FORMULA 1 - 2015

[MIKA27]

ANALYSIS: MUCH ADO ABOUT F1 ENGINES, AS DRIVERS’ TITLE BATTLE LACKS DRAMA

Ferrari’s decision to incur a grid penalty for both drivers in Austin, due to a change of engines, makes it even more likely that Lewis Hamilton will clinch the title on Sunday. In comparison with previous years the title battle at this stage of the season lacks drama, but there is plenty going on behind the scenes with engines taking centre stage at the moment.

Efforts continue to get a competitive engine supply for Red Bull for next year, with a deal with Renault the most likely option; Bernie Ecclestone is still negotiating prize money with Renault for its return as a team owner and within that negotiation there is a deal to be done for Renault to bite the bullet and continue to supply Red Bull, thereby keeping two teams in F1.

Meanwhile among the manufactures and teams, discussions continue with regard to freeing up development, so that everyone can raise the pace of development and close the gap on Mercedes as quickly as possible; the show needs it.

We posted at the weekend that following the engine manufacturers’ meeting in Geneva last Friday, it was looking as though Ferrari was set to use its veto against the proposal to cap the price of engine supply at €12m for new engines and €8m for year old units.

That situation is likely to escalate, as it’s quite a big deal for Ferrari to invoke its right of veto over rule changes. Especially with feelings running high about the amount of power and influence the main manufacturers have over the sport since the switch to hybrid turbos in 2014.

This move from Ferrari also comes at an interesting time, as the EU competition commission is weighing up a complaint from Sauber and Force India about anti-competitive practices in the sport. Although this is primarily focussed on the uneven distribution of prize money among teams, the timing of a privileged competitor being able to exercise a veto right over the rules might cause a few raised eyebrows in Brussels.

Interestingly the new engines Ferrari is taking this weekend are not the rumoured ‘development’ units with a view to 2016, with a narrower base and a new gearbox. They are the same specification as the units introduced in Monza. Ferrari’s plan this year was to get to this specification as quickly as possible and that meant pulling forward the introduction of the various steps along the way, with Bahrain being the entry point for the second engine. This meant taking a penalty at this stage for the fifth engine for each driver. But they will have maximum power for the remaining four races.

Ferrari went to great lengths last season to avoid taking a penalty for a new engine; with Fernando Alonso leaving the team, they were content to run very small mileages in practice at the later events and not be seen to have needed a penalty during the inaugural year of the hybrid turbo engines, unlike Renault.

Meanwhile Renault has made available an updated engine this weekend for its customers Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely that either team will use it, as the performance gain does not offset the grid penalties that a new engine would bring.

“It’s available if we want to use it, that would mean a penalty though,” said Daniel Ricciardo. “We’ve got to understand if it is worth it. Last I heard it is not massive.

“My understanding is it is probably not worth taking.

“If we start from the back I don’t think we’ll make up the ground we would need. Right now we are less likely to take it.

“Hopefully today they’ll tell me the difference and we’ll find a bigger chunk of horsepower from it, but realistically it’s not going to be worth a lot.”

Renault needed to be seen to be trying to develop, as the other teams have done this year, using “tokens”. In the event that their dispute with Red Bull were to end up in court, it would not look good to have failed to take advantage of the rules allowing updates.

Beyond that, it will be interesting to see what development programme has been going on with regards to the 2016 engine at Viry Chatillon, given the ongoing problems and uncertainty around the Red Bull relationship and the acquisition of Lotus.

To compete in 2016 and make the kind of step Ferrari made on the power unit from 2014 to 2015 would require a massive investment and a new approach, as Ferrari undertook last season. Has Renault made a similar investment for 2016?

Honda meanwhile has one updated engine available for Fernando Alonso, the unit the Spaniard tested in Friday practice in Sochi and Jenson Button will get his own example at the next round in Mexico. It will be easy to compare the two this weekend – if we get ant dry running – to see what kind of performance step the new engine brings.

[Balboa]

Someone should run off Hamilton. Title wrapped up with three races to go. I'm surprised Bernie has not done a rule change to add to the excitement.

[Balboa]

This whole penalty thing is driving me nuts. Manufacturers can use their tokens to develop the engines, but if teams want to use them they get a grid penalty. I'm honestly so sick of F1 at the moment I'm considering not bothering to follow it any more.

Soon they will be handing out grid penalties for farting in the pit lane...

winning championships because another team has a grid penalty, how exciting. That is almost as exciting as winning a race by a quicker pitstop.

[MIKA27]

Soon they will be handing out grid penalties for farting in the pit lane...

That may be seen as some sort of illegal fuel

[MIKA27]

AUSTIN FP2: RAIN, THUNDER AND LIGHTNING STOPS PLAY

Thunderstorms, lightning and incessant rain over Circuit of the Americas on Friday was deemed heavy enough to force officials to abandon the FP2 session altogether.

“Marshals unable to work due to the proximity of lightning” was the message relayed from officials at race control just prior to the scheduled start of the 90-minute session at 2pm local time, but conditions never improved enough for the mandatory medical helicopter to fly.

As a result of the pelting rain Formula 1 teams end day one of the United States Grand Prix with no dry running.

Earlier, the morning session was staged on a damp track with the drivers using Pirelli’s intermediate tyres. Nico Rosberg ended the session fastest in his Mercedes. But valuable track time was lost and most of the running rendered meaningless.

