FORMULA 1 - 2015

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ALONSO: WE SEE THE GRANDSTANDS HALF EMPTY

Fernando Alonso launched an angry outburst at motorsport’s ruling body on Sunday, telling them to focus on the serious problems facing Formula One and to be fairer in their decision-making after being penalised on his way to 17th place in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The two-time world champion, widely respected as one of the sport’s elder statesmen, revealed how livid he feels in a broadside that was summed up when he said that it was time the International Motoring Federation (FIA) used “some common sense”.

Alonso believed he was unfairly penalised when he was in contact with Felipe Nasr’s Sauber car and could not avoid a collision with Pastor Maldonado’s Lotus and said that the FIA had missed an opportunity to demonstrate justice and sense.

“It’s FIA things,” said Alonso. “We see the grandstands half empty on this circuit – and half empty on most circuits.

“And there are championships which are overtaking us on the right, like WEC (world endurance), MotoGP (motorcycling). And then we are trying to make the cars louder!

“I think we need a bit of common sense. To have a drive-through (penalty) 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.”

Alonso’s frustrations after a season of disappointment with McLaren Honda following his move from Ferrari may have influenced his feelings, but they could not hide the truths in his comments about F1’s current crisis.

Embroiled in financial, political and technical problems, the season ended on Sunday with few signals that a brighter future lies ahead.

Earlier this week, former FIA president Max Mosley told the BBC that F1 was in serious trouble and nobody wanted to buy the business because it had become too expensive.

“There are only two or three teams that can really afford to spend the money that’s being spent now,” said Mosley.

“The others are either on the verge of having to stop, or at least greatly disadvantaged by not having enough money. I don’t really see how anyone can sell it until those problems have been resolved. The rich teams don’t want the less rich teams to become competitive.”

Shortly before Alonso’s angry attack, F1’s veteran commercial ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone confirmed his belief that the Lotus team will pull out of the sport if their take-over by Renault fails to go ahead in the next few days.

Renault boss Carlos Ghosn is set to decide on the French company’s plan next week. If Renault decide not to take over Lotus, it will be the end for the British team, said Ecclestone.

“I’m sure they’ll stop,” he said. “They are running a business unsuccessfully. They haven’t got enough money to keep going. So, they’ll stop.”

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POLITICS TAKES CENTRE STAGE AS F1 SEASON COMES TO AN END

Formula 1 drew its 2015 world championship season to a close amid the spectacular Abu Dhabi night skyline but the distinct smell of political controversy filled the night air in the five star Yas Marina paddock.

“There is a lot of self-interest and a lot of desire for power,” summarised F1 legend Niki Lauda.

Lauda, a triple world champion, doubles as a co-owner and chairman of the dominant Mercedes team, amid rumours that all is not well in his current relationship with fellow silver-clad bigwig Toto Wolff.

The pair dismissed those stories this weekend, and in fact were also hand-in-hand last week regarding the F1 Commission, when the proposed ‘cheap engine’ for 2017 was thrown out.

“It was not about costs or anything like that,” Lauda told the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag. “Such a massive intervention in the current rules was like a bad joke. The background was political power.”

Some might say it was F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and FIA president Jean Todt who were trying to flex their muscles amid the power currently wielded by Mercedes and Ferrari.

“I perceived the whole discussion as unnecessary and stupid,” Lauda continued. “If you have a sport in a negative trend, you cannot correct it by manipulating. If you try that, after two years you have nothing left at all.”

And so in the end, compromise was the order of the day, with the powerful carmakers agreeing to think again about the current rules in time for 2018.

On that front, Lauda agrees: “The smaller teams must be able to afford the engines. We have to help them.”

His Mercedes colleague Wolff agrees: “I’ve always said that it is right for the FIA to want to lower the price of the engines for the medium and small teams.

“That’s perfectly fine,” he told the German news agency SID. “These engines we have now may be complex, but they are state of the art. Can we make it more favourable for the small teams?”

“We are working on that. Can we also work on the entertainment factor and the sound of the engines? Yes, we should,” added Wolff.

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FERRARI BOSS HAPPY WITH FIA TEAM ALLIANCE RULING

Team principal Maurizio Arrivabene says Ferrari is fine with the FIA’s ruling about technical alliances in Formula 1.

While Mercedes never mentioned Ferrari or Haas by name, the request for clarification from the stewards in Abu Dhabi was clearly over concerns about the legality of the partnership.

Other teams, however, were less ambiguous about what the clarification was really about, with Williams deputy Claire Williams declaring that she thinks the sort of thing Ferrari and Haas are doing is “outside of the regulations”.

Asked if more teams will now seek the same sort of loopholes, she told SBD Global: “I can’t answer that because it’s outside of the regulations. I’d rather not answer that question.”

Ferrari team boss Arrivabene, meanwhile, said he is comfortable with what the FIA ruled on Sunday, “We have always said that we are transparent, and so before beginning to work with Haas we asked for approval from the FIA and we got it.”

“One of the teams asked the federation to clarify a number of aspects, quite rightly, so the FIA did that and everything is fine,” the Italian added.

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HORNER CONFIRMS KVYAT WILL BE WITH RED BULL IN 2016

Daniil Kvyat does not have to worry about his future at Red Bull according to team boss Christian Horner.

“Of course I was relieved when I heard it,” Kvyat said in Abu Dhabi. “But as long as there is instability, it means that at one race you’re happy and at the next you’re not.”

But Horner reiterated that Red Bull has secured an engine supply for 2016, will be staying in F1 and lining up with Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo.

“Everything is clear,” the Briton added. “He (Kvyat) has a contract and next year he will be with Red Bull Racing. I have just been with the team and told them that they did a good job this year.”

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Ricciardo a ‘more complete driver’ after tough 2015

The 2015 season was not the dream year he was hoping for, but Daniel Ricciardo is "grateful" for the tough campaign as he feels it helped him to grow as a driver.

After winning three races and upstaging four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel in his debut season with Red Bull in 2014, the Australian was hoping to build on that.

However, it was a trying year for the Milton Keynes-based squad as they failed to win a single race while he also was beaten by new team-mate Daniil Kvyat in the Drivers' Championship.

Despite the struggles, Ricciardo feels he is a better driver after a difficult year.

"I’m definitely grateful for this season. I’d be more grateful if I was World Champion, but to be honest I think I’ll look back on it and be grateful for the experiences I’ve had, [and] things I’ve learnt," he is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com

"It’s definitely made me a more complete driver, I think. It wasn’t always visible on-track, but trust me when you get back and work with the engineers, there’s a lot I’ve learnt, and a lot that I’ve picked up on.

"And just learning how to deal with your emotions, frustrations, everything.

"Next year, if we’ve got a bit more speed behind us I think I’ll use it well."

After winning four back-to-back doubles, Red Bull have fallen on tough times since the introduction of the new V6 rules in 2015, but Ricciardo believes they are now stronger as a unit.

"I don’t know if it was needed, I think the unit we had was always strong. But it’s definitely made us stronger," he said.

"How we picked ourselves up from the start of the year, and how the guys turned it around from mid-season onwards was pretty special.

"There was times where I feared that the team would start to, not fall apart, but there would be some negative effects that would fall on to the work and the build of the car. But it went 180 degrees the other way.

"I think the team we’ve got is strong, and once we get the tools, everyone is going to thrive off it."

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Merc to investigate Hamilton’s drop-off

Unable to win a grand prix since his title triumph in Austin, Mercedes will do an analysis over the coming weeks to see if the car or the driver were at fault.

Hamilton wrapped up his third World title with a victory at the United States Grand Prix but since then has failed to take the top step of the podium.

Losing out to Nico Rosberg in three successive races, the German recorded his first Formula 1 hat-trick while Hamilton was left wondering what went wrong.

Rosberg says it is just a case of he's faster at the moment, however, Hamilton says he's been unhappy with changes Mercedes made to the car.

Mercedes will now look into it to establish what went wrong.

"What I can say is that there have been a lot of discussions lately about whether Nico has stepped up, whether the car has come more towards him development-wise, or whether Lewis has unconsciously just taken it a bit too easy," said motorsport boss Toto Wolff.

"I have no answer to that.

"We have to make an audit in the next couple of weeks and analyse what happened in the last couple of races. I think that in the end for Lewis the title mattered and I honestly also have to say that these last couple of races were great driving from Nico's side."

He added: "The car has been developed and has improved. After Singapore we developed in a different direction based on the learnings we took on board from that weekend.

