FORMULA 1 - 2015

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LOTUS: WHAT CAN YOU SAY?

Lotus F1 Team crashed down to earth with incidents on the first lap of the Italian Grand Prix leading to a double retirement.

Both cars started in the top ten but damage to each car in separate incidents meant that Pastor Maldonado parked his car in the garage at the end of the first lap whilst Romain Grosjean parked his at the side of the track early in lap two.

The team now heads to the next Grand Prix in Singapore on September 18-20th.

• Romain started from P8 on the grid on his qualifying soft tyres. Contact with Felipe Nasr’s Sauber at the first corner meant damage to the rear of Romain’s car and retirement early in lap two.
• Pastor started from P10 on new soft tyres but contact with Nico Hulkenberg’s Force India meant damage to Pastor’s front suspension and he retired at the end of the first lap.

Romain Grosjean: “We had the potential of a good race ahead of us. I made a strong start but got hit by a car from behind in turn one which broke my rear suspension so that was it for us. It was a too optimistic move from Nasr who hit me which meant my race was over. It’s been a tough weekend but everyone has made the most of the opportunities we have and the spirit of the team and the support from the F1 world has been amazing. The E23 still feels good so we head to the next races optimistic of more good results to come.”

Pastor Maldonado: “It’s been a tough weekend and this is racing sometimes. We keep united and keep pushing as there are still seven Grands Prix to go so time to recover and keep fighting. I had contact in turn one where the Force India came into the side of me and took out my front-right suspension and that was the end of my race. We were looking for a strong finish and we had potential for that. Everyone knows that turn one at Monza can be tough and that’s what we saw today.”

Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal: “What can you say? Everyone at Enstone, at the track, our sponsors, partners and suppliers would have liked to see a favourable result for us today but the cruel mistress that is motor sport gave us a resounding slap in the face. Both drivers had their race undone at the first corner and this was a real blow to all of us. We now focus on the next Grands Prix where we’re determined as ever to score more points and keep fighting. Thank you all for your support.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “A disastrous race for us with our cars retiring following incidents at turn one. Both drivers started in the top ten and we had potential for a good points haul but Monza’s turn one can get very crowded on the first lap, which is what we saw today. It’s been a challenging weekend for us, but the response from our fellow competitors has been tremendous and we thank them all for that. We’ve seen that the E23 has still got strong pace so we’re heading to Singapore and Japan eager for clean races to re-ignite our championship fight.”

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RENAULT DELAYS SOCHI UPGRADE UNTIL AUSTIN

Renault has delayed the introduction of a much anticipated performance upgrade for its 2015 Formula 1 power unit.

Earlier, the Red Bull teams were holding out for October’s Russian grand prix at Sochi, because Renault was planning to debut a new engine improved by trading in performance ‘tokens’.

But Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said at Monza: “When the upgraded engine will appear is TBC. There’s nothing actually confirmed yet.”

The feeling is that, as Renault is locked in deep negotiations with Lotus about re-buying the Enstone team, the French carmaker is now more focused on 2016.

Auto Motor und Sport claims that the Sochi engine will now debut two weeks later in Austin, improved to the tune of 4 tokens, or 0.15 seconds per lap.

F1-insider website run by German correspondent Ralf Bach, said Red Bull has been informed of the schedule change.

Daniel Ricciardo, however, said: “No matter what is promised to us, I will believe in more power only when I feel it in the car.”

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Mercedes denies pushing tyre pressure to the limit

Mercedes insists it was not deliberately trying to exploit the tyre pressure limits when it was found to be below what was allowed before the start of the Italian GP.

The left rear pressures on both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg's cars were found to be under the minimum 19.5psi limit a few minutes before the formation lap, which prompted a post race investigation.

In the end, the team was cleared of any wrongdoing after it proved that the tyres were above the limit when they were fitted to the car.

No funny games

While cynics could suggest that Mercedes may have been trying to be clever in allowing the tyre temperatures and pressures to drop after they were fitted to the car, to get better performance, team boss Toto Wolff has dismissed such talk.

"I can absolutely rule that out," said Wolff. "We have worked the whole week after Spa with Pirelli to find solutions in order to make those tyres safe.

"We were very much part of trying to guide them on minimum tyre pressures and minimum camber, which we already had on our car at Spa.

"I can rule out that we would be the ones who were trying to gain an advantage in a way which is absolutely unscientific and uncontrollable.

"How do you want to measure how much a tyre pressure drops when you disconnect it? And why would you have it only on one tyre and then discrepancy between two cars?"

Normal procedure

Wolff said that the team had not deviated from its normal pre-race procedures with tyre blankets – and had co-operated with Pirelli in ensuring its pressures were correct under the currently specified procedures.

The reading that was taken by the FIA later recorded that the pressures had dropped, which was almost certainly the result of the temperatures dropping.

"We followed the procedure established with Pirelli, which was to have the tyres in the blankets, and check the pressures together with Pirelli," he said.

