The Sauber F1 Team has completed driver line up by announcing Pascal Wehrlein will partner Marcus Ericsson for the 2017 season.
Wehrlein’s future has been in the balance at the end of the 2016 season. He was in the running for a seat at Force India until Esteban Ocon was announced. A few weeks later Wehrlein’s name was being mentioned with a potential move to Sauber. Mercedes have seen quite a bit of potential in the young German and were keen to keep him in F1. This move to Sauber keeps him in the running for a potential Mercedes drive in the future.
“I am very delighted at being a part of the Sauber F1 Team for the upcoming Formula One Season. It is a new challenge in a new team, and I am really excited and looking forward to this new adventure,” said Wehrlein.
“Our objective is to establish ourselves in the mid-field and to score points on a regular basis. That being said, I will do my best to support Sauber.
“Now I am looking forward to meeting everyone in the team and to tackling the preparations for the 2017 season.
“I want to say a big thank you to Sauber for trusting in me and giving me this great chance. And surely, a huge thanks also goes to Mercedes for the support.”
Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal had the following to say about Wehrlein’s move to Sauber:
“We are very pleased to confirm Pascal Wehrlein as our second race driver for the 2017 Formula One World Championship.
“Pascal has shown his talent throughout his career – in single seater racing as well as in the DTM.
“Last year in his rookie Formula One season, he proved his potential by scoring one point in the Austrian GP in Spielberg.
“There is surely more to come from Pascal, and we want to give him the chance to further grow and learn at the pinnacle of motorsport.
“I am confident Marcus and Pascal will form a solid combination for 2017.”
After three and a half years at Mercedes, Paddy Lowe is set to leave the Brackley based team just before the start of the 2017 season.
Lowe had joined Mercedes from McLaren during 2013 was instrumental in the runaway success of the Mercedes Formula One Team from the 2014 season when the 1.6 litre hybrid V6 era kicked off in Formula 1.
Under Lowe’s technical leadership Mercedes won three Constructors Championships on the trot and three drivers championships.
He has now begun his period of gardening leave which is mandatory before he takes any position in a rival team.
“The company’s Board wishes Paddy well with his future endeavours and thanks him for his significant contribution to the team’s achievements,” said a statement from Mercedes.
“In the short term, our stable technical organisation will continue to operate under the proven and established leadership of our senior directors Aldo Costa (Engineering Director), Mark Ellis (Performance Director), Rob Thomas (Chief Operating Officer) and Geoff Willis (Technology Director).”
Head of Mercedes Benz Motorsport Toto Wolff commented: “Paddy has played an important part in our success during the past three and a half years and we thank him for his contribution to this significant chapter in Mercedes’ motorsport history.
“Success in Formula One is not about single individuals but about the strength in depth and technical capability of an organisation.
“We have the talent in place to continue our success of recent years and we plan to build upon it in 2017 and beyond.”
There is no word from Mercedes on who Lowe’s successor will be but the former Technical Director of Ferrari, James Allison is widely tipped to take up the position after his period of gardening leave expires.
“I have had a fantastically successful and enjoyable three and a half years at Mercedes working with an incredible team of people,” said Lowe
“I am now looking forward to a new challenge and wish everyone well at Mercedes.”
Watch as newly crowned F1 World Champion Nico Rosberg takes his winning Mercedes F1 W07 Hybrid car for a final spin just after announcing his retirement from the sport. Naturally, Rosberg wasn’t going to miss the chance to capture a high-speed, onboard selfie while he was at it. Check this guy out!
Williams F1 Chief Technical Officer Pat Symonds will leave the Grove based team at the end of the year.
After joining Williams in 2013, the team finished 3rd in the constructors standings in 2014 but have since slipped down to 5th behind Force India.
Williams confirmed on Tuesday that Symonds will officially step down from his role at the end of 2016. This now makes way for Paddy Lowe to join Williams after it has been reported that he is set to leave Mercedes.
“Pat has been a tremendous asset to this team over the past three years,” said Deputy Team Principal Claire Williams in a statement.
“Pat’s appointment was the start of a major restructuring exercise, and he has been pivotal in reshaping Williams into what is a much stronger racing team today.
“I would like to thank him for all of his hard work and commitment during that time. We now look to the future and will be announcing details regarding the team’s technical leadership in due course.”
Watch Red Bull’s Christian Horner, Mercedes’ Toto Wolff, Ferrari’s Maurizio Arrivabene and Williams’ Claire Williams talk about stuff completely unrelated to F1
Fernando Alonso told workers at the McLaren factory in Woking today that he is committed to the teams Formula 1 project and that he wants to win a world title with McLaren.
The Spaniard was linked with the Mercedes seat even though he was under contract at McLaren till 2018. The rumors and reports did not stop. Mercedes Director Toto Wolff said after that he would not interfere with the drivers in other teams.
