2016 FORMULA 1 DRIVER SALARIES

Lewis Hamilton has a three year deal to remain with Mercedez worth $31 million a-year guaranteed salary plus up to $10 million in bonuses making him second highest paid driver in the sport, he also made it into the 2016 Britain’s richest list for his fortune which is estimated to be around $150 million.

But on paper Sebastian Vettel is the highest paid Formula 1 driver going into the 2016 F1 season with a record three year deal with Ferrari worth $150 million, excluding bonuses which make him one of the highest paid sports people in the world.

Others earning big bucks include:

Jenson Button signed a one year extension with McLaren-Honda to remain with the team in 2016 earning him around $12 million a year, which is a pay cut compared to 2013 when he was earning $17 million a year.

Fernando Alonso signed record three year deal (2015-2017) with McLaren-Honda with annual salary of $40 million a year, and has vowed to end his career with the Woking outfit despite the woeful performance of the team since their reunification with Honda.

Runaway championship leader Nico Rosberg, banks $15.5 million per year, is earning almost a third less than his Mercedes teammate Hamilton.

Formula 1 2016 drivers contract details:

	Driver	Team	Annual Salary	Contract
1	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	$50 million plus bonuses	3 years (2015-17)
2	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	$40 million including bonuses	2 years (2015-17)
3	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	$31 million plus bonuses	3 years (2015-18
4	Kimi Raikonen	Ferrari	$28 million	1 year (2016)
5	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	$15.5 million	3 years (2014-17)
6	Jenson Button	McLaren	$13 million	1 year (2016)
7	Felipe Massa	Williams	$5 million a year	1 year (2016)
8	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	$5 million a year	2 years (2016-17)
9	Romain Grosjean	Haas	$4.5 million plus bonuses	1 year (2016)
10	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	$4 million a year	1 year left (2016)
11	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	$2.5 million a year	1 year (2016)
12	Esteban Gutiérrez	Haas	$2 million	1 year (2016)
13	Sergio Perez	Force India	$2 million	Multi-year contract
14	Kevin Magnussen	Renault	$900,000	1 year (2016)
15	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	$900,000	1 year (2016)
16	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull	$850,000	Unspecified
17	Carlos Sainz, Jr	Toro Rosso	$650,000	Multi-year contract
18	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	$650,000	Multi-year contract
19	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	$450,000	1 year (2016)
20	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	$450,000	1 year (2016)

ALONSO: PRIVATE TEAMS CANNOT WIN F1 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Formula 1 veteran Fernando Alonso is sure he is in the right place with one of the four car manufacturers powering his McLaren team, without that titles will be out of grasp at the pinnacle of the sport.

At the end of 2014, the Spaniard switched from Ferrari to the new McLaren-Honda project, insisting that he could not face more years of finishing second.

“In 2014 I could not fight for the podium as they (Ferrari) are doing now,” Alonso told the Spanish sports newspaper AS, “but in my five years with Ferrari I often arrived at the last race leading the championship so I really do not see the improvement.

“They are in good shape and are contenders for the championship, which is great, but we were not the contenders, we were leading the championship at the last race,” the 34-year-old insisted.

When asked about his replacement – Sebastian Vettel – at Ferrari, Alonso suggested he has no hard feelings and said both of them are in good places for the future.

“He is in a good place, younger and motivated and the car is close to the best,” Alonso said of Vettel. “I think the trend now with the new formula one is that Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Honda will win the championships because the private teams can not.

“With such an important engine (formula), only the parent team can win. So if Renault and McLaren-Honda improve sufficiently they will have the opportunity to win because the private teams are out of the competition,” he added.

CHINESE GRAND PRIX FUTURE UNCERTAIN

A cloud is hanging over the long term future of the Chinese Grand Prix according to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf who report that Shanghai’s current contract expires after 2017.

The original 2004 contract has been extended a few times, but reports early in 2011 claimed that the latest deal came only after some wrangling over the fee.

The Shanghai race at the imposing Hermann Tilke-penned facility has been on the calendar since 2004, shortly after it was built at a cost of $240 million, and F1 drivers say it is one of the better Tilke creations.

“Yes, it’s a good track to drive and quite technical where you can use different lines and quite a lot of (corner) combinations which are quite tricky,” said Sauber driver Marcus Ericsson. “I think it’s a good track to have on the calendar and I would miss it if it goes away.”

2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen agrees: “I think it’s a good circuit for making good races.”

“For the driving it’s nice but we go where the races are, we don’t decide it. I think Bernie decides where the money comes from so we go, we follow,” Raikkonen added.

ECCLESTONE: I WOULD LOVE TO GET A LADY IN A FORMULA 1 CAR

Bernie Ecclestone has been vilified this week for remarks he made about female race drivers and F1, during an interview by WPP chief executive Martin Sorrell at an Advertising Week Europe, however the full transcript of the interview, which shed a bad light the sport’s commercial boss, was not reported.

The Formula 1 supremo who has made derogatory comments in the past about women and is no stranger to controversy, and his comment this week that “I don’t know whether a woman would be able physically to drive a Formula One car quickly, and even if they could they are never going to be taken seriously” went viral.

But a full recording of the interview, posted later on the conference website showed, however, that Ecclestone had also made some more supportive comments that went largely unreported.

