| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, August 29th 2014, 14:02 GMT |
Lewis Hamilton insists that it is still possible for him to continue working with Mercedes Formula 1 team-mate Nico Rosberg, despite the fallout from their Belgian Grand Prix crash
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, August 29th 2014, 13:32 GMT |
Nico Rosberg has publicly apologised to Lewis Hamilton, his Mercedes team and Formula 1 fans for his part in the collision with his team-mate at the Belgian Grand Prix
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| By Jonathan Noble | Saturday, August 30th 2014, 15:33 GMT |
Former French Grand Prix promoter Philippe Gurdjian, who also played an instrumental role in helping put Malaysian and Abu Dhabi on the Formula 1 calendar, has died aged 69.
The Frenchman competed at Le Mans five times in the 1970s and 1980s, taking seventh overall and a GT class win in 1977, before first shooting to prominence as the promoter of his home F1 GP.
He oversaw the race at Paul Ricard from 1985 and then in 1991 led the transfer of the event to Magny-Cours.
Gurdjian's success with the French GP led to him becoming one of Bernie Ecclestone's most trusted men, and he helped organise the Spanish GP for a while.
He was also called upon to ensure that efforts to bring the Malaysian and Abu Dhabi GPs on to the calendar were successful - and both have become established.
Gurdjian's biggest legacy will be helping to engineer the transformation of the Ricard circuit into a modern testing facility - although he never did see it secure an F1 race again.
It became a contender to host a Mediterranean GP back in 2006, and Gurdjian once famously suggested that an F1 race could even take place there exclusively for corporate guests, without any paying spectators.
McLaren racing director Eric Boullier, who became a friend of Gurdjian, was one of the first to pay tribute to him.
"On behalf of all at McLaren, I want to say how very sorry we all are to hear the sad news that Philippe Gurdjian has passed away," he said.
"As the French Grand Prix promoter for many years, when the race was at Magny-Cours, and latterly as the 'father' of the brilliantly revamped Paul Ricard circuit, he was a very important and highly influential figure in the story of motorsport in France.
"He was also a friend of mine, and a lovely man - wise, intelligent, friendly and amusing. I'll miss him.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and many friends today."
| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, August 29th 2014, 12:37 GMT |
Former staff of the Caterham Formula 1 team have now issued Tribunal Proceedings against the outfit for what they claim is unlawful dismissal
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, August 29th 2014, 13:32 GMT |
Nico Rosberg has publicly apologised to Lewis Hamilton, his Mercedes team and Formula 1 fans for his part in the collision with his team-mate at the Belgian Grand Prix
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, August 29th 2014, 14:02 GMT |
Lewis Hamilton insists that it is still possible for him to continue working with Mercedes Formula 1 team-mate Nico Rosberg, despite the fallout from their Belgian Grand Prix crash
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, August 29th 2014, 10:45 GMT |
Valtteri Bottas is ready to commit his immediate Formula 1 future to Williams, as talks continue to finalise a contract for 2015
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| By Ben Anderson | Thursday, August 28th 2014, 15:22 GMT |
New Toro Rosso Formula 1 recruit Max Verstappen believes his driving style is most reminiscent of double world champion Fernando Alonso among the current crop of drivers.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, August 29th 2014, 09:30 GMT |
Mercedes Formula 1 chiefs will meet with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg on Friday for crunch talks to work out how they move on from their Belgian Grand Prix clash
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| By Jonathan Noble | Thursday, August 28th 2014, 09:50 GMT |
McLaren is making a final push to convince Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso to lead the team in its new Honda era, AUTOSPORT has learned.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Thursday, August 28th 2014, 10:04 GMT |
Jenson Button's future in Formula 1 remains uncertain, with McLaren standing firm it will not open talks with him until it knows what Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso are doing.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Thursday, August 28th 2014, 11:12 GMT |
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have agreed to put future contract talks on hold until the heat of the world championship battle has died down.
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| By Ben Anderson | Wednesday, August 27th 2014, 10:04 GMT |
Esteban Gutierrez has described the lack of reliability his Sauber-Ferrari Formula 1 has suffered in recent grands prix as "unacceptable".
