Niki Lauda expects Ferrari to stay close to Mercedes in F1 title chase

Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg hope to extend Formula One points lead in Monaco

Mercedes F1 team chairman and three-time Formula One champion Niki Lauda says he always knew 2015 would be a tougher challenge for Mercedes than its virtual cakewalk to the title in 2014.

The German outfit utterly dominated last year, but so far in 2015 Ferrari has put up a fight. Heading into this weekend's race in Monaco, Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton (111 points) and Nico Rosberg (91 points) hold down the top spots in the driver standings, but Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel (81) is within striking distance. Vettel's teammate, Kimi Raikkonen, is fourth in the championship with 52 points.

"The higher you climb," Lauda told Germany's Kolner Express newspaper, "the thinner the air."

Barcelona winner Rosberg, however, said he is not expecting any additional teams to intervene in Mercedes' title push.

"No," he told Welt am Sonntag newspaper. "Just us and Ferrari."

Lauda continued, "It quickly became clear to us that Ferrari had found 40 hp more compared to last year.

"So we had to develop faster as well in order to maintain our competitive edge."

The strategy appeared to have worked in Spain recently, as Mercedes' Rosberg and Hamilton easily finished first and second.

Lauda said, "The victory in Barcelona was important because I know from experience that whoever is quick there is quick everywhere. Until Barcelona, Lewis was driving like an extraterrestrial, and I thought it would be impossible to beat him. But Nico recovered and managed to break Lewis' run. That's good news for him and also for us."

Rosberg has won the past two Monaco Grands Prix, but Hamilton will be determined to resume his run of top form this weekend, Lauda warned.

"(Rosberg) has to go there and be on pole again, because if Lewis is on pole, it's over," Lauda said.

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Miller Motorsports Park will close on October 31

Miller Motorsports Park will close on October 31Steven J. Ewing

Miller Motorsports Park says it will cease operations on October 31, 2015. This confirmation comes via the park's website, which posted a short statement about the sad news.

"On behalf of my family, I would like to thank all of those who have supported the track over the years, both locally and worldwide, for their enthusiasm and use of the facility," Gail Miller, owner of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies, wrote on the Miller Motorsports Park website.

The 500-acre motorsports park in Tooele, UT opened in 2006, and has housed a number of races, driving schools, and private events throughout the years. Autoblog has visited the facility, about a dozen miles west of Salt Lake City, on several occasions, most recently last year, when we participated in the Ford ST Octane Academy.

"This is a huge disappointment," Tooele County Commissioner Shawn Milne told The Salt Lake Tribune. "The racetrack is top notch, and we appreciate the tourism it brings in." The Tribune also reports that no one from the park or the Miller family gave Tooele County any notice that the facility would be shutting down.

The facility will still hold all racing events, driving schools, karting events, and other activities planned for this summer.


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