“Today I would love and I would help to get a lady in a Formula One car,” he said.

Asked what he would say to a sponsor putting up backing for an all-female team, he replied: “Great. I’d put another $20 million in to make sure it happened.”

Since then Susie Wolff, who was a development driver for Williams until last year, has defended Bernie Ecclestone after he doubted whether women would physically be able to drive a Formula One car fast and in any case would not be taken seriously.



The comments by the sport’s 85-year-old commercial supremo caused a storm on social media, with women racers quick to condemn him, but Wolff felt they need to be put into perspective.

“After hearing Bernie’s comments in context and speaking to him today, it’s clear we both have the goal of getting a female driver to F1,” the Scot, wife of Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff, said on Twitter.

“Through my years in motorsport, he was supportive of my mission to make it onto the starting grid in F1,” added Wolff, who in 2014 became the first woman driver in 22 years to take part in a Formula One grand prix weekend when she drove in Friday practice at Silverstone for Williams.

No woman has raced in Formula One since 1976.

Wolff, now retired from racing, said Ecclestone had agreed last week to support her ‘Dare to be Different’ initiative to encourage more women into motorsport.

“For me, actions always speak louder than words… Bernie is with us,” she added.

MARCHIONNE: WHEN ECCLESTONE GOES WE WILL HAVE TO BUILD A MORE SOLID F1

Formula 1 needs to be looking ahead to the post-Bernie Ecclestone era warns Ferrari and Fiat president Sergio Marchionne.

This comes amid reports the powerful manufacturers including Mercedes may be pushing for the retirement of the F1 supremo in the coming months.

“There is much work to do,” said Marchionne when asked about the general state of the sport amid a tumultuous political climate at present.

“Ecclestone is very good at negotiations but sooner or later we all have to retire,” the Italian is quoted by La Repubblica.

“And when that is, we will have to re-think everything and build a more solid F1. With a real structure,” Marchionne added.

He said the sport would get a big boost if more manufacturers decide to compete, like Audi.

“It would be perfect,” said the Italian-Canadian. “Ferrari built its myth by beating the best – beating Manor does not build a myth.”

Lewis Hamilton's new girl? Petra Nemcova

Lewis and Petra starred together in a 2015. (Reuters)



Lewis and Petra were seen living it up the night before at the awards. (Getty Images)



They appeared to sit next to each other at the same table during the bash. (Getty Images)

ECCLESTONE ON: WOMEN IN F1, PUTIN RUNNING EUROPE AND TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone caused a social media storm on Tuesday when he said women racing drivers would not be taken seriously in the sport and dismissed the contribution of immigrants to Britain.

The 85-year-old Briton, speaking to WPP chief executive Martin Sorrell at an Advertising Week Europe conference, also hailed Russian President Vladimir Putin as a man who “should be running Europe” and expressed support for U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The Russian Grand Prix in Sochi, a project close to Putin’s heart, is the next race on the Formula One calendar and Ecclestone last year declared himself the president’s “best supporter”.

“We should get rid of Brussels and [Putin] should just be in charge,” Ecclestone said during the conference. “He does what he says he’s gonna do, he gets the job done. I mean people don’t understand exactly what he wants to do … He wants to put Russia back to what it was.”

As from USA presidential candidate Donald Trump, Ecclestone said, “I think he’d be fantastic [as president]. I’m sure he’s much more flexible than most of them. If he’s made a mistake, he’s more likely to say: It was a good idea at the time.”

Arguably the most contentious of his recent remarks is his continued disdain for the prospect of women drivers in Formula 1.

“I don’t know whether a woman would physically be able to drive an F1 car quickly, and they wouldn’t be taken seriously,” Ecclestone said in comments reported by the Guardian newspaper, the BBC and other media.

But he did add that he expects to see more women taking up executive roles across Formula One in the near future. ‘Women are more competent, and they don’t have massive egos,’ he added.

Formula 1 has not had a woman driver start a grand prix since 1976 and Ecclestone, who has caused offence in the past by comparing women to domestic appliances, triggered a backlash on social media.

British driver Pippa Mann, who has competed four times in the Indianapolis 500 and is a race winner in the U.S Indy Lights series, fired back immediately.

“Sigh. #HereWeGoAgain,” she said on Twitter. “Perhaps someone should remind him that @IndyCar doesn’t have power steering, and we’re strong enough to drive those.”

Asked by Sorrell, a non-executive director of Formula 1 and whose grandparents came from Russia, whether immigrants had contributed to Britain, Ecclestone replied: “They have not.”

Britain’s triple Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton is the grandson of immigrants to Britain from the Caribbean island of Grenada.

JACKIE STEWART: I PROPOSE THAT MERCEDES LEAVES F1

Motorsport legend Sir Jackie Stewart says that if he was running Mercedes, he would pull the German carmaker out of Formula 1.

Mercedes has utterly dominated in the ‘power unit’ era that began in 2014, so the triple world champion and F1 legend thinks it is time for a strategy change.

“I believe Mercedes will win both titles again this year,” Stewart told Globo Esporte. “But if I was a member of the decision-making group, I would propose that Mercedes leaves F1, as they once did in a similar situation.”

“I would stay as an engine supplier and make it available to those who want it, as Ford did with Cosworth. Everyone will want it and so the Mercedes name will continue to win.

