Latest F1 news in brief

2015 F1 champion Lewis Hamilton

Vettel engine news is Hamilton title boost
Red Bull teams turn down upgraded Renault engine
Teams prepare for Austin with one eye on Mexico
Grosjean, Sainz fit after Sochi crashes
Now Perez hints Gutierrez re-joining F1 grid
Honda has 'found the way' with upgrade – Alonso
Lauda's role as TV pundit now in doubt
Russian official urges Ecclestone to revive V8s
For this year’s F1, Austin parties, events scale back

Vettel engine news is Hamilton title boost
(GMM) Lewis Hamilton's hopes of wrapping up the title with three full race weekends to spare received an unexpected boost in Austin.

Ferrari sources had earlier reported that the Maranello team had decided to postpone for now the introduction of a new engine specification, making use of the team's final four 'tokens' for the year.

However, news then emerged on Thursday that Sebastian Vettel's outside shot at the 2015 championship will be dented by a 10-place grid penalty, to also be served by his teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

10-grid penalty for Vettel essentially hands title to Hamilton

The pair are dropping back because fifth engines for the season are being fitted in Austin.

"This has always been the plan and has never been a big secret to us," said Vettel.

It is believed, however, that the new engines are simply 'fresh' Monza-spec units, not the four-token specification that is still being bench-tested at Maranello.

Vettel said: "Our policy is to always try to have the strongest engine at every event. The decision we are taking for the weekend here should be looked at on the positive side, because we keep pushing hard for performance and so far this has worked very well.

"Paying the penalty may not be fantastic news if you look at this weekend in isolation of course, but if you look at the whole picture, the advantage of a fresh power unit becomes clear," he added.

So even if tokens have not actually been spent, Ferrari defended its decision on the basis that it is the best path in order to be more competitive in 2016, when Mercedes' Hamilton – who needs Vettel to finish off the podium on Sunday – expects the German to mount a full title challenge.

"I hope he's right!" Vettel is quoted by Italy's Autosprint.

Red Bull teams don't think Renault upgrade worth it

Red Bull teams turn down upgraded Renault engine
(GMM) Red Bull looks set to turn down Renault's new engine specification in Austin and beyond.

It is seemingly just the latest chapter in the messy divorce between the formerly multiple championship-winning partners, even though rumors suggest key meetings will take place at the scene of this weekend's US grand prix.

Asked if there has been any progress on Red Bull's future in F1 in the two weeks since Sochi, Daniil Kvyat said on Thursday: "Actually no.

"The situation is about the same as it was before, so you can quote me the same as what I said in Sochi," he joked.

Actually, it is no laughing matter. Team owner Dietrich Mateschitz has set an October deadline that is rapidly expiring, and many believe Red Bull's only hope of staying in F1 now is to patch up the broken Renault relationship.

Junior team Toro Rosso, meanwhile, is thought to be definitely moving on to 2015-spec Ferrari power.

When asked about the latest Renault specification, finally made available in Austin and packing 11 tokens worth of upgrades, Carlos Sainz said: "We have decided to stay for the rest of the year with the old specification.

"We know that if we use the new one, we will be at the back of the field again, which we cannot afford," the Toro Rosso driver added.

And it seems that a similar decision is set to be taken by the senior camp Red Bull Racing, which might indicate that the relationship with Renault is still not looking rosy.

"It's not my decision to make," said Kvyat, "but I'm not sure we're going to get much more from a new engine that will allow us to really get over a penalty."

Teammate Daniel Ricciardo agreed: "The last I heard, it's not (a) massive (upgrade) so from my understanding it's probably not worth taking it.

"Hopefully they tell me something different and we've found a bigger chunk of horse power from it but I think realistically there's not a whole lot."

Austin will be wetter than Suzuka

Teams prepare for Austin with one eye on Mexico
(GMM) Hurricane Patricia, and the "life-threatening storms" it is set to bring to Austin this weekend, is not the only worry on F1 teams' minds at present.

Another is the looming Mexican grand prix next weekend — the first at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit since 1992.

Detailed simulations show that the cars could hit top speeds of about 360kph, perhaps in excess of what is seen even at the ultra-high-speed Monza.

Mexico City is situated more than 2 kilometers above sea level, which some say can actually cause mild altitude sickness for acclimatized visitors.

