Latest F1 news in brief

Ferrari has nothing for them. Canada will be another boring 1-2 parade by the sandbagging Mercedes team

Ferrari threat dwindles in Canada
Pirelli on pole to win 2017 contract
Force India 'B' car passes crash tests
Briatore, Mosley say F1 needs major shakeup
'No discussion' about drivers yet – McLaren
Ricciardo smiles warning to struggling Red Bull

Ferrari threat dwindles in Canada
(GMM) Ferrari's threat to Mercedes dwindled in Montreal qualifying.

As the championship leaders crunched the numbers after Friday practice, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff admitted Ferrari's engine upgrade might have closed the gap — and beyond.

"Ferrari is much faster than us in the race simulation," he had said.

But Ferrari technical boss James Allison warned that Mercedes might have been "hiding their light under a bushel".

Indeed, while Ferrari's improvement has been estimated at between 15 and 30hp, a reliability upgrade for Mercedes is believed to have also added power.

Paddock rumors say the fix means Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are now able to safely use another, higher engine 'mode'.

And in Canada qualifying, Mercedes easily saw off the Ferrari threat, even though Sebastian Vettel's challenge was ended by a faulty part worth ten euros.

"It doesn't cost much," he confirmed to German television, "but it cost me my qualifying."

So the Ferrari challenge was left to Kimi Raikkonen, who qualified third but six tenths behind Hamilton's pole.

"On Friday it looked as if Ferrari had made a massive step," Wolff said after qualifying, "but I think the GPS measurements had disturbed us.

"It did not fit with the laptimes we then saw on Saturday."

Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda also admitted his relief.

"We are back where we belong: in first and second place with a gap to third. But this race is incredibly hard for the engine and the brakes.

"So let's wait and see," he told RTL television.

As for a potential repeat of the strategy blunder that cost Hamilton victory in Monaco, F1 legend Lauda insisted: "That cannot happen again, because we have changed everything."

13" wheels to remain in F1

Pirelli on pole to win 2017 contract
(GMM) The likelihood Michelin will enter the race to become F1's 2017 tire supplier is dwindling by the day.

The French company announced its interest recently, just as the FIA kicked off a new tender process for the sole tire supplier contract for 2017-2019.

Pirelli, F1's official partner since 2011, has already announced it will lodge its application by the deadline.

"On June 17, our offer (application) will be delivered," said chairman and chief executive Marco Tronchetti Provera last week.

But when asked about Michelin's apparent interest, he added: "On the 17th, we will see who is there."

Michelin has reportedly now dropped its condition that a 'tire war' must be reinstated in F1, but the company – whose relationship with F1 and the FIA soured dramatically as it left the sport in 2006 – does want some key changes.

One of them is the move from traditional 13-inch wheel rims to the more modern 18 or 19 inch, and even Pirelli has been toying with that possibility as well.

But suddenly in Canada, teams were revealing that F1 wheels will probably stay at 13 inches for 2017 and beyond.

"As (Mercedes') Paddy (Lowe) said, the rim diameter is going to stay where it is but the width of the tire is probably still up for grabs," said Ferrari technical director James Allison.

The Speed Week publication claims a strong element of politics has crept into the issue, with neither Bernie Ecclestone – who openly wants Pirelli to stay – nor the FIA happy that Michelin tried to dictate the terms of its potential return.

The 13-inch issue, therefore, appears to be a major victory for Pirelli.

"I can only say that the words of Paddy and James reflect what is being discussed in the Strategy Group. But we remain open to everything," Paul Hembery, Pirelli's F1 chief, said diplomatically.

And now, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff says he is more than happy with Pirelli.

"We are very pleased with Pirelli," he told the French-language Montreal newspaper La Presse.

"They do a great job. Every time they were asked for something, they delivered.

"Personally, I think if we can continue with Pirelli, that will be good," Wolff added.

Force India 'B' car passes crash tests
(GMM) Force India is on track to roll out its highly-anticipated 'B' car in Austria.

Following winter delays, Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez have struggled to hide their frustration so far in 2015 as they race with the VJM08.

"Definitely impatient," German Hulkenberg answered in Canada when asked to sum up his mood ahead of the seventh round of the season.

Even the road to getting the 'B' car has been bumpy, as it emerged recently that the crucial 'short nose' for the new package had failed the FIA crash test.

But deputy boss Bob Fernley said in Montreal: "We passed all the crash test requirements this week.

"We failed the first one, got through the second one and we're on target to try it (the car) out at the test," he is quoted by the Daily Mail.

He is referring to the post-Austrian grand prix test at the Red Bull Ring, after which the team will push to have two 'B' machines up and running to race at Silverstone.

Briatore tells Ecclestone F1 needs major changes

Briatore, Mosley say F1 needs major shakeup
(GMM) If Max Mosley and Flavio Briatore were in charge, they would push to revolutionize formula one.

Neither, however, is interested.

"I was approached in 2013 to stand for election against (Jean Todt) and I absolutely wouldn't (return)," Mosley, Todt's predecessor as FIA president, told the BBC.

But many think F1, during a period of intense introspection at present amid the sport's current problems, would benefit from the old 'Bernie and Max' show.

Then, Mosley pushed rules through in a style vastly different to the more disengaged Todt, while F1 supremo Ecclestone was the 'dictator'.

Now, although most stakeholders recognize the need for change, the democratic processes put in place has resulted in near-stalemate.

