDES ARE

Ferrari’s ambitions for the 2016 Formula 1 world championship rest on the progress Mercedes has been able to make over the winter.

That is the claim of Maurizio Arrivabene, the Ferrari team boss, amid media reports even the innovative new white and red SF16-H car might not be enough to prevent Mercedes from winning a third consecutive championship this year.

“The question is not: How good are we?” Arrivabene told the Italian newspaper La Stampa. “It is rather: How strong is Mercedes? As they are still the best on the field.”

“If we can stay for a moment in the language of football,” the Italian continued, “they have the ball and we have to catch them on the wrong foot.”

Arrivabene said Ferrari’s engineers and drivers have no doubt the new car is good, “but we still lack the comparison with Mercedes under identical conditions.

“I guess in the next four days of testing, we will get a clearer picture of where we stand and where we still need to work,” he added.

But Arrivabene said that, despite Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne having set the target of winning in Melbourne, the 21-race world championship will be played by the main protagonists as a long game.

“As in all businesses, it is your leader who sets the goals,” he said. “The president has given us everything we asked for so it is right that he expects the best.

“What matters is the result at the end of November, but it is obvious that a good start would give us a boost,” added Arrivabene.

[MIKA27]

MARKO: I AM ESPECIALLY SATISFIED BY THE WORK RENAULT HAS DONE

Rare sounds of praise for Renault are emerging from the Red Bull camp ahead of the 2016 Formula 1 season.

Last year, the strained relationship between the two parties broke down completely, meaning Red Bull lost its title sponsor Infiniti and had to re-brand its customer supply of turbo V6 power as ‘Tag Heuer’ for the new season.

But Helmut Marko, formerly the chief critic of Renault’s slow progress in the power unit era, is now sounding much more positive.

“The car is fantastic as expected,” he told Auto Bild, “but I am especially satisfied by the work Renault has done over the winter. In terms of reliability and responsiveness of the Tag-Heuer Renault, they have done a step.”

Some analysts, however, question whether Renault has actually upped its game in pure horse power, but Marko said the marque’s improvements are in fact “finally reflected in laptime”. Marko’s comments are sure to raise eyebrows.

“If Helmut is praising Renault, then the step on the engine side must be huge,” said former F1 driver and long-time Red Bull supporter Gerhard Berger.

And not only that, Marko said Renault is planning to take another big step forward after the first handful of races in 2016.

“There is a major performance update planned” for Canada, he told Auto Bild. “Then, podiums on our own steam will even be possible.”

[MIKA27]

NASR: DRIVING IN THE TOP 10 WILL BE A BIG CHALLENGE

In the wake of unveiling their 2016 Formula challenger, the last team to do so, Sauber is targeting the midfield in 2016.

Last year, the Swiss team finished a lowly eighth in the constructors’ championship, and late on Monday it became the last team to unveil its new car for 2016.

It is notably similar to its predecessor, but driver Felipe Nasr, whose sponsor Banco do Brasil is Sauber’s main backer, said the C35 is in fact a “new concept”.

“I hope that the car is born well,” the Brazilian, ahead of the Ferrari-powered machine’s Barcelona debut, was quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.

Designer Mark Smith says the C35 is based on a “slightly different aerodynamic philosophy”, with boss and co-owner Monisha Kaltenborn declaring that the plan for 2016 is “to clearly improve”.

“Obviously, there’s a certain position we’d like to achieve. But, to start with, it’s important to become established in mid-field. Only then are we going to focus on individual positions,” she added.

Nasr agrees that Sauber’s expectations for 2016 should be kept in check, “To be regularly in the points would be a good target for us.”

“Each team will be taking a step forward and I expect that the midfield will be very close. Driving in the top 10 will already be a big challenge,” added Nasr.

There are three Ferrari-powered customers in 2016, but only Sauber and Haas will share the 2016-specification power unit with the works team.

The closely Ferrari-aligned Haas, therefore, has been singled out as a particular rival.

