EddieG Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 Apparently Sainz has slipped in an interview that Toro Rosso are running Ferraris next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonM Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 27 minutes ago, EddieG said: Apparently Sainz has slipped in an interview that Toro Rosso are running Ferraris next season. Toro Rosso-Ferrari would be amazing, those cars were pretty fast the first time around, knowing how good the chassis/aero is, it might get them a podium next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katsuya Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 Incredibly risky in a way for Red Bull though: if the main team sticks with Renault and the engine doesn't improve, then they face being embarassed by Toro Rosso like in 2008. EDIT: Also won't calm down the Verstappen to Ferrari rumours for 2017. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted November 27, 2015 Author Admin Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 Wonder if it is 2015 spec, as the rumours have said for a while now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benji Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 I haven't paid attention to F1 in a decade plus, maybe even two, and just checked it out on Wiki and now there's only like ten teams and three of them are Ferrari. Wtf? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted November 27, 2015 Author Admin Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 You mean Ferrari-powered. What do you want to know? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benji Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 What's the difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katsuya Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 Just now, Benji said: What's the difference? Ferrari engines in the cars, but each car is designed differently (or meant to be, at least) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benji Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 That seems really weird, why don't they have their own engines? Or was it always that way and I just never knew? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted November 27, 2015 Author Admin Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 That was and you never knew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benji Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 So why do they all now have the name stamped on the teams but didn't before? Just some licensing agreement or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katsuya Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 They tended to give the same engine different names too. Supertec provided Benneton and Williams with engines in 1999, but the Benneton engine was called "Playlife" for example. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted November 27, 2015 Author Admin Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 It's just the full constructor name. So Force India-Mercedes is the full constructor name but they are only known as Force India. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benji Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 Ohhh, I think that explains why years ago I got confused when it seemed like one team had split into two. I didn't realise they were two seperate teams but probably just using the same engine. Makes sense now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katsuya Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 The only exemption to this is that Red Bull and Toro Rosso are both owned by Red Bull, and Toro Rosso is meant to be the "B team" for Red Bull (but sometimes beat them). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted November 27, 2015 Author Admin Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 Mercedes has taken up the option on Esteban Ocon's contract and made him a part of its Formula 1 team, although his exact role has yet to be defined. Ocon, the 2014 European Formula 3 champion, had been a part of Mercedes' driver development programme, but with his path seemingly blocked to the reserve role by Pascal Wehrlein. The 19-year-old Frenchman has now confirmed he has become a fully-fledged member of the Mercedes driver pool. This suggested he would replace Wehrlein, with the German potentially moving on to one of the vacant F1 seats at Manor after winning the DTM title. Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff confirmed Ocon's new deal, but said the two drivers' roles were not yet defined. "Yes, we have taken up the option on him," said Wolff of Ocon, who is fighting Luca Ghiotto for the GP3 title in Abu Dhabi this weekend, taking the points lead with pole on Friday. "He has been with us now for a while, he has been a test driver in DTM and integrated well, and he is doing a very good job in GP3." "He is somebody we would very much like to have in the family, this is why we exercise the option, but it doesn't mean we have found a solution for Pascal. "The current driver market is a bit difficult because most teams have announced their drivers, and it needs to be the right team," Wolff said there was a possibility Wehrlein and Ocon could share F1 testing duties alongside DTM programmes. "Having taken up Esteban we are conscious we need to find a suitable programme for both of them," he added. "It could well mean both of them end up in a testing role, in a reserve driver role and