Latest F1 news in brief

F1 wants to save money-losing flat and featureless Silverstone

British GP rescue talks scheduled for Monday
Wolff supports calls to axe Paul Ricard chicane
McLaren 'going backwards' – Alonso
Zak Brown wants Alonso to stay in F1
Saudi woman to drive F1 car ahead of French Grand Prix

British GP rescue talks scheduled for Monday
(GMM) Talks to save the British grand prix are set to take place.

The Sun reports that a meeting will happen on Monday, after organisers of the Silverstone race last year triggered a break clause in the contract for cost reasons.

As things stand, next year's British grand prix is set to be the last.

But Liberty Media commercial boss Sean Bratches says he is hopeful a new deal can be done.

"Silverstone is part of the foundation of this sport," he said.

"We are a commercial business and we are going to do a deal that makes sense for us and hopefully there's an opportunity there.

"We just renewed Spa (Francorchamps) on terms that work for both parties, and my suspicion is that we can do the same for Silverstone. That's our intent anyway," Bratches added.

Wolff supports calls to axe Paul Ricard chicane

Paul Ricard has some long straights – ruined by chicanes

(GMM) F1 management is under pressure to modify the Paul Ricard circuit before the sport's return for the next French grand prix.

There have been plenty of concerns about the new venue, but a big one discussed by drivers in the FIA briefing was about the chicane in the middle of the iconic Mistral straight.

In short, they want it removed.

"I totally agree," said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

"Yesterday I had coffee with Chase Carey while we watched the younger drivers race and I told him that we need to get rid of this chicane.

"It would make turn 10 really interesting because you'd have speeds of 340-350kph. All the way back to my racing days, I remember how great it was to drive down this long straight and then turn right," he added.

"In my opinion, without a chicane you'd have a chance for overtaking," said Wolff.

However, the chicane will not be removed in time for Sunday's race, because the circuit has been homologated, timing systems are established, and there are several grandstands in the chicane area.

Another big issue this weekend has been traffic, with major problems not only for drivers and team personnel but above all the fans.

"In a way we have to look at it from the perspective of the organisers," said Wolff. "It's the first French grand prix for a long time.

"We hope that by next year the problem will be solved."

McLaren 'going backwards' – Alonso

Alonso in the rain at Paul Ricard Saturday. He does not want to race anymore for a backmarker team like McLaren

(GMM) Fernando Alonso says McLaren is going "backwards".

Even with the Honda era over, the once great British team remains in crisis.

At Paul Ricard, there is talk of a staff revolt, the intervention of former boss Martin Whitmarsh, and a scandal farcically known as 'Freddo-gate'.

On top of that, Spaniard Alonso says the orange car is simply "slow".

"The problem? The car is slow," he told reporters.

"It's the same car as the last three or four races. There is no problem with balance, it's just not fast enough. We go backwards — in each race we are less and less competitive," Alonso added.

The next problem for McLaren could be the loss of Alonso, with the Spaniard looking at Indycar and the team admittedly in talks with Daniel Ricciardo for 2019.

Alonso says he is at least happy with his personal performance.

"I think I'm the only one who is 8-0 (in qualifying) against a GP3 champion, GP2 champion. All the categories in which he (Stoffel Vandoorne) ran," he said.

"But this is formula one. You need the right package."

McLaren executive Zak Brown moved to downplay the current 'crisis', insisting the team is not on the verge of losing a swathe of staff members.

"I can confirm that all members of the racing team will remain with the team until the last race in Abu Dhabi," he insisted.

However, he admitted McLaren has "aerodynamic" problems, and is currently using the Toyota wind tunnel in Cologne to fix them.

"The Toyota tunnel works well but it does not simulate everything or show all of the problems," said Brown.

"We don't yet have the solution to the problem so we are not focused yet on the car for next year but rather trying to make sure that these problems don't hurt us in 2019 as well," he added.

As for the staff revolt and the intervention of Whitmarsh, Brown said: "He's unemployed so I guess he's looking for a job somewhere. But he's not going to get one at McLaren."

Zak Brown wants Alonso to stay in F1

How can Zak Brown keep Alonso when the McLaren chassis is a disaster?

(GMM) Zak Brown says McLaren does not want to lose Fernando Alonso.

Actually, the Spanish driver is already under contract beyond 2018, but that ties him only to McLaren as a brand.

And McLaren is expected to enter a team in Indycar in alliance with former team driver Michael Andretti's existing infrastructure.

"It's McLaren's choice, but we know they have a very good relationship with Michael," Andretti's father, F1 legend Mario Andretti, is quoted by Marca.

"Fernando knows what McLaren will be in formula one in the future, and he does not have too many options in other teams. That's the problem," Andretti added.

"Unless he can win with McLaren next year or the year after, it's time to do something else. It's obvious that he's not ready to hang up his helmet," he said.

Alonso is openly targeting the elusive motor racing 'triple crown', having already won the Monaco GP and now Le Mans.

The Indy 500 is his remaining target.

"Anything is possible," said McLaren executive Brown when asked about Alonso's future.

"It's clear that he wants to win the triple crown, but he's only 36 years old and still has time. We would love to keep Fernando in our formula one car," he added.

But if Alonso does go, Brown admits that Daniel Ricciardo would be a good replacement.

"We are fans of Daniel's," he said. "This is the time of year when you start to look at your driver lineup, but we don't want to say any more than that."

Saudi woman to drive F1 car ahead of French Grand Prix

Aseel Al-Hamad on the grid at the Bahrain GP

Aseel Al-Hamad will make another breakthrough for Saudi Arabian women on Sunday by driving a Formula One car ahead of the French Grand Prix.

The lap of the Le Castellet circuit comes on the day a ban ended on females getting behind the wheel on the Gulf kingdom's roads.

Renault said Al-Hamad would drive a 2012 car as part of a parade of the French manufacturer's cars to mark the return of the race after a 10 year absence.

The same Lotus Renault E20 car took Finland's 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen to victory in Abu Dhabi that year.

Al-Hamad is already the first female member of the Saudi Arabian Motorsport Federation and on the Women in Motorsport Commission set up by Formula One's governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA).