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From GMM

McLaren has confirmed it will not announce a replacement for departed title sponsor Vodafone when the 2014 car is officially launched on Friday.

But after the final season of Vodafone's backing passed without a win or even a podium for the great British team, managing director Jonathan Neale insisted McLaren remains in good financial health for 2014.

"We're in good shape financially," he told GMM exclusively, "and we have a lot of fantastic partners -- Mobil 1, Santander, GSK, Johnnie Walker, Hilton, Hugo Boss, TAG Heuer and SAP and quite a few more."

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren MP4-27. (Photo: WRi2)

Jonathan Neale pointed out that because McLaren is not a PLC, it does not have to "show a profit".

"Our shareholders, Ron Dennis, TAG and Mumtalakat, never take a dividend," said Neale.

"No, they're motivated by the desire to see McLaren grow and grow again. So, yes, I can confirm that McLaren will have a bigger operational budget in 2014 than we've had in any previous year," he added.

However, McLaren is in a period of great change, and not just because Honda is arriving as the works engine partner in 2015.

McLaren supremo Dennis is also back in charge, amid speculation Martin Whitmarsh's days as team principal are over.

Claiming that Ross Brawn or Sam Michael could be set to take the reins, Speed Week reports that Martin Whitmarsh will not be at the Jerez test next week.

And Britain's Daily Mail newspaper reports that Ciaron Pilbeam, once Mark Webber's race engineer at Red Bull Racing, has been poached by McLaren from Lotus to be chief race engineer "in the wake of their disastrous 2013 campaign".

From press release

Sahara Force India revealed its dynamic new look today, offering a first impression of the new VJM07, which will be presented next week à Jerez.

The new livery brings a fresh trackside image for the team with the introduction of black alongside the traditional colours of saffron, white and green.

“The VJM07 looks stunning and the new livery reflects the way Sahara Force India is evolving,” says Vijay Mallya. “I've always believed our cars have been the most eye-catching, but adding black as a main colour gives us a fierce new look.”

VJM07. (Photo: Sahara Force India F1 Team)

Key to the new look is the introduction of several commercial partners. The logo of telecommunications brand, Claro, appears on the engine cover and signals the start of a multi-year deal with the famous Mexican brand. There will be prominent Claro branding on the drivers' suits and team kit.

The rear wing end plate now includes branding from Roshfrans, the lubricant oils specialists, following last week's announcement of a multi-year partnership with the team.

The new livery also sees branding from Astana, a foundation that supports sporting initiatives by promoting the capital city of Kazakhstan. The Astana logo is positioned on the side of the VJM07's nose.

“It's been a busy winter for us on the technical and commercial front,” explains Vijay. “When I founded the team my first ambition was to launch the first Indian team on the grid, but the next stage in our evolution is to develop a global brand. I think that ambition is reflected in the partners we are working with and our world class driver line-up. It certainly feels as though there is the potential for 2014 to be our strongest season yet.”

As well as new colours, the changes beneath the skin of the VJM07 are even more extensive due to the new technical regulations. “The new rules have presented us with a huge challenge, but I'm very proud of the approach we have taken and the direction of the technical team,” says Vijay. “It will be fascinating to see how different teams have interpreted the rules and at this stage it's impossible to predict who has done the best job.”

Technical Director, Andrew Green, is quick to emphasise just how different the VJM07 is compared to its predecessor: “Almost every single part is a new design, from the front wing right back to the diffuser. The genetics of the VJM07 still lie in the 2013 car, but we've had to achieve the same results in a slightly different way.”

Andrew says accommodating the power unit was the biggest challenge: “It's been a massive job to accommodate all the changes to the power unit - it's the biggest change I've witnessed in the sport since I started in 1990. Cooling has been the biggest challenge with most of last summer taken up trying to understand the cooling requirements of the power unit, and how best to optimise it in the chassis.”

COMPARING THE 2013 AND THE 2014 CARS

We here compare the 2013 VJM06 to the 2014 VJM07 (the photo of the 2013 car needed to be flopped so both cars looked in the same direction).

2013 VJM06 (Photo: Force India)

2014 VJM07 (Photo: Force India)

From GMM

Bernie Ecclestone's legal woes have eased slightly, as it emerges a $650 millions lawsuit against him has been dismissed.

