FORMULA 1 - 2014

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Ricciardo puts pressure on Horner

Daniel Ricciardo says the time is approaching for Red Bull to decide whether to throw all their efforts behind his title quest.

The Australian racer has been this season's revelation as he remains the only driver aside from the Mercedes pairing to win a grand prix.

Taking the chequered flag in Canada, Hungary and Belgium, he is the only driver with a realistic shot of beating Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton to the World title.

Adding another 10 points to his tally on Sunday in Italy - a race where he demonstrated superior pace over Sebastian Vettel to take fifth off his team-mate - Ricciardo has 166 points in total.

And with Vettel 60 behind him, Ricciardo says team orders could yet to be used in his favour.

"My lead is around 60 points over Seb," he said in the wake of Sunday's grand prix.

"I would love to be quicker on merit and not need team orders, but the next couple of tracks are perfect for us so if we need to make any decisions if we can challenge Mercedes for the title then I am sure they will be made."

As for his race on Sunday, despite being ninth on the grid and slipping down the order at the start, Ricciardo put in a great drive to finish fifth.

He told the BBC: "It was good fun, the start was not planned but we recovered well and kept a cool head. The race really came to life at the end and the overtaking kept me smiling in the car.

"I had confidence on the brakes and around this track that helps. It was fun, being out of position at the start we knew we had to do something.

"We figured the Mercedes would be out in the front being boring so I thought I would make it fun."

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Gutierrez handed post-race penalty

Esteban Gutierrez's performance at Monza has gone from bad to worse after the Mexican was handed a post-race penalty for his collision with Romain Grosjean.

The Sauber driver tried to overtake Grosjean during the final few laps of the Italian Grand Prix, but he made contact with the Lotus and picked up a puncture in the process.

He was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop and eventually finished 19th place, two laps after race winner Lewis Hamilton.

However, he was handed a 20-second penalty by the stewards after the race and that saw him drop to 20th place, with Marcus Ericsson in the Caterham moving up one spot.

"The stewards accepted the explanation of the team that car 21 [Gutierrez] was experiencing brake problems," the stewards confirmed in a statement.

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Brake failure costs Kvyat chance of points

Having been relegated to the back row of the grid due to an engine change penalty, Daniil Kvyat fought his way up until he was within striking distance of the points.

But a brake disc failure then pitched him off the track just as he was preparing to attack Kimi Raikkonen for tenth place.

“I feel disappointed with how my race ended,” he said afterwards. “We had a brake disc failure I think, but I managed to hang on and bring the car home in P11.”

“It’s a shame when you give it your hundred percent and you finish the race outside the points, but I’m very pleased with my race in general. Starting from the back is never easy, but I managed to overtake a few cars and get close to a points finish.”

Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost raved about Kvyat’s performance, saying he did a “fantastic job”.

“I think he is the driver who can count the highest number of overtakes during today’s race,” said Tost. “In the last two laps he was fighting to close the gap to Kimi Raikkonen, getting quite close to him, but unfortunately he suddenly suffered a front brake failure, which we will have to investigate. Only thanks to his extraordinary driving skills he was able to control the car and avoid a collision.”

Kvyat didn’t make an especially rapid start to the race, only moving ahead of Romain Grosjean on the first lap. But he then picked off both Marussias on lap two, followed by Kamui Kobayashi’s Caterham on the next tour.

The two Sauber drivers succumbed next, but what really helped Kvyat make progress was his late pit stop. By extending his first stint he was running fourth at one stage, before he finally came in.

Next he overtook his team mate Jean-Eric Vergne, who struggled all weekend long with his car’s handling, and Nico Hulkenberg, whose Force India had suffered damage. He was catching Raikkonen by around seven tenths of a second per lap when his brake failed, and as Tost said it’s not hard to imagine he would have been able to finish in the points.

“All considered, I’m really impressed by his capability to close the gap to the cars in front of him,” said Tost, “and I’m convinced that he might have finished the race in ninth position today, after the five seconds penalty imposed to Magnussen.”

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Did Magnussen deserve a penalty for Bottas move?

Kevin Magnussen fell foul of the stewards again at Monza, where he was given a penalty for driving standards for the second race in a row.

This time the McLaren driver was given a five-second time penalty after pushing Valtteri Bottas onto the run-off at the Rettifilio chicane.

Bottas had drawn slightly ahead of the McLaren on the way into the corner, but was edged off the track as they turned into the right-hand part of the chicane.

The stewards ruled Magnussen “did not leave enough room for car 77 [bottas] in turn one and forced him off the track”. He was given a five-second penalty which was added to his race time at the end of the race, dropping him from seventh to tenth.

