Latest F1 news in brief

Nico Rosberg: Pre-chosen by Mercedes to be the 2016 F1 World Champion

Rosberg has 'luck of a champion' – Montagny
Sainz hits out at Palmer incident penalty
Vettel won't seek revenge on Kvyat – Marko
Vettel feeling pressure of Ferrari situation – press
Russia not ready for more F1 races – minister
Putin meeting surprised Rosberg
F1 drivers to discuss race start crashes – Alonso
Now Ocon adds to pressure on Palmer
Stroll eyes F3 title before F1
Red Bull 'pressure' led to Kvyat crash – Alesi
Grosjean: Still 'many things' to improve
Raikkonen admits Ferrari 'not fast enough'

Rosberg has 'luck of a champion' – Montagny
(GMM) Former F1 driver Franck Montagny thinks runaway championship leader Nico Rosberg will eventually strike problems in 2016.

So far in 2016, the German's run at the top of the field has been peerless, amid reigning champion and teammate Lewis Hamilton's consistent bad luck.

Briton Hamilton's good mood also appeared to falter at Sochi, amid the prospect of even more penalties in the near future.

"I'm aware that there is most likely going to be at least one ten-place penalty because I have one more reprimand to go. The last one was bloody ridiculous," he said.

"When I was karting there was one steward who was just there to make everyone's weekend bad. He was a complete a—–e and I've started to see signs of him," said Hamilton.

Rosberg, however, said he is aware that his peerless run, and Hamilton's dire luck, will not last forever.

"It's probably the best phase in my career," the German told Bild newspaper. "But the season is not over yet. With Lewis Hamilton as an opponent you can't relax for a second."

But every other driver in F1 history who has won seven straight races – Alberto Ascari, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel – have gone on to win the title.

"That's a great statistic," Rosberg is quoted by Belgium's Sporza, "but those drivers did not have Lewis Hamilton as a teammate."

Montagny, a French former F1 driver, said Rosberg is currently enjoying "the luck of a champion".

"This faultlessness is impressive, but the championship is long," he told Le Point. "There is nothing to say he will not also have his share of mishaps.

"It is a certainty that a confrontation between Hamilton and Rosberg will happen," Montagny added.

Fernando Alonso, Hamilton's former teammate at McLaren, agrees.

"Things are not going right for him now but the championship is long," the Spaniard, referring to Hamilton, told Cadena Cope radio.

"He (Hamilton) is among the favorites for the title. He must move forward as it is often in moments of difficulty where you really see someone's character," Alonso added.

Carlos Sainz Jr.

Sainz Jr. hits out at Palmer incident penalty
(GMM) Carlos Sainz Jr. has hit out at the 10-second penalty imposed for his confrontation with rival Jolyon Palmer at Sochi.

Even the Spaniard's famous father, rally legend Carlos Sainz snr, called the punishment by the stewards "ridiculous".

"I did not see Palmer on my right," Sainz, 21, told the Spanish broadcaster Movistar.

"I don't know why he was there because there was nowhere to go. In my life I have not seen such a penalty for a maneuver such as this," the Toro Rosso driver added.

Paybacks are a bitch, but Vettel to nice a guy for that

Vettel won't seek revenge on Kvyat – Marko
(GMM) Dr Helmut Marko doubts Daniil Kvyat's now two-race spat with Sebastian Vettel will spill into even more race weekends.

The pair argued before going onto the podium in China, before German Vettel launched a foul-mouthed radio tirade against the Russian in the wake of their Sochi clash.

Maurizio Arrivabene said Vettel had also gone "ballistic" behind closed doors, but Marko, Kvyat's boss, doubts the former Red Bull driver will hold a grudge.

"I think Sebastian is so logical that he knows revenge will bring nothing to him. Instead he has to focus on getting good starts and bringing the car home in one piece.

"So I don't believe this will be a problem," said the Austrian.

