Formula One 2016

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Kimi will always be #1 in my heart. 

@Meacon you just can't beat the Iceman!

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Formula 1 will not pursue the revival of mid-race refuelling further at this time following meetings in Geneva this week, Autosport understands.

FIA president Jean Todt said the subject was back on the agenda when speaking at the Autosport International show last week.

But after a meeting of the Strategy Group followed by the F1 Commission, it is believed the general feeling was the return of refuelling would clash with plans to control costs.

Refuelling's return was last mooted in May 2015 as part of plans to improve the show in '17. While it had the support of drivers, the idea was quashed by teams and dropped.

When the subject re-emerged this month, Todt dismissed the notion that refuelling would raise costs, suggesting a figure of €50,000 a year per team.

But speaking before the meetings in Geneva, Williams technical director Pat Symonds believed the cost would be significantly higher than that figure.

"One needs to be careful with disinformation," he told Autosport. "Refuelling is an expensive thing to do as well as its effect on racing.

"Jean Todt said it cost €50,000 a year. He's an order of magnitude out. That's worrying.

"Freight costs for shipping equipment is £175,000 and it's probably £200,000-250,000 to buy and service the kit in the first year and ongoing cost of servicing it.

"There is also one dedicated salaried person for looking after it so the costs are very significant."

Symonds believes any return of refuelling would have a negative impact on the racing.

"At the moment, we can determine a strategy before the race and then we take a more tactical view when we get in the race," he said.

"We determine the pitstops based on what tyres are doing, which won't necessarily be what we predicted, and then we have to assess what our competitors are doing.

"If you are refuelling, you put enough fuel to reach lap 24 and you go to lap 24. If you stop earlier, the penalty is too high.

"When you think back to when we got rid of refuelling, we saw better racing. It's a retrograde step."

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams echoed Symonds's views on the subject.

"I'm quite surprised, because it's been on the agenda before and it hasn't been an agenda item we have agreed on," she said.

"But I understand we have to keep having these conversations if we are to look at what is going to improve our sport.

"It's not something Williams wants to see back in the sport from a cost effect if nothing else.

"My personal opinion is that the manufacturers have just spent 100s of millions on hybrid power units which are more relevant to the road industry.

"So to bring back refuelling and make F1 appear as a gas-guzzling sport just completely steps on that message. I'm very anti it."

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Kevin Magnussen is set to replace Pastor Maldonado at Renault's new Formula 1 works team for the 2016 season, Autosport has learned.

Sources have confirmed Magnussen is poised to sign a deal over the next few days, before being officially confirmed at Renault's launch in Paris next Wednesday.

Autosport understands the move follows a disagreement between the French car manufacturer and Maldonado's long-time sponsor PDVSA, Venezuela's state-owned oil and gas company, that has led to the contract being dissolved.

It is believed a very small window of opportunity still exists for the two parties to return to the negotiating table, sign a new deal, and for Maldonado to retain his seat.

But with such a move highly unlikely, Renault has turned to Magnussen.

The 23-year-old is now on the brink of returning to F1 four months after being informed by McLaren, on his birthday, he was no longer required as reserve driver.

Maldonado will almost certainly end up out of F1 after five seasons, three with Williams and then two with the Lotus team that Renault has acquired.

There are still two seats available at Manor, where Magnussen was apparently one of a handful of drivers in the frame, as the team has yet to announce its line-up.

A Manor move for Maldonado now would require late negotiation work with PDVSA, if it remains his backer.

While the $46million in sponsorship would naturally be welcome to a team such as Manor, the political and economic instability in Venezuela - the latter on the back of plunging oil prices - may make PDVSA wary of returning to F1.

The about-turn on Maldonado comes despite the fact Lotus confirmed he would stay on for a third year at last September's Singapore Grand Prix.

At the time Lotus was in the middle of talks with Renault regarding the takeover deal.

After some deliberation, Renault eventually decided it was happy for Maldonado to retain his seat and for PDVSA to provide sponsorship.

But as time progressed and Renault took stock of its situation, it and PDVSA became involved in a dispute over funding.

It resulted in talks taking place between officials from both sides in Venezuela a fortnight ago, but with no common ground, PDVSA has this week opted to bring matters to an end.

As a contingency, Renault held discussions with Magnussen that are now reaching a conclusion.

Magnussen, who had a full season with McLaren in 2014 before being demoted to reserve as the team opted for Jenson Button to retain his seat alongside new arrival Fernando Alonso, will partner Jolyon Palmer at Renault.

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Circuit of the Americas chairman Bobby Epstein is to confirm by the end of February whether this year's United States Grand Prix Formula 1 race at Austin will go ahead.

