Fiat Chrysler could buy the team formerly known as Sauber.

Earlier, it was announced that after more than a quarter of a century on the grid, the Sauber name will be replaced completely by Alfa Romeo from 2019. The deal has been criticised. "Sauber is now under the Alfa Romeo flag," said respected German journalist Michael Schmidt, "but the team has nothing to do with Alfa Romeo except that the money comes from Italy. "F1 is doing itself no favours with these such things," the Auto Motor und Sport editor added. Indeed, Sauber Motorsport will continue to operate the team from Hinwil, with the Alfa branding reflective of the deepening alignment with Ferrari. Auto Bild, a German magazine, says Fiat could now buy Sauber altogether. The report said Fiat Chrysler, Ferrari's parent company, bought the Sauber naming rights for EUR 6 million."We have learned that Fiat boss John Elkann also has a purchase option that can be used until the summer," wrote journalist Ralf Bach."One thing is certain: for Ferrari, the close cooperation with Alfa not only means more political power, but the Scuderia almost benefits from a sporting perspective," he added.Not everyone is critical of the Sauber-Fiat alliance. Giampaolo Dallara, a well known Italian F1 chassis designer, said Alfa's involvement makes it a "leading player in F1"."I believe that over the years, Alfa Romeo will be able to aspire to become a competitor of the great teams, escaping with time from the role as the so-called Ferrari junior team," he told the Italian magazine Autosprint. "I do not see any negative aspect and therefore I am very curious to see the next steps," Dallara added.

Alfa Romeo Racing's Formula 1 cars will not bear the Sauber name at all in 2019, while the Racing Point team has committed to its planned temporary identity. A revised F1 entry list published by the FIA has confirmed Alfa has successfully requested to take over the chassis name from Sauber, as well the team's entry. It cements the Italian manufacturer's first full F1 entry since 1985 as an extension of the partnership that began with Sauber last year, and confirms the Sauber name will not be visible on the 2019 grid after last week's announcement only reference the team's identity. Alfa's 2019 entry was originally submitted as Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team, under the Sauber Motorsport AG company and with Sauber as the designated chassis name. Sauber Motorsport AG, which remains independent, is still the company behind the Alfa Romeo Racing entry. Name changes have been a point of contention in recent years because of their significance to F1 teams qualifying for prize money. A recent prominent example is Manor taking over the Marussia entry but having to use the existing chassis name for 2015. But an entry's company name, team name and name of chassis can all be changed after the original entry list is published. An F1 Commission vote was necessary because of the commercial agreements between F1 and the teams, which Alfa Romeo needs to honour to keep the prize money the entry earned under the Sauber name. A majority vote is sufficient for immediate change and the team needs to notify the FIA within seven days.

The Racing Point saga that dogged the second half of last season was complicated by the change of company from Force India, and a subsequent new entry. Racing Point completed the 2018 season under that name and then kept it when the entry list was published late last year. It had indicated that was just a temporary solution and had been pursuing its own new identity. However, it remains on the update FIA entry list with Racing Point as the company, team and chassis name - a day after changing its social media identity from Force India to Racing Point.

Claire Williams says she will fight with every inch of her being to rescue her family's team from its current position in Formula One.

Williams ended a dismal 2018 campaign bottom of the standings with just seven points, continuing the slump which has followed the team finishing third in 2014 and 2015. The team also confirmed the loss of its title sponsorship deal with Martini last year, although it will announce a new one with the unveiling of its 2019 livery on Monday.

Williams' role is officially deputy principal but she is the defacto boss of the team started her by father, Frank, in 1977. Despite its current struggles it remains one of the most successful teams in the sport's history, with 114 race victories as well as nine constructors' and seven drivers' championships to its name.

The team's current predicament has increased pressure on the current management structure at the team but Williams says her motivation is as strong as ever.

"This is our family's team, so there is a lot riding on that," Williams told Racer. "One of the reasons why I took this job was to protect not just my dad's but my mom's legacy in this sport. It's a legacy that we're enormously proud of. So there's that pressure.

