FORMULA 1 - 2015

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Mexican GP to get soft and medium selections

Pirelli has confirmed its tyre allocations for the final four rounds of the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship season, with the new Mexican Grand Prix to see a soft and medium selection available to teams.

After introducing softer selections for Monza and Sochi compared to 2014, Pirelli has opted for the same rubber as used last year for the United States, Brazil and Abu Dhabi races.

As such, the US Grand Prix and Brazilian Grand Prix will feature soft and medium rubber, while the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix gets super-soft and soft tyres once again.

For the new Mexican Grand Prix, held at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for the first time since 1992, simulations by Pirelli suggest similar characteristics to the Circuit of the Americas, leading to the allocation of soft and medium rubber.

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Force India accepts the risk of repercussions over F1 EU complaint

Bob Fernley accepts the risk of repercussions against Force India and Sauber, after they called in the European Union to investigate Formula 1's governance and payment structure.

The F1 outfits lodged an official complaint with the EU competitions commission last month, claiming "the system of dividing revenues and determining how Formula 1 rules are set is both unfair and unlawful".

Force India and Sauber are drawing upon Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) that prohibit anti-competitive agreements and the abuse of dominant market positions.

It is anticipated EU competitions commissioner Margrethe Vestager will deliver an answer on whether there is a case to answer by the end of the year.

Whatever the outcome, Force India deputy team principal Fernley is expecting some fallout, with the sport's commercial rights holders, venture capitalists CVC Capital Partners, understood to be unhappy.

"We're big boys, we know what the risks are," Fernley told Autosport.

"Will there be repercussions? Probably, in due course.

"But if you feel strongly about something and you're not prepared to take care of your own convictions then you shouldn't be doing it.

"I've enjoyed a very privileged career in Formula 1, or motor racing as a whole, doing I something I love for over 30 years.

"I would dearly like to think if I leave Formula 1 then somebody else could have 30 years as well.

"If that means there has to be a penalty for me personally in the short term then it is not the end of the world. It is one of those things. You have to accept it.

"But you have to have the strength of your convictions."

Suggested to Fernley he could become a fall guy, he replied: "I'm not saying that for one minute. I don't know that. Nobody does.

"But sometimes when somebody has very strong opinions and takes on something that is not in the interests of some very powerful people, there can often be a casualty and you have to recognise that.

"If you didn't go in with your eyes open then you'd be very foolish."

Fernley concedes it took a lot of soul searching on behalf of both teams to opt to pursue the case, although it was felt they had little option in a bid to try to level the playing field with the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull.

"It was a very, very hard decision to have to take," said Fernley.

"But I feel it was a decision on which we gave every opportunity for mediation over a significant period of time, certainly at least 12 months, to try and get a conciliatory agreement in place.

"Clearly there is no interest in that whatsoever, so we have had to look at bringing in a body that is independent and has the power to bring us all to account, and the only one that can do that is the EU."

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VERSTAPPEN LINKED TO FERRARI THIRD CAR SHOULD RED BULL QUIT

Speculation about his Formula 1 future is hot topic surrounding teen sensation Max Verstappen, as he is fast being established as one of the future superstars of the sport.

The latest reports have been triggered by the Red Bull engine crisis, as the energy drink company is forced to consider pulling both of its F1 teams out of the sport.

So as the possibility rises that rival teams will have to enter third cars next year to plug the hole on the grid, Mercedes’ Toto Wolff has already been spotted in conversation with Verstappen’s father Jos.

Wolff wrote off the meeting as mere “coffee” with the former F1 driver, but when asked why Verstappen’s manager Raymond Vermeulen was also there, the Austrian told F1’s official website: “No, not sure!”

And the speculation about Toro Rosso’s Verstappen do not stop there.

The Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad said the 18-year-old’s manager Vermeulen is “playing chess on multiple boards” amid the current Red Bull crisis.

So if the third-car option does materialise for 2016, “Verstappen would be more than welcomed by Ferrari” as well, the AD report claimed.

Max was quoted as saying this week: “At this moment there is no clarity” about Red Bull’s futureand added, “I am confident that they will be on the grid next year, but I have no influence on that.”

Told that many regard him as an almost certain world champion of the future, Verstappen added: “It’s always good to hear, because it means you must be doing something right. But for me at the moment it is just important to learn a lot and gain experience.

“I can only do my best on the track. If in the future I am in a better car, I do hope to go for wins and the world championship,” he admitted.

When asked if he has a clear plan for his next steps in F1 already, Verstappen answered: “In F1 it doesn’t work like that. You can’t really plan.

“The important thing is to work on being not only fast but also consistent. Next, you have to be lucky to be driving for the right team at the right time.”

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MCLAREN-HONDA UPBEAT ABOUT POSITIVE SOCHI UPDATES

Senior figures in the McLaren-Honda partnership are suddenly sounding much more confident about the future.

Until now, while insisting that the fabled Anglo-Japanese combination will eventually bear fruit, there has been little sign of progress in 2015.

