FORMULA 1 - 2013

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Grosjean celebrates summer break as new father

Lotus driver Romain Grosjean is celebrating Formula 1′s August summer break as a new father.

The Lotus driver, whose wife Marion Jolles met 27-year-old Grosjean as an F1 reporter for French television TFormula 1, confirmed the happy news this week.

“Our son Sacha was born on the 29th of July,” he said on Twitter, referring to the very day after he finished sixth in the Hungarian Grand Prix.

After a wave of up and down form in 2013, Grosjean also qualified a season-best third in Hungary, while many applauded his feisty racing on the Sunday.

Asked to name a highlight of 2013, he said: “Well, I would like to say the pass on Felipe [Massa] in Budapest, which at the time I thought may have been the best of my career so far, but of course with the penalty I suppose it’s not the same.

“After our performance in the last few races, I honestly believe that my first win is now just around the corner,” Grosjean added.

Indeed, while earlier it was believed that Grosjean’s erratic form might cost him his race seat, boss Eric Boullier thinks that Lotus has “a future contender for titles” on its hands now.

“It gives me great pleasure to see him learn from those [bad] experiences and to really start delivering the kind of results we’ve always known he is capable of,” Boullier said after Hungary.

“He knows that if he wants to be winning races and fighting for championships then he must deliver this kind of quality drive at every grand prix,” he added.

As for his wife and his newly-born son, Frenchman Grosjean told his 165 000 Twitter followers that “All the family is doing very well”.

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Stewart says that dropping Indian GP sends wrong message

Dropping out of next year’s Formula 1 world championship calendar is not a good message being sent by organisers of the Indian Grand Prix.

That is the warning of triple world champion Sir Jackie Stewart, following news that India will not host a race next year but will return to Formula 1 in 2015.

Amid the undoubted tax and customs issues, and the pressure on Formula 1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone to limit the calendar to 20 races next year, Indian organisers insist that missing 2014 is simply “a scheduling matter”.

“These kinds of adjustments take place all the time,” said a spokesman for organisers Jaypee.

He explained that Ecclestone offered India a March date on the 2014 calendar, but with this year’s race taking place in October, the two races would have taken place too closely together.

“We were then given the option of holding it in March in subsequent years,” said the spokesman.

But Stewart, a veteran figure in the F1 paddock for almost five decades, indicated that he thinks that the real issue is about tax and customs.

“F1 has been able to handle the issue in every other country we go to – whether it’s Hungary, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia or China,” the 74-year-old told the India-Asian News Service.

And Stewart said the situation, culminating in India skipping at least the 2014 schedule, could hurt the country’s F1 foray.

“It is certainly not a good message the Indian Grand Prix is sending out to the motor sports world, and is not positive for India’s image when questions are raised about it,” he said.

Not only that, spectator numbers dropped from 95 000 for the inaugural race in 2011 to just 60 000 last year. And after October’s race, 16 months will pass before India hosts its next grand prix.

“This year’s race is crucial,” Stewart agreed, “and if the race in 2015 gets the right promotion, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t again attract large crowds.”

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Tilke: Sochi track will be ready for Russian GP

Hermann Tilke insists that he is 100 per cent certain that the circuit in Sochi will be ready for next year’s inaugural Russian Grand Prix.

Doubts hang over the 2014 race on the Black Sea coast, after a dispute between the promoter Omega and the Russian automobile federation resulted in Russia missing the deadline to apply to be on next year’s calendar.

Earlier, there were also reports of construction delays, while German Tilke, whose company is responsible for the design of new Formula 1 circuits, expressed concerns about the quality of the local construction contractors.

But Tilke has now told Russia’s Championat he is “100 per cent certain” that the circuit, part of the infrastructure for the 2014 winter olympics, will be ready on time.

“Nothing else is in my area of responsibility,” he said.

“The track will be built on schedule,” Tilke added, insisting that even the construction delay between November and the end of the 2014 games in February will not pose a problem.

“No, everything will be ok,” he said. “The track will be ready on time.”