"And I care very deeply about the reputation of this team, I care very deeply about the people that work for us and I want to make sure that they have a team that they can be proud of and that this team survives for many, many, many years to come in our sport.

"So I have a huge personal investment, but I wouldn't be doing anything else. I love what I do, I'm very lucky to do what I do, and I actually find the challenge probably more invigorating than if we were just happily cruising around in P4 and grabbing the occasional podium.

"For me, I very much actually almost liken my journey to that when Frank started the team. We're on our uppers from a performance perspective and you have to fight hard if you're going to be successful in any sport. Because success is so incredibly rewarding, that success isn't easy to come by. Just ask Toto [Wolff, Mercedes boss], it takes an enormous amount of hard work -- luck doesn't necessarily come into it.

"I'm prepared for that and I've got my sleeves rolled up and I'm going to fight with every inch of my being in order to achieve what I want Williams to achieve and I won't give up until I do. I'll go down fighting if I have to, but I will continue to fight for this team because I believe in it. I believe it has a place in this sport, I believe it still has a very great relevance and it shouldn't be where it is at the moment."

Williams will have a new driver line-up this year. Lance Stroll has moved across to the team now owned by his father, Racing Point (formerly Force India), while Sergey Sirotkin was not retained. Instead, the team will contest the season with the returning Robert Kubica and reigning Formula 2 champion George Russell.

McLaren sporting director Gil de Ferran says the team has not yet decided whether or not it will call upon Fernando Alonso to test its MCL34 during pre-season testing.

Rumors of the Spaniard's presence behind the wheel of the outfit's new charger gathered steam this weekend when the two-time world champion revealed on Instagram that he was in Woking.

Fans naturally speculated that Alonso - who retired from F1 at the end of last season - was perhaps present at the McLaren factory to prepare for a run at Barcelona when pre-season kicks off on February 18.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown recently said that Alonso's experience and talent could eventually come in handy at some stage to evaluate the MCL34, but de Ferran remained evasive on the subject when queried by Spain's AS.

"We do not know yet, we'll see," said the Brazilian who commended Alonso for his recent win in the Daytona 24 Hours with Wayne Taylor Racing.

"I have always said that for me Fernando is one of the best drivers in history. And his victory at Daytona underscored that once again. He's an incredible driver."

Looking ahead at the 2019 season in which McLaren is hoping to markedly improve its performance level, de Ferran remains cautious in his outlook, aware that in the past McLaren had often set big targets only to fall short of expectations.

"It seems to be going well," he said of the team's preparations.

"Obviously, to know how competitive it is going to be with the new rules, we have to wait and see it in the Barcelona tests."

Only an improvement on its 2018 results will due for McLaren insists de Ferran.

"We are all working to achieve that goal," he stated.

British American Tobacco, which had its own Formula One team before selling to Honda in 2006, is returning to the sport under a multi-year global partnership with McLaren.

Both sides said in a statement announcing the deal on Monday that the partnership will focus solely on BAT's "potentially reduced risk products" with an emphasis on technology and innovation.

"McLaren Applied Technologies will work with BAT on areas including battery technology and advanced materials. The two companies will share best practice, innovation know-how and mutual experience," it added.

Tobacco advertising was widespread in Formula One until a ban in 2006 led most teams to kick the habit and seek sponsors elsewhere.

Ferrari's partnership with Philip Morris International, whose Mission Winnow initiative focuses on smoke-free 'heat not burn' products and is the team's title sponsor, has been going for more than 40 years, however.

BAT, the world's second-biggest international tobacco company by revenue, bought Tyrrell in 1997 and competed as British American Racing (BAR) from 1999 to the end of 2005 when Honda took over.

Honda then quit at the end of 2008, handing over to principal Ross Brawn, who led them to victory in both championships under his own name in 2009.

In 2010 they became Mercedes, which has won both titles for the past five years.

Mattia Binotto's first major move since taking the helm of Ferrari earlier this year has been to shake up the respective race crews associated with the Scuderia's drivers.

Reports from Italy claim that Sebastian Vettel's entire team has been moved to the other side of the garage to support new recruit Charles Leclerc.