But that may all have changed at Sochi last weekend, where Fernando Alonso was at the controls of a new Honda engine specification.

Observers said the power unit had a notably different engine note, but the team decided to shelve it after practice so that Alonso could use it to best effect next weekend at Austin without the handicap of grid penalties.

Team boss Eric Boullier is quoted El Mundo Deportivo: “This update performed better than expected.”

“It was a positive test — above even what we expected,” he repeated. “So if we did not use it in the race it was only because we believed that the design of the (Sochi) circuit did not suit our package.”

Honda’s Yasuhisa Arai agreed: “It (the new engine) responded better than expected, although the total performance is still not high enough.”

Indeed, Jenson Button said the biggest problem with the current Honda layout is “energy recovery. The ERS,” he explained. “We run out of power on the straights long before we get to the end of them.”

The report also said Honda, and F1’s other engine manufacturers, will be turning their minds to the new rules for 2016 mandating separate exhaust pipes for ‘wastegate’ gases next year, with the intention of ramping up the volume.

But El Mundo Deportivo said teams will be considering whether the additional one or two exhausts can be exploited for an aerodynamic benefit through the diffuser — otherwise known as exhaust ‘blowing’.

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VERGNE AND GUTIERREZ FINAL CANDIDATES FOR HAAS SEAT

Gunther Steiner has given the strongest hint yet that Haas will complete its first F1 driver lineup with Esteban Gutierrez, although Jean Eric Vergne remains an option too.

The new American team has already signed up Lotus’ Romain Grosjean for 2016, and hinted strongly that his teammate will be a Ferrari-linked test driver.

The two Ferrari-linked candidates are Frenchman Vergne and Mexican Gutierrez. But there is speculation the only hold-up in announcing 24-year-old Gutierrez is the finalisation of sponsor agreements with his related Mexican backers.

Asked by Sports Business Daily if signing a Ferrari-linked North American would be good for the team, boss Steiner answered: “It would be good for the sport to have a driver from North America.”

He denied, however, that Haas is obviously a de-facto Ferrari ‘B team’, given the openly strong links with the Maranello marque.

“We are not a Ferrari B team,” Steiner insisted. “We stand on our own two feet, but we work closely with a very good and experienced technical partner in Ferrari.”

MIKA: Fingers crossed for Vergne

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MASSA SAYS 2017 IS BEST CHANCE FOR WILLIAMS

Felipe Massa believes that his Williams team might struggle to take on the might of grandee teams Mercedes and Ferrari until 2017.

Despite the fact it is an engine ‘customer’ and independent team with a more modest budget, the Grove team has consistently been Formula 1’s third force throughout the new ‘power unit’ era so far.

And Brazilian Massa, who is happy with his switch from the grandee Ferrari to Williams last year and is already signed up for 2016, admits that maintaining its position in the pecking order is the most likely challenge for the British team for now.

“Yes, those two teams (Mercedes and Ferrari) are now best adapted to the current rules,” he told Russia’s Championat. “Especially Mercedes.

“With stability under the current rules, Mercedes has the best chance to remain the best. For us (Williams), we need to continue our work.

“And when the rules change again, we will do everything in order to understand them better than anyone else. But before then, before the great changes to the regulations for 2017, it will be hard for us to do better,” Massa added.

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LE MANS BOSS SAYS F1 CALENDAR IS AN ATTACK ON 24 HOURS CLASSIC

Le Mans chief Gerard Neveu says Formula 1’s re-jigged calendar for 2016 is “a clear attack” on the fabled 24 hour endurance race.

FIA president Jean Todt has already approved and defended Bernie Ecclestone’s schedule, despite the fact the clash of the inaugural grand prix in Azerbaijan and Le Mans in June will prevent Nico Hulkenberg from defending his title.

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

World endurance championship chief Neveu, however, does not agree, arguing that Ecclestone knowingly designed the clash to hit back at Le Mans’ rising status and popularity.

Indeed, Mark Webber, who has no regrets after making the switch from F1 to Porsche, said he knows that Hulkenberg was not the only current F1 driver considering Le Mans for 2016.

“I know that some really good (F1) drivers are a bit frustrated that they cannot get into a competitive cockpit so they’ve been looking around here,” he is quoted by motorline.cc.

Neveu said of Ecclestone’s 2016 calendar: “It’s a clear attack on us and on this race. Ecclestone never does anything nonchalantly. It is a shame because we could have had had Hulkenberg and also other F1 drivers – motor sport fans are losing out.”

Neveu pointed the finger at Frenchman Todt, whose hands-off approach to his presidency has been widely controversial, “The FIA should have protected us better.”

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F1 TEAMS STILL TO AGREE ON 2016 CALENDAR AND USE OF OLDER ENGINES

Formula 1 teams will have to reach unanimous agreement in the coming weeks if the sport is to expand to 21 races next year and manufacturers are to be allowed to supply customer teams with older engines.

The latest draft calendar has 21 races, including a new grand prix in Azerbaijan, but the 2016 sporting regulations published on Wednesday stipulate, as ever, that “the maximum number of events in the Championship is 20”.

