FORMULA 1 - 2014

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Kimi Raikkonen insists he hasn't got slower amid 2014 F1 struggles

Kimi Raikkonen still believes he is fast enough to fight at the front in Formula 1, despite struggling to find his form with Ferrari this season.

Raikkonen returned to the Scuderia this year after two successful seasons with Lotus, but has so far failed to beat his new team-mate Fernando Alonso in 11 grands prix.

Spaniard Alonso has scored 88 points more than Raikkonen and outqualified the Finn nine times, but the 2007 world champion says the difficult run has not shaken his faith in his own ability.

"It's been a difficult year but that's life," Raikkonen said.

"It's not fun when you have hard times but it's happened before and that's how it goes.

"We try to make things better all the time, make fewer mistakes, and get the car where I want it to be to be fast again.

"I know I haven't suddenly lost over the winter a few seconds of laptime."

Raikkonen remains adamant it is only minor issues preventing him from producing better results.

"It's a case of putting things in the right order for me," he said.

"Unfortunately we haven't managed to do it here and there.

"Sometimes we have one day, one practice, in some places where we are absolutely fine, but we're still fighting against things a lot and obviously then the results show where we end up."

The Finn's sixth place in the last race in Hungary was his best result of the season so far. Fifth on the Bahrain GP grid is his highest qualifying slot to date.

"If it would be easy, as sometimes it goes, we would be laughing, but it's not the case this year," Raikkonen added.

"I have trust in the team but obviously there have to be changes and improvements, But it can only happen when we work as a team."

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Jules Bianchi urges Marussia F1 team to be aggressive

Jules Bianchi believes that Marussia must be aggressive in the second half of the Formula 1 season to stay in the top 10 in the constructors' championship.

The Frenchman's ninth place in the Monaco Grand Prix earned the improving team its first points since entering F1 as Virgin in 2010.

If Marussia can keep one of Sauber and Caterham behind it and secure a top 10 place for the second consecutive season, it will be set for a significant financial windfall of around $30 million.

"The best way to defend is to attack and we always have to attack," Bianchi told AUTOSPORT.

"We just have to do everything we can to be in front all of the time, and I'm sure we will be strong until the end of the season.

"Our target is to remain ahead of Caterham and finish 10th in the championship, which will be a massive boost to the team."

Bianchi admitted that he is a little frustrated that Marussia has been less competitive in recent races after showing well earlier in the season.

In Monaco and Canada, the car was close to making Q2 on merit, but it has not been as strong since even though Bianchi capitalised on problems for Pastor Maldonado and Lewis Hamilton and a strategy error by Ferrari to get through Q1 at the Hungarian GP.

"It is a bit frustrating when you have been regularly close to going into Q2 and it is not the case any more," said Bianchi.

"But that's the reality and you have to deal with that and do the best with what you have. This is what we are doing at the moment.

"The result in Monaco was massively important for this season but I knew it did not mean we would be regularly fighting for points.

"We are not able to do that unless we have a strange set of circumstances around us, but we took the opportunity when it came."

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Final layer of asphalt applied to Sochi Autodrom

The newest venue to join F1's calendar is nearing completion as the final layer of asphalt was applied this week to the Sochi Autodrom in Russia.

50 workers operating 15 asphalt machines worked round the clock non-stop under the supervision of track architects Tilke GmbH to get to where they are now, with completion just 70 days ahead of the inaugural race.

The material has been specially developed for the Sochi Autodrom by Hart Consult International to take into account the local climate which drops to an average of 1ºC in the winter before climbing to an average peak of 30ºC in the summer.

The surface is designed to retain its grippy surface for four year, before it will likely need resurfacing.

MIKA: Looks gorgeous IMO

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Some Insight: How teams exploit brake rules to boost downforce

In modern Formula One there are only a few areas where designers have any aerodynamic freedom. The outer part of the front wing is one; the zone around the rear brake ducts and surrounding floor is another.

The regulations governing the location of aerodynamic parts around the rear wheels are complex and going listing each one will be a boring exercise, but it is worth running through the essence of what they say.

Article 3 of the FIA Technical Regulations governs bodywork dimension. Bodywork around the floor is permitted as long as it does not extend a certain height above the reference plane and meets certain (restrictive) cross-section area and curvature requirements. Furthermore the floor must form a solid structure – i.e., cannot contain holes, which was a particular area of dispute in 2012.