He was penalised under article 16.1 of the Sporting Regulations which says drivers can be penalised if they”illegitimately prevent a legitimate overtaking manoeuvre by a driver” or “illegitimately impede another driver during overtaking”.

Five-second penalties, which were introduced this year, are the most lenient sanctions available to the stewards. At Spa 20 seconds were added to Magnussen’s race time in lieu of a drive-through penalty after he forced Fernando Alonso off the track on the straight.

McLaren team principal Eric Boullier thought Magnussen was hard done by. “In the closing stages he and Valtteri were involved in a spirited and entertaining dice – the kind of wheel-to-wheel racing that Formula 1 fans thrill to see – and in our view he was unfortunate to be penalised for what we saw as a legitimate defence,” he said.

Was Magnussen’s penalty fair?

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Italian GP: Mercedes dismisses Rosberg/Hamilton conspiracy talk

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has rubbished talk of a conspiracy by his Formula 1 team to help Lewis Hamilton win the Italian Grand Prix rather than Nico Rosberg.

Hamilton was handed victory at Monza after race leader Rosberg lost time by using the escape road at the first chicane twice during the race.

Coming in the wake of the German being disciplined for crashing with Hamilton in the Belgian GP, his incidents in Italy prompted wild talk that deliberately sacrificing the win may have been a further sanction.

But Wolff was quick to dismiss such talk - saying it would have been virtually impossible to execute what happened on purpose.

"Only a paranoid mind could come up with such an idea," explained Wolff about the conspiracy theories.

"If it had been our idea, it would have been bloody well done!

"There was lots of pressure on Nico because Lewis was so quick yesterday and you could see that today as well."

Wolff said that there was no technical reason to explain why Rosberg went down the escape road twice in the race, although he did reveal that the German's brake balance had been tweaked during the race.

"We tried to protect the rear [brakes], so we went forward with the brake balance. He hit the brake hard and missed the braking point.

"It was bizarre. But there isn't any mechanical reason behind it."

Rosberg himself also dismissed the conspiracy talk - and said there would be no grounds for his Mercedes bosses to demand that he sacrifice a victory for Hamilton.

"I've heard about that [the conspiracy theory], but what would be the reason for me to do something like that deliberately?" he said. "There is no possible reason.

"If you're ordered by the team to do it then you would do it, but there is no reason why the team would ask me to change position, or something like that."

ELECTRONICS BLAMED FOR HAMILTON START

Pole position man Hamilton had to fight back from fourth place in the race, after a poor start dropped him down the order.

Wolff revealed that the problem had been caused by an electronic issue that meant the clutch did not behave properly.

"We had an electronic problem which we had on the warm up lap and also on the start," he said.

"We need to find out what it was exactly. But we got it wrong.

"So Lewis didn't have an optimum start. In the procedure there is lots of clutch calibration and that was not perfect, so the start was not good."

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Lotus F1 Drivers Go Head-To-Head To Win The Best Parking Spot

Whilst test driving the sleek Exige LF1 at the official Lotus Cars Headquarters, celebrated Lotus F1 driver Romain Grosjean completes his lap, only to find his dedicate and prestigious spot already occupied.

But who dare to be so bold?

None other than Lotus F1 driver Kimi Raikkonen winner of the 2013 Australian GP, that's who.

We all know how frustrating it can be trying to find the ideal parking spot (let alone having yours taken) so Grosjean amusingly decides to takes matters into his own hands, removing Raikkonen's 'illegally parked' car help of a forklift....

But just as he's about to breath a sigh of relief and getting his coveted spot back, fellow Lotus F1 driver Paster Maldonado swoops in driving his Exige S Roadster to steal the spot, much to the fury of Grosjean.

Whether it's on the track or in the car park, you have to hand to the Lotus F1 drivers - they're certainly a competitive!

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MCLAREN RUNNING OUT OF STAR DRIVER OPTIONS FOR 2015

McLaren may be forced to wait another year for a top name to join the soon to be Honda-powered outfit, as the team are running out of options to sign up one of the top Formula 1 three drivers of the current era.

In recent days and weeks, it has become increasingly clear that the Woking team is bidding to lure a star champion like Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel to the British-Japanese works collaboration for 2015.

All three, however, are under contract to their existing teams, which may be good news for the nervous incumbent, Formula 1 veteran Jenson Button, who otherwise might be staring at retirement.

“If I’m not racing at the end of the season, so be it,” he said at Monza. “I can’t do much about that.”

But Britain’s The Observer newspaper reports that McLaren is in fact now most likely to sign Button and his rookie teammate Kevin Magnussen for at least another season.

“We are happy with the drivers we have, to be honest,” team boss Eric Boullier confirmed. “You can rate them or not rate them, I don’t care. We are happy and lucky to have the good drivers we have. If we have them next year we will be happy with that.”

