FORMULA 1 - 2015

[MIKA27]

Perez and Fittipaldi attend official opening of Mexican GP

The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit has been reopened at an official ceremony after a 15-month renovation project ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix later this month.

Force India's Sergio Perez and two-time Formula 1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi attended the ceremony alongside former Mexican F1 driver Hector Rebaque and Mexico City's Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera.

The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has undergone a series of changes to the track layout and facilities including a new medical centre, observation tower and media facility being built as well as renovated garages.

Extensive track layout renovations have also been made by F1 track designer Hermann Tilke and the circuit's capacity has also been expanded to accommodate up to 110,000 fans.

Perez, the only Mexican driver on the F1 grid, says he's excited to welcome the paddock to his new home event and is relishing the prospect of racing at the updated circuit.

“I am anxious to test the refurbished Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez track because of its emblematic history,” Perez said. “After hearing about all of the changes and features added to the circuit, I am sure that the Mexico Grand Prix will be one of the most exciting and challenging for the current generation of drivers.”

Fittipaldi, who believes the Mexican Grand Prix will be 'legendary', is intrigued to see how the relayed track will challenge the current crop of F1 drivers as the country prepares for its first GP since 1992 when Nigel Mansell claimed victory for Williams-Renault.

“None of the current F1 drivers have ever driven on this track so it will be exciting to see them test their skills and bring their best tricks in this new and unexplored racing track,” Fittipaldi said.

“With the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez reopening we will write a new story that will surely leave its mark on all Mexicans,” the Mexico City Mayor Mancera added. “The circuit will continue operating and offering all of its intended activities, as the venue for mass events, a public park, and a track for runners, cyclists and others.”

The Mexican Grand Prix is scheduled to host round 17 of the 2015 Formula 1 championship on the 30 October to the 1 November.

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Wolff: Emissions furore won’t harm VW motorsport

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff doesn't believe that the scandal currently surrounding the Volkswagen Group will harm the company's current motorsport activities, even if it came at the just the wrong time for a potential foray into F1.

The German giant, despite years of denying the possibility, was rumoured to be close to a deal to buy into, or even buy, the Red Bull team from energy drinks magnate Dietrich Mateschitz when the news broke about the rigging of emissions tests on its diesel road cars. While team boss Christian Horner admitted recently that any possible deal had 'gone up in smoke', Mercedes rival Wolff says that he can't see VW's other motorsport activities being too badly affected.

Mercedes goes up against VW brand Audi in the highly-competitive DTM, while both Audi and Porsche compete in the World Endurance Championship and VW itself competes in the World Rally Championship, alongside sister marque Skoda. VW also controls Ducati, which races at the highest level in motorcycle sport.

“The world doesn't stop turning and it doesn't stop turning for them either,” Wolff insisted, “They have a daily business and part of that daily business is marketing and selling cars, it's activating various properties and motor racing is one of those areas.

“They do Le Mans with two brands, rallying with Volkswagen and DTM with Audi, so I don't think it is going to have an effect on what they are doing in motor racing. It is probably the right perspective that this [scandal] is much bigger than motor racing [but] I don't see any impact on these activities.”

Wolff is wiser than to start opining too heavily on another company's business, however, particularly with an F1 world championship on the line for Mercedes.

“Who am I to speak about Volkswagen?” he smiled, “I can give you my opinion, but I don't know what is happening behind closed doors.”

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Hulkenberg determined to keep on points track

Having secured only his second scoring finish in five races, Nico Hulkenberg hopes that sixth place at Suzuka can kick-start a strong end to his 2015 F1 season.

The German has endured something of a rollercoaster campaign, with decent points finishes interspersed with lengthy absences from the top ten, but he knows that the Force India VJM08B is good enough for the team to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

“The result at Suzuka was just what I needed after a few unlucky weekends since the summer break,” Hulkenberg insists, “We had good pace, we did our homework and we achieved all we could from the race. It was very satisfying to see how competitive we were and that's given me a confidence boost for the races to come.”

The F1 circus heads to Russia for the second event on the streets around the Winter Olympic park in Sochi this weekend, and Hulkenberg admits to enjoying the quirky venue.

“I had my first experience of Russia last year and enjoyed it,” he confirms, “The unusual venue inside the Olympic Park is pretty cool and the track itself has a nice flow. The lap is quite long, with many similar corners, and that adds to the difficulty of putting together a perfect lap, especially as the final sector is quite technical. It is a big challenge for the drivers.”

Hulkenberg, who has already been confirmed as Force India driver for next season, heads to Sochi eleventh in the standings – just as he seems to be in qualifying these days – just one place and one point behind team-mate Sergio Perez.

