Bernie Ecclestone&#39;s long reign as Formula One&#39;s ringmaster came to an end Monday as Liberty Media completed its multi-billion-dollar takeover of motorsport&#39;s most prestigious brand.

Colorado-based Liberty confirmed in a statement that American Chase Carey had been appointed chairman and chief executive of F1, with Ecclestone moving into an advisory role as &quot;chairman emeritus&quot;.

Ecclestone, 86, had already signalled the end of his near 40-year reign as head of Formula One in comments to German magazine Auto Motor und Sport earlier Monday.

&quot;I was dismissed today,&quot; Ecclestone told the magazine. &quot;I no longer run the company. My position has been taken by Chase Carey,&quot; he said.

He said his new chairman emeritus role was &quot;a kind of honorary president&quot; position, but added: &quot;I have this title without knowing what it means.&quot;

Ecclestone, a former car salesman who transformed F1 into a multi-billion dollar business, was initially reported to be staying on after news of the Liberty deal emerged last year.

However in a statement confirming completion of the takeover, valued at around $8 billion, Liberty president Greg Maffei confirmed Ecclestone would be leaving his role as chief executive.

&quot;We are delighted to have completed the acquisition of F1 and that Chase will lead this business as CEO,&quot; Maffei said.&nbsp;

&quot;There is an enormous opportunity to grow the sport, and we have every confidence that Chase, with his abilities and experience, is the right person to achieve this,&quot; Maffei added, paying tribute to the &quot;tremendous success&quot; of Ecclestone in helping to grow Formula One.

&#39;Huge potential&#39;

Carey, a vice-chairman of the 21st Century Fox media conglomerate, said he was looking forward to running a sport which had &quot;huge potential with multiple untapped opportunities.&quot;

&quot;I have enjoyed hearing from the fans, teams, FIA, promoters and sponsors on their ideas and hopes for the sport,&quot; Carey said.

&quot;We will work with all of these partners to enhance the racing experience and add new dimensions to the sport and we look forward to sharing these plans overtime.&quot;

Carey also praised Ecclestone&#39;s role in developing Formula One, adding that he would seek to utilise the octogenarian impresario&#39;s advice in future.

&quot;The sport is what it is today because of him,&quot; Carey said of Ecclestone. &quot;I am grateful for his continued insight and guidance as we build F1 for long-term success.&quot;

McLaren executive director Zak Brown was among the first to lead the tributes to Ecclestone.

&quot;Today we should all pay tribute to a remarkable entrepreneur,&quot; Brown said on McLaren&#39;s Twitter feed. &quot;He will be a very hard act to follow.&quot;

In separate comments on the pitpass.com website, Brown said Ecclestone had turned Formula One into a &quot;sporting powerhouse.&quot;

&quot;Indeed, I can&#39;t think of a single other person who has had anything like as much influence on building a global sport as he has,&quot; he said.

The takeover gives Liberty, which is backed by US media titan John Malone, control of a global and highly profitable sport that rakes in billions from advertisers and broadcasting rights.

Formula One-branded merchandise also brings in millions, but some F1 teams are plagued by financial problems and the sport has limited activity in the social and digital media platforms crucial to courting the next generation of fans.

Carey has a proven record in expansive sport-media growth, and expertise in the value and exploitation of sports rights, notably in the US market.

The 20-race 2017 Formula One season gets underway in Australia on March 26 and ends in Abu Dhabi on November 26.

(AFP)

American Chase Carey has been appointed chairman and chief executive of F1

Bernie Ecclestone's long reign as Formula One's ringmaster came to an end Monday as Liberty Media completed its multi-billion-dollar takeover of motorsport's most prestigious brand. Colorado-based Liberty confirmed in a statement that American Chase Carey had been appointed chairman and chief executive of F1, with Ecclestone moving into an advisory role as "chairman emeritus". Ecclestone, 86, had already signalled the end of his near 40-year reign as head of Formula One in comments to German magazine Auto Motor und Sport earlier Monday. "I was dismissed today," Ecclestone told the magazine. "I no longer run the company. My position has been taken by Chase Carey," he said. He said his new chairman emeritus role was "a kind of honorary president" position, but added: "I have this title without knowing what it means." Ecclestone, a former car salesman who transformed F1 into a multi-billion dollar business, was initially reported to be staying on after news of the Liberty deal emerged last year. However in a statement confirming completion of the takeover, valued at around $8 billion, Liberty president Greg Maffei confirmed Ecclestone would be leaving his role as chief executive. "We are delighted to have completed the acquisition of F1 and that Chase will lead this business as CEO," Maffei said. "There is an enormous opportunity to grow the sport, and we have every confidence that Chase, with his abilities and experience, is the right person to achieve this," Maffei added, paying tribute to the "tremendous success" of Ecclestone in helping to grow Formula One. 'Huge potential' Carey, a vice-chairman of the 21st Century Fox media conglomerate, said he was looking forward to running a sport which had "huge potential with multiple untapped opportunities." "I have enjoyed hearing from the fans, teams, FIA, promoters and sponsors on their ideas and hopes for the sport," Carey said. "We will work with all of these partners to enhance the racing experience and add new dimensions to the sport and we look forward to sharing these plans overtime." Carey also praised Ecclestone's role in developing Formula One, adding that he would seek to utilise the octogenarian impresario's advice in future. "The sport is what it is today because of him," Carey said of Ecclestone. "I am grateful for his continued insight and guidance as we build F1 for long-term success." McLaren executive director Zak Brown was among the first to lead the tributes to Ecclestone. "Today we should all pay tribute to a remarkable entrepreneur," Brown said on McLaren's Twitter feed. "He will be a very hard act to follow." In separate comments on the pitpass.com website, Brown said Ecclestone had turned Formula One into a "sporting powerhouse." "Indeed, I can't think of a single other person who has had anything like as much influence on building a global sport as he has," he said. The takeover gives Liberty, which is backed by US media titan John Malone, control of a global and highly profitable sport that rakes in billions from advertisers and broadcasting rights. Formula One-branded merchandise also brings in millions, but some F1 teams are plagued by financial problems and the sport has limited activity in the social and digital media platforms crucial to courting the next generation of fans. Carey has a proven record in expansive sport-media growth, and expertise in the value and exploitation of sports rights, notably in the US market. The 20-race 2017 Formula One season gets underway in Australia on March 26 and ends in Abu Dhabi on November 26. (AFP)

