FORMULA 1 - 2014

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Raikkonen admits ERS weakness

Kimi Raikkonen has revealed Ferrari need to "look at" their Energy Recovery System if they hope to close the gap to the front runners.

Ferrari had a dismal time last weekend at Monza where they lacked the straight-line speed needed to challenge at their home race.

Raikkonen only just made it into the points, finishing in ninth place, while his team-mate Fernando Alonso suffered an ERS failure.

Asked by Autosport if a weak ERS was part of the problem, the Finn said: "I think in the race conditions it's one point that we have to look at.

"But during the season it's not so easy [because of the engine freeze]. I'm sure we can make a 100 per cent improvement over the winter.

"We have made some improvements already and I think if you look at certain engine manufacturers [compared to us] over one lap it's not too bad, but then in a race distance we seem to be struggling a bit in certain places."

There is, however, a bit of better news for Ferrari fans as Raikkonen says there is a chance of a better showing next weekend in Singapore as the nature of the street circuit will negate the F14T's weaknesses.

Asked about Ferrari's expected form in Singapore, he said: "It's hard to say as it's a different year and different car [for me].

"We expected [Monza] to be difficult, but I think the next few circuits will suit us as they're not so fast.

"We have to go there and see how the car is, but I expect to be in a stronger position."

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Sutil sums it up: We need points

Adrian Sutil feels Sauber need to think beyond just beating Marussia if they hope to get into the points this season.

The Swiss team is in the midst of a pitiful campaign in which they have yet to score a single World Championship point.

As a result, Sauber are behind Marussia in the Championship standings as the latter claimed two points in Monaco earlier in the year.

However, Sutil insists it is not Marussia who Sauber need to focus on beating.

"It's not necessary really to focus on them because we need to score points," the German racer told Crash.net.

"We need points and if we just focus on them and try to beat them then we're not in the points.

"It's a little bit tricky because they did a really good race in Monaco - a lot of retirements there and they scored two points - but we have the faster car. We have much more speed."

Asked if he was worried that Sauber may go through the final six races without finding themselves inside the top ten, he said: "Maybe, who knows?

"But it's a shame that we only get points for the first ten. We're close to the top ten all the time but Marussia is in front of us in the Constructors' Championship.

"It's not the real truth. But we push on, we have to get some points, that's for sure."

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For the record - First Formula E Race

The first Formula E race took place on Saturday in Beijing with the race being won by Lucas di Grassi, albeit after the two leaders collided at the final corner, with Nick Heidfeld’s Venturi car being hit by Nicolas Prost (E.Dams Renault) and then hitting a kerb and being launched into the air and into a crash barrier beside the track. Heidfeld was pretty upset after the crash as Prost clearly drove into him to try to stop Heidfeld stealing the victory. Prost was later given a 10-place grid penalty for the next round of the championship. Both cars retired in the incident leaving di Grassi (Audi Sport Abt) to pick up the pieces.

The average speed of the 25-lap race was published at 79.2 mph but the results appeared to be flawed as 25 laps of a 3.44km circuit amounts to 86.325km and if it took 52m23.413s to cover that distance then the actual race speed must be 98.86kmh, which translates to 61.43 mph. The official results were wrong (and still are), claiming that the 25-lap race was over a distance of 111.3 km.

France’s Frank Montagny, now mainly a commentator with Canal Plus, finished second for the Andretti team with Sam Bird third for Virgin Racing.

There was more than a little irony in the fact that the first Formula E race took place in a city that is famous for its dreadful pollution.

The next Formula E race will take place in Putrajaya, Malaysia on November 22, in 11 weeks from now.

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WILLIAMS: WE PUSHED THE RESET BUTTON, NOW WE WANT MORE TITLES

Williams team have enjoyed a remarkable reversal of fortune in 2014, to remedy a dismal 2013 Formula 1 season – where they finished ninth in the constructors’ championship – they ditched Renault power for Mercedes, added Martini to their ice white livery, developed a handy piece of kit in the FW36, drafted Felipe Massa and Rob Smedley into the team and suddenly podiums are expected every grand prix weekend.

Despite the progress made deputy team principal Claire Williams is adamant that this year is merely a step in the right direction, and the goal is to challenge for F1 world championship titles of which they have 16 in their illustrious history at the pinnacle of the sport – nine constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ titles – but none since 1997.

Williams told Sky, “We’ve always had a long-term plan when we pushed the reset button last year. We’ve turned the team more significantly around than we thought we would have done.”

“Going from ninth to fourth [before Monza] and then hopefully battling on from third. It’s a significant turnaround, but it’s always been when we hit that reset button about winning another World Championship – and not just one, hopefully more after that as well. So that’s the plan and now the work is going in to try and achieve that.”

“It’s relatively easy to turn around a team that’s in ninth and take it up to fourth, but when you want to start challenging for a championship it’s a whole different piece of work.”

“People can say: why do Williams need to do this? In Formula 1, your performance, how you’re doing, you see on the race track every other weekend and it’s not just a couple of seasons that we’ve had that have been disappointing, it’s quite a few seasons.”

“It’s been quite a number of years in decline in our team. We do have great resources, we’ve always had a great talent pool in house, great assets to work with, but for some reason they haven’t worked together in the way that we’ve needed to.

“So we did do the research and we know what the next step is, but how do we get there? It’s a lot about fine-tuning the processes. So a lot of things you could have got away with when you’re fighting around at the back, if you make certain mistakes they don’t necessarily matter.”

“So now it’s about having everything working absolutely perfectly across every single element of your race team and if it doesn’t that’s when you drop your points and you’re not winning.”

“I don’t think there are major pieces. I think the work we did last year were the major bits of the jigsaw and they’re all settling in and working really well together. Now it is literally just the pieces on top of that that we have to fine tune.”

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F1 TEAMS WARNED AGAINST CODED RADIO MESSAGES

Formula 1’s governing body has banned teams from sending drivers coded messages under a controversial clampdown on the use of radio communications from this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) issued a follow-up on Monday to a technical directive sent to teams last week in which it gave more information about what they could and could not do during a race weekend.

Banned items on the list, provided to the media by the FIA’s Formula One delegate, included “any message that appears to be coded”.

Teams were told that the use of pit boards for such messages was also banned.

Other no-nos were answering a direct technical question over the radio from a driver, such as “am I using the right torque map?”, and information about the level of fuel saving needed.

Messages that will still be allowed include:

• Acknowledgement that a driver message has been heard.
• Gaps to a competitor during a practice session or race.
• Tyre choice at the next pit stop and the number of laps a driver has done on a set of tyres during a race.
• Information about a competitor’s likely race strategy.