Article 11 describes the brake ducts. It defines a cube-shaped area within which aerodynamicists are free to have as much or as little bodywork as they like. The position of this area is 160mm above and below the wheel centre line, 120mm from the inner face of the wheel towards the car, and 330mm fore and aft of the rear wheel centreline. In this area we see a proliferation of carbon fibre which is clearly designed to enhance downforce rather than improve braking performance.

The first illustration below shows some the detail around the RB10:

First, note the detail around the brake ducts. In this configuration the duct opening is quite small and there are at least four winglets protruding from the ducts. The brake ducts contribute substantially to the downforce produced at the rear of the car. This downforce is generated very close to the rear wheel, which helps get heat into the tyres and reduce degradation.

In addition there a number of flicks and vanes attached to the floor of the car. These serve the purpose of manipulating the airflow around the rear wheels to optimise the wing-wheel interaction. The tyre creates a lot of drag — this can be reduced by diverting airflow either side of the rubber or by altering the flow the structure hitting the rubber.

Also note the slot in the floor. Although this looks like a hole there is a hairline gap from the edge of the floor to the slot so it complies with Article 3 in the Technical Regulations. Again, this slot is designed to bleed air below the floor to optimise the wing-wheel interaction. This slot can’t be too large or else it would create too much turbulence, which would increase drag.

The illustration below shows the brake ducts from a different perspective – again note the complexity of the device with brake cooling being a secondary objective!

The original intention of the regulations was to ensure teams could properly cool the brakes. This is a very important safety requirement as we have seen with some recent high profile brake failures. Canny F1 engineers have exploited the regulations for aerodynamic benefit.

But as with double diffusers, exhaust blown diffusers and other inadvertent aerodynamic loopholes, don’t be surprised if FIA decide to impose tighter control over brake duct design to reduce their aerodynamic benefit in the future.

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ALONSO WANTS $50 MILLION PER YEAR TO STAY AT FERRARI

Multiple authoritative media sources claim Fernando Alonso is seeking around $50 million a year to sign a new contract and remain with Ferrari.

Amid his obvious frustration at lacking a third title after five years in red, and reports he might be looking to leave the fabled team, authoritative Autosprint reports in its latest edition that the Spaniard is playing hardball in his negotiations for a new deal beyond 2016.

Ferrari wants a new three-year contract with Alonso, extending his current tenure to 2019, when the double world champion will be 38, the sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport also reported.

And Autosprint said it is “not just reports” that the driver, arguably the best overall in Formula 1 at present, wants a whopping €35 million per season.

That equates to almost $50 million per year, or about $140 million over the life of the new deal.

It is reportedly almost a doubling of Alonso’s current Ferrari retainer, and perhaps beyond even the dizzying heights of Michael Schumacher’s earning power with the Maranello based team.

Bild newspaper is reporting the same news, claiming Alonso’s new fee would be “one of the largest contracts in sports history”.

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ZETSCHE: AT MERCEDES THERE ARE NO TEAM ORDERS

Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche insists there will be no team orders to settle the outcome of the title battle between warring Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

His comments, in Bild am Sonntag newspaper, follow hot on the heels of the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Hamilton blankly refused to obey the order to let Rosberg past on a different strategy.

“Last Sunday there was no emergency situation,” Zetsche said. “The two were not really bumper to bumper, which is why I can well understand Lewis not slowing down to let Nico past.”

He said it is only in ‘emergency situations’ that the pitwall will intervene with the free battle between the silver-clad pair.

“At Mercedes there are no team orders,” Zetsche insisted. “I stand by that. The skill of the drivers and a little bit of luck will in the end decide who has the edge.

“It is true however that Rosberg and Hamilton are not to impede each other with different strategies — for example two stops versus three stops,” he added.

Mercedes management have been at a loss on how to handle their championship contending drivers. Most recently Hamilton ‘ignored’ orders to slow down and allow Rosberg to pass.

Hamilton said in the aftermath of the headline grabbing incident, “I did not cost Nico a win. I was racing against him! Why would I be concerned for him?”

“I don’t think I was being ruthless. I was not even being bloody minded. I was doing my job. I tried my hardest to be ahead and I don’t feel as though I was obligated to help,” added the Briton.

Rosberg’s version was, “Lewis didn’t let me by although he was ordered to, so that’s obviously not good.”

Immediately after the incident the Mercedes F1 bosses were not on the same page with Niki Lauda siding with Hamilton, while Toto Wolff aligned with Rosberg.

Only days after the race did Wolff accept Hamilton’s version and concede that him slowing down to allow Rosberg through was not an option.

Now with Zetsche throwing his weight behind the matter, the team will be under pressure to effectively manage a feud which is only going to intensify in the final stages of the season.

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PEREZ: HULKENBERG STRONGEST TEAMMATE I’VE HAD IN F1

Sergio Perez has singled out Nico Hulkenberg as “the strongest teammate I’ve had in Formula 1″ and also reiterates why he belives he failed to make a success of his opportunity with McLaren.

Having moved from McLaren after a disappointing single season with the struggling British F1 giant, Mexican Perez switched to Force India and was paired for 2014 with Sauber refugee Hulkenberg.

“Nico is the strongest teammate I’ve had in Formula 1,” Perez is quoted by Speed Week. “He is an almost totally complete driver.”

Perez, 24, was paired at Sauber with Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi, and at McLaren by 2009 world champion Jenson Button.

This year at Force India, he has 29 points so far versus German Hulkenberg’s 69. The pair looks set to be retained by the Silverstone based team for 2015.

“I hope things will be clearer in the next couple of months,” Perez was quoted by the Indian news agency PTI at the recent Hungarian Grand Prix.

Team supremo Vijay Mallya said in Budapest that he has contract “options” on both Hulkenberg and Perez for 2015 “and I see no reason why we should be looking at any change”.

And the Indian millionaire told Formula 1′s official website: “The fact that McLaren chose him [Perez] means that they saw something in him — and McLaren is a top team.

“So he obviously has a talent — and we should have him. And we are very happy with him,” Mallya added.

Of his stint at Mclaren, Perez repeated what he said when he was axed by the team at the end of 2013, “I probably arrived at the worst possible moment. When I went into McLaren I was expecting to fight for the title and was really, really hungry.”

“Then, I realised that I was doing even worse than when I was at Sauber. It was difficult for me at McLaren, it hurt me a lot, but I learnt a lot. I’m sure that it will help me a lot in my career,” mused the Mexican.

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SUSPECT IN THEFT OF SCHUMACHER MEDICAL FILES FOUND HANGED

A man suspected of leaking Formula One champion Michael Schumacher’s medical files was found hanged in his police cell on Wednesday, Zurich’s cantonal prosecutor said in a statement.

The man, who was not named, worked as a manager at Swiss helicopter company Rega, which was involved in Schumacher’s transfer from Grenoble hospital to University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV) on June 16 after he emerged from a coma.

Seven-time F1 winner Schumacher, 45, suffered severe head injuries in a ski accident in the French Alps late last year.

The French daily “Le Dauphine Libere” reported in early July that leaked documents being offered to European media for some 60,000 Swiss francs (39,923.95 British pound) appeared to have come from the IP address of a computer at a Zurich-based helicopter company.

Rega lodged a criminal complaint on July 8 for the suspected leak of Schumacher’s medical files, but said at the time it had no proof that one of its employees was implicated.

An investigation by Zurich’s cantonal prosecutor led to the arrest of a Rega employee on Tuesday in connection with violating patient privacy and medical secrecy.

The man, who was due to be questioned on Wednesday, denied the allegations. The cantonal prosecutor said it had found no indication that a third party was involved in the death of the man.

Rega CEO Ernst Kohler said in a statement on Wednesday that the helicopter company was “saddened” by the “tragic event.

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WILLI WEBER SLAMS NEW AGE F1 DRIVERS AND UGLY CARS

Willi Weber, famous for making his fortune as Michael Schumacher’s ‘Mr 20 per cent’ manager, has joined those decrying the new face of Formula 1.

“There are many reasons for the decline of Formula 1,” he told Wednesday’s latest edition of Sport Bild magazine.

“The fish rots at the head,” the German claimed, when asked about the sport’s apparent dwindling popularity amid the ever-modernising era.

“Bernie Ecclestone is much too old to embrace the age of new media. And FIA president Jean Todt lacks the strength to enforce.”

Weber also blamed the latest generation of Formula 1 driver, “Who wants to watch the wimps of today complaining on the radio?”

“There are no more Michael Schumachers, Ayrton Sennas, Jacques Villeneuves. They wouldn’t have complained on the radio but given their answer on the track.”