The Frenchman hinted that a better “strategy” for McLaren might be to let the all-new McLaren-Honda partnership bed in for a year before thinking again about a driver change for 2016.

“We are thinking about strategy,” Boullier said. “We have to think about 2016. We are seeking who, when, how, how much, because we need to know how we want to build for the future.

“It is usual in Formula 1, especially with A-list drivers, to have discussions not for next year but for the year after.”

It is obvious that drivers of Alonso, Hamilton and Vettel’s calibre might be unlikely to take a gamble with a move to McLaren without first assessing the new Honda era.

Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton are th top guns of modern F1 era

“We are in favour of having the best car,” said Boullier, “because then we can attract the best driver and have the winning package. At some stage you have to open the negotiations.”

According to paddock insiders, disgruntled and struggling reigning champion Vettel is the man most likely to be looking for a change of scene.

When asked about the McLaren-Vettel reports, former driver turned pundit Patrick Tambay told RMC it is clear the German is feeling increasingly uncomfortable at Red Bull.

“Next year Adrian Newey will not be in the same position,” he said. “He [Vettel] is losing his favourite engineer [Guillaume 'Rocky' Rocquelin]. It may be time for him to look elsewhere, especially with what is happening with Daniel Ricciardo.”

But even though Australian Ricciardo appears more than comfortable at Red Bull, even he is in McLaren’s sights.

“We may consider Daniel Ricciardo,” Boullier admitted. “Nico Rosberg as well is doing well. So there are a lot of drivers we may consider.”

Daniel Ricciardo has become an attractive option for teams

Ricciardo might be tempted to leave Red Bull because, despite his clear superiority over Vettel in 2014, he is earning much less money than the quadruple champion.

At Monza, team boss Christian Horner dodged a specific question about whether, in light of his season, Red Bull intends to “adjust” Ricciardo’s “earnings” to bring him more in line with Vettel.

Not only that, he finds himself in the awkward situation of being the only driver able to challenge the two Mercedes for the 2014 title, but not being the clear number 1 at Red Bull.

“I would love to be quicker on merit and not need team orders,” Ricciardo said after Monza, “but the next couple of tracks are perfect for us so if we need to make any decisions if we can challenge Mercedes for the title then I am sure they will be made.”

No so, according to Horner, “We are so far back at the moment that it is not worth getting involved (in team orders). We will let the drivers race.”

Horner adds that in the end, despite all the ‘silly season’ noise, he thinks all the main players will stay put for 2015.

“The music is playing at full volume now,” he is quoted by Spain’s Marca, “but when it stops I think you’ll see everyone in the same chairs as they were before.”

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RED BULL ACCEPT DAMAGE LIMITATION AT MONZA

Red Bull team chief Christian Horner said his team achieved their pre-race aim of ‘damage limitation’ on Sunday after Daniel Ricciardo finished fifth ahead of Sebastian Vettel in the Italian Grand Prix.

Horner said the result was the best that the team could have hoped for. “I think fifth and sixth was the absolute optimum today,” said Horner.

“We picked two different strategies, an aggressive one with Sebastian to undercut the McLaren while with Daniel we took the opposite approach as he was in clear air.”

Australian Ricciardo was delighted after a series of overtaking moves, even if he missed out on a third consecutive victory.

“It was good fun,” said Ricciardo, who is third in the overall standings, 72 points behind German leader Nico Rosberg of Mercedes.

“The start was not planned, but we recovered well and kept a cool head. The race really came to life at the end and the overtaking kept me smiling in the car!

“I had confidence on the brakes and around this track that helps. It was fun. My lead is around 60 points over Seb (Vettel).”

“I would love to be quicker on merit and not need team orders, but the next couple of tracks are perfect for us – so if we need to make any decisions – and if we can challenge Mercedes for the title – then I am sure they will be made.”

Pole sitter Lewis Hamilton turned a poor start into a dramatic victory ahead of his Mercedes teammate Rosberg to cut the German’s lead in their battle for the drivers’ championship to 22 with six races remaining.

Red Bull’s four-time world champion Vettel of Germany is sitting sixth in the overall standings.

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MERCEDES WOULD HAVE PUT VERSTAPPEN THROUGH GP2 FIRST

Prior to Max Verstappen’s signing by Red Bull for their Toro Rosso junior team, the teen Dutchman came close to being snapped up by Mercedes.

At the height of the Verstappen-Mercedes reports, sources said the German marque intended to place the talented 16-year-old in GP2 next year.

Toto Wolff confirmed to the Austrian news agency APA: “We would have gone with him first into GP2 and given him a few Formula 1 days.”

