Auto News 5

This week, Sharp announced

Scandinavian automotive supplier body, FKG, says the impact of troubled automaker, National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS)'s production halt can be compared to a "coffee break" in terms of any knock-on effect.

News 20 Jun, 2014

Mercedes announces the C-Class Estate will cost from £28,055 when it arrives in September, £1,200 more than the saloon

Nissan wants fleet managers in Europe to turn away from diesel-powered delivery vans in favor of its new battery-powered e-NV200.

Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne says he will use the 'human-interest' angle of Chrysler's rebound from bankruptcy to help Fiat Chrysler appeal to U.S. investors ahead of a listing there later this year.

Premium carmakers will lead a move toward new wireless technology for charging electric vehicle batteries, a global market analysis report said.

How well did you follow the news this week? Take our weekly quiz.

From press release

The FIA World Touring Car Championship will race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 2015, opening the programme of the 24 Hour Race.


The event will mark the beginning of a three-year deal between WTCC promoter Eurosport Events and 24h-race organiser ADAC Nordrhein, and also the return of an FIA World Championship event to the terrific Grünhole, thirty-two year after the 1983 ADAC 1000Km, third round of the World Sportscar Championship.


Thanks to this deal, Eurosport Events will bring WTCC back to Germany in style, after a three-year break. The WTCC Race of Germany was previously hosted by Motorsport Arena Oschersleben from 2005 to 2011.


The WTCC usual event format - made of two 60km races - will be revised for the special occasion of running on the 25.378-kilometre combination of the Nürburgring's GP circuit and the legendary Nordschleife.

“The race at the Nordschleife will definitely be a highlight of the season,” said François Ribeiro, Eurosport Events COO. “To tackle this monument of car racing history, we asked FIA to revise the sporting regulations for that event. The idea is to held one single 120km race, with one pit stop. The details of this particular format will be worked out between FIA, Eurosport Events and teams before the next FIA Touring Car Commission. Then a proposal will be submitted for approval to the FIA World Motor Sport Council. WTCC drivers are all excited about this idea.”

Walter Hornung, Sports Director of ADAC Nordrhein and Race Director of the 24h race, was just as delighted: “WTCC is a series providing enthralling motor racing and attracting massive attention all over the world. The weekend of the 24 Hours could not have a more attractive opening. With this deal, ADAC Nordrhein also demonstrates that we are keeping on developing the 24h race for the future to make it even more attractive for the fans, media and partners.”

DMSB president Hans-Joachim Stuck commented: “I'm truly delighted with the fact that the World Touring Car Championship - one of the FIA's top series - is going to return to Germany, next year. I just can't wait to find out how the WTCC drivers will fare in their battle for World Championship points on my favourite racetrack - the incredibly beautiful but also extremely demanding Nürburgring Nordschleife.”

Nurburgring Nordschleife. (Photo: FIA WTCC)

From GMM

A big talking point in Austria on Thursday was the continuing feud between Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez.

The pair crashed and ended their Canadian grand prix in hospital, where the real dispute began.

"I said that it was dangerous," recalled Massa, "and that he needs to learn, but he just turned and left. I will not trust him anymore, definitely not."

The FIA, however, has agreed to revisit the issue of Perez's five-place grid penalty for the Austrian grand prix, because the Mexican was still in hospital when he should have been interviewed by the Montreal stewards.

But it is on the very issue of driver penalties that F1 is about to turn a sharp corner.

Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez' crash in Montreal. (Photo: WRi2)

Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said the FIA has acknowledged that the readiness with which penalties are given to drivers is beginning to affect their motivation to battle wheel-to-wheel.

"The plan is that only serious and unequivocal violations will be punished from now," confirmed race director Charlie Whiting in Austria.

He clarified, however, that F1 is not making actual rule changes.

"It's just a different approach," said Whiting. "The teams have promised not to bombard us with every little thing during the race. And we will take the liberty to close cases (before they are investigated by the stewards) on the basis of how serious we regard it to be. And if we do initiate an investigation, there will be a clear culprit. So there will be significantly more cases that could be judged as a 'normal racing incident'."