And Weber said he doesn’t blame the fans for switching off, “The cars are not just ugly, you can’t even listen to them. The kids prefer to create their own world on the playstation.”

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RED BULL F1 SHOW RUN ENDS IN FLAMES

A Red Bull RB7 Formula 1 car burst into flames during a show run on the streets of Chelyabinsk in Russia last weekend.

The 2011 car, which Sebastian Vettel drove to the second of his four world titles in, was on a show run in Chelyabinsk to promote the inaugural Russian Grand Prix 0n 10-12 October in Sochi.

But the championship winning RB7, driven by 20-year-old Briton and Red Bull junior driver Alex Lynn, caught alight while he performed a series of doughnuts in front of a large crowd,

Red Bull mechanics were promptly on hand to control the situation, and Lynn, who tops the GP3 Series, emerged unscathed from the incident in which no one was injured.

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MERCEDES RETAINS CONTRACT WITH SCHUMACHER

Mercedes has vowed to stick with Michael Schumacher as the Formula 1 legend continues his recovery from a skiing fall last December.

In June, as Schumacher remained in intensive care, one of the great German’s personal sponsors – the bottled water brand Rosbacher – said it would end its advertising deal with the former Ferrari and Mercedes driver.

Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche, however, said Mercedes-Benz is not looking to terminate its contract with brand ambassador Schumacher despite the seven time world champion’s continuing recovery in a Swiss rehabilitation hospital.

“We are pleased with the positive development,” Zetsche, referring to the reported improvement in Schumacher’s condition, told Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

“We hope fervently that it continues,” he added.

When asked about Mercedes’ commitment to Schumacher despite his injuries, Zetsche answered: “We have given no thoughts to changing something in the contract.”

He said he had not visited Schumacher in hospital or rehabilitation since the skiing accident due to his “highest respect” for the family’s privacy.

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GLOCK NOT INTERESTED IN F1 RETURN

Timo Glock has admitted he has all but given up on the thought of returning to Formula 1.

After Toyota withdrew from Formula 1, the talented German raced for Virgin/Marussia for three years until he accepted a plum works BMW seat in the premier touring car series DTM last year.

And Glock, now 32, told the German news agency DPA that he is not thinking about mounting a bid to return to Formula 1.

“It is pretty clear that in the current situation there are just three or four teams who can choose and pay for their drivers,” he said.

“The rest look for how much money the driver can bring. In my eyes, that’s not the purpose of the sport. That’s why at the moment I don’t see a future and don’t waste thoughts thinking about it,” Glock added.

He said he is happy with BMW in the DTM, “At the moment I’m having a lot of fun so I would be happy if I could continue for a few more years.”

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Hulkenberg ponders 'easier' F1

This year's new regulations may have made life a little easier for Formula 1's rookie drivers, that's according to Nico Hulkenberg.

This season three new drivers found a place on the F1 grid of which only one, Marcus Ericsson, came from GP2.

McLaren's Kevin Magnussen booked his place with a victory in the Formula Renault 3.5 while Toro Rosso signed Daniil Kvyat straight from GP3, which he won.

Of the three, Magnussen and Kvyat, have both shown great form at times leading Hulkenberg to speculate that maybe this year's new regulations have made cars easier to adapt to.

"I wonder whether it has become easier coming into Formula 1 as a rookie with the new regulations and how the cars are now," he told Autosport.

"I'm not sure. It's quite obvious there's Kvyat, Magnussen - a lot of young people come in and straight away they're on top of their team-mates and doing really well.

"I'm not saying they're bad drivers - they're pretty good drivers I think. But I remember when I came in, my first year as a rookie was a bit tougher.

"I don't know if they're just that much better or if things have become easier.

"If you're a driver who has been in Formula 1 for 10 years then yes, experience is a very good thing to have, but maybe some of that experience is not so valid now, so some of the advantage is gone because of that."

As for Kvyat, the Toro Rosso rookie says there are a lot of things in Formula 1 that a new driver has to get used to.

He told Autosport: "There are lots of things in Formula 1 that I am still learning, like the downforce and setting up the car for the race and so on

"There are many, many things to play around with: pressures, flaps, balance and so on. For me, it's been going in a good direction."

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Caterham duo safe if they perform

Christijan Albers has assured Caterham's drivers that they will retain their seats for the rest of the season if they perform.