“The Ford-Cosworth was champion with us,” added Stewart, referring to his title-winning days with Matra and Tyrrell, “but today everyone remembers Ford-Cosworth as they also won with McLaren, Williams, Lotus.”



Stewart, 76, argues that his proposal would be a good idea, as eventually the works Mercedes will be beaten by a rival like Ferrari.

“And I don’t think the (Daimler) board will like to see that. Mercedes is a global brand with a high reputation in the motoring world,” he said.

Imagining a conversation at a Mercedes board meeting, Stewart continued: “Gentlemen, how much does F1 cost us? Ok, money is not a problem because we have major sponsors, but don’t forget the risk that we will be beaten by Ferrari, Red Bull or someone else.

“Maybe I’m the only one who thinks this way, but that’s exactly what I would do. It would be good not only for Mercedes but also F1,” Stewart told the respected Brazilian correspondent Livio Oricchio.




Should Mercedes pull team out of F1 and remain only as engine supplier?

HERBERT: TIME IS PAST FOR FERNANDO, JENSON AND KIMI IN F1

Johnny Herbert stands by his claim that Fernando Alonso’s days in Formula 1 are past and added more fuel to the blaze by stating that Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen are also past their sell-by date at the pinnacle of the sport.

Having written in a column that Alonso should use the occasion of his chest injuries to retire, former F1 driver Herbert was gatecrashed by the angry Spaniard live on British television during the Bahrain race weekend.

“You ended up a commentator because you were not world champion,” Alonso told him.

Herbert, 51, looked uncomfortable during the exchange, mumbling ‘Happy man’ as Alonso departed, but he now says he stands by his earlier comments.

He insists the incident did not “personally” affect him, “But I have to say that my wife didn’t think it was funny. She said that Alonso was a little impertinent.”



“I have to say I understand Alonso’s reaction, but my opinion is clear, as it was before,” the former Sauber and Jaguar driver told the Spanish sports daily Marca.

“I believe Fernando’s time in formula one has past. He is no longer the future, as with other drivers like Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen.

“The future belongs to Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and then Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz,” Herbert added.

“After Alonso’s incident in Australia, my mind went back to the crash of Michael Schumacher in Singapore in 2012 – they were similar and to me it seems to be a loss of concentration and focus on formula one.”

Herbert said he thinks a good next move for Alonso would be endurance sports cars, including Le Mans.

“I think it would suit him perfectly,” he said. “The WEC would be a good place for him and he could even be champion, as Mark Webber did.”




Is it time for Fernando, Kimi and Jenson to quit F1 and make way for younger talent?

FANGIO GREATEST F1 DRIVER OF ALL TIME ACCORDING TO NEW STUDY

Juan Manuel Fangio is the greatest Formula One driver of all time, according to new research by the University of Sheffield.

Dr Andrew Bell, of the Sheffield Methods Institute, used statistical analysis to work out who the sport’s most accomplished competitor is – looking at who is the best driver because of their talent, rather than because they have a good car.

Without considering the impact of his team, the greatest driver of all time in terms of most race wins is Michael Schumacher. But the study found that once the effect of his team is removed, legendary racer Fangio claims the top spot, followed by Alain Prost in second and Schumacher (pre-2006) in third position, Jim Clark fourth and Ayrton Senna fifth.

Highest ranked of current drivers is Fernando Alonso in sixth. and Sebastian Vettelis next best of this era ranked 10th on the list and reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton 12th.

In fact, Schumacher drops to ninth place in this analysis – although his ranking is dragged down by his post-retirement performances in 2010-2012 when he was generally outperformed by his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg. If his pre-retirement career is considered on its own, he ranks in third position.

Of current drivers, Fernando Alonso is the highest ranked driver, and both he and Sebastian Vettel are ahead of reigning champion Lewis Hamilton.



The study, published in the Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, also found:
Teams matter about six times more than drivers when it comes to success in F1.
About two-thirds of the team effect is consistent over time, with the rest caused by teams changing year-on-year.
Team effects have increased over time, but appear to be smaller on street circuits, where the driver’s skill plays a greater role.

Dr Bell said: “The question ‘who is the greatest F1 driver of all time’ is a difficult one to answer, because we don’t know the extent to which drivers do well because of their talent or because they are driving a good car. The question has fascinated fans for years and I’m sure will continue to do so.

“Our statistical model allows us to find a ranking and assess the relative importance of team and driver effects, and there are some surprising results. For example the relatively unknown Christian Fittipaldi is in the top 20, whilst three time champion Niki Lauda doesn’t even make the top 100. Had these drivers raced for different teams, their legacies might have been rather different.”

He added: “A similar model could be used to answer a variety of questions in society -for example, how much do individuals, teams and companies affect worker productivity or how much classes, schools and neighbourhoods affect educational attainment.”

Top 50 drivers based on the driver level residuals (Michael Schumacher treated as two drivers, pre 2006 and post 2010):



Sheffield Methods Institute

The Sheffield Methods Institute is home to one of 15 Q-Step centres that specialise in the undergraduate teaching of quantitative research methods . Funded by the Nuffield Foundation, ESRC and HEFCE, Q-Step was developed as a strategic response to the shortage of quantitatively-skilled social science graduates.