Tilke also insisted that he is no longer worried about the quality of the construction work. “All of these problems were long ago.

Everything is now solved,” he said.

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Di Resta: Team has let things slip

Paul di Resta has urged Force India to up their game after taking their eyes off the ball in recent weeks.

Force India had an impressive start to this year's Championship, scoring points in seven of the first eight grands prix to move up to fifth in the Drivers' Championship.

In recent weeks, though, their grip on that position has slipped as the team failed to score in Germany and Hungary.

This has allowed McLaren to close the gap with the Woking team now just two points off the pace.

And di Resta, who finished fourth in Bahrain, says the team has only themselves to blame.

"I trust the team will have a lot of ideas as we go into the summer break," the Scot told Autosport.

"I think they have done a great job up until now, but we've let things slip slightly as a team in the last couple of grands prix.

"They're good guys and I believe they can work their way and come up with a solution."

The Scot, who is intent on moving up the grid next season, is hoping for better at the Belgian GP as he believes the Spa circuit will suit his VJM06.

"The track [the Hungaroring] didn't suit us; hopefully when we get to Spa with our lower downforce it will suit us," he added.

"We need to be doing a better job towards the end of the year and we'll try and do that as a unit."

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Perez: A lot of room to improve

Although Sergio Perez feels he is stronger now than at the start of the season, the McLaren driver concedes there bigger steps need to be taken.

Perez joined McLaren from Sauber at the start of this season and it has been a difficult start to the partnership.

Fighting just to get inside the top ten, Perez has netted points in only half his races.

As such the Mexican driver has just 18 to his tally, putting him 12th in the Drivers' Championship.

"It has been difficult to get to know the car. From the first time I drove it in Jerez (at the first test) to now it has changed completely," he said.

"Every weekend we make steps on a Friday, trying a lot of things, so then on a Saturday we are starting with a completely new car.

"But my understanding of the team has grown a lot since the start of the season.

"Right now I'm in a good position to maximise the full potential of the car, exploring it and its limits more, trying to get the most out of every single detail.

"In that respect we have made a good step, we are getting very strong and with my group of engineers I'm getting very strong, but with a lot of room to improve."

The 23-year-old is now hoping for better in the second half of the Championship.

"I've only had 10 races with McLaren which have been difficult, so hopefully the next few races we have are much better," he concluded.

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Brawn: No firm time scale of handover

Ross Brawn says there won't be a defining moment for when he hands over responsibilities to Paddy Lowe but that it will rather be a gradual process.

Earlier this year Mercedes signed Lowe as their new executive director (technical) with the eventual goal being that he will replace Brawn as the team principal.

However, Brawn says that will be a gradual process as there is no set date for it to start - or end.

"There will be a point in the future when some of the responsibilities I have will be handled by Paddy," Brawn told ESPNF1. "But it won't be an abrupt stop and an abrupt start.

"Paddy and I have known each other for a very long time and we're working on the things where he can make a real contribution to the team. He's started to pick up some of those things and at some point in the future he will take on more responsibility.

"He joined the team earlier than we anticipated, but it will evolve in a way that is most positive for the team. We won't do anything that risks the potential of the team and I imagine that over the next year to 18 months things will evolve. But there is no firm time scale."

The Englishman, though, did reveal that there will come a time when he stops attending all the grands prix, although even that is not yet decided.

"It might be attractive not to have to do all the races. We will see what the best approach is.

"If we conclude that Paddy is better focusing on things at the factory, we will do what we feel is the strongest solution for the team."

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Pirelli in 'most bizarre situation'

Paul Hembery believes Pirelli are in the "most bizarre situation" given that they still do not have a contract for next year's Championship.

Pirelli entered Formula One in 2010 on a three-year deal as the sport's sole tyre supplier. That deal, though, expires at the end of this season.

As yet the Italian tyre manufacturer does not have a new contract in place meaning that while they need to press ahead with plans for next year, including commercial deals with the individual teams, nothing is actually guaranteed.

"It's the most bizarre situation we're in really," Hembery explained to ESPNF1.

