Vettel make his 1st Ferrari test

Vettel makes his debut Ferrari test at Fiorano Circuit on Saturday.

Four time World Champion Sebastian Vettel make his debut at Ferrari test at the fiorano Circuit in Italy on Saturday. He is testing with Ferrari for the first time since singing with the Formula One. Vettel was replaced by Fernando Alonso at Ferrari which was announced last week.

He was denied permission from drive for the team at the post-race teat at Yas Marina. As he was announced as a Ferrari driver ahead of the Abu Grand Prix, he was not allowed to driven the F14 T by Red Bull during the post-race test while Kimi Raikkonen and Raffaele Marciello carried out testing duties for the team over the two days. 

Under Formula 1 regulations, teams are permitted to test two year old cars and while understanding of the 2012 model will not have aided the squad's development, it will have allowed Vettel to conduct a seat fitting and familiarise himself with his new surroundings.

Vettel, who wore a while helmet that had the words "My first day at Ferrari" written on it, also had the pleasure of driving a Ferrari 458 Speciale.

Vettel finished with 217 points at the end of the year just behind formula one champion lewis Hamilton of Mercedes and he also really struggled this year.

One more shot of Sebastian Vettel driving the Ferrari F2012 this morning at Fiorano. #F1 

via Gazzetta dello Sport pic.twitter.com/WmuY33nhAP

— Sebastian Vettel #1 (@sebvettelnews) 

November 29, 2014

Mattiacci: Happy To Brought Vettel To Ferrari

Vettel is Mattiaci's 'Parting Gift' to Ferrari.

Marco Mattiacci

Marco Mattiacci has broken his silence to suggest Sebastian Vettel was his “parting gift” to Ferrari. After just seven months in the job, the Italian has been replaced as Ferrari team boss by the Marlboro executive Maurizio Arrivabene.

“My best wishes to him are sincere,” said Mattiacci, as he spoke for the first time since his ousting to the well-known Ferrari insider Leo Turrini.

“He (Arrivabene) is a very competent person and I am sure the fans – and I include myself – will get the results they expect.”

But Mattiacci denied that his short F1 adventure had been an unpleasant one.

Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari

Whereas Vettel says he is not expecting to race a winning Ferrari in 2015 because he struggled this year. He was also beaten by new teammate Daniel Ricciardo.

“After the disappointing results of the first half of the season it became a possibility that I could leave Red Bull,” said Vettel.

“So this led to more detailed discussions with Ferrari. The interest was there. I think the timing was just right with everything,” he added.

He will be replaced by Fernando Alonso, F1’s most highly rated driver who has now decided to return to McLaren.

“I am very aware that we at Ferrari have a big job coming up that will take time — especially when Mercedes has such a huge competitive advantage.”

“I have seen pictures of Vettel in the Ferrari box for testing in Abu Dhabi and I can say I am happy to have brought him to Maranello where he already brings a new energy, a fresh enthusiasm,” said Mattiacci.

Asked if Vettel wearing red is Mattiacci’s parting gift to Ferrari, he said: “If you write that, I will not be sorry.” (GMM)

Alonso: I'm not difficult to work with

Alonso says the fact that his former teams are always willing to keep "one door open" for him.

Fernando Alonso has confirmed he will leave Ferrari and he has reportedly already signed a deal to return to McLaren next year. On Tuesday, the Spaniard appeared to be openly laughing at the Maranello team's latest managerial shakeup, after Ferrari split with team boss Marco Mattiacci. Sebastian Vettel was in Ferrari next year, and as a result Fernando Alonso was out.

Asked if he could return to Ferrari one day, he replied: "I don't know. More or less I know the questions you will do normally but I did expect this one so I'm not prepared to answer! At the moment it's not an option because if you say bye-bye it's not because five minutes later you think you might come back."

He added on ESPNF1: "I went from Renault to McLaren, and then I came back to Renault. I went to Ferrari, maybe I'll come back. It seems that people that work with me give me one door open, which is different to things I read about being difficult to work with.

"At the end of the day the places I work I can usually come back to so that's a good sign."

On the other hand Vettel reacted by telling Ferrari he was disappointed to have not been informed about the major shakeup.

Former F1 driver David Coulthard admits he has some concerns about Ferrari's 2015 driver line-up, despite Vettel and Raikkonen's combined five career titles.

"Kimi Raikkonen's return to Ferrari was the worst season for one of their drivers since 1982," he told the Telegraph, adding that Vettel also "looked a shadow of himself" in 2014.

"The German did not like the new formula, he did not like the engines," Coulthard explained. "That is fair enough, but his mantra seemed to affect his ability to perform."

Nico Rosberg beats Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi practice

Rosberg posted beats teammate Hamilton in the third and final practice session on Saturday,Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

German Roseberg beat his team Mercedes team mate and rival lewis Hamilton in the final Abu Dhabi practice on Friday. He was ahead of him by 0.369 seconds after losing out to the Briton in both sessions on Friday at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Friday final practice session. It was the first time in three attempts that Rosberg had been his Mercedes partner in practice.

Rosberg beat Hamilton by 0.128secs on the harder tyre earlier in the session. The 29-year-old German responded to Hamilton’s domination of both practice sessions on Friday with a best lap of one minute and 41.424 seconds. A second-placed finish on Sunday is enough for Hamilton to win the title.

The two Mercedes drivers again appeared to be in a race of their own - their closest challenger, Williams's Felipe Massa, was 1.005secs behind.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who finished with fourth position in a first session but missed all of Friday's second session because of an electronics failure, then parked up and watched the rest of the session from the Ferrari building. The double world champion, who will drive for McLaren next season and be will replaced at by Sebastian Vettel.

Vettel, whose signing by Ferrari was announced on Thursday, was fifth fastest, ahead of McLaren's Jenson Button, Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and Williams's Valtteri Bottas. Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen completed the top 10, with McLaren's Kevin Magnussen 11th.

McLaren are yet to decide their driver line-up for the race and Chairman Ron Dennis is still trying to make up his mind whether to keep Button or Magnussen as Alonso's team-mate.

Dennis told BBC Sport: "The music hasn't stopped and a range of things could happen on Sunday that would influence the decisions that haven't been taken."

 "Clinical and emotionless analysis of what the options are, we will have more data to do that on Monday," added.

Mercedes ready for contract with Lewis

Mercedes in urgent contract talks with Lewis Hamilton.

Mercedes formula one boss Toto Wolff wants to get in a long term contract with Lewis Hamilton as soon as possible and also wants to keep Nico Rosberg in the team for the foreseeable future. Nico Rosberg's contract was extended earlier this year and considered him to be a valuable part of the team.

"We want him very much to stay for many more years. He’s great for the team, he’s part of the family, the relationship we all enjoy is more than just a professional racing relationship between driver and team. It's on a different level," Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff told reporters ahead of the season-ending race.

Currently, the pair are set to race together once again next year, despite clashing on and off track and the intensity of their championship fight also heated up. “The only thing the two are interested in is that they have the fastest race car possible. So I would say at the moment that we have a good situation," explained Wolff.

On the other hand Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, the double world champion who is set to join McLaren next year when they start a new partnership with Honda, has made little secret of his interest in moving to Mercedes in 2016.

“Lewis is a very intelligent and mature person now who knows more about Formula One than many other managers out there," he said. "I think he can represent himself in a good way, he has good support from consultants he needs to have, be it legal or tax or whatever.

"He knows what he wants and is straight about it."