FORMULA 1 - 2014

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Gutierrez eyeing new Sauber deal

Esteban Gutierrez is hoping to enter into negotiations with Sauber over a new contract in the next few weeks.

The Mexican joined the Hinwil squad as a test driver in 2011 before being promoted to a race seat in 2013. His debut campaign was promising as he scored six points and finished 16th in the standings.

This season has been a lot more difficult as the C33 is proving to be quite difficult to drive and both Gutierrez and his team-mate Adrian Sutil have failed to score points in the 11 races so far.

Despite the team's current woes, Gutierrez is hoping to stay with the team in 2015, especially with the Mexican GP returning to the calendar next year.

"That's something we need to speak [about] in the next few weeks," the 22-year-old, who has the financial backing of Telmex communications, told Sky Sports F1.

"Obviously it's a subject that we'll bring up pretty soon and something that we also need to look after certain opportunities that we can get around and see what's really the most convenient one."

It has been a trying campaign for Sauber, but they appeared to have taken a few steps forward at last weekend's Hungarian GP with both Gutierrez and Sutil coming close to scoring points.

The Mexican was running in the top 10 before he was forced to retire with a mechanical problem while Sutil finished less than a second behind Jenson Button in P10.

Gutierrez remains confident that the team can turn things around.

"It's been a difficult position, although we have very good people," he said.

"They have been working really hard and one of the most important things is the attitude from the people. That is really counting a lot. It's true that we have been struggling a lot from the beginning, we are worse than our expectations, and this is not easy to control the frustration and to keep the motivation is very hard.

"So it's really been very challenging for me because I'm only 22 years old, it's only [my] second year in Formula 1 and obviously in your second year when it's critical you really want to be in the position to show what you can do and at the moment I'm not really in that position.

"It's a challenge, I love challenges and I need to enjoy this process as well."

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Force India set sights on Williams

Force India team principal Vijay Mallya believes his outfit can catch Williams in the Constructors' Championship.

Williams have enjoyed a great season so far, picking up three podiums to find themselves fourth in the standings behind Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari.

Their Silverstone counterparts are one spot below and 37 points behind, but Mallya is confident his Force India squad can make up the ground in the remaining eight races if they all pull in the same direction.

"Like us they have the best power unit, so that definitely gives them an advantage over where they were last year. And don't forget, in pre-season testing Williams showed their pace," he told the official Formula 1 website. "It was very clear that they would be very competitive. In fact I was a bit surprised that they didn't do in the first couple of races what they've done in the last few races. So we definitely will not make the mistake of underestimating them.

"Can we catch Williams? Yes, we can. We have to work hard at it as well, but as I just said, there's still a long way to go. They have done a great job and one should complement them for this - probably in the same way that we are doing well - unexpectedly - as a midfield, small team. The opportunity is there."

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Have Pat Fry and Ferrari parted ways?

The latest claims coming out of the Ferrari marquee is that Ferrari and Engineering Director, Pat Fry have parted ways.

According to Sky Sports F1, Fry has become the latest high profile casualty and despite the Scuderia’s denial, the reports quotes “sources” as insisting the 50-year-old has indeed been let go.

Ferrari has endured a torrid year so far, with Team Principal Stefano Domenicali being axed first back in April and it is also understood engine guru Luca Marmorini was sacked earlier this month too.

New Ferrari boss Marco Mattiacci said recently that he was preparing a “different” outfit for the 2015 Formula 1 season and while he was vague on what that meant, it seems those changes might not include the involvement of Fry.

Despite Fernando Alonso finishing second in the Hungary GP, Ferrari are staying true to their plans and preparing for their 2015 campaign.

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Ecclestone promises no standing restarts in 2015

Bernie Ecclestone has promised to scrap standing restarts following safety car periods for the 2015 season after a barrage of public pressure.

The new regulation has already been approved by the World Motor Sport Council, so it isn't clear how Ecclestone plans to have it scrapped as such a change would require a unanimous vote. But the 83-year-old though is adamant, that after an action-packed Hungarian Grand Prix, that no major changes are required to 'spice up the show'.

"There will be no standing start after a safety car phase," he promised.

"What we have seen in Budapest, was good enough.

"We just need some fine tuning. All the stupid and unnecessary rules that have been added in recent years, it should be no more," he told Auto und Motor Sport. Last weekend's race was "incredible" according to Ecclestone who says the decision not to punish drivers for small mistakes has gone a long way to improving the racing - indeed the race saw no investigations nor penalties despite some questionable moves.