"We've got our agreements in place with the vast majority of people involved; there's not a clearly defined process but we're going forward, getting the teams signed up, we've got the promoter signed up, we're working on 2014.

"We can only work with what we're being asked to do. We've got cooperation from the teams, we've got cooperation from the promoter and we've had ongoing cooperation from the FIA so until somebody tells us any different we don't really know what we should be doing differently."

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Sauber backs Formula 1 rookie Esteban Gutierrez to score points

Sauber team boss Monisha Kaltenborn is sure Esteban Gutierrez is capable of delivering point-scoring finishes for the Swiss squad.

The Mexican, the youngest driver on the grid at 22, is yet to finish in the points and has an 11th-place finish as his best result so far in his rookie season.

Team-mate Nico Hulkenberg has finished in the points four times and has outqualified Gutierrez in all races.

Kaltenborn acknowledges that Sauber's uncompetitiveness has made Gutierrez's life difficult, but she believes he has the potential to produce better performances.

"Yes, I am sure about that," said Kaltenborn when asked if Gutierrez can score. "It has been a very tough season.

"The challenge to come into Formula 1, and get used to this environment, is a big step in itself.

"Then of course if the car is not as competitive as we expected it to be, if you simply have bad luck then it is very tough on the driver.

"And that's where we need to make sure he keeps his motivation high and try to support him finding consistency.

"We have seen even on Fridays that he is there in his moments, and we need to get more of that out of him."

Kaltenborn reckons the summer break will be important to Gutierrez to refocus and come back a stronger driver when action resumes at the Belgian Grand Prix.

"There has been so much going on - especially with the rumours around the team, the situation, not being able to do everything we wanted to implement - and it does take a toll on the drivers, especially when you are new in Formula 1," she said.

"It's good he can reflect on all this, have this time to reassess his position, what he has done right and what hasn't gone so well, and I am sure he will come back stronger."

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Jenson Button backs McLaren to fight at front in F1 Spa GP

Jenson Button is convinced McLaren will be able to show the progress it has made in the Belgian Grand Prix later this month.

While the Woking-based squad has been unable to match the pace of the leading outfits, Button insists McLaren took a step forward in performance in the Hungarian Grand Prix last month.

While he finished in seventh position at the Hungaroring, the Briton is optimistic Spa will suit his car even better.

"Seventh doesn't look exciting, last race we were fighting for a fifth, but I still think we've made a step forward, because the Mercedes looked quicker compared to the opposition," Button said of his Hungarian Grand Prix result.

"I think we've done a good job, and I think we'll really show that at Spa.

"It's a different type of circuit, and a circuit that should suit what we put on the car for this race.

"It [Hungary] was probably our best race of the year. That's not saying much, but it's been a tough season.

"There is progress there, and I think we should be happy."

Button, who is yet to finish on the podium this year, believes the Belgian track's layout will allow his team to really show it has closed the gap to the frontrunners.

"It's got to the point of the season where there is a gap between the top teams and the slower teams, and we are in that gap," he added.

"I think the next race you'll see us a lot closer to the top teams, and fighting with them. I'm looking forward to Spa already."

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Sauber owes money to Hulkenberg, Gutierrez, Kobayashi, Ferrari, Pirelli and more…

Reports of a continuing financial crisis at Sauber are continuing to emerge, with the Swiss team’s Russian saviour deal still waiting to be finalised, Bild am Sonntag newspaper reports that Sauber’s debts still stand at € 80 million, including unpaid bills to suppliers totalling 35 million.

“The time bomb is ticking,” the newspaper’s correspondents Helmut Uhl and Frank Schneider report. They claim that, in addition to Ferrari’s unpaid customer engine bill, Sauber has also not paid for its Pirelli tyres in 2013.

It was already known that lead driver Nico Hulkenberg is waiting for his salary, but Bild am Sonntagnow reports that rookie teammate Esteban Gutierrez has also not been paid in 2013.

The report also said that2012 Sauber driver Kamui Kobayashi is also owed about € 2.5 million.

Reportedly, the already delayed Russian saviour deal is also further in doubt due to the uncertain prospects of one of the key figures, Oleg Sirotkin.

