Latest F1 news in brief

Not much left of Magnussen's car

Magnussen cut and bruised after Eau Rouge crash
F1 world blasts Verstappen after Spa aggression
Wehrlein defends Haryanto after ousting
Alonso retirement would be 'a shame' – Hamilton
Ferrari staff 'obligated' to deliver – Marchionne
Red Bull denies illegal diffuser claims
Gene Haas Calls Original Vision For Haas F1 Team 'Foolish'
British Grand Prix In Doubt After Collapse Of Silverstone Deal

Magnussen cut and bruised after Eau Rouge crash
(GMM) Kevin Magnussen looks set to be fit for the Italian grand prix this weekend, despite an horror crash at Spa's fabled Eau Rouge on Sunday.

The Dane limped from his destroyed Renault and was taken to hospital for checks, with team boss Frederic Vasseur saying he cut his ankle.

"On my way home now with a sore ankle but will be ready for Monza," Magnussen, 23, tweeted.

The driver's advisor Jesper Carlsen told the Danish broadcaster TV3: "Kevin was in good spirits when I saw him, joking a little, so he's fine. He was smiling when he went in the ambulance.

"He's a little bruised, and it will be a few days before he is fresh again, but the important thing is that he is ok," he added.

However, team boss Vasseur insisted that it will be the FIA who needs to clear Magnussen before Monza. Renault's reserve Esteban Ocon was recently promoted to Manor.

Meanwhile, Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said the FIA will investigate the fact that Magnussen's cockpit collar flew off the yellow Renault during the violent crash.

"That was the first time we've seen the protection detach like that," said F1 race director Charlie Whiting.

Verstappen panned, but give the youngster a break, he's bloddy quick

F1 world blasts Verstappen after Spa aggression
(GMM) The F1 world rounded on Max Verstappen after Sunday's Belgian grand prix, insisting the Dutchman is driving too recklessly.

"I am fine with good, hard racing but that was not correct," said Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen after his battles with the popular 18-year-old Dutchman at Spa.

"I've never had that before with any driver," the Finn charged.

Earlier, Verstappen was involved in a first-corner clash with both Ferraris, and Sebastian Vettel said he would be seeking out the Red Bull driver for talks.

"We need to talk to each other and respect each other," said the German.

"I believe the criticism is justified but we should not make too big a story out of it. I like him, he's aggressive, but some of his maneuvers, especially when braking, are in my opinion not correct."

Mercedes' two drivers were not involved in the Verstappen maneuvers on Sunday, but that did not stop team chairman and boss Niki Lauda and Toto Wolff from commenting.

"Kimi's criticism was fully justified, and he (Max) needs a psychiatrist if he says it was Kimi's fault," triple world champion Lauda told RTL.

"The young man is a talent of the century, but if he has no understanding of doing something wrong, I'll talk to his father Jos and tell him to speak with his boy. It was well above the limit," he added.

Wolff also said he likes Verstappen and his aggression, comparing the impression the youngster is leaving on his rivals as "reminiscent of Hamilton or Senna — as long as it goes well".

"Eventually it will end in the wall and I think we're not far away now", the Austrian said.

Red Bull chief Christian Horner, however, defended his driver.

"I'm surprised that Toto has commented on something that actually does not concern him. Max goes to the limit — it was certainly borderline," he said of the Spa incidents. "But the stewards saw no reason to initiate an investigation."

However, Wolff added: "The FIA did not punish him but he will have to endure a difficult driver briefing (at Monza).

"In my eyes, he is refreshing but also dangerous."

Wehrlein defends Haryanto

Wehrlein defends Haryanto after ousting
(GMM) Pascal Wehrlein has defended his ousted Manor teammate Rio Haryanto.

Throughout the Indonesian's half season with the backmarker team, many branded Haryanto a mere 'pay driver' and said his replacement Esteban Ocon was a clear step forward for Manor's 2016 lineup.

