FORMULA 1 - 2016

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BRDC sets deadline for Silverstone to find a buyer

The British Racing Drivers' Club has imposed a deadline of the end of October to secure a buyer for Silverstone.

The Northamptonshire circuit is negotiating with four bidders: Jaguar Land Rover, Ginetta owner Lawrence Tomlinson, Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision and a fourth unnamed party, believed to be an overseas consortium.

The BRDC now feels it is time it sealed the deal with one of the quartet given Silverstone has long been on offer, but there remain difficulties.

BRDC president Derek Warwick told Autosport: "We've now said by the end of October to get a deal done.

"When you're doing a deal as complicated as ours, although we've a deadline for the end of October, I wouldn't want to put my neck on it.

"We've so many different deals to look at, to evaluate, and to make sure they are not just face value deals, but we do still hope to get it concluded next month."

Warwick has revealed the unknown fourth bidder is the current frontrunner, adding: "At the moment they are probably the strongest of those we've received, but there is still a lot to do.

"It's all in the detail. The detail is complicated, and I want to know that in 20 years' time we will still enjoy working with them.

"I don't want to bring somebody into Silverstone that in five years' time proves to be totally unworkable, so there is a big responsibility on this board - on me - to get this deal right."

Warwick has praised Palmer, in particular, for his offer and for the support he is ready to give to the BRDC should he prove unsuccessful.

"In typical Jonathan fashion it [his bid] is very professional, he's got a limit, he knows how much he can offer to make it work," said Warwick.

"Jonathan is a good guy. He's said to me if his deal is not strong enough he would still back the board in whatever decision we make. He's a proper member."

Although the BRDC failed to pursue a previous JLR bid, despite an EGM earlier this year agreeing to the deal with a 54% majority, the manufacturer remains in the running.

"We're talking to JLR again, but under completely different circumstances," said Warwick.

"It's nothing like the deal that was around three months ago, where they wanted to lease parcels of land outside the circuit to do a brand centre, skid school and 4x4, and all that kind of stuff.

"When we went into the detail of the deal, between us we decided it wouldn't work, that it wasn't right for our club.

"So we unstitched it, went back and now we are negotiating to see whether or not there are parcels of land we can rent to JLR, so we have come at it from a different direction."

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RENAULT EXTENDS OPTION ON MAGNUSSEN

Kevin Magnussen has revealed that Renault have asked him for a couple more weeks on their option for his services which ended on 1 October.

F1i reports that Magnussen has agreed, “Renault asked if their option on me could be extended. I have accepted.”

Renault have yet to announce their driver line-up for next year and are now expected to do so by mid-October.

A number of drivers are being considered by the French outfit, including Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer who currently drive for the team.

It is believed that Sergio Perez, who was a candidate for a seat, and his backers had talks with the team which have delayed an announcement.

With Perez now confirmed for another year at Force India, Renault are expected to announce their 2017 driver line-up soon.

Reports suggest that highly rated rookie Esteban Ocon will drive for the team next year.

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Japanese Grand Prix preview: Big in Japan

Such a claim isn't always true, but it sometimes is. And you might argue that it applies particularly to the F1 circuit. It certainly applies to Suzuka, the welcome stop-off for this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.

Of course some of the sport's newer venues are better than others, but none have got even close to quickening the pulse among drivers and aficionados alike as happens when cars circulate this venue. In fairness, not that many of the older tracks have either.

This is mainly because the Suzuka layout is dominated by challenging, snaking, undulating turns, the sort that separate the great from the good, the sort that would most likely be laughed out of court were they proposed from the ground up.

Very much unlike the modern circuit too there aren't always vast car parks of run-off areas for drivers to use as a benign get-out if they get it wrong. That modern curse of policing 'track limits' scarcely gets mentioned here. It doesn't have to be. The circuit also is narrow with the ideal racing line like walking an ever-veering tightrope. Precision at Suzuka therefore counts and even a slight error can end your chances definitively.

Indeed such is Suzuka's classic nature it feels like Messrs Nuvolari, Fangio and Clark should have pounded around the track in their heydays; that F1's first visit was as late as 1987 strikes as wrong somehow. Especially as that the track opened a full quarter century earlier in 1962, the sport’s pinnacle for some reason being absurdly slow on the uptake as to this pinnacle venue.

You can combine all this with the track's uncanny knack of being the stage of drama and acrimony. Add too that the Japanese crowd never fails to be numerous, nor defers to any other when it comes to passion. You have a near-perfect mix.

There are at least a couple of reasons for Mercedes to be optimistic about an immediate bounce back in Japan after its stumble in Malaysia. This sort of track suits the Merc - fast, with long turns and harder compound tyres. We can think back to the similar challenges of Spain, Britain and Belgium earlier this year – and in Sepang just passed - and that in each Merc dominated on raw pace at least. Also here there aren't many big braking zones which means its efficient energy recovery comes to the fore.