Both Kamui Kobayashi and Marcus Ericsson are facing uncertain futures after the team were taken over by a consortium of Swiss and Middle Eastern investors just over a month ago.

Japanese driver Kobayashi has admitted he doesn't know what the future hold, adding "I think even the team owner doesn't know the situation. But I need to believe".

In an interview with GPupdate.net, newly appointed team principal Albers insists their seats are safe for the remainder of the campaign if they do their jobs.

"It's very simple. As long as the drivers are performing, they will stay in the car," he said.

Caterham are currently bottom of the Constructors' Championship without any points and, although the team have already started working on their challenger for next year, Albers hopes they can still improve this year's car.

"We have been working hard on the car for 2015. We'll have the car in the windtunnel soon," he said. "We are also working hard on upgrades for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. It's a race against the clock. We now have a summer break of two weeks, which doesn't make it easier for us. We will spend as much time as possible to improve the car."

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Sauber: P10 not acceptable

Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn has vowed that the team will do everything they can to get out of their current slump.

The Hinwil squad are currently at its lowest ebb as the team have gone 11 races without scoring a point - their longest points drought in F1 - and they are 10th in the standings, behind Marussia who have two points.

Everyone at Sauber, though, are determined to drag the team out of their current predicament.

"First of all, for morale it's a big step back, because in 22 years of Sauber in Formula 1 we've never had that position - so that's something we really don't want to think about," Kaltenborn told Autosport.

"Apart from that, of course, it has a financial impact. We should remain realistic but the message is that P10 is not acceptable for us.

"That [not scoring points] is still an idea I don't even want to contemplate. Our first target has to be to score points. Then, we have to see where that can take us."

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Grosjean: Kimi woes not too surprising

Romain Grosjean believes Kimi Raikkonen's problems at Ferrari are due to the Finn's struggles with the current Pirelli tyres.

Ferrari signed Raikkonen on a two-year deal on the back of two excellent seasons with Lotus, but the 2007 World Champion has been unable to replicate that success at the Italian stable in the first 11 races of the 2014 campaign.

Although the F14T is not up to scratch, Raikkonen has been outshone by his team-mate Fernando Alonso as he is 88 points behind the Spaniard in the standings.

His former Lotus team-mate Grosjean feels the Finn doesn't have enough front-end grip.

"I know what he doesn't like and I think this year's tyres don't suit him very well," he is quoted as saying by ESPNF1. "He needs a good front end and the tyres don't give him that feeling. It's hard to explain but it just changes a little bit your confidence."

After two seasons partnering Raikkonen, Grosjean has a new team-mate in Pastor Maldonado and the Frenchman admits he enjoys a different relationship with the Venezuelan.

"It's fairly different. Pastor is a nice guy and a father so we can speak about different things off track, which I didn't have with Kimi because we didn't have any common points on that one," he said.

"The work relationship is pretty similar, even though I speak a little bit more with Pastor in the briefings than I did with Kimi. Kimi was very interesting to have as a team-mate because in that car he was performing very well and doing a very good job, so it was nice to have him on board."

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Button pleased with Williams revival

Jenson Button admits he is happy to see Williams competing at the right end of the grid again.

After a couple of seasons in the doldrums, the Grove squad have turned things around this year and have already picked up three podiums to lie fourth in the Constructors' standings, ahead of the likes of Force India and McLaren.

Button, who got his F1 entry through Williams more than a decade ago, admits the hard work from the likes of owner Frank Williams and current deputy team principal Clare Williams are paying off.

"I think they've put a lot of effort into doing well this year. They've spent a lot of resources on getting a good team of people, especially aerodynamically," he told Autosport.

"They've done a great job and I'm happy for Frank and Claire to see them competitive.

"They've lost a lot of points this year through incidents or just not getting everything out of the car, which is good for us, because otherwise they'd be miles in front!"

"Their main aim is going to be being consistent and doing a good job as a team over the race weekend, because they've got the package to be very quick - it's just whether they can get the best out of it."

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Brazilian Grand Prix F1 venue Interlagos begins major revamp

Interlagos has started an $80 million upgrade programme that includes the building of a new Formula 1 pit complex for the 2015 Brazilian Grand Prix.

After this year's F1 race, the current cramped pit complex will be demolished and then rebuilt to a higher specification.

