FORMULA 1 - 2015

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Red Bull accuses Ferrari of "playing games"

Red Bull has accused Ferrari of 'playing games' by only offering it 2015 engines, amid the team's growing desperation to find a power unit deal for next year.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit made it clear ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix that it was only interested in securing a deal that would guarantee it performance parity with the works Ferrari team for next year.

However, sources have told Motorsport.com that during discussions over the Suzuka weekend, it was made clear to Red Bull that the only chance it had of a Ferrari deal was for updated 2015 power units.

It is unclear, however, whether this decision is down to the logistical problems of Ferrari preparing an extra two customer supply deals for next year, or because of genuine competitive fears about what Red Bull could achieve with its engine.

Ferrari cheek

The stance from Ferrari has infuriated Red Bull, which made it clear in the build-up to Japan that unless it gets the performance parity that it wants, it will withdraw from F1.

In an interview with German publication Auto Motor Und Sport on Monday, Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko made clear his feelings about the situation.

"They are playing games with us," said Marko. "But we don't want to play along.

"Our consideration to pull out is fuelled more and more.

"It is a cheek to offer us 2015-spec engines when, at the same time, Sauber and Haas F1 are going to get 2016-spec engines."

Rules blockade

Red Bull's isolation over engines has left it in a corner, and with little hope of being able to persuade Ferrari to change its approach.

However, it could yet hold a joker, for a push by Ferrari to allow in-season engine development next year requires unanimous support to happen.

Without it, Ferrari would have to join other manufacturers in ensuring that their engines are fully homologated by February 28.

Red Bull could choose to block a rule change, thereby ensuring that Ferrari's 2016 engine cannot get further advanced during the campaign over what it has so-far been offered.

However, such a stance would not go down well in terms of getting the relationship with Ferrari off to a good start.

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Analysis: The Japanese GP battle that TV never showed

The normal order was restored at Suzuka following Mercedes' struggles in Singapore but, thanks to the TV cameras mostly ignoring the German cars, fans did not see Lewis Hamilton's charge to victory. Here is what you missed.

With perfect timing, Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes bounced back from the disappointment of Singapore to score a dominant victory at Suzuka, a track that has not always favoured the world champion.

But while it all looked pretty routine, there was a lot going on behind the scenes within the camp as the Brackley team sought to regain its winning momentum.

Although different tyres and a very different track meant that the ongoing Singapore investigation has more relevance to upcoming venues where soft tyres and a high downforce set-up come into play, it was crucial for Mercedes that it had a strong weekend.

Matters were complicated for everyone by higher tyre pressures and the Friday washout, which left just the single dry hour of FP3 with which to get up to speed and prepare for the race. There was much to do.

"It's just a new risk, isn't it?" Paddy Lowe told Motorsport.com. "When you've got a car that's capable of winning, everything that adds risk is making that more difficult, because there's a place that you can trip up.

"We only did different things with each car because we had a bit of a problem with tyres. We lost a tyre on Nico's side, so we had to do a slightly different programme. But I think we got all the right data there."

Back in business

It was clear that Mercedes was back in its usual position. Come qualifying, Rosberg enjoyed the better first run after Hamilton experienced a couple of lock-ups on his, and then the red flag ruined any chance that he might have had of securing pole.

Hamilton was confident that he would indeed have been quicker had those second runs played out.

On Saturday evening he made it clear that he saw the start as his best opportunity to get by at a track where it's hard to follow and even harder to pass.

"That's the million dollar question!," he said when asked how he could win. "Same as every time it's like that, you have a chance at the start. There's not a very big chance on the strategy, but it's not impossible. You could potentially offset your tyres, maybe. But at the moment, I don't really know, I haven't figured that part out."

In the end it did indeed work out for him at the start, although it was close.

Mercedes starts have been a bit erratic in recent weeks, and while they both got away well from the line initially, Hamilton dragged ahead.

"They both looked like they were good starts, and that's also a good achievement today," said Lowe.

"We've had a difficult period in the last couple of months with our starts, although in general on a season average our starts are pretty good. We just went through a bit of a rough patch. The issue of starts [after the Spa restrictions] is uncertainty, and you can't be sure that you've solved the uncertainty until you've done it quite a few times."

In fact, it wasn't getting off the line that made a difference this time, but rather the later phase of the start when Rosberg was compromised by a slight loss of power.

"The initial getaway was good for both cars," said Toto Wolff. "Nico had a little bit of an issue with a hotter power unit, and when it kicked in, after a couple of seconds he didn't have same power as Lewis, and this is temperature related. It was showing up on the formation lap.

"I haven't got an explanation yet, but there was definitely a slight drop in power due to a temperature-related issue, we don't know if it was down to the drivers. It affected him the whole race, it affected him for the fight into Turn 1 and Turn 2 mainly."

Second corner move key

That little extra push helped Hamilton to get down the inside of Rosberg, and as they swept round into Turn 2, the German found himself running out of road as Hamilton edged ahead.

It was hard, but fair, and the sort of racing that Mercedes likes to see. The downside was that, in losing momentum, Rosberg was passed by both Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas.

"It's not ideal when your two cars are going parallel into Turn 1," said Lowe. "Particularly at this track, which has a certain history! Having said that, our drivers are in great shape in terms of their relationship - but it's a tough corner.

"Obviously we were glad to see them both emerge in one piece, although one of them lost two places. So that immediately gave us a challenge for the afternoon to get a car out of fourth, and into second."

The overheating issue was ongoing: "We had some problems with temperature, which meant we had some problems with the engine.

"More on Nico's, but actually to a degree on both. To be honest, it was a much warmer day than we expected, and also not a lot of data to set the car up, with the wet Friday. So we were already into managing engine issues."

As Hamilton edged away from Vettel up front, Mercedes focussed on how to get Rosberg ahead of Bottas. The Finn came in on lap 11, but Rosberg stayed out until lap 15, because he couldn't afford to leave himself with longer second and/or third stints to do.

When he did pit he emerged still behind Bottas, and it looked like he might be stuck there. But after a couple of laps he made a decisive pass into the chicane, the sort of moves he's going to have to make to keep his title hopes alive.

