FORMULA 1 - 2015

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ECCLESTONE WANTS 22 RACES ON 2016 F1 CALENDAR

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone sounds unfazed that the FIA regulations for 2016 set a cap of just 20 races for the season.

Earlier, with Azerbaijan to make its bow next year and Germany returning, a 21-race schedule for 2016 was revealed.

But article 5.4 of the newly-published sporting regulations say “the maximum number of events in the championship is 20”.

Asked if he will have to reduce the calendar, F1 chief executive Ecclestone told the Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta: “No, I don’t think we are going to reduce it. Maybe we’re going to add to it.”

A calendar counting more than 20 races is not only contrary to the written rules, but also unpopular up and down pitlane, particularly among the members of the travelling fraternity with families and children.

But when asked what he considers to be the ideal number of races for F1, Ecclestone said: “I wouldn’t mind if we had as many races as possible. I think maybe there should be 22.”

A bigger concern for Ecclestone is the Red Bull engine crisis that could cost his grid a total of 4 cars ahead of 2016.

Amid reports that the energy drink company will patch up its broken relationship with Renault, he commented: “I think we can resolve this issue.

“But we have agreed not to talk about it at the moment.”

Earlier, however, F1 veteran Jenson Button suggested the sport is actually in a healthy moment with regards to engine supply, with four separate manufacturers all now involved.

But Ecclestone insists: “This (situation) is not good. But we cannot force manufacturers to come to formula one.

“What we need is an independent engine manufacturer. That’s what we are looking for.”

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MAGNUSSEN NOT GOING TO AUSTIN OR MEXICO CITY

Kevin Magnussen will not be present at the United States Grand Prix or at the Mexican Grand Prix.

Before McLaren announced its impending split with the Danish reserve driver, Magnussen stopped coming to grands prix due to breaking his hand in a cycling accident.

But that was almost 6 weeks ago, which according to some is long enough for a hand to heal. Not only that, chiefs Eric Boullier and Ron Dennis had indicated Magnussen would receive specialist care to speed up his recovery.

But a McLaren spokesman told the Danish newspaper BT: “While Kevin is making good progress, he still is not 100 per cent recovered, and therefore he will not be either in Austin or in Mexico.”

It is believed Magnussen’s longer term replacement as McLaren reserve will be Stoffel Vandoorne.

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HAAS SET TO ANNOUNCE 2016 DRIVER LINEUP IN AUSTIN

Reports indicate Haas F1 Team will announce its 2016 Formula 1 driver lineup this weekend in Austin.

Insiders report that with Frenchman Romain Grosjean already signed up, the new American team will use the scene of its home race to announce that Esteban Gutierrez will race the second Haas car next season.

Team boss Gunther Steiner has already admitted that a driver from the Ferrari stable is likely to get the nod, adding that “It would be good for the sport to have a driver from North America”.

Californian Alexander Rossi, racing for Manor on home turf this weekend, says it is not him.

“It was a little bit of a surprise they were as against the concept as they were,” he told the Associated Press. “But I’m very aware this is as much a business as a sport.”

And so it is Ferrari reserve and Mexican Gutierrez who fits the bill, with Steiner further narrowing down the field to say Grosjean’s teammate is experienced and will help to compliment Haas’s budget through sponsors.

Gutierrez is backed by strong Mexican brands including the Mexican telcom Claro, and it is believed the delay in announcing the deal has been talks to decide how the branding between Haas and Ferrari is split.

As for whether Haas is actually planning a driver announcement for Austin, Circuit of the Americas boss Jason Dial told Sports Business Daily: “I don’t know that they will or won’t.”

What is clear is that Haas’ sporting and business model is raising eyebrows up and down pitlane, with even Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff admitting some concern.

“I am convinced that we are not the favourites for next year,” he told the Spanish sports daily Marca.

“Ferrari is developing a very intelligent union with Haas, and they are sure to benefit from it, which is something we have to look for in the future as well.

“We hope that Ferrari is very strong in 2016. From my view, if they are not the team to beat next year, they will be a very strong competitor,” Wolff added.

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MANOR SEATS IN HIGH DEMAND AS MERCEDES POWER LOOMS

At Manor, three divided by two plus a Mercedes power unit means the British team has revved up its asking price for 2016.

Toto Wolff, the Mercedes chief, has said now on several occasions that while he would like to place Pascal Wehrlein at Manor next year, the two sides are currently negotiating over price.

Some reports suggest the gap is as much as $7 million, with Mercedes offering to pay $3m but Manor insisting that its cockpits are worth $10 million apiece for 2016.

The team has struggled through most of 2015 with Will Stevens alongside Roberto Merhi.

Briton Stevens brought money to his seat this year, but Manor is now asking for more for 2016. And Merhi – who brought no significant backing whatsoever – was recently displaced by the sponsored American rookie Alexander Rossi.

And so with Wehrlein now also in the reckoning, incumbents Rossi and Stevens are scrambling to put together their backing packages for 2016.

“I (have) got a seat,” Rossi told the Associated Press. “Now I have to find a way to stay.”

Stevens’ manager Glenn Beavis, meanwhile, told the Telegraph: “We are currently in negotiations over 2016 and hope to sort out Will’s future by the end of the season.”

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US GP BOSS SAYS ECCLESTONE ENTITLED TO HIS OPINION

United States Grand Prix boss Jason Dial has responded to disparaging remarks made about America by Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

In the days leading into this weekend’s Austin race, the formula one chief ruffled feathers by backing Russian president Vladimir Putin and admitting he is “not very enthusiastic” about Western democracy and particularly America.