That’s because if Sirotkin’s son, 17-year-old Sergey Sirotkin, does not debut as expected in 2014, the entire Russian deal could be off.

Correspondents Uhl and Schneider report that Sauber might need to consider a ‘plan B’ – the sale of the Hinwil based team.

Former Force India and HRT boss Colin Kolles is apparently ready on the sidelines with sponsor millions to exchange for a stake in the Swiss outfit.

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Vergne: I thrashed Ricciardo in the races where I had no problems

Jean-Eric Vergne, reportedly overlooked for the highly coveted 2014 Red Bull vacancy, claims that he has done a better job than Toro Rosso teammate Daniel Ricciardo so far this year.

The Frenchman conceded recently that the world champion team is more seriously considering Ricciardo to replace Mark Webber because of the young Australian’s superior consistency.

But Vergne has now told France’s L’Equipe that Ricciardo’s reputation is incorrect.

“Red Bull is the world champion team and they need a driver who can score points in every race,” said the 23-year-old.

“But if you look at the results, Ricciardo finished every race but I did not, and I have more points than him,” Vergne insisted.

“But I have this image, even if it is false, but in the paddock Ricciardo is seen as more consistent than me.”

Vergne complained that, of his multiple failures to finish races, on only one occasion was it his fault.

And he added: “If you look at the races that I had no problems, I thrashed my teammate – he was nowhere.”

Vergne’s latest comments coincide with suggestions that, although Red Bull has said the Frenchman should get another season at Toro Rosso, the energy drink company is also keen to give Antonio Felix da Costa his debut.

He acknowledged that the decision-making process at Red Bull is complex.

“It’s not that [team boss Christian] Horner takes the decision. Adrian Newey is also heard, as are Dietrich Mateschitz and Helmut Marko,” said Vergne.

“I understand the risks of taking a young driver like me or Daniel. And it’s even harder when they see a driver who does not finish all of the races.”

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Brawn: I have never discussed the possibility of a return to Ferrari

Ross Brawn has dismissed reports that he is considering a return to Ferrari once Paddy Lowe replaces him as team boss at Mercedes.

After his ultra-successful stint as Ferrari’s technical director, the 58-year-old took a sabbatical in 2007 and then returned to Formula 1 with Honda.

Brawn has also headed the Brackley based team as Brawn GP and Mercedes, but Lowe, having arrived from McLaren, is expected to be the team’s next boss.

Reports have suggested Brawn could then go back to Ferrari as the great Italian team grapples with its latest technical problems.

“Firstly, I have never discussed the possibility of a return to Ferrari,” he insisted to Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I had wonderful moments at Maranello and I love Italy so much now that in the next week I’ll be (holidaying) in Forte dei Marmi.

“But I am happy to be with Mercedes and I have to say that we have done a good job,” said Brawn.

“The arrival of Paddy Lowe doesn’t change the situation, as I have a different role in the team.”

So, after Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo publicly warned Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, and also pointed out the pressure on team boss Stefano Domenicali, Brawn advised the Maranello team to close ranks.

“In Formula 1 we are used to pressure, especially those of us working in the top three or four teams.

“We all want to win and I’m under scrutiny just as Domenicali is,” said Brawn. ”But one of the secrets of success in motor sport is stability: we at Mercedes are competitive again thanks to a job that started 18 months ago.”

So, for now, Brawn’s focus is on Mercedes, and the delicate transition of resources between continuing to develop the winning 2013 package, and preparing for the radical new rules of next year.

“It is important to prepare well for 2014,” he admitted, “but if we have the opportunity to fight for this (2013) title, then why not try it?

“However, it is quite difficult — Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull are very consistent — they’re hardly going to commit serious mistakes.”

Finally, Brawn dismissed Ferrari president Montezemolo’s accusation that Mercedes has only stepped into a winning position in 2013 due to the ‘testgate’ scandal.

“All I’ll say is that we won in Hungary with tyres that we had never used before, as we couldn’t do the Silverstone test. But I know what an enthusiast Luca is, so I understand his outburst,” he said.

