Latest F1 news in brief

Button should retire says Jordan

Button should ax sabbatical and retire – Jordan
Red Bull could spoil Rosberg title – Stewart
Rosberg should target win from pole – Surer
Car failure a 'nightmare' for F1 finale – Chiesa
Rosberg drove strategically for title – Berger
Alonso caused Massa's Ferrari decline – Smedley
Alonso not sure McLaren will get 2017 right
20 races for 2017 as Germany scrapped
Canadian Grand Prix confirmed at Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve for 2017

Button should ax sabbatical and retire – Jordan
(GMM) Jenson Button has been urged to turn his forthcoming 'sabbatical' into full retirement from formula one.

The 2009 world champion said he was convinced by McLaren's now-departing supremo Ron Dennis to take a break from his 17-year F1 career next year and leave the door open to a 2018 return.

But Eddie Jordan, a former team owner turned controversial pundit for British television, told the Mirror newspaper: "If the fire and the commitment and the passion and the drive are still there, why take a year off?

"I don't get that. Sabbaticals do not work," he insisted.

"If I was his manager I'd be doing everything to say 'Jenson, you've had an unbelievable time, let's pull the shutter down, move the page on and don't be afraid to retire'," said Jordan.

But as it stands, it is instead merely likely that Abu Dhabi this weekend will be Button's 308th and final grand prix, in a career that netted 15 wins and the 2009 title.

"He was a worthy champion," said Jordan. "If you are talking the top two or three drivers, the Schumachers and Sennas, then he is not with them.

"But he will go down as one of Britain's best drivers and one of Britain's greatest sportsmen and that's how he should be remembered."

Might Verstappen play spoiler in finale?

ed Bull could spoil Rosberg title – Stewart
(GMM) Sir Jackie Stewart has warned that Nico Rosberg's bid for title glory this weekend could be spoiled by the Red Bulls.

The German driver only has to finish third to guarantee his championship victory over Lewis Hamilton, but Red Bull's team boss Christian Horner has warned that a "tentative" Rosberg could open the door to his fast and keen drivers.

F1 legend Stewart agrees ahead of the Abu Dhabi finale: "I think the two Red Bulls cars will be very, very competitive. That's what could decide the weekend."

He told the Guardian newspaper that Ferrari will also be pushing for a good final result this weekend, "So we have four drivers capable of disturbing Nico Rosberg from having what I would call a calculated race".

Another former F1 driver and Scot, Paul di Resta, agrees: "It is Nico's title to lose.

"But the one danger for him is that he's too cautious, as he was in Monaco, and maybe Malaysia, where he collided with Vettel.

"If the Red Bulls smell an overtake, they will go for it," the former Force India driver and now Williams reserve added.

Will Rosberg finally stop playing 'stroker ace'?

Rosberg should target win from pole – Surer
(GMM) Nico Rosberg should target pole and the win rather than an easy and careful cruise to the title this weekend in Abu Dhabi.

Although winning the championship with a mere podium place seems straightforward for the German, he is being warned from all sides to avoid being too cautious.

Former F1 driver and now German-language pundit Marc Surer said ahead of Rosberg's title showdown with Lewis Hamilton: "Rosberg can only lose.

"A second or third is not a problem for the Mercedes, but if he drives too carefully, someone might get in the way. This is almost worse than going to the limit," he told the German broadcaster Sky.

Surer added: "If he can, Nico should try to win from pole position. That way, he won't get caught up in a fight with a Ferrari or a Red Bull. And if Rosberg is to be world champion, it would also be better for his image.

"Lewis, on the other hand, can only drive with the motto 'All or nothing'," he said.

Mercedes maintains that it will be happy no matter which silver-clad driver wins, as long as technical faults do not determine the outcome on Sunday.

But Surer said: "For me, Nico Rosberg is the better champion for Mercedes.

"Internationally, Hamilton has the bigger name, but Nico has an image that fits easily with Mercedes. With his gold chains, you wonder about that with Hamilton."

Rosberg is due for a car failure

Car failure a 'nightmare' for F1 finale – Chiesa
(GMM) The big enemy of F1's title showdown in Abu Dhabi this weekend is the risk of technical failure.

To win the title, Nico Rosberg only has to finish third on Sunday, even if Lewis Hamilton wins his fourth consecutive grand prix on the trot.

"Nico must withstand enormous pressure, cross his fingers and hope that a third driver, like Verstappen, does not intervene," Dino Chiesa, who was Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton's karting boss, told Corriere della Sera newspaper.

"I predict that Hamilton will win the race hands-down on a track he loves," Chiesa said. "A failure? It would be a nightmare," he added.

"So far it has worked out well for Nico, but now he has to cross his fingers."

Former F1 driver Timo Glock agrees that, on paper, championship victory will be a straightforward matter for Rosberg in Abu Dhabi.

"He knows he has a car with which he can be second at any time if things go smoothly. In my opinion, he can only lose the title with a technical defect," he told the German broadcaster Sport1.

"Of course Red Bull will be strong, just like Ferrari, but I think Mercedes always has so much in hand to make up for that. The question is how reliable the car is," Glock added.

"In recent races, Mercedes has tried to be on the safe side technically and with the engines, and that's why Red Bull was a bit closer," he said.

Nico Rosberg drove better this year

Rosberg drove strategically for title – Berger
(GMM) Nico Rosberg has eased off the throttle in a tactical maneuver for the 2016 world championship.

That is the admission of F1 legend and Rosberg family friend Gerhard Berger, who earlier this year negotiated the German's new contract with Mercedes.

Rosberg, however, insists he has been pushing for poles and wins in recent races, although others suspect he has been conservatively nursing his big points lead.

Indeed, a third place will seal his title in Abu Dhabi, and Berger now tells the Austrian newspaper Kurier: "This was of course Nico's tactics.