“Obviously, he’s entitled to his opinion,” Dial, the president of the Circuit of the Americas, told Sports Business Daily. “The team principals that we talk to unabashedly state how important the US market is to them and their sponsors.”

Dial did admit that the United States is “still under development” when it comes to fully embracing formula one. That would undoubtedly be helped if US GP promoter Bobby Epstein’s desire for many more American races on the calendar would happen.

“Two races wouldn’t help much,” he told the Guardian. “But six could. I’m talking about building an audience.

“You have to get up very early in the morning to watch F1 in America. So if you had six races in this time zone it would make a big difference,” added Epstein.

This year, Austin is paired back-to-back with a second North American race, as Mexico City makes its return to the calendar.

But Dial says Mexico has actually only caused “headwinds” for the US grand prix, even though ticket sales are slightly up compared to a year ago.

“Given the proximity of Mexico City and it’s the very next Sunday, our team has done a fantastic job,” he said.

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MEXICO CITY CIRCUIT GETS FIA SEAL OF APPROVAL

Mere days before the F1 teams begin to touch down in Mexico City, the renovated Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit has been officially approved by the FIA.

On his way to Austin for this weekend’s US grand prix, FIA race director Charlie Whiting inspected the Mexican site, which last hosted a grand prix in 1992.

“We are very pleased with the work that has been done here,” the Briton is quoted by Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport. “I expect a spectacular race.”

The report said the laying of the crucial final layer of asphalt had been delayed due to weather conditions, meaning that last-minute finishing touches including kerbs, braking markers and advertising hoardings are only now being applied.

Undoubtedly the biggest change to the circuit’s layout is the absence of the fearsome, 180-degree Peraltada corner, but promoter Federico Gonzalez insists what is left in its wake is also spectacular.

“This is the new landmark of our venue,” he said, referring to a baseball stadium that the cars will race through before speeding to the old Peraltada apex.

“The drivers will arrive like rock stars in a stadium that will be fully packed with 28,000 people,” Gonzalez explained.

The atmosphere should also be electric, with the original 80,000 seats selling out within two weeks, prompting promoters to erect additional grandstands.

“After such a long break, the people are hungry for formula one,” said Gonzalez.

Mexican driver Sergio Perez commented: “I am sure the whole paddock of formula one will be shocked with the support we get there.”

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MERCEDES FIX SOCHI GLITCH FOR AUSTIN

Mercedes has travelled to Austin with fixes for the two reliability problems suffered at during the Russian Grand Prix recently.

Nico Rosberg’s title chances were effectively destroyed when a small and inexpensive ‘O-ring’ in the throttle mechanism broke.

It was a tried and tested design, but Auto Motor und Sport reports that Mercedes has reacted by re-designing it anyway.

“We never expected that it would fail,” an engineer is quoted as saying.

And even though Lewis Hamilton went on to win in Russia, the pitwall was nervously watching an intermittent ‘stalling’ problem with his rear wing — probably caused by chunks of tyre debris sticking to it.

“The wing has been modified in the area of the endplates in order to guarantee stable downforce,” correspondent Michael Schmidt reports on Thursday.

Marc Surer, a former F1 driver turned TV pundit, said he expects Hamilton to seal the lid on the drivers’ world championship this weekend.

“I think so,” he told the German broadcaster Sky. “Unless his car fails.

“Reliability at Mercedes has been a problem lately, with Rosberg suffering not only at the last race but also in Singapore.

“And it always seems to be something different. That is what is unpredictable and difficult for them to control now,” Surer added.

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MANOR PREVIEW THE UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX

Round 16 of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, the 2015 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, takes the Manor Marussia F1 Team to Austin, Texas, where Alexander Rossi will be back in the car and racing on home asphalt for the first time in his fledgling Formula 1 career.

Making his homeland Grand Prix debut represents the realisation of a 13 year dream for Alexander, and he couldn’t be more excited to resume the fierce intra-team battle he commenced with new team-mate Will Stevens when he stepped up to an F1 race seat in Singapore last month.

John Booth: “It gives us great pleasure to provide any genuine young talent with the opportunity to showcase their potential in one of our cars, particularly in front of their home crowd. Alexander more than earned his stripes in the two races he has competed in for us so far – in Singapore and Japan – and that experience will have equipped him well for the exciting challenge of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix. We have been treated to a fascinating battle between team-mates over the past few races and we are sure that, in the nicest possible way – in as much as fiercely competitive drivers can afford – Will is going be keen to spoil Alexander’s party this weekend. That spirit of racing is what we are all about as a team, and although there is a championship being decided at the front of the grid, we’ll have our own intense battle going on, I’m sure. Alexander is also preparing himself for a very intense weekend ‘off-track’; he has one of the busiest PR schedules I have seen for a driver. Nonetheless, he is a very focused racer and he will find a way to manage the many demands on his time. For our part, we’ll be aiming to continue our run of excellent reliability with another two-car finish, while contending with this track’s unique characteristics and what is shaping up to be very interesting weather!”

Alexander Rossi: “I can’t adequately describe how excited I am about competing in my home Grand Prix for the first time. Thankfully, I’ve been so busy with a whole bunch of PR commitments that I’ve been able to keep that side of it in check, but now we’re just a few days out, the reality is starting to hit me and it feels great. It’s a huge deal for me, not only because it makes me extremely proud to be the first American driver to race on US soil since 2007, but also because it’s the realisation of a goal that I, and the people around me, have been working towards for effectively 13 years. This weekend is an opportunity to reward their support and commitment as much as my own determination as a race car driver, and I’ll be giving it my all.

