| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, January 30th 2015, 14:27 GMT |
Ferrari technical director James Allison is confident that the team's 2015 Formula 1 car will suit Kimi Raikkonen better than last year's
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| By Gary Watkins | Friday, January 30th 2015, 16:04 GMT |
The Wayne Taylor Racing Dallara-Chevrolet Corvette DP has lost third place in last weekend's Daytona 24 Hours for exceeding the Tudor United SportsCar Championship's driving-time regulations
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| By Mark Glendenning | Friday, January 30th 2015, 22:27 GMT |
Luca Filippi has signed with CFH Racing for the 2015 IndyCar season, and will contest all of the road and street course events in the team's #20 entry
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| By Mark Glendenning | Thursday, January 29th 2015, 18:09 GMT |
Reigning NASCAR Nationwide champion Chase Elliott will move up to the Sprint Cup in 2016 as the replacement for Jeff Gordon in Hendrick Motorsport's #24 Chevrolet
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| Thursday, January 29th 2015, 18:10 GMT |
Mercedes has completed the first shakedown of its 2015 Formula 1 car, the W06, and released the first proper images of the car with which it will defend its titles
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| By Gary Watkins | Thursday, January 29th 2015, 21:00 GMT |
Daytona 24 Hours pole winner Oswaldo Negri Jr is set to race in Europe for the first time in more than 20 years with the Krohn Racing LMP2 squad this season.
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| By Gary Watkins | Wednesday, January 28th 2015, 18:03 GMT |
Tudor United SportsCar Championship frontrunner Wayne Taylor Racing will not take up its guaranteed entry for the Le Mans 24 Hours in June
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| By Jonathan Noble | Wednesday, January 28th 2015, 17:24 GMT |
The stuttering start of McLaren and Honda's first public Formula 1 test last year has not stopped Thursday's 2015 car launch being the winter's most anticipated
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| By Mark Glendenning | Wednesday, January 28th 2015, 20:01 GMT |
Brian Barnhart has been installed for a second tenure as IndyCar race director, and will lead the series' three-steward race control system for the 2015 season
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| By Jonathan Noble | Tuesday, January 27th 2015, 15:50 GMT |
Formula 1 design genius Adrian Newey has still had a big role in the creation of Red Bull's 2015 challenger, despite stepping back from his full-time technical role last year
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| Tuesday, January 27th 2015, 16:09 GMT |
Sauber will unveil its 2015 Formula 1 car via its website on Friday January 30
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| By Marcus Simmons | Tuesday, January 27th 2015, 17:37 GMT |
The Masters of Formula 3 race at Zandvoort will be run for F3 European Championship cars this year
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| By Jonathan Noble and James Roberts | Monday, January 26th 2015, 16:28 GMT |
Mercedes' rivals have been warned to brace themselves for a step forward from Formula 1's benchmark engine supplier this year
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| By Scott Mitchell | Monday, January 26th 2015, 14:39 GMT |
The 2015 BRDC Formula 4 champion will receive a GP3 test drive with leading team ART and a potential financial prize of more than £70,000
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| By Craig Scarborough | Monday, January 26th 2015, 16:41 GMT |
The digital renders released by Lotus of its 2015 E23 Formula 1 car allow us to already make some observations about the new challenger
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| By Gary Watkins | Sunday, January 25th 2015, 13:25 GMT |
Action Express Racing has fought back from three laps down to lead the Daytona 24 Hours at three-quarters distance
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| Sunday, January 25th 2015, 18:26 GMT |
Jeff Gordon says he seriously considered retiring from NASCAR racing more than once in recent years, but was always convinced to stay on by team boss Rick Hendrick
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| By Gary Watkins | Sunday, January 25th 2015, 19:41 GMT |
Chip Ganassi Racing claimed a sixth victory in the Daytona 24 Hours after a thrilling climax to the 2015 race
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| By Edd Straw | Sunday, January 25th 2015, 01:20 GMT |
Chip Ganassi Racing holds the top two positions in the Daytona 24 Hours after six hours
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| Saturday, January 24th 2015, 16:01 GMT |
Sebastien Ogier will take a lead of 43 seconds into the final day of the Monte Carlo Rally after the Citroens of Sebastien Loeb and Kris Meeke were quickest on Saturday afternoon
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| By Edd Straw | Saturday, January 24th 2015, 20:08 GMT |
Chip Ganassi Racing Riley driver Scott Dixon leads the Daytona 24 Hours after one hour
