FORMULA 1 - 2014

[MIKA27]

Ferrari F1 boss Mattiacci praises Raikkonen's drive in Brazil

Ferrari Formula 1 boss Marco Mattiacci hailed Kimi Raikkonen's Brazilian Grand Prix performance "terrific" amid his season of struggle with the F14 T.

The 2007 world champion has found Ferrari's 2014 F1 car difficult to drive for most of the year, and has usually been well-beaten by team-mate Fernando Alonso.

Raikkonen was the only driver to complete Sunday's Interlagos race on just two pitstops, and battled for sixth place with Alonso before finishing close behind him in seventh.

Mattiacci reckons Ferrari made a breakthrough in getting its car to suit Raikkonen's driving style.

"I think we have seen a very positive Kimi this weekend," Mattiacci said.

"He had a terrific race.

"I would say [this was] one of the first weekends where Kimi really felt the car suited him, and we have seen the way with [his] racing."

Mattiacci said the process of getting Ferrari's car to suit Raikkonen was ongoing, and denied the Finn still needed to raise his own game, despite another ultimate defeat to Alonso.

"Kimi is a top professional, [he] doesn't [need to] respond to positive pressure," Mattiacci added.

"We work well together. He's a top driver [and] we're building step-by-step preparing for the future.

"They [top drivers] know very well how to react to pressure.

"I'm extremely happy for the race he did."

Raikkonen reckoned he could have beaten Alonso to sixth without a delay at his second pitstop caused by damage to the front jack.

"I think we could have been one place better but we had some problems in the pitstop," Raikkonen said.

"I think over the whole weekend the car has been more normal and I could drive it more normally.

"It's definitely been better. My tyres lasted pretty well. It's going in the right way.

"There's still quite a bit of work to be done on the package, but we know that, and we're improving."

[MIKA27]

Classic case of the rich doing everything they can to keep all the loot to themselves. Interesting where this will lead. IMO, suicide by the big teams. They will say that teams have always come and go in F1 but it's getting to a point where the entry fee is becoming prohibitive. And once you enter, the financial playing field is nowhere near even. New and poor teams are given a "begging" bowl, until and unless the big teams agree to throw them a few more crumbs. So the poor will remain poor while the rich gets paid just for showing up.

Kinda sounds like "Life"to me in general

But you are 100% correct, perfectly summed up

[MIKA27]

Williams's Smedley upset with self over Massa's Brazil GP pit error

Williams performance chief Rob Smedley says he is "upset with himself" for not doing more to prevent Felipe Massa accidentally driving through McLaren's pit during the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Massa had already been penalised five seconds for speeding in the pitlane when he lost more time at his second stop by mistakenly pulling up short of his Williams mechanics and stopping at McLaren instead.

Smedley shouldered some responsibility for his driver's error after the race, saying an unusual pitlane location for Williams at Interlagos had combined with the fact its mechanics wore a similar colour of clothing to McLaren to create confusion.

"I was more upset with myself than anyone else, because we moved pits and I sat here on Wednesday afternoon thinking about what could be different," said Smedley.

"And I missed the most glaringly obvious one, which is in the race he's been used to stopping near a set of mechanics with black overalls in front of him, and here they [McLaren] had almost the same set of overalls on [as Williams].

"Low sun, it seemed to be about the right position when you're heading down the pitlane at 80km/h trying to do the perfect stop, and he's got a set of mechanics out with exactly the same set of overalls on that he's always had and he pulled into their pit.

"There were a few words [exchanged] after that stop, but I was more upset with myself. I should have thought about it and warned them."

CHARACTER BUILDING RACE

Smedley also praised his team for salvaging an extra point for Massa's team-mate Valtteri Bottas, whose race unravelled because of loose seatbelts and severe rear tyre graining.

"There were a lot of niggly things thrown at us, whether we created them ourselves with Felipe's pitstops or whether it was force majeure in the hands of God, it wasn't a particularly easy Sunday afternoon," Smedley added.

"Ross Brawn used to say to me at Ferrari when we had bad races: 'they're character building', and these certainly are.

"The main thing is you don't cave in under pressure, because we could have absolutely caved in and got no points on Valtteri's car and quite easily lost that podium on Felipe's car with everything that was going on, and we didn't - we held our nerve.

"To come out of that with a podium and 16 points showed great resolve from the team.

"I'm proud of how we held it together when everything around us was falling apart."

MIKA: The best team of the year IMO - Of course Mercedes have done the best job but to rise from the ashes such as Williams, it's been great to see this happen. Bottas has been sensational this season.

[Baldy]

MIKA: The best team of the year IMO - Of course Mercedes have done the best job but to rise from the ashes such as Williams, it's been great to see this happen. Bottas has been sensational this season.

I agree MIKA. McLaren is my team and I like Button. However, even after Massa did everything to give the podium away, McLaren still cannot take advantage. Having said that, it's nice to see Williams amongs the front runners again.

[MIKA27]

I agree MIKA. McLaren is my team and I like Button. However, even after Massa did everything to give the podium away, McLaren still cannot take advantage. Having said that, it's nice to see Williams amongs the front runners again.

I hope McLaren keep Button over Magnussen. It's a tough choice but Button still has the skill, at least a few more seasons.

