Latest F1 news in brief

No penalty for Vettel but when will the gearbox fail?

No gearbox penalty for Vettel in Japan
Vettel unlikely to win 2017 title – Jochen Mass
Brawn impressed by rookies Vandoorne, Stroll
Magnussen says F1 rules 'nonsense'
Sainz Jr. admits Toro Rosso 'frustration'
Wehrlein a contender for Williams seat – Wolff
Red Bull strength 'good for Vettel' – Marko
Perez recovered after Malaysia virus
Pat Symonds on why Suzuka is his favorite circuit,

No gearbox penalty for Vettel in Japan
(GMM) Sebastian Vettel's Japanese grand prix weekend has started well.

After Ferrari's horror outing in Malaysia last week, Vettel headed to Suzuka under a cloud due to his bizarre post-race crash with Lance Stroll.

The team had sent the German driver's gearbox back to Maranello, fearing a replacement would cost Vettel five penalty places on the grid this Sunday.

But Ferrari says the gearbox is in fact "still available" to use in Japan.

"Only the outer casing of the gearbox was damaged," a Ferrari source told us. "That can be replaced without a penalty."

The source added: "It's our best news for weeks."

But another piece of good news for Ferrari is that the carbon connections for the turbo units were also sent back to Maranello for checks, following two near-identical failures that cost both Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen in Malaysia.

The parts have reportedly been reinforced for Japan, with the changes also not incurring penalties because they were completed purely for reliability.

Vettel unlikely to win 2017 title – Jochen Mass

Well of course Hamilton is the 2017 champion. AR1.com has been saying that since August

(GMM) Lewis Hamilton is now on a march towards the 2017 title.

That is the view of former F1 driver Jochen Mass, who nonetheless thinks Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel have put up a solid fight against Mercedes this year.

Vettel's hopes took a severe blow in Singapore and Malaysia, with Hamilton now leading the championship by 34 points with just five races to go.

"There's still a lot of points to be won, but Hamilton is unlikely to lose now," German Mass, who raced in the 70s and 80s, told Germany's t-online.

"Sebastian did a great job in Malaysia, but I do not think it will be enough," he said.

"One thing is clear — if Sebastian is still to win the title, he has to win in Japan."

And although Mercedes is confident about returning to form this weekend, Mass thinks Suzuka will also suit Ferrari.

"The track should suit Ferrari," he said. "The car should be a breath ahead of the Mercedes, so the chances of a Vettel victory are good."

But beyond that, Mass thinks the rest of the season will be a close fight between the two top teams.

"In Brazil I see an opportunity for Ferrari, but for all the other circuits I see no clear advantage," said the 70-year-old.

"It will therefore be difficult for Sebastian to catch up."

But Mass said that, if Hamilton is crowned 2017 champion, it will be deserved.

"The incident in Singapore was very unnecessary and cost Sebastian 25 points," he said. "Otherwise Mercedes has simply been stronger, and that should be recognized."

Brawn impressed by rookies Vandoorne, Stroll

Stroll gets endorsement

(GMM) Ross Brawn says two F1 rookies have impressed him this year.

That is despite the fact that Stoffel Vandoorne and Lance Stroll initially struggled in 2017.

But Brawn, the F1 sporting boss, said McLaren-Honda's Vandoorne impressed him last weekend in Malaysia.

"He was seventh in qualifying and he also shone in the race — especially considering the performance level of his car," Brawn is quoted by the Spanish daily Marca.

"He was even in front of his teammate (Fernando Alonso), who is particularly impressive in the race, at a circuit where the driver can make a difference," he added.

Brawn, the former Mercedes and Ferrari chief, also said Williams rookie Lance Stroll has impressed him this year.

"There was a lot of skepticism when Lance made his debut," said the Briton, "but I think he has now proved that he deserves his place."

Magnussen says F1 rules 'nonsense'

Moving chicane Kevin Magnussen

(GMM) Kevin Magnussen has described as "nonsense" the amount of penalties handed out to F1 drivers.

After run-ins with Nico Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso and others, the Dane is earning a reputation as a 'bad boy'.

For instance, he told Hulkenberg to "suck my b-lls" during a live TV interview recently, and has taken a strong stance against the safety innovation Halo.

"People must not think that the highway is more dangerous than what we do," he told Germany's Sport Bild.

As for his "suck my b-lls" comment, the Haas driver said it is within the drivers' power to "make formula one even cooler".

"On the track, we have too many rules," said Magnussen, who turns 25 on Thursday.

"Clearly we need rules, but not every single maneuver (should be) questioned," he insists.

"The fact that you are not allowed to push anyone out of the track on a straight line is reasonable," Magnussen explained. "But there is a lot of stuff that is complete nonsense.