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Force India F1 team believes race pace now close to frontrunners

Bob Fernley says the fact his Force India Formula 1 team was among the quickest in the Japanese Grand Prix's final stages proves its B-spec car is a step forward.

Force India introduced a heavily-revised car at July's British GP and has since added parts at each of the subsequent races as it strives to optimise the package.

Nico Hulkenberg finished sixth at Suzuka, beating both Lotuses to ensure Force India stayed ahead of its rival in fifth in the constructors' championship.

"Like all cars, when you're constantly updating them, it's not a bad thing to run a stable car for a few races so that you can then optimise it," deputy team boss Fernley told Autosport.

"What I was encouraged about was our race pace. The last 10 laps of the race, we were two of the quickest cars on the track, I think we were only just behind Lewis [Hamilton].

"It is encouraging for Suzuka, which is normally a tough track for us historically but how it translates at other races is another thing.

"We had it under control all the way through. The biggest concern was starting behind both Lotuses - we had to get past both of them - and we did with one car."

SUZUKA PACE COMPARISON

(Average over final 10 laps)

1. Lewis Hamilton 1m38.520s

2. Pastor Maldonado 1m38.727s

3. Nico Hulkenberg 1m38.750s

4. Sebastian Vettel 1m39.076s

5. Romain Grosjean 1m39.084s

6. Kimi Raikkonen 1m39.085s

7. Nico Rosberg 1m39.111s

8. Valtteri Bottas 1m39.118s

Analysis of the last 10 laps appears to support Fernley's claim that Force India had one of the quickest cars in the closing stages - but there are some caveats.

Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene said after the race that the Scuderia turned Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen's engines down in the final stint.

Mercedes is likely to have run Nico Rosberg's power unit in a reduced mode given that he was in a safe second and needs to do five more races with the same engine if he is to avoid a penalty.

But as Hulkenberg crossed the line in clear air just over 20 seconds behind Williams's Valtteri Bottas and 16s clear of his nearest challenge Romain Grosjean, he too could have had his engine turned down.

The Mercedes, Ferraris and Bottas will also have caught traffic in the closing stages sooner than Hulkenberg and the Lotuses - but the data nonetheless goes some way to showing the step Force India has made.

Meanwhile, Fernley said the Silverstone-based team is still planning on introducing an upgrade for the upcoming Mexican GP, especially as it will prove useful for next year.

"We're working on it," said Fernley. "But there is no point putting something on unless it delivers something we want.

"Next year's car is an evolution of this year's car, so ideally we want to try and get the next upgrade on to do the validation before end of year so we have winter to work on next bit.

"Hopefully that can be Mexico - whether or not it is, we'll see."

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McLaren F1 team seeks progress from Honda on hybrid technology

Eric Boullier wants Honda to rectify its 'immature' hybrid system, which he claims has cost McLaren two seconds per lap at some grands prix, for the 2016 Formula 1 season.

On its return to F1, Honda has encountered numerous issues with its engine, resulting in poor performance and miserable results for drivers Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso.

McLaren racing director Boullier insists Honda is aware of the key area of concern, and it has the resources to resolve it over the winter, albeit with no guarantees for 2016.

"Honda has done nothing wrong," Boullier told AUTOSPORT.

"It's mainly because they decided to come into F1 a couple of years ago, and starting from scratch.

"With the other three manufacturers it has taken them more than three years to do a decent package.

"You could see last year Renault and Ferrari struggling, and this year Renault is still struggling.

"Where we are suffering most is with the hybrid part. There is a lack of maturity in the project from Honda.

"But they are on it, and Honda itself has the resources to deal with it. They can do many things, so there is no reason why we won't get there."

Asked whether that would be next season, Boullier replied: "They could [make progress].

"With the hybrid issue we are suffering from this year, it's not just [costing us] a couple of tenths [of a second], it's nearly a couple of seconds at some tracks, so I'll let you calculate the gap to the front.

"We know where we have to go, what the objectives are on the different parts of the engine, and the chassis as well.

"I'm not going to say they [Honda] will, obviously I hope they will, but as I say, they could be on top of it."

Honda will at least be on a par with Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault in terms of tokens allowed for development over the course of the winter as it works on its new engine.

"It's never enough, but it's a good step," added Boullier.

"We need to make sure we put things in place because I definitely do not want to be in the same situation next year as this year."

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Luc Besson And FIA Have Made A Nail Biting Child Road Safety Film

Shot on location in South Africa and Paris, France, the short film shows the risks that some kids are faced with every day, no matter where in the world they live.