"Whether the car has come more to Nico – or has gone away from Lewis – I don't know. It could be a factor, but I wouldn't want to reduce it to one single issue. There could be many possible factors coming into the picture and playing a role."

Pressed as to whether he had noticed a 'drop in intensity' in Hamilton, the Austrian replied: "No, because I don't think that this would have been something that was done consciously.

"He is still pushing very hard – he still has the same talent and puts the same effort into his races. But yes, it could play a role."

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Horner doubts Merc reign will end in 2016

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says the odds of anyone beating Mercedes next season are not very good.

Mercedes were without a doubt the team to beat this season as they raced to victory in both Championship battles.

Between Lewis Hamilton, who won the title in Austin with three races to spare, and Nico Rosberg, they amassed a 16 races victories including a record 12 1-2 finishes.

It was impressive showing from the Brackley squad and one that Horner fears will continue through into 2016.

"I think the regulations are extremely stable for next year and obviously Mercedes will inevitably carry on the dominance, such is their margin," he told ESPNF1.

"They will find gains over the winter, but they will undoubtedly be nearest the top of the curve and will get lesser returns than potentially others.

"It is an enormous gap for any of the teams to fill.

"I am not sure what the bookies would offer for a repeat performance next year. I don't think the odds are too good [that someone will beat Mercedes]."

The team boss, whose Red Bull outfit managed just three podiums this season, believes Mercedes dominance is hurting the sport.

And although his own outfit won the Championship double four years in a row, Horner is adamant Red Bull never had the supremacy Mercedes have.

"I think predictable and serial results and serial winning is difficult for any sport. We were accused of it, but we never enjoyed the continuation of success or longevity of success.

"Two of our World Championships went to the last race and we never ever finished first and second in a World Championship. I think inevitably with that kind of predictability people get turned off and it needs a re-jig to bring it closer together.

"I don't think anyone wants to see Fernando Alonso just taking part. We want to see him competing. We want to see Daniel Ricciardo competing. We want to see Sebastian Vettel competing against Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

"The teams will never achieve that because there is far too much self-interest and you can't expect the teams to achieve that. That is for the regulator and the governing body to come up with better rules that achieve those objectives."

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Smedley: Bottas saw Button too late

Rob Smedley has all but put the onus on Valtteri Bottas for his pitlane clash with Jenson Button in Abu Dhabi.

Chasing fourth place in the Drivers' Championship on Sunday, Bottas' race was undone as he was released from his Williams pitbox moments before Button entered his.

As the McLaren driver turned in he was clipped by Bottas with the end result being a broken front wing for the Finn and a race spent lapping near the back of the field.

However Williams's head of performance engineering Smedley says the pit crew released Bottas at the "right point", he just didn't see Button.

"We'll have to analyse it and understand exactly what happened," he told Autosport.

"We released him at the right point but unfortunately he saw the McLaren too late.

"When he saw Jenson, he braked, but Jenson was in the part of the road that he was going to.

"We have a signal to the drivers that tells them traffic is approaching and they need to stay on the right-hand side or further towards the slow lane.

"He did that, but they just had a coming together because he saw Jenson too late."

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Grosjean: Best way to say goodbye

A late run into the top ten allowed Romain Grosjean to bid farewell to Lotus with a final points-scoring result in Abu Dhabi.

The Frenchman's Sunday did not get off to the best start as news broke that he would have a five-place grid penalty as his E23 required a new gearbox.

Sent to the back of the grid Grosjean, who is off to Haas next season, had it all to do in the 55-lap Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

"It was a tough race but we knew with the right strategy we could do something good and the last stint was key," he said.

Coming to the final laps of the race Grosjean was still outside points with Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz ahead of him.

On fresher tyres he stormed through to take 10th, ensuring Lotus finished the season in sixth place. However, adding to the team's joy Grosjean then overtook Daniil Kvyat to finish ninth.

"When I saw Sainz ahead of me and Max Verstappen behind me I wanted to pass them, we did and we've got sixth," he added.

"It was the best way to leave the team, scoring some good points and having a good race.

"The team deserves it and I'm very proud of the gift I’m leaving as a present. It's been an emotional journey for me and I’m so happy to be able to reward everyone at Enstone with points."

[MIKA27]

Mercedes raise the bar with record-smashing 2015 season

Following Mercedes’ domination of the 2014 championship, few would have expected them to pull even further ahead of the opposition in 2014. But the results indicate they did exactly that.