The thin air can also cause problems for F1 engineers, as the wings produce less downforce and the usual cooling mechanisms of the car may not work as effectively.

In the Austin pits on Thursday, a notable addition to Nico Rosberg's car was a couple of extra 'ears' or 'nostrils' alongside the air box.

It is believed the German will test the Mexico-specific modification, also including more cooling openings at the rear, during Austin practice. The engine cover also has a different dorsal fin.

Whether the innovations can be effectively tested in Austin, however, is questionable, as locals are bracing for downpours that have led weather-men to even warn normal motorists to stay off the treacherous roads.

"It looks like the whole of Texas is going to be under water," said McLaren's Jenson Button.

"And with a track with so much elevation you are going to get pools of water. They had a WEC race here last year that was very wet," he added, "so hopefully they have learned from that."

Grosjean ready

Grosjean, Sainz fit after Sochi crashes
(GMM) Romain Grosjean and Carlos Sainz, both victims of separate high-speed crashes a fortnight ago in Russia, say they are fully recovered.

Toro Rosso's Sainz checked himself out of hospital in the wake of his qualifying crash and raced, admitting afterwards that he had felt slightly dizzy.

But in Austin, the young Spaniard says he is now "more than fit".

As for Frenchman Grosjean, telemetry showed that he suffered an almost 40G deceleration when he lost control at approaching 300kph and hit the wall.

He told RMC Sport afterwards that he felt as though he had fallen from a 10-storey window.

But "The next day," Lotus driver Grosjean was quoted on Thursday by Auto Motor und Sport, "I had a PR event for Microsoft. I thought I would be running around all day with a stiff neck, but there was nothing."

Lotus has said there was no sign that a car fault caused the crash, but Grosjean had expressed some concerns that the financially-troubled team might struggle to find enough spare parts to put it back together.

Team engineer Alan Permane admitted there was damaged to the actual crash structures on the right side of the chassis, "But we can fix it here on site".

He also revealed that the gearbox survived the impact and will be used again.

Esteban Guiterrez – has check will drive

Now Perez hints Gutierrez re-joining F1 grid
(GMM) The signs are growing stronger by the day that a second Mexican will be added to the F1 grid in 2016.

He is Esteban Gutierrez, the former Sauber racer who this year has been serving as Ferrari's reserve.

The Ferrari link, bolstered by his sponsors who also now back the Maranello team, has apparently led to a race seat at Haas, which many describe as the new Ferrari 'B team'.

Mexican sponsors including Claro and Telcel, however, are currently on both the Ferrari and the Force India driven by Guadalajara-born Sergio Perez.

So when asked if a third Mexican-backed team, Haas, could now complicate or endanger his own deal at Force India, Perez insisted: "We are talking about different teams.

"Another Mexican driver does not change anything for me, but I think we are both very lucky to be in the same championship," he said in Austin.

Perez on Thursday also commented on the fate of young Dane Kevin Magnussen, who like himself in 2013 has just been expelled by McLaren after just one year on the grid.

"I'm sorry for Kevin," Perez said.

"Like me, he came to McLaren in a difficult moment, but I was fortunate enough to keep pursuing my career by signing a contract with another team.

"It will be more difficult for him, as he has already missed one year," he said.

Indeed, Perez has patched up his image and career to the point that his podium at Sochi two weeks ago was a popular result up and down pitlane.

"By joining Force India," he agreed, "I was given another chance to show what I could do, because the experience at McLaren had a negative impact on my reputation.

"I will always be grateful to Force India," said Perez.

Will Alonso be smiling in Austin?

Honda has 'found the way' with upgrade – Alonso
(GMM) It sounds odd, but Jenson Button says he wants McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso to "annihilate" him this weekend in Austin.

That is because only the Spaniard's car is equipped for the US grand prix with struggling partner Honda's newly-upgraded engine.

It was debuted only in practice two weeks ago in Russia, triggering unusual sounds of apparent genuine positivity from the troubled camp.

For a pair of champions like Alonso and Button, the Anglo-Japanese collaboration will have to make up an extraordinary amount of ground – 2.5 seconds per lap, according to Alonso – to be in a position to win races next year.

"I think so," Alonso answered when asked if that is actually possible, although he admitted McLaren-Honda would have to have the "perfect" off-season.

As for the new engine for Austin that is not fitted to Button's car, the Briton admitted that he will be barracking hard for his teammate.

