- Formula 1 - Season 2017 -

[genius83]

Vettel: Ferrari focusing on what's important
BARCELONA, Spain -- After a strong but understated start to testing, Sebastian Vettel has hinted at Ferrari's quiet confidence during his first media briefing of the season on Wednesday.

Thursday test in doubt for Williams after Lance Stroll crash
BARCELONA, Spain -- Williams is unsure it will be able to run on the final day of the opening 2017 winter test after Lance Stroll crashed into the barriers on Wednesday.

Honda plays down impact of slow start to testing
BARCELONA, Spain -- Honda has played down the severity of its early-season problems, saying it will not have a big impact on the development of its power unit.

On track experience backs up Hamilton's concerns about overtaking
BARCELONA, Spain -- Lewis Hamilton says driving Circuit de Catalunya's Turn 9 in the current generation of Formula One car is like being a kid in a roller coaster, but still has concerns about overtaking.

Williams misses final day of first week due to Lance Stroll crash
BARCELONA, Spain -- Williams will miss the final day of testing this week after damage was found to the team's only complete chassis following Lance Stroll's accident on Wednesday.

Lewis Hamilton abandons Thursday test after Mercedes electrical fault
Lewis Hamilton has been forced to miss running on the final day of the first Formula One pre-season test at Barcelona due to an electrical fault.

Haas: No grey area in F1 suspension row anymore
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says there is no longer a grey area in the regulations around the use of pre-loaded suspension systems after the FIA issued a technical directive this week.

Kimi Raikkonen quickest as Mercedes finally hits trouble
BARCELONA, Spain -- Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari ended the final day of the first winter test at the top of the time sheets, on a day that saw a wet-weather test and Mercedes encounter a rare morning of trouble.

Barcelona PreSeason Testing
Day 4
1. Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari - 1:20.872 - 93 laps
2. Max Verstappen - Red Bull - 1:21.769 - 85 laps
3. Jolyon Palmer - Renault - 1:21.778 - 39 laps
4. Romain Grosjean - Haas - 1:22.309 - 118 laps
5. Antonio Giovinazzi - Sauber - 1:22.401 - 84 laps
6. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:22.534 - 82 laps
7. Stoffel Vandoorne - McLaren - 1:22.576 - 67 laps
8. Valtteri Bottas - Mercedes - 1:23.443 - 68 laps (afternoon)
9. Nico Hulkenberg - Renault - 1:24.974 - 51 laps
10. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - no time set - 1 lap

Valtteri Bottas on Mercedes' first week: 'We can be better'
BARCELONA, Spain -- Valtteri Bottas is convinced Mercedes has plenty more to come in the second week of pre-season testing.

Haas delays Carbon Industrie brake test, will continue with Brembo in Barcelona
BARCELONA, Spain -- Haas has decided to push back its planned test of Carbon Industrie brakes to later in the season as continues to work on solving "inconsistency" with its Brembo supply.

Raikkonen: So far, so good
Kimi Raikkonen is refusing to get carried away with the pace of the Ferrari in pre-season testing.

Mercedes switch 'a bigger thing' than Valtteri Bottas imagined
BARCELONA, Spain -- Valtteri Bottas admits his winter switch from Williams to Mercedes has been "a bigger thing" than he initially expected it to be, though he fully expects it to be a hurdle he can overcome.

Pat Symonds joins Sky Sports F1 as analyst and commentator
Former Williams chief technical officer Pat Symonds has joined Sky Sports F1 as an analyst and commentator for the 2017 Formula One season.

2017 cars will take F1 drivers 'close to blackout point' - Pirelli
Pirelli chief Paul Hembery admits he is shocked by the levels of G-forces on F1's wider 2017 cars, which he thinks would be impossible for "a normal human being" to drive.

Toro Rosso confident early Renault issues are 'nothing major'
BARCELONA, Spain -- Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost is sure early issues with its new Renault engines are "nothing major", despite losing an entire day of the first winter test due to reliability problems.

Gene Haas: Long-term F1 strategy not dependent on winning
Gene Haas says his long-term strategy for owning a Formula One team is not dependent on it becoming a regular race winner in the future.

[genius83]

Hamilton: Bottas the best teammate relationship I've had
Lewis Hamilton believes he and Valtteri Bottas have already developed a better working relationship than he has experienced with any previous teammate in Formula One.

Brawn keen to get rid of shark fin engine covers in F1
Formula One's managing director of racing Ross Brawn wants to get rid of the unpopular shark fins and aerodynamic appendages that have emerged on the latest generation of cars.

Toro Rosso: Renault's performance has turned a huge corner
Toro Rosso's technical director James Key says the Renault engine used in his team's car has made a big step in terms of performance this year.

Bottas: Wind conditions have bigger impact on new cars
The handling of the new generation of Formula One cars is more susceptible to wind conditions, according to Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas.

Sir Jack Brabham honoured with commemorative Australian coin
The late Sir Jack Brabham, who won three Formula One world championships, has been honoured by the Royal Australian Mint with a commemorative 50 cent coin.

