FORMULA 1 - 2015

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Dennis hints at loaning Magnussen out

McLaren Group CEO Ron Dennis hints he is likely to place Kevin Magnussen in another team next season to continue his development.

Magnussen was relegated from race driver at the end of 2014 to the role of test and reserve driver at McLaren this season. With Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso both on multi-year deals, Magnussen acknowledges he may have to race elsewhere next year and Dennis admits it is a likely scenario for 2016.

“I think Kevin has the ability to race next year," Dennis told Ekstra Bladet when asked about the possibility of Magnussen regaining his McLaren seat. "At the same time, he also knows that we live in the real world.

“I have two world champions who are among the very best. So he has to prove himself. Perhaps that means I have to help him into another team for another learning year.”

And speaking in Copenhagen last week, Dennis urged Denmark to get behind Magnussen to give him the best opportunity to secure a race seat.

“When teams are choosing between these young drivers, unfortunately it’s not only about their talent. It’s also about the support they have from companies or countries.

"Kevin will succeed with or without your help, but it’s just a much bigger challenge for him when his opponents are young people from countries with huge support.”

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Formula 1 customer car cost benefits overblown, says Tost

Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost believes customer cars will not deliver as dramatic a cost saving to Formula 1 as some believe.

With F1's biggest teams currently evaluating a way for customer cars to work in the future if needed, Tost says he is sceptical about the overall benefits.

For although there is no doubt it would save smaller teams expenditure in terms of design and construction, there would still be a price to pay for purchasing a car from a big rival.

Speaking to Motorsport.com, Tost said: “It would for sure be a good way to start for a team coming in to F1, like was the case with Toro Rosso.

“Currently I have a little bit the feeling that people underestimate the costs for a customer team because it is not as cheap as they all think.

“If you want to be a competitive customer team then you will need to buy from a top team. And they will be working at a high level, not just from the technical side but also from the financial side.

"It will be quite expensive; it will not be for nothing.”

Around half of the top teams' budget

With costs so high at the moment, Tost does not believe that a customer outfit would be able to operate at much less than half the budget of the big teams.

“On one side it will be cheaper because you don't have complete costs for R&D, for wind tunnels and all this kind of stuff,” he said.

“But you have to build the parts, and this costs money.

"I think it would be around 40-50 percent of the [top teams'] budget.”

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Nico Rosberg admits ‘I still need to raise my game’

Nico Rosberg insists that he is still in a state of shock at winning his third Monaco Grand Prix on the bounce and, despite the result, admits that the race only served to emphasise the gap between himself and team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

The reigning world champion dominated the early part of the Monaco weekend, and appeared on course for what would have been his fourth win of the season had it not been for a dubious tactical decision from the Mercedes pit-wall. Having run second all afternoon, albeit under pressure from Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, Rosberg was there to pick up the pieces and, with Hamilton returning to the fray behind both German's took another ten-point bite out his championship advantage as the series heads to Canada.

Rosberg, however, is well aware that, with the possible exception of Barcelona, he has yet to match Hamilton over a whole race weekend, and knows the Briton's three-win affinity with the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve could turn the tables back in his favour, but he remains ebullient with twelve rounds remaining after the trans-Atlantic trip.

“I still can't quite believe I was standing on the top step in Monaco for the third time the other week,” the German admitted, “It was all very surreal and I don't think I've ever been so lucky. However, the weekend also showed that I need to raise my game even further in the battle this year.

“I've got the boost of two wins behind me now, there is a long way to go this season and I know there is more to come from me personally, so it's all to play for.”

Last year's Canadian Grand Prix appeared to be another Mercedes benefit until both cars ran into trouble with overheating electrics that forced the shutdown of the MGU-K. While Hamilton was forced into a brake-related DNF, polewinner Rosberg somehow soldiered on, leading for another 40+ laps before salvaging second place behind Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.

With a repeat of the gremlins unlikely this weekend, the German is hoping that he can hang with Hamilton and find an edge that will trim the ten-point gap between them still further.

“Canada was a really difficult race for us last year, but an exciting one too,” he reflected, “Hopefully, we will avoid the traps that caught us out last year and it'll be another good battle for the fans to enjoy.”

Both Mercedes drivers will benefit from fresh power units this weekend as the team looks to put its Monaco error well and truly in the rear-view mirror.

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Defeats snatched from victory's jaws

Lewis Hamilton's strategy debacle in Monaco turned what looked set to be a certain victory into a trailing third place, but he's far from the first driver in Grand Prix history to see a potential win go up in smoke.

Fittingly, we now head to Canada, a race that has proven more than once that it is never over until the fat lady sings as she waves the chequered flag – as these six drivers learned in snatching defeat from the jaws of Grand Prix victory.

Kimi Raikkonen – 2005 European Grand Prix

2005 was the season that the Michael Schumacher/Ferrari stranglehold broke, and Renault and McLaren quickly leapt into the power vacuum and took up the mantle of championship contenders. Renault and Fernando Alonso had started the season in superb form and quickly opened a championship lead from the fast but unreliable McLaren of Kimi Raikkonen. Heading to round seven the Nurburgring having won the past two races, the pressure was on Kimi and McLaren to keep the momentum up and continue eating in to Alonso's 22-point advantage.

Starting second with Alonso down in sixth, Raikkonen quickly dispensed with polesitter Nick Heidfeld into the first corner to take a lead that he would comfortably maintain through the first half of the race.

One of the more curious additions to the F1 regulations was the 2005 rule that stipulated that drivers had to use the same set of tyres for the duration of the race. After severely flat-spotting his front right tyre lapping Jacques Villeneuve midway through the race, Raikkonen was forced to continue circulating with increasingly severe vibrations hampering his performance.