"He wants to have won the title at the checkered flag with as little risk as possible," said the former McLaren and Ferrari driver.

"He has kept a cool head and knows that a third place will be enough in Abu Dhabi."

But Berger joins those who think Rosberg would be a fully deserving world champion, despite being beaten to the crown in 2014 and 2015 by teammate Lewis Hamilton.

"He really does not have the basic speed that Hamilton has," Berger admits.

"But Nico has other sides. He is a disciplined driver who works very well with the engineers and with diligence and ambition. And in the end, only the result counts. They are always the sum of the abilities you have," he said.

So he rejects F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone's claim that Hamilton is in fact the 'better world champion'.

"What does 'better world champion' mean?" questioned Berger.

"Lewis, of course, is a good guy, but on Sunday, the better will be the world champion," he said.

Fernando Alonso got special treatment

Alonso caused Massa's Ferrari decline – Smedley
(GMM) Felipe Massa's relationship with Ferrari soured due to the arrival of Fernando Alonso.

On the eve of the likeable Brazilian's final grand prix, that is the claim of Massa's long-time friend and engineer, Rob Smedley.

Massa was engineered by Smedley at Ferrari, where in 2008 they almost won the title. But the following year, Massa sustained head injuries and some believe he never recovered his full level of competiveness.

Smedley, who still works with Massa at Williams, says that interpretation is "bull—-".

He told Brazil's UOL: "The team he left (injured) in 2009 was very balanced between him and Kimi. The team he returned to in 2010 was completely focused on Fernando.

"Everything revolved around Fernando," Smedley added. "That was his (Massa's) problem. It had nothing to do with him."

Massa, however, is more diplomatic, commenting: "If it was because of the accident, the car, the team, it is impossible to answer.

"But I felt good after the accident, just like I was before. I always kept giving the maximum and did many good things afterwards. Everything stayed the same, only the victories did not come," the 35-year-old added.

For its part, Ferrari marked its former driver's last grand prix this weekend with the message: "His (Massa's) competitive qualities and great passion have made him one of the Scuderia's most loved drivers by fans around the world."

Will Alonso quit if the 2017 McLaren is still abackmarker?

Alonso not sure McLaren will get 2017 right
(GMM) The only question mark is how McLaren will respond to the new aerodynamic regulations for 2017, according to Fernando Alonso.

Next year is the last in the famous Spaniard's three year deal with the Anglo-Japanese outfit, and he told Auto Motor und Sport that he has no doubt Honda is up to the engine challenge.

"Mercedes will be hard to beat," he told the German magazine when pondering next year's regulations.

"Not just for us — for everyone," added Alonso. "But I think we can be close enough to fight.

"I am 100 per cent convinced that Honda will find the performance we need. On the aerodynamics side, there are bigger questions. You have to have some luck.

"Who knows what car philosophy will be the right one: who will interpret the rules correctly, and who does not? It may well be that one goes to the left, one goes to the right, and after four races you realize you went the wrong way," he said.

But although the media has constantly pressed Alonso on his decision to leave Ferrari for the struggling McLaren-Honda project, the 35-year-old insists he was right.

"Every day I say that to myself," he said.

"I am happy. I drive in the best team of my career," Alonso explained. "The level of knowledge, the focus on detail, the analysis, the organization, I have not experienced anywhere else.

"All we need is a fast car. I spent five years with Ferrari, and if I had spent two more years there, I would probably be sad and frustrated now.

"When I was there, I fought at least twice for the title, but today I would be sixth instead of second," said Alonso.

Finally, when asked about the ambition of the 2017 rules, Alonso backed the goal of making F1 faster and more spectacular by speeding up the cars next year.

"I am hopeful," he said. "All the drivers, all the bosses, all the organisers, all the TV stations agreed that something must change."

And he also agreed that the physical challenge will be significantly tougher for the drivers in 2017.

"It will be harder, no question," said Alonso. "We'll have to train more.

"When you get tired, you make mistakes. This year, we were about five seconds per lap faster in Malaysia because of the new asphalt, and it was by far the most physically demanding race. In 2017, all the races will be like that."

20 races for 2017 as Germany scrapped
(GMM) F1's race calendar for 2017 is set to shrink from 21 to 20 grands prix.

Auto Motor und Sport reports that the German grand prix at Hockenheim will be scratched, with teams informed of the change ahead of Abu Dhabi.

"We cannot subsidize the race in Germany if we do not do the same with the other races in Europe," said F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

The change will reportedly be ratified by the next World Motor Sport Council meeting scheduled for 30 November in Vienna.

Canadian GP saved

Canadian Grand Prix confirmed at Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve for 2017
Mayor of Montreal Denis Coderre has confirmed via social media that a deal for the 2017 Canadian Grand Prix has been finalized.

A deal with commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone was the missing piece in terms of confirming the running of the event, but that has now been confirmed, and the race will take place on Sunday 11 June.

"There will be Grand Prix of Canada in 2017" tweeted Coderre, ending talks of improvement work to the Circuit de Gille Villeneuve that some team bosses feel is necessary.

Francois Dumontier, president and CEO of Octane Racing Group, who promote the event, said "Montreal and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve produce one of the most exciting grands prix of the season. In 2017, everyone will have even more good reasons to be there."

The 2017 running of the race will mark 50 years since the first Canadian Grand Prix in 1967, timely considering the addition to the grid of Canadian Lance Stroll next season, who will partner Valtteri Bottas at Williams.

The Canadian Grand Prix had been listed as a TBC event on the provisional calendar, along with races in Brazil and Germany, but Canada has now been confirmed with Ecclestone, with the other two races still awaiting confirmation.

Tickets to the event will go on sale on Thursday 24 November at 14:00 GMT.