"I'm quite surprised at how early Bottas stopped," said Lowe. "Because their [Williams] normal pattern would be not to out-compete us on the undercut, but they actually went earlier than we would have dreamed of doing, which was interesting.

"The good thing is Nico overtook Valtteri on the track, which was crucial for the race, because there was no way he would have got to P2 if he hadn't done that."

Tyre worries

With that job done the focus turned to Hamilton, who was reporting a tyre vibration after locking up.

"Lewis flat-spotted his options in the second stint – he flat-spotted them quite early on, on the third or fourth lap. The vibration started getting worse, and in the end we boxed him quite a bit earlier than we would have liked to. A good thing too, as the tyre was through to the canvas, so that was another stress point over. And in amongst that we were trying to get Nico up with the strategy."

Hamilton waited as long as he could, until Bottas, Rosberg and Vettel all pitted, coming in on lap 31. During that sequence, Rosberg had a strong out lap did just enough to get by the Ferrari as it emerged from the pits, thus finally putting himself into second place.

By then Hamilton was around nine seconds up the road, so there was never going to be a race for the lead - in fact, that gap would double by the flag.

However, once again there was a lot of stress on the pit wall.

"It was probably one of the more difficult ones, strangely enough," said Lowe. "We had a few more issues near the end of the race with some engine worries, those things that come along to shorten your life expectancy, just things we didn't like the look of. We did all the things we could, but some of the things weren't manageable, we just had to cross fingers."

As is the Mercedes policy, both drivers were reined in at the same time: "We had some more conservative settings towards the end. At the point when it becomes that they are competing with each other we must make sure it's an equal competition.

"And then on top of that you've got a safety car risk, so even though you've got all the stops out of the way and you're P1 and P2, you can still get screwed by a safety car. In fact, we very nearly did.

"The Will Stevens spin was exactly at the wrong moment, when Vettel could have done a stop for a new option. He had the space to do that. He would have come out behind Kimi, but one assumes he would have got past Kimi quite quickly, and we would have been under quite a big threat then, because we couldn't cover it..."

In the end it all played out to plan, and Hamilton made it look easy. His radio message after the flag was an indication of what this win meant for all concerned.

"It's very important for the team morale," said Lowe. "And a validation of the great work that's been done by the team on the car itself, but also what we did to react and understand what mattered from Singapore.

"Some of the things from Singapore were not relevant to this track, and it was a matter of using the time wisely on the right things.

"Every track is different, that's the thing. People want to know what was wrong in Singapore. But every track has a new challenge, and that's why you can never take it for granted. I get asked all the time what will this weekend be like, and I always say that I have no idea.

"I don't even try to guess because you just can't ever know in this sport."

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Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat Meet NinNinJer!

Daniel and Dany are surprised by some special guests ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, the hugely popular Ninninjyaa, a band of Power Rangers-style TV superheroes who are some of the most popular kids' TV characters in Japan as they pay a visit to Tokyo.

F1 v Sumo - No Contest!

It's F1 v Sumo! Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat versus some Japanese Sumo Wrestlers. Japanese Grand Prix warm-ups don't get much better!

Daniel and Dany got up bright and early to head to the Miyagino Beya, one of Tokyo's top Sumo stables, where they were introduced to some of biggest, baddest wrestlers in Japan. In Japan sumo wrestlers are members of a sumō-beya, where the wrestlers train and live. After being introduced to the wrestlers that make up the Miyagino stable, Daniel and Dany were first given a demonstration of the wrestlers' training routine, a 30-45 minute workout that involves some serious stretching, a fair degree of room-shaking shouting and then some full on, body-slapping wrestling action.

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Red Bull could face £330m penalty for pulling out of F1

Red Bull is seriously considering quitting Formula 1 according to various sources, including team principal Christian Horner and owner Dietrich Mateschitz, after finding itself without a power unit for 2016.

However that could come at a huge cost according to respected journalist Joe Saward, who reports that the team has an agreement with Formula One Management to remain in the sport until at least 2020.

Should it quit sooner than that, it would face huge financial penalties amounting to £330 million ($500m).

"Dietrich Mateschitz has been walking in the Austrian woods and has been considering pulling out of F1 but that is unlikely to happen because, in exchange for large sums of extra prize money from the Formula One group, Red Bull agreed to stay in the sport for 10 years (until 2020) and there is believed to be a penalty scheme, which means that the penalty for pulling out reduces from $1 billion by $100 million per year," wrote Saward on his blog.

"This means that Red Bull can walk away from the sport if the company is willing to pay the Formula One group $500 million."

Saward goes on to suggest it would be a wiser decision to stick with it, reap the marketing benefits and avoid backing itself into difficult situations like it has with current supplier Renault.

"Given the bill, it is best for Mateschitz to keep his money and make the most of the mess the team is in and try not to screw up so monumentally in the future."

His only escape would be to take control of the sport by buying out CVC Capital Partners majority share, something that would come at great cost, but is something that Mateschitz has looked into before.

[xtcat9k]

Please tell me I'm not the only one that is just tired of red bull complaining left and right?

You're not the only one mate - Horner, Helmut Marko and now Dietrich Mateschitz moaning is becoming a nightmare. Even while they were winning they mouaned each time another team came up with a new aero package, Horner would secretly file a complaint and question the rules.

If they leave, then I hope they do. It would be bad for the sport but equally good because F1 will recover and move forward. I'd feel bad for those drivers in the teams. Look at Toro Rosso, sister team kicking butt over RBR. Franz Tost isn't moaning about it.

Beyond annoying. They had it good for 4 straight years. Give it a rest already.

[Baldy]

Not a Ferrari fan but one thing I do admire about them is they don't whine but put their nose to the grindstone and get better. Even McLaren, who are frustrated and woeful, don't cry and whine about everything. F1, like any other sport, goes in cycles.

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Not a Ferrari fan but one thing I do admire about them is they don't whine but put their nose to the grindstone and get better. Even McLaren, who are frustrated and woeful, don't cry and whine about everything. F1, like any other sport, goes in cycles.

Agreed.