Whiting said that the case of Perez and Massa's heavy crash in Montreal, for example, would most certainly still be sent to the stewards for investigation.

"But we want to issue a penalty only when the question of guilt is absolutely clear. In this case, we might conclude that it was a racing incident, because the guilt of one of the drivers is not 100 per cent," he said.

Starting at $26,670, the 2015 Scion FR-S features enhanced tuning and improved looks. It comes standard with a 6-speed manual transmission or, optionally, a 6-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters (+ $1,180).

Highlights include a more rigid front suspension and revised rear shock absorbers for reduced body roll, a shark-fin antenna instead of a pole antenna for better aerodynamics, larger exhaust tips that are more flush with the rear bumper, automatic headlights, an updated interior panel with a carbon fibre look, as well as a new key design.

Photo: Toyota

Steel replaces Argento as a sleek silver colour and Whiteout has been replaced by Halo, a pearl white available for an additional $255 fee.

Meanwhile, the 2015 Scion tC starts at $21,490 with the manual transmission and $22,790 with the automatic transmission that features Dynamic Rev Management technology. The latter also includes paddle shifters on the steering wheel.

There are two new colours for 2015: Cosmic Gray replaces Classic Silver, and Alpine White has been replaced by Blizzard Pearl, which is available for an additional $255 fee.

"Serious drivers and tuner fans will love the new features that we've added to the FR-S and tC for the 2015 model year," said Cyril Dimitris, Director of Scion Canada. "And we know Canadians will be keen to conquer new roads in these two stylish, performance-tuned coupes."

From press release

The Toyo Tires F1600 Championship Series returns to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this weekend for the BARC Grand Prix of Ontario, rounds 5 and 6 of the Championship.

All eyes are on one young man, Eureka, MO's Tristan DeGrand who has been challenged at times but not been beaten this season.

His impeccable record has also crossed over to the Formula Tour in Quebec and the combined Super Series where he has won an incredible 7 of 8 races. His worst finish a 2nd.

Brampton, ON's Chase Pelletier currently sits 2nd in points and looks the most likely to be able to stop the roll DeGrand is on. He grabbed a pole position last time out at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and finished 2nd. His team, Britain West Motorsports, have recently acquired the Canadian distribution rights to the popular Mygale chassis and took delivery of their first car shortly before the Grand Prix du Montreal.

They had very little time on the car before it's debut but managed to finish on the podium there. With some more testing he will undoubtedly become a factor in the championship.

Another strong challenge may come from DeGrand's Exclusive Autosport teammate, 15-year-old Jeffrey Kingsley of Port Hope, ON. He currently sits 3rd in points and leads the Rookie of the Year honours.

Caitlin Johnston has come back to the series and has been a very welcome addition. She has raced very hard and is in a solid 4th place in the championship. Now that she is back to racing fulltime it is only a matter of time before she breaks through the stats to visit the podium regularly.

Other “A” Class notables include Jayson Clunie, a veteran racer but new to open wheel cars. He has really been impressive in his last couple of outings. Reid Arnold made his debut this season with a brand new team. They continue to improve each and every time out and will be a factor before long. Max Hanratty sits 7th in the points but his championship standing is no indicator of his pace this season so far. He has been at the front of the pack in most events this season and has been on the podium but has suffered some misfortune with a couple of wrecks. His confidence is rising however and it will not be a surprise when he does break through. Reigning “B” Class Champion Craig Willis has had some ups and downs. A crash in practice forcing him to miss the 1st race was quickly followed up with a podium finish the very next day so do not count him out. Finally we have to make a mention for multi-time champion Shane Jantzi, who has been ultra fast after making the switch to Honda power but was involved in a couple of incidents that have hurt him in the points standings. He has not lost the desire and cannot be counted out when it comes to racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

The “B” Class has been Burlington, ON native Connor Wagland's playground this season. He has been challenged and beaten once by Graham Lobban in 2014 but his pace continues to improve to the point where he is now running at the tail of the fast “A” group.