Ultimately, however, advised and managed by his Formula 1-famous father Jos Verstappen, the F3 sensation signed with Red Bull on the promise of a now highly controversial Toro Rosso race debut in 2015.

“He is ready for Formula 1 now,” insisted Red Bull’s driver manager Helmut Marko.

But on his first official demonstration run in a Formula 1 car in Rotterdam recently, Verstappen crashed at low speed into the barriers whilst doing donuts.

Red Bull played down the incident, and this week near Venice Verstappen will reportedly be back in a two-year-old Toro Rosso to qualify for his super license and make his Friday practice debut early next month at Suzuka.

Some think Formula 1 is coming way too soon for the boyish Verstappen.

“Max is an extraordinary talent,” Wolff agreed. “He is definitely Formula 1 material and possibly a star of the future.

“Whether it’s good for Formula 1, putting a 17-year-old on the grid is another thing,” he insisted. “Formula 1 is not a playground where you develop somebody.”

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WOLFF LOOKING TO SELL MORE OF WILLIAMS STAKE

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff is still working on off-loading his stake in the Williams Formula 1 team.

Ever since the Austrian bought into Mercedes and began working as the German marque’s Formula 1 and motor racing chief, his more than 15 per cent stake in Williams has been quietly on the market.

In June, it emerged that 5 per cent of Wolff’s stake was bought by US private healthcare businessman Brad Hollinger.

And now, the Daily Telegraph reports that Hollinger in fact has an additional 2 per cent option on the Grove based team worth about $5.7 million.

Formula 1 business journalists Christian Sylt and Caroline Reid quoted Wolff as confirming: “I am now on slightly more than 10 per cent and Brad has an option to buy another 2pc. So if I find somebody who is suitable, maybe I will sell a little bit more.”

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CANADIAN BILLIONAIRE EYES SAUBER TAKEOVER

Sauber is quiet amid reports the Swiss Formula 1 team is on the verge of being sold to the Canadian retail billionaire and racing enthusiast Lawrence Stroll.

A report emerged in Germany that claimed Stroll, whose son Lance is part of Sauber engine supplier Ferrari‘s driver academy, is in talks with the financially-struggling Hinwil based team.

And it is believed the subsequent report at Motorsport.com was based on sources close to Stroll himself, who is associated with famous fashion brands including Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger and the Red Bull sponsor Pepe Jeans.

He also owns the former Formula 1 circuit at Mont Tremblant, and numerous Ferrari road cars. But the well-connected Swiss Formula 1 veteran Roger Benoit, who writes for Blick, was cautious on Sunday amid the reports.

“We have seen other sale attempts fail,” said Benoit. “Stroll is also associated with Lotus. As was the case over a year ago with (Sauber’s deal with) the Russians, let’s wait.”

And 20min.ch, a respected Swiss news outlet, quoted team founder Peter Sauber and boss Monisha Kaltenborn as saying: “No comment.”

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Stewart questions Rosberg's off

Sir Jackie Stewart has questioned Nico Rosberg's mistake at the Italian GP, saying it has left him a "little confused."

Racing for the lead at Monza on Sunday, Rosberg left the track at the first chicane, handing his team-mate Lewis Hamilton the victory.

The German's error came in the wake of the Spa debacle where he was deemed guilty of crashing into Hamilton as they fought at the front of the pack.

As such Stewart has questioned what really happened on Sunday.

"There was very little rubber smoke and I don't quite understand that on a very easy part of the track," the triple World Champion told the Express newspaper.

"It was a part of the track where there was no real penalty for making that mistake so I am a little confused.

"I thought it was a bit too easy. I thought he could have at least made an effort to get round the corner but he didn't.

"The first time I thought 'that's wise' because he knew it wasn't a difficult thing to believe; the second time I thought: 'hello, what's going on here?'"

Asked if he felt it was a deliberate off, Stewart said: "It has been suggested."

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Rosberg rubbishes conspiracy theories

Nico Rosberg insists "there is no possible reason" why he would deliberately run off at Monza, saying he "just messed up".

The German's lead in the Drivers' Championship was cut to 22 points on Sunday after his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton won the Italian Grand Prix, but his mistakes at the first chicane turned into the biggest talking point.

While in the lead, he twice went off at Variante del Rettifilio and it ultimately cost him victory as Hamilton went past him while he made his way through the bollards the second time.

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff was asked after the race if Rosberg went off deliberately as part of his punishment for colliding with Hamilton at Spa and he dismissed it saying: "Only a paranoid mind could come up with such an idea."

Rosberg has also rejected the speculation.

"They (the incidents) might look a bit strange, but it happened in practice," he said.

