[James]

Felipe Massa is going to drive for Williams.

Valtteri Bottas to partner Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2017 season

Valtteri Bottas has succeeded retired world champion Nico Rosberg as Lewis Hamilton's team-mate at Mercedes.

The move, expected since December, also sees Brazilian Felipe Massa come out of retirement to replace the 27-year-old Finn at Williams.

Bottas has signed a one-year deal with the option for more, while Rosberg moves into an ambassadorial role.

Mercedes' young driver Pascal Wehrlein, passed over in favour of Bottas, joins the Swiss Sauber team.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/38489054

Driver line-ups for 2017.

Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Räikkönen
Force India: Sergio Pérez, Esteban Ocon
Haas: Romain Grosjean, Kevin Magnussen
McLaren: Stoffel Vandoorne, Fernando Alonso
Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas
Manor: ?, ?
Red Bull: Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen
Renault: Nico Hülkenberg, Jolyon Palmer
Sauber: Marcus Ericsson, Pascal Wehrlein
Toro Rosso: Daniil Kvyat, Carlos Sainz Jr.
Williams: Lance Stroll, Felipe Massa

[Drew.]

Red Bull definitely have the most exciting pair still. Will be interesting to see how Louis and Bottas get on, at least with him there instead of Rosberg the races should be faster/of a better quality

[Niamh.]

Was hoping for Fernando to join Mercedes

[James]

Manor team has folded.

Manor F1: Team fold after administrator fails to find buyer
By Andrew Benson

The Manor team have collapsed after administrators failed to find a buyer for the stricken business.

Manor's operating company Just Racing Services has been in administration since 6 January, and FRP Advisory has been unable to find a buyer.

Just Racing ceased trading on Friday, effectively ending the Manor team.

The staff were sent home on Friday and told they will be made redundant by the close of business on Tuesday after the payment of January salaries.

FRP said there was "no sustainable operational or financial structure in place to maintain the group as a going concern".

Joint administrator Geoff Rowley added the administration process "provided a moratorium" in the search for a buyer but "no solution could be achieved to allow for the business to continue in its current form".


What happens now?

It is not necessarily the end of Manor - a buyer could potentially still purchase the remnants of the team.

But even if that were to happen, the move makes it much harder for Manor to make it to the start of the season in Australia on 26 March.

The team's collapse leaves 10 teams - 20 cars - on the grid in Melbourne and comes just five days after the sport was taken over by US company Liberty Media and long-time commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone was removed as chief executive.


A turbulent seven years


Manor started life as Virgin Racing in 2010 and has been through several guises in the intervening seven years.

It previously went into administration in October 2014, and was only saved by current owner Stephen Fitzpatrick, the boss of energy firm Ovo, on the eve of the 2015 season.

Fitzpatrick has said the decisive moment was the team's slip to 11th place in the constructors' championship as a result of Sauber's Felipe Nasr finishing ninth in the penultimate race of last season in Brazil. This cost the team in the region of $15m (£12m) in prize money.

Manor were one of three new teams to enter F1 in 2010 after they were promised by then FIA president Max Mosley that a £40m budget cap would be introduced.

But Mosley stood down as head of the governing body in 2009 after losing a fight with the teams over the plan and the cost limit was abandoned.

All three teams have now collapsed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/38772098

[Cal.]

McLaren have such a boring team now.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Cal.

McLaren have such a boring team now.

Alonso is one of the best drivers, McLaren are just s**t now

[James]

Here's Sauber's car.



https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5Gn69vWQAAZv5L.jpg

[Drew.]

A lot nicer than last years, hopefully we get a bit more colour on the grid this year

[Drew.]

this is rather nice

[James]

Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes's new car given debut at Silverstone
By Andrew Benson

Lewis Hamilton has put the first laps on the Mercedes car he hopes will make him world champion for the fourth time in 2017.

The 32-year-old drove the new Mercedes W08 at Silverstone in blustery, damp conditions.

Hamilton said the car felt "incredible" and "pretty awesome" on his first outing.

It has been produced to new regulations aimed at making the cars faster, more dramatic and more demanding of drivers.

It features an elegant design, in contrast to some rivals, and a notably narrow rear.


Hamilton said: "Yesterday was the first time I saw [the car] together. It is the most detailed piece of machinery I have seen in F1.

"This is not an actual test - it's just a few laps to make sure the car will run. But I was able to go faster in the last couple of laps.

"It feels almost identical to last year's car in terms of ergonomics but you have this bigger, more powerful beast around you."


'You may see some sparks' - Bottas

His new team-mate Valtteri Bottas, signed by Mercedes last month to replace Nico Rosberg, who retired after winning his first world title last year, drove the car on Thursday afternoon.

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff said he was hoping for a less fractious relationship between Hamilton and Bottas than between the Briton and Rosberg.

"It's a completely new dynamic," Wolff said. "I see it as an opportunity to start from square one with a healthy relationship. There are no games, no warfare because there is no history.

"There is a solid foundation that the relationship works well. But you have to be realistic that when they get out there, it is about winning races and championships, and the rivalry could be difficult."



However, Bottas told BBC TV that "you may see some sparks" and he wanted to be world champion himself at some stage.

"I am here to do a lot for the team, everything I can," he said,

"I'm here also to prove myself. I'm not here to be the second driver. We are both going to be fighting a lot on the track, but fairly, and for the team."

Mercedes have clearly worked extremely hard at shrink-wrapping the bodywork as much as possible around the engine and its ancillaries to ensure the cleanest airflow and maximum aerodynamic downforce.

And the aerodynamic detailing on the car looks especially intricate, with a cascading series of airflow conditioners - commonly known as 'barge boards' - either side of the cockpit, which are a clear advance on anything seen before in F1.

