Formula 1's Latest Rumours, Talk: Fernando Alonso, Red Bull-Aston Martin, More
Since the beginning of the 2015 Formula One season, though the evidence has suggested otherwise, Fernando Alonso has insisted his decision to leave Ferrari for McLaren-Honda was the right one.
Even when Sebastian Vettel was winning grands prix in assured fashion and threatening the all-conquering Mercedes cars of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, Alonso was convinced it was he, not his rival, who was on the right path.
His logic, of course, was that unless Ferrari were capable of winning the world championship—the biggest prize of all—he wouldn't be missing much at the Prancing Horse beyond the disappointment that comes with finishing second year after year.
But on the eve of a season in which Vettel and Ferrari are set to seriously challenge Mercedes, the two-time world champion has acknowledged he may end up regretting his decision after all.
While Alonso has seemingly made the wrong choice, Andy Palmer will undoubtedly be patting himself on the back after the Aston Martin chief executive officer refused to make any hurried decisions over his company's F1 activities.
At the end of last year, the British manufacturer seemed almost certain to join forces with Force India, the punchy midfield team, in a rebranding agreement.
But Palmer, having taken the time to carefully assess his options—watch and learn, Fernando—has struck a deal with Red Bull Racing and has explained why the arrangement will suit both parties.
Meanwhile, Vettel is likely to play an integral role whenever Ferrari decide the identity of his next team-mate. Despite his lacklustre 2014 campaign, the four-time world champion has insisted Daniel Ricciardo would be welcome at Ferrari if they feel the Australian is a worthy successor to Kimi Raikkonen.
One driver who would surely be less welcome at Ferrari is Max Verstappen, a graduate of the Red Bull young driver programme who is regarded as the next Vettel. But while the teenager is likely to be the subject if a tug-of-war between F1's leading teams ahead of 2017, Verstappen has spoken of his desire to show loyalty to Red Bull.
Closing our latest roundup is Cyril Abiteboul, who has explained why Renault's definitive 2016 livery may actually prove to be little more than a short-term fix.
Fernando Alonso Would Regret McLaren-Honda Move If Ferrari Win 2016 Title
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Fernando Alonso has admitted he would regret leaving Ferrari for McLaren-Honda if his former team go on to win the world championship this season.
The two-time world champion drove for Ferrari for five seasons, finishing runner-up to Sebastian Vettel in the drivers' standings on three separate occasions before departing the team at the end of 2014, when the Prancing Horse endured their first winless season in two decades.
Alonso's departure, however, coincided with a return to form for Ferrari. Vettel, his replacement, claimed three grand prix victories in 2015. The Spaniard, meanwhile, was restricted to just two points finishes as McLaren struggled with their new Honda engine.
Despite his lack of competitiveness last season, Alonso recently claimed he had no regrets about his move to McLaren, telling Spanish radio station Cope (h/t Motorsport.com) how his time at Ferrari was "very demanding" and suggesting he enjoys F1 "much more now" in helping the McLaren-Honda project.
With Ferrari expecting to challenge Mercedes for the title in 2016, however, Alonso has admitted he won't feel quite the same way if Vettel or Kimi Raikkonen take the crown this year.
He said, per Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble: "If they win the championship, then probably yes, because I had a contract last year and this year with them. So if they win the championship, probably I will find I could have had that opportunity as well, if I was able to drive as good as the champion, if they win. So that will be the case. But this is a big if."
Although McLaren's new MP4-31 chassis ran reliably toward the end of pre-season testing, there remain plenty of question marks over the pace of the new car, with Alonso saying, per the same source, the team is anticipating "difficulties...in terms of performance."
The 34-year-old, however, has reiterated his belief that McLaren "will win one day."
At the end of pre-season testing, racing director Eric Boullier told Motorsport.com's Noble that McLaren's definitive 2016 car would not appear until this weekend's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Aston Martin's Andy Palmer Excited About Red Bull Racing Deal
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Andy Palmer, the chief executive officer of Aston Martin, has spoken of excitement over the car manufacturer's deal with Red Bull Racing, which has been confirmed ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.
Aston Martin was frequently linked with a return to Formula One in 2015, with Autocar's Jim Holder reporting last July that the company—which is part-owned by Mercedes—held discussions with Red Bull with a view to a deal that would see the four-time world champions use Mercedes power units in 2016.
But that agreement failed to come to fruition, and the British manufacturer was then linked with Force India, with Autosport's Dieter Rencken and Lawrence Barretto reporting that the Silverstone-based outfit would be rebranded as Aston Martin Racing this year.
Although that deal also was not completed in time for 2016, Force India chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer recently told F1i.com's Chris Medland how the team remained in contact with Aston Martin in the hope of a future deal.
On the eve of the Australian GP, however, Red Bull announced a technical partnership with the manufacturer, which will see the Aston Martin logo appear on the nose and engine cover of the RB12 car and allow Adrian Newey, the team's chief technical officer, to "produce a ground-breaking Aston Martin hypercar."
And Palmer believes the agreement with Red Bull is more substantial than anything Force India had to offer, telling Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble:
"We are really good at secrets. It comes in our heritage. A little subterfuge and a few red herrings here or there...
We are kind of a cool brand. We attract a lot of attention from a lot of people, and a lot of people talk to us. ...