Ecclestone's F1 era over as Liberty Media takes over

The French Grand Prix is returning to the Formula One calendar in 2018 after a decade-long absence at Le Castellet&#39;s Paul Ricard circuit near Marseille, organisers announced on Monday.

&quot;The French Grand Prix is making its comeback,&quot; Christian Estrosi, president of the Provence-Alpes-Cotes d&#39;Azur region told a press conference in Paris.

Estrosi made the announcement at the Automobile Club de France which helped stage the first ever grand prix in 1906.

The desired optimal date for the new French race would be late August or early September 2018, between the usual dates for the Belgium and Italian GP races.

French driver Romain Grosjean was one of the first to welcome the news.

&quot;Really super happy for all the French fans who will have their Grand Prix and who can come and support us&quot; the Haas team driver posted on Twitter.&nbsp;

Felipe Massa in a Ferrari won the last F1 race staged in France in 2008 at Magny-Cours, when a major budget deficit was shouldered by the French state and local authorities.

The Paul Ricard venue has held 14 F1 races in all between 1971 and 1990 when French four-time champion Alain Prost was victorious.

&quot;We lost this GP in 1990, it&#39;s returning now to Provence and that&#39;s only right for our region,&quot; Estrosi observed.

Since 2002 the track&#39;s shareholders have invested 80 million euros ($85.6mn) to bring it up to scratch.

&quot;It&#39;s a venue that is both recognised and appreciated,&quot; Estrosi declared.

He said the cost of staging the race had been estimated in an independent audit at 30 million euros - 14 million coming from local authorities and the balance from direct revenue.

&quot;And the impact on the local economy will be 65 million euros,&quot; he added, quoting figures from the audit into the project conducted by international consultants Deloitte.

Estrosi disclosed that it was only last month that he believed F1 would return to his region.

&quot;The crucial moment was when we met (F1 supremo and the track&#39;s former owner) Bernie Ecclestone, on November 16 in Geneva with (FIA) president Jean Todt.

&quot;We put all the numbers involved on the table, he believed us and I felt that he had confidence in us.&quot;

The circuit is named in honour of the man who used to bankroll it, the late industrialist who made his fortune from pastis.&nbsp;

(AFP)

The desired optimal date for the new French race would be late August or early September 2018

The French Grand Prix is returning to the Formula One calendar in 2018 after a decade-long absence at Le Castellet's Paul Ricard circuit near Marseille, organisers announced on Monday. "The French Grand Prix is making its comeback," Christian Estrosi, president of the Provence-Alpes-Cotes d'Azur region told a press conference in Paris. Estrosi made the announcement at the Automobile Club de France which helped stage the first ever grand prix in 1906. The desired optimal date for the new French race would be late August or early September 2018, between the usual dates for the Belgium and Italian GP races. French driver Romain Grosjean was one of the first to welcome the news. "Really super happy for all the French fans who will have their Grand Prix and who can come and support us" the Haas team driver posted on Twitter. Felipe Massa in a Ferrari won the last F1 race staged in France in 2008 at Magny-Cours, when a major budget deficit was shouldered by the French state and local authorities. The Paul Ricard venue has held 14 F1 races in all between 1971 and 1990 when French four-time champion Alain Prost was victorious. "We lost this GP in 1990, it's returning now to Provence and that's only right for our region," Estrosi observed. Since 2002 the track's shareholders have invested 80 million euros ($85.6mn) to bring it up to scratch. "It's a venue that is both recognised and appreciated," Estrosi declared. He said the cost of staging the race had been estimated in an independent audit at 30 million euros - 14 million coming from local authorities and the balance from direct revenue. "And the impact on the local economy will be 65 million euros," he added, quoting figures from the audit into the project conducted by international consultants Deloitte. Estrosi disclosed that it was only last month that he believed F1 would return to his region. "The crucial moment was when we met (F1 supremo and the track's former owner) Bernie Ecclestone, on November 16 in Geneva with (FIA) president Jean Todt. "We put all the numbers involved on the table, he believed us and I felt that he had confidence in us." The circuit is named in honour of the man who used to bankroll it, the late industrialist who made his fortune from pastis. (AFP)

French GP to return to F1 2018 calendar after decade-long absence

Nico Rosberg realised a dream and silenced his critics Sunday when he emulated his father Keke&rsquo;s achievement and claimed his maiden Formula One drivers&rsquo; championship.

