Auto News 5

From GMM

Ousted Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has backed the Italian team's signing of Sebastian Vettel for 2015.

Amid the turmoil of Ferrari's 2014 campaign, long-time chief Montezemolo was among the casualties as parent Fiat Chrysler's Sergio Marchionne took over.

"I remain the biggest fan of Ferrari," Italian media quoted Montezemolo as saying late on Monday, "even if it is the end of an era both for myself and for Ferrari.

"Another era (for Ferrari) opens now, perhaps more financial but still important," he added.

Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari. (Photo: Ferrari)

As number 1 driver Fernando Alonso's switch to McLaren became official last week, the Spaniard explained his reasons for leaving Ferrari.

"As I still had a two-year contract, the project for the future did not appeal so I tried to find an alternative," he was quoted by El Mundo newspaper.

"I thank them for their understanding, as they could have told me to stay," said Alonso.

On the matter of Alonso's exit, Montezemolo said it was the right move for Ferrari.

"I'm sorry about Fernando Alonso," he said, "but Vettel is the correct choice.

"He and Ferrari have the same will for revenge," Luca di Montezemolo insisted. "Will Ferrari be back winning soon? I really hope so. It's important to want to try to win it (the championship) with spirit and passion, and then we'll see."

From GMM

Mercedes is reportedly ready to compromise amid the engine regulations dispute.

Backed by struggling Ferrari and Renault, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is so concerned about the current turbo V6 rules that at Thursday's Strategy Group meeting he will vote to repeal them for 2016.

He rails against the noise, the cost and the complexity, but his major issue is that the regulations as they stand could mean Mercedes' huge competitive advantage is not tracked down even by 2020.

"We can all put our money together and have a wager that Mercedes will win the championship next year which is not really the sort of thing we are looking for," he told reporters including Forbes' Christian Sylt in London last week.

Mercedes AMG, 2014 world champion. (Photo: Mercedes AMG F1 Team)

The latest situation has arisen after rivals Ferrari and Renault tried to get Mercedes to agree to relaxing the so-called engine development 'freeze' for 2015.

Those efforts failed, and so Mercedes is now facing the prospect of having the regulations scrapped completely for 2016 by being out-voted at the Strategy Group.

"Well we (Formula One Management) have six (votes) so if we have four teams want to do that, that's ten. There's 18 votes so that's the majority," said Ecclestone.

According to Germany's Sport Bild, the situation is giving Mercedes - who have said a wholesale regulation change could cause them to quit F1 - pause for thought.

The publication said it has learned that Mercedes is contemplating a compromise solution.

"Mercedes insiders have already indicated that they would supply their highly-complex and extremely successful hybrid system - without the basic V6 turbo - to the competition.

"That way, the current regulations could be maintained without the opponents fearing years of Mercedes dominance," revealed correspondents Ralf Bach and Bianca Garloff.

The report said the proposal of a standard, Mercedes-supplied hybrid system would be not unlike the standard McLaren-supplied electronic control units that are already deployed by every F1 team up and down the grid.

V6 turbo hybrid engine. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

Marussia Formula 1 team's assets started to be auctioned off by Global Partners, the team's administrators Tuesday, all but ending hopes the debt-laden outfit can be salvaged.

Marussia entered administration following the Grand Prix of Russia and missed the last three races of the 2014 season while new backers were sought following the withdrawal of support by venture capitalist Andrey Cheglakov.

A live webcast sale is taking place on Tuesday December 16 and Wednesday December 17, followed by a timed online sale on Thursday December 18.

Car parts such as noses, front wings and engine covers will also be for sale, in addition to driver's race suits.

Show cars and race cars without engines will also be auctioned and on Wednesday the team's manufacturing equipment and transporters will be sold.

Here are some items that have been sold so far:

Marussia Wirth F1 2010 Formula 1 steering wheel
Sold for £2200 ($3460)

Steering wheel Marussia. (Photo: Global Partners)

Marussia MR 02 nose section with front wing (Max Chilton)
Sold for £15000 ($23,600)

Marussia MR02 front wing. (Photo: Global Partners)

3 BBS RE1278 wheels with Pirelli P zero show tire, 1 BBS RE1277 wheel with Pirelli P Zero show tires and 2 BBS RE1460 wheels with Pirelli P Zero show tires
Sold for £5750 ($9100)

BBS wheels with Pirelli P Zero tire. (Photo: Global Partners)

Marussia MR02 rear wing assembly (2012)
Sold for £5000 ($7900)

Marussia MR02 rear wing. (Photo: Global Partners)

From GMM

Gene Haas has a close eye on Marussia as the backmarker team's collapse is completed over the next few days.

On Tuesday, the assets of the failed Banbury-based team will begin to be sold at auction, and Haas - whose own team will debut in 2016 - could be a significant bidder.

"We have got the Marussia auction list so I think we will be bidders for some of that stuff," the NASCAR team co-owner told F1 business journalist Christian Sylt.

On Marussia's list are items including full cars, steering wheels and bodywork but also factory furniture, computers, spare parts, pit equipment and transporters.

Marussia. (Photo: WRi2)

Gene Haas said he is determined that his F1 outfit, to be based alongside the Stewart-Haas Nascar team in North Carolina, will not make the same mistakes as Marussia and Caterham.

