Summarised F1 news from across the internet*
If you are on Twitter, Facebook or any other social network – please press the share buttons. Make plenty of comments below.
* TJ13 doesn’t endorse or confirm any articles or stories linked below:
Ocon lets us into his personality
Today, Esteban Ocon posted on his Instagram story a photo of himself and Lance Stroll, calling Lance ‘Frérot’ or informal ‘Bro’ in French. Don’t ever count this boy out of Formula 1, with the Mercedes juggernaut behind him, his name won’t move far from the paddock.
Equally, Stroll is probably copping some serious flack in social media land and needs all the help he can get.
Ocon ‘negotiating’ with Williams
Esteban Ocon has admitted Williams is his last shot at a Formula 1 cockpit for 2019.
The Frenchman is disappointed not only that he is losing his Force India seat to Lance Stroll, but that options to switch to Renault or McLaren both vanished recently.
Ocon confident about F1 future
“It’s a bit strange how it turned out, because I had options with two big teams and most drivers can only dream of that. But we will find a solution.
READ: Force India’s Esteban Ocon career crisis ‘crazy’ – Christian Horner
Even if I have to miss next season, I am sure that I will return to F1 in 2020,” Ocon, 22, told the French broadcaster TF1.
F1 should consider allowing one-off liveries – Brown
Formula 1 should be more open to the idea of allowing teams to run special one-off liveries, says McLaren CEO Zak Brown.
“I still think I’d like to see it as two cars, but if you were going to Monaco and you have a big programme going with one your partners, and for that weekend you wanted to turn it in to a Dell Technologies car or whatever the case may be, but both would be the same [you could do that].
“So the fans still knew that’s McLaren, that’s Ferrari, whoever the team may be.
“I think that might be a new innovation with partnerships in Formula 1 that’s not quite to the extreme of seeing different cars in totally different liveries, because I think those fans are more focused on the driver.”
Dieter Zetsche steps down as Director of Daimler. Will instead be on Supervisor Board.
“As a long-standing member of the Board of Management and Chairman of the Board of Management, Dieter Zetsche has played a key role in shaping Daimler AG and has ensured its strategically outstanding positioning for the mobility of the future.
“His expertise and experience are extremely valuable for our company. Dieter Zetsche is predestined also to lead the company’s Supervisory Board prudently and successfully. As Chairman of the Board of Management, he has proven that he can lead Daimler AG also in difficult circumstances and can inspire employees to pursue ambitious goals.
“With Dieter Zetsche’s intended appointment as Chairman of the Supervisory Board, we are ensuring continuity for the sustained success of Daimler AG. In Ola Källenius, we are appointing a recognized, internationally experienced and successful Daimler executive as Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.
“At the same time, we are relying on the proven dual responsibility of the Chairman of the Board of Management as the head of the largest division, Mercedes-Benz Cars,” stated Manfred Bischoff, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Daimler AG.”
UK-based F1 teams state funded to the tune of £100m
“It is outrageous that these teams and this industry, owned by billionaires and multinational companies, are receiving these generous handouts from the public purse,” said Labour MP, Margaret Hodge, who heads a cross-party group focusing on responsible taxation.
“The Chancellor will soon present his next Budget and he should use the opportunity to reform RDEC so that it can’t be used as another scheme for already successful and wealthy business people,” she adds.
I’m not sure which of these four topics to comment on!!!
However I will say that what a shame it was that Toto Wolf didn’t have the guts to give Ocon a crack in the works team when he had two vacancies there a couple of months ago. Now he is blaming anyone and everyone for his own cowardice.