F1 Gossip: Stroll takes swipe at Ferrari over Vettel treatment

In the latest F1 gossip column, Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll has criticised Ferrari for its treatment of Sebastian Vettel, while Formula 1 is exploring live race streaming options with major platforms such as Amazon.

- Stroll has dismissed suggestions Sebastian Vettel is no longer the driver he once was.

The Canadian has also criticised the timing of Ferrari’s decision to replace him with Carlos Sainz. 

Stroll told Chinese website Xinhua: "A four-time world champion doesn't forget how to drive all of a sudden. Having your contract terminated before the season even starts isn't the best way of motivating somebody to get them focused on the job at hand.

"This guy has got something to prove, and he's raring to go."

- Formula 1 is in talks with several internet streaming platforms such as Amazon and Facebook as the sport looks at new ways of broadcasting its races. (RaceFans)

- Charles Leclerc has played down the size of Ferrari's improvement in 2021, saying the new SF21 isn’t enough for it to return to the levels of performance it showed in 2019. (CodeSport)

- Helmut Marko believes Red Bull enjoyed its best pre-season testing campaign ever in 2021. (RTL)

- Marko also thinks the impressive pace shown by rookie Yuki Tsunoda gives the AlphaTauri a strong chance of leading the midfield pack in Bahrain. (RTL)

- The Japanese driver ended testing second fastest overall but his strong pace was aided by the use of the Drag Reduction System in areas of the track DRS isn't usually allowed. During F1 race weekends, drivers are only allowed to use DRS in permitted DRS zones outlined by the FIA. (SpeedWeek)

- Mercedes completed a shakedown of its W12 at the Bahrain International Circuit on Tuesday.

Bahrain. We just can't get enough of it. pic.twitter.com/18rut27ySA

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) March 16, 2021

Mercedes has denied suggestions that it had been trialling a new front wing during its shakedown.

Valtteri Bottas uploaded an image of the W12 on social media, which prompted fan speculation that the front wing in the photograph was different to what Mercedes had been running during testing.