Formula One 2015

[Lineker]

Esteban Gutierrez has finally been confirmed as a Haas Formula 1 driver for the 2016 season.

Ferrari reserve Gutierrez's appointment has been one of the worst-kept secrets in F1, with the 24-year-old completing Haas's line-up alongside Romain Grosjean.

"I feel very, very happy to share this news that took quite a while to be able to share it, said Gutierrez, who was unveiled at the Soumaya Museum in Mexico City alongside team owner Gene Haas, team principal Guenther Steiner, and Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Jr, a personal sponsor.

"I feel very grateful to Gene, who has faith in my potential as a driver and who feels I can contribute, and I feel we can achieve great things.

"The work we are doing with Haas, Ferrari and Maurizio [Arrivabene, team principal] is giving me an opportunity to be a part of the Ferrari family,

"For me, every weekend has become longer because I have become more and more anxious to get in the car.

"I am anxious to return to racing, but this has been one of the most important years of my career, and I am convinced we will have and share huge successes together."

The 2010 GP3 champion competed in GP2 for two seasons, finishing third in 2012, before being taken on by Sauber in 2013.

The campaign proved to be a steep learning curve for Gutierrez as he managed just one points finish, scoring just six points in total compared to the 51 of team-mate Nico Hulkenberg.

Last season proved to be the worst in Sauber's history, with neither Gutierrez nor team-mate Adrian Sutil collecting a point and both dropped at the end of the year.

Gutierrez at least secured his role with Ferrari, a link that helped him return to a race seat with Haas, which will use the Scuderia's power unit and other components from next year.

Haas said: "We looked very diligently at filling the seat, and the person we chose comes highly recommended by Ferrari.

"He has of history of racing in F1 in 2013 and '14 and is currently on the reserve Ferrari list so we we feel he has the potential to add to our team."

Steiner, meanwhile, is confident Gutierrez will help make Haas competitive from the off.

"This team started from zero, nothing, but they are making very good progress, on plan, and we will be there for the first test," said Steiner.

"Everything is going well, we have daily problems, but we have a lot of good people working for us and the technical partnership with Ferrari is working well

"Esteban has experience from Sauber, and then he went to Ferrari and learned even more.

"With Esteban and Romain we will be competitive in the first year, as good as we can be."

Formula 1 is set to run a 12-hour one-day test following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after the plan was backed by teams at a meeting of the sporting directors.

The Italian manufacturer has long been keen to finalise the details of the test, which will take place on Tuesday 1 December, to gather data on its new fifth super-super soft compound.

It is understood Pirelli has presented its run plans to the teams, who met in Mexico on Thursday, and as is the case with tyre-specific tests, it will pick up the cost of the circuit hire and the tyres.

The test is open to all teams with Pirelli requesting they run at least one race driver each as they will have the most experience of the current tyres which will enhance the feedback on the new compound.

Pirelli is asking fans to vote on social media for their choice of colour for the new compound between purple and silver and it is understood the former is currently the frontrunner.

It also understood that the two-day wet-weather test, which has received the backing of the teams, has been pencilled in for 25-26 January.

Verstappen topped FP1, which is surprising as the Renault-powered cars were predicted to struggle in Mexico. FP2 was topped by Rosberg, ahead of the two Red Bull's.

[Lineker]

 

[Lineker]

Technical chief Bob Bell has followed John Booth and Graeme Lowdon in tendering his resignation from the Manor Formula 1 team.

It emerged on Friday team principal Booth and sporting director Lowdon had opted to quit following a difference of opinion over the future direction of the team with owner Stephen Fitzpatrick.

Now technical consultant Bell has also chosen to depart just five months following his appointment on June 1.

While Booth and Lowdon are to remain in place until the end of the season, Bell departed a week ago.

The exodus does not end with the leading trio as a number of other key personnel behind the scenes have also chosen to resign.

Bell, the former Renault and Mercedes technical boss, had played a key role in helping Manor acquire an engine from next season from the latter.

Although Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff confirmed the situation at Manor did not affect the supply deal, he stated he would be looking on with interest given the relationship he had built up with Lowdon, and Booth in particular.

Wolff said: "Obviously when I spoke about racers, John and Graeme were very much meant by that, plus of course the rest of the team.

"It's a bunch of real fighters that have shown stamina in keeping the team in the sport.

"I've known John forever, since the Formula Renault days of Lewis [Hamilton] and Formula 3 days.