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| By David Evans | Wednesday, January 21st 2015, 19:13 GMT |
Sebastien Loeb made a sensational return to the World Rally Championship with the fastest time in this afternoon's Monte Carlo Rally shakedown stage
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| By Craig Scarborough | Wednesday, January 21st 2015, 18:12 GMT |
Williams's release of computer renderings of its 2015 Formula 1 car, the FW37, provided a first chance to see a nose designed to the new regulations
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| By Mark Glendenning | Wednesday, January 21st 2015, 20:57 GMT |
NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Brian Vickers has been given medical clearance to return to racing in early March as he continues to recover from corrective heart surgery
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| By Gary Watkins | Tuesday, January 20th 2015, 18:26 GMT |
Toyota racer Alex Wurz has welcomed a new rule for the World Endurance Championship that removes much of the weight penalty shouldered by heavier drivers
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| By Mark Glendenning | Tuesday, January 20th 2015, 17:26 GMT |
Honda's American-based racing arm Honda Performance Development has appointed Allen Miller as the new head of its pinnacle motorsports programmes
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| By Jonathan Noble | Tuesday, January 20th 2015, 22:13 GMT |
Williams has become the first team to unveil images of its 2015 Formula 1 car, with its new FW37 appearing on the front cover of AUTOSPORT's sister publication F1 Racing
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| By Jonathan Noble | Saturday, January 17th 2015, 12:43 GMT |
Honda has succeeded in its bid to convince the FIA to allow it some engine development during the 2015 Formula 1 season
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| Saturday, January 17th 2015, 13:51 GMT |
Nasser Al-Attiyah secured his second victory in the Dakar Rally after nearly two weeks of domination of the 2015 event
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| Sunday, January 18th 2015, 13:05 GMT |
Peugeot has admitted that a lack of preparation time meant it was forced to make its Dakar Rally return with a "rough" car that was not fast enough
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| By Jonathan Noble | Saturday, January 17th 2015, 12:43 GMT |
Honda has succeeded in its bid to convince the FIA to allow it some engine development during the 2015 Formula 1 season
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| By David Evans | Saturday, January 17th 2015, 11:41 GMT |
M-Sport's £19million plans to develop a major new test and development facility in Britain have been given the go-ahead by local council in Cumbria
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| Saturday, January 17th 2015, 13:51 GMT |
Nasser Al-Attiyah secured his second victory in the Dakar Rally after nearly two weeks of domination of the 2015 event
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| Friday, January 16th 2015, 18:22 GMT |
Nasser Al-Attiyah stands on the brink of his second Dakar Rally victory after a calm drive through the penultimate stage on Friday, where his X-raid Mini team-mate Orlando Terranova was quickest
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| By Peter Mills | Friday, January 16th 2015, 15:49 GMT |
Craft-Bamboo will rejoin the World Touring Car Championship for 2015, having signed former McLaren GT racer Gregoire Demoustier to drive an RML-built Chevrolet Cruze TC1
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| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, January 16th 2015, 16:25 GMT |
Russian Grand Prix officials have confirmed that their event will not be a night race in 2015, despite hopes it could switch to a twilight fixture
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| By Hal Ridge | Thursday, January 15th 2015, 18:49 GMT |
Former World Rally Championship driver Manfred Stohl will race full-time in the World Rallycross Championship this season, driving for the newly formed World RX Team Austria squad
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| Thursday, January 15th 2015, 17:14 GMT |
Nasser Al-Attiyah continued to cruise towards 2015 Dakar Rally victory with another win on Thursday's stage 11, as Yazeed Al-Rahji dropped out of third place
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| By Mark Glendenning | Thursday, January 15th 2015, 21:16 GMT |
Ganassi became the first team to run on the NOLA Motorsports Park circuit when it ran all four of its cars in a full-day earlier this week
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| Wednesday, January 14th 2015, 19:31 GMT |
McLaren Formula 1 junior Stoffel Vandoorne will remain with the ART Grand Prix team for a second season in GP2
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| Wednesday, January 14th 2015, 20:29 GMT |
Nasser Al-Attiyah took a dominant victory on stage 10 of the 2015 Dakar Rally, as X-raid Mini team-mate Nani Roma spectacularly crashed out
