Latest F1 news in brief

Canadian GP

Canada secures place on 2017 calendar
Giovinazzi eyes step towards F1 in Abu Dhabi
Drivers to train hard for 2017 – Kvyat
Hamilton wary of 'pretty impossible odds'
Steiner: F1 must be 'cleverer' with calendar
Rosberg: Every reason to feel confident
Button hopes to end chapter 'in style'

Canada secures place on 2017 calendar
(GMM) Canada looks to have secured its place on the 2017 calendar.

Until now, the popular Montreal race had been in doubt over delayed circuit improvement promises.

But the city's mayor Denis Coderre tweeted in French on Tuesday: "Agreement in principle with (F1) and (race organizer) Octane.

"There will be a grand prix of Canada in 2017."

And the French-language Quebec newspaper La Presse said tickets for the June race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will finally go on sale on Thursday.

The report said: "The announcement comes a week before the publication of the final 2017 calendar by the World Motor Sport Council."

Antonio Giovinazzi

Giovinazzi eyes step towards F1 in Abu Dhabi
(GMM) Another important championship will also reach its zenith this weekend in Abu Dhabi.

While the Nico Rosberg vs Lewis Hamilton stoush is front and center, it is also the case that the feeder category GP2 will crown a champion this weekend.

The favorite is Antonio Giovinazzi, a 22-year-old Italian who had been linked with a potential move into F1 for 2017.

Cheering him on this weekend will be Angelo Sticchi Damiani, the president of the Italian automobile club Aci.

"There is an urgent need to see an Italian driver in F1 again," he told Autosprint.

"That is our first goal. We are on the eve of the last round of GP2 in Abu Dhabi and our Giovinazzi is leading despite having debuted in the category (in 2016)," added Damiani.

"We will all be holding our breath."

For his part, Giovinazzi said he will do his best to deliver.

"I have to finish the job I started," he said. "Of course, it is an important condition but not sufficient on its own to arrive in F1.

"The matter is much more complex than that and yet to be seen. Meanwhile, I'm thinking only of Abu Dhabi."

Drivers to train hard for 2017 – Kvyat
(GMM) Daniil Kvyat says he is glad the season is ending, but also looking ahead to an arduous winter period.

The Russian admits 2016 was not the best year in his career, having started the season at Red Bull, being demoted to Toro Rosso, and only just clinging to his F1 career.

"Yeah, so much has happened," he said ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

"There were some bad times, but it's turned out alright in the end," added Kvyat.

"I can't wait for next season to start, but I'm also quite happy to see the end of this season. You know the feeling when you need a change, and next year there are many changes."

The biggest change, of course, is to the cars and tires, with most experts predicting that laptimes will be five seconds per lap faster in 2017.

That will mean a much tougher physical challenge for the drivers.

Kvyat told his teammate Carlos Sainz in an interview: "I don't know about your training schedule for winter, but I had a talk with my trainer the other day — wow, there's really a lot to do to get ready for next year.

"But I like it a lot — it's an additional challenge to face."

Hamilton knows Rosberg has to have trouble to win title

Hamilton wary of 'pretty impossible odds'
Lewis Hamilton has accepted that he faces "pretty impossible odds" to retain his Formula 1 title as he prepares to battle Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg for the championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Hamilton trailed Rosberg by 43 points after the opening five races, but overturned the deficit to lead by 19 points heading into the summer break.

Rosberg surged ahead once more as the season resumed, and led by 33 points after Japan, though Hamilton responded by winning the following three races.

Despite Hamilton's success, Rosberg holds a 12-point lead through virtue of finishing runner-up across recent rounds, and Hamilton is wary of the task he faces.

"It's not been a perfect season and I'm faced with pretty impossible odds no matter what I do this weekend," Hamilton commented.

"But I can't and won't give up. You never know what might happen – however unlikely it may seem.

"I'll be proud of myself and what I've achieved as long as I feel I've given my all and performed at my best.

"And, whatever happens, I'm proud of everyone who's been a part of the success we've shared over the past few years.

"I'm approaching this weekend the same as I do every race. I want to win and I'll give it everything to finish the season on a high."