The definitive calendar will not be published until December.

Any changes to the published regulations can now be made only “with the unanimous agreement of all competitors entered in the 2016 championship, save for changes made by the FIA for safety reasons”.

Teams are likely to approve an expanded calendar if it brings them more money but allowing the use of older engines is more controversial.

“Only power units which are identical to the power unit that has been homologated by the FIA … may be used at an event during the 2016-2020 Championship seasons,” declares the revised article 23.5.

That would prevent manufacturers from supplying older versions to some customers, as has been the case this year with tail-enders Marussia given permission to use 2014 Ferrari engines after coming out of administration.

Marussia will switch to Mercedes engines next year but Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso are negotiating to use 2015 Ferrari engines in 2016.

Sister team Red Bull Racing, who have fallen out with current partners Renault and been rebuffed by champions Mercedes, have threatened to walk away unless they can secure a competitive engine of the latest specification.

Changes to the technical regulations have also raised the possibility of a return to exhaust-blown aerodynamics with multiple tailpipes from next season instead of the sole exhaust.

“Engine exhaust systems must have only a single turbine tailpipe exit and either one or two wastegate tailpipe exits,” the new rules say.

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Manor drive ‘a lot more attractive’

Graeme Lowdon believes Manor will become a much more attractive team for young drivers to join given their link up with Mercedes and Williams for 2016.

Saved in an 11th hour bid, Manor have spent much of this year's championship lapping at the back of the field while powered by a 2014 Ferrari engine.

Next year, though, the team is expecting a massive leap forward.

Having signed a deal with Mercedes, Manor will have the premier engine in their car while a technical partnership with Williams is also set to help.

"You look at the spread of performance on the grid at the minute, and if you take us out of the equation it's still a sizeable spread," Lowdon, Manor's sporting director, told Autosport.

"But that said, I think drivers can come into teams now pretty much anywhere on the grid, and have the opportunity to show the teams and sponsors what they can do.

"With all of our changes we feel we're going to be in the pack, and that certainly makes the drive a lot more attractive to younger drivers looking to come into Formula 1, that's for sure."

And the expected improvements could also mean bigger sponsorship for Manor via the drivers.

"We're going to be spending a lot more [money] racing next year than we have this year.

"It's clearly pretty rare you have a scenario where a driver pays absolutely the full amount for a Formula 1 team to go racing. That would have to be pretty sizeable to say the least.

"But yes, the seat will be more attractive both from a sporting and a commercial side."

As for whether one of those seats will be going to Pascal Wehrlein, Lowdon says the Mercedes protégé is just one candidate.

"He is part of a pool of very talented drivers at the moment, but there are others and I wouldn't want to single any person out," he added.

"I think there is a good set of drivers who are keen to get into Formula 1 and have the ability."

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Is Ecclestone playing games for Red Bull's benefit?

Bernie Ecclestone is today meeting with engine manufacturers and team bosses as they discuss relaxing development rules to allow Renault and Honda to catch up a little quicker than they otherwise would.

However Ecclestone is likely to use the meeting to his and Red Bull's benefit by playing games with both Ferrari and Mercedes, in the hope he can persuade, or failing that, force them to supply Red Bull with engines.

How might he do that when both have strongly rejected supplying the Milton Keynes team with same-spec engines in 2016 and beyond?

The 84-year-old usually gets his way and he often does so by saying one thing, to achieve a completely different outcome.

It's expected Ecclestone will head to the meeting with a plan on forcing a change in the regulations to allow Red Bull, Toro Rosso and whomever else wants, to run a cheap 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine based on a pre-existing design.

It would be a huge last minute change to the regulations and one that would likely face strong opposition from current engine manufacturers which have invested hundreds of millions in their power units.

But the fact Red Bull and Toro Rosso don't currently have deals in place, nor are any current manufacturers willing to do a deal, could allow Ecclestone to force the change through on the grounds of force majeure, aka Red Bull have no viable options, therefore to ensure the health of the grid and the sport, a radical solution must be found and pushed through regardless of unanimous support or not.

However coming back to that sentence: "saying one thing to achieve a completely different outcome". Ecclestone's threat could simply be an empty one aimed at forcing Ferrari and Mercedes to back down and agree to supplying Red Bull and Toro Rosso.

Neither want to see their hybrid-V6 engines competing - and possibly being beaten by - a cheap, non-hybrid V6 introduced at the last minute. Will it be enough to persuade them though?

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Sergio Perez’s Route to Formula 1

One of Sergio Perez’s first team bosses described him as “totally unprofessional”. But Perez has refined his craft and now has five Formula One podiums to his name, the most recent coming just last weekend.

He is now set to become only the third Mexican driver to compete at his home event when F1 heads to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City later this month. Here’s how Perez made his way into Formula One.

Perez made his start in karting in 1996, four years after Mexico held its last round of the Formula One world championship. The six-year-old from Guadalajara’s motor racing achievements would eventually help bring about F1’s return to the Mexico City circuit.