This will give the teams larger garages and should also increase the paddock space behind them.

The plan for the new pits has been in the works for several years, but the idea of moving the start/finish to the back straight on the run to Turn 4 has been ditched and they will instead be built in the same location.

"There was a previous idea of moving the pit complex to the other side of the circuit, but it was dropped after a more detailed study," a circuit spokesperson told AUTOSPORT.

"It was felt that some of the defining characteristics of the classical layout would be lost."

The first phase of the project, which is being completed ahead of this year's race, involves the resurfacing of the track and the modification of the pit entry.

It is claimed that the new asphalt will increase grip without increasing tyre wear thanks to a smoother surface.

The pit entry, which is located on the inside of the flat-out final kink, has been considered a problem for years and will be made safer by the change.

Interlagos has a contract to host the Brazilian GP through to 2020, with the local government financing the changes needed to keep the ageing track up to date.

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BOULLIER: WE SEE THIS YEAR’S MCLAREN AS A ROLLING LABORATORY

McLaren‘s current car is a rolling laboratory and preparing the groundwork for the 2015 return of works Honda era for the under-performing team

That is the revelation by team boss Eric Boullier, who arrived at Woking this year and is overseeing the British grandee’s struggle to even stay in the top five constructors in 2014.

This season is the last in McLaren’s long and successful partnership with Mercedes, even though the relationship is no more than a mere customer pairing in 2014.

McLaren lies behind its usual top-team protagonists at the mid-season point, but also behind Mercedes’ other customers Williams and Force India.

Ron Dennis with Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and the 1988 McLaren team powered by Honda

Still, Frenchman Boullier said the team is not giving up on developing the MP4-29.

“We see this year’s car as a rolling laboratory for the coming season,” he is quoted by Speed Week.

“What we do this year has great relevance, because according to the rules the mounting points of the engine and transmission are the same next year, even if you change engine partner.

“So most of our improvements this year will have a direct impact on the design of the next McLaren,” Boullier explained.

Honda and McLaren enjoyed a highly successful partnership from 1988 to 1992, winning the Formula 1 world title with Ayrton Senna (1988, 1990 and 1991) and Alain Prost (1989) while winning four constructors’ titles in the process.

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MASSA: FERRARI CAN LEARN FROM WILLIAMS EXPERIENCE

Ferrari could learn from Williams‘ recovery from the doldrums of the British team’s past few seasons according to Felipe Massa, Williams’ new driver who moved to Grove for 2014 after a long Ferrari career.

Undoubtedly aided by the dominant Mercedes engine, Williams has been arguably the surprise team of 2014, having finished a woeful ninth in the 2013 constructors’ table to now trail only the top three teams and proving a regular front row and podium challenger.

Initially, Williams seemed merely to be benefitting from superior horsepower in 2014, but now the FW36 is proving competitive even at twisty circuits like Hungary.

“Now we are competitive in the other areas too,” confirmed Brazilian Massa in an interview with the latest edition of Autosprint magazine.

“It took a while but we did it. And there is still so much to improve,” he added.

Personally, however, 33-year-old Massa is enduring a rough patch alongside the on-form Valtteri Bottas but he argues that his struggle is simply for a turn of luck.

“The important thing is that we have a competitive car,” Massa insisted, “and that I am competitive myself. That’s what I care about.”

So when asked if he would have any advice to offer Ferrari if he was ever called back to race for his struggling former employer, Massa answered in the affirmative.

“Yes, but I won’t say,” he insisted. “I don’t know if it will happen, but if one day I had to change teams again, I would take all of the experience that I have from Williams.”

Indeed, with Ferrari notably struggling in 2014, Italy’s influential La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that new boss Marco Mattiacci has headed into the summer break having identified the four major areas Maranello must focus on.

They are the V6 power unit, speeding up development response times, coordination between the engine and chassis, and better balancing reliability versus performance.

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KVYAT: WE ARE NOT REAL MEN? THAT’S ALL BULLSH*T

Daniil Kvyat, the youngest rookie in current Formula 1, has hit back at suggestions drivers lack the hero status of the sport’s past stars and tells critics of the new V6 turbo engine formula to be paitent.

Amid the sport’s struggle to fill grandstands and boost television ratings in 2014, many have pointed the finger at the drivers for failing to compete in the charisma and courage stakes with greats like Villeneuve, Senna and Mansell.

Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher’s manager Willi Weber, for example, this week hit out at the “wimps” that today fill the Grand Prix grid.

Russian rookie Kvyat, who has impressed this season, thinks it is wrong to suggest that today’s Formula 1 drivers lack courage.

“In my opinion Formula 1 remains one of the sports in which courage is most relevant,” the 20 year old told Omnicorse.

“I don’t like to hear that the modern driver is no longer a knight of risk — that compared with the 80s we are not real men,” the Toro Rosso driver insisted.

Daniil Kvyat jumps out of his Toro Rosso after it caught fire during the German Grand Prix

“That’s all bullsh*t,” said Kvyat. “All that separates us from 340kph and the wall is our brakes and a hundred metres of asphalt. Risk in Formula 1 cannot be erased, but it is right that we do everything possible to improve the safety of the tracks and the cars.”

Another criticism made by Weber this week, and echoed by many others, is that greats like Schumacher, Senna and Villeneuve gave “their answer on the track” rather than to their engineers on the radio.

But Kvyat argues: “With the new regulations, the role of the engineer is essential — the management of electrical energy cannot be controlled only by the driver.”

“Let’s clarify another thing,” he added. “If there is the possibility to overtake, the driver must always try it. There is never the situation when the engineer tells you to forget it, to wait. But at the same time we need to adapt to the situation of fuel consumption and the wear of the tyres.”

As for the suggestion that the grands prix today are boring, Kvyat also argues his case.

“I don’t know what people are expecting,” he said. “I have looked at the grands prix and I have to say that the show is not bad at all.

“Sure, some races are more exciting than others, but if we go back to the races in the 2000s they were dominated by one driver – what was so spectacular about that?”

“Maybe the public has not understood the rule changes we have done, but I am sure we have taken the right path,” Kvyat continued. “It took courage to change to experimental solutions in order to progress normal road cars.”

Finally, when asked what rule change he would instigate immediately to improve Formula 1, Kvyat answered: “I would wait a little longer. It seems to me that the package we have now is not so bad.”

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SAUBER TO KEEP FERRARI ENGINE DESPITE PROBLEMS

Sauber has vowed to stay together with Ferrari as their engine supplier despite the Italian manufacturer’s below par V6 turbo Formula 1 power unit.

The Swiss team, already struggling financially, has not scored a single point so far in 2014 and therefore is in danger of being left outside the lucrative top ten positions in the constructors’ championship.

Team boss and co-owner Monisha Kaltenborn admitted that Ferrari’s troubled first turbo V6 design for 2014 is “one of the major factors” in Sauber’s current situation.

“But I think it is too easy to say something is the fault of others,” she is quoted by Italiaracing.

“We must always look first of all at what we do, be honest about it and say that this car is definitely not one of the best that we have produced.”

But particularly in the sport’s all-new ‘power unit’ era, the engine package is a crucial element and there have been reports Sauber could soon become the first non-works customer of returning supplier Honda’s latest Formula 1 foray.

Kaltenborn admitted: “The engine is one of the major factors, especially from the point of view of driveability, but this is not the reason to give up.

“We have a long relationship with Ferrari and we have had our ups and downs over the years, but let’s stay together and we will come out together,” she added.

Kaltenborn played down any similarity between Sauber’s situation and that endured by Red Bull and Renault, whose relationship has clearly been strained by the French marque’s 2014 troubles.

“I do not know the situation between Renault and Red Bull,” she insisted, “but we are very close to Ferrari and have a very open relationship.

“We have never pointed the finger. If there are times when things do not go as well, we say it openly and put the focus on everyone getting together in this situation.

“I’m quite sure that if I’m sad or unhappy, my colleagues at Ferrari are twice as sad or unhappy. The important thing is that they are on the right track, they know what to do and I have full confidence in their potential,” said Kaltenborn.

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Smedley: Spa, Monza wins are possible

Rob Smedley has backed up Felipe Massa's claims that Williams could give Mercedes a fierce fight when Formula 1 returns from the summer break.

Formula 1 will head to Belgium at the end of this month before moving onto Italy.

Both tracks could suit the characteristics of Williams' FW36 with Smedley saying a victory could even be on the cards.

"It's a possibility," he told ESPN when asked if Williams could challenge Mercedes at Spa and Monza.

