Latest F1 news in brief

A center post right in the center of the driver's field of vision. Are they nuts? It will protect the driver though……until he crashes when his vision is obstructed

F1 to test cockpit-'halo' idea in September
Ferrari plays down Monza hopes
Susie Wolff admits F1 race dream nearing end
Briatore backs Pirelli as Vettel anger continues
Briatore urges Mercedes to supply Red Bull
Promoter says Ecclestone milk stunt ended protest threat
'No panic' as Lotus looks into uncertain future – Grosjean
Ferrari blocked Porsche seat for Vergne

F1 to test cockpit-'halo' idea in September
(GMM) The death of Justin Wilson, mere weeks after F1's first race fatality since 1994, has put the spotlight back on cockpit protection.

Before the Jules Bianchi and Wilson tragedies, Felipe Massa was almost killed in 2009 when a flying spring struck his helmet, and Henry Surtees died in a similar incident in Formula 2.

Reports say F1's governing body is now reviving the idea of cockpit protection — not jet-fighter style canopies, but a solid 'halo' encircling the driver's head that was conceived by Mercedes.

"Formula one investigators will renew tests on closed cockpits next month", revealed Times correspondent Kevin Eason.

And a report in Spain's Marca added: "Yesterday there was a meeting, where the Wilson case was put on the table. It has been agreed to do new testing in September."

FIA race director Charlie Whiting told Reuters: "We have to persevere. We must make something, even if it's not 100 per cent in terms of protecting the driver under all circumstances."

Following some earlier skepticism, it appears the drivers themselves are also now on board, with former Marussia driver Max Chilton saying: "It is something I think is definitely the route to go.

"It might be in five years, it might be in 10 years, but I can guarantee you there will be covers eventually," he told Britain's Sky.

And British motor racing figure Trevor Carlin insisted: "If there are obvious solutions, we should pursue them and we should do so quickly and with serious intent."

Ferrari plays down Monza hopes
(GMM) Ferrari will debut an upgraded engine at its forthcoming home race, boss Maurizio Arrivabene has announced.

However, he admitted that the Maranello team might struggle on the long straights of Monza.

"We know very well that the characteristics of Monza are similar to Spa and Barcelona," he said, "which is less suitable for our car.

"I am sorry because it is the Italian grand prix, but I want to be a realist," Arrivabene added. "I have no intention to deceive the Tifosi — I prefer to say things as they are."

Ferrari may, however, get a boost from an upgraded engine, benefitting from the exchange of perhaps two in-season development 'tokens'.

"We might spent some tokens, but it will be very little, therefore it is not worth talking about a 'super power unit'," said Arrivabene.

Susie Wolff admits F1 race dream nearing end
(GMM) Susie Wolff has admitted she might be nearing the end of her patience in the quest for a formula one seat.

The 32-year-old Scot's hopes of becoming the first woman in decades to contest grands prix were dealt a major blow earlier this year, when Williams overlooked her as the official race reserve driver.

"It wasn't the best time of my career," she said, recalling the day Adrian Sutil was revealed in the role she coveted. "It was certainly tough."

Wolff, whose husband is the Mercedes chief and minor Williams shareholder Toto, has been a Williams test driver since 2012, even driving on some Friday mornings at races.

But she admitted to CNN that the Sutil story has made her wonder if her dream of actually racing in F1 may never happen.

"I can't wait on the sidelines forever for my chance," she said.

"There doesn't seem to be many opportunities for next year to get onto the grid. This is going to be a winter of reflection because either it happens or it doesn't."

Briatore backs Pirelli as Vettel anger continues
(GMM) Flavio Briatore has backed Pirelli in its spat with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.

In the wake of Vettel's expletive-filled rant following his tire blowout at Spa-Francorchamps, the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport wondered if the German driver was also angry at his team for trying the risky strategy.

"Just to make things clear," Vettel said in an ultra-rare personal statement on his official website this week.

"The team and I decided our strategy for the race together. I support the team and the team supports me. And this is what makes us a team.

"Our strategy was never risky, at any point. The team is not to blame," he insisted.

Vettel's statement makes clear he is still angry at Pirelli, while the same can no longer be said of Nico Rosberg, who also suffered a high-speed blowout last weekend and was critical.

"I know how Sebastian felt when first his tire and then his temper burst," Mercedes' Rosberg wrote in his column for Bild newspaper.

"With us drivers, the emotions can run high and this is quite normal. We have family and friends back home. We are under constant pressure to deliver our maximum."

Former Renault team boss Briatore, meanwhile, has sided strongly with Pirelli in the wake of Vettel's outburst.

The Italian says Ferrari was to blame for the blowout.

"Look, it's simple," Briatore is quoted by Italy's La Repubblica. "Before the race you get an indication of how many pitstops you have to do, and you have to follow those indications.

"Tires are a critical component of the sport, and so if you are told that you should do two or maybe three pitstops, then you choose to do just one stop only at your own risk.

