FORMULA 1 - 2015

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WILLIAMS: WE ARE BITTERLY DISAPPOINTED

Williams report from the Russian Grand Prix, Round 15 of the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship, at Sochi Autodrom.

Race Notes:

• Felipe Massa finished 4th, with Valtteri Bottas classified 12th after an accident on the final lap ended his chances of a podium in today’s Russian Grand Prix.
• Valtteri was set for third place after overtaking Perez on the penultimate lap on newer tyres, but was hit by Raikkonen on the final lap and his race ended in the barrier at T4.
• Starting down in P15, Felipe drove a strong and consistent race to make his way through the pack and score some valuable points for the team.
• Congratulations to Mercedes who have clinched the 2015 Constructors’ Championship today.

Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: “Obviously we are bitterly disappointed to lose what looked like a deserved podium finish on the last lap of the race. The team has done a good job and made the right strategy calls, and both drivers did a fantastic job, so to come away with less points than we should have and no silverware is frustrating. Pirelli did a good job with the tyres this week and on different strategies our cars managed to make them work for us when needed. We now have to go on to the USA and Mexico in good spirits and to use the positives of this race weekend and the strong pace we have shown to make amends and have another strong weekend.”

Valtteri Bottas: “It was quite a strange race with lots of accidents and safety cars, and we managed to do a very good job as a team to give me a good shot at the podium. I was running in P3 on the last lap and then I was hit from behind in Turn 4 and that was it. It’s difficult to describe the disappointment because the team has worked so hard all week to get a good result, and then the result we feel like we deserved was lost with only one lap remaining. It’s a tough end to the weekend.”

Felipe Massa: “It was a good result for me today and we managed to do well to fight back from a disappointing qualifying yesterday. I lost a bit of time behind slower cars at the beginning of the race because I was on harder tyres than those around me, but the pace was very good on the supersofts at the end. This allowed me to close up and be in a position to collect more points on the final lap due to the incidents up ahead.”

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Rosberg ‘should have won’

Nico Rosberg was left to rue what could have been as his Russian GP came to an premature end with a sticking throttle.

Heading into the Sochi race there were plenty of questions about Rosberg's mental strength but he showed his fortitude as he held off Hamilton through a tense opening lap.

He had to do it all again three laps later after a Safety Car restart, this time around it was much more comfortable.

However, that's where it ended as Rosberg reported a sticking throttle that laps later was forced to park his W06 in the pits.

"F1 is pretty incredible sometimes how tough it is, the bad luck," lamented Rosberg. "After a great start, I was leading the race and feeling confident.

"After the Safety Car I couldn't come off the throttle any more.

"It is quite dangerous if the throttle sticks and it did stick a couple of times.

"Definitely not a nice way to end the day."

Rosberg's retirement has dropped him third in the Drivers' standings behind Sebastian Vettel while the gap to race winner Hamilton is now 73 points.

And with only 100 left to play for, many believes the title race is over barring the fanfare.

Rosberg, however, still won't give up.

"I don't know, it has made it more difficult," he conceded.

"But like this I'll never win the championship if it continues like that; breaking things on a normal day when I should have won.

"It makes it tough and it is disappointing.

"But," he added, "I will come back, keep pushing, keep attacking and try to win in Texas."

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Romain Grosjean closed his eyes in huge F1 crash

Romain Grosjean says he closed his eyes during his huge crash in the Russian Grand Prix, and he paid tribute to safety advances in Formula 1 afterwards.

The Lotus driver retired from the race in spectacular fashion when he lost control through the fast Turn 3, with his car ploughing into the outside safety barrier.

"When I saw it coming I knew it was going to be a good hit," said Grosjean.

"I released the steering wheel, made my muscles strong, closed my eyes and waited for it to be over.

"You know that those two, three or four tenths before hitting the wall are going to feel like 10 seconds and it's going to hurt.

"I was glad when I opened my eyes that I was fine. I won't be able to run a marathon tomorrow but I'm good."

Grosjean said he was grateful for all of the safety devices that played their part in protecting him.

"I'm very thankful the helmet, HANS device, Tecpro barriers, crash structure of the car are so good," he said.

"I'm very happy the technology in Formula 1 is so good that after I have a big shock like that I can come here and talk about it.

"Tomorrow morning is going to be a little bit sore, but I can be happy with the safety in Formula 1.

"Thank God we've made so much progress with technology."

Grosjean said Lotus is yet to determine the cause of the accident.

"We lost the rear in a very high-speed corner," he said.

"We need to see if it was my fault or if something didn't work as expected.

"We're going to investigate it because it was a bit strange. It was an easy corner all weekend and suddenly it became a tricky one."

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Ross Brawn still part of Mercedes F1 success - Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton felt compelled to pay tribute to Ross Brawn after Mercedes won its second successive Formula 1 constructors' championship.

The triumph was achieved in an unusual manner, with Mercedes only being crowned after Kimi Raikkonen was handed a 30-second time penalty post-race for colliding with Valtteri Bottas on the final lap - dropping the second Ferrari from fifth to eighth.

With the decision announced one hour and fifty minutes after the race, boss Toto Wolff and non-executive chairman Niki Lauda had already left the circuit.

Hamilton, though, said it felt "special to have contributed to the team's success", with former team principal Brawn not far from his thoughts.

Sold a vision by Brawn and Lauda towards the end of 2012 of Mercedes' plans, Hamilton said: "When I spoke with Ross a few years ago I never envisaged we would win back to back titles.

"I remember sitting with Ross and I got such a good feeling when he told me the plans.

"I need to make sure I message him because still today, while we are succeeding, Ross is still a part of it.

"I really didn't know we'd be as dominant this year either as we were last year.

"Naturally when the rules are similar it should be the same, but after being at McLaren and seeing how it went from one year to the next it just shows anything can happen in the sport.

"I felt the guys would do a good job, I just didn't know it was going to be as this good.

"They've done an even better job this year than they did last year, which is just - and I continue to say this - phenomenal."

NO SATISFACTION FOR ROSBERG

As for Rosberg, whose race ended early with a throttle pedal issue that leaves him 73 points behind Hamilton and almost out of the drivers' title race, the German was able to garner little joy from the championship triumph.

Asked by Autosport whether he felt any satisfaction in the team being crowned world champions, he replied: "No, unfortunately not. It's just a strange way.

"I'll get it tomorrow when I see we are celebrating with everybody [at the factories in Brackley and Brixworth], but it's been a strange day.

"I'm obviously well aware it's a massive team effort. Everybody is in it with their heart so much.

"It is still very special to win the constructors', and that's what everybody is working towards.

"It's awesome to be a part of that. I'm a world champion as well, so that's a small positive."

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Kimi Raikkonen, Valtteri Bottas at odds over collision

Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas disagree over whether their last lap clash in Formula 1's Russian Grand Prix was a racing incident.

The Finns were fighting over third place on the final lap, having both just passed Sergio Perez, when Raikkonen attacked Bottas's Williams into Turn 4 and they collided.

While Raikkonen's Ferrari hobbled round to finish fifth, Bottas was out on the spot, and Perez came through to retake third place.

The collision is under investigation by the stewards, and Raikkonen is unsure if he should get a penalty for coming from too far back.

"I don't know, for me it was racing," said the 2007 world champion.

"I tried to pass and unfortunately it ended up like this, but I'm not the stewards.

"I overtook him there once before and I wasn't too far back so I thought I would try again.

"Once I decided to try I can't back off. I don't know if he didn't see me at all or didn't expect me to go there.

"I tried to turn as much inside as I could but there was nowhere to go and we collided."

Bottas disputed his countryman's opinion on the clash, having said on the radio: "What the **** did he do?"

The Williams driver added: "I don't think it was a racing incident.

"I didn't see anyone there and I was in front, and then suddenly someone hits me.

"I should be on the podium, but I'm here with zero points instead. That's just disappointing.

"It doesn't really matter for me [if Raikkonen gets a penalty] because I'm not getting those points back.

"I would guess [he will] - I could look in the mirror and see it was not my fault."

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Pirelli secures new Formula 1 tyre supply deal for 2017-19 seasons

Pirelli will continue to supply tyres to Formula 1 for another three years as it has won the tender for the 2017-19 seasons.

The Italian manufacturer had been in a head-to-head competition with Michelin for the latest contract up for grabs, but F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has opted to keep faith with Pirelli.

Pirelli has confirmed to Autosport a commercial deal has been signed with Ecclestone, with the matter now simply needing to be finalised via the usual FIA processes.

Prior to the Russian Grand Prix, Ecclestone met and shook hands on the grid with Pirelli chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera.

Pirelli returned to F1 in 2011, and though it has been involved in controversies over time, Ecclestone has long been a supporter.

The latest contract will extend its stay to nine seasons.

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Carlos Sainz Jr felt dizzy early in F1 Russian Grand Prix

Carlos Sainz Jr has conceded to suffering with "a bit of dizziness" both before and during the Russian Grand Prix, but felt confident to continue after it cleared.

Following a 46g accident in final practice at Sochi, the Spaniard was airlifted to a nearby hospital, but discharged in the evening after passing all medical tests.

Three hours prior to the event, Sainz was cleared to race by FIA medical delegate Professor Jean-Charles Piette, along with the circuit's chief medical officer.

Asked how he felt during the race, Sainz told Autosport: "Being fully honest, in the first 10 laps, behind the safety car, doing so many 'esses' [weaving to warm the tyres] I was feeling a bit dizzy.

"I don't know if it was just mental because I was thinking about the accident, or if I was just feeling dizzy.

"But after lap 10 it went off and I could push normally without problems."

Asked how he felt before the race, Sainz added: "Maybe a bit of dizziness.

"If I do some strange gestures my neck and back hurts a bit, but in the car I didn't have any back or neck problems.

"Just that bit of dizziness in the first 10 laps behind the safety car. I opened up my visor and it improved."

Sainz said he didn't feel any sickness, adding: "No, just a bit warm, a bit exhausted."

He conceded to being "a bit" concerned by the dizziness in the early laps of the race.

"I said [to myself] 'I hope it's not like this all the race', and it wasn't.

"After lap 10 it went away and I could push normally, no problems at all."

From last on the grid, Sainz managed to rise as high as seventh at one point, only for the brakes to fail on his car, forcing him into retirement after two spins on lap 46.

"Luckily I still had three other brakes to protect me and slow me down," said Sainz.

"It was the front left, and I also had a small brake failure in the rear left. Quite scary.

"From lap 20-something I knew something like that could happen, but I still committed to keep racing.

"Knowing I was P7 and I had big chances with the pace I had, I was committed to keep pushing, and if the accident happened it happened.

"It would have been quite heroic to finish."

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FORCE INDIA: A GREAT PERFORMANCE AND A PERFECT STRATEGY

Sergio Perez raced to a well-deserved podium finish in today’s Russian Grand Prix to score 15 world championship points. Teammate Nico Hulkenberg retired on lap one after spinning at turn two.

P3. Sergio Perez: “It feels great to be back on the podium and to be able to celebrate with my team. I have been enjoying my time with the team so much and this is a great reward for all the work we have put in together. The call to pit under the safety car turned out to be very good because it gave us track position ahead of all the battles. With one lap to go, when Valtteri (Bottas) and Kimi (Raikkonen) passed me, it felt like this result had been taken from us: I was obviously disappointed but I also knew I had given all I could during the race. There was no more I could do because I had been on the same tyres for more than 40 laps. When I finally managed to get back into third it was just an amazing feeling. I am happy I was able to share this second podium with my team. It’s a very special result and one that fills me with expectation ahead of the races in Austin and especially Mexico City.”