"We have told the stewards that they should not punish the little things. I want to see drivers who race against each other and do not have to constantly ask what they can and can not do."

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Formula 1 teams should stop controlling drivers, says Horner

Formula 1 teams must stop trying to control their drivers so much if the sport is going to make them heroes again, reckons Red Bull boss Christian Horner.

As F1 continues to search for answers over a decline in fan interest levels, one theory gaining traction is that drivers have been made too corporate and too boring.

That is because there is too much influence on strategy and performance coming from the pitwall rather than the cockpit, plus drivers are not able to speak out with their true feelings because teams and sponsors baulk at controversy.

But with the sport now becoming more open to the potential need for change, Horner suggests teams must loosen their restrictions on driver behaviour.

"We need to allow the drivers to express themselves more without them being hit by criticism," said Horner, who faced his fair share of controversy in recent years when former team-mates Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber hit out at each other.

"We need to allow their personalities to come out. They have opinions, they have personalities and we should encourage them to see more of them."

Horner also reckons that an over-reliance on team radio information is giving the impression that drivers are simply following instructions rather than being masters of their own destiny.

"Sometimes it feels that the races are a bit too managed," he admitted.

"In conditions like we had in Hungary - just look at [Fernando] Alonso and how fantastic he was. [Lewis] Hamilton came from the back and look at Daniel making his passing around the outside and doing incredible things."

DRIVERS MUST BE FOCUSED

Horner stirred up controversy at the Hungarian Grand Prix when he blamed the media for creating negativity around the sport this season.

That comes despite the teams having agreed hated rules such as double points, plus key figures including Bernie Ecclestone and Luca di Montezemolo being the first to hit out at the new 2014 regulations.

Horner stands by his comments about the media, though, because he says the focus has to be on promoting the drivers.

"I said some things earlier in the weekend that I stand by - because when we focus on the racing we have a great sport," he said.

"F1 needs to be about the drivers being the heroes, and in Hungary they were. That is F1 at its best, not just in Hungary but in Germany as well.

"For me that is what I enjoy, what I love to see, and that is all part of competition. We need to keep going down that route and make sure that happens."

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Lauda: Why do we need Flavio?

Formula 1 does not need Flavio Briatore to sort out its problems, it has Bernie Ecclestone; that is according to Niki Lauda.

Last week reports surfaced stating that former F1 team boss Briatore had been drafted in to help Formula 1 solve its problems in the face of dwindling viewer figures.

Lauda, however, says the Italian's input is not needed.

"Why do we need Flavio?" he told Autosport. "Bernie is the man in charge, and he should stay in charge.

"I think we should think together with Bernie, as he is the master of what we can improve."

The Mercedes non-executive chairman added that he felt F1 was already taking steps to increase the excitement.

"I have to say the change that we had with the stewards, to not get involved as much as before, was a great move," he said.

"Even the Sauber in the middle of the road [in Hockenheim] was exciting. If there was a Safety Car, everyone would have got bored.

"So Hockenheim was an improvement, and in Hungary there was no investigation as there were a lot of things that could have been looked at. It is going in the right direction."

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'Kvyat doing a fantastic job'

Franz Tost has been full of praise as he issued the half-term report on the "fantastic" Daniil Kvyat and unfortunate Jean-Eric Vergne.

Despite entering Formula 1 from GP3, Kvyat quickly began to find his feet.

And although he trails his more experienced team-mate by six points to 11 in the Championship and is behind in the qualifying battle by five to six, he has impressed many in the paddock with his pace.

One of those being team boss Tost.

He said: "He is doing a very good job, taking into consideration how little mileage he was able to do before the season, he is driving very well, showing that he has natural speed.

"Equally importantly, he has had no accidents, nor has he made any mistakes. He is doing a fantastic job."

As for Vergne, Tost says there is still more to come from the Frenchman.

"He has suffered a lot with reliability issues, but when his car was running fine, he delivered good performances," said the Austrian.

"Thanks to his experience he makes an important contribution to the team's technical development and I'm convinced that there is still more to come from him."

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Mallya targets Williams' fourth

Vijay Mallya believes there is no reason why Force India cannot take on Williams in the battle for fourth place in the Constructors' Championship.