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was their 12 one-two finish this year, beating the record of 11 they set in 2014. They also managed one more podium than last year, breaking another record, and equalled the record of 16 wins in a season they set last year.

Mercedes therefore ended the season on 703 points – two more than last year over the same number of races, despite the abolition of the double points finale. The highest possible score available to them this year was 817 points, of which they scored 86% – another record.

The W06s locked out the front row of the grid for the 15th time this year, three more than last year and further new record for the books.

Number 44 is still waiting for his 44th win

While Lewis Hamilton held sway for much of the year, after he clinched the title Nico Rosberg ran the table. He won the final three races in a row from pole position – something Hamilton didn’t manage all year long – and as the season closed took his sixth consecutive pole position. The all-time record stands at eight – Hamilton came within one of it earlier this year.

Despite Rosberg’s resurgence Hamilton beat him 11-7 in pole positions this year – an exact reversal of last year’s outcome.

Rosberg also took his 14th career win, giving him as many victories as world champions Jack Brabham, Emerson Fittipaldi and Graham Hill. Coincidentally, Rosberg equalled Hill’s wins tally on the 40th anniversary of his death in a plane crash.

He therefore denied his team mate in car number 44 from claiming his 44th win at a race where the 44th anniversary of the United Arab Emirates’ independence was being celebrated. However Hamilton did take the fastest lap on the 44th tour (and on the same lap Rosberg completed the middle sector in 44.444 seconds). That was Hamilton’s 28th fastest lap, giving him as many as Jim Clark.

Sebastian Vettel was eliminated in Q1 yet recovered in the race to finish one place behind his team mate – just as he did after his only other Q1 exit this year in Canada.

Kimi Raikkonen moved up to fourth place in the drivers’ championship at the last race of the season and avoided ending the year with less than half of his team mate’s points for the second season in the row. However his tally of 150 is 11 points less than Fernando Alonso managed with last year’s uncompetitive SF14-T.

Finally, by relegating Valtteri Bottas to fifth place, Raikkonen ensured the top ten drivers in the championship were neatly grouped by team: two Mercedes, two Ferraris, two Williamses, two Red Bulls and two Force Indias.

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Analysis: Is Renault deal first salvo in new Concorde battle?

As the F1 world awaits a decision from Renault on its F1 future, it has emerged that the French car manufacturer's decision could be the first move in Bernie Ecclestone's bid to secure the long-term health of the sport.

Renault boss Carlos Ghosn is due to make the final decision this week on whether the French manufacturer will go ahead with the Lotus takeover.

Senior Renault executive Jerome Stoll, who is also the president of Renault Sport, was in talks with Ecclestone and F1 owner CVC throughout the Abu Dhabi weekend, as the two parties tried to hammer out a deal.

Nine-year plan

Central to the discussions is believed to be the extent of any commercial rights income that Renault will get for returning to F1 as a works effort.

CVC boss Donald Mackenzie told Motorsport.com that, while a satisfactory deal had been agreed in principle, nothing could be taken for granted until it was signed off by Ghosn.

Sources have suggested that the contract with Ecclestone that Ghosn and the Renault board has on the table is for nine years - from 2016 until 2024.

The significance of that is that other teams are currently bound to bilateral agreements, that used to be unified into one document known as the Concorde Agreement, until 2020.

If Renault's nine-year commitment to F1 is confirmed, then it will be the first evidence of an outfit committing in to the next 'Concorde' period.

Commitment

Should Renault confirm its place until 2024, then the question is whether it will signal the start of some jockeying for position as other teams line up to extend their own deals.

Being first in the queue to agree terms with Ecclestone can ensure a bigger slice of the cake and thus longer terms security.

The way things usually work in F1 is that teams that are reluctant to agree terms, get left behind when the cake is being sliced up. Leave it too late and there be nothing left.

At the same time, longer term deals boost the value of the sport, and given that CVC is expected to be selling its shareholding at some stage, the motivation to get such deals done is obvious.

The intriguing aspect is that this could be happening while the complaint to the EU from Sauber and Force India is still working its way through the system, and thus the current deals are potentially in question.

The other remarkable thing is that when Renault's deal runs out at the end 2024 Ecclestone will be 94.

