FORMULA 1 - 2016

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Fun run with Nico Rosberg + Mercedes F1 team

Nico Rosberg challenged the whole Mercedes AMG PETRONAS Formula One team to a 6km run in support of the The Muscle Help Foundation!

Watch to find out who finished first...

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Daniil Kvyat and Max Verstappen to face media together in Spanish GP press conference

Thursday's FIA press conference ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix promises to be an interesting one with Daniil Kvyat and Max Verstappen set to face the media together for the first time since swapping race seats.

It will be the first official press engagements for Kvyat and Verstappen since Red Bull decided to demote the Russian to Toro Rosso and promote the Dutchman to the senior Red Bull team. Carlos Sainz, who remains at Toro Rosso after seeing his team-mate promoted, will also face questions alongside Kvyat and Verstappen.

News that the pair would swap seats broke last week following a disastrous weekend for Kvyat at his home grand prix in Russia. Red Bull advisor Helmet Marko had been keen to promote Verstappen and took the opportunity to make the switch to ensure the 18-year-old committed his future to Red Bull. Kvyat looks set to be jettisoned from both teams at the end of the season if he does not prove himself to the Red Bull hierarchy in the remaining 17 races.

Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Kevin Magnussen will also be present alongside the three Red Bull-contracted drivers. The press conference will commence at 15:00 local time.

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Sauber to receive Ferrari engine upgrade in Spain

Sauber has confirmed it will receive an upgraded power unit from Ferrari for the Spanish Grand Prix as it looks to ignite its 2016 campaign after difficult opening rounds.

The Swiss team has failed to score a single point after four rounds of the 2016 F1 world championship which is mostly down to falling behind on the development of its C35 challenger.

Sauber were forced to run last year's car at the first four-day winter test at Barcelona before debuting the C35 at the second test and has been playing catch-up over the opening four races.

Sauber has also been forced to delay payment of wages to some of its staff due to financial issues, while the team will skip the first in-season F1 test at the Circuit de Catalunya as it does not have a young or test driver on its books.

However, the team is hoping for an upturn in its fortunes with the arrival of updated Ferrari engines for Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr which will debut at the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend.

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KVYAT: I WAS WATCHING GAME OF THRONES WHEN DR MARKO CALLED

Daniil Kvyat revealed on Thursday that Red Bull rang to tell him he had lost his seat at the Formula One team just as he was settling down to watch an episode of ‘Game of Thrones’.

The irony of the violent fantasy world, full of deceit and dynastic struggle, being a backdrop to his ousting in favour of younger rival Max Verstappen was not lost on reporters even if the Russian driver offered few smiles.

Sitting next to the 18-year-old Dutchman at a Spanish Grand Prix news conference where the stiff body language spoke for itself, Kvyat said the decision to send him back to junior team Toro Rosso and promote Verstappen had been a shock.

“We had 20 minutes of talking and I wanted to have an explanation,” he said of his telephone conversation with Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko.

Kvyat had been in Moscow, enjoying some free time after a nightmare home grand prix in Sochi.

“I got to know many interesting details but I’ll keep it to myself for now. We finished the call and I went back to finish my TV series,” he said.

Red Bull announced last week that Verstappen, the rising star of the sport, was moving up from Toro Rosso to replace 22-year-old Kvyat for the remaining 17 races of the season.

The decision was seen as harsh, even if it came after the Russian had twice collided in Sochi with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. Kvyat had been on the podium in the preceding race in China.

The switch was also interpreted as a move by Red Bull to secure Verstappen for the long term in the face of rising interest from rivals.

Red Bull principal Christian Horner said the move would allow Kvyat to “regain his form and show his potential” in a familiar team but the Russian said he had been given “no real explanation.”

“If the bosses want something to happen, they just make it happen. It’s as simple as that,” declared Kvyat.

He said ‘dropped’ was too heavy a word for what had happened, saw no reason for it and said he had been feeling no more pressure than usual.

“I will try to give as loud an answer as possible on the track,” Kvyat said of his response.

“I am now extremely hungry…there are a lot more positive moments now than anyone can imagine and I take it as a golden opportunity with Toro Rosso.”

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VETTEL: WE DON’T FEEL ANY SPECIAL PRESSURE

Twice in four races this year Sebastian Vettel has returned to the pits on a scooter on his way to an early shower, but this weekend in Spain the Ferrari driver is hoping for better luck and denies that there is increasing pressure on the Italian team.

Speaking to media, on the eve of the Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya, Vettel said, “We don’t feel any special pressure here in Spain. There are 21 races this year and pressure is the same wherever you go.”