"The pressures were well above the minimum because safety is important for us. The tyres on the car for whatever reason, maybe because the tyres cooled down, a different pressure was found on one of the tyres. It was a tiny discrepancy."

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Vettel: Losing Monza would "rip our hearts out"

Sebastian Vettel has led a chorus of drivers’ voices in urging F1 commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone and majority owner CVC Capital Partners to ensure that the Italian Grand Prix at Monza remains on the F1 calendar.

As has happened with other venues, particularly in Europe, Ecclestone has threatened to cut the race from the calendar if the promoters do not come up with an increased hosting fee to retain the race after 2016. Paddock sources suggest that the asking price is in excess of €20m per year, aligned with other European venues, but less than some long haul venues pay.

But speaking moments after he finished second in the Italian Grand Prix and after a weekend of experiencing first hand what F1 means to the Italian fans from a Ferrari driver’s perspective, three time Monza winner Vettel made an outburst that is likely to reach Ecclestone’s ears very quickly.

“The emotions on the podium are incredible,” Vettel said. “If we take this away from the calendar for any shitty money reasons I think you are basically ripping our hearts out. We are here, we are racing and this makes it so much more worthwhile. It’s what we’re here for.

“You stand on the grid, you look to the left, you look to the right, people are just happy to be part of it and it makes our day. So, simple as that. It’s incredible.”

He was backed up by another three-time Monza winner Lewis Hamilton, albeit more tactfully, and by Felipe Massa,

“This is one of the best tracks in the world,” said Hamilton. “This has to stay here for moral reasons. All those fans out there who come every single year. Are you going to take this Grand Prix away from us and put on another one, that would not have the same feeling, or would not have the special impact?

So we definitely have to keep this.”

Massa, who finished on the podium for the second year in succession, agreed,

“I don’t think they can take it out. The history of Formula One, this is history here, here is part of what is Formula One… everything that Formula One grows is a lot thanks to these races as well, to these people. We race for the people and when you see the podium with a lot of people like that and they’re screaming and crying, I don’t think we can lose that.

“This is part of our blood and we cannot lose this type of race. I really like to go to new countries, we go to amazing countries, countries that I even didn’t know what they meant before and then I love to go there and I’m really in favour to go there but you cannot lose something which is inside the blood as well.”

Earlier FIAT and Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne had said that the race must stay as part of F1, but indicated that he would not be happy for Ferrari to be dragged into it, as Mercedes were with trying to rescue the German Grand Prix at Nurburgring this year,

“No-one should cast any doubt on Monza, ” said Marchionne. “Ecclestone knows exactly how important it is. I hope we will not have a repeat of what happened in Germany, with Mercedes unable to help retain the Grand Prix.”

Ecclestone has cast serious doubt on the race’s future this weekend, saying that the promoters are well out on their valuation of the race. Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi visited Ecclestone in his motorhome at the track today and has indicated that he wants the race to continue, but this is not a nationally-funded event like some in the Middle East and emerging markets.

What is curious and has not been explained is why F1 values longevity and history when it comes to teams but not when it comes to circuits.

Ferrari’s unbroken history in the sport, going back to 1950 contributes to it receiving a bonus fund of $100 million per season, while McLaren receives $34m and Williams $10m (as they were in a weak negotiating position when the contracts to 2020 were drawn up).

Yet there is no similar recognition for the historic contribution of Grands Prix; the Italian race is the only one – apart from the British – to host a race every year since F1 began in 1950.

One is a competitor, the other a venue, but as today’s podium and the general spectacle all weekend demonstrated, Monza brings unique personality to F1, like Monaco, Singapore and a handful of other venues. One could argue that it does more for F1 than F1 does for the Monza region.

Vettel’s words are provocative as far as Ecclestone is concerned, but the basic message is one that is echoed by more or less very professional working in the sport and many fans in Italy and around the world.

If F1 values its history it has to find a way to retain this Grand Prix. It would be losing not only part of its historic spine, but also its soul if the Italian Grand Prix was lost.

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Monza 50 years ago

Not many sports can claim to have a hero from 50 years ago perform rather like he did back in the day. But that's what F1 managed on Saturday when Sir Jackie Stewart got behind the wheel of a BRM 261 similar to the one that took him to his first Grand Prix win at Monza in 1965.

Typical Stewart, he wore the same open-face white helmet with trademark tartan headband and goggles. And typical for F1, the powers-that-be made very little of the occasion, focused as they were on politics and making money today.

Stewart and the British racing green car were stationed, not in the F1 paddock, not even in the support paddock, but in a lock-up somewhere near Parabolica. There was no notice of the occasion in the media centre, the only mention being an hour or so before by the Italian commentator, and Bob Constanduros, his English-speaking colleague.

The immaculate car in British racing green with the trademark orange band on the nose appeared as if from nowhere, the lovely sound of the V8 bouncing off a grandstand that was no more than quarter full. Stewart was not allowed a flying lap, the BRM pulling up sharply on the finishing line for a photo call with the actual trophy received on the day.

