Formula 1's Latest Rumours and Talk: Mercedes, Fernando Alonso and More
With Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari lurking dangerously in their rear-view mirrors, Mercedes wouldn't be blamed for enforcing stricter team orders on Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in the 2016 Formula One season.
Having enjoyed a comfortable advantage over the rest of the field since 2014, the Silver Arrows have allowed Hamilton and Rosberg to race without any real fear of the consequences.
But despite the challenge posed by Ferrari, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has confirmed his drivers will not only be allowed to fight evenly, but they will be given more freedom than at any stage over the last two years in 2016.
McLaren-Honda racing director Eric Boullier, meanwhile, has urged Fernando Alonso to sign a new contract beyond the 2017 season, despite the two-time world champion claiming just two top-10 finishes since rejoining the team at the beginning of last year.
Alonso's struggles in 2015 recently saw the Spaniard discuss his retirement plans, but one driver determined to remain in F1 for as long as possible is his former Ferrari team-mate.
Felipe Massa raised question marks over his future in the closing stages of 2015, but the 34-year-old believes he can compete at a high level for a little while yet.
Massa's Williams team have finished third in the constructors' championship for the last two seasons, but the Grove-based outfit are likely to come under threat from a number of teams in 2016.
Force India are likely to be among those in contention for the "best-of-the-rest" tag behind Mercedes and Ferrari, but chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer has admitted the demands of the 2017 regulation changes may place a limit on what they can achieve in 2016.
Closing this week's roundup is Mark Webber, who has praised Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo ahead of this weekend's Australian Grand Prix.
Mercedes Will Allow Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to Race in 2016
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Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, has insisted Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will be allowed to race each other in the 2016 season, despite the threat posed by Ferrari.
Since the team's rise to prominence at the beginning of 2014, Mercedes have displayed a reluctance to employ team orders, allowing their drivers to race evenly for race victories and world championships.
However, Ferrari's return to form in 2015—when Sebastian Vettel claimed three wins in Malaysia, Hungary and Singapore—had raised questions over whether the team would persevere with that policy, with the Prancing Horse expected to mount a serious challenge this season.
But Wolff believes Mercedes feel obliged to allow Hamilton and Rosberg, who have been team-mates since the beginning of 2013, to fight evenly, even claiming Mercedes have relaxed their stance in 2016.
According to Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble, he said:
"We have actually reduced that from last year to this year.
When we started the project in 2013, there was a lot of pressure on the team in order to achieve the results and win races, and we have done okay.
In 2014, we won the championship and we confirmed that it wasn't a one-off in 2015. But in order to contain that, we tried to put a framework around it. Sometimes it functions, sometimes it doesn't.
We learned some interesting lessons and we improved as an organisation. With Nico and Lewis, we have been together for a couple of years and it functions pretty well.
So we owe it to them and we owe it to F1 to just let them race. The ride is going to be a bit more difficult for the team sometimes, but that is absolutely necessary.
"
Per the same source, Wolff dismissed the suggestion that Mercedes' policy of equality could allow Ferrari to take advantage of any bickering between Hamilton and Rosberg, describing "great respect among the individuals" who are "more comfortable in working with each other."
In a separate Motorsport.com article, however, Hamilton told Noble that Mercedes "need to be careful" in 2016, claiming Ferrari "made a significant improvement from last year to this year" and that the two leading teams are "looking extremely close."
Fernando Alonso Would Be 'Foolish' Not to Sign New McLaren-Honda Contract
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Eric Boullier, the McLaren-Honda racing director, has urged Fernando Alonso to extend his contract with the team beyond the 2017 season.
After finishing as runner-up to Sebastian Vettel in three of his five seasons at Ferrari between 2010 and 2014, the Spaniard returned to McLaren at the beginning of 2015 to continue his search for a third world championship.
His new employers, however, went on to endure their worst season since 1980, with Alonso restricted to just two points finishes as McLaren—hobbled by their new Honda power unit—finished ninth in the constructors' standings.
At the end of last year, Alonso told BBC Sport's Andrew Benson that he had considered taking a sabbatical for 2016.
Although McLaren are set to be more competitive in 2016, he recently told Spanish television channel TVE (h/t ESPN F1) how he wants to sample the 2017-specification cars before hanging up his helmet, hinting he may just have two full seasons left in F1.
By that stage, however, McLaren hope to be in a position to offer Alonso a chassis-engine package capable of challenging for that elusive third title, and Boullier believes the 34-year-old should demonstrate his commitment to the team, telling Autosport's Ben Anderson:
"We cannot provide the timescale.
You cannot say in racing, 'In three years we will be world champion.' The guy who says this will be wrong.
You can say, 'We will be world champion between three and five years.'
To this I agree, but you can't say we will be world champions in 2017.
He [Alonso] would be foolish already to decide to stop after three years.
"
Alonso is without a victory since claiming his final Ferrari win at the Spanish Grand Prix in May 2013.
Felipe Massa Wants to Remain in F1 for '2 or 3' More Seasons
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Felipe Massa has dismissed suggestions that he may be set to embark upon his final season in Formula One in 2016, claiming he wants to remain in the sport for at least two more seasons.
