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) 
&nbsp;

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) 
 
&nbsp;

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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