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Toto Wolff: Ferrari deserved any advantage it gained with Haas

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says Ferrari deserved any advantage it may have gained from its collaboration with new F1 team Haas, but is happy the rules have been clarified to prevent such situations going forwards.

Haas has been working closely with Ferrari ahead of its debut season and has made extensive use of Maranello's wind tunnel and facilities to develop its car. As a new team, Haas was not bound by the same aerodynamic testing restrictions as existing outfits and rival teams suspected Ferrari may have been able to benefit from the relationship.

Over the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, Mercedes asked the FIA's stewards for clarification over what was allowed under such agreements and in reply the governing body tightened up some of the loopholes in the regulations. The stewards' decision will not be enforced retrospectively however, meaning any advantage Ferrari gained in the past year was within the regulations.

"This is a sport about gaining advantage by interpreting the rules and if they did that then they deserved it," Wolff said. "I don't think they operated outside of the regulations, I think Ferrari and Haas interpreted the rules in the right way and so it wasn't for us to seek clarification for the past but we wanted to be rock solid for the future for us mainly, but for everybody to have that transparent information

"I am comfortable with the outcome because the stewards' decision gives us clarity and that was the main purpose of the exercise."

Wolff reiterated that Mercedes aim was not to disadvantage Ferrari but instead understand what was possible for its own team going forwards.

"I think there is so much talk about Ferrari and Haas and what it means and what we sought, so I want to reemphasise that we had asked the FIA for clarification of what we could do in the future. We were looking at partnerships with some of the teams which are our engine customers, in order to optimise on the aero development and we weren't quite sure about the rules, which were ambiguous. So we asked for guidance so every team would have a transparent, open communication."

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Pastor Maldonado: It would have been 'big news' if I'd hit Fernando Alonso

Pastor Maldonado thinks it would have been "big news" if he had been the one to drive into Fernando Alonso in Abu Dhabi rather than the other way around.

Alonso was furious after the 2015 finale because of the drive-through penalty he received for the first corner collision, which came after he squeezed Felipe Nasr and out-braked himself into Turn 1. It meant Alonso speared Maldonado off the circuit, leading to the Lotus driver's immediate retirement from the race, though the McLaren was able to continue.

Though Alonso questioned why he should get a penalty after being hit by another driver, referring to Nasr, the reaction to the crash was muted. Maldonado, whose erratic driving has gained something of an unenviable reputation in F1, is convinced there would have been more media attention around it had roles been reversed.

"It's sad to end the race in the first corner because we were looking good for the race," Maldonado said after the race. "We had a good strategy to go with our better race pace, but anyway this is racing and it can happen. I didn't see the contact I just felt it in the back of the car from Fernando. I tried to restart but then I saw the suspension damage. Imagine if that incident had been the other way round, it would've been big news then!"

On top of his drive-through, Alonso received the first two penalty points on his superlicence as punishment for the incident.

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Ron Dennis clarifies Fernando Alonso sabbatical comments

Ron Dennis insists Fernando Alonso will drive for McLaren in 2016 and says his comments about the Spaniard taking a sabbatical next year were taken out of context.

In Abu Dhabi Dennis told reporters he was "open" to the possibility of Alonso sitting out next season after McLaren's frustrating debut campaign with Honda power units. Alonso was forced to deny the words of McLaren's CEO, saying that it is his "intention" is to race, though his statement that "you can never say 100 percent anything" led to some suggesting it was still a possibility.

Dennis has stressed he was talking more widely about the many options that have been discussed during the course of the year and only mentioned a sabbatical with the clarification Alonso will be in the car for 2016.

"Fernando's in the car next year," Dennis told Sky Sports F1. "He told everybody yesterday. Somebody asked me whether it was feasible he could have a sabbatical year and I said anything's feasible; we talk about it being one of the options but the same journalist forgets that I said at the end of it 'but Fernando and Jenson are driving next year'.

"So off goes the story when in reality I made it explicitly clear yesterday, as I am now, that the two drivers for next year are Jenson [button] and Fernando."

Alonso did little to distance himself from the rumours after the 2015 finale in Abu Dhabi, bringing up the World Endurance Championship he has long been linked with to complain about the lack of fun and "common sense" in Formula One after being hit with a drive-through penalty for a first corner collision with Pastor Maldonado.