WATSON SLAMS DRIVERS, SUPPORTS VILLENEUVE

Former F1 winner John Watson has backed Jacques Villeneuve in slamming the sport’s current drivers.

Although signed by the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), it emerged in Bahrain recently that a letter critical of the management and governance of formula one was actually supported by the entire grid of active race drivers.

Villeneuve, the outspoken 1997 world champion, reacted to the letter this week by telling the drivers to “shut up”.

“I think he was being very polite,” Watson, a former McLaren driver, told the British broadcaster Sky when asked about Villeneuve’s comments.

When asked his own opinion about the GPDA letter, the 69-year-old Irishman added: “They’re stating the obvious. What Jacques has said is basically right.

“I just want drivers to do what they’re good at doing, and leave the other bits of formula one to the people who manage it very well.”

Watson said it would be legitimate for the drivers to try to campaign behind the scenes for more involvement, such as a place on the FIA’s World Council.

“But constructing a letter like that, posting it (on Twitter), sending it to Bernie … it was a joke,” he added.

Jacques Villeneuve: Formula 1 drivers should shut up - How ironic...

Formula 1 drivers should "shut up" and not interfere with the rule-making because it is not their job, says 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve.

In a letter recently released through the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, the drivers collectively asked for F1's governance structure to change.

The drivers also criticised the elimination qualifying format that was abandoned in favour of a return to the 2006-15 system after a fraught political week.

But Villeneuve said drivers should be focusing on their job and must compete with whatever rules are determined by F1's bosses.

"The way the drivers have been complaining is terrible for F1," he toldAutosport. "It's not their problem.

"They should just shut up. It's not their problem how good or bad the show is on TV.

"They should just get on with their job.

"In a classroom, how many of your classmates would be able to make educated decisions? Not many.

"Take a group of 20 drivers. Take maybe two of them and the rest should just shut up.

"So why would you want to give them power?"

Villeneuve believes F1 must stop changing its rules in the pursuit of improving the show and admit that like all sports, it cannot always be exciting.

"They should stop changing the rules full stop," he said.

"In all the noble sports like tennis and football, the rules haven't changed in 100 years, even when it is boring, and people respect it."

Though F1 has reverted to its previous format - which Villeneuve described as "OK" for now - it still plans to assess alternatives for 2017.

The Canadian believes it is important not to overcomplicate and to accept that entertainment levels will wary.

"One lap on its own [in qualifying] was great," said Villeneuve.

"We just need something old school. Just something normal.

"Some days you'll have great qualifying sessions and somedays boring qualifying but that's the way it goes."

By Lawrence Barretto

Haas cleverness, leaves others to question themselves...

The early success of the new Formula 1 team Haas is splitting opinion in the paddock.

While some hail Romain Grosjean’s double points-scoring efforts in Australia and Bahrain, others wonder if the close alliance with Ferrari is really a good thing for F1.

Frenchman Grosjean, meanwhile, is delighted at his decision to leave Enstone on the eve of the new works Renault project.

“Some people said it was suicide for my career,” he told L’Equipe, “but I’m sorry for those guys who were wrong.”

Indeed, former McLaren and Ferrari driver Stefan Johansson is impressed, not only with Grosjean but the new Haas model of becoming effectively a ‘B’ team.

“If you look at Sauber, Force India, Manor and the rest who sit at the back of the grid and rise or fall a little bit every year and wind up being similar at the end of day, you have to ask why” he said on his blog.

“What Haas has done seems to me to be the obvious way to go.”

Johansson says he has worked closely in the past with Pat Symonds, who declared last week that he thinks the Haas ‘model’ threatens the very notion of what a F1 constructor is.



“Well, something has to change. When the bottom teams are spending close to $100m per year, something is seriously wrong,” Johansson insisted.

“Everyone in the paddock is well aware that the model is unsustainable, yet everyone seems shocked at what Haas has done. Shame on everyone else for not adopting the same idea,” he added.

It is undeniable, however, that all of Haas’ F1 rivals at the moment are fundamentally full constructors, so Force India thinks the new team could run into trouble when it comes to developing in 2016 and preparing for 2017.

“The more stringent the rules regarding wind tunnel and CFD usage become, the more difficult the work between these manufacturer and client teams will be,” deputy boss Bob Fernley is quoted as saying by Auto Motor und Sport.

Sauber team manager Beat Zehnder agreed: “What will they do in five years, when the rules are even stricter and you have to build the whole car yourself?”

Ferrari’s Vettel refuses even to sign up for Twitter or Instagram.

Quadruple Formula world champion Sebastian Vettel insists he has no desire to behave like a hero and does not understand the selfie generation.

While the reigning title winner Lewis Hamilton is commonly called a F1 “superstar”, Ferrari’s Vettel refuses even to sign up for Twitter or Instagram.

“I am a normal person like everyone else on the road,” he told the Die Welt newspaper supplement called ‘PS Welt’.

“I am no better, just because I can drive faster than other people. I’m not saving anyone’s life, I’m not a hero,” Vettel insisted.

A fiercely-private young father of – reportedly – now two children, 28-year-old Vettel says he cannot relate to the ‘selfie’ generation, “This generation that constantly takes photos of itself is beyond me.”