“With their resources, they can develop well and catch up quickly, even if it is difficult for any new team to come into formula one and master all the operational issues,” said Nasr.

[MIKA27]

NEW TORO ROSSO LIVERY REVEALED AHEAD OF BARCELONA TEST

Toro Rosso have revealed the 2016 livery on the STR10 to media, in the pitlane of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, ahead of the second four day Formula 1 preseason test at the Spanish Grand Prix venue.

Team principal Franz Tost said, “We are proud of this car and what it represents in terms of the work that went into designing and building it in record time in our new facility in Faenza. And I am particularly pleased that 2016 sees a return to Ferrari power, with everyone looking forward to working once again with our friends from Maranello.”

“None of this would be possible without the invaluable support of our partners and sponsors; Red Bull, Sapinda, Estrella Galicia. We are very happy to welcome back our friends from Falcon Private Bank and to start a new cooperation with Casio Edifice.”

“In Formula 1, the stars are the drivers and I am keen to see what our two very talented youngsters, Max and Carlos can achieve this year, as they are now in their second season,” concluded Tost.

[MIKA27]

HILL: MERCEDES WILL NOT SHOW THEIR HAND IN TESTING

Former world champion Damon Hill fears Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton could have a nasty surprise in store for their Formula One rivals when the season starts in Melbourne on March 20.

The Briton said that he expected Mercedes, champions for the past two seasons, to keep their car’s true pace under wraps right up until they arrived in Australia.

Mercedes did far more mileage than any other team in last week’s first test in Barcelona, and the second and final test starting on Tuesday is expected to focus more on outright performance and race simulations.

“I think they’ll probably keep their powder dry and not show their hand (in testing),” said Hill at a media event organised by Sky F1 television.

“They don’t need to,” added Hill who this year marks the 20th anniversary of his 1996 title season. “I think they will just see where everyone else is at.

“Winter testing is the phoney war. When you’ve got an advantage, why show everyone what an advantage you’ve got?”.

Mercedes have won 32 of the last 38 grands prix, and both titles for the past two years, with Hamilton now chasing his fourth crown, which would be an unprecedented achievement for a British driver.

Ferrari, the only team to beat Mercedes last year and determined to mount a real title challenge this season, have raised hopes of a closer battle after posting the fastest times on three of four test days last week.

Hill said any “cautious optimism” from Mercedes should be taken with a pinch of salt and suggested their real thoughts were of more dominance ahead.

“I think Mercedes must be really happy with the way things have gone, to have such reliability. It must be hard for Ferrari and the others challenging them to see that,” he said.

“I can’t believe it’s going to be an even more dominant season from Mercedes but if it is, we’ve still got two drivers within the team who are close enough to create a bit of tension.”

Hamilton’s German team mate Nico Rosberg won the last three races of 2015 from pole position, after the title had already been won, and is also out of contract at the end of the year, giving an extra impetus to perform.

In 2014, the two Mercedes drivers took their title battle down to the last race of the season.

[MIKA27]

UNITED STATES GP HOPES GET TAX BOOST

Hopes are increasing that the embattled United States Grand Prix will in fact take place in October as per the 2016 schedule.

Currently, the popular Austin race is marked as “subject to confirmation” on the 2016 calendar, after the Texan government reduced its annual contribution to the race fee from $25 million to less than $20 million.

But F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone told Forbes at the weekend: “I think Austin will happen this year.

“(Race chief Bobby) Epstein is confident. He knows the money is coming,” Ecclestone told the F1 business journalist Christian Sylt.

The reason for Ecclestone and Epstein’s buoyed mood may have been explained on Tuesday, in a report by the local Austin newspaper American Statesman.

It explains that the Circuit of the Americas has reached an agreement with local authorities to lower the paper value of the venue by a staggering $180 million.

The report estimated the tax saving at about $13 million.

Officials declared in a statement: “Circuit of The Americas is glad to have this matter resolved and looks forward to a bright future as a contributing member of the community.”

