Formula 1's Latest Rumours and Talk: Mercedes' Threat, Red Bull-TAG and More
In the eyes of many, the rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg has single-handedly kept Formula One alive over the last two seasons.
At a time when one team has a clear advantage over the chasing pack, the knowledge that two drivers will be allowed to fight head-to-head for pole positions, grand prix victories and world championships has retained interest in a sport losing its popularity.
But Mercedes are only willing to offer such freedom as long as their drivers are willing to play nice.
And after a bitter end to another successful year, Toto Wolff has insisted Hamilton and Rosberg will not be allowed to poison the team's atmosphere, suggesting Mercedes would be prepared to change their driver lineup if the pair cannot work together in a mature fashion.
As the Silver Arrows reflect on their second successive title triumph, Red Bull Racing are hoping to recapture the level of dominance they enjoyed between 2010 and 2013.
After much speculation, the four-time world champions finally have an engine contract for 2016 and are set to reveal the details behind their new power unit over the coming days. And it seems the powertrain will be named after the team's latest sponsor after Red Bull confirmed an agreement with TAG Heuer.
TAG's move to Red Bull has marked the end of its 30-year association with McLaren, who have lost a number of sponsors in recent times as they have tumbled down F1's pecking order.
But McLaren may be set to gain the support of a rival team after it emerged that Sauber could use Honda engines from the 2017 campaign.
Meanwhile, Force India are rapidly closing on a deal to be rebranded as Aston Martin Racing next season after the team's best-ever finish in the constructors' championship.
Their hope is to challenge third-placed Williams next season, but the Grove-based team are planning to make a number of bold changes to maintain their lofty position in 2016.
Here's our latest roundup.
Mercedes Warn Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg to Improve Relationship
1 of 5
Toto Wolff, the Mercedes boss, has revealed the team are prepared to make changes to their driver lineup if the relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg does not improve.
Although Mercedes have been the most successful team over the last two years, winning 32 of a possible 38 races and two consecutive constructors' championships, the Silver Arrows' achievements have occasionally been overshadowed by tension between their drivers.
Incidents such as their collision at the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix have provided frequent tests of the Mercedes management as the team's drivers have fought for the championship title.
In May, Hamilton signed a new three-year deal to stay with Mercedes until the end of 2018, while the "multi-year contract extension" Rosberg agreed in mid-2014 is due to expire at the end of 2016.
And Wolff has admitted that Hamilton and Rosberg, who have been team-mates since the beginning of 2013, run the risk of jeopardising their Mercedes futures if they fail to re-establish a healthy working relationship.
Claiming the relationship between the drivers is Mercedes' "biggest weakness," Wolff told Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble:
"We struggle sometimes in winning races on Sunday and having always one [driver] upset.
And this spills over into the team. It is something that needs to stop.
"
Wolff added:
"We took the decision of having two evenly matched drivers in order to make the team progress faster and better. It was a very conscious decision three years ago.
Going forward, we will consider if it is the best set-up for the team. Personality and character within the team is a crucial ingredient for the team success.
If we feel that it is not aligned with the general consensus, spirit and philosophy within the team, we might consider that when we take a decision, in terms of the driver line-up going forward.
"
Hamilton, though, dismissed Wolff's concerns, telling BBC Radio 1 (h/t Motorsport.com) that Mercedes' ongoing success proves his relationship with Rosberg is not "causing any problems" and claiming the issue of inter-team tension "is always blown out of proportion."
Red Bull's 2016 Engine Set for TAG-Heuer Branding?
2 of 5
Red Bull Racing announced the signing of a new backer on Thursday morning, but it seems the four-time world champions' deal with TAG Heuer may not be a standard sponsorship agreement.
After months of speculation over the team's F1 future, Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble reported in November that Red Bull would use "unbranded" Renault engines, which will be developed by Mario Illien's Ilmor operation, for 2016.
The unique solution has raised questions over the title of the engine, and Red Bull have dropped a hint that TAG Heuer will play a role in the naming of the V6 turbo power unit.
Upon confirming the deal, the Milton Keynes-based team tweeted an image of four engineers—all wearing lab coats featuring the logo of the timepiece manufacturer—peering over an engine-less Red Bull chassis, with the caption: "Swiss Engineering to close the gap next season."
TAG Heuer are no strangers to engine deals after the watch-making company funded the turbocharged Porsche units used by McLaren between 1983 and 1987, during which time the Woking-based outfit won a total of 25 grands prix.
The prospect of a Red Bull-TAG engine comes just days after Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told Autosport's Ian Parkes that McLaren chairman Ron Dennis wouldn't "be very happy" with the name of their 2016 power unit.
Meanwhile, TAG Heuer's official Twitter account urged a fan to "stay tuned till tomorrow (Friday) to find out" about the potential engine agreement, suggesting an announcement is imminent.