That lay well in the future when Perez headed to the USA to make an early graduation to full racing cars. His success in karting had bought him to the attention of Mexican telecommunications giant Telmex, who placed the 14-year-old in the Skip Barber National championship. Despite missing six races, he claimed rookie of the year honours, and Telmex decided to continue his racing education in Europe.

Although he finished on the podium in only his second race, Perez was still very much a rough diamond at this point. In a recent interview Peter Mucke, one of Perez’s first team principals, described the youngster’s approach as “totally unprofessional” during his Formula BMW years.

On the podium with Hulkenberg in 2005

But his results steadily improved. At the end of 2006, aged 16 and with two years of Formula BMW behind him, Perez finished sixth in the championship, albeit without having won a race.

He was involved in a bizarre incidents at the Norisring that year which began when he tangled with Sebastian Saavedra. His stationary rival then tried to resume his race by driving up onto Perez’s car:

Perez gained more useful track time – some of it on Formula One circuits – as a practice driver for Mexico’s A1 Grand Prix team during the 2006-07 season. He made his sole appearance as a race driver at Shanghai, finishing well down the classification on the weekend which saw his future Force India team mate Nico Hulkenberg clinch the championship for Germany.

For 2007 Perez switched bases to the UK where he contested the younger National class of the British Formula Three championship. He won the championship against a less-than-stellar field, but this set him up well for a tilt at the main title the following year.

Perez was British F3 National class champion in 2007

Sticking with the same T-Sport team but now in an up-to-date chassis, Perez was up against Carlin’s Oliver Turvey and the Red Bull-backed Jaime Alguersuari. In a stellar year, all three drivers arrived at the final double-header with a chance of winning the championship.

Perez was up to speed quickly, taking a maiden victory for himself and his team in the third race at Croft. However in the following race he tangled with future F1 rival Marcus Ericsson, triggering a major crash:

From there the championship moved on to Monza where Perez produced the performance of the season. Despite qualifying 14th for both races he romped through the field twice in tricky conditions to claim a pair of victories:

These disciplined performances showed Perez was finding the maturity to match his speed. It also propelled him into a healthy points lead, but the team were rarely as competitive again throughout the rest of the year.

He kept pace with eventual champion Alguersuari until a disastrous weekend on the streets of Bucharest. A blown engine in the first race torpedoed his title hopes, and a collision with Max Chilton in the second all-but finished them off.

The time had come for Perez to move up another level, and for 2009 Telmex backed his move into F1’s leading feeder series, GP2. A pair of wins in the 2008-09 GP2 Asia series showed he was immediately comfortable with the increased power of the first-generation GP2 machine.

Two wins from 14th at Monza boosted 2008 F3 title bid

However in the main series the teams were getting to grips with the second-generation car. While fellow rookie Hulkenberg won the championship with ART, Perez took longer to settle in with Arden and only scored his first points in the seventh race of the year at Silverstone.

Perez was on a clear upward trajectory in the second half of the season, however. He stood on the podium after both races at Valencia, taking second from sixth on the grid in the sprint race following this first-corner collision:

Perez returned to the championship the following year and made a strong bid for the championship against Pastor Maldonado – a considerably more experienced rival in his fourth year of GP2 prior to which he’d also spent two seasons in Formula Renault 3.5.

Perez kick-started his title bid at Monaco where he beat pole sitter Dani Clos away from the line to claim his maiden GP2 victory.

He left the principality with a slender lead over Maldonado in the standings. But what started out as a promising weekend in Valencia turned sour: having started from pole position he was hit by Davide Valsecchi and finished out of the points.

Perez took his first GP2 win at Monaco

Four consecutive podiums including a pair of wins at mid-season kept up the pressures on Maldonado. But even after a fourth win at Spa the pair were separated by 17 points, and Maldonado was poised to clinch the championship at Monza.

The title was decided in a rather unsatisfactory fashion as both drivers crashed out of both races. Maldonado hit Romain Grosjean in the first race while Perez tangled with Michael Herck:

Perez’s slim title hopes came to an end in the sprint race when he went off at Parabolica, triggering a crash which also claimed Maldonado.

He made amends for that with his fifth victory of the year in Abu Dhabi, securing his grasp on the runner-up spot in the championship. That brought him to the attention of Peter Sauber, who promoted Perez to F1 in 2011. Later that year he returned to his home town where over 150,000 fans assembled to greet Mexico’s first Formula One driver for three decades. Expect another massive turnout for him when F1 returns to Mexico at the end of the month.

Perez was mobbed when he drove an F1 car at home in Guadalajara four years ago

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Formula 1 engine development and year-old engines back in play

The FIA has taken the first steps to allowing in-season power unit development for 2016 after an engine manufacturers meeting in Geneva today.

In-season development will be a huge boost to both Honda and Renault as they attempt to close the gap to their rivals.

The meeting also agreed that manufacturers can field more than one spec of engine next season, opening the door for year-old units to be used, as was the case with Manor this year.

However, both proposals require rule changes and still have to go through the process of being formally drafted and then unanimously agreed at the F1 Commission, and then ratified by the World Motor Sport Council. At the moment, no date has been set for the next F1 Commission meeting.

