FORMULA 1 - 2015

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FERRARI DENY ARRIVABENE THREATENED TO KILL CAMERAMAN

Ferrari has denied reports that its Formula 1 team boss threatened to kill a cameraman in the Abu Dhabi pitlane on Friday.

Darren Heath, a well-known and veteran F1 photographer, tweeted that Maurizio Arrivabene had turned to a cameraman for the British broadcaster Sky and raged: “Do that again and I’ll cut your f*cking head off!”

Briton Heath has since deleted the tweet, replacing it with: “Learnt a lesson today on how tweets sent when emotions are high can be damaging.”

But Germany’s Bild newspaper is also now reporting the story, explaining that the British cameraman had been filming the pit garage of the Italian marque.

“Yes, there was an incident,” a Ferrari spokesman confirmed. “The cameraman bumped a mechanic. Maurizio intervened but he only gave him a warning.”

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SAUBER DRIVERS UPBEAT ABOUT RADICAL 2016 CAR

Sauber will turn a sharp corner with its Formula 1 new car for 2016, the Swiss team’s drivers have revealed.

After a strong start with the C34 car, the financially-struggling Swiss team stagnated throughout the season due to a lack of development and looks set to finish ahead of only the crisis-struck McLaren-Honda and backmarker Manor.

“We knew that we would have a difficult season,” admitted Brazilian rookie Felipe Nasr, “but we realised the potential of the car with our limited budget.”

So for 2016, Sauber has signed up the former Caterham and Red Bull technical director Mark Smith, who Nasr says is heading a radically different project.

“We understand what is necessary to make progress,” said Nasr. “All I can say is that the plans for next year’s car look very different to what we have now.

“The current car and last year’s car are very similar, but the new project is much more aggressive,” he revealed.

“It is Mark Smith who decided on this approach. With the current car it would have been difficult to improve, so we have decided to change the philosophy,” added Nasr.

Nasr’s Swedish teammate, Marcus Ericsson, also backs Smith’s plan, “To get more than we have now, we have to take risks. We have a small team so we cannot afford to be conservative — we need to try something new.

“With our limited resources, I think it is the right thing to do,” Ericsson added.

However, 2016 could still be a difficult season for Sauber, as the similarly-small Force India is a long way up the road, while McLaren has the might of Honda behind it and Manor is switching to Mercedes power.

“Everybody is trying to improve,” agreed Nasr, “and not just Sauber, McLaren and Manor. All I can say is we have sacrificed part of this season in the hope of having a better car next year.”

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PIRELLI INSISTING ON MORE TESTING AHEAD OF 2017

Pirelli is waiting on support from the rest of the Formula 1 paddock before confirming how it will proceed beyond the 2016 season, and are insisting on more testing before 2017.

The Italian marque has already secured a new contract for 2017-2019, but the sport is planning a radical change of direction after next year, featuring much faster and more aggressive cars.

“As far as I know, the strategy group and the F1 Commission are satisfied with the results of our work,” said Williams’ Pat Symonds, who has been deeply involved with the technical working group in writing up the new 2017 rules.

He admitted: “There are different views about the speed of the new cars, as was the case in 2008 as well, but we will move forward.”.

Some of the laptime will come from Pirelli’s bigger tyres, but the bulk will be aerodynamic improvements such as bigger wings and better diffusers, Symonds explained.

Pirelli, however, is demanding much more testing before 2017, as the tyres will need to be radically different and capable of producing more grip and withstanding much higher loads.

“Our requests will be granted,” Pirelli’s Paul Hembery told UOL Esporte, “because otherwise there will not be tyres.

“So we are going to have to find a solution, because otherwise there won’t be a championship in 2017 as it will be impossible to do what has been asked.

“There are many issues involved – some political, some financial – but we have to find a solution,” he insisted.

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ALONSO HARDER TO BEAT THAN HAMILTON SAYS BUTTON

Jenson Button says Fernando Alonso is a harder teammate to beat than Lewis Hamilton was when they were both McLaren.

2009 world champion Button has an unique vantage point on assessing two of the very best drivers in F1, having shared the McLaren team with Hamilton in 2010-2012, and with Spaniard Alonso with Honda power this year.

Hamilton, now at Mercedes, is the sport’s new and ultra-confident triple world champion, but Button said in Abu Dhabi: “Fernando is an incredibly complete driver in the race.

“For me he is a greater challenge than Lewis,” he is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport, “because he never gives you a second of rest, whether he’s in front of you or behind you.

“With Lewis, there are days when he is invincible, and then at the next race you wonder ‘Where is he?'”