Late last year, a company called Bluewaters Communications claimed it was the high bidder to buy formula one in 2005.

But it said CVC only won the day because of chief executive Ecclestone's alleged bribes, after Bluewaters gave "no commitment" to keep the 83-year-old in his top job.

F1 business journalist Christian Sylt now reports that the New York supreme court has ruled that it has no jurisdiction to hear the case.

According to Autoweek, the Justice ruled that the "critical events underlying the claims in this lawsuit took place in Germany, England and elsewhere in Europe".

Although still in charge of F1, Ecclestone has stepped down from the board and is facing jail after German prosecutors said the corruption affair would be heard in criminal court this year.

From GMM

Former F1 driver Jan Magnussen has revealed he is considering ending his own career in order to support his son's move into motor sport's highest category.

Although his own grand prix career flopped in the late 90s when he was sacked by then team owner Sir Jackie Stewart, the 40-year-old Dane still races sports cars, and is a perennial contender at fabled Le Mans.

But now his 21-year-old son is moving into F1 with the British grandee McLaren, who gave the then chaotic Jan Magnussen a one-off F1 drive back in 1995.

He is keen for Kevin to avoid his mistakes.

"I wish I'd had another chance," Jan told the Guardian, "but Kevin is where he is today because of what happened to me.

"In fact there are no similarities," Magnussen explained. "He's super hardworking and much more organised than I ever was. I was a smoker, I didn't train properly and was not at all organised."

Jan and Kevin Magnussen, McLaren. (Photo: WRi2)

Magnussen Snr will not be in Melbourne for his son's grand prix debut in March, because it clashes with his own driving duties.

"But I will get to eight or nine races, about half," he said. "Now Kevin is in formula one I've thought a lot about how long my career will go on. I've got to decide whether I can focus on what I'm doing or whether I'd rather be with Kevin. But I don't want to be his manager. I want to be his dad, and that's it."

"Kevin used to be the son of Jan Magnussen," he smiled. "Now, suddenly, I am the father of Kevin Magnussen."

Billionaire Elon Musk has a point in complaining about the word "recall" being used to describe fixes to Tesla Motors' Model S, said David Strickland, who left last week as the top U.S. auto-safety regulator.

Toyota is teaming up with Disney to promote the launch of its redesigned Highlander mid-sized crossover, starting with a 60-second Super Bowl spot featuring the Muppets.

The Chrysler Group is now wholly owned by Italian carmaker Fiat. The company announced on Jan.

One of the things that's fun about online "build and price" tools is picking a car, choosing all the most expensive options, then standing back in stunned amazement at the price of the car you've built. "HOLY COW! A $280,000

Henniges Automotive Holdings completed the acquisition of the remaining 40 percent of joint venture Beijing Wanyuan-Henniges Sealing Systems.

Toyota and Honda set production records at their North American auto-assembly plants last year even as the yen weakened against the dollar for a second consecutive year.

Electric carmaker Tesla Motors and rail operator Deutsche Bahn opened four new charging stations along key autobahn routes today to help make electric cars viable for long-distance commuting in Germany.

Electric carmaker Tesla Motors and German rail operator Deutsche Bahn opened four new charging stations along key autobahn routes to help make electric cars viable for long-distance commuting.

The Nissan GT-R is back for 2015, as if there was ever any doubt.

Ford is recalling its E-series van and Explorer SUV for two different reasons.

Having developed an aluminum F-150 pickup truck, Ford now has to deal with the challenge of preventing higher insurance rates and a shortage of mechanics equipped to repair its body from deterring buyers, a US media report said.

News 22 Jan, 2014

A revamped Jaguar XK range has been revealed, with extra kit and a lower price tag

Honda has activated two newly installed wind turbines at its US transmission plant in Russell's Point, Ohio.

News 21 Jan, 2014

New AMG Sport Edition trim announced for the current Mercedes C-Class

The Scottsdale auctions are full of high-rollers making high-profile bids on classic and modern cars. As such, there was a ton of buzz circling the

The Scottsdale, Ariz., collector-car auctions have wrapped up a busy week of sales, and as part of producing an up-to-date price guide for classic cars,