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| Wednesday, August 27th 2014, 10:15 GMT |
Legendary Lotus designer Len Terry, who was integral to the team's success in Formula 1 and at Indianapolis in the 1960s, has died at the age of 90.
After involvement in the Delta and Moorland Formula Junior projects, the first car Terry (pictured above with Dan Gurney) designed was the Terrier Mk1 for 1172cc racing, which he drove himself.
Terry subsequently joined Lotus as a draughtsman, and soon emerged as the senior designer working under the legendary Colin Chapman.
There, the pair had a productive, if not entirely harmonious relationship, with Terry having to translate Colin Chapman's sometimes inspired and sometimes unreasonable design concepts into reality during the years when Lotus was still establishing itself.
During this period, Terry notably worked on the Lotus 15 and 17, but in 1959 Chapman decided to fire him.
This was claimed to be partly motivated by a clash over Terry's Terrier Mk II, which Brian Hart used to dominate the British 1172cc category ahead of Chapman's designs, but the difficult relationship between the pair was also a factor.
After leaving Lotus, Terry joined Sid Greene's Gilby Engineering, working first on its sportscar project and then the minnow British marque's F1 car.
The Gilby appeared in Formula 1 races in 1961 and '62, first with a Climax engine and then, with a revised chassis, a BRM powerplant.
It started two world championship races in the hands of Sid's son Keith, finishing 15th in the '61 British GP, as well as appearing in myriad minor races.
While designed and built on a small budget, Terry's design was very well-regarded, and when Bruce McLaren tested the car at Goodwood he lapped close to the lap record for F1 machinery.
Gilby's future was not bright and it closed at the end of 1962, but in September that year Terry re-joined Lotus, reflecting the esteem in which Chapman held him.
The old frustrations of working under Chapman, who sometimes led Lotus down blind alleys, were still there, but Terry once again played a vital role in translating his vision into reality during this period.
Initially, Terry worked on the Lotus 29 that led the 1963 Indy 500 and finished second with Jim Clark at the wheel.
Under Chapman's direction, he was charged with designing the Lotus 33, which was based on the Lotus 25 and dominated the '65 season in the hands of Clark.
Most famously, he also headed up the IndyCar project, single-handedly conceiving and designing the Lotus 38 that took Clark to a famous victory at the Brickyard in '65 in just four months.
Terry decided to leave Lotus again in '65 to go to work for Dan Gurney on both his indycar and F1 projects.
There, he designed the stunning Eagle Mk1, often hailed as the most beautiful F1 car of all time, in which Gurney won the 1967 Belgian GP.
That year, he moved to BRM where times proved more difficult and his last involvement with F1 would be with the same marque in 1977, when he designed the ailing team's final F1 car, the uncompetitive P207.
During the late 1960s and 70s, his design skills were highly sought after and he was involved in a number of projects outside of F1.
This included the Surtees TS5 F5000 car, the BMW 269 F2 and Gulf-Mirage sportscars.
There was also the aborted Eifelland F1 car, intended to be raced in 1973.
Later in life, Terry built replica vintage vans and, recently, was a keen supporter of Classic Team Lotus.
AUTOSPORT, which ran cutaway drawings produced by Terry in the 1950s, offers its condolences to his family and friends.