"Manor means John Booth and John Booth means Manor, and Graeme was very instrumental in keeping the team alive last year.

"So seeing them go, from a personal standpoint and from the racing spirit, is obviously a blow.

"Going forward, we have signed the deal with Manor and I would say we need to give credit to everybody in the team who stays in the team, but we are curious spectators from now on."

[Lineker]

On 10/30/2015, 9:24:29, Lineker said:

50 place grid penalty for Jenson this weekend  

It's up to 70 now!

[Gazz]

Someone needs to do a timeline of F1 team rebrands. Like Mercedes was Brawn which was Honda which was BAR which was Tyrell

[Lineker]

There are some floating around somewhere on r/formula1

[Chris2K]

I love that sort of thing. I'll try and do a brief one from memory.

Ferrari are Ferrari.

McLaren are McLaren.

Williams are Williams

Red Bull are Jaguar who were Stewart

Mercedes are Brawn who were Honda who were BAR who were Tyrrell

Lotus are Renault who were Benetton who were Toleman.

The prospective Aston Martin are Force India who were Spyker who were Midland who were Jordan.

Toro Rosso were Minardi.

Manor are Manor.

Sauber are BMW who were Sauber.

 

[Katsuya]

Lewis is throwing his toys out of the pram because Nico beat him, saying that Mercedes are favouring Nico since Austin (well done, that's a whole week) and throwing back-handed compliments about his win.

And people wonder why he's not as popular as he should be...

[The Lusophone]

Lewis just comes across as a massive dickhead recently.

[Gazz]

I know he's driven to win but you'd think a bloke who has just won a third world title wouldn't be that arsed about finishing second in a race that is basically meaningless.

[Adam]

6 hours ago, Mad Jack said:

Lewis just comes across as a massive dickhead recently.

Recently? He's always been like this, since day one in the sport.

Let's be fair though, Rosberg doesn't exactly come across amazing either sometimes.

[JasonM]

47 minutes ago, Adam. said:

Recently? He's always been like this, since day one in the sport.

Let's be fair though, Rosberg doesn't exactly come across amazing either sometimes.

Apart from #Hatgate, Rosberg has been pretty classy under the fact that everybody regards him as the #2 driver. He's sucked up all the abuse and it's only really blown up once and that was in Austin.

Hamilton on the other hand has a hissy fit every single fucking time shit goes wrong for him and he's a massive fucking knobhead. He's talented as hell, but he's a childish unsportsmanlike kid that can't handle losing even if the race doesn't even matter.

Nico outraced him in Mexico, he controlled the race from start to finish and didn't do anything wrong. And instead of being a good teammate, Hamilton just throws more fuel onto the fire and claims that Merc is showing favouritism to Rosberg, which is about as far from the truth as it can be, since it's been obvious from the get go that Hamilton's the one that gets doted on by Niki and Toto.

Nico is in a no-win situation however you cut it. If he does good, it's because Lewis didn't give his best. If he does bad, it's because he's not as good as Lewis. If he makes a mistake he chokes under pressure, and if Lewis makes a mistake then it's clearly the fault of his teammate/team. However way you cut it, it's Nico's head around the noose and he's getting shit on regardless of what happens.

Hamilton's the kind of douchebag that can't stand it that his teammate gets a win every once in a while, even when that win matters nothing to Lewis and matters the world to Nico and his (then) crushed confidence.

For all the talent the guy has, he has time and again proven that he's a childish dickhead.

Making it even worse is the fact that he only acts like a massive twat is when Nico is winning. Whenever Seb got victories there wasn't an issue.

[Lineker]

Williams Formula 1 test driver Susie Wolff is to retire from motorsport at the end of the season.

Wolff became the first woman in 20 years to take part in a grand prix weekend when she drove in British Grand Prix first practice last year.

The Scot joined Williams as development driver in April 2012 and was promoted to the role of test driver for this season.

During her four years with the team, Wolff has taken part in four FP1 sessions as well as a number of test days.

"I am now closing this chapter but looking forward to new challenges in the future," said Wolff, who spent seven years racing in the DTM for Mercedes before switching focus to F1.

"I'd like to thank Williams for the opportunity they have given me over the last few years which has allowed me to achieve my dream of driving a Formula 1 car.

"It has been great to work with everyone at the team, both at Grove and trackside, and I'd like to thank everyone who has been part of my journey at Williams."