Look at former world Champions Williams, top of the tier for so many seasons, 9 World Championships, 114 race wins, 128 pole positions, 133 fastest laps. All of a sudden they plummet for a good 6 seasons and still yet to reach their former glory and despite all this, never complain.

Another: Peter Sauber and his team. Been in the sport since 1993, only 1 race win, 27 podiums in all and STILL IN THE SPORT.

I really can go on but I won't bore those who already know.

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HAAS F1 TEAM CONFIRMS GROSJEAN AS LEAD DRIVER

The worst kept secret in the paddock is now in the public domain: Romain Grosjean is leaving Lotus at the end of the season to become ‘lead driver’ at the new U.S.-owned Haas Formula One team in 2016.

Team founder and chairman Gene Haas, who is also co-owner of the successful Stewart-Haas NASCAR outfit, presented a smiling Grosjean at a news conference at their Kannapolis headquarters in North Carolina.

Ferrari-powered Haas, who have a close technical partnership with Maranello, are the first U.S.-owned entrants in Formula One since 1986.

“He’s going to have a lot of work to do, he’s going to be our lead driver and we are going to depend heavily on him to help us with our strategies with the car, with the racetracks and learning the whole operations of an F1 team,” Haas told reporters.

Swiss born Frenchman Grosjean said he had been interested in the Haas project from the outset and liked the fact that they were taking a different approach to other new teams in the past.

“I think it’s an approach that can be pretty quickly successful,” added the Frenchman. “I like the idea, this partnership with Ferrari, I like the way everything has been going, I like the fact that it’s going slowly but nicely and I’m very happy that I made that decision.”

Grosjean, 29, has 10 podium finishes from 78 grands prix after starting his career with Renault — Lotus’s predecessors who are in the process of buying back that financially struggling team — in 2009.

Most recently, he was third in Belgium last month. The Ferrari connection will have been the clincher for the Frenchman however, with the Italian team likely to be looking for a replacement for Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen at the end of next season.

Being at Haas, who are expected to announce Ferrari’s Mexican reserve Esteban Gutierrez as their second race driver, will give Grosjean plenty of scope to show what he can do.

“We should be able to run straight away without having the problems of a new team,” he said. “I think it will be really good to score a few points early in the season for a newcomer American team.

I have spent 10 years in Enstone (the Lotus factory), I know the guys very well and it would have been easy and comfortable to stay,” he added.

“On the other hand, I want to try to win races and championships and I thought that coming here to Haas was a good step and a good direction to achieve that.”

Haas said there had been pressure to sign an American driver but, with Alex Rossi only this month becoming the first U.S. racer in Formula One since 2007, the team needed someone more experienced.

“The reality was that a rookie driver with a rookie team just isn’t a good fit,” he said. “The primary purpose here is to show that as an American manufacturer we can compete in the most difficult competitive series in car racing in the world.”

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ECCLESTONE: I THOUGHT MERCEDES AND RED BULL HAD A DEAL

It appears that Red Bull have snookered themselves out of engine options for 2016 and beyond, although F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone was under the impression a deal has been struck between the energy drinks outfit and Mercedes.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Ecclestone said, “I thought and was told that Mr Lauda had made an agreement with Mr Mateschitz and they had a nice handshake when Niki confirmed they would be supplied with Mercedes engines.”

At the same time the sport’s biggest power broker revealed why talks between Ferrari and Red Bull have ended in a stalemate, “I understand [Red Bull] are being offered engines that are currently in use today and not the engines which will be used [by Ferrari] in 2016.”

Ecclestone’s inside information does not tally with what is being said from within the Mercedes camp, with chairman Niki Lauda claiming, “Christian and Helmut wrote us one letter to say they would like engines. I said ‘yes, but first we have to discuss with Mr Mateschitz’ because Mateschitz, for whatever reason, never liked Mercedes.”

“There is something in the past which I do not know. So I went to see Mateschitz myself because I know him and asked ‘are you really interested?’ and he said ‘yes, but, but, but…’ And then out of this ‘but, but, but’ we never continued any talks,” confirmed the F1 legend.

Meanwhile time is running out for Red Bull to find a competitive engine for next season in the wake of Renault signing a letter of intent to take over Lotus and return to Enstone to revert their F1 programme to a works team concern once again.

Red Bull on the other hand, who spent the past two seasons trashing their engine partner to the point of meltdown, have been increasingly vocal about withdrawing from the sport and clearly admitting that their involvement is purely from a marketing perspective.

Speaking in Japan, team pricipal Christian Horner said, “Red Bull’s position is different to teams such as McLaren or Williams or Ferrari. Formula 1 has to provide a return. A marketing return globally.”

Clearly running in the midfield in marketing speak suggests that Red Bull ‘does not give you wings’ and with big boss Mateschitz disillusioned with the sport, the sell-by date for their F1 project may well be upon them.

Nevertheless the organisation has in its structure a potent operation in Milton Keynes and Horner, a racing man rather than a marketeer, appears not keen to throw in the towel.

“It’s my job to try and find a solution,” declared Horner. “We have a big commitment to Formula 1 a big workforce, a very talented team and I’m doing my best to try and ensure that we find a competitive engine to power the team next year.”

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ROSBERG: I KNOW PEOPLE ARE SAYING I AM TOO SOFT

Japanese Grand Prix pole sitter Nico Rosberg has revealed there was a technical reason he fell behind teammate Lewis Hamilton from the start of the race at Suzuka, and refutes talk that he is to soft to seriously challenge his teammate.

According to some, the fact Hamilton won yet again despite starting behind his Mercedes rival in Japan is a clear sign the Briton is unbeatable in 2015.

“Hamilton, like Senna — cold-blooded and without mercy for his rivals,” said La Gazzetta dello Sport, noting that the reigning champion also matched his hero Senna’s career tally of 41 wins on Sunday.

And La Stampa added: “Already by the second corner you could see that Hamilton would be the winner.”

As for Hamilton’s controversial and muscular overtaking move, which caused Rosberg to run off the track, the German insisted he was simply playing by team rules, “I know what people are saying – things like I am too soft.”