Referring to qualifying at Spa – Ocon's first race – German Wehrlein is quoted by Tuttosport: "Esteban is a great talent and it was nice to be half a second ahead of him.

"Maybe now you will understand that Rio was actually a good driver who was doing a good job. I am convinced that if he had driven here in qualifying he would have been in Q2," he added.

"I think he was very underrated and so I'm a bit sad because he was a good friend who did a great job," said Wehrlein.

Alonso tells Ron Dennis to give him a winning car or else

Alonso retirement would be 'a shame' – Hamilton
(GMM) It would be a "real shame" if Fernando Alonso was lost to formula one after 2017, according to his former McLaren nemesis Lewis Hamilton.

Alonso said at Spa that, having enjoyed and thrived in the V10 and V8 eras, he sees modern F1 as comparatively "sad".

"Cars are heavy," he said. "No grip. We save fuel, we save tires, we save everything."

Alonso said a lot is riding on the 2017 rules, because if the cars are not significantly better, "probably I will stop".

Arguably, the downwards trajectory of Alonso's career post 2006 has something to do with Lewis Hamilton, with whom he clashed so badly at McLaren.

"I don't feel that way," Hamilton told El Pais newspaper at Spa.

"It was a period (2007) in which I learned a lot and I think he did too. From there, we both made decisions that led to where we are now, but I honestly don't think I had much influence on his current situation.

"For me, he is still one of the best drivers out there, and I would love it if McLaren give him a car that he can fight to win again and I can battle him again too.

"I think if Fernando retires at the end of next year and I can't compete with him again, it would be a shame — a real shame. It would not be good for formula one to lose someone of his level of talent," Hamilton added.

And Hamilton, charging for his fourth world championship in 2016, thinks there is a very real possibility that Alonso will retire, as he has doubts that the 2017 rules revolution will really deliver on its promise.

He said: "Fernando is 35 years old and has already earned enough money, done enough racing and got enough experience. He's a legend and he's earned the right to leave.

"At the end of the day, he should fight for the world championship each year but doesn't have the chance. I think in this last period, he has coped really well — I'm not sure in the same situation I would have, racing at the back, at a team that theoretically should be up front.

"I'd love to fight with him again," Hamilton said.

Arrivabene may soon be Arrivaderci

Ferrari staff 'obligated' to deliver – Marchionne
(GMM) Sergio Marchionne has warned that no one at Ferrari is safe unless the team starts meeting its targets.

The fabled Italian marque has failed to win a drivers' title since Kimi Raikkonen's in 2007, even after Marchionne swept into the presidency with bold title targets for 2016.

Recently, technical boss James Allison left Ferrari but Marchionne indicated that recent staff reinforcements are now "making an impact".

However: "There is a commitment to close the gap," he is quoted by La Stampa newspaper.

The report added that a rule in which anyone at Ferrari not delivering results must leave "applies to everyone, including myself".

"We are obligated to achieving the goals we have set ourselves," Marchionne added.

Was the Red Bull legal in Spa?

Red Bull denies illegal diffuser claims
(GMM) Red Bull has hit back at any suggestion its 2016 car may be illegal.

The team has sped past Ferrari in recent times, with Max Verstappen qualifying on the front row at Spa before teammate Daniel Ricciardo went on to split the Mercedes on the podium.

Asked if Mercedes is now in Red Bull's sights, even on circuits with long straights like Spa and Monza, Australian Ricciardo said: "Hopefully.

"It's been three podiums in a row so we're definitely making inroads."

However, Auto Bild reports that some of Red Bull's closest rivals are pointing fingers at the Renault-powered team's diffuser design.

TV replays from Friday practice at Spa reportedly depicted the diffuser flexing both vertically and horizontally.

The German report claims Ferrari asked one photographer at Spa to "look closely" at the Red Bull design.

But Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko insisted: "Our car is completely legal and anything otherwise is just slander."