The forecast for Saturday, when qualifying for Sunday’s potentially title-deciding race is scheduled, was no better with heavy rainfall likely in the Austin area.

“If it’s like this we can’t run today. I hope tomorrow’s better but the forecast doesn’t look any good,” said Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. “It’s a shame for the people in the grandstands.”

[MIKA27]

STEWART: HAMILTON CANNOT BE CALLED GREAT WHILE HE IS RACING

Lewis Hamilton can win his third Formula One world championship on Sunday but the Mercedes driver will have to wait a while longer before he can be truly hailed as one of the greats, according to Jackie Stewart.

The Scot, who became Britain’s first and so far only triple world champion in 1973, told Reuters at the U.S. Grand Prix that he was delighted with Hamilton’s success but the mantle of greatness would only come with time.

“He’s a top-flight racing driver. You can’t use the word great while they are still racing in my opinion. It takes years passing to get that status,” said the 76-year-old who can comfortably be ranked among the elite.

“I don’t think almost anybody had it until they were well past. In the case of (double world champion) Jim Clark, he was great but sadly after he died (in 1968). But he was the leading driver of his time.”

Hamilton, whose third title looks a racing certainty, will become the first British driver to take back-to-back titles if he beats Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel by nine points and team mate Nico Rosberg by two on Sunday.

The Briton, winner of nine races this year so far, leads Vettel by 66 points and Rosberg by 73 with four races remaining. He has already won more races (42) than any British driver and taken more pole positions (49).

Stewart, who retired as world champion after the 1973 U.S. Grand Prix, won 27 grands prix but at a time when there were fewer races on the calendar and the sport suffered far more fatal accidents.

Back then, he was second only to Argentina’s late five times champion Juan-Manuel Fangio with Australian Jack Brabham also on three titles.

Michael Schumacher (seven titles), Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel (four each) have surpassed the Scot since while Niki Lauda and Brazilians Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna equalled his three. All could be considered greats of the sport.

Hamilton comes from a very different era to Stewart and has always said that matching the achievements of the late Senna, who died in 1994, was his great ambition.

Matching his fellow Briton’s triple carries no great resonance for the 30-year-old.

“I understand that very well,” said the Scot.

“My hero after I retired of the current drivers was Prost, so when he beat my (third) title I was there and I really got a big kick out of it being handed over to him, if you know what I mean.”

“Lewis equalling my three world championships, I think it’s great. It’s good for Britain. I’ve got no regrets of it at all. I am more than pleased or proud to share that number of world championships with a British driver.”

Mercedes have been dominant for the past two seasons, thanks to the supremacy of their V6 turbo hybrid engine, but Hamilton has risen to the challenge more than ever.

Last year, when double points were awarded at the final race, the championship went down to the wire as a battle between the Briton and Rosberg despite Hamilton ending up with 11 wins to the German’s five.

This year he can become the first driver to win 10 races or more in successive seasons.

“It’s a remarkable team. He made a choice of that team and it’s delivered for him,” said Stewart, who has been critical in the past of Hamilton’s judgement and warned he was making a mistake when he left McLaren in 2012.

“It’s had such domination it could only be compared with the 20s or 30s when the Mercedes Benz and Auto Unions were racing or the 50s when Mercedes Benz came back to totally dominate with Fangio and Stirling (Moss).

“And then I suppose obviously Michael winning all those championships back to back with Ferrari, which was so dominant because of the superiority of their cars.

“It was difficult to judge the greatness of the drivers but we knew Michael was that good.”

[MIKA27]

PEREZ DROPS HINTS THAT GUTIERREZ WILL BE BACK ON F1 GRID

It is becoming increasingly evident by the day that a second Mexican driver will be added to the Formula 1 grid in 2016 and he is Esteban Gutierrez, the former Sauber racer who this year has been serving as Ferrari’s reserve.

The Ferrari link, bolstered by his sponsors who also now back the Maranello team, has apparently led to a race seat at Haas, which many describe as the new Ferrari ‘B team’.

Mexican sponsors including Claro and Telcel, however, are currently on both the Ferrari and the Force India driven by Guadalajara-born Sergio Perez.

So when asked if a third Mexican-backed team, Haas, could now complicate or endanger his own deal at Force India, Perez insisted: “We are talking about different teams. Another Mexican driver does not change anything for me, but I think we are both very lucky to be in the same championship.”

Perez on Thursday also commented on the fate of young Dane Kevin Magnussen, who like himself in 2013 has just been expelled by McLaren after just one year on the grid.

“I’m sorry for Kevin,” Perez said. “Like me, he came to McLaren in a difficult moment, but I was fortunate enough to keep pursuing my career by signing a contract with another team. It will be more difficult for him, as he has already missed one year.”

Indeed, Perez has patched up his image and career to the point that his podium at Sochi two weeks ago was a popular result up and down pitlane.

“By joining Force India,” he agreed, “I was given another chance to show what I could do, because the experience at McLaren had a negative impact on my reputation. I will always be grateful to Force India.”

[MIKA27]

RUSSIAN GP BOSS URGES ECCLESTONE TO REVIVE V8S

Russian grand prix chief Igor Ermilin has backed Bernie Ecclestone’s desire to force the return of screaming V8 power in formula one.

As Red Bull struggles to secure a V6 ‘power unit’ deal for 2016, and the issue of quiet engines remains a problem, the F1 supremo reportedly took the V8 proposal to a recent Geneva meeting.