The FIA moved to limit radio messages after concern that drivers were getting too much help from the pit wall and engineers.

Formula One’s sporting regulations stipulate that “the driver must drive the car alone and unaided” and the stricter interpretation of that rule now effectively limits the amount of assistance from the ranks of engineers reacting to real time information from the car.

Pit to car telemetry that can tweak settings remotely is also banned.

The changes, after 13 of 19 races, has caused some concern about safety implications as well as the impact on fans, who will now hear less chat between drivers and their teams.

That should not worry the likes of Ferrari‘s Kimi Raikkonen, who famously told his Lotus race engineer in 2012 to ‘just leave me alone, I know what I’m doing’, but could have an impact on the championship duel between Mercedes team mates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.

Fuel consumption is a key concern this season, with the new V6 turbo hybrid power unit and energy recovery systems replacing the thirstier and louder V8s, and teams have been giving drivers plenty of assistance in managing this.

“This is a complex and controversial decision which will require a significant effort from the teams to understand how best we can work around it,” Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff said of the new directive.

Preparing the cars on the way to the grid will also become more complicated and some insiders have voiced fears that there could be more of a risk of drivers stalling at the start, with dangerous consequences.

The FIA said some measures will only be enforced from the race after Singapore, in Japan.

From Suzuka, teams will be barred from warning their drivers about brake wear or temperatures and giving them information about tyre pressures.

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SILLY SEASON: VETTEL AND RED BULL DENY ALONSO SWAP

Before the long-haul flight to Singapore, reigning Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel and his team have denied the latest sensational silly season report that is doing the rounds..

Germany’s Sport Bild reports on Tuesday that dissatisfied Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso could take Vettel’s place at Red Bull for 2015, in a straight ‘swap’ deal with the fabled Maranello team.

Vettel immediately denied it, “There is nothing new. I have a contract with Red Bull and I’m happy where I am.”

Earlier reports, however, had suggested the deal was done, and would be announced on Tuesday, but Helmut Marko said on, “Alonso will definitely not be at Red Bull.”

And in another sure sign that Red Bull’s commitment to Vettel is far from wavering, even despite his disappointing 2014 campaign, Marko insisted the team will not be bowing to Daniel Ricciardo’s request for team orders.

“We have no team orders and there will be done,” he said clearly.

Vettel will have yet another new chassis at his disposal this weekend in Singapore, and Marko added: “If Sebastian can win, then he is allowed to — whether Daniel is behind him or not.

“That is our philosophy.”

Justifying the fourth new chassis of the season for Vettel amid the quadruple world champion’s mysterious handling problems, Marko explained: “Sebastian is too important to the team for him to not be reaching his full potential.”

And team boss Christian Horner added: “I will not say it too loudly, but I have a feeling Sebastian will win in Singapore.”

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PRODROMOU: IT’S FANTASTIC TO RETURN TO MCLAREN

Former Red Bull engineer Peter Prodromou has today joined McLaren Racing’s design department in the role of chief engineer.

Prodromou, who previously worked for McLaren between 1991 and 2006, joins the team after a very successful stint as part of the Adrian Newey led technical team at Red Bull, is a key appointment for the McLaren team as it pushes ahead with the specification and development of next year’s MP4-30 Formula 1 challenger.

Prodromou said, “It’s fantastic to return to McLaren, and to see a mixture of faces old and new. Of course, I have first-hand experience of just what a passionate, focused and capable race team exists within these walls, and I’ve already seen the enthusiasm and positivity that exists to return McLaren to world championship-winning glory.”

“I, too, am determined to work flat-out to do everything I can to help initiate a new chapter of success in McLaren’s history.”

Racing director Eric Boullier added, “On behalf of everyone at McLaren, I’d like to welcome Peter to the team.”

“He joins us at an auspicious time; we’ve spent much of 2014 working to develop and organise our design department, and his arrival neatly coincides with the conclusion of that restructuring.

“Peter has proved beyond doubt that he’s one of the most capable and intelligent engineers in Formula 1, and everyone at McLaren is looking forward to the contribution he’ll make as we push ahead with our ambitious plans for the future.”

McLaren Racing chief operating officer (and acting chief executive officer) Jonathan Neale said, “I’m delighted to welcome Peter back to McLaren.”

“He joins us at an extremely exciting time: we’re making exciting progress with our new engine partner, and our entire design department has been galvanised and motivated by an ongoing restructure that has really begun to bed-in and deliver results.”

“His position as chief engineer will enable him to play to his considerable strengths as a top-flight aerodynamicist and an engineer, and I’m sure he’ll dovetail seamlessly with his fellow engineers.”

“We’re steadily putting everything in place to ensure that McLaren can once again return to its race- and world championship-winning ways. We’re under no illusions that we’re yet there, but Peter’s appointment is a very significant one, and is also a very public reminder that we’re adding strength in depth to our organisation all the time.”

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HEIDFELD DEFENDS FORMULA E AMID F1 CRITICISM

Ex-Formula 1 driver Nick Heidfeld has defended the new Formula E series following criticism from within the Formula 1 paddock.

Formula 1’s reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel recently slammed the fully electric powered series – which kicked off on the streets of Beijing last weekend with an all-star grid and global interest – as “cheese”.

Ultimately, German Heidfeld – a veteran of no less than 185 grands prix and 13 podiums – was arguably the star of the show, spectacularly crashing in a last-lap lunge to take victory from Nicolas Prost, the son of the Formula 1 legend.

But Vettel said recently: “I’m not a fan of it (Formula E), and as a viewer I would not be interested.”

Heidfeld, who drives for the team co-founded by Hollywood actor Leonardo Dicaprio, was asked by the German-language Spox to react to Vettel’s attitude.

“I like Sebastian and I don’t know in what context he said that,” the 37-year-old answered. “But I think that Formula E cannot currently compete against Formula 1 and actually it does not want to. The concept is quite different.

“But the series is justified when you consider the development of electric mobility and the interest the manufacturers have in it. How successful it is, we will have to see.

“I think even Formula 1 is currently struggling with some negative headlines, but it is the peak of motor sport and that will long remain the case. But that doesn’t mean that there can’t be something else as well,” Heidfeld added.

It has been said that, at least for now, Formula E will never pose a danger to the success of Formula 1 because of the speed of the cars.

In its report, Spox said the laptimes show that Formula E is “more formula 3″ than Formula 1.

“Compared with Formula 1, the performance is modest,” Heidfeld agreed. We have almost 300 horse power in qualifying and the cars are 900 kilos. And the Michelin tyres we are using are not slicks, which is slower but we can use them in the wet and the dry.”