Lewis Hamilton open to non-championship events, welcomes push for new F1 format
Lewis Hamilton is open to Ross Brawn's suggestion of introducing non-championship races to experiment with race formats, though he thinks existing events such as Monaco should be altered from their current form anyway.

Post-Bernie Ecclestone world of F1 'nerve-wracking' for Gene Haas
Gene Haas admits the post-Bernie Ecclestone world of Formula One is "nerve-wracking" for him and his team, despite the arrival of new American owners.

Pascal Wehrlein to return from injury for Sauber at second test
Pascal Wehrlein will return from injury to participate in the second week of testing in Barcelona, Sauber has confirmed.

Honda parts company with engine consultant Gilles Simon
Honda has parted ways with consultant Gilles Simon on the eve of the Formula One season and at a time of increasing pressure for the Japanese manufacturer.

Aston Martin names Adrian Newey-designed hypercar 'Valkyrie'
Aston Martin has named its V12-engine, Adrian Newey-designed hypercar 'Valkyrie'.

Toto Wolff: We haven't seen the real Red Bull yet
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff doubts Red Bull has revealed anything close to its true 2017 challenger in the opening days of winter testing this year.

[genius83]

McLaren suffers another Honda engine issue
McLaren-Honda's struggle continued into the second week of testing on Tuesday after the team was forced to make an engine change on the first morning back at the Circuit de Catalunya.

McLaren: Pressure is huge to solve problems
McLaren racing director Eric Boullier says the pressure on engine supplier Honda is huge this year following a series of failures during pre-season testing.

Felipe Massa top as Williams and Ferrari accumulate big mileage
BARCELONA, Spain -- Felipe Massa helped Williams make up for lost time by topping the first day of the second Formula One winter test during a mammoth stint in the FW40.

Barcelona PreSeason Testing 2
Day 1
1. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:19.726 - 168 laps
2. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull - 1:19.900 - 89 laps
3. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari - 1:19.906 - 168 laps
4. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes - 1:20.456 - 49 laps (morning)
5. Valtteri Bottas - Mercedes - 1:20.924 - 86 laps (afternoon)
6. Esteban Ocon - Force India - 1:21.347 - 142 laps
7. Nico Hulkenberg - Renault - 1:21.589 - 58 laps (afternoon)
8. Kevin Magnussen - Haas - 1:21.676 - 81 laps
9. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:21.743 - 83 laps
10. Stoffel Vandoorne - McLaren - 1:22.537 - 80 laps
11. Pascal Wehrlein - Sauber - 1:23.336 - 47 laps (morning)
12. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber - 1:23.360 - 53 laps (afternoon)
13. Jolyon Palmer - Renault - 1:24.790 - 15 laps (morning)

Hamilton: Ferrari emerging as favourites
BARCELONA, Spain -- As pre-season testing entered its second week at the Circuit de Catalunya on Tuesday, Lewis Hamilton earmarked Ferrari as the team to beat this year.

'No big secret' to Red Bull's 2017 car, says Daniel Ricciardo
BARCELONA, Spain -- Daniel Ricciardo says there is "no big secret" to Red Bull's 2017 car, though he is convinced there is more to come from the RB13 before the Australian Grand Prix.

Felipe Massa: Williams can't afford more issues in testing
BARCELONA, Spain -- Tuesday pacesetter Felipe Massa says it is crucial Williams avoids further problems in the final three days of winter testing ahead of the 2017 Formula One season.

Massa: Overtaking will be 'very difficult' with 2017 cars
BARCELONA, Spain -- Felipe Massa has predicted overtaking will be "very difficult" with 2017's new cars.

Todt against V10 or V12 engines returning to F1
FIA president Jean Todt says Formula One's next generation of engines must remain acceptable to global society.

Start procedure changes should provide 'much bigger challenge' in 2017
BARCELONA, Spain -- Kevin Magnussen believes starts will be a "much bigger challenge" for drivers in 2017 due to new rules set to be enforced for the upcoming season.

Valtteri Bottas sets winter's quickest time, Kimi Raikkonen spins out
BARCELONA, Spain -- Valtteri Bottas hinted that times are likely to keep coming down in the final days of 2017 winter testing as he lowered the pre-season benchmark on a day Kimi Raikkonen finished with his Ferrari in the wall.