MIKA: I know I just got a boost

[MIKA27]

Haas ends test day early with 'fuel system issue'

Haas was forced to end the first day of the second pre-season test early following a 'fuel system issue', according to the team.

Esteban Gutierrez completed just 23 laps prior to lunch, having spent the majority of the time in the garage. He admitted the problem was "not straightforward" and the team were struggling to fix it, but hoped to get him out in the afternoon.

However they failed to do so and instead chose to call it a day early, giving their mechanics extra time to understand the problem and to put a permanent fix in place overnight for Wednesday when Gutierrez will drive again.

The team enjoyed a successful opening test last week, completing 274 relatively issue-free laps.

[MIKA27]

Williams "there or thereabouts with Ferrari and Red Bull", says Bottas

Williams driver Valtteri Bottas has said he believes his team can challenge Ferrari and Red Bull, but noted that Mercedes appears "in a league of its own".

Bottas, who will kick off his fourth season as a Williams race driver in Melbourne, was runner-up to Nico Rosberg in Tuesday's test.

"Mercedes is looking very strong, also Ferrari and Red Bull, but I think, you know, we are there or thereabouts with Ferrari and Red Bull," he estimated at the end of the day.

"Difficult to say in detail, but today it was nice to push a bit more and see that the lap time was coming down nicely.

"So it was good, and we know we still have plenty more to come. But whether we’ll be up there in Melbourne, I don’t know yet."

While Bottas' best time of the day, done with ultrasoft tyres, did put the FW38 a clear second, he still came up short of Rosberg's benchmark despite the German setting his time on softs.

Asked about Mercedes, Bottas said: "They are in their own league at this point - that is the fact. I think it will be tricky for anyone to really challenge them in the beginning.

"We are doing our best to chase them, it’s a long season, and we still have upgrades to come for Melbourne and hopefully they’ll work well. Don’t lose faith yet."

[MIKA27]

Magnussen: Renault will start year “just outside” the points

Kevin Magnussen feels his Renault Formula 1 team is currently on course to be “just outside” the points at the first race of the season in Melbourne this month.

The Dane completed another solid day of testing for the French works team at Barcelona on Tuesday, logging 119 laps before running out of fuel and stopping out on circuit in the dying stages.

With only one day left in the car before heading to Melbourne, Magnussen says a clearer idea of where Renault stands in the competitive pecking order is beginning to emerge.

“I think we’re just around the points, maybe just outside, on a good day,” he told media at the end of the day. “If we can get points in Melbourne, that’s a good weekend.

“We’re running different tyres [to our rivals]. If you look at the field today, many people were on mediums, some were on softs, so it’s difficult to say.

“But it looks quite close around the midfield, hopefully it will be close so we can make a difference.”

Ready for Melbourne

Asked what the RS16 was still missing, Magnussen added: “The same as any F1 car – downforce and power. The more of that you have, the faster you go, so that’s always what you look for.

“We can fine-tune what we have, and there’s room for improvement, but we’ve come on a long way the three days I’ve been in the car.

“I feel ready for Melbourne – you can never feel 100 percent ready, but I’d be happy to go there now.”

Magnussen said there would be no major upgrades on the RS16 for Melbourne, but mentioned that there is a new front wing in the pipeline.

“We have a new front wing to try out, hopefully at the end of the week with Jolyon [Palmer],” he said. “So we’ll see how that works. But [besides that] nothing too big for the first race.”

[MIKA27]

F1 teams unleash updates as final test begins

F1 technical experts Giorgio Piola and Matt Somerfield guide you through Day 1 of the second week of Barcelona testing, as the clock ticks down towards Melbourne.

Formula 1 returned to action at Barcelona on Tuesday as teams began work in the second and final pre-season test.

Despite only a few days since the first test finished, the updates and developments kept on coming as teams sought out performance gains and worked on solutions to problems that came up last week.