The Monegasque will be overseen, as expected, by Ferrari senior performance engineer Jock Clear, a man whose vast experience - he guided Jacques Villeneuve to the Canadian's world title in 1997 before working later with Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes - will prove very helpful to the 21-year-old.

Vettel however will retain race engineer Riccardo Adamo whom the German has been working with at the Scuderia since 2015, as well as the power unit engineering crew attached to the #5 Ferrari.

Swapping race crews isn't unusual for a front-running team, and indeed Mercedes have rotated teams of engineers and mechanics between its drivers in the recent past.

Furthermore, former FIA safety and deputy race director Laurent Mekies, who began his duties as Ferrari's sporting director in Abu Dhabi last year, has been entrusted with interpreting and handling sporting and technical regulations, a task obviously right up his alley.

Ferrari will roll out its 2019 car at Maranello on Friday.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff claims the “embarrassing” changes to the 2019 cars are a deliberate attempt to stop the Silver Arrows.

After returning to Formula 1 as a manufacturer in 2010, the team’s dominance began in 2014 with the German outfit collecting every Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship on offer.

2019 will see the mandatory introduction of aerodynamic alterations to the front and rear wing, and Wolff believes this ultimately is a ploy to halt Mercedes’ progress.

Speaking to Motorsport-Total.com, Wolff said: “The air is becoming thinner. When a team dominates, the rules are always changed to damage this team. It can be called almost embarrassing.

“With the aerodynamic rule change for 2019, they try to change the ranking in Formula 1. We have seen this in the past with Ferrari and of course with Red Bull. We must remain motivated and set the right goals.”

Ferrari’s title challenge fell away for the second consecutive season in 2018, allowing Lewis Hamilton to claim the Drivers’ Championship, while Mercedes comfortably retained the Constructors’ Championship.

But, Wolff believes that Ferrari and Red Bull will bring the fight to Mercedes in 2019, and that their perfect record in the turbo-hybrid era is in major jeopardy.

“Our task becomes more difficult every year,” he explained.

“We set a benchmark, but this motivates our opponents.

“We have to acknowledge how strong the competition is and recognize that we could lose the World Championship this year.”

The results are in. At long last, race fans will finally have a way to directly compare the speeds of Formula One cars against IndyCars. As IndyCar’s first testing sessions come to a close at Circuit of the Americas, it seems like as good a time as any to see how these two open wheel series compare.

One of the big arguments as to why IndyCar wouldn’t race at COTA was, for a while, that it would show how much slower IndyCars were than F1 cars, thus making IndyCar look like a foolish, small potatoes series next to the grandiose international series that is Formula One.

I, personally, have always found that argument silly—both series are designed for different purposes and race on different tracks. Each series uses its own technology—hell, IndyCar doesn’t even have power steering like F1 does. There’s no reason why they should even need to have comparable speeds, but alas. I cannot speak for the Internet. Instead, I’ll let these numbers speak for themselves.


Let’s start with F1. Lewis Hamilton is currently the record-holder at COTA. During the 2018 qualifying session for the US Grand Prix, he set a fastest lap of 1:32.237. That’s nothing to shake a stick at.

Now, onto IndyCar. The fastest lap set during their spring training session was clocked by rookie Colton Herta at 1:46.6258, according to Motorsport.com. For those who are not keen on doing math on a Wednesday morning, that’s about a fourteen second difference.

It’ll take some time before we get a really accurate comparison between lap times—this is, after all, just a training session to familiarize IndyCar drivers with the track. We’ll likely see a more accurate representation of exactly how fast those cars can go during IndyCar’s own qualifying session at the race in March.

I’ll go ahead and repeat this one for the people in the back: this comparison isn’t to pit one series against the other. They’re two different categories of racing, and it would be disingenuous to do so. It’s just a way to check out the differences because it’s been such a huge talking point.

But put Lewis Hamilton in an IndyCar and send him around COTA... then we’ll talk.

Racing Point is planning a raft of significant upgrades for its new Formula 1 car across the first five races of 2019, as part of a new development philosophy.

