FORMULA 1 - 2015

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'Hamilton could challenge Schumacher records'

Such is Mercedes' form that Michael Schumacher's records could come under threat from Lewis Hamilton; that's according to 1992 World Champion Nigel Mansell.

With seven Drivers' Championship titles, 91 grand prix wins and 68 pole positions, Schumacher holds many of F1's most coveted records.

Hamilton, though, is closing the gap.

To date the British driver has two World titles while his pole position and victory last weekend in Montreal brought those stats up to 44 and 37 respectively.

Mansell told the Daily Mirror: "Mercedes are the best of the best by far. With the backing of Mercedes he can, maybe, go on to challenge Michael's record.

"There is a long, long way to go but it is possible because Mercedes will want to be the best of the best for a long time."

But although Mansell admits to being a Hamilton fan, he concedes that his compatriot is being helped on his way by Mercedes and the package they bring to the track.

"Lewis is a great World Champion but there are many more great World Champions as well," he said.

"It's just that he's got the unbelievable backing of an incredible manufacturer.

"Everyone knows I'm a Lewis fan, he is doing a great job and the equipment he's got is fantastic. Mercedes are the best of the best at the moment by far."

Mansell, who won the 1992 World title with Williams having scored almost double the points netted runner-up Riccardo Patrese, also hit out at Formula 1's current regulations.

According to the Brit, modern F1 cars have become too easy to control and drivers can drive with just a "couple of fingers."

He added: "Some of the rules need tweaking. DRS is a false overtaking aid in my opinion and doesn't give the driver the opportunity to slipstream properly and demonstrate a bit of a chess game and perhaps plan, lap by lap, where to pass.

"Then if a driver wants to gorilla the car into a corner and brake really late, put the power on and get sideways he can do it. It's very exciting for the fans to watch that.

"Colin Chapman always used to say the best designed car you can have is one you can come out of the corner sideways as long as it's still moving forwards.

"Although Pirelli have done the job they've been asked to do, the tyres should go back to the old size which was robust with plenty of grip.

"KERS is good but take some of the other driver aids away and let the drivers drive and race the cars like they used to.

"There should be a maximum one pit stop.

"The drivers are not being given an opportunity to express how great they are because there are too many aids and too many engineers telling them what to do.

"In my day we used to go flying into corners knowing if we got it wrong we would have a massive accident, so we respected the car and the corners.

"If we hit the curb too hard the feedback would actually tweak your wrists and you could damage yourself.

"We had to do physical training just to be able to hang on to the car, now drivers can drive with a couple of fingers."

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Honda open to second team

Honda would be open to supplying a second team with engines in next year's Championship but as yet have not been approached.

It has been a trying start to Honda's return to Formula 1 this season with the Japanese engine manufacturer managinging just one points finish with McLaren.

The company, though, is adamant they are taking strides forward and hope that leads to other teams showing an interest in their power units.

"Unfortunately I don't have any offers right now," motorsport boss Yashusa Arai said to F1i.com. "Maybe after the summer break, I hope someone calls me and says 'please give me your good engine'! Right now we don't have it, but I hope we get it.

"We learn a lot with McLaren. It's very successful, and for the development we don't need [another team] because it's a top team so we learn enough.

"But for the whole of Formula One it's very important to increase teams to make it more attractive and more competitive. I think that's the right way to go."

Asked if Honda would want to supply engines to another team if a new entry came to him, Arai replied:

Pressed as to whether Honda would be keen to supply a fledgling team should any of those applying to join the grid in 2016 be interested, Arai answered: "Yes.

"I would feel a very good feeling if some new team or newcomer says 'Please, we want to use your engine'. I would be very happy.

"Do we have the power to operate everything? I don't know. Maybe we need more time to operate more than one team. Of course, McLaren-Honda is a works team, so how we would separate that and work with another team I have no idea."

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Race of Champions back in London

The Race of Champions is returning to London this November with David Coulthard out to defend his title on home soil.

Organisers have confirmed that this year's event, which will take place on November 20-21, will be held at the Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The annual end-of-season event sees the world's best drivers from all series go head-to-head in the Nations Cup as well as the individual Race of Champions.

Coulthard, who won the title in Barbados last year, is happy to see the RoC return to London having previously been held at Wembley Stadium.

"It's fantastic that the Race Of Champions is coming to London," said the former F1 driver.

"Each of the events has been special in its own way but with so much racing heritage in the UK and as a Brit myself, to host it here in an iconic venue like the former Olympic Stadium is a big deal. I'm sure it will be the best one so far.

"There seem to be some people who aren't enjoying this Formula 1 season as much as previous years. If they want to rediscover the reason why they enjoy motor sport, they should come along to the Race Of Champions.

"The stadium environment is what makes it special. You look down on the cars from the grandstands so it gives you a view you wouldn't get in many venues. When it comes to getting so close to the action, the nearest thing would be Monaco in F1.