“I’m pretty happy with how things went in my first two races for the team, in Singapore and Japan. There’s a lot to get to grips with at first, before you can really start to build some momentum, but that considered, I was pleased with my relative position at the end of those races. After a race off due to my GP2 schedule, I’m looking forward to picking up where I left off at Suzuka and enjoying a good fight with Will.

“Circuit of The Americas is an awesome track. I’ve driven it before and it’s a real mix of some of the best circuits in the world. It’s pretty fast and the frequent elevation changes make it spectacular for racing and spectating. There’s going to be an amazing vibe, from the fans and having my family and friends in the crowd, so I really can’t wait til we start turning wheels on Friday.”

Will Stevens: “I’m really excited to be racing in Austin for the first time this weekend. It’s a fantastic track with so much going on through the lap and I can’t wait to experience the elevation change for myself. The city also sounds like a lot of fun. I do love America and I’ve spent the past few days training in Florida and getting used to the time difference, so I’m feeling fighting fit and prepared for the next races. It’s good to welcome Alex back to the team, and clearly this is a big weekend for him. As you’d expect though, my objective, as always, is to beat my team-mate!”

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Alonso: 2.5s gain is realistic goal

Fernando Alonso says if McLaren can make a "two and a half second" gain at the start of 2016, they will return to winning ways.

McLaren's first season back with Honda power has been a wretched one for the partnership.

They have lacked both performance and reliability leaving Alonso and Jenson Button struggling to even get out of Q1.

That has made points very hard to come by with the team scoring just 19 in 15 races.

Despite their troubles, Alonso believes race wins could be on the cards next season.

"Two and a half seconds. If we improve two and a half seconds, we will win next year," he told Motorsport.com.

Pressed as to whether he felt that was a realistic improvement, the Spaniard said: "Yes, I think so. It's realistic but the thing is that we need to work very hard with a very high discipline all winter and all united, because in this new Formula 1 everything is a package.

"It's all combined that makes the perfect car and we are working on that. We have understood that and we are trying our best. It's a very big gap that we have to close.

"Also we need to improve the reliability side a lot, because we cannot forget that we have used 11 engines so far, so this is something that we cannot afford next year.

"So it's many things to put in place, but all the steps and all the actions that the team has taken in the last couple of months are logic and good, and I'm positive."

He does, however, concede that it won't be easy beating Mercedes, who wrapped up their second successive Constructors' title in Sochi.

"Winning is another step. Winning is beating Mercedes, and right now very big teams with the things more or less in place cannot do it, so for us it will be a huge task, but we are ready to try at least."

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Vettel penalty boosts Hamilton’s chances

Lewis Hamilton’s hopes of wrapping up his third title in Austin have been boosted by news that Sebastian Vettel is to take a 10-place grid penalty.

The Mercedes driver is on the cusp of greatness as he closes in on a third Drivers’ Championship title.

All he needs to do is outscore Vettel by nine points and Nico Rosberg by two and he will retain the crown.

Should Hamilton win Sunday’s United States GP, Vettel would have to finish second to carry the fight on to Mexico.

However, a 10-place grid penalty is set to derail Vettel’s charge.

News broke on Thursday that the Ferrari driver will take a 10-place grid drop on Sunday as he needs to use a fifth engine.

Bad news for Vettel, great news for Hamilton.

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Button: We have unfinished business

Jenson Button says now is not the right time to leave Formula 1 as he and McLaren "definitely have unfinished business".

Only a few months ago the 2009 World Champion was rumoured to be on his way out of F1 as McLaren were reportedly on the verge of dropping him for the 2016 season.

However, both parties put an end to the speculation after the Japanese GP with the Woking squad confirming Button and Fernando Alonso for next year with chairman Ron Dennis saying they never intended to axe the 35-year-old.

Now that the contract debacle is out of the way, Button and McLaren are determined to turn things around on the track following a nightmare 2015 campaign that saw them run at the wrong end of the grid.

And veteran Button feels he still has a lot of achieve in the sport.

"There's so much that I want to achieve still in Formula 1," he is quoted as saying by Autosport. "As Ron said to me 'we definitely have unfinished business' and we definitely do in Formula 1.

"This year has been such a tough year for the whole team and to see how well everyone has worked together and how everyone has pulled together in such a difficult situation – that also helps you make the decision.

"It makes you realise this team will give everything they can to achieve in the future. I'm very excited about that.

"I have no fear of retiring. I have so many things in life that I want to achieve but it's not the right the time for me to leave Formula 1."

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Button hopes Alonso 'annihilates' him this weekend

Jenson Button is hoping his own McLaren team-mate, Fernando Alonso, "annihilates" him this weekend as the Spaniard will be running an upgraded Honda power unit.

Alonso won't incur a grid penalty this weekend as he tested the upgrade in Sochi during Friday practice and therefore served the necessary penalty that weekend.

The Briton will continue with the same engine he used for the Russian Grand Prix and is therefore hoping Alonso shows better pace as evidence of progress at Honda.

"Fernando had the same spec as me in Sochi, but on Friday he put in the phase 4 and then took it back out, so it’s being used here and he has the upgraded engine here," explained Button.

"Normally when you are team-mates you want exactly the same, but I’m hoping it is a good upgrade, he’s really quick and he annihilates me all weekend.

"It’s unusual to say that; when you are fighting for a world championship at the front everything has to be the same and I’ve always pushed for that, but in our situation it doesn’t matter. It’s about getting it on the car, proving it out reliability wise and I’ll have the same engine in the next race."