He is followed in the points by Waterloo's Amy Castell. She is also putting personal bests on the board each and every weekend and is closely followed by veteran Mike Lee of Toronto, ON.

Other notables in the “B” Class are David Graham, fresh off his season best 4th place finish and Ted Michalos. Bruce Kitchen has been strong all year and Keith Lobban has been solid in his return to F1600 competition.

Cars will hit the track on Friday for a full day of testing and the racing will begin with Round 1 on Saturday and Round 2 on Sunday afternoon.

The new 2015 Volvo V60 Polestar will turn heads at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed in the U.K. (June 26-29, 2014).

The sexy Swedish wagon is going to perform a number of hill runs during the event, as well as being present in the exhibition area. It features a thoroughly developed chassis with high-performance dampers and brakes which, in combination with all-wheel drive and a 350-horsepower turbocharged 6-cylinder engine, creates an all-weather driver's car.

The Volvo V60 Polestar can sprint from 0-100 km/h in 4.9 seconds and 0-200 km/h in 17.7 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited at 250 km/h.

Photo: Volvo

From GMM

Bernie Ecclestone has played down the threat to Hockenheim's future on the F1 calendar.

The track's current contract is for a race this July, and then again in 2016 and 2018, as it alternates an annual spot on the schedule with another German venue, the Nurburgring.

But Hockenheim's deal has come under threat by a new deal that looks set to be agreed between Ecclestone and the Nurburgring, where the latter circuit will host the German grand prix every year until at least 2019.

"We believe we have reached an agreement. I hope we are in agreement," the F1 chief executive told Rhein Zeitung newspaper.

The 83-year-old Briton has suggested the new deal would mean Hockenheim is axed altogether.

"We cannot judge and do not want to speculate on whether the race will take place in 2016 and 2018 at Hockenheim," said Nurburgring chief Carsten Schumacher, "or whether it would be possible for there to be two formula one races in Germany."

Hockenheim, however, is adamant: "We have a contract and it has no exit clause," insisted track chief Georg Seiler.

Indeed, despite his earlier hints that Hockenheim's deal might end, Ecclestone now says he will honour the existing contract.

"We respect the contract with Hockenheim. We will comply with the agreements we have," he told Rhein Zeitung.

Start of the 2012 German Grand Prix at Hockenheim. (Photo: WRi2)

It's funny how we let opinions shape our lives. Instead of forging ahead with what we truly want and need in life, we instead conform to the societal standards because of what others might think, how others may see us. That's a real shame.

Somewhere along the way the word “station wagon” ended up in the same vein as “minivan” and all the stereotypes and opinions that went with those words followed. And as the negative images conjured up negative opinions, the long-roof all but disappeared in North America.

Yes, the new Volvo V60 is a station wagon. Yes, it's bloody good to drive. Yes, it's fast. No, I didn't feel like a sad soccer mom behind the wheel; quite the opposite in fact.

Long live the long-roof!


What is the Volvo V60?
Essentially, the V60 is the long-roof, or wagon, variant of Volvo's S60 sedan. Volvo actually refers to it as a “sportwagon” and with good reason. With more space in the trunk and more legroom in the second row, the V60 offers up more practicality without sacrificing a dynamic drive.

Of note, Volvo's been at this wagon thing for 60 years now, so they've got a pretty good idea about how to make a decent long-roof, and the new V60 is a little bit more than decent.

2015 Volvo V60 T6 R-Design Price and Specs
For starters, there are 10 versions of the V60 to choose from. Pricing starts at $41,800 for a T5 AWD and will top out at $54,850 for a T6 AWD R-Design Platinum edition (my particular tester). With a select few options, including a Climate Package, BLIS, and a Technology Package, my total was up past the $58k mark.

The 2015 Volvo V60 T6 R-Design houses a 3.0L inline 6-cylinder turbocharged engine. Consider the following: This station wagon has 325 horses and 354 lb-ft of torque. That's a lot of grunt for any car. Mated to Volvo's Geartronic 6-speed autobox with Quick Shift control and highly ergonomic and functional steering-wheel paddle shifters, the engine output is a joy.