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'2014 is a huge opportunity for Merc'

Nico Rosberg believes Mercedes have a "really difficult" decision to make about when to stop developing this year's car and focus entirely on next season's.

Although Mercedes with solid pace on a Saturday afternoon, it wasn't until Monaco that Rosberg turned a pole position into a grand prix victory.

The team went on to win two of the next four races to enter the summer break second in the Constructors' Championship, 69 points behind Red Bull and 14 ahead of Ferrari.

Rosberg's team-mate Lewis Hamilton is also firmly in the race for the Drivers' title as the Brit trails Sebastian Vettel by 48 points with 225 still to play for.

Merc's rise to the front of the field has put the team in an interesting situation as to when they shift focus to next year's challenger, which will incorporate new regulations including the 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged engines.

And Rosberg is in two minds, saying that while on the one hand he wants a continue this year's success, on the other he reckons next season will be a "huge opportunity" for Mercedes if they get it right.

"This is a difficult question because I'm in two minds," the German told Auto Moto und Sport.

"On the one hand, I find it so cool to come to a race weekend with the best car and knowing 'I can put it on pole and win'.

"It's a great feeling that I would love to enjoy more and wish that we would now push even harder.

"On the other half, half of me thinks next year is a huge opportunity because of the massive changes.

"So we let it be and we can sure get a few good results out of this car even if it remains as it is."

He added: "This is a really difficult decision for the team on how and when to shift resources to next year."

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Brawn: 20 is a sensible limit

Ross Brawn has called for the F1 calendar not to exceed a "sensible limit" of 20 grands prix.

With a provisional schedule for 2014 expected to be released in the next few weeks, the decision about the number of grands prix is heating up.

Most, however, feel 20 is enough.

According to Mercedes team boss Brawn, anything over that would be a strain on his team personnel and would become "difficult" to manage.

"Twenty races is pretty challenging for the teams with one crew of people," the Englishman told the Daily Express.

"I think you reach a need point that when you go beyond it you have to start looking at rotating people, rotating crews.

"That gets very difficult, particularly with the engineers because they are very closely linked with their drivers.

"That's not an easy thing, but with some of the technicians and mechanics and so on we can do that.

"But 20 races is pretty intense for everyone. One more is only five percent more; two is only ten percent more.

"But it really does start to get difficult to manage, so I think 20 is a sensible limit."

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Williams F1 team set to sign new young driver

Williams is set to sign a new protege to mould for a future Formula 1 seat as it did with current race driver Valtteri Bottas.

Bottas had a comprehensive programme of Friday practice drives in 2012 before being promoted to a race seat alongside Pastor Maldonado this season.

Although Williams now has Susie Wolff as a development driver, it has not directly replaced Bottas in the 'number three' role.

Asked in an exclusive interview with AUTOSPORT if a plan for a new young driver was in place, deputy team principal Claire Williams replied: "Yes, there is. That's one of the great things about Williams, one of the things that we like to do is to pick up new talent we can bring in.

"Frank [Williams] loves bringing in new drivers and seeing who is out there, and he finds that so exciting.

"We have just put Valtteri in the cockpit so that position is available.

"We are doing some diligence on who is out there and who is well-suited to joining the team."

Formula 3 Euro Series champion Daniel Juncadella ran alongside Wolff at Williams during last month's F1 young driver test at Silverstone.

The Spaniard drives for Williams's 2014 F1 engine partner Mercedes in the DTM at present.

Williams said her team's long-term aim was to establish a larger young driver programme, but that for now it had "a couple of drivers" in mind.

"We would like to do a proper young driver programme in the future but that's always about budget and we have got to make sure that the budget is in place and secure for the F1 team before we start looking at doing a comprehensive young driver programme like the likes of Lotus or Red Bull," she said.

"We'd like to have a couple of drivers we can look at and there will be a couple of announcements about that soon."

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Toto Wolff warns Mercedes against all-out 2013 F1 title bid

Mercedes motorsport chief Toto Wolff has warned his Formula 1 team not to jeopardise its longer-term chances with an all-out bid for the 2013 championship.