[MIKA27]

PADDY LOWE: “VERY TENSE” IN OUR GARAGE AS TITLE SHOWDOWN LOOMS

With the title duel between the two Mercedes drivers set to go down to the final race at Abu Dhabi, Mercedes technical chief Paddy Lowe has spoken of an incredibly tense atmosphere within the garage. The last thing they want is for one of the cars to have a reliability problem or for a driver to lose the title because of a mechanic error.

They may have won the Constructors’ Championship already and broken the record for 1-2 finishes in a season which was set by Senna and Prost in 1988, but the pressure is greater now than before,

“It’s very tense, you can feel it in the garage. Everybody knows what is happening, they know how everything they do will count and no-one wants to be the guy who makes a mistake, They want to see a fair fight between the guys and see the best driver win, so that does create a great deal of tension and I think there will be a big feeling of relief once the season is finally closed. But it’s a complex sport and many things can go wrong,” Lowe told BBC 5 Live.

Lewis Hamilton said on Sunday night that it is harder to race your own team mate for the world championship than a driver from another team, while Nico Rosberg, whose first title campaign this is, could see both sides of it. He drew strength from Hamilton’s error, when he spun around half distance,

“Good to see and I hope that it has slightly dented his confidence,” said Rosberg. “I have to do what I can. The mental side is always a big part of sport.

“Lewis is a really strong competitor, and OK, he has the same car as me, that has advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that the car is the same, so that, for example, today I know that he didn’t have more top speed than me so I know exactly what he has,” he said.

“It’s a great battle, fantastic also that the team is always letting us race, letting us battle, and also treating us 100 percent equally at all times. That’s really important. We’re both very lucky to be in that situation and that’s awesome.”

Lowe praised Rosberg’s determination, in coming to Brazil and dominating the weekend, putting his name on top of the time sheets for every one of the seven track sessions, something which happens only rarely. Although the points favour Hamilton, the German is not giving up without a fight,

“I think it’s really nice to see that both drivers are performing at their very best,” said Lowe. “Nico was quickest in every session this weekend,m which shows that he is not giving up, he’s right in there. And I think we can hope for a great showdown in Abu Dhabi.

As for Hamilton’s spin as he approached the second stops, Lowe observed that the strategy team had calculated that Hamilton’s chance could be to run longer before the second stops and Hamilton pushed to the limit on his first lapo gaining back one second of the 2.5 seconds he needed to get ahead after his stop. So they asked him for another lap, but he spun,

“He had a good go in that second stint,” said Lowe.

“He spun at turn four because he was pushing so hard. As you heard on the radio he was enquiring about that, He probably thought he was only going to do one lap around, but he hadn’t quite made the gap on the one lap, so the guys sent him on a second overlap and that’s when he spun.

He might have come out ahead, but they are very close.”

[MIKA27]

MALLYA: SPECULATION ABOUT OUR FUTURE NEEDS TO STOP

Force India co-owner Vijay Mallya has rejected speculation about his Formula 1 team’s finances and ongoing speculation about the future, saying they will be racing for years to come.

Speaking at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where only nine teams competed on Sunday, Mallya said Force India would not be following Marussia and Caterham onto the sporting scrapheap.

“All this speculation I think needs to stop,” the liquor baron told Reuters. “It’s not doing anybody any good…the bottom line is we’re OK.”

Mallya said the team’s 2015 car was almost ready. Asked whether Force India would be definitely racing in 2015 and beyond, he replied: “Of course. Absolutely.”

Since last month’s Russian Grand Prix, Marussia have folded and Caterham gone into administration.

Force India, Lotus and Sauber, whose finances have also caused concern, want a more equal distribution of the sport’s revenues but their request for a ‘base payment’ appeared to have fallen on deaf ears in Brazil.

Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez have ensured good results for Force India

Commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone told reporters on Sunday that the teams as a whole shared $900 million in revenues and ruled out extra payments.

However, Mallya said Ecclestone had told him he was meeting Donald Mackenzie, co-chairman of rights holders CVC, to discuss the matter on Tuesday. “If I don’t hear by the end of the week I’ll send him a gentle reminder,” he added.

Force India is co-owned by Mallya and the Sahara Group run by Subrata Roy, one of India’s best known tycoons, who is in a Delhi jail over the conglomerate’s failure to refund billions of dollars raised in outlawed bonds.

“Sahara is by no means financially weak or bankrupt,” said Mallya. “On the contrary Sahara has a huge amount of financial resources. It is just that they have been asked to refund money to investors and there’s a dispute there.”

Mallya also has troubles of his own, with United Bank of India in September declaring him and his grounded carrier Kingfisher Airlines “wilful defaulters”, although a court has halted execution of the decision.

Debt-laden Kingfisher has not flown for two years for want of cash.

A report in Britain’s Sunday Telegraph said Force India had reported a net annual loss of £38.5 million to December 31, 2013. That was up from a previous 33.4 million.

The team are currently sixth in the championship.

[MIKA27]

ALONSO DEAL DONE NOW MCLAREN TO DECIDE ON HIS TEAMMATE

For the first time since 2007, Fernando Alonso will make a visit to Woking this week, according to reports by several authoritative media sources as the deal for 2015 has apparently been done and now the matter of the Spaniard’s teammate is the next step ahead of an announcement.

