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.

Wiliams: Wolff appointed official Test driver for 2015

Williams name Susie Wolff as their Official Test Driver for the 2015 season.

Susie Wolff will be driving the Williams Mercedes FW37 and promoted as an official test driver for formula one campaign next season. She is a British racing driver from Scotland who started her career in Karting, then moving up to Formula Renault and Formula Three. In 2012, she was signed by the Williams Formula One team to work as a development driver.

She will be driving for the first two practice sessions at grand prix in next year’s Williams FW37. She will also be conducting testing of the FW37 and FW38. She has been the part of the team for the past three years as a development driver and made her practice debut at this year's British Grand Prix.

In 2014, Wolff was the first woman to take part in a Formula One race weekend in 22 years, at the British Grand Prix, at Silverstone. Wolff is the first female driver to drive in a grand prix weekend for two decades.

"This is another step in the right direction for me," she said.

"I am delighted Williams are recognising my progression, hard work and that it is performance that counts. Williams is at a very exciting stage in its history and we are moving into 2015 with fantastic momentum, I'm proud to be part of the team.

 I'll be using my position to work closely with Felipe and Valtteri to make sure that the FW37 builds on the strong performance shown by the FW36," she added.

Claire Williams, deputy team principal of Williams, added; "We are delighted to have Susie continuing with the team next season in this new role. She continues to impress us with her strong technical knowledge, the feedback she delivers and the performance when she drives the car both on the track and in the simulator.

 She has steadily increased her time behind the wheel since she joined us in April 2012 and her appointment as Official Test Driver was a natural progression. We have a very strong and stable driver line-up for 2015 and this will be a key asset as we look to build on a positive 2014 season."

Williams ended this season third in this year’s Constructors’ Championship after finishing ninth in 2013.

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.