The engine manufacturers, however, rejected Ecclestone’s idea, but the almost-85-year-old told The Independent: “I don’t think we should get consent from the teams. I think we should just do it and say to them ‘If you don’t like it you can go to arbitration’.”

During his recent joint interview with Max Mosley, Ecclestone told the German broadcaster ZDF that the issue of V6s not making enough noise “was pointed out to me again by some Russian people”.

Clearly, one of them was Ermilin, a leading official of the Russian grand prix and an advisor to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

“Ecclestone is absolutely right,” he told the major Russian broadsheet Izvestia. “Of course, to get around the veto of the FIA will not be easy, but Bernie is the master of such intrigue. I think he will do everything possible to drive the competitors into a corner.

“As far as I understand, Bernie is trying to pressure the engine manufacturers, or it is a real attempt to bring back the old engines. It is important to understand that this is not about money. Apparently, he is really concerned about what is happening,” Ermilin added.

[MIKA27]

LAUDA’S FUTURE AS F1 PUNDIT ON TV NOW IN DOUBT

Niki Lauda admits he is not sure he will still split his time between Mercedes and working for German television beyond this season.

At the Russian grand prix a fortnight ago, the F1 legend was conspicuously absent from his usual post in front of the cameras for the German broadcaster RTL.

“I have an agreement with RTL that I can miss one race,” Lauda explained. “I opted for Sochi.”

But Bild newspaper reports that Lauda, who is also Mercedes’ team chairman, will be back on duty for RTL this weekend in Austin.

As for what happens beyond the Abu Dhabi finale next month, however, Lauda admitted he does not know.

“My contract expires at the end of the season,” he confirmed. “I don’t know if it is going on with RTL. Until now we have not renegotiated.”

Earlier in 2015, it was rumoured that – amid dwindling television ratings – RTL might elect to stop its free-to-air coverage of formula one.

Ultimately, a new deal with Bernie Ecclestone was done, but rumours suggest the price was drastically slashed.

So the new rumour is that RTL might also now be looking to slash Lauda’s appearance fee, which is apparently as high as EUR 1 million per year.

[MIKA27]

GROSJEAN AND SAINZ FIT IN AFTERMATH OF SOCHI CRASHES

Romain Grosjean and Carlos Sainz, both victims of separate high-speed crashes a fortnight ago in Russia, say they are fully recovered.

Toro Rosso’s Sainz checked himself out of hospital in the wake of his qualifying crash and raced, admitting afterwards that he had felt slightly dizzy.

But in Austin, the young Spaniard says he is now “more than fit”.

As for Frenchman Grosjean, telemetry showed that he suffered an almost 40G deceleration when he lost control at approaching 300kph and hit the wall.

He told RMC Sport afterwards that he felt as though he had fallen from a 10-storey window.

But “The next day,” Lotus driver Grosjean was quoted on Thursday by Auto Motor und Sport, “I had a PR event for Microsoft. I thought I would be running around all day with a stiff neck, but there was nothing.”

Lotus has said there was no sign that a car fault caused the crash, but Grosjean had expressed some concerns that the financially-troubled team might struggle to find enough spare parts to put it back together.

Team engineer Alan Permane admitted there was damaged to the actual crash structures on the right side of the chassis, “But we can fix it here on site”.

He also revealed that the gearbox survived the impact and will be used again.

[MIKA27]

FIA ready to change Austin F1 qualifying schedule

The FIA will make a call early on Saturday morning about whether or not to change the timetable for qualifying day for the United States Grand Prix with more poor weather conditions predicted in Austin.

Bad weather already forced second free practice at Circuit of the Americas to be cancelled after lightning storms hit the track – and then it was decided that the medical helicopter could not take off.

Current predictions are for the worst of the weather to pass over the track later on Saturday, so the FIA is considering moving the schedule forward.

Motorsport.com understands the call will be made based on the best available information at 0700 (local time) tomorrow.

Curfew issue

The problem with bringing final free practice forward from its current 1000 start to 0900 is that it would eat into the time the teams have after the end of the overnight curfew, and some may not have enough time to complete their usual workloads.

However, even if practice does not move it would be possible to shorten the lunch break and run qualifying an hour earlier, moving it from 1300 to 1200.

If there is no qualifying at all – even on Sunday morning when more rain is forecast – then the grid will probably be based on final practice times, as the rules state that if drivers don't set qualifying times then FP3 is taken into account.

If there is no more track running at all prior to the race then the Stewards have other options.

They could use championship positions, FP1 times or even race numbers to set a grid.

[MIKA27]

Horner: Red Bull held talks with VW about F1 deal

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has confirmed that his outfit did hold talks with Volkswagen about a future partnership in Formula 1.

While his team continues to search for a competitive power unit deal that will guarantee its future in F1, Horner said on Friday that VW had been a serious option longer term.

However, with the German car manufacturer engulfed in the controversy over emissions testing, Horner says the plan has now gone out of the window.

But, he also intriguingly suggested that certain 'promises' had been made to his outfit by other manufacturers regarding future engine deals.

"Of course it is publicly known that there have been discussions with the VW group, but obviously with their current issues, F1 is the last thing on their mind," he said.

"There were other discussions, that will become apparent no doubt in the future as well, and other promises that were made.

"There is an awful lot of speculation and conjecture at the moment, but once everything is finalised everything will become extremely clear."