Today's meeting was attended only by the FIA and representatives of the four engine manufacturers, with Toto Wolff (Mercedes), Maurizio Arrivabene (Ferrari), Cyril Abiteboul (Renault) and Yasuhisa Arai (Honda) joined by their top engineers.

The other teams, who would still have to agree via a unanimous vote on any changes for next season, were not present.

As things stand, the 2016 FIA Sporting Regulations specify that there is no development after engines are homologated by the usual February 28 deadline, and the rules also specify that only one specification can be used during the season.

The potential for use of older-spec engines may open a door for both Red Bull and Toro Rosso to stay in the sport.

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Vandoorne could twin McLaren role with Super Formula in 2016

Stoffel Vandoorne could twin McLaren Formula 1 reserve duties with a campaign in Super Formula next year, if he is unsuccessful in landing a full-time grand prix drive.

McLaren is pushing hard for the Belgian to graduate to F1 after his dominant campaign in GP2 resulted in him clinching the championship in Russia last weekend.

The Woking-based team is eager for him to get valuable F1 experience next season, and he has been linked with drives at both Manor and Renault.

His speed is without doubt and McLaren may be willing to provide financial backing in a bid to secure him a place elsewhere in F1 – with Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso having confirmed they are staying put for 2016.

Key decisions

Speaking at the weekend about his plans for the future, Vandoorne said: “Hopefully Formula 1. It’s something I’ve been working on for quite some time, and now to have the GP2 title here is a bit of a luxury I would say with two rounds to go.

“The next one is in over a month, so I can concentrate on preparing next year which is great. Unfortunately, nothing is decided for the moment, but I’m optimistic. I feel there are some chances out there. The next days and weeks are going to be crucial for next year.”

Reserve role

If Vandoorne is not successful in securing one of the remaining seats on the grid, then it is understood that one option being evaluated is for him to be test and reserve driver for McLaren alongside a full or part-time campaign in the Japan-based Super Formula series in a bid to prepare him fully for 2017.

With current reserve Kevin Magnussen moving on from McLaren at the end of this season, Vandoorne could take the lion's share of simulator and testing duties – with F1 set to hold two in-season tests in 2016 as well as extra tyre preparation running for the bigger tyres coming the year after.

Vandoorne's race sharpness could also be kept up with a competitive seat in Super Formula – which would also keep McLaren's engine partner Honda happy.

The speed and downforce characteristics of Super Formula would be perfect to help Vandoorne get ready for the pace leap that F1 is preparing to deliver for 2017.

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Force India still wary of Lotus threat

Force India believes it still needs to be at the top of its game if it is going to hold off Lotus in the constructors' championship, despite its Russian Grand Prix podium finish.

Sergio Perez capitalised on a risky tyre strategy to take third place behind Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel at Sochi.

That result has helped strengthen Force India's fifth place position in the constructors' championship, with it now 26 points clear of Lotus with four rounds remaining.

But although encouraged with its strong form in recent races, deputy team principal Bob Fernley is not taking anything for granted.

"It's put some clean air between us, and we need it because Lotus are a good team," explained Fernley.

"It only takes a good weekend for them and we are under pressure again, so we need to be on our game."

More pace needed

Although the great strategy call paid off in Russia, Fernley is well aware that Force India does not have the pace to be mixing it right at the front in normal circumstances.

However, its push up the grid has left it in the position where good opportunities are available.

"It is not easy for us," he said. "We are not quite there.

"This was an opportunity we took with both hands, and managed to deliver with a little bit of luck. But on pure merit we are not there quite yet."

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Webber: Red Bull can hold off F1 'guillotine'

Mark Webber says Red Bull may simply have to accept not having engines that will allow it to fight for the Formula 1 world championship next year, with a 'guillotine' now hanging over the team.

While efforts are ongoing to find Red Bull the competitive engines that it says are essential for it not to turn its back on F1, former driver Webber accepts that there is a real danger of it leaving.

But he is hopeful that a solution can be found to end its threats to quit F1, even if it means Red Bull has to face another season of compromises.

"The guillotine is ready," Webber said in an interview with Red Bull's Speedweek website. "But I hope it doesn't get used.

"I think Red Bull stays in F1. Maybe their 2016 solution won't be good enough to fight for the title, but at least both teams would be able to continue."

Ferrari focus

While Mercedes has refused point-blank to give Red Bull engines, Ferrari is still being pushed for a supply deal.

The Italian outfit says it does not have the time to provide 2016 engines, something that Red Bull is demanding.

Webber has said he does not know what the ultimate solution will be, but does acknowledge that things are getting late for the team to prepare for next season.

"Who will partner them engine-wise? No idea. Their biggest issue is time as it works against Red Bull at the moment.

"I feel for Dietrich Mateschitz: There's nothing as bad as a situation that is out of your hands."

Downbeat on F1

Webber also said that he remained far from impressed with the speeds and challenge of current F1.