Lewis Hamilton's Hungarian Grand Prix win - Mercedes' third triumph of the season - brought him up to fourth in the drivers' standings, 48 points behind leader Sebastian Vettel.

Mercedes is now second in the constructors', 69 points behind Red Bull.

The team has proved the quickest over a single lap this year, taking seven poles in 10 rounds, and after earlier tyre difficulties, its wins in Britain and Hungary suggested it could now reliably convert that raw speed into race pace.

But Wolff wants Mercedes to focus on making sure it can produce such form consistently rather than getting too fixated on closing the points gap.

"If half a year ago we would have talked about championship opportunities in the drivers' or constructors' championship it would have been absolutely crazy," he said.

"If you look at our competitors they have been able to perform at the top in a sustainable way.

"That is what we need to achieve - consolidation should be the agenda for the second half of the year, not looking at the championships."

Wolff was also cautious about the Hungarian result, saying it was too soon to regard the win in hot conditions as a turning point in Mercedes' tyre issues.

"We cannot be confident, it would be the wrong approach to say we have found the golden key now," he said.

"It is about consolidating and analysing, trying to translate it into the coming circuits in terms of the circuit itself, track surface, track temperatures, energy of the corners. Every track is different.

"We have to keep our head down and consolidate the win, and try to turn it into performance on the track."

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McLaren confident of success with Honda

McLaren are confident of a highly successful future with Honda according to team principal Martin Whitmarsh.

The Japanese company announced its return to Formula 1 as an engine supplier to McLaren from 2015 onwards - bringing back a once historical partnership which dominated the sport. Whitmarsh predicts the pairing will once again bring success on the track for many seasons to come.

"There is obviously a massive excitement in the company," he said. "I was around when we last raced with Honda and they have a racing culture and a racing spirit. "That's exciting and very motivational within the team and we can now look ahead to the next ten years knowing we have got a fantastic budget, resources and a partner to continue winning and being successful in Formula One.

"It's a challenge, it always is, but I think it's an exciting one."

The outfit, which has one of the largest budgets on the grid, is set to lose its title sponsor, Vodafone, at the end of the year.

However the team is expected to announce a replacement at the end of the year which Whitmarsh says will bring financial stability.

"We've got a good range of sponsors going forward and of course Honda is a great technical and commercial partner. We've got a very secure budget."

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WATCH RED BULLS INCREDIBLE 2.05 SECOND PIT STOP IN SLOW MOTION:

There’s a heck of a lot of intricate little actions that takes place in a pitstop — all choreographed like a well-drilled dance troupe. But it’s really difficult to see, in only the 2.05 seconds it takes for Red Bull to swap all four tyres. Thankfully, that’s what slow motion is for, and it’s amazing to watch it all happen.

I real time, in a proper pit, the insanely fast 2.05 second record that Red Bull set in April basically looks like the car doesn’t actually stop. In reality, all four wheels are swapped, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a sub-two-second stop soon.

It’s amazing what practice and intense training can achieve. I’m in awe.

Here's a bonus clip of Webber:

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Lopez: Salaries have always been paid on time and there’s never been a hint of a strike

Amid the Formula 1 summer break reports that staff at Enstone are on the verge of striking due to unpaid salaries, Lotus team owners Genii Capital through Gerard Lopez have slammed the allegations.

“Regarding the €120 million debt, anyone can find out that number by going to Companies House records and will see that out of that, over €90 million is not real debt but shareholder loans made to the company,” declared Lopez to several French media outlets.

“Staff salaries have always been paid on time and there has never been even a hint of a strike by our people at the [Enstone] factory,” said Lopez. “Usually we don’t comment on these things, but in this case it’s unfair to the people working in our company to be reporting things like that.”

The Genii boss pointed out, “When we took over this team, it was eighth in the championship. It had a 50% wind-tunnel, now it’s 60%. The team didn’t have a driver-in-the-loop simulator, now it does. It didn’t have a gearbox dyno, now it has.”