Stewart had worked hard for that silver cup. The lead had changed hands more than 40 times, this being the slipstreaming pre-chicane Monza as Stewart battled with fellow-Brits Graham Hill (BRM), Jim Clark (Lotus) and John Surtees (Ferrari). When Clark and Surtees eventually retired, the BRMs swapped places regularly, the assumption being that Stewart would dutifully allow team-leader Hill to win. That might well have been the case had Hill not made a mistake and run wide at Parabolica in the closing laps, Stewart maintaining his lead until the finish. It was the first of 27 victories for the man destined to become world champion three times.

"It was lovely to be able to do this 50 years later," said Sir Jackie. "Hall and Hall, the company responsible for preparing the car, did a beautiful job. I felt immediately at home in the cockpit. It was like settling into an old armchair. The gear lever was where I expected it - on the left, as it was with all BRMs. The clutch was maybe a wee bit too far away - but that's being fussy! Otherwise, it brought back wonderful memories.

"Okay, it would have been nice to run before the race on Sunday, but I was very grateful for the opportunity. And, when all is said and done, I'm grateful to still be here and able to do it 50 years later. I don't imagine many sports people have that privilege."

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F1 Italian Grand Prix: Rosberg won’t give up despite massive title blow

Nico Rosberg says 'giving up doesn't exist for him' as he refuses to acknowledge that his 2015 Formula 1 title dreams are looking increasingly slim following a costly DNF in the Italian Grand Prix.

Already coming into the weekend facing a sizeable 28 point deficit to Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, Rosberg was shifted further onto the back foot when an issue with the team's upgraded engine forced it to revert to an older unit ahead of qualifying.

Attempting to complete six full races with the ageing unit, Rosberg had successfully recovered from a poor start to run in third, but just as he seemed poised to attack Sebastian Vettel for second place, the engine cried enough two laps from the end.

His and Mercedes' first DNF of the season, the exit comes at a critical time for Rosberg since Hamilton's maximum points' haul swells his advantage to 53 points – the equivalent of two races.

Despite this, Rosberg is refusing to dismiss his title aspirations, saying he must now get his head down and do his bit by getting back to the top of the podium at least.

“It is a fact that it has made a massive step in the wrong direction,” he concedes. “Just when I needed to catch up points, it is the biggest loss I have had in the whole season. But I keep going, giving up doesn't exist for me so I just have to keep fighting and try and win the next couple of races something.”

Reflecting on the weekend as a whole, Rosberg is frustrated that an already difficult weekend was made harder to swallow by late retirement.

“It is very, very disappointing. The whole weekend went wrong, I was ver unlucky. So many repurcussions. It wasn't even an engine issue, it was a chassis issue that made me have to change the engine. Just a difficult race as a result, so to have it explode two laps from the end is unbelievable, it makes it more disappointing."

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McLaren keen but Button coy on 2016 deal?

Having dropped its clearest hint yet that it wants to retain Jenson Button for the 2016 Formula 1 season, McLaren may not quite get its way after the man himself said he wanted 'discuss away from the circuit over the next few days'.

Having been picked over 2014 team-mate Kevin Magnussen when McLaren determined who would join Fernando Alonso in the team for 2015, Button's seat is once again under threat from Magnussen again, as well as GP2 Series champion-elect Stoffel Vandoorne.

Despite this, with McLaren-Honda keen to retain an experienced pairing as it works to bring its car up to competitive speed, Eric Boullier used the Italian Grand Prix to tell the media that he 'intends' to keep Button alongside the contracted Alonso.

However, Button has hinted that McLaren's intentions don't make the deal a foregone conclusion, saying he wants to make a decision 'either way' in the next few weeks.

“I think that is something we need to discuss away from the circuit over the next few days,” he said, when asked to comment on Boullier's words. “I think it is always in your hands, so hopefully over the next few weeks we can decide either way.”

Button's words come after yet another tough race day in the Italian Grand Prix, the former champion's bright start – which saw him ascend to ninth – serving to highlight the gulf in performance to rivals as they quickly demoted him back to an eventual 14th.

“There were a lot of incidents at the start, so I enjoyed that and then it was a case of waiting for them to come by. They are overtaking you in places you didn't think was possible, so the whole time you are looking in your mirrors on the entry to every corner, which is really unusual.

“We are not deploying out of turn five or the exit of turn seven, so we are 160HP down on other people, so it is that plus the deficit we have on the ICE.

“It is tricky, but the car was reasonably enjoyable to drive, which is nice to feel after the race, which I hope puts us in good stead in Singapore.”

Button's comments are likely to spark up speculation about his future, particularly as options in the F1 paddock are likely to be limited to Lotus/Renault, Haas and Manor.

Alternatively, Button could yet see a revival of interest from Porsche, which was known to be keen to sign him for its World Endurance Championship effort for 2015.

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Strong performance gives Perez top six return

Sergio Perez recorded his second straight top six F1 finish to help lift Force India back ahead of the hapless Lotus team in the battle for fifth in the constructors' standings.