"I'm proud yet slightly embarrassed to have won it last year. There are younger and more talented drivers who take part but that's the nature of the knockout system. You get a chance to compare your driving with a wide range of different drivers in a lot of different vehicles. Somebody has to win so it may as well be me..."

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McLaren's Boullier involved in emergency landing

McLaren's Eric Boullier was aboard a single-engined Cessna aircraft which was involved in an emergency landing on Sunday morning as it flew from Le Mans in France to the United Kingdom.

Boullier and Zak Brown, founder of motorsport marketing agency JMI, were aboard the aircraft when it suffered a complete electrical failure, losing all communications and instruments.

The pair were approaching the English Channel when the decision was made by pilot Alastair Breckon, the only other person on board, to return to Le Mans for an emergency landing.

Brown, speaking to Motorsport, explained that they were forced to drop altitude to allow Boullier to contact Le Mans airport on his mobile, where fire units were dispatched to escort the plane as it landed.

"I was asleep and the next thing they woke me and said we're returning to Le Mans, we've lost all communications and gauges," reported Brown. "They were remarkably calm! We were just about to get towards the sea.

"The battery lost charge and everything went. We were hoping the engine wasn't going to cut out. We had to get down low so Eric could call Le Mans with his mobile, and they got the fire brigade ready and closed down the airport."

Brown thanked the pilot, putting the successful landing down to his judgement and 30 years flying experience.

"The pilot was awesome," he said. "He hadn't had it happen to him in 30 years of flying, so it was a new one for him.

"The only other problem is the flaps are controlled by the electronics so on landing you're not able to throw the brakes on.

Fortunately because the plane is so small and light it doesn't need much runway."

Boullier and Brown were able to fly home later that day on a different aircraft.

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Goodyear tight-lipped on F1 tyre supply interest

Goodyear has previously supplied F1 with tyres and to this day remains the sport's most successful tyre supplier with 361 grand prix wins to its name.

However the company has refused to confirm whether or not it will submit a tender to return to F1 in 2017, when Pirelli's current contract comes to an end.

The FIA recently opened up the tender process to find a new supplier, with Pirelli so far the only company to have confirmed its application. Meanwhile Michelin has signalled an interest in returning, though it could choose to focus on MotoGP.

Goodyear, which also controls the Dunlop brand, already compete in NASCAR, LMP2, GT, BTCC and Moto 2 between them.

Whilst some sources has suggested the company is likely to focus its efforts on NASCAR, Darren Wells, Goodyear's European, Middle Eastern and African president remained tight-lipped on their F1 decision.

Whenever there is a motorsport opportunity we will spend time thinking about it but we have to be selective and make sure we are prepared," Wells told Motorsport.

"I expect, one way or another that you will find out next week."

A statement about its intentions is expected next week, with sources suggesting a bid to supply F1 in 2020 is more likely for the company.

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Sir Patrick Head joins Frank Williams with knighthood

The former Williams technical director has been honoured with a knighthood.

Former Williams technical director Patrick Head has received a knighthood in the Queen's birthday honours list, which has just been announced.

The 69-year-old Head thus joins his longtime business partner Sir Frank Williams and the likes of Sir Stirling Moss and Sir Jackie Stewart on the list of motor racing people who have received the honour.

Williams said of Head: “My name may be above the door, but I have always stressed that the creation and subsequent success of Williams was very much a team effort. My co-founder Patrick Head was the design genius who turned us from a small upstart into a World Championship winning force.

"His engineering talent helped play a key role in establishing Great Britain as a leading force in global motorsport and the benefits of this are still being felt to this day, both culturally and economically. This Award is thoroughly deserved for his contribution to British engineering and motorsport.”

Head and Williams first hooked up in 1977 to found Williams Grand Prix Engineering after Frank's original team had been absorbed by Walter Wolf.

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Growing up to become a Race Driver - Felipe Nasr - Sauber F1 Team

Felipe Nasr's mom didn't know for a long time that Felipe was racing... Find out more in this very personal video with Felipe, his mom, dad and sister. We visited the Nasr family at their home in Brasilia, Brazil, where they look back at how Felipe grew up to become a Formula One race driver.

Felipe also visits his former school in Brasilia and meets today's kids and his former teachers. Can you imagine the excitement in the eyes of the little ones when Felipe appeared? His science teacher even kept a photo of young Felipe for all this time as she was convinced he'd become famous one day!

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F1 Austrian Grand Prix: Kvyat: Any extra attention won't bother me

Daniil Kvyat says he'll take any extra attention in his stride at his Red Bull team's home race in Spielberg after his impressive start to his debut campaign with the team.

Kvyat graduated from Toro Rosso up to Red Bull last winter after Sebastian Vettel departed to Ferrari and despite the car coming under heavy scrutiny the Russian driver has quietly gone about his work and finished in the points in all but one of the races he has started in 2015.