The team joined the F1 grid for last year's Belgian Grand Prix after taking over the assets of Force India, which had finished fourth in the constructors' championship in 2016 and 2017.

Its reincarnation


FORMULA 1 / []=2]BREAKING NEWS
Racing Point reveals livery and title sponsor
5h ago
is relishing the prospect of a season with fresh investment from its new owner, a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll.As part of the team's 2019 season launch, technical director Andrew Green explained that Racing Point was already planning upgrades from the season opener in Australia to the fifth round in Spain – "something we've been unable to do previously".

Green said: "Expect quite a plain, 'vanilla' car to start with as we produced what we believe is a car capable of delivering what we need to achieve in Barcelona – working on reliability and understanding the tyres.

"We did what we needed to get the car out for launch, but in the background we have always been working on the car for the first race, trying to find the maximum performance we can and bring to Melbourne.

"We are planning to update the car for the first race and probably the two or three races after that.

"They'll be fairly significant changes ahead of another big step forward in Barcelona, in race five.

"Hopefully, by the time we get to Europe we will have a decent platform to be working with and developing."

Green's technical team has developed a reputation for producing arguably F1's best-value cars in recent seasons.

He said that Racing Point's resources would mark "a real change in development philosophy".

"This year, we will be bringing updates to the car as soon as they're ready," he said. "We won't be waiting to put together bigger packages, but will focus on making incremental gains at every race."

Part of the reason Green expects quick development progress in 2019 is F1's new aerodynamic regulations.

Simpler front and rear wings, brake ducts and bargeboards have been introduced to try to help cars follow one another more easily, and that means teams will be recouping lost aerodynamic performance as the year progresses.

Green said Racing Point is equipped to deal with that and enjoyed a "100% expansion" of its simulator programme for pre-season development work.

He described the influx of new sponsors – including new title partner SportPesa – and investment as "unprecedented" for the team.

"There's a real sense of 'we can show people what we can really do now'," he said. "It's not a new chapter in the history of this team. We're a new book now.

"Over the coming months you'll see the team grow and develop and the performance of the car will increase at quite a dramatic rate."

Mercedes has opted for an all-new engine in 2019, with the German car manufacturer believing an overhaul was necessary to help boost its challenge in Formula 1.

With the team launching its new W10 at Silverstone on Wednesday, it has confirmed that the car will be fitted with a heavily-overhauled power unit.

Andy Cowell, head of Mercedes F1 engine operations, said: “We’ve made changes to the cooling architecture of the power unit, which hopefully provide aerodynamic benefit on the car and also provide efficiency benefit on the power unit – so, hopefully a win on both the chassis and on the power unit.

“Right at the heart of the power unit is the conversion of fuel into heat release in the combustion chamber and useful work out of the crankshaft.

“We have made steps on the combustion efficiency and on the ERS system. The marriage between the turbocharger assembly with the MGU-H, the inverter, the cells and the MGU-K: that whole system is now capable of operating more efficiently and helping with energy deployment through a race.”

The focus on efficiency comes despite a change in F1’s regulations for 2019 that allows to teams to run an extra five kilogrammes of fuel if necessary.

But Cowell has suggested that Mercedes may not opt to fill to the maximum 110kg because of the weight handicap that comes from carrying extra fuel.

“If you have got an efficient engine with efficient aerodynamics and you are prepared to do a little bit of lift and coasting, then you have the opportunity to start the race at less than 110kg,” he said.

“For every 5kg of weight you save, it’s about two tenths of a second a lap quicker, so there is a natural reward to starting the race a little bit lighter.

"There is still a competitive edge from making an efficient car – both power unit and aerodynamics – and racing smartly to make sure that you have good pace at the start of the race as well as through the race.”

“If you have got an efficient engine with efficient aerodynamics and you are prepared to do a little bit of lift and coasting, then you have the opportunity to start the race at less than 110kg,” he said.

Kimi Raikkonen has said he is enjoying a more “relaxed” atmosphere at Alfa Romeo, where there is less “politics and bull****” compared to Ferrari.