Driving the 2015 Volvo V60 T6 R-Design
I tried my best to find a negative point to bring up about the V60's drive. The back end was too heavy and drag-y... Nope. The throttle response was meh and not at all sporty... No way. The handling was a bit off thanks to the longer roofline and subsequent weight... Definitely not. All right then, let's stick with the positives.

This wagon is an absolutely blast!. Get behind the wheel and I guarantee you'll enjoy yourself and forget you've got a station wagon trailing behind you with room for the kids, dogs, and all your kit.

Oh, and that turbo spool. I adore when a manufacturer lets the mechanics be heard. Forget all this silencing BS and cocooned driving, I want to hear my turbo spool, blow off and work! Crack the windows and enjoy the warm summer air as you listen to your V60's turbo spool, whistle joyfully, then blow off as power is released. All the while, you rocket forward more quickly than you may have ever thought you could in a vehicle in this segment.

Manual gear changes are quick and precise should you choose to perform them yourself; however, I recommend letting the Geartronic work its magic, because it's that good.

Inside and Out of the 2015 Volvo V60 T6 R-Design
The V60 is one sexy long-roof. Seriously. Just look at it! Decked out in Passion Red with charcoal R-Design leather seats and graphite interior. My God, every time I walked towards it in the parking lot I felt a little tingle in all the right places. Volvo can be sexy, who knew?

The new V60 looks aggressive and robust without being too intense. The slightly angled front end and sculpted hood relay thoughts of speed and agility, and the beltline to the rear is sumptuous and just the right touch leading the eye back to the modern, angular rear that features Volvo's signature taillights.

Inside, typical Volvo fare ensues. Let me take a moment to reflect on what are, perhaps, the best front seats in the entire auto industry. I was tempted to try and remove one to keep in my living room (Volvo would have never noticed, right?). The R-Design seats manage to be supportive and ridiculously plush and comfortable all at once. Like sinking into a warm bath after a long day at work, the Volvo V60's seats are all business and coddle all at once.

In back, space abounds. My son's infant seat went in without a hitch. Trunk space was plentiful and managed to swallow up an entire weekend's worth of travel paraphernalia for mother, son, and granny.

Comparing the 2015 Volvo V60 T6 R-Design
North America has far too few wagons available to compare to the sexy new V60. However, the likes of the BMW 3 Series Touring and Audi A4 Allroad will give it a serious run for its money; both offering German engineering and high customer loyalty. However, I still think the new 2015 Volvo V60 T6 R-Design will do a very good job attracting buyers especially those who really look within and decide living life the way they want is the most important.

From GMM

Williams has a new co-owner.

Ever since he bought into Mercedes and became the Brackley squad's team boss, Toto Wolff has been looking to sell his 15 per cent Williams stake.

5 per cent of the stake has been bought by a US businessman called Brad Hollinger, it emerged in Austria early on Friday.

Brad Hollinger is CEO of a company called Vibra Healthcare, and he also founded The Hollinger Group, operating multiple facilities around America.

The BBC quoted Hollinger as saying at the Red Bull Ring that he believes F1 is "right on the cusp of another explosion in growth" through exploitation of social media.

Williams Martini trucks in Austria. (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

Hot on the heels of exhaust trumpets and titanium sparks, the latest radical F1 innovation has now emerged.

Multiple authoritative sources are reporting that, at last week's F1 Commission meeting, it was agreed that standing re-starts will spice up the show from 2015.

Currently, after the customary grid start at the beginning of the race, safety car periods are followed by a rolling re-start.

But, in an atmosphere of soul-searching within the Red Bull Ring paddock this weekend, it emerges that it has been agreed that mid-race standing re-starts would inject more excitement back into the sport.

"On the other hand it increases the accident risk and the cost," said one early critic, Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt.

A higher-profile doubter is none other than world champion Sebastian Vettel, who thinks it is not fair a race leader risks losing his lead in a mid-race standing re-start.

