Latest F1 news in brief

Hamilton brake tested Vettel so Vettel made sure Hamilton knew he was furious

Vettel under fire after Hamilton clash
'Secret' Stroll test not podium boost – father
McLaren could take Honda 'break' – Boullier
Singapore GP Organizers Reach Out To Supercars About Joining F1 Undercard
Raikkonen perplexed by Bottas' approach
Magnussen: Seventh in Baku 'perfect'

Vettel under fire after Hamilton clash
(GMM) Sebastian Vettel is under fire amid accusations he deliberately rammed championship rival Lewis Hamilton while behind the safety car in Baku.

Vettel accused Mercedes driver Hamilton of 'brake testing' him, which damaged the German's front wing and sent him into a rage.

"If you were to do that on a public road you would get arrested," 1996 world champion Damon Hill is quoted by The Times.

He is referring to the way the Ferrari driver pulled alongside Hamilton and apparently deliberately turned into him, earning him a penalty and bringing him close to the end of his super license penalty points.

Afterwards, a furious Hamilton said the next time Vettel wants to take him on, it should be "face to face".

"Lewis will hit him one day," agreed Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda. "Not with the car but with the fist."

When grilled by the media about the incident, Vettel simply would not refer to it.

"I went next to him to lift my hand. I wanted to make it clear that this was not right," he said. When asked if it was deliberate, Vettel asked the reporter: "That I lifted my hand?"

Despite repeated attempts by reporters to refer to the clash, Vettel would not even admit there was contact, instead insisting again and again that Hamilton had brake-tested him.

But the FIA released data showing that Hamilton's attempts to warm his brakes were consistent throughout the safety car periods.

"We are racing but we are men," Vettel said. "We are not in kindergarten," he is quoted by Bild newspaper. "We are expected to race, to use our elbows."

However, Hamilton said Vettel's actions set a "precedent" for impressionable young racers coming through the ranks, and others agree that the FIA may still act.

"In Britain they have just banned a driver for a year for deliberately causing an accident," a Mercedes source said.

What is clear is that the gloves are now off in the championship fight, with Vettel saying he would phone Hamilton in the coming days but Hamilton responding: "I don't think he has my number."

And Ferrari are backing their man, with boss spokesman Alberto Antonini saying: "We all saw what happened.

"It was unnecessary for Lewis to be so slow. Seb is not to blame."

Team boss Maurizio Arrivabene added: "With what happened between Bottas and Kimi and then Sebastian, I would say 'Is this formula one or the Coliseum?'

"But we do not want to complain because it is not our style."

As for Lauda's criticism of Vettel, Arrivabene added: "Lauda can say what he likes. We want to remain quiet and work."

'Secret' Stroll test not podium boost – father

Stroll drove to a lucky third in Baku

(GMM) Lance Stroll enjoyed a 'secret' test between the recent Canadian and Azerbaijan grands prix.

After a lackluster start to his rookie season, Williams' controversial rookie opened his points account in Montreal and was then on the podium at the end of the wild Baku race.

Germany's Auto Bild now reveals that, in between those two races, 18-year-old Stroll got the benefit of a secret, private test in Williams' 2014 car at the US grand prix track in Austin.

When asked if the test gave his son a boost, Lance's billionaire backer and father Lawrence Stroll said: "To be honest, I don't think the test helped at all.

"It had also been planned for nine months. I think it's just time that has helped Lance.

"Every race, every lap that he turns, is a step forward. There are no real tests in formula one, so every grand prix is a test for him," he added.

"It has never been so difficult for a rookie than this year, with these tires and these cars."

McLaren could take Honda 'break' – Boullier

Boullier knows if McLaren dumps Honda they are not coming back

(GMM) McLaren's team boss has admitted the British team could take a break from being powered by Honda engines in F1.

Up and down the paddock, most insiders expect that a full McLaren-Honda divorce is on the cards.

But it appears a trial separation could be a leading option instead.

"On paper it's a good strategy," team boss Boullier told Britain's Sky.

"If you can run a (different) engine for the time being until Honda is competitive, then why not? This is one of the various scenarios we may have considered," he added.

Mercedes' Toto Wolff said in Baku that the issue of McLaren's 2018 engine supplier needs to be resolved by around the end of the summer.

Boullier admitted the decision is "a question of weeks" away.

The Frenchman also said McLaren is seeking to keep Fernando Alonso on board for 2018, but other reports indicate the Spaniard is now almost certain to quit the team.

In Baku, Alonso's management had talks with Mercedes and Renault officials.