DNF. Nico Hulkenberg: “I didn’t have the best of starts, but then I was able to pick the ideal line on the approach to turn two. Unfortunately, I locked the rears going into turn two and, when that happens, you just end up in a spin. I hoped the whole field would get past without hitting me but unfortunately Ericsson got stuck with me and I couldn’t move away. The first lap is always a unique situation: I didn’t brake any later, but with cold tyres it’s really tricky and once the tyres locked there was nothing I could do to save it. It’s always a pity to go out at the start and it’s really frustrating because our pace seemed really good this weekend. I just want to move on and start thinking about the next race. At the same time I have to say well done to Checo because the podium is a great result for the team.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal: “We have to compliment the team on a great performance and a perfect strategy. Pitting Sergio under the safety car was an aggressive call, but it paid off. We knew we would be under pressure towards the end, but having track position was crucial and the events on the final lap vindicated our decision. Checo did a great job defending against Ricciardo first and Bottas later until the very final stages and then we had some good fortune on the final lap. The only blot on our copybook today was Nico’s accident at the start. It was unfortunate but he will bounce back in Austin. Our recent run of form is testament to the great job we have done over the last few months and it’s incredibly satisfying to deliver on the potential we have shown with a podium. We’re on target to consolidate our fifth position in the championship and that has to be our objective for the end of the season before we push hard to move forward next year.”

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RED BULL: THERE IS SOME SATISFACTION TO BE TAKEN FROM THE RESULT

Red Bull report from the Russian Grand Prix, Round 15 of the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship, at Sochi Autodrom.

Daniil Kvyat: “I think we squeezed everything out of it today and ten points at the end of such a complicated race is a very good achievement, so we have to be satisfied with these points. With hindsight, you could say we could have run a slightly better strategy, but you can never be completely sure how these things will turn out and you never stop learning in this respect. It was nice to see all the people that came here to support me today, it’s a great feeling and hopefully it will continue and get better and better. I could also see that other drivers had their fans in the crowd as well which was nice, it’s a true passion and it looks like in Russia the sport is growing a lot and many people are coming which is great to see. I’m already looking forward to Austin because I think it should suit us a little bit better and I’m looking forward to those high speed corners.”

Daniel Ricciardo: “I’m happy with how I drove but it’s a shame we don’t have any points to show for it. The risky strategy was working well and we were looking good to earn some decent points. We’re not sure what happened, we suspect it’s a suspension issue. I came out of turn four and I felt something was not right and I reported back to the team. The team will investigate the issue but I think considering we weren’t expecting too much from this track, we can be pleased that we were racing with the faster cars of Williams and Ferrari and managed to keep them behind us for a good while.”

Christian Horner, Team Principal: “A real shame for Daniel today. With the early safety car we took a risk to go for an early stop switching him to the harder tyre and thereafter he made it work fantastically well, keeping the faster cars of Bottas and Raikkonen behind him until losing time with a backmarker, which allowed Bottas to get past him. Shortly after that, the car developed what we suspect is a suspension issue which caused his retirement. When the safety car came out, we elected to cover our options and with Dany we went for a more conventional strategy. Finishing P5*, having started eleventh, is a respectable result in his home race.”

Matthieu Dubois, Renault: “The race was reasonably eventful for everyone so there is some satisfaction to be taken from the result today. Our power units operated without any issues on the demanding circuit. Faultless reliability has been our primary focus for some time and today we showed our efforts are paying off. We feel sorry for Daniel, who was equally on for a good result but I am sure there will be more opportunities to grab one in the four remaining races.”

*Car 26 (Kvyat) finished P6 however moves up one place due to 30 second penalty on car 7 (Raikkonen)

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TORO ROSSO: A VERY DIFFICULT AND EMOTIONAL RACE WEEKEND

Toro Rosso report from the Russian Grand Prix, Round 15 of the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship, at Sochi Autodrom.

Max Verstappen: “I’m disappointed. It certainly wasn’t the best of race starts, as I got clipped because the cars in front of me crashed and from then on it was a very difficult race. I had a lot of damage on the car, especially at the rear, and it wasn’t behaving as it should’ve been. It was very difficult for me to continue, but we tried to, hoping we could get back into the points, even though in the end it wasn’t possible.”

Carlos Sainz: “What a disappointing way to end what was being such a good race! But I have to say that I’m happy I could race after what happened yesterday. Today’s was a good performance in difficult conditions. I started from P20, pushed hard and suddenly I found myself in P7… We could’ve even ended in P6! Towards the end of the race I was warned to look after my brakes as the temperatures were very high and I was managing to do that while still racing at a good pace. Unfortunately, with only eight laps to go the brakes said ‘enough’ at Turn 13 and that was the end of my race. I have to be thankful to the whole team, they did a great job for me to be racing out there today after yesterday’s crash. The car was in perfect conditions. Now I will certainly get some rest during the next couple of days!”

Franz Tost (Team Principal): “It was a very difficult and emotional race weekend for the team, with a lot of up anddowns. Of course, Carlos’ crash in yesterday’s FP3 was the worst moment, especially the minutes just after the accident, when we didn’t know what had happened as we lost all radio connections. Fortunately, everybody was delighted once we found out he wasn’t injured and that he was in a position to race today. Max did a very good qualifying yesterday, finishing in P9, which showed the potential of the car. Today in the race, unfortunately he wasn’t able to avoid the collision between Ericsson and Hulkenberg at Turn 2, as he was hit and damaged his tyre. He came back to the pits and we changed it, but we also saw that the floor and the rear suspension were also damaged, so his race was compromised because of this. He attacked and did a good race, but in the end he couldn’t do more than finish in P11 unfortunately. Carlos did a fantastic race. He was on the way to a sixth or seventh position finish, because he was 10 seconds ahead of Kvyat, who finished in P6. He had some problems with the front-left brake, which was overheating, so therefore he had to retire. Currently we don’t understand how this happened, because the data shows that the brake system worked quite well from the beginning onwards, but with only ten laps to go suddenly the temperatures increased dramatically. It would’ve been a fantastic recovery for Carlos after yesterday’s accident.”