Save Kids Lives is trying to raise awareness for road safety for young people, as it’s already the number one killer of people between 15 – 29 and soon could be for younger kids too.

Luc Besson is a French film director, screenwriter and producer and the man behind big films such as Lucy, The Fifth Element, Taken and La Femme Nikita.

FIA is the International Automobile Federation and governs most racing events.

Save Kids Lives - Jean Todt: The Interview

Sign the Child Declaration for Road Safety: SaveKidsLives

[Lotusguy]

Analysis: Are Formula 1's hybrid rules a failure?

In my opinion, an unmitigated 100% failure.

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F1 CONSTRUCTORS’ TITLE BECKONS FOR MERCEDES IN RUSSIA

Mercedes can celebrate their second successive Formula One constructors’ title in Russia on Sunday but Niki Lauda fears they could be forced to wait.

Mercedes chalked up a dominant one-two in Japan last month, with Lewis Hamilton leading home Nico Rosberg, after being strangely eclipsed on the slow and twisty Singapore street circuit.

They need to score just three points more than Ferrari in Sochi to retain the title they won at the inaugural Russian race last year with a one-two flourish.

But Lauda, the retired triple world champion who is now non-executive chairman of the Mercedes team, feared Sunday could be more like Singapore than Suzuka.

“We have to say thank God we came out of the Singapore trauma and we are back,” he said after the team’s normal performance returned in Japan.

“My worry is that the next race is Sochi which is a Singapore-type of asphalt, so it’s not done and not that easy.

“We have to work hard and stay competitive and then we are looking good. But you only look good when it’s done,” added the Austrian.

Mercedes have a lead of 169 points over Ferrari with five races remaining, and a maximum of 172 will be still up for grabs after Sunday.

Hamilton has a 48-point advantage over Rosberg in the driver’s championship, so nothing can be decided there yet.

He made his mark on Sochi last year by lapping fastest in all three practice sessions, taking pole position and leading from lights to chequered flag.

That means the Briton is still the only driver to have led a lap at the circuit winding its way around some of the 2014 Winter Olympic venues.

“It was great to win the first race for Formula One in Russia and a fantastic moment for the team to take the title there last time out,” said Hamilton, winner of eight races so far this season.

“Fingers crossed we can add to those great memories again this weekend — I’ll be pushing as hard as I can to make that happen.”

Rosberg has all the statistics against him, given that no driver has ever failed to take the title with such an advantage and so many wins as Hamilton, but he has vowed to push as hard as ever.

“I’m not backing down in my fight for the championship,” said the German. “We have five races to go and, although the championship gap to Lewis is quite big, in my mind it’s definitely not over yet.”

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, the winner in Singapore, will be hoping to postpone Mercedes’ title celebrations but the local crowd will be hoping Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat can also put himself in the mix after finishing second in Hungary in July.

Red Bull have been making more headlines off the track than on it this season, thanks to increasing concern about their 2016 engine supply and fears the team could quit altogether, but Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo have both been on the podium.

“The atmosphere last year was fantastic, there were so many fans giving me support. It really feels awesome to be there,” said the Russian. “I’m happy to have the attention, it gives you a bit of a lift.”

Russian Grand Prix Stats & Facts:

• Lap distance: 5.848km. Total distance: 309.745km (53 laps)
• Race lap record: One minute 40.896 seconds, Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Williams, 2014.
• 2014 pole: Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes 1:38.513
• 2014 winner: Hamilton
• Start time: 1100 GMT (1400 local)
• Tyres: Soft (yellow), Supersoft (red)
• Mercedes can retain their constructors’ title this weekend if they score three more points than Ferrari.
• Mercedes have 506 points to Ferrari’s 337 – a lead of 169 points. There are a maximum of 215 still to be won.
• After Sunday, there will be only 172 still available.
• Mercedes have had eight one-twos this season and won 11 of the 14 races.
• Double world champion Hamilton has won eight. No driver has ever failed to take the title after winning eight or more races in a season. Hamilton won 11 races last year.
• Four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel has won three races for Ferrari this season. That is the same number that Michael Schumacher won in his first season at Ferrari in 1996.
• Vettel has 42 career wins and is third on the all-time list, behind Schumacher (91) and Alain Prost (51). Hamilton is on 41 and Fernando Alonso 32. Kimi Raikkonen has won 20 races, Jenson Button 15 and Rosberg 11.
• Hamilton’s most recent victory in Japan equalled the career tally of the late Brazilian triple champion Ayrton Senna, his boyhood idol.
• Ferrari have won 224 races, McLaren 182, Williams 114 and Red Bull 50. Mercedes have won 40.
• McLaren have not won for 52 races, a run that dates back to Brazil 2012 and is the team’s worst since they went 53 races without a win between the 1977 Japanese Grand Prix and 1981 British GP.
• Hamilton has been on pole in 11 of 14 races this season. The Briton has 49 career poles, Rosberg 17.
• Vettel has 46 career poles.
• Only two drivers in F1 history have had 50 poles or more: Michael Schumacher (68) and Senna (65).
• Nine drivers from five teams have been on the podium in 2015: Hamilton, Rosberg (Mercedes), Vettel, Raikkonen (Ferrari), Valtteri Bottas, Felipe Massa (Williams), Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) and Romain Grosjean (Lotus).
• Hamilton, Rosberg and Vettel have shared the podium in seven races.
• Rosberg has been second on six occasions this season.
• Hamilton leads Rosberg by 48 points.
• Hamilton was fastest in all three practice sessions, took pole and led every lap on his way to winning the race last year.
• Bottas took the first fastest race lap of his F1 career in Sochi.
• The track made its debut last year as the first purpose-built Formula One facility in Russia. It was conceived as part of the legacy of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
• The layout is designed by Hermann Tilke and runs clockwise around the Olympic Park venues, partly on public roads. There are 12 right and six left-hand corners.
• A high-speed street circuit with tight corners, it most closely resembles Singapore.
• Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat is the only Russian driver in Formula One at present.
• Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen turned 18 last week and passed his driving test on the same day.