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More drivers like Hamilton would help boost F1 in US

More Formula 1 drivers should be like current championship leader Lewis Hamilton according to Bobby Epstein, the man in charge of the United States Grand Prix.

Hamilton's off-track antics have attracted criticism from some who claim his party-goer lifestyle is taking away his focus from racing and winning, but he has so far answered his critics by taking nine wins this year so far.

The Briton is also on the brink of clinching his third title and could do so this weekend in Austin if he outscores Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel by nine points and his own team-mate Nico Rosberg by two - it would also make him the first Briton to take back-to-back championships.

Epstein isn't one of those who criticise Hamilton, in fact he believes his off-track personality should be more common in the paddock as it would boost F1's profile, particularly in America where Hamilton is becoming a household name.

"Hollywood is based in America," Epstein told the Guardian. "This is the centre of the entertainment business. Formula 1 has some great personalities and we shouldn’t hold them back. They are the people who sell tickets.

"Lewis has recognised that and he's got outside the traditional comfort zone for some people in F1. I think it’s great. We need more of that. He’s a personality. Cars don’t have the same personality.

"Fans relate to human beings, not metal. And what Lewis is doing is great for the business. We also like winners over here, and Lewis is the biggest winner out there. We don’t like rooting for the guy who comes in 20th."

Epstein has other ideas to boost F1's interest in the US too and believes the country needs six races to build up a big fan base.

"Two races wouldn't help much," he added. "But six could. I'm talking about building an audience. You have to get up very early in the morning to watch F1 in America. So if you had six races in this time zone it would make a big difference.

"We’re living in the age of instant data. When you wake up and you know the result of a race why would you want to watch it? No one wants to go to a movie when they know how it ends.

"Five or six races would help. It would mean frequency and give people habits. And this is a big country. We really could stage that many events."

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Flood warnings in Texas ahead of F1 weekend

The build-up to Sunday’s United States Grand Prix is forecast to be extremely wet, though conditions should improve in time for race day.

A tropical storm south-west of Mexico will send significant amounts of rain north to Texas over the coming days. Forecasts give different views of exactly much rain Austin will experience, but a high volume of rainfall is expected which will peak on Saturday. Conditions for Friday are little better.

By Sunday the forecast improves but a risk of rain showers will remain for the race. That is likely to affect how teams approach practice, and could mean we see very little running indeed. Friday running may be sacrificed to save wet and intermediate tyres for the race, and conditions on Saturday could lead to lengthy red flags.

F1 has not run in heavy rain at the Circuit of the Americas, which opened in 2012, but last year’s World Endurance Championship round at the track was hit by a rainstorm 90 minutes into the event:

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Vettel backs Ferrari's decision on engine change

Sebastian Vettel has backed Ferrari's decision to introduce new engines at the United States Grand Prix, despite the downside of grid penalties.

Ferrari has elected to bring into play a fifth engine for the Austin weekend, which means both its drivers will get 10-place grid penalties.

Although the engines feature some updates, it is understood that Ferrari has not gone as far as introducing a new narrower block specification as had been considered.

But despite bracing himself for a tough Sunday, Vettel believes that the grid place hit for this weekend will be worth it for the increased performance that will come from having fresh engines for the final part of the campaign.

"We will have the hit of 10-place penalty for a new engine at this event," said Vettel. "But it has always been the plan, it is not a big secret. No surprise for us.

"To explain to you the story, it was always the plan for us, to have the strongest engine available at every single point in the season, and I think our engine guys have done a massive job.

"So this should not be understood as a downside. If anything this is a very positive sign because we have been pushing very hard and the guys managed to make big steps in terms of performance."

Planned change

Although there had been uncertainty over the specification of engine used, Vettel made it clear that Austin was viewed as the best opportunity to change power units.

"Obviously if you look at just this race, isolated, for sure it's not great news," he said. "But then you have to look at the whole project, the whole season, and it was always the plan to have a fresh engine until the end of the season here.

"As I said the priority was always to have maximum power at every single race, and that has been our plan.

"It has worked very well so far. Obviously we have to take the hit here, but as I said you should see the positive, the fact that we were able to make big steps."

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Toro Rosso won't use upgraded Renault engine in 2015

The Toro Rosso F1 team is not planning to take advantage of Renault's latest upgraded engine over the last four races of the 2015 season.

Renault has used 11 tokens to develop its power unit and has made it available to both Toro Rosso and sister team Red Bull.

However, Toro Rosso believes that it is not worth using the new engine as it would mean having to take extra grid penalties.

The Italian outfit has enough examples of the current spec to get to the end of the season.

"We're going to stick for the rest of the year with the old spec," said Carlos Sainz.

"Given the [performance] values that they've given to get another grid penalty and start last, especially with the last four tracks, they are similar to this one...

"Okay, they are not the best tracks because they have long straights, but it's not the worst, so we can be very close to the top ten, so to start last, I think it's too much, it's not worth it, so we will commit to this year's spec that we have now, that's good enough to finish the year, and we have plenty of them.

"It's an important end of the season now, because we have four races that the tracks should not be bad for us, and we lost a lot of points from the middle of the season, particular me.

"We need four races where we can qualify decently and race hard from the top 10. So I don't want to take more penalties to be honest."

Meanwhile, teammate Max Verstappen suggested that the team would keep an eye on how Red Bull performs when it runs the new engine.

"I think we have to wait and see how much the difference is," said Verstappen. "So we have to wait and see how what Red Bull does with the engine, if they are going to use it or not here, and what the difference is.

"If it's not that much and you take again a penalty then your race is a bit more difficult again. We just have to wait and see. And if it's good then hopefully we will have it soon as well."

