In-season testing is returning in 2014, according to Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport. However, Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reported recently that a proposal by Ferrari to trade wind tunnel hours, straightline running and promotional days for actual circuit testing was voted down. But Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is said to have told La Gazzetta dello Sport, the authoritative sports daily, that an agreement to bring back testing was actually agreed in Monaco. A report on the Italiaracing website said the agreement is […]

Valtteri Bottas has been accused of "unsportsmanlike" behaviour in the dying moments of the Monaco grand prix. In the last two laps, when Kimi Raikkonen was seething through the field on fresh Pirelli rubber following his late pitstop, the Finn managed to salvage a solitary point by making up three places to finish tenth. One of the cars he passed was countryman Bottas, who appeared to pull over for the title-charging Raikkonen. That allowed the Lotus driver to stroll past Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg, who on […]

Test driver Sebastien Buemi was the key to Red Bull's turnaround on the streets of Monaco, it has emerged. On Thursday in the Principality, the RB9 did not look like a competitive car. "We were one second too slow," Dr Helmut Marko told Servus TV. But by Saturday, Sebastian Vettel was disappointed to have just missed pole position. Marko said Buemi, Red Bull's Swiss test driver, had turned no fewer than 400 laps in the simulator at Milton-Keynes, seeking a solution. Buemi then headed to […]

The 'T-word' was still the big topic of conversation as the F1 world congregated in Monaco on Wednesday. But the big paddock whisper is that changes to Pirelli's 2013 tyres will be only minor in Montreal next month and beyond. According to the strong and widespread rumour, the only minor change will be to the rear tyres -- which is good news for Ferrari and Lotus, and not-so-good for Mercedes and Red Bull. "Anything else would be unfair," Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen is quoted by Auto […]

McLaren will surely be Honda-powered in 2015, according to Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt. Reporting from Barcelona, he said McLaren has let a deadline pass whereby it could have extended its customer deal with Mercedes beyond next season. "That can only mean Honda in 2015," said Schmidt. Reportedly, the Japanese carmaker - having withdrawn from F1 amid the global financial crisis at the end of 2008 - will not charge McLaren for its turbo V6 engines. Honda, however, will surely subsidise its development […]

A big topic of conversation in Barcelona this weekend is Pirelli's new 'hard' compound tyre. While the Italian supplier claims it is a minor tweak, others are concerned the change will favour only some teams. The team that lobbied hardest for changes is Red Bull. "I think there was more talk than action from our side," world champion Sebastian Vettel said on Thursday. "For sure there's a lot of attention and people trying to make up stories, but I think you could see the whole […]

F1 team bosses have voted to introduce a penalty points system for 2014 that could see drivers banned for repeat offenses. Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, and Speed Week, said that during a meeting with Charlie Whiting on Wednesday, the scheme - with drivers allowed to accrue only 12 'demerit points' against their super licenses before a race ban is imposed - survived a vote by 7 to 4. The proposal will now be taken to the FIA's World Motor Sport Council for approval next […]

Gerhard Berger, the former McLaren and Ferrari driver, thinks Nico Rosberg is just as good as Lewis Hamilton. The famous Austrian, who formerly co-owned the Toro Rosso team, was asked whether Briton Hamilton's arrival at Mercedes is the ultimate test for German Rosberg. "That's what they said about (Rosberg alongside Michael) Schumacher," Berger, referring to Rosberg's former teammate, smiled to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. "Rosberg has proved how good he is. If he can also hold Hamilton at bay, it will be another milestone. […]

Luca di Montezemolo has played down rumours linking Lotus' newly departed technical director James Allison with a move to Ferrari. Lotus announced on Wednesday that the highly-rated 45-year-old Briton, who worked at Maranello in the Michael Schumacher era, is leaving. Reports immediately linked Allison with a return to Ferrari. "I know nothing," Italian reports quote Ferrari president Montezemolo as saying, "so I cannot deny anything. "As far as I know, these are just rumours. I will say something if there is something to say." Italy's […]

Dr Helmut Marko has admitted he is not satisfied with the minor tweak made by Pirelli ahead of next weekend's Spanish grand prix. So far in 2013, world champions Red Bull have been putting pressure on F1's official supplier to significantly change this season's heavily-degrading tyres. But, after the first four 'flyaway' grands prix, Pirelli has announced that only a minor tweak will be made to the 'hard' compound tyre for Barcelona and beyond. Red Bull's Marko said on Monday: "We want - as soon […]

According to a specialist publication, Ron Dennis has been demoted at McLaren. Although still referred to as the famous British team's 'supremo', the 65-year-old - succeeded by Martin Whitmarsh - stepped down as McLaren team principal some years ago. He also sold half of his 30 per cent stake in the Woking based company to the Bahrain investment vehicle Mumtalakat Holding, and most recently has been focused on McLaren's road car production subsidiary. And according to Auto Motor und Sport, it is the road car […]

This year's young drivers test will take place at Silverstone in July, it has emerged. Last year, the concept for giving young drivers a break into Formula One amid the sport's tight testing regulations became highly farcical, with the running split over three different locations and dates. But according to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, the teams have decided on a common date for 2013. The test will not, however, take place at the end of the season, and Abu Dhabi will not be the […]