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Hamilton: I don’t feel like I behave wrongly

Lewis Hamilton has hit back at Ron Dennis' recent comments about his behaviour, saying he will be who is he regardless of where he is working.

In the wake of Hamilton's spate of partying following his third World title which ended with a crashed Zonda, McLaren CEO Dennis had a go at his former driver.

Calling himself a "surrogate father" to Hamilton, Dennis said he would not condone Hamilton's jetset lifestyle if he was still with McLaren.

He told the Guardian: "If he was at McLaren he wouldn't be behaving the way he is because he wouldn't be allowed to… He's shaking off some chains he didn't want to have."

The Brit, who left McLaren for Mercedes where he has won back-to-back Drivers' Championship has hit back.

Asked about his former boss' comments, Hamilton told PA Sport: "Firstly a man cannot be a surrogate father, can he? A woman is a surrogate mother. Isn't that right?"

He added: "Why he was talking about me, I don't know – probably because they don't have too many other positive things to talk about.

"I am a three-time World Champion. Who I am today is who I am, and I will behave this way regardless of who I was working for.

"I don't feel like I behave wrongly. I don't think it is a negative. It has obviously been a positive impact on my career so it is not me that needs to make any changes."

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Alonso critical of FIA stewards after 'strange' penalty

Fernando Alonso has told the FIA it must get its priorities in order to ensure Formula 1 remains popular, after the Spaniard was given a "strange" penalty for an opening lap clash.

The McLaren driver made contact with Pastor Maldonado, ending the Lotus drivers race, but Alonso believes it was the fault of Sauber's Felipe Nasr who he made contact with prior to the Maldonado clash.

He was handed a drive-through penalty and two penalty points by the stewards.

Speaking after the race, Alonso called on the FIA to use more common sense, believing stupid penalties are hurting the sports popularity.

"It's FIA things. We see the grandstands half empty on this circuit and half empty on most circuits, and there are championships which are overtaking us, like WEC, MotoGP...

"And then we are trying to make the cars louder. I think we need a bit of common sense.

"To have a drive-through after you've been hit by another car is a bit strange, and I think it's unique. F1 needs to ask itself about the sound of the cars, or what is the problem to have less and less spectators.

"This kind of season, they need to make more sense about what they are doing, because I don't see this in WEC, MotoGP and other categories that are much more fun than us.

"We need to look at many things. They need to get some consistency in the penalties, some common sense, and be fair."

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FIA amends aero testing rules for new entrants after Ferrari/Haas controversy

The FIA has responded to a request by Mercedes, which asked for clarification on technical co-operation between teams after suspicions Ferrari and newcomer Haas were benefitting from unlimited wind tunnel use.

Currently, existing teams are subject to strict restrictions on wind tunnel and CFD use, however new teams, such as Haas, aren't governed by those same restrictions until they are confirmed on the entry list in December.

With Haas striking a technical partnership with Ferrari to use their wind tunnel, rival teams had suspicions that the Italian team could be benefitting from Haas' unlimited wind tunnel time.

In response, the FIA has tightened up the rules surrounding technical co-operations, with new teams having to abide by the restrictions from the moment their entry is accepted.

This won't be enacted retrospectively, therefore Haas and Ferrari have done nothing untoward.

"The Stewards recommend to the FIA that in future once a potential competitor (as opposed to Official Entry) applies to be a competitor in the FIA Formula One World Championship and this application is accepted, that competitor should be bound by Appendices 6 and 8 (and for that matter any other appropriate sections of the Formula One Sporting and Technical Regulations).

"That intention is understood to be to place limits on the amount of aerodynamic development each competitor is able to carry out and to prevent an escalation of the costs associated with research particularly, for Appendix 8, in the area of aerodynamic testing.

"None of the representations of the teams or any other party challenged this underlying objective. Accordingly our interpretation of the regulations as they stand has reflected the above intention."

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Magnussen did not meet the goals we set him - Dennis

Ron Dennis has clarified exactly why McLaren chose not to renew Kevin Magnussen's contract, leaving the young Danish driver on the sidelines, searching for an alternative to Formula 1.

Magnussen reported that he was dumped by phone on his birthday, but Dennis has quashed those claims, saying the termination wasn't a surprise to the 23-year-old.

"I am pleased to have the opportunity to put some things straight," the McLaren chairman told Denmark's BT newspaper.

"First, it is simply ridiculous when Kevin says he did not know that his contract would not be renewed. It is not correct when he said that the formal termination came as a surprise to him."