Marko agrees with Ferrari's Vettel that Kvyat was entirely to blame for Sochi and vowed to speak to the 22-year-old.

"Let's cool down a bit," he said. "During the week, we will talk about this."

Amid his dark period, Kvyat is at least receiving some backing from the F1 paddock.

"Daniil made a mistake with the first contact," veteran David Coulthard told Tass news agency, "but for the second one he didn't expect such a sharp deceleration from Vettel.

"Unfortunately, after a great race in China, Kvyat disappointed on his home track but he remains a terrific driver," he added.

Former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos agrees: "Kvyat misjudged the braking with the first touch, but the second was a racing incident.

"It is of course very bad that you take the lead Ferrari off, but it seems that Vettel had a problem," he told Ziggo Sport Totaal. "That corner is basically full throttle but you can see that Vettel is off the gas."

Nevertheless, it is an awkward time for Kvyat, amid intense speculation that Max Verstappen is being lined up to replace him for 2017.

"The Russian has a few months to prove himself to (team boss) Christian Horner," former F1 driver Franck Montagny told Le Point.

"He is clearly in danger of losing his place in the team. With what happened in China he is now under a lot of pressure.

"For next year it is likely that Red Bull will prefer one of the two Toro Rosso drivers," he predicted.

Vettel knows his Ferrari cannot compete with the Aldo Costa designed Mercedes

Vettel feeling pressure of Ferrari situation – press
(GMM) Sebastian Vettel is feeling the pressure as Ferrari's 2016 title push flounders, according to the Italian press after the grand prix in Russia.

"Vettel could not hide his anger," wrote Corriere dello Sport, after the German was taken out by Daniil Kvyat at Sochi.

"The gap between Ferrari and Mercedes deepens more and more," it added. "The Maranello team begins to get nervous and Vettel feels the impact of a tense climate."

Indeed, the qualifying gap to Mercedes in Russia was almost a full second, while Nico Rosberg easily cruised to his fourth consecutive win in 2016.

"Ferrari is sinking in a quagmire of problems," La Repubblica, also referring to reliability issues, said.

"The only consolation for Maranello (at Sochi) was Raikkonen, but his podium was not enough to mitigate the disappointment of Vettel's weekend."

La Gazzetta dello Sport agrees: "Vettel's weekend could not have been worse. (Car) problems and the catastrophic start left Sebastian and Arrivabene angry with a weekend nobody expects from Ferrari.

"Kimi reached the podium but (in the race) he fell asleep a couple of times," wrote Umberto Zapelloni.

The sports daily explained that the anger of team boss Maurizio Arrivabene and Vettel is because, although just four races into the long 21-date calendar, the points gap to Rosberg is already 67 points.

"Ferrari is at a crossroads," said Gazzetta.

Arrivabene, however, was quoted as saying: "If we win the next five races, everything is open again."

Former Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso thinks that is very unlikely.

"Ferrari is having unfortunate races and mechanical problems, but the problem is the big advantage Mercedes has year after year," he told Cadena Cope radio.

"It is true that Ferrari has more pressure because it seems to get closer and then not, but the problem is Mercedes," the now McLaren-Honda driver added.

One not-profitable F1 race a year enough for Russia

Russia not ready for more F1 races – minister
(GMM) Russia's sports minister has played down suggestions the country might add another annual grand prix to the F1 calendar.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said at Sochi last weekend that he is so happy with the race and Vladimir Putin's support that he would like to see more Russian grands prix take place each year.

"Of course he would be happy with two or three races in Russia," Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko told Ria Novosti news agency, "but the financial requirements of formula one are too high.

"So it is not easy, even if there is already another track near Moscow," he added.

Mutko said Russia already has enough on its plate in readying for the Fifa World Cup in 2018.

"I have already said that until 2020 we are absolutely busy," he insisted. "We have the world cup, which is a global project in which 40 cities are involved.