“It’s true that looking back, we could have done better if this or that hadn’t happened, but we can’t change it now. It’s also true that we’d like to be in a better position in the next couple of races, but for the meantime we have to focus on this one.”

“On paper, it looks like it could be better for us than the previous one; but then again, we’re not racing on paper here, but on the track. I think there is a chance to have a good race, as there is a chance of making some mistakes.”

“We came here prepared to give our best. Of course our President [Marchionne] wants us to deliver, but we want the same and there’s no point now arguing too much on what has happened so far.”

“As far as [Daniil] Kvyat is concerned, he had the guts to call me after the race in Sochi. For me the case is closed,” concluded Vettel with regards to his altercations, in the last two races, with the Russian driver who has since been demoted from the Red Bull team back to Toro Rosso.

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ROSBERG: I LIKE IT THAT WE’RE MORE ON OUR OWN IN THE COCKPIT

Savvy student Nico Rosberg is happy to do the extra technical homework required as he has roared to the top of this year’s drivers’ world championship with a run of four straight wins.

The 30-year-old German has praised the new direction of Formula One thanks to restrictions on the use of drivers’ team radio and a need for more individual initiative and pre-race preparation.

In what could be seen as a thinly-veiled jab at his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton’s more ‘laissez-faire’ approach to racing, the championship-leader said the ban on radio instructions meant that drivers could no longer rely on other people’s guidance alone.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya, set in the industrial hinterland north of Barcelona, he said the ban had ended an era of “muppets” at the wheel.

He told media that television viewers had stopped thinking that “we looked like ‘muppets’ directed by our engineers on radio.”

Under this year’s rules, they must now drive the cars “alone and unaided”, a move that defending three-time champion Hamilton said would make his job more difficult.

It will be “a lot harder,” the Briton said before the season began.

Rosberg has reeled off four straight wins this year to pull clear at the top of the drivers’ world championship ahead of Hamilton who has suffered a series of misfortunes including successive engine failures.

“I like the direction because, now, we’re more on our own,” said the meticulous and well-educated Rosberg, who turned down a chance to study aeronautical engineering at Imperial College, London before becoming a racing driver.

“Now, what’s more important is pre-race preparation where we work more intensely together through all the different things that my engineer can’t tell me in a race.

“There’s more focus on that. It’s more intense and complex. In the race, it’s good. We’re out there, we get the job done ourselves and it’s a real challenge. I like it.”

Hamilton, who struggled through his school days, has always said he enjoys being allowed to wring all the speed possible out of his car as a driver by maximising on his pure talents as a racing driver.

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RAIKKONEN: FOR SURE WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB

Kimi Raikkonen is adamant that Ferrari are closing the gap to Mercedes, but they can still do more, as the intention is to challenge the reigning F1 world champions every weekend.

Speaking to media ahead of the the Spanish Grand Prix weekend the Finn said, “Our aim is to be in front to challenge the Mercedes every weekend, we are not yet where we want to be but I don’t think we are very far. What we have achieved so far is not ideal, if you purely look at the end result, but that’s not always very truthful.”

“For sure we can do a better job, we’ll keep pushing and try to make up the best of every race. As a team we know what we are doing and that’s the important thing. Let’s see where we end up on Sunday, obviously our aim is to try to win.”

“We go race by race, trying to make good results, we steadily improve and make progress, and we have to perform well in every single circuit. We had good winter tests here in Barcelona, but now the conditions are different. I think our car we’ll be good, we’ll find out if it will be good enough.”

“Our aim is to clean up things and put ourselves in a better position this weekend, we’ll see how it is going tomorrow, and then we’ll do the maximum. We keep improving the car as any other team does, you can have a bad race for many reasons and this doesn’t mean that your car is not good,” added Raikkonen who will be competing in his 236th grand prix when he lines up on the grid in Barcelona this weekend.

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SAINZ: I’M NOT DISAPPOINTED

Carlos Sainz says he is looking on the bright side of his Toro Rosso teammate Max Verstappen’s promotion to the senior Red Bull team.

With Daniil Kvyat returning to the junior outfit from this weekend in Barcelona, it was Verstappen rather than Spaniard Sainz who realised his dream of promotion.

“I’m not disappointed,” Sainz told Spanish media on Wednesday, “because nobody promised me the chance to go to Red Bull in the fifth race of this year.

“In the next year or two it is my goal so that’s what I’m thinking of. I can see how it looks from the outside, and it’s true when I found out that of course I would have liked it to have been me.

“But then I think it’s a positive for me as well. Red Bull has seen the results from both of us so I can also go there next year or in 2018,” he said ahead of his home race in Spain.

Sainz therefore said his Red Bull dream is on track, dismissing suggestions that if he wants to aim for the title in F1, he might now need to target a switch to another team.