"I'm hoping it's a good upgrade, he's really quick and he annihilates me all weekend," he smiled.

"It's unusual to say that, but in our situation it doesn't matter," added Button, referring to the fact that he will only get the new unit in Brazil.

Alonso agreed that the new Honda engine has opened up a "new direction of development" for 2016, amid earlier worries that the Japanese marque had lost its way.

"More important than a performance leap is that we have found the way," he added. "There are many good ideas about how we use it."

Another important task for McLaren-Honda over the winter will be to improve reliability, as "We cannot be using 11 engines again next year," Alonso insisted.

Finally, amid a lot of talk in the paddock on Thursday about the need for faster and more aggressive technical regulations from 2017, Alonso believes the sporting rules also need a re-think.

"Like the issue of penalties," he was quoted as saying by Spanish media.

"You watch MotoGP and see a touch (between riders) and nothing happens, but here it is different. Like in Sochi where hours after the race we saw drivers penalized."

Indeed, the driver penalized after Sochi was Kimi Raikkonen, who in Austin faced another barrage of questions about his crash with Valtteri Bottas.

"It's part of racing," the Finn argued. "I'm sure people like it more like that than just following each other."

Niki Lauda

Lauda's role as TV pundit now in doubt
(GMM) Niki Lauda admits he is not sure he will still split his time between Mercedes and working for German television beyond this season.

At the Russian grand prix a fortnight ago, the F1 legend was conspicuously absent from his usual post in front of the cameras for the German broadcaster RTL.

"I have an agreement with RTL that I can miss one race," Lauda explained. "I opted for Sochi."

But Bild newspaper reports that Lauda, who is also Mercedes' team chairman, will be back on duty for RTL this weekend in Austin.

As for what happens beyond the Abu Dhabi finale next month, however, Lauda admitted he does not know.

"My contract expires at the end of the season," he confirmed. "I don't know if it is going on with RTL. Until now we have not renegotiated."

Earlier in 2015, it was rumored that – amid dwindling television ratings – RTL might elect to stop its free-to-air coverage of formula one.

Ultimately, a new deal with Bernie Ecclestone was done, but rumors suggest the price was drastically slashed.

So the new rumor is that RTL might also now be looking to slash Lauda's appearance fee, which is apparently as high as EUR 1 million per year.

Everyone hates the current F1 engines

Russian official urges Ecclestone to revive V8s
(GMM) Russian grand prix chief Igor Ermilin has backed Bernie Ecclestone's desire to force the return of screaming V8 power in formula one.

As Red Bull struggles to secure a V6 'power unit' deal for 2016, and the issue of quiet engines remains a problem, the F1 supremo reportedly took the V8 proposal to a recent Geneva meeting.

The engine manufacturers, however, rejected Ecclestone's idea, but the almost-85-year-old told The Independent: "I don't think we should get consent from the teams.

"I think we should just do it and say to them 'If you don't like it you can go to arbitration'."

During his recent joint interview with Max Mosley, Ecclestone told the German broadcaster ZDF that the issue of V6s not making enough noise "was pointed out to me again by some Russian people".

Clearly, one of them was Ermilin, a leading official of the Russian grand prix and an advisor to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

"Ecclestone is absolutely right," he told the major Russian broadsheet Izvestia.

"Of course, to get around the veto of the FIA will not be easy, but Bernie is the master of such intrigue," said Ermilin. "I think he will do everything possible to drive the competitors into a corner.

"As far as I understand, Bernie is trying to pressure the engine manufacturers, or it is a real attempt to bring back the old engines.

"It is important to understand that this is not about money. Apparently, he is really concerned about what is happening," Ermilin added.

With no American driver to cheer for, the USGP is already beginning to shrink. With Rossi in the slug Manor he will just be a moving chicane

For this year’s F1, Austin parties, events scale back
When Formula One rolls into Austin for this weekend's U.S. Grand Prix, the nightlife scene will be decidedly different than in past years.

Events are moving, some have downsized and others have been scrapped altogether.

The reasons, organizers say, are just as varied as the gatherings themselves. In some cases, it was logistically necessary. In other cases, concerns about slumping attendance and increased competition from a new F1 race in Mexico City played a role.

A lot is at stake for area businesses this weekend. In a study last year, Circuit of the Americas said it had an $897 million annual impact on Austin's economy, with the F1 race accounting for $507 million of that total.

