FORMULA 1 - 2016

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SAUBER PLAY DOWN 2016 CAR TEST DEBUT DELAY

Sauber has played down news that its 2016 Formula 1 car will miss the opening pres-season test in Spain.

The Swiss team confirmed on Monday that it will only take last year’s Ferrari-powered single seater to Barcelona late next month.

It is reported that the new C35 will then make its bow at the second and final Barcelona test in March, but a team spokesman said: “It is not excluded that we will drive between the first test and the roll-out on a filming day.

“But the reports are right that we will have the 2015 car, with 2016 livery, at the first test from February 22,” he confirmed.

The spokesman told Speed Week that reports suggesting Sauber has simply fallen behind schedule, perhaps due to financial and supplier problems, are not quite right.

“I would not really describe it as a delay,” he said. “The situation is more due to the fact that Australia was brought forward by two weeks. When that became clear we said we would just stay with the original schedule of production.”

“To accelerate the production would have cost us resources, and it’s no secret that we are not a top team like that. We also didn’t want to rush things. So we are sticking with the first plan,” the Sauber official added.

He admitted: “We know that it is not optimal — for sure we would have loved to have had the new car at both tests. But we have seen with the example of Force India last year that you can still have a good season even when debuting at the first test is not possible.”

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Red Bull ‘well ahead of schedule’

As Red Bull look to rebound from a dismal 2015 season, team manager Jonathan Wheatley has revealed that their preparations are "well ahead of schedule."

Last year Red Bull failed to win a single grand prix for the first time since 2009. It was a pitiful display from the four-time World Champions, who largely blamed engine supplier Renault.

But with none of the other engine manufacturers willing to jump on board, Red Bull will stick with Renault running rebranded engines this season.

"It's been a challenge, but I think if there's any team capable of dealing with that it's us," Wheatley told GPUpdate.net.

"The guys have done a fabulous job in the factory – amazing work over Christmas. Everything feels pretty much under control. We know what we're going to get and when we're going to get it.

"We were lucky in that the power unit that we ended up with [Renault] was the one that we knew very well, so the packaging [of the car] has been relatively straightforward in that respect.

"I was sat with the chief designer recently and things are well ahead of schedule."

As for the decision to stick with Renault, he added: "There's some very good news coming out of France at the moment.

"It's not going to be extraordinary, but they've made some gains – it's very positive.

"I think that's probably where we are at the moment. Is it going to be on the same level as the other [leading] power units in 2016? I think that's probably unlikely. But we only need to get close."

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V6 engines to stay until 2020 as cost-cutting plan agreed

The current hybrid-V6 power unit will remain the sole source of power in Formula 1 until at least 2020, following agreement over cost-cutting measures during a two-day meeting in Geneva.

The Strategy Group and F1 Commission met this week to discuss a raft of proposals related to the sport. However there was a focus on engines after Bernie Ecclestone and Jean Todt tasked the teams to come up with a solution to the 'power unit crisis'.

Ecclestone and Todt both backed an independent engine proposal which would see an indepedent manufacturer not currently linked to the sport, supplying a more powerful, but cheaper engine to any team that wanted it.

The idea behind the plan was to ensure any team could get its hands on a competitive unit at an affordable price, after both Red Bull and Toro Rosso were nearly left engine-less following a falling out with Renault.

However the majority didn't back the idea during a team vote and were instead told to come up with their own solution.

It's believed they - Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Honda - have agreed to guarantee engine supply to any team competing in F1, whilst also reducing the cost substantially from roughly €22 million (£17m) to just €12m (£9.2m).

The majority of the cost saving will come from standardised parts and will likely come into effect at the start of the 2018 season, once the proposals have been signed off by the World Motor Sport Council.

In further efforts to reduce costs, it has also been agreed to reduce gearbox allowance to just three per driver per season.

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Manor confirms new name and logo for 2016 season

The Manor Marussia Formula 1 team will officially be known as Manor Racing throughout 2016, after confirming its name change on Tuesday.