"They should just let us fight our battles on the track."

Sainz Jr. admits Toro Rosso 'frustration'

Carlos Sainz Jr.

(GMM) Carlos Sainz Jr. thinks the only thing stopping Toro Rosso from becoming a winning team is money.

After three seasons with the junior Red Bull team, the Spaniard is finally stepping up for 2018 with a move to the works Renault outfit.

But he says he is grateful to Red Bull for giving him his start in F1 with Toro Rosso, a team designed to give young drivers their debut.

"With my results, and considering that Renault was interested in me for a year and a half and the doors of Red Bull were closed, I felt a little frustrated," Sainz, 23, admitted to the French magazine Auto Hebdo.

"But it was never to the point of forgetting what this team and what Red Bull did for me. Without them, I would not be here to talk to you," he said.

And he says Toro Rosso is a strong and well-organized team.

"They have the right people but not the right budget," Sainz explained.

"The resources are minimal compared to Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull," he said.

"This is a problem that F1 must address as soon as possible. Because with a little more resources, this team would really be something."

Wehrlein a contender for Williams seat – Wolff

Pascal Wehrlein will drive wherever Wolff buys his seat

(GMM) Pascal Wehrlein has emerged as a fourth candidate to become Lance Stroll's teammate at Williams next year.

Earlier, reports circulated that Robert Kubica and Paul di Resta will go head-to-head in unofficial 'shootout' tests later this month.

But Bild newspaper quotes Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff as saying: "I think Williams is talking to four drivers.

"(They are) Robert, Paul, Felipe and Pascal."

Kubica's high-profile hopes could get a boost this weekend at Suzuka, with his co-manager Nico Rosberg in the paddock on television commentary duties for broadcaster Sky.

But Wolff also referred to German Wehrlein, who is in danger of losing his Sauber seat next year as the Swiss team looks to bring in Ferrari junior Charles Leclerc.

Earlier, it was believed Mercedes-backed Wehrlein had been ruled out by Williams, as team sponsor Martini wanted at least one 2018 driver to be over the age of 25.

But Auto Bild reports that Williams has "confirmed that the use of a driver over 25 is not a contractual commitment".

The report explained that at the few countries on the F1 calendar where the legal alcohol consumption age is 25, test driver di Resta could stand in as a PR representative.

Red Bull strength 'good for Vettel' – Marko

Dr Helmut Marko must be inflicted with Altzheimers. How having both Red Bull cars and both Mercedes in front of Vettel is going to help him is unfathonable

Dr Helmut Marko must be inflicted with Alzheimer’s. How having both Red Bull cars and both Mercedes in front of Vettel is going to help him is unfathomable

(GMM) Dr Helmut Marko thinks Red Bull's strength could play into the hands of former team driver Sebastian Vettel this weekend at Suzuka.

Current Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won last weekend in Malaysia, and now Marko thinks the team will once again be strong in Japan.

"It could help Sebastian if we are ahead of Mercedes once again," Marko told Auto Bild.

He is referring to the fact that Mercedes notably struggled at Sepang, despite the fact that Ferrari's technical problems meant Vettel's points deficit to Lewis Hamilton blew out to 34 points.

"We will be strong in Suzuka again," Marko added. "And we are still developing our car.

"In qualifying, Mercedes is still stronger with the qualifying mode of their engine. But in the race we were stronger last time," he said.

Meanwhile, Marko has hinted that news about Pierre Gasly's future at the junior team Toro Rosso will be forthcoming this weekend.

"Gasly will definitely end the season with us," he said. "It is not yet decided about Austin, because he is able to win the Super Formula title in Japan."

But when asked about 2018, Marko said of Frenchman Gasly: "I expect him to be at Toro Rosso next year."

Perez recovered after Malaysia virus

Sergio Perez

(GMM) Sergio Perez says he has recovered completely after a stomach virus affected his weekend in Malaysia.

Photos emerged of the Force India driver attached to an IV after Saturday and Sunday's events at Sepang, and the Mexican said in Japan on Thursday: "It was so bad in qualifying that I had to rush to the toilet at one point."

But Perez explained: "I feel completely healthy now. I'm 100 per cent ready for this weekend."

The 27-year-old has been signed up by Force India for another season, but Perez thinks hanging onto fourth place in the constructors' championship will be hard for the team in 2018.

"Next year will be very difficult, but I'm sure that he will be one of the contenders for fourth place," said Perez.

"I think McLaren will be a greater threat to us than Renault," he added.

"But we have been working on the car for next season for a long time already, so it should be very competitive."