“Yes of course I can imagine other teams like Ferrari and McLaren,” he admitted, “but the short and medium term goal remains Red Bull, they made a big investment in my career and it is something I want to return.”

21-year-old Sainz’s new teammate, therefore, is Russian Kvyat, who has been able to compare himself alongside the highly-rated Daniel Ricciardo since 2015.

Kvyat’s arrival also ends a period of reported tension between the Sainz and Verstappen camps at Toro Rosso.

“There was tension,” Sainz admitted, “but I imagine that it is the same in other teams. It is something that comes from last year, the rivalry that was created between Max and myself.

“So I think it will be positive, because it cools the team a little bit, new people come in and eventually it helps the team to finish fifth in the championship.”

So when asked about Kvyat, Sainz said: “Yes, we have known each other since we were 12 or 13.

“He has gone from Red Bull (Racing) but that doesn’t mean he has lost his talent — he is the same or better than when I raced him in GP3.

“Don’t forget he got more points than Ricciardo last year, he has a year more experience than me, he knows the team already so he will be a very tough opponent,” he said.

“Besides this, it can improve the team environment and our good relationship can help us finish fifth in the championship,” said Sainz.

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MASSA: MODERN F1 CARS ARE NOT EASY TO DRIVE

Veteran of 233 grand prix starts, Felipe Massa has hit out once again at the suggestion that driving Formula 1 cars in the modern era has become too easy.

The Brazilian veteran has raced across F1’s V10, V8 and now V6 eras, but he said the challenge is simply “different” today rather than easier.

“Sure, it used to be physically tougher,” said Massa, 35. “We drove lighter cars and could refuel during the race – we were nearly always at the limit, like during the qualifying sessions. It was more tiring.

“Today’s races are more technical than physical,” the Williams driver added. “You need to take tyres into account. It is a different, less aggressive way of driving. But that’s a far cry from saying that today is easy.”

Nevertheless, F1 has made the decision to turn a sharp corner for 2017, speeding up the cars with bigger tyres and more downforce.

The move however has split paddock opinion, but Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz is looking forward to it.

“It will be faster and that sounds motivating, as whenever I’ve gone into a faster car it has always been good for me.

“Regarding overtaking, it is not something we can judge now. We will have to give it a year to see if it was better or not. Time will tell,” the Spaniard added.

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SPANISH GRAND PRIX: HAMILTON NEEDS TO BOUNCE BACK

Lewis Hamilton will recover from his current second place in the championship and mount a strong challenge to win his fourth world title this year, starting with this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.

That is the view of both his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, who leads him by 43 points after four races, and their champion team who are determined to put Hamilton’s problem-hit start to the season behind them.

“We feel badly for Lewis because we’ve let him down, in terms of his competition with Nico,” said Mercedes technical chief Paddy Lowe.

“But I am sure we will get though it and I think Lewis will get through it too.

“It’s still very early in the season. In this business, we just take one race at a time and keep on doing our best, but we do feel it for Lewis

“Funnily enough, in 2014, we didn’t have many engine problems, but of those we did have, most seemed to land up with Lewis. Again this year, we’ve got eight engines and the problems are landing his way!”

The three-time champion is without a win this year and has suffered a string of disappointments with a series of engine problems and first lap incidents in races.

He is without a victory since winning in the United States last year. In that time, Rosberg has been triumphant and has reeled off four straight wins this season to lift him clear at the top of the title race.

But even after seven wins in succession, the German has admitted to knowing that Hamilton’s ferocious competitive spirit and raw speed is sure to return and make him a winner again.

“Lewis will bounce back, of that I am sure,” said Rosberg. “All the other drivers who won the first four races – and went to take the title – did not have him as a teammate.

“I know what to expect. He doesn’t have an issue with fighting back in his head. He has always shown that. There will be battles ahead and it is going to be tough.”

Rosberg won last year’s race at the Circuit de Catalunya from pole position as Hamilton did the season before, a sequence that is expected to continue for Mercedes on a track that tends to deliver somewhat soporific contests.

The teams know the circuit well from winter testing and there are few surprises other than updates that fail, or work well, as the European part of the 21-race season is launched in earnest.

For many, the chief topic of interest will be to see how Dutch teenager Max Verstappen copes with the pressure of expectation after his sudden promotion from Toro Rosso to replace Russian Daniil Kvyat in the senior Red Bull team.

Kvyat paid the price for his collisions with former Red Bull favourite and four-time world champion German Sebastian Vettel in China and Russia, incidents that incensed both Ferrari and Red Bull. A demotion to Toro Rosso followed.

Verstappen, 18, has the potential to follow in Vettel’s tracks, but will first have to learn his way with a new team.