“Ultimately they are normal single seater cars, which are always difficult to drive on the limit. But another reason I chose to race is because of the opponents – in terms of the quality of the drivers, we don’t need to hide from Formula 1,” he said.

Heidfeld explained that the trend is therefore different to Formula 1, where so-called ‘pay drivers’ are wielding unprecedented levels of power in the increasingly expensive sport.

“Compared to some years ago, the difference is obvious,” he said. “It is difficult to get into Formula 1 now only with talent.

“I don’t want to criticise the teams,” Heidfeld added. “Clearly they would prefer to sign drivers based only on what they can do on the track. But they also have to pay them.

“Formula 1 is too expensive for most of the teams, which is a shame — but that’s the way things are.”

Finally, Heidfeld commented on the declining age of rookies in Formula 1, with Daniil Kvyat, Max Verstappen and now Mercedes reserve Pascal Wehrlein all signed up as teenagers, “Basically, maturity and experience goes up the older you are.

“We saw that it worked out with Kimi [Raikkonen in 2001], but even he was older than Max,” said the German, who was Raikkonen’s first teammate in 2001.

“On the whole it would be better and safer if there is a minimum age in Formula 1. Clearly it’s possible that there are exceptional drivers like Kimi and maybe Max who can do it. But it is very difficult to predict beforehand,” Heidfeld added.

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RUSINOV LINKED WITH CATERHAM SEAT FOR SOCHI

Toro Rosso rookie Daniil Kvyat might not be the only Russian on the inaugural Russian Grand Prix grid next month.

The Russian publication Sportbox claims that, amid the cockpit reshuffling under Caterham’s new management, 32-year-old Roman Rusinov is in the running to debut at Sochi.

Caterham sidelined Kamui Kobayashi at Spa last month in deference to Le Mans winner and the Hype-sponsored Andre Lotterer, while Spaniard Roberto Merhi is tipped to race in Singapore this weekend.

When asked about the reports, Rusinov – who tested for the Midland team in 2006 under the leadership of Colin Kolles – said: “Theoretically, I would not rule out such an option. However, it is on these days that I am racing in the world endurance championship in Japan. And I prefer that.”

Rusinov also clarified that he would not accept becoming a Formula 1 pay-driver.

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SCHUMACHER CARED FOR BY 15 STRONG TEAM AT HOME

Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher is being treated at home by a fifteen strong medical team numbering about, Bild am Sonntag reports.

After eight months in a coma and hospitalisation following his skiing fall last December, the Formula 1 legend returned home to his estate on the shore of Lake Geneva last week.

But Bild am Sonntag claims Schumacher is now being tended to by a team whose size and expertise is comparable to the medical specialists who cared for him until recently at the rehabilitation clinic in Lausanne.

A spokesman for the clinic confirmed: “A large part of the team that cares for Michael now was trained by our specialists. We are following his treatment and are still a point of contact and entirely at his disposal.”

Former Ferrari and Mercedes driver Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehm said last week that the 45-year-old German was not moving home because his medical condition had significantly changed.

Manfred Spitzer, medical director at a specialist brain hospital in Germany, told Bild: “I do not know the condition of Michael Schumacher, but if it is stable, then the familiar surroundings (of his home) can certainly help for now. Such emotional stimulation is very important for patients who have suffered a severe brain trauma.

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MASSA: WE’RE PLANNING TO CLOSE THE GAP IN EVERY RACE

Felipe Massa feels he has turned a corner after his first podium of the season in Italy last time out and is cautiously confident his Williams team can catch Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.

Massa, who joined Williams at the start of the season after eight years with Ferrari, finished an emotional third at Monza at the home race for his former team which helped his new side move above his old colleagues in the constructors’ race.

Williams are third in the standings on 177 points, 15 ahead of Ferrari and 95 behind Red Bull, with six rounds remaining starting with Sunday’s Singapore race under the lights at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Mercedes are well out in front but Massa was optimistic of adding to his own personal 55 point haul and, with the help of in-form team mate Valtteri Bottas, continue to rack up the points for the resurgent Williams team who only managed five last season.

“We’re planning to close the gap in every race… to catch even Red Bull which is a bit far, but you’ll never know,” the Brazilian told Reuters on Wednesday.

“Everything can change pretty quickly in Formula 1 in two or three races. The situation is different. Maybe we have the opportunity to fight for the second place.

“I think the work and the job we are doing this year is going very well. So there’s still a lot to improve in the second part of the season and also next year.”

The twisting, demanding and lengthy street circuit in hot, humid and this week hazy Singapore will be one of the tougher races for Massa and Williams, though.

The team will have some upgrades on the car for this weekend but Massa acknowledged Monza was a high-speed track that suited them better.

“Monza was a fantastic race for us. We managed to finish on the podium, which was great,” he said of the race 10 days ago. “We finished third and fourth. We managed to pass Ferrari in the constructors’ championship so going for third place.”

“I think it was a very important race for us. It was fantastic to be back on the podium. I hope we can carry on being back on the podium for most of the races.”

“I think [singapore] always a difficult race, a different track. Not the best track for us.I really expect we can be there, I really expect we can be competitive and I hope we can fight again for the podium.”

Williams head of vehicle performance Rob Smedley was also wary of the demands that the Singapore race would put on his team this week, “The track has a few issues that we have to work around, such as the lack of grip that on a normal track would improve, but here doesn’t.”

“This results in a lot of wheel spin and oversteer which affects the balance of the car. The main focus for the team is the constructors’ championship now and we have to establish ourselves in third position, which we regained from Ferrari in Monza.”

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ANALYSIS: FORMULA 1 IN 2014 FAST AND EFFICIENT

At the end of 2013 the FIA Formula One World Championship bid farewell to its normally aspirated V8s and embraced brand new Power Units that combined a hybrid V6 turbo engine with two energy recovery systems – the MGU-K that works under braking, and MGU-H which harvests energy at the exhaust. Monza’s 2014 race offered an ideal opportunity to compare and analyse the performance of modern low downforce-spec F1 cars with their previous counterparts.

The recent Grand Prix emphasised an important point: the 2014 regulations have greatly enhanced the cars’ efficiency while maintaining – and even increasing – their level of performance. We take a look at the main gains.

A two-second gain in a single year

2013 saw F1 cars fitted with normally aspirated V8s delivering around 800bhp (that’s 590kW without the extra 60kW provided by the KERS). Monza’s speed traps recorded single-seaters clock around 340kph, with pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel posting a lap of 1:23.755 in qualifying aboard his Infiniti Red Bull Racing-Renault.