Dennis says Magnussen - who scored a podium on his debut in 2014 - failed to meet the goals McLaren set out for him to retain his seat.

"He was given the opportunity. A season in Formula 1 - with a number of very clear goals he had to meet. But he did not achieve them.

"It would not be appropriate to go into details, it would just create a negative spiral. But Kevin knows in his heart that he did not perform as he should have."

Meanwhile Dennis hit back at claims McLaren have let a number of young drivers down, including Magnussen and Sergio Perez, both of which they dropped after a single season despite showing good form.

"We have taken many drivers in and paid for their careers," he added. "We paid for Kevin's career, which we also paid for Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Drivers come and go in Formula 1. Kevin's career was in his own hands, but he did not deliver what was he expected to.

"Kevin is a good, talented driver who certainly can succeed in Formula 1. But there are several drivers who can - without ever getting the chance to prove it. So they must simply find other places to spend their careers. "

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‘Best possible result’ says Vettel after gaining 11 places

Sebastian Vettel reckoned he could have done no better after climbing from 15th on the grid to finish fourth behind his team mate.

“I think today’s result was the best possible one for us as a team,” said Vettel after the race. “I lost quite a lot of time at the beginning and then kept playing catch up until the end.”

Vettel ran a long stint on soft tyres at the beginning of the race. However Ferrari brought him in fairly early for his final stop leaving him with 16 laps to do on the super-soft tyres (see below). The value of this approach was that he was able to immediately regain the places lost to Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez by attacking them when his tyres were freshest.

“The pace was good, especially in the first and final stint, the car was also good and I managed to do some overtaking,” said Vettel.

However Ferrari were quick to keep him out of the way of Kimi Raikkonen as the pair were on different strategies.

“We knew from before that Kimi and I would have crossed path with each other, as we were on very different tyre strategies,” he said. “It was clear that when Kimi would be close enough I would give him way to haunt the Mercedes: unfortunately that was not enough to achieve that, but I did not want to be in his way.”

The only obstacle to Vettel’s recovery was Fernando Alonso, who appeared reluctant to be lapped. Vettel told his team on the radio the McLaren driver cost him around a second.

“He must really hate me,” Vettel mused on the radio. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him.”

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Alonso close to fastest lap with “full deployment”

McLaren allowed Fernando Alonso to turn his engine up to “full deployment” as he made a late bid to claim the fastest lap of the race in Abu Dhabi.

Alonso also switched to super-soft tyres for his run at the end of the race which left him 0.279 seconds off the quickest time set in the race by Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton set his time eight laps before Alonso on the harder soft compound tyres.

Racing director Eric Boullier described the achievement as a “reason to be cheerful, if humble”.

“Our corner speeds here have been more than respectable all weekend,” he said. “Over the last five laps of today’s race, we switched Fernando’s settings to ‘full deployment’, not only so as to allow him to have a bit of on-track fun – to which enjoyment he’s been something of a stranger in recent weeks and months – but also so as to find out just how well our car would perform in that performance configuration.”

“The results were more than somewhat encouraging. He carved his fastest lap on the race’s 52nd tour – 1’44.796s – and only two drivers bettered that: Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.”

Alonso, who was delayed by a first-lap collision with Pastor Maldonado, finished the race 17th and unhappy at his penalty for the incident.

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Verstappen two-thirds of the way towards ban

Max Verstappen moved on to eight penalty points at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix leaving him just four shy of a one-race ban.

The Toro Rosso driver was penalised twice in the race. He received a five-second time penalty and one point for leaving the track and gaining an advantage when battling with Jenson Button.

The second was for ignoring blue flags while Lewis Hamilton was trying to lap him. The stewards ruled Verstappen completed a full lap without heeding them, handing him two penalty points plus a drive-through penalty which was turned into a 20-second time penalty after the race.

Verstappen said Hamilton wasn’t “close enough at the time” when he was shown the blue flags. “But they’re always very strict on the blue flags”.

Penalty points remain on a driver’s licence for 12 months. Verstappen will deduct his first two on May 24th next year.

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Emotional Grosjean ends Lotus career with charging drive

Romain Grosjean ended his career with Lotus with a strong drive to ninth place in Abu Dhabi, having started the last race of 2015 from the back of the grid.

The Frenchman qualified 15th after a problem in Q2, but then went to the back to 18th thanks to a gearbox penalty.

He used an aggressive two-stop strategy that saw him start on the soft tyres and run two long stints, before a spectacular charge on supersofts at the end which gained him two points.

“It was a good race, a tough one,” he said. “But we knew if we had a good strategy we could do something nice.

