Sebastian Vettel Discusses Defending Race Of Champions Title

The Race of Champions is heading to the United States for the first time in its history, and Formula One ace Sebastian Vettel has spoken out about defending his ROC title.

When the Race of Champions comes to Miami in January, Sebastian Vettel will be on hand as the defending winner.

The Scuderia Ferrari driver captured the title at last year’s event in London and Vettel,during a conversation with Motorsport, spoke on winning the event last year, and how excited he is to defend his crown.

“I’m very happy to have finally won the individual Race Of Champions title last year in London’s Olympic Stadium and I look forward to defending my title at ROC in Miami,” he said.

“All the drivers are strong, and the top US drivers from NASCAR and IndyCar will certainly be extra motivated to win in front of their home fans now that the event is being held in their country for the first time.

“This will also be the first time ROC has been held in a baseball stadium so I’m curious to discover the new track layout. But as always it’s the same track and identical cars for everyone so only driver skill makes the difference.

2012 Verizon IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, a Florida native, and veteran NASCAR driver Kurt Busch are slated to be part of the 2017 field.

Watch highlights from Vettel’s winning year at the Race of Champions:

The two-day event is divided between solo and group competition. The first half is the Race of Champions itself, with drivers competing for individual glory like Vettel won last year. On Sunday, drivers pair up in teams for the ROC Nations Cup, bidding by nationality for the title of “World’s Fastest Nation.”

Organizers have also spoken about the decision to bring the event stateside.

“We are thrilled to be bringing the Race Of Champions to the United States at last,” said ROC President Fredrik Johnsson. “Miami’s Marlins Park is a wonderful venue and it’s our first time inside a baseball stadium. Rest assured we will put together a truly memorable event for fans of fast cars and even faster drivers.

“American race fans are passionate about their sport and I’m sure they will enjoy the great competition and shows we put on.”

Previous venues included England’s Wembley Stadium, the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing and the Stade de France in Paris. There has never been a ROC champion from the U.S., but that would certainly be a way to commemorate America’s first time as a host nation.

They’ll just have to get through Vettel first.

Sebastian Vettel: F1 risks turning people off

Formula One risks abandoning its roots with “overcomplicated” rules and could see interest in the sport fall even further if Lewis Hamilton’s dominance continues, Sebastian Vettel has warned.

In an outspoken attack on the eve of the new season made on his personal website, Vettel claimed F1 had become too lost in technology and the focus should return to the drivers.

Vettel himself was accused of turning people off the sport when he won four straight championships from 2010 to 2013. This intervention almost exactly mirrors criticism of his reign made a few years ago by Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and others.

Vettel won four straight championships from 2010 to 2013

But Hamilton and Mercedes’ dominance has been unprecedented in its scale. They have won 32 of the last 38 races and with very few rule changes over the winter, the team head into this season as overwhelming favourites, even if there are hopes Vettel’s Ferrari have stepped up their challenge.

While Vettel was cautious on his team’s chances, he was remarkably frank on the state of the sport.

"In short, I think the sport should be in the spotlight and it should be about which driver is the fastest," the four-time champion said.

Vettel has been remarkably frank on the state of the sport

"Today the car plays an important role, like it did in the past. But we shouldn't get lost in over-complicated rules. Our audience has to be able to identify with our cars again. At the moment F1 is just too complex and we're lacking sound.

"The dominance of Mercedes in the past two years took away a lot of excitement for the fans. Plus the new rules focus too much on details. I think we have to be careful not to lose the roots of motor racing and I certainly hope the cars of the future will be more within their grasp."

Formula One has been trapped in a debate about what it should be for years, but this was dramatically heightened with the introduction of more efficient, but quieter, hybrid engines at the start of 2014.

Bernie Ecclestone, F1’s chief executive, has been seeking to implement new rules for 2017 which make the cars significantly faster, but they appear to have been watered down amid endless bickering among the teams.

The main hope for an exciting season is that Ferrari, with English technical director James Allison at the helm, can bridge the gap to Mercedes, mounting a proper challenge on Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s supremacy.

With one eye on the company’s flotation on the stock exchange, Sergio Marchionne, the Ferrari president, has made optimistic predictions of the season ahead, but Vettel was more guarded.

Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne is confident they can challenge Mercedes

"It's no secret that we are not still where we want to be, and there are things we need to improve," he said. “We know that our package was not strong enough to close in on Mercedes or overtake them, but we are working on it and we are on the right track."