Cedrik Staudohar (Renault Sport F1 track support leader): “First of all, everyone is really happy that Carlos was fine and able to participate to the race after his huge crash yesterday. I would like also to say a big thank you to our mechanics who did a great job to rebuild the car with a new power unit that worked well in the race without any issues. Obviously we are disappointed with the final results but the performance of the car in normal conditions was good, which is a positive on a demanding circuit. Reliability was also there yet again here so we have to keep it in that sweet spot until the end of the season.”

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SAUBER: A GREAT JOB BY THE TEAM

The Sauber F1 Team finished the Russian Grand Prix back in the points. Felipe Nasr took the chequered flag in his Sauber C34-Ferrari in P7.

At the very end of the Russian Grand Prix, Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) caused a collision, and he was given a 30 second penalty added to the elapsed race time.

This decision moved Felipe Nasr up into P6, and he collected eight world championship points. This was his second best result after the Australian Grand Prix, in which the Brazilian finished in P5. Marcus Ericsson was unlucky the whole weekend.

Directly after the race start, the Swede ran into another competitor after he spun in turn two.

Marcus Ericsson: “A difficult weekend for me, but I was still optimistic for the race. As I started from the back of the field, we chose an alternative strategy starting on soft tyres. The start was good, as I was able to overtake a few cars going down to turn two. Then I suddenly saw Nico (Hulkenberg) facing the wrong way. I had nowhere to go and went into him. This is very disappointing as the car was quite competitive here. A missed opportunity, which is frustrating for me. Now I will recharge and try it again during the next race weekend.”

Felipe Nasr: “I am very satisfied with the result today. It was an intense race from the beginning to the end. The pace of the car was quite competitive, especially on the supersoft tyres, and we were temporarily able to keep ahead of some strong competitors. The balance of the car with the soft tyres was not as good as with the supersofts. Nevertheless, well done to the team, those points are for all of them. They all did a great job. These are the opportunites we cannot miss, and I am glad we extracted the maximum today.”

Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal: “A great job by the team – here in Sochi as well as at the factory in Hinwil. Felipe had a very good race. Directly after the start he was lucky enough to drive around a tricky situation. With a strong performance, he was able to show the potential of the car. There is even more to extract from the Sauber C34-Ferrari. Unfortunately, Marcus had no luck. It was not his weekend. He managed to have a good start, but then ran into another competitor after he spun.”

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Massa lucks in for fourth but rues missed chances

Felipe Massa admits he cannot help but wonder what could have been in an eventful Russian Grand Prix despite a charging drive from 15th to fourth position.

The Brazilian blamed traffic and mistakes for qualifying down on the eighth row of the grid around the Sochi Autodrom, but proceeded to pick his way up the order in the race and took full advantage for dramas around him to cross the line fourth.

With three of those positions coming in the final four laps as Daniel Ricciardo retired, Valtteri Bottas was spun out and Kimi Raikkonen damaged his Ferrari, Massa was happy to have luck on his side but disappointed at being unable to fulfil his full potential given his starting position.

“It was a very positive result - better than I was expecting! I was a little bit lucky but luck is part of this game. It was just a shame I lost a bit of time behind slower cars like Nasr and Kvyat. When you start the race so far back and you can't overtake, then the time lost adds up. A little bit of luck is always welcome.

“Overtaking here is not easy, so that is why I lost so much time but in the end I managed to do it and it was crucial for the end result.

“We saw my team-mate do a strong qualifying yesterday so it was a shame I had problems because this was definitely a race I could be on the podium.”

Following a non-score in Japan, the result boosts Massa hopes in the fight for fourth overall in the standings with 14 points covering Raikkonen, Bottas and himself with four races remaining.

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Ricciardo ‘proud’ despite late DNF

Daniel Ricciardo says he cannot help but be frustrated to retire just four laps from the end of the Russian Grand Prix given he was on course for a stronger result than he could have expected.

Starting in tenth position, Red Bull's decision to pit him early on lap 12 under the safety car would see him run as high as fourth at one point once the front runners had come in for their one and only stop later on.

Fighting hard to keep Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen on fresher tyres behind him, though he would eventually cede his position to run sixth in the closing stages, a suspected suspension issue would force Ricciardo out of the race just four laps from the finish.

With Bottas and Raikkonen going on to collide, Ricciardo could have been on course for an even better result, a particular frustration given Red Bull has dismissed the Sochi Autodrom as an unfavourable track for its package. Despite this, the Australian was happy to have gotten himself into that position regardless of the outcome.

“I held on long enough. I mean obviously I tried to go as long as I could. We were looking good, we were looking strong, and we put ourselves in a really nice position, and it was just unlucky and unfortunate that we had the suspected suspension failure.

“Right now I am disappointed we missed out a good opportunity on definitely one of our weaker circuits. But putting the disappointment aside, we can be proud. It was a really good race. And with the tools we had we were maximizing ever thing at the moment.”

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Kimi Raikkonen, Valtteri Bottas at odds over collision

Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas disagree over whether their last lap clash in Formula 1's Russian Grand Prix was a racing incident.

The Finns were fighting over third place on the final lap, having both just passed Sergio Perez, when Raikkonen attacked Bottas's Williams into Turn 4 and they collided.

While Raikkonen's Ferrari hobbled round to finish fifth, Bottas was out on the spot, and Perez came through to retake third place.

The collision is under investigation by the stewards, and Raikkonen is unsure if he should get a penalty for coming from too far back.

"I don't know, for me it was racing," said the 2007 world champion.

"I tried to pass and unfortunately it ended up like this, but I'm not the stewards.

"I overtook him there once before and I wasn't too far back so I thought I would try again.

