Latest F1 news in brief

Verstappen hit everything in Monaco

Verstappen still on track after bad Monaco
Ericsson crashed deliberately in Monaco – report
F1 popularity in Germany back on the rise
Podium proves Perez's top-team credentials
Rossi did not dream of Indy 500 glory
Monaco leaves Ferrari in 'crisis' – press
Teams favor Ultra Softs for Montreal
Grosjean left to rue Raikkonen incident

Verstappen still on track after bad Monaco
(GMM) Max Verstappen's impressive F1 career is still on track despite a less-than-impressive showing in Monaco, his new boss Christian Horner insists.

Just a fortnight after stunning the F1 world and drawing comparisons with Senna or Schumacher by winning in Barcelona, the 18-year-old Dutchman crashed not only in qualifying but also during the race in Monaco last weekend.

But Red Bull team boss Horner said Verstappen was having a good race through the field until he made a mistake and hit the wall.

"He wasn't the only one to be caught out, but it's been a very contrasting weekend for him compared to two weeks ago," Horner admitted.

"It's all part of the learning curve that he's on and I think that the trajectory that you can see is still extremely impressive. I only think that he's going to learn and we won't see him make the same mistakes next year," he added.

Horner said Verstappen had apologized to the team and will use the experience of Monaco – where he also crashed in his Toro Rosso a year ago – to keep learning.

"He's a bright, intelligent character and I think he'll take on board what has happened this weekend and he'll definitely move forward and learn from it," said Horner.

Marcus Ericsson took out his teammate on purpose

Ericsson crashed deliberately in Monaco – report
(GMM) A Brazilian F1 correspondent claims Sauber driver Marcus Ericsson crashed deliberately into his teammate during the Monaco grand prix.

Team boss Monisha Kaltenborn, who is struggling to keep the team alive financially, said both Ericsson and Felipe Nasr had shown "unacceptable behavior" leading up to the crash.

It was Swede Ericsson who was punished by the stewards, but Brazil's Globo claims Kaltenborn actually apportions "100 per cent" of the blame to Nasr, after he repeatedly ignored radio instructions to let his teammate past.

And in a subsequent report by correspondent Rafael Lopes, the same Brazilian outlet cited a source that is 'very close' to the Swiss team in revealing that Ericsson actually admitted behind closed doors in Monaco that he had punted Nasr off deliberately.

Monaco was a rare paddock appearance in 2016 for team co-owner and boss Kaltenborn, who has been spending more time elsewhere and at the Hinwil factory on plans to end Sauber's financial problems.

"Yes, we have certain challenges and we are working very hard to overcome the situation," she said. "I'm confident that we'll resolve it shortly."

Confirming rumors that talks with potential new partners are taking place, Kaltenborn added: "Yes, we've been working on that for a while now – we know that we need it.

"If you look at today's environment, to be strong as an independent team in formula one you need to have a strong partners. So we have always been open to that and now we are pursuing our chances and we hope to resolve it soon."

With German Nico Rosberg preordained by Mercedes to be the 2016 Champion, F1 is more popular in Germany

F1 popularity in Germany back on the rise
(GMM) The popularity of formula one might be back on the rise, after the German broadcaster RTL last weekend recorded its best TV ratings in three years.

Germany's Bild newspaper said 5.81 million Germans watched the free-to-air coverage of Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo dicing for the Monaco win.

"Formula one is offering something again," German-language F1 pundit Christian Danner said.

"The Mercedes crash, Verstappen winning a race at 18, now the spectators are rewarding that," he added.

Not only that, after two consecutive years of easy dominance, Mercedes is being pushed harder by Red Bull and Ferrari in 2016, resulting in signs of reliability weakness from the reigning world champions.

"We are pushing all the systems to the limit," confirmed team boss Toto Wolff.

"As frustrating as it is for us to have repeated problems, it is good for formula one that the competition is pushing us harder now," he added.

Another German-language pundit, Marc Surer, agreed: "The audience recognizes that Mercedes now has some competition."

It is also good news for German grand prix promoter George Seiler, whose Hockenheim race has suffered in recent years with dwindling audiences.

"May the chaos at the top continue," he declared. "Now we need a win for Sebastian Vettel and we can look forward to a mega-exciting race in July."

Sergio Perez

Podium proves Perez's top-team credentials
(GMM) Sergio Perez hopes his Monaco podium serves to remind the F1 world that he is still a driver worthy of a top team.

While it is often said that the Mexican's Force India teammate Nico Hulkenberg – the reigning Le Mans champion – is the more talented, Perez has been on the F1 podium six times versus the German's tally of zero.

Asked if Sunday's Monaco podium is a sign he now deserves another shot with a top team, Perez said: "Well, I hope not only this one (podium) but what I have been doing over the past years."

The 26-year-old thinks his ill-fated single season with McLaren in 2013 has tainted his perception in F1 circles.

"I had a really tough time at McLaren and it seems that this is what everyone remembers," said Perez. "No one remembers my time at Sauber, my time at Force India.

"All I can do is keep doing my job, keep doing as well as I can, keep improving as a driver.

