Martin Whitmarsh has urged Mercedes to finally sign the new Concorde Agreement. Despite Bernie Ecclestone's earlier intimations to the contrary, it emerged at Hockenheim that Mercedes is in fact still yet to agree to the terms of the new deal. It is believed a major sticking point is that top rivals McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull have all been offered places on F1's post-floatation board, but not Mercedes. Indeed, in an interview with McLaren boss Whitmarsh posted on F1's official website, the transcript quotes the […]

Nigel Mansell, who was still a grand prix winner at 41, thinks Michael Schumacher could keep racing beyond his 44th birthday. Whether the seven time world champion signs a new contract with Mercedes is regarded as probably the key to the 2013 driver market. 1992 world champion Mansell said of the great German: "He seems to still be having fun driving, he's been on pole, he was third in Valencia -- he still has the speed. "If he continues to want it then he could […]

Double champions Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel could 'coexist together', according to Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali. In a statement likely to fuel rumours that point towards a move away from Red Bull for Vettel, Domenicali indicated that he believes both drivers would be intelligent enough to work together. "I think they are both intelligent guys and they could easily coexist together," Domenicali told Sport Bild and Auto Bild. Both Vettel and Alonso are aiming to become the sport's youngest ever triple world champion this year, while sources […]

Fernando Alonso has tipped his beleaguered teammate Felipe Massa to continue to recover from his career low. Prior to Monaco, speculation hinted that the Brazilian Massa could be imminently ousted by Ferrari, having struggled so much at the wheel of the F2012. But in the Principality, where Massa has a home, the 30-year-old seemed to bounce back onto form, quelling for now the calls for him to be dumped. And Spaniard Alonso, who is unquestionably Ferrari's lead driver, backed his teammate to continue to recover […]

Toto Wolff has rubbished suggestions Williams might soon replace Bruno Senna with the team's rising reserve driver Valtteri Bottas. Finnish commentator Mika Salo last weekend said that, following an interview with Sir Frank Williams, he sensed the team was thinking about ousting Senna in favour of 22-year-old Finn Bottas "this season". "That story is bullshit," Wolff, who is not only a 15 per cent Williams shareholder but also Bottas' manager, told Austria's Sportwoche. The reports, however, sounded credible, given Brazilian Senna's recent struggle at the […]

Dietrich Mateschitz has announced that he will join F1's board of directors once the sport is floated in Singapore. It has been reported that, as part of Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren's new Concorde Agreement deals, the three top teams have been promised places on F1's decision-making executive board. "If that is the case, I would go myself," energy drink mogul and billionaire Mateschitz said in an interview with Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper. "And I would suppose that for Ferrari it would be Luca di Montezemolo […]

Lotus is the "biggest surprise" of the 2012 season so far, Red Bull's team owner Dietrich Mateschitz has admitted. In an interview with Austria's Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper, the billionaire mogul was mildly critical of the "lottery" that is this year's championship, with Pirelli's unpredictable tyres setting the scene. "That is going to continue," Mateschitz said. "Then it will gradually turn into a duel between McLaren and Red Bull Racing," he predicted. "Mercedes are still not able to keep doing in the race what they are […]

Just under three weeks after the Bahrain Grand Prix, and 7-time World Champion Michael Schumacher is unrelenting in his criticism of Pirelli’s tyres. The German driver has likened these tyres to ‘driving of raw eggs’, and believes it’s playing too much of a big effect on the racing. The Pirelli tyres for 2012 have undoubtedly provided the fans with an exciting opening four races, however Michael Schumacher believes they detract from the racing as the 7-time World Champion says you can’t overdo it during the […]

Kimi Raikkonen insists he is "not interested" in Formula One -- except the cars, and winning. Asked by the reporter for Bild am Sonntag newspaper if the famous Finnish character might remove his sunglasses for an interview, 2007 world champion Raikkonen replied simply: "No." At the end of his fourth race since returning to F1 from rallying, the 32-year-old was back on the podium in Bahrain. "It's not going too bad," he said. "I like what I'm doing, that's enough. I don't care if someone […]

Rumours that a top English premier league football club is entering Formula One as a sponsor have proved correct. Ever since Sauber has been running teaser 'Out of the blue' and 'True blue' graphics on its engine cover livery in China and Bahrain, speculation about the identity of the forthcoming sponsor have been swirling in the F1 paddock. We reported the rumour that the deal could be with the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, to promote his football club Chelsea. Swiss F1 team Sauber confirmed the […]

F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone recently confirmed he is at loggerheads with Mercedes over the next Concorde Agreement. But at the same time, he insisted that the Stuttgart marque is "very important to Formula 1. I have always supported them and I will always," he is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport. Indeed, Mercedes has its own and newly-winning works team, powers the marquee McLaren outfit, and also supplies engines to Force India. Ecclestone's dispute is with fellow Englishman Ross Brawn, who is the Brackley […]

Fernando Alonso has backed his beleaguered teammate Felipe Massa. Massa is fighting to save his Ferrari seat, but his team boss Stefano Domenicali insists the Brazilian also "needs to improve" for the sake of his very "future in Formula 1". Domenicali's latest interview in the Spanish newspaper El Mundo indicates therefore that not only Massa's Ferrari seat is in doubt, but that he might struggle to find any place on the grid next season. On the other hand, the Maranello based team is more than […]