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Felipe Nasr says Sauber needs "bigger steps" in 2016

Felipe Nasr says his Sauber team needs to take some "bigger steps" in order to fight for the points regularly next season.

The Swiss squad has bounced back from a disastrous 2014 season in which it scored no points to be eighth in the championship ahead of McLaren and Manor with 34 points in its 2015 tally thus far.

And Nasr says the Swiss squad knows where it needs to improve and is already hard at work to be able to fight in the top 10 more regularly.

When asked if he was already working on the development of next year's car, he said: "A long time ago. We have been already focusing on the 2016 car.

"We've been always discussing that with the team and it's clear we have to do some bigger steps."

He added: "The main area is we need more downforce. That's the initial point. We know the car is weak, we know where the car is strong.

"I think Marcus understands as well what are the priorities at the moment, so I think we are both giving the same input."

Pleased with season

The Brazilian said he was happy with how he has performed during his first season in Formula 1, having finished in the points five times, including a fifth-place finish in his first grand prix in Australia.

"Overall it's been a very positive season. I've had some great moments," he said. "We've had good and bad results, that's how things go, but overall it has been very positive.

"When I had the opportunity to score points and to show my potential and to show why I'm here, I think I took most of them.

"On the other hand we had some issues in the middle of the season, but that's normal. It happens with everyone, but the good side of things is to have a positive overall balance in the end.

"I scored good points, I did fight with some stronger cars, and I think that's what people want to see."

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Modern F1 drivers “don’t get to develop as men” - Mansell

Nigel Mansell says that modern day Formula 1 lacks big characters because young drivers no longer get chance to “develop as men”.

That the ever-increasing influence of corporate sponsors on teams has left drivers less able to speak freely than their predecessors from previous eras is one of the most common criticisms levelled at the sport by fans.

Emerson Fittipaldi told Motorsport.com in July that today’s generation of F1 drivers have become ‘robots’, while 86 percent of those who took part in the GPDA Global Fan Survey said drivers were not open and honest enough.

Speaking to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, Mansell said that part of the reason for a lack of big personalities in the sport today stems from the fact the drivers have such full-on schedules and that they therefore do not get enough chance to mature.

“It’s not the drivers’ fault,” said the 1992 F1 champion. “The truth is that they are restricted in this day and age.

“They learn the tracks on simulations and step on circuits for the first time for the race. They don’t have time to really visit the countries and develop as men, or learn different cultures.”

Using Toro Rosso rising star Max Verstappen to illustrate his point, Mansell continued: “It is clear he has talent, but he is the perfect example of how drivers evolve today.

“It’s surprising to see him so fast on tracks he has never been on before, but that is thanks to the simulators. He doesn’t need to know the car, as the engineers take care of that.

“He also has one less thing to worry about thanks to improved safety. His accident in Monaco [where he collided with Romain Grosjean] would have cost him in the past, as many others have had to retire after similar incidents.”

Driver skill masked

Mansell also reiterated that F1’s rulebook needs an overhaul to place more emphasis on the driver’s skill, lamenting how easy modern Grand Prix machinery has become to master.

“In my era you were lucky if you had three engineers, while there are 30 in the pit box now,” added the 62-year-old.

“Tyres were wider, but we still slipped around corners, which allowed a driver to show their style.

“Today the cars are easy to drive, as the pit wall tells you everything all the time and the drivers aren’t able to show their abilities. If you are aggressive, you wear out the tyres, therefore you must go slower.

“And things like the DRS are madness: what skill is there in passing in that manner?”

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Why Formula 1 can't afford to lose Toro Rosso

Much is made of the potential loss of Red Bull from Formula 1 next season, but the disappearance of Toro Rosso could also have far-reaching consequences for a risk-averse sport.

With the seemingly never-ending Red Bull engine crisis appearing to be nowhere near a satisfactory resolution, Formula 1 still faces the very real possibility of the Austrian team packing up its bags and leaving.

And the consensus among the F1 fanbase is that, should they exit the sport, they would've had it coming.

Whether that's true or not, whether Red Bull treated its partners fairly, gave Renault enough credit or demanded too much from Mercedes and Ferrari is a topic for an entirely different column, but it might just be irrelevant in light of the possibility of F1 coming up four cars short next season.

And, perhaps, the most tragic outcome of that potential exit would be the loss of Scuderia Toro Rosso – a team that has been a driving force of change in the stagnant, risk-averse F1 driver market.

Talent logjam

The massive, expansive junior ladder F1 produces potential future stars every year and it is crucial that the sport somehow finds a way to slot them into the sport.

Usually, that role is played by the minnows, but the uncompetitive nature of F1's newer teams (and their subsequent demises) combined with the fact more established midfield squads have been swimming in debt means that the best and brightest juniors are not having an easy time entering the sport.

This is how we've arrived at a situation the likes of Robin Frijns and James Calado have not gotten a shot at F1 despite superb stints in FR3.5 and GP2 respectively – and a situation where Stoffel Vandoorne, who ruled GP2 with an iron fist in 2015, is facing a 2016 on the sidelines.

Hiring juniors is, understandably, a risk, and you shouldn't expect financially embattled teams like Sauber, Force India and Lotus to do so unless absolutely necessary.

Ferrari and Mercedes on the other hand can theoretically afford to take a punt on the best juniors out there - but they don't, unwilling to sacrifice one of the points-paying seats for the goal.

Toro Rosso, meanwhile, means Red Bull has no such problem.

Over its 10 years in Formula 1, Toro Rosso gave eight drivers their debuts – and 10 racers spent their first full season with the squad. No other organisation can boast that record and understandably so, for providing a launchpad for emerging F1 careers is STR's very purpose.

