Was Monaco the turning point in Sebastian Vettel's so-far meteoric F1 career? "Not at all," Mercedes' Norbert Haug told the German news agency DPA on Wednesday. Almost two weeks ago in the famous Principality, it was Vettel's teammate Mark Webber who broke through with victory, meaning the Red Bull duo is now level-pegging in the championship. They are just 3 points from Fernando Alonso's lead. So does Webber's new form represent the turning poing for Vettel? "Sebastian did not win two world championships by fluke," […]

Nico Rosberg believes that his Mercedes W03 should be suited to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. Rosberg finished as runner-up to Mark Webber in last weekend's Monaco Grand Prix. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal is a great track, and I'm really looking forward to our visit there", said Rosberg, "With its low downforce and slow corners, a little bit like Monza, the track should suit our car. We've made good progress over the past few weeks, and that was clear from the performance in Monaco. So I'm […]

With Michael Schumacher succumbing to yet more bad luck, Mercedes is not ruling out team orders. The seven time world champion's pole celebrations in Monaco became just sixth on the grid due to the Barcelona grid penalty, and he had to retire from the race with a fuel pressure problem. "I've never seen such bad luck as Michael is having," triple world champion Niki Lauda told Bild newspaper. Indeed, he still has just 2 points in the bag after displaying solid performance so far in […]

Mercedes appears on the verge of signing up to Formula One's future. The German carmaker had been locked in dispute with the sport's chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, after rival top teams were offered better deals for the post-2012 Concorde Agreement. But Ecclestone told CNN on Thursday that "all the current teams" have signed up "until 2020". "Everybody has agreed with it," the 81-year-old insisted. Asked if Mercedes is counted among that number, Ecclestone added: "You'll have to wait to see but I'm confident everything with […]

Monaco Grand Prix preview from Mercedes F1 Team

Sebastian Vettel has defended his former mentor Michael Schumacher. The seven time world champion has been roundly criticised since last Sunday's Spanish grand prix, after crashing into Williams' Bruno Senna at the end of the Barcelona straight. He called the Brazilian driver an "idiot" on the radio and later defended the outburst, but the FIA did not agree, imposing a five-place qualifying penalty for Monte Carlo for causing a collision. "For us, that manoeuvre of Michael's cost us a lot," Red Bull team principal Christian […]

Bernie Ecclestone claims he is close to reaching an agreement with Mercedes over the future of the German marque's involvement in Formula One. The parties have been at loggerheads over the F1 chief executive's refusal to offer to Mercedes the same Concorde Agreement deal reached with other top teams Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull. In response, it has been suggested not only that the situation threatened the sport's floatation plans, but that Mercedes could sensationally quit F1 at the end of this year. "We are […]

It was a breakthrough for Mercedes and Nico Rosberg, but the Chinese grand prix was a "difficult day" for Michael Schumacher. That is the admission of Shanghai winner Rosberg, whose first race win after more than 100 attempts also delivered German marque Mercedes' first works victory for more than half a century. "I felt he was very happy for me," Rosberg told Auto Bild Motorsport, when asked what seven time world champion Schumacher's reaction was. Since returning to F1 more than two years ago, 43-year-old […]

Pirelli is getting the credit - or the blame - for F1's unstable pecking order so far in 2012. For the first time in almost three decades, four different cars - McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull - have won the opening four races of the season, while others - Lotus and Sauber - have displayed potential winning pace. "The explanation is Pirelli -- it's the tyres," Swiss commentator and former F1 driver Marc Surer told Austrian television Servus TV. "It's been a question of […]

He does not agree with the seven time world champion, but Norbert Haug insists he can understand Michael Schumacher's criticism of the current generation of Pirelli tyre. Mercedes driver Schumacher slammed F1's official supplier after last Sunday's Bahrain grand prix, saying the 2012 tyres degrade so quickly that they are not good enough for the pinnacle of motor racing. "We drive around like the safety car. It is not a satisfying situation," he said. Schumacher's boss Haug, however, does not fully agree, insisting Pirelli has […]

Norbert Haug has turned the 'F-duct' debate around by admitting that he questions the exhaust solution featured on this year's McLaren car. Some teams - notably Red Bull, Lotus and Ferrari - have complained loudly about the Mercedes W03's aerodynamic configuration, arguing the F-duct ban completely ruled out similar systems that are triggered by a driver's movement. Mercedes argues that its new F-duct is entirely passive and is triggered not by the driver but by the activation of the 'DRS' rear wing system. So far, […]

Michael Schumacher finally returned to the top three's inner sanctum on Saturday. "Who would have thought it last year?" the seven time world champion smiled in Malaysia after beating the formerly dominant Red Bulls with his Mercedes. But the fact he was only beaten by the dominant McLarens in Sepang qualifying does not mean Mercedes is now ready to take on F1's very best, boss Norbert Haug insisted. Last weekend in Australia, the German team also performed well on Saturday before the tyres degraded heavily […]