Latest F1 news in brief

Jordan King will be in F1 if he can come up with a big enough check

Jordan King eyes Manor seat for 2017
FIA to put Hamilton back in spotlight – report
F1 set for five second boost in 2017 – Wehrlein
Hamilton vows to 'go all out for every win'
McLaren hopes to show Suzuka was a blip
Gasly completes three-day Pirelli tire test
Mallya: Force India must stay focused

Jordan King eyes Manor seat for 2017
(GMM) Jordan King looks set to be another rookie on the 2017 grid.

The 22-year-old Briton, currently fifth in the GP2 championship, will drive the Manor car in Friday practice this weekend in Austin.

He is the son of wealthy businessman Justin King, the former boss of British supermarket chain Sainsbury's and now Manor chairman, having been instrumental to the backmarker's rescue from near collapse in 2015.

Now, Jordan King admits he hopes Friday's practice outing is the key to his future on the grid.

"I'll be giving this weekend as big a shot as I can," he said.

"As for next year, I'm undecided as yet. I'll be aiming for a formula one team, there's still a long way to go and there's still a lot happening in the sport."

Indeed, vacancies at Manor could be about to open up, with current drivers Pascal Wehrlein and Esteban Ocon linked for 2017 with Force India and Renault respectively.

King admitted: "Although I can always wait until 2018, something could still happen for 2017 — so it's difficult to answer that question just yet."

Lewis Hamilton

FIA to put Hamilton back in spotlight – report
(GMM) The FIA is tipped to put Lewis Hamilton back in the spotlight ahead of this weekend's US grand prix.

At Suzuka recently, the reigning world champion triggered a controversy and then lashed out at his treatment by the media, after 'Snapchatting' his way through the official FIA press conference on the Thursday.

The Briton, lagging 33 points behind teammate Nico Rosberg now with four races to go, then refused to take questions in a post-qualifying press conference organized by Mercedes for the written media.

Team chairman Niki Lauda said after the controversial weekend: "It will not get out of hand.

"We will talk to him so that he can politely proceed with the media, especially when we convene our press conferences," the F1 legend added.

Now, British newspaper The Sun claims the FIA could schedule Hamilton to appear once again in the Thursday press conference this week in Austin.

That is despite the fact that the press conference is routinely attended only by six drivers, making back-to-back appearances for a single driver rare.

But the Sun said it "understands F1 bosses are keen for (Hamilton) to face the music for a second time".

Although sections of the media think Hamilton is in 'meltdown', other pundits doubt the triple world champion will give up on 2016, even though Rosberg can now finish second at every race and still emerge as world champion.

Hamilton said: "It's just about hitting every race weekend as hard as I can, going all out for every win and seeing what happens from there. I'll be holding nothing back out there."

Pascal Wehrlein. Cars will be 5-seconds per lap faster but passing will be near impossible

F1 set for five second boost in 2017 – Wehrlein
(GMM) Pascal Wehrlein thinks predictions of a five second per lap boost for F1 next year could be right.

The German is among only a handful of drivers who have been taking part in Pirelli's testing of the bigger and wider slicks next year.

Wehrlein's latest running took place in less than ideal weather in Barcelona, but he said afterwards: "I can't say much, but yes — the tires are faster."

Although racing for Manor, Wehrlein remains closely involved with Mercedes, who along with Ferrari and Red Bull have modified 2015-spec cars to assist with Pirelli's 2017 testing.

Along with the bigger tires, F1 cars are also getting substantially more downforce for next year, leading Wehrlein to predict: "Five seconds per lap (faster) is quite realistic.

"Whether it is six seconds or four, we will have to see, but it will be much faster. On top of that, the wide tires look much better," he added.

Some figures, including Pirelli's Paul Hembery and Sebastian Vettel, have said the 2017 improvement is hard to quantify, particularly because the 2015 test cars are not yet producing enough downforce.

Wehrlein said: "We will have to see how it will be with the 2017 cars, but the new tires offer more grip. That is a fact."

Lewis Hamilton was called up to test the slicks last week, but Mercedes said he pulled out at the last moment with a sore foot.

But former F1 driver Stefan Johansson thinks Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel have been smart at leaping at every single opportunity to test the 2017 tires.

"I guarantee you that this will give him an advantage next year," said the former McLaren and Ferrari driver.

"Without a shadow of doubt, those tires will be based largely on his input," Johansson told his blog.

"It's an incredibly smart move on his part and incredibly stupid on the other drivers' parts not to dedicate the time to testing if it's available to them.

"That's exactly what Michael Schumacher did. Every chance he had to test, he took it — and some," he added.

Hamilton likes winning USGP

Hamilton vows to 'go all out for every win'
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton says he will be "going all out for every win" across the last four races of the season in a bid to overturn Nico Rosberg's 33-point advantage and claim a fourth world title.

Hamilton led the standings during Formula 1's summer break, before slipping behind Rosberg in Singapore, but was on course to move back ahead until he suffered an engine failure while leading in Malaysia.

Rosberg duly extended his title advantage with a dominant victory in Japan, while Hamilton was left in third place, having suffered another slow getaway off the line.