“The last stint was the key one. I really enjoyed driving the car, after a very difficult weekend we did manage to set it up well and go for a good result.”

Sadness at leaving Enstone

Grosjean says he will miss his former team, for whom he made his F1 debut in its Renault guise in 2009 and latterly rejoined (as Lotus) in 2012.

“I will miss the guys,” he admitted. “I love them, I love working with them. It means a lot to me.

“It's something that you don't live every day in your life, I was lucky to have that, being an F1 driver in a team with such a strong spirit.

“On the other hand there is this little flame which is looking forward to the next challenge, which I think can be something quite unique as well."

Upbeat about Haas move

Grosjean will now team up with former Sauber racer Esteban Gutierrez at the new Ferrari-powered Haas team.

“It's a great adventure,” he said. “And I'm very much looking forward to discovering more about America, about the culture.

“I already like the spirit of Gene [Haas, team owner] and the guys I met, and it's going to be great. I need to get my American up to speed, but I'm not worried, it's going to be fine in the winter.”

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Button says he saw Bottas pit collision coming

Jenson Button says he was braced for the pitlane collision between himself and Valtteri Bottas during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver was hit from the rear by Bottas, who was released prematurely from the pitbox behind by his Williams team on his first pitstop.

Bottas was the big loser from the impact, having to do a complete lap without a front wing before he could pit to have it changed, while Button escaped with only minor bodywork damage.

"They obviously released [bottas] a bit early," recalled Button. "I could see it coming as well - because he'd been sat there for a while and two cars came through and as I turned into my box, I saw him coming out.

"I sort of tried to move out of the way, but it's not my fault, you know. Problem is, my boys didn't know where I was going to end up, if I was going to be facing the wrong way coming into the box.

"I wasn't, thankfully, but a whack on the rear is never positive."

For his part, Bottas it was too late for him to realise Button's approaching car was about to pull in front of him by the time Williams had signalled for him to go.

"I got a green light from the team to go, and I was going on the right hand side of the pitlane," said the Finn.

"Obviously our view from the cockpit is limited, and by the time I realised it was a McLaren pulling into the pit box, it was too late."

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Vettel adamant Mercedes "beatable" in 2016

Sebastian Vettel sees no reason why Ferrari cannot eclipse Mercedes to become Formula 1's "dominant force" in 2016, saying the Brackley-based squad is "beatable."

The German ended the 2015 season on a high note in Abu Dhabi, recovering from a disastrous qualifying to finish fourth behind teammate Kimi Raikkonen from his starting position of 15th.

And Vettel reckons that the progress Ferrari has made in the latter part of the season means the Scuderia can make the final step to overhaul Mercedes next year.

"It's been an upward curve all year long," said the four-time champion. "At the start of the year we were probably something like 1.5s behind, and now we're 10-15s behind over a GP distance.

"We know there is still an awful lot to do and that Mercedes is very strong, but we can be better than them, they are beatable.

"We are very fired up about next year. In the end, we don't want to play chaser any more - we want to turn it around and be the dominant force.

"We have to keep our heads down - we know we can improve the car and the power unit, and on the drivers side we can do better. If we put all of this together, we can be very strong."

Vettel added that he was satisfied with his fourth place finish, as there would have been no way for Ferrari to improve on third and fourth places even without his qualifying woes.

"It was clear that when you start P15 it's not that easy to come through," he said. "But [third and fourth] was the best result we could have got for the team anyway.

"It's been a great year, and it's nice to finish it like that."

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Hamilton questions strategy that left "mountain to climb"

Lewis Hamilton said he relied on his engineers to give him the best strategy to beat Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but they left him with a gap that was "way too big" to catch him at the end.

Hamilton closed the gap between himself and Rosberg to 1.359s when the German pitted for the second time, but was 12.573s in arrears after his own final pitstop over 10 laps later.

"I don't know the big picture and ultimately you have to rely on the engineers to give you the optimum strategy at that point," said Hamilton. "Honestly, I don't really understand it, but I came out 11 seconds behind.

"I had a mountain to climb, which I pushed as hard as I could but then the tyres went off.

"I left the team to make the call because I didn't know what was the right one.

"At the end of the day the gap was way too big, we left it too big, especially on the same tyres – there's no way you can catch that gap up, although I did everything I could. It's a shame, because I was quicker in the middle stint.

"To have that pace, and then come out 11s behind, er that's not such a great feeling."

Despite his third defeat on the trot, Hamilton insisted it wouldn't take the shine off his season.