But by beating his Mercedes team-mate and three-time champion Lewis Hamilton the usually-reserved Rosberg did far more than that.

In addition to persuading F1&rsquo;s veteran commercial ring-master Bernie Ecclestone to &quot;eat his words&quot; after saying that a Rosberg title win would be bad for business, he left several other pundits chewing furiously.&nbsp;

His father famously won only one race in his 1992 title triumph and a career total of five, but Rosberg swept to the title with nine wins this year.

It was emphatic proof that, despite all of Hamilton&rsquo;s reliability problems, he won the title on merit as much through dogged pursuit as a raw talent for speed.

Despite losing to Hamilton in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, his overall triumph against Hamilton reflected his character -&ndash; his refusal to concede, a relentless competitiveness and a cerebral attention to detail.

It also enabled Rosberg to exorcise the demons that appeared to inhabit his intense competition with Hamilton, a relationship which dates back to teenage karting days as team-mates, room-mates and rivals, which has exploded with collisions in the last four years.

In many ways, Rosberg&rsquo;s success -- and his identity as a champion -- has been defined by his relationship, and differences, with Hamilton.

Born to his Finnish father and German mother Sina in Wiesbaden, Germany, on June 27, 1985, Rosberg has raced for both Finland, briefly in his early career, and Germany. Yet, if anything, he is Monegasque and cosmopolitan.

He is a speaker of five languages with dual nationality from his parents, yet he does not speak Finnish thanks to his father&rsquo;s decision to bring him up without it.

And, far from having an easy life thanks to inherited wealth and privilege, he has, like Hamilton, always had a sense that he has much to prove.

His father Keke always stressed a need to be prudent.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always wanted to achieve things on my own,&rdquo; he told The Guardian earlier this year. &ldquo;I hated buying jeans with my dad&rsquo;s money. I&rsquo;d buy the minimum for whatever was necessary.

&ldquo;My mum grew up after the war in Germany and she used to take cigarettes from the floor and smoke the last bit left by American soldiers. They had nothing. She grew up like that.&rdquo;

Like Hamilton, he was once managed by his father, but no longer.

Rosberg began karting aged six. He and Hamilton met as rivals in 1997 and became team-mates in 2000.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In 2002, he moved to the German Formula BMW championship and won the title.

His rise was a season ahead of Hamilton&rsquo;s parallel ascent of motor racing&rsquo;s ladder. As teenage rivals, both dreamt and laughed at the prospect of racing for the F1 world title.

Rosberg arrived in F1, with Williams, via the Formula 3 Euro Series and winning the inaugural GP2 title in 2005. He was partnered with Australian Mark Webber.

Williams had carried his father to the championship. For his son, however, blessed with flaxen hair and an easy charm, it was a harsh school for top-level competition.

The unforgiving Webber dubbed him Britney, after the pop singer Britney Spears. It was a soubriquet that branded Rosberg, only 20, with an image that took time to shake off.

Before joining Williams, he turned down a place at Imperial College, London, to study aeronautical engineering.

After Webber departed to Jaguar, Rosberg grew in confidence and claimed his first podium at the 2008 Australian Grand Prix, sharing the moment with a victorious Hamilton who had arrived in F1 with McLaren a year earlier.

In 2010, he moved to the rebranded Mercedes team created by the German manufacturer&rsquo;s takeover of the 2009 champions Brawn.

He recorded consistent finishes, mixed with accidents, as team-mate to returning Michael Schumacher before the seven-time champion&rsquo;s final retirement and the arrival, in 2013, of Hamilton.

Their partnership ignited the team&rsquo;s current spell of dominance. Though Hamilton beat him to be champion in 2014 and 2015, the methodical Rosberg has become the fourth driver to win the Monaco Grand Prix three times in a row and win seven races in succession.

His championship triumph maintains the virility of his competitive value in combat with Hamilton and caps a happy period in his personal life.

While Hamilton remains single and has a playboy image, Rosberg in 2014 married his childhood sweetheart Vivian Sibold with whom he has a daughter, Alaia, born in August last year.

(AFP)

Mercedes's Nico Rosberg finished second, behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton, to win the drivers' championship

