Latest F1 news in brief – Wednesday

• Paddy Lowe rode Aldo Costa's design brilliance for years. Now at Williams Lowe's cars are at the back of the grid. Rumors he will be fired are circulating.

  Wednesday testing for Williams 'a miracle'

• Rosberg, Button to be TV pundits in 2019
• Alonso 'may' attend Barcelona test – McLaren
• Grosjean hits out at new tire blanket rule
• Pirelli looking for 2021 F1 test car
• UK factory closure won't affect Honda F1
• Renault 'good option' for reserve role – Sirotkin
• Indycar to use Halo alternative in 2019
• F1 opens tender for 2021 standard gearbox
• 2019 McLaren 'not perfect' – Norris
• Seat problem sidelined Magnussen at test
• Mercedes announces global partnership with Seedlip

Wednesday testing for Williams 'a miracle'

(GMM) All eyes are on the Williams garage ahead of the third day of testing in Barcelona.

The struggling British team missed the first two days of 2019 running, amid rumors of design flaws and the potential departure of technical boss Paddy Lowe.

One Williams mechanic said it would be "a miracle" if the FW42 made its test debut on Wednesday.

Rookie driver George Russell, though, said he was "confident" Williams' predictions of running on Wednesday are accurate.

"Everyone is working as hard as possible to get it sorted," the reigning F2 champion added.

A team spokesman said running before lunch on Wednesday was "unlikely", amid speculation the car is finally en route from Oxfordshire to Spain.

It is an alarming situation for the once-great team's fans, including those of returning F1 driver Robert Kubica.

"As this goes on, surely someone will lose their job," correspondent Krystian Sobierajski, of the Polish broadcaster Polsat Sport, said.

Former F1 driver Marc Surer told Speed Week: "If the new car is again bad, I honestly do not know what will become of Paddy Lowe.

"This is his last chance."

Rosberg, Button to be TV pundits in 2019

Nico Rosberg

(GMM) Two former world champions will regularly be in the F1 paddock in 2019.

Nico Rosberg has been signed up to attend 10 grands prix for the German broadcaster RTL — up two races compared to last year.

"To keep the connection to formula one means a lot to me," said the 2016 title winner.

Also in the paddocks this year will be 2009 world champion Jenson Button, who has been signed up as a pundit by Britain's Sky for the entire 21-race calendar.

"F1 is a sport I love, a sport I lived for 17 years and a sport I'm excited to help deliver to the fans," he said.

Alonso 'may' attend Barcelona test – McLaren

(GMM) McLaren says Fernando Alonso will "maybe" be trackside at the Barcelona test next week.

Earlier, there was speculation the now retired-from-F1 Spaniard could actually test for the Woking team this winter.

Spanish reports, however, said those claims were wide of the mark, even if Alonso will be in the city for the Mobile World Congress event next week.

"Fernando is part of the McLaren family," sporting director Gil de Ferran told El Mundo Deportivo newspaper. "Maybe he'll come here next week."

Grosjean hits out at new tire blanket rule

Romain Grosjean

(GMM) Romain Grosjean has criticized a change to the tire rules for 2019.

Pirelli says teams may no longer run temperatures of more than 80 degrees in the heating blankets for the rear tires.

It is believed the change caused drivers to have grip problems when they exited the pits in Barcelona.

"I'm going to be hit on the knuckles for this but I don't understand why we're doing that," Haas driver Grosjean is quoted by France's Auto Hebdo.

"We do everything we can to make it safe but on Monday morning there were three of four cars spinning on the out-lap," he added.

"The temperature is very low, I think too low. The Pirelli tires are already difficult to heat up so if you start at 80 and there is a safety car, you will end up at 50."

However, Grosjean's boss Gunther Steiner was less alarmist.

"He (Grosjean) was surprised but it's like everything in F1 — you'll find a way around the problem.

"If Pirelli thinks it's the right thing to do, it's up to us to adapt," Steiner added.

Pirelli looking for 2021 F1 test car

Mario Isola

(GMM) Pirelli is on the lookout for a F1 test car.

The Italian company has secured the contract to remain in F1 beyond 2021, when the rim profile will go from 13 to 18 inches.