A year later the fastest Q3 time was 1:24.109, achieved with a car weighing 50kg heavier – a 1.8secs deficit – and using harder tyres. Once these differences have been accounted for and the times corrected, this year’s lap represents a two-second gain over the course of 12 months.

Lewis Hamilton pole time at Monza was less than half a second down on the previous year’s top time

Fuel consumption down to 1.9kg per lap

The 2014 regulations also brought another revolution with a 35% reduction in the amount of fuel permitted for each race (100kg against 150kg last year). It’s been made possible thanks to the V6 engine’s high degree of hybridisation: 20% of the power is now electric and comes from the energy recovered under braking and harvested at the exhaust. The average Monza consumption rate therefore went from 2.5kg per lap in 2013 to under 1.9kg a lap this year. With the same mass, the corrected 2014 time is faster.

F1 car’s energy source distribution in 2013

The vast majority of energy available came from the 160kg of fuel used by the car. Power generated by fossil energy and transferred to the wheels reached 30%, while the remainder escaped in the air. A single KERS unit also ensured the share of electric power remained quite limited.

F1 car’s energy source distribution in 2014

With a 100kg restriction in fuel mass, the share of electric power has grown significantly. A greater percentage is now transferred to the wheels, which vastly improves the overall energy efficiency. Electric energy is much more important (4MJ) than it was last year. It comes from two different sources: braking and the exhaust.

Technician working with the KERS system on the Red Bull RB10

Better energy efficiency

In 2013 an F1 car’s efficiency was rated at 30%, which has increased to 40% in 2014. This has been made possible by reducing the internal combustion engine’s displacement (and amount of friction), the introduction of a turbocompressor, and cutting the number of revs (from 18,000 to 13,000). The efficiency of a car fitted with an internal combustion engine cannot exceed 50%. Only a fully electric engine can achieve a much higher efficiency. To do so, however, requires 25 tons of batteries!

Additional stats and facts:

30% fuel mass reduction between 2013 and 2014.

10 points: the efficiency improvement of an F1 car between 2013 and 2014.

In qualifying, the 25kg battery delivers an extra 10% of energy, which amounts to 200g in fuel.

While overtaking during the race, Daniel Ricciardo’s Infiniti Red Bull Racing-Renault reached 362.1kph, smashing the 2013 top speed by an impressive 20kph. (Renault)

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TODT: I FIND CRITICISMS OF FERRARI TODAY UNJUST

FIA president Jean Todt insists Ferrari is not in the sort of crisis today that he found at Maranello more than two decades ago.

The Frenchman, who was the team principal at Maranello from 1993 to 2007, said any comparison between when he was drafted in by Luca di Montezemolo to rebuild the team in the early nineties and Ferrari’s current situation makes him smile.

“I think Ferrari, today, does not need an awful lot to put things back in order,” Todt, who presided over Ferrari throughout its ultra-successful Michael Schumacher era until last decade, told Il Giornale.

Ferrari, having failed to win a drivers’ title since 2007 and faltering at the start of the all-new V6 turbo era, has shed multiple top personnel this season including team boss Stefano Domenicali and now long-time president Montezemolo.

But Todt, 68, insists: “This is absolutely not (comparable to) the situation I found when I arrived in 1993 at a completely devastated myth.”

Others, however, including former team driver Alain Prost, have compared Ferrari’s troubles in 2014 to the shambolic 1991 season, when he was fired for criticising the state of the car and team, “I disagree. I find all these criticisms of Ferrari today unjust.”

Michael Schumacher and Jean Todt celebrate victory at the 2004 Hungarian GP

“When (Fernando) Alonso retired at Monza, he was the driver who until then had the record for the most number of grands prix always in the points,” said Todt. “But when I started, it was a miracle if the car finished the race.”

However, Todt does not criticise Fiat-Chrysler chairman Sergio Marchionne for removing Montezemolo, undoubtedly the man most universally recognised as representing the past and present of Ferrari.

“Montezemolo has been president for 23 years,” said Todt, “which is a very long time. At some point, in large groups, this (sort of change) is normal. Even for myself, I always knew that a period eventually closes.”

Meanwhile, Todt was present for the first ever race of the FIA-sanctioned Formula E race in Beijing last weekend, and he predicts a bright future for the category.

He revealed that representatives of many car manufacturers were all also present, including those from Japan but also from “France, Germany and China”.

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MARKO: MR VETTEL IS ONE OF OUR MOST EXPENSIVE ITEMS

Contract negotiations between reigning Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull appear to be in full swing, amid rampant speculation that the German could be about to complete a ‘seat swap’ with Ferrari‘s Fernando Alonso for 2015 was denied.

“There is nothing new,” Vettel told Sport Bild. “I have a contract with Red Bull and I’m happy where I am.”

And Helmut Marko has since added: “Alonso will definitely not be at Red Bull.”

Curiously, Marko’s denial did not mention Vettel, who has struggled to match new teammate Daniel Ricciardo in 2014 and is now linked with a big-money offer to spearhead the new McLaren-Honda alliance.

It could be that the Vettel-to-Ferrari report this week is directly related to Red Bull’s efforts to re-sign the 27-year-old beyond his 2016 contract but at a much lower rate of pay.

Insiders have tipped Red Bull to address the huge difference between Vettel’s retainer and that of his impressive new teammate Ricciardo, who currently earns many multiples less than the reigning quadruple world champion.

At the height of the Vettel-Alonso seat swap speculation this week, Red Bull’s Marko named Vettel as one of the Milton Keynes-based team’s “most expensive” outlays.

Referring to Red Bull’s decision to give struggling Vettel a fourth chassis of the season to use in Singapore, he said: “Mr Vettel is one of our most expensive items.

“And if we cannot make the most of that, that’s bad,” he is quoted by Bild-Zeitung.

“It cannot be that we cannot exploit the potential of our most valuable member because we are not giving him the best car,” added Marko.

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Ferrari to test 2015 components

Ferrari engineering director Pat Fry has confirmed the team are starting to switch focus to the 2015 car and they will even test some parts in Singapore this weekend.

The Scuderia have slipped to fourth in the Constructors' Championship after yet another disappointing campaign in which they have failed to win a race and scored just two podiums.

With the season a write off, the team have opted to shift their attention to next year's challenger and they will test some components on the F14T at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

"At this stage of the season, the focus in the factory is shifting more towards next year's car," Fry told the official Ferrari website. "However, there is still quite a lot we can learn from track testing, therefore we will be bringing some specific test components for next year and other developments for the F14 T, which will help our understanding for next year."