For almost half this season, Force India held fourth place in the teams' fight ahead of a resurgent Williams team.

However, a spate of podium finishes for Valtteri Bottas has allowed his team to surge ahead. Williams headed into F1's summer break with 135 points while Force India have 98.

Team owner Mallya believes his team can claw back the deficit.

"Can we catch Williams? Yes, we can," he told the official F1 website. "We have to work hard at it as well, but as I just said, there's still a long way to go.

"They have done a great job and one should complement them for this - probably in the same way that we are doing well - unexpectedly - as a midfield, small team. The opportunity is there."

Giving his assessment on Force India's performances in the first half of this season, the Indian businessman feels his team could have done better in qualifying but reckons this season has seen a big step forward.

"It was pretty cool in those last couple of months to see some of the historically big players behind us. Leaving Sunday's race aside - where we were extremely unlucky - we've done pretty well. Sunday was the first race where we didn't score points.

"If I reflect on those first months of the year what I would say is that I'd like us to do better in qualifying. It was also an issue this weekend - probably if we had qualified better some of the issues wouldn't have come up.

"At some tracks - and Budapest is one of them - where you start from has a bigger influence on the result, because our long-run pace usually moves us further towards the front again. But, of course, I also know that you only score points in the race - and aside from Hungary we did score points in every single race.

"That is a huge statement for this team, which only a few years ago was struggling for a point. So we have taken a big step forward. But I always told my team to never underestimate the opposition, and we don't intend to. We must keep developing this car, as this same platform will continue into 2015. The competitiveness of this year's car will be carried through into 2015 as well.

"Yes, we've been in fourth position up to the eighth race, and we're now sitting in P5, which is fine. We did not expect that we would reach forth and maintain it right through the season. The difference in points between Ferrari, Williams, us and McLaren is still not so dramatic that we don't believe that with a better race we can move forward. So as long as we are close enough I am not worried at all. That is the nature of Formula One racing."

And with double points up for grabs in Abu Dhabi, Mallya says there is a lot to play for right to the very end.

"We must never forget that at the last race it's going to be double points, which can change everything again. There is a huge amount of unpredictability on who will finish where in the Constructors' Championship - and the Drivers' Championship - this year, so it's a question of focusing, keeping it going and making sure that none of the other teams are taking too much of a lead in front of us. Because we can always catch up - it's still a long way to go.

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Massa: Nice relief to score

Although relieved to have avoided an accident in Hungary, Felipe Massa was disappointed with the pace of his car.

The Williams driver arrived in Budapest on the back of successive DNFs, both the result of first lap accidents.

At Silverstone he was caught up in Kimi Raikkonen's crash while at the following race in Germany he collided with Kevin Magnussen.

Massa avoided a hat-trick last Sunday in Hungary and raced his way to fifth place.

"If we look what's happened in the last races it's a nice relief to finish a race and score some reasonable points," Massa told Autosport.

"For sure I needed to have that clean race. It was important for me. I took a lot of care on the first lap and we finished, so that's important."

Despite being happy about finishing the race, the Brazilian was disappointed with the pace of his car.

"[it's] definitely not enough. We didn't have a car to fight with Red Bull and Ferrari, even though we finished in front of one Ferrari.

"The car was not so competitive, just too slow."

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Ferrari engine director Marmorini leaves team

Ferrari has announced changes to the organisation of its technical staff following the troubled start to its 2014 campaign.

Luca Marmorini, who has been the team’s director of engine and electronics since 2010, has left the company. Following changes to the power unit department Mattia Binotto has taken over as chief operating officer.

The team confirmed technical director James Allison will continue to oversee car development alongside chief designer for chassis Nikolas Tombazis and chief designer for power unit Lorenzo Sassi.

Marco Mattiacci took over as Ferrari’s team principal in April after Stefano Domenicali stepped down from the team.

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Codemasters announce F1 2014 and earlier 2015 title

Codemasters have announced details of their upcoming Formula One games based on the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

F1 2014 will follow the pattern of their previous four Formula One titles and appear on October 17th in Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC formats.

It will be followed earlier than usual by a new title which will take advantage of “new generation platforms”, likely to include the Xbox One and PlayStation Four. In another first for Codemasters’ F1 series, this game will be updated as the season unfolds.

“The game will launch earlier in the Formula One season and then go onto receive live digital updates,” Codemasters confirmed. “These updates will deliver 2015 content into the game as the season unfolds, ensuring you’ll be competing against the same drivers and teams you watch week in and week out.”