“Now it [Lotus] has a bunch of things that it did not have even as a works team. As they say in other sports, you do your talking on the field and I guess we do our talking on the track,” added Lopez.

In June Lotus announced that a consortium of private investors, including an American hedge fund manager and an Abu Dhabi-based multinational business group, had acquired a 35 percent stake in the team.

The team said in a statement at the time that Infinity Racing Partners Limited had joined Luxembourg-based Genii Capital, who retain the remaining 65 percent through an investment vehicle, as shareholders. Lopez would continue as chairman.

The statement said that Infinity Racing also included “royal family interests of a major oil producing nation” among its investors. It named Mansoor Ijaz as chairman, with Suhail Al Dhaheri as vice-chairman.

“Infinity Racing’s principals have exceptional expertise and a proven strong track record in developing and delivering high quality technologies,” Lopez said.

Meanwhile Lotus are trying hard to convince their star driver Kimi Raikkonen to stay with the team beyond 2013, as Red Bull are actively courting the Finn to replace Mark Webber and team-up with world champion Sebastian Vettel.

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Sauber’s Russian rescue package on the brink of collapse

It has now emerged that Sauber’s supposed ‘Russian rescue deal’ is on the verge of collapse as board members of a vital link to the package have voted against the investment.

A week ago, amid reports that various Russian entities had saved the Swiss team with promised millions, boss Monisha Kaltenborn admitted that there was a delay.

That holdup could now run Sauber off the road, with Die Welt newspaper saying that Ferrari has threatened to cut off the supply of customer engines unless part of an unpaid bill is paid immediately.

The latest news is that, with Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli also not paid in 2013, “The time bomb is ticking”, according to Bild correspondents Helmut Uhl and Frank Schneider.

The newspaper claimed on Sunday that the entire Russian deal could now collapse, due to “uncertain prospects” for Oleg Sirotkin.

Sirotkin, who heads up Russia’s National Institute of Aviation Technologies (NIAT), is vital to the deal, with his 17-year-old son Sergey also scheduled to make his Sauber debut in 2014.

Bild newspaper reported on Monday that Sauber’s worsening situation had taken yet another “dramatic” turn, with potential “insolvency” now looming.

“The Russian sponsor rescue could fail,” the latest media report read.

“According to our information, the NIAT board has voted by large majority against the € 400 million investment,” added Bild.

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Mallya not fooled by McLaren's woes

Force India team principal Vijay Mallya warns it will be "naive bordering on stupid" to think that McLaren won't improve in the latter half of the season.

The Silverstone squad impressed during the first half of 2013 as Paul di Resta and Adrian Sutil scored 59 points in the opening nine races to put the team ahead of McLaren.

However, they finished on a low in Hungary as both drivers were forced to retire while Jenson Button and Sergio Perez picked up eight points to reduce the deficit in the standings to just two.

Mallya, though, says McLaren were always going to up their performance at some stage following their poor start to the season.

"At Silverstone we were 22 points ahead of McLaren and everyone came and asked me the same question [about whether we could stay ahead]," he told ESPN.

"I said, look, I'm not a fool. McLaren is a multiple World Championship team, they have humongous resources and it would be naive bordering on stupid to think that McLaren won't pick up their performance.

"I think at the last race, a one-race win would have wiped out the entire deficit. They are capable of winning races whereas Sahara Force India are still stepping up the ladder. I'm not surprised they have closed the gap, but we are still in front.

"We will do our best to continue our good form in the second half of the season and at the end of the day it is Brazil that will matter and it's just one point in the Championship that could also matter - as we learned three years ago as Williams got ahead of us with one point."

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Silly season latest: Raikkonen ditches Lotus for Ferrari, Alonso to Red Bull

Perhaps the Formula 1 news vacuum during the summer break is prompting some creative journalism, or alternatively allowing journos extra time to really dig for the truth and coming up with sensational scoops…

Whatever the case, latest silly season reports are claiming that Kimi Raikkonen has already decided to return to Ferrari next year, according to major Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat.

