No engine freeze delay for troubled Renault

Mar.1 (GMM) The engine development 'freeze' deadline will not be extended.

Earlier, it emerged that crisis-struck Renault had managed to get onto the agenda for Friday's F1 strategy group meeting a discussion about extending the end-February deadline for the homologation of its troubled V6 'power unit'.

But the French marque's Remi Taffin said on Friday: "Today we have sent an engine to the FIA to be sealed and we feel comfortable.

"We would however be liars if we said that three more months would not have helped us," he is quoted by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

Correspondent Michael Schmidt said engine rivals Mercedes and Ferrari "were of the opinion that they should not be punished for doing their job well while others did not".

Also rejected on Friday was the proposal to extend the new 'double points' concept for the 2014 season finale to the previous two Grands Prix as well.

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Former Ferrari team spokesman Luca Colajanni has joined the newly Ferrari-powered Marussia as 'partnership director', working with technical and commercial partners.

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A blog post by a well-known F1 journalist has been proved wrong.

The British writer claimed a law firm is buying 9 per cent of the Lotus team, but in fact London-based Jag Shaw Baker had simply advised the Enstone team on a recent transaction and been listed in company documents for that reason.

Sources at both the law firm and also Lotus confirmed that the blog post, still active and uncorrected, is incorrect.