Mercedes wants BMW, Audi in F1

Mercedes would like to compete with BMW & Audi in Formula One.

Mercedes would like to compete and wants BMW and Audi in formula one next year, the well-known brands of Germany in car industry.

That is the claim of Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, after Mercedes-Benz in 2014 finally succeeded in winning the drivers' and constructors' championships with a dominant display.

Zetsche told Germany's Sport Bild: "We share - and I'm talking about the premium business - about 80 per cent of the world market share with Audi and BMW.

"Of course," he added, "we greatly admire Red Bull and Ferrari and the other teams, nevertheless other manufacturer teams would be very much welcomed by us."

He said that the Mercedes team is now fully committed and part of the formula one.

"If we do something, we do it properly. Therefore, we have at no time asked the fundamental question, and nor do we have plans to change anything on that commitment now,” said Zetsche.

No crisis

Zetsche also talks about the FI involved in crisis.

"It is absurd to say Formula One is dead. I cannot think of a more exciting season,” said the 61-year-old

"All the criticism was led largely by those who were not successful," Zetsche added.

He clearly said that Bernie Ecclestone is responsible for taking formula one down in 2014.

"Most definitely we have not sufficiently exploited the potential of Formula One, because the official channels of communication have not been used in a professional way," said Zetsche.

"We are more committed than ever in contributing to professionalise the sport in this regard.

"Better engaging younger fans is a central question," he added.

Mallya slams Red Bull 'Cheats'

Force India Co-Owner Vijay Mallya has slammed Red Bull after both of their cars were excluded from Abu Dhabi qualifying for running an illegal front wing. The two Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel were excluded from the results of qualifying after the front wing flaps of both cars were found faulty and illegal during a post-session inspection.

Mallya along with Gerard Lopez of Lotus and Sauber's Monisha Kaltenborn – met with Bernie Ecclestone and CVC chairman Donald Mackenzie to discuss the current distribution of funds and said the smaller teams had got the attention of F1's owners. Then, following Red Bull's exclusion from qualifying for running illegal front wing flaps, Mallya was criticise the four-time world champions. 

In a series of tweets, Mallya hit back at Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, who recently said that cash-strapped teams such as Force India should ”not turn up to a gunfight with a banana”.

A big F1 team that says we small outfits should not come with bananas to a gun fight, grabs maximum money and cheats on the regulations

— Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) November 22, 2014

Arrogance and a superiority complex on the part of those who are paid to be in F1 should not dilute or colour those who pay to be in F1

— Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) November 22, 2014

Have holders of purse strings and decision makers in F1 become slaves to the whims of the big boys and the contracts? What about F1 sport?

— Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) November 22, 2014

Mallya had made clear that he was not happy with some of the comments made by other team owners, especially those who do not have any ownership of the team.

He said, "Some of the team principals who are paid to be here and do not pay to be here like some of us, have made some disparaging and very arrogant remarks. One thing that comes out is that we go to gunfight with bananas. Well, I say it's all very well and enjoy the banana right now, but a time will come when the banana will become a nuisance."

F1: Indian GP set to return in 2016

The Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida

The Indian Grand Prix set to return in 2016 said by Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone in a meeting held on the side-lines of the inaugural Russian grand prix in Sochi last month. The Indian Grand Prix was dropped from the 2014 calendar year after three successful seasons because of only heavy taxes and some bureaucratic hurdles that the race did not happen this year and also has been ruled out for 2015.

Besides the tax problems, there are substantial costs involved in staging a F1 race season after season. Ecclestone-led Formula One Management (FOM) and race promoters Jaypee Sports International (JPSI), headed by Sameer Gaur, first want to honour the five-year contract and then work on securing the long-term future of the event.

"We (Sameer and I) had a good meeting in Russia. I was assured that the tax and other related problems will be sorted out in due course and then we are good to go back. It is too late for 2015 now, so we are working on 2016," Ecclestone told PTI from his London office.

Besides the tax problems, there are substantial costs involved in staging a F1 race season after season. JPSI is believed to have paid around USD 40 million each for the first three years as licensing fee to FOM.

Gaur, on his part, said, "Formula One remains very important for us. Unfortunately, because of the circumstances, we could not do the race this year but I see the situation improving soon. The important thing is that we and FOM are on the same page. 2015 looks tough as the calendar is more or less final, so we should look at 2016 as the year for the race."

"We will go the central government again in due time, once we are closer to the race time (in 2016), we will go. It could be a win situation. F1 is right up there with hosting Olympics or Football World Cup and its presence can only benefit India," Gaur added.