| By Ben Anderson | Wednesday, August 27th 2014, 11:38 GMT |
Felipe Massa believes the Williams Formula 1 team must improve its pitstop procedures, after he suffered a troubled run to a pointless 13th place at the Belgian Grand Prix.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Tuesday, August 26th 2014, 11:40 GMT |
The FIA is standing firm that there are no grounds for a fresh investigation into the Mercedes' Spa collision, AUTOSPORT understands, despite Lewis Hamilton's account of Nico Rosberg's post-race comments
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| By Jonathan Noble | Tuesday, August 26th 2014, 09:41 GMT |
Red Bull is not getting carried away with the thought of a Formula 1 title run for Daniel Ricciardo, despite him outscoring the Mercedes drivers since the Monaco Grand Prix
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| By Jonathan Noble | Tuesday, August 26th 2014, 09:49 GMT |
McLaren and its former Formula 1 team principal Martin Whitmarsh have now officially parted company, AUTOSPORT can reveal
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, August 25th 2014, 09:53 GMT |
Lewis Hamilton says he does not know how he can approach racing with Mercedes Formula 1 team-mate Nico Rosberg from now on, following their Belgian Grand Prix collision.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, August 25th 2014, 11:47 GMT |
McLaren Formula 1 team boss Eric Boullier has backed Kevin Magnussen over his aggressive racecraft in the Belgian Grand Prix, despite the Dane getting a penalty and losing his points.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, August 25th 2014, 10:01 GMT |
The Mercedes Formula 1 squad will wait until there have been fresh talks with Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton this week before deciding whether to now impose team orders
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| By Jonathan Noble | Sunday, August 24th 2014, 08:15 GMT |
Mercedes and brake supplier Brembo have officially ruled out a quality control issue as the cause of the failure on Lewis Hamilton's car in qualifying for July's German Grand Prix
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| By Jonathan Noble and Pablo Elizalde | Sunday, August 24th 2014, 08:30 GMT |
Formula Renault 3.5 title contenders Carlos Sainz Jr. and Roberto Merhi could make their Formula 1 debuts later this season for the Caterham team.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Sunday, August 24th 2014, 11:57 GMT |
Four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel will have a new race engineer next season, with long-serving Guillaume Roquelin moving to a new role within Red Bull.
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| By Edd Straw and Andrew van Leeuwen | Friday, August 22nd 2014, 17:18 GMT |
Andre Lotterer declared himself happy with his first day as a Formula 1 driver, following his solid showing for Caterham through Friday's Belgian Grand Pix practice sessions
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| By Ben Anderson | Friday, August 22nd 2014, 17:29 GMT |
Renault says reigning Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel will escape a grid penalty for the Belgian Grand Prix by reverting to the engine he used in Hungary.
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| By Stuart Codling | Saturday, August 23rd 2014, 10:16 GMT |
Valtteri Bottas went quickest for Williams in a frenzied final few minutes of third practice for Formula 1's 2014 Belgian Grand Prix, outpacing Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo by 0.268 seconds
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, August 22nd 2014, 09:07 GMT |
Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone insists that his control of the sport was unchanged despite the settlement of his Munich court case.
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| By Stuart Codling | Friday, August 22nd 2014, 09:35 GMT |
Mercedes was fastest in first practice for the 2014 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, with Nico Rosberg outpacing Lewis Hamilton by 0.097s.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, August 22nd 2014, 10:30 GMT |
Valtteri Bottas wants his Williams team to be more open to taking risks in its bid to take a victory in the next two Formula 1 races.
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| By Ben Anderson | Wednesday, August 20th 2014, 15:51 GMT |
Toro Rosso technical director James Key believes his former team Sauber has "all the fundamentals" necessary to bounce back from its difficult start to the 2014 Formula 1 season.
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| By Edd Straw | Thursday, August 21st 2014, 09:13 GMT |
Eliminating a 'blame culture' has played a significant role in the Williams Formula 1 team's turnaround, according to performance chief Rob Smedley.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Thursday, August 21st 2014, 10:58 GMT |
Fernando Alonso says Ferrari must brace itself for a tough time in the next two Formula 1 races, as he expects main rivals Williams to have the edge in Belgium and Italy.
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| Wednesday, August 20th 2014, 11:06 GMT |
Three-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Andre Lotterer will make his Formula 1 debut with Caterham at the Belgian Grand Prix, as predicted by AUTOSPORT, replacing Kamui Kobayashi.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Wednesday, August 20th 2014, 08:34 GMT |
Ferrari team boss Marco Mattiacci says the Maranello outfit must be braver and embrace risk in its new era if it is to win titles in Formula 1 again.
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| By Gary Watkins | Wednesday, August 20th 2014, 11:25 GMT |
If you were going to pick a driver who'd never so much sat in a Formula 1 car of anything approaching recent vintage to make a hasty grand prix debut, then Andre Lotterer is probably the man best qualified for the job.
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| By Marcus Simmons | Monday, August 18th 2014, 19:56 GMT |
AUTOSPORT's junior single-seater expert MARCUS SIMMONS has covered 2015 Toro Rosso Formula 1 signing Max Verstappen in European Formula 3 this year
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| Monday, August 18th 2014, 19:41 GMT |
Max Verstappen will race in Formula 1 at the age of 17 when he joins the Toro Rosso team next year, the Red Bull-owned squad announced on Monday.