During the closing laps, the vibrations from the tyre began to significantly worsen, visibly shaking on the straights and causing Raikkonen difficulty in corners and under braking. At this stage, with the tyre a clear potential safety hazard, McLaren had the option of bringing Raikkonen in – but with Alonso now in second place and closing fast the stop would have meant losing further ground in the championship.

McLaren gambled, and could only watch nervously as Alonso homed in lap by lap. With two tours to go the gap was down to 2.7 seconds, and Raikkonen's tyre was wobbling violently and flexing the suspension on the straights. As Raikkonen started his last lap, the suspension gave way, exploding on the main straight and sending Raikkonen careering into the gravel trap.

Alonso coasted to his fourth victory of the season and extended his championship lead to 32 points, but Raikkonen was the real story of the day. To pit Raikkonen and accept a comfortable points finish from a winning position would have been to miss the true nature of sport - and although hindsight ultimately proved McLaren wrong, a glorious burn out is always more memorable than sensibly fading away.

Chris Amon – 1968 Canadian Grand Prix

It takes some going to earn the moniker of Formula One's unluckiest driver, and despite the strong challenge of Jean Alesi in the 1990s the undisputed king of F1 misfortune remains, and perhaps always will, New Zealander Chris Amon.

Amon himself has disagreed with the notion, countering that he was fortunate to survive a fifteen-year racing career in an era of during which death stalked the circuit.

The stats though do offer compelling evidence of Amon's enduring bad luck. Although he started five races from pole position, and led 183 laps across seven Grands Prix, Amon was unable to ever take an elusive victory – despite multiple wins in non-championship races, drives in front-running cars and a reputation as one of the very best racers on the circuit.

1968 may have been Amon's unluckiest campaign. Driving for the Ferrari works team, three consecutive pole positions early in the season demonstrated the car's raw pace. Unfortunately for Amon, persistent mechanical gremlins saw him take only one point from such auspicious portents.

By the Canadian Grand Prix, round 10 of 12, Amon had only ten points and one podium finish to his name despite consistently qualifying and racing among the frontrunners. At the Mont-Tremblant circuit, Amon qualified second but a flying start saw him pass polesitter Jochen Rindt off the line.

Amon raced off over the horizon unchallenged, building a substantial lead as his rivals foundered in a race of high attrition. As the laps ticked by, Amon's lead looked ever more assured.

Then, on lap 73 of 90, Amon's transmission broke, pitching the Ferrari into an immediate retirement and handing a commanding victory to countryman Denny Hulme in the McLaren. Amon, who was still relatively inexperienced in F1 terms, had plenty of years ahead of him, and there would surely be multiple victories ahead.

Unfortunately for Amon the day would never come, with misfortune repeatedly striking every time the Kiwi had a sniff of victory. Rather than being a one-off event that Amon could write-off as simple bad luck, the 1968 Canadian GP became one of many ones that got away for F1's enduring Mr Misfortune.

Damon Hill – 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix

Perhaps no victory in F1 history would have been as unlikely, and therefore no failure was more glorious, than Damon Hill's bittersweet second place for Arrows at the 1997 Hungarian GP.

Hill had a history with late race heartache, having seen potential victories thwarted by mechanical gremlins at the 1993 British GP (losing what would have been a maiden win on home soil), the 1993 German GP (losing what would have been a maiden victory at the very next race two laps from home due to a tyre failure), and the 1996 Monaco GP (losing a huge lead through a rare Renault engine failure and missing out on his best chance to live up to father Graham's 'Mr Monaco' legacy).

Nobody expected Hill to be in such a position in 1997 however. Despite winning the 1996 world championship, Hill was not retained by Williams and had landed instead at the struggling Arrows team. The number one on the front of his car was not only a suggestion of how many laps he was likely to complete at any race, it also gave his season's points tally heading to race 11, the Hungarian GP.

A combination of Hill's affinity with the Hungaroring (he had won there twice, including his (eventual) first win in 1993) and the strong performance of the Bridgestone tyres in the Hungarian heat saw Hill qualify a surprise third, mixing it with the front-runners for the first time that season.

Even more surprisingly, after a strong start to the race, Hill found himself challenging old foe Michael Schumacher for the race lead on lap 11. Diving down the inside into turn one, Hill was through, and he quickly disappeared off over the horizon.

The die seemed cast from the moment Hill took the lead. He dominated the race, building a margin of over 40 seconds to former teammate Jacques Villeneuve heading into the closing stages. Barring unforeseen misfortune, Hill was on course to take the Arrows team's first ever victory in remarkable circumstances.

Three laps from home though, disaster struck. Hill's hydraulics failed, and all of a sudden the Arrows was crawling, stuck in third gear and suffering from a throttle problem. With Hill powerless to prevent his lead being decimated, Villeneuve was able to catch and pass up the hill towards turn six on the very last lap.

Hill's advantage was such that he was able to hold off Johnny Herbert and retain second place, but as he crossed the line the celebrations were muted – having lost out on what would have been a maiden F1 win for Arrows, Bridgestone and engine supplier Yamaha. Taken in isolation second place was still a stunning result, but it had been a performance that deserved so much more.

Juan Pablo Montoya – 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix

For every great sportsman there's a signature 'coming of age' performance, the moment at which it becomes abundantly clear that a particular driver has something that marks them as being out of the ordinary.

For Juan-Pablo Montoya, that performance arrived in just his third Grand Prix, as the Colombian rookie announced himself as an aggressive, opportunistic and supremely quick driver at the 2001 Brazilian GP. Montoya had enjoyed considerable success in the US, and came to F1 with a glowing reputation as a rookie CART champion and Indy 500 winner, but his performance at Interlagos was a stirring declaration that his talent was readily transferrable to Formula One.

