F1 News update

It's almost March, the Formula 1 season is getting closer and the final test session in Barcelona will begin this week. This final week of testing will prove to be the most telling in terms of a pecking order of the teams. Of course we cannot tell exactly from testing, it gives us a rough idea. Here is the latest news ahead of the crucial final test.

Tom Wilkinson – F1 News:

Paddy Lowe will join Mercedes.
Paddy Lowe will move to Mercedes in 2014 as McLaren confirm his departure. It was quoted as “A done deal” but his departure has now been confirmed by McLaren. 50 year old Lowe is one of the most respected technical directors in the sport, however there has been speculation surrounding his future at McLaren for some time. He will continue to be employed by McLaren for the 2013 season in accordance with his contract, however he will be placed on Gardening leave, it is unknown if he will attend any races this season with McLaren. Tim Goss has replaced him as technical director with immediate effect. In the last few months Mercedes have undergone a major reshuffle with the teams management, Paddy Lowe was tipped to replace Ross Brawn. Mercedes have not commented on this latest development. For all the latest on this story follow me on twitter @TomWilkinsonF1 for Live updates.

Mercedes not capable of winning yet.
Lewis Hamilton has ruled out a win for Mercedes at the beginning of the season. Talking to the Media on the final day of the second pre-season test, he said “We're not looking at wins at the moment. We're hoping to get into the points and fight for top 10. It's not fast enough to be quickest over one lap but it's not slow, that's for sure.” The season begins In Melbourne on 17th March. Both Lewis Hamilton and teammate Nico Rosberg have said the car is good, Hamilton also said he felt encouraged during testing in Jerez. The car isn't bad at all, it just needs some small improvements in certain areas to compete with the top runners. I would be very surprised if Mercedes didn't win a race this year.

Toro Rosso teammates not Friends.
Jean-Eric Vergne has made it clear that he is not friends with teammate Daniel Ricciardo. The Frenchman said that he has no problem with Ricciardo and said they have a good working relationship. Toro Rosso have been ruthless in the past with their drivers and those who don't perform quickly get replaced. With the link to the Red Bull Racing very strong, both drivers know that good performances could potentially result in a drive with the top team. Ricciardo said this, “I imagine we’re probably like most other team-mates. We don’t really talk away from the track. We’re just doing our own thing. I think it’s how it should be as well.”

Georgie Thompson leaves Sky F1
Speculation surrounding Georgie Thompson is growing after reports she has left Sky Sports F1. It has been reported that she's possibly heading to BT Vision to present their new football coverage alongside former BBC F1 presenter Jake Humphrey. However there is also speculation surrounding a recent driving offence may be a reason for her not appearing on any Sky F1 programmes this year and seemingly airbrushed off the website. There is no official announcement from either Sky or BT at this time.

Grosjean says Lotus Competitive
Ahead of the final test in Barcelona Romain Grosjean says there is no reason to doubt that Lotus are competitive. The team have high expectations this season but looking at the performances during testing so far they do look very good this year. Grosjean has just 2 more days of testing in Barcelona this week. On Friday evening the Frenchman had this to say to the media, “Honestly, we do what we have to do and we concentrate on ourselves, “There are still things we don’t understand 100% on the tyres and how we can improve our long runs. We started it and I was the first one to say, ‘It looks like a disaster’ to start with. But looking back, it wasn’t that bad.”

Keep up to date with all the latest Formula 1 news by following me on Twitter TomWilkinsonF1 #TWF1. Stay up to date with all my reports right here at Driving For Pleasure and also on Twitter drivin4pleasure.