“But we have these rules in the team that we have to obey when we are fighting. So I behaved as I should have, as a collision would have meant zero points for the team,” added Rosberg.

Rosberg, however, wrote in his column for Bild that there is more to the story. For a start, he was sluggish off the line due to a technical problem, the German insisted, “I got away well but just before turn 1 Lewis was suddenly beside me.”

“My engineers told me afterwards that compared to Lewis my engine had less power because of overheating.”

However, not everyone is convinced about Rosberg’s 2015 credentials in his fight against Hamilton.

F1 legend Alain Prost traces the German’s competitive decline back to Spa-Francorchamps last year, where Rosberg was severely reprimanded by Mercedes for colliding with Hamilton.

“To me, there is a Rosberg before Spa and a Rosberg after Spa,” he told the French broadcaster Canal Plus. “For me, he never recovered from that when he practically became the number two.”

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BUTTON AND ALONSO LINKED TO RENAULT IN WAKE OF SUZUKA DEBACLE

Renault’s ‘letter of intent’ has given Lotus ten more weeks to finalise the sale of the embattled Enstone team to the French car manufacturing giant.

Mere hours before Lotus faced London’s high court on Monday, Renault announced that it is now committed to completing the deal “in the coming weeks”.

Also promised to the court was that a loan agreement had been made so that British authorities would receive its $4 million in unpaid taxes and insurance, resulting in the case being adjourned for ten more weeks.

So if the buyout is complete by December, there is the strong possibility that Renault will be back in 2016 with a full works team.

It is expected that Romain Grosjean, currently at Lotus, will be unveiled on Tuesday as a Haas driver for 2016. Pastor Maldonado has already been confirmed by Lotus for next year.

So if Renault has a seat open, it is believed that Jenson Button or Fernando Alonso could well be a leading contenders to abandon the McLaren-Honda project and switch camps.

That would explain the odd spat between Button and team boss Ron Dennis who vowed to honour Button’s 2016 contract but the 2009 F1 world champion refusing to commit.

“If I am in F1 next season, it is to be competitive,” Button told Equipe. “Fighting for eighth place does not interest me.”

Probably Button’s closest friend in the paddock is former F1 driver turned television commentator David Coulthard, who admits there is a possibility the 35-year-old will quit McLaren.

“If Jenson still has a passion, and a belief that Honda will make a huge step forward, just as Ferrari did this year, then he should continue,” he wrote in the Telegraph.

“But if he fears another year like this, then he needs to move on. Otherwise it is just going to be counterproductive,” Coulthard added.

Meanwhile also at Suzuka on the other side of the McLaren garage, Alonso’s patience finally boiled over as declared he was “embarrassed” driving an F1 car with “GP2 engine” power.

He also cast doubt over his plans beyond 2015 when he was asked by media in Japan about his future, “I don’t know, there are still five races to go now and I think we need to improve the situation and make sure we are competitive and on top of our problems.”

However he did recant later, pledging his future to McLaren-Honda and making all the right noises about ending his F1 career with victories for the team.

But the first blow has been struck in his relationship with the team, with severalrespected F1 pundits questioning how long things will last not that the proverbial ‘cat is out of the bag’.

The return of Lotus as a works team inevitably rekindles memories of the Spaniard’s and Renault’s most successful period in Formula 1 when they together took back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006. At the time the team were operating out of Enstone too.

Alonso knows all the key players in the ‘new’ operation very well and said recently, “[Renault] is a very big manufacturer with a lot of history behind Renault in Formula 1. They are quite linked together in the history of this sport, so hopefully they stay.”

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PROST PREDICTS TROUBLE AHEAD FOR ALONSO AND MCLAREN

Suzuka could have been the turning-point in Fernando Alonso’s patience with the McLaren-Honda project after his outburst during the Japanese Grand Prix.

That is the view of F1 legend Alain Prost, a figure closely associated with the glory days of the Anglo-Japanese partnership that was revived for 2015.

But at Suzuka, within earshot of Honda’s biggest company big-wigs, Alonso lost his patience very publicly, describing the Japanese-made ‘power unit’ as akin to a “GP2 engine” that is “very embarrassing” to pilot.

Frenchman Prost now sees serious trouble ahead and told Canal Plus, “When you consider Fernando and his past, when he starts to sound like that, you know it’s going to be difficult. They were very hard words.

“On the other hand, it is true that a very strong development of the Honda engine was expected this year and this race (Japan) would be a kind of new beginning — but it didn’t happen,” Prost added.

“So it’s frustrating, and Fernando does not like to be frustrated. I think it’s going to be very difficult from now,” he predicted.

Prost is not alone in wondering how sustainable the Alonso-McLaren union can be in the wake of Suzuka.

Pundit Johnny Herbert’s employer, British broadcaster Sky, had to apologise after the former F1 driver advised Alonso to “bugger off” if he has that attitude.

“It’s destroying. It’s selfish. You can’t go out there and slag your team off,” said Herbert.

With slightly more understanding for Alonso is Mika Salo, another former grand prix star, who told the Finnish broadcaster MTV3 that “any driver” would be frustrated with the apparent stagnation of progress at Honda.

But he also said: “To cry on the radio about a GP2 engine, in my opinion – yes, it’s a little too much.”

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TOST SAYS ANOTHER YEAR AT TORO ROSSO GOOD FOR VERSTAPPEN

Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost has played down suggestions Max Verstappen is ready to make the big step to Red Bull.

With Daniil Kvyat yet to be confirmed officially by the energy drink company’s senior team for 2016, some have suggested bosses are seriously considering a promotion for the teen sensation Verstappen.

The 17-year-old currently drives for the junior squad Toro Rosso, but that team’s boss Tost admitted: “If Max had a good car at his disposal, one with a good engine, of course he could fight for victories and titles.

“Preferably with Red Bull,” the Austrian told the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. “But I think at this stage of his career the wisest thing would be that he stays with us for another year.”

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MIDEFIELD TEAMS LODGE COMPLAINT TO EU OVER F1 MONOPLOY

Two midfield teams have carried through their threat to formally complain to the European Union about formula one’s governance structure.