An early safety car caused by Mika Hakkinen's stalled McLaren combined with an initial fast standing start had seen Montoya's Williams-BMW jump from fourth to second – behind reigning world champion and polesitter Michael Schumacher's Ferrari.

It was a cliché writ true in a bygone age that drivers who had raced Stateside had a natural acumen for safety car restarts due to their experience of racing 'under yellow'. Montoya put those skills to good use as the race restarted on lap three to slipstream Schumacher on the start-finish straight and attack into the Senna S. Braking hard for the inside apex, Montoya positioned his car perfectly, getting alongside Schumacher and squeezing the Ferrari to the outside to claim the racing line for the second part of the corner.

It was a true statement overtake, dispatching Schumacher with a no holds-barred aggression few drivers had had either the nerve or the skill to attempt in recent memory. For a rookie driver in only his third Grand Prix to serve Schumacher with such manners was nothing short of a sensation. Montoya proceeded to pull away at a rate of knots, and by half distance held a lead of over 30 seconds from Schumacher.

Then, on lap 39, Montoya came around to lap Jos Verstappen on the back straight. Verstappen pulled offline to let Montoya past, but as he tucked back in behind the Williams into the braking zone for turn four the Dutchman lost his bearings and slammed violently into the back of Montoya's car – eliminating both drivers on the spot.

There are a million ways to lose a race, but being rammed off the circuit by a backmarker must surely rank among the most galling. Montoya was phlegmatic after missing out on what would have been an incredible maiden victory, and could only watch on as David Coulthard went on to take the win after passing Schumacher during a late-race downpour.

Jack Brabham – 1970 Monaco Grand Prix

The uniquely demanding nature of Monaco has seen many a driver suffer late race heartache – with a combination of breakdowns, driver errors and sudden downpours denying seemingly certain victories to the likes of Hill in 1996, Nigel Mansell in 1992, Ayrton Senna in 1988 and Alain Prost, Didier Pironi and Andrea de Cesaris in the madcap conclusion to the 1982 race.

Senna's infamous slide into the Portier barriers in 1988 may be the defining Monaco mishap, but in 1970 Jack Brabham arguably went one better – blowing a certain victory on the very last corner of the race.

Having qualified fourth, Brabham made a strong start and ran third behind Jackie Stewart and Chris Amon in the early stages. On lap 22, Brabham passed Amon for second place – which became first when Stewart pitted with a misfire on lap 27.

Brabham therefore led from Amon, Denny Hulme and Jochen Rindt, but he was untroubled – especially as first Hulme and then Amon (inevitably) hit trouble with mechanical issues of their own.

After Amon retired with 20 laps to go, Rindt was promoted to second place – and the Austrian quickly set about eradicating Brabham's 10 second lead, homing in on the back of the Australian.

Rindt pressurised Brabham over the closing laps but, this being Monaco, there was no way through. However, heading down to the old Gasworks hairpin, the very last corner of the last lap of the race, Brabham moved offline to pass a slower car. The three-time champion lost control, sliding off the dusty surface and into the straw bales – gifting victory to Rindt.

Brabham was able to reverse back on to the track and finish second, but the three-time champion was left cursing a mistake that cost him what would have been a glorious Monaco swansong in his final season of Formula One.

Nigel Mansell - 1991 Canadian Grand Prix

Nigel Mansell was a driver prone to notorious bad luck before finally claiming the World Championship in 1992, but rarely can his penchant for the unfortunate have been as pronounced as when he retired from the lead during the last lap of the 1991 Canadian Grand Prix.

After qualifying second, Mansell overtook teammate Riccardo Patrese at the start of the race and built up a huge lead as one by one his rivals fell by the wayside. Crucially in terms of the world championship, Ayrton Senna, who thus far had enjoyed a perfect start to the year in winning all four of the opening races, retired with electronics problems. Mansell did not intend to pass up the opportunity to eat into his rival's lead in the standings, and everything seemed to be going to plan as he started his final lap with a comfortable lead.

Suddenly, exiting the hairpin for the last time with less than half a lap to complete, Mansell was coasting. The Williams crawled to a dismal halt along the back straight while, most galling of all, Mansell's bitter rival Nelson Piquet cruised past to take a gifted swansong victory for Benetton.

But why had Mansell's Williams broken down at such a crucial time? The official explanation was an electronics problem, but conspiracy theories abounded that Mansell had accidentally turned the car off or stalled while prematurely waving to the crowd in celebration.

Mansell and Williams strongly refuted the claims, but whatever the truth of the matter the fact remained that Mansell, as so often in his career, had somehow managed to once again ****** defeat from the gaping jaws of victory.

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Bottas hunts points return with Williams 'improvements'

Valtteri Bottas hopes the improvements on his Williams FW37 will see the British team make a forceful return to points scoring after firing blanks in Monaco.

The Finn, along with his team-mate Felipe Massa, left the principality empty handed after suffering a tricky Monaco Grand Prix but fully expects to be challenging for the points-paying positions this Sunday in Montreal.

Bottas says the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will suit Williams' strengths and hopes with the updates the Grove-based team is bringing to the Canadian Grand Prix it can give him an edge on his rivals.

“You need a good power unit and efficient aerodynamics from the car to be quick here, as well as good traction out of the slow chicanes and hairpins,” Bottas said. “With the improvements to the car that we are taking to Montreal, I think we will be able to fight for a strong points finish.”

The 25-year-old will be looking to improve upon his best career finish in Canada, a seventh place in 2014, and says he always loves returning to Montreal.

“Montreal is a great track and a great city,” he added. “Every year I really look forward to this race, as the circuit is fast and enjoyable to drive plus the fans really make it a special one.”

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Hulkenberg targets Montreal heist after Monaco robbery

Nico Hulkenberg believes that Force India can chase a points finish in this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix and is determined to take something from the event after a frustrating race in Monaco.

The German qualified only 13th in the Principality, but his fightback to eleventh at the chequered flag suggested points were possible had it not been for a first lap clash with Fernando Alonso that left him nose-first in the tyres at Mirabeau.

Although the Monaco circuit suited the VJM08 more than the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve's aero-dependent high-speed layout is expected to, Hulkenberg believes that the Mercedes engine will be a key component, and is optimistic that Force India can take something from its North American sojourn ahead of the hoped-for introduction of an updated chassis.

“I really like the Canadian Grand Prix as an event, and I am looking forward to getting back to racing in Canada after leaving Monaco empty-handed,” he said, “I feel we could have been in the points but, obviously, the incident on the first lap robbed us of a chance to maximise our result.

“The track in Montreal should be one that suits us. It's an unusual circuit, but I enjoy driving there. It's a power circuit because of the long straights and you need good traction to get out of the low-speed corners.”

Despite winning the qualifying battle 4-2 after six rounds of the 2015 season, Hulkenberg heads to Canada trailing Force India team-mate Sergio Perez in the championship, but is confident his approach to the Montreal race will pay dividends this weekend.

“To be quick, you need to attack the kerbs and be brave enough to get close to the walls,” he pointed out, “We will have soft and supersoft tyres again, which worked quite well for us in Monaco, so I think we can target points this weekend.”

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Ericsson: Sauber can make gains in Canada

Marcus Ericsson feels his Sauber C34 car will be able to gain an advantage on the Montreal circuit as it will can optimise its performance on the high-speed track.

The Swedish driver endured a difficult race last time out at the Monaco Grand Prix by finishing 13th and is looking to make an improvement in Canada.

Ericsson feels the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve's long straights will be an advantage to the Ferrari-powered Sauber machine who lost out to its Renault and Honda-powered rivals in Monaco.

“Montreal is one of the tracks that should suits our car better mainly because of the long straights," Ericsson said. "As we do have a high top speed, it could be positive for us. Besides the engine power, braking stability as well as a good change of direction will be important.

"I like the track, it is a combination of a street and permanent circuit. It is a traditional race with a lot of history and I will enjoy to race there."

After the tight and twisty Monte Carlo street circuit the Swedish driver is looking forward to returning to a more traditional Grand Prix circuit where chances for overtaking should be much higher.

“The many long straights also make overtaking easier on this track. Due to the track characteristics, I think our performance should be stronger in Montreal,” Ericsson added.

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1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve says tyre war is best for F1

Formula 1's 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has backed Fernando Alonso's call for a return of a tyre war to improve the show.

Double world champion Alonso argued that F1 was better off when Michelin and Bridgestone went head to head from 2001-06.

However, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner and Toro Rosso chief Franz Tost are firmly against the idea.

Villeneuve told AUTOSPORT: "The best thing that could happen to F1 is a tyre war.

"There was a tyre war in 1997 when Bridgestone arrived and we got amazing tyres because of that."

Tost has suggested that only the best teams will get good tyres while the rest will "just get the scraps".

But Villeneuve disagrees, although he said it is logical that the bigger teams develop the rubber.

"I heard comments from Tost who said only the good teams get the best tyres," he said. "Well, no.

"OK the good teams develop the tyres which is logical, the better teams should.

"It shouldn't be the small ones who decide. That's life.

"A lot of tyres, they are picked by random so you cannot favour one team to another."

The FIA has opened the tyre tender process for 2017-19, with Pirelli's current contract due to expire at the end of 2016.

Pirelli has said it intends to stay in the sport if "the regulations are the ones we agree upon" while Michelin, last involved in the sport in 2006, is considering a return.

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Gene Haas says launching his F1 team will not be a burden

Gene Haas believes Formula 1 will not be "that much of a burden" when his new team is launched alongside his existing NASCAR squad and tools business in 2016.

Haas is currently in the throes of putting together his F1 organisation, and the clock is ticking with the first test of 2016 just nine months away.

Come that period Haas will then find himself in control of not only an F1 team, but also his NASCAR outfit, as well as his machine tools business.

Addressing the potential headache, Haas told AUTOSPORT: "In terms of running the NASCAR team there are other people that do that.

"I have a partner, [three-time NASCAR champion] Tony Stewart, and he does very well in helping to run that, with other personnel that do almost all the work.

"My main job is building machine tools, and that's still going to be my main goal next year, and I'm still going to be doing NASCAR, along with F1.

"But I don't think F1 is really going to be that much of a burden. For me, the biggest burden will be all the travel, just trying to get to the races."

Suggested to Haas he would not be sleeping much next year, he replied: "I don't know. I have no idea how I'm going to make all this work."

He then added with a laugh: "It is fun, might as well do it before you're dead!"

Although his debut car is still some way from taking to the track, Haas knows he would not have entered F1 but for the changes to the regulations.

The Haas F1 car will predominantly be a Ferrari underneath the chassis given the partnership between the two organisations.

"It's going to be difficult to compete with the bigger teams," he said.

"But we're using the regulations which now allow you to work with somebody. They are quite clear.

"You can buy the parts from another manufacturer with the exception of the chassis and the bodywork.

"Although we haven't done anything yet, we are trying to prove it is possible. We believe in it otherwise we wouldn't be doing it.