But while lots of very valid questions can be raised about STR's treatment of its drivers, the famous late December firings of Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari being a vivid example, the fact remains that its services have been invaluable to F1.

Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel had his debut season with Toro Rosso, Daniel Ricciardo honed his skills under the team's wing to later become the sport's 'MVP' last year, and it now fields two spectacular drivers in Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz.

Perhaps all of those four would have been able to find a place in F1 without STR being around, but it would've been at someone else's expense – and the sport didn't exactly have many drivers undeserving of their seats over the past few years.

Stagnation at the top

Despite having Toro Rosso at their disposal, it's arguable that Red Bull held on to its Webber/Vettel line-up for a bit too long – five seasons, between 2009 and 2013.

But its approach seems to have changed more recently as it opted for the relatively unproven Ricciardo over a more experienced candidate like Kimi Raikkonen when Webber retired, and then replaced Ferrari-bound Vettel with Kvyat with little hesitation.

Meanwhile, the Brackley squad, despite having gone through two major identity changes, has switched all of three drivers over the past 10 years. Ferrari's record, if you exclude replacement drivers Luca Badoer and Giancarlo Fisichella, is basically identical, despite the fact the team's second drivers have gotten slack for being uncompetitive year after year.

That's not to say frontrunning F1 teams have completely refused to take chances with rookies or, at the very least, line-up changes – McLaren has given two drivers their debuts and both, in their first F1 race, stood on the podium.

For some reason, however, it's no longer fond of that approach, and an obvious third debutant will have to wait until at least 2017.

Fallout

If Red Bull and Toro Rosso exit, the grid could be stuck at 18 cars and four super-strong drivers will be out of a seat.

Even if we assume that that quartet won't be in the hunt for '16 seats with other teams, that still leaves the market in a rather precarious position, with no changes at Mercedes, Ferrari, Williams, Force India or Sauber.

And while Romain Grosjean's decision to switch to Haas could've shaken things up, Enstone's remaining driver Pastor Maldonado has made it clear he wants an experienced teammate alongside – while Haas is extremely unlikely to take on a rookie as well.

In other words, all ports of entry to F1, save for Manor (which could very well keep its current line-up), will be closed.

Of course, the solution could be third cars – it certainly seems favored by Mercedes' boss Toto Wolff among others – but for that to be meaningful in terms of opportunities for juniors, F1 would probably have to write in a rule, limiting those cars to drivers with less than a certain number of Grands Prix under their belts.

But would that really make up for a loss of four cars, supplied by an organisation that has been willing, able and successful at introducing new stars into the sport?

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McLaren brings gearboxes "back from the dead"

McLaren has managed to bring the two gearboxes that overheated dramatically at the Singapore Grand Prix "back from the dead", despite fears they had suffered catastrophic damage.

Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso were forced to retire from the Marina Bay race last month after their gearboxes suffered excessive overheating far beyond their design limits.

In fact, in McLaren's history, no gearbox has ever experienced such high temperatures and survived.

Debris cause

Motorsport.com has learned that the overheating was caused by tyre rubber debris and fallen leaves blocking the gearbox oil cooler, meaning that temperatures began to climb.

As the gearbox oil heated up, the heat became so high that it reflowed the solder and aluminium components inside the electrical sensors, meaning that the engineers were racing ‘blind’ without data to monitor the escalating temperatures.

Consequently, the decision was taken to retire both cars on safety grounds, rather than suffer costly on-track failures.

Factory miracle

Although it was feared that the damage had been so considerable that the gearboxes would have to be scrapped, McLaren has discovered that there were minimal consequences

McLaren’s acting CEO Jonathan Neale said: “When the gearbox operates at those sorts of extreme temperatures, you start to see some pretty catastrophic degradation of the internal components: the steels start to soften, and the gearbox teeth start to break.

“At those temperatures, you also start to see the internal bulkhead glue joints begin to fail, and the carbon starts to degrade and lose its structural properties.

“But we have discovered that the gearbox casings had survived intact, despite experiencing temperature surges more than 45 percent higher than they’d been designed to sustain.”

Highest ever survivable temperatures

Neale reckons that the fact the gearboxes survived was testament to the work of fuel and lubricants supplier ExxonMobil in delivering oil that minimised damage.

“It’s an incredible testament to ExxonMobil and their gearbox oil that we were able to return to the factory, inspect the gearboxes, run them on the dyno, and discover that they’d suffered no functionality issues whatsoever,” he said.

“When you take into account the loads inside an F1 gearbox and the fact that most of the time the oil is just a mist with the merest thin film on the shields, it’s a credit to Mobil’s technology.

“The gearbox team looked over our historical data, and those casings endured the highest-ever survivable operating temperatures we’ve ever recorded, yet they were run on the dyno with functionality identical to a brand-new casing.

“We really brought these gearboxes back from the dead – and that’s unbelievable.”

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Lewis Hamilton on Instagram, his rivalry with Nico Rosberg and his new love for F1

As you might expect of a man on the verge of his third Formula One title, Lewis Hamilton is in a good mood. Fresh from a trip to Miami -- and a brief stop in New York to walk his dogs -- the 2015 champion-elect landed in Austin in the early hours of Wednesday ahead of this weekend's US Grand Prix.

As invited guests to a media day with Mercedes team partner Epson, ESPN finds Hamilton at a go-kart track talking to a journalist over the phone -- his eighth interview of the afternoon. As he puts down the receiver, he jokes: "I feel like I've been working in a call centre." A day of media duties is drawing to an end for Hamilton, but I'm happy to report the good mood remains as our cameras start to roll.