Hamilton finished second to Rosberg in Abu Dhabi last season.

Anti-American Guenther Steiner

Steiner: F1 must be 'cleverer' with calendar
Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner believes Formula 1 needs to amend its calendar, or race weekend structure, in order to alleviate the burden on the travelling circus in future years.

This year's calendar has comprised a record-breaking 21 races, with Abu Dhabi the ninth race in 14 weekends, encompassing trips to Asia, America and the Middle East, as well as transits back to Europe.

Next year's provisional Formula 1 schedule also features 21 events and Steiner reckons the sport needs to address a growing concern.

"Everybody's tired, everybody's worn out, you can see it at the end of the season," he said.

"People are just tired. They have been away a lot of days. It's tiring, but what can you do?

"If you go over 21 races, I think we should look into maybe having a shorter weekend or making it simpler to get to the races or we need to be cleverer logistically.

"Otherwise, we run out of days in the year to do races."

Haas occupies eighth in the standings ahead of this weekend's finale in Abu Dhabi but Steiner is sure that the outfit can improve further when it embarks on its second campaign next season.

"We will apply all the lessons we learned this year, and our relationships with Ferrari and Dallara are better because we all know a lot more than we did a year ago," he reflected.

"We should be better, but I'm sure there will still be a few déjÃ vu moments where we had problems last year, we will have problems again this year.

"But the biggest unknown is how good are the other people? How good is their car next year?

"We could have a very efficient and better car build, but then the car performance could be down because we don't know where other people are with their development."

Will the Mercedes computers be programmed for a Rosberg win in Abu Dhabi?

Rosberg: Every reason to feel confident
Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg says he has "every reason to feel confident" as he attempts to clinch his first Formula 1 World Championship at this weekend's season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Rosberg heads to the Yas Marina Circuit, where he won last year, with a 12-point advantage over Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, and will be assured of the title if he finishes on the podium.

While conceding that nothing in Formula 1 is ever "easy", the German driver is optimistic that he can achieve his goal this weekend.

"It feels great to be in the World Championship battle with Lewis for a third year in a row," said Rosberg.

"I will give it everything to end the season with a win.

"I've had a great week, relaxing and catching up with my family and friends, so I feel like I'm in a good place.

"I have to treat this like any other race.

"Doing a good job on a Grand Prix weekend is always a challenge. Nothing in this sport is easy, so this won't be any different and I still have to go all out for a good result.

"I have great memories from winning at this track last year and it's somewhere I've usually been strong in the past, so I have every reason to feel confident.

"The closer it gets, the more I'm feeling excited.

"It will be a big battle and hopefully the fans will get a great show to end the year."

Rosberg's father, Keke, won the title back in 1982.

Jenson Button

Button hopes to end chapter 'in style'
McLaren driver Jenson Button says he is eager to end "this chapter in style" as he prepares for what could be his final Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi this weekend.

McLaren announced in September that Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne will race for the team next year, with Button remaining part of the outfit in a developmental role, with a view to a potential 2018 return.

This weekend's race will be Button's 305th during a 17-year spell in the sport, in which he has taken 15 wins, 50 podiums, eight pole positions and the 2009 World Championship.

"I'm really looking forward to this weekend, and have been for a few races now," he said.

"It's going to be a hugely emotional weekend and I hope with the support of the fans, the team and the people that are closest to me, we can go out there and give it our absolute maximum and enjoy the weekend.

"It's not the end of my career with McLaren, but it's the start of a new phase that I'm incredibly positive about.

"This race marks the culmination of a huge amount of hard work, dedication and passion for the sport that I love.

"I'm immensely proud of everything I've achieved in the past 17 seasons, and the fantastic progress we've made over the past couple of years with McLaren-Honda.

"It's been an amazing project to work on and my involvement certainly won't end here.

"I'm looking forward to concluding this chapter in style and starting a new one with just as much enthusiasm, and I can't wait to see what the future holds."

Alonso also paid tribute to his outgoing team-mate.

"It's been a pleasure to work with him and I'll miss him being in the garage next to me," he said.

"But he'll still very much be part of McLaren and I want to wish him all the best for the exciting things he has in store for the next step in his career."