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DENNIS: AT ALL LEVELS HONDA KNOW THE CHALLENGE

After a disastrous ‘reunification’ season McLaren-Honda is having to look beyond the final five races of 2015.

At Suzuka recently, the Anglo-Japanese collaboration looked set to unravel, amid Fernando Alonso’s radio outbursts and Jenson Button’s questionable commitment to the struggling team and F1.

But after Japan, McLaren re-signed Button, a chided Alonso’s anger subsided and team supremo Ron Dennis even signed up a new sponsor.

“I was in Tokyo for several days [before the grand prix],” Dennis is quoted by El Confidencial newspaper. “I think the time I spent there was very constructive and then over the weekend there were discussions that were extremely constructive.”

Amid those discussions, Dennis said he got the message that there is “no doubt” about Honda’s commitment to F1, and its resolve to solve its problems.

“At all levels of Honda, they know what the challenge of F1 is, and they know exactly where we are today.”

Indeed, Honda’s F1 chief Yasuhisa Arai has acknowledged that the big problem is the “ERS” – or energy recovery – components of the power unit.

“In circuits with long straights, the extra power eventually ends and that means we lose about 160hp,” the Japanese told El Pais newspaper.

“That loss is far greater than what we can gain from the combustion engine,” he said. “But to solve it this year will be difficult because it requires a redesign, and we are already working on that for next season.”

Asked if the current rules give Honda enough ‘tokens’ to make a significant improvement for 2016, Arai insisted: “Yes. There will be no problem with that.”

Alonso hopes so, as he is now admitting that the remaining quarter of the 2015 season – ‘flying away’ throughout Russia, the US, Brazil and Abu Dhabi – will be more of the same struggle.

“It will be difficult to see much progress (this season),” he said. “The limitations we have now are very clear, and this requires some time during the winter to make the most progress.

“We will continue to use the remaining races to work on the setup for next year, have some aerodynamic improvements and get a little more experience with the engine,” Alonso added.

“Right now we have to be patient and understand that we cannot do much in the five remaining races. There is much room for improvement but many things have to change,” he said. “I am optimistic. The first signs for next year look good, so let’s wait and see.”

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LOTUS HITS BACK AT SOCHI LOCK-OUT REPORTS

Lotus on Wednesday hit back at what it called paddock rumours of a supposed lock out that is not happening.

Earlier reports suggested that, just like at Suzuka, the troubled Enstone team was locked out of its hospitality area at Sochi ahead of the weekend’s Russian grand prix.

Indeed, paddock photos on Tuesday depicted a deserted garage and black and gold-clad staff sitting on the ground outside the apparently locked team building.

But, as it published on Twitter a couple of photos not only of an E23 monocoque in the pits but team staff inside the hospitality unit, Lotus insisted: “Thank you for all the sympathy, but we are in and we are busy eating!”

MIKA: This is horrible when headlines on Formula 1 are about stuff like this. I feel for the Lotus team, the guys and girls behind the scenes who do a brilliant job every race weekend. Work hard and have to be treated like beggars.

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RENAULT PREVIEW THE RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX

The track skirts round the arena used for the 2014 Winter Olympics. It passes through the Medals Plaza and round the Bolshoi Ice Dome and close to the main Olympic village and skating centre.