This year’s game will include all the latest updates to the teams, drivers and circuits roster.

“F1 2014 recreates this year’s incredible season featuring all the seismic changes to the sport, including new turbocharged cars, new circuits plus all the driver moves.”

There will also be further changes to the dynamics of the game including “refined handling on a pad and a new driver evaluation system that tunes game settings to your skill level to increase accessibility – we want all of our players to race competitively, more quickly”.

“Of course, all the veterans of the series will be able to experience the true challenge of racing this year’s stunning generation of cars, featuring more explosive power delivery but less downforce, by customising your options and turning off all the assists.”

Update: Codemasters have confirmed their “new generation” F1 title will also be available for PC.

MIKA: Will be great however I will wait for the next Gen version

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2014 Hungarian Grand Prix fans’ video gallery - Part 1

Daniel Ricciardo’s pass on Fernando Alonso which won him the Hungarian Grand Prix was among the video highlights captured by fans at the race.

Here’s more footage which also shows Lewis Hamilton’s fire in qualifying, and how he passed Kevin Magnussen immediately after leaving the pits at the start of the race, then had to catch the field again after spinning at turn two.

Also Daniil Kvyat nearly lost control of his Toro Rosso at the same corner where Sergio Perez and Sebastian Vettel slipped up.

Raikkonen catches Alonso during practice

Hamilton’s Q1 bonfire

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2014 Hungarian Grand Prix fans’ video gallery - Part 2

Start: Slow motion

Start: Bottas passes Vettel

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2014 Hungarian Grand Prix fans’ video gallery - Part 3

Start: Vettel re-passes Alonso

Lap 1: Magnussen, Hamilton and Kvyat catching up

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2014 Hungarian Grand Prix fans’ video gallery - Part 4

Kvyat almost ‘does a Perez’

Vettel spins

MIKA: Vettels spin looks amazing in real time from that vantage point. Well controlled.

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2014 Hungarian Grand Prix fans’ video gallery - Part 5

Ricciardo passes Alonso to win

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Williams F1 team says Hungarian GP form was an anomaly

The Williams Formula 1 team's downturn in competitiveness in the Hungarian Grand Prix should be taken as a one-off, says the Grove squad's performance chief Rob Smedley.

Williams has generally had the second fastest car on the grid in recent races, but it slipped back behind Ferrari and Red Bull at the Hungaroring and also lost third spot in the constructors' championship to the Italian outfit.

Smedley believes Williams did better than expected on a circuit that did not suit the FW36, and he expects the team will be back to its best once racing resumes at Spa at the end of August.

"Our target is to be second in the championship and that's still achievable," Smedley said.

"I think we had a race that was a little bit anomalous if you look at our results over the last five races.

"We've got two races [spa and Monza] coming up where we've got to capitalise on the characteristics of the car.

"We think those circuits will suit us. We have to capitalise on that and put ourselves in a good position."

Smedley started work with Williams in April, following a period of gardening leave from his former team Ferrari, and he reckons Williams has now evolved to the point where it can keep pace with bigger outfits in the car development race.

"Development speed and testing methodology has improved and allowed us to keep pace with the others, or even get ahead of them at times," Smedley added.

"At the track, testing and racing, we're making steady progress.

"There are big areas we've looked into and we have a certain evolving structure we're improving all the time.

"Certain things you want on the car have a long lead time and you can't have them at the next race, or even until the next year.

"Some of it with the operations group you can solve in 10 minutes and some of it you need a lot longer.

"It's a constant juggling act."

CULTURAL SHIFT

Valtteri Bottas started third for the Hungarian GP, but he only finished eighth after a slow first pitstop and a questionable call on tyre strategy.

Smedley said the culture of self-improvement instilled in Williams meant it would bounce back from its mistakes for future races.

"I reckon we're 60 per cent of where we need to be in terms of operations, so it's not just when everything goes horribly wrong that I turn around and say we need to sharpen up operations," Smedley said.

"We need to sharpen up operations full-stop.

"The important thing for Williams now, perhaps a slight change of culture, is that we'll go away, try to understand all the things we did, understand what we did well, see what we didn't do so well, and improve.

"Every single race we learn something and we get better.

"Even when we're first and second by a margin we won't stop trying to improve."