It is unclear who Horner was speaking about in relation to certain 'promises' that were made, but it is most likely to refer to Mercedes, which Red Bull believed was ready to supply engines before it elected to veto the idea.

No deal yet

Red Bull's engine plans for 2016 are still not confirmed, and it has emerged in Austin that Honda could now be a possibility for the team as a short-term solution.

Ferrari and Mercedes do not want to supply power units, and although a deal with Renault remains possible, it is understood that neither party is particularly eager for their relationship to continue.

Horner said that there were numerous options still available, and that nothing could be ruled out, although suggested the Renault situation would become clearer imminently.

"Obviously discussions have been going on with Renault to understand what their plans are for next year, but until they commit to be in F1 or not, it is difficult at this stage to take it any further.

"We have an agreement with Renault that runs until the end of next year, about which there has been a lot of speculation. I am sure there will be confirmation of that agreement in the coming days."

Stay in F1

The fact that Red Bull is considering Renault or Honda for engines shows that Horner is not resigned to the outfit quitting F1.

"For me it is not an option," said Horner about the team not being in F1. "We have to find a solution and I am working very hard to ensure that the team is on the grid and competitive for next year and beyond."

When asked if it was still an option for Dietrich Mateschitz, Horner said: "Of course it is, it is his team at the end of the day.

"But he recognises the commitment and skill and determination within the team and he wants to find a solution going forward.

"He is committed to helping that behind the scenes and is involved in numerous discussions to try to facilitate that."

[MIKA27]

Palmer secures Lotus race seat for 2016

Jolyon Palmer will partner Pastor Maldonado at the Lotus Formula 1 team next season, the Enstone-based team announced on Friday.

The Briton, the GP2 champion in 2014, joined the team as its reserve driver for this year, running in Friday practice in several grands prix.

Palmer will take the seat left vacant by Romain Grosjean, who will race with the Haas F1 team next season.

The 24-year-old Briton, the son of former F1 driver Jonathan, made his debut at the wheel of F1 machinery last year, when he tested for the Force India team.

He secured the GP2 crown in 2014 with DAMS, beating this year's champion and McLaren protege Stoffel Vandoorne to the title.

"It feels pretty unbelievable! It's been such a long journey and I'm so glad to have been confirmed as a race driver with the team next year," Palmer said.

"A lot of hard work has gone into preparing for this to happen and into proving what I'm capable of delivering.

"I'm very grateful to everyone who has so far helped me at the team; I'm now looking forward to 2016 and to build on the experience that I already have."

Team boss Gerard Lopez added: "We are very pleased to announce that exciting British racing talent Jolyon Palmer is promoted to a race seat with the team for next season.

"We've seen Jolyon's hard work and talent this season in the way he's approached his third driver role and he is a really popular choice for the team.

"As well as having a great future ahead of him behind the wheel, Jolyon is an intelligent and highly marketable asset to the team. He deserves this opportunity, and everyone at Enstone is excited to see what he can achieve next year."

[MIKA27]

Red Bull linked with Honda engine move

Red Bull could make a surprise switch to Honda power next season, with the Japanese manufacturer having emerged as a serious option now for the Milton Keynes-based team.

With no 2016 engine deal having yet been sorted, Red Bull is continuing to try to find a solution needed to ensure it can stay in F1.

Mercedes and Ferrari have already ruled out deals for the team next year, and a potential reconciliation with Renault is thought to be unlikely due to the breakdown in their relationship, but there remains a chance the power units can be rebadged.

Although Honda had previously been ruled out, sources suggest that it is now back on the table, if the Japanese manufacturer can be convinced to expand its supply deal.

Red Bull could call on Bernie Ecclestone to help convince Honda on that front.

Should a contract come off, then Red Bull's sister team Toro Rosso could be given the green light to complete a deal for 2015 Ferrari engines.

Customer stance

Honda has previously ruled out having any customer teams next year, because of the time-scale in getting more engines ready for 2016.

Motorsport boss Yasuhisa Arai has consistently said that the plan was only to supply McLaren next year, while a Honda spokeswoman said last month that a change of stance was unlikely.

"As Arai-san has said, Honda has no plans of supplying a second team next year, and this has not changed," she said.

"As Honda have always said since returning to Formula 1, we are open to supplying additional teams in the near future.

"However, as it is very late in the 2015 calendar year to make such decisions, it is unlikely that we will be supplying any other teams for the 2016 season.

"The combination of a new power unit and a new chassis will require additional development from both parties."

Any expansion of Honda's supply deals for 2016 and beyond would need approval from McLaren, but the team may feel that progress with the power unit could be helped if there were two teams running the engines.

Although Honda may not appear to be the most competitive option for Red Bull right now, the updated engine delivered at the Russian Grand Prix gave some encouragement that progress is being made.

So there may be a view that the company could make the performance steps needed this winter to become more competitive.

[MIKA27]

Alonso pleased with McLaren progress

Fernando Alonso has lamented the poor conditions in Austin as he felt it prevented McLaren from demonstrating the progress they have made.

The Spaniard is using the new-spec Honda engine at this weekend's United States Grand Prix and there were plenty of encouraging signs during FP1 as he was ninth fastest and completed 18 laps despite poor conditions.

He and the rest of the grid were unable to complete any laps in the afternoon though as FP2 at the Circuit of the Americas was cancelled due to thunderstorms, but the two-time World Champion is nevertheless pleased with what he saw in the morning.