Nico Rosberg realised a dream and silenced his critics Sunday when he emulated his father Keke’s achievement and claimed his maiden Formula One drivers’ championship. But by beating his Mercedes team-mate and three-time champion Lewis Hamilton the usually-reserved Rosberg did far more than that. In addition to persuading F1’s veteran commercial ring-master Bernie Ecclestone to "eat his words" after saying that a Rosberg title win would be bad for business, he left several other pundits chewing furiously. His father famously won only one race in his 1992 title triumph and a career total of five, but Rosberg swept to the title with nine wins this year. It was emphatic proof that, despite all of Hamilton’s reliability problems, he won the title on merit as much through dogged pursuit as a raw talent for speed. Despite losing to Hamilton in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, his overall triumph against Hamilton reflected his character -– his refusal to concede, a relentless competitiveness and a cerebral attention to detail. It also enabled Rosberg to exorcise the demons that appeared to inhabit his intense competition with Hamilton, a relationship which dates back to teenage karting days as team-mates, room-mates and rivals, which has exploded with collisions in the last four years. In many ways, Rosberg’s success -- and his identity as a champion -- has been defined by his relationship, and differences, with Hamilton. Born to his Finnish father and German mother Sina in Wiesbaden, Germany, on June 27, 1985, Rosberg has raced for both Finland, briefly in his early career, and Germany. Yet, if anything, he is Monegasque and cosmopolitan. He is a speaker of five languages with dual nationality from his parents, yet he does not speak Finnish thanks to his father’s decision to bring him up without it. And, far from having an easy life thanks to inherited wealth and privilege, he has, like Hamilton, always had a sense that he has much to prove. His father Keke always stressed a need to be prudent. “I’ve always wanted to achieve things on my own,” he told The Guardian earlier this year. “I hated buying jeans with my dad’s money. I’d buy the minimum for whatever was necessary. “My mum grew up after the war in Germany and she used to take cigarettes from the floor and smoke the last bit left by American soldiers. They had nothing. She grew up like that.” Like Hamilton, he was once managed by his father, but no longer. Rosberg began karting aged six. He and Hamilton met as rivals in 1997 and became team-mates in 2000. In 2002, he moved to the German Formula BMW championship and won the title. His rise was a season ahead of Hamilton’s parallel ascent of motor racing’s ladder. As teenage rivals, both dreamt and laughed at the prospect of racing for the F1 world title. Rosberg arrived in F1, with Williams, via the Formula 3 Euro Series and winning the inaugural GP2 title in 2005. He was partnered with Australian Mark Webber. Williams had carried his father to the championship. For his son, however, blessed with flaxen hair and an easy charm, it was a harsh school for top-level competition. The unforgiving Webber dubbed him Britney, after the pop singer Britney Spears. It was a soubriquet that branded Rosberg, only 20, with an image that took time to shake off. Before joining Williams, he turned down a place at Imperial College, London, to study aeronautical engineering. After Webber departed to Jaguar, Rosberg grew in confidence and claimed his first podium at the 2008 Australian Grand Prix, sharing the moment with a victorious Hamilton who had arrived in F1 with McLaren a year earlier. In 2010, he moved to the rebranded Mercedes team created by the German manufacturer’s takeover of the 2009 champions Brawn. He recorded consistent finishes, mixed with accidents, as team-mate to returning Michael Schumacher before the seven-time champion’s final retirement and the arrival, in 2013, of Hamilton. Their partnership ignited the team’s current spell of dominance. Though Hamilton beat him to be champion in 2014 and 2015, the methodical Rosberg has become the fourth driver to win the Monaco Grand Prix three times in a row and win seven races in succession. His championship triumph maintains the virility of his competitive value in combat with Hamilton and caps a happy period in his personal life. While Hamilton remains single and has a playboy image, Rosberg in 2014 married his childhood sweetheart Vivian Sibold with whom he has a daughter, Alaia, born in August last year. (AFP)

Abu Dhabi GP: Nico Rosberg wins maiden F1 world title

US billionaire John Malone&#39;s cable TV firm Liberty Media has bought Formula One for $4.4 billion. 
 
Bernie Ecclestone, who owned the racing business for decades, will be the chief executive of Formula One, the company said. 
 
&quot;They (Liberty Media) want me to be here for three years,&quot; Ecclestone had told Reuters a few days back, although Liberty didn&#39;t specify a timeframe. 
 
21st Century Fox chairman Chase Carey will be the company&#39;s new chairman.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We are excited to become part of&nbsp;Formula One,&quot; AFP quoted Liberty Media president and chief executive Greg Maffei as saying. 
 
&quot;We think our long-term perspective and expertise with media and sports assets will allow us to be good stewards of&nbsp;Formula One&nbsp;and benefit fans, teams and our shareholders.&quot; 
 
The deal was sealed after months of negotiations.&nbsp; 
 
Malone&#39;s Libert Media is the world&#39;s largest international TV and broadband company.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Liberty said it would keep Bernie Ecclestone, who has long controlled the racing group, as?F1's chief executive

US billionaire John Malone's cable TV firm Liberty Media has bought Formula One for $4.4 billion. Bernie Ecclestone, who owned the racing business for decades, will be the chief executive of Formula One, the company said. "They (Liberty Media) want me to be here for three years," Ecclestone had told Reuters a few days back, although Liberty didn't specify a timeframe. 21st Century Fox chairman Chase Carey will be the company's new chairman. "We are excited to become part of Formula One," AFP quoted Liberty Media president and chief executive Greg Maffei as saying. "We think our long-term perspective and expertise with media and sports assets will allow us to be good stewards of Formula One and benefit fans, teams and our shareholders." The deal was sealed after months of negotiations. Malone's Libert Media is the world's largest international TV and broadband company. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Liberty Media buys Formula One for $4.4 billion

Formula One drivers have called for the sport&#39;s rules to be made clearer after several high-profile incidents over the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend triggered debate on how they should be applied. 
 
Nico Rosberg was allowed to keep pole position for Sunday&rsquo;s race after stewards deemed he had slowed enough for waved double yellow flags, despite the German going faster in the sector in which the flags were shown on his way to his benchmark time. 
 
Drivers are required to reduce speed significantly and be prepared to change direction or stop under double waved yellow flags, which can be deployed to warn them of marshals, stranded cars, or recovery vehicles on or beside the track. 
 
Other drivers, including team mate Lewis Hamilton who was forced to abort his final crack at pole, slowed down enough to hinder their overall laps. 
 
Stewards&#39; acceptance of Rosberg&rsquo;s argument he had slowed enough, raised questions over just how much drivers were required to reduce speed. 
 
&ldquo;The issue is not that he didn&rsquo;t get a penalty,&rdquo; said reigning triple champion Hamilton, who won the race. 
 
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s about being prepared to be able to slow down...if there was a marshal back there... None of us want to take out a marshal or a driver.&quot; 
 
&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t set a correct example yesterday,&rdquo; Ferrari&rsquo;s four times champion Sebastian Vettel said. 
 
&quot;Next week there will be a go-karting race and there will be a double yellow waved flag somewhere... Then, the way the kids think is, well I don&rsquo;t need to lift much because in Formula One it&rsquo;s okay.&rdquo; 
 
In another incident after qualifying, several drivers, including Red Bull&rsquo;s third-placed Daniel Ricciardo, were at risk of losing their grid slots for not qualifying within 107 per cent of the fastest time in the opening 18-minute phase. 
 
Stewards decided to let some of those drivers keep their positions, while those who hadn&rsquo;t made it past first phase had their times taken away, even though the grid order didn&rsquo;t change. 
 
In Sunday&rsquo;s race, Jenson Button ran foul of tightened radio rules, collecting a drive through penalty when his McLaren team informed him how to get around a hydraulics issue that was causing him brake problems. 
 
&ldquo;The sport is good in so many ways, there are so many improvements coming, but I mean common sense should prevail and we shouldn&rsquo;t get a penalty for stopping an incident,&rdquo; said the former world champion. 
 
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a shame that the sport is where it is with these regulations.&rdquo; 
 
(Reuters)

Top F1 drivers urge on improvements after several high-profile incidents triggered debates

Formula One drivers have called for the sport's rules to be made clearer after several high-profile incidents over the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend triggered debate on how they should be applied. Nico Rosberg was allowed to keep pole position for Sunday’s race after stewards deemed he had slowed enough for waved double yellow flags, despite the German going faster in the sector in which the flags were shown on his way to his benchmark time. Drivers are required to reduce speed significantly and be prepared to change direction or stop under double waved yellow flags, which can be deployed to warn them of marshals, stranded cars, or recovery vehicles on or beside the track. Other drivers, including team mate Lewis Hamilton who was forced to abort his final crack at pole, slowed down enough to hinder their overall laps. Stewards' acceptance of Rosberg’s argument he had slowed enough, raised questions over just how much drivers were required to reduce speed. “The issue is not that he didn’t get a penalty,” said reigning triple champion Hamilton, who won the race. “It’s about being prepared to be able to slow down...if there was a marshal back there... None of us want to take out a marshal or a driver." “We didn’t set a correct example yesterday,” Ferrari’s four times champion Sebastian Vettel said. "Next week there will be a go-karting race and there will be a double yellow waved flag somewhere... Then, the way the kids think is, well I don’t need to lift much because in Formula One it’s okay.” In another incident after qualifying, several drivers, including Red Bull’s third-placed Daniel Ricciardo, were at risk of losing their grid slots for not qualifying within 107 per cent of the fastest time in the opening 18-minute phase. Stewards decided to let some of those drivers keep their positions, while those who hadn’t made it past first phase had their times taken away, even though the grid order didn’t change. In Sunday’s race, Jenson Button ran foul of tightened radio rules, collecting a drive through penalty when his McLaren team informed him how to get around a hydraulics issue that was causing him brake problems. “The sport is good in so many ways, there are so many improvements coming, but I mean common sense should prevail and we shouldn’t get a penalty for stopping an incident,” said the former world champion. “It’s a shame that the sport is where it is with these regulations.” (Reuters)

Hungarian Grand Prix: Formula One drivers call for clearer rules

Former world champion Sebastian Vettel has slammed Formula One&#39;s decision to tighten radio rules, saying that drivers and teams should be free to say whatever they want to each other during a race. 
 
&quot;All the radio issues we&#39;ve had, I think it&#39;s a joke,&quot; the Ferrari driver told reporters on Thursday during preparations for this weekend&#39;s Hungarian Grand Prix. 
 
The governing International Automobile Federation&#39;s (FIA) Formula One race director Charlie Whiting issued a &quot;technical directive&quot; to teams on Wednesday to clarify what they are allowed to tell their drivers over the radio. 
 
According to the document, seen by Reuters, teams can inform a driver about concerns with their vehicle but &quot;any message of this sort must include an irreversible instruction to enter the pits to rectify the problem or to retire the car&quot;. 
 
The fresh directive also underlined that the radio restrictions will not apply if a car is in the pitlane, whereas earlier they kicked in as soon as the vehicle left the garage. 
 
The clarification came after Nico Rosberg, who had help from Mercedes in getting around gearbox gremlins at this month&#39;s British Grand Prix, was found to be in breach of the rule barring teams from giving drivers assistance over the radio. 
 
A week earlier Force India&#39;s Sergio Perez crashed out on the last lap of the Austrian Grand Prix with brake problems because the team felt the rules prevented them from informing the Mexican of the issue. 
 