Vettel also admits to not totally relating to the modern iteration of the sport he excels in. “The new (F1) rules are, I would say, very futuristic,” he said.



“The cars have become more efficient in terms of consumption, but whether this thrills the audience or even the drivers, I am not sure,” added Vettel.

He also said the rules have become too “opaque”, further alienating the sport from its base, while he says the recent wrangling over qualifying was simply “embarrassing”.

“We must be careful not to lose the spirit of F1,” Vettel insisted. “Since I have been here we have done a great deal to improve the sport — some (changes) have succeeded, many have not.”

“Some things now are too artificial and the audience finds it hard to identify with that,” added the Ferrari driver who was vehemently opposed to the (now ditched) qualifying format introduced at the start of the season.

WILLIAMS REPORTS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ANNUAL RESULTS

Williams Grand Prix Holdings PLC announced the Group’s financial results for the year ended 31 December 2015. WGPH is the holding company of the Williams group of companies, which includes Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited.

Group revenue increased from £90.2m in 2014 to £125.6m last year. EBITDA improved from a loss of £37.0m in 2014 to a loss of £3.3m in 2015. The Group generated operating free cash flow of £2.7m for the full year. The increase in revenue is primarily due to increased commercial rights and sponsorship income following a significant improvement in on-track performance during the 2014 Formula One season.

The Formula One business generated revenues of £101.5m (2014: £70.2m), with an EBITDA of £0.2m (2014: loss of £31.5m). Williams Advanced Engineering generated revenues of £21.3m (2014: £17.8m) with an EBITDA of £2.1m (2014: £1.5m).

Mike O’Driscoll, Group Chief Executive Officer, said; “Our 2015 financial results represent a major improvement, with strong revenue growth and positive cash flow. Over the past two years we have completely restructured our business, and our results reflect significant progress, both operationally and financially. We were able to continue our resurgence on the track, and balance revenue and expenditure, despite enormous levels of competitive spending in what is sport’s most challenging financial environment. Williams Advanced Engineering continues to make excellent progress and contributes to our overall results.

“Our Formula One team achieved third place in the Constructors’ Championship for the second successive season in 2015, illustrating the clear step change we have made in our racing competitiveness since we began our restructuring. Commercial rights income is paid a year in arrears, and these accounts reflect our much improved third place in the 2014 Constructors’ Championship. Our improved performance on the race track has also enhanced our power in the sponsorship market, with major brands such as Unilever, Avanade, BT and Hackett joining the WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING team during the period. We have also seen a number of our partners increase their commitments to the team, which demonstrates the continued strength of our brand.

“Williams Advanced Engineering continued to build and strengthen its customer base in 2015, and also began to diversify into new market sectors, notably aerospace and defence. Its project portfolio has expanded significantly over the past twelve months, and there has also been an encouraging trend towards longer term contracts, enabling more robust planning. Williams Advanced Engineering has a solid platform for continued growth and we are encouraged by the progress of this exciting business.

“These financial results show that we are continuing to build a solid foundation for future sporting and commercial success.”

Raikkonen: F1 politics and bullshit is crazy !

Kimi Raikkonen has aired his frustration at the way he feels Formula 1 has veered from the priority of driving to the sheer politics of the sport, saying he thinks fans probably watch and think 'what stupid people'.

On the day F1 enters yet more talks to discuss another potential qualifying format having repeatedly failed to agree on several aspects of the sport in recent months, Ferrari driver Raikkonen has added himself to the chorus of drivers who feel the politics has become overbearing.

Indeed, though Raikkonen – who tried NASCAR and competed in the World Rally Championship for a time - says politics has always been a factor in F1, the 2007 world champion feels it is more pronounced now and it is having the effect of diverting too much attention from the actual racing.

“For sure in other racing the other stuff is nicer, because there is so much politics and bullshit in F1 that it is crazy sometimes. People from the outside must look at us and think 'what stupid people, what are they doing?'. I don't think it is good for anybody, but unfortunately it is how F1 is and it's been like that for years.

“Now there are bigger stories about it, but if you take ten years ago there was still politics and it's just the evolution of it, but if you want to do racing on circuits then for sure F1 is still the top level and the fastest cars. Obviously things can be improved, but if you want to look at racing on circuits, then F1 is still that way.

“I enjoy a lot when I did rallies and also some NASCAR stuff, but they are all so different how they are run and how the atmosphere is. Those things are different but there are good and bad things in that, nothing is perfect.

Despite his experience in other forms of motorsport, Raikkonen still maintains F1 is the pinnacle of circuit racing, even if it is no guarantee it makes them better than rally drivers or NASCAR drivers in their particular discipline.

“If you take the top rally guys it is absolutely amazing what they do, if you take the top NASCAR guys it's not like we can jump in and suddenly beat them. They own the things that they do, but if they came here they would be in trouble also. It depends what you are used to and what you do, but if you just want to look at the highest level of racing at race circuits, for sure it is F1..”

by Ollie Barstow

F1 considering introducing a Saturday race in 2017

Bernie Ecclestone has revealed a Saturday race is being considered to replace qualifying in 2017.

Ecclestone and the FIA had to bow to collective pressure from F1's teams to back the reinstatement of 2015's qualifying format, scrapping the unpopular live elimination system. Given the dominance of Mercedes since the introduction of V6 turbo engines in 2014 Ecclestone and the sport's governing body are keen to find a way of mixing up the grid and shuffling faster cars towards the back.