For months, smaller teams have been bemoaning the inequality in pitlane, describing the income system and rule-making strategy group as an illegal “cartel” and arguing it breaches European competition rules.

Times newspaper report that the complaint has been lodged in Brussels by Force India and Sauber, who are pointing the finger not only at the sport’s authorities and owners but also their powerful team rivals.

“It could be weeks before the EU decides whether to investigate,” said correspondent Kevin Eason, “but the mood in Brussels is said to be for a clean-up of the sport after the scandals engulfing FIFA, football’s world governing body.”

It is suggested the complaint could force Ecclestone to hold up the disputed ‘special payments’ to top teams and also delay Ferrari’s plans to float on the stock market.

A spokesman for Force India and Sauber said: “It would be inappropriate (to comment) until the EU competition authorities have decided what they would want to do.”

It is a particularly volatile time overall in Formula 1, with Red Bull threatening to quit over engine supply, Lotus close to collapse and the tumultuous McLaren-Honda collaboration appearing on the verge of meltdown.

“This is as big a challenge for individuals in the sport and the sport as a whole that I can remember,” former driver David Coulthard wrote in the Telegraph.

“We could lose a couple of quality ex-world champions (Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso) and a couple of quality teams if people don’t get on top of things.”

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ECCLESTONE DENIES ORDERING MERCEDES TV BLACKOUT

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has denied he manipulated the coverage of Japanese Grand Prix to exclude Mercedes.

The silver cars, finishing first and second at Suzuka after the Singapore slump, were shown for just 5 of the 90 broadcasted minutes of the official race coverage.

Bosses Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda admitted they noticed the discrepancy, and suggestions elsewhere noted that Ferrari was also not prominently featured on the so-called ‘world feed’.

Lauda vowed to meet in London with F1 supremo Ecclestone this week to ask about the Mercedes ‘blackout’, amid rumours the carmaker was being punished for refusing to supply engines to Red Bull next year.

But Ecclestone told Germany’s Die Welt newspaper: “There was no manipulation. A few weeks ago we talked about the directing of the races and came to the conclusion that the midfield should be shown more often.”

“To just show the leading cars is boring, but we’re also doing it to better support the midfield teams,” the 84-year-old explained.

“Lauda and Wolff know about these considerations and will understand,” Ecclestone added. “The directors in Japan maybe went a bit far with it, but I did not intervene.”

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HAKKINEN RELATES TO RED BULL QUIT THREAT

Former F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen says he can understand why Red Bull is threatening to quit formula one over its engine situation.

The energy drink company, with two teams on the grid, is in the throes of divorce from its current partner Renault after two sub-standard years in the new ‘power unit’ era.

Mercedes, however, is refusing to leap to the rescue, and McLaren’s Ron Dennis is reportedly blocking a customer Honda deal.

Ferrari, meanwhile, is “blocking us”, Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko told the German newspaper Bild, referring to the fact that the Italian outfit appears only to be offering a supply of 2015-spec V6s.

He said that with Sauber and Haas to have the fully up-to-date 2016 unit, Ferrari’s offer is “ridiculous”.

Red Bull therefore appears out of options, raising the likelihood that Dietrich Mateschitz – who according to team boss Christian Horner is generally “disillusioned” with F1 at present – will simply pull the plug on the sport.

Some in the paddock believe Red Bull brought the situation on itself by complaining so loudly about Renault.

But former double world champion Hakkinen said in his latest interview with Hermes that he can fully understand Red Bull’s quit threats over the issue.

“I understand Red Bull perfectly,” said the former McLaren driver. “It cannot be forgotten that they very recently won four world championships in a row, so of course they don’t want to set lower goals.”

“Red Bull is not interested in just being there. They want to at least be able to have a realistic chance to fight for the championship,” Hakkinen added.

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HARYANTO LINKED TO MANOR SEAT FOR 2016

A new candidate has emerged to race for the backmarker Manor outfit in 2016.

The former Marussia squad’s current lineup is Briton Will Stevens alongside Alexander Rossi, although the latter American rookie will sit out Russia next week as he returns to his GP2 duties.

Stevens says he hopes to be retained for 2016, “For me personally, we’re working hard in the background to try to sort out things for next year, which are looking positive.”

His new teammate for 2016, according to the German-language publication Speed Week, could be a rookie Indonesian.

22-year-old Rio Haryanto is currently fourth in the GP2 standings, and according to correspondent Mathias Brunner, “negotiations (with Manor) are already underway”.

The report added that Haryanto would bring significant backing from Pertamina, the Indonesian state-owned oil company.

However, also connected with a Manor seat for 2016 is Pascal Wehrlein, especially as the young German’s DTM employer, Mercedes, is set to power the team next year.

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Vandoorne missing out on F1 would be "unacceptable", says ART boss

ART Grand Prix team principal Frederic Vasseur says the junior single-seater ladder will be rendered irrelevant if GP2 champion-elect Stoffel Vandoorne fails to make it to Formula 1.

The 23-year-old McLaren junior has so far enjoyed a record-breaking sophomore season in GP2, and is likely to clinch the drivers' title next time out at Sochi.

But his graduation to F1 is yet to be secured, with McLaren boss Ron Dennis saying he wants current drivers Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button to remain in the team.

McLaren have also previously stated that they want to find 2016 F1 seats for Vandoorne and fellow junior Kevin Magnussen, but the latter admitted he's considering opportunities beyond the Woking team - and, as Vasseur indicated, Vandoorne could be forced to do the same.

"It is no secret that Stoffel is courted by F1 teams," said Vasseur. "He’s in a somewhat tricky situation as he’s got a contract with McLaren, so he’s not allowed to talk with every other team.

"But I think this is the right moment to start talking, he needs to do it within the next two weeks.

"McLaren most chose its two drivers this week. If they don’t choose Stoffel, I think they will free him from his contract."

Speaking about Vandoorne's future prospects, Vasseur stressed that it is imperative the Belgian finds a drive in F1.

"From a mathematical point of view, he is the best driver in the history of GP2," he said.

"The rules have changed, but if you compare his performance this year to previous years, he has clinched eight pole positions, which is - I think - is more than [2006 champion] Hamilton and [2005 champion] Rosberg, and he has scored more race wins and points than any other competitor.