"Personally, though, I would not go back and do it completely from scratch, designing everything yourself.

"It's too big of a job, would cost too much money, and the task is tremendous."

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FERRARI COULD SURPRISE MERCEDES IN CANADA

Ex-Formula 1 driver turned pundit Marc Surer thinks Ferrari could be set to take on Mercedes this weekend in Canada.

Reports this week suggested an engine performance upgrade for the Italian team could move it within 15 horse power of dominant Mercedes.

And Speed Week separately reports that Ferrari’s works oil partner Shell has developed a new fuel that will also be debuted on the long straights of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

“We do not stand still,” team boss Maurizio Arrivabene is quoted by SID news agency. “We have a few things in the pipeline.” Surer, a former Swiss F1 driver who now works for the German broadcaster Sky, thinks Canada could be a good venue for Ferrari.

“There are a lot of straights,” he said, “where the Ferrari is actually even slightly faster than the Mercedes. “And the use of the softest tyre compounds also plays into their hands,” added Surer. “But this track also gives an advantage to the drivers who brake latest, like (Lewis) Hamilton.”

Also tipping Mercedes’ championship leader Hamilton to bounce back strongly from the Monaco strategy blunder is fellow double world champion Mika Hakkinen. He told Germany’s Sport Bild: “Lewis will emerge from that race even stronger.

“He knows full well that he was not beaten on that day.” Another former champion, Jacques Villeneuve, also thinks Hamilton will emerge in Canada in a fighting mood, similar to the way he hit back after the collision with Nico Rosberg at Spa last year.

“Nico woke up the sleeping giant that day,” Villeneuve said, “and Lewis will want to destroy him more than ever now.” But Surer noted: “I think Nico proved in Barcelona that he is not inferior in speed to Hamilton, and that on a good day he is able to beat him.”

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MALDONADO: DIFFICULTIES HAVE NOT ALLOWED ME TO EXPRESS MY POTENTIAL

Pastor Maldonado says technical reasons explain his current slump, and as a result he insists that his true potential remains untapped.

Earlier, as the Venezuelan struggles to finish races in 2015 and throw off his growing reputation as a ‘crasher’, Lotus chief Matthew Carter warned that Maldonado’s millions in PDVSA backing do not make him “untouchable”.

The 30-year-old is among just four drivers who are yet to score a single point this season. “In terms of results it has not been an exceptional period,” Maldonado admitted in the latest edition Autosprint magazine.

“But I went through a very difficult technical crisis at Williams, and it has been equally difficult at Lotus. And that has not allowed me to express my potential and has affected the results,” he insisted.

“I have had technical problems that have stopped me so many times in practice, qualifying and the races. We saw what happened in Monaco, and I also had problems there last year. These are details that the viewers forget quickly, but they have a great impact on a driver’s season,” said Maldonado.

Undoubtedly, the man who willingly wears the number 13 in grands prix has been unlucky in 2015, but he also made the call to leave Williams late in 2013 just as the Grove team was poised to surge up the grid.

“The reason we made the decision to go to Lotus was based not only on the results of 2013,” he argues, “but a much longer period of 4-5 seasons.

“And what we saw was a team that is always able to make a competitive car,” said Maldonado, referring to Enstone based Lotus, who nonetheless slumped in 2014.

“It is not a team with the potential to win all the races, but it is able to do the maximum possible with the resources it has. “Last year we saw Williams become the second team in the championship, but in life you also have to try new experiences and so I have not regretted my choices.

“Of course I would always like to be fighting for the podium,” he acknowledged, “but as a driver I have developed so much in this period with Lotus.”

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AL UNSER JR. AND HOW MEMORY FADES

The other day I was trawling the internet (as one does) and stumbled upon an interview with Al Unser Junior who in 1992 had a brief flirtation with Williams during a winter test in Estoril, and it appears the sands of time have dulled his memory.

Little Al said of the experience, “It was great testing for Frank Willams! It was in December on 92’ in Estoril Portugal. I think the test came about because of my Indy 500 win. I never got to drive the active car [during the Estoril test] because I feel I was going too quick in the non-active car and they didn’t want me going faster than their drivers haha!”

At the time I was based in Cascais and could hear anything that happened at the Estoril circuit through my kitchen window and as a photographer for Reuters (and various racing magazines on a freelance basis) I would always pop down if the noise was unscheduled or part of the regular track schedule.

Because of this I did get to see first hand some interesting stuff as Estoril in the early nineties was a preferred destination for (often secret) testing by not only F1 teams but also DTM, sportscars etc.

Back to the Unser story… before I elaborate, let me put it on the record that I am a big fan of Little Al who at the time was 1990 CART Indy Car World Series champion and 1992 Indy 500 winner – when CART was a big deal.

Williams then were at the peak of their powers, the mega-team of F1, and they called the shots. They agreed to have a look at Unser at a test in Estoril in mid-November of that year

Of course it was big news (for Reuters and the US media) that the Indy 500 winner was getting a shot at Formula 1. So I was assigned to stalked ‘Little Al’ around the paddock, and in true pro-American sports star style he was approachable, photogenic and full of good humour.

On track, counting against him was the fact that he had not sat in a single seater for around two months as the CART season ended mid-October, and was going to be measured against Damon Hill who was a testing machine – probably the best F1 test driver ever with huge mileage on his CV and also angling for a promotion to a Williams race seat.

In retrospect Little Al was simply not ready for, or uninterested in, the big task at hand. His fitness was simply not up to dealing with the forces and nuances required to race Formula 1 cars of that era, which were not the arrive and drive computer cars of today. You had to drive them and get physical, particularly if active suspension was not bolted onto the Williams F14 – which was the case during his time in the cockpit.