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Sir Jackie Stewart: Nico Rosberg can win the title in 2016

Three-time world champion Sir Jackie Stewart says Nico Rosberg can win the title in 2016 if he can "step up that little bit extra" against Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton drew level with Stewart's British record of three championships by winning this year's F1 crown, which he wrapped up at the U.S. Grand Prix in late October. However, Rosberg finished the season on a high, claiming six straight pole positions and three race victories in a row.

Stewart says Rosberg must not be written off in 2016 but insists the German will need to raise his game across the whole season to beat the "aggressive" Hamilton.

"If Mercedes retain the leadership that you almost expect from Mercedes, I'm afraid you could be finding the same thing, but don't count out Rosberg," Stewart is quoted as saying by the Press Association when asked if Hamilton could win a fourth title next year. "There is nothing to stop Rosberg winning. He is quick. We have seen him have so many pole positions and he is smoother [than Hamilton]. I'd like to see him win the title. That would be very good.

"Lewis is quite aggressive so therefore he has won more races because of that aggression, but sometimes that can bite you also. Nico is good and there is no question about it. The trouble is you have to be very good and he has got to just step up that little bit extra."

Ferrari hopes to mount a season-long challenge against Mercedes next season, those Red Bull boss Christian Horner thinks the current regulations makes it likely the world champions will dominate again in 2016. Stewart echoes the concerns of Horner and thinks it will be difficult for anyone to get close next year.

"Mercedes will eventually be beaten, but I'm not sure the rest of the teams are really good enough yet to be able to take them on. More than a second a lap is too big a gap and that's not good racing.

"You never know, another year, you have an Adrian Newey suddenly coming up with something and the whole scene can change. So, you can't take anything for granted. But while Mercedes' money is there -- both in engine and their chassis -- it is going to be difficult for them to be beaten."

[Lotusguy]

I'm so glad the season is over. Didn't even bother watching the last 4 snooze fests.

[skalls]

Given the way the season ended, I think Nico is the man to beat in 16 if he continues this form.

Having said that the last races weren't interesting. Mexico had a cool track through that baseball stadium but nothing much happened.

[capitalpg]

Skalls echoed my thoughts on Nico as he shined the latter third of the season.

Hoping Sebastian/Ferrari continue moving forward as they proved to be able to compete at the top. If Kimi decides to be engaged completely next season, he should prove a formidable challenger as well.

[skalls]

I also want to see Williams stop some of the head scratching stupid things they've done this year. They could give a better go at Ferrari.

Also want red bull to just stop talking.

[MIKA27]

Given the way the season ended, I think Nico is the man to beat in 16 if he continues this form.

Having said that the last races weren't interesting. Mexico had a cool track through that baseball stadium but nothing much happened.

Anything Hermann Tilke IMO is s**t - Looks great on paper but ends up being a snooze fest

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ARAI: HONDA WILL NOT HAVE HOLIDAYS

Honda F1 chief has vowed to work throughout the forthcoming holiday season to get back up to speed after a disastrous return to the pinnacle of the sport.

With McLaren, the Anglo-Japanese collaboration faltered badly in 2015 as Honda returned to the grid with a badly under-prepared ‘power unit’.

Boss Yasuhisa Arai admits it took Honda until mid-season to identify the main problem – the so-called ‘deployment’ of the energy recovery systems – “but we could not resolve it during the season”, he told Speed Week.

So the Spanish newspaper AS reports that Honda is vowing now to work non-stop throughout the forthcoming holiday season.

“Our philosophy will continue, but it will be a completely new engine,” Arai-san said. “It is designed and the tests have begun.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us so perhaps we will not have holidays — I think it is good to keep on working.”

Throughout McLaren-Honda’s abysmal season, arguably the biggest surprise has been the composure and patience of Fernando Alonso — a driver more commonly associated with Latin histrionics.

“Last year was more frustrating,” said the former Ferrari driver. “Everyone would be blaming one another, all trying to prove his work is good, and so to see this project has made me improve and become a better person.”

He famously lost his cool at Suzuka, however, describing Honda’s work as a “GP2 engine” for all of the carmaker’s congregated big-wigs to hear on the radio.

But Alonso said: “That it (the outburst) was in Japan was good, because with our problems we know what to do, but we need the full involvement of everybody, more budget, more people.”