F1 technical expert Pat Symonds on why Suzuka is his favorite grand prix circuit,

Pat Symonds

Suzuka – it’s a fan favorite, a driver favorite, is it an engineers’ favorite too?
It is my favorite track. I love Japan. It’s like Silverstone; it just really makes the car work. Just think of the lap: in Turn 1 you go barreling in at way over 300 km/h. You’re braking while in the corner, from very, very high speeds, to get down to the speed you need for Turn 2. And then you have that lovely sequence from Turn 2 to Turn 8. All the time the car has to be beautifully balanced through there, because if it’s not and you lose any time through the Esses, it’s reflected all the way up the hill.

At the end of that section you have Turn 9, Degner 2, which is a really difficult corner. You have a big bump on the way in; you see a lot of accidents there. It’s a hard corner to get right.

You carry on round to the Spoon curve and the car is in the corner for so long, it just has to work and work, and again it’s really important for lap time because you’re now going onto the main straight. 130R used to be a great corner but it’s not really anymore, but it’s still good. Honestly, the only thing I don’t like at Suzuka is the final chicane; it’s just too tight.

I love the circuit though. Maybe it’s the only track now where driver experience makes a difference. It’s a very difficult circuit for a newcomer to master. Many times in the past we’ve seen that guys who have raced in Japan in other formulas and have learned Suzuka, come into Formula 1 and they give the old boys a bit of a surprise, because there are real tricks to getting Suzuka right and that, to me, makes it a great circuit.

In the past 130R was often compared to Eau Rouge, which again is probably no longer a reference, but is it the same challenge?
I don’t think it ever had the spectacle of Eau Rouge… It is lovely when circuits have a change of elevation and that was the great thing about Eau Rouge and even now, anyone who stands on the track at the bottom of Eau Rouge goes ‘wow, I didn’t realize it was that steep’. At various times 130R was just about flat, and that made it a perfect corner.

It is quite difficult to overtake there. Is it likely to be even trickier this year?
It’s not easy to overtake, but if you remember in 2005 Kimi won from 17th and Fernando started 16th and finished third. They got through OK. It’s not impossible to overtake but it is difficult and I’m afraid that the answer is that it probably will be a bit more difficult this year.

Actually, on consideration, I’m not sure about that. There are two real overtaking places – into the chicane and into the hairpin. Into Turn 1 is really difficult. You do get overtaking there, but someone needs to make a mistake at the chicane for you to pass.

Into the chicane, I don’t think that will be any more difficult, because you can follow all the way from Spoon quite easily. Into the hairpin, yeah, there’s a little point before the hairpin, which doesn’t even have a corner number, but there’s really high loading just before you brake into the hairpin, so it might be more difficult to follow there.

In terms set-up, what’s the trade-off you need to make to be competitive at Suzuka?
It really favorsed an efficient car. People often think of Japan as a power circuit, because there is a lot of full throttle time, but actually in terms of sensitivity it sits a little bit above midway. But where it is very high is in lift-to-drag ratio – on aero efficiency. You need to have your car set up for good aerodynamic efficiency.

But most importantly, going from Turn 3 to Turn 8 you have to have a really responsive car, so that when you point it at the apex it gets to the apex and as soon as you have done that you point it at the next one and it goes there. You need a car you can trust. It needs to be quite neutral. Oversteer and you just can’t keep the sequence. Understeer and you’ll miss one of the corners and you’ll never get it back again.

The fans are amazing in Japan. There’s often a large crowd that stays in the main grandstand across from the pits and watch the teams work. Does that give teams a boost?
Absolutely. I love the fans there. They are so knowledgeable. They queue up outside waiting for the gates to open, they’re there after the race just watching the guys pull the cars apart, watching the race again on the big screens. I always fly in to Tokyo and take the train down and back, just because I like to. Last year after the race I changed trains in Nagoya and I was standing on the platform waiting and fans started coming to talk to me. I’m not in team kit and I’m 50 miles from the track, but they know everyone, they know everything about it. I love the Japanese fans; they’re fantastic.

Japan used to be if not the final race, then one of the last two or three, but now there are usually four or five races still go. Does it start to become fatiguing for the teams when the season is this long, and is it here in Japan that tiredness starts to become apparent?
Yes, very much so. Teams get the August break now and you get a little bit of a gentle lead into the final part of the season with Belgium and Italy, but you ask anyone who works for a team and they just have this knowledge that they now have three months of incredibly hard work.

It’s really tiring, with lots of jetlag. You’re just recovering from one and you’re on the way to another. The guys on the teams really don’t enjoy the end of the season anymore. From Singapore onwards it’s tough.

After Malaysia you feel tired. You’ve worked hard physically and mentally in difficult condition and to pack up and do it all again in a few days’ time is very hard.