"One of the biggest problems at the moment is to find a suitable test car," Pirelli's Mario Isola admitted to the Dutch publication Formule 1.

"The basis will be a car from 2018 but with adapted suspension and aerodynamics to be representative of what we can expect in 2021," he said.

"But as the technical regulations for 2021 have not yet been laid down, the teams don't know what to deliver."

Nonetheless, Isola said Pirelli wants to start testing the 18 inch tires from September.

UK factory closure won't affect Honda F1

(GMM) Honda says its F1 operations will be unaffected by a major factory closure in the UK.

The engines used by Red Bull and Toro Rosso are developed at Sakura (Japan), but Honda has a UK headquarters for its F1 operation in Milton Keynes.

The Japanese manufacturer announced this week that it is closing its car plant in Swindon, where 3,500 employees make Honda Civics.

A Honda spokesman told France's Ouest France newspaper: "The news (about Swindon) will not affect our operations in Milton Keynes, nor the formula one program more generally."

Renault 'good option' for reserve role – Sirotkin

Sergey Sirotkin

(GMM) Sergey Sirotkin has admitted Renault would be a "good option" for a F1 reserve role in 2019.

The Russian driver lost his seat at Williams at the end of last year, but while racing in Le Mans sports cars in 2019 he hopes to also keep a toe in the F1 water.

"I very much hope to return to formula one in 2020," he told Russia's f1news.ru.

"We are working hard now to build the best plan for this to happen."

A few days ago, it was rumored that Renault – where Sirotkin previously worked as test driver together with his backers SMP Racing – could be the 23-year-old's 2019 destination.

"It would be good to continue working in formula one as a backup driver," he said.

"And of course Renault is a good option, but at the moment we have no agreements with them."

Indycar to use Halo alternative in 2019

The FIA tested the windscreen early on and deemed it too weak. IndyCar wasted two years with it and scrambled to save face with this nub in front of the driver. Won't stop a driver's head from being squashed like a rotten melon when his head hits a catch fence post

(GMM) Indycar has opted against using one of the cockpit-protection layouts developed in formula one.

Instead, the series has announced the introduction of what it calls Advanced Frontal Protection. AFP will be mandatory from the Indy 500 in May and beyond.

It is a titanium device made by Dallara which simply stands 3 inches tall ahead of the driver's head with the purpose of deflecting debris.

"Safety is a never ending pursuit, and this is Indycar's latest step in the evolution," series president Jay Frye said.

A report on the official series website said Indycar "considered" following F1's lead by introducing Halo, but it is not compatible with the current chassis.

The other main F1-developed cockpit protection system was known as Windshield.

Indycar also tested a Windshield-type layout last year, but the official report said "recent testing proved that work remains before Indycar could implement its use".

F1 opens tender for 2021 standard gearbox

Daniel Ricciardo – imagine if all the cars ran the same gearbox like IndyCar.

(GMM) F1 has taken a step towards mandating standard gearboxes from 2021.

Planned to be part of Liberty Media's vision for the sport beyond the current Concorde Agreement, the standard gearbox idea has been put to tender by the governing FIA.

The FIA invited interested gearbox manufacturers to submit their proposals before March 15.

"The aim of single source supply is to retain current levels of gear change performance for all cars at a much reduced cost to the competitors while also removing the requirement for teams to design or source their own gearboxes," the tender said.

The document added that the "outer housing" of the gearbox will continue to be designed and produced by the teams, because that is important for design "freedoms for suspension and for the gearbox aero surfaces".

2019 McLaren 'not perfect' – Norris

Lando Norris

(GMM) McLaren has had a positive start to its 2019 campaign.

While Ferrari impressed with its early test form in Barcelona, it was McLaren's new blue and orange 2019 car in second on the timesheets on both Monday and Tuesday.

"It is an improvement from last year," rookie driver Lando Norris confirmed.

"I wasn't the driver last year, but seeing the motivation from everyone, it definitely seems to be going in the right direction."

However, Norris is cautious about gushing over the new McLaren, even though it was slower only than the impressive Ferrari in Barcelona so far.