"Last night I was at a Hotel at Graz and I watched a race from [Ayrton] Senna from his cockpit camera," he said.

"Why would I do such a thing? It's because today's F1 doesn't feature characters anymore.

"It's too technical. It doesn't inspire the fans anymore. The crowd wants to see a hero and gladiators, but F1 doesn't deliver that anymore.

"You buy a ticket for 500 Euro and you see Lewis Hamilton exit a corner. After that, GP2 takes to the track and Mitch Evans exits the corner with the same speed as Hamilton did before. But for that, nobody wants to spend 500 Euro.

"When guys like me that were in the middle of the action for quite some time don't understand the sport anymore, then how is your regular Joe supposed to understand what's going on?"

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Nico Rosberg's reaction to winning F1 World Constructors' Championship 2015

Nico Rosberg sums up how he feels after his team Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One won the Constructors’ Championship for the second consecutive year. There are still four races left on the calendar - do you think Nico can win the Drivers' Championship?

Lewis Hamilton's reaction to winning F1 World Constructors’ Championship 2015

Lewis Hamilton sums up how he feels after his team Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One won the Constructors’ Championship for the second consecutive year. Can Lewis win the Drivers’ Championship at the U.S Grand Prix in Austin next weekend?

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Formula One needs Ferrari to be stronger in 2016 - Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton is hoping Ferrari will challenge Mercedes more often next season for the good of Formula One.

Hamilton is on the brink of his second consecutive title with Mercedes this year, which has been the team to beat since the introduction of new engine regulations last year. Ferrari has closed the gap this season, but has only once beaten Mercedes for pure pace in qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Hamilton says he wants Ferrari to become a competitive force to add some excitement in the sport and sees Sebastian Vettel, who is now second in the standings this year, as a real threat.

""Well Sebastian is always going to be one of the strongest opponents and it depends how you look at it," Vettel said. "From another team he's definitely going to be the strongest opponent but Nico [Rosberg] will come strong next year for sure, as he will at the next race and as he was already in Russia.

"So I anticipate Nico will continue to push, but of course I hope we do have a race with the Ferraris, I think it would be good for the sport. Hopefully with us being in front but still a good race."

Hamilton, who has a contract with Mercedes for another three years, said he is determined to keep delivering championships for the team.

"I definitely feel like I have solidified my spot here in the team in terms of delivering what they expected of me, I hope. I will try and continue to do that. They are delivering so I have got to make sure I deliver and I feel like I have been."

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Toto Wolff explains why Mercedes customers missed out on latest engine upgrade

Toto Wolff has explained why Mercedes could not supply the latest upgrade of its power unit to its customer teams for the final few races.

Mercedes supplies power units to Williams, Force India and Lotus -- as well as its works team -- and at the Russian Grand Prix all three customers used their fourth and final power unit of the season (using a fifth set of power unit components will incur a grid penalty). But rather than receive the specification used in the works Mercedes cars since Monza, the customer teams received the same specification -- in terms of performance updates -- they have used since the start of the season.

Mercedes spent its seven remaining performance tokens ahead of Monza, but Wolff said the engine department only has the resources to apply those changes to the two works cars and not the customers.

"The [upgraded] engine is very much an R&D engine," he explained. "We decided on trying out the direction that we believe could be beneficial for next year but we are not 100% sure.

"In order to do that exercise you can only concentrate part wise and logistically on the two engines. When we had the problem with Nico's engine [at Monza] we weren't even sure we had the spare parts to give him another engine. This is why we decided to do it."

Wolff insists the spend of seven tokens ahead of Monza did not dramatically improve the performance of the power unit, but has opened up potential development opportunities for 2016.

"From phase three to phase four [the Monza upgrade], the main thing it is not a performance step up. Of course people always say that engine must be much better, but that is not the case and it is just a development direction for next year. We can probably run it a bit harder for a bit longer, but it is not the miracle step up and we just can't supply it logistically."

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Pastor Maldonado admits leaving Williams was a mistake

Pastor Maldonado has admitted his decision to leave Williams at the end of 2013 and join Lotus did not help his F1 career.

Maldonado left Williams under a cloud after accusing the team of tampering with his tyre pressures at the 2013 US Grand Prix following a disappointing season with the team. In 2013 Lotus had been challenging for podiums, but the change in regulations for 2014 caught the team off guard while Williams went from strength to strength with the help of a Mercedes engine deal. Maldonado now admits that the decision to leave Williams has had a big impact on his career.

"Frustrating is not the right word, it's just difficult," he said. "Maybe the decision was not the best one but at the same time as a sportsman you always have a lot of hunger and you always have a lot of expectation in your life. At some point you have to take decisions and wherever it goes you must take it with responsibility and with all the passion you have. That's what I did.

"It was not a great [decision], but I'm working very hard together with the team. Lotus a fantastic team, maybe not with all the facilities all the other teams have - especially from the economic side - but on the other hand I have been learning a lot to work more together as a team with a very different philosophy. I am 100% sure that will help me in my future. We are not reaching the results we expected, but on the other hand I have been leaning a lot, big experience, which is great."