As for which Merc pilot may emerge on top, such have been the twists and turns (which rival even Suzuka's) in this tete-a-tete trying to pre-empt it is rather like nailing jelly to the wall. We've seen repeatedly that small matters - minute set-up tweaks discovered in practice and the like - can make the crucial difference.

But this one has got critical. After Sepang's astonishing goings-on Lewis Hamilton you feel simply must get something back on his team mate Nico Rosberg this time.

Encouragingly for him he has won in the last two Suzuka visits, but it may be nevertheless that Nico of the pair can consider this one his home patch. The German's bagged pole on both of those occasions and lost out peculiarly in either race - at the first turn last year while the year before it rained. Lewis meanwhile has never qualified at the front at Suzuka plus has often, by his own admission, struggled to find an ideal set-up at this track.

As for the rest, until relatively recently Suzuka meant Red Bull. Of course, the high downforce and aero efficiency requirements of this circuit is just the Milton Keynes thing; the RB12 is by consensus a better chassis even that the Merc's.

But with Red Bull though at least something will depend on the extent that its Renault power unit can push its cars along. At Suzuka there are a couple of lengthy full throttle stretches as well as a few uphill acceleration zones, and all of this could be bad news for the Bulls. All in therefore, as in Malaysia they may require fortune to prevail.

Ferrari likely will to an even greater extent, as matters remain iffy and recently got iffier. Even Sebastian Vettel's strong record at Suzuka with four wins from the last seven visits has been shop-soiled, as this time he'll carry a three-place grid penalty on a track that it's likely to hurt. Kimi Raikkonen might take an engine penalty, either here or in the following one in Austin.

Reflecting what has been said, in previous years other Mercedes-powered cars have shown up well here, indeed in last year's finishing order after the Mercs and Ferraris the next four home had German power. Heck even the Lotus got a double helping of points. Valtteri Bottas in the so-powered Williams has qualified third here in each of the last two seasons and last year he finished fifth just three seconds behind Raikkonen's Ferrari.

McLaren could be particularly intriguing. Honda for its home race will have an upgraded (or rather, lighter) power unit in the back of Fernando Alonso's machine, and Alonso has indeed identified Suzuka as one of the remaining rounds that McLaren will go well at. We've mentioned energy deployment, which Jenson Button said a few rounds ago Honda was outstripping all rivals in.

Suzuka also is a track that strains the cars and in particular the engines given the high average speeds and ever-varying gradients and loads. And a DNF could have rather a major impact on the championship fight, with for all that Lewis's engine failure in Sepang caused reverberations the same for Nico and Lewis winning out here will leave the Englishman top of the drivers' table. But on the flipside for Lewis another DNF does not bear thinking about... Suzuka also has an incredible knack of being the place where significant things happen, particularly in regard to the world championship destination.

Grands Prix here often are a strategy battle. Overtaking isn't easy; qualifying will be of greater importance than usual, as will the start and first turn shakeout. And of course as we seem to say every time the Mercedes starts haven't always been brilliant this season. The bottle-neck first turn often is the scene of grief too.

Furthermore the successive long corners and direction changes put a lot of loadings into the tyres, particularly the fronts leading possibly to dreaded thermal degradation, and the relatively abrasive surface strains the rubber too. Multi-stop races can be expected therefore, with two usually preferred to three. Just as in Malaysia we have the added complication that the extra compound brought this year is the soft, joining the usual medium and hard of before, though the evidence of last week in Sepang was that the soft holds on pretty well to allow two-stoppers at least. It'll be interesting to see if anyone starting outside the top 10 tries a one-stopper as Bottas and Jolyon Plamer did with success in Malaysia.

Being gentle with the rubber can be crucial in terms of your strategy options in a Suzuka race and the undercut is powerful particularly with the long lap – this got Rosberg ahead of Vettel in the final stops last year. Strategies may be hard to set in advance with much certainty, as approaches are likely to evolve during the race depending on the degradation experienced.

We can add another variable too. Japan is synonymous with rain; sometimes vast quantities of it. Suzuka particularly so, and indeed twice here qualifying has been held on Sunday morning due to Saturday's running falling victim to weather. Current forecasts suggest this weekend's weather will indeed be unsettled (though Typoon Chaba will have left the area).

This at the very least could scupper set-up time as well as jumble the grid, at a place as mentioned where track position is more important than most. Ricciardo has said since Singapore that a wet race, perhaps here, will open up a conspicuous chance for Red Bull to win.

So plenty to think about heading into our Suzuka weekend. Which is just the way it should be.

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Sainz to Red Bull: "I want to race for top team in 2018"

Carlos Sainz says he has made Red Bull aware that he wants to be racing for a top-line Formula 1 team as soon as 2018.