Thursday's announcement that F1 would revert back to 2015's qualifying format also came with the promise of a "global assessment" of F1's weekend format ahead of next season. Ecclestone has revealed one option on the table would be a race on Saturday to set the order of the grid for the grand prix on the following day, though he is cautious of pushing this too hard after the debacle around qualifying this year.

"We've been looking," he told Sky Sports F1. "Basically more the qualifying than anything. Maybe having a race on the Saturday which would count instead of qualifying, for example. We're looking at all these things, which would be for next year obviously. We've made a big enough muck up to do that for this year so must not do that again."

The idea of a Saturday race is likely to sit well with race promoters, who were a major reason for the switch to the live elimination format in the first place. Ecclestone has complained the current format does not provide value for money over the first two days of a race weekend.

The current format comprises two practice sessions on Friday, with another on Saturday before qualifying, followed by the grand prix on Sunday. Monaco is the only exception, with the opening practice sessions held on Thursday before a public holiday on the Friday.

By:Nate SaundersESPN F1 Assistant Editor

Engine change 'slowly destroying F1', says Ecclestone

"Honda would have come in whatever the engine was, so that was a massive mistake," F1 ringmaster says of decision to force through V6 Hybrid formula.



Bernie Ecclestone has continued to rage against the latest F1 engine specification, insisting that the failure to consult those involved before its introduction was gradually dragging the sport into the mire.

An opponent of the V6 turbo regulations since they were announced, Ecclestone again turned his wrath upon the current formulae after the Bahrain Grand Prix amid speculation that certain teams were again facing financial difficulty, in part, due to the cost of switching to the hybrid formula.

The current 1.6-litre engines include energy recovery systems and fuel flow restrictions in a bid to make F1 appear more environmentally aware, but raised the cost of purchase considerably over the previous 2.4-litre normally-aspirated V8s, which were proving popular with teams, drivers and fans alike.

Having already railed that the current generation of power units did not deliver in terms of performance, noise or cost, Ecclestone recently proposed the introduction of a more cost-effective twin turbo V6 'customer' engine for the start of 2017 - a move also seen as an attempt to quell the supposed duopoly currently enjoyed by Mercedes and Ferrari. Despite the support of FIA president Jean Todt, Ecclestone ultimately lacked the support he needed to influence the engine market, but the Briton insists that something needs to happen to ensure the future of F1.

“Firstly, this was Max [Mosley] who decided that we would have smaller engines and more manufacturers," he said during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, "I said maybe what we ought to do is ask the manufacturers if they will come in if we had smaller engines, [rather] than have the smaller engines and hope that they come in - because they haven't come in.

“I think, at the time when Max came up with this idea, nobody knew what the engine was going to be. It wasn't conceived to be what it is now. It was going to be a much simpler engine. That was the idea. Developing about 700 horsepower.”

Intriguingly, Ecclestone suggested that the one manufacturer to enter the support since the advent of the V6 turbo era, probably would have returned to the fold whatever engine formula was in place and hadn't been enticed back by the change, which took effect from the 2014 season.

"Honda would have come in whatever the engine was, so that was a massive mistake," he said of the decision to force through the V6 turbo regulations, "The minute it started to be produced, it was bloody obvious it was going to be expensive.

"This is what upsets me... We talk about the fans, but I don't know whether they supported this engine - I think they didn't. I think you guys [in the media] came out clearly and said that nobody wanted this, but we've got it and this is really, really, really the thing that is slowly destroying F1.”

Ironically, there are those in the sport currently wishing for a authoritative figurehead similar to Mosley in order to steer the sport through choppy waters as it attempts to recover from a misguided foray into an alternative qualifying format and formulate the next set of regulations, which are supposedly set for introduction next season but have yet to see a consensus reached by those involved in their creation.

HAMILTON: DRIVER COACHING IS A BUNCH OFCR@P

Triple Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton believes the current trend of race driver coaches is a problem with modern racing.

Speaking in a video on Twitter Hamilton said, “There is a problem in racing, you have all these driver coaches coming along, mind coaches and it’s all a bunch of cr@p.”

“Insecure people think you need those things, they don’t… they just get lost but you don’t need it,” he insisted.

Hamilton continued, “You have to trust yourself. Everyone has their own unique way of doing it. I think people start to look at certain things, that’s not there. All the small, little noises which is not the important stuff.”

He also revealed that in 2015, the year of his third F1 title triumph,was not all plain sailing, “Last year I was struggling for some reason and I was trying to figure out what it was.”

“All I did was raise my seat up and all of a sudden a new world appeared… it was like: now I can see. All I did is raise my seat five millimetres and that’s it,” he added.

F1 TEAM’S DISCUSS BOYCOTT OF Q1 IN CHINA

The FIA and Bernie Ecclestone are determined to change the F1 qualifying format in an attempt to improve the show. Let’s not forget over the past seasons we have seen the front of the grid teams predominantly running one set of tyres in Q1 and Q2 to allow themselves greater freedom in the race. This clearly does not promote ‘cars on track as much as possible’ during the early qualifying sessions on a Saturday afternoon.