Barcelona PreSeason Testing 2
Day 2
1. Valtteri Bottas - Mercedes - 1:19.310 - 70 laps (morning)
2. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:19.420 - 63 laps (morning)
3. Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari - 1:20.406 - 53 laps
4. Max Verstappen - Red Bull - 1:20.432 - 102 laps
5. Lance Stroll - Williams - 1:20.579 - 59 laps (afternoon)
6. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes - 1:20.702 - 79 laps (afternoon)
7. Nico Hulkenberg - Renault - 1:21.213 - 61 laps (morning)
8. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:21.297 - 100 laps
9. Carlos Sainz - Toro Rosso - 1:21.872 - 92 laps
10. Romain Grosjean - Haas - 1:21.887 - 96 laps
11. Pascal Wehrlein - Sauber - 1:23.000 - 59 laps (morning)
12. Fernando Alonso - McLaren - 1:23.041 - 46 laps
13. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber - 1:23.384 - 46 laps (afternoon)
14. Jolyon Palmer - Renault - 1:24.774 - 29 laps (afternoon)

Alonso: McLaren has one problem ... Honda
BARCELONA, Spain -- Fernando Alonso says McLaren's Honda power unit is the only problem the team has after another day of limited mileage during pre-season testing.

Felipe Massa targets Williams podiums in 2017
Felipe Massa hopes he will be able to challenge for podium finishes with Williams' new car -- the FW40 -- during the 2017 Formula One season.

[genius83]

Flavio Briatore: Bernie Ecclestone treated poorly by F1's new owners
Former Benetton and Renault team boss Flavio Briatore believes Bernie Ecclestone was not treated well by Formula One's new owner Liberty Media.

Sebastian Vettel says Ferrari must not get distracted by pre-season lap times
BARCELONA, Spain -- Sebastian Vettel says it is crucial Ferrari does not "get distracted" by lap times set in winter and insists Mercedes is still the team it has to beat in 2017.

Alonso: I won't quit until I get the result I deserve
Fernando Alonso says he will not quit Formula One until he gets the results he feels he deserves.

Sebastian Vettel teases Ferrari's pace with fastest time of Formula One winter testing
BARCELONA, Spain -- Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel lowered the benchmark pre-season lap time at the Circuit de Catalunya to a 1:19.024 on the penultimate day of Formula One winter testing.

Barcelona PreSeason Testing 2
Day 3
1. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari - 1:19.024 - 156 laps
2. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes - 1:19.352 - 52 laps (morning)
3. Esteban Ocon - Force India - 1:20.161 - 137 laps
4. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:20.416 - 94 laps
5. Kevin Magnussen - Haas - 1:20.504 - 119 laps
6. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull - 1:20.824 - 128 laps
7. Stoffel Vandoorne - McLaren - 1:21.348 - 48 laps
8. Valtteri Bottas - Mercedes - 1:21.819 - 95 laps (afternoon)
9. Pascal Wehrlein - Sauber - 1:22.347 - 44 laps (afternoon)
10. Jolyon Palmer - Renault - 1:22.418 - 53 laps
11. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber - 1:23.330 - 88 laps (morning)
12. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:24.443 - 80 laps (afternoon)
13. Lance Stroll - Williams - 1:24.863 - 85 laps (morning)

[genius83]

GP2 renamed Formula Two
The GP2 series has been renamed Formula Two at a meeting of the FIA's World Motor Sport Council in Geneva.

Williams rookie Lance Stroll unfazed by criticism around rookie pre-season
BARCELONA, Spain -- Lance Stroll insists he has paid no attention to the negative headlines surrounding the opening week of his rookie pre-season campaign.

Ricciardo: Red Bull not on level of Ferrari and Mercedes yet
BARCELONA, Spain -- Daniel Ricciardo admits Red Bull is currently off the pace of Ferrari and Mercedes after the RB13 did not make the step forward he had hoped for on his final day of pre-season testing.

Lewis Hamilton thinks Ferrari is 'bluffing' over true pace
BARCELONA, Spain -- Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari is "bluffing" over its true pace after seeing Sebastian Vettel's eye-opening fastest lap on Thursday, one he thinks could have been even quicker.

Haas boss Guenther Steiner: Top three already 1.5s ahead of the rest
BARCELONA, Spain -- Haas team boss Guenther Steiner believes Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull are already 1.5s ahead of the rest of the field.

Pirelli reveals selections for Spain, Monaco, Canada, Baku
Pirelli has unveiled the tyre compound selections for Spain, Monaco, Canada and Baku.

Motor racing legend John Surtees dies aged 83
Motor racing legend John Surtees, the only man to win the world championship on two and four wheels, has died aged 83.

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen sets fastest time of F1 testing on final day
BARCELONA, Spain -- Kimi Raikkonen ensured Ferrari finished Formula One pre-season testing with the quickest lap after setting an impressive time on the final morning of winter testing.

Barcelona PreSeason Testing 2
Day 4
1. Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari - 1:18.634 - 111 laps
2. Max Verstappen - Red Bull - 1:19.438 - 71 laps
3. Carlos Sainz - Toro Rosso - 1:19.837 - 132 laps
4. Valtteri Bottas - Mercedes - 1:19.845 - 53 laps
5. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes - 1:19.850 - 54 laps
6. Nico Hullkenberg - Renault - 1:19.885 - 45 laps
7. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:20.116 - 128 laps
8. Jolyon Palmer - Renault - 1:20.205 - 43 laps
9. Lance Stroll - Williams - 1:20.335 - 132 laps
10. Romain Grosjean - Haas - 1:21.110 - 76 laps
11. Fernando Alonso - McLaren - 1:21.389 - 43 laps
12. Marcus Ericsson - Sauber - 1:21.670 - 59 laps
13. Pascal Wehrlein - Sauber - 1:23.527 - 42 laps

Kimi Raikkonen: Ferrari 'much, much better' than last year
BARCELONA, Spain -- Kimi Raikkonen says Ferrari is in a much better position this year than it was in pre-season testing last year.

