Latest F1 news in brief

Lewis Hamilton with his new girlfriend American model Gigi Hadid

No 'gift win' to repay Hamilton – Wolff
Pirelli wary of being 'out-bid' for tire contract
Williams must fix Monaco slump – Bottas
Rookie Nasr joins criticism of Verstappen
International press slams Mercedes 'absurdity'
Wolff hopes 'grid girls' return
Schumacher began 'modern driver' era – Ecclestone
Democracy at the cost of 'entertainment' – Ecclestone
No celebrations after first points – McLaren
Merhi cementing place at Manor in 2015
No crisis in formula one – Todt
Red Bull not expecting to keep Monaco form
Hamilton 'more dangerous' after Monaco saga – Rosberg

No 'gift win' to repay Hamilton – Wolff
(GMM) Toto Wolff has ruled out taking drastic measures as Mercedes analyses what went wrong in Monaco.

The German giant's team boss has already said those responsible for Sunday's strategy blunder will not pay with their jobs.

And now he says Lewis Hamilton will not be paid back for losing the prestigious Monaco grand prix with a 'gift win' elsewhere.

"You want me to start to play Playstation with F1?" Wolff told reporters. "No, we're not doing this."

However, the deep analysis of how Hamilton could so bizarrely be called in to pit so close to easily winning the race will continue.

Mercedes had a very pubic debrief through the paddock windows immediately after the checkered flag, and Wolff said 100 people in Brackley and Brixworth were then involved in a teleconference.

And "We will get together on Tuesday morning to analyze it and by then we will know where we had a gremlin in the system," he explained.

Wolff, meanwhile, backed Hamilton – whose championship lead has dwindled to just ten points over teammate Nico Rosberg – to quickly bounce back.

A year ago in Monaco, the Briton's behavior in Monaco was roundly criticized in the wake of a qualifying controversy, but media figures have applauded Hamilton's handling of the 2015 saga.

That is despite the 30-year-old sitting out the victory team photo on Sunday, the post-race debrief and interviews with print publications.

Still, former F1 driver David Coulthard told the Telegraph: "It is hard to imagine him dealing with such a bitter defeat so well a few years ago."

Wolff agrees: "Absolutely. Compare the Lewis from a year ago after a difficult Monaco race to the Lewis we have seen at Monaco (in 2015)."

Pirelli F1 tires

Pirelli wary of being 'out-bid' for tire contract
(GMM) Pirelli is "open" to going to war with a rival tire manufacturer like Michelin.

That is the claim of the Italian company's chief Marco Tronchetti Provera.

On a rare paddock visit in Monaco, he confirmed that Pirelli is applying to keep its role beyond 2016 as the sport's sole tire supplier.

It is expected former F1 supplier Michelin will also lodge an application, despite normally pushing for the return of a competitive 'tire war' in F1.

Actually, Tronchetti Provera said Pirelli is not opposed to that.

He said on Italian radio Rai that Pirelli is "indifferent" to the idea.

"It is the teams that do not want a competition that is overly conditioned by the tires," Tronchetti Provera insisted. But "We are open to any solution."

However, he said Pirelli does have some conditions regarding its continued involvement beyond 2016.

"The basic condition is that we retain the selection of the compounds, to prevent incorrect usage by the teams, and then (other conditions are) safety and economic issues," he said.

"I've already spoken with (Bernie) Ecclestone and (Jean) Todt and there is an alignment about the technical and safety standards. After that, we will see.

"I am confident, but if someone has the will to out-bid us, we will focus on something else. We remain interested, but not at any cost," Tronchetti Provera insisted.

Williams must fix Monaco slump – Bottas
(GMM) Valtteri Bottas has urged Williams to get to the bottom of its Monaco slump.

The British team's dip in performance last weekend came at an awkward time, as Bottas is being strongly linked with a move elsewhere, possibly to Ferrari.

"We must learn from this weekend," the 25-year-old driver said, after an uncharacteristically poor weekend for Williams on the streets of Monaco.

Actually, Williams also struggled at the famous race a year ago, Bottas said.

"This is the second year in succession that we have had a problem here," he is quoted by Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper.

"We have to sort this out, because it would be silly to make the same mistakes in the future.

"If we want to be a top team, we cannot afford to have races like this where we are not at our level," Bottas added.

"I'm not worried," he insisted, "because now we are going back to the normal circuits, and we were strong in Canada last year and have some upgrades as well."

Felipe Nasr

Rookie Nasr joins criticism of Verstappen
(GMM) Felipe Nasr has joined the chorus of criticism of F1 teenager Max Verstappen.

