Latest F1 news in brief

Lewis Hamilton

Wolff denies Hamilton in title meltdown
Ermilin hopes for three-team fight in 2017
Red Bull, Williams, propose Bahrain test compromise
Massa not ready to farewell F1 paddock
Alonso: McLaren pace a 'nasty surprise'
Wolff: Mercedes 'almost faultless' since 2014

Wolff denies Hamilton in title meltdown
(GMM) Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has defended Lewis Hamilton at the end of a tumultuous weekend for the reigning world champion.

Briton Hamilton ended his troubled Suzuka weekend – which culminated in Mercedes winning the constructors' world championship – by deleting a Tweet referring to an "idiot".

Earlier, he was in a standoff with the media, he messed up the start of Sunday's Japanese grand prix, and he failed to get past Max Verstappen at the end of the race.

Mercedes protested Verstappen's alleged movement under braking, but via Twitter, Hamilton denied the protest had even been lodged and referred to an "idiot" who started the story.

However, the story was true, and Hamilton subsequently deleted the Tweet.

Mercedes then withdrew the protest, but when asked about Hamilton's tumultuous Suzuka weekend off the track, team boss Wolff said: "Let him do his talking on the track.

"His performances in the car justify some collateral damage."

Team chairman Niki Lauda thinks it is now almost "impossible" for Hamilton to win the title, but Wolff denied that his driver is now effectively in meltdown.

"In Malaysia, Lewis dominated the weekend but then there was the engine failure which was not easy to cope with.

"Then there were all these events related to the (Thursday) press conference, but I don't think that affected him at the start. After that, he had a great race."

So Wolff tipped Hamilton to bounce back soon, and played down any suggestion the 31-year-old should be reprimanded for detracting from Mercedes' championship win.

"After such a race, it is not the right moment to really put the finger where it hurts.

"In my experience of the last few years, the situation often looks completely different after 24 hours," he said.

"Our main goal is to help Lewis, but there are ten days until Austin so there is no need to hurry — unlike last week.

"At the same time, it is true that Lewis works best under pressure and when he has a target, so I have no doubt it will be a tough fight until the very end.

"We are still very far from being able to say that it is over."

The car designs of Aldo Costa (L) and Adrian Newey have dominated F1 for over 15 years. Can we expect any different in 2017?

Ermilin hopes for three-team fight in 2017
(GMM) F1 could be set for a much tighter title battle in 2017, according to a leading motor racing official.

Igor Ermilin, the presidential advisor at the Russian motor racing federation, said Mercedes' dominance of the sport for the past three years is not surprising.

"It happens from time to time and has been cyclical for more than 50 years," he told the Tass news agency.

But he thinks that could all change for 2017, when a group of strong challengers to Mercedes tackle the all-new chassis and tire regulations.

"Yes, this is possible," Ermilin said when asked if Mercedes can be beaten, "particularly when looking at the Japanese grand prix.

"Ferrari is close enough, Red Bull has probably always had the best chassis, Renault has developed quite an efficient engine — it is clear that the competition has increased at the end of the season.

"Mercedes is still there, but taking into account the changes in the regulations, I would not be surprised if there is a change in status," he added.

"It would be very good for formula one if there are three equal teams, because Mercedes' advantage is too high and a little boring," said Ermilin.

Horner says if Pirelli and Mercedes want a preseason test in Bahrain, they should pay for all the teams to go

Red Bull, Williams, propose Bahrain test compromise
(GMM) Two F1 team bosses have made a proposal to end the dispute over the location of next year's crucial pre-season testing.

Pirelli is keen to test its bigger and grippier 2017 slicks in the warm and dry climate of Bahrain, and has secured the support of Mercedes and some other teams.

Others, however, are opposed to moving the testing away from Europe, mainly on cost grounds.

"We are categorically against pre-season tests in the Middle East," said Williams' Pat Symonds. "It is absolutely wrong."

Red Bull is also opposed, except in the case that someone else picks up the bill.

"If Pirelli wants us to go to Bahrain, then they should assume part of the costs," said team boss Christian Horner.

Horner's Red Bull colleague Dr Helmut Marko, meanwhile, told the Swiss newspaper Blick: "If Mercedes pays the 750,000 euros, we will also come to Bahrain."

Horner explained: "The extra cost is between 300 and 700,000 pounds, depending on the logistics, and it seems unfair to put all of that on the teams."

He said one possible solution is that teams stick with the original pre-season plan in Barcelona, start the 2017 season, and then stay in Bahrain for a post-race test.

"The first four races are likely to be quite cool, so I think a more logical solution would be to stay in Bahrain after the race," said Horner.

That idea is also supported by Williams' Symonds.