That said, it appears nobody is happy with the new qualifying format Jean Todt, called a meeting with all parties concerned prior to the Bahrain GP to discuss alternatives. “I’m optimistic we will have an agreement tomorrow,”commented the FIA president on Saturday afternoon.

However, agreement there was not because the meeting did not have an open agenda where a majority decision would carry the best way to proceed. The FIA and Bernie Ecclestone proposed a new qualifying format where the two best lap times for each driver would be combined to make up an aggregate in each of the Q1, Q2 and Q3 sessions.

This was rejected by the teams and today they made public their position by revealing they have unanimously rejected anything other than an immediate return to the 2015 style of qualifying. The teams have though revealed they would accept trials later in the year on other qualifying formats which could be implemented for 2017.

Of course Ecclestone and Todt are suspicious over the teams offer to trial tweaks and even radical alternations to qualifying later in the year, because this of course would require unanimous agreement – which in Formula One is as frequent as Halley’s Comet.

The power at present clearly lies with Todt and Ecclestone because nothing can be done for this year unless unanimous agreement is reached under the current F1 governance system.

Since the implementation of the F1 strategy group, Bernie Ecclestone and others have complained about the position of the FIA requiring unanimity amongst all parties for any decision to be made – and calls for a more Max Mosely style of presidency have repeatedly been made by a number of the paddock hierarchy. Further, we have repeatedly been fed the mantra from Christian Horner and others that ‘the rules should be made by the FIA and the teams either sign up or don’t’.

This of course now looks like cheap rhetoric as the teams refuse to agree to the FIA and Ecclestone’s latest proposal. Further, word is that there has been talk amongst senior team personnel of a boycott of Q1 in China.

As this article is being published Kevin Eason of the Times is suggesting on twitter, “Todt/Ecclestone may give up the fight on this,” so maybe the knock out qualifying sessions in China will be consigned to the bin.

The again, Bernie Ecclestone loves a good fight and will probably want some kind of pound of flesh for his consent.

Tetra Pack now packaging a deal to buy a Formula 1 team ?

Sauber in talks with investors ?




Amid Sauber's obvious financial problems early in 2016, new media reports suggest the struggling Swiss team could soon be sold.

Co-owner and boss Monisha Kaltenborn was not in Bahrain last weekend, with sources reporting she stayed at Hinwil for crucial talks over the team's future.




  But alarming speculation that Sauber's 23-year F1 adventure could end even before travelling to China next week may be wide of the mark.

Citing "multiple sources", Brazil's Globo said Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson will definitely be present and racing next weekend in Shanghai.

But the report also said Kaltenborn is in crucial talks over Sauber's future, and potentially with the Ferrari-linked Italian carmaker Alfa Romeo.

And separate talks may also be taking place with the wealthy Swedish backers behind current race driver Ericsson, including links to the multinational packaging company Tetra Pak.

The Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat, meanwhile, cites a Swiss source who said another potential investor could be from Dubai.

Lewis Hamilton Feeling royal

Lewis Hamilton dons traditional white robes as he arrives in Bahrain for Grand Prix

By DAN RIPLEY FOR MAILONLINE

It's taken a while for Lewis Hamilton to get to grips with Bahrain during the weekend, but having first snatched pole position from team-mate Nico Rosberg, the Brit is now embracing the culture.

Hamilton arrived at the Sakhir circuit on race day with an attire matching that of some of the locals and declared a love for the culture.

After posting a picture of himself wearing a traditional white thobe (a long-sleeved robe) to Twitter, the world champion wrote: 'Nothing but love and respect for this culture, and Bahrain!! Feeling royal!'

New bidder comes forward for potential Silverstone sale

By Gary Watkins
@gazzasportscars


A second bid for Silverstone will be laid out alongside a proposed purchase by Jaguar Land Rover to members of the circuit-owning British Racing Drivers' Club this week.

Ginetta Cars boss Lawrence Tomlinson, a former club director and owner of the LNT Group, has made an offer after he and a group of fellow members wrote a letter to the club last week arguing that the JLR deal would leave it "having to protect rather than promote British motor racing".

The letter sent to the full 820-plus membership urged a 'no' vote at an extraordinary general meeting scheduled for this Thursday, which the BRDC board has called to seek a mandate to proceed with negotiations with Indian-owned JLR.

There will still be a yes/no vote on whether to continue pursuing the JLR deal, but Tomlinson's bid will also be discussed.

BRDC chairman John Grant told Autosport in a prepared statement: "I can confirm that the members of the BRDC have received an offer from Lawrence Tomlinson that he wishes to put forward as an alternative to the JLR deal, which will be the subject of discussion at the forthcoming EGM on Thursday.

"The BRDC board have agreed to facilitate this because it is important for members to have all relevant information to inform their decision."

Grant stressed that no "detailed discussion or negotiation" had taken place with Tomlinson because it was bound by a period of exclusivity agreed with JLR and parent company Tata Motors.

Should the membership vote yes on Thursday, no further mandate would be required for the sale to go ahead.



HOW THE TWO OFFERS DIFFER

The JLR deal would involve the BRDC leasing the circuit to JLR for a 249-year period, with the club retaining the Silverstone Circuits Limited operating company.

Grant believes that the majority of members "want to retain an involvement in motor racing at Silverstone".

It argues that the JLR deal would put its finances on a sound footing with a cash injection, a sum of a£33million in staged payments, at the same time as allowing it to continue to operate the circuit.

Tomlinson wants to take over the entire Silverstone business.

He would match JLR's initial payment, believed to be approaching  a £5million, and take on the BRDC's liabilities, which with the British Grand Prix contract are calculated to amount to a £15-20million.

He would then pay a £1million annually to lease the circuit and the SCL business.

Tomlinson and his group argued in their letter that the lease to JLR would leave the BRDC financially vulnerable because the club would still retain the burden of the on-going contract with Formula 1 Management (FOM) to host the grand prix.

The letter also claimed that JLR's expansion plans would put the infrastructure of the circuit at risk and that, should the grand prix be lost, SCL would be unable to diversify its business because it would only have control of the land within the national circuit.

Grant countered these and other arguments in a response to the membership.

"The board has tried to retain the SCL business while reducing the associated risks," he wrote.

"The JLR deal would enable us to do this... it is more than enough to settle our debts and commitments."

He claimed that Tomlinson's point on JLR's expansion was incorrect.

"Silverstone will only be used for customer-facing and heritage-type activities," he explained.

He stressed that there would be "legally binding agreements that they will do nothing that would cause destruction of major events".

The negotiations with JLR and the Tomlinson bid follow the breakdown of a potential sale of Silverstone to an undisclosed buyer in 2014.

POLL DANCING: F1 Fans opinion shared

Plenty to talk about about this past week, so many issues that inspired opinions of which the new Formula 1 qualifying format is still the biggest bone of contention, but there were many things to vote about and source opinion this past week. Here is a summary of polls:



Rate the Bahrain Grand Prix
4-Stars (43%, 101 Votes)
3-Stars (33%, 77 Votes)
5-Stars (11%, 26 Votes)
2-Stars (9%, 22 Votes)
1-Star (4%, 10 Votes)
Total Voters: 236 (Poll still open)

Verdict: In the wake of a thriller in Australia it was always going to be a tough task for Bahrain to deliver a similar grand prix. Despite a pre-race retirement by one of the chief protagonists – Sebastian Vettel in his Ferrari and a Turn 1 melee which compromised Lewis Hamilton and allowed Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg to cruise to victory – it was not a bad spectacle.



Is the Haas model for new teams good for F1?
Yes (85%, 1,309 Votes)
No (15%, 234 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,543 (Poll still open)

Verdict: Let’s face it Haas F1 Team has been the revelation of the new season, they have come into the sport and torn up the handbook on what is expected of new F1 teams, by scoring points in their first two races and showing the likes of Caterham, Marussia and HRT how things should be done.The manner in which the American team has achieved their early success has been given a resounding thumbs up from our readers.



How was Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying for you?
Terrible (85%, 398 Votes)
Indifferent (12%, 54 Votes)
Great (3%, 17 Votes)
Total Voters: 469 (Poll closed)

Verdict: We will say what we have been saying since the new qualifying debacle began: Formula 1 qualifying was once one of the great spectacles of the sport… make that any sport. The driver, the machine, the team all conspiring to deliver a perfect lap at the absolute maximum of everything during a one hour session on a the Saturday of a grand prix weekend. It was a simple formula that delivered on a regular basis. This new ‘thing’ is simply unacceptable, but then so is the politics that spawned the saga.




Social Media initiative by FOM™ is…
Proof they should be liquidated! (55%, 54 Votes)
Fantastic! (31%, 30 Votes)
Terrible! (14%, 14 Votes)
Total Voters: 98 (Poll closed)

Verdict: This was part of our lame April Fools report.



Will Ferrari beat Mercedes in the Bahrain Grand Prix?
Yes (60%, 495 Votes)
No (40%, 325 Votes)
Total Voters: 820 (Poll closed)

Verdict: Ferrari always win the preseason hype and, despite a pasting in Australia, there was much optimism ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix where the Reds were surely going to turn the tables on Mercedes. Not so as 60% predicted, while 40% of the eternal optimists were wrong.



Will Max be ready to join Ferrari in 2017?
No (63%, 694 Votes)
Yes (37%, 411 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,105 (Poll still open)

Verdict: Max Verstappen is a name which will be intrinsically connected to F1 for the next two decades. A year and a bit into his meteoric career and already there is talk of a Ferrari deal. Now we all know that Maranello has more often than not taken in drivers (although seldom if ever one so young) used them and spat them out into oblivion, hence no surprise that not everyone thinks a move there by teenager Max is a good idea.



Will faster cars improve the Formula 1 show?

No (66%, 200 Votes)
Yes (34%, 104 Votes)
Total Voters: 304 (Poll still open)

How much faster do you want these cars to be? Already they smashed the all time lap record around Bahrain International Circuit. Clearly readers realise that it is not all about speed…



Is Formula 1 still too quiet?
Yes (82%, 168 Votes)
No (18%, 36 Votes)
Total Voters: 204

Verdict: No doubt most of these voters are making there decisions based on what they hear on TV. We wonder how many of the 204 voters have actually heard this year’s edition of F1 in the flesh. And to be honest consensus in our offices is that quiet-ish F1 is not such a bad thing, especially if you are sitting in the grandstand all day.