"It’s a pity we couldn’t get any running under our belts this afternoon," Alonso said. "We had a productive morning session, running through some power unit and aero evaluations. There’s definitely progress being made, and it would’ve been nice to have further validated those changes in FP2.

"This afternoon, the rain was just too heavy for us to run safely. I can’t remember the last time I saw weather like that – it was unbelievable. In these situations, the highest priority is to keep the fans and competitors safe – so we made the right decision today."

[MIKA27]

HAMILTON: THREE F1 TITLES IS LIKE GETTING TO TOP OF MOUNT EVEREST

Lewis Hamilton will achieve the dream of a lifetime if he secures his third Formula One world championship in Austin on Sunday but he will then face a question as big as Texas: What next?

Like a mountaineer one step away from conquering the highest peak, the Mercedes driver knows he also stands on the edge of uncertainty as he goes into the U.S. Grand Prix.

Without wanting to preempt anything, go into ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ or even acknowledge that the weekend felt in any way out of the ordinary, Hamilton recognised that he would have to refocus his career ambitions.

“I could imagine that, for me it would be like getting to the top of Mount Everest. I mean, what do you do next?” he said of the prospect of matching the three titles of his boyhood hero, the late Brazilian Ayrton Senna.

The answer for most would simply be win more championships and races, but Senna’s triple has a particular resonance for Hamilton.

The 30-year-old, who has already overtaken the Brazilian’s tally of race wins, has always wanted to win three. Not seven like Michael Schumacher, or four like Sebastian Vettel, but to do what Senna did.

As he said in Japan two weeks ago, he never aspired to be like any other driver.

“There’s no higher mountain but there are equally tough challenges in maybe lower mountains. Things just change, so I really don’t know,” said the Briton, as he continued to ponder how he might react.

“I am going to keep on wanting to win. That is never going to change in me. That competitiveness I have in me is just in my blood.

“The other day we were bowling with some people, and we had some girls with us and I could not for the life of me let them win. That competitiveness will always be there. I can’t even fathom what’s beyond it

“I never thought beyond three (titles). I didn’t even think I would have two.”

Hamilton won his first title with McLaren in 2008, with his father present, and took his second with Mercedes last year in the final race — again with father and family present.

This time, he just has his pet bulldog ‘Roscoe’ for company and he said he was not expecting any family to join him.

“At the moment it just feels like another weekend. It really, really does. Which I’m actually happy about,” he told British reporters.

“Last year, the last race was an intense period — I might have it or might not have it. But now I’m in a good position with four races (to go).

“I’ve set up my mind up knowing I’ve got these four races to win the championship. My goal is to cross the line in Abu Dhabi as champion, not cross the line in Austin as champion. If it happens, then great but otherwise no extra pressure.”

The Briton has won nine races in 15 this season and could become the first champion to win 10 or more in successive years, as well as Britain’s first back-to-back champion.

So will that make him a ‘legend’, one of the greats who transcends the sport?

“I hope at some stage I might be. I think that would be a positive,” said the sport’s first black world champion. “I mean, I’m doing not too bad.

“When you look at those people who have done wonders in their sports and really stood out, I hope at some stage when I come to the end hopefully people will stay I did stood out. I do stick out like a sore thumb compared to the other drivers.”

[MIKA27]

Seb: Maybe the rain can help us

The wet conditions in Austin could prove to be blessing in disguise for Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari at the United States GP.

Vettel and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen started the race weekend on the back foot after it was confirmed that both Ferrari drivers would receive 10-place grid penalties after engine changes.

The four-time World Champion and the rest of the F1 pack didn’t get much running on Friday at the Circuit of the Americas though as they only completed a handful of laps in FP1 due to rain while FP2 was a complete washout.

If it continues to rain heavily for the rest of the weekend then it could play into Vettel and Ferrari’s hands.

“First of all we need to see what happens tomorrow and Sunday to see which way we have, but with the penalty maybe it can help us a little bit on Sunday,” the German said.

“We will remain calm and prepare the day tomorrow as a normal day and then see with the conditions what the day brings. It’s obviously a shame we didn’t get hardly any running today but everyone is in the same situation.”

Ferrari’s decision to change the engines this weekend has raised a few eyebrows as Vettel still has a mathematical chance of winning the title, but the 28-year-old is unfazed.

“I don’t think it’s a problem. It’s the plan and it’s always been the plan, so it’s wrong to point at this race and say that it’s a shame because it has been part of our plan and we’ve had all the advantages already and now we have to take the penalty into account,” he said.

[MIKA27]

Rosberg: Ferrari remain a threat

Despite both Ferraris facing grid penalties in Austin, Nico Rosberg admits Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen will "still" be a threat come Sunday.

This weekend both SF15-Ts will be fitted with new engines incurring 10-place grid drops for the drivers.

However, with adverse conditions expected to play a major role in the weekend'd proceedings, Rosberg has warned against writing off Ferrari's chances.

"It makes the weekend more simple for us," he told F1i.com.

"But they are still a threat from where they are because with the weather or whatever. It could make it an easier weekend.

"The frame of mind is that there is nothing to lose. I want to win and I have the opportunity to win, so it's a great target to have this weekend and I'm focused."

The Mercedes driver will line up on Sunday's US Grand Prix grid third in the Drivers' Championship having lost the position to Vettel through a DNF in Sochi.