Lotus is due to be bought by Renault ahead of next year, but despite having a contract, Maldonado admits his future is not 100% secure. But asked if he would consider a move to racing in the USA, the Venezuelan was adamant that his future lies in Formula One.

"No not America for sure," he said. "I stay here in Formula One. At the moment the main focus is to continue with my contract and hopefully have better facilities to get out on track and be more competitive.

"Maybe you can have success in America but at the moment I really enjoy being in Formula One. I think there is a lot to do from my side still here and I deserve the chance to show my real potential."

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Kaltenborn: Ecclestone understands EU complaint

Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn has suggested Bernie Ecclestone reacted with an 'understanding' to the revelation it has submitted an official complaint to the EU competitions commission over the way money is allocated in F1.

Having repeatedly signalled its disapproval with the way prize money and revenue is distributed in F1, Sauber and Force India have joined forces to put forward a complaint which argues “the system of dividing revenues and determining how Formula 1 rules are set is both unfair and unlawful.”

With the complaint lodged against the commercial rights holder without implicating any of the larger teams that get a larger share of the revenue, should the EU competitions commission rule in Sauber and Force India's favour that it is 'unlawful' to prioritising certain teams, it could force a change in the way the money is distributed.

However, despite the complaint being aimed squarely at Bernie Ecclestone's company, Kaltenborn says she is confident he has sympathy for the smaller teams having repeatedly remarked that he would rip up the current binding agreements if he could.

“He has publicly expressed his views, and if I remember correctly, has said he would like to tear up certain agreements,” she said. “I believe he has said now that he understands our position [too]. All I can tell you is what he apparently said in the interview, and he said that he knows why we are doing this. We have explained it to him.

“I think it is very difficult to make any assessment on why Bernie does what,” she continued when asked whether Ecclestone showed sympathy. “But we have always been very open to him and I think that is important for our position with him. He knows what we have always not liked - maybe Force India, maybe us, we have common views on that and we have always been very transparent towards him. We have not hidden anything there and we have always made it our point to say what really disturbs us.

Indeed, Kaltenborn says that while Sauber was aware of the 'preferential terms' for certain teams when it agreed the deal, it was through the media that she was made aware of the gulf in distribution.

“When it is said we knew what we were signing into it, we knew there were some preferential terms, but the entire scope or scale of all these privileges, actually we only recently became aware of it through the media. And the second point, which is actually more important, is that it is besides the point if we knew it or not.

You have to have seen what situation our two teams were in – you get an offer and either you take it or leave it. That is your choice. So you sign it knowing what you sign or you have the choice to leave Formula 1, which is no choice. So that is why we come back to saying, we hope the commission will look at it, and say, why these unfair terms – in our view – were put into place.”

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Button, Alonso: Red Bull F1 exit would be sad

McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso have expressed their sadness if Red Bull were to pull out of F1 next season.

Red Bull's commitment to Formula 1 is still in doubt after Mercedes and Ferrari both denied a supply of engines as it didn't want to help a main rival with latest specification power units. Ferrari did however offer Red Bull a similar deal given to Sauber and the new Haas F1 team.

The ongoing debate has recently been intensified after the FIA confirmed power unit manufacturers Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault and Honda will not be allowed to supply lesser specification engines to customer teams in 2016.

This comes after the speculation that Toro Rosso could run 2015-specification engines from Ferrari in a new engine deal after its split from Renault.

As the story rumbles on both McLaren Honda drivers say it would a poor state of affairs if F1 were to lose both Red Bull and Toro Rosso, with Button believing the sport would have no option but to implement three-car teams next year.

“If they [Red Bull and Toro Rosso] left F1 it would definitely change and it would be a very sad loss for the sport because they are a very big part of it,” Button said. “They have two teams at the moment and a lot of very talented people who have achieved so such in their short period in the sport. It would be very sad to see them go. Hopefully it is only rumours and speculations.”

“Yeah, that's sad,” Alonso concurred. “Hopefully they will find a solution, but from outside it is difficult to understand because a top team like Red Bull combined with an engine manufacturer could win, but of course it clashes with their own interests.

“It is a bit of a strange situation with everything combined, but I think for the good of the sport they will find a solution.”

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Haas move a 'great opportunity' for Grosjean

Romain Grosjean says it is a great opportunity to join the 'very, very clever' Haas F1 team and is relishing the prospect of a new challenge in Formula 1.

The French driver's seven-year relationship with Lotus will come to an end after the Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi next month after agreeing to join the new team Haas F1 for 2016.

The 29-year-old says he has high hopes for next season and is motivated by the prospect of working in technical partnership with Ferrari, who will provide elements of the chassis and its power unit. The switch is also viewed by many as Grosjean's best opportunity to convince Ferrari he is worthy of a drive in 2017 when Kimi Raikkonen is expected to exit.

Despite the emotional impact the switch will have on him, Grosjean is confident it is a smart move from a sporting point of view.