With 2017 set to be Sainz's third year in the sister team Toro Rosso, the Spanish driver has said he will be preparing to move up the pecking order the year after.

"I think Red Bull perfectly knows - 2017, it's a tough year for me, it's the third year for me in Toro Rosso," Sainz said.

"I think I could have, if options would have been open, I could have done a jump to Red Bull or any other team.

"So, I think they [Red Bull] perfectly know, I want to be in a top team in 2018, I think they perfectly know, I am already starting to be ready for that.

"As long as they know and keep that in mind, I am OK to stay one more year in Toro Rosso."

Red Bull's current first-team duo Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen are both contracted through 2018.

Sainz, likewise, has a deal that can run for a few more years, as the energy drink company holds the option to keep him within its Formula 1 structure - whether that be in a Red Bull seat or in a Toro Rosso seat.

"I am contracted here [Red Bull]. The option [on 2017] has been executed. They have option on me until 2019 or 2020," he said.

"They can keep executing option on me, doesn't matter if it's Toro Rosso or Red Bull.

"I had a conversation with Helmut [Marko] and Red Bull, I have let them know that I am ready.

"I need to rise one step in F1, I feel ready for it. They perfectly understand and they are with me in that area."

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Mercedes dominance helped by engine modes - Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen suspects that Mercedes’ ability to turn up its engines for qualifying and certain phases of the races could be making all the difference in their fight this year.

Ferrari was able to threaten Mercedes in the early part of the campaign, but has since fallen away from the front and is now behind Red Bull in terms of out-and-out pace.

One key advantage that Mercedes is known to have is an extra boost it can get from engine settings in qualifying – and when needed in the race – which could be worth as much as three tenths of a second per lap.

That factor was one of the reasons why Raikkonen was pleading with his team to be allowed to run a better engine mode in his battle with Nico Rosberg at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

When asked if he felt engine modes was one of the biggest differences between Mercedes and Ferrari, Raikkonen explained: "It is only guessing, what they do or how much the difference is, but we have seen it before. In some race conditions or qualifying, they go faster. We all have GPS, so we can see what happens.

"We do our maximum and this is what we can do. We have to improve things, but this is nothing new. We have to make the car faster to be able to challenge the others. It is not something new, they have been faster than us most of the year, it is just areas we have to keep pushing and improving."

     

Raikkonen, who finished fourth in Malaysia after being barged out of the way by Rosberg, says that there is no particular vice with Ferrari's current car – it just lacks speed.

"We try to improve all the areas all the time," he said. "In qualifying, we are not as fast as Mercedes so it is hard to expect we will suddenly beat them in the race. But in race conditions, we are usually stronger.

"Handling wise it feels pretty good, we just need to go faster. There are not one or two places that have a big issue, and that is why we are not as fast as them. We need more grip, more horsepower, and go faster with everything. Our aim is improve all the areas.

"It is not easy to find those things, otherwise everyone would go as fast as the fastest guy all the time. It is ongoing process to improve these things. We are not the only team that is improving things. We keep working and pushing and improving and fighting each race.

"Once the season is over, then we start thinking of next year, and we try to find all the areas to improve."

[skalls]

Tickets in hand for COTA in a couple weeks!

Praying for better weather than last year

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Friends Reunited – Mika Hakkinen & David Coulthard On F1, McLaren & More | Mobil 1 The Grid

With 33 Grand Prix wins and two F1 World Championships between them, Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard have both had successful racing careers. Speaking from Fernando Alonso’s karting track in Oviedo, Spain, Mobil 1 The Grid spoke to the former teammates to find out more about their time with McLaren, as well as to get their views on the current state of the sport.

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Horner: We’ll test in Bahrain if Mercedes covers costs

Christian Horner has quipped if F1 pre-season tyre tests are taken to Bahrain Mercedes should dig deep to pay for the paddock's freight costs as he pushes for winter testing to remain at Barcelona. 

The Red Bull team principal wants any F1 tyre tests to stay in Europe in order to keep costs down for the grid as he feels only the wealthiest teams can afford to travel to Bahrain for winter testing. 

Currently Pirelli is testing its 2017 prototype tyres with Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes at a number of European circuits during the summer months. On the 12-13 October Mercedes will complete the Europe-based tests at Barcelona with its mule car before heading to warmer climates to continue testing. 

Over October and November Red Bull and Ferrari will run private Pirelli tests at Abu Dhabi before a final three-day test for the whole F1 grid at the Yas Marina Circuit to give final validation on the 2017 rubber on the Novembers 29-December 1, immediately after the 2016 season finale at the same venue. 

The 2017 testing programme is still being finalised after the race calendar was confirmed last week and Horner is against taking winter testing or Pirelli-specific tests outside of Europe due to costs. 

