Latest F1 news in brief

Where will Button end up?

Alonso delay puts cloud over Button's future
Button hints he may leave Formula One
Button could reject new McLaren deal
Sainz preparing for Toro Rosso 'blow'
Rookie bursts into F1 amid Sauber 'crisis'
Symonds says Alonso not right for Williams
Lotus set to announce Grosjean for 2015
New York court upholds dismissal of $650m suit against Bernie Ecclestone
Magnussen calm over McLaren line-up delay
Q&A: Gene Haas Getting A Rolling Start On F1 Effort

Alonso delay puts cloud over Button's future
(GMM) On the one hand, everyone in the F1 paddock now knows what the top of the grid will look like in 2015.

On the other, everything is still unclear.

"Yes, I know what he's doing," Sergio Perez, referring to the key to the driver market, Fernando Alonso, told Spanish broadcaster TV3.

In the last few days, it has become clearer and clearer that speculation Alonso is headed to McLaren-Honda for 2015 is definitely true.

Insiders now strongly believe that his teammate will be Kevin Magnussen, even though the Danish rookie is saying little.

McLaren is being criticized by seasoned pundits for leaving its decision so late, endangering not only Magnussen's new career, but especially the 2009 world champion Jenson Button.

Asked if he feels let down, Magnussen said on Thursday: "No, because I understand why I've not been told yet. They have a reason for it."

The fact Magnussen has not featured at all in the 2015 'silly season' would seem to be the strongest sign that it is the veteran Button who is moving on.

Indeed, the 34-year-old's body language was palpable in the Interlagos paddock.

"Er. I don't know," Button said after a long pause, when asked by reporters if he would even accept an offer to stay with the Woking team now.

Asked if he feels disrespected by McLaren, he added: "That's something I'm not going to answer. Unfair question.

"When you're put in a position where you don't know if your contract is going to be renewed it opens your eyes to different possibilities — whether it's racing, doing another sport or something different altogether," said Button.

It seems clear the Button-McLaren marriage is ending. He said he spoke in Austin with team supremo Ron Dennis for "less than a few minutes".

Button's former teammate Lewis Hamilton said he will be shocked if Button is forced out of F1.

"J.B.'s leaving? Really?" he exclaimed.

"Jenson's better than most of the drivers, so it (the news) doesn't correlate. It's not that the team needs a better driver, they just need a better car," said Hamilton.

It is now obvious that the conspicuous holdup is due to the contractual situation between Alonso and Ferrari, with the party who blinks first set to lose up to $50 million.

He rejected any talk that McLaren has imposed a deadline.

"I don't think there is any deadline to decide," said Alonso on Thursday.

"This week McLaren is saying something, last week (Gerard) Lopez of Lotus said we were talking, which is true but it's for a project outside formula one."

So, as has been the trend for the past several races, Alonso gave another of his now-familiar rumor-quashing appearances for the press in Brazil.

"Last week they said I was going to buy Marussia for one dollar," he laughed, "which is absolutely untrue."

He insisted he has not even ruled out staying at Ferrari, but opened the door to being ejected by the fabled Italian team.

"If they feel they need to be more motivated or to work in the future with less pressure," he said, "then I'll understand."

Button hints he may leave Formula One
The BBC quoted Jenson Button, as saying that being unsure about one's future opens your eyes to different challenges and possibilities.

Button, 34, has had talks with Porsche about moving to endurance racing next season, a move former F1 driver Mark Webber made at the end of 2013.

McLaren are leaning towards retaining Magnussen, who is in his debut season this year, and it is understood that even if the team were to ask Button to stay, he may turn them down.

Sources close to Button, who has driven for McLaren for five years, say he has not been impressed by the way the team have handled the situation regarding their future driver line-up.

He said he could not comment on whether he would stay at McLaren for the 2015-16 season even if the latter asked him to and added that he was excited about the challenges ahead and had a lot of different ideas for his future.

Button could reject new McLaren deal
Jenson Button says he cannot guarantee that he would accept a new McLaren deal for 2015, with the team's delay in announcing its plans opening his eyes to "different challenges and possibilities".