Heading to his team's home round at the Red Bull Ring, Kvyat is looking forward to returning to a track which holds happy memories for him and won't be put off by the occasion.

“I really enjoy the track, it's a really good circuit. I already knew the track well as I had raced there before in junior series, so I was really looking forward to going back,” Kvyat said.

The 21-year-old claimed two victories at the track when competing in Formula Renault 2.0 ALPS three years ago and also grabbed a hat-trick of rostrums while racing in the FIA European Formula 3 series in 2013.

“It's great fun to drive. Actually, I think one of the best circuits on the calendar. It's fast, it flows well, the lap is pretty busy. It's a good circuit and I have good memories of it.

“I was at Toro Rosso last year so we didn't have too much pressure from a media point of view, certainly not as much as the Red Bull Racing guys. It's a good atmosphere and the team's home race is obviously important.

“However, I don't think you can let it distract you. It's just racing in the end and I'll try to enjoy the weekend as much as possible.”

The Red Bull Ring circuit made its return to the F1 calendar last season but Kvyat was forced to retire from the race, something he'll be keen to improve upon having graduated into the Red Bull squad.

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F1 Austrian Grand Prix: Grosjean confident Austria will suit Lotus

Romain Grosjean says his Lotus team is optimistic ahead of the remainder of the European stint of the 2015 season and is looking to bounce back from the disappointment of Canada.

The Lotus driver endured a difficult Canadian Grand Prix after losing out on a healthy points haul after colliding with backmarker Will Stevens when attempting to lap the Manor man. Grosjean cut across Stevens at the final chicane, causing them to connect and the Frenchman suffered a left rear puncture.

Despite Grosjean's recovery efforts – which saw him finish 10th in Montreal – he held up his hands at the mistake and aims to make amends in Austria next weekend.

“When I watched the incident on the replay after the race it was clear that I'd made a mistake and I immediately apologised to the team,” Grosjean said. “I didn't see Will straight after the race but will speak to him in person in Austria. It's certainly not a mistake I will make again.

“We've got some great races ahead and it's nice to be in Europe for a spell too. It's no secret I'm not a fan of jet lag and it took a little time to get acclimatised after our trip to Canada.

“With the shorter travel times for the next five races you can spend more time with your family and more time in the factory too. I like the next five races and the team seems confident that they should suit the car which is really positive.”

Looking ahead to Spielberg, Grosjean feels Lotus can enjoy a productive race weekend with its Mercedes power unit and expects a much stronger race than 12 months ago when he limped home in 14th place.

“Last year we struggled, but this year's car is so much better that I'm really looking forward to being able to push hard all weekend,” he explained. “We have a lot more potential to do well this year.

"Last year was the first time at the track for Formula 1 in over a decade and we were doing a lot of learning of the circuit and setup as well as struggling with a lot of issues with our car at the time. We couldn't get on top of the tyres and we didn't have the right package for our brakes so it was a frustrating weekend, not to mention with some reliability issues too.

“This year we should be so much better placed and I'm really looking forward to being able to attack the track.”

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HULKENBERG: BEST DAY OF MY CAREER MAYBE EVEN MY LIFE

Force India Formula 1 driver Nico Hulkenberg has described winning the fabled Le Mans 24 hour race as the best day of my career.

On debut, the 27-year-old veteran of 84 grands prix on Sunday beat the sister Porsche prototype starring former F1 driver Mark Webber.

“It’s probably the best day of my career, maybe even my life,” said Hulkenberg. “I hope to return next year.”

Racing full-time for Force India in 2015, Hulkenberg was already attracting a lot of attention as he embarked on the ultra-rare feat of combining F1 with a Le Mans foray this year.

“Congratulations Nico Hulkenberg,” read an official F1 ‘tweet’, “the first active F1 driver to win Le Mans for 24 years.”

Actually, the victory comes at an awkward time for F1, as its popularity declines and stakeholders consider how to speed and spice up the spectacle for the future.

Now, an active F1 driver has just won Le Mans, the showpiece of the increasingly fashionable world endurance championship that also boasts manufacturers Audi and Toyota.

It had been hoped the new ‘power unit’ regulations would attract more manufacturers to F1, but now also Ford has announced it is returning to Le Mans next year with a GT car.

“F1 should be concerned,” said the British newspaper The Times. “Only Honda showed up (in F1) while Porsche, Toyota, Nissan and now Ford have all moved into the world of endurance cars.”

Indeed, Le Mans is earning a renewed reputation as a series of choice among the world’s best drivers.

“You always hear ‘endurance race’,” Hulkenberg told f1-insider.com, “but actually it’s a sprint race. We push from pitstop to pitstop more than we do in formula one.”