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| By Jonathan Noble and Ben Anderson | Tuesday, August 19th 2014, 10:50 GMT |
Toro Rosso's decision to take Max Verstappen alongside Daniil Kvyat in 2015 has fanned excitement about the potential of the youngest driver line-up in Formula 1 history
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| By Ben Anderson | Monday, August 18th 2014, 08:52 GMT |
Toro Rosso technical director James Key reckons his team has scored a "pathetic" number of points in Formula 1 this season, given the competitiveness of its car.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, August 15th 2014, 16:19 GMT |
Red Bull fears it may have to wait until the Singapore Grand Prix in September until it is in a position to win Formula 1 races again.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Monday, August 18th 2014, 10:49 GMT |
Formula 1's bid to control costs will only ever succeed if the sport accepts the need for a budget cap, reckons former FIA president Max Mosley
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| By Edd Straw | Friday, August 15th 2014, 14:11 GMT |
Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas have been "instrumental" to the Williams squad's Formula 1 revival, according to deputy team principal Claire Williams.
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| By Ben Anderson | Friday, August 15th 2014, 11:28 GMT |
Sergio Perez reckons his former Sauber Formula 1 team- mate Kamui Kobayashi is an "amazing" rival who taught him vital lessons in how to manage tyres.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, August 15th 2014, 16:19 GMT |
Red Bull fears it may have to wait until the Singapore Grand Prix in September until it is in a position to win Formula 1 races again.
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| By Ben Anderson | Friday, August 15th 2014, 11:28 GMT |
Sergio Perez reckons his former Sauber Formula 1 team- mate Kamui Kobayashi is an "amazing" rival who taught him vital lessons in how to manage tyres.
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| By Edd Straw | Friday, August 15th 2014, 14:11 GMT |
Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas have been "instrumental" to the Williams squad's Formula 1 revival, according to deputy team principal Claire Williams.
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, August 15th 2014, 16:19 GMT |
Red Bull fears it may have to wait until the Singapore Grand Prix in September until it is in a position to win Formula 1 races again.
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| By Edd Straw | Wednesday, August 13th 2014, 15:45 GMT |
Daniel Ricciardo's performance during the first half of the Formula 1 season have exceeded all expectations, according to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
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| By Ben Anderson and Jonathan Noble | Thursday, August 14th 2014, 09:18 GMT |
Eric Boullier says he is prepared to "bruise some egos" as he continues his work to return McLaren to the front of the Formula 1 grid.
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| By Ben Anderson | Thursday, August 14th 2014, 11:55 GMT |
Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost says Jean-Eric Vergne needs a big result in Formula 1 to validate the progress he has made this season.
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| Tuesday, August 12th 2014, 15:09 GMT |
Formula 3 European championship frontrunner Max Verstappen has joined the Red Bull Junior Team with immediate effect
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| By Mark Glendenning | Wednesday, August 13th 2014, 08:48 GMT |
Juan Pablo Montoya believes that Formula 1 should look to motorsport in the USA for ideas to help re-engage fans.
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| By Ben Anderson and Jonathan Noble | Wednesday, August 13th 2014, 11:01 GMT |
Kamui Kobayashi believes the Caterham Formula 1 team should not replace him with a paying driver, because that would harm its chances of improving its lowly standing in the constructors' championship.