"Once I decided to try I can't back off. I don't know if he didn't see me at all or didn't expect me to go there.

"I tried to turn as much inside as I could but there was nowhere to go and we collided."

Bottas disputed his countryman's opinion on the clash, having said on the radio: "What the **** did he do?"

The Williams driver added: "I don't think it was a racing incident.

"I didn't see anyone there and I was in front, and then suddenly someone hits me.

"I should be on the podium, but I'm here with zero points instead. That's just disappointing.

"It doesn't really matter for me [if Raikkonen gets a penalty] because I'm not getting those points back.

"I would guess [he will] - I could look in the mirror and see it was not my fault."

Kimi being Kimi. It was 100% reckless driving and it cost Bottas a podium he had earned with great driving all week. A grid penalty for Kimi next race isn't enough.

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NEWEY: WE HAVE NO ENGINE

Adrian Newey has accused Red Bull’s rivals of being afraid to supply them with engines for 2016 and warned there was a real risk of the four times world champions walking away from Formula One.

“We’re possibly going to be forced out of Formula One — Mercedes and Ferrari have refused to supply us out of fear,” Newey, the sport’s most successful designer, told Reuters in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

The Briton, whose cars have won 10 constructors’ titles, also criticised the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) for allowing Ferrari and Mercedes to establish a de facto duopoly.

Red Bull, using Newey-designed cars, won four successive constructor and driver titles with Sebastian Vettel and Renault engines in 2010-13.

Renault have struggled to be competitive in the new V6 turbo hybrid era that came in last year, however, while Mercedes have been dominant and clinched a second straight constructors’ crown in Russia on Sunday. Red Bull are currently fourth.

“Unfortunately, our relationship with Renault is pretty terminal — there’s been too much of a marriage breakdown, so we have no engine,” said Newey, who was in Abu Dhabi as head judge for the Nissan PlayStation GT Academy.

“Improvement is needed, but there has been no clear direction on how to achieve that,” he said, adding Renault had rebuffed Red Bull’s attempts to help improve the engine and also bring in outside expert help.

“Red Bull should not be put in a position where they’re only there to make up the numbers.”

Red Bull’s engine predicament has become the talk of the Formula One paddock, with the energy drink company owning two of the 10 teams but potentially having no power units after this season.

While sister team Toro Rosso are confident they can do a deal with Ferrari to run 2015 engines next year, if the regulations allow them to, Red Bull appear to be far from any agreement despite the sport’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone’s assurances that the supply was ‘sorted’.

Mercedes have ruled out a deal while Ferrari have indicated they would struggle to supply Red Bull with the same engines as their works team.

“You can understand the position with both Ferrari and Mercedes. If they happen to give Red Bull the same sort of engine that they have, they will show up the people that are supplying the engines,” Ecclestone told the BBC at the weekend.

“I don’t want them to stop. I honestly think any of the engine suppliers would be OK for them.”

Newey said Red Bull would not be able to compete next year unless the situation was resolved quickly, with 700 jobs at stake at the Milton Keynes factory.

He said a decision was needed “well before” year-end “because design and manufacturing lead times are such that you need to know what you’re putting in” the car.

The Briton, who has also designed winning cars for Williams and McLaren over the years, said Mercedes and Ferrari had reneged on promises to provide Red Bull with engines because “they became concerned we would beat them with their own engine”.

McLaren could also veto Red Bull using the much-maligned Honda engine, he added.

Newey said Mercedes, who are already committed to four teams including their own, were able to control Formula One with Ferrari because of the FIA’s refusal to step in.

“Within the regulations, the engines can be balanced somewhat so that there’s less of a performance disparity then there is at the moment, but the FIA has been unwilling to do this,” he said.

“We need to get back to the position where all teams have access to an engine which is there or thereabouts — if it’s a couple of percent behind then okay, but when it’s 10 percent behind it’s too big a gap,” added Newey.

“As an engineer, I’d liked to see more flexibility in the chassis regulations so that teams can find benefit through ingenuity and creativity.”

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MERCEDES CELEBRATE AT BRACKLEY AND BRICKWORTH

After a dramatic, suspense-filled Sunday afternoon in Sochi, the team’s factories in Brixworth and Brackley were filled with scenes of celebration today, as staff at both sites marked a landmark moment in Mercedes-Benz motorsport history.

A second consecutive FIA Formula One World Constructors’ Championship for the Silver Arrows sees a new chapter written in the long and successful racing heritage of the three-pointed star – 60 years after Juan Manuel Fangio clinched his second consecutive Formula One title with the marque.

With 12 wins, 29 podium finishes, 14 pole positions and 9 fastest laps from 15 races, the Mercedes-Benz PU106B Hybrid Power Unit has taken 60% of all available World Championship points thus far in 2015, leading 79% of racing laps in the process. Meanwhile, the Mercedes-Benz F1 W06 Hybrid has taken 35% of points available, leading 77% of racing laps.

To mark this historic achievement, race drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg joined the team’s senior management at Brixworth and Brackley – passing on their congratulations and words of appreciation to colleagues at both sites and joining in the celebrations:

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “Congratulations to the whole team. We’ve done it one more time and this championship unites everybody together – the drivers and the team in Brixworth and Brackley. From go-karting onwards, the titles that everybody talks about are the individual ones for the drivers, but this time both Nico and Lewis are winners.”

“Yesterday, we let Nico down, but he has been such a fundamental part of the team from the beginning, he has helped make the team what it is and this is his championship as well. Lewis is riding the crest of the wave and having an incredible season. He has built himself into this team since 2013 and helped carry us forward with his determination and hard work.”

“We owe them both so much. In our sport, we tend to move on very quickly and concentrate on the next weekend and challenge. But today, we must all take a minute and think about the words ‘World Champion’. For this year, we can say we were the best in the world and that is something very special indeed.”

“But none of us is complacent enough to think that this earns us anything for the future. If we want to call ourselves champions again, we will have to work even harder and even better for 2016.”

Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (Technical): “To celebrate back-to-back world championships is something that most of us can only dream of. In this business, it’s not enough simply to work hard – you have to work smart, too. It doesn’t happen overnight, or in a couple of years, but has been built up over a great deal of time thanks to the commitment from Mercedes-Benz.”

“And it’s a result of the integration of effort and intellect between the teams in Brixworth and Brackley, to deliver the best Power Unit in the best racing car on the grid. Everybody had the same opportunity to perform under the regulations – and each of you has earned the right to celebrate today.”

“I would also like to thank Nico and Lewis for their great skill and also their great professionalism out on track every day. It’s so easy to take for granted but we are privileged to work with two of the very best. Let’s celebrate the moment – and then get back to work to make sure we can win again.”

Andy Cowell, Managing Director, Mercedes AMG HPP: “Yesterday was a very special day for us all – and especially to accept the race-winning constructor’s trophy on behalf of everyone at Brackley and Brixworth. It is with great pride that I thank everyone at both factories for making that possible. It’s not one individual who makes these things happen – it’s a fantastic team working in unison.”

“The working relationship between our two sites is exceptional. Just last weekend I was admiring the beautiful craftsmanship and attention to detail on this car. The level of design, engineering, manufacture and integration is truly outstanding. Hopefully we will continue to produce fantastic racing cars and potent Power Units for many years to come.”

Lewis Hamilton: “It’s been great to see everyone at the factories, as always. When I joined the team back in 2013, coming to a new place and a new environment was really daunting and I didn’t know how it was going to play out. But I feel very much part of the family. When I heard we’d won the title yesterday I think I was yelling louder than anyone!”

“Seeing how much effort goes into getting us to the front of the grid and having the success we’ve enjoyed together makes me so proud of each and every person involved. While we will all be getting straight back into the hard work, I hope everyone gets a chance to just take a step back for a moment and realise what we’ve achieved together.”

“I know everyone at the factories will keep pushing to keep us at the front and myself and Nico will definitely be doing the same. I just want to mention too what a great team-mate Nico is. He’s had a much tougher season so far than I have but has been a real team player throughout and I know he’ll be fighting back through the many years to come in which we’ll no doubt be competing hard against each other.”

“I’ve been racing with Mercedes-Benz since I was 13 and have actually never competed with another engine since Formula 3, so the star is in my blood and I’ll keep pushing to put many more stars on that Constructors’ trophy.”

Nico Rosberg: “It’s been a tough couple of days for me – but being back at the factories and seeing all my colleagues so happy after the Championship win really puts a smile back on my face. I’ve seen this team grow since the start of the Silver Arrows project in 2010 and the level we’ve got to now, all working together, is unbelievable.”

“There were some really tough years at the start but we are now the big team of Formula One – dominating the sport and breaking records along the way. When people think of F1 throughout history, it’s only a handful of teams like McLaren in the 80’s, Williams in the 90’s and Ferrari in the 2000’s that come to mind – and we are now making our own mark on that list.”

“It’s a very special feeling to be a part of that and everyone at the factories in Brackley and Brixworth should be extremely proud of themselves – from the guys and girls on the machines to our leaders who have been spectacular. What’s amazing is that there’s so much potential here too.”

Together, there’s no limit to what we can achieve in the coming years. So, once again, a big thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to get us where we are today. I look forward to many more great memories and exciting times ahead.”

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GROSJEAN: I HOPE WE HAVE THE PARTS WE NEED TO REPAIR THE CAR

Lotus driver Romain Grosjean has admitted to concerns after his big crash in the Russian Grand Prix.

The Frenchman, who has elected to switch from financially-troubled Lotus to the Ferrari-linked startup Haas for 2016, had one of the biggest crashes of his entire career at Sochi.

“I’m still in one piece,” Grosjean told France’s RMC. “All the technology today is quite impressive. “I’ll have bruises everywhere tomorrow though. I feel like I have fallen from the tenth floor of a building.”

He admitted, however, that he is not exactly sure what happened, even though a cursory look at how Grosjean lost control would indicate it was driver error.

Grosjean is not so sure, “It was a big oversteer at 300kph but it is not clear why the car behaved like that. So we have to analyse that.”

Grosjean explained that after early contact and a nose-change, “the car was not working very well. But I don’t know what happened” with the crash.

It is a difficult time for Lotus, as the Enstone team is obviously out of money. Renault has signed a letter signalling its intention to buy the team, but there were no signs of progress over the Sochi weekend.

Next up, Grosjean and F1 are travelling to Austin, with the US grand prix to be a sort of ‘home race’ for the 29-year-old ahead of his new Haas adventure.

But he has some more immediate concerns. “First we have to repair the car. The guys are going to have a lot of work. I hope we have all of the parts that we need.

“Arriving in the United States will be special for me, as I am with an American team next year. I hope I will get a lot of support from the fans.”

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LAUDA: OUR RELIABILITY HAS GONE DOWN

The Formula 1 constructors’ championship is won for the second year in a row, and Lewis Hamilton is on the brink of his third world title, but lack of reliability is still giving Mercedes plenty to worry about.

The champions have suffered three retirements in four races and the throttle failure that sidelined Nico Rosberg in Russia on Sunday took the gloss off another triumphant afternoon for the team.

With Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel leapfrogging Rosberg into second place overall with four races remaining, 66 points behind Hamilton, Mercedes still have a battle on their hands to end the season with their drivers one-two in the championship.

Hamilton can wrap up his second successive crown in Austin, Texas, in two weeks’ time — perfect timing in a major market for the car company — but reliability could still throw a spanner in the works.

“There is generally speaking no good luck and bad luck from my point of view,” the team’s non-executive chairman Niki Lauda told Reuters after race winner Hamilton had been congratulated by Russian President Vladimir Putin at Sochi’s Olympic Park circuit.

“Nevertheless, our reliability performance in the second half of the season went down. So we have to try to fix that and analyse why and what.”