Vettel also suggested that he could spend the rest of his career at Ferrari. The 28-year-old joined the Italian team from Red Bull at the start of 2015.

"I'm very comfortable where I am now and I don't think about other options," he added.

It could be my last team. I'm that kind of person who doesn't jump ship after just one year. I've never done such a thing before, in no area of life.

"I'm happy where I am at the moment. We have a common goal which we want to achieve together. Ferrari is special to me. Even as a small kid I dreamed about being a race driver for Ferrari in the future."

The first pre-season test starts in Barcelona on Feb 21, with the first race in Melbourne on March 20.

Melbourne Formula One grand prix 2016: pundits tip closer race but no joy for Ricciardo.

Former world champion Damon Hill and fellow driver-turned-TV pundit Martin Brundle expect this year's Formula One title fight will be closer than the last two Mercedes runaways.

Hill and Brundle predict Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park will see a further resurgence by Ferrari, which last year vaulted from fourth to second in the rankings.

That's the good news from the leading English-language F1 broadcast analysts, who are mainstays of the coverage seen in Australia on Fox Sports.

The bad news is that neither Hill nor Brundle believes Australia's Daniel Ricciardo will win a race this year because they think his Red Bull Racing team will again be off the front-running pace.

While they anticipate Mercedes' dynamic duo of reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton and runner-up Nico Rosberg will again be the drivers to beat, Hill and Brundle expect their superiority to be reduced.

They are expecting - and certainly hoping - that the pace-setting speed of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen in pre-season testing will translate to closer competition at Albert Park.

"There have definitely been some doubts that Mercedes has quite the big advantage that they might have had," said Hill, whose victory in the inaugural 1996 Melbourne GP anchored his F1 world title that year. "So I think Ferrari has definitely turned the wick up, which is good. Could be a surprise in Melbourne."

Brundle, who raced with distinction in F1 for more than a decade until switching to broadcasting in 1997, also tips Ferrari to have made a big enough gain to push Mercedes.

"Ferrari looked good [in testing]," he said. "It'll definitely be closer and let's hope they're right with them."

They base their hopeful prognostications on the fact that Vettel was quickest in pre-season testing, with Raikkonen also among the front-runners.

But they set their times with the softest tyres, while Hamilton and Rosberg were restricted to race rubber and logged by far the most laps in the two tests at the Circuit de Catalunya, near Barcelona.

Hill and Brundle agree that Vettel - the only non-Mercedes winner last year, with three victories in his first season with Ferrari after being overshadowed by Ricciardo at Red Bull in 2014 - can challenge Hamilton and Rosberg if his car is up to it. "Definitely," Hill declared. "He's capable of taking the fight to them."

Added Brundle: "We can only hope that Ferrari have really aced it. If they have, Vettel will take the fight right up to Hamilton and Rosberg."

However, Brundle - who in nearly 20 years as a commentator/analyst has become the "Voice of F1" - warns that the Britain-based German supersquad's fault-free testing is ominous. 

"Mercedes were obviously relentlessly fast and reliable," he said. "When you can run both your drivers every day because the cars are going so fast and so far, you know you have yourself some kind of incredible race car."

Despite rating him as one of the best in F1, Hill doesn't give Ricciardo much chance of repeating his three upset wins over Mercedes in 2014.

He is convinced that even if the West Australian's new Red Bull racer is a better car, he will still be hamstrung by the Renault power unit that stymied him last year, with the latest version (rebadged TAG Heuer as part of the team's reluctant renewal) again starting the season behind the Mercedes and Ferrari engines.

"I think it's going to be hard for him this year, I really do," Hill said. "I can't see Red Bull winning any races. They just haven't got the grunt in their power unit.

"Something's going to have to change radically for them to be at the front this season because there are too many good Mercedes and Ferrari-engined cars in front of them [including Toro Rosso, RBR's Ferrari-powered junior team]."

While Brundle also doubts Ricciardo will win any races, he won't be surprised if he and his closely matched Russian teammate Daniil Kvyat re-establish Red Bull Racing as the third best team ahead of Williams. 

"They seem more confident and it seems they'll get better again as the year unfolds, so let's hope Daniel keeps the smile on his face because we all enjoy that," he said. 