Lewis Hamilton hopes to harness Barcelona's fighting spirit in 2017
BARCELONA, Spain -- After witnessing Barcelona's stunning Champions League comeback midweek, Lewis Hamilton is hoping to harness some of the team's fighting spirit for his 2017 campaign.

Max Verstappen unfazed by Renault issues
Max Verstappen says he is not worried about the reliability of Red Bull's Renault engine after hitting trouble on the final day of Formula One pre-season testing.

Honda 'a little bit scared' of performance gap to rivals
Honda chief Yusuke Hasegawa admits he is more worried by the Japanese manufacturer's performance deficit to its rivals than its reliability problems over pre-season testing.

Lewis Hamilton: Threat from Ferrari looks real
Lewis Hamilton is expecting Ferrari and Red Bull to be genuine rivals to Mercedes when they arrive at the first race of the season in Australia later this month.

Renault targeting ERS fix for Melbourne
Renault is confident that the problems it had with its Energy Recovery System (ERS) during testing will be fixed by the opening round of the Formula One season in Australia.

[zia1288]

Ferrari is looking promising if merc is not hiding its true speed.

[genius83]

Ex-F1 driver Roberto Merhi gets F2 test
Former Manor Formula One driver Roberto Merhi will test a Formula Two car with Campos Racing at Barcelona ahead of a potential move into the rebranded series this season.

Romain Grosjean says Haas has come 'a long way' in 12 months
Romain Grosjean says Haas' solid 2017 pre-season shows the huge steps it has made as a team since joining the grid one year ago.

Carlos Sainz says Toro Rosso's rivals have made 'massive steps'
Carlos Sainz thinks it will be difficult for Toro Rosso to compete for a place in Q3 at the Australian Grand Prix as its rivals have made "massive steps" over the winter.

Pascal Wehrlein explains why he missed out on a Mercedes drive
Sauber driver Pascal Wehrlein has given some insight into why he was overlooked for a Mercedes drive during the winter.

Force India livery goes pink with arrival of new sponsor
The Force India Formula One car has been painted pink ahead of the start of the season as part of a new sponsorship deal with Austrian water technology company BWT.

Valtteri Bottas: New cars require different driving style
Valtteri Bottas says the new generation of Formula One cars require a different driving style.

How will Pirelli's new tyres impact racing in 2017?
Formula One's tyre supplier Pirelli is expecting fewer pit stops this year, but says that will not necessarily result in duller races.

VJM10 New Livery

Mark Webber: Don't judge Red Bull on winter 'shadow boxing'
Former F1 driver Mark Webber says Red Bull should not be judged by its low-key pre-season with the RB13 as the team has never been interested in winter "shadow boxing".

Eric Boullier says Fernando Alonso's future depends on McLaren delivering competitive car
Carlos Sainz thinks it will be difficult for Toro Rosso to compete for a place in Q3 at the Australian Grand Prix as its rivals have made "massive steps" over the winter.

Esteban Ocon targets points at every race with Force India
Esteban Ocon says he wants to achieve points finishes at every race in 2017 during his first full season in Formula One with Force India.

Nico Hulkenberg pokes fun at Force India's pink livery
Nico Hulkenberg has taken a playful jab at former team Force India, joking that its new pink livery is one of the reasons he left for Renault ahead of this season.

[genius83]

@zia1288
Ferrari is looking more then promising as they are doing sandbagging by lifting on the start/finish straight on the fastest laps. Mercedes is certainly hiding some speed but they also have done some sandbagging too.

Overall its look like at season start it will be between Ferrari and Mercedes for the first few races just like 2016 but it will be interesting to see how the first iterations of developments work for either of them as last season that is where Ferrari lost the season.

On the other hand, McLaren and Honda are seriously deep trouble as the most number of consecutive lap they did during the testing was just 11 where other teams were able to complete 1 or 2 race sims during the whole testing.

[genius83]

Paddy Lowe joins Williams as chief technical officer
Williams has confirmed former Mercedes technical boss Paddy Lowe as new chief technical officer and board member.

New cars suit Felipe Massa's style 'perfectly' - Rob Smedley
Williams performance chief Rob Smedley thinks 2017's revamped cars "perfectly" suit the driving style of the returning Felipe Massa.

Mika Hakkinen returns to McLaren as partner ambassador
Double world champion Mika Hakkinen has rejoined former team McLaren as a partner ambassador on a "multi-year deal".