El Mundo Deportivo claims that after a deal between the Spaniard and McLaren was finally struck in Brazil, he is set to travel to the team’s British headquarters on Wednesday to sign what is probably the most lucrative contract in Formula 1 history.

Flavio Briatore, involved in Alonso’s management throughout his Formula 1 career, hinted at the McLaren move in an interview with Italian radio RAI.

“Fernando wants to go to a team where there is the possibility to win in the future, even if it is not immediately,” said the Italian.

Briatore suggested Alonso’s patience with Ferrari had slowly faded over five championship-less seasons, “Ferrari will always remain in Alonso’s heart, it is a team he loves, even though every year it was always spoken about the next one and nothing happened.

Kevin Magnussen or Jenson Button: one of them is heading out the McLaren door

“There was also a little disappointment in not seeing an aggressive recruitment of engineers and staff that could raise the bar of the team,” Briatore added.

It is believed the only obstacle to a McLaren-Honda announcement being made now is the collaboration’s decision on who will be Alonso’s teammate.

On the face of it, and judging by his comments and body language in Brazil last week, Jenson Button looks set to be ousted, leaving the young Dane Kevin Magnussen as Alonso’s teammate.

But Alonso is said to prefer to have Button on his side, as the former world champions’ combined experience will push along the development of the new Honda V6 engine.

“I hope he [button] stays [in Formula 1],” France’s Le Figaro quotes Alonso as having said at Interlagos. “He is a very talented driver and a good person. People like him are good for our sport.”

Button, however, is not so sure Alonso will have the power to influence the decision, “It’s a tricky one. Who knows what’s going on inside Fernando’s head?”

In the end, McLaren’s decision could be a financial one, with Button costing the team multiple millions per year more than the rookie Magnussen. Button, however, has hinted that he might be prepared to take a pay-cut.

“I still want to earn money from it,” he said, “but I’m not a driver who takes the mick and I will race somewhere even if I’m not getting the big bucks, unlike a few drivers who are out there.”

If he does go, it will be a sad farewell for Formula 1’s long-serving Button, who might be forgiven for sounding disappointed in McLaren for not going him more notice after an illustrious 15-year career.

Former McLaren driver David Coulthard agrees that McLaren has treated Button disrespectfully, having accusing the Woking team of seeing drivers as “light bulbs”.

“Maybe it has had some reaction from the team, but I stand by my view,” the Scot told the Telegraph newspaper. “The right thing is to treat people well. To have him hanging on like this is unfair.”

“Going into the last race should be a celebration – if it is to be his last – but we may not know. He deserves better,” Coulthard added.

[MIKA27]

KALTENBORN: BIG TEAMS HAVE OWN AGENDA AND ARE DISRESPECTFUL

Formula 1’s major manufacturing teams are working to an agenda to streamline the sport and eliminate smaller independent outfits, Sauber team chief Monisha Kaltenborn has claimed.

After two races, in the United States and Brazil, where the grid was reduced to 18 cars after the withdrawal of the Marussia and Caterham teams, and a weekend of tense behind-the-scenes talks aimed at saving three more cash-starved teams, Kaltenborn expressed a view widely-held by many paddock observers.

“Looking at the proposals which have been made you have to believe there is some agenda, don’t you?” she said.

“The agenda seems to be that people are looking at four or five names to stay in here, and when ideas are offered to us of a year-old chassis or engines which are maybe a different spec or series, there must be an agenda.

“As there’s no-one reacting to it in front, we don’t know whose agenda it is. That’s why it’s important we said what we had to on this point because these things are changing every day, but the fact is it cannot remain like this.

“It’s no way we want to work and can work and the more these ideas are coming up the more we get the feeling that maybe some people don’t want us to be around — and maybe the sport is supposed to be changed in a very different way.”

Red Bull boss Christian Horner, whose team are seen as one of the big hitters along with Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes, rejected talk of any kind of agenda.

Agreements between commercial rights holders and the teams say that if the number of cars on the grid falls below 20, the major teams have an obligation to field a third car, but Horner said Red Bull were not thinking of doing that.

“The numbers haven’t dropped significantly low enough and we haven’t been requested by the promoter to run a third car,” he said. “Our preference is to have at least 10 healthy competing two-car teams. Red Bull’s position is we want to see a full grid of two-car teams.”

Kaltenborn added that she believed some of the manufacturer-backed big teams do not see their Formula One involvement as sport, but purely as business, “The big teams out there use this as a simple sporting marketing platform.”

“It’s nothing more for them. They talk of it as being a sport, about Benetton, all this stuff where is that now? We are not out here with, as they are saying, begging bowls.

“We also work quite well in times, if you look back, when you had a Toyota with a horrendously high budget, and we had our little budget, but we used to be on the podium often.

“We don’t need to be a threat to them, but we are part of the show and it’s very disrespectful to behave like this to teams within the sport and even more disrespectful towards the fans.”

[MIKA27]

FERRARI ENGINEER STELLA MAY FOLLOW ALONSO TO MCLAREN

It has emerged that Fernando Alonso could take his long time race engineer Andrea Stella from Ferrari to McLaren-Honda for the 2015 F1 season.”

Speed Week reports that, with the Spaniard said to have now definitely agreed his return to Woking, he wants to take Stella with him.