"I could have made the corner, no problem, but there was an extremely high probability my tyre would have been square afterwards, and so I would have needed to have made two pit stops and lost a lot of time.

"With Lewis I should have tried to see how it went. I don't know, I just messed up. And I've heard about the theory, but what would be the reason for me to do something like that deliberately? There is no possible reason.

"If you're ordered by the team to do it then you would do it, but there is no reason why the team would ask me to change position, or something like that.

"The only thing in people's minds could be Spa, but Spa was a mistake which I've apologised for.

"It's not something where I have to give back something. Mistakes happen and that's the way it is, an apology and on we go.

"It's not like we now start shuffling and things like that."

Rosberg was also once again booed on the podium at Monza, with the fallout from the Belgian Grand Prix still fresh in the minds of the fans, but the 29-year-old hopes time is a healer.

"[The booing] is not nice, but what can I say. I hope that with time they forgive and forget - that will be great," he said.

"I have apologised, I cannot do anything more than that. That is it."

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Button 'enjoyed' Perez tussle

He may have come second in the battle but Jenson Button says he enjoyed his fight with Sergio Perez in Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.

The former team-mates went head-to-head at the Monza circuit as they fought over seventh place.

Trading positions several times, the duo went at it wheel-to-wheel with Button conceding the Force India driver raced "really well."

The Brit told Sky Sports F1: "I don't think I could have had that battle with Chceo last year, but as rivals in different teams it seemed to work pretty well.

"It is a shame that I couldn't get past him, I tried so many times but he was so good on the brakes I was locking up fronts and rears trying to match him which really put me in a bad position for the next corner.

"But I enjoyed, it was a lot of fun and hopefully great TV and great wheel-to-wheel action with a lot of drivers so great to see some nice clean racing.

"It is something that last year as team-mates it might have ended up a bit different, but I have a lot of respect for the guy, he drove really well and I really enjoyed the fight with him.

"We all want to win, in any category you want to win and only one guy can do that and if you can't then this is awesome, this is what racing is all about, I really enjoyed."

Finishing eighth Button added another four points to bring his tally for the season up to 72 and move him up to seventh in the Drivers' Championship.

The 34-year-old, though, had hoped for more.

"We're not just looking for points, when you start fifth and sixth you expect a bit more.

"I think if we had had a clear run we would have been alright, but we just found it really difficult in traffic and people were able to pick us off a lot easier than we could pick off the cars in front.

"I mean the Red Bull under braking was just tremendous, whereas we were bouncing all over the place and locking fronts and rears which made it very difficult.

"But there is a lot to take away from this weekend and a lot we can take forward. Singapore is next we should have a reasonable package there which should be good."

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Chilton sorry for crash

Max Chilton has publicly apologised to Marussia after crashing out of Sunday's Italian GP, only the second DNF of his career.

Chilton entered this year's Championship having finished every race in his debut season, however, has been unable to continue that run.

Crashing out of the Canadian GP - and hitting team-mate Jules Bianchi in the process - Chilton added a second DNF to his tally on Sunday at Monza.

Having just overtaken the Lotus of Romain Grosjean, Chilton overshot the mark, hit a kerb and was launched into the air.

He landed heavily with his car coming to a halt in the gravel.

"I had a slight lock-up, perhaps I was pushing too hard," said the Brit.

"I made a mistake and when you are in the air you cannot turn the car.

"It was a disappointing and premature end to the race for me, for which I've said sorry to the team."

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Fiat boss' warning to di Montezemolo

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo could face losing his job over modest F1 results, the boss of their owner company Fiat has suggested.

"A change in the presidency is not on my agenda but everyone can be replaced," Fiat head Sergio Marichonne said at the Italian Grand Prix.

Marichonne said that while Di Montezemolo has great overall results for Ferrari as a company "you must also look at the sporting results in the case of Ferrari: We have not won in six years."

He added: "We have the best drivers in the world and it can not be that we start between seventh and 13th on the grid."

The last title of Ferrari, who have been in F1 racing since the start in the 1950s, was the Constructors' crown in 2008. The last drivers' title came a year earlier, in 2007, from Kimi Raikkonen.

Sunday's results in Monza confirmed Marichonne's fears as Ferrari slipped behind Williams into fourth place in the Constructors' standings after Fernando Alonso was stopped by a technical problem and Raikkonen came ninth.

Their last race win dates back to summer 2013 and they only have two podium finishes this year.

Di Montezemolo said Saturday he had no plans to setp down and was committed to Ferrari for three years.

"I have seen and heard a lot of rumours regarding myself and this often happens in the summer in Italy. But maybe this time is a little bit too much," he said in Monza.

"If and when there will be some news about me, I will be the first - I emphasise the first - to let you know."