McLaren approaches Mercedes over engine switch - report
McLaren has made an exploratory approach to Mercedes about an engine supply, according to the BBC.

Christian Horner: New rules have given Adrian Newey his mojo back
Red Bull boss Christian Horner says F1's new regulations have given designer Adrian Newey "his mojo back", though he still believes Mercedes are the "clear, clear favourites" for 2017.

Damon Hill: Mercedes could risk losing Lewis Hamilton
1996 Formula One world champion Damon Hill believes Mercedes must give Lewis Hamilton the freedom he requires this season or risk potentially losing him to a rival team.

Honda remains '100 per cent committed' to McLaren
Honda says it remains 100 per cent committed to its Formula One partnership with McLaren despite news this week that the team has been exploring the possibility of a return to Mercedes power.

Bernie Ecclestone wanted another year at the top of F1
Bernie Ecclestone said he would have liked to stay on as Formula One's CEO for another year, but insists he does not feel let down by the sport's new owners Liberty Media.

[genius83]

Ex-F1 driver Jean-Eric Vergne joins Manor in WEC
Ex-Formula One driver Jean-Eric Vergne will make his World Endurance Championship debut in 2017 with the Manor LMP2 squad.

Romain Grosjean: Big start less important in 2017
Romain Grosjean says Haas naturally wants to emulate its points-scoring debut at the Australian Grand Prix, though he thinks the team should be more focused on finishing the season on an upward swing.

Bernie Ecclestone: F1's new owners want to erase me from history
Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone says the sport's new owners, Liberty Media, want to remove him from the history books.

Nico Rosberg wants to remain involved in racing
Formula One world champion Nico Rosberg says he wants to stay involved in motorsport in some capacity in the future.

Max Verstappen on the art of overtaking
In just two seasons of Formula One racing, Max Verstappen has made quite a mark. He has not only changed perceptions of what is possible in motorsport's premier series, he has also changed perceptions of what is acceptable.

Former Haas driver Esteban Gutierrez to contest remainder of Formula E season
Former Haas driver Esteban Gutierrez will contest the remainder of the Formula E season with the Techeetah team.

Merc boss Toto Wolff says fans should be excited by 'violent' new F1 cars
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says Formula One fans should be excited by the "violent" new cars which have been introduced for the new season.

Lewis Hamilton won't copy Ricciardo's 'disgusting' shoey celebration
Lewis Hamilton insists there is no way he will be taking any part in the "disgusting" shoey celebration made famous by Daniel Ricciardo in 2016.

Fernando Alonso braced for 'difficult' opening race with McLaren
Fernando Alonso says he is "incredibly motivated" for the new season, though he is braced for a difficult opening race for McLaren in Australia.

Valtteri Bottas has no fear of being Mercedes number two behind Lewis Hamilton
Valtteri Bottas says he has no fears of being relegated to a supporting role behind Lewis Hamilton in his first season with Mercedes.

Here is the Timing Schedule for this weekend's Season Opening Australian GP:
Australian GP
Friday
Practice Session 1 06:00 To 07:30
Practice Session 2 10:00 To 11:30

Saturday
Practice Session 3 07:00 To 08:00
Qualifying Session 10:00 To 11:00

Sunday
Race 10:00 To 12:00

[zia1288]

Looking forward for the Australian GP

[genius83]

Ricciardo motivated by stopping Verstappen hype 'train'
Daniel Ricciardo says it motivates him every time he hears people predict how many titles Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen can win in Formula One.

Daniel Ricciardo and the making of an F1 champion-in-waiting
It would be difficult to find anyone in the Formula One paddock who thinks Daniel Ricciardo is not ready to win a world championship.

F2 driver Gelael gets Toro Rosso F1 test role
Toro Rosso has signed Formula Two racer Sean Gelael as its test driver for the 2017 Formula One season.

[genius83]

Sebastian Vettel: March is too early to predict Ferrari title challenge
Sebastian Vettel says it is impossible to predict a Ferrari title challenge in March, continuing the Italian team's careful management of expectations going into 2017.

Daniel Ricciardo sees support as motivation not pressure
Daniel Ricciardo says he feels no additional pressure on the eve of the Australian Grand Prix despite the hopes of a nation once again resting on his shoulders.

Sebastian Vettel names 2017 car Gina
Sebastian Vettel has continued the tradition of naming his Formula One cars, christening his 2017 Ferrari 'Gina'.

Why the 'Verstappen rule' has been dropped
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Race director Charlie Whiting has confirmed that the FIA's ruling on moving under braking while defending position -- colloquially known as "the Verstappen rule" -- is no longer in the regulations.

FIA confident it has avoided Australian GP protests over 'trick' suspensions
The FIA is confident the Australian Grand Prix will not be mired in suspension system-related controversy after asking certain F1 teams to change their designs.

Paddy Lowe: 'Absolutely possible' for Williams to win titles
Williams chief technical officer Paddy Lowe says it is "absolutely possible" for his new team to win Formula One titles as a Mercedes customer team.