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| By Ben Anderson | Tuesday, August 12th 2014, 11:44 GMT |
Daniil Kvyat says he is still not "100 per cent confident" in Formula 1, despite a solid start to his rookie season
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| By Jonathan Noble and Ben Anderson | Tuesday, August 12th 2014, 09:36 GMT |
Romain Grosjean believes his former Lotus team-mate Kimi Raikkonen is struggling in Formula 1 this year because the cars do not suit his driving style
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| By Jonathan Noble and Ben Anderson | Friday, August 8th 2014, 15:50 GMT |
Double grand prix winner Daniel Ricciardo reckons Red Bull stablemate Carlos Sainz Jr would benefit from making his Formula 1 debut with a backmarker team
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| By Ben Anderson | Sunday, August 10th 2014, 21:36 GMT |
Mercedes does not believe engines have become the dominant factor in Formula 1 car performance this season, despite the advantage it has enjoyed over Ferrari and Renault
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| By Ben Anderson | Monday, August 11th 2014, 10:03 GMT |
Sauber boss Monisha Kaltenborn says her Formula 1 team needs to be more courageous if it wants to avoid this season becoming the worst in its history
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| By Ben Anderson | Friday, August 8th 2014, 11:50 GMT |
Sergio Perez says the level of engineering at Force India is equal to his previous Formula 1 team McLaren
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| By Ben Anderson | Friday, August 8th 2014, 10:02 GMT |
Formula 1 is "shooting itself in the foot" by focusing on its negative aspects and not promoting its virtues to win new fans, according to McLaren racing director Eric Boullier
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| By Jonathan Noble and Ben Anderson | Friday, August 8th 2014, 15:50 GMT |
Double grand prix winner Daniel Ricciardo reckons Red Bull stablemate Carlos Sainz Jr would benefit from making his Formula 1 debut with a backmarker team
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| By Ben Anderson | Friday, August 8th 2014, 11:50 GMT |
Sergio Perez says the level of engineering at Force India is equal to his previous Formula 1 team McLaren
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| By Ben Anderson | Friday, August 8th 2014, 10:02 GMT |
Formula 1 is "shooting itself in the foot" by focusing on its negative aspects and not promoting its virtues to win new fans, according to McLaren racing director Eric Boullier
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| By Jonathan Noble and Ben Anderson | Friday, August 8th 2014, 15:50 GMT |
Double grand prix winner Daniel Ricciardo reckons Red Bull stablemate Carlos Sainz Jr would benefit from making his Formula 1 debut with a backmarker team
You have viewed over 20 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.
| By Ben Anderson | Friday, August 8th 2014, 10:02 GMT |
Formula 1 is "shooting itself in the foot" by focusing on its negative aspects and not promoting its virtues to win new fans, according to McLaren racing director Eric Boullier
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| By Ben Anderson and Jonathan Noble | Thursday, August 7th 2014, 16:13 GMT |
Jenson Button says he has no interest in racing in any other categories outside Formula 1, despite his ongoing contractual stalemate with McLaren
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| By Ben Anderson | Friday, August 8th 2014, 11:50 GMT |
Sergio Perez says the level of engineering at Force India is equal to his previous Formula 1 team McLaren
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| By Jonathan Noble and Matt Beer | Wednesday, August 6th 2014, 15:27 GMT |
Alexander Rossi believes swiftly securing a Marussia Formula 1 test deal after his split with Caterham was "critical" for his career
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| Wednesday, August 6th 2014, 16:35 GMT |
A man arrested on suspicion of leaking seven-time Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher's stolen medical files was found hanged in his cell this week, according to Swiss police.
The unnamed man was a manager at Swiss air rescue firm Rega, which transferred Schumacher to Switzerland from a French hospital in June following the German's lengthy treatment for a serious head injury suffered in a skiing accident last December.
Schumacher's medical records were allegedly stolen and offered for sale, prompting his management to release a statement warning they would aggressively pursue legal action against anyone who sold the data or published it.
Prosecutors were investigating a possible breach of privacy at Rega. The suspect was arrested on Tuesday but denied any wrongdoing.
He was found dead in his Zurich jail cell on Wednesday.
