Latest F1 news in brief

Canopies like this are the future

F1 drivers argue for closed cockpits
Mercedes spends all 7 tokens for Monza upgrade to embarrass Ferrari at home
McLaren 'best chassis behind Red Bull' – Alonso
Sauber not worried about Haas debut
Drivers still nervous after Spa blowout saga
Hamilton warns against Red Bull engine deal
2016 grid shaping up as silly season nears end
Grosjean not treating Monza as last Lotus race
Teams win tire pressure argument with Pirelli
Gastaldi admits Lotus dramas not over yet
Ecclestone says Monza deal unlikely

F1 drivers argue for closed cockpits
(GMM) Among the F1 drivers, support is growing for the potential introduction of closed or covered cockpits.

Jules Bianchi and IndyCar’s Justin Wilson were the latest head injury-related casualties, but memories of the Henry Surtees fatality of 2009 and what happened to Felipe Massa in the same year are still fresh.

"A helmet clearly is not protection enough," said Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz.

Until now, the big resistance to change has been twofold: first, to ensure that the solution is not more dangerous than before, in terms of trapping a stricken driver.

And the argument that open cockpits are the 'DNA' of open-wheel racing has also been widely touted.

Nico Hulkenberg, for example, said at Monza: "For me, single seaters are open. When we go into the cars, we know the risks.

"We have to be careful not to over-protect and sterilize everything," he insisted.

Valtteri Bottas, however, does not agree.

"I don't really see the difference between a formula one car with a closed cockpit or not. It's still a formula one car," said the Finn.

"When it is for safety I am open to anything."

F1 veteran Jenson Button has a similar view, particularly with two of his former karting friends, fellow Britons Wilson and Dan Wheldon, both now dead.

"I was always among those who said 'This is open-cockpit racing'. But I think we've all had enough and it's time to do something about it.

"It's not the 70s. We should know better."

Likewise, Sebastian Vettel is an unabashed motor racing 'purist', but he admits the arguments for change are now growing.

"If it would have meant that Justin is still with us, then I don't think anyone could put his hand up and say 'No I don't want that'.

"It is very sad and even if I'm not a fan of closed cockpits, we do need to look at it," the Ferrari driver added.

Fernando Alonso agrees: "We can see that these solutions are used in (Le Mans) endurance racing and that series is thriving.

"I'm sure the FIA and everyone is looking into it. I don't know if they will come up with a solution, but we should at least test the various options."

Mercedes making sure they destroy Ferrari in front of the Italians

Mercedes spends all 7 tokens for Monza upgrade to embarrass Ferrari at home
(GMM) Mercedes could move yet another step ahead of its closest challenger Ferrari this weekend at Monza.

Maurizio Arrivabene is playing down Ferrari's chances of mounting a winning challenge at the high-speed Autodromo, and it appears he has good reason.

Mercedes has confirmed that it is introducing a scheduled new specification of its 'power unit' this weekend, featuring all seven remaining in-season development 'tokens'.

Ferrari also has a new-spec engine for Monza, but it has been upgraded to the tune of only 3 tokens.

"I'm sure Monza will suit our car," said Mercedes' Nico Rosberg.

McLaren 'best chassis behind Red Bull' – Alonso
(GMM) McLaren is reverting to its older 'long nose' solution for the high-speed Italian grand prix.

With struggling engine partner Honda, the British team has acknowledged that Monza's long straights will leave Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button with blunt weapons this weekend.

So McLaren has elected to take more engine-change grid penalties in preparation for a better showing at the forthcoming Singapore and Japanese grands prix.

And Spaniard Alonso is maintaining his oddly cheery disposition.

"At the moment this is the situation," he told the Spanish daily AS, "but the team has a plan and we're following it.

"For us, the remaining races of the season are no more than tests."

Part of the reason Alonso is managing to remain upbeat is his apparent belief that McLaren's actual chassis, the MP4-30, is among the very best on the grid.

"I think we do have one of the best chassis on the grid," he insisted. "The data proves it.

"The cornering is the second best after Red Bull. I think we have a serious shortage of power and that is what we need to address," Alonso added.

Honda's increasingly pressurized Yasuhisa Arai, however, has gone into the weekend making bold claims about the Japanese-made power unit, including that it is already better than Renault's.

Comments by Arai have also indicated that he thinks McLaren's chassis is not good, which may hint at a rift between Honda and the British team.

"No," Alonso responded. "I think we all do many interviews, perhaps too many, and in all of them there is always an answer that can be misunderstood."

Sauber not worried about Haas debut
(GMM) Monisha Kaltenborn insists she is not "worried" about the looming debut next year of the new American team Haas.

On paper, the Sauber chief might have reason to be concerned, given that Haas is set to apparently overtake the Swiss team as the preferred Ferrari-powered customer.

But Kaltenborn said at Monza: "Why should I be worried?

"We know our strengths, and I am able to think back further than just last season. Before that, we were in formula one for 23 years and I recall that in 2002 we took fourth in the constructors' championship.