"I think it (F1) needs fixing," Mosley said. "I mean, there are clearly things wrong."

Mosley is most worried about the financial situation, as multiple teams look close to collapse but hugely-funded outfits receive the bulk of the official revenue.

Former Renault chief Briatore, meanwhile, is concerned about the flagging sporting spectacle.

Asked to identify F1's main problem, he told Bild am Sonntag newspaper: "I don't even know where to start.

"Formula one today is too clean, too perfect. It's not a show but it's not even car racing anymore.

"It's a championship for engineers. We used to tell the drivers 'Go flat out, qualifying laps', but now everything is controlled by the engineers and the computers and they (the drivers) are more like accountants than gladiators.

"And the fans don't like it," Briatore insisted.

He backs Mosley's idea of a budget cap, but – also like Mosley – rules out returning to fix F1.

"The topic is closed," said Briatore. "I have a family now and a son and sometimes I watch the first ten minutes of a race."

But he agrees with Mosley that the sport is in dire need of a major shakeup.

"It has to be completely reorganized," said Briatore. "Bernie could even do it at 84 years old, but he has no support.

"In formula one you need a dictator because the teams have never and will never agree."

Instead, Briatore said, Ecclestone now works for the sport's owner CVC, tasked with driving up revenue.

"That's the difficulty," he explained. "As the boss for CVC, Bernie has sold the TV rights to pay-channels for a lot of money, so that in Italy for example, 8 million TV viewers is suddenly only 500,000.

"He (Ecclestone) did a good job for CVC but the fans were punished. Bernie also has no support from the FIA, unfortunately. He's still a genius, but he is standing quite alone."

Another problem, Briatore said, is that the current rules have left Mercedes unchallenged at the front, even though Ferrari has apparently closed the gap in 2015.

But "I have the impression," said the Italian, "that Mercedes always has something in its pocket when the others come closer.

"At the moment Mercedes is formula one, Ferrari is Formula 2 and three or four others are Formula 3. And it is unfortunately the engine that has created this imbalance."

'No discussion' about drivers yet – McLaren
(GMM) Seven races into a new era, McLaren-Honda still needs to improve "everything" — but perhaps not the drivers.

Last week, speculation spilled into the British tabloids about the British team potentially dumping Jenson Button for 2016.

Jonathan Neale, managing director, admits the Woking team has an "embarrassment of riches" at present in the form of champions Button and Fernando Alonso and the talented youngsters Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne.

"Who knows what we'll do next year," he told British television Sky in Canada.

But "There is no internal discussion of doing anything different. My personal view is that both Fernando and Jenson have done a fantastic job for us this year," Neale said.

"I see no reason why that would change."

It is in every other area that McLaren-Honda does need to improve, team boss Eric Boullier openly admits.

Montreal has been yet another notably difficult weekend for the team, as Alonso struck technical trouble in practice and Button sat out qualifying altogether with a broken car.

And that happened in the presence of key team shareholders at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the Brazilian outlet UOL Esporte claims.

"There's pressure, but that's normal," Frenchman Boullier is quoted as saying.

"Shareholders, like in any company in the world, visit us, give us support, but they also understand.

"We are professional and transparent, so they know what we are doing and I hope that we also know what we are doing," he smiled.

Asked what areas McLaren-Honda needs to focus the hardest on as it continues to push to the front, Boullier answered: "Everything."

With Vettel gone to help develop the car, Red Bull's horrible performance is enough to wipe the smile off the face always smiling Ricciardo

Ricciardo smiles warning to struggling Red Bull
(GMM) Daniel Ricciardo admitted in Canada that it is becoming difficult to maintain his famously wide grin.

"Yeah," he said after qualifying ninth in Montreal, behind not only Mercedes, Ferrari and Williams cars but now also Lotus and Force Indias.

"It's frustrating. One year later, things shouldn't be getting worse, but they are," the Australian told reporters in Montreal.

The 'one year on' comment is a reference to 2014 in Canada, where after a difficult start to the new 'power unit' era for Red Bull-Renault, Ricciardo nonetheless broke through for his first ever race win.

So instead of his usual big grin, Ricciardo said Saturday just left him "p*ssed off" as the team appears stuck in a situation of little progress.

"We don't seem to be propelling forward at the moment which is disappointing," said the 25-year-old.

Ricciardo is already being linked with a move away from Red Bull, perhaps to Ferrari who are holding fire on signing the option in Kimi Raikkonen's contract at present.

Boss Christian Horner has already played down that prospect, insisting Ricciardo has a "long term" deal.

Even Ricciardo admits he is committed to Red Bull for 2016.

"I'll be here next year and we'll see how we go," he told the Telegraph newspaper.

At the same time, there are mixed messages coming from both Red Bull and Renault about their respective futures in F1, so Ricciardo admitted that "for my career, I need to be aware of what's happening".

He sounds wary of following in the footsteps of Romain Grosjean and Nico Hulkenberg, who looked destined for F1 greatness only for their careers to stagnate.

"I don't want to be one of the champions who never was," Ricciardo admitted.

"If we're to get these results again next year, and don't move forward, then I won't be happy.

"It's a tough one," he added. "I'm confident in the guys, in the team, I know they're winners. I'm confident they'll make a change if it needs to be done, and turn it around, but until it happens and we get back on the podium it's difficult to know."