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| Wednesday, January 14th 2015, 20:46 GMT |
Lotus F1 juniors Alexander Albon and Dorian Boccolacci will race for the Signature team in the Formula 3 European Championship this season
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| By Mark Glendenning | Tuesday, January 13th 2015, 13:46 GMT |
Marco Andretti is likely to line-up for the next two Formula E rounds in Miami and Long Beach after making his series debut in Buenos Aires on Saturday
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| By Edd Straw and Jonathan Noble | Tuesday, January 13th 2015, 14:54 GMT |
Romain Grosjean says he is approaching the 2015 season with a revamped driving style to help boost his form, as Lotus also reshuffles his engineering team
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| Wednesday, January 14th 2015, 00:22 GMT |
Nasser Al-Attiyah tightened his grip on the 2015 Dakar Rally by extending his lead to 23 minutes on stage nine, which was won by his X-raid Mini team-mate Nani Roma
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| Monday, January 12th 2015, 13:36 GMT |
Jack Harvey has retained his Sam Schmidt Motorsports seat for the 2015 Indy Lights season after only missing out on last year's title on countback
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| By Ben Anderson and Matt Beer | Monday, January 12th 2015, 15:32 GMT |
Williams needs to secure a bigger budget before it can make the next step and become a Formula 1 championship contender again, believes its technical chief Pat Symonds
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| By Gary Watkins | Monday, January 12th 2015, 20:17 GMT |
Ford has unveiled the car that could take the marque back to the Le Mans 24 Hours as early as 2016
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| By Jeremy Shaw | Sunday, January 11th 2015, 21:42 GMT |
Ex-Formula 1 racer Rubens Barrichello took advantage of drying conditions to set the fastest time on the final day of Daytona 24 Hours testing on Sunday
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| By Edd Straw | Sunday, January 11th 2015, 15:07 GMT |
Thirteen-time grand prix winner David Coulthard believes that there has to be room for flexibility within the new Formula 1 superlicence regulations to accommodate exceptional rising stars
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| Sunday, January 11th 2015, 21:07 GMT |
Nasser Al-Attiyah maintained his Dakar Rally lead at eight minutes as the event reached its rest day, with fellow World Rally Championship regular Yazeed Al-Rajhi scoring his first stage win
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| By Mark Glendenning | Saturday, January 10th 2015, 20:31 GMT |
Antonio Felix da Costa emerged from the debris cloud to secure his first Formula E win on the Buenos Aires street circuit on Saturday
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| By Edd Straw | Saturday, January 10th 2015, 16:48 GMT |
Formula 1 racer turned pundit Allan McNish has backed plans for grand prix racing to introduce 1000bhp cars in 2017
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| Saturday, January 10th 2015, 23:48 GMT |
An unwell Nasser Al-Attiyah's Dakar Rally lead was trimmed by Giniel de Villiers on Saturday's marathon stage, from which Orlando Terranova emerged with the fastest time
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| Friday, January 9th 2015, 19:36 GMT |
Nasser Al-Attiyah extended his lead in the Dakar Rally after taking his third stage victory in six days of competition
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| By Marcus Simmons | Friday, January 9th 2015, 16:52 GMT |
Italian karting star Alessio Lorandi is to follow in Max Verstappen's footsteps and race in the Formula 3 European Championship with Van Amersfoort Racing
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| By Edd Straw | Saturday, January 10th 2015, 01:40 GMT |
Joey Hand made an impressive return to the prototype ranks and Chip Ganassi Racing by posting the fastest time on day one of Daytona 24 Hours testing on Friday
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| By Gary Watkins | Wednesday, January 7th 2015, 19:35 GMT |
Aston Martin Racing is launching a young driver programme to find a new factory racer for 2016
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| Wednesday, January 7th 2015, 19:20 GMT |
Silverstone has a new management team after the British Racing Drivers Club completed a major personnel restructure at the Formula 1 venue
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| Wednesday, January 7th 2015, 22:12 GMT |
Nasser Al-Attiyah extended his lead of the 2015 Dakar Rally with the fastest time on day four, as Orlando Terranova hit trouble and Peugeot's Carlos Sainz was also delayed
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| By Jonathan Noble | Tuesday, January 6th 2015, 16:21 GMT |
The FIA is facing pressure to reconsider its decision to force Honda to stick to the pre-season Formula 1 engine homologation deadline after rivals were given more freedom
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| By Gary Watkins | Tuesday, January 6th 2015, 16:29 GMT |