The track is incredibly wide. At its narrowest it is 13m and 15m at its widest, or approximately eight men’s skis placed end to end.

The Hermann Tilke-designed Grand Prix track is the third longest on the F1 calendar this year after Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone. The length of the circuit, plus its stop-start nature, means fuel consumption is one of the highest of the season.

The track is rarely used over the year so there is little rubber on the tarmac and tyre wear can be very unpredictable. Engine engineers can help reduce tyre wear by reducing wheelspin in the slow corners with accurate power delivery.

The weather in Sochi last year was around 20°C on average, with low humidity. In climate it is actually very similar to Austin although it is on the same latitude as Toronto, Nice and the Gobi Desert.

Remi Taffin, Director of Operations: “In the last two races we have been a lot closer to the performance potential of the power unit. In qualifying the Red Bulls have been noticeably closer to pole and Toro Rosso regular Q3 challengers. We’ve unlocked some greater driveability and this, coupled with the increased reliability, has given a net step forward on track, as we saw with the podium in Singapore.”

“Russia is a mix of Singapore and Japan, with the tight corners of the former and the flowing sections of Suzuka. As a result we are confident that we can continue our run in Sochi. We are looking forward to getting going and pushing on with the job in hand.”

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LAUDA WORRIED ABOUT ANOTHER SINGAPORE STYLE SLUMP

Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda has admitted he is worried ahead of this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix.

Earlier, we reported that Mercedes is indeed nervous about Sochi, despite dominating recently at Suzuka.

Suzuka took place just a week after Singapore, where Mercedes’ surprising slump handed victory to Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel who with his 59 point deficit remains in the mathematical struggle for the 2015 title.

So Lauda has told the London newspaper The Times that he is now heading for Sochi thinking about the similarities with the streets of Singapore.

“The championship is not over because my worry is this next race at Sochi has Singapore-type asphalt,” said the F1 legend and Mercedes team chairman.

Mercedes, however, could actually wrap up the 2015 constructors’ championship this weekend in Russia, but Lauda warned: “It is not done and not that easy.

“We have to work hard, stay competitive and then we are looking good, but you only look good when it is done.”

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HAAS SAYS FORMULA 1 AND NASCAR BUDGETS ARE SIMILAR

New team boss Gene Haas says the money he will spend on Formula 1 is comparable to his four-car operation in the American tin-top series Nascar.

Californian Haas has partnered with Ferrari and Dallara to enter F1 next year with a team to be spearheaded from the cockpit by current Lotus driver Romain Grosjean.

The approach is vastly different to F1’s other recent new entrants, like the collapsed HRT and Caterham, and the current backmarker Marussia, as Haas is pushing the rules to the limit for what is being called a Ferrari ‘B team’.

Haas has told the Italian magazine Autosprint that the first budget next year will be about $100 million — significantly less even than the financial loss recorded by dominant world champions Mercedes last year.

“In some ways,” said the North Carolina-based Californian, “the numbers are quite similar to our commitment in Nascar, even if (for F1) we are talking about only two cars.

“At full capacity, it will be about 200 people, nearly half of teams like Williams or Force India. Our construction activities for the car will be very limited,” he admitted. “At least compared to the other teams.”

That is because the Italian single seater specialist Dallara is involved, while a great number of the components to make up the first Haas F1 car are coming straight from Ferrari.

“For this reason,” added Haas, “we can run a significantly reduced operation.”

He said the bulk of the team’s activities will take place at Marussia’s former factory in Banbury, while small groups of Haas engineers will be situated in Kannapolis in the US and Dallara in Italy.

“For the first year,” Haas revealed, “we have planned a budget of $100 to $110 million. So with two cars in F1 it’s similar to us with four cars in Nascar.

“If you talk about just the costs of the car, Nascar is about $20 million per car, while F1 is about $35 million per car,” he added.

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KOVALAINEN WORRIED THAT BOTTAS CAREER WILL STAGNATE

Valtteri Bottas risks watching his Formula 1 career stagnate as he stays on at Williams, fellow Finn Heikki Kovalainen has warned.

Earlier this year, the now 26-year-old Bottas was a strong candidate to replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari for 2016.

The Maranello team, however, ultimately re-signed the 35-year-old Finn, leaving Bottas to spend his fourth consecutive season in formula one at Williams.

Former F1 driver Kovalainen, whose own career stagnated at Caterham following earlier stints at Renault and McLaren, commented: “Valtteri is still young. I see him on a good path.

“He has all the potential to become world champion. But whether he can do that at Williams is hard to say,” the 33-year-old, now racing in Japan’s premier GT series, told the Finnish broadcaster MTV.