“To be honest, I don’t think I have slept for three nights,” he said on Dutch TV. “I have felt so motivated to go directly and spend time with the team.

“I know they are a top team and I have a better chance to reach the podium – and when I was there, I just couldn’t stop working – lots of effort in the simulator and time with the mechanics.

Vestappen’s switch to the Milton Keynes-based former champions signalled Red Bull’s intent to fend off any approach from Ferrari whose president Sergio Marchionne has made clear he is expecting to see his teamstart winning again.

Vettel is already 67 points adrift of Rosberg after reliability problems and accidents in his opening four outings and Marchionne warned: “This Sunday will be an important day for us and I expect us to win shortly, soon, starting with the race in Spain. So far, we have been unlucky. It will change soon ”

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HAMILTON SETBACKS BOOST FOR SILVERSTONE TICKET SALES

The British Grand Prix is set for a record 150,000-strong crowd in July with home hero Lewis Hamilton an even bigger draw after recent setbacks, Silverstone circuit managing director Patrick Allen said on Thursday.

The Briton’s Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg is chasing his eighth victory in a row at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, while Hamilton has not won since taking his third Formula One championship in October.

“We are heading north of 150,000 on the Sunday,” Allen told Reuters at the Circuit de Catalunya of current estimates.

“I think now there’s the factor of Lewis having to come from behind and there’s nothing the Brits like more than to get behind their man coming from the back of the pack,” he said. “And he’s done it before.

“I think it makes it that much more exciting. I think if he was still winning race after race after race, it might be the opposite effect from last year.

“But this time he’s had misfortune … and there’s been car issues and all of that. The Brits will really get behind him and that’s what they seem to be doing right now.”

Last year 140,000 people saw Hamilton win from pole position at Silverstone, the biggest Formula One crowd of the season with only Mexico (134,000) coming close.

Allen said Silverstone — a former World War Two airfield that hosted the first Formula One world championship race in 1950 — was creating extra capacity, with more general admission tickets and grandstands available.

Some 130,000 tickets had been sold so far.

Silverstone agreed a 17-year contract with Formula One in 2009, with hosting fees rising every year and a break clause for both parties from 2019 that would have to be activated the day after next year’s race.

Formula One’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone has played hardball with Silverstone in the past, periodically suggesting that Britain could lose its race or that London could host one.

The 85-year-old returned to a familiar theme this week when he told Britain’s ITV television that London could be a possibility.

“There is a small technical issue, who is going to pay for it, but other than that I can’t see any dramas,” he said.

The comment produced predictable headlines but Allen doubted it would happen or pose a threat to Silverstone.

“Maybe he (Ecclestone) is softening us up for something, I don’t know,” he smiled. “It (London) would be great but it’s the cost and the upheaval to Londoners … and it’s the age old question of who’s going to pay for it,” he said.

“Never say never but I doubt it will happen. And if we make our grand prix bigger and better, and more and more successful, why would you go to London?”

Allen said Ecclestone, who in years gone by compared Silverstone to a rundown house and a “country fair masquerading as a world event” before major upgrades were carried out, had been supportive of his race.

Ecclestone had also provided 20 coveted paddock passes to be offered as a ‘text to win’ prize with the chance also of watching the action from a team garage.

“I’ve had a different attitude in how we deal with him. A lot of people in the past went to him with a begging bowl saying we can’t afford it, please lower your fee,” said Allen.

“My tack has been ‘The contract is signed, whether I like it or not it’s a done deal. Right now Mr Ecclestone, how are you going to help me make more money out of the contract so I can make you more money?'”

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WOLFF UNHAPPY ABOUT TV COVERAGE IN RUSSIA

Mercedes motorsport chief Toto Wolff has vowed to raise with Bernie Ecclestone the issue of his team being under represented in television grand prix television coverage, despite its ongoing dominance of F1.

The German marque’s F1 chief claims that, as Nico Rosberg won all four grands prix so far in 2016, the silver cars were not featured prominently on the FOM-controlled broadcasts, particularly in Russia recently.

“It is a difficult thing and we are having discussions to make our point,” Wolff is quoted by The Sun newspaper.

The issue is not new, after Mercedes’ one-two at Suzuka last year attracted only five of the broadcasted 90 minutes of television coverage.

Bernie Ecclestone denied he ordered the blackout as punishment for Mercedes refusing to supply Red Bull with engines, explaining that focusing only on the lead cars is “boring”.

“Lewis and Mercedes are just too dominant for their own good at the moment,” he said at the time.

Now, Wolff is unhappy about FOM’s coverage of the recent Russian grand prix, “We thought we didn’t have the exposure of the race cars that we thought we should have, but I guess it is a difficult discussion.”

