Latest F1 news in brief

Don't blame us, too late to give Red Bull 2016 engines

Ferrari 'not guilty' if Red Bull has no engine
Mateschitz's October deadline 'good' – Ricciardo
F1 seat without sponsor was 'a miracle' – Merhi
Verstappen sure Red Bull exit would not end F1 career
Uncertainty still hanging over Lotus
Customer drivers ponder Mercedes engine parity
Nasr aims to end Sauber struggle with new engineer
Alonso to stay in F1 for 'four or five years' – Briatore
Raikkonen disagrees with Alonso over radio broadcast ban
Button defends Alonso after 'GP2 engine' outbursts

Ferrari 'not guilty' if Red Bull has no engine
(GMM) As Red Bull's options narrow further, Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene has played down the prospect of a 2016 engine deal.

And the Italian told Brazil's Globo that the perception that the fate of Red Bull and Toro Rosso and hundreds of employees is now in the hands of Ferrari is wrong.

"Red Bull has no engine for 2016 and it seems that we are guilty, but it's not like that," Arrivabene insisted.

It is believed that Ferrari has told Red Bull that the only workable solution for 2016 is that the two teams accept a supply of year-old power units — something Dietrich Mateschitz says is unacceptable.

But Arrivabene said time is simply too short for Ferrari to cope with producing enough 2016 engines to supply the works team, Haas, Sauber and two additional teams.

"We have to plan everything we do, obviously," he said. "And our review of the new power unit development program and the production, to satisfy another team, would require us to change everything we have planned so far."

So if Red Bull has painted itself into a corner, that was their own doing, Arrivabene argues.

"I am convinced that they were certain they would use the Mercedes engine in 2016," he said. "So much so that they not only reviewed (cancelled) the contract with Renault but also with Infiniti and Total."

But Mercedes said categorically no, and "Only then did they come looking for us", Arrivabene said.

"If they had done so in June, for example, there would still be time for us to look at it. But to come talking to us after Monza…

"To think about a fourth team now, we need engineers who are trained by us to monitor the use of these engines, as we do with Sauber and Manor today," he said.

"And these guys cannot be young people who are just leaving university. F1 is not like that.

"If tomorrow the president of our company (Sergio Marchionne) called me and said 'Give the engines to them', we would have to change everything that we planned very carefully long ago," said Arrivabene.

Ricciardo ponders having a year old engine next year

Mateschitz's October deadline 'good' – Ricciardo
(GMM) Daniel Ricciardo has backed the October deadline set by his boss to end Red Bull's current engine crisis.

If the deadline comes and goes without the energy drink company finding engines for its two F1 teams, Red Bull and Toro Rosso will have to pull out of the sport.

But at least the contracted Red Bull quartet – featuring Ricciardo, Daniil Kvyat, Carlos Sainz and the teen sensation Max Verstappen – would then have a few months to make other plans.

"I think it's good that Dietrich has set a deadline," Australian Ricciardo said at Sochi.

"We need to know what we are going to do once and for all, and we can't wait until Christmas to design the car."

Up and down the pitlane, although there is alarm that Red Bull could punch a four-car hole in the 2016 grid, sympathy for the energy drink brand is actually limited.

"It seems really odd to me that in the moment they don't have success, they're so upset about it. I don't remember any other team doing that," said Mercedes' reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton.

But the situation means that Red Bull's rivals are being forced to consider the prospect of racing third cars next year, with Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene admitting he has even talked to Charlie Whiting about the logistics.

Ferrari and Mercedes, however, are refusing to take the blame for Red Bull's predicament, and even F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is not pointing fingers.

"I don't have an engine to give them (Red Bull)," he said, "but no one has done anything wrong. They're only following the rules.

"I can't force them (Ferrari and Mercedes) to do something they don't want to do," Ecclestone added, arguing that to do otherwise would be akin to a 'cartel'.

What the situation has done is reinforce Ecclestone's view that the 'power unit' regulations have failed, but the 84-year-old said they in fact "failed before they even began".

So as time goes on, it becomes clearer that Red Bull's is not merely an idle threat — the risk that F1 will imminently lose the brand is very real.