“My personal preference is that we should stay in Europe,” Horner said. “We have got probably 65-70% of the grid that are struggling for budget, struggling for finance, and to be an hour and a half away from your factory at the point that you're developing the car and a new concept car as well, at a time of year when in Spain, last week in February, early March, the temperature is already warming up. To me, it seems irresponsible financially.” 

Horner gave a tongue-in-cheek suggestion to help other F1 teams if winter testing is taken to the Middle East and is against the pressure being applied by the leading manufacturers. 

“Unless there is a huge subsidy, which I don't believe there is,” he said. “Unless Mercedes are going to pay for everybody's freight to go to Bahrain. 

“It's a bit irresponsible to be honest with you, to be dictating and bullying teams into making that test. We're a team that can afford to go to Bahrain but I believe it's better we should test in Barcelona.”

 

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Pascal Wehrlein trusts Mercedes to ensure he's on 2017 F1 grid

Manor driver Pascal Wehrlein says he has complete faith in Mercedes to ensure he will be on the 2017 Formula 1 grid.

With just eight weeks and five grands prix remaining this season, Wehrlein is one of a declining number of drivers who does not have a confirmed seat for the 2017 F1 campaign.

His current team Manor is expected to make a late call on its line-up for next year, although it has expressed a desire to keep both Wehrlein and fellow Mercedes protege Esteban Ocon.

Asked by Autosport whether he was confident he would have a 2017 F1 seat, Wehrlein replied: "My feeling is that first of all I'm confident.

"I'm a Mercedes driver and they are all happy with me.

"I know that they will do what they can, and they will find the best option for me next year, so I'm not concerned about next year - which is good.

"I have showed some good results this year and everyone is happy, but as you know Formula 1 is not always so easy.

"Let's see what happens, but I'm confident and I'm happy with the season so far, and with both teams - Manor and Mercedes."

DTM champion with Mercedes last season, Wehrlein said his instruction from the German manufacturer this year was simply to learn the ropes in F1.

"The biggest target was to learn as much as possible because it's my first year in Formula 1, my first year in single-seaters for three years," added Wehrlein, who scored Manor's sole point of 2016 so far in the Austrian Grand Prix.

"It's quite a long time when you have to get used to the cars, even to the tracks because I did DTM and I think only Hockenheim, Budapest and Spielberg are Formula 1 tracks. Apart from that, every track is new to me.

"So I had to learn about the car, the tracks, Formula 1, the tyres - I had never driven on the Pirelli tyres - and about how Formula 1 works."

Wehrlein feels Manor has done "a better job than expected" given its limited resources in terms of both finance and personnel compared to the works Mercedes team that he tests for.

"It's very difficult to compare Mercedes and Manor, and it wouldn't be fair because Mercedes has many, many people - I think more than 700, 750 just working for the car, and then again 750 working on the engine," he said.

"We at Manor have 170 I think now, so we've increased since the beginning of the season, but it's still a different world.

"One guy, for example, at Manor has to do the same as maybe four or five guys at Mercedes, so of course it's a difference.

"For what we have we are doing a very good job. Even if we are not fighting with Mercedes and the top teams, but fighting with Sauber who have more than double the people we have, we are very competitive."

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SCHUMIE’S CAR COLLECTION TO GO ON PERMANENT DISPLAY

The personal collection of racing cars and memorabilia belonging to Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher’s is to go on view to the public from the end of 2017, in a new and permanent exhibition near his home town of Kerpen in Germany.

Following an agreement with Schumacher’s family, the collection – featuring karts from his early racing career, sports cars, trophies and most of the Formula 1 cars in which he won a record seven world championships – will be free for fans to visit at the new Motorworld Koln-Rheinland classic car centre.

“It is the heart’s desire of Michael’s family that all interested fans should get to see Michael’s collection without having to pay an admission charge,” said Schumacher’s manager, Sabine Kehm. “It will enable them to revel in memories and bring those great times back to life again.

“The location’s proximity to Kerpen, and the passion for motoring that it radiates, were two other excellent reasons for this collaboration.”

It will be the first time that the full collection has gone on show to the public. It will be joined by Schumacher’s 1994 Benetton-Ford B194-5, which is part of Motorworld’s collection since 2013.

“It means a great deal to us to be able to honour Michael Schumacher’s achievements in this manner and bring them so close to his fans,” commented Andreas Dunkel, founder of the Motorworld concept.

Schumacher, who retired at the end of 2012, is statistically the most successful Formula 1 driver in history, recording 91 wins and 68 pole positions. He has not appeared in public since sustaining severe head injuries in a skiing accident at the end of 2013.

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ROSBERG: I DON’T THINK TOO MUCH ABOUT LEWIS’ MISFORTUNE

Nico Rosberg is bracing himself for a backlash from wounded Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton after seizing the initiative in the Formula One title race.