Epstein conceded in November to being concerned about the future of the race after the Texas state government announced a significant cut in its contribution towards COTA's hosting fee.

That prompted Epstein to remark just over two months ago the future of the race was "not looking good".

Earlier this week F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone expressed certainty the October 21-23 event - currently on the calendar as provisional - would go ahead.

Asked about Ecclestone's remarks, Epstein told Autosport: "I share his optimism on it.

"We all want it to happen, and usually when that's the case, things get done.

"I certainly can't confirm anything at this point, but for sure there will be something within the next 30 days.

"We'll have an answer definitely before the end of February."

The state originally promised $25million per annum of funding over the 10 years of the contract prior to the race's debut in 2012.

That has now dropped to around $19.5million after a different formula was applied to calculate the GP's economic impact on the area.

With ticket sales slowly declining, and last year's event severely hit by the storms that significantly affected the overall attendance, the funding cut was another blow to the GP's long-term viability.

"We're proud of what we've accomplished here," Epstein added.

"Time has gone by pretty quickly, with this our fifth anniversary year, and no one wants to miss it."

[Chris2K]

If Magnussen and Palmer end up driving for Renault will they be the first driver pairing comprising of two second generation F1 drivers? I may be missing someone but the closest I can think of is Verstappen/Sainz F1/WRC duo.

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Kevin Magnussen will officially be unveiled as a Renault driver on Wednesday ahead of the new Formula 1 season, replacing Pastor Maldonado, Autosport can confirm.

Autosport revealed last week Magnussen was set to usurp Maldonado, pending the completion of negotiations and signing of a contract.

Maldonado confirms he has lost his seat

Sources have confirmed the 23-year-old Dane has now put pen to paper on a deal for the 2016 campaign in which he will partner Jolyon Palmer.

The two drivers will be presented when Renault launches its car in Paris on Wednesday, with ART chief Frederic Vasseur to also be named as racing director.

Magnussen's appointment brings him back into F1 four months after losing his McLaren reserve role when the team turned to Stoffel Vandoorne to support Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.

After five seasons in F1, Maldonado now finds himself without a drive following a dispute over payments and the way forward between long-time sponsor PDVSA, Venezuela's state-owned oil and gas company, and Renault.

Although Maldonado was confirmed as a driver for this season at last year's Singapore Grand Prix, that contract was linked to PDVSA's funding.

Maldonado's only hope of remaining in F1 for this season is with Manor as the team has yet to announce its 2016 driver line-up.

The clock is ticking with the first pre-season test at Barcelona's Catalunya circuit just three weeks away.

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Pastor Maldonado has confirmed he will not be competing in Formula 1 this year, having lost his Renault seat to Kevin Magnussen.

Autosport revealed earlier on Monday Magnussen had signed a deal for 2016 to replace Maldonado at the new Renault works team.

Now, via a statement, Maldonado has declared his immediate future is not in F1.

"As everyone knows, in recent days, there have been a number of rumours about my immediate future in Formula 1," he said.

"Today I most humbly inform you I will not be present on the starting grid for the 2016 F1 season."

"Thanks for all your messages of support, passion and concern for my future.

"I feel very honoured, with the support of all of you and proud of my professional performance.

"I thank God, my family, my sponsors, my friends, my fans and all who have helped me realise this great dream of being able to represent Venezuela in the pinnacle of motorsport.

"See you soon."

The statement brings to an end Maldonado's five-year career in F1, the first three with Williams, and the latter two with the Lotus team Renault has acquired.

The 30-year-old made 95 starts in F1, with the highlight being the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix victory with Williams.

Unfortunately for Maldonado, the Venezuelan earned a reputation as someone prone to being involved in incidents.

Maldonado was personally sponsored by PDVSA, his country's state-owned oil and gas giant, to the tune of $46million per annum.

PDVSA became involved in a dispute with Renault over payments, resulting in it opting to tear up the contract it had previously signed, leaving Maldonado without a seat.

Force India has signed Russian Formula Renault graduate Nikita Mazepin to a development role for the 2016 Formula 1 season. The 16-year-old joins Mexican Alfonso Celis on the team's development roster and will combine the position with a season in the Formula 3 European Championship with Hitech GP. Force India says Mazepin will have regular simulator sessions and attend various races over the course of the season. It described his role as "the beginning of a long-term association with the team".

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Esteban Ocon is set to be named as Renault's reserve driver for the 2016 Formula 1 season, Autosport can reveal. The 19-year-old Frenchman is to move into the reserve role at Renault behind Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer, according to sources. Providing negotiations have been concluded between both teams, Ocon will join Palmer and Magnussen at Renault's official launch at the French manufacturer's Technocentre in Guyancourt on Wednesday. Frederic Vasseur - who was Ocon's boss at the ART GP3 team - is to be officially announced as Renault racing director at the same event. Ocon joins Renault with pedigree as he captured the European Formula 3 title in 2014, and followed up with victory in last year's GP3 championship.

