Latest F1 news in brief

New Williams ROKiT livery

Williams has 'bright' look for fresh start in 2019
Haas sponsor sued over logo
Toro Rosso to use year-old Red Bull parts in 2019
Russian promoter slams Silverstone boss
Mosley supports Halo, budget cap
New Balance becomes Official Style Partner of Alfa Romeo

Williams has 'bright' look for fresh start in 2019

(GMM) Claire Williams wanted a "fresh" and "bright" new livery to mark an end to the British team's horror period.

Williams, a once-great name in F1, finished dead last in 2018 and lost the backing of title sponsor Martini.

The team has a new sponsor for 2019, and Claire Williams said that was the perfect opportunity for a new livery.

"Frank loved it, and you might be surprised to hear that," she said as the new mainly white and sky blue livery was unveiled.

"I was a little nervous presenting it to him but he is fully behind it. If he didn't like it, he would have fired me," Williams, team founder Sir Frank's daughter, added.

Williams said the new look is "fresh" and "bright", and hopes the performance will get a major lift in 2019 as well.

"Last season was very difficult, but over the winter almost nobody left, which speaks of the strength of spirit here at Williams," said Claire.

"What was happening could have destroyed the team. We could have gotten bogged down in an internal struggle or dismissed half of the staff, but we didn't want to do that.

"We know our weaknesses. You don't go from fifth to tenth in the championship without a good reason. We have done a lot of work, but the way back up will take time," she added.

Haas sponsor sued over logo

New Haas car sponsored by Rich Energy

(GMM) The controversy around Haas' new title sponsor continues.

Already, there is skepticism about the legitimacy of Rich Energy, a British energy drink headed by the long-bearded William Storey.

Now, it emerges that Rich is heading to court next month.

In the days just prior to the start of the 2019 season, Storey's company will be in court on 12 and 13 March 2019.

According to Intellectual Property Court documentation, the case was filed by ATB Sales. The British company owns Whyte Bikes, whose antler-like logo is almost identical to Rich Energy's.

At the launch of Haas' 2019 livery, Storey admitted he wanted the black and gold livery colors because they reminded him of the John Player Special car raced by Ayrton Senna.

"We have evolved it, because otherwise it would have been a total copy of the 80s livery," team boss Gunther Steiner said.

"As long as the car is beautiful and the name of Gene (Haas)'s company is there, the boss is happy," he added.

Toro Rosso to use year-old Red Bull parts in 2019

The new Toro Rosso looks a lot like last year's Red Bull except for the front wing

(GMM) Toro Rosso's new car features many parts that were used on the 2018 Red Bull.

With Ferrari moving closer to Sauber-Alfa Romeo and Haas buying many parts from Maranello, the rules now allow Red Bull and Toro Rosso to also collaborate more closely.

For instance, the entire Honda-powered rear end of the new Toro Rosso will be identical to what is run by Red Bull.

"Actually, this is the philosophy we followed until 2010 when the other competitors voted for a rule change," said team boss Franz Tost.

Toro Rosso duly boosted its workforce from 100 to 400 employees, but from 2019, the Faenza based team will be working much more closely with Red Bull once again.

"We will buy some parts and have more minds and hands to design and produce all the others," said Tost.

"Components relative to the power unit will be the same specification as Red Bull. Most of the remaining parts we receive will be last year's specifications," he revealed.

It might be argued that the Haas-Sauber-Toro Rosso model is now the only way for smaller teams to competitively exist.

Former FIA president Max Mosley says the answer is a budget cap.

"If I was a dictator, which I never was, I would take the FOM money and give – to just name a figure – $60 million to each team. The sponsorship money that the teams receive would be their profit," he told Auto Motor und Sport.

Russian promoter slams Silverstone boss

Stuart Pringle

(GMM) Russia has distanced itself from a group of F1 circuits who are threatening to quit formula one.

A statement highly critical of Liberty Media that was issued by the so-called Formula One Promoters' Association (FOPA), and comments made by its boss Stuart Pringle, recently caused a stir.

Sergey Vorobyev, the Russian GP boss, counts the Sochi race out of the controversy.

"He (Pringle) has his own problems. He heads the British grand prix and has no contract for next year," Vorobyev told Russia's sports.ru.

"He gathered a number of promoters together for a meeting and they talked about common difficulties. But the public statement was strange because it was not even agreed upon by all the members of FOPA. It was completely unexpected," he revealed.

"Apparently, he (Pringle) tried to strengthen his position with support from other promoters, but he doesn't have it," Vorobyev added.

In fact, he says "half" of all FOPA members don't support Silverstone boss Pringle's latest moves either.

"Mexico made a statement saying they did not support the opinion of FOPA, and then Azerbaijan extended the contract until 2023 and was also surprised by the public statement made on their behalf (by FOPA)," said Vorobyev.

"A number of other promoters, mainly European, also acknowledged that they did not share the positions expressed."

Vorobyev calls FOPA "quite weak" as an organization.

"Its activities do not bring any results, except statements that they are for all good and against all bad," he said.

Mosley supports Halo, budget cap

Max Mosley

(GMM) Max Mosley says he is fully supportive of F1's latest moves to protect the drivers.

The 'Halo' cockpit protection system has been highly controversial, but former FIA president Mosley says Jean Todt was right to introduce it.

"I haven't been to a race since 2009, but I watch a lot of the races on TV," he told Auto Motor und Sport.

"I have to say that cars without Halo seem almost old-fashioned now," the 78-year-old said. "They somehow look wrong.

"Since the 60s, I've heard that the sport is getting more and more safe and money is playing an increasingly important role, which spoils the fun. And yet formula one has only become more and more popular.

"I advise the people who glorify the risk to go to a funeral. There is nothing worse than experiencing the death of a young sports person. Ok, he died doing something he loved. But it is terrible for the relatives," Mosley added.

Mosley also backs FIA president Todt and Liberty Media's efforts to install mandatory team budget caps, but notes that the teams will never be fully supportive.

"As advanced as they are with their technology, they are so conservative about changing the system," he said. "They just do not want to change anything.

"The big money teams don't want to give up their advantage over the teams with less money in particular. If you employ three times as many people, it's like racing with an engine with greater displacement.

"These teams will never agree to a budget cap," added Mosley.

New Balance becomes Official Style Partner of Alfa Romeo

Yet another American company not sponsoring the American F1 team

Alfa Romeo Racing announced that global athletic leader New Balance has joined the team as Official Style Partner.

Fearlessly independent since 1906, the Boston-based company has established itself as one of the top global athletic brands in the world, which has a strong presence in various international sporting communities.

The collaboration with Alfa Romeo Racing will see the race team members and its drivers wearing New Balance footwear in 2019, presenting an excellent opportunity for the team to expand its involvement in the lifestyle sector while welcoming New Balance in the dynamic environment of Formula One.

Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal Alfa Romeo Racing and CEO Sauber Motorsport AG:
“Launching our collaboration with New Balance as the Official Style Partner of Alfa Romeo Racing represents another step in our team’s positive development. The progress we made over the past year is not only reflected in our results, but also in the expansion of our commercial projects. New Balance is a perfect fit for our team, with our shared passion for design, technology and sports coming together to generate fantastic opportunities for both of our companies. We look forward to working together."

Chris Davis, Vice President Global Marketing New Balance:
“The global New Balance team is thrilled to be partnering with Alfa Romeo Racing to become the Official Style Partner of the team. Fueled by a fearlessly independent mindset and challenger brand ambition, both New Balance and Alfa Romeo have a rich history of performance innovation, uncompromising luxurious style and a track record of not being afraid to do things differently. We look forward to this digital first partnership and continuing Alfa Romeo Racing’s legacy of stylistic excellence, both on and off the track."