Wolff will make her final appearance as a racing driver in the Race of Champions, which takes place in London's Olympic Stadium on 20-21 November.

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams added: "It has been a pleasure to work with Susie over the years and see her develop as a driver within the team.

"Her feedback and knowledge of the car has been an important part our recent development and we will be sorry to see her go.

"We want to thank her for all her efforts and wish her the very best for her future endeavours.

"We will of course be supporting both Susie and Felipe [Massa] at the Race of Champions, and hope Susie has a great weekend to mark the last time we see her race."

[Lineker]

The Haas Formula 1 team would have signed McLaren reserve Kevin Magnussen as a fallback option had Romain Grosjean rejected a move from Lotus, team owner Gene Haas has revealed.

Haas recently announced that Grosjean and Ferrari reserve Esteban Gutierrez would race for the new American squad when it joins the F1 grid in 2016.

Magnussen finished 11th in the world championship for McLaren as a rookie in 2014, but has largely sat on the sidelines this season, having been demoted from a race seat to make way for the return of double world champion Fernando Alonso.

Magnussen, who deputised for the injured Alonso at this season's Australian Grand Prix, will leave McLaren at the end of this season, after the team elected to retain Jenson Button as a race driver for 2016 and not renew Magnussen's contract.

The Dane was determined to secure a return to a race seat in F1 for next season, and touted himself as a potential Haas driver in September, holding talks with Haas and team principal Gunther Steiner about joining the new Ferrari customer outfit.

Team owner Haas told the official Formula 1 website he would have taken Magnussen, if Grosjean had declined to swap Enstone for Charlotte.

"We talked to Magnussen, who was a very good candidate," Haas said. "He was very well respected by the McLaren team.

"In fact, if Romain had declined we would have taken Magnussen as the primary seat."

Once the Haas option came to nought, Magnussen hoped to replace Grosjean at Lotus, which is set to become the Renault works outfit in 2016, once a planned takeover of the team by the French manufacturer is finalised, but that seat has now gone to 2014 GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer.

Magnussen is now exploring options outside of F1, and is due to test for the Porsche World Endurance LMP1 squad later this month. 

[Lineker]

 

[Lineker]

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Red Bull and Renault are poised to continue their Formula 1 partnership into 2016, providing the former's owner Dietrich Mateschitz gives the green light, Autosport understands.

When Red Bull informed Renault it wanted to terminate its contract a year early, it believed it had secured a Mercedes supply for next season following high-level talks.

But the German manufacturer ultimately decided it did not want to enter into an agreement with Red Bull, and subsequent talks with Ferrari and then Honda came to nothing - the latter "very keen" but blocked by McLaren Group CEO Ron Dennis.

With alternatives exhausted, Red Bull sought new talks with Renault, which at no stage voided its side of the long-standing arrangement.

Autosport now understands the two companies are close to renewing the partnership, at least for 2016, potentially for longer, but with financial implications for Red Bull.

Renault-affiliated sponsors Infiniti and Total will remain on the RB12 next year, but then disappear from 2017 onwards.

Its deals with Infiniti and Total have given Red Bull more than double the amount in sponsorship than it has been paying for the Renault engine supply.

Under the terms of any new agreement there will be significantly reduced funds from the two big sponsors for 2016, increasing what Red Bull itself must pay Renault.

That additional revenue for Renault will, in part, help fund its works team revival, with its deal for a majority stake in Lotus set for completion around the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix later this month.

It will also have more money to invest in its engine development programme as it chases Mercedes and Ferrari.

Any engine performance gains will also naturally aid Red Bull, with the Milton Keynes-based marque scheduled to play its part by running Renault's updated engine from this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix.

As reported by Autosport last month, Renault used 11 of its season's 12 engine development tokens on the upgrade, but Red Bull preferred to avert the necessary grid penalty to Interlagos as Austin and Mexico City suited its car better.

One factor yet to be determined is whether the engines will be Renault-badged, unbranded or carry an entirely different name.

It is believed Renault would be happy for Red Bull to rebrand its engine as that would allow a clear marketing focus on the works team.

As one source noted: "[The rebranding] could be something exotic, it could be nothing, or one of those marketing things Red Bull is very good at.

"Because they have the Energy Station they could call it the Energy power unit, something leftfield."

Autosport understands the new contracts have already been exchanged, but another source added: "No decision has been made because it is Mateschitz who needs to make the call.