It is also reported that with Sam Michael stepping down as McLaren’s sporting director, the team might replace him with Massimo Rivola, who has a similar position at Ferrari currently.

The reports suggest Stella and Rivola – and perhaps other names at Ferrari – were among Alonso’s demands as he negotiated his McLaren contract, which could explain the long delay in the announcement of the deal.

[MIKA27]

VETTEL NEEDS SPECTACULAR FERRARI PREDICTS BRIATORE

Sebastian Vettel needs to hope for a spectacular Ferrari next season, predicts former team boss Flavio Briatore.

When Fernando Alonso’s switch to McLaren-Honda is finally announced, Ferrari can also lift the lid on the open secret of German Vettel’s move from Red Bull.

But Briatore, a flamboyant former Formula 1 team boss and closely aligned to Alonso’s management, says Vettel needs to hope for a highly competitive Ferrari if he expects to add a fifth drivers’ title to his tally.

“With all due respect I have for him,” the Italian told Rai radio, “I think Sebastian always had a very good car. In this first year with a car that is not perfect, Ricciardo beat him. I hope he finds a spectacular Ferrari.”

There are reports that although Red Bull is blocking Vettel from doing the post-Abu Dhabi test for Ferrari, he will be free to join Ferrari in the days immediately after.

So the reports suggest Vettel will be presented formally as Ferrari’s 2015 driver at the Finali Mondiali event in Abu Dhabi in early December, at the Ferrari World theme park.

Meanwhile, the Osterreich newspaper reports that Gerhard Berger is once again being linked with a possible move to become Ferrari team boss from 2015

[MIKA27]

Button fires broadside at McLaren

Jenson Button has fired what could be seen as parting shots at McLaren's bosses as he moves closer to an exit, saying being wanted by the team is more important than cash.

With Fernando Alonso set to return to Woking on a two-year contract starting next season, Button appears to be on his way out as Kevin Magnussen is rumoured to be staying.

McLaren, though, are only expected to make an announcement at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi on November 23, but Button is unimpressed with the way the team have handled the saga.

The 2009 World Champion is clearly not feeling loved at Woking at the moment.

"Naturally I still want to earn money because I feel I have achieved and I feel I should get paid for what I do in an F1 car or a racing car, and for what I bring to a team," he is quoted as saying by Press Association Sport.

"But I'm not a driver that takes the p***, and I will race somewhere even I'm if not getting the big bucks like a few drivers who are out there.

"You should get what you deserve. I feel I bring a lot to a team, not just in terms of results, but in terms of marketing within a team and working with sponsors, and how I can help develop a car.

"You want to feel like you are wanted within a team and part of the family.

"It's like if your parents were to turn round and say 'You know what, we're not sure if we want you at Christmas this year. But your brother can come, he's great'. You know what I mean.

"You want to feel like you are part of the family, and they want you to be part of the family, and that's more important than cash."

[MIKA27]

Marussia also eyeing UAE return

The Formula 1 grid could be back to 11 teams in Abu Dhabi with Marussia now also hoping to run in the season finale.

Marussia and fellow backmarkers Caterham went into administration in the build-up to the United States GP with the former being wound up last week and more than 200 employees made redundant with immediate effect.

However, Caterham announced on Friday that they hope to race in Abu Dhabi and has turned to crowdfunding in an attempt to raise £2.35 million.

Marussia have now also announced they could still head to the Yas Marina Circuit for the November 23 race if they manage to raise between £3 million and £5 million by the end of the week.

According to Sky Sports News HQ Marussia's administrators are in "serious talks" with one group about a takeover, which could lead to them racing not only in Abu Dhabi, but also next year.

The Banbury-based squad have been included in the FIA's provisional 2015 F1 entry list under Manor F1 Team.

Meanwhile, Caterham have hit the 50 percent mark in their bid to raise cash to compete in Abu Dhabi, but they have less than a week to come up with the other half as the deadline has been set for Friday, November 14.

[MIKA27]

Horner: Red Bull not pushing for third car

Red Bull's Christian Horner admits his team can't afford to run a third car with their current budget and says it's not something they are "pushing for".

Talk about three-car teams for the 2015 season refuses to die down in the wake of Caterham and Marussia's demise and with the big five of Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Williams refusing to back the smaller outfits, many believe one or more teams could fold before the end of this campaign.

If that is the case then the bigger outfits could be forced to field a third car next year, but Horner says Red Bull don't have the finances.

"If there was a third car requested to run we couldn't do it in within our existing budget, of course we couldn't," he told ESPNF1. "I think the numbers are pretty accurate. You're looking at 35 - 40 million Euros.

"The third car is only a scenario if the numbers drop, and there's not. At the moment it's not something we're planning, not something we're pushing for. If we're requested to do it then obviously we will have to look at it at that point."

The Red Bull team boss says although he is not favour of three-car teams, if push comes to shove they would do everything to make sure there is a full grid next year.

"Personally, I'm not a big fan of three-car teams. I think it's moving away from what Formula One should be. But if there's no option, no alternative, then Red Bull has a commitment [contractually] that yes we would have to run a third car. Red Bull's position is we want to see a full grid of at least ten healthy two-car teams," he said.