German Vettel, 29, said curbing radio transmissions was the wrong way to go, given the technological complexity of modern-day cars, and called for the restrictions to be lifted. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s not our mistake, as in the drivers, that the cars are so complicated these days that they need a big manual and a steering wheel full of buttons to operate it,&quot; the four-times world champion said. 
 
Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton, however, brushed off the change, saying it &quot;doesn&rsquo;t make any difference to me&quot; while team-mate Rosberg said he did not have an opinion on it. 
 
(Reuters)

Sebastian Vettel said curbing radio transmissions was the wrong way to go and called for the restrictions to be lifted

Former world champion Sebastian Vettel has slammed Formula One's decision to tighten radio rules, saying that drivers and teams should be free to say whatever they want to each other during a race. "All the radio issues we've had, I think it's a joke," the Ferrari driver told reporters on Thursday during preparations for this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix. The governing International Automobile Federation's (FIA) Formula One race director Charlie Whiting issued a "technical directive" to teams on Wednesday to clarify what they are allowed to tell their drivers over the radio. According to the document, seen by Reuters, teams can inform a driver about concerns with their vehicle but "any message of this sort must include an irreversible instruction to enter the pits to rectify the problem or to retire the car". The fresh directive also underlined that the radio restrictions will not apply if a car is in the pitlane, whereas earlier they kicked in as soon as the vehicle left the garage. The clarification came after Nico Rosberg, who had help from Mercedes in getting around gearbox gremlins at this month's British Grand Prix, was found to be in breach of the rule barring teams from giving drivers assistance over the radio. A week earlier Force India's Sergio Perez crashed out on the last lap of the Austrian Grand Prix with brake problems because the team felt the rules prevented them from informing the Mexican of the issue. German Vettel, 29, said curbing radio transmissions was the wrong way to go, given the technological complexity of modern-day cars, and called for the restrictions to be lifted. "It's not our mistake, as in the drivers, that the cars are so complicated these days that they need a big manual and a steering wheel full of buttons to operate it," the four-times world champion said. Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton, however, brushed off the change, saying it "doesn’t make any difference to me" while team-mate Rosberg said he did not have an opinion on it. (Reuters)

Vettel slams radio rules as 'joke'

Struggling Sauber will miss next week&#39;s post-British Grand Prix Formula One test to save money, the Swiss team said today. 
 
Sauber said on Twitter that, since an aerodynamic update was planned for a later stage, they had decided to cancel their involvement in the test &quot;considering cost effectiveness&quot;. 
 
A two-day test starting on Tuesday is scheduled for the Silverstone circuit after Sunday&#39;s race. 
 
Sauber, the only team yet to score a point this season, have suffered financial difficulties and also skipped the previous in-season test in Barcelona in May because of a lack of updates and a suitable test driver. 
 
They have not made any significant upgrades to their car since the start of the season in March but sounded more optimistic in Austria last weekend, when team manager Beat Zehnder said June salaries had at least been paid on time. 
 
&quot;Paying the salaries, the outstanding salaries, is part of a comprehensive solution we were still working on,&quot; he said then. &quot;Obviously, there is a change in atmosphere because now everyone believes again that there is a future.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

A two-day test starting on Tuesday is scheduled for the Silverstone circuit after Sunday's race

Struggling Sauber will miss next week's post-British Grand Prix Formula One test to save money, the Swiss team said today. Sauber said on Twitter that, since an aerodynamic update was planned for a later stage, they had decided to cancel their involvement in the test "considering cost effectiveness". A two-day test starting on Tuesday is scheduled for the Silverstone circuit after Sunday's race. Sauber, the only team yet to score a point this season, have suffered financial difficulties and also skipped the previous in-season test in Barcelona in May because of a lack of updates and a suitable test driver. They have not made any significant upgrades to their car since the start of the season in March but sounded more optimistic in Austria last weekend, when team manager Beat Zehnder said June salaries had at least been paid on time. "Paying the salaries, the outstanding salaries, is part of a comprehensive solution we were still working on," he said then. "Obviously, there is a change in atmosphere because now everyone believes again that there is a future." (Reuters)

To save money, Sauber will miss Silverstone F1 test

The Williams Formula One team equalled the record for the sport&#39;s fastest pit stop in Sunday&#39;s European Grand Prix. 
 
The British outfit changed the tyres on Brazilian Felipe Massa&#39;s car in 1.92 seconds, equaling the previous best on record set by the Red Bull team at the 2013 United States Grand Prix, according to statistics gathered for the DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award. 
 
Red Bull turned around Australian Mark Webber in 1.923 seconds at the American race, when pit-stop timings were logged to thousandths of a second. 
 
Williams&#39; speed in the pits has been outstanding this year and they have been the fastest team at every race following a deliberate plan to improve their form. 
 
&quot;I was surprised in the first race that we had such a quick pit-stop,&quot; said Massa. 
 