Hamilton, the reigning world champion, looked to be cruising to victory in Malaysia last weekend before his engine blew up as Rosberg’s battling third-place finish allowed the German to open a 23-point lead with five races left.

Rosberg, whose feud with Hamilton has threatened to boil over in previous years, predicted on Thursday that Hamilton would come back strong in the championship run-in.

“I don’t draw encouragement from (Hamilton’s troubles),” insisted Rosberg, who threw away a 43-point advantage earlier this season. I don’t really think too much about Lewis’s misfortune, I think more about my situation.

“Anyways I know that Lewis, when he has difficulties like that, will come back fully-motivated,” he added. “So it’s not really encouraging to know that he’s going to come back as strong as ever.”

In stark contrast to Hamilton, who angrily tore into Mercedes after his third engine failure of the season in Sepang, Rosberg is enjoying a purple patch of form, having won three races in a row before Malaysia.

“I really learnt to manage my energies and know where not to waste energies in rubbish stuff,” said Rosberg. “There for sure I’ve made big progress. It’s important to me and I really like to take that approach.”

Asked to elaborate, he smiled: “The rubbish stuff would be reading the news, for example, or playing computer games, or going partying until five in the morning.”

It was not clear if that remark was a sly dig at Hamilton and his elaborate lifestyle, but Rosberg is in the form of his life and a first-ever victory in Suzuka this weekend would severely dent Hamilton’s title hopes.

Rosberg played down concerns that technical problems could decide the championship race.

“I’m not worried because I have learnt to put my energy into things that I can influence – and that’s something I definitely can’t influence,” said the 31-year-old, who finished second behind Hamilton last year after starting on pole.

“I also have all the trust in the team,” added Rosberg, who suffered an ERS (energy recovery system) problem in the 2014 title decider in Abu Dhabi.

“They always do the best they can to make sure problems like that don’t happen again. They have come with certain changes for this weekend.

“It’s just the approach I’ve decided to take this year and which has been working well: just to not think about the big picture and just take it race by race. It works for me to simplify things and just be very much in the moment.”

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RICCIARDO AND VERSTAPPEN ENJOY BANTER BEFORE SUZUKA BATTLE

A beaming Daniel Ricciardo enjoyed some light-hearted banter with Red Bull team mate Max Verstappen ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix in an exchange that also underscored their rivalry.

The Australian, who arrived on a high after leading Verstappen home in a Malaysian one-two last weekend, posted a selfie on Instagram of himself and the 19-year-old Dutch driver with a group of local children.

“Nice welcome to Suzuka from Max and his classmates,” wrote the Australian.

Verstappen responded with another photograph of him sitting while Ricciardo and the children made two-fingered V signs. “Teacher was asking the class to name Daniel’s position on the team,” read the caption.

The Red Bull pair, who have both won a grand prix this season and raced each other in Malaysia, can expect to be the biggest rivals to champions Mercedes this weekend as well as themselves.

Ricciardo, who took his fourth career win at Sepang after Lewis Hamilton retired from the lead with a blown engine on his Mercedes, had not stood on the top of the podium since the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix.

Asked whether the elation of last weekend had worn off, the 27-year-old grinned: “Not really. Everyone’s made me feel pretty good today in the paddock. I think obviously the win felt good and I felt like in a way it was a bit of a relief.”

Mercedes are favourites to wrap up the constructors’ title at Suzuka but the chances of Ricciardo on Sunday again drinking the winner’s champagne out of his boot in his now trademark ‘shoey’ gesture cannot be ruled out. Nor can Verstappen’s prospects either.

The fast, twisting Suzuka circuit should play to the Red Bull’s strengths while rain, forecast for Sunday, should also level the playing field for the Milton Keynes-based team to take on their German rivals.

Ricciardo was keeping his feet on the ground, “It still feels good, but I’m not going to obviously hang onto it,” he said. “I think in terms of tomorrow when I get in the car I’ll reset and start from the beginning. Once the helmet goes on , it’s back to business.”

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LAUDA: I HAVE NEVER HEARD SUCH NONSENSE

Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda has laughed off claims by Red Bull’s Helmut Marko that pressure by his team on Lewis Hamilton was what led to the engine expiring while the Formula 1 world champion led the Malaysian Grand Prix comfortably.

Marko told the official F1 website, “We clearly had the upper hand! My guess is that we very likely forced [Mercedes] into that engine failure!”

“We permanently put pressure on him, challenging his lead, as he knew he had to create a gap – and to go permanently full throttle was probably not the best thing for his engine,” gloated Marko.

Lauda scoffed at the idea,, “I have never heard such nonsense. I do always admire Helmut’s optimism. I think he always tries to find reasons why he would have won.”

Before the engine failure Hamilton was leading Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen by a comfortable margin and was in control of the race at Sepang, nevertheless the Red Bull pair finished first and second thanks to the Mercedes driver’s mishap.