Hamilton: F1 needs Alonso in a competitive car
Lewis Hamilton says Formula One needs Fernando Alonso to return to the front of the grid in a competitive car before the end of the Spaniard's career.

Bottas: I feel ready to win in Australia
Valtteri Bottas is confident he can extract the full performance out of his Mercedes and challenge teammate Lewis Hamilton at F1's season-opener at Albert Park.

Fernando Alonso: We need to see a reaction from Honda as soon as possible
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Fernando Alonso has called on Honda to up its game significantly in the opening rounds of the season after power unit issues restricted McLaren's progress during pre-season testing.

Overweight Force India car forces Sergio Perez into 'extreme diet'
Sergio Perez has revealed Force India's overweight 2017 car has forced him into an "extreme diet" to shed pounds ahead of the new season.

[zia1288]

@genius83 should i buy red t-shirts? are they any promising?

[genius83]

Wait till the qualifying on Saturday, then buy it.

[genius83]

Lewis Hamilton tops opening practice in Melbourne
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Lewis Hamilton continued on where he finished up in 2016 by topping the timesheets in 2017's opening practice session at Albert Park.

Australian GP
Practice Session 1
Pos	Driver	          Car                     Time      Gap     Laps
 1	Lewis Hamilton    Mercedes              1:24.220s    -       22
 2	Valtteri Bottas   Mercedes              1:24.803s   0.583s   25
 3	Daniel Ricciardo  Red Bull/Renault      1:24.886s   0.666s   19
 4	Max Verstappen    Red Bull/Renault      1:25.246s   1.026s   19
 5	Kimi Raikkonen    Ferrari               1:25.372s   1.152s   16
 6	Sebastian Vettel  Ferrari               1:25.464s   1.244s   10
 7	Felipe Massa      Williams/Mercedes     1:26.142s   1.922s   28
 8	Romain Grosjean   Haas/Ferrari          1:26.168s   1.948s   20
 9	Nico Hulkenberg   Renault               1:26.183s   1.963s   15
 10	Sergio Perez      Force India/Mercedes  1:26.276s   2.056s   29
 11	Carlos Sainz      Toro Rosso/Renault    1:26.450s   2.230s   24
 12	Daniil Kvyat      Toro Rosso/Renault    1:26.514s   2.294s   25
 13	Lance Stroll      Williams/Mercedes     1:26.734s   2.514s   29
 14	Fernando Alonso   McLaren/Honda         1:27.116s   2.896s   18
 15	Marcus Ericsson   Sauber/Ferrari        1:27.348s   3.128s   30
 16	Esteban Ocon      Force India/Mercedes  1:27.656s   3.436s   23
 17	Kevin Magnussen   Haas/Ferrari          1:27.667s   3.447s   20
 18	Pascal Wehrlein   Sauber/Ferrari        1:28.539s   4.319s   22
 19	Jolyon Palmer     Renault               1:28.585s   4.365s    6
 20	Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren/Honda         1:28.695s   4.475s   14

Jehan Daruvala hopes F3 fast-tracks F1 dream
Even as his hero Fernando Alonso prepares for a tricky opening weekend in the 2017 F1 season in Melbourne's Albert Park, 18-year-old Jehan Daruvala will be taking the next few steps towards realising his dream of racing in motorsport's most competitive tier, at the first pre-season test of the European F3 Championship in Hungaroring the same weekend.

Ross Brawn targeting 'perfect world' formula for F1
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Formula One's new managing director of racing Ross Brawn says he is aiming to deliver a "perfect world" solution for the sport, based on closer racing and financially healthy teams.

Lewis Hamilton dominates practice, Ferrari 0.5s behind
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton maintained his perfect start to 2017 by again setting the benchmark pace in second practice at Albert Park.

Australian GP
Practice Session 2
Pos	Driver            Car	                  Time      Gap     Laps
 1	Lewis Hamilton    Mercedes              1:23.620s    -       34
 2	Sebastian Vettel  Ferrari               1:24.167s   0.547s   35
 3	Valtteri Bottas   Mercedes              1:24.176s   0.556s   34
 4	Kimi Raikkonen    Ferrari               1:24.525s   0.905s   30
 5	Daniel Ricciardo  Red Bull/Renault      1:24.650s   1.030s   27
 6	Max Verstappen    Red Bull/Renault      1:25.013s   1.393s    8
 7	Carlos Sainz      Toro Rosso/Renault    1:25.084s   1.464s   34
 8	Romain Grosjean   Haas/Ferrari          1:25.436s   1.816s   29
 9	Nico Hulkenberg   Renault               1:25.478s   1.858s   36
 10	Daniil Kvyat      Toro Rosso/Renault    1:25.493s   1.873s   39
 11	Sergio Perez      Force India/Mercedes  1:25.591s   1.971s   35
 12	Fernando Alonso   McLaren/Honda         1:26.000s   2.380s   19
 13	Esteban Ocon      Force India/Mercedes  1:26.145s   2.525s   37
 14	Felipe Massa      Williams/Mercedes     1:26.331s   2.711s    6
 15	Marcus Ericsson   Sauber/Ferrari        1:26.498s   2.878s   29
 16	Lance Stroll      Williams/Mercedes     1:26.525s   2.905s   27
 17	Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren/Honda         1:26.608s   2.988s   33
 18	Pascal Wehrlein   Sauber/Ferrari        1:26.919s   3.299s   30
 19	Kevin Magnussen   Haas/Ferrari          1:27.279s   3.659s    8
 20	Jolyon Palmer     Renault               1:27.549s   3.929s    4