Since controversially debuting as a 17-year-old this year, Verstappen has on one hand been hailed for his talent but simultaneously condemned for his age and lack of experience.

Bernie Ecclestone, however, has been a vocal supporter.

"It is like telling Mozart he can't play piano because he is too young," he said in Monaco. "If he's good enough, that's it."

However, on Sunday, the young Dutchman was lucky to escape serious injury in a frightening crash at Ste Devote, after which he was criticized by Romain Grosjean and Felipe Massa.

And now Brazilian Nasr, who like Verstappen is a 2015 rookie, has joined the criticism.

"The accident is proof of his inexperience," the 22-year-old Sauber driver, who arrived in F1 this year after three seasons in GP2, told Brazil's Globo.

"I had an excellent education," said Nasr, "and the time spent in each category was essential to be able to debut well in F1.

"I learned a lot at Williams (as test driver) last year and entered F1 at the right age. I could not imagine myself in F1 even at 20, considering all that I learned in these last few seasons," he insisted.

International press slams Mercedes 'absurdity'
(GMM) The international media joined British journalists in condemning Mercedes' blundering strategy error that cost Lewis Hamilton victory in Monaco.

The reaction of the British media corps was predictable, with the Times summing up the mood by blasting the "supposedly intelligent men" who "abandoned their senses" in calling Hamilton in for a fateful late pitstop.

But international newspapers have been just as scathing.

Spain's El Pais said Mercedes effectively "sabotaged its big star", while another Spanish daily ABC said it was an error on a scale "rarely seen" in F1.

The Barcelona morning newspaper La Vanguardia said Hamilton was "robbed" by the "incomprehensible error", while France's Le Figaro said Mercedes succeeded only in "driving a wedge" between its star driver and the German giant.

L'Equipe, the famous French sports daily, said: "Such was Hamilton's domination that no one could take the victory away from him. No one, that is, except his own team."

Italy's equally-famous La Gazzetta dello Sport said: "Mamma mia! Mercedes wrapped a nice gift to Ferrari.

"(Sebastian) Vettel reaching second place would have been impossible without this German absurdity."

Corriere della Sera, meanwhile, hailed Hamilton's post-race reaction.

"Hamilton remained silent in the admirable name of team spirit," the Milan daily read.

Toto Wolff has a good eye for women

Wolff hopes 'grid girls' return
(GMM) F1 does not need to make a habit of replacing the traditional 'grid girls'.

That is the view of Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, after Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel admitted his surprise on Sunday at having pulled up to find "George or Dave" holding his grid board.

"I'll speak with Bernie (Ecclestone) about it," the mischievous quadruple world champion said.

Some, however, applauded the sport's move into 'grid decoration' gender equality, following fabled Le Mans' earlier decision to do away with grid girls altogether.

However, the correspondent for Spain's Diario Sport, Laura Lopez Albiac, said Monaco's 'grid boys' were merely a one-off, at the behest of organizer Michael Boeri rather than Ecclestone or the FIA.

Toto Wolff, husband of female F1 test driver Susie, admitted he hopes to see the girls again.

"We are used to seeing beautiful women next to the cars on the grid," said the Austrian, "so this was unexpected.

"I have nothing against the good-looking guys, but in my opinion what we had before was not discriminatory," Wolff added.

Schumacher began 'modern driver' era – Ecclestone
(GMM) It was Michael Schumacher who kicked off the era of the 'modern driver'.

That is the view of F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, following his widely-published comments about Nico Rosberg not being as 'good for business' as the more flamboyant Lewis Hamilton.

Indeed, Hamilton's latest press coverage is expected to thrill the 84-year-old Briton, as Bild reports that the reigning world champion may now be dating the American fashion model Gigi Hadid.

"Gigi Hadid caresses the cheek of Lewis Hamilton!" the major German daily exclaimed.

Rosberg says he understands Ecclestone's criticism.

"Bernie has always criticized those who are not like Lewis," the Mercedes driver is quoted by Italy's Autosprint.

"Bernie has the commercial rights and so to make the show more attractive it is logical how he would like the drivers to behave," Rosberg added.

In an interview with French broadcaster Canal Plus, Ecclestone traced the birth of the blander 'modern driver' back to the great seven time world champion Schumacher.

"I have to be careful with my words," said the F1 chief executive. "The only great personality now is Lewis Hamilton.

"Yesterday, I spoke with Nico Rosberg," Ecclestone said during an interview with former F1 driver Jean Alesi.