“I think the difficulty for Bernie is that he has multiple clients. There are the sponsors on the car, the sponsors on the track, the TV and the fans who want to see spectacular racing and the main protagonist who is leading the race and that needs to be balanced out,” added Wolff.

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HEINEKEN SET TO ENTER F1 WITH A QUARTER BILLION DOLLAR DEAL

Dutch beer brewing giant Heineken is reportedly entering formula one with a major sponsorship deal.

A month ago, F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart announced that, “Very soon, a “large internationally-renowned company will come into F1 as a global sponsor”.

De Telegraaf, a Dutch newspaper, said that brand is Heineken, with the first signs of the deal to be trackside during the Canadian grand prix next month.

“Heineken will probably also enter into a partnership with one of the teams as part of the sponsorship agreement with FOM,” the report said, valuing the five-year deal at some EUR 200 million.

Heineken, also a sponsor of football’s champions league, owns 43 per cent of Force India chief Vijay Mallya’s drinks conglomerate United Breweries.

Meanwhile, Ferrari backer Shell, another Dutch multinational, has announced it will stop its trackside deal with F1 as well as its naming rights of the Belgian grand prix.

“It has chosen instead to focus on and strengthen its newly-upgraded partnership with Scuderia Ferrari,” said Shell sponsorship manager Kai-Uwe Witterstein.

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Ron Dennis believes 'one or two' teams could fold this season

McLaren chairman Ron Dennis has questioned the health of multiple Formula 1 teams, predicting that "one or two" could fold before the current season is over.

"Certain teams are currently experiencing hardship, and in fact I wouldn't be too surprised if one or two of those teams fail to make it to the end of the season," he told F1 Racing magazine.

It's well-known that Sauber are experiencing financial difficulty, having failed to pay staff on time three months in a row, whilst Force India have continued to post losses - albeit far smaller than previously. Whether Dennis is referring to these two in particular, he wouldn't confirm.

However the Briton insists their problems aren't necessarily down to the sport, but financial mismanagement within the teams.

"The managers of such teams get into such positions because they spend more money than they have," he explained.

"This sport is addictive, and people always think their car's next performance upgrade is miraculously going to make it competitive, so they overspend.

"One of the disciplines you need in Formula 1 is to learn how not to do that. You have to apportion your revenue meticulously."

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Friday rain but dry weekend for Spanish Grand Prix

Not since Michael Schumacher scored his first victory as a Ferrari driver in 1996 has the Spanish Grand Prix been a wet race. And this weekend’s race is set to be dry for the 20th year in a row.

The weekend may not be entirely precipitation-free, however. The local meteorological office guarantees a sprinkling tomorrow afternoon while the cars are on track for the second practice session and official FIA forecaster UBIMET concurs with this view.

Teams will therefore consider bringing their race simulation runs forward to the first practice session. With many also expected to bring significant upgrades for testing – notably Forec India – the Friday morning session is likely to be hectic.

There is a chance of further rain on Saturday evening or early on Sunday morning but at present qualifying and the race are unlikely to be affected. Cloud cover will keep a lid on air temperatures which should creep past 20C on both days. By Sunday afternoon the wind will be starting to pick up which could catch a few drivers out around the Circuit de Catalunya’s exposed, high-speed corners.

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McLaren clarification prompts tyre pressure move

Formula 1 could introduce a system of live monitoring of tyre pressures in 2017, in the wake of a McLaren clarification regarding trick designs to potentially get around current limits.

Speculation about teams cleverly managing tyre pressures has grown over recent races, amid suspicions that some outfits have come up with ways to minimise the impact of mandatory limits laid down by Pirelli.

At the moment, on behalf of Pirelli, the FIA imposes a minimum starting pressure on the tyres, which is measured when the tyres are fitted to the cars.

However, there have been suspicions that some outfits have founds ways to get the pressures down to the optimum operating window for when the cars are running on track.

Various suggestions for what some teams have been up to have been put forward.

One obvious way is for clever heating and then rapidly cooling of the wheels to adjust the air temperature - and therefore pressure - inside the tyre.

More ingenious solutions – such as a double chambered wheel rim that features a small hole between them to allow air to bleed slowly and drop the pressure – have also been hinted at.

McLaren Letter

Although having tyres running at a lower pressure is not illegal – as the pressures are above the minimum level when measurements are taken – pursuing such technology to deliver it has prompted cost fears from some teams.

In light of this, McLaren wrote to the FIA recently asking for clarification about the legality of certain design components that could help manipulate tyre pressure.

It is understood that it wanted to know clearly what was and was not allowed before it committed funds to developing them for 2017.