“This throttle issue is a brand new one… it worked perfectly for a long time so this is a surprise to everybody. But it will be fixed and will not happen again,” added the Austrian.

Rosberg, now 73 points behind Hamilton, also retired in Italy with an engine failure while his team mate failed to score in Singapore due to a loss of boost pressure.

While Mercedes team bosses and drivers were due to thank the assembled staff at the factory at Brackley in England, and the engine side at nearby Brixworth, they will want to waste no time in addressing the other issues.

“It is a strange one. We were looking so good on reliability then to have quite a few issues. It is surprising and it has gone worse and worse through the season especially in the last few months,” said Rosberg.

“We must look into that again and continue to improve that area because it seems we have not made as big steps as we thought.”

Mercedes have taken 12 wins in 15 races, with eight one-twos, but Ferrari have also closed the performance gap.

“Reliability, of course, is something we’ve focused on a huge amount over the last year and a half,” said Hamilton after his ninth win of the season.

“For whatever reason…we are struggling or having a little bit more problems with it and Nico’s been incredibly unfortunate to suffer the worst.

“I know we’ll be working as hard as we can to rectify it and hope that in these next races we don’t have a problem, but of course it is a concern for us.”

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FERNLEY: IT WILL BE QUITE RAPID THAT F1 WILL FEEL THE EFFECTS OF THE EU

Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley may have let a European competition genie out of the bottle but, if so, the Briton said he was ready to face the wrath of Formula One’s powers-that-be.

Fernley’s privately-owned team, along with Swiss rivals Sauber, last month filed a complaint asking the EU authorities to investigate the governance of the sport and the distribution of revenues.

The action comes at a delicate time, with talk of a takeover of Formula One by the end of the year while Renault and Red Bull are still assessing their future involvement and Ferrari have launched an Initial Public Offering.

If the Commission decides to investigate, it could affect the amount of money top teams like Ferrari receive from the commercial rights holder as well as their influence on decision making.

Fernley told Reuters at the Russian Grand Prix, where his team’s Mexican driver Sergio Perez finished third, that he expected the competition authorities to take two to three months before deciding how to proceed.

“If they do decide to investigate, I think it will be quite rapid that Formula One will feel the effects of the EU,” he added.

He said the complaint process could not now be stopped, even if a deal was offered, “We can’t close it, that is absolutely correct. So there is no question of that.”

Force India, Sauber and Lotus first raised grievances about the distribution of revenues a year ago when the Caterham and Marussia teams went into administration and there was a risk of others following.

Indebted Lotus, now seemingly set to be taken over by Renault after fending off attempts to put them into administration, have not joined in the EU complaint.

In a letter to commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone, the three teams spoke then of a “a questionable cartel” controlling “both the governance of Formula One and, apparently, the distribution of… funds.”

A briefing note after the formal complaint to the EU spoke of ‘unfair’ side payments and ‘unlawful practices’.

Top teams Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and Red Bull receive special payments in recognition of past performance and sit with the commercial rights holder and governing FIA on the sport’s core decision-making ‘strategy group’.

The smaller teams say the system is skewed unfairly in favour of the big ones who are guaranteed millions of dollars regardless of how they perform on the track and also get to determine future rule changes.

Fernley, whose team are also on the Strategy Group as the ‘best of the rest’, said the smaller teams had been assured by majority rights holders CVC that something would be done about the distribution of revenues but nothing had happened.

“They’ve had a year to be able to make the right approaches, to be able to put something in position that had been promised if you like after the Austin Grand Prix,” he said.

“The only way it can work now is for CVC to be accountable to a body that has the power to be able to bring them to task.

“I think 12 months of opportunity to correct things, or at least to be seen to be moving in the right direction, is more than enough time. And clearly that hasn’t happened and we need to refer it to a body that has the powers to look into it independently,” he added.

Fernley, who has put his head above the parapet in the past as deputy to the team’s Indian drinks magnate owner Vijay Mallya, said he wanted to ensure the existing private teams survived and others might still be able to enter.

If that meant he had to pay a personal price, so be it.

“You’ve got to say, are you prepared to stand up for what you believe?,” said the Briton, who has worked with Mallya since the 1970s when they bought and sold old Formula One cars and raced them in India.

“I had a very privileged life for 30 years with motor racing, I would hate to think that the way Formula One is going spirals it down to a point where other people are not going to be able to have that opportunity.”

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HAMILTON ON BRINK OF TITLE BUT RIVALS ARE NOT GIVING UP

Lewis Hamilton is now on the brink of wrapping up the 2015 Formula 1 world championships with four races still to run.

Meanwhile a late stewards’ call after the Russian Grand Prix that demoted Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen means that Mercedes has secured the constructors’ crown for the second consecutive time.

Sochi winner Hamilton’s teammate Nico Rosberg started Sunday’s race from pole, but he ultimately retired with a broken throttle.

It means that if the Briton scores just 2 points more than Rosberg at Austin in two weeks, the German will be out of the running for the drivers’ title.

“It’s pretty incredible sometimes how tough F1 is,” said Rosberg.

Asked if the title is now gone, he answered: “I don’t know. But I am never going to win a championship when normal things like that break.”

Hamilton, however, refused to “get ahead of myself” by counting on his third drivers’ championship already, but Sebastian Vettel acknowledged that Ferrari’s real challenge will probably have to wait until 2016.

“Of course you never give up,” said Vettel, “otherwise what is the point of even being here?”

But he is more hopeful that another step forward for the Maranello team could result in a proper title challenge in 2016.

“I hope so,” said the German. “That is our target. We want to be a bit better and make sure we give Mercedes a really good challenge.”

Hamilton leads the points standings with 302 points to his credit and 66 more than Vettel in second, while Rosberg has dropped to third in the standings with 229 points.

