Latest F1 news in brief

Kevin Magnussen

Engineer says Magnussen like Raikkonen
Alonso 'should leave' if not enjoying F1 – Massa
Only 'the name' the same at McLaren – de la Rosa
Agag wants Ferrari in Formula E
'Zero tension' with Alonso – Zak Brown
Permane: No doubts over Kubica's pace
Horner: New fuel can push engine on

Engineer says Magnussen like Raikkonen
(GMM) Kevin Magnussen's race engineer has likened the young Dane's character to that of Kimi Raikkonen.

Giuliano Salvi, who now works alongside Magnussen at Haas, has previously race engineered at Ferrari for the likes of Michael Schumacher, Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso and Raikkonen.

But he said Magnussen, 24, most reminds him of the Finn.

"He is very honest and direct, which I really like," Italian Salvi told Ekstra Bladet newspaper.

"As a character, Kevin reminds me of Kimi a lot. They are both Nordic, who are — how should I say it? They do not care about politics and they have no facade.

"The first impression may be misleading, because they struggle to have an immediate connection with you. But when you work with them, and get to know them a little deeper, they are really open," he added.

"They are like cats," Salvi continued. "If they are afraid, you see it. If they are angry, you see it. And that is really good. You know how they think and feel.

"You never leave a meeting with Kevin and think 'He said one thing to me but he may mean something quite different'. No, he said it because he believes it."

Alonso 'should leave' if not enjoying F1 – Massa

Alonso should leave F1 says Massa

(GMM) If Fernando Alonso keeps complaining, the Spaniard should consider leaving formula one.

That is the view of his former teammate Felipe Massa, as Alonso reaches a fork in the road of his career after three seasons with the hapless McLaren-Honda project.

Alonso, however, also appears disaffected with F1 itself, declaring that if the calendar expands to 25 races, he will quit.

And after doing the Indy 500 recently, Alonso said in Montreal: "The atmosphere there (in Indycar) is more relaxed, everyone is happier.

"In formula one, everyone is looking for some controversy with what you say. Or thinking about the future rather than the weekends, because you already know who will be the top 15 in qualifying and the race," he added.

But Massa, who was paired for several years with Alonso at Ferrari, says he knows why the 35-year-old is complaining.

"Fernando is complaining about F1 because he does not have a good car," he told Spain's El Confidencial.

"F1 is the same now as it was in the 80s," explained Massa. "Now with Liberty we are going in the right direction to attract people, but with the cars we still do not make a difference because the gaps between Mercedes and Ferrari and the rest is too great.

"Small teams should be given more opportunity, but until another Concorde Agreement is signed in 2020 it will be impossible," he added.

Another F1 driver, Sergio Perez, also said Alonso is wrong to compare F1 with Indy.

"F1 is the pinnacle of motor sport and therefore more complicated, with much more competition between teams and drivers," said the Force India driver.

So when asked if Alonso's complaining means the time has come for the Spaniard to leave F1, Massa answered: "I think it depends on a lot of things.

"But I think if you're not having a good time, it's best to leave. He does not seem to be enjoying much right now, so maybe he will.

"Maybe he will go to another team or take on other challenges outside of formula one," Massa added. "It's something we don't know."

Only 'the name' the same at McLaren – de la Rosa

Pedro de la Rosa

(GMM) The "only thing" that has survived the sweeping change at McLaren in recent years is "the name".

That is the claim of the once-great British team's former long-time test and reserve driver Pedro de la Rosa.

He told AS newspaper: "I don't know the current McLaren very much.

"There are still fantastic people and I still have friends, but 80pc of the people with whom I had the privilege of working at McLaren are now at Mercedes or Red Bull or Ferrari," said the Spaniard.

"The McLaren today with Honda, I cannot say anything because I do not know anyone, but the only thing that remains is the name," he added.

De la Rosa, 46, knows McLaren's top driver Fernando Alonso well, having also worked with him at Ferrari.

When asked if his Spanish countryman made a clear mistake moving to McLaren-Honda for 2015, de la Rosa answered: "That is a question only he can answer, and knowing him, some day he will.

"I am nobody to judge, but what I can say is that he had to leave Ferrari. That he should then go to McLaren, I cannot judge, but living what I lived in Ferrari it was impossible for both parties," he added.

Alonso is now clearly on the market for 2018, but given the breakdown of the relationship with Ferrari, de la Rosa is not sure he can contemplate a return.

"I have no idea where Fernando can go and if Ferrari is an option," he said.

"I think it's early to think about it and I still see Fernando focused on the McLaren-Honda project."

Agag wants Ferrari in Formula E

Alejandro Agag

(GMM) Formula E boss Alejandro Agag has urged F1's most famous team to enter the all-electric series.

This week, FIA president said he is glad Renault is involved in both F1 and Formula E, adding: "I am confident that one day Ferrari will follow suit, and we would like to see that."

Agag agrees.

"Ferrari in Formula E is quite possible," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Amid Liberty Media's impending arrival last year, Agag was linked with a leading F1 role but he now insists: "I feel very comfortable in Formula E.

"We are in the third year. It's a great signal that Jaguar is coming. We are looking at new races in Hong Kong, New York, Montreal and Marrakech. We want to grow and thrive — I have a lot to do here."