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ECCLESTONE TO PAY $100 MILLION TO AVOID JAIL AND REMAIN F1 BOSS

Formula 1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone looks set to avoid jail and retain control of Formula 1, thanks to a negotiated US $100 million settlement with prosecutors in his high-profile corruption case in Germany.

Suddeutsche Zeitung, who are reporting the latest development, did not name its sources but said the settlement, negotiated in Munich on Saturday, will terminate the trial altogether and see all charges dropped.

Earlier in the week, there was talk of a €25 million compensation payment to the Munich state bank BayernLB. It is believed that, on Friday, the court told witnesses due to testify not to attend until further notice.

Official confirmation is possible within the first half of next week, and probably on the scheduled resumption of the trial on Tuesday.

Bernie Ecclestone with Gerhard Gribkowsky

“There have been additional talks involving state prosecutors, defence lawyers and the court, and it’s possible that a settlement to end the case could be reached next week,” a court spokesman said.

Suddeutsche Zeitung said prosecutors had initially demanded a settlement amount of €100 million, but Ecclestone and his lawyers had negotiated the currency down to US dollars.

The report said that if the settlement is agreed by all sides, it would be the biggest in German history.

“The deal would mean that the Briton will not be convicted and therefore most likely remain Formula 1 boss,” correspondent Klaus Ott said.

Disgraced banker Gerhard Gribkowsky, a central figure in the bribery saga, is serving a jail term for his role in the affair.

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SILLY SEASON LATEST: BOTTAS TO MCLAREN

Mika Hakkinen has acknowledged reports linking his protege Valtteri Bottas with McLaren in the wake of the young Finn’s impressive performances in recent races.

Hakkinen, a double world champion with McLaren, has been a key to Bottas’ Formula 1 career so far, culminating in the 24-year-old’s debut at Williams last year after a season of testing and Friday practice bench.

But it is in 2014 that Bottas, with a hat-trick of podiums in June and July and a regular top-three qualifier, has hit the kind of form that now has him linked with a bright Formula 1 future.

“At the moment the two hot names in Formula 1 are Bottas and Ricciardo,” Hakkinen, who has been involved in Bottas’ management, said in his latest interview with sponsor Hermes.

When Hakkinen retired, he famously advised McLaren that if the British team wanted to continue to win, “get the Finn” — referring to Kimi Raikkonen.

Now, the 45-year-old has similar advice. Hakkinen admits that he has heard speculation linking McLaren, who are openly seeking the best possible drivers to spearhead the new works Honda foray, with Bottas.

“This is quite natural,” he said. “The first thing is that Valtteri is still a young driver who has been in Formula 1 only for a short time. But Valtteri is interesting not only because of his speed.”

“He can also motivate others in the team and is able to create an atmosphere that is necessary for success,” he added. “There is interest, and that’s good. What happens in the future remains to be seen.”

Also impressed by Bottas this year is Hakkinen’s old long-time McLaren teammate and also Williams driver David Coulthard, “He (Bottas) has had three podiums and is outperforming a very able Felipe Massa. Valtteri seems a bit like Mika: totally unemotional, which helps in the heat of Formula 1.

“Mika does not work with many people, so that says something in itself,” Coulthard added. “He (Bottas) is clearly someone to watch for the future, but you only find out if people can deal with the pressure of a championship fight until it happens.”

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MCLAREN LURING ALONSO OR PISSING OFF FERRARI?

The new era of social media and Formula 1′s traditional silly season may not mix well together, as Fernando Alonso turned 33 on Tuesday, and as far as official congratulations go, many spotted McLaren‘s first.

The Spaniard, undoubtedly frustrated with title-lacking life at Ferrari after five years, might be on the move and Honda is clearly on the hunt for a top driver to spearhead its new works McLaren foray.

“Happy birthday to @alo_oficial,” McLaren said on Twitter, adding a photo of Alonso “driving flat-out in his McLaren MP4-22 at Magny-Cours in 2007.”

Miguel Sanz, the Spanish correspondent for Marca, commented: “You can’t say McLaren and Honda aren’t trying or persistent.”

“It is the second public nod to Alonso this year and, in this Formula 1 world of millimetres, the gestures are no accident,” he added, referring to a McLaren ‘tweet’ earlier this year showing Alonso smiling with team supremo Ron Dennis.

After the Dennis tweet, a team source played down the significance of the gesture but it is obvious that if Alonso is on the market, he will be bitterly fought over.