McLaren Identify Sauber as a Potential Honda B-Team for 2017
3 of 5
Sauber have reportedly emerged as a contender to use Honda engines for the 2017 season, with McLaren chairman Ron Dennis identifying the Swiss team as a potential "second team."
According to Motorsport.com's Adam Cooper, Honda, which returned to F1 after a six-year absence at the beginning of 2015, has come under "increasing pressure" from FIA president Jean Todt and Bernie Ecclestone to broaden its horizons and join forces with an extra team for 2017.
Sauber have traditionally been regarded as a Ferrari B-team, although the arrival of the brand-new Haas outfit—who have established an intimate technical partnership with the Italian manufacturer—may allow them to explore alternative options.
Cooper claims that Dennis, who prevented Honda from supplying four-time world champions Red Bull Racing for 2016, is content with the Japanese manufacturer linking up with Sauber as he does not "regard the Swiss team as a direct rival."
And Monisha Kaltenborn, the Sauber boss, has admitted the subject of the team's engine supply arose at the recent F1 Commission, telling Cooper:
"There was a lot of engine talk going on in the meeting when we were all in there. And in that context we were discussing an option like that, and more looking at the past and what had happened.
In the context of that we also had a talk about what our engine situation is, and we said we are currently bound, but you should always keep all options open. It was embedded in a bigger public talk about engine suppliers having to supply more teams.
We have a long lasting relationship with Ferrari, it's a good relationship. But no one knows what's going to be in two, three, or four years.
"
Per the same source, Kaltenborn revealed that Sauber considered a Honda engine deal in the not-too-distant past, claiming that former driver Kamui Kobayashi proposed the idea.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Aston Martin Edging Closer to Force India Agreement
4 of 5
Aston Martin is edging closer to a return to Formula One after Otmar Szafnauer, Force India's chief operating officer, revealed an announcement is on the horizon.
As reported by Autosport's Dieter Rencken and Lawrence Barretto in October, the British sportscar manufacturer has been in discussions with Force India with a view to rebranding the Silverstone-based team ahead of the 2016 season.
The deal is likely to see Force India renamed as Aston Martin Racing, with the team's current silver, black, orange and green colour scheme set to be replaced by a blue-and-gold livery as a result of a sponsorship agreement with Johnnie Walker.
After the Mexican Grand Prix, deputy team principal Bob Fernley told Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble that the deal was "a long way off," claiming that the story was "purely speculative."
However, Szafnauer has revealed the team will soon be in a position to confirm the agreement with Aston Martin and believes Force India—who secured their best-ever constructors' standings finish in 2015, claiming a podium finish in the Russian GP—will be able to target bigger and better things.
He told Autosport's Barretto and Ian Parkes:
"We're close.
I think in maybe another week to 10 days we'll be able to announce something.
Either way we should be OK, but maybe with Aston we'll have a different look and attract some other types of sponsors and maybe get some more money in.
If we can do that, it will help us make that next step and continue the form that we've showed in the final part of this year.
"
Szafnauer added that the "good strides" Force India made over the course of 2015 will, against the backdrop of stable technical regulations, allow the team to continue the "trajectory of development" into 2016.
After the team's fifth-place finish in the championship was secured at the Brazilian GP, Fernley told Motorsport.com's Adam Cooper that Force India could realistically challenge third-placed Williams next season.
Williams Seek Revolution, Not Evolution, with 2016 Car
5 of 5
Williams are set to make a number of aggressive changes to their car over the winter, with head of vehicle performance Rob Smedley claiming the 2016 chassis will carry few similarities to the 2015 model.
Although the British team secured third place in the constructors' championship for the second successive season, Williams endured an inconsistent, unconvincing 2015 campaign, making only four appearances on the podium after claiming nine top-three finishes in 2014.
Like 2014's FW36, the FW37 tended to struggle on slow-speed, technical circuits and appeared to be almost undriveable in wet conditions, with Smedley telling Autosport's Lawrence Barretto in October that the team had launched a "focus group" to solve their rain-related problems.
And it seems that focus group has advised the Grove-based team to rip it up and start again after Smedley, the former Ferrari employee, revealed next year's FW38 car will be a product of a bolder, more innovative approach despite the relatively stable technical regulations.
He told Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble:
"The car we have in the wind tunnel for 2016, and the 2015 car at the end of the season, are significantly different—so we could not do anything this year from an aerodynamic point of view.
In terms of other parts of R&D, and mechanical design, yes we have been trialling things all the time, and you need a package of upgrades with the mechanical car to see if there is any lap time improvement.
But all our significant lap time improvement is back in the wind tunnel in Grove. ...
Everything that we are seeing at the minute is good. We are hitting targets, we are always looking not just at headline numbers but other areas of aero development, significant areas of aero development.
So it is process of getting us back towards the front. At the minute we are reasonably happy with what we are seeing.
"
While a radical design may solve Williams' wet-weather issues, it will do nothing to end the operational frailties that defined the team's 2015 campaign, with many basic and strategy-related errors costing them a number of points.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
