Mercedes will unveil their W04 the day before pre-season testing begins at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will launch the W04 at 1.30pm on Monday 4th February. Mercedes claimed one victory in 2012 courtesy of Rosberg in China. Hamilton joins the team from McLaren. Toro Rosso will also unveil their STR8, which will contest the 2013 season, at Jerez on February 4th. The Red Bull feeder team retains Daniel Ricciardo and Jean Eric Vergne for a second season. Pre-season […]

Ferrari has confirmed that they will launch their 2013 challenger on February 1st. The unveiling will take place at their Maranello factory in Italy. Ferrari's launch takes place on the same day as Force India, who will be unveiling their VJM06 at Silverstone. 2013 launch dates: McLaren MP4-28  Thursday 31st January  TBC, United Kingdom Ferrari TBA Friday 1st February Maranello, Italy  Force India VJM06  Friday 1st February  Silverstone, United Kingdom  Sauber C32  Saturday 2nd February  Hinwil, Switzerland  Red Bull RB9  Sunday 3rd February  Milton Keynes, UK

Sauber has denied reports it has penned an agreement with Mercedes to replace its engine deal with Ferrari for the 2014 season and beyond. French sources have claimed Force India, currently supplied by Mercedes, will switch suppliers with Ferrari-powered Sauber for the radical new turbo V6 rules. It would be big news for the Swiss team, as - the works BMW years aside - Sauber has been powered by Ferrari throughout most of its almost two-decade involvement in F1. But a Sauber spokesman insisted: "We […]

Red Bull has become the fourth team to officially confirm their launch date

Kimi Raikkonen has clarified his aversion to sophisticated Formula One simulator technology, insisting he simply "learns nothing" at the computerised wheel. An avowed fan of idol James Hunt's bygone days, 2007 world champion Raikkonen has always sounded unenthusiastic when asked about the simulator technology that has replaced F1's former days of expensive track testing. That sparked rumours that, like Michael Schumacher, simulators give the famous Finn motion sickness, or that perhaps the former Ferrari and McLaren driver is claustrophobic. Raikkonen's new team, Lotus, has now […]

Sauber will launch their 2013 challenger on February 2nd. The C32 will be unveiled by Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Gutierrez at the team's factory in Hinwil in Switzerland.  

Some more pieces of the 2013 'silly season' puzzle are set to fall into place. British broadcaster BBC reports with confidence that, with his return to the podium at Suzuka following a two-year drought, Felipe Massa could have his new contract to stay at Ferrari confirmed "before" this weekend's Korean grand prix. It's a blow for Force India's Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg, who were linked strongly with the Maranello team's potentially vacant cockpit. But Switzerland's Blick newspaper reports that German Hulkenberg has a […]

A Ferrari spokesman has dismissed reports Felipe Massa is now definitely staying for an eighth consecutive season in 2013. "Not true," the spokesman told Spanish sports newspaper Marca, responding to the rumours. "Felipe has not signed anything yet," he insisted. Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport thinks Force India drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Paul di Resta are still candidates to switch to Ferrari next year. Switzerland's Blick newspaper, however, said German Hulkenberg is more likely to move to Ferrari-powered Sauber. What is definite is that the […]

2013 McLaren driver Sergio Perez is being managed by former Indycar driver and fellow Mexican Adrian Fernandez. McLaren, who have signed current Sauber driver Perez to replace Lewis Hamilton, confirmed the 22-year-old's professional link to Fernandez, 47. Fernandez - an owner of racing teams as well - has also been backed through his career by Perez's sponsor Telmex, but Fernandez denied Perez is still a "pay driver". "He is not bringing money to the (McLaren) team," he insisted. Switzerland's Blick newspaper estimated Perez's new three-year […]

Carlos Slim is happy at Sauber, but the Telmex chief is not ruling out a change of direction as Sergio Perez pushes to the front in Formula One. "Peter Sauber is a person who knows the business of F1 like no other and is characterised by his development of new talent," Mexican Slim, who is 22-year-old Perez's high profile financial backer, told the sports newspaper Marca. "The (Telmex) partnership has two sides," he explained. "On the one hand there is our interest with Sergio Perez, […]

Valencia has sold less than 40,000 tickets ahead of next weekend's European grand prix. El Pais newspaper reports that, of the street circuit's deliberately reduced capacity of 45,000 seats, only 85 per cent have been sold. And of the 38,000 tickets sold, 64 per cent of them were purchased by foreign visitors, the Spanish publication added. Spain has been devastated by the European financial crisis, with unemployment at almost 25 per cent and the European Union needing to inject $125 billion to rescue crippled banks. […]

One of F1's most experienced journalists has expressed grave concerns about the chances Robert Kubica will ever return to the sport. The highly-rated Pole has been missing from the paddock since early 2011, having been seriously injured in a pre-season rallying crash. Until recently, there were sporadic reports about the former BMW and Renault driver's recovery, and signs his initially horrifically-damaged arm was returning to health. But the veteran correspondent for Switzerland's Blick newspaper, Roger Benoit, has now reported that information about Kubica has stopped […]