"The big boss hasn't decided yet whether Red Bull stays in Formula 1 or not, that is still up in the air."

 

[Lineker]

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The future of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Austin is in doubt after the Texas state government significantly cut its annual contribution to the Circuit of the Americas.

It is understood the state committed to providing a subsidy of $250million over the course of 10 years, based on the economic impact of F1 to the region.

Approximately $25million was awarded after each of the 2012, '13 and '14 races, while it is believed the local government contributed around $4million per year on top of that from sales tax receipts.

However, sources say the annual payment will drop to between $18-19.5million, after the state changed the formulas used for measuring economic impact.

Following an audit of how subsidies are calculated, the state concluded F1 is worth 20 per cent less to Texas than previously believed and therefore cut the funding.

It is understood the local government contribution will also be cut.

This follows losses suffered by the circuit caused by severe wet weather during this year's fourth running of the grand prix, which had an impact on concession and ticket sales while there have also been requests for refunds.

The collective drop in income comes against a backdrop of a race-hosting sanction fee that was reportedly $25million for the first race, before increasing by 10 per cent cumulatively a year to around $33.3million in 2015.

The state payment comes from the Texas Event Trust Fund, an economic development programme that pays selected organisers a portion of sales generated by spectators travelling from outside of the state.

F1 receives substantially more than other sports, largely because of the amount of fans it attracts from outside Texas.

It received $25million from the fund in 2014, compared to $1million for the NASCAR Sprint Cup event in Fort Worth and $1.5million for the ESPN X Games in Austin.

I hope this is not the case  

[Rich]

"I know how we can justify not paying as much money, let's just change the calculation" <_<

[Lineker]

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A group led by American businessman Tavo Hellmund is evaluating a takeover of the Manor Formula 1 team.

Hellmund, one of the architects behind F1's return to the United States and Mexico in recent years, is believed to be leading an investor group seeking to secure a controlling interest in the back-of-the-grid marque.

Manor, however, is currently in turmoil following a swathe of recent resignations of leading personnel, including team principal John Booth and sporting director Graeme Lowdon.

Hellmund still feels a deal can be done with current owner Stephen Fitzpatrick, who was instrumental in saving the then Marussia team from administration earlier this year.

As far as Hellmund is concerned, though, the clock is ticking, as he told the Austin American-Statesman newspaper: "I think if we get to late January or February, it may be too late, and my partners and I would probably lose interest."

Hellmund has laid down conditions that the power unit deal with Mercedes from next year remains in place, and the team's financial position is vetted and confirmed.

Hellmund, Mexico 2015

The 49-year-old is convinced the team could be run sensibly, despite complaints from others on the grid regarding the financial difficulties of competing in F1.

"It would never be our goal to compete with the manufacturer teams," added Hellmund.

"We're never going to spend $400 million a year like Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren, but we think you can run it respectably and not be in the red. I think you can fight for fifth."

Hellmund already has designs on his driver line-up, and would love NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr to be the lead, although appreciates current Manor driver Alexander Rossi is a more realistic choice, saying the American "has the resume".

 

[Lineker]

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Circuit of the Americas chairman Bobby Epstein admits the Austin Formula 1 race's future "is not looking good" after a funding cut for the United States Grand Prix.

Since its GP debut in 2012, the Austin track has received $25million per year from the Texas state government based on the economic value of F1 to the region.

But following the arrival of a new governor earlier this year, the formula used to calculate the economic impact has changed and an audit of how the fund distributed was carried out.

As a result, the state feels F1 is worth 20 per cent less to Texas than previously believed and has therefore cut the funding to $19.5million.

This has hit COTA hard, especially considering falling attendances since 2012, an annual rise in the race-hosting fee and losses at this year's event because of bad weather.

Epstein told Autosport: "I'm concerned about the future.

"We did not know they would change how they calculated the funding. We just received a letter that they were going to do that.

"To cover the loss of funding, we have to sell another 30,000 tickets.

"But if we could have sold another 30,000 this year we would have. We didn't stop selling.

"So I don't think we're going to make our way out of it by selling more tickets.

"It's not looking good."

When asked what plans were currently in place to try and resolve the situation, Epstein said: "I'm not sure we have the answer right now.

"I have talked to Bernie [Ecclestone]. He has always been a very good business partner for us.

"I think he appreciates what we have created here, in trying to give F1 a suitable home in the US, and the fans are responding well and I want to see it continue."