Outspoken Australian Webber, who switched from F1 to Le Mans full-time last year, said he is relieved F1 is “finally having a look at itself” as it moves to speed up the cars for 2017.

“They need to,” he told the Telegraph. “I mainly think about the drivers, the guys who should have the opportunity to experience something phenomenal.”

“If they’re happy, and on the edge, and it’s risky, pushing the boundaries, then the fans love it. At the moment it’s not like that,” said Webber.

He also told the Australian press that prototype endurance cars are super-rewarding to drive, “They’re bloody quick, pretty much like F1 was five or six years ago. I’m certainly not pulling my hair out saving tyres and things like that, so it’s great.”

The big risk for F1 is that other drivers will now follow Hulkenberg and Webber’s lead and make the switch.

“Remember,” said Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Tobias Gruner, “Porsche wanted (Fernando) Alonso to race together with Hulkenberg in the third car at Le Mans. But Honda did not give permission.”

And former F1 driver Lucas di Grassi, who on Sunday finished fourth at Le Mans with Audi, said the category is ready to absorb anyone else who might flee.

“It’s simple,” he told Brazil’s Globo. “Where there are automakers investing in motor sport, you’ll find the best drivers, because they pay the best wages, have the best resources and so on.

“If more (carmakers) leave F1 and come here, you would also see more top drivers doing the change too,” di Grassi predicted.

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LAUDA: THERE’S TOO MUCH CONTROL AND TOO MANY RULES IN F1

Formula 1 legend Niki Lauda has agreed with Kimi Raikkonen that Formula 1 would benefit from a boost of danger.

Ferrari driver and 2007 world champion Raikkonen was quoted last week as saying one thing that would improve the modern face of the sport is if F1 was “a little more dangerous”.

“It (danger) is part of the game,” the Finn told French broadcaster Canal Plus. “We don’t want anybody to get hurt but it does make it more exciting.”

F1 legend and Mercedes team chairman and triple F1 world champion Lauda agrees, although he said he would choose the word “risky” rather than dangerous.

Laying out his main criticisms of the sport today, he said: “There’s too much control, too many rules and no more characters.”

And the cars, Lauda told Bild am Sonntag newspaper, should be faster. “I’m not saying that we should neglect safety.”

“But if the cars were faster, the thrill for the drivers and the spectators would automatically increase,” said Lauda, who in 1976 almost died and was left with lifelong scars after a fiery crash at the fearsome old Nurburgring.

He added that he wants the grid to be occupied by “real men driving, not youngsters playing with their buttons on the steering wheel”.

F1, argues Lauda, should be about “drivers with the highest driving skills; and I emphasise, driving skills”.

“You cannot turn back the clock,” he acknowledged, “but the driver should again have the car in his grasp, not as now where he is just pushing buttons.”

And as the sport considers spicing up the sport with rule changes for 2017, Lauda said F1 must resist gimmicks like reverse grids or success ballast.

“Any kind of manipulation is the worst thing you can do to a sport,” he insisted. “This must not happen.”

Fellow Austrian and F1 legend Gerhard Berger agrees, insisting that it is difficult for the public at present to simply “turn on the television and understand” the sport.

“DRS zone 1, DRS zone two — it is just too complicated,” said the Austrian, who has been a conspicuous presence in the paddock at grands prix recently.

“We need to have motor sport in which the driver is primarily the determining factor, not technology that, in the worst case, no one understands,” he told the German broadcaster Sky.

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MANOR COULD BE ON VERGE OF SWITCH TO HONDA POWER

Formula 1 backmarker outfit Manor is emerging as the front-runner to become Honda’s first customer team, and an unofficial McLaren B-team.

The Japanese carmaker returned to F1 in 2015 as the works partner for McLaren, with whom it dominated the sport some decades ago.

Honda decided to focus only on McLaren this year, but F1 boss Yasuhisa Arai said recently he was open to adding a customer for 2016, “If (other) teams want to use our engine or power unit, we can deliver that.”

But the opening third of the 2015 season has been difficult for Honda, as it struggles with reliability and performance under the new turbo V6 ‘power unit’ regulations.

Manor, however, could be a potential customer for Honda, Speed Week reports. Currently, the team is powered by year-old Ferrari engines in the wake of the Marussia collapse and resurrection.

But Manor appears to have now stopped treading water, hiring the highly experienced Bob Bell as advisor and said to be focusing its efforts on an all-new car for 2016.

“We’re in a very rapid period of rebuilding,” said president Graeme Lowdon.

Another notable signing by Manor recently was Luca Furbatto, most recently the chief designer at Toro Rosso. But before that, he spent ten years at McLaren, including as project leader of the 2011 car.

“Luca is a guy with a huge amount of experience,” said Lowdon, “so that’s going to strengthen the design side of the business.”

Rumours of a link between McLaren-Honda and Manor are not new, although Woking has denied it wants to set up a B-team.