Hamilton’s engine failure dropped him to 23 points behind his Mercedes teammate and championship leader Nico Rosberg in the standing.

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PEREZ: AT ONE POINT I THOUGHT THE DEAL WOULD NOT HAPPEN

Sergio Perez is relieved that he knows what his future holds after three months of uncertainty due to negotiations between his backers and Force India.

Speaking to media ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, Perez explained, “It’s always good to know what you are doing in your future, and it’s good, now I can get on totally with the job.”

“There are five races left, they are really important for the team and hopefully we can keep on doing the job we are doing the whole season.”

It was clear last week, before the announcement, that the Mexican was losing patience with being in limbo and admitted, “I came to a point where I was seriously considering it’s not going to happen, it took very long, as my deals are a bit more complex than others.

“But especially because it was so long, it was probably the last three months not knowing where my future will be. It’s not the best but at the end of the day I think I coped with it well.

“I am used to dealing with that, the rumours, uncertainty of the future and I think that helped me, what I lived in my past, to try to stay focused on my job.”

Perez also shed light on what caused the delay, “It was mainly for a negotiation between my sponsors and the team. That was the main reason that I took a bit longer than expected.”

“Sponsors want to pay less and [have] more space, the usual routine, but this took a bit longer than expected. Probably for the future we will separate the deals, my deals as the drivers and then my sponsors as the sponsors.

“In the past and up to next year it’s always been linked, so I think for the future it will work a bit better if we can separate a bit.”

“I wanted the stability. Loyalty as well played an important role on this, because this team has been extremely good for me and my career.

“Going into a new generation of rules, all I wanted was to have some stability and not move around too much and obviously it was a one year option, so I want to see where we are next year and what’s available for the future.

“At the moment we are fourth in the constructors and the top three teams are locked out, so there were no other better options.

“Whatever option that I went, I was going to go sideways or backwards, so that’s why I decided my best short-term future is here.”

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ERICSSON: SAUBER IS MY BEST OPTION AT THE MOMENT

With time running out on the Silly Season, Marcus Ericsson is finding that another year at Sauber may be his best option for the 2017 Formula 1 season.

With Sergio Perez committing to at least another year with Force India, Williams all but set with their driver line-up for next year and Renault in the throes of making a decision Ericsson may also be out of choices other than the Swiss team he now drives for.

Speaking to F1i, the Swede said, “I’ve been here for one and a half years now. We started off strong one and a half years ago but we’ve been standing still for the most part since then because of the financial problems there have been in the team.”

Ericsson also believes the timely investment earlier this year by Longbow Finance will have a big impact on the team and their on track performance.

“Now finally the team is growing up again. The atmosphere in the team is completely different compared to a couple of months ago so it’s definitely a lot more attractive now than two months ago.”

“Looking at the market it’s likely that this is my best option at the moment. But until anything is signed you never know, but I think performances like I did in Malaysia is helping my case as well of course to get the chance to stay,” added Ericsson.

Sauber, meanwhile, have confirmed that they are seeking two pay drivers an a reserve for 2017..

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MERCEDES: LEWIS’ ENGINE SUFFERED A BIG-END BEARING FAILURE

Mercedes have revealed the cause of Lewis Hamilton’s engine blow out which caused him to retire from the Malaysian Grand Prix while he led comfortably and ultimately cost him victory, while dropping him 23 points behind the leader in the championship title race.

Following analysis of the engine failure, a Mercedes spokesperson said, “Our analysis has shown that Lewis’ engine suffered a big-end bearing failure. This happened without warning after 618 km and was preceded by a loss of oil pressure in Turn 15.”

Hamilton will thus use the engine from the Singapore Grand Prix at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, and the world champion still has one new engine for the remaining five rounds.

ESPN reports that as a result of the failure, Mercedes will enforce new running parameters across all its engines this weekend, which will include a more conservative oil specification.

Force India, Williams and Pascal Wehrlein’s Manor were scheduled to have updated power units this weekend, but the five drivers will continue to use the Malaysia specification engines.

Championship leader Nico Rosberg has had the latest version of the Mercedes power unit in his car since the Belgian Grand Prix. He too will not get the upgrades earmarked for Suzuka.

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PIRELLI PREVIEW THE JAPANESE GRAND PRIX

Coming straight off the back of the Malaysian Grand Prix, the Japanese Grand Prix uses exactly the same three nominations: P Zero Orange hard, P Zero White medium and P Zero Yellow soft.

Another thing that the Japanese Grand Prix has in common with Malaysia is the fact that two sets of the hard compound have been nominated as mandatory sets, meaning that the hardest compound will definitely be used at some point during the race by every driver.