The team has undergone several ownership changes since it joined the grid in 2010. First it was known as Virgin Racing, then Marussia F1 before becoming Manor Marussia in 2015 when it was bought by current owner Stephen Fitzpatrick.

Under FOM rules, teams must seek unanimous approval before a name change can go through, therefore it isn't a simple or quick process.

With Fitzpatrick taking complete ownership last year, many expected it would be renamed under his Ovo brand, particularly with the loss of key Manor figures John Booth and Graeme Lowdon.

However on Tuesday, the team confirmed on Twitter that it would retain the Manor name, dumping Marussia and becoming Manor Racing, as well as unveiling a new logo.

Further details, including the launch of its new car, will be unveiled on the first day of pre-season testing on February 22.

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F1 chiefs to demand stewards leniency to help overtaking

Formula 1 race stewards will be asked to take a more lenient approach to handing out penalties from now on, Motorsport.com has learned, in a bid to encourage overtaking in the sport.

As part of wide scale discussions in the F1 Strategy Group and F1 Commission meetings this week about the spectacle of grands prix, one issue that came up was the lack of intense battles between drivers.

Sources suggest that there was consensus among teams that drivers were being held back from attempting brave moves because of the fear of being handed punishments.

As well as the potential for time penalties and drive-through punishments for causing collisions, F1 drivers have also faced the risk of driver penalty points being added to their licences.

F1 team bosses believe that drivers should be more willing to take risks when it comes to overtaking moves.

That is why it was agreed by both the Strategy Group and F1 Commission for a formal notice to be sent to stewards asking them to not be so harsh when it comes to handing out any penalties in the future.

Race format tweaks

F1 will also begin a consultation process on changes to the qualifying and race formats in the future, as part of a wider overhaul of grand prix weekends.

Many ideas – including reverse grids and sprint races – were discussed without there being a firm consensus on what to do.

However, with a belief that improvements can be made to the current weekend format, F1 race promoters, sponsors and the media will join teams and series bosses to work out where improvements can be made.

Any changes would likely only come for 2017 at the earliest.

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F1 bosses want fans to vote for "driver of the day" at each race

Formula 1 fans will be asked to vote for a 'driver of the day' and 'best overtaking move' after each grand prix as part of an effort to improve interaction with the sport in the future.

During discussions at this week's Strategy Group and F1 Commission meetings in Geneva, a range of ideas were talked about as grand prix racing's chiefs look at ways to make the sport more popular.

Although some ideas - like reverse grids and refuelling - did not get much support, other tweaks did get backing and could come in to force as early as this year.

One idea that will now be worked on is for fans to choose stand out performances through social media after each race for drivers to be presented with trophies.

It is believed that two awards are being considered: one for the best driver performance and one for the best overtaking move.

Details of how the system will work, and how the awards will be presented, are now likely to be worked on over the next few weeks.

In the early 1970s Marlboro backed the Prix Rouge et Blanc Jo Siffert Award for the drive of the day. Although it wasn't formally sanctioned by the governing body, it was highly regarded.

Pitstop trophy

F1 chiefs have also expressed support for the idea of a Pitstop Challenge trophy, with an end of season award going to the fastest team of mechanics.

The idea has been in place in F1 since 2014, with DHL having awarded its own trophy for the fastest stops that have taken place.

It is logical to think that Bernie Ecclestone could name the trophies after any FOM sponsors or partners in the future.

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Vettel back testing for Ferrari at Fiorano

Sebastian Vettel returned to the cockpit of a Formula 1 car today for a test in a 2014 Ferrari at Fiorano.

It is unclear the exact motivation for the early test – which comes after the German spent a day in Maranello's wind tunnel – but it will either be to get a head-start on preparation for the forthcoming season or being used for promotional/sponsor reasons.

What is clear is that Ferrari is not permitted to try out any 2016 components on the F14-T under rules that outlaw testing of current cars, apart from demonstration events and promotional days.