Toro Rosso updates

The STR11 emerged from the pit lane not only in new colours, but with an array of new parts.

The floor ahead of the rear tyre now has 15 smaller slots and the rear dog-legged slot, rather than the two dog-legged slots used in 2015 (see inset below).

These slots are used by the teams to manage tyre squirt, the lateral blowing of airflow into the diffuser by the rotation and deformation of the rear tyre.

Changing the airflow characteristics ahead of the tyre will change the shape of the wake it generates.

Having switched to a Ferrari power unit supply from Renault for 2016, the team had a huge amount of work to be ready in time for Melbourne, let alone the tests in Barcelona.

The team will use the 2015-specification Ferrari power unit so it's imperative it hits the ground running and maximises its points haul early on, as the teams running the 2016 power units will continue to receive updates, while it won't.

The Y150 Winglet (Monkey Seat, above) has been revised for this test, with a similar treatment employed on the endplates leading edge to what the team has done with the louvres on the main rear wing assembly.

McLaren sidepods

McLaren revised its sidepod geometry today, increasing the size of the rear cooling outlets.

It is understood this is in line with changes made by Honda to the power unit, which require a little additional cooling for performance reasons.

Even though the tweaks appear to be a move away from the 'size-zero' philosophy – with the additional bodywork requirements meaning the outlet extrudes upward rather than into the coke-bottle region – maybe the team has found a way of doing this without compromising performance.

This follows the extensive tests conducted by the team last week (above), using kiel probe arrays to measure airflow over the sidepod.

Mercedes’ new rear wing

Mercedes continue to pile on the pressure, having concentrated on updates at the front of the W07 during the first week of tests, they've mounted a totally revised rear wing assembly on day one of the second test.

The new wing features two much taller leading-edge tyre wake slots, rather than the short singular slot. You'll also note that they have carefully shaped the endplate just under the flapped section to define the flow structures.

The cutout behind the flapped region has also been revised as the team explore ways of changing how the tip vortex forms, as this can be damaging to performance.

Meanwhile, the serrations used by Mercedes, rather than vertical strakes used by other teams, to entice upwash, have been increased in frequency from two to three.

The flaps have also undergone some changes from the first test specification, with the upper flap now featuring a straight outer edge, whilst the centreline V groove has been shrunk too (marked in yellow). Meanwhile, the centreline dip has been inverted (marked in purple).

It is our understanding that the specification used in week one is more of a lower-downforce configuration, and this new specification is the first look at what we can expect to see at some of the higher-downforce tracks.

Mercedes complimented this higher downforce rear wing configuration with a 2 slot / three tier Y150 Winglet (Monkey Seat, below) during the afternoon session, which should provide more stability for the drivers.

Mercedes tape

Mercedes showed on Tuesday it is leaving no stone unturned in its quest to understand the aerodynamic performance of its car.

During last week's first test, the team's behaviour in sometimes hiding its car behind screens on its return to the pits had intrigued many observers.

However, the real reason emerged on the start of the second test – as these exclusive photographs below of what the team was up to show.

As you can see, mechanics were seen removing a section of serrated tape from the rear of the flap at the top of the rear wing – so the team can conduct back-to-back tests.

The effect of the tape on aerodynamic performance will be minimal, but by re-energising the flow with this tape, it may be enough.

And having first experimented with this solution at last year's Abu Dhabi test, it shows the lengths Mercedes is going to in extracting performance from its W07.

Ferrari aero tweaks

This morning Ferrari, not for the first time in recent history, added a small canard to the front wing endplate (highlighted in light blue in the inset, below).

This is a control device, changing the pressure gradient and helping to shape the streamwise vortex that controls the front tyres’ wake.

This picture (below) of the diffuser affords us a good view of the additional fin (highlighted in green in the inset) added by Ferrari at the last test.

You can see that there is already a stack of winglets mounted ahead of the diffuser, as used by the team last year, with those and then new winglet maximising the performance of the outer section.