Fry also admits they are facing a difficult race this weekend as the Marina Bay Street Circuit is a very demanding track.

"Even though it's a night race, the temperatures are still very high, in the high 20s or low 30s, which puts heavy demands on the cooling systems for the engine and the ERS," he said. "In addition, the start-stop nature of the layout puts a high loading on the brake systems, with the front brakes in particular taking a real pounding."

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VIDEO- Hangout with Felipe Massa

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HAMILTON VERSUS ROSBERG IS A F1 LEGEND IN THE MAKING

There have been numerous rivalries between teammates that have entered the realm of bitterness (and beyond) during the history of Formula 1 – and the latest between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in years to come will be part of the legend of the sport at the highest level.

Senna vs Prost, Mansell vs Piquet, Villeneuve vs Pironi are some of the more memorable feuds – and now Hamilton versus Rosberg is entering a similar realm which will become the folklore of the future.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has revealed a fascinating dynamic of the intense feud, and revealed to BBC how the rapport between the world title protagonists has changed this year, “It has changed from, let’s say, an almost amicable relationship at the beginning of the season to a very intense moment, where it was almost like realising these two are enemies competing for the world title.”

“It’s also a learning process. These boys have been calibrated their whole life that their main priority is to win the drivers’ championship in F1. And here they go – they are in the same car, competing against each other for that trophy and one is going to win and one is going to fail. This is a new experience for them – a difficult experience maybe.”

Mercedes have been applauded for their stance which is to allow their two drivers to fight it out on track, but at the same time have made some high profile management blunders such as employing a sports psychologist (both drivers scoffed at the idea), then seeking advice from Alain Prost on how to contain the feud (which he rebuked) and then the mishandling of the Hungarian and Belgian affairs.

Wolff explained, “The more we got into the season, the more intense it got, the more the flexibility of that document was being tested. And then it came to Spa. One lesson I have learned this year is that you will never make it right for everybody.”

“The decisions we are taking are the ones we believe are right for the team, and the most neutral and fair decisions for both drivers. You can do it like it’s been done in the past, in a very corporate way, politician’s talk, try to sort it out behind closed doors. Or you can do it the way we do it, and this is the way each of us has managed his companies or his investments in the past.”

“We wear our heart on our sleeves, as they often say about Lewis. Emotion is an integral part of the success of the team. Having our guys going the extra mile, working 24/7, spending weekends in the office, is only possible because they are emotionally engaged in the company. To get that motivation out of our great people, you need emotion. We spend a lot of time on that topic.”

“And sometimes, when you have a difficult day, like [spa] was, when within a fraction of a second, all the effort of all those people is thrown away on lap two, all the frustration bursts out.”

Was it deliberate or not has been asked of Rosberg on a number of occasions this season, including Monaco qualifying, then in Belgian on lap two, and of course more recently with his double mistake in the same place at Monza.

When asked if the incident at Spa was a deliberate act by Rosberg, Wolff decalerd, “Absolutely. In Spa, he wanted to make a point. And that was an error of judgement. He shouldn’t have done it. Not there. Not on lap two. Not with the effort that went into that weekend. I was more than surprised. It wasn’t what I would have expected from our two drivers.”

Since then Rosberg has been victimised by the boo brigade and it appears the pressure got to him during the Italian Grand Prix where he made c a couple of telling errors.

He was shocked about what happened,” claims Wolff. “He was shocked about his own error of judgement and the reaction of the fans on the podium. He realised he had made an error. Coming out with it publicly is not only a strength of character but also tough to do. But I can tell you one thing – in a couple of years he is going to look back at that incident and say: That made me stronger.”

“There are 22 guys out there and all of them are ruthless. They know what they want and they will try to take it. Nico has always been like this. I don’t know why anyone had the perception of him being Mr Nice Guy.”

Many expected Hamilton to easily get the better of Rosberg, but that has not happened despite the Briton being a tad faster than the German in terms of raw pace. But Rosberg’s strength has been more cerebral and thus a classic contest between brain and brawn.

Also on Rosberg’s side is that Hamilton is drama magnet and this season he ahs had his fair share of ‘incidents’ which have not helped his cause.

“If you look at Lewis’s career – and this is not the answer; it is just thinking out loud – drama and glory were always very near each other. I don’t know why that is. But when you describe this year – drama and glory; very much beside each other,” ventured Wolff.

MIKA: Rosberg will win the WDC... Hamilton loses his composure far too often to stay grounded psychologically. I'm also under the suumption Rosberg allowed Hamilton to take the lead at Monza.

[MIKA27]

ALONSO: FERRARI IS BIGGER THAN ANY ONE INDIVIDUAL

In slightly cooler conditions than we have come to expect in the tropics, Fernando Alonso faced the press for the first time ahead of this Singapore Grand Prix weekend and dealt with a range of topics, including the end of Luca di Montezemolo’s era at the helm of Ferrari.

“He was our leader for many years and it was a great time for Ferrari,” said Fernando. “I wish him good luck with new projects and for the new President, I wish him good luck for hopefully a very successful future.”

Rather than simply brush it away in his usual style, the Spaniard chose to question the motives behind yet another rumour about his future, this time that he and Sebastian Vettel would swap teams!

“It’s sad when these rumours are created in Italy,” he lamented. “It’s a shame as it’s not helping Ferrari, which is the reason why we are all here and Ferrari is a much bigger brand than any one individual or even Formula 1 in general.”

Fernando Alonso won the 2010 Singapore Grand Prix for Ferrari

“I have a lot of respect for Ferrari and try and maintain a good atmosphere with the guys in the team, in order to have a very united team. It’s what we need and what the people expect from us. So it’s not clear to me what is the purpose of these rumours coming from Italy.”

With regards to the forthcoming race, Round 14 of the F1 World Championship, Alonso talked about various factors relating to the Marina Bay circuit one of which could mean that fuel consumption could play a role on race day.

“It’s true fuel will be tight here and we will have to save a little bit extra, but it should be manageable, especially as the track layout allows you to save fuel quite easily compared to other circuits as you are generally safe from overtaking moves,” explained Alonso who won the 2008 (Renault) and 2010 (Ferrari( editions of the race in Singapore.

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RICCIARDO: WE WILL ATTACK AND GET AS MUCH AS WE CAN

Red Bull‘s Daniel Ricciardo believes he can get back on the Formula 1 podium in Singapore after his winning streak ended in Italy two weeks ago, but is adamant that is all out attack as it has been since the red lights turned in Melbourne in March,

“I guess I am expecting a podium. I think we have to aim for that if we want to stay in the title hunt,” the smiling Australian told reporters ahead of the race at Marina Bay Circuit.