"We cannot accept that a guy who has won everything does not make it to F1, otherwise it is an absolute denial of the ladder system.

"If we say that this kid has won in Formula Renault, has finished second in his maiden year in the World Series, has been runner-up in his first season in GP2 and who, I hope, will be this year’s GP2 champion cannot make it to F1, how can you motivate young kids to race karts?"

Sentiments echoed by fellow competitors

Force India development driver Nick Yelloly, who has raced alongside Vandoorne in GP2 this year, has also stated that the Belgian must be F1 next year.

"It takes big bucks to make it, even if you're very good," Yelloly said.

"I pray Vandoorne gets given a shot next year because he's been super good. If not, than it's complete bullshit."

[Orion21]

HARYANTO LINKED TO MANOR SEAT FOR 2016

A new candidate has emerged to race for the backmarker Manor outfit in 2016.

The former Marussia squad’s current lineup is Briton Will Stevens alongside Alexander Rossi, although the latter American rookie will sit out Russia next week as he returns to his GP2 duties.

Stevens says he hopes to be retained for 2016, “For me personally, we’re working hard in the background to try to sort out things for next year, which are looking positive.”

His new teammate for 2016, according to the German-language publication Speed Week, could be a rookie Indonesian.

22-year-old Rio Haryanto is currently fourth in the GP2 standings, and according to correspondent Mathias Brunner, “negotiations (with Manor) are already underway”.

The report added that Haryanto would bring significant backing from Pertamina, the Indonesian state-owned oil company.

However, also connected with a Manor seat for 2016 is Pascal Wehrlein, especially as the young German’s DTM employer, Mercedes, is set to power the team next year.

I always find it interesting to see drivers retained or promoted based on how much sponsorship money comes along with them. Reminds me of why Sergio Perez and Maldanado have seats.

[MIKA27]

Ayrton Senna and Honda: Few kind words and a loaded gun

There's nothing new under the Rising Sun. The three top Honda executives in the McLaren garage may have been nervously clearing their throats and attempting to look inscrutable when Fernando Alonso broadcast his thoughts on the company's shortcomings, but one or two of their predecessors could claim to have heard it all before.

Ayrton Senna did not hold back if he felt his efforts to win the title were being compromised by the oriental handiwork in the back of his McLaren. And he wouldn't necessarily wait until the 14th round of the championship before letting fly with a few well-chosen words.

In 1991, Senna drove the McLaren MP4/6 with its new V12 (Honda having switched from a V10, as the regulations allowed) for the first time during a pre-season test at Estoril. It may have been the briefest of runs, but his first impression was enough to prompt a statement that must have gone down like a lead balloon among the engineers at Wako in Japan.

"I don't know what they [Honda] have been doing [over the winter]," said Senna. "There is not enough progress and not enough power." He then turned up for the first race in Arizona and dominated the weekend - but did not retract a single word.

Senna also won the next three grands prix - and then nothing for three months, during which time Nigel Mansell and Williams-Renault edged towards the top of the points table. It was enough to have Senna let it be known once more that the Honda V12 was not up to scratch.

"The Williams is now very quick indeed," said Senna. "It's very hard for me to keep up the rhythm. Honda are working hard to improve the engine but the Williams chassis is much better than ours. If we don't get some new equipment then we're going to have trouble on our hands during the second half of the season."

That's what he told the media. Behind closed doors, however, the message to Honda was withering. "You are losing me the World Championship," he was later reported to have bluntly told the Japanese engineers when referring to an engine Ayrton reckoned to be overweight, excessively thirsty and not producing the expected power. Talk about cutting to the chase.

Improvements for Hungary in August were not enough for Senna and prompted another round of criticism. This time, however, Ayrton realised he had gone too far and apologised to engineers who had been working their socks off. The developments would eventually prove to be enough to give Senna his third title, appropriately at Suzuka. The Honda personnel relaxed. Probably for the first time in 12 months.

There were no smiles at Suzuka last weekend as Alonso applied the Senna technique, albeit in a much less subtle manner in public. Had car-to pits-communication been broadcast in 1991, Senna would not have been averse to airing his grievances to apply pressure. But you have to ask if he would done so when he was not fighting for the championship and, more significantly, the shortfall in performance was so blindingly obvious.

It also needs to be said that things were different in 1991. There was no engine freeze, thus allowing the Honda engineers to work night and day developing and improving almost every aspect bar the shape and the capacity. There were at least five major modifications to the specification, one of which included nothing less than a shorter stroke. Today, there is not much point in berating boffins who are barely allowed to look inside their work of art.

One final point. Ayrton Senna was revered throughout Japan, never mind within the portals of Honda's HQ. Fernando Alonso, for all his brilliance, is in danger of not even coming close to reaching a status where his words are heeded, never minded acted upon.

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Was Fernando Alonso right to criticise Honda?

Fernando Alonso has been around long enough in Formula One to know the sort of impact a few select words can carry. In recent years he has relished using media sessions to drop hints about his future, play mind games with his enemies and attempt to shift a team's -- or F1's -- political agenda. Some drivers shy away from the politics behind the sport, but Alonso embraces it.

It is understandable, therefore, that his comments on team radio during the Japanese Grand Prix were interpreted as a dig at Honda. Soon after being overtaken by a Toro Rosso, he referred to the latest iteration of Honda's micro-packaged, 1.6-litre, V6 turbo hybrid as a "GP2 engine". To give some context, the Mecachrome engine used in GP2 is a 10-year-old, 4.0-litre V8 that is roughly 250bhp down on F1's top power units. Honda entered F1 as a combined R&D and marketing exercise, and to have its technology compared with a lower category ticked neither box in front of its home crowd and CEO Takahiro Hachigo who was in attendance.

Following the race, Alonso denied the comments were directed at the Honda executives, saying: "They know [the situation] - they don't need me to send any message of frustration." And amid suggestions he might quit at the end of the year, his post-race comments were followed up by a series of posts on Twitter to clarify the situation.

1/3 Some things from today that seem not clear to everybody:

-Today was our 3rd best result of the season !! we keep working hard.