Long-time McLaren Formula 1 test driver and Mercedes DTM frontrunner Gary Paffett will join Williams as a simulator driver for 2016. Paffett, the 1999 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner and 2005 DTM champion, conducted extensive F1 testing with McLaren during a 13-year association with the team that ended in 2013. Although Mercedes has yet to announce its 2016 DTM line-up, Paffett is expected to stay on.

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Renault became the first Formula 1 team to launch its 2016 programme with an event at its Technocentre in Paris on Wednesday.

The French manufacturer is returning to F1 as a works entrant for the first time since 2011 after completing protracted negotiations to take over Lotus.

Renault Group CEO Carlos Ghosn said the team will be known as Renault Sport Formula 1 team as part of a rebrand of the outfit's motor racing activities.

"The team has been given the goal to be on the podium within three years," said Ghosn.

Jolyon Palmer and Kevin Magnussen were officially unveiled as the team's race drivers, with Esteban Ocon confirmed in the reserve role.

Magnussen was a late replacement for Pastor Maldonado after his sponsor PDVSA tore up the contract it had signed over a dispute with Renault.

ART Grand Prix boss Frederic Vasseur was named as racing director while Cyril Abiteboul is managing director and Bob Bell becomes chief technical officer.

The car, which will be called the RS16, was unveiled in a mainly black livery that it will use for testing, but the team hinted it may change by the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

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Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn concedes it will take the French manufacturer's works outfit two to three years to regularly challenge for a Formula 1 podium.

After months of protracted negotiations, Renault finally completed its takeover of Lotus in December, making a return as a fully fledged manufacturer for the first time since 2011.

On Wednesday, the team to be known as Renault Sport F1 became the first to launch its 2016 challenger in a black and yellow livery - which is expected to become significantly more yellow for Melbourne - at an unveil in Paris.

As Lotus, the team scored one shock podium in Belgium last term on its way to sixth in the constructors' championship but Renault's power unit, supplied to Red Bull and Toro Rosso, was woefully off the pace.

"We know it's going to be tough," said Ghosn. "We're competing against some top teams.

"It's going to take two or three years to be back in solid way for the podium.

"We are working a lot on the engine and we recognise we are starting with a handicap, compared particularly to the winner.

"But we think we have talent, willingness and experience in order to close the gap.

"We are not here to participate, we are here to compete at the highest level and eventually win.

"We want to get to the point where every time a race starts, Renault is a contender - that is our objective.

"It won't happen in 2016, that would be a miracle, but I'm counting on the team to make improvements to the engine, car, technology to come forward with a competitive car as soon as possible."

Explaining Renault's decision to return as a full works team, Ghosn said it came down to how Renault wanted to be viewed as a brand.

"We know very well, when a team wins it is the car and when loses it's engine - it is a well known thing," he said.

"It doesn't mean we have been perfect. It is one reason why we say, in order to get the best out of f1, we have to be a full works team."

 

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New Renault signing Kevin Magnussen says his Formula 1 career would have been over if he had not secured a race seat for this season.

The Dane raced for McLaren in 2014 but lost out to Jenson Button for a seat alongside Fernando Alonso at the team last season.

After a year as a McLaren reserve he parted ways with the team and then got a lifeline when the deal between Pastor Maldonado's sponsor PDVSA and Renault collapsed.

"Two years out would have been the end," said Magnussen when asked by Autosport if his F1 career could have withstood a second year on the sidelines.

"If you're world champion, you might be able to come back.

"But in my position, being out for two years would have been the end of my F1 career.

"This was make or break. Luckily, I made it."

Magnussen described the opportunity, racing alongside Jolyon Palmer, as a second chance he was keen to make the most of.

"This is a massive opportunity because not many drivers get a second chance," he said.

"I've been given a second chance and a very good chance with a top team.

"I can't tell you how happy I am. I'm looking forward to getting into the car."

Magnussen admitted he only signed the contract the day before Renault's launch, but initial talks had started as early as last year before accelerating last month.

"There was some contact with the [Renault] guys around the time they were getting serious about taking over Lotus but then it went quiet for a bit," he said.

"Then at the beginning of the year, we started having contact again.

"It's taken a while. I've waited for a long time. It's been a bit up and down but finally it is done."

The Dane, who will have his seat fitting on Friday, had alternatives in mind if he had lost out on an F1 seat.

He tested Porsche's LMP1 car and the Mercedes DTM contender over the winter.