But it should be noted that McLaren is still owed money from the Marussia collapse, with documents late last year showing a debt of $11 million.

McLaren is also looking to advance the burgeoning careers of its junior drivers Kevin Magnussen, the 2015 reserve, and current GP2 series leader Stoffel Vandoorne.

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RED BULL DRIVERS PREVIEW THE AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX

Red Bull drivers preview their ‘home’ Austrian Grand Prix, Round 8 of the 2015 Formula 1 world championship, at Red Bull Ring.

Q&A with Daniel Ricciardo

Like the majority of the field, last year you were an Austrian GP noob. What did you make of the circuit?

Not one of our strongest but good nonetheless. It’s short, there aren’t a lot of corners – but the corners that there are good; there are a couple of proper quick turns and plenty to catch you out. It’s a fast track. You can have a good scrap as well. I finished the race in a really good tussle with The Hulk. Good stuff.

Which are the signature corners?

Turn One is pretty cool as it climbs up the hill. It looks tight but actually it isn’t, it’s pretty quick, about third gear, and it opens up nicely. Turn Two is interesting as you climb a lot into what’s quite a tight right-hander, going uphill and off-camber. The second-last corner as well, that’s quick too. It’s quite flowing. There’s two tight corners but the rest are quick – third gear and up.

What impressed you most about the event?

The buzz. With everyone camping around the track the atmosphere was like going to a festival – everyone sitting out in the sun, drinking beer, listening to music, up in the mountains. Yeah, I could go for a bit of that. Massive crowd of course, and genuinely supportive of the event. Not just the Red Bull teams but the entire grid. It was really noticeable on the drivers’ parade, which was by far the most lively of the whole year.

You were the only driver to truly embrace the promotional lederhosen in 2014. Can you describe the experience?

I was rather cautious so gave them a test run early in the week before rocking up in them on race day to maximise my Austrian Grand Prix experience. They’re surprisingly comfortable – a bit stiff at first but they come in after a while and develop a bit of give. I’m not saying they’re the thing for a 20-hour flight to Perth – but I reckon Oktoberfest, with a couple of beers… yeah, you’d be OK for a day.

Q&A with Daniil Kvyat

Austria returned to the calendar last year for the first time in over a decade and the general feeling was that it was a great weekend. Did you like racing there?

First of all, I really enjoy the track; it’s a really good circuit. I already knew the track well as I had raced there before in junior series, so I was really looking forward to going back.

What series had you raced there previously?

I raced there in Formula Renault and also in Formula 3. [Dany won both races at the circuit during his 2012 Formula Renault 2.0 Alps campaign and was on pole and finished second in all three FIA European Formula 3 Championship races at the track in 2013]. It’s great fun to drive. Actually, I think one of the best circuits on the calendar. It’s fast, it flows well, the lap is pretty busy. It’s a good circuit and I have good memories of it.

It is, of course, Red Bull Racing’s home race so there is a huge amount of attention on the team locally. Are you up for that?

It should be OK. I was at Toro Rosso last year so we didn’t have too much pressure from a media point of view, certainly not as much as the Red Bull Racing guys, so it was pretty easy from my point of view. But it’s a good atmosphere and the team’s home race is obviously important. However, I don’t think you can let it distract you. It’s just racing in the end and I’ll try to enjoy the weekend as much as possible.

For a lot of F1 people, last year’s race seems to have a really nice relaxed feel to it. Was it the same for you?

Yeah, definitely. Last year we stayed about 45 minutes away in a small village, which was actually really nice. It was very quiet, very peaceful but maybe not the easiest place to get to! This year I think we’re staying somewhere a little closer to the track, somewhere a little more efficient in terms of getting to the circuit!

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MCLAREN SET TO DEBUT SHORT NOSE MP4-30 IN AUSTRIA

McLaren has managed to put their major upgrade for the Austrian Grand Prix back on track.

We reported last week that a much-needed aerodynamic package for the MP4-30 car was in doubt because the centrepiece – a Mercedes-like ‘short nose’ – had repeatedly failed the mandatory FIA crash tests.

A spokesman had told us: “We are confident that our new nose box will pass its crash test in the near future.”

Indeed, late last Friday the Woking based team announced on Twitter: “We can confirm that the new MP4-30 nose box has passed the FIA crash test and will be available to use from the Austrian GP.”

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HAKKINEN WANTS FERRARI TO EXPLAIN RAIKKONEN SPIN

Ferrari should clarify the sensitive issue of exactly what caused Kimi Raikkonen to spin during the Canadian Grand Prix.

That is the view of fellow Finn Mika Hakkinen, the former double world champion who thinks there have been mixed messages about the cause of the incident that stopped Raikkonen from finishing on the podium.