Hill rates Ricciardo just outside his top five drivers in F1 - world champions Hamilton (2008/14/15), Vettel (2010/11/12/13), Raikkonen (2007), and McLaren's Fernando Alonso (2005/06) and Jenson Button (2009).

"Only because of his equipment - and he hasn't won a championship," he said. "Daniel Ricciardo is a superstar. He always gets the best out of what he has, races hard.

"It'd be nice if he got a crack at a championship title fight." Hill added: "There are five really good drivers in F1 - you know, top, top drivers. Anyone with multiple championships like Sebastian is a top driver, along with Alonso, Jenson, Lewis obviously and Kimi's looking like he's still up for it."

Ferrari delayed work on its 2016 F1 car for 2015 push

Ferrari delayed work on its 2016 Formula 1 car to allow it to fully develop the race-winning SF15-T last season.

The Italian team bounced back from a winless 2014 campaign to emerge as Mercedes' closest challenger and finish second in the constructors' championship, with Sebastian Vettel taking three wins.

Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne is confident the delay will not have an impact on it providing a stern challenge to world champion team Mercedes next term.

"Maurizio [Arrivabene, team principal] will tell you we delayed some things to allow for the 2015 car to be finished," said Marchionne.

"Hopefully he will not bitch about this. We pushed the start of some of the work on the '16 cars on the chassis, delayed it a bit.

"But we have had adequate time and adequate financial resources to do the right thing given the rules.

 Secrets of the Ferrari revival

"So I'm confident we will give Mercedes a run for their money.

"We approached the 16 car with a very clear idea and very clear interpretation.

"It is incredibly unlikely that the car will not offer Mercedes a proper challenge.

"For me to determine whether it will win or not would be very gutsy.

"I have no excuses to give you this year, in the sense that we started developing the car at the proper time."

Mercedes won 16 of the 19 races in 2015 as it won the constructors' championship with four races to spare, while Hamilton defended his title with three races left.

Marchionne concedes Mercedes is still a team to be "afraid of" but he believes the outfit has developed a greater respect for Ferrari following its challenge in 2015.

"They are competitors to be afraid of because Mercedes is a company which the suitable financial resources to properly manage the races of 2016," he said.

"They have a high level of know-how so they are not to be underestimated.

"They made huge progress in 2015, so I'm certain their car will be enormously improved for 2016.

"We respect them, they are competitors, but we are not afraid of the battle on the race track.

"I remember at the start with [Mercedes boss Dieter] Zetsche, in spite the fact we are friends, he had a bit of arrogance about Ferrari.

"They lost a bit of that but not too much because they won the championship.

"If you talk to him now, I think he now respects Ferrari a little bit more

"The only way to get respect is to gain it on the track with results."

F1: Vettel not ready to make bold title targets for 2016

Four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel has urged caution as Ferrari heads into the 2016 season as a potential title candidate.

Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne this week issued a bold target of nothing less than overall victory in 2016, beginning with the race win in Australia in March.

Vettel, Ferrari's top driver and the only competitor in 2015 able to win races against dominant Mercedes, agrees that the Maranello team made big progress last year.

"Ferrari and myself were prepared at the beginning for a difficult year," Vettel wrote in a column for the Munich newspaper TZ. "No one expected three victories.

"But almost more important is the consistency that we had, showing that we are on the right track.

"Nevertheless, there is still much to do and we must not forget where we began. But things that were a little rough in the beginning have now become smoother.

"I think that, slowly and step by step, everything is coming together," Vettel added.

"Of course," the former Red Bull driver continued, "the temptation to now think big for next year is very high, but we must not forget all the little steps on the way.

"Last winter there was a big upheaval in the team with a lot of new people and many changing their position as well, so it is a process that takes time.

"Hopefully we will have a better year in 2016, but it is still much too early to make forecasts."

F1 » Vettel not expecting priority Ferrari status

Sebastian Vettel says his stronger performances in 2015 shouldn't mean he gets preferential treatment from the Ferrari team.

Digsby

IM, Email, and Social Networks in one easy to use application!

http://kvors.com/click/?s=88377&c=89569&subid=21381

Vettel not expecting priority Ferrari status

Sebastian Vettel says it is not worth Ferrari prioritising him over Kimi Raikkonen in the team unless he is in clear contention for the world title. 