"It's bad enough that you lose your advantage, but with the new rule you could lose places with a bad start, or even get knocked around by other cars," said the German.

Starting grid in Bahrain. (Photo: WRi2)

Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda is also disappointed the F1 Commission voted the change through for 2015.

"They didn't ask questions," said the Austrian. "Like what happens if someone raises his hand at the re-start because his engine has stalled?"

And former driver turned British commentator Martin Brundle added: "It will be incredibly difficult for drivers to find the right place on the grid.

"There will be no reference points like the grid girl with your name, so if you find yourself in the wrong spot or on the wrong side of the grid, it's chaos," he warned.

Ford is introducing an all-new inflatable airbag restraint design that provides the front seat passenger with knee airbag protection while significantly reducing system size and weight.

Photo: Ford

It's the first passenger knee airbag packaged inside the glove box door. The resulting design is 65% lighter with an inflator that is approximately 75% smaller than a conventional knee airbag inflator.

Since the glove box-integrated airbag extends straight out from the instrument panel, it doesn't have to travel as far as a conventional airbag, which deploys toward the floor before curving upward.

The new airbag will be introduced later this year as part of a standard comprehensive safety system that includes a more robust package of sensors, safety belt anchor pretensioners, improved exterior lighting and double the total number of airbags on the all-new 2015 Ford Mustang.

Lewis Hamilton the fastest at the Red Bull Ring for the Austrian Grand Prix free practice sessions.

Nico Rosberg had dominated the first free practice session, 140 thousandts of a second ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Fernando Alonso set the third best time with his Ferrari, three tenths of a second from the first Mercedes. Felipe Massa (Williams) and Jenson Button (McLaren) made the top-5.

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari F14 T. (Photo: WRi2)

Sebastian Vettel was ranked 15th in the morning session.

Back in Austria after 11 years, no reserve driver was in action this morning, the teams left the race drivers get in used with the Red Bull Ring.

Under a cloudy sky in the afternoon, Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap time ahead of Nico Rosberg. Fernando Alonso again ranks his Ferrari at the third place.

Both Williams drivers Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa follow ahead of Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) sixth.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG W05. (Photo: WRi2)

Austrian Grand Prix
Friday 20 june 2014

Free Practice 1 - Results*
1 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W05) - 1:11:295 - 19 laps
2 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W05) - 1:11:435 - 32
3 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F14 T) - 1:11:606 - 23
4 - Felipe Massa (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1:11:756 - 27
5 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4-29-Mercedes) - 1:11:839 - 33
6 - Sergio Perez (Sahara Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1:12:009 - 33
7 - Nico Hulkenberg (Sahara Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1:12:072 - 20
8 - Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1:12:114 - 21
9 - Kevin Magnussen (McLaren MP4-29-Mercedes) - 1:12:313 - 36
10 - Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1:12:364 - 30
11 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F14 T) - 1:12:365 - 21
12 - Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1:12:372 - 35
13 - Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1:12:570 - 28
14 - Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1:12:984 - 29
15 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1:2:988 - 25
16 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1:13:168 - 28
17 - Pastor Maldonado (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1:13:642 - 27
18 - Jules Bianchi (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 1:13:738 - 26
19 - Max Chilton (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 1:13:857 - 28
20 - Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 1:14:611 - 24
21 - Adrian Sutil (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1:14:691 - 9
22 - Marcus Ericsson (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 1:17:501 - 8

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG. (Photo: WRi2)

Free Practice 2 - Results*
1 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W05) - 1:09:542 - 37 laps
2 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W05) - 1:09:919 - 50
3 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F14 T) - 1:10:470 - 40
4 - Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1:10:519 - 44
5 - Felipe Massa (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1:10:521 - 39
6 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1:10:807 - 39
7 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4-29-Mercedes) - 1:10:813 - 44
8 - Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1:10:920 - 36
9 - Kevin Magnussen (McLaren MP4-29-Mercedes) - 1:10:936 - 45
10 - Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1:10:972 - 39
11 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F14 T) - 1:10:974 - 45
12 - Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1:11:261 - 45
13 - Sergio Perez (Sahara Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1:11:296 - 36
14 - Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1:11:491 - 42
15 - Pastor Maldonado (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1:11:765 - 30
16 - Adrian Sutil (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1:11:806 - 42
17 - Nico Hulkenberg (Sahara Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1:11:935 - 39
18 - Max Chilton (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 1:12:229 - 43
19 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1:12:262 - 46
20 - Jules Bianchi (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 1:12:279 - 36
21 - Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 1:12:937 - 24
22 - Marcus Ericsson (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 1:13:596 - 48