Grosjean in the Haas

Gene Haas Calls Original Vision For Haas F1 Team 'Foolish'
F1 Team Owner Gene Haas described his initial vision for the Haas F1 Team as "silly" and "foolish," but he applauded his squad’s ability to turn on a dime and deliver results writes HJ Mai of Sports Business Daily.

Haas F1 currently ranks eighth in the constructors' championship with 28 points after 13 races. It started its inaugural F1 season with three points finishes in the first four races. The team’s racing operations are largely run out of Banbury, U.K., after original plans called for North Carolina to be its home base.

"Our decision when we started in Formula 1 was to do everything out of Kannapolis," Haas told SBD Global ahead of Sunday’s Belgium Grand Prix.

"That was our vision, which in retrospect was kind of silly." Only six months into the project it became clear the complexity of today’s F1 cars would trample this idea, Haas said.

"It became pretty apparent that if we do all this and try to combine 20 years of experience in six months that was pretty foolish, but we were able to turn on a dime and reverse our course," he said. "We immediately started partnering up with Ferrari and Dallara, which turned out to be our salvation."

ON-THE-JOB TRAINING: The Haas F1 Team not only partnered with the two Italian companies to speed up its progress, but also purchased the old Marussia factory in Banbury, which is located in England’s motorsport valley. Haas doesn't complain about the obstacles his team encountered on its way to the starting grid, but he acknowledges that a different approach could have proved less costly.

"Two years ago, when we started, we had a vision, and only 10 percent of the way we thought things would go went that way," Haas said. "The other 90 percent were new for us."

Haas put down a $20M deposit with FIA for an F1 team license in '14 and started with the construction of a new building, right next to NASCAR team Stewart-Haas Racing, which he co-owns together with three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart. "When you look at some of the opportunities that presented themselves at the end of 2014 with Caterham and Marussia folding, those were good opportunities where you could have immediately gotten a Formula 1 license with virtually no money required," Haas said.

NO GUARANTEES: The founder of CNC machine tool brand Haas Automation made those investments without any guarantee that he would receive an F1 license. By taking over an existing F1 team, Haas would have immediately started to collect prize money from F1 along with other financial incentives such as transportation and freight costs.

"We had a plan, but taking over a team would have probably been a very advantageous way, too," Haas said.

Haas F1 over the past two years has turned from an American team into a multi-national outfit due to unforeseen circumstances. Haas, however, is not concerned about the team’s changed identity, but rather proud his team quickly adapted to the new challenges.

At the end of the day, Haas said, "We are here to race cars." HJ Mai/Sportsbusinessdaily.com

Silverstone future again in doubt

British Grand Prix In Doubt After Collapse Of Silverstone Deal
The British Grand Prix "is in need of saving" following Jaguar's failure to complete a Â£33M ($43.4M) deal with the British Racing Drivers Club for Silverstone, according to Christian Sylt for the London INDEPENDENT.

F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone "has revealed it needs a savior following the collapse of a deal to sell Silverstone."

The track has a contract to host the British GP until '26 "but a clause in the agreement allows Ecclestone to drop the track."

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix, he said, "I don’t know what is going to happen there. Somebody is going to have to step in and save it." The British GP is F1's "best-attended race with 139,000 spectators packing the stands last month."

Despite this success "it is the only of F1’s 21 races which gets no government funding and this has driven it into the red." Silverstone's plight "has led to it paying" the estimated Â£17.7M ($23.25M) British GP hosting fee in arrears and "this is what allows Ecclestone to terminate the contract."

To "put the brakes on the losses permanently" the British Racing Drivers Club is "trying to sell a lease on Silverstone and in April announced that Jaguar wanted to buy it to use it as a high-speed test track."

The deal was believed to be worth Â£33M and was endorsed by the BRDC board. However, it "now appears to have stalled" as it has come to light that Porsche, which runs a driving center at Silverstone, "has got a veto over rival car manufacturers using the track for more than 45 days per year." INDEPENDENT