He added: "It's very easy to forget the amount of wins we did have, nine or 10 wins, something like that, so we had a very good season, while the last three weren't very spectacular – but overall it was amazing."

MIKA: This is why I really dislike Hamilton.. One race he wants to call the shots, the next he's blaming the Engineers even though he called his own strategy in the second stint..!?

Hamilton is a walking contradiction. I'm a massive Mercedes fan but I can't wait for the likes of Ferrari to win a few races next season to give both Rosberg and Hamilton some perspective and a wake up call as thus far I think the both of them need to grow up a little. Both behave like spoilt rich brats IMO. It would be great to see these two behave like sportsmen and be humble to win or lose.

From a fans perspective, it is really embarrassing when they get "Cut up" with each other live of TV.

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Wolff: Hamilton had "all the options" open to beat Rosberg

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has said Lewis Hamilton and his side of the garage only have themselves to blame for the tyre strategy in the final stint of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Hamilton stayed out for a longer second stint, in an attempt to shorten the run to the finish. He first questioned whether he could stay out until the end, which his engineer said wasn't an option and insisted that he pit again.

Eventually, Hamilton did so and took a shorter run on soft tyres, rather than a gamble on the supersoft – despite Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel using the supersoft for a 15-lap run to the finish, during which he gained two places.

"First of all we gave [Lewis] all the options to choose what tyre he wanted to have, that was important for the fans to see," said Wolff.

"He couldn't really make a decision, the option [supersoft] had 7-8 laps, even though the car was lighter it would not have lasted until the end, it was a decision in his garage to go on prime [soft] to end.

"There was lots of conversation, I'm not sure it was broadcast, between his race engineer and him to decide what to go for.

"We wanted to give him a real shot at the win at the end, the pace was not there at the end it was a shot strategy wise and it was his decision."

Radio exchange before final stop

The radio message exchange between Hamilton and his engineer Peter Bonnington was broadcast on TV, and went like this…

PB: "We've got 18 laps remaining, I think we may stick with the prime tyre, it's holding up well."

LH: "If I was to back off right now, and look after these tyres to the end, how slow can I go per lap?"

PB: "I think that would be pretty much impossible to do."

LH: "Please gimme the numbers."

PB: "It's not even worth working the numbers. It would be a real gamble and it wouldn't pay off, I guarantee it."

LH: "Read them out anyway, these tyres still feel good."

PB: "The gap has come down now to 11s so he'd catch and pass us on track."

LH: "Then you gotta box me guys. Fresh tyres."

PB: "Push, push then Lewis."

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Alonso dismisses Webber's "ticking bomb" claims

Fernando Alonso has dismissed claims from friend and former rival Mark Webber that he is a 'ticking bomb' ready to explode if next year's McLaren proves to be a flop in pre-season testing.

Speculation about Alonso's future erupted at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when McLaren chief Ron Dennis revealed on Saturday that he was open to the idea of the Spaniard taking a year off if the 2016 car does not come up to scratch.

Alonso himself later confirmed that he had spoken about the idea with Dennis several months ago, but made it clear that his intention right now was to race next season.

That did not stop Webber suggesting, however, that the situation could be very different next February if the team's 2016 challenger does not come up to scratch.

"I think he is a ticking bomb," Webber told the BBC. "I think give him two or three days in the car and if the car is uncompetitive I think he'll have a year off."

Alonso calm

But Alonso has said that he does not think the bomb suggestion is the reality, and that his mind frame is very much of making a success of his switch to McLaren.

When asked if he felt he was a 'ticking bomb', Alonso said: “I don't think so. I know I am aware of the situation, and there has been some frustration in some of the races this year.

“But I have been always very calm, and very positive. And not just this year, but also the last seven or eight years. Sometimes in dramatic races, losing the championship with strategic mistakes in the last race, I was never a bomb.

"Other people throwing their cup [trophy] on the podium are more a bomb than me. But people always say something about me because they remember me, even in the close season.”

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Ecclestone: Lotus won't survive if Renault deal flops

Bernie Ecclestone believes that the Lotus Formula 1 team will not survive if Renault boss Carlos Ghosn does not approve the takeover deal next week.

This week Ecclestone has been in talks with senior Renault executive Jerome Stoll about the team's future income, on the basis that it becomes a works entry.

Team co-owner Gerard Lopez has said that the team still has a Mercedes contract as a Plan B, and if forced to remain independent Lotus would head into next season with a much reduced staffing level.

However Ecclestone suggests that the team could not continue on that basis.

“I'm sure they'll stop,” he told Motorsport.com. “They are running a business unsuccessfully, they haven't got enough money to keep going.