Article 10.2 of F1's Sporting Regulations states: "Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) shall be defined as any track running time, not part of an Event, in which a competitor entered in the Championship participates (or in which a third party participates on behalf of a competitor or a supplier of a homologated power unit), using cars which were designed and built in order to comply with the 2012, 2013 or 2014 Formula One Technical Regulations.

"No competitor may sell or make available any such car to any third party without the prior authorisation of the FIA.

"TPC may only be carried out with cars built to the specification of the period and only tyres manufactured specifically for this purpose may be used."

Ferrari notified the FIA of its plans to test the 2014 car and was granted permission.

Vettel is not the first F1 driver to run in an F1 car this year, though, with Max Verstappen having completed a run down a mountain for a Red Bull promotional event last week.

After the Fiorano run, Vettel will take part in the Pirelli wet weather test next week before the first pre-season test takes place next month at Barcelona.

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Hear Us Coming - Renault Sport F1 2016

A teaser trailer for the return of the Renault Sport Formula 1 team.

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2016 F1 opener originally scheduled for April 10th

The 2016 Formula 1 season was originally set to get underway on April 10th, according to McLaren, despite this year's expanded schedule featuring a record-breaking 21 events.

Though the F1 programme has swelled gradually in recent years, 2016 will see two more events added to the erstwhile schedule, with Germany returning and Azerbaijan debuting with a race around the streets of its capital city Baku.

Indeed, the original draft of the calendar – which was leaked in June and approved in July – had the curtain raising Australian Grand Prix down as taking place on April 1-3, two weeks later that usual.

As a result - with the season ending at a similar point to that of 2015 in Abu Dhabi - the 2016 season was due to feature more races over a shorter timeframe, raising concerns that it was too intense a schedule for teams, specifically mechanics.

However, though this was eventually amended later to March 20th – in line with the 2015 season -, McLaren says it was originally informed the season was going to start on April 10th, which would have seen the 21 F1 events contested over just 34 weeks.

For this reason, teams had started preparations for the 2016 season based on this, with Sauber the first casualties of the change having confirmed it will only be able to run its C35 at the second of the two pre-season tests in Spain.

Similarly, McLaren says it was forced to work over the Christmas period to make up for some of the lost time.

"Our entire build programme wasn't lined up for that!” says McLaren operations director Simon Roberts. “So we knew we had a problem to solve. In terms of our design and engineering capacity, it's a relatively straightforward re-planning exercise – there's less time to get the work done, so everyone works a bit harder.

“But the build schedule is on a critical path – it needs to pass all the FIA safety tests and be ready for the first test, which was also brought forward. In that situation, you can't just re-plan, you need to do something different.”

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BITTER MONTEZEMOLO FEELS HIS CONTRIBUTION TO FERRARI HAS NOT BEEN RECOGNISED

Former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has spoken of his disappointment that his contribution to the success of the Ferrari brand over almost a quarter of a century has not been adequately recognised, by the company which was recently floated on the Stock Market.

The flotation, which valued Ferrari at almost $10 billion, was pushed through by new chairman Sergio Marchionne, who has since gone on to heap the pressure on the F1 race team by saying that he expects them to go to the opening race of 2016 in Melbourne in shape to challenge for the win.

Montezemolo ran Ferrari from 1991 until he left the company under a cloud at the end of 2014 after a desperate season of results for the F1 team. This followed the 14 world drivers and constructors’ championship titles that had been won on his watch. The high water mark was the Schumacher years 2000-2004, when they won five consecutive titles. The race team may have been struggling but the car business was flourishing with a strong product line and record sales.

While the 2014 results and the direction of the team were partly behind the agenda for change, he and Marchionne had disagreed about the next steps for Ferrari as a business with Montezemolo keen to keep production at just over 7,000 cars a year to preserve brand value and residual value in the cars; Marchionne wanted to float Ferrari to get €4bn cash into the newly formed FIAT Chrysler (FCA) business and keen to expand production towards 9,000 cars a year.