The Finn’s second stint with the Scuderia came to an end following the conclusion of the 2018 season, with Ferrariopting for rising star Charles Leclerc to partner four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel.

It did appear retirement was on cards for Raikkonen, but his love and passion for racing is still strong and took the opportunity to rejoin his former team.

“I think for sure here [Alfa Romeo] is more relaxed,” Raikkonen said via Motorsport.com.

“It’s more about racing, and less about politics and bull****. Generally that’s easier for everybody, you know. I think that’s what everybody prefers, for sure.

Raikkonen also had some words of advice for his replacement, Leclerc, and told him not get too involved in the background stuff and focus mainly on his driving.

He said: “He [Leclerc] knows the team, because he’s been with Ferrari for quite a few years now, so you know, it’s not like he is going in a new place.

“And he has experience from F1.

“You know, it is a special place to be. It’s a bit of hassle at certain times, but that’s how it’s always been, and it’s easier [for him] not to get involved in too many things and just do what he is hired to do.”

“Often we are used to things being done [in a certain way], but in Ferrari sometimes it is a bit [different].

“If that doesn’t disturb you, it’s good. Don’t get involved and then just do what they ask you. I don’t…

“And because he knows the people, you know, he worked with them, so it should be quite easy and smooth.”

Raikkonen also said he had no prior notion of Maurizio Arrivabene being axed by the Scuderia, who named Mattia Binotto as his immediate replacement.

“I think I read it the same like everybody else,” he revealed.

“Or actually I didn’t read. My mom’s boyfriend asked me “did you see?” I said “no” because we were in Finland, and not interested to see any news.

“I had no idea. And now I have no idea [about] reasons and [it’s] not my business to know either and to get involved.”

The FIA is planning to use standardised gearboxes in Formula 1 from 2021, and has just issued a tender document to interested suppliers.

Currently the gearbox on a F1 car is made by the constructor, including Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Williams, Renault and Red Bull.

The FIA's move to require everyone to use the same gearbox from a single exclusive supplier is part of the sport's plans to cut overall costs while also improving on-track competitiveness.

"The aim of single source supply is to retain current levels of Formula 1 gear change performance for all cars at a much reduced cost," the FIA document stated.

It added that the initiative is "also removing the requirement for teams to design or source their own gearboxes."

Existing constructors could bid for the contract, but it would then be required to work with their rivals on the grid. That could be potentially awkward for all concerned, but McLaren already provides the standard ECU (Electronic Control Unit) used by all cars on the grid.

Teams would receive the gearboxes as tested, sealed and fluid-tight units. However teams will still supply their own gearbox outer housing in which the units will be mounted. The tender explains that this is "in order to retain competitor's own freedoms for suspension and for the gearbox aero surfaces."

The units would feature seven forward ratios, one reverse ratio and have a target life of four Grand Prix events for each driver. The four race gearbox 'cassettes' will form a pool that can be used at any time during the season.

"The unit is intended to replace all the functionality of a current F1 gearbox in a similar package and close to typical current weights," the FIA document notes. "The unit can be carried over between seasons so removing the need for costly continual performance development."

The contract would extend over four seasons, starting in 2021 and ending in 2024.

However, the FIA isn't giving companies much time to respond. The deadline for responses is given as March 15 - less than a month. Responses have to complete a form and provide relevant technical and financial documents.

"The FIA reserves the right to request any additional information from and to organise meetings with tenderers who have submitted the most interesting bids," the tender continues. "The FIA reserves the right not to select any supplier if no offer is finally deemed capable of being beneficial for the Championship and its competitors.

"Should a tenderer be selected, it will be invited to enter into a contract with the FIA that will establish the terms of the tenderer's appointment as exclusive supplier."

The tender also gives a peek into the FIA's other plans for the sport such as the MGU-K, hinting at "an average input speed increase of around 14 per cent from today" over the course of the contract.

"There should be some power increase for 2021 relative to today, not just because of natural development, but also because of a 30kW increase in the MGU-K output."

The tender adds that other parts of the F1 car will likely be standardised from 2021, including the design of part of the driveshaft.