The Mexican made a good start to initially run ahead of Mercedes' Nico Rosberg and, once the German had made use of his car's superiority, settled into sixth place through the middle part of the 53-lap race. Although the recovering Kimi Raikkonen eventually caught and past the Force India in the closing stages – the Finn pulling off a move around the outside of the Rettifilio chicane and then fending off his rival through the Curva Grande – Perez was handed sixth place back when Rosberg's engine let go with the chequered flag in sight.

“I had a really enjoyable time today and had very strong pace from the beginning to the end,” the Mexican, who has still to sign a deal for 2016, commented, “I managed the tyre degradation well and I feel we got the maximum that was possible from the race.

“The first stint was fairly calm - I found myself in clean air and managed to open a gap over the cars behind, so I wasn't under any pressure. After my pit-stop, I knew Kimi was closing in behind me. He was really quick and there was nothing I could do to keep him behind any longer than I did.

“Despite that, I am very pleased with our performance over the whole weekend and the team really deserves these points. Today's result is important because it moves us back to fifth in the championship, with a nice gap over our rivals. We did a good job and we deserve this result.”

With both Lotus drivers retiring following separate incidents of contact at the chicane on lap one, Force India's 14-point haul was enough to not only reclaim fifth overall, but also move 13 points clear of its rival.

“To be leaving Monza with 14 points in our pocket completes a very competitive weekend for Sahara Force India,” deputy team principal Robert Fernley confirmed, “It means we've regained the advantage in our battle for fifth place in the standings and gives us a nice boost ahead of the fly-away races.

“The circuit certainly played to our strengths, but the team has worked incredibly hard this weekend to get both cars home in the points. Sergio and Nico [Hulkenberg] both drove very mature races, fighting hard when they needed to and looking after the tyres [in between]. All things considered, we can feel extremely positive about our performance today.”

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Red Bull won't use Renault engines in Formula 1 in 2016

The Red Bull Formula 1 team will not run Renault engines next season, AUTOSPORT understands.

Renault and Red Bull's relationship has become fractious during the last two seasons following a string of reliability and performance problems.

Red Bull has a contract with Renault that runs until the end of 2016, but AUTOSPORT sources are adamant the relationship will not continue next year.

It is understood Red Bull has issued a document requesting a termination of the partnership that will be accepted by Renault.

This comes after Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat took their seventh engines of the season for this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, resulting in big grid penalties.

It also leaves Red Bull with Mercedes and Ferrari as the only realistic options for power next season.

Renault's future in F1 has been the subject of speculation during 2015.

It is understood that it has ruled out being an engine supplier to customer teams next year, which has implications for its second outfit Toro Rosso.

That leaves Renault with two options: buy Lotus, where a deal is poised to be agreed, or leave F1 altogether, which a source suggests remains a possibility.

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Raikkonen struggles to explain reason for poor start

Kimi Raikkonen struggled to explain his start-line stall in the Italian Grand Prix, which left him last in the run to the first corner after qualifying on the front row.

"I've had nothing like that before. One of those things," Raikkonen said.

"It's not ideal...after 30 seconds we are last. But after then the race was OK, the race was good apart from the [start] issue...It's fine to get back to fifth...but it's a bit disappointing, not the first time unfortunately to be disappointed after a race weekend."

The Finn also noted that the team's telemetry data suggested the stall was his own error, but that he didn't think he did anything different to normal.

"The data it's [second clutch] not in the correct place but as far as what I do always I did the same things and I can't explain why [the car stalled]. There's only a few small chances where I could be but whatever the reason is we have to make sure that we understand it correctly 100% and make sure we make changes."

Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene believes however that TV footage shows Raikkonen struggling prior to the launch.

"If it's a technical issue we'll let you know, at the moment looking at the pictures of the television it looks like he was struggling a bit or messing a bit with the fingers before the [start] procedure" he said.

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Toto Wolff calls on F1 to change tyre pressure measuring process

A perplexed Toto Wolff has called on F1 to address its processes for measuring tyre pressures after his Mercedes team were cleared of any wrongdoing at the Italian GP.

An incredulous Silver Arrows team were summoned to the Monza stewards after pre-race measurements taken by the FIA on the grid found the tyre pressures on the cars of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to be below the recommended limits set by Pirelli.

However, after an interminable investigation that lasted almost three hours, Hamilton's victory was allowed to stand with the stewards determining in a lengthy verdict that 'the tyre warming blankets had been disconnected from their power source, as is a normal procedure, and the tyres were significantly below the maximum permitted tyre blanket temperature at the time of the FIA's measurement on the grid'.

Having greeted their summons with bafflement after the race, the Mercedes chief has demanded a rethink about when precisely tyre pressures are measured before a grand prix.

"You check the tyre pressures in the tyre heaters when you put them on the car," said Wolff. "This is the moment, because you could say 'when is the moment you should check them? Five minutes? Eight minutes from the end, when the red lights go on?'

"I think it is about defining the procedure – and the moment when those pressures are checked – in the future.