So authenticity was our number one concern here, and simply putting sticker on the side of an F1 car was never going to cut it for us.
This relationship and our relationship goes back quite a long time. It is authentic and what you see coming out of it in the first instance is the hyper-car.
But hopefully other technologies will come out of it as well and we can proudly put the stickers on the car and say it is more than just a marketing scam.
"
Per the same source, Palmer hinted that Red Bull may be set to switch to Honda power units in 2017, namechecking the Japanese company when asked whether Aston Martin's deal would interfere with any discussions between Red Bull and a potential new engine partner.
Sebastian Vettel Open to Daniel Ricciardo Joining Ferrari in 2017
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Sebastian Vettel has revealed he would have no concerns if Ferrari were to sign Daniel Ricciardo for the 2017 season despite his difficulties alongside the Australian in 2014.
After winning four consecutive world championships with Red Bull Racing between 2010 and 2013, the German was beaten by Ricciardo in 2014, when the Australian won three grands prix as Vettel endured the first winless season of his F1 career.
Vettel fled to Ferrari at the end of that season and quickly established himself as the Prancing Horse's team leader, claiming 13 podium finishes—including wins in Malaysia, Hungary and Singapore—and a pole position for his new employers.
But with 2016 likely to be the final season of Kimi Raikkonen's career, the fight to become Vettel's next team-mate is expected to be one of the storylines of the season, with Ricciardo thought to be among the leading contenders to join Ferrari.
Despite his bruising experience in 2014, Vettel insisted Ricciardo would be welcome at Ferrari, telling Thursday's FIA press conference:
"I don’t mind Danny, we’ve never had issues. Obviously the year we had together was very good for him, not so good for me. I think that’s one thing that happens on the track but outside the track, which I think is more important when you talk about your teammate, whether you get along or not, we never had [any issues]—at least I don’t remember.
"
Per the same source, Ricciardo explained his focus is solely on the 2016 campaign but suggested he is unsure whether Vettel truly "wants" him to join Ferrari.
Australia's last world champion, Alan Jones, recently urged Ferrari to sign Ricciardo, telling F1i.com's Phillip van Osten that the move "should be a simple equation," with the 69-year-old claiming he is "really confident and hopeful that he’ll land that Ferrari seat next year."
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Max Verstappen Keen to Show Loyalty to Red Bull
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Max Verstappen believes it is important for him to show loyalty to Red Bull as speculation surrounding his F1 future continues.
At the age of 17, Verstappen became the youngest driver to start a grand prix at the beginning of 2015 and went on to enjoy one of the most impressive rookie seasons of the modern era.
His performances with Scuderia Toro Rosso mean Verstappen will be among the key players in this season's transfer market, with Mercedes and Ferrari—the leading teams in modern-day F1—almost certain to attempt to sign him if Red Bull fail to promote him in place of either Daniel Ricciardo or Daniil Kvyat.
Verstappen recently added to the speculation by telling Motorsport.com's Valentin Khorounzhiy he is reluctant to spend a third season at Toro Rosso in 2017, reiterating his desire to challenge for race victories and world championships.
Yet the Dutchman, 18, feels compelled to repay Red Bull for the faith they showed in him in August 2014, when the company offered him a Toro Rosso seat just days after he joined Red Bull's young-driver programme.
Per Motorsport.com's Jamie Klein, he said: "I'm very happy with Red Bull. I don't see any reason to change that—you also have to be loyal, you know. They gave me the chance to start in Formula One, which was my dream, and I'm very happy to be here."
Dr Helmut Marko, the head of Red Bull's junior scheme, recently told the official F1 website of his fears that Verstappen could suffer second-season syndrome in 2016, claiming a driver's second year in F1 "is sometimes trickier than the first."
But while Red Bull's pool of talent is arguably richer than ever before, the Austrian, who started nine grands prix between 1971 and 1972, claimed the company will show no mercy to underperforming drivers, telling the same source "the one who is not delivering goes."
Renault Open to Experimenting with RS16 Livery in 2016
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Cyril Abiteboul, the managing director of Renault's Formula One operation, has claimed the Enstone-based team in England may play around with its livery during the 2016 season.
After running in a plain-black colour scheme throughout pre-season testing, Renault unveiled their definitive livery for this year ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, with the matte yellow set to bring a splash of colour to the 2016 grid.
Although F1 has rather strict rules concerning car colours, teams occasionally tweak their paint jobs during a given campaign, with McLaren-Honda altering their colour scheme in mid-2015 and Red Bull Racing occasionally running one-off liveries.
And Abiteboul has declared Renault intend to sport multiple liveries during the year, telling Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble:
"We want to create a little bit of a talking point and buzz, so expect to see that sort of thing to be played with.
The car is a fantastic platform. It is a billboard and I am just surprised that people don't play more with it.
I know that there are rules and you are not supposed to change too much—but we are going to push that. It is such an obvious and cheap thing to do when you want people to talk about it.
"
Per the same source, Abiteboul admitted he is "ashamed" by the lack of variety of the "ugly" modern F1 cars, suggesting the widespread use of predominantly black-and-silver colour schemes is due to the teams' desperation to "tell a story about being premium."
The Frenchman added that Renault could change their livery as soon as the second race of the season in Bahrain, hinting that the French manufacturer could follow BMW's Art Car initiative at some stage.
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