"I had a few options, none of them were completely sure," he said.

"In some ways, it was nice to be able to try different racecars, which I wouldn't have been able to do.

"It was nice to try a DTM car, nice to try an LMP1 car but yeah I'm looking forward to being back in F1. That was always the goal."

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Renault is open to continuing its relationship with Red Bull beyond the 2016 Formula 1 season, according to managing director Cyril Abiteboul.

Last season Red Bull endured a fractious partnership with its power-unit supplier, opting to end the contract between them a year early.

Its hunt for another engine manufacturer than ran into a dead end, forcing a reunion with Renault - under TAG Heuer branding - for the final year of the existing deal.

Despite those issues, Abiteboul has not ruled out a new Red Bull/Renault contract being signed.

"We have announced a one-year contract, but it may go further," said Abiteboul at the launch of Renault's new works F1 team.

"We have always said we would continue to supply Red Bull, or anyone else, if it is in our strategic interest to do so.

"It is in our strategic interests to do so this year, and if it continues next year, why not?

"If we have good technology then I am pretty sure teams will be interested in what we have to offer, just like when we had the V8 that was extremely successful.

"Everyone wanted a Renault engine. Now it is very different.

"But if we can catch up then it will be the same again because we are extremely loyal in the way we deal with customer teams."

Abiteboul has also promised Red Bull it will be given full support and provided with the latest engine spec when available.

"If getting full support means getting the same engine as us, and the same upgrade as us, then yes, absolutely [that will happen]," he added.

"They will have exactly the same. We have an obligation from the regulations to supply exactly the same equipment.

"But there won't be any form of branding or marketing for obvious reasons."

Naturally, priority in some aspects will go to Renault's own team.

"You always need to manage the pool of engines, and we may be out of sync between whatever we are doing for the Renault team and the Red Bull team because of the introduction of the engine," said Abiteboul.

"But the philosophy of Renault, and the obligation from a regulation perspective, is to have one technical specification at the end of the day.

"If we have an upgrade, they will also have an upgrade.

"To be honest it's great we will have another team that will be using the same equipment as us."

Abiteboul has also reassured Red Bull it will not be left wanting for technical support either.

"There will be continuity at the track, with the same faces as you saw last year in the Red Bull garage," said Abiteboul.

"They will be dressed different, but their faces will be the same."

Autosport premium has randomly published a rather left-field article - What F1 could learn from WWE:

Spoiler

You are not about to read a list of suggestions that will include Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg settling their differences by seeing who can throw the other one through a table first, although given the fuss that was made over a thrown cap last year, perhaps that would be a ratings hit.

And this is not a call for Formula 1 to script races - the element that earns World Wrestling Entertainment the tag of being 'fake'. While 'professional wrestling' is certainly not a real sport, there is plenty Formula 1 could learn from what it does so well.

Unfortunately, the company's three letters are usually only dragged out when people want to make negative comparisons, with high-degradation Pirelli tyres and the double-points finale in 2014 two targets in F1's recent history.

But despite the pretence involved, the world of wrestling must accentuate the elements that make real sports so great. Sometimes, this is what is overlooked in genuinely competitive arenas.

Take rivalries, for example. Rivalry is one of the cornerstones of sporting intrigue. Football (soccer) wouldn't be the global phenomenon it is without the tribalistic nature of supporting a team, even more so when that team has a fierce rival. Success for your enemies can be as painful as defeat for your own team. Some would argue it goes too far, but to most it's just one of many crucial factors that makes football matter to them.

Grand Prix racing is no different. Ayrton Senna vs Alain Prost is its most infamous rivalry and put F1 at the forefront of the sporting world. James Hunt versus Niki Lauda did the same in very different circumstances in the 1970s, while Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill gave us another taste of it in the 1990s.

But since then, what have we had? Mika Hakkinen was too classy to get embroiled in all-out warfare with Schumacher, who had to wait until Fernando Alonso and Renault came along in 2005 before he again met his match on-track. Juan Pablo Montoya certainly had the fire in him to be a spectacular foe for Schumacher, but he rarely had the machinery at his disposal to do so.

All we've been left with in recent years are flashpoints. McLaren's scandalous 2007 season gave us a few months of controversy with Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, while Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber fell out on occasion during Red Bull's best years.

The tension between Hamilton and Rosberg at Mercedes has been obvious during the past two years, but it has rarely bubbled to the surface. And when it last happened, people went wild because caps were thrown.

Perhaps the reason those most recent rivalries have never been able to catch the imagination is because they've occurred inside a team, which has sponsors, owners or even board members to keep happy - the sorts of people who do not subscribe to the 'no such thing as bad publicity' school of thought.