"We don't know why we had such a discrepancy. At the end of the day, it can cost performance if you have one tyre that has a different pressure than the others."

New restrictions on tyre pressures were introduced in response to the blowouts which marred the Belgian GP two weeks ago and it's understood that Mercedes were informed that their cars had been found in breach of the new regulations with nearly 20 minutes of the race still to run.

However, both cars were allowed to continue despite apparently running outside of the safety parameters laid down by Pirelli and a perplexed Hamilton was even instructed by his pitwall to speed up during the closing stages.

"In terms of asking Lewis to push when we got the message that there was an investigation into tyre pressures, we didn't understand what was going on," said Wolff. "There could have been possible penalties. And in order to gain a little bit of a margin, we asked him to push."

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ROSBERG: GIVING UP DOESN’T EXIST FOR ME

Nico Rosberg vowed to keep on fighting after an engine failure at the Italian Grand Prix dealt a hammer blow to his Formula One title hopes on Sunday and left him 53 points adrift of Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton.

The deficit means the German will still be behind the double world champion in the standings even if he wins the next two races and Hamilton — who has triumphed in seven of 12 so far — draws a blank.

With seven races remaining, the points gap also means Hamilton does not have to win another race this season to take a third championship.

“It’s a fact that it’s taken a massive step in the wrong direction,” Rosberg told reporters after his car’s engine blew two laps from the finish at Monza while he had been in third place and challenging for second. Hamilton won the race.

“It’s been the biggest loss that I’ve had in one day in the whole season, so that’s very bad. But I keep going, giving up doesn’t exist for me, just keep fighting and now I’ll just try and win the next couple of races,” he added.

The prospects of that happening do not look great, with Hamilton’s victory at Monza last year setting off a run of five wins in succession for the Briton. Rosberg, by contrast has previously won only one of the remaining races — Brazil last year.

“The whole weekend just went wrong completely, very unlucky I think,” said Rosberg, who was slower than Hamilton in practice at Monza and then saw his weekend compromised by having to use an older engine after a problem emerged before qualifying.

The engine he raced with had already been used in five previous race weekends, whereas Hamilton enjoyed the benefits of a new and upgraded power unit.

“Just so many repercussions of this engine issue…it wasn’t even an engine issue, it was actually a chassis issue, that meant we had to change the engine, and then it was a difficult race as a result,” said Rosberg.

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ARRIVABENE: I SEE THE GLASS HALF FULL

The glass was half full for Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene after Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix, even if Kimi Raikkonen filled it almost to the brim before sloshing the contents around.

Arrivabene did not mince his words after the race,”This time I see the glass half full. Sebastian’s race to second place was unbelievable. His contribution to the team so far has been outstanding. As for Kimi, he had a great qualifying yesterday, then maybe he messed up a bit at the start of the race.”

With Sebastian Vettel taking second place in his first race in Italy in red Ferrari overalls, the home team could hold their heads high even if they never came close to catching Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes.

Raikkonen, Ferrari’s 2007 world champion, had outqualified Vettel and started on the front row to the delight of a legion of tifosi — including Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne.

Then it all went wrong. The Finn was left standing as everyone else pulled away, cars veering around him to the left and right, before getting going and entering the first corner in last place.

He ended up fifth after a strong fightback, helped by a rare Mercedes engine failure that denied Nico Rosberg a place on the podium.

Ferrari remained second overall in the constructors’ championship, with Mercedes disappearing into the distance.

“Yesterday, Kimi had done a great qualifying and we were all pleased,” said Arrivabene. “Today he got, most probably, messed up a bit, we need still to check but most probably messed up a bit with the finger. But during the race he overtook many, many other cars and his race was fantastic I have to say.”

So too was Vettel’s race, with the four times world champion thrilled to be back on the Monza podium and in front of the heaving wave of cheering fans spilling out of the stands onto the pit straight.

“It’s the best second place I ever had. The emotions on the podium are incredible,” the German told reporters. “If we take this (circuit) away from the calendar for any… money reasons I think you are basically ripping our hearts out.”

The circuit, which has hosted races since the 1920s and featured on the calendar in every season but one since the world championship started in 1950, faces an uncertain future with its current contract ending next year.

Raikkonen, a fan favourite, said he had never experienced a start problem like Sunday’s before and had not done anything different to usual.

“Obviously it’s not ideal,” said the Finn with his usual understatement. “You’re in a good position for the start and then after a few seconds we were last so the front row didn’t help us a lot did it?

“The weekend has been good apart from that issue and then obviously its fine to get back to fifth, when you start from second place, with that kind of start.”

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SHELL EXTENDS FERRARI PARTNERSHIP

Shell and Ferrari have extended the oldest partnership in Formula One for a further five years, both sides announced during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

The Anglo-Dutch oil company’s relationship with the Italian team dates back to before the world championship started in 1950, with Shell sponsoring Enzo Ferrari as a driver even in the late 1920s.

“Signing this contract is a further step forward in terms of stability and we are happy to have extended our collaboration with Shell,” said Ferrari principal Maurizio Arrivabene in a statement.