If its ideas were approved by the FIA, it would have opened the door to the team developing its own technology for next year.

However, it is understood that in the response from the FIA – which was circulated to all the other teams – the ideas were rejected.

This included the FIA making it clear that any double wheel rim chamber would be in breach of Article 12.8.3 of F1 Technical Regulations.

The rules states: "A complete wheel must contain a single fixed internal gas volume. No valves, bleeds or permeable membranes are permitted other than to inflate or deflate the tyre whilst the car is stationary."

The impact of the FIA ruling is that if any team had been running a double wheel rim solution this year then it would be clear that it is now against the regulations.

Erasing suspicion

It is understood that in light of the fresh debate about tyre pressures, the issues of how to respond to the situation came up during a meeting of team managers on Wednesday.

In a bid to erase all suspicions about what teams were up to, it has been agreed that Pirelli and the FIA look at a way of setting up a single pressure control system to monitor the pressures at all times.

If the system can be made effective, then it is possible Pirelli will be able to impose a minimum running pressure rather than a minimum starting pressure.

It is understood that Pirelli is willing to develop such a facility if there is a willingness from the FIA and teams for it to be used.

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Ricciardo/Verstappen can be best F1 line-up - Horner

Christian Horner believes Red Bull could have the strongest driver pairing in Formula 1 now that Max Verstappen has joined Daniel Ricciardo.

Verstappen has joined the energy drinks company's senior F1 team after Daniil Kvyat was demoted to Toro Rosso following the Russian Grand Prix.

Australian Ricciardo is one of the most in-form drivers this year, and Horner reckons the duo will complete a very strong line-up.

"I think you always want to put your best foot forward and have the most competitive driver line-up that you can have, and I think a Ricciardo/Verstappen line-up for me is potentially one of, if not the strongest pairing, of future years," said Horner.

"Of course that depends how things develop and pan out and with regulation change coming for next year, and hopefully with the power units converging, that provides some great opportunities for this team over the next couple of seasons."

Verstappen became the youngest grand prix driver in history at age 17 when he made his debut with Toro Rosso last year.

The Dutchman has impressed with his speed and overtaking skills, and Horner has no doubt he is ready to handle the step up to Red Bull.

When asked if Verstappen was too young for Red Bull, Horner said: "You said this, or certain people said this, when he came in at 16 and I think he has proved to be one of the most exciting things about F1 currently in the paddock and I think he has demonstrated that he has got a great amount of natural talent, great natural ability, he can overtake, he can race.

"He has got an awful lot to learn but he has a very mature head on young shoulders and certainly everything I have seen of his development so far has impressed me enormously and that curve will continue."

No pressure

Although Horner acknowledges that other teams are interested in Verstappen, he insists there was no pressure to move him to the main team so soon.

"No, there was no pressure at all. He was actually was more surprised than Daniil was, to be honest with you.

"There was no positioning or pressure from Max's side or management in any way."

He added: "Max is one of the hottest properties in F1 at this point of time, so it is only natural that other teams will be showing interest in a driver that is demonstrating his kind of ability and talent.

"I think this move also kills off the driver market, regarding Red Bull drivers, certainly for the foreseeable future."

Horner also confirmed that Verstappen's contract had now changed to tie his long-term future to Red Bull.

"I am not going to tell you what: but yes. He is beyond any doubt committed to this team for multiple years."

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Haas expects tougher season after "way too good" early races

Haas F1 team boss Gunther Steiner admits it will be difficult for the American squad to keep its early-season form throughout all of 2016.

Haas has enjoyed a sensational start to life in Formula 1, scoring points in three of the first four races to establish itself in fifth position in the constructors' championship.

Romain Grosjean finished sixth in the team's first race in Australia, and followed up with a fifth-place finish in Bahrain. He then wound up eighth in Russia.

Steiner, however, concedes that maintaining this level of performance is unlikely.

"You always hope for good results, but we didn't expect to score so many points," said Steiner. "After winter testing we knew that the car is not bad.

"Nevertheless the first two races have been way too good for us. The two most recent races have been a bit more difficult.

"Okay, we scored points again last time out, but in qualifying we struggled a bit. Our most difficult weekend was China where we had problems bringing the tires up to temperature."

"The fact that we already scored 22 points is nice, but it will be difficult to continue that trend during the whole season. People seem to forget that we have just four races under our belt.

"We are still learning. Besides, we have to begin working on the 2017 car somewhere down the road. You just have to start early because the regulations will be different. The tyres will be different as well."

Early focus shift

Haas will have an upgraded Ferrari engine this weekend in Spain and will introduce more updates to the car in the upcoming races.

But Steiner said the team will shift its focus to its 2017 car around August.