“I believe in this project,” said Alonso speaking to the staff at the McLaren factory.
“I’m committed and I want to be world champion with McLaren-Honda.
“That is my only goal”
"I believe in this project." Fernando address the team at MTC today on his commitment to achieving his ultimate goal at #McLarenHonda. pic.twitter.com/PDwyJZo2si
This puts Alonso firmly out of reach of Mercedes and his place at McLaren solid till his contract expires.
The name on everyone’s lips for the Mercedes seat is now Williams’ Valtteri Bottas and quite possibly Carlos Sainz Jr. A Bottas switch to Mercedes is quite a delicate and complicated deal to conclude. Mercedes supply engines to Williams, who could also do with the extra cash that a Bottas contract buy-out from Mercedes will bring. Doing this will leave Williams without a senior just as we head into a period with new cars and new technical regulations.
The other hand Sainz’s contract may be cheaper to buy out from Toro Rosso. We all know that Sainz has punched above his weight this season and has definitely made his case to stay in F1.
Until we hear who’s taking up the Mercedes seat in 2017, everything is just speculation. But for now, we know Alonso is not going anywhere.
The FIA released the provisional entry list for the 2017 Formula One season.
As expected following the announcement by Nico Rosberg that he will retire from F1, Mercedes have one seat available and the rush to fill the empty Mercedes seat has everyone waiting in anticipation to find out who it will be.
There are a few interesting names that have been floated with Fernando Alonso’s name dominating the chatter in forums and reports. The sad truth of that is that Alonso is contracted to McLaren till 2017. Carlos Sainz, Valtteri Bottas and Pascal Wehrlein have been tipped to be in the running for the seat in the second Mercedes.
After a decade of not featuring on the F1 calendar, the French Grand Prix that used to be hosted at Magny-Cours will return to the F1 calendar from 2018 at the Paul Ricard Circuit from a 5-year deal.
The President of the Conseil Régionale de Provence Côté d’Azur, Christian Estrosi made the announcement at the Automobile Club de France in the Place de la Concorde in Paris.
“Today I can announce clearly, firmly, and finally, the return of the French Grand Prix for the summer in 2018 in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur, at the circuit Paul Ricard,” he said.
“We are proud of this great return after 10 years. In 2018 it will be 10 years since the Grand Prix left the country, and this is a huge victory for the men who worked for its success.”
“When we know how motorsport is so popular in our country – and we are ambassadors and bearers of innovation, creation, research and development, it was for our country a real scar to lose the grand prix.
“Since then there have been several efforts – and I want to pay tribute to former Prime Minister Francois Fillon and FFSA president Nicolas Deschaux and many others who worked hard for the return of the race.”
Etrosi also dedicated the return of the French Grand Prix to Jules Bianchi.
You know, I’ve been watching Formula One for a very long time. Since I can remember, really. I started watching F1 with my Dad when I was less than knee high to a brick. Schumacher!, Lauda!, Senna!, Prost!, Patrese!, Alesi!, Hunt!, and so many more iconic names were being exclaimed by good old Murray Walker. It was the best!
Nico Rosberg retired from Formula One immediately after winning his damn hard fought for then 2016 World Championship title. As a parent of a pretty young kid who was born under the hashtag #F1baby, I’ll tell you it’s been a learning curve. Your priorities change when you become a parent.
But Rosberg’s retirement is hitting a nerve with me. It’s hitting a nerve that says F1 is not what it used to be. You give me back the exclamations and sheer excitement of pure, unobliterated, uninhibited racing any frikken day or minute of the week! I miss that stuff. And I bet today’s F1 drivers – who are around my parental age by the way – feel a lot of the same. That excitement business is gone these days. This despite the valiant efforts of the misers to bring said excitement back while filling their pockets.
Rosberg’s retirement brings up so many different emotions for me. I am torn though between the understanding that when you have a family priorities change, and then the feeling that these guys, these greatly exclaimed names, are no longer being allowed to just do what they love doing most. Racing their frikken hearts out. Don’t pass unless this guy’s moved this way, and don’t overtake if you’re hitting the brakes that way, and don’t drive a couple centimeters over this white line or there’ll be trouble, and let’s not even get into team orders. Multi-21 and move over XYZ is faster than you. And all the pressure of the media spotlight, analysing every little encounter on the track as we’ve now all been trained to do.
Can we not just let the best racing drivers in the world … drive. Let them race their flippen hearts out! And why are we giving them anything but the best equipment anyway? These are the best damn drivers in the world. Or that’s what I grew up believing, anyway. They have the best technology at their fingertips but Bernie and his Formula One management continues to inhibit and restrict in order to increase the spectacle. Their goal is to increase viewership – i.e dollars/pounds in their bank accounts. But I feel as though miserly, greedy decisions are clouding the goal for fans, and drivers.