The German got the gap down to leader Lewis Hamilton to 42 points following his second win of the season in Hungary, though this has now swelled to 67 points on the back of his failure to score last time out in Belgium.

Despite this, Vettel never felt as though he was a clear contender for the title and unless he is, Ferrari shouldn't 'worry' about channelling its resources to him over the newly re-signed Raikkonen, despite the substantial 78 point gap between them.

“If you make a new part, you do it two times at least, that's the way it has to be. I think if you're racing for the championship and at some point later in the season it is clear that only one car is racing for the championship, then it is clear what you have to do.

“Where we are now, if you look at also the gap that I mentioned, the best thing we can do is to go racing, try to win and worry about ourselves and not look at others too much.”

F1: Lewis Hamilton Takes Pole Position at Belgium GP

Mercedes AMG Petronas was able to get back in the groove with another front-row lockout in qualifying for the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix. Today’s Grand Prix takes place from Spa-Francorchamps and has a start time of 8 a.m. ET, and can be watched online through free live stream via the link below.

It marked Hamilton’s 10th pole from 11 races this season, and with it, an unassailable lead in the race for the pole position trophy – a title which Rosberg won previous year.

With Ricciardo and Perez both pitting for new tyres after eight laps, Rosberg climbed into second place, eight seconds behind team-mate Hamilton, with Sebastian Vettel third for Ferrari.

It sent out an emphatic message to his Mercedes team-mate who left the track on Friday night believing he was “one step ahead” of Hamilton after dominating practice.

Hamilton set a new personal best time of 1m 54.315s on lap 25 to extend his advantage over Rosberg to more than five seconds.

Rosberg, who had led the championship at the same stage previous year, is 21 points behind Hamilton with nine races remaining including Sunday’s. “But as I said coming in to this weekend I want to get those pole positions and translate them in to wins, so hopefully today is the beginning of that”.

He added: “I have been working really hard on the starts to make sure I understood all the facts”. Hamilton ended the qualifying session yesterday in pole, “satisfied” with his performance, but admitted the gap between him and 2nd-placed teammate Nico had been ‘very, very small’.

They said the failure was caused by a puncture created by unidentified external debris.

“The car’s been feeling great on the circuit…”

“The problem is that we don’t really understand it. There are theories, but there is no real evidence”.

“I was never in position where I felt nervous”.

Ferrari suffered a nightmare session with Hungary Grand Prix victor Sebastian Vettel in ninth whileKimi Raikkonen’s auto came to a stop on the edge of the track in Q2.

Instead, Frenchman Romain Grosjean completed the podium for troubled Lotus.

Russian Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat mounted an incredible comeback, ending in fourth place after being in seventh place going into the ultimate laps.

Bottas started third but also messed up his start and then had a drive-thru penalty when his team put the wrong tire on one of the wheels.

The McLaren duo Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button moved up from the back of the grid to take 13th and 14th, after massive starting penalties for engine changes, ahead of Manor pair Roberto Merhi and Will Stevens.

Lewis Hamilton wins in Spa as tyre blowout denies Sebastian Vettel podium

Lewis Hamilton won the Belgian Grand Prix with relative ease as Mercedes took a comfortable one-two victory and left the fighting to its rivals behind.

Drama unfolded behind the top two on the penultimate lap when Sebastian Vettel, who was on a one-stop strategy, suffered a right-rear tyre blowout on the Kemmel Straight. It was the second blowout of the weekend after Rosberg suffered a tyre failure in Friday practice, but it is not yet clear if the two are in any way related. Vettel was attempting to hold off Romain Grosjean's Lotus at the time, who was on a more conventional two-stop strategy and tyres that were eight laps younger. The tyre failure allowed Grosjean and Lotus onto the podium for the first time since the US Grand Prix in 2013, but infuriated Vettel who slumped to 12th as a result.The victory gives Hamilton a 28-point lead in the drivers' standings, enough to retire from the next race and retain the top spot even if Rosberg wins. Hamilton never looked under serious pressure as he executed a perfect two-stop strategy and kept Rosberg, who dropped to fifth at the start, comfortably behind throughout.

At the start, Rosberg made a slow getaway from the front row and was immediately swamped at the first corner as Hamilton led on the run down to Eau Rouge. Sergio Perez made a brilliant start from fourth to second and drew alongside Hamilton as the pair closed on the chicane at Les Combes. Perez had a look around the outside of Hamilton, but backed out as soon as the Mercedes claimed the apex in order to retain second place. Vettel also made a strong start from eighth to move up to fifth by the second lap as Valtteri Bottas lost out and fell to sixth.