| By Ben Anderson | Thursday, August 7th 2014, 10:29 GMT |
Paddy Lowe says he has taken the Mercedes Formula 1 team "to the next level" since taking over the technical reins from Ross Brawn
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| By Ben Anderson | Tuesday, August 5th 2014, 15:48 GMT |
Sauber boss Monisha Kaltenborn says it will be "unacceptable" for her Formula 1 team to finish 10th in this season's constructors' championship
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| By Ben Anderson | Wednesday, August 6th 2014, 08:33 GMT |
Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg reckons the dramatic change in Formula 1's technical rules for 2014 may have made the sport easier to adapt to for rookies
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| By Ben Anderson and Jonathan Noble | Wednesday, August 6th 2014, 10:38 GMT |
Proper coordination between the chassis and engine departments of Ferrari's Formula 1 team will be key to the Scuderia rediscovering frontrunning form, according to technical director James Allison
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| By Ben Anderson | Sunday, August 3rd 2014, 21:57 GMT |
Kimi Raikkonen still believes he is fast enough to fight at the front in Formula 1, despite struggling to find his form with Ferrari this season
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| Sunday, August 3rd 2014, 07:05 GMT |
Melbourne has secured a new Formula 1 deal that will keep the Australian Grand Prix in the city until at least 2020
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| By Ben Anderson | Monday, August 4th 2014, 10:48 GMT |
The Williams Formula 1 team has impressed its former driver Jenson Button by how competitive it has been so far this season
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| By Edd Straw | Friday, August 1st 2014, 13:29 GMT |
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has hailed Daniil Kvyat's Formula 1 rookie season as "sensational"
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| By Edd Straw | Friday, August 1st 2014, 16:52 GMT |
Jules Bianchi believes that Marussia must be aggressive in the second half of the Formula 1 season to stay in the top 10 in the constructors' championship
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| Sunday, August 3rd 2014, 07:05 GMT |
Melbourne has secured a new Formula 1 deal that will keep the Australian Grand Prix in the city until at least 2020
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| By Ben Anderson | Friday, August 1st 2014, 10:46 GMT |
Romain Grosjean hopes the Lotus Formula 1 team can mimic 2009 world champion outfit Brawn GP and revive its flagging fortunes next season.
Lotus has slumped from frontrunner to also-ran in this campaign, having fought for third with Ferrari in last year's constructors' title race.
Brawn claimed the drivers' and constructors' crowns in 2009, following a takeover of the former works Honda outfit led by team principal Ross Brawn when the Japanese manufacturer pulled out of F1.
Grosjean, who has continually been the subject of speculation he could leave the Enstone squad at the end of this season, said the story of Brawn GP should give Lotus hope it can get back to the front in F1.
"I want to win races in the near future and we are working on that," said Grosjean, who re-iterated that his "options are open for the future".
"If you look at Jenson [Button] in 2008, he was very much struggling with Honda, then it changed to Brawn - same team, different name - and he was world champion.
"Having difficult years is part of your career - you have to accept that and not get frustrated.
"Brawn had the double diffuser - a very clever invention.
"I don't know if there are going to be any next year, but I'm 99.99 per cent confident the [Lotus] team is going to be better next year."
BRAKING KEY FOR GROSJEAN
The Franco-Swiss driver said improving the feeling he has with the E22's brakes would be key in allowing him to improve his own form in 2014.
"At the moment I'm still struggling a little bit with the brakes," Grosjean admitted.
"Of course we have less downforce than last year, and harder tyres, and this [the braking] is something I'm very sensitive to.
"There is some work we're doing in that aspect.
"I like a car that is consistent so I can build my weekend and say "next lap I'm going to brake three metres later", and if it doesn't go to plan I lose a tenth.
"Now, I lose a second because I go wide.
"It's something I'm struggling with, so I just need to understand a different way of driving sometimes."
| By Edd Straw | Friday, August 1st 2014, 13:29 GMT |
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has hailed Daniil Kvyat's Formula 1 rookie season as "sensational".
Kvyat was promoted from racing in GP3 and European F3 in 2013, with some question whether he was ready to make the step up.
But the 20-year-old - who won the GP3 title last year - scored points in his first two grands prix and has often been in the top 10 during his maiden season.
Horner believes Kvyat's form is testament to the strength of the Red Bull junior scheme.
"He has been sensational and has been the rookie of the season so far," Horner told AUTOSPORT.
"His raw pace and speed, considering the jump he has made from GP3, is hugely impressive.
"He had little pre-season testing and Jean-Eric [Vergne] is a very quick driver, so the benchmark he's up against is good as well.
"And we have got some great talent coming on beneath that with Carlos Sainz Jr, Pierre Gasly and Alex Lynn, so there is some very positive talent on the junior programme."
The Red Bull junior programme has been criticised in some quarters for its ruthlessness.
Sebastian Buemi, Jaime Alguersuari, Christian Klien and Vitantonio Liuzzi have all been axed from Red Bull's F1 programmes in the past.
But Horner believes the success of Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo in his team shows how effective the scheme is.
"Both of our race drivers have come through the junior team and they are both there on merit," said Horner.
"The junior programme can be perceived as tough at times, but F1 is not a soft business and you get found out in the end.