&quot;We even lost time because it was quicker than you expected, but then I was ready to have a good one, because the team is doing such a good job.&rdquo; 
 
(AFP) 
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They changed the tyres on Brazilian Felipe Massa's car in 1.92 seconds

The Williams Formula One team equalled the record for the sport's fastest pit stop in Sunday's European Grand Prix. The British outfit changed the tyres on Brazilian Felipe Massa's car in 1.92 seconds, equaling the previous best on record set by the Red Bull team at the 2013 United States Grand Prix, according to statistics gathered for the DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award. Red Bull turned around Australian Mark Webber in 1.923 seconds at the American race, when pit-stop timings were logged to thousandths of a second. Williams' speed in the pits has been outstanding this year and they have been the fastest team at every race following a deliberate plan to improve their form. "I was surprised in the first race that we had such a quick pit-stop," said Massa. "We even lost time because it was quicker than you expected, but then I was ready to have a good one, because the team is doing such a good job.” (AFP)

Williams equal F1 pit stop record

Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton completed his domination of practice for Azerbaijan&#39;s first Formula One grand prix with the fastest time in Saturday&#39;s final session before qualifying. 
 
The Mercedes driver, who was fastest in both Friday practices at the Baku street circuit, lapped with a best time of one minute 44.352 seconds late in the session, slower than his best the previous day. 
 
Team mate and championship leader Nico Rosberg was second, with a timing that was 0.258 seconds slower. 
 
Force India&#39;s Nico Hulkenberg, who won the Le Mans 24-hours sportscar race this time last year but is unable to defend the title due to the calendar clash, was best of the rest on the timesheets. 
 
Hamilton was 1.188 seconds clear of Hulkenberg. 
 
The session was halted shortly before the scheduled finish when Hulkenberg&#39;s Mexican team mate Sergio Perez hit the wall at Turn 15, the same spot where Red Bull&#39;s Daniel Ricciardo crashed on Friday. Ricciardo was fourth on Saturday, ahead of Ferrari&#39;s Sebastian Vettel, Perez and the Australian&#39;s 18-year-old Dutch team mate Max Verstappen. 
 
Team workers modified the track overnight, removing kerbs that had lifted in Friday practice and moving the white lines at the pit lane entry. However, there was still a worrying moment when a loose drain cover flipped up in the pitlane after Valtteri Bottas&#39;s Williams passed over it. The car was damaged and returned to the garage while marshals placed a traffic cone in front of the hole. 
 
Some drivers, notably Rosberg and McLaren&#39;s Jenson Button, had complained about the lack of runoff areas and pitlane entry but they got short shrift from commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone. 
 
&quot;If they don&#39;t want to drive, they don&#39;t have to,&quot; said the 85-year-old. &quot;It&#39;s up to them. This is the circuit. If they don&#39;t like it, go home. One of them, I think Nico, was complaining about the speed into the pitlane. So I said to the people &#39;go and have a look and see if he&#39;s got a brake on the car&#39;. It&#39;s up to him how quick he is.&quot; 
(Reuters) 
 
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Has the fastest time on Saturday, and was fastest in both practice sessions on Friday

Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton completed his domination of practice for Azerbaijan's first Formula One grand prix with the fastest time in Saturday's final session before qualifying. The Mercedes driver, who was fastest in both Friday practices at the Baku street circuit, lapped with a best time of one minute 44.352 seconds late in the session, slower than his best the previous day. Team mate and championship leader Nico Rosberg was second, with a timing that was 0.258 seconds slower. Force India's Nico Hulkenberg, who won the Le Mans 24-hours sportscar race this time last year but is unable to defend the title due to the calendar clash, was best of the rest on the timesheets. Hamilton was 1.188 seconds clear of Hulkenberg. The session was halted shortly before the scheduled finish when Hulkenberg's Mexican team mate Sergio Perez hit the wall at Turn 15, the same spot where Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo crashed on Friday. Ricciardo was fourth on Saturday, ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, Perez and the Australian's 18-year-old Dutch team mate Max Verstappen. Team workers modified the track overnight, removing kerbs that had lifted in Friday practice and moving the white lines at the pit lane entry. However, there was still a worrying moment when a loose drain cover flipped up in the pitlane after Valtteri Bottas's Williams passed over it. The car was damaged and returned to the garage while marshals placed a traffic cone in front of the hole. Some drivers, notably Rosberg and McLaren's Jenson Button, had complained about the lack of runoff areas and pitlane entry but they got short shrift from commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone. "If they don't want to drive, they don't have to," said the 85-year-old. "It's up to them. This is the circuit. If they don't like it, go home. One of them, I think Nico, was complaining about the speed into the pitlane. So I said to the people 'go and have a look and see if he's got a brake on the car'. It's up to him how quick he is." (Reuters)

Hamilton completes practice sweep in Baku

Formula One takes a step into the unknown this weekend with its first grand prix in Azerbaijan, but, triple world champion Lewis Hamilton hopes the race will take him back to familiar, successful territory. 
 
A win in Baku would not only complete a hat-trick of victories for the Briton but would also see him overtake Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg at the top of the standings for the first time this year. 
 
After winning the last two races in Monaco and Montreal, while championship leader Rosberg finished off the podium, Hamilton slashed the gap between them from 43 points to nine. 
 
If Hamilton makes it three in a row by winning a race billed as the &#39;European Grand Prix&#39;, Rosberg must finish second to avoid falling behind his rival, who has beaten him to the championship for the last two years. 
 
&quot;We need to try to keep on a roll if possible,&quot; Hamilton said after winning in Canada on Sunday for the fifth time. &quot;Onwards and upwards, hopefully.&quot; 
 
Rosberg, winner of the first four races of the season as well as the last three of 2015, needs to hit back in Baku. 
 