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F1 fans shouldn't boo drivers on podium, says Mercedes' Toto Wolff

Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff believes fans are wrong to boo drivers on the podium, after Nico Rosberg was subjected to more jeers following the Italian Grand Prix.

The F1 world championship leader was booed at the end of the Spa race for causing a collision with team-mate Lewis Hamilton, and he received a similar reaction from a portion of the Monza crowd on Sunday.

"There should not be any booing on the podium," Wolff said.

"It is the top three guys who have had a mega race and whoever it is they shouldn't be doing it.

"It is sport and sport should unite. But all those guys have fans; some of them are pretty emotional."

Wolff admitted that getting such a reaction from fans could have an effect on any driver.

"Does that take a toll on you? Yes. So I think you have to be pretty tough," he said.

"I don't want to even think about being booed - but maybe it is something you need to survive if you want to take it to the top."

FAITH IN ROSBERG'S MENTAL STRENGTH

Wolff added that he believes Rosberg has the mental strength to recover from the Italian GP weekend, where he struggled to match Hamilton's pace and made an error at the first chicane that handed the lead to the Briton.

"I think mentally he is very strong and if you want to be a world champion you have to go through lows and highs," said Wolff.

"Lewis had many of them and he came back and we have seen Nico after Silverstone come back.

"You need extreme mental strength to make it to the end and win the championship.

"Both of them have it in them to bounce back after weekends. Before the incident at Spa it had been going back and forth.

"One had a good weekend and the other one not, you could see none of them really had a low afterwards."

Hamilton's victory on Sunday cut Rosberg's championship lead to 22 points with six rounds remaining.

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Fernando Alonso believes fifth was possible for Ferrari

Fernando Alonso reckons he could have fought Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull for fifth place at the Italian Grand Prix, had his Ferrari not suffered ERS failure.

Alonso ran seventh in the early stages of Sunday's Formula 1 race at Monza, but fell to ninth after being passed by the recovering Williams of Valtteri Bottas and getting jumped by the Force India of Sergio Perez in the pits.

Alonso was forced to retire his Ferrari on lap 29 of 53, but told reporters after the race that he had been saving his tyres to attack in the closing stages, in a similar fashion to the way Ricciardo charged through the lower part of the top 10 during the second half of the race.

"It was possible to be fifth to be honest because I think we were quicker than Ricciardo and we were in front of him in that [early] part of the race," Alonso said.

"With the first stint we were very competitive, but unfortunately we could not overtake because when four cars are in a group the last three cars all open DRS.

"When we pitted we found ourselves behind the train of cars with no possibility of overtaking.

"Thirty laps from the end we tried to change a little bit the approach and I backed off from the cars in front, and then at that point started having the engine problem.

"[Tyre saving] could work quite well as it did for Ricciardo, so I'm still thinking it was possible to at least try to attack at the end, with a little bit more pace, better tyres. Probably it was more possible than [at the beginning]."

RAIKKONEN: MONZA COMPLICATED

Alonso's team-mate Kimi Raikkonen had a quiet race to ninth after failing to qualify inside the top 10 at Monza.

The Finn described Ferrari's position at its home race as "complicated".

"The tyres were difficult at one point with the handling," Raikkonen said.

"I caught up with the others, but it was difficult for us to overtake.

"It was a complicated situation at a circuit like this for us.

"The balance was there, but we were lacking overall grip and speed."

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SCHUMACHER IS HEADING HOME AT LAST!

Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher has left hospital to continue his recovery at home but the most successful driver in the history of the sport faces “a long and difficult road ahead” after his skiing accident last year according to a statement released on his behalf.

“Henceforth, Michael’s rehabilitation will take place at his home. Considering the severe injuries he suffered, progress has been made in the past weeks and months,” said the brief statement issued by manager Sabine Kehm.

“There is still, however, a long and difficult road ahead. We ask that the privacy of Michael’s family continue to be respected, and that speculations about his state of health are avoided.”

A spokesman for the university hospital in Lausanne, confirmed that the 45-year-old German, a seven-times world champion, had been discharged earlier in the day.

No details were given on Schumacher’s condition, who suffered severe head injuries in a ski accident in Meribel in the French Alps on Dec. 29 and was transferred by ambulance to Lausanne in June after emerging from a coma.

He underwent nearly three months of treatment in an outdoor section of the hospital known as “Jardin des Sens” or Garden of the Senses, shielded from view. It specialises in the recovery of severely traumatised neurological patients by exposing them to water, scents and other elements.

Schumacher family home in Switzerland

The family home is along Lake Geneva in the Swiss town of Gland, where he has lived quietly for years with his German wife Corinna and their two teenaged children.