"We have an obligation, as do a couple of other teams, that if the grid drops below a certain number then we will be required to field a third car. The numbers haven't dropped significantly low enough and we haven't been requested by the promoter to run a third car, so that is the situation."

[MIKA27]

DC: Pressure is off Lewis

David Coulthard believes there is no extra pressure on Lewis Hamilton ahead of the title decider as he should comfortably finish second in Abu Dhabi even if he decides to be more conservative.

Hamilton will take a 17-point lead into the season finale on November 23 following Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg's victory at the penultimate race in Brazil on Sunday.

Despite the double points on offer, the Briton will win the title if he finishes first or second, but it does get a bit tricky if he finishes outside the top two positions.

Some have suggested that knowing you only have to finish second could be mentally difficult for Hamilton, but in his Telegraph column Coulthard wrote: "The pressure is off Lewis. All he has to do is go and drive. Even if he approaches it with a hint more conservatism, he should still qualify on the front row, finish second and take the title, so dominant is his car. They have won every 'normal' race this year, ie when there has not been a technical issue with the car, or when the two team-mates have not collided.

"It has to be a pressure release.

"Some drivers - my former Red Bull colleague Mark Webber springs to mind - needed a controversy or something akin to that really to deliver to their maximum potential, but Lewis is not like that. Nervous is not a word that seems to be in his vocabulary this year, even when he has been behind with plenty of ground to make up. He is relaxed in the knowledge that he is the faster man. Even in Brazil, with his half-spin, he showed he has the edge on Nico."

Hamilton has 10 victories to Rosberg's five ahead of the final race and it is no surprise that the German's odds of winning the title are longer.

There has been plenty of debate about who would be a worthy World Champion with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone saying "Lewis would be the better champion as far as this sport is concerned".

Coulthard also feels Hamilton "deserves the Championship".

"Most fans, other drivers, journalists and team principals, would agree, principally because he has won more races," he added.

"That is not to say Nico would not be worthy: he built the team up from 2010, and has put in some stellar drives. But it is Lewis's to lose. All things considered, second in Abu Dhabi is not too big an ask."

[LLC]

Will be interesting to watch. Mistakes or reliability issues are all that stand in his way.

[MIKA27]

Sergio Perez exclusive Q&A: "I learned a lot last year"

Sergio Perez discusses the past, present, and future as he looks to end the 2014 season on high note with Force India.

Sergio Perez is currently 12th in championship standings heading into the season finale. With Force India, he has collected one podium result this year, doing so at Bahrain.

Future in F1

Q: I wanted to start by asking you about contracts. You said in the USGP press conference that you think you are pretty close to a deal with Force India for next year and that you are looking for more stability. Are you interested in signing a two- or three-year deal with the team? Or are you only looking at 2015 right now?

A: Not really. At the moment I’m thinking just getting my deal for next year, as the thing is warming up. But who knows what might come after that? Things aren't changing too much for a while, so we just have to wait and see where I end up.

Q: I don't want to ask you too much more about your contract talks, but over the off-season what are your plans? Hopefully you will have a contract by then, do you just focus on your fitness for the next year? Or do you have to relax mentally?

A: It really depends. I really depends on which situation you are in; last year I was not in that situation, it was a very hard winter for me getting to know the team and all that. So now that I'm not changing the team it's a lot easier, I can race. I can have some time off, some quiet time by myself, analyse what I do, right what I did wrong, and look forward for the future.

Force India on par with McLaren

Q: In order to come to Force India this year, you left McLaren at the end of last season and until Sochi, you were ahead of McLaren in the constructors standings. You might get back ahead of them over the next three races. What has that been like for you, moving from a front running team to a midfield team but then beating the frontrunners? Is that good for your ego?

A: Yeah, it's good obviously; it’s something that feels good, for a racing driver to be able to show that you are capable of doing good things. So yeah, it's definitely a good feeling.

Q: And what was it like, if you can remember as far back as Jerez this year, stepping into your Force India? Did it feel like a much better car than you ended the season with the year before? Did you start off the season thinking, "Yes, I have got a good car. I can fight!”

A: Yeah, if you see in my first two races, I had too many issues like, so I couldn’t race, couldn’t run the car, but when you see how good, I was already in my third race getting the podium. It was really, really special, everything, all the negatives from the year before with McLaren to now, it was really good.

Q: Your first Force India podium; is that your favourite memory of your racing career? Or do you have to go back to your first Sauber podium?

A: The first time on that podium was very special in terms of what it meant to me, how it revindicated my career so definitely it was very special.

Q: And what are your aims? Obviously we have seen quite a bit of change over the course of, the end of the season, McLaren are improving. Do you think we're going to see you back on the podium before the end of this season?

A: I think it will be very hard in normal conditions on my racing to have something like that, to expect something like that at the moment. We are quite far behind; we haven't developed our cars as good as other teams, so we're not really quite there.

Q: That is the problem isn't it? When you have a team that is rich in talent but poor in resource. You can start out very strong but there is a point when the guys with the money are going to start beating you.

A: Exactly. That's the problem with it, teams at the moment; you cannot keep the development right up with the others. But I think that our fight with McLaren isn't over yet; they are 20 points ahead, which is a lot, but it can turn around with one race or not. So, we have to keep our heads down and try to do our best possible job.