"Drivers can no longer express their thoughts as openly as you did. You could say anything without thinking if it was going to upset someone. But at least we knew what you thought!

"Things began to change in the era of Michael Schumacher," said Ecclestone.

"Because he didn't want to give interviews, he recorded something. I don't blame him, because nobody asks good questions — it's always the same banal stuff."

Far from banal so far, however, has been the personality of Ferrari's new boss Maurizio Arrivabene, but Ecclestone was even critical of the Italian.

Arrivabene hit back: "If he really thinks that, perhaps he will take my paddock pass away in the morning.

"I will not change my attitude because he expects something different," the Ferrari chief insisted.

Democracy at the cost of 'entertainment' – Ecclestone
(GMM) F1's switch to "democracy" has been at the cost of "entertainment".

That is the view of the sport's supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who is not hiding his frustration at being unable to tweak the current rulebook.

"Would I like to change something? I would like to change a lot of things!" he told the French broadcaster Canal Plus.

Ecclestone, 84, thinks the 'power unit' era is too technically complex, having been designed to give car manufacturers a road-relevant challenge.

But the Briton insists: "We are in the entertainment business. We need to entertain the public."

Ecclestone is scathing of the current governance structure, where proposed rule changes must pass through various processes, usually with the widespread approval of the various stakeholders.

"Before, there was no democracy," he recalled. "I would talk to Mr. (Enzo) Ferrari or (Colin) Chapman and we agreed to do something.

"Now with Jean Todt it is very democratic. He wants to please everyone. And when you have competitive teams, it is impossible to keep everybody happy.

"I can understand that Mercedes doesn't want to change — in their place I would also want to leave it alone.

"What I should be able to say is 'Here are the rules. If you want to participate, great, if not, go away'. No matter what sort of team it is — bye!"

Button scored McLaren Honda's first points

No celebrations after first points – McLaren
(GMM) There were no celebrations on Sunday despite a major breakthrough for the burgeoning McLaren-Honda project.

Six difficult races into the new Anglo-Japanese works era, Jenson Button scored the MP4-30's first points at no less a venue than fabled Monaco.

But team boss Eric Boullier said no champagne was sprayed in the garage.

"We will celebrate when we win something again," the Frenchman is quoted by Spain's Marca.

Boullier said any attention that might be diverted to celebrating the first four points must instead remain fixed on improving.

Fernando Alonso, for instance, would also have scored points in Monaco, if not for yet another technical failure.

The Spaniard was reported to have suffered a gearbox problem, but Boullier said the precise cause "is not yet clear".

"But clearly we have to improve the reliability," he insisted. "It is one of our priorities. We must improve in all areas."

Merhi cementing place at Manor in 2015
(GMM) Roberto Merhi looks to be cementing his place at the Manor team.

In the days before Monaco, team chiefs were still admitting that the Spaniard might at some point be unseated.

Unlike his full-time teammate Will Stevens, Spaniard Merhi is not substantially sponsored, with some reports saying he has been paid only with his airfares and hotels around the F1 calendar so far.

But the 24-year-old rookie has also struggled to keep up with Briton Stevens.

At Monaco, however, Merhi was delighted to have finally beaten his teammate.

"As soon as I went past Stevens, I managed to open a big advantage of more than a minute over him.

"I hope this is a turning point in the season," he told Spanish reporters, "as being ahead of my teammate at this circuit where the driver matters more was very important."

Manor and Stevens clarified that Stevens suffered early front wing damage on Sunday.

But the former Marussia team also seems happy to keep Merhi in his place for now, even though the Spaniard is heading straight from Monaco to Spa for the next round of the Formula Renault 3.5 season.

"The past few races have been tough but it feels like everything is coming together now," Merhi agreed.

"Canada will be a new and different experience again but it feels like we are making good progress now."

No crisis in formula one – Todt
(GMM) FIA president Jean Todt has denied the need to radically shake up formula one.

The overwhelming message from the F1 paddock in recent weeks has been that of a self-made 'crisis', as Mercedes dominates, audiences decline and small teams risk collapse.

Todt, a low-profile figure since taking over from the more confrontational Max Mosley, admitted not everything is perfect in formula one.

But "My task is to look at the situation more widely," the Frenchman is quoted by Nice Matin newspaper.

"Formula one is still the pinnacle of motor sport, although of course there is always something to correct.

"Unfortunately, the people who work in formula one do not always carry a positive message, and the costs in the championship are also too great," admitted Todt.

As for the spiraling costs, however, the former Ferrari boss said it is not an easy topic.