In truth, Hamilton has been in a good mood almost all year. His 2014 title campaign had very obvious low points before finally reaching the high of beating team-mate Nico Rosberg to win his second world championship in Abu Dhabi. This year has not been without its trials, but his form has barely fluctuated. To quote Mercedes' technical boss Paddy Lowe, Hamilton has been at the "peak of his game".

"I really do feel like I'm in my element right now," Hamilton agrees. "You'd hope that I am in my best place because you are supposed to grow every year and learn every year.

"A Formula One car should be the best it's been through its lifespan at any given point and I should also be better as a driver now than I ever have been, and I am. All round, in terms of my outside attitude, how I approach work, it seems to work. I arrive [at the track] and it's not easy, but it's enjoyable. I have a new love for it now."

That new love has directly translated into results this year. If there was a weakness in Hamilton's 2014 campaign it was his qualifying performances, but this year he has taken 11 pole positions from 15 races. Like any sportsman at the top of his game, Hamilton cast a critical eye over his performances at the end of last season and made sure he targeted his weaknesses.

"Last year I had some good pole positions and I've always had speed since I was a kid, so it's not a question of speed, it's about putting laps together and your mental approach to those laps. It's about the process, set-up wise, from the start of practice to get to the start of qualifying.

"The times I have not had pole this year have tended to be the times I have not had the set-up perfect, whereas last year I probably had the set-up more perfect more than I got pole position, so that was why I had to tweak more of my own mental approach. This year has been more about making sure I got the car to match what I need and I have done that more often than not."

For team-mate Nico Rosberg, Hamilton's new-found qualifying form has made a title bid almost impossible. Rosberg's championship hopes hang by a thread as Hamilton only has to outscore his team-mate by two points on Sunday to knock him out of contention with three rounds remaining. Sebastian Vettel is now Hamilton's closest rival, although a nine-point advantage over him on Sunday would be enough to kill off the Ferrari driver's chances for another year.

Realtions with Rosberg

It's been a hugely impressive campaign for Hamilton, but neutral fans hoping for the second instalment of the Rosberg v Hamilton rivalry may feel slightly short changed. In 2014 a series of blows and counter blows between the two Mercedes drivers made for enthralling viewing, but this year the blue touchpaper hasn't been lit. Could it be that the events of last year were never quite as bad as the media portrayed? Hamilton insists not.

"[The stories] were absolutely true -- it's a competition and it's intense, so it's got to be tough. One day when I write a biography about it, people will have more of an insight into it, which I look forward to doing! But it was definitely tough, as you would expect in a lot of tight battles.

"We have been racing together for years, but this year I think he's grown up and I've grown up and we've learned to be able to work better. There is still tension there; every weekend he wants to beat me and vice-a-versa, so there will always be that tension there as long as we compete. But then I get home and I walk into my building [in Monaco] and he's there with his wife and his baby and I just go over and talk -- there's no tension. It's only when we are at the track, because it's do or die and you want to beat the other guy."

Away from the circuit

While Hamilton's title campaign hasn't filled the sports pages as much as it did last year, his extra-curricular activities have found plenty of space in the gossip columns. His liberal use of social media to document his downtime has offered an irresistible insight into the life of a 30-year-old millionaire. Whether you want to follow the latest scrapes of his pet bulldogs Roscoe and Coco or you want to see how best to party at Barbados' Crop Over festival, Hamilton has allowed fans a glimpse of his extraordinary lifestyle. But rather than showing off, he insists his Instagram feed is more about showing what it is possible with hard work and determination.

"It was a conscious decision to show more [this year]. I've got a great following, great fans and when I'm travelling places, I'm like: 'Do you realise what we have just experienced, where we've just been and how we've travelled?' I'm always very conscious of my surroundings and this is the dream and I want to share it with people.

"I'm fortunate enough and have worked hard enough to get to where I am and that's why I like sharing it to show where you can get to. If you follow me, the majority of time you want to see what I'm up to, so I just try to engage as much as I can."

It's no wonder F1's ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone keeps saying Hamilton is good for business. When he's not leading the way on the track, he's promoting Formula One off it and reaching new fans along the way. He is reaping the rewards of a bold decision three years ago to leave McLaren -- the team that kept him on a tight leash after nurturing his career since the age of 13 -- for the relative freedom of his contract with Mercedes. With it has come the significant bonus of 20 grands prix victories and Hamilton has never looked back.

"I never been one of those people to say: 'I told you so'. I'm not like that. But I feel good about my decision, I'm happy in this team about how my life is but also about driving this car and working with the people I'm working with and the partners we have like Epson. But for sure you can just walk around with a smile on your face and be proud.

"I followed my heart and did what I thought was right -- and that's the key for anyone from whatever walk of life you are from; you need to do what is right for you and not what others tell you to do. That was a good experience for me to do my own due diligence and come up with a decision."

Long may the good mood continue.

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HAMILTON: AMERICAN SPORTS CAN HELP F1 REACH NEW FANS

Formula 1 should link up with mainstream American sports like basketball and football to reach new audiences in the United States, world champion Lewis Hamilton suggested on Thursday.

Asked at a United States Grand Prix news conference how the sport could create “more enthusiasm in urban black America for Formula One”, and among urban kids in general, Hamilton listened to rivals before offering an opinion.

“Maybe Formula One can start to engage more with the NFL or with the other sports,” said the only black driver on the starting grid.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an NBA player come (to a race). I’ve had a friend come once. Otherwise it’s never really been anyone from those sports, different kind of sports.”