So Vettel and Webber had to pose for that cringeworthy shoulder-shrugging picture after they collided in Turkey in 2010 and Hamilton and Rosberg can only drop the odd coded barb about each other.

But why? Surely two of the fastest men in fiery combat would be perfect for Red Bull, which portrays itself as edgy and cool, to gain exposure and pull in more fans. This worked very well for Marlboro during the Senna/Prost years.

And is anyone going to decide against buying a Mercedes road car because Hamilton and Rosberg aren't best buddies? Does that reflect badly on the products of title sponsor Petronas? Surely a technology company like BlackBerry could do with F1 having an edgier human element to attract more attention?

In that 'fake' sport of wrestling, when a rivalry gets 'hot' everyone makes more money. Hulk Hogan vs Andre The Giant, Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels (a feud that certainly wasn't fake, Google their names and 'Montreal 1997' if you're interested in a scandal), The Rock vs Steve Austin, or John Cena vs CM Punk were all cash cows for WWE. Ratings went up, as did pay-per-view buy-rates and so did a revenue stream too often overlooked by F1: merchandise sales.

F1 must not manufacture controversy, but the fact an entertainment business loosely based on sport successful builds its popularity on rivalries is all the evidence you need. F1 is wrong to be afraid of controversy.

As for there being no such thing as bad publicity, Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff even hinted at coming round to such a conclusion late last year, so perhaps all is not lost.

"I've changed my opinion of Formula 1," Wolff told our chief F1 correspondent Ian Parkes in December, when addressing "laughable" speculation that he had fallen out with Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda.

"The controversy off-track, some of the stuff you read in the newspapers is still causing headlines, so maybe that is a necessary part of Formula 1."

Wolff wasn't talking about driver rivalries here, but he had plenty to say on that subject around the same time, issuing some very firm warnings to his drivers ahead of what is likely to be their third consecutive season of fighting each other at the front.

And, what do you know? That generated huge interest and was a welcome off-season story in the weeks that followed the 2015 finale. Mercedes dominated the headlines, pictures of its cars and logo-clad drivers were everywhere, and the stories contained reminders of just how dominant the team was for a second consecutive season. Huge exposure without even turning a wheel.

So if controversy "creates headlines", why not loosen the shackles on Hamilton and Rosberg?

Mercedes sometimes takes a bashing for its dominance making F1 boring over the last two years, and Autosport's traffic numbers show that stories about the Silver Arrows during the season are rarely as popular as the other major teams. But the numbers explode if people get a sniff of Hamilton and Rosberg falling out. So how about taking a little longer before setting off the fire extinguishers?

And WWE has achieved plenty of other things 'off-track' that F1 would do well to follow, notably getting itself on the New York Stock Exchange in late-1999. F1's attempts to achieve something similar have so far come to naught.

WWE also jumped on the social media bandwagon long before F1, although the latter's efforts, particularly in the last 12 months, to overcome Bernie Ecclestone's indifference towards the platform, should be applauded. But the numbers tell their own story: @WWE has 5.9million followers on Twitter to @F1's 1.7m. WWE has an eye-watering 29.4m Facebook followers. Now try to find an official F1 page on Facebook...

On YouTube, WWE boasts 9.3m subscribers, and in December 2015 it was the second-most viewed channel worldwide on the site - only behind Justin Bieber. Latecomer F1, meanwhile, has 123,500 subscribers, and is still working out how best to exploit YouTube while trying to protect the rights it charges broadcasters a fortune for. More lessons to be learned there, then.

In 2014, WWE launched its own Netflix-style online video streaming service, called the WWE Network, charging subscribers a monthly fee ($9.99 or £9.99 in the US and UK, for example) for access to full broadcasts/documentaries from a huge archive. On top of that, there are exclusive new programmes, and its monthly mega-shows that were previously only available on pay-per-view at much higher prices.

It still has other high-profile weekly shows broadcast on conventional TV to bring in rights money and advertising revenue, with short highlights clips, additional footage/interviews and 'Top 10 moments'-style rundowns all appearing on YouTube very soon after those programmes finish. So it avoids the trap of completely fencing itself off only on premium subscriber-only channels.

For F1 to copy that model it would need a format change, with certain events/sessions (or possibly a qualifying race?) available on conventional TV to keep attracting new fans. Then the main event, plus exclusive new programming and the extensive archive material that we know is housed by Formula One Management, is reserved for those paying for the premium service.

When numbers were last divulged in late-2015, WWE network had attracted nearly 2.5million subscribers during its first 18 months, with 1.2million of those still active at the end of September.