Amid intense speculation about Raikkonen’s future, team boss Maurizio Arrivabene said immediately after the race in Montreal, “We have thrown away a podium, that’s the truth. There are no excuses.”

But Raikkonen, 35, protested that something “odd” happened that caused the spin, such as an engine map setting in use for the pitstops.

Officially, Arrivabene said in the team’s post-race statement that the spin is “something we haven’t fully understood yet, “It may be a case of contributory negligence as he (Raikkonen) said the same thing happened last year.”

Hakkinen commented: “Overall, the reason for Kimi’s spin is still unclear. Ferrari has not said exactly what happened, but they probably should, to stop the speculation.

“In any case, the spin took away the third place, which was easily within reach,” he said in his latest interview with Hermes.

Hakkinen said it is possible the engine mapping theory is correct, “If a driver leaves the box and the car is in a different setting, the team needs to draw attention to it but normally the driver knows.”

In reality, it might be argued that Hakkinen is not reluctant to ramp up the pressure on Raikkonen, as today he is involved in the management of another Finn, Valtteri Bottas.

And Bottas, who inherited the Montreal podium due to the spin, is reportedly a leading candidate to replace Raikkonen next year.

“Once again, Valtteri demonstrated his skills. It was the work of a top driver,” said Hakkinen.

“We must not forget that Ferrari currently has a faster car than Williams, nevertheless he was able to beat both Ferrari drivers across the line,” he added.

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RENAULT DELAY ROLL OUT OF IMPROVED POWER UNIT

Renault-powered teams face a longer wait for much needed performance improvements to their power units in 2015.

After a dire start to the season for the French manufacturer, boss Cyril Abiteboul said after Canada that with reliability now under control, Renault can finally turn its attention to power.

But until a better engine arrives, Red Bull and Toro Rosso are trying to compensate with their respective chassis.

“We try to do everything we can with the wings when there are many straights, like in Canada,” Toro Rosso rookie Carlos Sainz told the Spanish sports daily Marca. “But even that does not completely fix the top speeds. We are missing a lot.”

Sainz admitted he does not expect performance improvements “until Spa”, referring to the Belgian grand prix that takes place after the August break and forthcoming races in Austria, Britain and Hungary.

Helmut Marko, the prominent Red Bull official, confirmed that Renault is currently working on performance improvements, “Yes, there are some steps coming but the results have to be seen – if it works, then at best (it will arrive) at the last three races.”

“We have to be patient. In three weeks from now we should know if the new project, which is on the dyno now, is working or not,” added Marko.

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Not too many changes for Sauber

Sauber head toward this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix without expecting to make too many drastic changes to their car setup from Montreal.

Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Sauber's Head of Track Engineering believes that in some aspects, the circuits are very similar. He concedes, however, that braking at the Red Bull Ring will be very important, while getting the correct setup for the circuit's flowing bends is paramount.

“The Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg can be considered, in terms of the set-up and aero configuration of the car, almost as a continuation of the previous race. The balance between the number of corners and lengths of the straights is similar to the Montreal track, yet their nature is substantially different with flowing bends in place of chicanes, and changes of elevation. We also expect that brakes will be a key factor there," said Dall'Ara.

Both Sauber drivers are looking forward to the race, but for different reasons.

Marcus Ericsson is a fan of the circuit, but concedes overtaking can be difficult.

"I like the track a lot, as it is a fast circuit which I am going to enjoy. Overtaking is rather difficult, but there are places where it is possible. I am looking forward to the race weekend.”

Felipe Nasr will be racing a Formula 1 car at Spielberg for the very first time.

"It is quite a fast circuit, with many long straights combined with some high-speed corners. The last two corners before the start and finish line are my favorites, as they are very quick and you have to drive them very precisely. The long straights could be a benefit for us, but downforce is also required in the high-speed corners."

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Goodyear not returning to Formula 1 yet

Despite being the most successful tyre company in the history of Formula 1, Goodyear will not submit a tender to become a supplier from 2017.

Although they have not yet officially confirmed their decision, sources have told Motorsport.com that the company will continue to focus on NASCAR and Moto 2, amongst other racing disciplines.

Darren Wells, President of Goodyear's European, Middle Eastern and African business unit, would not be drawn on the subject during an interview with Motorsport.com.

“Motorsport is core to the motorsport brand and business. Whenever there is a motorsport opportunity we will spend time thinking about it but we have to be selective and make sure we are prepared," Wells said.

He did however, confirm that a decision will be taken very soon.

"I expect, one way or another that you will find out next week.”

Wells was attending the Le Mans 24 Hour endurance event over the weekend.

Goodyear, who last competed in Formula 1 in the 1998, have a proud history in the sport, winning 25 driver's titles, 26 constructor's championships and 361 Grand Prix.

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Lotus look to build momentum

With two top ten finishes in the recent Canadian Grand Prix, Lotus will be pushing to close the gap on Red Bull in Austria.