Hamilton, who could claim his third championship and second in a row for Mercedes in Sunday’s race, recognised it was difficult for many Americans to relate to his sport.

Coming from an under-privileged background himself, the grandson of emigrants from the West Indies whose family had little money and no prior involvement in motorsport, Hamilton knows about reaching new audiences.

But he also recognises the difficulties, “Obviously they’re crazy about NFL and NBA and they are sports that you can just go and buy the equipment, buy a ball or a racket and go play down the road or in the street, whereas karting, you can’t.”

“I was very lucky, my Dad bought me a go-kart and we drove it around a car park, like a DIY Homestore car park for a while, but there’s not that much accessibility for kids who say ‘Hey, I want to go go-karting’.”

Hamilton is a regular visitor to the United States and, with friends in the music industry and Hollywood, has a high profile on celebrity websites and social media as he mixes with the likes of singer Rihanna and the Kardashian family.

“As you can see I’m doing as much as I can but I’m only one person,” said the 30-year-old who spent time at a fashion show in New York before flying to Austin.

“Yesterday I was go-karting with some kids, there were two black kids with us. One passed me, the first time I’d ever been on a track with a black kid and, coming past it was like seeing myself come by. It was kind of funny. It was good.”

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ROSSI ENDS USA’S EIGHT-YEAR DRIVER WAIT

Alexander Rossi will become the first American Formula One driver to race on home soil for eight years when he lines up for the Manor Marussia team in this weekend’s United States Grand Prix.

The 24-year-old Californian took part in practice with the Caterham team in 2013, but is relishing his chance to play a full role in this year’s event at the Circuit of the Americas.

“This is my fourth year here and in each of the four years I’ve talked about what a great facility this is, what a great venue this is and how proud I am to be an American,” he said on Thursday.

“Now, to finally have a chance to drive here -– and it has been a long road for me -– I just can’t wait to get started.”

Alexander Rossi (USA) Manor Marussia F1 Team.

22.10.2015. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 16, United States Grand Prix, Austin, Texas, USA, Preparation Day.

Rossi added that he believes he has a “very good” chance of retaining his Manor seat full-time next year when they hope to move into the midfield group, having secured a supply of Mercedes engines.

Rossi was signed by the back of the grid outfit for five of this year’s final seven races.

“There are a lot of other drivers for this seat,” said Rossi.

“At this time of the year, there always are but there are limited seats around. I think my chances are very good, I’m happy here and I want to stay.”

Rossi had been linked with the new Haas team, but that did not lead to a seat as the American newcomers signed Frenchman Romain Grosjean to lead them into their debut season.

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PEREZ FEARS MAGNUSSEN WILL STRUGGLE TO STAY IN F1

Sergio Perez fears Kevin Magnussen, who replaced the Mexican at McLaren at the end of 2013, will struggle to keep his Formula One career alive now that the Dane has also been rejected by the team.

“It’s a shame for Kevin because he came into a very difficult time at McLaren, similar to my time there,” Force India driver Perez told reporters at the U.S. Grand Prix on Thursday.

“I was lucky to find another team and keep my Formula One career. For him it is going to be a lot more difficult right now because there are not many places out there and he already missed a year in Formula One.”

Magnussen, who turned 23 this month, has been McLaren’s reserve driver this season after losing his race seat to double world champion Fernando Alonso.

He made a strong debut in 2014, with his second place in the Australian season-opener ranking as the best debut by a rookie since Canadian Jacques Villeneuve in 1996.

With 2009 champion Jenson Button staying for another season, and Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne winning the GP2 support series and likely to take the reserve role if he cannot secure a race seat, McLaren had nothing to offer Magnussen.

He has said he was informed of that fact by email on his birthday.

Perez, who had a difficult season at McLaren alongside Button, was cut loose at a similarly late point in the year when most seats are already taken.

“I really hope for him, because he deserves a seat in the sport, that he finds a seat,” the Mexican, who feared for his own future at the time, said of Magnussen.

Cash-strapped Lotus are one team who do have a place although their future has yet to be secured despite Renault being close to finalising a takeover.

The new Ferrari-powered Haas F1 team, who are set to make their debut next year, also have a vacancy but Ferrari reserve Esteban Gutierrez looks likely to get that seat due to close links with Maranello and his solid sponsors.

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner gave a hint in Gutierrez’s direction when he spoke this week of what he was looking for.

“Someone who has driven an F1 car, of the current generation, money is always important because it costs a lot of money, and North America is a nice place for a driver to come from,” he said.

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RICCIARDO: I AM CONFIDENT WE WILL BE RACING 2016

Australian Daniel Ricciardo said on Thursday that he felt confident he will be on the Formula One grid in a Red Bull car next year, despite the team’s lack of a confirmed engines supplier.

He said that he is more concerned with ensuring that he is at the wheel of a competitive and well-designed car than he is by the team’s ongoing struggle to secure excellent power units.

“Not much has changed to be honest,” he told reporters at a news conference ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix.

“We are still not really confirmed with anything yet, but I am confident we will be racing. I’m confident we will be there and hopefully competitive. I think that is the bigger thing.

“I have confidence we will be on the grid, but the concern is can we be competitive? This year, we have got a couple of podiums which is nice, but certainly not enough to keep us extremely happy.

“We want to be competitive again and I think that is just as important as being on the grid.”

Red Bull have said they may pull out of F1 next year if they do not have a competitive engine after being frustrated by current supplier Renault’s poor power units.

They served notice on ending their agreement with Renault in July, but may consider continuing with the French company after failing in bids to secure a supply of power units from Mercedes and Ferrari.