“Historically, engines are the cornerstone of our company and that means all the work we do with Shell starts from our history as an engine builder.”

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Damon Hill: Why were Mercedes not red flagged?

Damon Hill has questioned why the stewards allowed Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to race at Monza if their tyres were deemed unsafe.

Both drivers started Sunday's Italian Grand Prix with their rear-left tyres under the minimum prescribed pressure set by Pirelli.

And although the FIA was aware of this, given that Hamilton and Rosberg's tyre pressures were measured on the grid, they were still permitted to race.

Hamilton went onto win while Rosberg retired with an engine failure.

Mercedes were later referred to the stewards to answer questions about their tyres.

However, Hill wants to know why Hamilton and Rosberg, whose rear-left tyres were 0.3PSI and 1.1PSI below the minimum pressure, were even allowed to race.

"If they let someone carry on racing with tyre pressures that they knew were below the pressure that Pirelli said was safe then why didn't they red flag him," he told Sky Sports F1.

"If I was a racer who carried on to the race and was then told that I had been in an unsafe car I would be very annoyed and would want to know why they didn't bring me in."

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ECCLESTONE: LEWIS HAS GONE TOO FAR IN RECENT MONTHS

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is no longer so sure about Lewis Hamilton’s high profile and extravagant lifestyle.

Earlier this season, Ecclestnehailed the Mercedes driver as the ideal world champion as he is constantly in the spotlight.

But a few days ago, Ecclestone said he thinks Hamilton might now be going “over the top”.

“Maybe he’s gone too far in recent months,” the 84-year-old now tells Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

Indeed, in recent weeks and months, Hamilton has been ‘twerking’ topless with Rihanna, smoking cigars, cavorting with rappers, constantly traveling and at Monza he turned up with blonde hair and a new eagle tattoo on his neck.

He then caused outrage on Twitter on Sunday when he wore a cap and headphones during the minute’s silence for the death of Justin Wilson.

“I honestly hadn’t realised it was a minute of silence,” Hamilton said. “My sincere apologies.”

When asked about Hamilton’s latest exploits, Ecclestone answered: “I don’t know if it’s good for him.”

Earlier, Ecclestone had criticised the fiercely private Sebastian Vettel.

But he now says: “People are beginning to respect Sebastian that he is the way he is. I don’t want everybody to be like Lewis. Perhaps it was unfair to criticise Sebastian. Actually he’s a bit like me.”

“We don’t want the limelight. I want to do my work, and if there is no drama then I’ll see if I can make one! But the big show, I’ll leave that to the others,” added Ecclestone.

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WOLFF: THAT IS NOT CYNICAL – THIS IS BULLSH*T!

Mercedes motorsport chief Toto Wolff has slammed the conspiracy theorists who believe the German team got caught cheating during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Ultimately, the stewards let Lewis Hamilton keep his win, eventually agreeing with Mercedes that the discrepancy in the pressures had occurred between the garage and the grid.

Team boss Wolff said: “After Spa we worked very intensely with Pirelli to make these tyres safe – and now we should do something so ridiculous? That is not cynical – this is bullsh*t!”

F1 legend and Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda concurred, saying there had simply been a measuring discrepancy in the enforcement of a new rule.

“This is the first time in my life that I face a problem of this kind related to the pressure of the tyres,” said the triple world champion.

“When measured on the grid, the blankets have been off for a while, the pressure drops. During the race, they rise again.

“If our Pirelli guy sets the correct pressure on behalf of the tyre manufacturer, then that’s all we can do,” Lauda added.

But GP2 driver Mitch Evans was distinctly unimpressed, having been thrown out of qualifying at Monza over the very same issue the day before.

“Love that consistency,” he said sarcastically on Twitter. “Can I have my front row back then please?”

The international media’s reaction to the Hamilton decision has also been mixed, with the Swiss outlet 20 Minuten surmising that the world champion “got away with it”.

Der Spiegel called it a “Victory in the grey area”.

But El Confidencial wondered of the otherwise-dominant Mercedes: “Why would they cheat?”

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RED BULL AND RENAULT DIVORCE GATHERING STEAM

Renault F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul has played down reports that the French company has now definitely decided to buy Lotus.

After a long period of obvious negotiations between the two sides, the rumour swept the Monza paddock on Sunday that a deal has finally been done.

“As we sit here and talk, it is still not decided yet,” Abiteboul, managing director of Renault Sport F1, told Speed Week.

However, there is now strong speculation that Red Bull and Renault will definitely split for 2016, even though it is not clear who Red Bull’s next partner will be.

For instance, earlier at the weekend it was said that Daimler – particularly its marketing department – had green-lighted a supply of Mercedes power for the energy drink-owned team for 2016.

But now, Bild newspaper says: “We have learned that Red Bull will not get Mercedes engines in 2016.”

The report said Red Bull officials met with Ferrari at Monza, “but there is no agreement yet”. What appears more definite for now is that Renault will eventually do the Lotus deal.