It was a long time ago and memory tends to fade, but I do recall quite vividly that Unser did not impress on track in what at the time was the choice piece of kit in F1, and ended over one and a half seconds down on Riccardo Patrese (in the same car) at a time when the Italian veteran was hardly at the peak of his career.

Williams were politically correct about the whole affair, but it eventually emerged that Unser had not impressed enough to warrant another look let alone be considered for a drive with the best team in F1 at that point of history.

In subsequent interviews with American journos Little Al claimed – the memory fades with time thing – that he was quicker than Patrese during the test, and the only thing between him and a F1 deal was a certain Patrick Head.

Unser told legendary American correspondent Gordon Kirby, “I was disappointed and a little upset. Frank [Williams] was very kind to me and I truly thought I had a shot at it. But from the time I landed I thought maybe Patrick [Head] was having a bad day because he just thought it was a waste of time.”

“I just wish I had known that earlier. He didn’t care about the lap times. I said to him: I ran a half second quicker than Patrese,” recalled Little Al, and added, “[Head] said: Patrese tests half a second slow.”

Indeed media reported after the test that: “Unser settled down to set respectable times on race tyres, and the team was impressed by the American’s approach to his first taste of Grand Prix racing.”

Shortly after word leaked out from Grove that Unser’s performance was actually quite embarrassing, his fitness woeful, feedback was dubious and he smoked! And the consensus among the Williams engineers was that Little Al was not taking the big opportunity seriously and thus did not deserve a go in the active car. Basically that was that.

And with regards to his claim that he was faster than Patrese, I would put down to Al’s memory being a tad clouded as it tends to get when we grow older. I for one am surprised I remember this stuff almost quarter of a century later!

These were the best lap times recorded during that Estoril test from 12 to 22 November:

Damon Hill, Williams F14A – 1:12.21

Michael Schumacher, Benetton B191 – 1:12.75

Riccardo Patrese, Williams F14 – 1:14.28

Martin Brundle, Benetton B191 – 1:14.99

Al Unser Jr, Williams F14 – 1:15.90

Robert Moreno, McLaren MP4/6 – 1:16.75

Allan McNish, McLaren MP4/6 – 1:17.01

Note: Interestingly several sources have Al Unser Jr. testing at Estoril in 1991 and 1992 as I have reported above. I am sticking with my faded memory on that one….

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HONDA STILL TARGETING PODIUMS THIS SEASON

Honda still has its sights on the podium in 2015. After a highly unreliable and uncompetitive start, the new works collaboration with McLaren netted its first points last time out in Monaco.

McLaren-Honda is openly expecting to struggle on Montreal’s long straights this weekend, but the collaboration is also pushing ahead with improvements.

Team boss Eric Boullier touched down in Canada with his luggage full of new car parts, and Honda has spent a couple of its in-season performance ‘tokens’ for a power boost. Speed Week reports that the upgrades are not just to the internal combustion engine but also the turbocharger.

Honda’s F1 chief Yasuhisa Arai said: “In winter testing, many unexpected difficulties arose and we lost a lot of time because we were not running.

“But now we have an engine that has been improved so much that we could almost speak of a new power unit. We firmly believe that we will be in the points regularly.

“Ideally, we would have been targeting a podium in the summer,” said the Japanese. Arai said it has been difficult for McLaren-Honda to live up to the hype of its iconic past.

“Everyone still thinks of the old McLaren-Honda, winning 15 of the 16 races in 1988, and it put a lot of pressure on us.

“Nevertheless, we are still looking to be with Ferrari and Williams in 2015, and the medium-term objective must be to catch up with Mercedes,” he added.

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Hamilton 'couldn't care less' about Monaco

Lewis Hamilton is refusing to dwell on his Monaco defeat, saying there's a championship to be won and that's what he is focusing on.

The Brit looked to be on course for a certain victory last time out in Monaco before a pitwall blunder resulted in his pitting for fresh tyres.

With neither Nico Rosberg nor Sebastian Vettel coming in, Hamilton fell from first to third, a drop he could not recover from.

Rather than criticise the team or even dissect what happened, the World Champion insisted in Thursday's Montreal press conference that Monaco is firmly in the past.

"There's going to be a lot of questions about Monaco, I'm really not going back to Monaco," he said.

"I've moved on, I don't even have to think about it now, I'm literally moving on and I couldn't care less about it.

"I can't do anything about the past so there's honestly no point in thinking about it, it is about trying to shape the future.

"There are lots of races to come, lots of improvements that can be made. We've got a great team, we've got a great car, there's a championship to be won so that's all I'm focusing on.

"It doesn't matter what I feel or have felt or feel now; I don't feel anything about it. I'm literally thinking about this race, I'm excited, I feel good, fit, I feel strong."

The World Champion added that the call two weeks ago had not in any way shaken his confidence in the Mercedes team.

"Things are good with the team, we have decided to move on to this weekend. I will keep on doing what I'm doing as it has worked pretty good for me until now.

"I have full trust and confidence in the team, we have had pretty incredible success together and one race does not dent the strong foundations that we built."

The mistake did tighten up the Championship race as Hamilton effectively lost 10 points while Rosberg scored seven more than he expected. As such the Mercedes team-mates are now separated by just ten points.

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Alonso not expecting performance boost

Fernando Alonso has revealed Honda's spent tokens ahead of the Canadian GP were targetted on improving the engine's reliability, not power.

Ahead of this weekend's Canadian GP, round seven of the Championship, Honda reportedly used two of their nine available tokens.

However, rather than increase the horsepower, McLaren driver Alonso says those upgrades focused on the reliability of the unit.