Sportscar stalwart Johnny Mowlem will contest his first full season in North America since 2005 with the BAR1 Motorsports United SportsCar Championship team
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| Tuesday, January 6th 2015, 18:09 GMT |
Orlando Terranova was fastest on day three of the 2015 Dakar Rally, while Nasser Al-Attiyah's overall lead was reduced to five minutes and the Peugeots made progress
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| Monday, January 5th 2015, 20:33 GMT |
Olivier Pla and Alex Brundle will contest this month's Daytona 24 Hours with the Krohn Racing Ligier team
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| Monday, January 5th 2015, 20:58 GMT |
Nasser Al-Attiyah reclaimed the Dakar Rally lead by dominating the second stage, on which Stephane Peterhansel, Robby Gordon, Carlos Sainz and Orlando Terranova all had problems
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| By Mark Glendenning | Monday, January 5th 2015, 21:44 GMT |
Andretti Autosport has hired Rob Edwards as its director of race operations and engineering to replace long-time team director Kyle Moyer, who moved to Team Penske late last year
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| Sunday, January 4th 2015, 17:52 GMT |
Nasser Al-Attiyah leads the 2015 Dakar Rally after day one, while Peugeot made a cautious start and last year's winner Nani Roma's hopes of another victory ended immediately
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| By James Bolton | Sunday, January 4th 2015, 11:33 GMT |
Peugeot Sport team principal Bruno Famin says getting three 2008 DKRs ready to start the Dakar Rally is a first victory for the team
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| By Ben Anderson and Matt Beer | Sunday, January 4th 2015, 14:49 GMT |
The loss of key technical staff in 2013 was the main reason why Lotus's '14 Formula 1 campaign was so bad, believes trackside operations chief Alan Permane
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| Friday, January 2nd 2015, 12:15 GMT |
The Honda MotoGP team has no expectation that Marc Marquez will be able to repeat his 2014 domination and expects a closer fight with Yamaha in '15.
Marquez won the first 10 races of the 2014 campaign to open up a vast championship lead, and ultimately claimed a record 13 victories from 18 grands prix.
Team boss Livio Suppo said Honda was thankful that Marquez had been in place to slot straight in after Casey Stoner's abrupt retirement at the end of 2012, but said there would be no panic if the scale of domination seen in early '14 proved to be the peak.
"With Marquez it will be difficult to repeat," Suppo said.
"Ten out of 10 is something really, really, really difficult.
"We've been very lucky to lose Casey and immediately find another super talent like this."
Suppo feels Yamaha's return to form in late-2014 - when Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo won four of the last six races between them - was more likely to set the tone for next year, with a much closer battle in prospect.
"Even if the season with Marc has looked easy, we know that the level of competition is very high," he said.
"It's enough to see the second half of the season from Jorge, where he's done an unbelievably good job, and also Valentino has done something unbelievable.
"We know the competition is very tough."
Yamaha team boss Lin Jarvis feels his men will be able to match Marquez from the outset in 2015.
"What we need to do is maintain the momentum, because you can't afford to let up," he said.
"When you've got someone as strong as Marc is at the moment, you've got to hit the ground running at the very first test, at the very first grand prix.
"It's going to be an incredible season in my opinion, and hopefully there will be a blue one up there at the end."
| Friday, January 2nd 2015, 14:23 GMT |
Jean-Eric Vergne will continue in Formula E for the Buenos Aires round, with IndyCar race winner Marco Andretti making his series debut alongside the ex-Formula 1 driver at Andretti Autosport.
Vergne started from pole on his FE debut in Punta del Este last month and fought for victory until he hit suspension problems with two laps to go, but would not be drawn on his series future afterwards.
The ex-Toro Rosso racer was subsequently announced as part of Ferrari's F1 test roster, and will also stay on with Andretti for the Argentina FE event on January 10.
His Buenos Aires team-mate Andretti also competes with his father Michael's team in IndyCar.
The younger Andretti is yet to drive the car that he will race in Argentina.
"I've been looking forward to the chance to get behind the wheel of a Formula E car," said the 27-year-old.
"Having never been in the car, it's a bit of an unfamiliar situation for me but the team's pace looks solid enough for a great result.
"I like unknown situations; I'm up for the task."
Andretti will be the fifth driver to race with the team in FE this season.
The Andretti roster has included Vergne, Charles Pic, Matthew Brabham and Franck Montagny, who has not raced for the squad since testing positive for a derivative of cocaine during the second round in Malaysia.