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FERRARI ADMITS MOST OF TEAM ARE WORKING ON 2016 CAR

Sebastian Vettel may still be in the hunt for the title, but Ferrari’s realistic hopes are now firmly set on a proper title challenge for 2016 and the resources at Maranello are committed to the new car.

Indeed, while Vettel actually overtook Nico Rosberg on Sunday to now be Lewis Hamilton’s main challenger for the title with four races to go, boss Maurizio Arrivabene acknowledges that Ferrari’s real sights are further up the road.

“I am grateful for this question,” he said after the Russian grand prix, “because internally I am always now saying: We do not have a Scuderia working for 2015, we have a Squadretta.”

“Most of the team is working on the 2016 car,” Arrivabene admitted, “and yet another group on the one for 2017. So we are well positioned for the future.”

Indeed, Mercedes already has the constructors’ crown wrapped up, and Hamilton has a firm hand on the drivers’ title — and could even finish the job as soon as Austin.

“The maths says Vettel can still do it, but our humility says no,” said Arrivabene.

So it is rumoured that Ferrari’s focus is now so firmly on 2016 that, in Austin, the marque could voluntarily take grid penalties for installing fifth engines so that it can introduce a developmental ‘power unit’ for next year.

“I will tell you in Austin,” Arrivabene smiled when asked about it.

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SIGNS OF PROGRESS AS MCLAREN USE RACES TO TEST

McLaren-Honda’s focus is now firmly on the 2016 Formula 1 season, as the Anglo-Japanese collaboration openly eyes the remaining races of this season as test sessions.

Indeed, at Sochi, an upgraded ‘power unit’ – with a notably different engine note – was debuted in Fernando Alonso’s car in practice.

And after Sunday’s race, teammate Jenson Button said: “We are running the cars a little differently to normal now because there is so much work for next year.

“So that’s promising,” the 2009 world champion, who like Alonso is signed up for 2016, is quoted by Spain’s El Confidencial.

“You can take more risks with the car when you know you are not really going to be in the points. You can try different things and that’s what we did this weekend and we will do for the rest of the season,” Button added.

However, Button did score points in Russia, even though Alonso was shunted out of the points by the stewards for repeatedly abusing the limits of the track.

So it is tempting to recognise signs of real progress at struggling McLaren-Honda, even though many in the paddock are predicting another year of misery in 2016.

When asked about that, Button told Kolner Express tabloid: “I can’t deny that we are a long way behind our schedule.

“But it doesn’t help to point fingers. Our engine is very aggressively designed — more so even than the Mercedes,” the Briton insisted. “That is why we have had so many reliability problems.

“But that’s what we have to do if we want to beat Mercedes,” said Button. “I think everyone knows that McLaren knows how to turn things around and win.”

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RUSSIA COULD STAGE ITS FIRST F1 NIGHT RACE IN 2016

The chances the Russian Grand Prix could switch immediately to a night-race format stepped up a notch after this latest edition of the race ended.

Mere days ago, Sochi race officials insisted that while there is a chance the ‘Autodrom’ could install floodlighting ahead of the 2017 race, next year’s edition will definitely take place in the day.

That is despite the fact that Russia, despite only holding its 2015 race on Sunday, will switch to become the fourth round of next year’s world championship in May.

Organiser Sergei Vorobyov insisted on Sunday that Sochi is “happy” with its new May date.

And Dmitry Kozak, the Russian deputy prime minister, was quoted on Sunday as saying that the grand prix next year will in fact be a floodlit night race.

Asked if Kozak misspoke, Vorobyov answered: “As you can see from the media, the discussion on this topic took place at the highest level, between Bernie Ecclestone and Russian president Vladimir Putin.

“And we, the organisers of the grand prix, are waiting for the task. If the task is to have a night race in 2016, we will fulfil it,” he insisted.

Ecclestone, 84, told the R-Sport news agency that he could not be happier with having Russia on the calendar.

“As long as I am alive,” said the diminutive Briton at Sochi, “we will be here.”

Singapore hosted the first ever Formula 1 night race when the venue came onto the grand prix calendar in 2008.

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ENGINEER SWITCH PAYS OFF IMMEDIATELY FOR NASR

Sauber driver Felipe Nasr is delighted his sharp turn in 2015 appeared to pay off immediately at Sochi.

After a strong start to his F1 career early this season, the Brazilian has struggled more recently to feel comfortable in the Sauber and fend off the challenge of his resurgent teammate Marcus Ericsson.

But in Russia, Nasr easily outpaced Swede Ericsson in qualifying, and in the race he finished sixth — his second best F1 result after his Melbourne debut.

Earlier in Sochi, Nasr had announced that he is starting work with a new race engineer, Paul Russell, after “mutually” deciding with Sauber to stop working with Craig Gardiner.

A delighted Nasr said after the chequered flag at Sochi: “It took a lot for us to take this decision, and we have a lot of work ahead.

“But the important thing is that the car has gone back to the balance that I like,” he told Brazil’s Globo, “making me very confident about what is ahead now.”

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F1 ENGINE TOKEN RULE MAY CHANGE FOR 2016

A meeting that could result in a change to the engine development ‘tokens’ regulations for 2016 will take place in the coming days.

The get-together comes amid concerns that Ferrari, but particularly Renault and Honda, have struggled to close the gap on dominant Mercedes this season under the existing regime.

In 2015, the manufacturers were allowed to continue using their performance development ‘tokens’ during the race season thanks to a loophole.

But that loophole will not exist in 2016, meaning that engine manufacturers will be theoretically unable to speed up their ‘power units’ beyond the end of next February.

“Today, what is written in the rules is that the four manufacturers have 25 tokens to use until 29 February,” the FIA’s Charlie Whiting confirmed to Brazil’s Globo.

“But of course, it (the rules) can be changed,” he added. “It would require the ten teams that are competing today to agree. If one of them doesn’t, the rules stay as they are.

“If there is a change,” Whiting added, “it should be done within a couple of weeks.”