“Valtteri eventually needs to get into a car that can win the championship, and if that doesn’t start to happen beyond next year, he could lose the momentum. It is then hard to get back from that,” Kovalainen added.

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WOLFF CONFIRMS NO DEAL WITH RED BULL AND TALKS ARE OVER

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has hit back at Red Bull counterpart Christian Horner’s claim that negotiations about a supply of engines for 2016 are back on.

Horner told the Red Bull-owned Austrian broadcaster Servus TV this week: “There are two competitive engines in formula one — Mercedes and Ferrari. There are talks with both.”

Earlier, however, Mercedes team boss Wolff had ruled out jumping to the rescue amid Red Bull’s engine crisis, but Horner insisted: “The decision does not lie with Toto Wolff. It is at a higher level than that.”

But Wolff said at the Camp Beckenbauer global summit in Kitzbuhel, Austria: “They [Red Bull] negotiate, but not with us.”

“In the summer we talked with Red Bull,” he is quoted by SID news agency, “then we analysed the pros and cons but there were no concrete negotiations. In September we stopped them [the talks] anyway.”

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TODT DEFENDS F1’S LE MANS DATE CLASH FOR 2016

FIA president Jean Todt has defended a controversial clash of dates on next year’s Formula 1 calendar.

A re-jig of the Bernie Ecclestone-authored schedule for 2016, mainly to reinstate a long summer break, has resulted in the mid-June clash of the inaugural grand prix in Azerbaijan and the fabled sports car endurance race at Le Mans.

It means Nico Hulkenberg, the regular Force India driver, will not be able to return to Le Mans to defend his title with Porsche.

Some believe F1 supremo Ecclestone engineered the clash deliberately in order to stop his stars from hedging their allegiances, while others have pointed the finger at the Todt-led FIA for not pushing harder to stop it.

Frenchman Todt, however, told the French magazine Auto Hebdo: “Le Mans is protected as much as we can, but we also have to respect the interests and capacities of other disciplines.”

“Avoiding the conflict of dates is not possible as there as so many competitions,” he insisted. “As for the grand prix and Le Mans, the F1 schedule will be made so as not to disturb the finish of the 24 hours. This is the best compromise we can make.”

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Toro Rosso set sights on Lotus

Toro Rosso have set their sights on Lotus in the Constructors' Championship with Carlos Sainz admitting it is important that they stay in the points in Sochi.

The Faenza-based squad are currently seventh in the standings, 16 points behind Lotus, on the back of Sainz and team-mate Max Verstappen's double points finishes in Singapore and Japan.

Next up is the Russian Grand Prix and the Spaniard hopes the team will again be in the top 10 so that they can put further pressure on their Enstone rivals.

"It should be a good weekend for us and hopefully we can continue to fight for points! We need to catch Lotus and overtake them in the Championship," he said.

Both Toro Rosso drivers will make their Formula 1 debuts at the Sochi track this weekend.

"I also like the idea of racing around the Olympic Park, it's something unusual," Sainz said. "I always follow the Olympics! I also raced there last year during my Formula Renault 3.5 season."

Verstappen added: "Sochi looks like an interesting track. It should suit our car well so hopefully we can have another strong weekend. I’ve never raced there, but we’ve done some good work on the sim so I’m familiar with the track."

The 18-year-old has had eventful starts in the last two grands prix as he stalled his STR on the grid at the Marina Bay Circuit and fought back to finish P8 while at Suzuka he finished P9 despite starting 17th following a penalty for stopping on the track during Q1.

"I look forward to driving there in real life, it seems like a circuit where there’s room for overtaking and hopefully this time I won’t have to start from the back again!" he continued.

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Australian GP fans offered refund after date change

Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Andrew Westacott has said fans who booked tickets for the 2016 event prior to its date change will be offered a full refund.

The organisers had been selling and promoting tickets for April 3rd, but a revamp of the 2016 calendar was unveiled last week following a World Motor Sport Council meeting, which saw the season opening race in Melbourne moved to March 20th.

As a result, those fans who are unable to attend the revised date will be entitled to a full refund, whilst organisers are also working with local hotels and travel companies to ensure fans aren't penalised for the date change.

"The main area we are working on as a result of this [date change] is with the hotels, airlines and other tourism providers to ensure the Australian tourism industry as a whole is as flexible as possible to assist our fans with minimal financial impact," Westacott told Autosport.

"We don't want them getting stung with penalty costs and booking change fees and the like."

In addition, Westacott said fans "will get a full refund on their ticket, including any credit card and booking fees on that transaction.

"We want to make sure we do the right thing because it's through no fault of ours, or our customers, that things have changed."