Ricciardo is the only driver to break the Mercedes stranglehold on winning this season with victories in Canada, Hungary and then Belgium in his first season with the champions.

He is third in the championship, albeit 72 points adrift of championship leader Nico Rosberg with a maximum 175 points still up for grabs and Ricciardo is adamant that the focus in the world champion team is to challenge for wins.

“The mentality hasn’t changed since the start of the year. The approach is to attack and get as much as we can. That’s what we need to do to get close to Mercedes.”

His car should be much more suited to tackling the demands of Singapore’s tight, floodlit street circuit than the sweeping curves and long straights at Monza where the Mercedes drivers finished one-two.

Ricciardo sits third in the driver’s standings on 166 points with six rounds remaining, 72 behind leader Nico Rosberg, but is confident he and champion team mate Sebastian Vettel can be more competitive in Singapore than in Italy, where they finished fifth and sixth respectively.

“I believe we will be the second best team out of the box tomorrow. The question is how close can we get to Mercedes. I definitely think we are going to be closer than Monza,” said Ricciardo. “This is obviously a track that should help us out a bit more.”

Vettel has won the Singapore Grand Prix for the last three years on a 23-turn layout that seems tailor-made for the Red Bull, a dominance Ricciardo is hoping to continue this time around.

“If we can be within a couple of tenths (of a second per lap) then that would be good result… it means we can race with them on Sunday and I expect to be a couple of tenths in front of the next best team,” he added. “All going well, we should be on the podium.”

Ricciardo has enjoyed a remarkable first season at Red Bull and sits 60 points ahead of Vettel, a feat he puts down to the fact that the raft of changes following the last campaign had less of an impact on him, coming from a smaller team.

“I think it was easier to come from a Toro Rosso to Red Bull because there was a smaller difference between the cars from last year to this,” he added.

“My [Toro Rosso] car did not have as much grip as Seb’s Red Bull from last year so the grip loss for him was a lot bigger than it was for me, to be fair. So it probably took him a lot longer to adapt than I did.”

The Australian was quick to point out that his early-season dominance over his German team mate has evaporated in recent races with Vettel proving faster than Ricciardo in qualifying.

“I don’t think he is struggling as much as people think. He has out-qualified me for the last three races now so he’s obviously got to grips with the car better,” he said.

“My race performance has been the surprising thing. I think what I had going for me the past few races was tyre management… I have been able to look after them a bit better. In terms of pure speed, from now until the end of the year, there shouldn’t be any more question marks over us.”

Ricciardo said it was also too early to raise the question of team orders, “No, not yet,. While both of us are still mathematically eligible then we still able to race and do what we can.”

“Then if one of us gets knocked out before the other then I think we may apply some team orders. I’d like it to stay that way and not rely on Seb’s help. Nothing against him or the team but it’s fair. We are still both quite long shots anyway,” added the big smiling Aussie.

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ECCLESTONE: WE SHOULD GET RID OF MORE DRIVER AIDS

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has backed a clampdown on the use of team radio to help drivers, claiming it was his idea and suggesting more restrictions should be considered.

“I was the one who started it off, yes,” Ecclestone told reporters on Thursday at a sponsorship event on the sidelines of the Singapore Grand Prix.

He added that a majority of drivers were more than happy to comply with the new regulations.

Last week, Formula One banned all radio communications that help improve the performance of the car or driver, starting with the Singapore race, in a move that could add another twist to the title battle between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.

“I think none of the drivers want it [radio assistance]. They are all happy that it has gone,” Ecclestone said. “They drive the cars, they should know what is wrong or right. They don’t need someone on the pit wall telling them what to do.”

German Rosberg leads his Mercedes team mate Hamilton by 22 points with six races remaining but the pair have been embroiled in a feisty season-long battle for supremacy with both drivers doing plenty of talking on the radio to engineers.

Ecclestone hinted that more could be done to reduce the amount of assistance given to drivers, including a ban on live telemetry from the cars.

“We have a regulation in force that drivers must drive the car unaided. They have been aided – and still are,” the Briton added. There are still a lot of aids that they should not have.”

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THE BIG PREVIEW: SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX

Round 14 of the 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship sees teams set off on a six-event sequence of ‘flyaway’ races in Asia, the Americas and the Middle East, starting with one of the year’s toughest events, the Singapore Grand Prix.

One of only two full night races on the calendar – the other being Bahrain – Singapore’s race winds through 23 corners over 5km and is the season’s longest in terms of duration, regularly nudging the two-hour mark.

Run in temperatures topping 30ºC, it’s a gruelling test of man and machine. While at the last round in Monza cars ran in the lowest downforce specification of the year, Singapore’s twisting streets require a high downforce configuration.

This circuit has historically not been a tough race on powerplants, with the previous generation of cars running at just 46 per cent full throttle over a lap, but that could change considerably this year due to F1’s new hybrid power units. As one of the least fuel efficient races of the year, due to its stop-start nature, it will also be interesting to see how teams manage the fuel restrictions contained in this season’s regulations.

Last year’s podium

Marina Bay is also tough on brakes. About a quarter of the lap is spent braking and while wear is not a major difficulty, problems are caused by the temperatures the brakes reach due to a lack of opportunities for cooling in the tight confines. After the power and speed of Monza and Spa, Singapore will require different attributes, which could benefit teams such as Red Bull Racing.

While the Milton Keynes-based outfit has been down on power compared with title-chasing rivals this season, it possesses a car nimble enough to claw back competitiveness around twistier tracks.

That could play into the hands of Daniel Ricciardo, currently third in the Driver’s Championship. He lies 50 points behind Monzawinner Lewis Hamilton, who last time out closed the gap on title leading team-mate Nico Rosberg by seven points to 22. It should be a fascinating contest.

Michael Schumacher and Jean-Eric Vergne collided during the 2012 race

Marina Bay Circuit Data & Notes

• Length of lap: 5.065km
• Lap record: 1:48.574 (Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing, 2013)
• Start line/finish line offset: 0.137km
• Total number of race laps: 61
• Total race distance: 308.828km
• Pitlane speed limits: 60km/h in practice, qualifying and the race.
• Resurfacing has been carried out in various sections of the circuit.
• The Track Jet sweeper will be used in order to ensure that grip on the new surfaces will match the older asphalt. ? The fast lane in the pit lane has been resurfaced.
• The wall on the right of the run-off area at Turn Seven has been re-aligned to allow one lane of traffic to circulate behind it.
• There will be two DRS zones in Singapore.
• The first detection zone will be 230m before Turn Five and the first activation point will be 50m after the same corner.
• The second detection point will be 80m before the apex of Turn 22 and the activation point will be 45m after the apex of Turn 23.