When asked what Dietrich Mateschitz should do, Ecclestone answered: "He should buy Volkswagen."

A more likely option is that Red Bull will have to accept Ferrari's offer of 2015-spec engines, even though there is now doubt that is even on the table.

"I don't know. You should ask Ferrari," said Ecclestone.

But if it means racing in 2016 or sitting at home, Ricciardo suggested Red Bull should think about it.

"If it (having a 2015 engine) means we are 20hp less than the others then we would be in better shape than we have been this year," said the Australian.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, meanwhile, said that although the idea of Red Bull quitting is shocking, he is glad he is watching the situation from the cockpit.

"Frankly I'm very glad I'm just the driver and not the one making the decision!" he smiled.

Merhi claims he did not pay for his Manor ride this year! The team is desperate for money so the only logic here is that they thought Merhi was the next coming of Senna.

F1 seat without sponsor was 'a miracle' – Merhi
(GMM) Roberto Merhi says he has not given up on remaining in F1 next year, even though four drivers are clamoring at the two seats at Manor.

The Spaniard is back at the wheel for Sochi, but that is only because new paying driver Californian Alexander Rossi has reverted back to his GP2 title fight for a weekend.

"We are fighting to try to get a seat, a competitive seat, for next season," Merhi told Cadena Ser radio ahead of the Russian grand prix.

That competitive seat could actually be at Manor, as the British backmarker is switching from year-old Ferrari power to the title-winning Mercedes unit, and support from the Williams team, for 2016.

The problem is that also keen to stay at Manor is Will Stevens, while the new engine deal looks set to deliver a race seat to Mercedes reserve Pascal Wehrlein.

Merhi is therefore looking elsewhere as well.

"There are two teams interested in having me," he said. "It seems that both teams are pretty good but you have to bring sponsors."

But he says the good news is that "Instead of asking what they would ask another driver, which would be double (the sponsorship) or even more, they ask me for half.

"But even to find that is difficult — it is still a lot of money," said Merhi.

He said that if he cannot find a race seat in F1, he would not settle for a test or reserve post and would look for opportunities at "Le Mans and Indycar" instead.

Still, he is happy with what he managed to achieve in 2015 — a race seat in F1 for most of a season without bringing a single dollar in backing.

"In a team like ours you need financial resources, as to do otherwise is virtually impossible, if not completely impossible. I think what we did is completely new in recent years in formula one," said Merhi.

"I think it was a miracle to be here for all these races without a sponsor."

Verstappen sure Red Bull exit would not end F1 career
(GMM) As the engine crisis apparently deepens, the only man wearing a Red Bull uniform who does not seem worried is Max Verstappen.

The Dutch teen is among the hottest talents to have ever debuted in formula one, so he seems not overly fazed that his employer could be set to pull the plug.

"Whenever I'm walking down the paddock, people approach me," 18-year-old Verstappen is quoted by UOL's Grande Premio.

"I talk informally with everyone. I have had great performance and I think this will help me if Red Bull go," he added.

"I'm not looking for job," Verstappen continued, "I am very happy at Red Bull — they did so much for me, I'm here because of them, I have no reason to leave.

"If they did leave F1, the picture changes, but for now, I'm happy."

Grosjean so happy he signed for Haas and will be out of the Lotus Renault mess

Uncertainty still hanging over Lotus
(GMM) Renault has signed a letter of intent, but that does not mean life at Lotus suddenly became comfortable.

The Enstone team refuted rumors that it was locked out of its hospitality area at Sochi earlier this week, but a source told us: "Some of our equipment arrived late.

"We're here, we're ready to race."

Romain Grosjean, who decided to quit Lotus even though there is the chance it will become the new works Renault team, said the wait for certainty simply went on too long.

"First I heard it (the Renault deal) was going to be in Monaco, then it was the summer, and then (Haas team boss) Gunther Steiner called me.

"I have said many times that if Renault had decided sooner, I definitely would have stayed," the Frenchman said in an interview with f1news.ru.