Abiteboul said: “Renault has had a leading role in formula one for many years, and we want to stay. The decision lies with the Renault Group and our president Carlos Ghosn.”

“We are aware that the role of pure engine supplier is no longer desirable. The consequence is that either you leave altogether or you return with a factory team.”

“I would personally be very sorry if Renault leaves F1. We have been connected to the sport in different ways for the past 38 years,” Abiteboul added.

He also admitted that the delay in an improved engine specification for the Red Bull teams later this year, originally promised for Sochi, is connected to Renault’s current deliberations.

“Naturally, it depends on what we do in the future. If Renault decides to leave formula one, then we don’t need to bring an improved engine,” said Abiteboul.

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HEMBERY: F1 HAS TO SHOW IT CAN WORK WITH ITS PARTNERS

Pirelli motorsport boss Paul Hembery has warned that Formula 1 needs to make some changes if it is going to keep tyre suppliers on side in the future.

Pirelli has been the sport’s official partner since 2011, but it is currently locked in a battle with Michelin for the contract beyond 2016.

It has been a tumultuous and often highly controversial five-year tenure for Pirelli so far, with the latest dramas being the blowouts of Spa-Francorchamps and the Monza tyre pressure saga.

Bernie Ecclestone sounds keen to keep Pirelli on board, but boss Hembery said at Monza that more testing is a condition of the brand staying in 2017.

And meetings were held at Monza whereby it was agreed that drivers need to keep their criticisms of Pirelli behind closed doors.

“We have an agreement that there should be a clearer exchange between us all so that we’re aiming for the same things going forward,” said Hembery.

And speaking to the German news agency SID, he added: “Most of the time I enjoy my job, but it can sometimes be pretty thankless.

“Formula 1 is a good sport but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things that should change. I think expectations need to be much more realistic, based on what we can and we cannot do,” said Hembery.

Crucially, however, Hembery said Pirelli continues to have the solid backing of Ecclestone, which he says is “important, especially for the sport.

“If we are not there, they still need a tyre supplier. And if other people look at what sometimes happens in here, they might get the impression that it is not possible to do the job as you would like to.”

“Formula 1 has to show that it can work with its partners,” Hembery added.

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HAAS SAYS NO AMERICAN DRIVER READY FOR F1

Formula 1’s newest team boss Gene Haas has delivered a blow to GP2 driver Alexander Rossi, all but ruling out a race seat for his fellow Californian by claiming no American driver is ready to step up to the pinnacle of the sport.

It is believed Haas, set to make its F1 team debut in 2016, is now close to deciding its first driver lineup, and 23-year-old former Marussia and Caterham tester Rossi had admitted to keeping his fingers crossed.

When asked about his deliberations, Haas told Speed Week: “The silly season is almost over now and we were surprised to find that so many big names are staying with their current teams.

“It would be great to have an American driver,” he added, “but there is no one who really makes an impression. I think America needs a better development programme that brings drivers to Formula 1.

“Our dream lineup would be a driver from the Ferrari squad and then someone with Formula 1 experience,” said Haas.

Top candidates for a seat with the new team include Ferrari reserves Esteban Gutierrez and Jean Eric Vergne, while Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen have also been linked with the outfit.

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ALONSO WILL KEEP PATIENCE WITH MCLAREN SAYS BRIATORE

Flavio Briatore says Fernando Alonso is maintaining his patience with McLaren-Honda, despite a woeful season thus far without much prospect of improvement in the near future.

Paddock rumours indicate that all is no longer well between McLaren and Honda, as team chiefs reportedly lobby for Yasuhisa Arai’s scalp before damage is done to the brand.

“The brand has not been damaged yet as there is such a strong record over many, many years,” said McLaren boss Eric Boullier.

“But if we cannot find and bring new sponsors, there is damage. It will be more difficult to bring sponsors in unless we show that we are a team on the move and we can get points quickly.”

Until now, however, Spaniard Alonso – often said to be moody and trouble-making – has kept calm and patient, insisting that McLaren-Honda will ultimately succeed.

But when asked if Alonso is basically “wasting” his career at McLaren, Briatore said at Monza: “He made a choice, it could be right or wrong, but it is not sad.”

Briatore, the former Renault chief, still oversees Alonso’s management, as he told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “The economic agreement with McLaren is important. While they pay, we stay there with patience.

“Honda? It is as though they trained for the Olympics, beginning two years beforehand but then going there with worn-out shoes,” he added.

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MONZA FUTURE UNCERTAIN DESPITE PM MEETING

Monza’s future on the F1 calendar appeared no clearer on Sunday, despite the attendance of the Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi.

Renzi, Italy’s new 40-year-old PM, arrived at the fabled Autodromo and quickly entered Bernie Ecclestone’s motor home, La Gazzetta dello Sport said.

The 10-minute meeting took place before the usual incredible podium scenes, in which an emotional Sebastian Vettel appeared in red colours for the first time.

“If we take this [race] away for any *****y money reasons I think you are basically ripping our hearts out,” was the German’s message to Ecclestone.