“When Ferrari went public (last October), of the results they presented, 23 of 24 years were down to me and my people,” said Montezemolo in the Financial Times. “So the least I expected from the owners was an official thank you. I didn’t expect a present because the value [of the company at $9.8bn in the initial public offering] was unbelievable, but at least a thanks.”

Since then, according to the FT, “Montezemolo has sold his white FF four-wheel drive Ferrari. He currently owns a Vespa, a Panda, a Range Rover and one remaining Ferrari, a silver metallic, custom-made Barchetta 360, given to him by Fiat’s former head, Giovanni Agnelli, who was best man at his wedding.”

Montezemolo now heads Italian airline Alitalia, which is co-owned by Etihad, the Abu Dhabi carrier and is chairing the committee that its attempting to win the 2024 Olympic Games for Rome.

[MIKA27]

VETTEL RUN AT FIORANO NOT A FILMING DAY

Sebastian Vettel will keep his pre-season Formula 1 preparations in a high gear and on the boil next week, and contrary to reports doing the rounds this week the ‘filming day’ at Fiorano was in fact an officially sanctioned test within the regulations.

While his rivals still have their engines silent, the German returned to action on Tuesday with a test in Ferrari’s 2014 car at the team’s test track.

Initially, the outing was described by some outlets as a ‘filming day’, but it has now emerged that it was actually a test according to article 10.2 of the sporting regulations. The FIA rule allows the running of cars made to “comply with the 2012, 2013 or 2014” technical regulations.

L’Equipe reports that Ferrari did the test, with the FIA’s prior approval, to “correlate data” acquired in the wind tunnel. And is is now being reported that Vettel will also be in action for Ferrari next week.

While official pre-season testing does not begin until the end of next month, Pirelli has organised a wet tyre test involving Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren.

Meanwhile sources at Maranello have confirmed to grandprix247.com that Vettel will be driving the 2015-specification Ferrari during the first F1 test at Paul Ricard, along with teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

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RED BULL IN HOT WATER AFTER VERSTAPPEN SNOW RUN

Red Bull is facing the possibility of a EUR 30,000 fine after Max Verstappen’s spectacular blast up and down the famous Kitzbuhel ski slopes last week.

A crowd of 3,500 gathered in the Austrian Alps as Verstappen, F1’s teenage sensation, slipped and slid in a F1 car fitted with snow chains, some 1600 metres above sea level.

Verstappen and Red Bull were helping to promote this year’s Austrian grand prix, but local authorities reportedly did not see the bright side of the F1 snow stunt.

Tiroler Tageszeitung newspaper reports that administrative proceedings have been filed against Red Bull, as official approval for the event was not granted.

Kitzbuhel director Michael Berger confirmed the news, saying approval must be given for the driving of any vehicle outside normal traffic or fenced areas, due to the potential for causing damage to nature.

MIKA: Bloody Austrians

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LUKOIL TO BE RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX SPONSOR

Organisers of the Russian Grand Prix look to have secured a title sponsor for the fourth edition of the Sochi race this year.

Sportbox cautioned that the news is unconfirmed, but claims organisers have already begun to install the branding of the new title sponsor around the 5.8 kilometre layout, located in the Black Sea resort town.

It is Lukoil, Russia’s second-largest oil company headquartered in Moscow, which has sponsored the likes of F1 hopeful Sergey Sirotkin and is also involved in backing other racing series’.

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FERRARI BOSS DEEMS MARCIELLO NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR F1

Raffaele Marciello has split with Ferrari and will also no longer work with Sauber, after the Maranello team boss Maurizio Arrivabene made it clear that the Italian 21 year old is not F1 material.

In the aftermath of the death of Jules Bianchi, Marciello became the clear cream of Ferrari’s driver development ‘academy’.

Last year, Marciello split his time between GP2 – where he finished the championship in seventh place – and testing for Ferrari and Sauber.

He even appeared on several Friday mornings for the latter Swiss team, but Autosprint reports that he has now suddenly split up with Ferrari.