"All of our resources are required for that, so we are not yet ready to host another grand prix."

Ecclestone introduced Putin to the top-3 drivers

Putin meeting surprised Rosberg
(GMM) Nico Rosberg has admitted to being surprised when he met Russia's controversial president Vladimir Putin after the race in Sochi.

As the drivers prepared for the podium ceremony, Putin and his translator spoke separately with Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and race winner Rosberg.

"He congratulated me," Rosberg said, "but I was a little surprised that he did not speak German with me.

"He can actually speak German quite well, right?" the Mercedes driver told Bild newspaper.

Indeed, the report claims Putin spent five years working as a KGB agent in Dresden, and still regularly reads German-language newspapers.

Alonso says it is time for the drivers to talk

F1 drivers to discuss race start crashes – Alonso
(GMM) Fernando Alonso says F1 drivers will discuss the recent series of messy race starts in 2016.

Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton collided in Bahrain, the two Ferraris clashed in China, and last Sunday at Sochi Sebastian Vettel was left furious after being punted into the barrier by the Red Bull of Daniil Kvyat.

"Especially the first few corners have been strange this year," McLaren-Honda's Alonso, one of the most experienced drivers in F1, told Cadena Cope radio.

"This last one (in Russia) I escaped by a whisker. For Barcelona we will try to speak about it at the drivers' meeting," said the Spaniard.

"We have to see what has upset the grid so much this year."

However, Alonso does not jump on the bandwagon of those slamming young Russian Kvyat, who was caught up not only in the first corner controversies in China but then again in Russia.

"Surely he was to blame for Sochi and that is why he received a penalty, so I am sure he will be a little calmer next time," said the double world champion.

"But Shanghai I think was a little unfair (on Kvyat), the whole controversy was an unfortunate situation for everyone but I don't think anyone was to blame."

Ocon next to bring bigger check than Palmer to Renault

Now Ocon adds to pressure on Palmer
(GMM) The pressure on Jolyon Palmer will stay high in Barcelona next weekend.

After new Friday tester Sergey Sirotkin outpaced Renault's rookie British regular at Sochi, it will be now reserve Esteban Ocon's turn at the wheel of the yellow car in practice for the forthcoming Spanish grand prix.

Palmer had an awful race in China recently, but a change of floor in Russia appeared to fix his mysterious handling problems.

"First of all I want to note that, compared with Friday, when he had problems, he made significant progress," Renault team boss Frederic Vasseur said.

"In the race he showed good pace. After the incident with Carlos Sainz it was more difficult, but he did the job.

"The team should have more stable race weekends if we want to achieve better results," Frenchman Vasseur added.

It was teammate Kevin Magnussen who really impressed at Sochi, however, securing the official 'driver of the day' prize for opening Renault's points account.

"It was an unexpected result for Renault, after the team started work very late on this car," said former F1 driver and Frenchman Franck Montagny, speaking to Le Point.

"I have to compliment Kevin Magnussen. He is young, with much less experience than Alonso but always consistent and making few errors on track," he added.

Lance Stroll (L) with his filthy rich father

Stroll eyes F3 title before F1
(GMM) Lance Stroll is the latest teenager looking to break into formula one.

The son of billionaire fashion mogul Lawrence, the 17-year-old Canadian is a development driver with Williams this year, whilst racing full-time for the top European F3 team Prema.

"Right now I'm really focused on F3," Lance told La Presse Canadienne this week.

"As I have a little more experience this year, the goal is to win the championship."

Stroll said his "ultimate goal" is F1, but suggested he knows he must take it step by step towards motor racing's top category.

"F1 is the ultimate goal," he said. "As for next year, we will see in due course. I am still very young.

"The most important thing is to do things well. When I am ready and the opportunity presents itself, I will seize it."

Stroll switched to Williams this year from Ferrari's driver development 'academy', taking with him the highly experienced Ferrari engineer Luca Baldisserri as advisor.