For the record, Ferrari marked Alonso’s birthday with a celebratory video made in conjunction with Sky Italia, highlighting “all the best moments of his time to date with the longest-running team in Formula 1″.

“In the past four and a half years there has been happiness and disappointment and a lot of time spent with special people, special like Fernando, a truly great talent and a real team player,” Ferrari said.

Marca quoted Alonso’s former manager Adrian Campos as saying: “Fernando is the best thing about Ferrari — and I would say almost the only thing. He is the most complete driver of recent years, almost comparable to Senna.”

But with dominant Mercedes all locked up for now and Red Bull struggling with an underpowered engine, Alonso’s best option for now is probably to stay with Ferrari.

“For me, Alonso has justly lost confidence in Ferrari,” Marc Surer, a former driver turned commentator, told Speed Week as he mused the 2014 silly-season.

“But he could only move to McLaren-Honda if they can guarantee him a winning car for 2015. I guess a lot less will happen than we think,” he surmised.

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EXPERTS AGREE KVYAT IS FUTURE F1 SUPERSTAR

Fresh talent is in no short supply on the Formula 1 grid this year, as Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas establish themselves among the elite.

But if you ask Marc Surer, a former driver turned commentator for German television, he is one of many in the paddock who doesn’t hesitate for a second when asked who he would sign up if he ran a team.

“Kvyat,” Surer told Speed Week instantly, referring to Russian youngster Daniil Kvyat, who has only just graduated from his teens.

“He is the man of the future,” Surer insisted. “His rise from GP3 to Formula 1 without the luxury Valtteri Bottas had to learn for a year as a test driver. The Russian was thrown into deep water but he does his job so well. I find it very impressive.”

Kvyat is the latest cream of Red Bull‘s increasingly impressive young driver programme, which has also produced the likes of Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel.

He is currently being housed by Toro Rosso, the Red Bull ‘junior’ Formula 1 team headed by Franz Tost.

Tost said this week: “He is doing a fantastic job. Taking into consideration how little mileage he was able to do before the season, he is driving very well, showing that he has natural speed. Equally importantly, he has had no accidents, nor has he made any mistakes.”

The speed of Kvyat’s progress would seem to have endangered the Formula 1 future of his teammate Jean-Eric Vergne, who has been overshadowed in 2014 in his third consecutive season with the Faenza based team.

Poised in the wings is the next Red Bull-backed junior, Carlos Sainz jr.

“He (Vergne) has suffered a lot with reliability issues, but when his car was running fine, he delivered good performances,” Tost insisted when asked about the Frenchman this week.

“Thanks to his experience he makes an important contribution to the team’s technical development and I’m convinced that there is still more to come from him.”

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MELBOURNE SECURES AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX UNTIL 2020

Melbourne has secured the Australian Formula One Grand Prix until 2020 after striking a new deal that will reduce the taxpayer subsidy of around $50 million a year, the head of the Victoria state government said on Sunday.

The race, which has been run in the city’s Albert Park since switching from Adelaide in 1996, became a local political issue because of the noise and the subsidy, which amounted to A$50.67 million ($47.17 million) in 2013.

Race organiser Ron Walker had negotiated a new deal for when the current contract ran out after next year’s race but there had been some question about whether it would be signed off by the current government of Victoria.

State Premier Denis Napthine on Sunday, though, confirmed the deal had been struck.

“This is a terrific announcement that reaffirms Melbourne and Victoria as the sporting and events capital of the world,” he told 3AW radio station in Melbourne.

“We’ve secured another five-year deal for the grand prix and we’ve secured a great deal for the people of Victoria that’s a better deal than the existing deal.”

Napthine said that under the new deal, the race would retain its place in a Formula One calendar that featured 19 rounds this season.

“The new deal is on the same terms as the existing contract in that it will be the first race of the season, it will be in March each year,” Napthine added.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who has in the past suggested the race was one of the least viable because of the time difference with the key European television market, said the city deserved the race.

“I congratulate Melbourne for the excellent way in which it presents Formula One to the world,” he was quoted as saying a news release.

German driver Nico Rosberg won this year’s race for Mercedes.

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FORCE INDIA BOSS GRANTED BAIL ON TAX CASE

Although the meeting was ultimately cancelled, it was expected that one of the touted ‘popularity working group’ protagonists would be Vijay Mallya.

