Latest F1 news in brief

Will F1 teams agree to buy into F1? A franchise system of sorts.

Liberty expects teams to buy into F1
Magnussen's Haas move surprises Palmer
Marko slams Wolff for Verstappen phone call
Alonso defends 'sense of humor' in Brazil
Ricciardo beats Vettel among F1's best – Wolff
Arrivabene laughs at mounting Ferrari 'pressure'
Brawn's role could be unclear for months
Villeneuve relationship 'from foe to friends' – Massa
Lauda, Wolff ensuring free fight for title
Strategy Group to push for fewer penalties
Button eyes GT, rallycross for 2017

Liberty expects teams to buy into F1
(GMM) F1 teams are expressing interest in buying into the sport, Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei has revealed.

As Liberty moved to take over from majority owner CVC, it emerged that the teams had been invited to consider becoming co-owners.

"We obviously … went to meet with the teams and I think as has been mentioned we have expectations that they will become owners in formula one primarily through the placement of some of the shares to the CVC Group to them," Maffei said during an investor meeting this week.

Writing in Forbes, F1 business journalist Christian Sylt explained that Liberty is offering the shares to CVC as payment for the sport's commercial rights "instead of cash".

"Cash just 25 per cent of the $4.4 billion purchase price for F1", Sylt added.

Magnussen's check was not enough to sign him for multiple years. The anti-American Haas team was happy to pick him up

Magnussen's check was not enough for Renault to sign him for multiple years. The anti-American Haas team was happy to pick him up

Magnussen's Haas move surprises Palmer
(GMM) Jolyon Palmer has admitted he is surprised that current Renault teammate Kevin Magnussen is moving to Haas for 2017.

Earlier in Brazil, Magnussen told reporters that he actually turned down Renault's offer of a one-year contract extension in order to sign a longer deal.

"I'm surprised," Briton Palmer, who has signed the one-year Renault deal instead, is quoted by Denmark's Ekstra Bladet newspaper.

"I think he has made a mistake. We're a factory team and we'll be in front of Haas next year.

"It's like if you get an offer to go to Red Bull for a year — it's better than two years with Toro Rosso," the Briton added.

When told about Palmer's comments, Magnussen smiled: "I think he should be happy that I left."

The Dane also played down Palmer's claim that Renault is definitely a better choice than Haas.

"I don't think they (Haas) were alone this year in having ups and downs," he said. "That's not really a problem.

"Or, if it's a problem, it's a problem that many people had," said Magnussen.

As the news of Magnussen's Haas deal became official, his father and former F1 driver Jan Magnussen admitted he is delighted for the 24-year-old.

"The agreement has a length where he can think more long-term for the development of the team, the car and himself," said the former McLaren and Stewart driver.

"I can't really answer for Kevin, but the American spirit meant a lot to me. I came to America after formula one and the spirit really lifted me up again. The Americans are better at that than the Europeans," Magnussen snr told BT newspaper.

Meanwhile, Palmer admitted that he will have to perform in 2017 in order to safeguard his own future in F1.

"It's understandable that Renault will see how I am going with Nico (Hulkenberg), but there is an option for the future and I believe in myself," he said.

Wolff phones Verstappen to tell him to stay out of the way

Marko slams Wolff for Verstappen phone call
(GMM) A phone call made by Toto Wolff has opened up a new rift with Red Bull.

That is the claim of Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, revealing that ahead of the Brazilian grand prix, the Mercedes chief called Max Verstappen's father Jos.

It is believed Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, asked Jos to remind Red Bull's 19-year-old driver to stay out of the title battle between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.

"Personally I like him (Verstappen)," Wolff told France's Le Figaro newspaper. "Drivers should be allowed to express themselves and in this sense Max is good for formula one.

"Maybe he should just try to be more careful in certain situations. If he had taken out Nico in Mexico, it would be not only me who is angry with him but half the world for interfering needlessly in the title race," he added.

And Wolff confirmed to Auto Motor und Sport that the phone call to Max's father did take place.

"I only wanted to tell his father, who I have known for a long time, that it would be a shame for Max if he interfered in the title fight with a thoughtless maneuver," he said.

But Dr Helmut Marko, the head of Red Bull's driver program, lashed out at Wolff for making the call.

"It's getting more and more absurd," he said.

"If Mr. Wolff wants something from us, he should contact the people at Red Bull and not the father.

"We are driving our own race," Marko added. "It's not as though we're being lapped, in which case you could understand if we are asked to make room."

As for the phone call, he continued: "I have never experienced such interference before. To call the father of a driver to manipulate him I think is bad form."