"So they'll stop. They're in trouble with finance anyway, so I can't see that a Mercedes contract is going to help.”

Regarding the crucial Renault decision he said: “No news. We're waiting for Mr Ghosn on Monday.”

Ecclestone also confirmed that negotiations with Renault were complicated when an apparent agreement with FOM that guaranteed a 2016 supply for Red Bull was trumped by a separate deal between Renault and the team.

“We made an offer, they [Renault] came back saying we are happy with the offer, if you change this, this and this. We agreed to buy engines from them to supply to the teams. They said that's good. We'd pay for the engines and we'd just sell them.

“So they had an offer from us on the table to buy engines to sell to Red Bull, to make sure they got an engine, and then they go and do a deal with Red Bull.

"We were trying to help, but they didn't need any help, they did it on their own.”

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Onboard Hamilton's dune drifting

Check out these awesome onboards from when Lewis Hamilton went out to the desert ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2015. Get ready for big air, gnarly drifting and lots of laughter!

Lewis Hamilton - awesome dune buggy action in the desert

To thank them for their support and #WinningFormula, three-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton, surprised some of the PETRONAS employees with a trip to the desert just outside Dubai. They took on the sand dunes in awesome sand buggies and quad bikes.

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Valtteri Bottas: Williams mistakes cannot continue in 2016

Valtteri Bottas insists Williams cannot afford to continue the sort of mistakes which jeopardised his Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next season.

Bottas had started sixth but his race fell apart on lap nine when the Williams driver was released into the path of McLaren's Jenson Button after his first pit stop, destroying the Finn's front wing and earning a five-second penalty. To add insult to injury Bottas had to complete an entire lap with a damaged nose before pitting for a replacement.

Bottas, who recovered to finish behind Button in 13th, said there was nothing he could do to avoid the McLaren once he was released from the pits.

"I got the green light from the team to go, so I went on the right hand side of the pit lane," Bottas said. "Obviously our side view, from the cockpit, is very limited and before I realised it there was a McLaren pulling into its box and it was too late to avoid it. Then I had to come in the next lap for a new front wing and that ruined my race."

Bottas thinks Williams needs to cut out similar errors if it wants to make a step forward in 2016 and challenge Mercedes and Ferrari for race victories.

"If we want to win we have to raise our game in all areas. Today the pace wasn't there, and we need to make big gains over the winter if we want to fight with Ferrari and Mercedes again. And we also need to minimise the number of mistakes like the ones we did today -- that's a fact."

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Perez ends personal best season with top five

Sergio Perez has brought his best ever season in Formula 1 to a fitting conclusion as he notched up a fifth top six finish of the year in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Arguably his and Force India's strongest race weekend of the year, a stark contrast to the difficult start when it was struggling with interim VJM08, Perez was never outside the top four in free practice and proceeded to start from the second row.

In what would prove a fairly lonely race for the Mexican, only the fast-advancing Sebastian Vettel would get the better of him, Perez bringing the car home in fifth place as Force India firmly established itself as the third fastest team of weekend ahead of Williams and Red Bull.

Indeed, it would be the ideal conclusion to a season of two halves for Perez, the introduction of the B-spec car mid-season transforming his fortunes and yielding five top six finishes in the latter half of the year, including a podium in Russia.

“It feels great to end the season with a strong performance and I'm very satisfied with how everything has gone this weekend – both in qualifying and the race. We pushed hard to try and beat Vettel, but he had too much pace on the supersofts and it wasn't possible to hold him back.

“The rest of the race was straightforward for me, with no big dramas, because I was on my own looking after the tyres. When I was running fourth I was pushing very hard to stay within Vettel's pit window, which took a lot from my tyres and meant that Ricciardo was able to get close to me at the end of the race. Fortunately I had enough left to hold him off.

“I think we got the maximum that was available to us and we can be proud of our performance. Looking back on the whole season it's been my best year in Formula One and the most successful year for the team. There is a lot of potential for next season and we will be aiming even higher.”

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Ricciardo ‘happy the season is over’

Daniel Ricciardo says he is 'happy' to put a troubled 2015 Formula 1 World Championship season behind him as he ended the year with a sixth place finish in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Australian prevailed in frantic first lap to run fifth for the majority of the race, though he would later cede the position to the charging Sebastian Vettel to cross the line sixth.

Satisfied with the performance of his Red Bull this weekend, which had the measure of Williams but was out-paced by Force India, Ricciardo feels he got the best he could out of the car around the Yas Marina Circuit.