Suzuka is one of the most atmospheric races of the season, with an old-school feel thanks to its fast corners and small run-off areas. Just like Malaysia, there’s a strong possibility of rain featuring during the weekend: but unlike Malaysia the track is quite narrow, which makes overtaking more difficult.

The Circuit from a tyre point of view:

• Track temperatures can vary massively, from very warm weather to cold and wet conditions.
• Teams tend to run a high downforce set-up to maximise speed through the fast corners.
• Plenty of energy goes through tyres because many corners are very long, maximising loads. The famous 130R, for example, contains the highest continuous g-force loading of the year.
• There are few longitudinal forces: instead Suzuka is all about lateral loads through corners.
• These factors tend to lead to high levels of wear and degradation, with more than one pit stop.
• Track evolution can be hard to predict: strategy also needs to remain flexible because of the possibility of safety cars and relative difficulty of overtaking at Suzuka.

The three nominated compounds:

• Orange hard: will definitely be used for the race, as it is nominated twice as an obligatory set.
• White medium: drivers have selected between one and four sets of these, with different ideas.
• Yellow soft: this is the first time that the soft has been seen in Japan; will be quick in qualifying.

How it was a year ago:

• Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won with a two-stop strategy, starting on medium, switching to medium again on lap 16, then hard on lap 31. The 53-lap race was dry after a wet Friday.
• Best alternative strategy: the big majority of drivers adopted a two-stop strategy, but a medium-hard-hard run allowed Nico Rosberg to undercut his key rivals and move up to second.

Paul Hembery, Pirelli Motorsport Manager, “Suzuka is a race that everybody looks forward to coming to: there’s little left to say that hasn’t been said already about the amazing welcome we receive each year from the Japanese fans and the depth of their enthusiasm and knowledge. For the first time we bring the soft tyre to Suzuka, which should provide a different aspect to the strategy, so we may have some tactical thinking right from qualifying on Saturday. Whatever happens, we’ll be seeing the hard tyre used during the race, as was the case in Malaysia, and also high wear and degradation: which always additionally provides varied strategic opportunities.”

What’s New?

• There are no major changes to the infrastructure or track in Japan this year.
• The race takes place one week later than it did last year, returning to its 2014 calendar slot.
• The FIA has confirmed that drivers will have the same allocation of tyres for next year’s first five races rather than choosing: two sets of the hardest compound available, four sets of the medium compound available, and seven sets of the softest compound available.

Other things that have caught our eye recently?

• Ferrari has gone for the most aggressive tyre choice with nine sets of the soft. In particular, Sebastian Vettel is the only driver to have selected just one set of medium tyres in Japan.
• Pirelli was appointed as the exclusive tyre supplier to the Macau F3 Grand Prix this year.
• Pirelli was also revealed as the exclusive tyre partner of the newly launched Electric GT Championship in Ibiza: a new European series that will use Tesla racing cars next year.

[MIKA27]

KVYAT SET FOR TWO YEAR RED BULL EXTENSION

After a torrid first half of the season it appears that Daniil Kvyat my be for a two year extension with Red Bull which is likely to lock him into a race seat with Toro Rosso for that periodd, despite reports earlier this year that he was set to be ditched at the end of this season.

GMM, citing reports in Russian media, claim that a two year deal with Red Bull is being penned for the Russian and with it putting to bed suggestions that Kvyat would be replaced by highly rated Red Bull junior driver Pierre Gasly.

Should Kvyat remain with the Red Bull owned junior team, it is likely his teammate will be Carlos Sainz. However the Spaniard is being linked to a seat with Renault for next season. His departure would pave the way for Gasly to be promoted to the Formula 1 grid.

Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost said of Kvyat’s recent form, “He has shown a very good performance and it’s good to hear that he still loves Formula 1.”

“Daniil Kvyat is a high-skill driver. He lost it a little bit in the last months but fortunately he is coming back.”

“I hope that for the rest of the season he will also do good races to show his talent and his potential — and then we will see what happens in the future,” added Tost.

[skalls]

My guess is Rosberg, Hamilton, Vettel.  I think at this point Rosberg has the title unless a hand of god smites his remaining engines.

[MIKA27]

Fernando Alonso to race upgraded Honda power unit in Japan

Honda have given the green-light for Fernando Alonso to race their upgraded power unit at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend, after a successful test in Malaysia during free practice.

With Honda having analysed the data gathered during the session, they believe it offers a step forward without compromising reliability.

Although it doesn't offer an outright power advantage, the lighter engine block and revised exhaust are aimed at improving efficiency, costing Honda two development tokens.

The Japanese manufacturer has confirmed the Spaniard will run the engine for the entirety of this weekend and for the remainder of the season. 

He will not incur a penalty, as this was served at the previous race in Malaysia.

Alonso's McLaren team-mate Jenson Button will continue with the current specification for Honda's home event - to avoid any grid penalties - before likely taking the upgrade at the following event in Austin, Texas.