A similar kind of idea has been pitched to Ecclestone for F1, as McLaren racing director Eric Boullier told F1 Racing in the summer when the results of the fan survey it carried out in association with Autosport and Motorsport News were revealed.

"If you gave everyone in the world access to everything to do with Formula 1 for $5 a month, I'm sure more than 200million people will pay and that would give you a $1billion revenue every month," said Boullier. "I've told Bernie Ecclestone this and I've said you have to move the business from what we currently have."

Whatever your take on Boullier's estimated figure of 200million likely subscribers to such a service, the point he's making is great. The days of sports rights being worth millions to TV companies are surely numbered, so F1's business model in that area - somewhere it was a pioneer in the 1980s - needs to move with the times. Playing catch-up on social media is one thing, but missing whatever the next big cash cow is in broadcasting could prove financially disastrous.

On the subject of paying for 'internet' coverage of F1, 56.6 per cent of the near-35,000 respondents to our fan survey in the summer expressed a willingness to pay for the ability to download or stream races to a phone, tablet or computer. Perhaps many would view Boullier's suggestion as a lesser evil than paying megabucks for conventional TV packages.

MotoGP already boasts such a package, although details of how successful its 'Video Pass' service - which includes live race weekend coverage, press conferences, interviews, video footage from testing and a classic race archive dating back to 1992 - are hard to find.

In fact, if you search for information on the service, the main thing you will find is complaints about the price: €199, or just over £150 for a full season. Should F1 eventually follow a similar model, perhaps Boullier's idea to set the price low to get more people signed up would be a good starting point.

This is not just about pointing out what F1 does wrong and WWE does right, though. In fact, one of the biggest lessons F1 could learn right now comes from something the wrestling world's chiefs have got wrong in recent years.

Since wrestling was proven, once and for all, to be 'fake' thanks to a series of expose documentaries and reports shortly before the turn of the century, WWE has gradually adapted to the fact its fans are in the know. Once it had 'pulled back the curtain' to give fans a glimpse of what really went on, it went very honest, admitting that the majority of its major decisions would be made based on what the fans want. However, over time this has made the most hardcore of fans turn on WWE whenever it's not giving them what they want - ie not having the 'right' people winning matches or titles.

The nadir came in March 2014 when social media campaigns to 'hijack' programmes gained momentum, forcing WWE to effectively change its plans over a matter of weeks to appease its fanbase. But rewriting scripts is not a weapon F1 has at its disposal.

So when Bernie Ecclestone poses for a picture at the launch of the GPDA's own fan survey in Monaco, then months later declares "we should ask the fans what they want", you could understand if even F1's diehards will eventually feel like hijacking, or even worse, boycotting grands prix to express their dissatisfaction. Given the likelihood of the much-hyped 2017 rule changes ending up a disappointment, such a moment could be closer than most would like.

The lesson? Don't tell fans it's all about giving them what they want unless you really mean it.

Spoiler-tagged for length. Interesting read, though.

[Rich]

On 30/01/2016 at 18:53, Chris2K said:

If Magnussen and Palmer end up driving for Renault will they be the first driver pairing comprising of two second generation F1 drivers? I may be missing someone but the closest I can think of is Verstappen/Sainz F1/WRC duo.

absolutely not

 

Hill and Villeneuve 1996 Williams

Nakajima and Rosberg 2008/9 Williams

 

[JasonM]

The TL;DR of that spoilered wwe/F1 article, "Don't tell fans it's all about giving them what they want unless you really mean it. "

Also, I don't see Red Bull continuing their partnership with Renault beyond 2016 unless they have literally no other choice. It would firmly put them behind RF1 in competitiveness and it'd mean the end of them competing for top spots, because it's simply not possible to actively compete if you have a B-Spec engine... The only one that's managed to come close is/was Williams F1, but they only succeed because the car is made for pure speed, and any technical circuit will have them suck balls (see Monaco)

I still see Red Bull either trying to take away A-spec status from McLaren by doing a shady deal with Honda that would fuck over Boullier and Co.
Or they're gonna act on the rumours and try to hash out a deal with the VAG or BMW to firmly get back as a pseudo-works team.
 

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Former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo says the latest news about the health of seven-time Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher "is not good".

It is more than two years since Schumacher sustained severe brain injuries following a skiing accident in the French Alps.

"I have news and unfortunately it is not good," Montezemolo told reporters but did not elaborate.

"Life is strange. He was a fantastic driver and only had one accident with Ferrari in 1999."

Last October, FIA president and close family friend Jean Todt said Schumacher "is still fighting".

The German spent a number of months in intensive care in Grenoble hospital before regaining consciousness.

He was then moved to a hospital closer to home in Lausanne before returning home in early September 2014.

Since then, there has been little information revealed about the 46-year-old and his recovery.