Sebastian Vettel: Plenty to come from Ferrari
Sebastian Vettel downplayed Ferrari's underwhelming Friday practice in Australia, saying he is sure the team has plenty of performance to find before qualifying.

Max Verstappen: Red Bull just a bit too slow
Max Verstappen says Red Bull is not on the pace of Mercedes and Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix after finishing Friday practice in fifth and sixth.

Kimi Raikkonen: Ferrari can be happy with Friday practice showing
Kimi Raikkonen believes Ferrari can be pleased with its showing during Friday practice for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, but admits the team still has improvements to make.

Palmer caught 'massively by surprise' by FP2 crash
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Jolyon Palmer insists he has lost no confidence in his Renault despite crashing out unexpectedly of free practice two in Australia.

Daniel Ricciardo: Mercedes not insanely quick
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Daniel Ricciardo believes Red Bull can make significant gains to Mercedes' early pace before qualifying for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton: Difference to testing is 'night and day'
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Any concerns Lewis Hamilton had about the competitiveness of his Mercedes were put to rest by two practice sessions at the Australian Grand Prix on Friday after he reported a "night-and-day difference" between the car in testing and the car now.

Fernando Alonso says McLaren can only hope for a miracle in Melbourne
Fernando Alonso says the only thing he and McLaren can hope for at the Australian Grand Prix is to "try and do miracles" after enduring a frustrating first Friday of 2017.

Fernando Alonso says McLaren can only hope for a miracle in Melbourne
Fernando Alonso says the only thing he and McLaren can hope for at the Australian Grand Prix is to "try and do miracles" after enduring a frustrating first Friday of 2017.

Valtteri Bottas: Work to do to catch Lewis Hamilton
Valtteri Bottas admits he has work to do to close the gap to Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton following Friday practice for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

McLaren: Too early to say if Honda reliability issues are solved
MELBOURNE, Australia -- McLaren's executive director Zak Brown is not expecting a big step in performance form engine partner Honda and says the car's relatively strong showing during Friday practice in Australia is unlikely to be representative of its true pace this weekend.

Haas forced to remove its T-wing in Australian Grand Prix practice
Haas was forced to remove its T-wing from its Formula One car ahead of second practice for the Australian Grand Prix, team principal Guenther Steiner has confirmed.

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Pascal Wehrlein replaced by Antonio Giovinazzi for Australian GP
Sauber driver Pascal Wehrlein will miss the season-opening Australian Grand Prix after admitting he does not feel fit enough to complete a race distance. After he informed the team it decided to replace him with Ferrari reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi from final practice onwards.

Sebastian Vettel fastest in shortened final practice
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Sebastian Vettel topped the final practice session ahead of qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix, giving hope that Ferrari might be able to take the battle to Mercedes at the opening round of the season.

Australian GP
Practice Session 3
Pos   Driver             Car                  Time       Gap       Laps
 1    Sebastian Vettel   Ferrari              1:23.380s   -         12
 2    Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes             1:23.859s   0.479s    12
 3    Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes             1:23.870s   0.490s    12
 4    Kimi Raikkonen     Ferrari              1:23.988s   0.608s    10
 5    Nico Hulkenberg    Renault              1:25.063s   1.683s    10
 6    Daniel Ricciardo   Red Bull/Renault     1:25.092s   1.712s    15
 7    Romain Grosjean    Haas/Ferrari         1:25.581s   2.201s    11
 8    Carlos Sainz       Toro Rosso/Renault   1:25.948s   2.568s    11
 9    Daniil Kvyat       Toro Rosso/Renault   1:26.049s   2.669s    11
10    Kevin Magnussen    Haas/Ferrari         1:26.138s   2.758s    11
11    Felipe Massa       Williams/Mercedes    1:26.237s   2.857s    15
12    Max Verstappen     Red Bull/Renault     1:26.269s   2.889s     7
13    Sergio Perez       Force India/Mercedes 1:26.457s   3.077s    12
14    Fernando Alonso    McLaren/Honda        1:26.556s   3.176s     7
15    Stoffel Vandoorne  McLaren/Honda        1:26.699s   3.319s     9
16    Esteban Ocon       Force India/Mercedes 1:27.103s   3.723s    16
17    Lance Stroll       Williams/Mercedes    1:27.327s   3.947s    12
18    Marcus Ericsson    Sauber/Ferrari       1:27.402s   4.022s    10
19    Jolyon Palmer      Renault              1:28.320s   4.940s    12
20    Antonio Giovinazzi Sauber/Ferrari       1:28.583s   5.203s    18

Lance Stroll set for five-place grid penalty
Lance Stroll will make his Formula One debut at the Australian Grand Prix with a five-place grid penalty after Williams were forced to change the gearbox on his car following final practice.