Raikkonen, whose two-year rallying sabbatical began after Ferrari ended his contract and signed Fernando Alonso for 2010, has been more strongly linked with a move from Lotus to Red Bull.

Ilta-Sanomat said that its report was based on information of its “sources”.

The newspaper added that Red Bull team owner Dietrich Mateschitz is keen to sign Ferrari’s current number 1 Fernando Alonso for 2014, despite the Spaniard’s long contract.

Many in the paddock, however, see the prospect of Alonso’s pairing with reigning multiple world champion Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull as highly unlikely.

“I was surprised by these [media] reports,” admitted Daniel Juncadella, a young Spanish driver who is being linked with a future at Williams.

“It’s quite hard to believe,” he told Russia’s Championat. “Of course he would have a very good chance to become world champion again if he was at Red Bull – but we’ll see.”

Raikkonen won the 2007 Formula 1 world championship as a Ferrari driver.

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Juncadella: Good chance in a few years I can become the main driver for Williams

Highly rated Spaniard Daniel Juncadella has acknowledged that he is in the running for a Formula 1 future with the Williams team.

Juncadella was signed up by the Grove team’s 2014 engine supplier, Mercedes, to race in the German touring car series DTM this year.

Another link that could pay off for Juncadella is his sponsor deal with the Kazakhstan investment company TAK Group, to promote the capital Astana.

TAK’s Artur Ardavichus said in June: “Astana wants Dani to progress and gain experience with Williams, to prepare him to be a Formula 1 driver with Mercedes.”

Juncadella initially played down those comments, but reports now suggest that the Spaniard could be groomed for a race seat by Williams in the same way that Valtteri Bottas was.

The 22-year-old drove Williams’ 2013 car at the recent Silverstone test, and has now told Russia’s Championat: “We’ll see what happens in the future.

“Next year, Williams and Mercedes will have the same engine, and so Mercedes can send its young and inexperienced drivers to a team it is connected with, where the driver has the opportunity to show his potential.

“There is a good chance that in a few years I can become the main driver for Williams. We’ll see. First I need to show strong results.”

Juncadella also revealed that he could participate in the pre-season winter tests ahead of the 2014 season, and then make appearances on Friday mornings at grands prix.

Asked if he was talking about driving a Williams or a Mercedes, he answered: “I cannot say, but I think [that] in 2014 there may be some surprises.”

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Da Costa likely to replace Ricciardo at Toro Rosso says Tost

Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost has named Antonio Felix da Costa as the most likely candidate should the team have a vacancy for the 2014 Formula 1 season.

With Daniel Ricciardo in the running to replace Red Bull’s Le Mans-bound Mark Webber, the energy drink company’s junior team Toro Rosso has said that it wants to keep Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne next year.

As for Australian Ricciardo’s likely successor, Tost told Brazil’s Totalrace: “Antonio Felix da Costa is one of the candidates, but let’s wait for Red Bull’s decision.

“If they take Daniel, then we will assess who will be the choice for our second cockpit,” the Austrian added.

Red Bull-backed Portuguese da Costa, 21, is currently running fifth in this season’s Formula Renault 3.5 series.

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No plan B for Sutil

Adrian Sutil is determined to remain in Formula One for the foreseeable future, saying he has no back-up plan.

After spending the 2012 season on the sidelines, the German returned to Force India at the start of this year and he has done an admirable job scoring 23 points to help the team to fifth in the Constructors' standings.

Although he only signed a one-year contract with the Silverstone squad, he is confident he will remain with them if he continues to perform well on race weekends.

If I do my job well and they are happy, there will be good possibilities to stay," he told the official Formula 1 website. "Sahara Force India will be the first team we talk with about the 2014 season."

As for his plans away from F1, Sutil said: "No plan B. My one and only plan is to have a long and successful career in F1!"

Sutil and Force India are heading to Belgium next and he is confident the team will bounce back after a disappointing outing in Hungary last time out when both cars failed to see the chequered flag.

"Yes, I'm convinced we will be strong in Spa. I like the circuit very much. It's a really challenging one - a racers track! So watch out for us!" he said.