But Wolff defended his decision to call former F1 driver Jos.

"He (Max) trusts his father and he's the only one he listens to," he insisted. "There is currently a spiral of negative stories about Max and he doesn't deserve it.

"If he decides the world championship through a collision with Nico or Lewis, the negative image would be complete and I just wanted him to realize that."

Alonso has become a perennial backmarker

Alonso defends 'sense of humor' in Brazil
(GMM) Fernando Alonso has defended running amok during Friday's free practice session in Brazil.

A year ago, the Spaniard triggered a social media storm by reclining in a marshal's deck chair after breaking down at Interlagos near the end of a trying year.

2017 has been better, but Alonso was still keeping F1 fans giggling with his antics after emerging from his broken McLaren-Honda in practice.

First, he playfully kicked a rock like a football, and then he took over from an official F1 cameraman.

When asked to explain, Alonso said: "In difficult times it's important not to lose a sense of humor.

"Last year, the big topic of discussion was when I sat on a folding chair, so I tried to find one today when the car stopped. I couldn't find one so then I saw the TV camera," he grinned.

Italian Daniel Ricciardo from Australia

Ricciardo beats Vettel among F1's best – Wolff
(GMM) Toto Wolff has joined Fernando Alonso in making a surprise choice as one of the very best drivers in F1 today.

Recently, Alonso surprised the F1 world by saying Daniel Ricciardo is today's top driver.

So when asked by France's Le Figaro newspaper to name his top three in F1 at the moment, Mercedes team boss Wolff answered: "In no order I of course say Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

"And third? Before Mexico, I think I would have said Sebastian Vettel. But now I will say Daniel Ricciardo.

"I make this choice because of the driver-personality package," he explained.

"But I wouldn't say that the attitude of Vettel in the race disappointed me, because he's not at Mercedes so it's not my problem," said Wolff.

Maurizio Arrivabene

Arrivabene laughs at mounting Ferrari 'pressure'
(GMM) The pressure is still piling high on Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene's shoulders.

A legendary former driver for the Scuderia, triple world champion Niki Lauda, told Italy's Autosprint: "Vettel is very nervous now because there's too much pressure from (Sergio) Marchionne and throughout Italy."

It was a timely comment from Lauda, after Ferrari president Marchionne late this week ruled out pumping more money into the great team's budget.

"I think I've thrown all the money I like to throw at that thing," he said during an investor's teleconference.

The pressure is also coming from F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who has said that Arrivabene needs some help running the Maranello marque.

"The day after he said the opposite," Arrivabene insisted in Brazil, "and he also came to me to explain himself without being requested to do so.

"I don't need help," he added. "I'm part of the Ferrari racing department and I have hundreds of people who are nearby me."

And not just that, Marchionne also said on Friday that Ferrari has thought about launching a campaign in Formula E, even though the carmaker is not ready to commit.

"I can talk about the word pressure," Arrivabene said, "but there's nothing strange in that.

"Working in a team like this, the day you sign a contract you know that the sport is pointing at you because we are Ferrari.

"I hear 'are you guys under a lot of pressure?' and it makes me laugh. So what?"

Ross Brawn and Simon Cole

Brawn's role could be unclear for months
(GMM) It may be months before Ross Brawn's potential future role in F1 becomes clear.

Recently, as he promotes a book, the former Mercedes and Ferrari chief has been firing rumors that he might become the sport's new Liberty-appointed sporting CEO.

But for the moment, Brawn is simply working as a consultant.

“I'm ok with what I'm doing with Liberty Media at the moment, which is pretty low-key, but I don't know what will happen in the future," he told the Daily Express newspaper.

"It's not out of the question but it's not something which is definitely happening. The picture will become clearer in the next three to six months, then we can see what happens," Brawn added.

Villeneuve relationship 'from foe to friends' – Massa
(GMM) Felipe Massa has revealed that after a rocky earlier relationship, he and 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve reconciled to become friends.

As his long F1 career comes to a close later this month, the Brazilian has been looking back on his past teammates, including world champions Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso.

But he was also paired with 1997 title winner Villeneuve at Sauber in 2005 — and initially it wasn't all roses.

"Villeneuve is a person and a driver who is very different from the others," Massa is quoted by Italy's Autosprint.

"At the beginning our relations were complicated, and I have to say that from my side there was hostility.

"Because in my first year in F1, he always complained about me in the briefings, about my behavior on the track and young drivers in general.

"One day he came to talk to me with a polite, friendly tone," Massa added. "I asked him 'Why do you now behave well with me, when you always criticized me?'