"You might be ok, but if not, then you cannot blame the manufacturer," he insisted.

Briatore, however, is not overly critical of Vettel or Ferrari, as he says "all this fuss" in the wake of the Belgian grand prix "is good for F1".

"At least the media is talking about it. If not, I would only be here saying for the two hundredth time that Hamilton won," he added.

Similarly, former two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen agrees with Briatore that Vettel's one-stop strategy might be considered too risky at Spa.

"At Spa, for example in Eau Rouge, a huge amount of downforce is pressing down on the car and over the curbs," he is quoted by Finland's Ilta Sanomat newspaper.

"The teams try to analyze how long the tires can last, and you should not take too many risks," added Hakkinen.

Briatore urges Mercedes to supply Red Bull
(GMM) Flavio Briatore has urged Mercedes to supply engines to Red Bull.

While the F1 world waits for Renault to decide its next steps, struggling Red Bull is reportedly pushing to break its 2016 contract and team up with Mercedes.

Arch rival Mercedes, however, is wondering whether supplying the field-leading 'power unit' to former quadruple world champions Red Bull is a good move.

Briatore, the former Renault team boss, thinks so.

"Why would they (Mercedes) do it? For the competition," the flamboyant Italian is quoted by La Repubblica.

"If I was Mercedes I would give the engines to Red Bull. To win, you have to have someone to race against. And a race is what is lacking now in F1.

"The first goal of a team like Mercedes is to have a race. The second is to win it," Briatore argued.

Promoter says Ecclestone milk stunt ended protest threat
(GMM) The promoter of the Belgian grand prix has admitted local dairy farmers posed a real threat to the smooth running of last weekend's race.

At Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone stunned and puzzled the paddock when he appeared alongside a plastic cow and drank milk straight from the carton.

But he denied angry Belgian dairy farmers had threatened to disrupt Sunday's race in protest of inequitable milk prices by blocking access roads with giant tankers, insisting "They wouldn't block the roads".

However, Belgian grand prix promoter Andre Maes has confirmed that the farmer's threat was real.

"We had to solve some problems," Maes told the Belgian daily La Derniere Heure, as he looked back on the success of the event.

"The biggest threat came from the farmers, who were planning to block the entrance to the road.

"Fortunately, we managed to resolve this problem by switching them to a reasonable, effective and eye-catching media campaign, namely to meet with Bernie Ecclestone who drank milk and talked with them for 15 minutes," he added.

'No panic' as Lotus looks into uncertain future – Grosjean
(GMM) Even amid high speculation about the team's future, Lotus is continuing to plan ahead.

The last word about the Enstone team was that, as buyout talks with Renault potentially falter, all of Lotus' equipment including the two black and gold cars was seized by court bailiffs after the Belgian grand prix.

Asked if the team is now in a state of panic, driver Romain Grosjean said: "No, the team management will not act to the detriment of the team.

"Of course, the situation is difficult," he told Canal Plus, "and I have not hidden it, saying that the team could be sold."

Indeed, Grosjean revealed that the current team owners are willing only to keep Lotus ticking over while Renault makes its decision.

It hurt the French driver tangibly at Spa, when he had to take a grid demotion due to a penalty for changing the gearbox.

"We had no spare gearbox," Grosjean said, "so we broke our race 'box and had to take the five-position penalty."

But he said the situation and uncertainty is not getting Lotus down.

"We are talking about a group of quite extraordinary people who come to work at the moment in not an easy situation," said Grosjean.

"On the other hand, we know that if Renault will buy the team – and we hope that this will happen – then it will turn into a beautiful story and an interesting adventure.

"If all the people stay in Enstone I think we will be able to return to the top quite quickly," he added.

Renault, said to have also commenced talks with Force India, is set to take its decision in September.

Auto Hebdo, a French magazine, claimed the French carmaker is offering Lotus' current owners EUR 7.5 million upfront, and EUR 50 million over the next ten years for a 60 per cent shareholding.

In the meantime, the Enstone team is looking to secure the services of Pastor Maldonado, the controversial Venezuelan driver who brings millions to Lotus in the form of his lucrative backing by PDVSA.

"I hope everything is done by Monza," deputy team boss Federico Gastaldi is quoted by Spain's Marca.

"Maldonado stays with us, as he and PDVSA have a contract until 2017."

Ferrari blocked Porsche seat for Vergne
(GMM) Jean-Eric Vergne was offered a seat alongside Le Mans winner Nico Hulkenberg at Porsche for 2015, it has emerged.

"I just had to sign the contract," said the former Toro Rosso driver, who is looking to return to F1 next year with the new Ferrari-aligned entrant Haas.

But it was Frenchman Vergne's role as a Ferrari test driver this year that ultimately scuppered his Le Mans hopes.

"Ferrari didn't want me to, so I did not accept the offer," he told the French magazine Auto Hebdo.