Signed up to stay at Enstone next year is Pastor Maldonado, but he admitted at Sochi that he is not sure if he will be wearing black and gold or yellow overalls.

"Who knows?" said the Venezuelan, who is backed by the powerful sponsor PDVSA. "It is difficult to say anything more about it.

"Negotiations are continuing," he added. "Earlier in the season it seemed that everything would be easier, but the process is delayed.

"Maybe everything will be decided soon, but who knows?"

Life is always not fair, especially in F1

Customer drivers ponder Mercedes engine parity
(GMM) Drivers for Mercedes' customer teams are beginning to speak up about the issue of engine parity.

Williams and Force India, both powered by Mercedes, are receiving fresh units from Brixworth for the Sochi weekend — but they are not the latest specification.

That is despite the fact that, earlier in 2015, Mercedes chiefs insisted that all of the German marque's F1 customers enjoy full technical parity with the works team.

"Well, for sure we have a very good engine," Williams' Felipe Massa said. "Maybe not the best — Mercedes has the best," he told F1's official website.

Reports earlier this week suggested Mercedes had not released the latest specification to its customers because Petronas was struggling to produce enough of the relevant fuel.

"At the moment all we are hearing is they (Mercedes) are checking the reliability to see if it is working well," Sergio Perez, who drives for Force India, said.

"We are not planning to get the full (new) spec for the rest of the year, that's what I heard from the team. Hopefully for next year we get it," he added.

The Mexican said he and Force India are not "too concerned" they are now out of step with the works Mercedes team, but he answered "yes" when asked if he thinks customers should receive identical equipment.

Valtteri Bottas, meanwhile, backed Mercedes' decisions with the customer team program, arguing that "If they (Mercedes) thought the new engine was the best option for us in the fight with Ferrari, they would have given it to us".

"For sure, Mercedes is choosing the best option for us and they have their reasons. I don't know if it was for reliability or for something else, but I believe them," the Williams driver added.

However, the Finn acknowledged that the specification being run by the works Mercedes team is superior.

"I did notice a slight difference in maximum speed," said Bottas, recalling an on-track battle with Nico Rosberg, "but you never know what mode they were on.

"Also, you can't forget that the cars are different too."

As for whether the current engine disparity is fair, Bottas smiled: "Life is not always fair, especially in formula one."

Nasr aims to end Sauber struggle with new engineer
(GMM) Felipe Nasr has begun working with a new race engineer.

After an impressive start to his F1 career with Sauber this year, the Brazilian rookie entered a slump characterized by recurring brake problems and a consistent struggle to match resurgent teammate Marcus Ericsson.

Brazil's UOL Grande Premio reports that Nasr, 23, has now switched race engineers for the remainder of the season, beginning with this weekend's Russian grand prix.

He said the decision to stop working with Craig Gardiner and link up instead with Paul Russell was made "mutually".

"Paul has been with the team a long time and I worked with him in pre-season testing," he said.

"He's a guy I have a good relationship with and knows the team. I think it will be good news," Nasr added.

"This change was made mutually, we made it together — myself and the team, and the important thing is that our goal is the same. Paul assumes this role from this weekend to help the team as much as possible," he said.

Briatore says Alonso will race another 4 or 5 years

Alonso to stay in F1 for 'four or five years' – Briatore
(GMM) Flavio Briatore has backed Fernando Alonso's claim that the Spaniard is staying put at McLaren-Honda.

Having lost his temper on the radio at Suzuka, and telling reporters afterwards that he is not sure he will still be in F1 next year, Alonso insisted at Sochi that he will honor his contract to race in 2016 and 2017.

And now, former Renault chief Briatore – still involved in the two-time world champion's management – has suggested Alonso could even stay at McLaren-Honda beyond 2017.

The flamboyant Italian said he can imagine Alonso on the grid for "four or five years" more.

"His eagerness to win is the same — he is hungry," Briatore told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport. "He races with the same passion as always although at the moment it is for tenth place."

He dismissed the significance of Alonso's Suzuka radio outbursts, even though many suspected the 34-year-old might even have been trying to deliberately breach his long contract.