None of exclaimed names back in the day would have backed away after winning a world championship. None of them. There’s no way they would have backed down. Back then the goal was to be the best racing driver of all time and that’s that. Get out on the track and do that. And they all loved it. Now? Now the pressure is insurmountable. I’ll be honest, I’m not a Rosberg fan. I’d be first to voice my opinion about his Sulky Sue faces when he’s losing, but the guy is a damn good racing driver. We’re losing one of the best drivers on our current grid. But as a parent, I get it. The pressure in today’s F1 is too much. You can’t just go out and drive to win.
Rosberg’s news really concerns me. Why are we limiting the limitless? Formula One is such a spectacular sport and I will never stop watching. But if drivers aren’t passionate anymore because of all this incredible pressure, and our drivers stop wanting to drive … we’re going to have nothing left to watch eventually.
In a shock announcement on Friday afternoon Nico Rosberg announced his retirement from F1.
Rosberg stunned the F1 world with his announcement saying that the time feels right for his retirement.
“Since 25 years in racing, it has been my dream, my ‘one thing’ to become Formula One World Champion,” said Rosberg in a statement on his Facebook page.
“Through the hard work, the pain, the sacrifices, this has been my target. And now I’ve made it. I have climbed my mountain, I am on the peak, so this feels right.
“My strongest emotion right now is deep gratitude to everybody who supported me to make that dream happen.
Rosberg talks about the toll the season has had on him and his family in particular.
“This season, I tell you, it was so damn tough. I pushed like crazy in every area after the disappointments of the last two years; they fueled my motivation to levels I had never experienced before.
“And of course that had an impact on the ones I love, too — it was a whole family effort of sacrifice, putting everything behind our target.
“I cannot find enough words to thank my wife Vivian; she has been incredible. She understood that this year was the big one, our opportunity to do it, and created the space for me to get full recovery between every race, looking after our daughter each night, taking over when things got tough and putting our championship first.
“When I won the race in Suzuka, from the moment when the destiny of the title was in my own hands, the big pressure started and I began to think about ending my racing career if I became World Champion.
“On Sunday morning in Abu Dhabi, I knew that it could be my last race and that feeling cleared my head before the start. I wanted to enjoy every part of the experience, knowing it might be the last time… and then the lights went out and I had the most intense 55 laps of my life.
I took my decision on Monday evening. After reflecting for a day, the first people I told were Vivian and Georg (Nolte, from Nico’s management team), followed by Toto.
“The only thing that makes this decision in any way difficult for me is because I am putting my racing family into a tough situation. But Toto understood. He knew straight away that I was completely convinced and that reassured me.
“My proudest achievement in racing will always be to have won the world championship with this incredible team of people,the Silver Arrows.
“Now, I’m just here to enjoy the moment. There is time to savour the next weeks, to reflect on the season and to enjoy every experience that comes my way. After that, I will turn the next corner in my life and see what it has in store for me…”
Head of Mercedes Benz Motorsport Toto Wolff commented on Rosberg’s retirement: “This is a brave decision by Nico and testament to the strength of his character.
“He has chosen to leave at the pinnacle of his career, as World Champion, having achieved his childhood dream. The clarity of his judgement meant I accepted his decision straight away when he told me.
“It’s impossible to capture the essence of a person in a few short words. But Nico has a special combination of natural talent and fighting spirit that have brought him to where he is today. Throughout his career, people have
thought he was on a golden path to success just because his father was a World Champion; in fact, I think in some ways that made the challenge greater – and meant he had to fight even harder with the weight of expectation on
his shoulders.
“With Mercedes, Nico has been a relentless competitor, bouncing back from tough times in an inspirational way, and he earned the respect of the sport with his tenacity, his fighting spirit and his grace under pressure.
“Since 2010, he has poured competitive energy into our team and we have grown stronger because of it. We simply say ‘thank you’ for the incredible contribution he has made to our success, alongside two of the all-time great drivers, Michael and Lewis.
“For the team, this is an unexpected situation but also an exciting one.
“We are going into a new era of technical regulations and there is a free Mercedes cockpit for the seasons ahead.
“We will take the necessary time to evaluate our options and then find the right path for our future.”
Rosberg’s announcement, although quite sudden, comes at a rather interesting time with new regulations coming in 2017. There will be furious work being done behind the scenes to fill the empty Mercedes seat which will be in high demand. Big name drivers such as Vettel, Alonso, Ricciardo and Verstappen are under contract for 2017.
Mercedes can exercise their financial might and buy out a driver from his current contract. This can, and has been done before. The obvious and safe choice would be to promote Pascal Wehrlein to Mercedes.