"It is difficult," he said, "because it is very difficult to negotiate.

"The obvious problem is the distribution of income to the teams, but the FIA does not intervene. At first, everyone endorsed the proposed system, and now some argue about it.

"I support the new regulations for the engines, but at the same time I think they are too expensive.

"It is essential that the suppliers of engines understand this and offer a more affordable price. It is a range of issues that we are working on.

"I hope that we will find solutions and be able to implement them," Todt added.

He also rejected the argument that F1 technology is now too complex, making the cars easy to drive.

"Actually, I think it is not so easy," Todt insisted.

"We have always said that it is necessary to emphasize the link between race and road cars — we cannot go back to manual gearboxes now, when everyone else is using on-board computers!

"Formula one is a laboratory for the development of new technologies," he said.

"I believe that, in general, formula one is in good shape. Perhaps we are not talking enough about that."

Todt also told the French broadcaster Canal Plus that it is "impossible to deny" that F1's shift to more pay-tv coverage has affected the sport's global audience.

"There are problems of this type that are necessary to address," he said.

But he also thinks Mercedes' dominance does not necessarily mean the rules need to be substantially changed.

"At Rolland Garros (tennis' French Open), of the last 10 competitions, 9 were won by Rafael Nadal — does this mean that it is necessary to change the rules?

"No, it is simply necessarily to try to be better than him. It is similar in formula one," said Todt.

Was Monaco form a fluke for Red Bull?

Red Bull not expecting to keep Monaco form
(GMM) Red Bull is not expecting to burst back into podium contention after a stronger weekend in Monaco.

Just behind the top three on Sunday was the Red Bull duo of Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo — a clear step forward for the former champions after a bad start to the season.

"I think we're back in the right direction," said engine supplier Renault's Thierry Salvi on Sunday.

His boss Cyril Abiteboul also heaved a sigh of relief.

"It was not so easy to keep everyone in line with all this criticism," the Frenchman is quoted by Austria's Kleine Zeitung newspaper.

"Now we will keep our foot on the gas until we are where we want to be," the Renault F1 chief added.

However, Red Bull was not willing to give much of the credit to its engine supplier after Monaco.

"What we saw was that Red Bull has sorted out our problems with the chassis," said outspoken team official Dr Helmut Marko. "This has nothing to do with Renault."

Team boss Christian Horner agreed that, despite the good showing on the twisty streets of Monaco, the power factor will resume its big role at forthcoming races.

Recently, however, he said he believed Red Bull could overcome its engine deficit with better aerodynamics.

"Unfortunately not," he now tells the Spanish daily Marca.

"With the rules as they are, the engine is so important to the performance of the car that you cannot compensate only with aerodynamics.

"We hope to have a good performance in the coming races, but at the end of the day you can't replace horse power."

After Monaco snafu Hamilton will look to bury Rosberg

Hamilton 'more dangerous' after Monaco saga – Rosberg
(GMM) Nico Rosberg admits he needs to up his game in order to beat teammate Lewis Hamilton to the 2015 title.

The German was ecstatic on Sunday after winning a third consecutive Monaco grand prix, and it was also his first ever back-to-back win in his long career.

On the fact of it, Rosberg is right back in the game following his early-season slump; psychologically buoyant and now just ten points behind the championship lead.

But in his column for the major German daily Bild, Rosberg also called Sunday the "luckiest day" of his decade in formula one.

Beaten to the pole on Saturday, he only inherited the win late in the day after Mercedes badly bungled Hamilton's pit strategy.

Rosberg admits: "Lewis was faster than me on every day of the weekend. So for him it must have been a horrible feeling" to lose because of a team error.

"You do everything right all weekend," the 29-year-old added, referring to Hamilton, "and then in one second your victory is gone.

"I had the same problem last year in Budapest. I was leading by ten seconds, the safety car came out at the wrong time and suddenly I was fifth. This is pure horror," said Rosberg.

So he said he is under no illusions that, while happy with the inherited victory, he needs to up his game in order to take Hamilton on based purely on performance.

"This race was a warning for me," admitted Rosberg.

"I need to go up a gear in two weeks in Canada, because Lewis will come back even stronger. And then he will be even more dangerous!"

Finally, Rosberg backed Mercedes, despite immense criticism of the basic strategy error that cost Hamilton his victory and the team an easy one-two.

"I don't know exactly what happened (with Hamilton)," he is quoted by the news agency SID.

"But I think we have the best possible strategy guys. They do a fantastic job, which on this occasion did not pay off. And what did the team lose in total? Three points," said Rosberg.