Since the accident, she has visited her husband almost daily in Grenoble and Lausanne, taking time out recently for horse riding events or to attend the Montreux Jazz Festival in July.

Last month a man suspected of leaking Schumacher’s medical files was found hanged in his police cell, Zurich’s cantonal prosecutor said.

The man, who was not named, worked as a manager at Swiss air rescue service Rega, which was involved in Schumacher’s transfer from Grenoble hospital to University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV).

The French daily “Le Dauphine Libere” reported in July that leaked documents were being offered to European media for some 60,000 Swiss francs.

Schumacher’s family, via his agent Kehm, had said criminal charges and damages would be sought against anyone involved in the illegal sale or publication of his confidential records.

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WILLIAMS: RIVAL TEAMS HAD AN EYE ON BOTTAS

After a run of four podiums in five races, Valtteri Bottas had a less fruitful Italian Grand Prix but is still one of the big revelations of the season and emerged as a hot property on the bubbling driver market – until Williams confirmed him for 2015 during the weekend at Monza.

The Finn had to settle for fourth, while his teammate Felipe Massa scored his first podium of 2014 in Italy which was a solid team result which meant Williams passed Ferrari on the fabled marque’s home soil for third place in the constructors’ world championship.

But Bottas admitted to Turun Sanomat with a grin, “Probably the new contract is what I will remember most from this weekend. It is not bad — 12 points and a contract!”

Indeed, at Monza, Williams announced that Bottas and Brazilian Massa will remain paired together in 2015.

“Of course it’s nicer when you know what you’re doing in the future,” the 25-year-old said, “even though I have known about it for a while.”

Mario Andretti with Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa at Monza where the latter two were confirmed by Williams for 2015

For some, however, the Oxfordshire team’s announcement was a slight surprise, after Bottas marked himself out as a star of the future in 2014 and was linked with a potential move to McLaren.

“Of course,” team deputy boss Claire Williams acknowledged, “when you have someone of Valtteri’s ability on board, the competitors keep an eye on him.

“But Valtteri began his career with us and he wanted to continue with us. Over the years we have changed the drivers but now we wanted continuity,” she added.

It is reported, however, that one of the conditions of Bottas remaining loyal to Williams is that the terms of his contract may have been improved.

For example, when reserve Felipe Nasr or Susie Wolff have stepped in to practice on Friday mornings this year, it has always been Bottas who vacates his cockpit rather than Massa.

As for whether that will change now for 2015, Claire Williams answered: “It remains to be seen. I can’t comment on that.”

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HAAS F1 TEAM ON COURSE TO BE FERRARI B-TEAM IN F1

The extent of new 2016 Formula 1 entrant Haas F1 Team’s tie-up with Ferrari is becoming clearer, and looking increasingly like the B-team of the sport’s most famous outfit.

Earlier in 2014, the Haas logos of Nascar team owner Gene Haas’ successful machine tool company were added to the race livery of Ferrari’s Formula 14-T car.

Haas F1 Team logo

And last week it was confirmed that Haas’ North Carolina based Formula 1 team, set to enter the sport the year after next, will link up with Ferrari for the supply of turbo V6 engines.

But as Ferrari boss Marco Mattiacci said in last week’s announcement, the partnership with Haas “has the potential to evolve beyond the traditional role of supplying our power unit and all related technical services”.

In the press, it is suggested Ferrari sees Haas as a sort of potential B team, Gene Haas told NCBSN: “We’re going to try to get as many parts as allowed by the FIA.”

“It’s going to be suspension, it’s going to be I think wheels and chassis parts and transmission, engine. Everything down to even the steering modes.”

Danica Patrick drives for Haas in Nascar

“One of the prior Concorde Agreements was that the big teams could help the smaller teams, so we hope to get a lot of help from Ferrari to tell us what direction to go in,” said Haas.

Haas said the team still also intends to work with Dallara. “Our goal at least initially is to try to rent, buy, whatever we can to go racing because that’s what we’re here for,” he revealed.

Another point of interest surrounding the Haas team is the eventual identity of the drivers. Americans Alexander Rossi and Danica Patrick have already been linked with the cockpits, although the Ferrari tie-up would also seem to open the door to the Italian marque’s ‘academy’ juniors.

Haas said one of his Nascar drivers, 36-year-old Kurt Busch, is also interested, “Everybody I talk to is interested. I was talking to Kurt Busch last week. He was interested. He said if he wins the Nascar championship, could he have a ride in one. I said ‘for sure’ if he wins the championship.”

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FIA TO BAN RADIO INSTRUCTIONS TO DRIVERS

The FIA, Formula 1’s governing body, has reportedly banned certain radio communications between engineers and drivers with immediate effect.