Singapore Grand Prix Fast Facts

• This will be the seventh running of the Singapore Grand Prix, the race having joined the F1 calendar in 2008.
  The circuit has been raced in three incarnations, with the first configuration being subject to minor changes for 2009. However, last year’s reprofiling of the Turn 10 ‘Singapore Sling’ chicane as a more flowing corner led to faster lap times and a new lap record for Sebastian Vettel.
• Only three drivers have won this race. Fernando Alonso won the inaugural event here in 2008 with Renault and then repeated the feat in 2010 for Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton won the 2009 race with McLaren. Vettel, however, is the most successful driver at Marina Bay having won the last three grands prix here. Thus the Singapore Grand Prix has only ever been won Formula One world champions.
• Vettel’s three wins make Red Bull Racing the most successful constructor here and the only team to score multiple victories. In terms of points scored the Milton Keynesbased team has racked up 130 championship points in Singapore with Ferrari next on the list with 98 points. McLaren are third with 86.
• While Vettel has three wins and a second place to his credit he isn’t the driver with the most podium finishes here. That honour goes to Alonso who has finished in the top three in all but one Singapore GP. In 2011 he finished fourth having started from fifth place for Ferrari. Aside from his two wins, Alonso finished third in 2009 and 2012 and second last year.
• With Singapore’s streets being tough to overtake on, pole position is important. The race has been won from pole four out of the six times the grand prix has been held. Fernando Alonso won from as far back as 15th on the grid in 2008, albeit it in highly controversial circumstances, and Sebastian Vettel won from a starting place of third in 2012.
• Of this year’s drivers, the circuit will be completely new to just one – McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen. Caterham’s Marcus Ericsson raced at Marina Bay in GP2 in 2012 with iSport International, finishing second in the sprint race. He returned in the same series last year, this time with the DAMS team, and again took second place in the sprint race. Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat, meanwhile, raced here on the undercard of the 2010 F1 race, in Formula BMW Pacific. The Russian took first place at Marina Bay, in Round 11 of the championship, though as a guest driver in the series he was ineligible to score points.
• The Singapore Grand Prix is always one of the season’s longest races, regularly running close to the twohour limit. The quickest race here so far was the 2009 edition, won by Lewis Hamilton in 1hr 56’06.337. The longest was the 2012 race, won by Sebastian Vettel in a time of 2hr 00’26.144. Having reached maximum duration, the race was ended two laps early at the end of lap 59.

Nelson Piquet crashed in controversial circumstances during the 2008 race

Singapore Grand Prix Statistics by Reuters

• Mercedes have won all but three races so far this season. The exceptions were Canada, Hungary and Belgium – all won by Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo.
• Red Bull’s quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel has 39 career wins, Fernando Alonso 32, Lewis Hamilton 28, Kimi Raikkonen 20 and Jenson Button 15. Championship leader Nico Rosberg has seven.
• Hamilton’s win at Monza moved him ahead of triple champion Jackie Stewart in the all-time list of winners. The only British driver to have won more is 1992 champion Nigel Mansell (31).
• Hamilton has won six races this season, Rosberg four and Ricciardo three.
• Ferrari have won 221 races, McLaren 182, Williams 114 and Red Bull 50. Mercedes have won 23, the same number as now-defunct Tyrrell.
• McLaren have not won for 32 races, a run that dates back to Brazil 2012 but is not their longest drought. Most recently, they went 48 races without a win between 1993 and 1997.
• Ferrari’s last victory was in Spain in May 2013 – the last time a team other than Mercedes or Red Bull won.
• Mercedes have had seven one-two finishes this season. The record of 10 in a season was set by McLaren in 1988.
• Mercedes and Williams are the only teams to have started a race on pole position this year.
• Rosberg (Bahrain/Monaco/Canada/Britain/Germany/Hungary/Belgium) has had seven poles this year to Hamilton’s five (Australia/Malaysia/China/Spain/Italy). Brazilian Felipe Massa was on pole for Williams in Austria.
• Vettel has 45 career poles. Hamilton has 36 – more than any other British driver in the history of Formula One.
• Ferrari’s last pole was in Germany with Alonso in 2012.
• Caterham, who came into the sport in 2010, are the only team on the grid who have yet to score a point.
• Ferrari have finished a record 80 successive races with at least one car in the points, a run that dates back to the 2010 German Grand Prix.
• Alonso’s retirement at Monza means no driver has scored in every race this season. Ricciardo has gone 11 races in a row in the points.
• Sauber have gone 13 races without scoring, their longest barren run since they entered the sport in 1993. They went nine in a row between October 1995 and May 1996, at a time when only the top six cars scored points.
• The race is the only one held entirely at night.
• Only champions have won at the Marina Bay circuit. Vettel has won the last three races in Singapore, Alonso has triumphed twice (2008 and 2010)and Hamilton once (2009).
• Alonso has been on the podium in five of the six Singapore Grands Prix to date.
• The race has been won from pole position on four occasions. The lowest winning grid position was Alonso, starting 15th in 2008.
• There has been at least one safety car intervention in every race in Singapore so far, with nine in total.
• The race is the longest on the calendar in terms of time taken to complete, ranging from between one hour and 56 minutes to the time limit of two hours, and has more corners than any other circuit.

Formula 1 race track and public highway meet…

Singapore Grand Prix Race Stewards Biographies

• Lars Österlind is a highly experienced FIA steward who has officiated at more than 100 grands prix and a similar number of World Rally Championship rounds. A social sciences graduate and lifelong motor sport enthusiast, Österlind was President of the Swedish Rally Commission from 1978-1982, then President of the Swedish Automobile Sport Federation from 1982-1996. He became Honorary President in 1996 and has been a member of the FIA World Council since 1984. Outside motor sport Österlind has specialised in management, working as a consultant and pursuing his own business interests. He is also experienced in local government at city council level.
  Roger Peart is a civil engineer by training and designed the Gilles Villeneuve circuit, Home of the Canadian Grand Prix since 1978. In the years 1949-1953 he gained his first experience of motor sport, working as a racing mechanic while still at school in the UK. By 1960 he had become a competitor. Until 1963 he drove in the Canadian National Rally Championship, before switching to racing from 1964 to 1976. In 1967 Peart became involved in the organisation of Canadian motor sport and was instrumental in getting the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve onto the F1 calendar. Since 1991 Peart has been President of ASN Canada FIA and, since 1999, President of the FIA Circuits Commission.
  Formula One world champion Alan Jones makes his fifth appearance in the FIA F1 stewards’ room, having made his debut at the 2010 Korean Grand Prix, and returned in 2011 to adjudicate at Suzuka, in 2012 for the Indian Grand Prix and last year at the Spanish Grand Prix. Best known as the 1980 Formula One World Champion, the Australian raced far and wide, competing everywhere from Can-Am and Formula 5000 to Le Mans and Australian Touring Cars. In his F1 career Jones won 12 grands prix, took six pole positions and set 13 fastest laps. While usually associated with the Williams team, Jones’ first grand prix victory came at the 1977 Austrian Grand Prix while racing for Shadow.