"It was the result of the excitement of the moment," Briatore said.

"I know that Ron Dennis has always been the first to be unhappy with the situation they are in, and he will do everything that is possible and is impossible to fix it. Like Honda," he added.

Briatore also indicated it is unfair to pick on Alonso's frustration, arguing that "Every driver who is not fortunate enough to have a Mercedes engine has little to celebrate" at present.

He even insisted the decision to leave Ferrari was right, even though the Maranello team is now Mercedes' closest challenger.

"If he (Alonso) would have stayed at Ferrari he would have finished second yet again," said Briatore.

Kimi disagrees with Fernando

Raikkonen disagrees with Alonso over radio broadcast ban
(GMM) Kimi Raikkonen has refused to back former teammate Fernando Alonso's view that radio traffic should not be broadcast live in formula one.

Alonso's outbursts at Suzuka, in which he compared Honda's "embarrassing" power unit to a "GP2 engine", triggered theories the Spaniard was trying to deliberately breach his McLaren contract.

But he says he was just frustrated.

"What you say on the radio should remain private," Alonso argued at Sochi, "because you are talking with your team not publically. I think publically we have been very, very positive all the time.

"I think this is a very unique sport, that we have a microphone in our helmet and it goes live on television. Imagine (it) in NBA or football or something like that.

"I'm happy it was only broadcast in Suzuka because if you hear all the radio messages from me or from Jenson (Button) or whoever, you will be even more surprised," added Alonso.

Ferrari driver Raikkonen, however, does not agree with his former teammate, even though he is no fan of the radio, once telling his Lotus engineer to 'Leave me alone, I know what I'm doing'.

The Finn, however, does not support the idea of a ban.

"It is known to all of us that some of the radio can be published. So it's up to us to decide what we say or not. If you want to keep something private, you can easily do that.

"It's no secret that certain messages are displayed and I think that is much more interesting for the fans than otherwise."

Meanwhile, Raikkonen played down claims that Ferrari could be set to enjoy a repeat of its recent Singapore dominance, where Mercedes suddenly slumped on the softest Pirelli tires.

But Raikkonen insisted: "There are many differences between Sochi and Singapore."

Button thinks the Honda is as slow as a GP2 engine too, but did not spout it on the radio.

Button defends Alonso after 'GP2 engine' outbursts
(GMM) Jenson Button has defended his McLaren-Honda teammate, following Fernando Alonso's controversial radio outbursts at Suzuka.

Spaniard Alonso, who called Honda's "embarrassing" power unit akin to a "GP2 engine", explained at Sochi that he was simply "frustrated" to be passed by cars before the braking zone.

He also called for a ban on F1's radio broadcasting, arguing that what is said between the cockpit and the pitwall should be "private".

Some characterized Alonso's behavior in Japan as an obvious sign that his patience with McLaren-Honda is crumbling, but teammate Button does not think so.

The Briton has just signed on to join Alonso for another season, despite earlier contemplating retirement.

But Button said all the pre-Suzuka speculation had simply been the result of "miscommunication", and that he was simply in a process of learning more about the team's plans to recover in 2016 and beyond.

He also denied it was an argument with Ron Dennis over money.

"To be able to do this (race at McLaren-Honda) for another year, I needed to know there was something positive on the horizon and I definitely feel there is a lot of good things coming over this winter," said Button.

So he put himself in the same boat as Alonso, whose frustration very publicly boiled over in Japan.

"Fernando and I often express our opinions, believe me!" he said at Sochi. "Just not in front of the cameras, usually.

"Seriously, Fernando and I put pressure on the team — we don't just sit on the sidelines. It hurts when you feel you can't even defend your position during the race.

"But it's important that we have these emotions," Button argued. "It shows that it matters to us and that we love this sport."

For the same reason, Button refused to back the boss of the British grand prix, Silverstone's Patrick Allen, who declared this week that F1 is "sh*t".

"We've got to be very careful with what we say, because people read it and they believe it. It's not a 'sh*t product'," Button insisted.

"There are areas that need to be improved, but we know that — and that's why they are being improved."