The last official statement from Schumacher's management came in September 2014 and said the German faces a "long and difficult road ahead".

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Formula 1's divisive engine development 'token' system is set to be dropped from 2017. IAN PARKES explains the implications

Mention the words 'tokens' and 'black and white boxes' to Formula 1 fans and to many a grey fog of bewilderment descends.

F1's controversial token system was introduced from the 2015 season as a way to police power unit development through to 2020, but it has emerged it is already on the way out.

It was intended to ensure manufacturers maintained a relatively tight rein on costs as unrestricted development could have resulted in a financial free-for-all.

HOW TOKENS WORKED

In short, the power unit is broken down into 42 parts, with each of those allocated a token 'weight' from one to three depending on importance, and with the entire system comprising 66 tokens.

For example, should a team choose to develop the oil pressure pumps it would have to use one of its available tokens, whereas to improve combustion - defined as ports, piston crown, combustion chamber, valves geometry, timing, lift, injector nozzle, coils and spark plugs - requires three.

Prior to 2015, certain parts that amounted to five tokens were 'frozen', allowing scope for development of all the remaining parts, totalling 61 tokens.

Again, to avoid unlimited improvements, for 2015 the teams were allowed to use a maximum of 32 tokens, equating to 48 per cent of the power unit.

Over time the initial rules stipulated the number of tokens each season would decrease, so for 2019 and 2020 just three tokens would be available, or just five per cent of the PU open to development.

As each area became 'frozen', so it was blacked out, hence the reference to the black and white boxes.

THE CONTROVERSIES

The token system has always been a sore point for the manufacturers, particularly when it became clear to Ferrari and Renault in 2014 that Mercedes was in a dominant position.

The two won a heavyweight fight with Mercedes early last year after successfully arguing to the FIA there was a loophole in the regulations that would allow them to develop in-season for 2015 only, rather than homologating a final specification for a February deadline.

Then in October last year the four manufacturers - with Honda now on board - agreed to allow in-season development for this year too, and with no decrease in the number of tokens rather than the planned drop from 32 to 25.

Behind the scenes talks over the token system have continued, and now it is to be abolished from 2017.

Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul said: "The token system is being removed.

"We have all agreed to do that because we all need the performance of the engine to converge.

"An F1 that is dictated by the performance of the engine is not good for anyone.

"You see it is not good for Mercedes, it is not good for Renault, Ferrari, so we are all interested to change that.

"To stop the public being confused between the penalty system, token system, we have decided to simply remove the token system."

How Honda would have loved to have returned to F1 last year without restrictions.

Given freedom to develop it is unlikely it would have encountered anywhere near the number of issues it did, and McLaren would have avoided racking up the penalties it acquired.

But as the newcomer its engine had to be homologated by the end of February, ensuring its hands were tied by the token system.

Any other manufacturer looking at F1 and thinking the new hybrid system was the way forward would have been severely deterred by what happened with Honda.

Now potential new entrants know they will not face the same difficulties as Honda as there will be scope to develop and quickly eradicate problems.

IS THIS THE RIGHT MOVE?

While engine performance could potentially converge, the opposite outcome is also possible and Mercedes could use its own freedom to develop to maintain its advantage.

At least Renault, Ferrari and Honda are being offered the freedom to play catch up, and they will no longer be able to cite the the token system's restrictions as a reason for failure.

And while the confusion is gone, the way is now paved for the manufacturers to spend at will on development at a time when cost cuts are meant to be made.

It is on the heads of those who lead the boards of the car-giant quartet, and at least their customers will not bear the costs of any extravagances.

That's thanks to the customer engine price limits introduced to stave off the 'independent engine' plan.

Still while the days of the unloved token system may be numbered, a potential arms race may be looming.

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[Lineker]

Renault's racing director Frederic Vasseur has said they were interested in Stoffel Vandoorne to fill the race seat vacated by Pastor Maldonado but McLaren refused to release him from his contract.

Maldonado's contract with Renault was ended following a dispute with PDVSA - Venezuela's state-owned oil and gas company and a long-time sponsor of the Lotus team acquired by Renault - over payments.

The Venezuelan's deal was linked to the funding PDVSA provided and was reportedly terminated following the non-payment  of the 2016 sponsorship fee.

Kevin Magnussen has since stepped into the breach to race alongside rookie Jolyon Palmer in 2016, although Belgian Vandoorne appears to have been Renault's first choice.

"We had to put a cross next to Stoffel [on our driver list]," Vasseur told DH. "He is under contract with McLaren and the team did not want to part ways.

"So we needed someone who was available and our choice was therefore focused on Kevin [Magnussen]."