A home GP in 2015

Q: Complete change of topic; the Mexican Grand Prix that we have got coming to the calendar next year. Are you involved in doing any promotional things with the circuit? What sort of involvement do you have with the project?

A: At the moment I am not doing any promotional on the circuits already, but quite soon I would like to promote the race. It is very special to have the race, to go out there and actually race. So yeah, it will be very special.

Q: And really you have spent the last four years promoting it just by being in a car, Mexican colours, and talking about how exciting Mexico is about Formula One.

A: Exactly. So, I'm really looking forward to getting to the Grand Prix and to go out there and race.

Q: And have you seen the development work that they are doing at the circuit?

A: Yes, they have done massive development work.

Q: Do you know if you are going to have to opportunity to be the first man to do a hot lap? Or have they not got that far yet?

A: No it’s not there yet, but hopefully it will be nice to get a run on the circuit.

Q: Well, you are the best-known Mexican racing driver; it would make more sense to have you do it than bring in somebody else.

A: That would be nice, yeah.

Perez wants more US racing

Q: So we have got Mexico coming back to the calendar; are there any other countries that you would like to see join the calendar if you had the free choice to put something on?

A: I think the US; I really like racing in the US. I think Austin is great and doing another venue, it might be Las Vegas or somewhere like that, that would be huge.

Q: I want to see Miami; I want a street race in South Beach. That would be fun.

A: That would be good fun.

Q: One thing that has been obvious to all of us is that you have spent four years in Formula One and you have matured an awful lot as a driver, and this year you have shown some really, really strong performances at different points in the field. Do you feel that you have matured as a driver? That you have learned a lot this year?

A: I learned a lot last year.

Q: And you're applying it this year?

A: I've learned a lot this year; so I keep learning this year. I’m growing as a driver and there is plenty more to come out of me. And I want to be a World Champion; I'm working for that, so hopefully in the near future I can get a real win.

Closing in a victory

Q: Maybe even with Force India. If you can be the first Force India race winner, that is a fantastic advertisement for your future prospects.

A: Exactly. Hopefully next year we can be able to fight for a race win, and that would be amazing. This year we nearly won a race because we finished third behind Mercedes.

Q: That’s the closest you can get...

A: And also in Canada we were so close to a win.

Q: That was heartbreaking to watch. I can't imagine what it must have been like in the cockpit.

A: It was bad.

Sauber debut

Q: Speaking of heartbreaking, I remember your first race with Sauber; you drove like a demon, it was a fantastic performance, and then your rear wing was something like 3mm out and you were disqualified. When that happens on your debut is that hard to recover from emotionally? Do you think "I drove my heart out, I did so well..."

A: No, no, no. It was a great debut, it was really great debut, I surprised the whole world. I had the pay driver label, and I showed I didn’t deserve that. So, I did a fantastic race and it was an amazing debut for me. I finished in seventh. It was an amazing debut.

Q: I'm so pleased to hear it, because it really was an amazing debut; I didn't want you to feel sour about it because it got taken away afterwards.

A: If I look back, at my worldwide debut, it’s just amazing. Not many drivers get a point in their first race. That was an amazing debut.

Q: You have obviously driven in a lot of categories; is your F1 debut the proudest one you have had?

A: In a way, yeah, because you are waiting all your life to make it into F1 and you are worried if you can succeed or not. And when you do this well in your debut then you feel that you can do the job.

[MIKA27]

Will be interesting to watch. Mistakes or reliability issues are all that stand in his way.

My moneys on Rosberg. Even if Nico wins, Hamilton will win if he comes second and going by current for of 1-2's this is a possibility so a DNF really is the only way Hamilton will lose and or one of the other teams such as Williams can shut the gate so to speak and hold back Hamilton to even a P3, will ensure a WDC for Nico.

[MIKA27]

Formula One: Where politics rule and racing is secondary

What's going to happen to the Formula 1 grid? Your guess is as good as mine.

Politics have always played an influential role in Formula One. On Sunday we race, and on Monday we post and read about all the legal disputes taking place on the sidelines. At the moment, the world of F1 seems to be drowning in a sea of speculation and political games. Quite frankly I'm getting tired of reading and posting about it.

In this story, I am going to tackle one of the many off-track stories that have taken over the headlines as of late, involving the 'little guys' of Formula 1.

Rich versus Not-So-Rich

As we watch two teams collapse and hundreds lose their jobs, a civil war of sorts has erupted in the F1 paddock. The rich vs. the not-so-rich if you will. Fore India, Lotus, and Sauber have suddenly gone from mid-fielders to backmarkers as the two bottom organizations fall off the map.

Those teams are desperate to escape the same fate, as one can see by the surprise signings by Sauber, ditching both of their current drivers and infuriating their backers in favor of more money. They now have a legal mess on their hands.

Lopez leading the way as boycott/legal threats continue

Lotus' Gerard Lopez is spearheading an effort to level the field in terms of how much cash goes the way of the powerful and how big of a piece the smaller teams get from the money pie.

There have been threats that the disgruntled teams will boycott or launch a challenge as to the legality under EU competition law of the big team-dominated 'strategy group.' Bernie Ecclestone has attempted to diffuse the situation, but has suddenly been harsher on the these atrophied teams, infuriating Lopez.