“We will hopefully be pretty successful. It was a great opportunity I had to join Haas,” Grosjean said. “As I've said, leaving Enstone is going to be, from an emotional point of view, quite hard because I've spent ten years there. I think Fernando [Alonso] knows how it is in this team: very, very strong group of people.

“On the other hand, from a sporting point of view, I think the way Haas is coming to Formula One is very, very clever. He's been successful in his business, he's been successful in NASCAR. Coming alongside Ferrari – which is probably the biggest team in Formula One – makes sense, and for me to have a new experience with an American team can be very, very nice.”

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Bernie Ecclestone says Red Bull's Formula 1 future is now "sorted"

Red Bull's future in Formula 1 is now "sorted" according to Bernie Ecclestone, who is adamant the company will not be withdrawing at the end of the 2015 season.

Senior figures from Red Bull, including owner Dietrich Mateschitz, have made repeated threats to pull both of its teams out of F1 if it cannot find competitive engines for Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso.

Autosport understands Red Bull reopened talks with Renault over the Russian Grand Prix weekend, following what appeared to be a terminal breakdown in its relationship with the French manufacturer during a second tough season for the partnership.

Ecclestone admits he felt the possibility of Red Bull leaving was legitimate, but he believes the matter has now been resolved.

When asked if he thought Red Bull would pull out, Ecclestone told Autosport: "I think now, with what's happened, no.

"But before, I thought yes."

Asked to clarify what had happened to make him so confident, he added: "Things are sorted."

Red Bull made clear over the summer it was keen to replace Renault with a more competitive engine supplier, but approaches to Mercedes and Ferrari were unsuccessful.

It had hoped a Mercedes engine could be badged by Aston Martin, but the deal was rejected by the German manufacturer at board level.

Meanwhile Toro Rosso is now in talks with Ferrari to land a supply of year-old power units for next season, a deal that should be made possible by teams' unanimous support for a regulation change allowing manufacturers to offer different engine specifications.

Ecclestone also confirmed that Red Bull's long-term commitment to F1 means contracts are in place that would prove costly to break.

"Look, if he [Mateschitz] says he's leaving and he leaves, he knows it's going to be very expensive," he said.

He also added that smaller teams "who are complaining" about the terms of their own F1 deals couldn't commit to deals including such penalty clauses.

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Williams Formula 1 team sets up wet weather form working group

The Williams Formula 1 team has set up a working group dedicated to understanding why its car suffers in low-speed and wet conditions.

Williams has suffered a tendency to understeer heavily at low speed and as a result, it struggled in Monaco and Hungary earlier this season.

When the rain came during the British Grand Prix, Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas went backwards having run Mercedes close at the front in the dry.

Since the race in Monaco, Williams has been working hard to understand the problems, with the team using the wet second practice in Russia to try some solutions.

"We made a conscious decision, which we have been working on since Monaco, to look at our low-speed performance deficit," said Williams performance chief Rob Smedley.

"As part of that work, we have also been looking at performance deficit in the wet.

"At Silverstone, we were keeping pace with Mercedes, they were a little quicker but nothing extraordinary and as soon as it rained, Red Bull and Ferrari were significantly quicker than us.

"In Austria, in P3, there was a similar situation where it was an extreme wet track, we put the extreme wet tyres on and suddenly lost about three per cent of pace.

"That's been quite a worry for me personally and everyone else.

"So we put together a working group looking at trying to understand our problems, which is mainly tyre-related, in those conditions - in low-speed conditions or in the wet.

"Because of that, we were waiting for an opportunity where it rained, when we knew it wouldn't rain for the rest of the weekend, so we can throw tyres at it. That's basically what we were doing on Friday."

Massa was the pacesetter among the limited number of driver who completed flying laps during the rain-affected Friday session in Russia.

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Pastor Maldonado wants an experienced team-mate in F1 in 2016

Pastor Maldonado would like an experienced team-mate to replace Haas-bound Romain Grosjean alongside him next season in Formula 1.

The Enstone-based Lotus outfit is due to be taken over by Renault in a deal that would secure its future, with Maldonado already confirmed for 2016.

Reserve Jolyon Palmer, Jean-Eric Vergne and Kevin Magnussen are some of the drivers who have been linked with the team following Grosjean's departure to the new Haas outfit.

"I hope to have a good team-mate who wants to work together as is the team philosophy," said Maldonado.

"If Renault is coming, we will not start from zero but nearly [zero], so we will need a good atmosphere and a good, competitive driver who will help push the team hard to reach a good level quickly.

"I would prefer someone with experience, definitely."

Speculation surrounding Maldonado's future was ended in Singapore when the team confirmed he would stay on for 2016.

The Venezuelan, whose sponsor PDVSA brings $50million of financial backing, said he did assess his options elsewhere but ultimately decided to stay put.

"I stay here in Formula 1," said Maldonado. "It's not the time to go to America yet.

"Maybe I can have success in America but for the moment I really enjoy being in F1.

"There is still a lot to do for me and I deserve the chance to show my real potential.

"At the moment the main goal is to continue with my contract and to hopefully have better facilities to be more competitive.

"I look around [for other opportunities], but nothing very big."