"On top of that, we have a new rear ring for high downforce. We will use this wing in Monte Carlo and on short notice also here.

"During the season we will continue with smaller updates steps, for example brake ducts and things like that.

"But I suppose that sometime in August we will stop developing our current car as we have to concentrate on the 2017 car then."

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Perez, Grosjean call for solution to tear-off issue

Sergio Perez and Romain Grosjean have urged the FIA to come up with a solution for disposing of helmet visor tear-off strips if throwing them out on the track will be no longer allowed.

A ban on throwing the tear-off strips on the track was set to come into force in this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, but it has been delayed until Monaco after teams were unable to come up with a proper solution for it.

The ban is coming into force in order to avoid the strips getting stuck in car parts, something that could lead to failures.

Force India driver Perez admitted no solution was yet in place.

"We don't have another solution right now. We don't see how [we will do it]," said Perez. "We were discussing the other day at the drivers' briefing – how can you survive with one tear-off the whole race?

"In the first three laps you probably throw three already, so I don't really know how we are going to do it. We were speaking about putting a bin in the cockpit!

"But who knows what will be the solution.

"At the moment I don't see there is a sensible solution. We or the FIA have to think of another alternative in stopping us throwing tear-offs."

Haas driver Grosjean added: "Honestly I don't see a solution – except if you put a glove box in the car I don't see a solution."

The Frenchman revealed he thought the ban had already been implemented for the season-opening race in Australia.

"I thought it was on since Melbourne, so I was always putting my tear-off in the cockpit and it is a disaster," he said. "They make a huge noise and they go all over the place.

"We tried to put tape on the chassis but once you have taped one, where does the next one go? I've removed four to five in the race – and I discovered in Russia that we didn't have to put them in the cockpit. I was trying!"

Perez admitted finding a place to throw them inside the cockpit was very hard given the lack of space.

"Sometimes they break because of the air and you cannot find it, so you have to go to the other side, and then you have to change gear because otherwise you hit the limiters.

"Of course, if it is what we have to do and put it somewhere in the car, then it can work, but where in the car?"

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3D presentation of European GP's Baku City circuit

First look at the Baku City circuit for the European Grand Prix in June.

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SKY F1 COVERAGE SET TO MOVE BEYOND BROADCAST WITH COMMITMENT TO FIBRE OPTIC

A few weeks after confirming that it has bought the exclusive rights to F1 in the UK from 2019 onwards, SKY TV has announced that it is to distribute from now on all its Formula 1 TV broadcast output via a global fibre optic ring, to speed up the transmission of the images.

But the suggestion is that there is more to this than meets the eye as it opens up the possibility of digital experiences well beyond broadcast and hints at what lay behind the big money move to snap up the rights into the next decade.

SKY is in the process of integrating its operations in the UK, Germany and Italy to create a European entertainment centre and the F1 commitment clearly sits at the heart of that offering, alongside its valuable football assets. It already pools resource on the ground at Grand Prix events with shared camera and edit resources.

However, in the UK SKY is locked in a tough battle with BT Sport, which captured the European football rights from SKY this season; both the Champions League and the Europa League are now shown exclusively live on BT Sport, with Liverpool due to appear in the final of the latter next week.

Many in the industry saw the buy up of F1 rights post 2019 as a defensive move against BT Sport.

While clearly part of the strategy, this latest technology development hints at a wider strategy. It should mean that SKY is better equipped for Over the Top services and can explore other exciting new technologies like Virtual Reality further in the future and on a global scale. The future of broadcast is around digital experiences beyond satellite and it’s all about huge bandwidth and engagement with the end user, making him/her a protagonist, providing hero moments, as in the gaming space.

Rather than using a combination of satellites and fibre optic, as before, SKY will plug into the Video Connect service, provided by Tata Communications, F1’s connectivity provider (and a sponsor of JA on F1), which enables broadcasters to deliver live video feeds from anywhere in the world via a subsea fibre network.

It suggests that a page is about to be turned in the way F1 fans can interact with the sport, well beyond the passive act of viewing and even of engaging with a second screen.

“The integration of our operations in Europe is focused on accelerating innovation and serving our viewers better – and Tata Communications’ global fibre network will help us do just that,” says Keith Lane of Sky. “It’s crucial that we’re able to bring our viewers action-packed, high-quality F1 racing experiences from Grands Prix around the world. And, as the way people experience F1 is constantly evolving thanks to technological advances that rely on superfast connectivity, there is scope for us to tap into Tata Communications’ global fibre network as we continue to drive innovation in F1 broadcasting.”