TUNG BACK TO CHINA RACING
Chinese driver Ho-Pin Tung will also compete in Buenos Aires after returning to the China Racing team. Tung, who raced in the first two events, will partner regular racer Nelson Piquet Jr.
Antonio Garcia had stood in for Tung in Punta del Este.
| By Jonathan Noble | Friday, January 2nd 2015, 14:43 GMT |
Formula 1's current manufacturers will now be allowed to develop their engines during the 2015 season, after the FIA accepted there was a loophole in the regulations.
Mercedes' rivals Ferrari and Renault pushed hard in late-2014 for F1's engine freeze to be eased to give them more time to introduce much-needed upgrades, rather than having to complete all changes to a pre-season deadline.
But with Mercedes standing firm and refusing to concede much ground, it appeared that Ferrari and Renault's hopes of extra time were dashed.
However, as AUTOSPORT first revealed in December, the situation changed dramatically when it was suggested to the FIA that the engine rules did not actually stipulate when a final engine had to be lodged for 2015.
Although the FIA had always been under the impression that new engines would have to be homologated for the first race, this was never explicitly laid down in the rules.
An FIA spokesman said: "It was always envisaged, although not explicitly stated in the rules, that manufacturers would have to deal with modifications on the engine within the constraints of the rules, and then submit their 2015 engine [at the first race].
"It is simple, but when you read it [the rule book], it doesn't say that unfortunately."
Ferrari's technical director James Allison brought up the matter in a technical regulations working group meeting with the FIA at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and there were further discussions on the subject at a Strategy Group meeting before Christmas.
With the FIA admitting that the wording of the regulations was open to interpretation, it has subsequently told teams that the "most logical and robust" way forward is to accept that there is no actual date for 2015 homologation.
It means that manufacturers now have the option of introducing upgrades to their engines throughout the season - as long as they stick to the 32 development token limit that is laid down within the rules and do not exceed the four-engine per car limit for the campaign.
In a note that was sent from the FIA's Charlie Whiting to all teams over the Christmas period, it was made clear that the upgrades would be allowed to come on tap at any point over 2015.
"As it is not specifically stated... when a power unit may be modified in accordance with appendix 4 [of the technical regulations], we feel that the weighted items (32 in this case) may be introduced at any time during the 2015 season," said the note, a copy of which has been seen by AUTOSPORT.
"The basic homologated power unit will remain that which was homologated for the 2014 season, including any changes made in accordance with paragraph 1 (c) of appendix 4 [of the sporting regulations]."
NO DEVELOPMENT FREEDOM FOR HONDA
The interpretation that allows Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault to bring in developments over the course of 2015 will not apply to Honda because it is a new manufacturer.
Although the regulations do not specifically state dates for the Japanese car maker to submit its homologated unit, the FIA is standing by its view that it must stick to the February 28 date that the current manufacturers faced last year.
The Whiting note added: "As the existing manufacturers were obliged to homologate their power units by 28 February 2014 it would seem fair and equitable to ask a new manufacturer to homologate their power unit before February 28 2015.
"We therefore consider this to be a requirement for a new power unit manufacturer."
HOW THE FREEZE RULES WORK
During discussions to frame the new turbo V6 regulations, an engine freeze was agreed to prevent costs getting out of control.
Once a power unit design was lodged with the FIA on February 28 2014, changes were only going to be accepted during the season for "reliability, safety or cost-saving reasons."
However, each winter a limited number of modifications would still be allowed.
The scope of the change would be limited by a 'token' system that related to the individual components on the engine and its hybrid systems.
The entire power unit is made up of 66 'tokens' - which are weighted individually between one and three depending on how important they are.
Ahead of 2015, five of these tokens were 'frozen' completely - but there was scope to review the 61 remaining items if a manufacturer felt improvements were needed.
However, it would not be allowed to change all the parts. The rules are clear that only 32 tokens - approximately 48 per cent of the power unit - could be used for 2015.
The issue surrounding the recent FIA clarification relates to when these tokens need to be used by.
One view was that it had to be done by the first race, but Ferrari and Renault have successfully argued that a loophole in the rules means there is no deadline.
Longer term, the restrictions on how much development can be done increase each year.
So for 2016, 38 per cent of the engine can be changed, going down to 30 percent in '17, 23 per cent in '18 and just five per cent for '19 and '20.
| By Mark Glendenning | Thursday, January 1st 2015, 12:47 GMT |
IndyCar team boss AJ Foyt says he will be encouraging his drivers to race each other hard when his squad returns to the track with a two-car line-up in 2015.