"The great thing about the Red Bull programme is that if the guys are seriously talented, they find their way and they are supported."
AUTOSPORT SAYS...
Edd Straw, Grand Prix Editor (@eddstrawF1)
On the face of it, Christian Horner talking up a Red Bull junior should be no surprise, but the glowing praise he has heaped on Daniil Kvyat is merited.
The Russian had to take a giant leap to move from F3/GP3-level into F1 and with Toro Rosso's troubled pre-season testing offering relatively little time for him to hone his skills, it was in at the deep end.
His results, four top 10 finishes and five Q3 appearances, would have been even better but for the Italian team's reliability record.
Kvyat has also shown well relative to Jean-Eric Vergne, who is also having a good season after improving his mental approach.
But what is really impressive about Kvyat is his mature attitude. He speaks like someone who has been knocking around in F1 for five years and, crucially, is always focused on areas where he can improve rather than talking up his own performances.
That allows him to improve consistently and learn from when things have gone wrong.
It also justifies Helmut Marko's claim last year that it was the constructive way Kvyat responded to things going badly that earned him the nod over other candidates from the Red Bull stable.
It's still early days for Kvyat, but Horner has rightly recognised him as a driver who has the potential to race for his team in the future.
| By Edd Straw | Friday, August 1st 2014, 16:52 GMT |
Jules Bianchi believes that Marussia must be aggressive in the second half of the Formula 1 season to stay in the top 10 in the constructors' championship.
The Frenchman's ninth place in the Monaco Grand Prix earned the improving team its first points since entering F1 as Virgin in 2010.
If Marussia can keep one of Sauber and Caterham behind it and secure a top 10 place for the second consecutive season, it will be set for a significant financial windfall of around $30 million.
"The best way to defend is to attack and we always have to attack," Bianchi told AUTOSPORT.
"We just have to do everything we can to be in front all of the time, and I'm sure we will be strong until the end of the season.
"Our target is to remain ahead of Caterham and finish 10th in the championship, which will be a massive boost to the team."
Bianchi admitted that he is a little frustrated that Marussia has been less competitive in recent races after showing well earlier in the season.
In Monaco and Canada, the car was close to making Q2 on merit, but it has not been as strong since even though Bianchi capitalised on problems for Pastor Maldonado and Lewis Hamilton and a strategy error by Ferrari to get through Q1 at the Hungarian GP.
"It is a bit frustrating when you have been regularly close to going into Q2 and it is not the case any more," said Bianchi.
"But that's the reality and you have to deal with that and do the best with what you have. This is what we are doing at the moment.
"The result in Monaco was massively important for this season but I knew it did not mean we would be regularly fighting for points.
"We are not able to do that unless we have a strange set of circumstances around us, but we took the opportunity when it came."
| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, August 1st 2014, 09:12 GMT |
McLaren says its final driver choice for next year will be based on what serves it best for its long-term Formula 1 ambitions with Honda.
The Woking-based team has been open about considering all its options for 2015, with neither Jenson Button nor Kevin Magnussen having a firm deal in place yet.
Fernando Alonso is one of its key targets, and racing director Eric Boullier has made it clear that McLaren will wait until he knows what all the top drivers' plans are before committing to anything.
Does Magnussen have a future in F1?
"If any driver becomes available on the market, we will be interested to see if they fit," he told AUTOSPORT.
"Our strategy, and I am not going to say we are going to change drivers, is we are in a position to wait.
"So we are going to wait until I understand what is going to be the driver market, not only for next year but also in the future years.
"The plan is to build McLaren for a long term at the top, and we need to know what we are going to do in three, four or five years."
Boullier's comments suggest that if it cannot lure a big-name star for next year then it will not compromise its chances of getting them for 2016 or 2017 by locking out its race seats.
That means it could opt for short-term deals with some drivers while it waits for top names like Alonso, Sebastian Vettel or Lewis Hamilton to become available.
BUTTON EARNS PRAISE
Button will almost certainly be retained for 2015 though, despite a recent war-of-words between him and McLaren Group CEO Ron Dennis about the need to try harder.
Speaking about the job Button was doing, Boullier said: "He is doing a good job. We want our drivers to give 100 per cent all the time.