“F1 is the world’s most popular annual sporting series – but with races in locations as diverse as the streets of Singapore, the hills of São Paulo and the deserts of Abu Dhabi, it is also a hugely challenging environment for broadcasters,” according to Mehul Kapadia, Managing Director of F1 Business at Tata Communications. “Bringing fans brilliant, glitch-free viewing experiences requires more than just reliable, superfast connectivity on a global scale. As fans increasingly want to be part of the action unfolding on the track, we look forward to exploring future game-changing technologies with Sky to drive innovation in F1 broadcasting.”

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2016 Spain - Paddock Pass: Spanish Grand Prix Preview

Formula 1 arrives in Spain this weekend for the start of the European season at its traditional first stop of Barcelona.

Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg arrives at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya riding the crest of a wave after claiming his seventh straight grand prix victory in Russia two weeks ago.

The result makes Rosberg’s record 4-0 for the season, leaving him with a healthy championship buffer of 43 points over defending champion and teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton is not a man to turn down a challenge, though, and with 17 races to go, it would be foolish to rule him out of the title race just yet.

Recapping all of the news and interviews from a busy Thursday in the Barcelona paddock, NBCSN pit reporter Will Buxton brings you the latest edition of Paddock Pass.

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Hamilton first to get new MGU-H design

Lewis Hamilton will get exclusive use of a revised and improved MGU-H for the Spanish Grand Prix, as Mercedes bids to end his run of reliability troubles.

The world champion suffered near identical MGU-H failures in qualifying for China and Russia, which has hampered his bid to overhaul teammate Nico Rosberg.

Mercedes has conducted a thorough examination of the issues he has suffered and, in a bid to minimise the chances of another problem, it has tweaked the MGU-H design to try to sort out the problems.

Having worked against the clock to get the improved design ready for the Barcelona weekend, the new component will be fitted to Hamilton's car in time for free practice on Friday.

It will be Hamilton's fourth MGU-H of the season, which means he will only have one more available for the remainder of the campaign before he could face a grid penalty

Rosberg old design

Rosberg is sticking with the original MGU-H and turbo designs for the Spanish Grand Prix, with those components having lasted beyond the mileage where the failures on Hamilton's system occurred.

The team is hopeful that those components are not at risk of suffering the kind of problem that hit Hamilton, although is likely to switch the German on to the new design at forthcoming races.

Rosberg is, however, moving on to his second internal combustion engine and MGU-K for the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.

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Classic onboard - Schumacher makes waves in 1991

This week’s dive into the archive takes us back to the inaugural F1 race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in 1991, where a young rookie named Michael Schumacher added to a burgeoning reputation with a stunning opening lap...

Michael Schumacher had just three Grands Prix under his belt when Formula One racing travelled to the newly-created circuit in Barcelona for the first time in September 1991, but the young German's reputation was already rising rapidly. Events in Spain only added to that - not only did he out-qualify team mate and triple world champion Nelson Piquet (Piquet was 10th, Schumacher 5th), but he was on the attack as soon as the lights went out. On a damp but drying track, Schumacher jumped Williams' Riccardo Patrese at the start and then went one better at Turn 5, sending his Benetton down the inside of title challenger Nigel Mansell to seize third. The charge wasn't over: Schumacher attacked the McLaren of championship leader Ayrton Senna at Turn 10, even nosing ahead of the Brazilian on the exit - although Senna used all his wiles to eventually fend Schumacher off. Sixty-four laps later it would be Mansell who eventually triumphed - his fightback including one of the most iconic moves of the era on Senna - while Schumacher eventually had to settle for sixth, a spin while trying to pass Gerhard Berger proving costly.

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Palmer rubbishes rumours he could lose Renault seat to Ocon

Jolyon Palmer has rubbished reports he could lose his Renault seat to reserve driver Esteban Ocon before the season is out.

Palmer has been outraced by team-mate Kevin Magnussen in the opening four races, but the Britain hasn't had the best of luck with technical troubles ruling him out of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Despite that, Magnussen's form, which saw him score six points in Russia, has added pressure to Palmer, leading to suggestions he could lose his seat to Ocon.

"I don't know where that rumour came from, to be honest," Palmer said in the paddock on Thursday ahead of the Spanish GP.

"It doesn't faze me. I saw already after Bahrain that someone said something - I had one race in Melbourne that was quite good and I didn't even race in Bahrain. So whatever.

"I've only had four races and it's been mixed results, but I think I'm looking forward to the future."

Palmer said he had come to expect negative stories as common place in Formula 1, but insists he and the team are happy with his progress.

"It's what I've come to expect, really. It's Formula 1. I've seen it from the outside and now I've seen it from the inside.

"But I don't really care, ultimately. I know where I stand, in the team everyone knows where we stand."