The first pit stops occurred on lap seven, shuffling Rosberg up to second, which he would retain for the rest of the race. Bottas' race went from bad to worse at his first pit stop after his team fitted one medium tyre and three softs. The mistake saw the Williams driver penalised with a drive-through penalty from which he never really recovered as he went on to finish ninth.

Rosberg pitted on lap 12 and Hamilton on lap 13, with Rosberg emerging 7.5s behind his team-mate. He started to close the gap, but Hamilton remained unflustered and was able to answer Rosberg's charge when the gap narrowed to four seconds. Grosjean was making moves already as he fashioned two passes at Les Combes, one on Daniel Ricciardo and one on Perez to take third. The gap between the Mercedes drivers remained stable until a virtual safety car (VSC) was deployed on lap 20 when Ricciardo's Red Bull lost power in the final chicane and stopped on the pit straight.

The VSC prompted a flurry of pit stops for Grosjean, Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen, Max Verstappen and Bottas, while Vettel opted to stay out and moved up to third place. The VSC also saw Rosberg close to within 2.2s of Hamilton when the race restarted, but once again Hamilton was equal to the challenge and quickly stretched his lead again.

Ferrari opted to keep Vettel out on his ageing medium tyres until the end of the race in the hope he could retain third place from the drivers on fresher tyres behind. The plan was working until lap 42 when his right rear tyre unravelled and exploded on the Kemmel Straight. The failure instantly brought an end to Vettel's chances, while Grosjean came over the hill at Raidillon to be faced by flailing rubber and a quick promotion to third place.

Outside the top three, Daniil Kvyat resisted the urge to pit under the VSC and instead made his second pit stop six laps later and took on on soft tyres. The decision gave him an advantage against those who had stopped under the VSC and in the final few laps he carved his way through the order to finish fourth.

Perez did well to hold onto fifth ahead of Massa, Raikkonen and Verstappen, who had a shot at seventh on the final lap but ran deep at Les Combes trying to overtake the Ferrari ahead. Bottas and Marcus Ericsson took the final points on offer in ninth and tenth.

Formula 1’s 2015 season team-by-team budgets revealed, Pastor Maldonado lashes out at media

WE all know it costs an absolute bomb to run a Formula 1 team — but the sheer size of some teams’ budgets for the 2015 season alone is almost unfathomable.

That, Pastor Maldonado’s strange tirade and more in Pit Talk.

RED BULL GIVES YOU POCKETS FULL OF CASH

FORMULA 1’s mind-blowing budgets have been published and despite failing to record a Grand Prix win in almost 12 months, Red Bull Racing remains Formula 1’s richest team.

With a budget of €468.7 million ($700m) in 2015, approximately six times that of the Manor Marussia team, Red Bull has only managed to conjure results good enough for fourth in the constructors’ championship.

Red Bull generates more income than any other Formula 1 team.Source: Getty Images

Mercedes currently runs from the second largest cash pool with its 2015 budget a cool €467.4m ($698m) while surprisingly McLaren comes in third with €465m ($695m) in its coffers this season.

Such budgets dwarf those of other teams including Williams (€186.4m/$252m), Lotus (€139.1m/$208m) and Manor Marussia (€83m/$124m).

When the budgets are broken down, Red Bull’s income of €266m ($397m) from sponsors eclipses all of its rivals, while McLaren receives the greatest contribution from partners of €216.5m ($324m).

Ferrari has been granted the largest slice of the broadcast rights pie this year, receiving €175m ($262m) for its global appeal.

Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo justified some of Red Bulls’ high cash flow with a second and third placing respectively in Hungary.Source: Getty Images

PRICKLY PASTOR SHOOTS FROM THE HIP

COME off it, Pastor.

In a desperate attempt to fight his ‘Crashtor’ nickname, Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado has blamed the Formula 1 media for his bad reputation.

His position as the sport’s most powerful pay driver means he is unlikely to escape criticism from fans and journalists for his crash-prone driving — but that’s no excuse for the constant tirade of criticism according to the man himself.

“In F1 these days it is not easy for find news,” Maldonado told Brazil’s Globo.

“It is practically always the same drivers in first and second positions. Third as well. It’s not like 10, 15 years ago when there were more battles and therefore more news.