2/3. When we are fighting in group is difficult, we all want to win, and sometimes transmit the team radios, but it should be private chats.

3/3. No one should have any doubt that I have 3 years with McLaren and my career in F1 will end with this team, hopefully winning everything

So what was Alonso trying to achieve? His targets are clear. He signed a three-year contract with McLaren after being left without a competitive option for 2015 and in that time expects the team to close the gap to Mercedes to allow him to challenge for the title. Progress is undoubtedly being made, but at the moment it is not quick enough to match Alonso's three-year time frame. At Silverstone -- the last high-speed, high-downforce track on the calendar before Suzuka -- Fernando Alonso was 2.7s off Mercedes' pole position time in qualifying and last weekend he was 2.2s off. It is by no means a scientific comparison, not least because both Mercedes could have gone faster in Japan had Daniil Kvyat not caused a red flag, but it does help to illustrate the progress the team has made. But delve a bit deeper into the areas of improvement and it soon becomes clear that most of the gains have been made in the corners as a result of McLaren's aero package and not on the straights as a result of the engine.

The problems with Honda's power unit have been well documented and it is now clear they will not be solved this season. Chief among the issues has been the energy recovery system [ERS] and the deployment of its power, which has exposed McLaren on the calendar's faster tracks. At several fast tracks where the system has not been able to harvest enough energy from the MGU-H and MGU-K to meet the deployment demands of longer straights, the McLaren drivers have found themselves experiencing a 160bhp shortfall compared to their rivals when the juice runs out towards the end of a straight. Defending position, therefore, becomes impossible even for the most talented driver.

"I feel embarrassed when I am racing sometimes," Alonso explained. "Obviously it is frustrating when you see how they overtake you on the straights and then you arrive in the corner and you see them braking late and making mistakes here and there, while you are prefect in the corner and recovering time. And then on the straights again, they go or overtake you, so it is frustrating.

"The deficit we have on power is just like another category so it's tough to race like this. In terms of performance, hopefully next year [it will improve], because I know they must change a lot of things on the power unit and the structure, so I think that will be a medium term job and for next year, not the remaining races.

"I think before Abu Dhabi this year we will not improve. The next few races will be tough but next year is what we are looking for and my intention is to stay for sure. I am sure we will win together but the matter is 'when?' We need to make this tough time as short as possible and work all united."

Of course, Alonso's comments -- positive or negative -- will not be the difference between a power unit that produces 900bhp and the current "GP2" output he has experienced this year, but it might just ruffle enough feathers to unlock a little bit more investment or to alter Honda's approach. The "embarrassment" Alonso felt as he was overtaken in Suzuka was even deeper for the Honda executives when they heard his screams of frustration broadcast to the watching world. Alonso knows he has no real control over the updates coming from Honda next year, but in Suzuka his task was to focus the minds of those who do.

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Suzuka 'really disappointing' for Williams, says Rob Smedley

Rob Smedley has labelled the Japanese Grand Prix "really disappointing" for Williams after it failed to challenge Ferrari for a spot on the podium.

Behind the Mercedes drivers, Williams split the Ferraris with Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa qualifying third and fifth at Suzuka. However, Massa finished 17th after sustaining a puncture at the first corner, while Bottas was forced to settle for fifth behind both Ferrari drivers.

"Not our best race, not by a long shot," head of performance engineering Smedley said after the race. "There are things that we need to think about and keep improving on. Without going into a great deal of detail we didn't operate completely well today. The car was a little bit slower than we thought about going into the race - we're talking small margins but it was enough that we weren't actually quicker than Ferrari but a couple of tenths slower. Overall it was a really disappointing day for the team."

Despite dropping behind Sebastian Vettel at the start, Bottas managed to get ahead of Nico Rosberg at Turn 2. Bottas held on to third after the opening stint when Williams successfully completed the undercut on the Mercedes driver. However, Rosberg managed to pass Bottas a lap later at the final chicane.

Bottas then dropped back into a battle with Kimi Raikkonen and the Ferrari driver managed to rise to fourth in the second pit stops. With Bottas unable to match Raikkonen's pace he had to settle for fifth and Smedley admits the team's strategy could have been better.

"I think we made the right decision with the first stop with Vatteri, to retain the position ahead of Rosberg. That was good and made them think a little bit. But the second stop they jumped us - Rosberg actually passed Valtteri on track, even though strategy-wise we'd put him out in front the pace of the car compared to Mercedes allowed Rosberg to get past. Then we had Raikkonen sat behind and we just probably weren't quick enough to react and get that final set of tyres on and keep him behind as well. Very disappointing."

With neither Red Bull scoring a point Williams extended its lead over the Milton Keynes outfit in the battle for third.

Asked if that was a positive, Smedley replied: "It is, in a race like that is the primary thing we need to do so very happy to claw ten points on them. That is a positive but not enough of a positive. They didn't score anything so it was a race where we should have had 18, 20 points on them, not 10."

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Perez laments "uphill battle"

Force India's Sergio Perez says the Japanese Grand Prix was an “uphill battle” from the start for him.

Perez lined-up in ninth, but immediately lost out at Turn 1, when he was punted off the track by Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz.

The Mexican picked up a puncture as a result and that put him right out of contention, leaving him six places behind team-mate, Nico Hulkenberg at the chequered flag.

Speaking at the finish, Perez explained that the reason he got hit by Sainz was because he had to take avoiding action after Daniel Ricciardo and Felipe Massa touched.

“Unfortunately, my race was an uphill battle from the first corner: I saw Massa going slowly in the centre of the track and had to avoid him, and that's when I got the hit [from Sainz],” he recalled.

“We tried to recover and I did all I could to get back into the points, but even our best was not enough. It's a shame as our pace was really good, but with no safety car or any other incidents, the points were too far away.”

“Twelfth place is a very disappointing outcome for a weekend that had started really well,” he added.

Meanwhile, Force India deputy team boss, Robert Fernley, felt that Perez was an innocent victim.