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Villeneuve doubts Grosjean the right man to lead Haas

Jacques Villeneuve doubts Romain Grosjean is the right driver to lead the new Haas F1 Team as it prepares for its maiden season in Formula 1 next year.

Grosjean recently confirmed his move from Lotus to Haas, describing it as "new opportunity with a new team that is taking a very different approach to F1."

However Villeneuve, a former champion who knows what it's like racing for a new team, doubts Grosjean is the right person for the job.

"Does Grosjean have the mettle to build up a team? He seems to get cranky quite easily, which is not good when you're trying to build a team, as there will be frustration," Villeneuve told Motorsport.

"I guess the last couple of years at Lotus have been good to temper him down a little bit, so that's good training."

The 1997 champion reckons both Grosjean and Haas might have underestimated the effort involved in starting a new team and getting it up to a competitive state.

"It generally is quite hard, because generally people who come into F1 don't realise how difficult it is," he added. "It seems to be a proper set-up, but until they are on the track, let's just wait and see.

"A lot of people have tried and been shocked at what it actually meant. But they seem to have the right approach."

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Kvyat teaches Sainz and Verstappen the Russian language

Before heading to Russia, there was no better challenge for Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen than learning a few Russian words with a very special teacher… Daniil Kvyat!

Press play and find out who was the best ‘pupil’, Carlos or Max?!

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Pastor Maldonado sponsors PDVSA paid Lotus 'in advance' for 2016

Pastor Maldonado's seat at Lotus has never been under threat and his sponsors "paid in advance" through to the end of 2016, according to team boss Federico Gastaldi.

Maldonado was confirmed for another season at Lotus in Singapore despite uncertainty over the cash-strapped team's future, with Renault still in takeover talks. Lotus receives substantial funding from Maldonado's backers, Venezuelan oil company PDVSA, which has been estimated to be in the region of $27 million a year.

Gastaldi says Maldonado, who joined Lotus from Williams in 2014, is in the middle of a three-year contract and admits confirming the 30-year-old for another season was just a formality.

"We signed Pastor for three years," Gastaldi told F1i. "[in Singapore] we confirmed him just as a routine we had agreed with his sponsors. We did it last year in Monza. Monza was the previous race before Singapore and we just only announced it a week after that because that's what's been agreed on the documents.

"But when I hear people saying 'Pastor is going here or there' or something about his sponsors, it has been all normal, all in place, all perfect. When I hear about the payments, they have paid in advance. So I don't know who or why people start inventing those situations. He was signed for three years, the last year is the end of 2016."

Maldonado's team-mate for 2016 is still uncertain following Romain Grosjean's decision to sign for Haas F1 ahead of its debut. The team's line-up is unlikely to be announced until the conclusion of its talks with Renault about a takeover next season.

If successful in its takeover bid, Renault has been linked with Jean-Eric Vergne and Kevin Magnussen, while it may decide to promte current Lotus reserve driver and 2014 GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer.

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F1 Russian Grand Prix: Massa out to make amends

Felipe Massa believes he has something to prove at this weekend's Russian Grand Prix, having been denied the opportunity to add to his points tally at last year's race.

The Williams-Mercedes package looked potent in Sochi twelve months ago, with Valtteri Bottas setting the first fastest lap of his F1 car en route to a third-place finish, but, while the Finn was left to regret going easy on Nico Rosberg, his team-mate was still ruing the mechanical issue that left him to come from 18th on the grid.

Massa suffered a fuel-pump failure in the first phase of qualifying and, despite rapid early progress, was only able to recover to eleventh on race day after his strategy twice left him behind Sergio Perez's Force India.

“Russia is a very nice track, with a few long straights which makes it 'interesting' for overtaking,” Massa noted, “The circuit has almost everything and this makes setting up the car really important and the importance of downforce evident. I hope to make amends for qualifying last year and I'm confident we can have a competitive race.”

For Williams' head of vehicle development Rob Smedley, the objectives for the weekend are fairly clear.

“We are looking to reduce the [championship] gap to the teams in front and extend the gap to the teams behind and we hope to further realise those goals in Russia,” he explained, “The facilities in Sochi are excellent considering it's a new track and we are hoping for another good race, with plenty of overtaking like last year.

“The track has some quick straights and low speed corners, so the compromise on downforce has to be correct, but Sochi is a circuit that suits our car with high power and drag sensitivities. We managed to have a good weekend last year from a performance point of view and we will be looking to build on this.”

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F1 Russian Grand Prix: McLaren ‘motivated’ by recent announcements

The embattled McLaren-Honda team will head to Sochi in good heart, buoyed by recent positive developments off track, according to racing director Eric Boullier.