Button and team-mate Kevin Magnussen are waiting to hear if they are part of McLaren's plans moving forward, with Fernando Alonso poised to return to the outfit for its Honda engine tie-up.

Button's manager recently stated that the 2009 title winner would only remain in Formula 1 with a competitive machine, and described the World Endurance Championship as a serious alternative.

When asked to clarify that he would sign a fresh McLaren contract following the long period of uncertainty, Button said: "That is a good question that I cannot answer at this moment in time.

"When you are put in a position that many drivers have been in over the year – not sure if your contract is going to be renewed – it opens your eyes to different challenges and different possibilities.

"Whether it is racing, doing another sport, or something different altogether, I'm excited about the challenges ahead.

"This is a massive part of my life, and it is not going to stop. But I don't know where that is going to be right now.

"But I never feel like I'm being pushed out of the sport, because I'll definitely be in the sport in some shape or form."

Button says McLaren's current level of performance is more disappointing than the time it is taking the team to finalize its line-up.

"I'm a World Champion and I want to win Grands Prix. If you don't have a quick car you are disappointed," he explained.

"That is the bit that hurts more than anything else."

Alonso admits cycling plans delayed for now
(GMM) Fernando Alonso admitted on Thursday that his plans to launch a professional cycling team in 2015 have been delayed.

"It was my intention to start in 2015," reports including the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf quote him as saying in Brazil, "but due to various circumstances it is not happening at the moment."

It is believed the main problem is with the company that was set to sponsor the F1 driver's team.

Talks may now be taking place between the Spaniard and Gerard Lopez, the owner of the Lotus F1 team.

As he fended off speculation about his impending departure from Ferrari in F1, Alonso admitted at Interlagos that Lopez "said we were talking, which is true but it's for a project outside formula one".

As for the cycling project, "I continue to believe that cycling can be combined very well with formula one, but it is something for the future," Alonso insisted.

Sainz preparing for Toro Rosso 'blow'
(GMM) Carlos Sainz Jr has admitted not moving up to formula one next year would be a "big blow".

As the days roll on, it appears increasingly likely that, instead of pairing Max Verstappen with another young rookie in 2015, owner Red Bull will instead keep the experienced Jean-Eric Vergne at Toro Rosso for one more year.

Indeed, recently frustrated that his F1 career seemed to be ending, the 24-year-old is now all smiles in the Interlagos paddock.

"Compared to one month ago," Vergne told France's RMC at Interlagos, "the situation is much more optimistic.

"A lot of people at Red Bull and Toro Rosso would like to keep me next year so we will see how the situation will evolve," he added.

"I also discussed it with the boss Dietrich Mateschitz in Russia and I think everything is going in the right direction at the moment. I'm still part of the Red Bull family so I think all the signs are green now," said Vergne.

It is not good news for 20-year-old Sainz, who despite being the top Red Bull-backed junior at present and the new Formula Renault 3.5 champion, was also overlooked for the Verstappen seat recently.

Asked to imagine the scenario of Helmut Marko phoning him with bad news about the Toro Rosso seat, Sainz admitted: "It would be a blow. A big blow.

"I think after what I achieved this year, not confirming me – from my point of view – it would be an injustice," he told Spain's El Confidencial. "I think I could not have done more this year."

Sainz continued: "I would see formula one with different eyes.

"It has always been a dream since I was 7 years old, getting up at 3 in the morning to watch Fernando (Alonso) race in Melbourne. It remains a dream for me, but I would see it with new eyes," he added.

Felipe Nasr – have check will drive

Rookie bursts into F1 amid Sauber 'crisis'
(GMM) Felipe Nasr, a low-profile F1 presence until now, has burst into a storm in the Interlagos paddock.

Earlier, Sauber shocked the entire paddock with the news that Brazilian Nasr, Williams' 22-year-old reserve, and his sponsor Banco do Brasil will be Marcus Ericsson's teammate at the Swiss team in 2015.

It was a genuine surprise because Sauber, reportedly now the most financially endangered team in F1 in Caterham and Marussia's wake, already appeared to have three other drivers under firm contract to race next season.