"I think in the last years I have improved a lot," Perez continued. "I'm a more complete driver in all aspects, qualifying, race, race pace, more experience. So if the opportunity ever comes, I will be ready for it and I'm up for it.

"If not, all I can keep doing is my job."

Rossi now known around the world

Rossi did not dream of Indy 500 glory
(GMM) In one fell swoop, Alexander Rossi went from idle days at grand prix tracks to motor racing history.

Still a reserve driver for Manor, the Californian completed the last handful of F1 races for the team last year but in 2016 lined up in the field for the 100th running of the fabled Indy 500.

On Sunday – part of his mind on the goings-on in the Principality – he won at the equally-fabled 'Brickyard'.

"Things have worked out incredibly well over here," said the 24-year-old, who won the Indy 500 for the team headed by former McLaren driver Michael Andretti.

But Rossi admitted Indy 500 glory is not where he envisaged his motor racing success.

"It isn't. It isn't at all," he said. "That's no secret.

"I left California when I was 16 to go to Europe. The goal was to get to formula one."

Reports say Rossi's windfall will now be in the millions, as he embarks on the customary whirlwind tour of media and publicity appearances as Indy 500 champion.

"I can certainly say I'm not in a grand prix car anytime soon," he said.

"(In F1) I'm a reserve driver. I sit around and pretend to look important. There is no driving involved – I drive to the track in a rental car."

Ferrari in crisis mode as 2016 title now gone

Monaco leaves Ferrari in 'crisis' – press
(GMM) Ferrari has gone from targeting title glory to digging itself out of a "crisis", according to the Italian press.

Having aimed to chase and unseat dominant Mercedes this year, the Maranello outfit was in fact beaten to the win in Barcelona by Red Bull, and then to the Monaco podium by Force India's Sergio Perez.

"Force India did a better job than us," Sebastian Vettel, taking the blame for missing the podium on Sunday, said.

But Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport insists: "Vettel took a responsibility that is not his. He fights with a car that has no leadership ability and a Maranello that is on the wrong track."

Corriere della Sera, however, suggested German Vettel might be right to take some of the blame.

"Vettel appears a sad relative of the driver who took hold of the Scuderia last year," the newspaper exclaimed.

And La Stampa added: "In Monaco, Hamilton laughs again after a seven-month losing streak, while Maranello must deal with its crisis still."

Tuttosport noted after Monaco: "For Ferrari, this time it was the pilots who flopped."

Indeed, the Italian media was particularly scathing of Kimi Raikkonen, after a notably poor Monaco for the 2007 world champion.

La Gazzetta dello Sport gave the Finn just five out of ten for his weekend, which ended with a lazy slide into the barrier.

"A disaster," it said. "With his experience, he should not be in the rails after just ten laps. It is not acceptable."

Ricciardo on the purple Ultra Softs in Monaco

Teams favor Ultra Softs for Montreal
Pirelli has revealed the tire choices which teams have made for next weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, with the Ultra Soft compound favored once again.

Pirelli's Ultra Soft tire made its debut at the Monaco Grand Prix and it will be used once more at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, alongside the Super Soft and Soft compounds.

Mercedes have opted for eight sets of the Ultra Soft compound, with Ferrari, Red Bull and Williams all selecting seven sets, from the allocation of 13.

Both Renault and Haas have elected to split their allocation solely between the Soft and Ultra Soft compound, with neither outfit choosing a single set of the Super Soft tires.

It is the first time this year that a team has decided not to choose a single set of tires from one of the three allocated compounds.

Romain Grosjean

Grosjean left to rue Raikkonen incident
Haas driver Romain Grosjean was left to rue what might have been after getting inadvertently blocked off by Ferrari rival Kimi Raikkonen at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Raikkonen slid into the barriers at the hairpin in the early stages of the race and, as he limped on, got clipped by Felipe Massa, which pushed him into Grosjean's path.

Grosjean had nowhere to go on the inside of the track and lost valuable time, ultimately crossing the line 14th, between Manor pair Pascal Wehrlein and Rio Haryanto.

"Kimi pushed me into the barrier," Grosjean said after the race.

"I had to reverse and that was it. I lost my position and that was the end of my race.

"It was hard to keep going behind the Manor car. There was only one dry line and it was impossible to overtake. I did something like 60 laps behind the same car and tried everything I could.

"The good news is that the chassis worked well and we made a good setup.

"I was in front of Massa before the incident [with Raikkonen], so I think we could've scored points, which would've been amazing starting where we did (15th position)."

Esteban Gutierrez classified 11th, gaining a place post-race after Valtteri Bottas was penalized for hitting his car, as he struggled for confidence after switching to slick tires.

"I've mixed feelings, as the first part was very good," said Gutierrez.

"We had a really great pace in the wet, but when we changed to the Ultra Soft, I was struggling to get the confidence from the car. When you don't have the confidence [in Monaco], it pulls you back quite a lot.

"Overall, I think there are a lot of things we can learn as a team to try and find more consistency and understand the tires better, which was the main focus [in the race]."