Rosberg insists he is not focused on the battle with compatriot but is rather still chasing first.

"I never thought about finishing third because with my car, for sure, I'm still on for first at the moment and that's what I'm thinking about.

"Even if I know that it's tough, because I am realistic also and I need a lot of luck, but I'm fixed for that until you tell me it's not possible.

"As for whether he's German or not doesn't make a difference."

[MIKA27]

Qualcomm supplies Mercedes with high-speed wireless tech

San Diego-based Qualcomm Technologies has provided the Mercedes Formula 1 team with a high-speed wireless system, to allow download of telemetry from its cars during practice sessions.

Using a WiFi 5GHz spectrum system supplied by Qualcomm, Mercedes is able to utilize significantly improved data offloads, including information from its thermal-imaging tyre cameras.

The quicker data transfer of such large vehicle-dynamics files prevents more frequent trips to the garages to offload data using wired communications devices. These systems required a plug-in connection from the car to computers in the garages.

Data now gets transferred through high-speed wireless in the pitlane, enabling a quicker response to the data.

This means teams can begin work on the data before the car has even returned to the garage; meaning set-up changes can be discussed and completed in much less time.

During final qualifying, for example, having Wifi data transferred to the pits so quickly means there is now enough time to change tyre settings between the two runs.

“Innovation in motorsport”

This new system is the first of many in an agreement between Qualcomm Technologies and the Mercedes AMG Petronas team.

“Through this project we have learned new ways to use WiFi in the automotive environment,” said Derek Aberle, president of Qualcomm Inc.

“Innovation in motorsport often drives advancement seen in the consumer auto industry and we believe this technology, as well as other advanced wireless technologies has the potential to shape future developments in dedicated short range communications, vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to infrastructure communications.

“These types of technologies will lead to increased driver safety and provide important data pertaining to the vehicle’s journey.”

The system uses several of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 805 processors with the company’s VIVE 802.11ac WiFi. It encompasses a range of access points, including one in pit lane, one in the garage – both improving the speed of connectivity and data transfer.

Qualcomm is looking to advance this technology to the end of 2015 and throughout the 2016 F1 season, with potential system architecture changes and a planned migration to 802.11ad WiFi over a 60GHz spectrum.

These potential advancements should bring improvements to both speed and efficiency of data transfer.

Toto Wolff, head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport hailed the agreement between his group and the United States-based technology giant: “This is a tangible example of how our partners’ technologies are making a valued contribution to our success on track.”

Currently, Qualcomm is involved in more than 40 connected car programs with more than 15 OEMs globally; the company has been powering in-car connectivity for more than a decade.

[MIKA27]

F1 United States Grand Prix: Renault engine upgrade delayed until Brazil

Despite speculation that it might be used at this weekend's United States Grand Prix, Renault has confirmed that its updated V6 engine will not now run in anger before next month's Brazilian race.

The unit has been running on the dyno at Viry-Chatillon and, having initially been aimed at round 15 in Russia, seemed likely to debut at the Circuit of the Americas, but Renault Sport director of operations Remo Taffin confirmed on the opening day of the USGP that it's maiden appearance had been put back a couple of rounds.

Taffin also revealed that initial testing data showed the new engine – dubbed the D-spec – had yielded a small gain over the current unit, perhaps leading to the decision not to press it into operation in Austin.

“Basically, what we bring here is the new engine and it is worth something around two-tenths if we were to use it,” the Frenchman confirmed, “Obviously, this weekend, we're not going to use it for some good reasons.

“Basically, we decided it was not the best way to achieve the weekend and to get the most out of it. First, if you look at this weekend, taking the ten-place penalty [that would accompany another change of engine] versus what we would have gained, it doesn't seem to be worth it. Also, if you look at the conditions, when it's wet the Red Bull-Renault is much better in these kinds of conditions, so it's not worth taking a ten-place penalty. If you look at the opposition, some have decided to take some penalties so, all in all, we are happy not to have the engine in for this weekend.”

Despite admitting that such a minor gain in lap-time, Taffin insisted that, with other concerns taking Renault's attention at the start of the season, any advance was positive, with more likely to come ahead of 2016.

“If you look backwards and at our starting point, we had a few failures which we had to fix, and I already stated the fact that, by Barcelona, we were back on reliability,” he stated, “If you look at Barcelona in May, they only had two or three months to decide on what could be the last specification of the year and then you have to produce parts and so on. It's more the fact that what we get out of the engine at the minute is the image of what we had earlier. If we could take the engine we had on the dyno now and put it on the car now, then it could be half a second, but it's not ready.

“We're still developing what we have got. Whether there is going to be half a second, seven-tenths, I don't know. If we have a situation in 2016 where you have to fix your hardware in the first race and everything is frozen, maybe you have a different view with what you get to race one compared to if you have development through the season. The one thing I can say is, if you look at 2016 season, it's more like 0.5s or a second we would like to get. We know a second is the sort of gap we need to fill - that's the target we have got. Then we will try to do what we achieve this year.”

Taffin went on to say that there was still work to carry out on the latest engine, making the delay in its introduction more logical.

“It's also fair to say we obviously planned to bring this engine to the race, but we still wanted to have the full validation done,” he noted, “It has been running until today and it's fair to say we still have a few bits and pieces to sort out on the final validation so, all in all, we think the best is to delay it again. If we get a good opportunity at the next race or the race after, we will go for it.”