The average F1 attendee spends about 30 percent more at area businesses than attendees for South by Southwest, another major Austin event, according to the study conducted by Greyhill Advisors.

The biggest F1-related event, Fan Fest, has a new home this year in the Rainey Street neighborhood on downtown Austin's eastern edge. In past years, the multiday celebration put on by Circuit of the Americas has been held in spots closer to the center of downtown, including in the Second Street District.

With new high-rises popping up throughout the city's central business district, finding space for Fan Fest has been getting harder and harder, Circuit of the Americas managing director Sharilyn Mayhugh said.

"We all know what it's like in Austin right now," she said. "There's always new construction going on. We had to really open our eyes and start looking around."

The move to Rainey Street gives race officials a chance to reinvent Fan Fest, Mayhugh said, and introduce out-of-towners to a part of the city they might not otherwise get a chance to see.

A main stage in the Rainey Street area will feature performances by Public Enemy, Elle King and others, while Circuit of the Americas has also partnered with a number of venues throughout Central Austin, such as The Mohawk, Continental Club and Parish, to offer live music.

"Formula One isn't just for international travelers," Mayhugh said, "Our local venues do music every day, so we really wanted to work with them this year."

Meanwhile, Amber Lounge, an F1-related event, has shifted its attention from Austin to Mexico City this year, according to BA Snyder, founder of Veritas Group, an Austin-based marketing and public relations company that has been involved with F1 events since the sport made its Austin debut in 2012.

"What we've seen in the past is a lot of the international attendees here came from Mexico," she said. "Now that they have their own race, I think we could potentially see a decline in sales, although it's certainly possible interest could pick up from here in the United States or elsewhere internationally."

Once the inaugural Mexico City race takes place and attendance figures here and there are tallied, Snyder said Austin will have a better idea of what – if any – threat the new event will pose to festivities here.

"We knew this could potentially be an issue," she said. "There are people who have been worried. Bottom line, we've got to do the absolute best job in sales and marketing to maintain – and increase – interest in Formula One in Austin."

Banger's Sausage House on Rainey Street is one of the venues offering music this weekend – and owner Ben Siegel said he's hoping for a boost in business thanks to F1.

"We're planning to be pretty busy," he said. "We're counting on a lot more traffic. All of Rainey Street will serve as a great ambassador for the city of Austin."

The partnerships with live music venues were one of many suggestions that came out of meetings between Circuit of the Americas executives and owners of downtown businesses.

"We've already got a ton of heavy lifting to do putting on the race," Mayhugh said. "Why take on more? I feel really positive about the changes we've made. It's a win-win for the city."

One downtown business that already knows how lucrative F1 weekend can potentially be is Hangar Lounge, a bar in the Warehouse District. Having Fan Fest nearby in past years helped double – or even triple – weekend sales, owner Matthew Carter said.

This year, though, Carter said he thinks sales will be flat or down now that Fan Fest is centered about a mile away – even though Hangar Lounge is one of the venues that has partnered with Circuit of the Americas.

"We'll miss Fan Fest in the Warehouse District for sure," he said. "It brings so many people into the area. We really didn't want to lose them."

Still, Carter said he understands the move was necessary.

"I think Rainey's going to do very well," he said. "I hope they do very well. I like to see everyone in Austin doing well."

In addition to live music, Hangar Lounge will spiff up its rooftop patio to help lure the high-end F1 crowd, Carter said.

"These people are in town for vacation. They want to party," he said. "We'll be doing whatever we can to get people spending money."

A few blocks away, at the Cantina Laredo restaurant in the Second Street District, Al LoCascio said he, too, thinks sales might be down compared with past years.

"My expectation is it's going to be a lot less traffic," he said. "The first year was just crazy, but it's seemed to get more and more exclusive each year."

But people putting together many of the most exclusive F1 parties say they're also dialing back expectations this year. Blu Party ATX and the My Yacht Club party are joining this year, for instance, and will only be held one night instead of all three.

"Both of our brands are very popular, and both our parties always sell out," said Ginger Leigh, producer of Blu Party ATX. "This year's a little iffy, though, in terms of how F1's going to shake out because you have Mexico City the following week. This is a little bit of risk management on our end."

A return to two or even three nights is possible next year, Leigh said, after organizers see how things work out.

"If the opportunity arises to do more events next year, we certainly will because we're really good at it," she said. The Statesman