"Not really much," he responded when asked if he anticipated improved performance. "In fact the engine is exactly the same this weekend compared to Monaco.

"We did use two tokens of the nine, but they are more for reliability reasons and some of the problems we faced recently.

"So in terms of performance it should be exactly the same, we will see."

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Sebastian Vettel: Bernie can say what he wants

Sebastian Vettel is "not too bothered" by Bernie Ecclestone's claims that he didn't do enough during his tenure as World Champion for the sport.

Ecclestone recently heaped praise on Lewis Hamilton, saying he could not ask for a better champion as the Mercedes driver is out there, promoting the sport and bringing it to the masses.

In contrast, he said Vettel and fellow German Nico Rosberg were "are not so good for my business" and even implied that they played a role in the demise of the German GP.

The F1 supremo added: "Sebastian is also not doing much for F1. People hardly recognise him on the street."

The Ferrari driver, though, isn't at all concerned about Ecclestone's opinion.

"He is old enough to say what he wants. I still get along very well with him," he told Autosport.

"He has certain opinions about some things which is fine, but I'm not too bothered."

Pressed as to whether he could do more for the sport, the four-time World Champ answered: "I am looking after myself and trying to do the best job for myself and the team.

"That is the highest priority. It's what I'm here to do."

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Wet start to the Montreal weekend

Formula 1 could be in for a wet start to the Canadian GP weekend, however, temperatures will rise ahead of Sunday's race.

Round seven of the F1 Championship will take place this weekend at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

And like the previous outing in Monaco, Friday's practices could be blighted by rain.

Although Friday's high is 22'C, there is a 44 percent chance of rain during FP1 while heavier showers are forecast for late in the afternoon.

The rain will clear up overnight with a dry but cool 21'C expected on Saturday.

The clouds will return for Sunday's race, where the high will be 23'C, but it should remain dry.

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F1 to reconsider refuelling return as support dwindles

Formula 1's plans to reintroduce refuelling in 2017 could be scrapped this weekend amid dwindling support following further consideration.

Team bosses are due to meet in Canada to discuss the idea further, going over recent analysis on how exactly it would impact the sport and whether claims it would reduce, not increase, the spectacle are indeed true.

During refuelling's last period, overtaking was at an all time low. Whilst things have changed, such as the introduction of high-wearing Pirelli tyres and DRS, team chiefs remain unconvinced of its benefits.

Several key figures within the Strategy Group are believed to now be against the proposal, whilst others have expressed concern it would lead to greater costs whilst risking safety.

"If you cast your mind back to races where there was refuelling, they weren't that exciting – you just timed the pitstop, you either went shorter or longer [in the stint], and that dictated your strategy," Red Bull's Christian Horner recently said.

Meanwhile Williams chief technical officer Pat Symonds shared similar concern: "Personally I am against refuelling because when we got rid of it, it was done on very solid grounds," he told Motorsport this week.

Some within the group still support its return, but it's now believed they're in a minority - though in voting terms they could still hold a majority - therefore it's unclear whether the proposal will be voted through to the F1 Commission for inclusion in the regulations for 2017.

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Verstappen and Massa clash on Monaco collision

Max Verstappen's high-speed clash with Romain Grosjean in the Monaco Grand Prix two weeks ago was placed in renewed focus today in Montreal, as Felipe Massa reiterated criticism of Verstappen's driving.

As a result of his part in this collision Verstappen will serve a five-place grid penalty in this weekend's Canadian GP.

Today in advance of the Canadian race Massa stood by criticism that he had made of the young Dutchman: "I think the FIA needs to be strong in a proper way which is what they did actually," said Massa. "That's the only thing I said and I don't change my mind.

That's what I believe.

"Especially when you're in your first year, 17-years-old and if you do something like that and you're not penalised, it's completely wrong."

Verstappen insisted in response however that he felt he had little to be reproached for, and that he will not change his style as a result of the incident.

"I'm focusing on Canada right now," he said. "I don't think there’s any reason to look back at Monaco. I will not change my driving style."

"I didn’t brake any later [before the collision]. I have braked later in the race before that but on the lap I crashed, it was exactly the same lap as the lap before and I got my penalty."

He added pointedly too: "Maybe you [Massa] should review the race from last year and see what happened there," - a reference to Massa getting involved in a similar incident at Montreal last season with Sergio Perez.

Massa argued however that incident was not a parallel: "I think it was a little bit different, no? I was on the side and he moved the car on braking so... I don't think Grosjean moved the car on braking, no?"

Grosjean himself added later that he was disappointed with Verstappen's attitude to the clash displayed since.

"I've been doing mistakes, quite a lot of them, but I've learned from them. I think the only key is to admit and to apologise to the people you've crashed into."

Grosjean confirmed that Verstappen had not apologised to him for the crash, and that he found this disappointing: "It was [disappointing]...he could say 'I'm sorry'".

"Max is really really talented...but he's made a mistake, I just find it a bit disappointing that he doesn't learn from it. Even this morning in the press conference it was the same thing, [he said] 'I'm going to drive the same way'."

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Canada rewind - Hamilton crashes in the pits

Lewis Hamilton had led the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix until the Safety Car was deployed for Adrian Sutil's Force India and several cars, including Hamilton, pitted.

Kimi Raikkonen and Robert Kubica waited side-by-side at the pit lane exit for the light to change to green, but Hamilton failed to notice it until the last second. He immediately pulled to the left to avoid a collision, but it was too late and he hit Raikkonen, damaging the Finn's car.

Kubica escaped undamaged and went on to win the race, whilst Hamilton and Raikkonen retired. Hamilton's current team-mate Nico Rosberg was also involved, but managed to replace his front-wing and continue.