While the Woking squad continues to scratch around at the rear of the grid and toil with little hope of points on a Sunday afternoon, it has both signed a new partner and confirmed veteran Jenson Button since the last race in Japan. While neither Boullier nor Honda counterpart Yasuhisa Arai contend that the Russian Grand Prix will be any easier for the team, they insist that morale has been boosted by the news.

“After the challenges and emotion of Suzuka, it's been a very important week for the McLaren-Honda team,” Boullier insisted, “We've announced a new partner for the 2016 season and beyond, and confirmed that Jenson will be continuing to race with us next year. Both of these announcements are incredibly motivating for the whole team, and we go to Sochi with renewed enthusiasm and excitement.

Although last year's Russian Grand Prix proved successful for McLaren, with fourth- and fifth-place finishes, they came with Mercedes power, and Boullier accepts that a repeat this year is highly unlikely.

“We had a strong weekend there last year, and, while we know the limitations of our package, we are continuing to work tirelessly on our reliability and performance to achieve the best result we can,” he claimed, “There's still a long way to go until the end of the season, and every weekend counts as an opportunity to learn, develop and apply our knowledge and experience to next year's car. Sochi will be no different.”

Arai, meanwhile, confirms that the unique Sochi street track - which wends its way around the former Winter Olympic park at the Black Sea resort – is unlikely to do the Honda V6 any favours.

"Sochi will be a completely new track for Honda so it will surely be an exciting challenge as we are starting from scratch regarding data settings,” he pointed out, “It is a very unique and modern track, where cars can race side by side for the first half of the lap, then close in with tricky 90-degree slow- to mid-speed corners and intense straights for the latter half.

“This type of track layout is likely to be demanding on our power units but, as usual, the team will work hard to get the best out of the overall package. It will be interesting to see what we can learn from this weekend."

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F1 Russian Grand Prix: Hamilton hunts double delight in Russia

Lewis Hamilton says he wants to serve up double delight in Russia after bouncing back at Suzuka to extend his championship lead to 48 points over Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.

The reigning Formula 1 champion suffered a nightmare outing at Singapore after being forced to retire with a blown power unit. Despite chinks beginning to show in the dominant Mercedes package Hamilton made an instant return to the top step of the rostrum in Japan to reassert his control in the F1 title fight.

The British driver's victory at Suzuka drew him level on F1 race wins with his idol Ayrton Senna as well as Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Sochi represents a golden opportunity to move ahead of the pair. The 30-year-old won the inaugural Russian Grand Prix last season and is naturally aiming to repeat the feat this weekend.

“Last year was the first experience I'd had of Russia in my racing career and we had a great race there,” Hamilton said. “It was great to win the first race for Formula One in Russia and a fantastic moment for the team to take the title there last time out. Fingers crossed we can add to those great memories again this weekend - I'll be pushing as hard as I can to make that happen.

“Suzuka was a really special weekend for me and another fantastic result for the team. Everyone is doing such an incredible job once again this season and every bit of this success is well deserved. The car was unbelievable to drive in Japan, so hopefully it'll be more of the same at the remaining races.”

If Hamilton is to claim his ninth win of the season at Russia he will extend his points lead on Rosberg to over 50 points – equivalent of Hamilton failing to score in two races with his team-mate winning both – and will give the defending champion the opportunity to wrap up the drivers' honours in Mexico with two races to spare.

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McLaren's Jenson Button hopes F1 doesn't need three-car teams

McLaren's Jenson Button hopes Formula 1 does not have to resort to the introduction of third cars to ensure the championship has a full grid.

Dietrich Mateschitz is considering pulling Red Bull and Toro Rosso, who are currently without an F1 engine supply for next season after parting ways with Renault, out of the championship.

Should that happen, and with Haas joining the fray, the Formula 1 field would drop to 18 in 2016.

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff likes the idea of introducing third cars, but as a measure to boost rather than maintain the size of the grid.

But Button told Autosport: "If they have to introduce them, they have to introduce them.

"All the top teams who are able will put a third car forward but at the moment, we hope that isn't the case.

"We hope we will have a full grid in 2016."

When it was put to him that the introduction of third cars would allow teams to run young drivers, Button said: "No, other categories are made for younger drivers, not Formula 1.

"Third cars should be introduced if they are required for a full grid."

The dynamic of a Formula 1 team would change should the championship introduce third cars, with each driver having two team-mates.

"I've never thought about what it would be like to be honest," said Button.

"Ultimately, you always go out there to be the best, to be the best in your team so nothing changes really.

"You just do your job as normal."