When asked if he knows what the future holds for him, Alonso said at the weekend: "Maybe."

Former F1 driver and now German-language pundit Marc Surer said: "This weekend, Fernando has been sending confusing signals.

"McLaren was not competitive at Baku and yet he was saying things are going well for him. He also said he would win races in 2018, so what does he know that we do not?" Surer told Speed Week.

"I have learned over the years that Fernando often implies something with a hidden message, or sometimes he is provoking a situation or being ironic.

"Basically, we can only speculate about his situation at the moment," he added.

Singapore GP Organizers Reach Out To Supercars About Joining F1 Undercard

Singapore GP

Supercars could become the "major supporting attraction" at the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix as part of V8 racing's "revived" int'l expansion plans, according to Mark Fogarty of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD.

Singapore GP organizers reportedly "sounded out Supercars on joining the undercard as the main daytime drawcard at the popular F1 night street race event."

It would force the Sandown 500 in Melbourne to be moved because "its traditional mid-September slot in the calendar clashes with the running of the Singapore GP."

Supporting F1 in Singapore is Supercars' "latest opportunity in a renewed push to gain a foothold" outside of Australia and New Zealand, targeting southeast Asia after "short-lived forays" to China, the Middle East and the U.S. Along with the Singapore GP, there is interest in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia for standalone Supercars events.

The V8 teams are "keen to race in Singapore because in addition to the financial windfall of a multimillion-dollar sanctioning fee, racing alongside F1 at the island city-state would appeal to sponsors with interests in the region."

Supercars CEO James Warburton confirmed "there was serious interest in putting the V8s on the Singapore GP support race program." Warburton said, "Yeah, love to be there. We've had some discussions, but it's a long way from fruition." SMH

Raikkonen perplexed by Bottas' approach

Bottas gave Raikkonen a body slam

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen says he "doesn't know" what Mercedes rival Valtteri Bottas was doing as the pair colliding on the opening lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Raikkonen and Bottas came to blows while battling for second at Turn 2, with the Mercedes driver unsettling his W08 after running across the inside curb.

Bottas' trajectory took him into the path of Raikkonen, who bounced into the wall and dropped to fifth as a result.

Raikkonen remained in contention, albeit with a damaged car, before he sustained a puncture when he picked up debris later on, in the wake of the collision between the Force India drivers.

Raikkonen returned to the pits but the lengthy repairs dropped him down the order, and Ferrari eventually retired his car during the final laps.

"After the start, at the second corner, I got hit by Bottas; I don't know what he was doing, he braked very early but probably he noticed that and let the brakes off, went too fast and hit me," he said.

"Because of that the rear end of my car hit the wall and I had a massive damage.

"We were able to keep going but then I was unlucky. The two Force Indias collided, some debris flew off and destroyed my rear tire.

"The whole floor and the rear wing were damaged and we decided to retire.

"When the red flag stopped the race we thought that we might try and go back on track.

"But obviously my car was still not perfect and we decided to stop. It's not a good day when your car retires twice in a race.

"I'm disappointed because, without all these things happening, my car would have been good. There's nothing else we could have done, we tried our best."

Raikkonen slipped to fifth in the standings as a result, behind race winner Daniel Ricciardo.

Magnussen: Seventh in Baku 'perfect'

Kevin Magnussen

Kevin Magnussen hailed a "perfect" result for Haas as he escaped the drama which befell others at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to take seventh.

Magnussen lined up from 12th position but stayed out of trouble during an incident-filled 51-lap race, which featured a red-flag, to briefly emerge in contention for the podium.

Magnussen was ultimately overhauled by quicker, recovering rivals but crossed the line in seventh to capture his best result in over a year, as he moved ahead of team-mate Romain Grosjean in the standings.

"I'm very happy," said Magnussen. "Seventh is more than we had hoped for.

"To come away with a result like that on perhaps the most tricky circuit for us this year is perfect, so I'm extremely happy.

"The car's been handling well all weekend – there's just been some issues with brakes and just not being that competitive on this track and the layout not suiting us.

"To come away with a seventh-place finish is pretty good. We were in P3 at one point and I got a bit excited about that. I had some fun out there. It was a great afternoon."

Team-mate Romain Grosjean struggled all weekend and came home a lapped 13th, frustrated by his predicament.

"I won't make any comment," said Grosjean.

When asked how he will move forwards, he replied: "It's been a year and a half… so I don't know."

Haas moved into seventh place in the Constructors' Championship, three points ahead of Renault.