One of them is Adrian Sutil, who flagged an impending fight with the Hinwil outfit in the official FIA press conference on Thursday.

"They've confirmed two drivers but that doesn't mean the drivers can drive and it doesn't mean that the team's going to drive," said the furious German.

Also shocked and angry is Sauber's reserve Giedo van der Garde, who with his sponsor McGregor also appeared to have committed to the team for 2015.

"You could say that I am surprised — in capital letters," van der Garde told the Swiss newspaper Blick.

"Next week my management and lawyers will be on the case."

Also surprised was van der Garde's good paddock friend Nico Hulkenberg, who admitted he had only talked to the Dutchman about his 2015 contract on Tuesday.

So while Nasr should be celebrating his impending step up to the F1 grid, the mood is in fact dark.

Countryman Felipe Massa, who also started his career at Sauber, said: "It's not a great time for Sauber.

"The team is in crisis and a crisis is not good for anyone," he is quoted by Brazil's Estadao.

So rather than be able to exalt her new driver, team boss and co-owner Monisha Kaltenborn was instead fending off questions about Sauber's survival, and the possible threat of legal action or the intervention of the contract recognition board.

"When private teams make decisions they have to take financial aspects into consideration, otherwise it gets very difficult to survive," she told reporters.

"This is a step in the right direction for us."

Kaltenborn said Sauber's latest moves, including the split with Esteban Gutierrez, means his Mexican backers will depart, and that the cooperation with Russia and Sergey Sirotkin is likely also over.

It means Nasr is stepping into the sport not only with the very clear 'pay driver' label, but also the impression that his and Ericsson's money is saving the Sauber team.

"It has been a tough year," Nasr said on Thursday, "not only for Sauber but for several other teams.

"But I think formula one is concerned about these teams and will be taking a position to help them.

"I would not come into a team without knowing its condition," he is quoted by O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper.

Even F1 legend Nelson Piquet on Thursday was not in the mood for celebrating Brazil's latest grand prix hero.

"It's very good for Brazil," he is quoted by Globo, "but if I am very honest, I have not seen him race very much."

Nasr is currently second in the GP2 standings, but still, there are many who think the trend of the last few years is worrying.

"Unless you have a big bucket of gold," said veteran Jenson Button, "you are not going to get into formula one and that has been proved by some of the signings we have seen for next season."

Fernando Alonso is way too high maintenance for Williams says Pat Symonds

Symonds says Alonso not right for Williams
(GMM) Williams is not ready to welcome a driver of Fernando Alonso's stature.

That is the claim of Pat Symonds, a veteran engineer who has led the British team's technical progress in 2014 to an impressive third spot in the constructors' championship.

As Alonso considers his next move after his apparent relationship breakdown with Ferrari, Williams has often been named as a potential dark horse destination — perhaps as a Mercedes-powered stepping stone to a full works seat in 2016.

But Williams has already announced that Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa are staying put.

Symonds, who worked with Alonso when he won his world titles at Renault, argues that Williams should not yet be thinking about accommodating a driver like him.

"Our process of creating a winning team is not yet complete," he told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

"We have a few areas that we still need to work on.

"For me, Fernando is the best driver in the sport," Symonds agreed, "but he also needs a team around him that can handle him.

"With Alonso's expectations, the pressure would rise at Williams to an unhealthy level that would disturb the progress the team is making," he added.

Christian Horner is sick of hearing about the financial problems of Formula One's smaller teams.

Christian Horner Says Struggling F1 Teams Should Keep Quiet
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has told F1's cash-strapped struggling teams "to solve their problems 'behind closed doors' and stop damaging the reputation of their sport," according to NEWS CORP. AUSTRALIA.

Horner "led calls for the recent public threats of boycotts and strikes to end with a swift resolution to concentrate on delivering a great show and close racing at this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix."

He said that "any kind of protest by the three teams in trouble — Force India, Lotus and Sauber — would achieve nothing and suggested that even talking about the idea was hurting F1's reputation."

Horner: "They are here to compete. Force India is trying to beat McLaren. If they are sitting in the garage, they are not going to be going anywhere."