His approach will see the cars designed in America, with a satellite headquarters for the race team somewhere in England.

"A lot of the teams in the UK build everything themselves," Haas told the Guardian. "They seem to have this English mentality that this is the way it has to be done and that is just not our business model at all."

As for the intended UK base, he added: "We looked at a place in Abingdon (Oxfordshire) and there are several available in that area. I guess it might be a possibility to take a look at the Marussia HQ too."

With Marussia and Caterham already collapsing, further team losses could result in top teams like McLaren and Ferrari having to field third cars to bolster numbers.

It is therefore interesting that those grandee teams have now signed the likes of Kevin Magnussen and Esteban Gutierrez respectively as third drivers for the 2015 season.

"I still feel two teams have great challenges left to get to next year's grid," McLaren supremo Ron Dennis said last week. "It is my intention to try to assist them because I think third cars are not good for formula one."

Canadian Lance Stroll, who claimed this year's Italian Formula 4 title, will prepare his 2015 campaign by contesting this winter's Toyota Racing Series Down Under in New Zealand.

Over five race weekends at five different circuits and in 15 races, a 20-strong grid of young racing drivers from New Zealand and around the world will compete for some of the most prestigious trophies in New Zealand motor racing, including the ultimate prize, the New Zealand Grand Prix.

Tatuus-Toyota FT50 (Photo: Toyota Motorsport, NZ)

For the first time in its 11-year history New Zealand's Toyota Racing Series will include current FIA GP2 series competitor, Artem Markelov of Russia.

Italy's Prema team and the Ferrari Development Academy bring to NZ young Canadian Lance Stroll as he prepares to step up to the 2015 FIA European Formula 3 series. Stroll and another Prema driver to be confirmed will be supported by Ferrari engineers during their TRS campaigns.

This winter series will feature the new spec ‘wings and slicks' FT50 single seater, built by Tatuus in Italy, and powered by a Toyota engine.

2015 calendar:
Round 1: Ruapuna Park 14-18 Jan 2015
Round 2: Teretonga Park 22-25 Jan 2015
Round 3: Hampton Downs 29 Jan-1 Feb 2015
Round 4: Taupo 5-8 Feb 2015
Round 5: Manfeild 12-15 Feb 2015

NASCAR Sprint Cup competitor Brian Vickers underwent surgery to repair a hole in his heart for a second time, and the recovery period will force him to miss the start of the 2015 season.

“My previous experiences have given me a very keen understanding of my body. Late last week I knew something wasn't right, so I went to the hospital to be checked out,” said Vickers in a press release issued by Michael Waltrip Racing.

“Following several tests, it was discovered that my body was rejecting an artificial patch that was inserted in 2010 to fix a hole in my heart. Saturday, I had to have corrective surgery to repair the hole and now I am beginning the recovery process. I will need plenty of time, rest and rehab but this temporary setback will not stop me from pursuing my dream of becoming a NASCAR Sprint Cup champion,” Vickers explained.

The American stock car driver missed the final five races of the 2013 season because he was placed on blood thinners to treat a blood clot in his right calf.

Vickers also missed 25 races during the 2010 season when clots were discovered in his legs and lungs.

Japanese supplier Diamond Electric has relocated its North American headquarters to West Virginia from Michigan. The company supplies ignition coils to Ford, Chrysler, Toyota and Subaru.

Mercedes set the starting price of the Maybach S-class sedan at 134,100 euros ($166,700) and began taking orders for the would-be challenger to Rolls-Royce and Bentley.

Fiat Chrysler has resumed exports from Brazil to Mexico after a more than three-year hiatus due to weak Brazilian demand and a more favorable exchange rate, Cledorvino Belini, chief executive officer in Latin America, said.

Ford said today it has hired Paul Ballew, a former GM sales analyst, to help speed development of autonomous-driving, mobility and connectivity technologies.

UAW President Dennis Williams said today that 2015 contract negotiations with the Detroit 3 must address a wage increase for long-time autoworkers and efforts to move new-hire compensation closer to that of legacy workers.

Allowing drivers a 360-degree view around their vehicle is one of the latest projects under research at Tata Motors-owned Jaguar.

General Motors has received 64 claims for compensation for ignition switch defects in its cars in the past week, bringing the total to 2,326, according to a media report.

News 15 Dec, 2014

New trim is tailored for company car buyers and adds £2,000 of extra kit for less money

Navistar said on Monday it would close its foundry operations in Indianapolis, Indiana, where it currently produces engine blocks and heads for its proprietary engines and will outsource these components from suppliers.

Claims for compensation from a faulty ignition switch in General Motors vehicles rose by 64 filings in the last week and GM has approved four more death claims attributed to the defective switch, according to an official report issued today.

GAZ Group, part of Russia's largest diversified industrial group Basic Element, announced the start of GAZ vehicles sales, including the GAZelle Next and GAZon Next, in Georgia.

News 15 Dec, 2014

Volvo will pull out of all but three motor shows in 2015, focusing its cash on online marketing instead

Semiconductor manufacturer Infineon Technologies and United Microelectronics Corporation have extended their manufacturing partnership into power semiconductors for automotive applications.

Features 31 Dec, 2014

Members of the Auto Express team reflect back on their best bits of 2014