Pastor Maldonado makes his dash from the scene of the crime.Source: Getty Images

“So it means the journalists are seeking news where there is none.”

On his controversial arrival in the sport, Maldonado said: “At first it was a huge pressure being this ‘pay driver,’ but I’ve learned to live with it because it is not just any driver who can win an F1 race without having the best car.

“Today, I still feel undervalued in F1, but only because I have not had a car that allows me to show my talent.

“There are drivers who do not deserve to be in F1, but I believe that I have demonstrated — clearly — that I deserve to have a long career.”

For good measure, Maldonado also stated that “With a car like that (Mercedes) I would have the chance to fight for victory every race weekend. I’m completely sure about that.”

Maldonado’s record at the Australian Grand Prix is zero from five completed races.Source: Getty Images

DAN BRINGS IT HOME

DANIEL Ricciardo is bringing Formula 1 to Perth.

The Red Bull driver, who hails from the Western Australia capital, will drive the RB7 car that Sebastian Vettel steered to the 2011 world championship in the Perth Speed Fest in December.

A host of Australian motorsport stars including 1980 world champion Alan Jones, V8 pilot Will Davison and MotoGP young gun Jack Miller will also be in attendance — but it is Ricciardo’s presence that will set tongues wagging.

“To see our local hero Daniel Ricciardo in an F1 car racing in Perth, as well as racing and demonstrations of motocross, rallying, bikes, drags and V8s — alongside a huge showcase of historic, classic and majestic cars — will be exciting,” event producer Emma Stenhouse said.

Daniel Ricciardo downs a swig of champagne after his third place finish in Hungary.Source: Getty Images

CAN’T WE ALL BE FRIENDS?

SEBASTIAN Vettel is upset that modern drivers don’t get along like the good old days.

The Ferrari ace, who has been criticised by F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone for his introverted personality, believes the new era of professionalism has restricted the opportunity for drivers to socialise away from the track.

“It is different times today than it was 30 or 40 years ago, when you had a lot of things happening which naturally puts the group together,” Vettel told motorsport.com..

“Now everyone has their own life much more, looking at how busy we are at the track.

“If you look at everyone’s agenda there is not much time to hang out, everyone puts their own interest before everything else. It is sad.”

Sebastian Vettel has a healthy relationship with teammate Kimi Raikkonen.Source: Getty Images

One man Vettel does get along with is teammate Kimi Raikkonen — a far cry from his tense relationship with former Red Bull colleague Mark Webber.

But with Raikkonen’s position under threat, Vettel has urged his employers to prioritise morale when deciding on its driver line-up for 2016.

“Whatever happens I think it’s important we keep the morale, the atmosphere as a team and we keep working in one direction because I think ultimately that’s what allows us to become strong again and be back on top which is all our dream,” he told crash.net.

Vettel’s relationship with Mark Webber wasn’t always smooth sailing.Source: Getty Images

GUTIERREZ IN POLE POSITION

FORMER Sauber driver Esteban Gutierrez is in pole position to secure a return to Formula 1 with the new Haas team in 2016.

Team boss Gene Haas has narrowed down his shortlist of driver targets to five, with Gutierrez’s sponsorship agreement with Mexican telecommunications firm Claro believed to have given him a foot in the door.

“He’s a Ferrari reserve driver, so Ferrari would be interested in seeing how he does and it kind of helps both parties,” Haas said.

“We get a driver who Ferrari thinks has a lot of potential and we can see how he does too.”

While the identities of all five drivers are not yet known, it is believed Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg is also a high priority target for Haas.

Esteban Gutierrez lost his drive at Sauber after the 2014 season.Source: Getty Images

LEGEND RETURNS

JACQUES Villeneuve is set to return to fulltime open wheel racing for the first time since quitting Formula 1 a decade ago in next season’s Formula E championship.

The 1997 world champion has signed on with the Venturi team for the 2015/16 season, replacing another ex-F1 pilot Nick Heidfeld.

“This is the first time in several years that I will participate in a full championship. I am excited because the atmosphere while working alongside the Venturi team is great and that has a very big influence. Also I know Stephane Sarrazin well, we trust each other,” Villeneuve said.

“It had been 10 years since I had driven on that kind of track with a single-seater, but it’s like riding a bike, you never forget. It was real happiness,” he added.