Horner said that "any protests should be done in private." Horner: "What F1 has done during the last couple of weeks, with the public slanging matches that have gone on, is not good for the sport. Doing it publicly is the wrong way to do it" NEWS CORP. AUSTRALIA

New York court upholds dismissal of $650m suit against Bernie Ecclestone
A New York appeals court has upheld the dismissal of a $650m lawsuit against the Formula One chief executive, Bernie Ecclestone, saying he cannot be sued in the state's courts over the sale of a major stake in the motor racing business.

In a 2012 suit, the investment firm Bluewaters Communications accused Ecclestone, now 84, of giving a $45m bribe to a German banker in 2006 to secure the deal for the private equity firm CVC Capital Partners.

Bluewaters claimed that it was the highest bidder and Ecclestone had favored a sale to CVC because it planned to keep him on as chief executive of Formula One, a post he has held since 1978.

The case was dismissed in January, and Bluewaters appealed.

The appeals court in Manhattan on Thursday said the claims could not be heard in a New York court because the case had no ties to the state. Germany, England and the island of Jersey, where Bluewaters is incorporated, were more appropriate forums, the court said.

“This case stems from the failure of a Jersey company to acquire the shares of another Jersey company from a German bank, allegedly because an Englishman bribed a German," the court wrote. “New York's interest is minimal."

Ecclestone has faced criminal charges and two nine-figure lawsuits since the bribery claims surfaced.

In February a London court dismissed a $170m suit brought by a German media company that sought to purchase the stake in Formula One. A UK appeals court on Wednesday refused to review that decision.

In August, Ecclestone agreed to pay about $100m to settle bribery claims in Germany, where he had faced 10 years in prison.

Kent Yalowitz, who represents Bluewaters, said he was disappointed with the New York decision but expected the firm to have its day in court elsewhere. The Guardian

Kevin Magnussen seems like a man confident of having a McLaren ride for 2015

Magnussen calm over McLaren line-up delay
Kevin Magnussen says he is fully understanding of the time McLaren is taking to determine who will drive its cars next year.

McLaren's 2015 pairing has been the subject of much speculation this season, with neither Magnussen nor team-mate Jenson Button confirmed.

Their futures have come under threat from Fernando Alonso, who has been tipped to return to the outfit for the beginning of its new Honda engine deal.

When asked if he felt let down by the team for the situation he finds himself in during his rookie campaign, Magnussen said: "They're not doing that to annoy me! They have a reason for it.

"I understand why I have not been told yet – some things are still not sorted out on that side. If they could let me know, they would.

"I can only wait and see what happens. I'm not planning anything else and I'm not looking for anything else. I'm planning as if I'm here next year."

Magnussen feels he has progressed significantly as the 2014 season has developed, and is confident that there is much more to come.

"I think I've learned a lot. I've improved a lot in many areas," said the Dane. "I'm sure I have a lot more potential even from where I am now."

Q&A: Gene Haas Getting A Rolling Start On F1 Effort
Businessman/racer Gene Haas says his start-up American Formula One team figures to dive into the international driver market in approximately one year in preparation for entry into the 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship.

Still, it's never too early to start the scouting/schmoozing process, which was part of Haas' agenda at Circuit of The Americas during last weekend's third annual United States Grand Prix.

Preparation for Haas F1 Team's debut is underway on multiple fronts. Work is nearing completion on a 125,000-square-foot facility adjacent to Haas' NASCAR team in Kannapolis, N.C., that will house the F1 operation. Construction is scheduled to be completed in late November.

Haas already has secured a critical technical partnership with Scuderia Ferrari, which is celebrating its 60th year of racing in the United States this season. Haas Automation, Inc. – the CNC machine tool-builder Haas founded in 1983 in California – will serve as the team's primary sponsor, although the search has begun for additional high-profile brands looking to reach a global audience.

In addition to Haas F1 Team, Haas' motorsports holdings include Stewart-Haas Racing with three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Windshear, a 180 mph rolling-road wind tunnel in Concord, N.C., that is the first of its kind in North America.