He referred to Caterham's crowdfunding effort as a 'begging bowl' and that they need to just go away if they can't afford to compete. A new statement from the F1 supremo is making the rounds this week. We are constructors,' the teams told Ecclestone. In response, "I told them they can't afford to be constructors."

They are not naive, your system is flawed!

Now there's a crazy idea to have a separate championship for the teams that can't compete at the level of Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, and McLaren. I'd be in support of a monetary reward for the best of the rest, but lots not go overboard here. BTCC had something similar for independent entries up until 2012 and the WEC has their LMP1-H class.

It's one thing if a team is naive and can't survive, it's another when the sport is so ludicrously expensive and flawed to the point where only the rich get richer while the rest tread water until they finally drown.

Three-car teams would be exciting, but isn't a solution

Personally, I love the idea of three-car teams, but I cringe to think of a grid with just four powerhouses, no underdogs, and a No. 3 driver. We've seen how some like to treat No. 2 drivers. Team orders galore, anyone? Not to mention the thousands of jobs lost...

NASCAR fans (Keith ), imagine a field with only Hendrick, Gibbs, Penske, Childress, and Roush. V8 Supercar fans, imagine a field with only HRT and FPR. Sports car fans, imagine a Le Mans grid with no GTE-Am and LMP2 cars. If you allow the sport to only be made up of the elite, then you lose a piece of the sport in the process.

A solution?

Formula 1 is certainly in the midst of a crisis and I don't think anybody knows what the grid will look like in 2015. It's a game of chess and we appear to be at a stalemate with no one able to make a move. Do I have a solution? A panacea to revive the grid and give us a 24-car field of strong, competitive teams? No, I'm not that smart. But what concerns me is the fact that no one in F1 on either side of this debate seems to have a viable solution either...

[MIKA27]

Mercedes F1 boss calls for rivals to think of sport's health

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff says his team's rivals risk damaging Formula 1 if they push ahead with the threat of an all-out engine war.

Amid mounting frustrations at Mercedes' reluctance to accept a relaxing of F1's engine freeze rules for next year, teams with rival engine suppliers are considering a bloc vote to lift development restrictions totally for 2016.

Wolff believes that such a move would be disastrous for F1, and shows that some teams were putting their own interests above those of the sport.

"The rules can change with a simple majority but I don't think it's the way forward by trying to unsettle the system and saying that if you don't agree for 2015 then we are going to turn the whole thing upside down - engine war - no limitations anymore," explained Wolff.

"You're looking at it being too narrow for your own team's performance and not considering what's going on around you and in Formula 1.

"I guess the FIA has a say in that and the F1 Commission is going to make the decisions, either by a unanimous decision next year or a majority decision for the year afterwards.

"And we are going to be very vocal in describing and laying out our standpoint and then let's see what happens."

Wolff has reiterated that Mercedes is against lifting the freeze because it fears that costs could escalate too much next year.

"We very much believe that we can't take any foolish decisions that would increase the costs for everybody," he said. "We need to keep that under control.

"We owe it to the teams that went out of business and we have to stay reasonable.

"We are going to resume the discussions when we get back to Europe."

[MIKA27]

Fernando Alonso hopes Jenson Button stays in Formula 1 in 2015

Fernando Alonso hopes Formula 1 rival - and potential 2015 McLaren team-mate - Jenson Button remains on the grid next season.

Button is out of contract with the McLaren F1 team at the end of this season, and the Woking squad has yet to decide whether he or current team-mate Kevin Magnussen should partner Alonso when the Spaniard returns for 2015.

Sources close to McLaren suggest Alonso would prefer Button to remain at McLaren, because he believes the experienced Briton would be of greater benefit in pushing the team towards the front of the grid as it enters a new engine partnership with Honda.

Alonso said after last weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix that he thinks Button is good for F1.

"For Button, hopefully he stays," Alonso said.

"He's a very talented driver, he has nothing to say [to justify his place] as a world champion, but also he is a great character and a great person.

"I think people like him are good for our sport."

But Alonso, who has yet to officially confirm he will rejoin McLaren next year, insisted he would not have any say in Button's future.

"We'll see if we have him on the grid and that's a question for McLaren, not for me," he said.

[MIKA27]

F1 should drop V6s for old V8 engines - Red Bull's Christian Horner

ed Bull boss Christian Horner says Formula 1 should consider ditching the current V6 turbo engines and going back to the old V8s.

Amid the row over engine freeze rules, plus the crippling cost of the new power units for customer teams, Horner thinks that abandoning F1's new fuel efficient engines should not be totally ruled out.

"Nobody likes to go backwards, but sometimes you have got to look," said Horner, who is furious over Mercedes' refusal to accept a relaxation of F1's engine homologation regulations.

"Desperate means require desperate measures, and I think that you are looking at the costs of these power units, how sustainable is it for all the teams and indeed all the manufacturers?"

Horner is adamant that F1 has made a mistake with the new engine rules because of both their cost and the size of the performance disparity between different power units.

"Sometimes you have to put your hand up and say we got it wrong," he said. "I think with the engine regulations, the people involved got it wrong.

"Not only have we got an enormously expensive engine, we've got an engine that we have got very limited development on, so all you are going to do is freeze in an advantage that we currently see.