AJ Foyt Racing confirmed its long-planned expansion to two cars in October when it signed Briton Jack Hawksworth to join ex-Formula 1 racer Takuma Sato (both pictured above).
Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Foyt said they will be free to race one another and expects them to be challenging at the front.
"I want them to run as hard as they possibly can," said Foyt, who turns 80 in January. "I want them to race each other the best they can, and may the best man win. Just don't take each other out.
"We got two boys that can be up on the front most of the time. We're really looking forward to having a big year and a lot of fun. There will be a day when one of them will be a little better than the other one, and that's why they call it racing."
Hawksworth, like Sato, raced in a single-car team last year, and said the opportunity to work alongside a team-mate would help him to build upon what he learned in a strong rookie season with Bryan Herta Autosport.
"I think we'll just push each other along," he said. "I think that the team will grow as well. At the moment, there's so little practice time.
"If you have two cars out there running, you can try different things, different approaches in the practice sessions.
"Hopefully at the end of the day you put all of that together from both cars, then you take a significant step forward."
| Thursday, January 1st 2015, 14:15 GMT |
Ex-Formula 1 driver Franck Montagny fears his motorsport career may be over after testing positive for a derivative of cocaine.
The former Super Aguri driver, who started the inaugural 2014-15 Formula E season with Andretti Autosport, has been suspended from competition pending final confirmation of any sanction.
According to French newspaper L'Equipe, Montagny has not contested the result of a test carried out after the second Formula E round in Malaysia on November 22 2014.
"Auto sport is perhaps over for me," the Frenchman is quoted as saying.
"At the end of the race, I see the guy who tests signalling me. There, in my head, I understood immediately. I knew it was dead.
"I was ashamed."
Prior to his seven-race Super Aguri sojourn in 2006, Montagny had tested extensively for the Renault team since 2004, having won the previous year's World Series by Nissan title and the Japanese manufacturer's Formula Open championship in 2001.
After outings for the French A1 Grand Prix team in 2007 Montagny moved into sportscar racing, joining Peugeot's factory effort and earning back-to-back Le Mans 24 Hours podiums in 2010 and 2011, as well as winning races in the American Le Mans Series.
He joined Andretti for the inaugural Formula E season, finishing second in the opener in Beijing, but was only 15th in Malaysia and withdrew from the most recent race in Uruguay last month, citing illness, with Matthew Brabham taking his seat.
| By Jonathan Noble | Thursday, January 1st 2015, 15:45 GMT |
Fernando Alonso has been singled out as Mercedes' main target for 2016 if the Formula 1 team cannot agree a new deal with Lewis Hamilton.
Talks between Hamilton and Mercedes to thrash out a fresh deal were put on hold until after last season, so that the discussions would not get in the way of the title battle between the Briton and his team-mate Nico Rosberg.
AUTOSPORT revealed last October that Alonso was on Mercedes' radar and although renewal talks began with Hamilton last November, with both parties seeing no reason why a fresh contract cannot be sorted out, Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has suggested that Alonso is a fall back option in the event that talks break down.
"There's no hurry, we'll discuss it during the year," he told Gazzetta dello Sport, with Hamilton's current deal running out at the end of 2015.
When asked what would happen if a contract could not be sorted, he said: "I'm optimistic, the priority is to carry on with these drivers. Should it be impossible, then Alonso represents the top alternative, followed by [Valtteri] Bottas."
Wolff believes that Alonso remains one of the best drivers on the grid, despite the recent disappointing streak at Ferrari that prompted his decision to leave Maranello.
"He is a dangerous rival with any car," he explained "If he is at the wheel of a car that can finish sixth, he will take it to third place."
Alonso has rejoined McLaren for 2015, with the team suggesting that the Spaniard has a multi-year deal.
However, there are likely to be performance clauses in the contract that could allow him to leave in the event that the Woking-based team does not deliver.
WILLIAMS MAIN 2015 RIVAL
Wolff also believes that Williams will be Mercedes' main rival in 2015 - although would not be surprised if Red Bull returned to form after a disappointing campaign last year.
"I put Williams at the top of the list," he said when asked where he thought the biggest threat would come from this year, "but I also fear a lot Red Bull: they have won four consecutive titles and will field every resource in order to fight again for the title."
He also did not dismiss the possibility of Ferrari, and new signing Sebastian Vettel, delivering more than some expect.