"In the past, Williams has shown trust in young drivers," he said. "Just think of Jenson Button, Jacques Villeneuve and Nico Rosberg to name a few."

Kvyat rams Vettel

Red Bull 'pressure' led to Kvyat crash – Alesi
(GMM) Jean Alesi thinks Red Bull is partly to blame for Daniil Kvyat's first-lap crashes with Sebastian Vettel at Sochi.

But that is not to say former F1 driver Alesi is not also pointing the finger at the young Russian, likening him hitting the Ferrari twice to "an attack".

"Seb was hit, for me, in an incomprehensible way," the Frenchman told Canal Plus broadcaster. "It looks like Kvyat was looking somewhere else, which is impossible."

Alesi, who drove for teams including Ferrari and retired in 2001, said he thinks the ten-second stop and go penalty for Kvyat was not enough.

"If we give ten seconds for an attack, because for me it was an attack, then where is the limit?"

He also points the finger at Red Bull and its notoriously tough driver program headed by Dr Helmut Marko.

"He (Kvyat) is a nice boy but he is under pressure," said Alesi. "I think it's a bit unhealthy. They have four very good drivers in their cars plus another good driver, in this case French (Pierre Gasly), who is waiting for his turn.

"So everyone is under pressure and I think it creates first laps like that."

Grosjean at Sochi – Haas still needs improvement

Grosjean: Still 'many things' to improve
Haas' Romain Grosjean expressed his satisfaction at returning to the points at the Russian Grand Prix, though says there are still "so many things we can improve" moving forward.

Grosjean started the race 15th after dropping out in Q2, but capitalized on drama around him to move into eighth, and fended off Force India's Sergio Perez late on.

"It's great to be back in the points, especially after a very difficult weekend where we were never very happy with the car," Grosjean commented after the race.

"It was a good first lap to avoid all the incidents, and then I kept Perez behind.

"There are still so many things we can improve on the car. I'm still not a hundred per cent happy with the behavior. I think for the next race it's going to be so much better.

"It's very positive knowing that we have something that will become better."

Grosjean's team-mate, Esteban Gutierrez, who started one place behind, ran into Nico HÃ¼lkenberg's Force India at Turn 2, in an incident that also eliminated the Manor of Rio Haryanto.

Gutierrez took a drive-through penalty and two penalty points en route to 17th.

"It was a tough race from the beginning," Gutierrez lamented.

"It was definitely not a nice start. I arrived at [Turn 2] with a lot of space in front and I braked but, unfortunately, I couldn't stop the car and I ran into Nico. It's a shame not only for me but for him, as well.

"I tried to do my best to recover but we got the penalty and lost a lot of track time."

Raikkonen says his Ferrari not fast enough to compete with Aldo Costa designed Mercedes

Raikkonen admits Ferrari 'not fast enough'
Kimi Raikkonen admitted that Ferrari had no answer to Mercedes' pace as he settled for a podium finish in the Russian Grand Prix.

Raikkonen grabbed second from Valtteri Bottas on the first lap, but fell behind at the restart and was then passed by Lewis Hamilton.

Raikkonen completed a lengthy opening stint and rejoined ahead of Bottas, before a quiet run to third place, Ferrari's 700th podium.

Sebastian Vettel dropped out of the race at the third corner in the sister Ferrari, after twice being struck by the Red Bull of Daniil Kvyat.

"Of course it's not exactly what we want," said Raikkonen.

"We want to win races, with two cars up as far [up the order] as we can.

"I had a pretty OK start, and managed to get past Valtteri on the first lap.

"But again at the restart, like last year, we didn't have the pace. Valtteri got past me [on the approach to Turn 2], then when I tried to get past him again, Lewis got past me.

"I managed to get the Williams but we were not fast enough for Mercedes. We had to take some measures with fuel-saving, and couldn't push as fast as the car could go."

Ferrari now trails Mercedes by 81 points in the standings.