FAN REACTION

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Vettel hopes new Ferrari engine will make a difference

Sebastian Vettel is hopeful Ferrari's updated power unit will bring his team closer to rival Mercedes in this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix.

The Maranello squad has used development tokens to introduce engine upgrades for this weekend as it bids to close down the gap to championship leaders Mercedes.

And although there has been no official statement from the team about its plans, insiders suggest that the intention is for the power units to be used.

Closing the gap

Even though the new engines are not expected to deliver a dramatic uplift in power, they should at least allow a step forward in form.

Vettel said in Montreal on Thursday that he was upbeat the gap to Mercedes can be closed.

"The challenge to catch them is huge, but we are trying to make everything possible to try to close the gap, and hopefully we can be a little bit closer this weekend," said Vettel.

When asked what he expected the updated engine to bring, he said: "Hopefully performance. Obviously I can't tell you how much. One, because I can't, and two because I haven't been on the track, so I guess that's the answer.

"The target is to be closer, but it also depends on what other people are doing."

Late decision

Ferrari's plans to upgrade the engines was first revealed in a document that the FIA sent to teams earlier this week.

The decision to make the step in Montreal was, however, made only after the Monaco Grand Prix, where team principal Maurizio Arrivabene had suggested the team was going to stick with the current specification.

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FIA tightens up final chicane protocol

The FIA has tightened up the protocol for Formula 1 drivers during the Canadian Grand Prix if they go off at the final corner of the Gilles Villeneuve circuit.

The ruling body had already installed sausage kerbs similar to the one used at Monza in order to avoid drivers cutting the chicane easily if they went off at Turn 13, the final corner of the track.

For this year's event, however, the ruling body will set up a line between bollards that drivers will need to follow when rejoining the track.

"Arrangements for cars to rejoin the track having gone into the run-off area at turn 13 have been made, i.e. lines and bollards to follow as at the second chicane in Monza," said the FIA.

The move means drivers to cut through the chicane are likely to lose more time when rejoining.

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Canadian GP - Kimi Raikkonen

“There are two key requirements for getting the very most out of the car at the Gilles Villeneuve track and they are speed and a reliable braking system. The ideal set-up is one that allows for these two elements to be combined as well as possible”.

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Sauber made to wait for updated Ferrari engine

Sauber will have to wait until the Belgian Grand Prix to get an updated Ferrari Formula 1 engine.

The Italian squad is introducing a revised power unit for this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix after, having used its first in-season tokens.

It is believed the Maranello squad has used the tokens to improve the design around the cylinder head of the engine.

Sauber, however, will continue using the old-spec engine for the time being.

"Ferrari is getting a new update on the engine," said Sauber driver Felipe Nasr in Montreal.

"We are not getting it here. We'll probably get it at Spa, so for now we have the same spec we have been using all year."

Upgrades after the summer

An updated engine is not the only thing Sauber will have to wait for, as the Swiss squad plans a big upgrade package for after the summer break.

Nasr's teammate Marcus Ericsson admitted the updates cannot come soon enough after the team has been unable to match its early-season form.

"We haven't really been able to follow the competition, I would say," he said. "We started the year quite strongly and we haven't really been able to step it up enough.

"We know that we have some big upgrades coming but that's until after the summer.

"As for now we have some bits and pieces, so we need to maximise the things we have on the car and then hopefully for the big upgrade we'll have after the summer will help us make a big jump."

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F1 drivers overwhelmed by Survey response

Formula 1 drivers say they have been overwhelmed by the response to their GPDA Global Fan Survey – as they call on fans to not miss the chance to get their voices heard.

The Survey, conducted in association with Motorsport.com, closes this Sunday after the Canadian Grand Prix and is on course to become the biggest sporting fan survey ever completed.

GPDA chairman Alex Wurz said: "The number of participants is impressive – and the drivers are really happy that the fans wanted to voice their opinions.

"It was also truly global, because we have had participants from 191 countries so far.

"So on behalf of all of F1 – we want to say thanks to all the fans around the world for taking part in the survey. And if you have not done it yet, it is not too late."

Those who have not yet taken part in the Survey can complete it here: gpda.motorsport.com.

Survey a win for fans

Wurz said that the drivers were especially eager to find out first hand the answers now.

"We are curious to see what they are," he said.

"The survey was put together in a very scientific way to help gain a deep understanding and profile of the individuals who took part. That is perhaps the biggest value in this research exercise."

Intelligent response

Wurz has said there is no desire by the GPDA to use the Survey findings as an excuse to demand unrealistic change – and that everything the drivers do will be done in a considered way by working out what is best for F1.

"Once we close the Survey it will take a few weeks until the data is processed," he said.

"Once that is done, the GPDA will discuss the outcome internally and we will consider carefully the fans' opinions and will plan our further steps accordingly.

"We will definitely not shout and demand changes just for the sake of it. That is not the GPDA's intention and style.

"We would like to consider carefully the financial impact of any recommendation – as well as the sporting implications.

"We are well aware of the complexity of the sport and its underlying business model, as we know that sometimes simple changes have large knock on effects."

Realistic ambitions

Wurz is well aware that there may be some utopian calls from the survey which will be impossible to implement from a financial or regulatory perspective.

But he says that F1's stakeholders must still understand what is driving those who follow it.

"If the younger generation tells us via the survey that they like to enjoy F1 on multiple platforms, and would like an interactive multi-device approach, then F1 will know what to develop," he said.

"This is why I am ultra curious about the results.

"We don't know the full picture, and that some things the survey outcome suggests, might not be possible or feasible.

"But I hope the key stakeholders, including us drivers, will get the message the fans have sent to us."