As for F1, Agag insists that Formula E is not a rival.

"We don't race on classic race tracks, but short courses in the middle of cities, on circuits that grand prix cars could not drive on. Additionally, the technology of our cars is quite different," he said.

Rome is another prospective Formula E destination, and Agag thinks Ferrari would also be a great addition to the series.

"I see 20 drivers but no Italian flags," he said. "I already know that every young Italian dreams only of Ferrari, but I'm sure that sooner or later we will have a driver from Italy. Or an Italian brand."

Does Ferrari fit the bill?

"This is quite possible. We already have Renault, Audi, Jaguar, BMW are ready to enter, other car manufacturers like Mercedes think seriously about us.

"Three years ago, nobody could have imagined that. In Italy there are Fiat, Maserati, Alfa Romeo. I read that Marchionne is always speaking of Alfa Romeo's return. We would welcome them with open arms," said Agag.

'Zero tension' with Alonso – Zak Brown

Monsour Ojjeh and Zak Brown

(GMM) Amid the McLaren-Honda crisis, boss Zak Brown insists there is "zero tension" between the great British team and Fernando Alonso.

Even with McLaren rumored to be splitting with its hapless Japanese engine supplier, perhaps within weeks or months, Alonso is openly contemplating a change of team for 2018.

"I think Fernando loves the atmosphere here at McLaren and I don't think there's another team that he would prefer to drive for more than us," Brown, the new McLaren executive, told Spain's AS newspaper.

"But he wants to compete for the top positions and I understand that," the American added.

And so even as relations between McLaren and Honda terminally sour, Brown insists McLaren and Alonso are still on a firm footing.

"There is zero tension between Fernando and McLaren. The relationship has never been healthier," he said. "He is frustrated but we are together in our frustration."

However, Brown acknowledges that convincing Alonso to stay beyond this year will be difficult.

"We have been clear that we want him to stay and he was very clear when he said he wants to stay," he said. "But we need a better race car, and that is where all of our attention is."

Permane: No doubts over Kubica's pace

Robert Kubica

Robert Kubica has the pace to pursue a Formula 1 comeback, according to Renault Trackside Operations Director Alan Permane, who oversaw his recent test run.

Kubica's Grand Prix career was halted when he suffered serious arm injuries in a rally crash in 2011, but he returned to an F1 cockpit with Renault earlier this month.

Over a full day of running in Valencia last week, he covered 115 laps on various fuel loads, with only "a very slight modification" to the steering wheel, to help with shifting.

Kubica stated after the test that he is now eyeing a "proper comeback", and Permane is sure that the Pole showed enough speed to continue on his journey.

"I think he knows better than me, but from what I've seen, from the statistics, the data… the pace is there, that's for certain," Permane told Polish TV network Eleven Sports.

"My only fear was whether he could drive. I had no doubt that he was still fast, and is fast.

"I can only say that on Tuesday in Valencia he did a fantastic job.

"There are many other circuits and only he knows if he has physical limitations on other circuits, so if this continues, then it will be another step."

Permane said the test passed without any major issues.

"I did not know, and I don't think he knew, whether he would be physically able to drive and, most of all, whether he would be able to drive a lot [of laps]," added Permane.

"He drove different cars, he drove simulators, drove a GP3 car earlier this year, in preparation for the test day, but we didn't really know what his limitations would be.

"Honestly, it went very well. He was quick. He did long runs, shorter runs, qualifying runs, we did race simulations, and everything went very well."

Pushed for the next step, Permane said: "I think it is too early to comment.

"We are still in touch, we have talked about everything we could do in the future.

"All I can say is that nothing else (further running) is scheduled at this moment, but I would not say that we will not do something again in the future."

Horner: New fuel can push engine on

Christian Horner hoping for a miracle

Christian Horner is confident that Red Bull will still feel engine gains through 2017, despite supplier Renault's admission that no major update will come until next year.

Red Bull boss Horner stated at the Canadian Grand Prix that Renault was on track to introduce a performance upgrade in Azerbaijan, only for Renault to deny such plans.

According to Cyril Abiteboul, Renault Sport's Managing Director, the manufacturer's next sizeable update will not arrive until 2018, when it will run a "completely new concept".

However, Horner noted a "great job" from new fuel partner ExxonMobil, which replaced Total over the winter, and expects it to unlock performance from Renault's power unit.

"Well, this is Renault's decision," Horner reacted, in an interview with the official F1 website.

"We take whatever we can, when we can – for sure we'd rather sooner than later!

"We knew that Montréal would be tricky and so will be the next two races, Azerbaijan and Austria; we will probably introduce our next engine [from the season's pool] in Austria.

"Hopefully that will be a bit of a boost as our fuel supplier, ExxonMobil, did a great job finding performance – in this area there is quite a bit of potential."

Asked if it came as a shock that Renault did not make it clearer that there would be no major update this season, Horner replied: "Nothing surprises me these days.

"You deal with the hand that you've got and we will keep on pushing the best we can.

"As I just said, we are very confident ExxonMobil will help in performance from that side, and the last three races have been promising, so let's see what Baku holds."

Red Bull sits third in the 2017 standings, over 100 points off leader Mercedes.