As for those who are ‘surprised’ by how calm Alonso has been in 2015, the Spaniard answered: “I think it is something that has always been there — that (perception that) there are always problems with me or I get angry.

“I have to say I am surprised because quite often I finished the world championship at the final race without success, sometimes dramatically like Abu Dhabi in 2010 and Brazil 2012, but I always put the best of me, keeping a good attitude and staying close to the team.

“Now we see that Mercedes is dominating the podium but throwing caps at each other, not talking … and nobody says anything! And when I’m positive, working with the team with a good attitude if I’m tenth, second or first, it is my attitude that is surprising,” he added.

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IS 2016 THE YEAR OF TRUTH FOR FERRARI?

When Ferrari puts its 2016 challenger on track in February, the entire world of Formula 1 will wonder if it can be a Mercedes-beater and arguably the keenest observers of all will be the partisan Italian press.

“2016 is the year of truth,” declared La Stampa newspaper. “The Scuderia has one last step to get back to the top.”

After two years of utter Mercedes dominance, the F1 world has been micro-analysing Ferrari’s resurgent form this year. In Brazil two weeks ago, the red team appeared to now be tantalisingly close. But then in Abu Dhabi, Mercedes flexed its full muscle again.

“Maranello should be very concerned,” Corriere dello Sport said after the weekend’s season finale, “because the superiority of Mercedes is still very strong.”

La Stampa continued: “When the Mercedes drivers start from the front and make no mistakes, they are invincible. The question now is whether three winter months is enough for Ferrari to close that gap.”

Even boss Maurizio Arrivabene admits that, despite Ferrari’s impressive resurgence this year, there is no guarantee the team will be closer next year, “But one year ago it seemed like mission impossible. Now we know that it is possible.”

Sebastian Vettel, who won three times versus Mercedes combined sixteen in 2015, also acknowledged that while Ferrari has made steps in 2015, “The last step is the hardest”.

F1 veteran David Coulthard agrees that Mercedes’ current level of dominance is almost “unprecedented”.

“People thought Red Bull was bad, but it was all tight margins,” he told the Telegraph. “This is something else. I do not even remember Ferrari in the early 2000s enjoying such a significant pace advantage.”

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RENAULT CHIEF SET TO CONFIRM F1 FUTURE THIS WEEK

Tuesday or Wednesday have been tipped as the most likely days for Renault to announce its decision to stay in formula one next year and beyond.

That is the claim of Austria’s Kleine Zeitung newspaper, reporting that after four meetings between Group Renault marketing chief Jerome Stoll and Bernie Ecclestone in Abu Dhabi, a positive outcome was finally reached.

The report said: “Ecclestone agreed to make special payments to the French, although not quite as high as had been requested. We have learned that Renault can live with the compromise, which must still be approved by (CEO) Carlos Ghosn.”

The deal between Ecclestone and Renault will not only show the green light to the Lotus buyout, but also the 2016 engine deal for Red Bull, including the involvement of Ilmor chief Mario Illien.

Red Bull’s Helmut Marko confirms: “It looks good that the agreement that we have, with whoever it is, can be announced during the (current) week.”

He also said the former quadruple world champions have hope that “We can be somewhat competitive and take another step closer” to the front of the grid in 2016.

Lead driver Daniel Ricciardo is quoted by Tuttosport: “It is good news that it (the engine question) is finally resolved.”

As for the likely competitiveness of next year’s engine, following the disappointments of the past two years, the Australian added: “I’m sure the (Red Bull) team knows what it’s doing. I think if they had the feeling that it would be another season like this, they would not have decided to keep going.”

[MIKA27]

STROLL: WILLIAMS BELIEVE IN ME TO BE ONE OF THEIR NEXT DRIVERS

Billionaire son Lance Stroll admits he hopes a new development driver role at Williams could be his road to the formula one grid.

Last week, the British team said its new development driver for 2016 will be 17-year-old Stroll, a European F3 race winner whose father is the Canadian billionaire Lawrence.

Preceding Stroll’s appointment, Lance was a member of Ferrari’s development programme, with the long-time Ferrari figure Luca Baldisserri now linked with a move to accompany the youngster to Williams.

The young driver said of Ferrari: “For sure, for us it is not easy to leave. We have worked together like a family since 2010 so it was not an easy decision, but Williams is an exceptional opportunity.”