Marciello will stay in GP2 this year, but when asked about the Ferrari split, he explained that his relationship with team boss Maurizio Arrivabene had broken down.

“I never had a great relationship with him (Arrivabene),” he revealed. “He did not deem me suitable for F1 and so it ended. You can’t please everyone.”

“If they wanted to, they could have found me a race seat in a team with a Ferrari engine,” added Marciello.

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FIA to reduce engine costs

The FIA is expected to implement new rules, which seek to regulate engines, at the start of the 2018 season.

Media reports reveal that a consensus was reached between the FIA and F1 manufacturers during a meeting in Geneva on Tuesday, when proposals guaranteeing supply for all teams were put forward. Indications are that the cost to customers will be significantly reduced.

In addition, the number of gearboxes allowed for the season have also been reduced, as a part of the cost cutting initiative.

Craig Slater from Sky Sports reports that this was a positive development for Formula 1.

"This has been a positive meeting and it has finished on a note of consensus. One of the key things was power unit supply which caused chaos last year with Red Bull struggling to get an engine for this year," said Slater.

"What has been agreed is that all teams must be supplied, there will be a guarantee for all the entrants that they will take delivery of some kind of power unit.

"The manufacturers are also going to break down the costs for the supplies to customer teams to almost as low as the £12m per team that the FIA wanted. In exchange for that these manufacturers will be rewarded with keeping this current generation of unit, so they will see the benefit of the £300 or £400m spent developing these engines," added Slater.

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Renault becomes latest team to pass 2016 crash tests

Renault has become the latest team to pass its Formula 1 crash tests, ahead of the French manufacturer's team launch in Paris in a fortnight's time.

Although Renault's takeover of the Lotus outfit was only completed in December, the Enstone team's efforts to prepare its 2016 car was not delayed.

In a tweet sent on Wednesday, Lotus confirmed that the crash tests - mandatory for the car to run on track - were now done.

Chassis homologation: DONE. That was a ‘hole’ lot of fun. (We know, we know. Stop it. It is a good one, isn’t it?)

Renault plans to confirm its new identity, management team and drivers at a media event in Paris on February 3. It released a teaser trailer for its return to F1 earlier this week (see below).

It is understood that a car livery will also be unveiled at the Paris event, although it is unclear if this will be on the bespoke 2016 chassis or a modified version of last year's model.

The team has announced that its drivers will be Jolyon Palmer and Pastor Maldonado - but the latter's future has been in doubt, amid speculation that sponsor PDVSA has been late with payments.

ART team boss Frederic Vasseur has long been tipped for a senior role at the outfit, with Renault F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul also expected to have a high profile position.

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Sutil leaves Williams reserve role for job outside F1

Adrian Sutil will not continue as the Williams Formula 1 team's reserve driver in 2016.

It is understood that the German is close to signing a deal outside of F1.

Sutil is known to be interested in the WEC and DTM, while Japanese Super GT may also appeal. He contested one GT race for TOM'S Toyota in 2006, during his F3 season in Japan.

Sutil was announced at Williams before last year's Malaysian Grand Prix.

However, he was in discussion with the team even before Valtteri Bottas's accident in Melbourne – which ultimately forced the Finn to miss the opening race of the season – put an extra focus on the need to have a reserve on hand.

Williams decided to sign a driver who had racing experience, and specifically with the hybrid V6, rather than promote tester Susie Wolff.

Sutil attended all the flyaway races with Williams in 2015, while waiting at home on standby for European events.

Although he sampled the car in the simulator, he never actually drove the FW37 on track.

He always regarded the Williams role as a temporary one as he looked for other opportunities.

It is not yet clear whether Williams will hire another experienced driver as reserve.

With Wolff now retired, Alex Lynn has been tipped to continue in a test role.

[MIKA27]

Technical analysis: Combustion secret to Ferrari 2016 hopes

Ferrari is bullish it can start the 2016 Formula 1 season on the top step of the podium. Franco Nugnes looks at the Italian squad's plans to make the step to beat Mercedes in Australia.