"We want everybody to perform and, when you cannot get the performance you wish, it is sometimes difficult to accept it and you get frustrated.
"But it is the same for everybody and we need to push 100 per cent."
| By Ben Anderson | Thursday, July 31st 2014, 14:59 GMT |
The Williams Formula 1 team's downturn in competitiveness in the Hungarian Grand Prix should be taken as a one-off, says the Grove squad's performance chief Rob Smedley.
Williams has generally had the second fastest car on the grid in recent races, but it slipped back behind Ferrari and Red Bull at the Hungaroring and also lost third spot in the constructors' championship to the Italian outfit.
Smedley believes Williams did better than expected on a circuit that did not suit the FW36, and he expects the team will be back to its best once racing resumes at Spa at the end of August.
"Our target is to be second in the championship and that's still achievable," Smedley said.
"I think we had a race that was a little bit anomalous if you look at our results over the last five races.
"We've got two races [Spa and Monza] coming up where we've got to capitalise on the characteristics of the car.
"We think those circuits will suit us. We have to capitalise on that and put ourselves in a good position."
Smedley started work with Williams in April, following a period of gardening leave from his former team Ferrari, and he reckons Williams has now evolved to the point where it can keep pace with bigger outfits in the car development race.
"Development speed and testing methodology has improved and allowed us to keep pace with the others, or even get ahead of them at times," Smedley added.
"At the track, testing and racing, we're making steady progress.
"There are big areas we've looked into and we have a certain evolving structure we're improving all the time.
"Certain things you want on the car have a long lead time and you can't have them at the next race, or even until the next year.
"Some of it with the operations group you can solve in 10 minutes and some of it you need a lot longer.
"It's a constant juggling act."
CULTURAL SHIFT
Valtteri Bottas started third for the Hungarian GP, but he only finished eighth after a slow first pitstop and a questionable call on tyre strategy.
Smedley said the culture of self-improvement instilled in Williams meant it would bounce back from its mistakes for future races.
"I reckon we're 60 per cent of where we need to be in terms of operations, so it's not just when everything goes horribly wrong that I turn around and say we need to sharpen up operations," Smedley said.
"We need to sharpen up operations full-stop.
"The important thing for Williams now, perhaps a slight change of culture, is that we'll go away, try to understand all the things we did, understand what we did well, see what we didn't do so well, and improve.
"Every single race we learn something and we get better.
"Even when we're first and second by a margin we won't stop trying to improve."
| By Ben Anderson | Friday, August 1st 2014, 10:46 GMT |
Romain Grosjean hopes the Lotus Formula 1 team can mimic 2009 world champion outfit Brawn GP and revive its flagging fortunes next season.
Lotus has slumped from frontrunner to also-ran in this campaign, having fought for third with Ferrari in last year's constructors' title race.
Brawn claimed the drivers' and constructors' crowns in 2009, following a takeover of the former works Honda outfit led by team principal Ross Brawn when the Japanese manufacturer pulled out of F1.
Grosjean, who has continually been the subject of speculation he could leave the Enstone squad at the end of this season, said the story of Brawn GP should give Lotus hope it can get back to the front in F1.
"I want to win races in the near future and we are working on that," said Grosjean, who re-iterated that his "options are open for the future".
"If you look at Jenson [Button] in 2008, he was very much struggling with Honda, then it changed to Brawn - same team, different name - and he was world champion.
"Having difficult years is part of your career - you have to accept that and not get frustrated.
"Brawn had the double diffuser - a very clever invention.
"I don't know if there are going to be any next year, but I'm 99.99 per cent confident the [Lotus] team is going to be better next year."
BRAKING KEY FOR GROSJEAN
The Franco-Swiss driver said improving the feeling he has with the E22's brakes would be key in allowing him to improve his own form in 2014.
"At the moment I'm still struggling a little bit with the brakes," Grosjean admitted.
"Of course we have less downforce than last year, and harder tyres, and this [the braking] is something I'm very sensitive to.
"There is some work we're doing in that aspect.
"I like a car that is consistent so I can build my weekend and say "next lap I'm going to brake three metres later", and if it doesn't go to plan I lose a tenth.
"Now, I lose a second because I go wide.
"It's something I'm struggling with, so I just need to understand a different way of driving sometimes."