Auto Motor und Sport reports that the increasing trend for radio instructions about how the drivers should actually drive the cars have proved a major turn-off for the fans.

One example crackled over the TV-transmitted radio on Friday at Monza, when championship leader Nico Rosberg told his Mercedes engineer Tony Ross: “Give me driving instructions.”

And Ferrari‘s Andrea Stella told Fernando Alonso, regarded as perhaps the very best Formula 1 driver, to “take another line in turn 10″ of the fabled Italian circuit last weekend.

According to Auto Motor und Sport on Tuesday, the FIA is now banning these types of radio messages to drivers, effective as of next weekend’s Singapore round.

It is also believed the FIA wants to clamp down on instructions to drivers including which dials and buttons they should press on the steering wheel.

The report said the Paris federation is enforcing the ‘ban’ simply by invoking a clarification of the existing Article 20.1 of the sporting regulations, which states: “The driver must drive the car alone and unaided.”

MIKA: ABOUT TIME!!!!

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MONTEZEMOLO ACCEPTS END OF AN ERA AT FERRARI

All signs continue to point towards a major upheaval at crisis-struck Ferrari, despite long-time president Luca di Montezemolo playing down the waves of speculation at Monza.

His likely successor Sergio Marchionne issued a series of highly critical statements about the 67-year-old on Sunday and Autosprint then published a photo of Marchionne, being driven in a Maserati road car, leaving the area of Montezemolo’s office within the factory grounds at Maranello on Monday.

Even the formerly combative Montezemolo now seems resigned to departing, as Marchionne – chairman of Ferrari’s 90 per cent owner – looks to pull back the current separation between the fabled Italian marque and the Fiat-Chrysler empire.

“Ferrari is now American,” Montezemolo reportedly told close associates, according to Corriere della Sera newspaper, and he added that it is “the end of an era”.

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Lopez: E22 design gamble backfired

Lotus chairman Gerard Lopez admits the team are unlikely to save their 2014 campaign due to a design flaw with their E22 chassis.

After successful seasons in 2012 and 2013 with two race wins and several podiums, Lotus were expected to be there or thereabouts again this year, but they have fallen by the wayside.

The Enstone squad are eighth in the Constructors' Championship with just eight points and they last finished in the top 10 at the Monaco Grand Prix back in May.

Lopez, who is also the team's acting team principal, concedes things are unlikely to improve in the final six races of this season.

"We had a lot of issues at the beginning of the season with the drivetrain and then somehow midway through the season we've found out that we have some issues with the chassis, which are quite difficult to solve for this year," he told the official Formula 1 website. "But it is good that we found out before we started to develop the next car, so for the rest of the season we try to save whatever can be saved - but yes, it will be a difficult season all the way to the end."

He also revealed that a design mistake is to blame for their woes.

"We've made one design mistake that we actually had hoped would help us," he said. "We are in the same situation as three years ago when we did the 'forward exhaust' and had a terrible season.

"It's about the same situation again: we've made a choice and it is not paying off - actually it's the complete contrary. That was a bad choice that translates into a bad season - regardless of the engine. Now the fact that Renault has a number-one team [Red Bull] - and now they officially say it - that is also part of our issue."

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McLaren F1 team says Kevin Magnussen doesn't need to change style

Kevin Magnussen has been urged not to change his approach to racing, despite being handed his second consecutive Formula 1 driving penalty at the Italian Grand Prix.

Two weeks after losing points at Spa for forcing Fernando Alonso off the track, Magnussen was dropped down the order at Monza for pushing Valtteri Bottas off at the first chicane.

Although those two incidents have proved costly for McLaren with it locked in a tight battle with Force India in the constructors' championship, its racing director Eric Boullier is adamant his driver should maintain his aggressive approach.

"I think the Spa penalty was deserved to be honest, but I believe not the one in Monza," said Boullier, during a McLaren media teleconference on Tuesday.

"He was unfortunate to be penalised. We believe it was just a normal move and a legitimate defence.

"I don't think he will have to change his approach. Spa was a one off, Monza for us was I would say unfortunate.

"I think he needs to keep building up his confidence by doing what he is doing."

PUNCHING ABOVE HIS WEIGHT

McLaren believes Magnussen has only been forced to be so defensive in recent races because he has managed to get his car into situations where he is ahead of quicker cars.

Boullier has nothing but praise for the way that the Dane is lifting his form at the moment, and he thinks the best is yet to come.

"It is clear that he is stepping up," he said. "He is maybe punching above his weight because he doesn't have the car to chase the better results.

"But he is trying his best, and it is good for him, good for the fans and the show to see this young kid, this young rookie, fighting with the big boys.

"It means his self-confidence is massively growing and it is good for his race craft, which is going to get better and better."