Federico Gastaldi, the deputy team principal, believes they must take advantage of their recent showing and begin to build momentum.

"The Canadian Grand Prix was a reasonable result for us. The car looked pretty strong all weekend and both drivers were happy and able to push. We were able to fight in the top ten which is what we all want."

Gastaldi was particularly bullish about the Lotus teams approach for the weekend.

"Get out there and score as many points as we can! We’ll do this by going as fast as we can to reach the chequered flag before as many as our rivals as possible! Sounds simple, but of course that’s what everyone is trying to do."

He believes the team stand an excellent chance of putting together another improved showing at the Red Bull Ring.

"Looking at the circuit and talking to our drivers and engineers it’s a place that could suit us so we’re feeling quite positive heading there, especially after the E23 showed pretty well in Canada," he said.

Lotus, currently in fifth in the constructors standings with 23 points, are only 21 points behind Red Bull. Despite the obvious advantage Red Bull have over Lotus in terms of resources, Gastaldi feels his team can claw their way closer to their rivals in their quest for fourth spot.

"It’s true that most of our rivals ahead of us do have greater resources, but part of the Enstone spirit is being the underdog and prevailing against bigger enemies. We know that Red Bull are ahead of us in the points and will be throwing all their resources at developing their car. We also know we’ll be doing everything we can to catch and beat them."

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Pirelli looking to add more tyre variations in 2017

Pirelli could look to add more tyre compound options to their current product range if they secure another term as Formula 1's sole supplier.

Autosport has revealed that the Italian manufacturer are considering ways to improve the racing, after receiving criticism for producing more durable rubber compared to their original remit.

Pirelli wish to keep their present array of tyres, however with extra sub-categories within the Hard, Medium, Soft and Supesofts currently available.

The FIA's tender process to find a supplier is underway, and Pirelli’s motorsport chief Paul Hembrey has admitted that the idea is being considered if they remain in the sport past 2016.

"It's something very hard to do, but if we are to remain in the sport for '17 we could really look at doing something like this," he said,

"If we were able to choose from a wider range then we'd have more certainty to deliver the two-to-three-stop races [we were asked to deliver].

"As far as the public is concerned it would be a hard and a medium tyre, but we would be able to choose from three versions of the hard and three versions of the medium.

"Or to be more current, the supersoft we've just seen in Monaco and Canada would be quite different to the supersoft you would see in Singapore."

Hembrey stated that there would be no need to change the way they display the rubber to the public, believing any changes to their marking system would just create confusion.

"For the public, I don't think we need to do anything different as it would just create confusion. It would be too complex.

"The fans have only just got used to what they see now, they like the colours, they get that and they are quite easy to see.

"That works so you don't really want to create any more variation on that."

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Williams hoping to put pressure on Ferrari in Austria

Felipe Massa believes it's important for the Williams team to apply some pressure to nearest rival Ferrari, and the Brazilian is hopeful that their Austrian upgrades will allow them to do so.

The Grove outfit has been holding off on introducing major upgrades until the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend, where it hopes it can close the gap and claw back some of the 76-point deficit to Ferrari.

"Looking at the upgrades on the [Ferrari] engine the difference [to Mercedes] is still similar and I think it shows that we can still fight at the front," said Massa who finished sixth in Canada despite starting 15th.

"I think the team is going in a good line. It's an important moment for us: we have a good track for us in Austria with some upgrades.

"So I think it's an important moment for us to put some pressure on Ferrari."

Massa reckons Williams will take another step to possibly challenge Ferrari more regularly when Mercedes eventually introduce an upgraded engine - something the German manufacturer hopes to do around the Belgian GP.

"I don't know when Mercedes will put some upgrades on the engine maybe when they do we can get stronger in that area," he added.

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Austrian Grand Prix

In this week's episode of Inside Grand Prix, Motorsport.com takes a close look at the picturesque Red Bull Ring and its surroundings, one of the fans favourites after a magnificent 2014 event.

One team which will not be expecting to have a great time, however, is Red Bull, which arrives in its home race set to be hit by engine penalties.

We analyse the Milton Keynes team's decline over the past two years.

We also talk to Sauber driver Marcus Ericsson and do a round-up of social media over the past week.

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Imola begins talks to save Italian Grand Prix

Imola has begun discussions with Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone to save the Italian Grand Prix if Monza is unable to secure a fresh contract for 2017, Motorsport.com can reveal.

The city's mayor, Daniele Manca, met with F1 supremo Ecclestone in London on Monday to discuss the possibility of the track getting a grand prix back.

Imola has not hosted an F1 race since it held the San Marino Grand Prix in 2006, prior to a circuit revamp that took place in 2007.

Monza doubts

Monza officials met with Ecclestone in Monaco last month to try to push forward a deal, but it has become clear that discussions will not resume until the necessary finances are in place.