Accompanied by Gunther Steiner, team manager for Haas F1 Team, Haas logged valuable face-time at COTA with key international and American officials while talking-up the merits of the first American-owned F1 team in nearly 30 years. Chairman Haas, 61, took time from his COTA paddock tour on Saturday afternoon to sit down for an interview.

Q: Update us on your activities here this weekend, what you are learning and to whom you are talking?

GENE HAAS: We've met with Nick Craw, (President/CEO of ACCUS, which coordinates the FIA's motorsports activities in the USA)…he was welcoming us, offering his hospitality and just talking about the adventures that await us…and how the FIA is going to do whatever they can to help us through the problems we have. And if we do have problems to give them a call.

We spent a little time talking with some of the sponsors and associate sponsors with Ferrari, so we were there earlier. And basically just getting around the garage. Actually had some people come up and introducing themselves from different teams, so we're just becoming more noticed around here because it's going to be a quick year next year and we want to make sure that people know who we are. Because 2015 is going to be our building year to put all the pieces together.

Q: On Friday, five F1 team principals spent an hour passionately debating the financial issues that divide the sport's big-guy and small-guy teams, specifically the problems facing the Marussia and Caterham organizations, and how the sport is governed. That led to rumors of a possible boycott of the USGP by three teams. Has all that given you any second thoughts about your impending entry into F1?

GENE HAAS: Well, you've got to love controversy, don't you? I mean, Formula One is about 50 years of controversies and the way things evolve and exotic cars and six-wheel cars and 1,000-horsepower cars and rules. Year after year there's always a pressing event, so I think this is just another of those pressing events. I don't have any second thoughts about it. If anything, it seems like kind of a natural progression with what I've done in racing, in NASCAR, and my company, which builds machine tools. And this seems like a natural event to go on in the international market with international racing.

Q: Speaking of the money required in F1, it's astronomical compared to NASCAR. Do you feel like you're good-to-go from that angle?

GENE HAAS: You know, that's an unknown. Unlimited budgets have had a tendency to become exceeded. But we know what the numbers are. I think we can be a lot more conservative with our money and get a lot more value out of it than say a businessman who comes in here and thinks, ‘Hey, I'm going to have a Formula One team as a hobby.' That's not what I'm planning on doing. I'm planning on being a professional Formula One team. That's really what our goal is. We have a totally different perspective than say some other people that have gotten into the sport.

But people come in and out of Formula One. In previous years teams fall apart, teams splitting off or under new ownership _ I think it's a pretty common event. And I'm willing to bet you that even this year that one team will probably be out of racing. Sounds like it's a much bigger story.

Q: Detail your technical partnership with Ferrari, as to what it involves besides engines?

GENE HAAS: It started out typically as an engine partnership. I think at the time Ferrari had an opening to supply another engine and I think a lot of times the teams like to supply engines to other teams because it gives them more experience, and they can actually use those other teams as a test bed. So you've got Renault, Mercedes and Ferrari as the three engine-builders. Gunther had some alliances with Stefano Domenicali (former Ferrari F1 team manager) so that's how it got started. Basically we started out as an engine (customer) and it became apparent that they could help us with some other things.

And then the FIA issued their list of parts that a constructor could buy, and so we've kind of built on that relationship. Ferrari can help us not only with some of the parts but also with how the cars work, and being a newbie team we'll take all we can get.

Q: FIA rules require that your team must own the “intellectual property rights" to your car's chassis. How close are you to hiring a chassis designer?

GENE HAAS: We're working on getting our CFD together because aero is obviously the most important thing…you've got to get your aero right before you can figure out where the parts of your chassis go. But we need to start, at worst, sometime in January to start working on the chassis so we can have some final designs probably by June because it takes a couple of months to make the molds and get the chassis on it. So at the moment we're still putting the little pieces together, but it'll all come together.

Q: Do you believe it will be particularly difficult to attract top-flight engineers, and a driver, to a team based in America?

GENE HAAS: It's always tough to find top-flight engineers in anything. That's part of business, is finding talent and attracting it. We have a lot of interest just because we're a new team and some of the other teams

So there's a lot of talent available out there, it's just a matter of finding the right people. And let's face it – everything these days is younger-orientated in terms of computers are getting faster and better. Twenty years ago people used to draw things on pieces of paper, now no one draws anything on paper, everybody uses a computer screen. So I think the younger generation probably will be most suited towards the type cars we're designing today.

