Wheelers Blog & News

Jenson Button has resorted to jokes as McLaren's farcical delay in announcing its 2015 driver lineup drags on. "I have a new Japanese phone number," said the 2009 world champion. "Maybe that's why I haven't heard anything." The British veteran was attending the annual Autosport awards, as was McLaren's team boss Eric Boullier. Amid growing criticism of McLaren's dithering, Boullier said he hoped the waiting will end within "days". "It's a matter of days, I hope," said the Frenchman,...

McLaren has denied its 2015 driver lineup is delayed due to a behind-the-scenes "problem". The British team is taking heavy criticism for leaving 2009 world champion Jenson Button in the lurch, and endangering the career of the Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen. "A team that has made a reputation of being indecisive has elevated the art to new heights," said Kevin Eason, writing in The Times. "Their behaviour has been shameful." Team supremo Ron Dennis is being universally blamed for the...

Top Gear UK has released preliminary details about the Patagonia special programmed to air this Christmas. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will be back this Christmas in the Top Gear Patagonia special in which the trio will embark on a 1,600-mile journey through Patagonia to the southernmost city in the world. They will be driving the Porsche 928, Lotus Esprit and Ford Mustang through swamps, beaches, forests and ski slopes while at the end there's going to be a car football...

More than 60 trophies won by Red Bull were stolen from the F1 team's factory late on Friday night. Team boss Christian Horner confirmed that a vehicle broke through the front entrance of the quadruple world champion's Milton Keynes headquarters, causing "significant damage". "Beyond the aggressive nature of this break in, we are perplexed why anyone would take these trophies," he said on Saturday. Horner said that while the value of the trophies is "extraordinarily high" to the team...

The story of Korea's surprise return to the F1 calendar for 2015 has taken another bizarre twist. Insiders were stunned on Wednesday when the FIA published a 2015 schedule featuring an unprecedented 21 races including the return of remote and unpopular Korea. The calendar's author, Bernie Ecclestone, had declared only months ago "I don't want to go back there". And organisers of the Yeongam event, having dropped off the calendar after 2013, declared that the FIA's move to reinstate a 2015...

The F1 world is now eyeing yet another date for the delayed announcement of McLaren's 2015 driver lineup. The British team's board met at Woking on Thursday to reportedly discuss whether Jenson Button or Kevin Magnussen should be retained to be the first Honda-powered teammate for Fernando Alonso next year. Much of the F1 world was expecting an announcement to be made afterwards. "The meeting of the board was held today," a McLaren spokesman was quoted as saying late on Thursday by...

Mazda and XBox have teamed up to create a new contest to promote the 2016 MX-5. Dubbed the Mazda MX-5 Livery Design Contest, the event asks Forza Horizon 2 players to help create a new livery for the 1994 Mazda MX-5 that is already available in the game. The designs will be judged by representatives from Mazda, Microsoft, and Turn 10 Studios will then select a handful of semi-finalists based on their originality, aesthetics and technical proficiency. The semi-finalists will then be judged...

According to a recent report, Volkswagen is conducting a feasibility study into the possibility of entering Formula One. Citing sources close to the automaker, BBC Sport is reporting the feasibility study is being lead by former Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali who left for Audi earlier this year. They go on to say Volkswagen's interest has been spurred by Mercedes' recent championship win and the numerous marketing potential that Formula One provides.   Unfortunately, Bernie...

James Bond lost his Aston Martin DB5 at the end of Skyfall but it appears he has a replacement as a new report is indicating the famous Ian Fleming character will drive a Fiat 500 in an upcoming movie which has been tentatively dubbed Bond 24. Details are limited but Bond, played by Daniel Craig, will reportedly drive the 500 in a high-speed chase through the streets of Rome. However, it's expected to have a relatively short life as sources have said it will be destroyed somewhere near the...

Just as Carlos Sainz settles in at Toro Rosso, it emerges that a major sponsor is staying with the Red Bull-owned team after all. When Sainz started out in the British and European F3 categories in 2012, we reported that he was doing so with the direct backing of Cepsa. The Spanish oil company has also been Toro Rosso's major backer. But while Red Bull remained undecided recently over promoting Sainz into F1 for 2015, it emerged that Cepsa was contemplating leaving Toro Rosso. Spain's El...