“Sergio could do nothing to escape the incident at turn one: he moved to the right to avoid Massa, who was driving slowly, and he was hit by Sainz,” Fernley pointed-out. “Sergio then avoided hitting the wall, but his race was heavily compromised by the puncture. He performed a solid comeback and showed very good pace, but the points were just out of reach.”

[MIKA27]

MEET THE MAN TIPPED TO LEAD NEW RENAULT F1 TEAM: “WHEN FRANCE CALLS…”

The plans are slowly coming together for Renault to return as a manufacturer F1 team and as they work through due diligence on the acquisition of the Lotus F1 team, the question of whom Renault will employ as Team Principal is front of mind.

Although Cyril Abiteboul has led Renault Sport F1 through the turbulent waters the last two seasons with Red Bull, the word among French colleagues is that he is likely to stay as head of Renault’s Viry Chatillon engine operation, while current ART GP boss Frederic Vasseur is the preferred candidate to be team principal, based in Enstone, Oxford.

Vasseur has no F1 experience, but neither did Eric Boullier when he took over running the Renault F1 team in 2010, soon after it had been acquired by Genii. It subsequently became Lotus and is now about to revert back to Renault.

However Vasseur has the perfect profile for a new F1 team principal. He is 46 years old and has run ART very successfully for 10 years. He nurtured the talents of Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas, Nico Rosberg and Jules Bianchi making them -and many more – champions on their pathway to F1. McLaren protege Stoffel Vandoorne stands on the threshold of continuing the trend in 2015 with the GP2 title. In fact his team has become something of a finishing school for the best single seater talent.

“Fred is the smartest guy I’ve ever known,” is the tribute Mercedes boss Toto Wolff paid him, when interviewed by L’Equipe in June this year for a profile.

Vasseur is France’s ‘Mr Motorsport’ and has his fingers in many pies; in addition to the ART teams he runs with Nicolas Todt, son of FIA president Jean Todt, he has a simulator business which the ACO uses to vet potential Le Mans drivers and his Spark Technologies business builds the Formula E cars.

As for his style and working methods, Sebastien Buemi shed some light on it by saying, “It’s true that Fred is a tough guy. When I started with him in 2007 I found someone quite austere. But soon, that image which is normal for a team boss, gave way to someone who was more like the father of a family.”

Vasseur was tempted to enter F1 in 2010, when the new teams like Caterham, HRT and Marussia entered under the ‘loss cost F1’ promise of then FIA president Max Mosley. ART and Vasseur certainly had the pedigree in junior formulae to do what Eddie Jordan and Christian Horner had done and come into F1 succesfully. However he decided not to because of the inevitably of struggling at the back with a start up team, “I like winning too much. I preferred to stay on a high level to be among the front runners,” was his rationale.

Nevertheless it remains unfinished business for a man who has won everything else below F1 and Vasseur was sounded out by Renault last month, when the takeover of Lotus began to properly take shape.

He hasn’t signed yet, but there are compelling reasons to think that he will. “When France calls, you have to listen!” was the way one senior French F1 figure explained Vasseur’s interest in the project to this website. Alain Prost is likely to have some kind of role in the project too.

In fact, Wolff foreshadowed this in the June L’Equipe interview, “He’s a smart guy and F1 doesn’t appeal to him because of what it might do for his image. He’s only interested in competition. Not the side benefits.

“But I’m certain that one day F1 will see that it can pull in this guy. It is not him who will come looking for F1, it’s F1 that will come for him.”

ART GP graduate drivers

Nico Rosberg – 2005 GP2 champion

Lewis Hamilton – 2006 GP2 Champion

Sebastian Vettel – Runner up Euro F3 championship 2006

Paul di Resta – 2006 Euro F3 Champion

Nico Hulkenberg – 2007 Euro F3 champion & 2008 GP2 Champion

Jules Bianchi – 2009 Euro F3 champion

Esteban Gutierrez – 2010 GP3 champion

Valtteri Bottas – 2011 GP3 champion

Pastor Maldonado (contracted to Lotus/Renault F1 team for 2016)

Sebastien Buemi

Kamui Kobayashi

Giedo van der Garde

[MIKA27]

VERSTAPPEN: LEGAL TO DRIVE, BORN TO RACE #DRIVERLICENSE

Formula 1’s first 17-year-old racer became the sport’s first 18-year-old driver on Wednesday and Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen celebrated his birthday by passing his test at the first attempt.

As he said on his Twitter feed: “Legal to drive, born to race #driverlicense.”

“It’s great to be 18 and to have a driving license,” the Dutch teenager added on his personal website. “That I’m finally allowed on the road on my own gives me more independence, which is great. I have to say it’s a relief to pass the test. I was a bit nervous to make mistakes, but the exam went well.”

Verstappen, who scored points in Japan last weekend with ninth place at Suzuka from 17th on the starting grid, had told reporters then that he would have to wait to sit his test because of his intense schedule.

The desire for secrecy clearly had more to do with it, however. He had passed his driving theory test before the start of the season but still needed to do mandatory lessons at home in Belgium before taking the test.

Flying straight back from Japan, the son of former racer Jos took his first lesson on Monday.

Despite his success, Verstappen insisted he still preferred to be a passenger on public roads: “It’s a moment of peace and I still think that way.”

On track, Verstappen has disarmed his critics entirely in just 14 races. Those who said he was too young, and pushed for the super-licence qualifying criteria to be changed to prevent anyone under 18 racing in Formula One, now have to admit he is a phenomenon.

The youngest driver ever to score points — seventh place in his second outing in Malaysia — Verstappen has a string of other records in his sights and plenty of time to achieve them.

No teenager has ever led a race or set a fastest lap and no driver under 21 has ever started on pole position, stood on the podium — though Verstappen came close with fourth in Hungary — or won a grand prix. The youngest world champion was Sebastian Vettel at the grand old age of 23.

Red Bull and sister team Toro Rosso have yet to secure an engine supplier for next season, with Ferrari the most likely candidate, but Verstappen’s future looks bright regardless. Already there has been speculation about where he might end up and how soon.

The Italian media and others have linked him to Ferrari, who are likely to have a vacancy in 2017 when Kimi Raikkonen reaches the end of his contract, possibly as part of a deal for competitive engines.