"He said that was in the past and he made many mistakes, that he had nothing against me and that he considered me a good driver. Since that time we became very good friends.

"I would say that he is one of the people in the paddock I am most friends with," said the Williams driver.

Massa continued: "Michael (Schumacher) was my teacher.

"Of course, he was very selfish, but my luck was that he looked at me as a kid. Let's say that maybe because of that, he could not be selfish and hard with me, like maybe he had been with others," he explained.

Wolff and Lauda

Lauda, Wolff ensuring free fight for title
(GMM) Niki Lauda says Mercedes is giving Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton a free fight for the 2016 title.

The German marque has struggled to control the pair at times over the past few seasons, but as they battle for this year's crown in Brazil and Abu Dhabi, team chairman Lauda said Mercedes will not interfere at all.

"I don't talk to them. They are free to race," he told the Brazilian broadcaster Sportv.

"They can do whatever they want," Lauda reiterated. "Leave them alone and just watch. And it's interesting to watch.

"Nico has a comfortable lead, but there should be rain on Sunday and problems can happen," he said at Interlagos. "In formula one you can only be sure of a title after you've won it."

For his part, Rosberg insists he is not massaging his big points lead to the Abu Dhabi checker, but team boss Toto Wolff admits the German may be driving conservatively.

"After Lewis retired in Malaysia, Nico knew he could finish second at every grand prix – and even a third – and still win the title in the end," Wolff told France's Le Figaro.

"It was therefore logical that – although he always wants to win – Nico takes a little less risk and manages this favorable situation.

"So it seems to be the most likely scenario that it will be decided in the last race, which I think will make Bernie very happy," he added.

And like Lauda, Wolff said Mercedes will get out of the way to ensure that the title is solely decided as the result of a clean fight between Rosberg and Hamilton.

"We are in the comfortable position of already winning the constructors' championship and we cannot lose the drivers' either," he said.

"Now, in this situation myself and the team need to be as neutral as possible not to favor one driver over the other. In Mexico, we even made sure both drivers had the same marketing and press times, so that one could not even complain that he is doing more," Wolff added.

Verstappen in Mexico

Strategy Group to push for fewer penalties
(GMM) The controversy about driver penalties in F1 is still raging.

That is despite the fact that, after Ferrari renewed its push for Sebastian Vettel's Mexico GP penalty to be reinstated, the stewards dismissed the new evidence.

Red Bull, whose Daniel Ricciardo inherited the podium after teammate Max Verstappen and Vettel were both penalized in Mexico, was not impressed with Ferrari.

"I don't think what Ferrari is doing (protesting) is good," the Australian said in Brazil.

"Two weeks later, to question the stewards decision, I find a little strange and I definitely can't imagine the fans understand it," Ricciardo added.

In fact, the bad feeling in the paddock about driver penalties has now reached the point that, according to Auto Motor und Sport, Red Bull and Mercedes are urging the Strategy Group to react.

The decision-making body will meet on Wednesday and on the agenda will be a vote to radically decrease the amount of penalties given to drivers.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone agrees: "The rules are too complicated.

"We will be asking the FIA at the next Strategy Group meeting to make it all easier, so that everyone can understand — because even I don't understand it anymore," he said.

Mercedes team chairman and F1 legend calls the current situation "madness".

"What is this overtaking rule?" he exclaimed. "This must be the driver's choice.

"We need to stop all of this talking about incidents hours after the race," Lauda insisted.

Despite all of that, Carlos Sainz revealed that he was surprised that – following the ruckus of Mexico – the drivers' briefing was actually a quiet affair in Brazil.

"There was less said than I had imagined," he revealed.

Jenson Button probably would try IndyCar if he didn't have to buy his ride

Button eyes GT, rallycross for 2017
(GMM) Jenson Button has hinted at his plan to keep on racing during his F1 'sabbatical' next year.

Although some think the Briton is retiring, 36-year-old Button insists he might return in 2018. But what is clear is that the 2009 world champion will probably keep on racing next year.

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do," Speed Week quotes the McLaren driver as saying.

"Maybe I'll do the 1000km of Suzuka in Super GT," Button revealed. "It would be nice if that worked out.

"I could also imagine doing some rallycross in America and some other things — I just have to decide how much I want to do.

"I really want to take a break, so I'm not sure I want to do a whole rallycross season next year," added Button, whose late father John was a rallycross star.

What is clear is that Button is relishing the idea of life beyond F1.

"I think it's very exciting," he said, "because in the last 17 years I was in formula one and I'd like to experience something different.

"Formula one is the pinnacle of motor sport but after a while you need something new."