The Indian, reportedly now a former billionaire, has had a troubled time recently as his airline Kingfisher stalled, forcing him to dip into his main source of wealth, his United Spirits drinks empire.

Although he apparently put up his hand to sit on Formula 1′s new ‘popularity’ panel, ultimately it was his Force India deputy Bob Fernley who was drafted in for the (cancelled) meeting on Thursday.

That is because Mallya was in his native India, respecting a summons to personally appear in court for a criminal case about Kingfisher’s non-payment of taxes.

Indian media report that flamboyant Mallya, dressed all in white including his shoes, was granted bail. Elsewhere in the country, the boss of Force India’s co-owner and title sponsor Sahara is also spending his time applying for bail.

Fellow Indian tycoon Subrata Roy currently sits in Delhi’s Tihar jail for failing to pay billions in refunds to investors.

Reports say Roy’s bail is set so high that the 66-year-old is set to be granted a conference room and internet connection so that he can negotiate the sale of assets including the Plaza Hotel in New York, and London’s Grosvenor House.

However on track, things are going much more smoothly for Roy and Mallya’s Formula 1 team.

Mercedes powered Force India is currently fifth in the constructors’ championship at mid-season, behind Williams but in front of Formula 1′s other Mercedes customer, the British grandee McLaren.

“Yes, it was pretty cool in those last couple of months to see some of the historically big players behind us,” Mallya told the sport’s official website this week.

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Grosjean calls for Brawn-esque fight-back

As speculation about his future mounts, Romain Grosjean insists Lotus are capable of pulling off a Brawn GP-style fight-back in 2015.

The Frenchman, the star of the Lotus team, has made it know that he has no plans to commit to the team until he sees how the driver market plays out.

Reiterating that his "options are open for the future", the 28-year-old says he's not writing off Lotus' chances of turning their fortunes around next season.

Citing Brawn GP, who went from being Honda at the back of the grid to inventing the double diffuser and winning the 2009 Championship doubles, Grosjean feels Lotus can draw inspiration from that.

"I want to win races in the near future and we are working on that," he told Autosport.

"If you look at Jenson [button] in 2008, he was very much struggling with Honda, then it changed to Brawn - same team, different name - and he was World Champion.

"Having difficult years is part of your career - you have to accept that and not get frustrated.

"Brawn had the double diffuser - a very clever invention.

"I don't know if there are going to be any next year, but I'm 99.99 per cent confident the [Lotus] team is going to be better next year."

For this season, though, there is still a chance of Lotus putting in a minor fight-back with Grosjean citing braking as one of the areas Lotus could improve in 2014.

"At the moment I'm still struggling a little bit with the brakes.

"Of course we have less downforce than last year, and harder tyres, and this [the braking] is something I'm very sensitive to.

"There is some work we're doing in that aspect.

"I like a car that is consistent so I can build my weekend and say "next lap I'm going to brake three metres later", and if it doesn't go to plan I lose a tenth.

"Now, I lose a second because I go wide.

"It's something I'm struggling with, so I just need to understand a different way of driving sometimes."

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Boullier waiting on driver market

There is added pressure on Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen as Eric Boullier has said he will "wait" to finalise McLaren's 2015 line-up.

McLaren have long made it known that they are in no hurry to decide their driver line-up for next season.

This year the Woking team went with the experienced Jenson Button and rookie racer Kevin Magnussen. The partnership, though, has as yet failed to produce the results McLaren desire.

This has led to rumours that Button's days at Woking are numbered with the likes of Valtteri Bottas being linked to his race-seat while McLaren are also believed to be considering re-signing Fernando Alonso.

Boullier, though, says he is no hurry to make a decision and will rather wait to see how the driver market plays out.

"If any driver becomes available on the market, we will be interested to see if they fit," the McLaren Racing Director told Autosport.

"Our strategy, and I am not going to say we are going to change drivers, is we are in a position to wait.

"So we are going to wait until I understand what is going to be the driver market, not only for next year but also in the future years.

"The plan is to build McLaren for a long term at the top, and we need to know what we are going to do in three, four or five years."

Good news for Button, though, is that Boullier believes the 2009 World Champion is doing a "good" job.

Boullier added: "He is doing a good job. We want our drivers to give 100 per cent all the time.

"We want everybody to perform and, when you cannot get the performance you wish, it is sometimes difficult to accept it and you get frustrated.

"But it is the same for everybody and we need to push 100 per cent."