Although Mercedes utterly dominated in 2014, team chairman Niki Lauda is still looking into the new season with trepidation. For one thing, the F1 legend and triple world champion cannot understand the sport's looming schedule for pre-season testing.
"Everyone at Brackley is stressed," Lauda admitted to Austria's Salzburger Nachrichten. "There are many things (to worry about)," he explained. "It bothers me that this year there is no test in the heat of Bahrain, unlike the previous year. In Spain, the temperatures are too low in February and then we go straight to the heat of Melbourne. I don't understand this schedule," Lauda added.
He also commented on the winter developments on the political front, with engine makers allowed to upgrade their 2015 engines beyond the original deadline. "The newcomers Honda also want the same position as the others," said Lauda, "which I understand for reasons of fairness."
Lauda, meanwhile, was keen to look into the sport's future, amid reports Bernie Ecclestone is pushing for big technical changes to the cars and engines for 2017. He said he agrees with the F1 supremo.
"Right now, the cars allow any F3 or GP2 driver to be fast right away, without having to take a lot of risk," he said. "You can drive these formula one cars almost like a street car. I want a car for the future that has 1,200 horse power, wide tyres -- formula one needs to be faster and more difficult, as it once was," Lauda added. (GMM)
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