It appears unlikely that the new V6 will be taken to Mexico for the first race there in more than 30 years, with the unique atmospheric conditions playing a part in that decision.

“Mexico is a bit of a different story,” he pointed out, “First, we can't race the new engine in Mexico for some good reasons, which is it requires a different package for the car, so the bits which have been made for the engine is for the old spec. Even if we wanted to go there and use the new engine, we can't really do that because of installation.

“It's logistics. If you change the cooling system to cope with Mexico packaging, then you have to make some parts and the parts are made for the old spec. If you really look at Mexico, it's more a question of optimising what you've got. It's going to be like an unknown area, so going in to that grand prix with the new engine, I don't think would be the best thing anyway.”

The main focus of attention with the new unit has been on the ICE, and the combustion chamber in particular, but the work in total has seen Renault spend eleven of its remaining twelve development tokens.

“It's ICE and then parts that goes around,” Taffin revealed, “Sometimes, you need to spend the tokens on ancillaries and stuff like that that fit with the new combustion chamber and so on. I won't detail all the things, but the tokens are mainly to cope with the new combustion chamber.”

Taffin also explained that it was important to introduce the engine in order to meet FIA regulations on homologation.

“The fact is we obviously have the engine homologated now so, whenever we wish, we can run it, so it has been agreed by the FIA,” he explained, “Whether we are going to run it or not, I don't know. The answer to validate all this and, at the time of speaking, it's registered as one of our specifications.”

[MIKA27]

DELUGE HOLDS UP UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING

Constant heavy rain led to the ongoing postponement of qualifying for the United States Grand Prix, which has the potential to be the title decider come Sunday afternoon.

The session was due to start at 13:00 local time (1800GMT) following heavy storms that also led to delays and cancellations on Friday.

Opening free practice took place in damp conditions in the morning, but second practice on Friday afternoon was called off due to the conditions.

The third and final free practice session took place in very wet conditions and was curtailed by heavy rain on Saturday morning when the track was closed to fans until after noon.

Defending two-time world champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, who is hoping to win Sunday’s race to clinch his third world title, was fastest in that session ahead of nearest title rival four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari.

Many fans who were allowed into the circuit after the morning lockout complained at their treatment and at being prevented from seeing any cars in action on the track.

Despite the dreadful conditions on a very wet track, Hamilton had shown just why he is regarded as the best driver of his generation by clocking a fastest lap in 1:59.517 seconds.

The 30-year-old Briton’s lap was the only one to break the two-minute barrier as he, and most of his rivals, slithered, splashed and spun through steady rain and standing water in a session nobody had expected to see.

Hamilton can win his third title in Sunday’s race if he outscores Vettel by nine points and Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg by three.

Both Hamilton and Rosberg were among the men caught out in the conditions, but there was no arguing with Hamilton’s ability as he outpaced Vettel by 0.863 seconds.

Nico Hulkenberg was third fastest for Force India ahead of Valtteri Bottas of Williams, Carlos Sainz of Toro Rosso and Daniil Kvyat of Red Bull.

Kimi Raikkonen was seventh in the second Ferrari ahead of Daniel Ricciardo in the second Red Bull, Rosberg and Felipe Massa in the second Williams.

The luckless Rosberg had one major spin in which he hit the barriers and damaged the front wing of his Mercedes car.

It was a surprise to many that the session took place behind closed doors.

Mercedes technical boss Paddy Lowe said that the session had been run because “there is a chance that the times could be used for grid positions” if it is not possible to do any more practice or to hold a qualifying session.

The running of the practice session came after the circuit had said: “For the safety of our fans and employees, today’s opening has been delayed until noon. Further updates will be forthcoming.”

Qualifying could be put back to Sunday morning – the last time that happened was at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix when the Saturday session was postponed because of heavy rain.

In 2004, and in 2010, qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix was abandoned on Saturday because of a typhoon and it took place on Sunday morning.

[MIKA27]

HURRICANE PATRICIA MAY SPOIL F1 WEEKENDS IN TEXAS AND MEXICO

As rain streamed down and lightening spooked those cowering in the grandstands, F1 was forced to cancel the second Friday practice session in Austin, and Hurricane Patricia wreak further disappointment for Formula 1 fans.

One question it raised was, if the field can cope with fewer practice laps, why doesn’t formula one permanently cancel the long and unpopular ‘free practice’?

“If it’s the same for everyone, why not?” F1 veteran Felipe Massa told UOL amid the long periods of down-time on Friday. “If you reduce practice because nobody wants to watch them, no problem. We used to have the morning warmup (on Sunday) and once it went, nothing changed.”

That, however, is a debate for another day. The big issue now is whether Hurricane Patricia, reportedly the worst storm in the recorded history of weather, will totally spoil this weekend’s US grand prix.

And if it has brought this weekend’s grand prix into doubt, what will happen in the coming days when F1 is scheduled to travel to Mexico, where Patricia has actually struck the Pacific coast with its devastating 325kph winds.

On Friday at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas, marshals were not allowed at their posts amid the lightening and the medical helicopter could not fly, making practice impossible.

Over the circuit loudspeakers, spectators were told to seek shelter, and on local radio fans were urged to stay away from the track altogether.

And Red Bull boss Christian Horner told Bild newspaper: “I can’t see us driving a single metre here on Saturday. This (weather) is going to get worse.”

