Pirelli's heavily degrading tyres were not the only 'control' components causing problems for F1 teams in Barcelona this week. The standard electronics used by every team, and supplied by McLaren subsidiary MES according to a FIA tender contract that was recently extended, was also toying with the patience of engineers up and down pitlane as the 'middle' pre-season test in sunny Spain got into gear. Red Bull - not McLaren's closest friends in the paddock - were being the most vocal at the Circuit de […]

Adrian Sutil insists he is "not nervous" ahead of his test with Force India on Thursday. Billed by the media as a 'shootout' for the last race seat in 2013, German Sutil will drive the VJM06 at Barcelona a day before the other hot contender, Jules Bianchi, tests on Friday. "I'm pleased to finally be back on a Formula One track," Sutil, who bowed out of F1 after his assault conviction of 2011, is quoted by the DPA news agency. "It's quite a while ago […]

Marussia parted with Timo Glock because a backmarker team needs every million. That is the claim of Pat Symonds, the former Renault 'crash-gate' conspirator who - after serving his F1 ban - is now openly in charge of the 2013 Marussia MR02. Devoid of many sponsors, the new red and black car will be raced this year by wealthy Max Chilton and Luiz Razia, who replaced German Glock at the last minute. "For Red Bull, one million has little effect," Symonds is quoted by Auto […]

Paul Hembery, Pirelli's F1 boss, has revealed the Italian tyre supplier is pushing for a longer-term contract beyond 2013. Recently, the FIA has been tendering is contracts with F1's sole tyre suppliers on a three-year basis, and Pirelli is now approaching the end of its first run. Hembery said Pirelli wants to stay on the grid beyond 2013, but is pushing for an even longer contract than three years. "We will know soon if we get a new contract as the sole supplier in Formula […]

Having shown darkly-lit 'sneak preview' images on its website that triggered a server meltdown, and scheduling a launch event for the afternoon, photographers at Jerez scrambled on Monday morning to take the first unofficial shots of Mercedes' new W04. At the same time, Lewis Hamilton was being filmed for promotional purposes trackside, as he captured Nico Rosberg's debut laps on a Blackberry mobile phone -- a gratuitous plug for the team's new on-car sponsor. His 2013 teammate, Rosberg, was lapping on the day before official […]

Talented drivers are proving the victims of a financial crisis in Formula One, according to media reports. Major newspapers like Germany's Bild, and specialist outlets including Auto Motor und Sport, say the sport is "sick". "Only the top four - Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes - are having no problems," said Bild. Auto Motor und Sport added: "We have to worry about Formula One. HRT has gone. Caterham and Marussia can only survive with pay-drivers. Drivers like Timo Glock and Heikki Kovalainen are losing […]

Ferrari is sticking with its novel 'pull-rod' front suspension layout for 2013, technical director Pat Fry has confirmed. Last year, the Italian team stunned its rivals by reviving a concept not seen in F1 since Minardi raced around at the back of the grid in 2001. Fernando Alonso ultimately came close to winning last year's title, but it is true Ferrari initially struggled with its F2012, which even when heavily developed was never the most competitive car in the field. Asked if the 'pull-rod' project […]

Rosberg, then Hamilton, set to test W04

The opening races of this season's world championship will be crucial, according to Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali. In 2012, runner-up Ferrari had a dire start to its campaign, while eventual champion Red Bull also took some time to establish its full potential. But with the sweeping rule changes of 2014 looming large, Domenicali said the dynamics of this season's battle will be different. "Next season (2013) will be decided in the first races," he is quoted by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. "The teams […]

Money was "a factor" in Mercedes' failure to succeed during his three-year comeback, Michael Schumacher insists. The German marque openly admits that it does not spend as much on its Brackley based works team than top teams like Red Bull and Ferrari. Schumacher told Auto Motor und Sport: "It's a factor. "Over the years Red Bull built an infrastructure and has a budget giving them the possibility to respond to anything in the best possible way. "It is nothing more or less than what we […]

Retired F1 champion Michael Schumacher has said that competition in Formula One is greater due to the reduced field spread. Schumacher returned to the sport in 2010 for three seasons, claiming a sole podium in Valencia last year. When asked whether the competition was greater than in his first career, Schumacher replied "Yes, because the field is closer together". Speaking to German publication Auto Motor und Sport, Schumacher added "In my early days, there was always the chance to be quicker than another driver not just by […]

The monocoque of two more F1 teams' 2013 cars have passed the mandatory FIA crash tests. According to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, one of them is Mercedes' W04, to be raced next year by Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. The report said the silver single seater will have a new and smaller gearbox, totally different sidepods for the Coanda exhaust, and rear suspension designed to be flexible to geometry changes if required to suit Pirelli's new tyres. Meanwhile, Spain's El Mundo Deportivo said the […]