F1's governing body has cleared Red Bull and Renault following accusations they are deploying an 'illegal engine trick'. Reports suggested Mercedes, having analysed sound recordings of the Red Bull RB8 in Melbourne, suspected the 'trick' of cutting more than the allowed four cylinders in corners was not legal. "As far as we are concerned, it's legal," said the FIA's Charlie Whiting in Malaysia. There was some good news for Mercedes at Sepang, however, as its W03 passed pre-race scrutineering despite Red Bull and Lotus continuing […]

Hot on the heels of the new F-duct controversy, Mercedes has turned the heat back onto Red Bull. Amid complaints from rival teams including Red Bull about its innovative aerodynamic concept aboard the W03, Mercedes' Ross Brawn admitted he sensed a diversionary tactic. "The discussion about our system has diverted the focus from the exhaust issue," he said in Australia. The FIA has clamped down hard on the exhaust-blown diffusers seen throughout the grid last year, but much pre-season chatter focused on some teams' post-ban […]

One mystery to be solved this weekend is just how much trouble the Ferrari team is in. Depending on who is asked in the paddock, the famous Italian team is either in full-speed 'crisis', slightly off the pace, or bluffing after apparently struggling with its all-new F2012 car in winter testing. Pirelli's Paul Hembery warned that writing off a great team like Ferrari is "very dangerous". "From the data I've seen," he told Auto Motor und Sport, "they seem to have some good pace. "They […]

Lewis Hamilton has been earmarked by Mercedes as a potential replacement for Michael Schumacher beyond the end of this season. That is the claim of the German Sunday newspaper Bild am Sonntag, following the Stuttgart marque's recent denial that Schumacher has already been offered a new two-year contract for 2013 and 2014. The newspaper said Briton Hamilton, the 2008 world champion whose McLaren deal ends this year, is the 'plan B' should seven time world champion return to retirement before his 44th birthday. Bild am […]

Mercedes GP has officially unveiled its 2012 challenger, the F1 W03, at 08:15 this morning in the pitlane of the Barcelona circuit ahead of the start of the second pre-season Formula 1 test. The team's driver line-up consisting of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg were on hand to present the car to the media. Schumacher will be the first to drive the new car at the Barcelona test, before handing over to teammate Rosberg the following day. Mercedes opted to delay running of its new […]

Mercedes got its Barcelona test off to an early start on Sunday. At the same time, the rest of the F1 world was only setting up at the Circuit de Catalunya ahead of Tuesday's kick-off for the second of three pre-season testing sessions. Mercedes, however, trod a different path recently by keeping its 2012 car under development at its Brackley factory while main rivals including Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren got their test campaigns up and running. Again running Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg this […]

Sebastian Vettel has admitted it is "difficult to judge" whether his friend Kimi Raikkonen will be at full speed when he returns to formula one next season. The pair often meet near their Swiss homes to play badminton, but reigning world champion Vettel does not want to predict a smooth comeback for the 2007 world champion after two years in world rally. "We have all seen Michael's comeback," the 24-year-old is quoted by France's 20minutes.fr on a visit to Red Bull's engine supplier Renault. "He […]

Michael Schumacher - 7th: "I am reasonably happy with our work in the two sessions today, and considering that we managed to work the car well, I'd say it was a good day. Obviously we have our limits to operate within, but we maximised what we have in hand, and the car felt very good. We now have to see how we can transform this work into our weekend and maybe grab some more points on a track which today was very consistent." Nico Rosberg […]

Mercedes aims to give Nico Rosberg a winning car soon, but the German is also learning to be patient. Now with more than 100 grands prix behind him, the 26-year-old is yet to record a single race victory and he has now re-signed with Mercedes for at least the next two or three seasons. Then called Brawn, the Brackley based team won the world championship with Jenson Button in 2009, but that was on the coat-tails of the hundreds of millions invested by Honda. Today […]

Michael Schumacher has extended his Mercedes deal for another season, the German weekly Sport Bild reports. The 42-year-old's existing contract was set to run only until the end of next season, but Sport Bild said the seven time world champion is now staying at least until the end of 2013. "There is no reason why Michael should not continue," said team boss Ross Brawn. "He's very valuable to the team and has not lost his edge." Schumacher hinted that he is not yet ready to […]

Nico Rosberg could be eyeing a switch from Mercedes to Ferrari, a "source" has told a German tabloid newspaper. Mercedes chiefs Ross Brawn and Norbert Haug in India indicated they want to keep the 26-year-old beyond his contract, which according to reports is set to run until the end of next season. But they also acknowledged that the "market is open". "In general you can go to the wrong team at the wrong time, which is a mistake every driver should try to avoid," said […]

Mercedes' works team will "definitely" be on the formula one grid in the coming three seasons, the marque's motor sport president Norbert Haug confirmed in India. But Ross Brawn was not willing to make the same guarantee about his job as team principal. "I want to be here for the next three years," the Briton told Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper in a joint interview with Haug. "If you don't perform, then you're out. I am the boss. If the project is not running right, […]