[MIKA27]

1 minute ago, skalls said:

My guess is Rosberg, Hamilton, Vettel.  I think at this point Rosberg has the title unless a hand of god smites his remaining engines.

My guess is;

P1: Rosberg

P2: Verstappen

P3: Alonso  (Wishful thinking but wouldn't it be nice)

DNF: Hamilton 

[skalls]

I don't think Alonso is getting a podium this year, but I think Honda gets a couple before the upgrades come in next year--but that's if they contrinue developing the engine Alonso is using.  If they continue with that Size-0 nonsense they are still going to run into problems.

[MIKA27]

Lewis Hamilton calls for press conference format shakeup after Snapchat criticism

Lewis Hamilton has called for the FIA's press conference fomat to be shaken up, suggesting fans, rather than the media, should ask the questions, after he was criticised for using Snapchat during Thursday's session.

The Mercedes driver was seen using his phone as questions were put to other drivers, before a journalist asked what he was looking at on his phone, to which he replied:

"Huh? Yeah, no, just... it’s quite funny, just some snaps of us drivers, it’s quite funny. That’s about it.

"Hey man, we’ve been doing this a long long time and it’s the same each time so [we've] got to keep adding new things to it."

It turns out the Briton was sharing 'snaps' of himself and his fellow drivers with animal filters over their faces, which he posted on his Snapchat.

Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz found the funny side, later tweeting: "Hey @LewisHamilton no offense but my mum says I'm the cutest of both."

But others failed to see the humour, calling it rude and disrespectful, which Hamilton denies, adding that the press conference format should be changed to make it more interesting.

"It's been the same for 10 years," he added. "It's not the media or mediator, it's the format. Fans should be asking the questions!!

"Today was meant to [sic] be fun, not at all disrespectful. Some people take themselves to [sic] seriously. I had a blast, highlight of my day!"

MIKA: I don't often agree with Lewis' antics but I actually think having fans ask the questions is a brilliant idea. Probably the new stakeholders of F1 may be listening to that comment as it's a really good idea IMO. Alot of the media often ask the dumbest questions anyway.

[MIKA27]

Vettel ‘surprised’ by over aggressive comments

Sebastian Vettel was a “bit surprised” to be questioned about his driving at Sepang where his antics earned him a three-place penalty for this weekend’s Japanese GP.

Holding the inside line as he battled with Max Verstappen for track position, Vettel hit the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg.

The impact pitched the championship leader into a spin while also damaging Vettel’s Ferrari and putting him out of the grand prix.

The stewards deemed the four-time World Champion responsible and slapped him a three-place penalty for this weekend’s Japanese GP.

Asked about his over aggressive driving at Suzuka on Thursday, Vettel told reporters: “I’m a bit surprised say you’ve never seen me like this.

“I’ve attacked a lot of cars in all the starts I’ve done in my life into Turn 1, and most of the time I got away with it.

“Sometimes I didn’t and I guess last week was one of those occasions where it just didn’t work.”

The German, though, denied that he was having to overdrive his SF16-H to compensate for its lack of pace.

“I explained before what happened last week, I don’t think there’s so much to analyse or so much to go through.

“You try to squeeze everything from the car you can at any time.

“Sometimes you find yourself overdriving.

“You always try to achieve the best and sometimes you push too hard – it’s normal, it’s human.

“Sometimes you don’t push enough, so it’s about finding the sweet spot in the middle.”

[MIKA27]

Alonso: Big step needed in 2017

Despite praising McLaren-Honda’s progress, Fernando Alonso concedes that another “big step” is needed if they want to fight for podiums and race wins in 2017.

After last year’s wretched campaign, the first back with Honda power, McLaren have made massive gains this season.

The team has become a regular points-scorer, with Alonso or Jenson Button inside the top ten in all but six grands prix.

As a result McLaren have climbed to sixth in the Constructors’ Championship while Alonso is inside the top ten in the Drivers’ standings.

However, further progress in 2017 will require a “big step” forward.

“We are happy with the progress that we made this year,” Alonso said.

“We are able to fight with some competitive teams, like Force India and Williams. Now we have finished four times [in] seventh [position] after the top three teams in the last [six] races.

“It’s definitely a step forward. We’re enjoying this process of starting to be competitive.

“Looking for next year I don’t think we can see anything that is clearly positive or negative.

“I think everything will change massively. We need to work and be very focused on next year’s car. Now it’s theoretical – simulators, wind tunnel numbers and dyno numbers.

“We want to be more competitive next year.

“A big step has been done from last year to this year, but we need another big step for next year, which is going from the last Q3 spots and some points to fight for podiums and wins.

“I think it’s still possible. We have the facilities, and the expertise. I said many times it was just a question of time before we can win. We’re trying to make it as short as possible.”