Formula 1 gossip: Alonso, McLaren, Vettel, Massa, Hamilton, Palmer, Ferrari
- Published
Sunday, 12 March
McLaren's Fernando Alonso is "hopeful" the team will be ready to perform at the first race of the season in Australia on 26 March despite struggling in testing. (F1i.com), external
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel says the team "is in a better shape" than last season after impressing during testing. (Autosport), external
Felipe Massa said he had to be convinced by Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams that the team was heading in the right direction before reversing his decision to retire and come back to Formula 1. (Motorsport), external
Three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is unhappy when critics mock his singing. "I don't know why they're hating on me. And why do they keep saying I'm a rapper? I'm a singer. I love R'n'B," he is quoted as saying. (Daily Mail), external
Renault's Jolyon Palmer says this season's car is "awesome to drive" with a "lot of further potential to come". (The Checkered Flag), external
Mario Isola, head of car racing at tyre manufacturer Pirelli, has been encouraged by the performance of the new cars with their wider tyres and says this season will "produce the fastest cars that the sport has ever seen". (Fox Sports Asia), external
Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost has admitted their reliability is a "weak point". (PlanetF1.com), external
Saturday, 11 March
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton says he will use Barcelona's remarkable Champions League comeback against Paris St-Germain as inspiration for the 2017 season. (ESPN), external
Ferrari's struggles in 2016 masked a "massive step forward" for the team last season, according to driver Sebastian Vettel. (Motorsport), external
Honda chief Yusuke Hasegawa says he is "a little bit scared" of the performance gap to rival manufacturers after McLaren-Honda's struggles in pre-season testing. (Racer), external
Force India have told driver Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon to lose weight before the Australian Grand Prix in two weeks. (Auto Motor und Sport, via F1i.com), external
Friday, 10 March
After his troubles during last week's testing, Williams rookie Lance Stroll says he is more confident this week behind the wheel of the FW40. (PlanetF1), external
Former Benetton and Renault team boss Flavio Briatore believes Bernie Ecclestone was not treated well by F1's new owner Liberty Media. (ESPN), external
McLaren executive director Zak Brown says the team are prepared for a tough start to the season after they struggled on the penultimate day of testing in Barcelona. (Reuters) , external
Renault says that testing has "magnified" an issue with its engine they were aware of before arriving in Barcelona last week. (Autosport), external
Thursday, 9 March
Mercedes non executive chairman Niki Lauda has been impressed with Ferrari in pre-season testing and claims the legendary Italian outfit, who last won the constructors' championship in 2008, "looks the fastest."(F1i.com), external
Drivers will face a much greater challenge in making clean starts at races this year, with new limits on clutch control, plus the movement and location of the paddles.(Autosport), external
Williams celebrate the birthday of their former driver, Pastor Maldonado, nicknamed 'Crashtor' by his critics, who incurred 39 penalties in his colourful F1 career, one every 2.4 races.
Wednesday, 8 March
Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo hopes Williams have already peaked with Felipe Massa's quickest run in testing in Barcelona on Tuesday. (Autosport), external
McLaren racing director Eric Boullier says the team's relationship with Honda is at 'maximum strain' over technical issues with the MCL32. (Crash.net), external
Mercedes have been testing an array of more aerodynamic parts for the W08 as they looks to improve performance. (Motorsport.com), external
Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas says Ferrari and Red Bull should not be underestimated this season. (F1i.com), external
Tuesday, 7 March
Red Bull boss Christian Horner wants teams to discuss ditching the 'shark fins' from F1 cars before the start of the new season. (Autosport), external
Formula 1's racing boss Ross Brawn says there are still problems to be resolved, but overall the cars are "better and faster". (Crash.net), external
Red Bull's motorsport consultant Helmut Marko believes the team will be Mercedes' biggest challenger in 2017. (Formula1.com), external
Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost is still open to rebranding the team's Renault engine.(F1i.com), external
Monday, 6 March
Formula 1's TV audience in Britain fell by 5.1 million last year - possibly explained by Lewis Hamilton failing to win a fourth championship and terrestrial coverage switching from the BBC to Channel 4. (Independent), external
Renault driver Jolyon Palmer believes the French team have made a significant improvement in the ride quality of their 2017 car.(Autosport), external
McLaren-Honda racing director Eric Boullier believes Ferrari's team may be able to compete with Mercedes this season. (Crash.net), external
Ferrari has made "amazing" progress with its 2017 Formula 1 engine, says Haas boss Gunther Steiner, whose team also use the Ferrari engine. (Motorsport.com), external
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