Ecclestone has made it clear several times that he wants Monza to pay the same as other European venues to host the race after its current contract runs out next year.

The prospect of losing the Italian Grand Prix has been met with intense criticism from fans, which is why Imola chiefs are now eager to push for their own solution to keep the country on the F1 calendar.

Imola ready

The meeting with Ecclestone also involved Uberto Selvatico Estense, president of Formula Imola, and Stefano Manara, president of CON.AMI.

Speaking to Motorsport.com, Manca said: "We wanted to show Ecclestone how willing Imola was to get Formula 1 back – but also do our part to keep the grand prix in Italy.

"We presented our plan to relaunch the circuit, outline the investments we have made and what we plan to do in the coming years with our infrastructure."

Deal possible

Although Imola has not come near being able to put a fresh F1 deal together in recent years, Manca claimed that Ecclestone was open to the idea of a 2017 return.

"Bernie told us that he never wanted to go away from Imola – and he must remember that Enzo Ferrari originally asked him to organise a grand prix on our circuit.

"There are issues to sort out – and one factor is obviously the economy. But Ecclestone has agreed to check the timeframe and conditions under which it would be possible to get F1 back to Imola. The target is 2017."

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Ferrari will not surrender targets after Canada

Ferrari will not change its target of achieving two victories in 2015 after a disappointing result in Canada, according to team boss Maurizio Arrivabene.

Hopes were high Ferrari could challenge Mercedes for its second win of 2015 in Montreal after using an engine development token but it could only register fourth and fifth, the first race this year which saw neither Sebastian Vettel or Kimi Raikkonen on the podium. After the grand prix Arrivabene explained why circumstances at the grand prix masked the progress made by Ferrari on the engine side and he is refusing to adjust the target he set in the winter.

Asked whether he would re-assess the team's goal after Canada, the Italian replied: "No, no, absolutely no change. If I'm going to change them it's like I'm saying 'I surrend'. No, we don't surrend it. We have to go.

"Going to the podium, if you do it every race, it becomes boring. But if you go down to the podium it becomes worse. So we need to keep the position of the podium and look up, not down, but no I don't change the objective, no way."

Mercedes recorded a dominant one-two in Canada and finished 40 seconds ahead of third-placed Valtteri Bottas. Arrivabene thinks it would be wrong for Ferrari to downplay the advantage Mercedes still has.

"It's a long way to go. We need to have a bit of humility to recognise that at the moment they are stronger than us without thinking 'we have closed the gap so we can beat them every race' - this is not realistic, honestly. The answer that we get during this weekend [Canada] was quite good."

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Sauber says Formula 1 now 'practically impossible' for new teams

Potential Formula 1 newcomers have been warned it is "practically impossible" to survive without major third-party investment.

The FIA recently opened up a tender process to attract new F1 teams as early as next year, but more realistically for 2017, with a decision due at the end of September.

As even the smaller F1 teams now operating on annual budgets of £50-60million, it is likely only a major manufacturer or billionaire benefactor could afford to bankroll a new team - reckons Sauber boss Monisha Kaltenborn.

Two of the last three new F1 entrants - HRT and Caterham - have gone out of business and fellow 2010 arrival Manor had to be brought out of administration to race this year.

"It's practically impossible to survive unless you have any revenues from a third-party business or somewhere else," Kaltenborn told AUTOSPORT.

"You can't make a business plan work if the revenue stream is not changed."

Kaltenborn is concerned that only an alliance with a big team can make F1 viable for a newcomer.

Speculation has linked leading GP2 team with a joint F1 project with McLaren.

"I don't think that move is good for Formula 1 because it is going down the road of customer cars, and then you get all the issues coming up with how can you finance this team," said Kaltenborn.

"You can say the arrangement with the big team is they put in their driver, they maybe get more money from the commercial rights holder, but that's not the way you should go. You should be there on your own.

"You can have co-operation, as we did with Ferrari as we put their test driver at that time, Felipe Massa, into the car [in 2002 and '04, pictured], but it never went so far that we were considered a B-team of theirs.

"It's about how you co-operate with that team. Are you being told to play a strategic role with that team in a race and all these things?

"I don't think that's the right way. You open up too many issues."

But Kaltenborn still believes F1 has attractions for newcomers.

"F1 is still one of the best platforms for what it represents," she added.

"We have our issues, of course, and maybe we are not offering the best publicity towards the outside, but it's still a fantastic sport and has great challenges.

"I think a new team should come, but they should just make sure they come in with the right expectations, and not to try and fit in somewhere to suit some other teams.

"You should come in here and want to be your own independent team, knowing it is going to be difficult.

"You do at least get more support than you used to. When Sauber first came in we didn't get any prize fund for the first two years if I remember.

"But to attract others into the sport you need to bring the costs down and show them a more attractive revenue stream."