a DTM role, so it's not done yet." Renault hopes to be able to finalise its takeover of the Lotus team next week, according to its Formula 1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul. The French manufacturer has been working to take over the Enstone-based team for several months, with staff already joining Lotus personnel at the factory to start work on 2016 projects. However, with the saga continuing to drag on, and Lotus struggling to pay its bills, Abiteboul says it is still too soon to announce Renault's plans. "There will be no announcement regarding Renault's future, short or middle term, over the weekend," he said at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. "But there will be an announcement, very likely in the course of the next week. "We have always said we'd like to do that after the season - the season ends on Sunday." Abiteboul described the delays in finalising the deal as "typical Formula 1", but he added a lot of the work has already been completed. "It's been a proper roller coaster for us - there has been a lot of work done between Lotus and Renault," he said. "There has been a process going on since the signing of the letter of intent [in September]. "Fifty people have been working night and day on the realising of a majority stake in Lotus." Lotus deputy team principal Federico Gastaldi added that the final details of the takeover remained in Renault's hands. "We're on the same page," he said. "We've been working all the time since the Singapore race. "We have Renault people already at the factory - it doesn't change anything. "We cannot push Renault to make the decision because it is their call." When Renault signed its letter of intent with Lotus, the team was given until December 7 by the High Court to resolve its future amid its case with HMRC in the UK over owed PAYE payments. Red Bull chief Dietrich Mateschitz has decided there is "too much at stake" to withdraw his teams from Formula 1, according to team boss Christian Horner. Mateschitz repeatedly threatened to pull Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso out of F1 amid wrangles over engine supplies. The Mercedes deal Red Bull believed it had when it decided to split with Renault fell through and all other avenues failed to come to fruition. Red Bull is now set to stay both in F1 and with Renault after all, while Toro Rosso is in line for a supply of year-old Ferrari engines. Horner said Mateschitz had ultimately concluded he had invested too much into F1 - including reviving the Austrian Grand Prix at his own Red Bull Ring track - to give up. "It's no secret that during the summer Dietrich Mateschitz became fairly disillusioned with F1, with the direction things were heading and certain conversations he had personally had didn't come to fruition," Horner said. "He is probably the most committed supporter of F1 over the last 10 years: two grand prix teams, a grand prix on the calendar, the amount of promotion Red Bull puts into F1 worldwide, investing in young talent through the Red Bull young driver programme, more than 1500 employees across the different markets. "For Red Bull, it's major part of their promotional budget spend that is committed to F1. "Having sat down and thought about it, he's decided that there is too much at stake. "Red Bull has invested so much into the sport, he wants to see the team get back to its former glory. "We have some challenges ahead to achieve that with the current constitution of performance." Horner warned that Red Bull is set for a difficult "transitional" 2016 with Renault and believes its longer-term hopes are reliant on the FIA's efforts to bring down engine costs. "In a power unit dominated formula, it's a difficult situation if you're not aligned to a competitive power unit," he said. "The changes Jean Todt and the promoter are pushing for to achieve a more affordable power unit can only be a positive for any independent team, not just Red Bull." RENAULT HAS 'NOT DELIVERED' Renault Sport F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul admitted his company had not been competitive enough in 2015. "It has been frustrating on track," he said. "Frankly we would have liked to do better job for Red Bull and Toro Rosso engine-wise. "But we always knew it would be a long term game to fix the issue we have had. "We have not managed to deliver a project like we wanted to do with the new regulations. "But we have the strategy, the time, the resources and appetite to fulfill that in the next few years." Renault is due to announce after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that it has completed its takeover of the Lotus squad to revive its works F1 team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katsuya Posted November 28, 2015 Report Share Posted November 28, 2015 Nico is on fire right now. Hope he brings it in to 2016. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonM Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 (edited) Nico looked immaculate once more all race, and he thoroughly deserved to win this race and get that first hat-trick of his career... I sincerely hope he takes this confidence into next year, so that IF we get Mercedes dominance it's Nico that takes home a title rather than Lewis. Also, that BBC Outro punched me right in the feels when they cut to the Jules tribute... https://streamable.com/mvss Edited November 29, 2015 by Jasonmufc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted November 30, 2015 Author Admin Report Share Posted November 30, 2015 Am glad to see the back of this season already, though. Just over 100 days till Melbourne! Christian Horner is adamant Red Bull's Renault engine agreement for 2016 is bulletproof even if the French firm's Lotus takeover talks collapse and it pulls out of Formula 1. Horner revealed on Friday, ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, that after months of uncertainty the team's future was now secure as a power unit deal was in place for next year, with confirmation expected by the end of this week. Having failed to land a power unit from Mercedes, Ferrari or Honda, Red Bull has been forced to return to Renault. In tandem, Renault is in the final throes of its takeover of Lotus, although has hit a stumbling block in its negotiations with Bernie Ecclestone over the revenues it feels it is entitled to given its longevity in F1. Ecclestone held talks on two occasions with Renault Sport F1 president Jerome Stoll over the course of the weekend with regard to constructors' bonus and historic payments. It is understood a final offer is on the table from Ecclestone that Stoll is to discuss with Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn, which if rejected will end the Lotus deal. Regardless of what transpires between Ecclestone, Renault and Lotus, Red Bull will still go forward into next season with its power unit plan in place according to Horner. Asked whether the deal was dependent on Renault's future in F1, Horner said: "We have a signed contract for an engine, the details of which I hope to be able to announce within a week. "There's obviously been an awful lot of activity over the last few weeks. I am not at liberty to say what that activity is, but I'm sure it will all come out in the wash. "But the situation is clear in that we have an agreement for next year. I would like to be able to tell you what that is, but unfortunately I can't." Autosport understands there are conditions attached to Red Bull's continuation with Renault. Title sponsor Infiniti, just one of the brands under the Renault/Nissan alliance, will be dropped, representing a loss of around $70million per annum. Although the power unit will still be supplied by Renault, there is a possibility it will be rebadged as 'Nissan F1' to put further distance between team and manufacturer. Asked whether the engine would carry Japanese branding, Horner replied: "I'm not going to confirm or deny anything. It will be confirmed within a week or so." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted December 1, 2015 Author Admin Report Share Posted December 1, 2015 McLaren ended its troubled Formula 1 season with the fastest time in Pirelli's Abu Dhabi tyre test, set by GP2 champion Stoffel Vandoorne. The Belgian completed 99 laps in the last outing for the McLaren-Honda MP4-30, setting a best time of 1m44.103s, 0.353 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen. The Finn was one of nine 2015 race drivers in action during the 12-hour test, as Pirelli looks to bring a tyre performance 'cliff' back to F1 next year. Pirelli trialled "several different potential variations" of the new ultra-soft compound along with new front and rear constructions of other compounds. Teams were banned from trying new parts. "We had one shot when it came to testing tyres for next season, and we can be satisfied by what we've achieved in this test, even if we have to fully analyse the data," Pirelli's Paul Hembery said. "We've tested different versions of the new ultra-soft compound for 2016, which was one of the targets for this session. "The ultra-soft's target for 2016 is to introduce a compound softer than the super-soft and mainly designed as aggressive choice for street circuits: with better performance than the latest version of the super-soft tyre and faster degradation, in order to allow the teams to take a more aggressive approach to race strategy. "Whether this will produce more pit stops, or any difference in strategies, it's too early to say for now. "But it seems we are heading in the right direction: the ultra-soft is expected to offer more possibilities for certain races." Marcus Ericsson set the third-fastest time for Sauber, ahead of 2016 Lotus driver Jolyon Palmer and Raikkonen's Ferrari team-mate Sebastian Vettel. Both Red Bull and Toro Rosso race drivers also ran, while new Force India development driver Alfonso Celis turned his first laps in a Formula 1 car and Manor gave GP2 driver Jordan King his first F1 mileage. Pirelli F1 test day times: 1. Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1m44.103s 99 2. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1m44.456s 56 3. Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1m44.480s 50 4. Jolyon Palmer Lotus 1m44.568s 90 5. Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1m44.940s 56 6. Pascal Wehrlein Mercedes 1m45.605s 107 7. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1m45.805s 57 8. Max Verstappen Toro Rosso 1m45.849s 54 9. Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1m45.852s 71 10. Valtteri Bottas Williams 1m45.940s 103 11. Daniil Kvyat Red Bull 1m46.309s 48 12. Carlos Sainz Jr Toro Rosso 1m46.995s 56 13. Adderly Fong Sauber 1m48.439s 57 14. Alfonso Celis Jr Force India 1m48.545s 65 15. Rio Haryanto Manor 1m49.593s 56 16. Jordan King Manor 1m49.661s 59 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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