The Oxfordshire based team has said that Stroll’s development role will be along the lines of the one originally occupied by Valtteri Bottas, who rose all the way to the grid.

Stroll, 17, said he was approached by Williams last summer, “I was still with Ferrari and unsure of what we wanted to do and it was a good opportunity for the future and my career”.

Stroll said Williams’ record in grooming young drivers, like Bottas and others before him, was “one aspect that really appealed to us”.

He added: “They believe in me to be one of their next drivers. They’ve followed me for a long time and saw not only that I am a good driver, but that I have the potential to win races and titles.”

As for what he will actually do in 2016, Stroll said he will continue racing in European F3 but also do “a lot of work in their (Williams’) simulator.

“And a lot of learning in the Williams factory about formula one. That means being at the track as well and in the garage during the grands prix, when it does not fall on the same weekends as my F3 races.”

As for the possibility of actually testing a F1 car, “We have not yet taken a decision with Williams. I don’t know if we will do that (next year), or when.”

Stroll said his real focus next year will be on F3, even though Max Verstappen has already shown that teenagers can thrive in formula one.

“One thing at a time,” said Stroll. “I’m still a young driver — there is plenty of time and we are not in a hurry. We’ll see how it goes in 2016 and what is the best opportunity after that.”

[MIKA27]

LOPEZ: THERE IS NO PLAN-B FOR LOTUS

Lotus owner Gerard Lopez says he has a Plan B if Renault fail to take over the cash-strapped Formula One team but is not expecting to use it.

An announcement from the French carmaker is imminent, with the main options being to buy back their former title-winning team or announce they are walking away from the sport.

Lopez said everything was ready to sign from his side and he was “pretty calm” and “comfortable” with a situation that has been dragging on for months amid endless speculation about the outcome.

“There is no Plan-B [for Lotus] that we are discussing right now,” the Luxembourg-based businessman told Reuters at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“There is a Plan B that was set up quite a while ago when things were still maybe a bit (uncertain). We could take it out of the drawer and put it in place but it is not on anybody’s desk now. I don’t think we have discussed a Plan B for a month or month and a half.”

Lotus have raced this year with Mercedes engines, after switching from Renault at the end of 2014. While Renault would run Lotus as a works team, Lopez said the contract with Mercedes remained in force even though the manufacturer had since agreed a deal with Manor Marussia.

“We still have an engine, the contract with Mercedes has not been stopped,” he said. “The team could still exist (without a Renault deal).”

Lopez’s upbeat words were a marked contrast to those of Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who sounded far less certain about the team’s prospects, and some others in the paddock.

“They are running a business unsuccessfully, they haven’t got enough money to keep going,” Ecclestone told media in Abu Dhabi. “So they’ll stop. They’re in trouble with finance anyway, so I can’t see that a Mercedes contract is going to help.”

Lotus have been besieged with legal troubles, facing repeated demands from unpaid suppliers and creditors as well as the British tax authorities in a case that remains pending.

They are due back in the London High Court on 7 December for a hearing postponed to allow time for the Renault deal to go through after representatives for the French company presented a letter of intent.

Lopez, who plans to remain a team shareholder if the takeover goes through, said that case would be settled whatever Renault’s decision turned out to be.

The owner said the publicised predicaments — with staff locked out of hospitality in Japan and garages in Brazil and Abu Dhabi until circuit bills were paid — could be explained.

He said Lotus had wanted to ensure they had the resources to compete next season even if Renault walked away, but they also needed to retain staff to ensure it remained an interesting proposition. That meant prioritising where the money went, and not borrowing against the future.

“We are trying to be careful…people criticise us but in reality what we are doing is protecting the team really and the jobs going forward,” said Lopez.

“If for some reason this (takeover) did not happen, which I don’t believe, then we did everything right to run a smaller team and at a non-pressure point.”

Lopez said reports that the team, who employ some 480 people in British Prime Minister David Cameron’s central English constituency, had already received an advance payment on their 2016 revenues were wrong.

“The monthly payment was advanced by three days. We have not touched our FOM (Formula One Management) money from next year… We have not touched a single cent of money for next year. As far as the budget goes, we would have the budget to race (in 2016).”

“The reason we are keeping the team as it is, it’s because this is the team that interests the constructor…if we were to be an independent team we would not conduct business as now. We would definitely cut down quite a bit.”