But eyes are now being cast at the politicians, as the race organisers struggle to put together the money to meet Ecclestone’s EUR 25 million per year race fee.

Gazzetta said that when reporters asked Renzi on Sunday “Will you save Monza?”, he did not respond.

But Monza mayor Roberto Scanagatti said: “The prime minister has committed to Monza. His presence here is testimony that the government has an interest in the grand prix remaining here.”

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Advantage Force India in battle for fifth

It is once again advantage Force India in their ding-dong battle with Lotus in the Constructors' Championship.

Force India started this weekend's Italian Grand Prix in sixth place after Lotus moved ahead of them on the back of Romain Grosjean's third-place finish at the Belgian GP.

However, the Silverstone-based squad hit back strongly at Monza as they scored 14 points through Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg while Lotus left the track empty handed.

Deputy team principal Robert Fernley admits it gives them a big boost ahead of the fly-away races.

"To be leaving Monza with 14 points in our pocket completes a very competitive weekend for Force India," he said. "It means we’ve regained the advantage in our battle for fifth place in the standings and gives us a nice boost ahead of the fly-away races.

"The circuit certainly played to our strengths, but the team has worked incredibly hard this weekend to get both cars home in the points.

"Sergio and Nico both drove very mature races, fighting hard when they needed to and looking after the tyres. Nico was less comfortable with the car, so we will explore those issues, but all things considered we can feel extremely positive about our performance."

Hulkenberg took the chequered flag in seventh place, but he feels he would have finished higher if he didn't have an issue with his VJM08.

"I finished the race feeling a little bit frustrated because we didn’t have the pace we know is possible," the German said. "I actually think we had a problem with the car and it’s something we need to investigate because I was losing downforce, the car was sliding and the rear tyres were heating up too much, all of which really hurt my pace."

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Nico Hulkenberg 'convinced' he had a problem in F1 Italian GP

Nico Hulkenberg believes his Force India was handicapped by an unexplained car problem for much of the Italian Grand Prix Formula 1 weekend.

The German could not keep pace with team-mate Sergio Perez in the Monza race, finishing 19 seconds behind in seventh place and under heavy pressure from Marcus Ericsson's Sauber and Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull late on.

"I'm quite frustrated to be honest, because I didn't have the pace all race long and I'm convinced that there's something wrong with the car," Hulkenberg said.

"From Friday to Saturday we changed something on the car and the car was never the same since.

"In the race there was no chance to follow Checo.

"It just wasn't in the car. It was just sliding, eating up the rear tyres.

"On Friday it looked very promising, but on Saturday there was a problem in Q3 and in the race I was fighting I was fighting with a weapon that wasn't really a weapon."

He admitted he had considered switching to a two-stop strategy in desperation as the Force India degraded its tyres.

"There was talk [of a second stop] because I wasn't happy at all and didn't think I would make it to the end defending from Ericsson because it felt pretty bad at one point through the second stint," Hulkenberg said.

Hulkenberg denied that Pirelli's higher tyre pressure guidelines for the Italian GP would have been a factor in his problems.

"No absolutely not, I think it's related to our car and what we've done overnight from Friday to Saturday - purely that," he said.

"We must investigate that and get to the bottom of it, because [performance] was quite significantly down."

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Mercedes board rejects proposal to supply Red Bull with F1 engines

The Mercedes board has decided not to supply Formula 1 engines to Red Bull in the future, AUTOSPORT understands.

The news comes the day after it emerged Red Bull will not use Renault power next year, despite having a contract in place with the French manufacturer through to the end of 2016.

Red Bull is understood to have issued a document requesting a termination of its agreement that will be accepted by Renault.

Given the severe breakdown in the relationship between Red Bull and Renault, given the unreliability of the French manufacturer's power unit, the former approached Mercedes enquiring about a supply.

The Mercedes board has now looked at it, with AUTOSPORT sources confirming Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche has decided to bring the tentative discussions to an end following his visit to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix at the weekend.

The thinking behind the move is Mercedes has waited 60 years to find itself in such a position back at the top of F1, and it has no intention of helping out a team with Red Bull's resources become a serious challenger to its success.

When asked ahead of the Italian GP weekend if Mercedes should supply Red Bull with engines, reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton expressed doubts.

"If we're serious about winning the world championship, probably not," said Hamilton.

"Red Bull is a great team, but it's like giving Ferrari our engines.

"We don't really need it. We are good where we are."

Only recently Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff told AUTOSPORT the matter was up in the air as there were pros and cons to the prospect.

At the time, Wolff said: "Supplying one of your championship contenders with big resources, it needs to be carefully judged and balanced as to whether we would want to do that.

"But then from a global perspective, Red Bull is a really phenomenal brand that attracts younger audiences and consumers.

"Therefore you cannot wipe it off the table and say, 'From the team's perspective it doesn't make any sense, so we are not looking at it'."

It would appear to leave Red Bull with the sole fall-back option of getting Ferrari engines, although as of last week it is believed no approach had been made to the Italian marque.