* Un-official timings

From GMM

The Red Bull Ring's first grand prix weekend got off to a sluggish start, when members of the teams and media got stuck in a huge traffic jam.

McLaren chiefs Eric Boullier and Sam Michael, for example, abandoned their car several kilometres from the former A1-Ring, which has been impressively refurbished by Red Bull and is hosting its first race for a decade.

Boullier and Michael walked instead, while the local Kleine Zeitung newspaper agreed that those on bicycles were the only ones "in the fast lane".

"There is just one road in and out of the circuit," said Telegraph correspondent Daniel Johnson.

The Times' Kevin Eason agreed: "Dietrich Mateschitz ... has transformed this venerable circuit into Austria's new sporting pride and joy. Shame no one remembered to revamp the rural road system."

The crowd on Thursday at the Red Bull Ring. (Photo: WRi2)

Mercedes' PR machine also hit a snag on Thursday, when drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, expected to dominate the weekend's action, steadfastly refused to refer to the circuit by the name that matches their arch F1 enemy.

"It would be an extra pleasure to win here at the A1-Ring," Nico Rosberg smiled mischievously.

Hamilton, meanwhile, was quoted as questioning Red Bull's claim that Austria is even a home race for the reigning world champions.

"They are a British team, based in the UK," he insisted. "Besides, I know the circuit by a different name. That's how I will always think of it."

Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda, too, refused to play nice with F1's new race hosts, insisting he would not be happy to see Red Bull win on home soil.

"Excuse me, but we're fighting a world championship, so there are no presents," he told Osterreich newspaper.

"On the contrary, as Austrians, Toto Wolff and I want to win with our German car in Austria," Niki Lauda smiled.

From GMM

Hot on the heels of the exhaust 'megaphone', F1 is now courting more controversy with its latest push to spice up the show.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has been the loudest critic of the entertainment factor in 2014, and on Thursday Kimi Raikkonen agreed that the volume of the engines may be turning off the fans.

But he sent reporters into giggles at the Red Bull Ring when he made his proposal to end Montezemolo's carping about the sport: "Probably if we start to win again," the Finn quipped.

"At least from our side it wouldn't be boring anymore."

Teammate Fernando Alonso, however, is more open to novel ideas. "I think KERS should come back to the cars," said the Spaniard, rueing that the overtaking 'boost' was replaced this year by more comprehensive hybrid systems.

"And bringing in a tyre competition would mix the teams. We could help the small teams like they do in MotoGP, giving them a different spec of tyres or different fuel quantity or whatever to use in the race. So there are some ideas we could take from other sports," said Alonso.

One idea today's F1 wants to steal from its own illustrious past is the showers of magnesium sparks that characterised the 80s.

The sparks ended when teams were forced to install a wooden composite 'plank' underneath the cars -- but fans may see sparks flying yet again on Friday in Austria.

In morning practice, Ferrari's Raikkonen and Mercedes' Nico Rosberg will test a couple of titanium plate solutions fitted to the floor of their cars, with the sole purpose of thrilling fans with the sight of flying sparks.

The Red Bull Ring. (Photo: Red Bull)

But F1 is not stopping there. After Mercedes' 'megaphone' failed to turn up the volume at the Barcelona test, Ferrari is now preparing to test its own solution to add grunt to the turbo V6s.

At the forthcoming Silverstone test, Ferrari will test a 'two-pipe' exhaust solution, Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports.

Correspondent Michael Schmidt also reports that the FIA will tidy up the regulations next year to preclude the possibility of the unseemly 'anteater' noses.