"As I've quite often said, the ambition of the team is to win the World Championship, and in order to win the World Championship you have to beat everybody. I think we know that the World Championship is a little bit one-sided this year, but that doesn't stop us preparing ourselves for the years to come.

"Running at the front and winning races is something that this team needs to re-learn how to do. You saw that once we re-learned how to be slick enough to get podiums they kept falling out of the jackpot machine at us."

Williams are currently fourth in the Championship on 135 points. It is a sharp contrast to last year when the team netted just five the entire campaign.

Already Williams have three podium results to their tally and one pole position. Smedley reckons they can add to that at both Spa and Monza.

"Both of those tracks will suit our car very well, I would have thought. That's mainly because the power sensitivity at those tracks is very high, so every 1bhp you have is worth more than at other tracks, and the drag sensitivity, especially at Spa, is very high. We know that our car is strong in both of those areas.

"Additionally, in somewhere like Spa, with harder compounds, it can sometimes be quite difficult to get the tyres turned on and I think our car can do that, especially when it's a front-end problem. I'm reasonably confident that our car can go well in both of those races, but I've said before that we don't fear anywhere really.

"In Hungary people would say: 'Williams with their low-drag configuration is not going to be any good around the hot and twisty Budapest'. And then in qualifying, apart from the Mercedes, we were right there just 0.1s off the Red Bull."

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Parabolica gravel replaced by tarmac run-off

Parabolica, a corner which used to catch many drivers out, has been dampened ahead of the Italian Grand Prix with much of the gravel trap replaced by tarmac. It's not unusual to see drivers taking too much speed into the famed corner, only to end up beached in the gravel.

That now looks unlikely with the area having been covered in tarmac - at least on the entry.

The change was prompted by the World Superbike Series which is looking to return to Monza for the Italian round of the WSBK championship. Many fans have bemoaned the trend of providing large areas of run-off which fail to penalise a driver for a mistake, instead allowing them to rejoin the session having lost just a few tenths - and even in some cases having gained time.

This latest move will surely cause some ire amongst the hardcore F1 fanbase. The 2014 Italian GP is set to take place on September 7th.

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Paddy Lowe: I've taken Mercedes Formula 1 team to the next level

Paddy Lowe says he has taken the Mercedes Formula 1 team "to the next level" since taking over the technical reins from Ross Brawn.

Lowe joined Mercedes from McLaren last June and has overseen the Brackley-based team's domination of F1 this season, following ex-team principal Brawn's retirement at the end of 2013.

Lowe said he had built on the foundations laid by Brawn in order to transform Mercedes from a race-winning outfit into one that could challenge for the world championship.

"The team was on the ascendency over the last two to three years, and through last year was starting to win races and get pole positions more regularly," Lowe told AUTOSPORT.

"Credit to Ross, he had been part of that process. I think I've come in and taken that forward to the next level.

"It's not so much about changing where Ross had been leading, it's more augmenting.

"I see gaps that Ross hadn't covered and fill in those gaps.

"Rarely are there places where I'll go 'what was done before was wrong, and we're going to go 180 degrees.' It's more about adding to what existed before."

Lowe said the fast-paced nature of F1 meant old ways of working became outdated very quickly.

"Ross has been out since December, and time passes," Lowe added.

"Formula 1 is a fast business; I can't even remember last December. So, no disrespect to Ross, but that's old history.

"For me, we're here doing what we do and looking forward to the next races.

"It's been a fantastic year. It's a year we realistically couldn't have dreamt of achieving.

"So far, we've produced historic results and we want to keep that up.

"We demand a lot of ourselves, and that's always how it works in Formula 1.

"Formula 1 is very unforgiving; you're only as good as your last race. So, we've just got to make sure we're not falling back."

THE 'RISE' OF MERCEDES SINCE 2010

Mercedes had actually been generally dipping in form before last season, when it finished runner-up to Red Bull in the constructors' championship.

Here is a rundown of its record since returning to the sport in 2010.

2010

Constructors' pos: 4th

Points: 214

Wins: 0

Podiums: 3

2011

Constructors' pos: 4th

Points: 165

Wins: 0

Podiums: 0

2012

Constructors' pos: 5th

Points: 142

Wins: 1

Podiums: 3

2013

Constructors' pos: 2nd

Points: 360

Wins: 3

Podiums: 9

2014 (after 11 races)

Constructors pos: 1st

Points: 393

Wins: 9

Podiums: 18