Latest F1 news in brief

Vettel gets service after tire blew

Vettel's attack on Pirelli 'not right' – Lauda
Nasr hits out at 'unacceptable' Sauber problem
'No reason' for 2016 driver change – Horner
Alonso happy to beat Button at Spa
Sochi promoter admits night race possible
Ex-F1 driver Wilson in coma after crash

Vettel's attack on Pirelli 'not right' – Lauda
(GMM) Niki Lauda has leapt to Pirelli's defense, after Sebastian Vettel launched a stinging attack on the F1 tire supplier following the Belgian grand prix.

Following the high-speed blowout that essentially ended the Ferrari driver's outside shot at the 2015 title, Vettel slammed the quality of Pirelli's tires.

It was the second blowout of the weekend for a rear Pirelli tire at fabled Spa-Francorchamps, following Nico Rosberg's on Friday.

Vettel launched an attack on Pirelli via the media after the race, but he reportedly also accosted Paul Hembery face-to-face in the paddock.

There are differing accounts of what Vettel told the Briton, but Germany's Bild newspaper claims he said to Hembery: "Your tires are extremely dangerous".

Pirelli hit back in the form of an official statement, saying teams refused to accept a proposal in 2013 to set a maximum number of laps per tire set.

"These conditions, if applied today at Spa, would have limited the maximum number of laps on the medium compound to 22," the statement read.

And Hembery told the press: "I understand Sebastian's frustration but Ferrari took a risk and it didn't come off."

While admitting Vettel's one-stop strategy was "aggressive", Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene denied that it was unreasonably risky.

"We have an engineer from Pirelli — what do you think he is for?" he said. "He's not there to chew gum but to follow all the runs. We had zero warning. I can show you the paper," added Arrivabene.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, however, hit out at Vettel for pointing the finger so accusatorily at Pirelli.

"It is understandable that Ferrari tried the strategy and that Vettel is sour," he said, "but I have to defend Pirelli.

"It was a conscious decision by Ferrari to take a risk. We took measures after our puncture on Friday and even considered a third stop."

Lauda agreed: "Ferrari should not complain if a risky strategy does not work out. What Vettel said about his tire partner is not right and I would not accept it from one of our drivers."

Christian Danner, a former driver turned pundit for German television, added: "Basically, Niki is 100 per cent right.

"As it is always in motor sport, when you go to the limit, it can go wrong for you."

Not quite on his bosses' side, however, is Nico Rosberg, who had the unexplained 300kph blowout on Friday.

After Vettel's race incident, the Mercedes driver said: "Somehow we need to make it safer. So if they are not able to solve the problem in the two weeks before Monza, which again is very high speed, then we need to have something in place after that."

Other teams are also concerned. Lotus engineer Alan Permane told Auto Motor und Sport: "If Pirelli tells us that the tire lasts for 40 laps, then it should not fail after 28."

Felipe Nasr

Nasr hits out at 'unacceptable' Sauber problem
(GMM) Felipe Nasr has criticized his team for yet another braking problem in 2015.

The Brazilian has complained of a recurring problem more than once this season, and now he says it affected his entire Belgian grand prix.

"I basically had only three wheels because of the completely wrong brake balance," Nasr told Globo, adding that he also had problems in Canada and Austria.

The Swiss outfit, although struggling financially, had tried to fix the issue by switching between Brembo and Carbon Industries, so it might be said now that the brake supplier can be ruled out.

Perhaps the problem is the quality of the work being carried out at Hinwil?

"I agree with everything said. It has become an unacceptable thing," Nasr told the correspondent Livio Oricchio.

Sauber technical boss Gianpaolo Dall'Ara, however, said the Swiss team has traced the problem to a "material" fault.

"Felipe used the same set of discs in free practice and qualifying," he said, "and had no difficulties."

He added: "We do not have the ability to buy 50 sets of discs, as some teams do, to see which are the best ones."

As for Nasr's emotional post-race comments, Dall'Ara added: "When a driver sees his teammate not face the same problems and racing in front of him, it is an uncomfortable feeling."

Horner has no plan to change drivers for 2016

'No reason' for 2016 driver change – Horner
(GMM) Red Bull looks set to prepare for the 2016 season with an unchanged pair of drivers.

The former world championship-winning team's current drivers are Daniel Ricciardo alongside young Russian Daniil Kvyat.

"I don't see any reason for us to change," boss Christian Horner said at Spa-Francorchamps.

"We are very pleased with our two drivers. On the other hand, we have no reason to rush anything, because both drivers have long-term agreements with Red Bull."

Horner also revealed that Ricciardo and Kvyat will probably have to take grid demotions at Monza in two weeks, due to needing a new Renault power unit each.

"There are still a lot of races left, so penalties are inevitable," said Horner.

"Strategically, Monza is the most likely venue for that, as Singapore will be our next best opportunity for a good result."

Alonso happy to beat Button at Spa
(GMM) The Belgian grand prix was not all bad, according to Fernando Alonso.

His teammate Jenson Button ended the Spa-Francorchamps race admitting it had even been "embarrassing", as he was "just driving around" with a totally uncompetitive McLaren-Honda.

The Briton said the hybrid parts of his Japanese-made 'power unit' were not working, but explained: "This result shows us where we are right now. It will be the same at Monza."

Spaniard Alonso, however, was happier.

First, he played down suggestions he is shaping up for a move to a potentially Mercedes-powered Red Bull for 2016.

He said a photograph of him emerging from the Red Bull motor home at Spa was simply the result of a visit to his former race engineer Paul Monaghan.

"We were talking about totally other things," Alonso said. "He is building a small boat and for this he needs a Honda engine!" he laughed.

Alonso was also happy with his personal performance in Belgium.

"I think it was my best race at Spa," he is quoted by El Confidencial newspaper. "Despite the result, I was 40 seconds ahead of Jenson, who took pole position and won here two years ago.

"There are 44 laps so that is almost one second advantage per lap with the same car. I'll take that," he added.

Sochi promoter admits night race possible
(GMM) Russian grand prix promoter Sergei Vorobyov has admitted Sochi could switch to a night race format in the future.

Vorobyov travelled to Spa-Francorchamps for talks with Bernie Ecclestone, with the F1 supremo telling reporters that Russia's switch to floodlit racing is a possibility for 2017.

"2017 is an optimistic scenario for the night race," Vorobyov said.

"Maybe it will be 2018, 2019, but I am sure that on October 11, the day of the (2015) grand prix, we will have more detail about our plans."

Vorobyov revealed that it is Ecclestone, the F1 chief executive, who is driving the concept of a Russian night race.

"Mr. Ecclestone was very impressed with his view of the Olympic Park from a helicopter," he said. "So he expressed his desire to eventually see the Russian grand prix at night.

"We also like the idea and will calculate the economic component now," he added.

Justin Wilson

Ex-F1 driver Wilson in coma after crash
(GMM) Former F1 driver Justin Wilson is in a coma following an incident during an Indycar race on Sunday.

The 37-year-old Briton raced for Minardi and Jaguar in 2003, having won the GP2 predecessor Formula 3000 in 2001.

Now a veteran of American open wheel racing, Wilson was racing on an oval circuit in Pennsylvania on Sunday when the nose-cone of a crashed car struck him on the helmet.

He was immediately knocked unconscious, spearing into a barrier, and Indycar announced later that he suffered a severe head injury and is in a critical condition and coma.