This season will be the Brazilian's 14th in F1 and his third at Williams, having joined the Grove-based team at the beginning of 2014 following an eight-year tenure at Ferrari.
Massa has become a valuable asset to Williams in his two years with the team thus far, claiming three podium finishes and a pole position in 2014 before adding two more to his tally last season.
On the eve of last year's Brazilian Grand Prix, Massa raised doubts over his future by telling UOL Esporte (h/t ESPN F1) that he is likely to consider his future at the end of 2016 if he is unable to claim a competitive seat at a team where he feels valued.
But the 11-time grand prix winner, who will turn 35 in April, has insisted he is not yet contemplating retirement, claiming he wants to race the new-for-2017 F1 cars before finishing his career.
Massa told Motorsport.com's Jamie Klein:
"Time passes, but I’m still motivated. I want to keep going until I have the satisfaction of being part of a competitive team.
I think I can still have a lot to give to my team and F1. When I joined Williams, the team was back from the worst season in their history, and I had the opportunity to be part of their recovery process.
And if in the near future there’s a regulation change, I would like to have the chance to experience a new generation of car.
I hope to do two or three more seasons, and I hope to be driving a car that’s more fun.
"
In February, Williams' head of vehicle performance Rob Smedley, who was previously Massa's race engineer at Ferrari, told Autosport's Ben Anderson and Jack Cozens that the Brazilian is currently performing as well as he did when he came within a point of winning the world championship in 2008.
Meanwhile, Williams have confirmed that Paul di Resta, who drove for Force India for three seasons between 2011 and 2013, has replaced Adrian Sutil as the team's reserve driver for 2016.
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Force India Hope to Time 2017 Development Switch to Perfection
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Chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer believes Force India must time the switch in their focus to their 2017 car at exactly the right time, admitting the team have yet to decide when to end the development of this year's chassis.
With the FIA, the sport's governing body, recently releasing specific details concerning the 2017 rule changes, this season is set to be the last of the current chassis regulations.
As one of the independent teams on the grid, Force India will face a challenge to manage their resources effectively, ensuring they extract the most out of the 2016 campaign without compromising their 2017 program.
Last year, the team claimed their best-ever constructors' championship of fifth after introducing a B-specification chassis at the midseason stage. But while Force India were able to develop their 2015 car with this season in mind, any upgrades to the 2016 car are unlikely be relevant to the 2017 design.
Nico Hulkenberg recently told the official F1 website that Force India could be capable of challenging Williams for third in the championship this season, but Szafnauer has suggested the team may yet choose to sacrifice the second half of 2016 to aid their 2017 chances.
According to Motorsport.com's Adam Cooper, he said:
"I think the trick for us is when to switch from developing the 2016 car to the 2017 car.
They are mutually exclusive events now. If we continue to develop for 2016 then anything we learn, especially aerodynamically, will not translate to 2017.
Whereas from '15 to '16 it did, and it was a no-brainer to keep developing the '15 car as long as you possibly could, because all those developments also applied to '16.
That won't be the case any more, so there will be a distinct time when we've got to switch.
We haven't quite decided that yet, but that will be key to how well we do towards the end of '16.
"
Per F1i.com's Chris Medland, Szafnauer confirmed that Force India remain in contact with British sportscar manufacturer Aston Martin regarding a potential future linkup, despite a rebranding exercise failing to come to fruition in time for 2016.
Mark Webber: Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo Is 'Faster Than I Ever Was'
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Mark Webber, the former grand prix driver, believes Daniel Ricciardo has the potential to win the world championship in the coming years, admitting the Red Bull driver is quicker than he ever was.
Ricciardo will begin his third campaign as a Red Bull driver at this weekend's season-opening Australian Grand Prix, an event where he produced a breakthrough performance two years ago, finishing second on track before being disqualified after the race.
The former Toro Rosso driver recovered from that disappointment to claim three grand prix victories over the course of 2014, but he was restricted to just two podium finishes last season as Red Bull endured their first winless campaign since 2008.
Webber, who claimed the World Endurance Championship with Porsche in 2015, won nine races over the course of a seven-season tenure with Red Bull, playing an integral role in the Milton Keynes-based outfit's four consecutive constructors' title triumphs between 2010 and 2013.
The 39-year-old came tantalisingly close to winning the title in 2010, but Webber—who failed to finish higher than fourth in 12 appearances at the Albert Park circuit—believes Ricciardo is more than capable of joining Sir Jack Brabham and Alan Jones as the next Australian F1 champion, telling CNN:
"He's incredibly quick. He's got now a lot of experience so he's now one of the most experienced guys at the front pushing for victories and pushing for championships. He's definitely got championships in him in the future, and if he gets the right scenario on his doorstep, he'll capture that I'm sure. ...
He's quicker and faster than I ever was. So he's in good shape there and has a good chance to do well and continue to fly the flag for more Aussies coming over.
"
Despite claiming Red Bull are "on the right path" with their new RB12 car, Ricciardo recently told Motorsport.com's Pablo Elizalde that he is "not going to get (his) hopes up" ahead of his home race.
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