The rumour now is that F1 will have to scrap Saturday’s proceedings altogether, rescheduling it for Sunday, when the weather could be better.

But “It looks as though the rain will increase now,” agreed Steffen Dietz, representing the F1 specialist weather service Ubimet. “It could mean there is no qualifying at all. We are expecting local flooding in and around Austin.”

Williams’ Massa agreed: “If the forecasts are right, nothing will happen tomorrow (Saturday) and we will have to do qualifying and the race on Sunday. But that’s only if the conditions allow it. At the moment it’s wait and see.”

[MIKA27]

HAAS BOOKS F1 CHASSIS CRASH TESTS FOR JANUARY

Haas F1 Team’s preparations for its 2016 Formula 1 world championship season debut are speeding up.

Gunther Steiner, the new American team’s boss, is on site in Austin this weekend, and on Friday was spotted chatting with Esteban Gutierrez in the Ferrari hospitality.

Mexican Gutierrez, currently the Ferrari reserve, is expected to be named as Romain Grosjean’s teammate within the next few days. F1 legend Mario Andretti admits Grosjean is an excellent choice.

“I know that (team owner) Gene (Haas) is already talking about points, and if he succeeds with Romain Grosjean I say ‘Chapeau!'” he told Welt newspaper. “In any case, they have put a great driver under contract.”

Unlike the failed US F1 project, the sport’s latest American entrant is preparing at full speed for its debut, with Steiner revealing in Austin that the crash-tests for the chassis have been “booked in” for early January.

“So we have everything well under control,” he told Sport Bild.

Haas has raised eyebrows but also turned heads with its innovative approach to starting a new team, by allying strongly with Ferrari to buy any and all components that are allowed under the ‘customer car’ rules.

“We couldn’t make those parts any better than Ferrari can,” said Steiner, “so that’s why we’re buying them.

“Even to drive in the middle of formula one, let’s say with a Sauber or Force India, the technology standard is insanely high,” he explained.

“If you start from zero, like Caterham or HRT did, we know how it ends. That’s is why we are trying something different, and we believe it will work out.”

[MIKA27]

FIA TO LAUNCH TENDER FOR NEW F1 ENGINE SUPPLIER

The FIA has agreed to launch a tender process for a new parallel engine formula, according to Auto Motor und Sport, reporting that Bernie Ecclestone has managed to convince FIA president Jean Todt.

Ecclestone, backed by his old sparring partner Max Mosley, has made clear that he thinks the current 1.6 litre, V6 ‘power unit’ rules are ruining F1 because they are expensive, Mercedes is dominating and car manufacturers are effectively running the sport politically.

So, for 2017, the FIA will open a tender for an independent supplier of 2.2 litre, twin-turbo V6 engines, which will be an affordable EUR 6 million and fully competitive with Mercedes. It follows Ecclestone’s earlier plan to simply resurrect the old screaming V8s.

“It (V8) was quite simple technology compared to what we have now, so the costs were significantly lower,” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said in Austin.

“But the machinery (the power units) that we have now, they are incredible bits of equipment. I think what we need to do is rather than look backwards, look forwards as to what should the engine develop to be for the future.

“I think there are elements of what we have that are strong at the moment but I think it can be improved and I would certainly love to see the volume go back up and certainly the cost of development come down,” he added.

The ‘parallel engine’ solution would also potentially solve Red Bull’s engine supply crisis, brought on by Mercedes and Ferrari in having blankly refused to sell them a ‘power unit’.

The new ‘2.2 litre’ plan will, predictably, be opposed by the current manufacturers, but Horner hinted that the threat of a European Commission investigation could lead to a compromise.

Force India and Sauber are already complaining about ‘anti-competitive’ strategy groups and income distribution, so “does that mean that we could say that teams unwilling to supply engines is anti-competitive?” Horner said. “So everything could therefore end up in the Commission.”

Auto Motor und Sport said the FIA is preparing to launch the tender as early as next week, with Cosworth and Ilmor tipped to launch application bids.

[MIKA27]

Perez sees potential for "big surprises"

Sergio Perez thinks there is potential for some 'big surprises' at the United States Grand Prix, with qualifying and the race taking place on the same day.

Wet weather made it impossible for the FIA to allow qualifying to run on Saturday, and a decision was taken to postpone it until 9am on Sunday. The race is still scheduled to take place at 2pm.

With the weather forecast suggesting it could be a damp shootout for pole position and a dry race, Perez was one of many drivers expecting the normal competitive order to get shaken up.

When asked how mixed up things could get, the Force India driver said: "A lot. I think tomorrow we are going to see big surprises.

"There will be plenty of opportunities for many of us who probably don't have the most competitive cars out there. So there will be a lot of opportunities and we have to make sure that we can grab them."

Bottas sense chance

Williams driver Valtteri Bottas, who ended up fourth fastest in practice, was also expecting the potential for drivers to achieve more than they normally can.

"I think it will be a very interesting day, especially if qualifying is in the wet and the race is in the dry," he explained.

"It should be good. It is a day with a lot of opportunities, so I am looking forward to it."

His teammate Felipe Massa added: "I hope it will be competitive for us. It was a little bit of a boring day today, so tomorrow we have a lot of work with qualifying and the race on the same day.

"But I hope for a good day for the fans, who I think were not so nice for them today especially with conditions."