"Theoretically the right thing to do is allow a window for the manufacturers behind to catch up - if you really want to control all the costs.

"But that then wouldn't be fair on Mercedes, so if you open it up, you have to open it up for all the competitors.

"Otherwise we will have Mercedes dominating for the duration of this engine life."

He said the engines' cost was the main factor in Marussia's closure and Caterham going into administration.

"The teams cannot carry the burden of any more costs - top teams or little teams," he said.

"Unfortunately, the costs of these power units has driven two teams out of this sport already and it is a big factor, it is a big issue. "

But with the logistics of resurrecting the old V8s being hugely complicated, Horner admits his suggestion is far-fetched.

"I think it is extremely unlikely, but if we were rational about it then yes we would [consider it]," he said.

[MIKA27]

Formula 1 rejects changes to safety car lapped car rules

Formula 1 teams have rejected the idea of changing the rules regarding lapped cars in safety car periods.

As AUTOSPORT revealed last week, F1 teams met over the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend to discuss a tweak to the regulations to minimise delays in getting races restarted.

There have been concerns that it is taking too long for backmarkers to unlap themselves behind the safety car.

One solution that was tabled for discussion in a sporting regulations working group meeting was that instead of unlapping themselves, the relevant cars simply drop to the back of the field.

This action could be completed in a single lap and would ensure that the race could restart as soon as possible.

In exchange for dropping back rather than moving forward, the lapped cars would be credited a lap.

However, following more detailed analysis of the implications, it emerged that there were unintended consequences from such a rule change.

Firstly, crediting laps would cause a big problem for timing data and risked causing confusion on the detailed lap chart analysis that is provided by Formula One Management.

Furthermore, with teams limited to 100kg of fuel for a race, the crediting of a lap without actually driving it risked handing lapped cars an advantage - as it effectively gives them a free lap's worth of fuel.

Teams expressed concern that this fuel credit could have a big impact on race performance and would disadvantage cars that had not been lapped as they would not have a free lap.

[MIKA27]

MCLAREN STAFF DEPARTING TO MAKE WAY FOR TEAM ALONSO

On the surface and officially, Fernando Alonso is still deciding if he should leave Ferrari for another team, but behind the scenes, the Spaniard’s switch to McLaren-Honda for next year is definitely done.

It is believed he will be at Woking on Wednesday, where the multi-year contract with suitable exit clauses and valued at up to $43 million per season may be signed, thereafter an announcement before the season finale in Abu Dhabi is expected.

There are other signs that the Alonso move is definitely happening. It has emerged this week that the 33-year-old could be taking his Ferrari race engineer, Andrea Stella, with him to McLaren.

With sporting director Sam Michael leaving at the end of this season, Autosprint now reports that up to 15 McLaren employees are also leaving, with correspondent Alberto Antonini suggesting the British team is making room for Alonso and his team.

Massimo Rivola with Sebastian Vettel

Indeed, there are reports suggesting the Spaniard will also be taking Ferrari’s sporting director Massimo Rivola with him and several other engineers including Edoardo Brosco.

Marca, meanwhile, reports that the Spanish mobile phone operator Movistar is keen to link up with Alonso to McLaren, following several meetings between representatives of both sides.

Finally, a McLaren source has denied reports that what amounts to a B-car penned by new team aerodynamics chief Peter Prodromou will be taken to Abu Dhabi and tested in Friday practice.

The source said it is spot-on to surmise that Sky reporter misinterpreted Spanish reports that said McLaren’s Honda-powered interim car may make its debut at the post-race Abu Dhabi test.

When asked about the Honda car, team boss Eric Boullier had told the Marca daily in Brazil: “We will take the decision in ten days but it [the debut] could be in Abu Dhabi. If we are not ready then we go to plan B or C.”

The McLaren source said the decision about whether to take the Honda car to Abu Dhabi for the post-race test has not yet been taken.

[MIKA27]

MASSA HITS BACK AT PIQUET’S F1 CRITICISM

Felipe Massa has hit back at Formula 1 legend and fellow Brazilian Nelson Piquet’s harsh criticism of modern Formula 1.

The triple world champion had declared at Interlagos last weekend that with so many engineers behind the scenes today, drivers can afford to just “be fast and make no mistakes”.

“You can be a complete imbecile and have no idea how the engine works” and still succeed in modern Formula 1, 62-year-old Piquet, who later conducted the official podium interviews after the Brazilian Grand Prix, reportedly added.

His Brazilian countryman Massa, however, hit back at those claims, insisting it is unfair to compare eras in Formula 1 history.

“Ok, you had much fewer engineers in the past and you had to know a lot about the mechanical parts,” the Williams driver told Brazil’s Sportv. “But the car was almost completely mechanical with no aerodynamics. Now you have so many other things, like all the electronics and all the work we have to do while we’re driving.”

“Back then you had the steering wheel, throttle, brake and clutch, but nowadays we are changing things while we are driving in the corners. It’s another world — another sport,” Massa insisted.

Piquet had also criticised the controversial overtaking aid DRS, but Massa hit back: “Many people say that, and that ‘the (old) cars were always sideways. But today if you go sideways you just go slower. The sport has changed so much, becoming more professional as well.

“Lots of people say ‘Back then you had Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell’ but now there are drivers with exactly the same level of talent,” Massa added.