[Lineker]

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Mercedes protege Pascal Wehrlein is to drive for Manor in the 2016 Formula 1 season, Autosport understands.

Reigning DTM champion Wehrlein has been linked with Manor for a number of months, but it is believed a deal has finally been struck that will bring the 21-year-old Mercedes reserve into F1, with confirmation of the move due shortly.

The young German is highly rated and already has a proven pedigree, winning the 2011 ADAC Formel Masters before finishing runner-up the following year in the Formula 3 Euro Series and fourth in the parallel European F3 championship.

In 2013 Wehrlein moved onto the DTM, becoming the youngest champion in the history of the series last year.

Since September 2014 Wehrlein has combined his DTM role with that of understudy to Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at Mercedes.

Now Wehrlein will get his opportunity to compete against the duo in a revamped Manor team, with its cars this year powered by Mercedes, and with a Williams transmission.

Wehrlein told German publication Auto Bild: "The discussions were led by Toto Wolff for me. He helps me a lot, for which I am very, very grateful."

The second seat remains up for grabs. Established Manor drivers Will Stevens, Alexander Rossi and GP2 race winner Rio Haryanto are all vying to now become Wehrlein's team-mate.

Wehrlein's F1 move will also allow Mercedes to finalise its 2016 DTM line-up.

While rivals Audi and BMW confirmed unchanged driver rosters before Christmas, Mercedes' situation was complicated by the uncertainty over Wehrlein's status.

His departure from the German series is likely to create an opening for Renault F1 reserve and GP3 champion Esteban Ocon.

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Manor Racing will have use of a Mercedes windtunnel as part of the deal that brings Pascal Wehrlein into the team for the 2016 Formula 1 season, Autosport understands.

Mercedes reserve Wehrlein has joined Manor on a one-year contract, believed to be worth around €5-6million to the back-of-the-grid team.

Although Manor is to run with this year's spec of Mercedes engine, Wehrlein's move is completely independent of the power unit supply contract.

Crucially for Manor, in terms of aerodynamic development over the course of this season, it will have access to Mercedes' 50 per cent windtunnel facility at Brackley.

Assessing his move, Wehrlein said: "Manor Racing is a great place for me to start my Formula 1 racing career - I'm very pleased to be here.

"It's a small and totally focused team and I soon hope to know everyone.

"Though it's my first F1 season my aim is to help Stephen [Fitzpatrick, owner] and the guys achieve their goals.

"It will be a tough challenge, but I think we should be able to challenge for points along the way. It's going to be good fun.

"A word for my racing family at Mercedes-Benz, and particularly for Toto [Wolff], who have guided my career this far and made this opportunity possible.

"Thanks for the incredible support to help me achieve my dream; now it's down to me to grab the moment and perform on track."

The 21-year-old German, who last season became the youngest champion in the history of the DTM, will race with the number 94 he used to claim that title.

He will also retain his reserve role with Mercedes.

Wehrlein was named as understudy to Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in September 2014, and has enjoyed a number of outings in the car.

It is understood Mercedes can recall Wehrlein should injury or illness preclude Hamilton or Rosberg from driving over the course of a grand prix weekend, but not in last-minute circumstances to avoid impacting on Manor.

To that end Esteban Ocon, named as reserve with Renault last week and set to take up Wehrlein's Mercedes seat in the DTM, will also continue with the German marque after he was handed a role with the F1 team last November.

Looking ahead to the season with Wehrlein, Fitzpatrick said: "Pascal is a sharp driver with a very promising future. Manor Racing is excited to have him aboard.

"We're a small team up for a big challenge this season, so we've chosen a driver with the talent and hunger to match our own on-track ambitions.

"Pascal has impressed in testing for Mercedes and Force India, together with commanding performances in DTM, culminating in the championship win last year.

"Manor Racing is perfectly placed to help Pascal make a big impact in his first season. We're looking forward to it."

[JasonM]

Wehrlein in one seat, and potentially Rossi in the other, that would make for a very awesome field without any really standout 'bad' drivers. Sure, a few average ones, namely Palmer and the two in the Sauber's, but it's still a very good roster of drivers, either young and talented, or older and skilled.

[Rich]

I want Will Stevens back!

[JasonM]

3 minutes ago, Rich said:

I want Will Stevens back!

I'd rather see Max Chilton back on the grid before ever wanting to see Stevens drive a F1 car again.

[Rich]

Just now, Jasonmufc said:

I'd rather see Max Chilton back on the grid before ever wanting to see Stevens drive a F1 car again.

I hope Verstappen's foot falls off!  

[JasonM]

1 hour ago, Rich said:

I hope Verstappen's foot falls off!  

He'll still be quicker than Even Stevens