"The real positive is the laps we have done, so we are happy," he said.

"So far, there are no surprises. We have improved some things compared to last year but we definitely do not have a perfect car yet," added Norris.

"There is still a lot of work left. We cannot say that the car is already cured of all its problems."

Seat problem sidelined Magnussen at test

Kevin Magnussen

(GMM) Kevin Magnussen had to stop driving Haas' F1 car on Tuesday.

Ekstra Bladet newspaper reports that the Dane's head was pointing too far forwards, due to a problem with the headrest.

"I've been sitting really badly in the car," Magnussen confirmed.

"I had trouble seeing and when I braked, it wasn't easy to keep my head up. So I couldn't drive anymore."

However, Magnussen said a modification to his seating position will be "easy enough" for the American team.

Team boss Gunther Steiner confirmed: "It wouldn't have been safe to modify it quickly, so we'll get something done so he is comfortable for Thursday."

Explaining the decision to sideline Magnussen, the team boss added: "It just got too uncomfortable for him. He said 'My neck hurts, I'd rather stop now if you don't mind so it doesn't get any worse'."

Magnussen said it is too soon to say how competitive Haas will be in 2019.

"It's pretty easy to not get excited, because we now that everyone runs with different amounts of fuel, so the results aren't real," he said.

"I don't think we're bad, it's just difficult to judge.

"It's not the most exciting part of the testing," Magnussen added. "It will be more exciting next week, but there is no need for us to be worried."

Mercedes announces global partnership with Seedlip

A bottle of Seedlip

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport announced a global partnership with Seedlip which will see the drinks company become an official team supplier.

As part of the partnership, exclusive Seedlip cocktails will be served in the team's hospitality at all Grands Prix, enriching the guest experience with sophisticated non-alcoholic drink options.

Ben Branson, Founder of Seedlip says: "We are honored to partner with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport and together provide a global platform for the designated driver. With a shared passion for innovation & technical excellence we are incredibly excited to work together throughout the F1 season."

"It's fantastic to welcome an energetic young brand like Seedlip to Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport," says Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO. "We're happy that Seedlip is now part of our family, enriching our guest experience at the track with natural, non-alcoholic drinks. We've signed a number of new partners recently, underlining that Formula One remains a leading marketing platform for companies to drive brand development and business growth."

Founded three years ago, Seedlip is on a mission to solve the age-old dilemma of 'what to drink when you're not drinking®' with the world's first distilled non-alcoholic spirits. Today, Seedlip's range of three spirits [Seedlip Spice 94, Seedlip Garden 108 and Seedlip Grove 42] is available in over 25 countries and served by many of the world's best cocktail bars, restaurants & hotels.

About Seedlip

Headquartered in the Chilterns, England, Seedlip is a nature company dedicated to changing the way the world drinks by pioneering the world's first distilled non-alcoholic spirits. Solving the dilemma of 'What to drink when you're not drinking Seedlip offers a sophisticated alternative to overly sweet or fruity options & is served in over 6000 prestigious cocktail bars, hotels, restaurants & retailers across 25 countries.

Available in three expressions, Seedlip Garden 108 captures the essence of the English countryside with sophisticated top notes of the handpicked peas & hay from the founder's family farm blended with garden herbs (Rosemary, Thyme & Spearmint). Seedlip Spice 94 is aromatic with strong spice (All Spice Berries & Cardamom) & citrus (Lemon & Grapefruit peel) top notes & a long bitter finish from the highest quality barks (Oak & Cascarilla). The latest addition to the range is Seedlip Grove 42, a celebration of the Orange; an adult, citrus blend of copper-pot distillates including three varieties of Orange and uplifting spices (Lemongrass & Ginger).

Seedlip is best mixed with tonic or as the base for non-alcoholic cocktails.

Seedlip is available in 70cl & 20cl bottles, as well as a variety of gift packs.
RRP £27.99 for 70cl, £12.99 for 20cl.
Seedlip has an opened back-bar shelf life of 6 months & does not require refrigeration.
Seedlip contains zero alcohol, zero sugar, zero calories and free from allergens and artificial flavors.