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RAIKKONEN LAUNCHES FERRARI LEGO RANGE

The Shell V-Power Lego range was given its world launch today in Singapore, the event getting underway with a race in miniature. Taking part in the mini-challenge were Kimi Raikkonen, representing Scuderia Ferrari and Ian Albiston, Shell’s Technology Manager.

They were joined by two students who are taking part in the Shell Eco Marathon Asia, a project run by the Scuderia’s technical sponsor, based on sustainable mobility and on alternative forms of energy.

At the end of the special race, Kimi took part in the unveiling of 1:2 scale models of an F138, a 250 GTO, a 512s and an F12 berlinetta, all made entirely of Lego bricks. The models are some of the cars and playsets born out of the collaboration between Ferrari and the Lego group.

They will soon be available in miniature versions from distributors. It took over a year and a half to produce the new collection that features the introduction of the smallest pull-back motor ever built by the Lego Group, capable of propelling the cars over a distance greater than two metres.

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JOHNNIE WALKER BECOMES F1 WHISKEY PARTNER

Scotch whisky brand Johnnie Walker has entered into a multi-year partnership with the Formula 1.

Under the deal, the Diageo-owned brand will become the official whisky of Formula One. Johnnie Walker will also use the partnership to promote and expand its ‘Join the Pact’ campaign, which encourages people not to drink and drive.

Nick Blazquez, president of Diageo in Africa and Asia, said: “Becoming the official whisky of Formula One will enable Johnnie Walker to greatly extend its reach to race fans. As a result of our new arrangement, we will have access to a global television audience of more than 450 million people and a track attendance audience of around 1.5 million every year.

“Equally important, and a key reason for Johnnie Walker to become the official whisky of Formula One, is the huge opportunity we have through this expanded global platform to reach even more F1 fans around the world with responsible drinking messages.

“We believe there is great potential in what we can achieve together. The Johnnie Walker Join the Pact campaign is a proven, powerful programme that is already driving positive change. More than one million people around the world have signed the Join the Pact pledge to ‘Never Drink and Drive’. We are therefore announcing today our intention to increase our investment behind this programme, activating it in new territories with an ambition of gaining a further five million personal commitments over the next four years.”

Johnnie Walker already has a strong affiliation with the motor-racing series, having served as a partner of the McLaren team since 2005. The brand also has links with F1 that stretch back to the 1950s when Rob Walker, whose great-great grandfather founded the whisky business, established his own private racing team.

Former F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen has also served as Johnnie Walker’s global responsible drinking ambassador since 2006

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SAINZ VERY UPSET WHEN RED BULL PROMOTED VERSTAPPEN

Carlos Sainz junior’s father, world rally legendof the same name has expressed disappointment with Red Bull‘s decision-making in 2014.

Earlier, 20-year-old Spaniard Sainz jr was regarded as the undoubted cream of the energy drink’s driver development programme, and therefore the favourite to make his Formula 1 debut in 2015 with Toro Rosso.

But as Mercedes toyed with signing up the teen sensation Max Verstappen to its own new junior programme, Red Bull’s Helmut Marko swept the Dutchman off his feet with a hard-to-refuse multi-year contract and an immediate Formula 1 debut next year.

Many paddock regulars, including none other than Fernando Alonso, have expressed surprise that Sainz jr was shuffled down the queue in deference to Verstappen.

Sainz’s father, the world rally legend Carlos Sainz, is quoted by Italy’s Omnicorse: “We were very upset, but we have not lost heart.”

Indeed, it has emerged that, in the wake of the Verstappen signing, the Sainz duo met with Marko and were assured the young Spaniard remains in Red Bull’s plans.

Sainz snr is optimistic, “Red Bull has never won with its driver in the Renault World Series and so it would be amazing if, in the year that happens, the new champion should be left on his feet.”

In that highly-respected formative series, Sainz jr currently leads Roberto Merhi with two rounds left to run.

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WEBBER THINKS VETTEL LACKS FEELING FOR CAR

Mark Webber thinks small, subtle details are all that is holding back his former Formula 1 colleagues Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen in 2014, the pair lacking a feeling for the new era cars according to the Australian.

Both champions have struggled this year as Formula 1 took the step into the radical turbo V6 era, with Webber’s former teammate Vettel notably failing to match the impressive pace of his Red Bull successor Daniel Ricciardo.

Webber, who stepped out of Formula 1 at the end of last year and now races a prototype Porsche at Le Mans, joked that it is as though Vettel inherited his old car for the new era.

“Don’t you think so?” he joked with Turun Sanomat newspaper. “It does seem as though all the difficulties happen in that one car.”

Webber and Vettel shared a tetchy relationship at Red Bull, but he declines to jump on the bandwagon of those who say 2014 has simply revealed the German’s true colours.

Asked why he thinks Vettel is struggling, Webber answered: “It’s impossible to say for sure, but almost certainly it is small, subtle details between the car and the driver.

“It is clear that Seb and Kimi have not got the feeling they need, while Daniel seems to be very comfortable with these new cars. At this level, the way Formula 1 is, that’s all about how a driver gets those last 2-3 crucial tenths out of the car.”

“I think Seb and Kimi have two problems: a lack of feeling for the car and then not getting the setup they need. It’s not easy and then you start to dig the hole deeper and deeper for yourself,” said the 38-year-old.

Webber said he also thinks Raikkonen’s vast experience in Formula 1 has actually contributed to his struggle in 2014 with the radically different, turbo V6 ‘power units’.

“When you’ve been driving at Formula 1 level for 10, 12 years, it means you’ve driven V10, V8 and now V6. An experienced driver can almost have too much information and too much sense of what the cars used to be.

“Sometimes less experience is better when the rules change, and that does seem to be the case especially this season,” he added.

“In fact, I feel that I left just at the right time,” Webber smiled.