Bottas said: "What I really like about it is how clean it looks, but at the same time there's a massive amount of detail."

Wolff added: "It is a new era of technical innovation, maybe someone has found the silver bullet that makes the difference, like Brawn in 2009. Hopefully it will be us."
Fourth title 'there for the taking' - Hamilton

Hamilton is relishing the prospect of the new season, which starts in Australia on 26 March.

"It is a good day to get confidence in the car. It is a good way to brush off cobwebs and do the walking because next week we have to go straight into the running," he said.

"I definitely don't want to finish second. Every year you generally set the same goals but you might add more. All drivers want to win but not everyone has the ability or the opportunity.

"We will find out whether we have the car next week, whether it is a reliable fast car so I can exploit what's inside me. I am looking for that fourth world championship. It's there for the taking again, I am up against another great driver in Valtteri and hopefully Red Bull and Ferrari will be up there as well."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/39063786

Youtube video

[Iceman]

So are we saying Ferrari are fastest or was it just low fuel?

[James]

1. Vettel
2. Hamilton
3. Bottas

It looks difficult for these cars to run close, based on Verstappen and Kimi at the end of the race.

[Niamh.]

Seb

[James]

Fernando Alonso to miss Monaco Grand Prix to race in Indianapolis 500.

Fernando Alonso: McLaren driver to miss Monaco Grand Prix for Indianapolis 500
By Andrew Benson

Chief F1 writer

2 hours ago

McLaren driver Fernando Alonso will miss the Monaco Grand Prix in May so he can race in the Indianapolis 500.

The double world champion has the full approval and support of McLaren and engine partner Honda, who are having a difficult season in Formula 1.

Alonso, 35, will race for the Honda-powered Andretti team on 28 May, and the car will be branded a McLaren.

McLaren are yet to decide who will replace him in Monaco that weekend, but Jenson Button is a possibility.

The 2009 world champion has retired from F1 but is contracted to McLaren as an ambassador. It is not known whether the Briton would want to come back to drive an uncompetitive car.

Why does Alonso want to race at Indy?

Alonso said he had long held an ambition to win the so-called 'triple crown' of Monaco, the Indy 500 and Le Mans.

Only one man has won all three in his career - the late Graham Hill in the 1960s.

Alonso, who won the Monaco Grand Prix in 2006 and 2007, said: "It's a tough challenge, but I'm up for it.

"I don't know when I'm going to race at Le Mans, but one day I intend to. I'm only 35. I've got plenty of time for that."

The Spaniard added he would definitely race for McLaren for the rest of the season, dismissing speculation he could quit part way through the year because of the Honda F1 engine's poor performance.

"It's of course a regret that I won't be able to race at Monaco this year," he said. "But Monaco will be the only 2017 grand prix I'll be missing, and I'll be back in the cockpit for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal in early June.

"I've never raced an IndyCar car before, and neither have I ever driven on a super-speedway, but I'm confident I'll get to grips with it fast.

"I've watched a lot of IndyCar action on TV and online, and it's clear that great precision is required to race in close proximity with other cars on the far side of 220mph [354km/h]."

Alonso acknowledged he would be on "a steep learning curve".

But he added: "I'll be flying to Indianapolis from Barcelona immediately after the Spanish Grand Prix, practising our McLaren-Honda-Andretti car at Indy from 15 May onwards, hopefully clocking up a large number of miles every day, and I know how good the Andretti Autosport guys are.

"I'll be proud to race with them, and I intend to mine their knowledge and expertise for as much information as I possibly can."

McLaren have supported Alonso's wishes because they recognise the efforts he has been putting in - and the frustration he is feeling - after three uncompetitive seasons since joining the team in 2015.

From http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/39576099

[Niamh.]

I read that earlier James, I'd say he's totally fed up in F1, such a waste of a great driver. Would have loved him to have moved to Mercedes instead of Bottas, give Hamilton a real run for his money

[Niamh.]

Lewis getting his excuses in early just incase Come on Seb!

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2017/04/1...und-up-1304-3/

[James]

Jenson Button to race in Monaco Grand Prix.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/39599645

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by James

Jenson Button to race in Monaco Grand Prix.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/39599645

Good for him, I like Jenson

[Niamh.]

Come on Bottas and Seb

[Niamh.]

Hopefully Lewis gets a penalty for holding up Ricciardo, the little snake

[Niamh.]

ahahahaha 5 seconds, delighted

[James]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

ahahahaha 5 seconds, delighted

Where did that rule come from? Never heard of it before now.

[BBfanUSA]

Alonso in the Indy 500 is kinda huge. Indycar (Sanctions the Indy 500, owned by the Hulman family)'s been on a upswing a bit in the US it seems. I go to one of their Oval races here practically every year. Great series.

I've actually visited the Indy Motor Speedway but not on a race weekend (I think they have 3 or 4, NASCAR, MotoGP, USAC are there as well.) You don't understand how truly huge the 2 miler is until you actually go, I think Turns 1 and 2 were the length of a football pitch by itself when I went inside to visit the museum located inside the track

He's not the only crossover driver, word's going around that current NASCAR Monster Energy (Top series, replaced Sprint as sponsor) points leader Kyle Larson could enter the Indy 500 as well. (Races for Chip Ganassi, a big time owner in NASCAR and Indycar)

NASCAR drivers have attempted to race both the Indy 500 and Coke 600 on the same day before. Kurt Busch did it in 2015, Tony Stewart did in the early 00s as well.

[James]

What a procession that race was, with a little excitement at the end because Bottas flat-spotted his tyres. I don't think there was a proper overtake in the whole race.

[Cal.]

What was up with Lewis' car?