“Top 5 would have been a bit sweeter, but I couldn't hold off Seb, whom we expected to get past us more towards the end of the race. I held him off for a lap and then, especially on those Options, his pace was so much quicker.

“I tried to get Perez, but couldn't get close enough. At the start I had a sniff at Hulkenberg and went for it and that paid off. Parts of it were fun. I would have liked more battles though, but it looked quite spread out. It's a circuit I enjoy fighting on.

“I have confidence in the big breaking zones here. I think we ended the season well and feel I got the most out of the car, so I'm leaving the season happier than I was a few races ago. Sixth is probably not that representative of how good our weekend was, but I'm pretty pleased.

Despite enjoying a more positive second-half of the season, Ricciardo admits he is happy to be see the back of the 2015 season, his eventual two podiums in stark contrast to the three wins he achieved with the team in 2014.

Finishing the season behind team-mate Daniil Kvyat in the overall standings, Ricciardo feels the tough year will simply make Red Bull stronger in 2016.

“I would love to go racing next weekend but at the same time I'm happy the season is over and I'm optimistic that next year will be better. I think we ended the season with a lot more feeling and confidence in the chassis. This season has made us stronger as a unit and I'm happy to move forward with these guys to be better next year.”

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Marko: Mercedes engine a masterpiece – but bad for F1

Red Bull's Helmut Marko says Mercedes will continue to be the dominant force in F1 under the current regulations as its engine is a 'masterpiece', but believes a new concept will be launched for 2018.

As Red Bull continues to negotiate a new deal for the 2016 season having originally attempted to replace its Renault power units with Mercedes, Ferrari or Honda options, it appears likely the four-time title winning team will run an unbranded version of what it currently has, albeit with its own developments.

Though Marko refuses to comment further on this beyond the suggestion a decision will ultimately be made this weekend, it remains his view that F1 needs to consider a new engine concept going forward as the current model is unsustainable in terms of cost and complexity.

Furthermore, he is not convinced Mercedes' grip on the series under the current regulations will loosen unless the engine formula is changed substantially, though recent talk suggests an overhaul for 2018. Indeed, while he says Mercedes deserve credit for creating a 'masterpiece', Marko believes it doesn't allow F1 to progress and change is necessary.

“Mercedes' position will be as dominant as it has been in the last two years, and that is why everybody is talking about a new concept - because the existing Mercedes engine is a masterpiece of technical engineering,” he told the official F1 website.

“But I don't know if it [the current concept] is the right thing for Formula One: it is too complicated, too expensive and not noisy enough. We are talking about $30 million on average for such an engine. And if they open up the development and the others could catch up - that would increase the costs even further.

“I can understand [why Mercedes won't want change], but when it goes to the substance of the whole sport, then you have to start thinking in a different way. There simply must be engines available for everybody. And that is not the case. That is why this independent engine is so important.”

Though a meeting of the Strategy Group appeared to have put a halt on the 'independent engine' idea whilst manufacturers come together to discuss their own proposal to reduce costs and improve availability, Marko is confident the concept – which Red Bull is publically in favour of – will come through as a stop-gap before a new engine formula altogether is launched in 2018.

“We had a meeting Saturday morning and it looks like that there will be a new type of engine in 2018, which first of all has to be available for anybody who wants it, has 1000 horsepower or more, is much cheaper, and comes with much less electronics so that the driver again is a force that matters - and not the engineers at the pit wall.

“If it comes true what [FIA President] Jean Todt promised, that if there is no supply from the big teams he will go for the independent engine."

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PIECES FALL INTO PLACE AT 11TH HOUR: RENAULT TAKEOVER OF LOTUS SET FOR POSITIVE OUTCOME

It has been a roller coaster ride behind the scenes in the last few weeks in the saga of the Renault takeover of Lotus and earlier this weekend it looked like it might be off. But as the teams head away from the final round in Abu Dhabi, all the signals are that the deal has been agreed and that it will be announced at the middle to end of next week.

Money has been the sticking point for some time between Renault and F1’s commercial rights holders, Bernie Ecclestone and CVC Capital Partners; specifically the amount of prize-fund money Renault was entitled to for its history in the sport and its two world titles in 2005 and 2006, which qualify it for a payment from the so called ‘CCB fund’. This is the fund that distributes $100m up front to Ferrari, $70m to Red Bull and now Mercedes as well as smaller payments to McLaren and Williams.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner confirmed that he signed a contract three weeks ago for a supply of engines – without specifying that these will be Renaults – but that deal complicated the negotiations with Ecclestone and things came to a head this weekend.