Q: You're going to have to hire two drivers. What are your thoughts on that process?

GENE HAAS: It's probably a little bit early to be talking about that. Seats will open up, drivers will quit and move around…it's happening right now. I think the same thing is going to happen next year and so that's probably when about the same time next year we'll be actively looking for drivers.

Q: Will you look at American talent, just because the team is based in America?

GENE HAAS: You know, as a start-up team I think we'd probably be looking for an experienced driver because that will give us…we need to have someone that's driven these cars with the KERS system, with the hybrid turbine system, so we need someone like that who has current experience to help us sort the car out. And as time goes on if we develop a driver that would probably be a good opportunity for an American to come along and sit in that seat. Unless you heard of some phenom American driver that just had the talent, like a Tony Stewart person or someone like that.

Q: Fans in the United States have been clamoring for an American team, an American driver and even a possible second American race. It seems like your team fits right into all of that, right?

GENE HAAS: I know, everything's lining up. It looks good but it doesn't have to happen all on the same day either. We'll just have to see how it works out. But I think from a marketing standpoint that would be the best thing in the world for Formula One and the sport.

Q: Does this event at Circuit of The Americas, which will be your home race, kind of help sell things for you – with a new facility, big and enthusiastic crowd, etc.?

GENE HAAS: Yeah, I love it. I've been in racing all my life so I love that part of it. There's obviously a fan base for Formula One in the U.S. and I think some people are skeptical how big it is…but I think it's big. You have football, basketball, baseball all these things…three nights a week you can watch these different sports (on TV). I think automobile racing, if there was more to look at and choose from you could have similar results, too. NASCAR has a long legacy in racing and so does Formula One. People like those kind of races, like the Indy 500. People like the Indy 500 because they've been doing it for 100 years. I think Formula One has that same kind of legacy.

Q: Are your NASCAR team guys getting jacked-up about this F1 project, with maybe some of them thinking about crossing over?

GENE HAAS: A lot of the guys in the garage are very interested in what we're doing. Kurt (Busch) is very curious…'What are you doing? I'd like to see that. I'd like to come over and see what these cars look like. I've heard about it'…but they've never had the opportunity to see one. They don't know what a Formula One car looks like, they've never touched one. So we'll have a lot of them come over snooping around.

Q: Kurt showed a lot of savvy during his open-wheel debut in the Indy 500 last May, right?

GENE HAAS: Kurt's one of those (versatile) drivers…but like anything else there's these time windows, too. (Busch is 36-years-old). The way I look at it seems like in Formula One the prime time for a driver is probably 25. And if he's had superb results he might make it to 30 and if he's a legend maybe to 35. The other thing is the weights. They want you to weigh 50 kilograms or something…every extra kilo or 10 kilos is worth a quarter-of-a-second or so.

It's like you just can't be a big person and race Formula One. That's where Danica Patrick (32, of Stewart-Haas Racing) would probably be an attribute. She doesn't weigh anything. It's like you spend $100,000 trying to move a pound from here down to the bottom of the car. Well, for $5,000 you can get a gym pass for your driver and do the same thing.

Q: You've said one of your primary reasons for going F1 racing is to expand the sales of your company's CNC machine portfolio worldwide. But how much of this is Yankee pride and showing the world you can do this?

GENE HAAS: Well, I take a lot of pride in building machine tools. We build machine tools in California, probably the highest-taxed state in the union now and we're successful at that. You've just got to be smarter than the average guy and that's how we do it in California and apply the same thing to race cars. It's very complex when you look at it as a whole but when you start taking it apart…it's still very complex. But they're bits and pieces that go together and that's something that we're very good at doing, as far as Americans.

America's always been the inventors of the world and built the better mousetraps. I feel confident we'll have the same traits when it comes to building Formula One cars. We're not going to do things exactly the way they all do. We'll come up with different ways to do it and that's what's going to make it interesting, seeing those methods and ways of doing things give us an advantage. Racin' Today