Formula 1 teams well know the PR dangers that come from over-promising and under-delivering, which makes Ferrari’s recent bold statements of intent about a winning start in Melbourne intriguing.

President Sergio Marchionne is adamant that from the first race, Ferrari must be a Mercedes-beater. But is this all just wishful thinking, or does he know something that those outside the team are unaware of?

Here, we look at the design avenues that Ferrari have been looking at in a bid to overhaul the Silver Arrows, especially when it comes to closing down the horsepower deficit the Prancing Horse has faced.

Engine focus

Perhaps Marchionne's optimism of an attacking start is based on the reality of encouraging data that is coming out of Maranello, both in terms of aerodynamics and, more significantly, on the engine front.

And could it be in the latter area – with it widely accepted that much of Mercedes' dominance has been based on its brilliant power unit execution – where Ferrari has made some significant gains.

300 bar pressure

According to Motorsport.com sources, Ferrari's focus in engine development this winter – helped by an easing of development restrictions – has been on the combustion chamber of the new 059/5 V6 engine.

It is suggested that chief designer Lorenzo Sassi has pushed for an innovative direction, both in terms of packaging but also in terms of performance.

One target that has been set has been to reach a 300 bar pressure in the combustion chamber, much higher than last year's figures that were understood to be around 220-240 bar.

Operating like a diesel

Ferrari's aim is to reduce the ignition time, and make the engine operate in a similar way to a diesel with auto-combustion.

If you can get the fuel to burn before the ignition spark, through high pressure within the chamber, then that will deliver a substantial increase in power. It's easy to say but very complicated to carry out.

Variable intake trumpets

Achieving that target can be improved by bringing fresh air inside the combustion chamber, and Ferrari has decided to optimise this area with variable geometry.

Although variable intake trumpets (PICTURED) were banned in 2014, they were allowed from last year, although Ferrari did not pursue that route initially.

Last year, Ferrari has its compressor and intercooler between the cylinder banks (SEE MAIN IMAGE) – but these are now set to be moved to make way for the variable intake trumpets. There will also be bigger air and water intercoolers than last year.

Temperature issues

Higher pressure inside the combustion chamber to create auto combustion will obviously result in higher operating temperatures – perhaps up to 1100 degrees Centigrade.

This is why cooling has become a big focus too – especially with there being a limit of five engines for the 21 grands prix scheduled to take place this year.

Closer partnerships

Well aware of how Mercedes has made good gains through its close relationship with Petronas, so too Ferrari is working in unison with its fuel supplier Shell, to deliver a product that fits in with the characteristics it wants.

With Magneti Marelli too, there has been revisions to the injectors to ramp up the pressure to 500 bar – and a new carbon fuel pump.

Ferrari is also eager to ensure that performance gains do not compromise reliability, with engine chief Mattia Binotto having utilised facilities at AVL Graz under the supervision of Wolf Zimmermann, a specialist who brought with him knowledge from Mercedes when he joined in 2014.

Work ongoing

It is clear Ferrari is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to deliver on the high targets being set by Marchionne. With still more than one month to go before the first test, its efforts are not easing off, but the proof of its work will only come when cars hit the track for the first time.

All eyes then will be on Barcelona.

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Sir Frank and Claire tell the story of Williams' F1 history

Sir Frank and Claire Williams tell the story of the history of the Williams team, from its first F1 season in 1978, through 16 world titles, to the current day Williams Martini Racing

MIKA: What a brilliant team Williams are! IMO, Williams are Formula 1, true pedigree racing team. A great example of winners, have gone through winning, losing and now climbing back up on the ladder. Never give up and you hardly ever hear complaints from them. I truly hope they win a few races this season.

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Hembery unconvinced by value of 2017 changes

Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery feels Formula 1 must focus more attention on the spectacle of Formula 1 as part of its planned regulation changes in 2017, rather than simply making the cars lap faster.