"Never underestimate them," he said. "It's an icon and it's important for it to be able to win again as soon as possible. I'm convinced it will soon be competitive again, maybe in 2015 already."
Translation by Michele Lostia
| Wednesday, December 31st 2014, 09:27 GMT |
Ferrari protege Raffaele Marciello will be Sauber's test and reserve driver for the 2015 Formula 1 season.
Marciello, a long-time member of Ferrari's driver academy programme, made his F1 testing debut for the Maranello squad in Abu Dhabi last month.
The 20-year-old Italian will combine a second season of GP2, where he drove for Racing Engineering this year, with his Sauber commitments.
"I am really pleased to become a member of the Sauber F1 team, which has a long tradition of building up excellent drivers," said Marciello, who finished eighth in GP2 this season after winning last year's Formula 3 European Championship.
"I really think that this is the best choice for my future career.
"I am also happy to compete for one more season in the GP2 Series, which, together with my new F1 role, will give me a very busy 2015 season."
Team boss Monisha Kaltenborn said Marciello's deal with her Ferrari-powered squad included some appearances in grand prix practice sessions.
"He proved his great talent in junior formulas, and his season in the European Formula 3 Championship with 13 wins and the title victory was particularly impressive," she said.
"We will give Raffaele the opportunity to become familiar with Formula 1, which also includes him taking part in some free practice sessions on Fridays."
Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr form Sauber's race line-up for 2015.
| By Glenn Freeman | Wednesday, December 31st 2014, 11:37 GMT |
Renault Sport chiefs believe that they have learned lessons from a tough Formula Renault 3.5 season in 2014 where the series was unable to field a full grid of cars.
The championship was rocked by the news that established, championship-winning outfit Carlin decided to sit out 2014 on the eve of the season, while a handful of other teams struggled to field a full line-up through the year.
Those issues led to Renault working with the teams to come up with cost-cutting measures for next year, and championship organisers are confident of returning to a full field in 2015.
When asked by AUTOSPORT if 2014 was a transitional year for FR3.5, Renault Sport CEO Patrice Ratti said: "I think so. We should have reacted earlier on the costs.
"We underestimated the problem, and we underestimated the solutions.
"Once we started working on it - when you dig you find that you can find things here and there."
Ratti believes that the changes could save teams €100,000 per season from next year.
"Without changing the performance of the car we have helped save at least that," he added.
"The teams should be able to offer better rates, or make more profit.
"This year was difficult for some teams, but they are happy with the decisions, and we made the changes by working with them.
"They are all preparing for next year, and discussing with drivers. They told us it's a better situation than a year ago."
Carlin will return to FR3.5 next year, replacing Czech outfit ISR in the line-up of 12 teams.
| By Ben Anderson | Wednesday, December 31st 2014, 15:11 GMT |
Daniel Ricciardo says he is mentally prepared for when his stunning 2014 Formula 1 form takes an inevitable dip in the future.
The Australian stepped up to Red Bull from junior team Toro Rosso this year and beat his four-time F1 world champion team-mate Sebastian Vettel in the same car.
Ricciardo has received widespread praise within the paddock for his consistently excellent performances behind the wheel in 2014, but the three-time grand prix winner said it would be important to get ready for an eventual slump.
AUTOSPORT's writers vote Ricciardo the driver of the F1 year
When asked by AUTOSPORT how he would deal with a period of struggle such as that experienced by Vettel this year, Ricciardo replied: "I think that is an important one.
"I am riding a pretty big wave at the moment and I am sure, eventually, that will come down and then back up - but that's normal.
"I think controlling your bad days as best as possible, or the times when maybe the car is a complete box the whole weekend [is important].
"It is about controlling your emotions and not getting too frustrated with it - just finding ways to drive around it and accepting that, OK you are not going to win, but a fifth would still be better than a 10th, so try and get fifth."
Ricciardo said he would do his best to maintain the relaxed attitude that has served him so well in his career so far.
"It is always easier said than done," he added.
"Particularly now I have won a few races, if I am running around fifth or sixth I am not really happy with that.
"So, it's easy to get frustrated and want more, but that is where it gets tough and you sometimes have to take a step back and deal with what it is and never lose your confidence or belief.
"I have won a race this year, so in two years' time I shouldn't be a worse driver - I should be better.
"Maybe the opportunity wouldn't be the same, but you should never doubt your own ability."