"He (Horner) is not the only one who has suggested it," he pointed out.

"But I think it's a reasonable idea, although I don't think Bahrain is an absolutely ideal test circuit.

"I think if Pirelli has a conservative tire choice for the first few races, I don't think it would be a problem. But 400,000 pounds extra for testing in Bahrain is a serious problem.

"Perhaps not for Mercedes and Ferrari, but for our budget it is a very significant amount," Symonds said.

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Massa not ready to farewell F1 paddock
(GMM) Felipe Massa is honing in on his future in motor sport beyond the end of his formula one racing career.

The 35-year-old Brazilian is retiring after November's Abu Dhabi finale, but he insists to Italy's La Gazzetta Sportiva that he is determined to stay active in motor racing in other roles.

"On the table are three possibilities," said the former Ferrari driver, who currently drives for Williams.

"World endurance championship, the German DTM and Formula E. I'm considering what to do," revealed Massa.

Not only that, Massa said he also wants to remain active in the F1 paddock.

"I will go to some grands prix as a representative for companies and as a TV commentator," he said.

Massa said two highlights of his career were his first home win at Interlagos, and when Michael Schumacher announced his decision to retire at Monza in 2006.

"It was his decision, but I know that he did so also to give an opportunity for me," he said.

"Michael was sometimes a little hard and cold, but if he liked you he could become your big brother. I have met his son Mick who is a great boy with a big heart.

"It is not so easy to endure what happened to him (Michael)," Massa added.

As for Massa and Schumacher's old team Ferrari, Massa admitted the great Italian marque is in "a bit of trouble".

"They still have a lot of work to do but in Maranello they know how to do it," he said.

We said Alonso was hallucinating if he thought the McLaren Honda team was going to be winning races in 2017. Reality has set in.

Alonso: McLaren slow pace a 'nasty surprise'
Fernando Alonso has described McLaren's pace at the Japanese Grand Prix as a "nasty surprise" as it slumped to a low-key result on a difficult weekend for the team.

Alonso arrived in Japan having finished seventh at three of the previous four races, though the outfit struggled at Suzuka, lacking crucial downforce through the high-speed corners.

Alonso managed only 16th place, his worst finish of the season, with team-mate Jenson Button further back in 18th spot.

"Our race reflected the whole weekend: it was just anonymous," said Alonso.

"To finish 16th and 18th is a rather nasty surprise, especially after finishing seventh in Singapore, and seventh and ninth in Malaysia, just a weekend ago.

"I hope this was an exceptional and unique event, and that we'll return to business as usual at the next race, in Austin. "

"It was clear that the layout of the track didn't suit our package – we lacked downforce through the faster corners."

Button nonetheless insisted he enjoyed his race, despite starting from the back after McLaren changed some elements in his power unit.

"I made a poor start – the components in the back of the car were all-new, so I got massive wheel spin and was therefore somewhat left behind on the start line," he said.

"Then it was really difficult to get past the Manors – they'd started the race on the Soft tire, and I was on the Hard, so it was hard to make a move stick.

"I eventually got past them though and, despite racing with the backmarkers, I still had some fun out there – a few little battles – but we were a long way behind the points-scorers."

Wolff congratulates the team on another title with the Aldo Costa wondermobile

Wolff: Mercedes 'almost faultless' since 2014
Toto Wolff has heaped praise on the Mercedes workforce after the manufacturer claimed its third successive Formula 1 Constructors' title.

Mercedes' celebrations were put on hold in Malaysia, where Red Bull claimed a 1-2, but the inevitable was confirmed at Suzuka on Sunday.

Nico Rosberg took a comfortable victory from pole position, while Lewis Hamilton recovered from eighth to third, after suffering a poor start.

"There are so many great people in this team that have won the Constructors' title," Wolff explained to Sky Sports after the Grand Prix.

"I have the honor of representing them in front of the camera, no more, no less. They were almost faultless through these three years, it's great to work with them."

Wolff also praised the efforts of Rosberg and Hamilton over the years.

"Our two drivers are great," Wolff went on to comment.

"They're not only the best in the world, but they also push each other to new levels. If one has a bad day then they are pushed up by the other, because they set the benchmark.

"It has functioned well. I'm really happy, [even] with all the little wobbles."

Wolff also stated that he is desperate for further reliability problems not to come into play over the remaining four races, with Rosberg now 33 points clear of Hamilton.

"[Hamilton] had a great weekend in Malaysia and we let him down," added Wolff.

"He still has every chance to win the title. It's quite a big gap if everything goes right, but we have seen that one DNF and the other guy winning is 25 points, and it is open again.

"We just want to give them equal material and equal cars."