By committing to the deal with Red Bull, before it had agreed a figure with Ecclestone, Renault weakened its negotiating position. The deal meant that he had one of the main things he wanted which was the continuation of Red Bull teams in F1. Toro Rosso is going to use 2015 Ferrari engines, but had the main Red Bull team quit the sport, the junior outfit would have followed.

Renault is charging Red Bull €30m for a supply of four engines per driver plus test units for the pre-season and Ecclestone was reluctant to make a CCB payment on the level Renault were seeking in addition to the money that Red Bull was being charged.

Renault’s management reportedly played hard ball even threatening to leave F1 completely, which could mean reneging on the Red Bull deal. This was the low point of the weekend where the deal appeared to be off. Jerome Stoll, the president of Renault Sport was prominent in the F1 paddock all weekend.

But sources say that agreement was reached in the last 48 hours and Lotus’ staff at Enstone should be able to breath a sigh of relief when the takeover is announced. Renault staff have been working at Enstone for some months now, despite the lack of a completed contract.

At the same time Ecclestone and the FIA’s desire to tame the motor manufacturers is apparent; they hold too powerful a position in F1 at present and the moves from Ecclestone and FIA president Jean Todt lately have been about trying to tame that ahead of the next round of Concorde Agreement negotiations post 2020.

The proposal to introduce a new spec budget engine to F1 was kicked into the long grass by the F1 Commission last week, but discussions have been ongoing towards simplifying and improving the hybrid turbo engine formula from 2018 onwards, so avoid a repeat of the things that have been negative about the last two seasons: the cost of the engines, the problems with supply that left Red Bull without a supplier and the lack of noise.

Cyril Abiteboul has had a tough few weeks particularly with the setback over the Red Bull deal, but he summed up the season, in which Red Bull Renault failed to win a race for the first time since 2008, this way: “Fourth in the championship for Red Bull is no doubt hard to accept and we all share that responsibility. At Toro Rosso, the championship position may not be as hoped, but with more than double the points of 2014, it’s been a strong year overall for them and we are proud to have worked together to achieve this.

“At the end of a very challenging season, both on and off track, I would like to thank everyone at Viry-Châtillon for their hard work. At the start of the year when we came under fire it would have been easy to lose motivation, but all have kept their heads down and kept development on track. We have not reached the targets we set for ourselves, but I hope this year will be seen as an aberration to our usual good form.”

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HORNER: RON DENNIS WON’T BE VERY HAPPY WITH OUR ENGINE

Uncertainty has morphed back into mystery as Red Bull’s Formula 1 engine crisis races beyond the season finale’s chequered flag in 2015.

Amid the Abu Dhabi floodlights, F1 legend Niki Lauda confirmed that he tried to help the energy drink company by initially shaking hands with Dietrich Mateschitz on a Mercedes engine deal.

“The fact that a competitive team like Red Bull cannot find a formula one engine is wrong,” he told Welt am Sonntag newspaper. “And the fact that Mercedes doesn’t deliver them an engine was not my idea.

“It is not my competitive mentality, in the idea that to win you have to beat everyone. But there were other opinions,” said Lauda. “I accepted that.”

What will happen next for Red Bull is actually once again a complete mystery, even though it had seemed clearer that the team would simply press Renault to fulfil an existing contract for 2016.

The French carmaker, however, has not even decided if it is staying in F1 at all.

“Wait and see what it [Red Bull’s 2016 engine] is called,” Red Bull boss Christian Horner said late on Sunday in Abu Dhabi.

“It will be something quite good. I don’t think Ron Dennis will be very happy, but he hasn’t been very happy recently,” Horner told the BBC.

Horner’s quip about Dennis is despite the fact that his McLaren counterpart wielded a veto that prevents Honda from supplying a customer engine to Red Bull.

“It (the veto) was fully supported by Honda,” Dennis said in Abu Dhabi, “but in the end someone had to stand up and say ‘This is not going to happen’.”

Red Bull’s Helmut Marko, however, said in Abu Dhabi: “Honda has made a big commitment financially and building wise.

“And from what I see they are learning from their mistakes, so I can imagine that we will see a completely different picture of Honda next year,” he told F1’s official website.

Another theory floating around amid the post-race parties in Abu Dhabi is that it will in fact be Mercedes who jump to Red Bull’s rescue if Renault does pull the plug.

“Your crystal ball says that?!” Toto Wolff exclaimed to the BBC’s Eddie Jordan. “Renault has a contract with Red Bull for next year, and that is what we are all pushing hard for.”