Lewis Hamilton beats Sebastian Vettel to Australian Grand Prix pole
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Lewis Hamilton beat Sebastian Vettel to pole position in the first qualifying session of the 2017 after Mercedes and Ferrari fought for supremacy over the front two rows of the grid.

Australian GP
Qualifying Session
Pos   Driver              Car                    Time        Gap
 1    Lewis Hamilton      Mercedes              1:22.188s     -
 2    Sebastian Vettel    Ferrari               1:22.456s    0.268s
 3    Valtteri Bottas     Mercedes              1:22.481s    0.293s
 4    Kimi Raikkonen      Ferrari               1:23.033s    0.845s
 5    Max Verstappen      Red Bull/Renault      1:23.485s    1.297s
 6    Romain Grosjean     Haas/Ferrari          1:24.074s    1.886s
 7    Felipe Massa        Williams/Mercedes     1:24.443s    2.255s
 8    Carlos Sainz        Toro Rosso/Renault    1:24.487s    2.299s
 9    Daniil Kvyat        Toro Rosso/Renault    1:24.512s    2.324s
10    Daniel Ricciardo    Red Bull/Renault        -            -
11    Sergio Perez        Force India/Mercedes  1:25.081s    2.893s
12    Nico Hulkenberg     Renault               1:25.091s    2.903s
13    Fernando Alonso     McLaren/Honda         1:25.425s    3.237s
14    Esteban Ocon        Force India/Mercedes  1:25.568s    3.380s
15    Marcus Ericsson     Sauber/Ferrari        1:26.465s    4.277s
16    Antonio Giovinazzi  Sauber/Ferrari        1:26.419s    4.231s
17    Kevin Magnussen     Haas/Ferrari          1:26.847s    4.659s
18    Stoffel Vandoorne   McLaren/Honda         1:26.858s    4.670s
19    Jolyon Palmer       Renault               1:28.244s    6.056s
20    Lance Stroll        Williams/Mercedess    1:27.143s    4.955s

Sebastian Vettel: Australia pole just out of reach, but we're close
After vindicating Ferrari's pre-season hype with a spot on the front row of the Australian Grand Prix pole, Sebastian Vettel admitted pole position was just out of reach.

Jolyon Palmer bemoans 'awful', 'terrible' car after Q1 exit
Jolyon Palmer has slammed his Renault Formula One car after a poor qualifying performance left him on the back-row of the grid for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton hails 'incredible' Mercedes after Australia pole
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Fresh from claiming pole position for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton has hailed his Mercedes as "the best I have experienced".

Valtteri Bottas 'not satisfied' with third on Australian GP grid
Valtteri Bottas declared himself "not satisfied" by qualifying third for the Australian Grand Prix after being pipped to a place on the front row by Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.

Fernando Alonso: 9th or 10th won't change my life
Fernando Alonso says qualifying 13th for the Australian Grand Prix is "nothing to celebrate" for McLaren and insists taking points in Sunday's race is not good enough for the team.

Daniel Ricciardo explains qualifying spin
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Daniel Ricciardo made no excuses for the spin that left his Red Bull tenth on the grid for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Red Bull: Lack of Australian GP pace not down to 'trick' suspension removal
After a disappointing qualifying in Melbourne Red Bull's drivers downplayed the impact of the removal of the team's controversial 'trick' suspension, saying it has nothing to do with its lack of pace in Australia so far.

Lance Stroll: 'Uncomfortable' set-up a factor in costly FP3 crash
Lance Stroll admits he was "very uncomfortable" with his car's new set-up on Saturday before the FP3 crash which contributed to him being last on the grid for his debut race.

Gunther Steiner labels Haas' qualifying performance 'amazing'
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Haas boss Gunther Steiner has labelled his team's qualifying performance in Australia as "amazing" but is under no illusions as to how quickly things in Formula One can change.

Honda hopes reliability issues solved, admits performance still lacking
MELBOURNE, Australia -- McLaren's engine supplier Honda is confident it has introduced successful fixes to the reliability issues it experienced during testing, but admits a performance upgrade is still some way off.

Antonio Giovinazzi thought 'dream' Sauber call-up was a joke
Antonio Giovinazzi says he was completely taken by surprise by his last-minute Sauber call-up for the Australian Grand Prix and thought he was on the receiving end of a joke.

Kimi Raikkonen disappointed with 'messy' Q3
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen admits he failed to get the most out of a "messy" Q3 as he qualified fourth for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

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