The FIA is pressing ahead with plans to introduce a raft of changes for the 2017 F1 season with the primary aim to make the cars quicker through a series of amendments to the aero and the Pirelli tyres, as well as design the cars to a 'more aggressive' blueprint.

Indeed, with F1's popularity dwindling on the back of a perceived lack of race excitement and the ongoing domination of the Mercedes team, the FIA and teams are hoping these measures will go some way to evoking the sport's heyday in terms of track action and appearance.

However, Hembery is unsure of the benefit of simply making the cars quicker – by up to five seconds it is hoped -, pointing out that the speed is relative when viewed on television anyway. Instead, he says the sport should be focused on ensuring more overtaking and more competitive racing

“You need to be pragmatic about these things,” he told Crash.net when asked whether he likes the 2017 proposals. “If you are in a circuit or watching on TV, you can't see the speed anyway. What you can see is overtaking and battles, and that is really what people need.

“I don't think people will watch the sport more because we are lapping five seconds quicker, what they will watch more are the images. If you go to a football match, you don't need John Motson telling you that Lionel Messi is doing something amazing on the pitch, you have the crowd with you - you are watching it and you understand what is going on. It is no different to a race. If you see an overtake, you don't need a commentator to tell you about it.

“Turn the volume down on the television and those are the images you see. We know that people go to bars and watch football and the volume is turned down, so what you are watching on screen is what compels you to decide if it is exciting or not. Lap times themselves, you don't understand that on a screen.”

It was hoped changes to the specification of the tyres would see much of that five second gain come from Pirelli's adjustments, though Hembery says it cannot do so without a compromise with pressures and grip.

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Alonso's tough 2015 with McLaren a big lesson as F1 rookie - Sainz

Carlos Sainz Jr says fellow Spaniard and double world champion Fernando Alonso was a good role model for him during his rookie Formula 1 season.

Sainz finished 15th in the drivers' standings, scoring points on seven occasions but having his season compromised by seven retirements.

Alonso had a tougher 2015, scoring points just twice as the reformation of the McLaren-Honda alliance encountered a series of setbacks.

Sainz said watching the way Alonso dealt with his season proved to be a useful learning experience.

Sainz told Autosport: "He's a very good role model.

"He's now going though a tough moment in his career so it is interesting to see how he reacts, how he still switches on and how he deals with all these things.

"It's interesting to see, to observe, to learn. Last year was all about learning.

"Fernando doesn't need to advise me because I always look and observe him.

"He hasn't come to me and said, 'maybe try this or think about doing that'.

"Just by speaking to him in the drivers parade, as you see me always, or around in the paddock. I can learn from him.

"It's been a bit like a mirror, where to see yourself."

Sainz said it was disappointing not have scored as many points as he could have because of unreliability but his bosses are aware of his potential.

"It's not nice to see you don't have all the points you deserve on the table," he said.

"But in the end, the people's view that I care about - Red Bull and Toro Rosso - they know all the points I could have now, they have done the calculation.

"I think more than one would be surprised to see the amount of points i could have in my bag without the reliability issues.

"From the calculations I have seen, I could have been a lot higher up, but you never know.

"At the end, you have to take it. This is sport, sometimes you don't just depend on yourself.

"Hopefully in 2016, all this will be solved and we can go for it properly."

[ArtVandalay]

I hope to be able to watch a few more races this year. I used to be huge in to F1 but that was when Schumacher and Hakkinen were battling it out. Those were some great races....

[MIKA27]

I hope to be able to watch a few more races this year. I used to be huge in to F1 but that was when Schumacher and Hakkinen were battling it out. Those were some great races....

Mika vs Michael were the greatest battles and I miss that era immensely

[ArtVandalay]

Mika vs Michael were the greatest battles and I miss that era immensely

I started losing interest after Austria 2002. Shameful

[MIKA27]

I started losing interest after Austria 2002. Shameful

Team orders to Barrichello from Ferrari..?