With 100 points up for grabs across the remaining rounds, Hamilton says he will be "holding nothing back" as he bids to wrestle back control of the title battle.

"We've got four races left to make the most of it and that's exactly what I plan to do," Hamilton said.

"It's just about hitting every race weekend as hard as I can, going all out for every win and seeing what happens from there. I'll be holding nothing back out there."

Hamilton has savored victory in the United States on four occasions, having triumphed at the Circuit of the Americas in 2012, 2014 and 2015, as well as at Indianapolis in 2007.

"First up, we're back in the States – which is like a second home race for me these days," he said.

"I've got some great memories from Austin, with three wins from four races and, of course, the title win last year.
"That was one of the highlights of my career, no doubt.

"It's almost like the American fans have adopted me as their own, so I'll try to channel all of that positive energy into this weekend."

McLaren was out-to-lunch in Japan

McLaren hopes to show Suzuka was a blip
McLaren Racing Director Eric Boullier is hopeful that the outfit can prove its dismal showing in Japan was a one-off, when Formula 1 returns to action in the United States this weekend.

McLaren has made progress this year to establish itself towards the front of the midfield pack, with Fernando Alonso finishing seventh in Belgium, Singapore and Malaysia.

However, McLaren slumped down the order at Suzuka, with Alonso mired in 16th and Jenson Button only 18th, having started from the back of the grid after a power unit penalty.

"It's no secret that we didn't achieve the results we were looking for at Suzuka," accepted Boullier.

"Since returning from Japan we've been working hard to find the appropriate solutions to avoid a continuation of this in Austin.

"The Circuit of The Americas is a very different challenge in its configuration, so we hope we'll be able to see improved performance there.

"However, we mustn't be complacent, and instead keep fighting hard as we have been all year to get the best out of our package and its strengths as we head into the final back-to-back races of the season."

Boullier added that McLaren must work diligently in order find the right compromise for its package around the tricky Austin circuit this weekend.

"Achieving a delicate compromise to suit the varying demands of this track – fast corners, slow corners, and a long straight – will be the key to maximizing our performance," he said.

"We'll be working hard to find the right balance and set-up as soon as we hit the track on Friday."

Pierre Gasly

Gasly completes three-day Pirelli tire test
Pirelli completed its latest tire test as Red Bull junior driver Pierre Gasly racked up 277 laps across three days of running at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

Pirelli was frustrated last week when its two-day test with Mercedes at Barcelona was disrupted by wet weather, but the company enjoyed warm and sunny conditions in Abu Dhabi.

Gasly completed 81 laps on Friday, 103 laps on Saturday and 93 laps on Sunday to accrue over 1,500km worth of running on Pirelli's 2017 tires, which are 25 per cent wider than the current specification.

Pirelli has been carrying out tire testing in association with Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull, with the teams providing 2015 cars modified to simulate anticipated 2017 downforce levels.

Pirelli's next test will take place at the start of November, once more with Red Bull at the Yas Marina Circuit.

The data gathered during these tests will be provided to all 11 Formula 1 teams, ensuring no outfit gains an unfair advantage.

Pirelli's tire development test schedule:

Using modified 2015 cars, with 2017 tire sizes

Dates	Track	Teams	Tire Type	Drivers
August 1/2	Fiorano	Ferrari	Wets	Sebastian Vettel / Esteban Gutiérrez
August 3/4	Mugello	Red Bull	Slicks	Sebastien Buemi
September 6/7	Barcelona	Ferrari	Slicks	Sebastian Vettel / Kimi RÃ¤ikkÃ¶nen
September 6/7/8	Paul Ricard	Mercedes	Slicks	Pascal Wehrlein
September 21/22	Paul Ricard	Mercedes	Wets	Pascal Wehrlein
October 12/13	Barcelona	Mercedes	Slicks	Nico Rosberg / Pascal Wehrlein*
October 14/15/16	Abu Dhabi	Red Bull	Slicks	Pierre Gasly
November 2/3	Abu Dhabi	Red Bull	Slicks	TBD
November 14/15/16	Abu Dhabi	Ferrari	Wets	TBD
November 29	Abu Dhabi	Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull	All	TBD

*Slick tire test was interrupted by wet weather

Vijay Mallya

Mallya: Force India must stay focused
Force India Team Principal Vijay Mallya has urged his squad to stay focused as it bids to strengthen fourth position in the Constructors' championship at the next two events in the United States and Mexico.

Force India, which been locked in a battle with Williams over fourth place in the standings, has taken a double points finish in five of the last six Grands Prix, opening a 10-point lead over Williams in the process.

Mallya reckons its recent form is encouraging but insists that it has to maintain its current level if the outfit is to achieve its best ever finish in the standings.

"We were close to maximizing our potential at each of those events and that's all we can do at this stage of the season," Mallya said, reflecting on events at Sepang and Suzuka.

"We're in the middle of a very busy spell for the sport with four races within a month.

"The motivation and belief in the team are high and the visit to North America is always a highlight of the year.

"At such a busy time, it's important to keep focus: the margins between success and failure are very small and we need to perform at the top of our game in every area.

"I'm proud of the job we are doing and excited about the challenge ahead of us."