He won last season&#39;s &#39;new&#39; race, the Mexican Grand Prix that was returning for the first time since 1992, but Hamilton had just won his third title and taken his foot off the gas. 
 
&quot;Canada unfortunately didn&#39;t work out as planned. But that&#39;s how things go when you&#39;re pushing the limits and I&#39;m not going to change my approach or start backing down,&quot; said Rosberg after making a quick getaway from Montreal. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m in this championship battle to win it, not to settle for second best.&quot; 
 
While the spotlight remains on the fierce duel between the two Mercedes drivers, who have clashed on the opening lap twice in the last three races, the champions are no longer in a battle of their own. 
 
Ferrari and Red Bull have closed the performance gap and could be a real threat in Baku where the circuit has long straight and tight turns around the old city, a UNESCO world heritage site. 
 
&quot;The speed of both the Ferrari and Red Bull is pretty much where we are now,&quot; commented Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff after Ferrari&#39;s Sebastian Vettel made a lightning start in Canada and finished second. 
 
&quot;We are seeing the convergence of performance between teams that naturally comes with stable regulations, and that has made the competition tougher than ever.&quot; 
 
Formula One teams began setting up on Tuesday for a race that, despite campaigners calling for the sport to take a stance on human rights issues, has created a buzz throughout the paddock. 
 
&quot;It looks spectacular when you see what they have built up in downtown Baku, going through the old city,&quot; said Ferrari&#39;s track operations head Jock Clear. 
 
&quot;It looks a very exciting circuit. The stuff we&rsquo;ve done on simulators and the photographs we&rsquo;ve seen, it looks like it&rsquo;s going to be a great place to race. I think both drivers are really up for that kind of street circuit.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Formula One takes a step into the unknown this weekend with its first grand prix in Azerbaijan, but, triple world champion Lewis Hamilton hopes the race will take him back to familiar, successful territory. A win in Baku would not only complete a hat-trick of victories for the Briton but would also see him overtake Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg at the top of the standings for the first time this year. After winning the last two races in Monaco and Montreal, while championship leader Rosberg finished off the podium, Hamilton slashed the gap between them from 43 points to nine. If Hamilton makes it three in a row by winning a race billed as the 'European Grand Prix', Rosberg must finish second to avoid falling behind his rival, who has beaten him to the championship for the last two years. "We need to try to keep on a roll if possible," Hamilton said after winning in Canada on Sunday for the fifth time. "Onwards and upwards, hopefully." Rosberg, winner of the first four races of the season as well as the last three of 2015, needs to hit back in Baku. He won last season's 'new' race, the Mexican Grand Prix that was returning for the first time since 1992, but Hamilton had just won his third title and taken his foot off the gas. "Canada unfortunately didn't work out as planned. But that's how things go when you're pushing the limits and I'm not going to change my approach or start backing down," said Rosberg after making a quick getaway from Montreal. "I'm in this championship battle to win it, not to settle for second best." While the spotlight remains on the fierce duel between the two Mercedes drivers, who have clashed on the opening lap twice in the last three races, the champions are no longer in a battle of their own. Ferrari and Red Bull have closed the performance gap and could be a real threat in Baku where the circuit has long straight and tight turns around the old city, a UNESCO world heritage site. "The speed of both the Ferrari and Red Bull is pretty much where we are now," commented Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff after Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel made a lightning start in Canada and finished second. "We are seeing the convergence of performance between teams that naturally comes with stable regulations, and that has made the competition tougher than ever." Formula One teams began setting up on Tuesday for a race that, despite campaigners calling for the sport to take a stance on human rights issues, has created a buzz throughout the paddock. "It looks spectacular when you see what they have built up in downtown Baku, going through the old city," said Ferrari's track operations head Jock Clear. "It looks a very exciting circuit. The stuff we’ve done on simulators and the photographs we’ve seen, it looks like it’s going to be a great place to race. I think both drivers are really up for that kind of street circuit." (Reuters)

Hamilton hoping for a hat-trick in Baku

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg has expressed his desire to continue with the team for many more years, saying that he is not at all thinking about his 2017 contract negotiations. 
 
Despite being linked with a move to the team&#39;s rivals Ferrari, Rosberg remained adamant about his desire to be in the club for a long time. Besides the Formula One races in Spain and Monaco, the German driver has had a promising start to the season claiming victory in the first four races of the year. 
 
The 30-year-old insisted that he is extremely happy with his current team and that he is not at all planning to leave any time soon, Sport24 reported. 
 
Following Rosberg&#39;s current run of form, Mercedes has been mulling finalizing a long term contract with the German. Rosberg is currently leading the F1 table, maintaining a lead of 24 points from reigning world champion Hamilton.

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg has expressed his desire to continue with the team for many more years, saying that he is not at all thinking about his 2017 contract negotiations. Despite being linked with a move to the team's rivals Ferrari, Rosberg remained adamant about his desire to be in the club for a long time. Besides the Formula One races in Spain and Monaco, the German driver has had a promising start to the season claiming victory in the first four races of the year. The 30-year-old insisted that he is extremely happy with his current team and that he is not at all planning to leave any time soon, Sport24 reported. Following Rosberg's current run of form, Mercedes has been mulling finalizing a long term contract with the German. Rosberg is currently leading the F1 table, maintaining a lead of 24 points from reigning world champion Hamilton.

Rosberg keen on sticking with Mercedes

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