"When Sauber debuted in 1993, the circumstances were different and we did everything by ourselves. They (Haas) made a different choice, but I see no reason why that would stop us from developing and succeeding," she added.

Asked if she thinks a true privateer team like Sauber is still able to push towards race victories in today's F1, Kaltenborn answered: "I think that in the circumstances, that is extremely difficult.

"Red Bull did it, but I don't think this can be called a typical private team, in contrast to Sauber.

"Ultimately, it is about funding. If you get an equal power unit, it is just about the money," she added.

Will more tires blow at Monza?

Drivers still nervous after Spa blowout saga
(GMM) Formula one drivers are still nervous about the tire blowout saga, but Bernie Ecclestone has made clear he is perfectly happy with Pirelli.

Just as he also negotiates with Michelin about the official supply contract beyond 2016, the F1 supremo indicated it is Pirelli on pole position, even after Sebastian Vettel said his failure at Spa-Francorchamps was "unacceptable".

After talks with Pirelli in the days before Monza, the formerly-furious Vettel said on Thursday: "At the moment, from Pirelli's side, it looks very, very professional.

"They have handled it with extreme care, and I think things are going the right way."

Ecclestone, for his part, was hailing Pirelli as a "first class partner" for F1 in a statement distributed at Monza by his company FOM.

"We continue to have full confidence in the safety, quality and suitability of Pirelli's tires," it read.

Ecclestone then turned his attention to the F1 teams, arguing that if they ignore Pirelli's advice about how to use the tires, "it is at their own risk".

"Thank you, Pirelli, for helping us to deliver excitement to formula one fans!" Ecclestone's fawning statement concluded.

Even Ferrari is now on Pirelli's side, with boss Maurizio Arrivabene towing the official line that Spa "is a very difficult track, with a lot of debris and so the words I would use are 'bad luck'."

However, there are also some mixed messages.

Whilst essentially blaming the Spa failures on debris, F1 teams have been told that they may be required to add a full 5 PSI of pressure to the tires this weekend at Monza.

World championship leader Lewis Hamilton sounds horrified.

"I don't think any of us have tried 5 PSI more on these tires because they're not designed to have 5 PSI more," he told reporters at Monza.

"We would be moving out of the optimum range of the tire, we'll be using a different part of the tire which means there will be more wear, less grip. It's going to be a disaster."

F1 veteran Fernando Alonso added: "We respect Pirelli and will follow their recommendations, but I am a little surprised (about the 5 PSI news). I hope perhaps it is something just for this race."

With a similar view is former F1 driver Marc Surer, who is also concerned that Pirelli may mandate a maximum tire life per set.

"It would be a pity," he told the German broadcaster Sky, "because at the moment the teams have the freedom to do a lot of different strategies.

"I am from the 'old guard'," Surer admitted, "and in my day there were also punctures but no one was leaping from their chairs.

"I think what we're seeing is drivers no longer willing to take the risk. But we're talking about a race tire, which is significantly more sensitive than a road tire — so you can go much faster.

"If you only want safety, then you would have to build wooden tires. But I don't think the drivers want that either."

Hamilton knows he is not good enough to beat Red Bull if they get his superior engine

Hamilton warns against Red Bull engine deal
(GMM) Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes should think again if it is considering supplying an engine to arch-rivals Red Bull.

"It would be like giving Ferrari an engine," the reigning champion, and current championship leader, told Spain's Antena 3 broadcaster.

"I think if we're serious about winning world championships, we shouldn't do it. Red Bull is a great team," Hamilton added. "Mercedes is here to win so I don't think we should."

Coupled with the news that Ferrari's Sergio Marchionne could be shaping up with a new offer to make to Red Bull this weekend, Hamilton's comments are the latest sign that a Mercedes-Red Bull partnership may ultimately not happen.

Indeed, Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat has indicated that, as the team's relationship with current partner Renault breaks down, the last piece of the puzzle for the former quadruple world champion team is a decent engine.

"I would say that our chassis is one of the best now," said the Russian driver.

"Of course it's easy to say that, but I think there is no doubt that with an engine as powerful as Mercedes, we would be competitive."

When asked specifically about the rumors linking Red Bull with either Mercedes or Red Bull power, Kvyat answered: "It is not my responsibility to decide upon the power unit supplier.

"If we get a competitive engine, we will do our best to have a fast car, to win races and to stop the dominance of Mercedes. I am sure the team will take the best possible decisions," he added.

2016 grid shaping up as silly season nears end
(GMM) As the 'silly season' nears its end, the 2016 grid is now shaping up.

With Kimi Raikkonen all signed up again, Ferrari will field an unchanged lineup next year, as will Mercedes, Sauber and probably the two Red Bull teams.

Fernando Alonso is contractually locked in at McLaren-Honda, and sources report that the Honda-powered team also wants to keep Jenson Button, but perhaps only if he lowers his retainer.

When asked at Monza about the threat posed by McLaren juniors Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne, Button shut down the discussion immediately, insisting "I have nothing to say."

Earlier, Valtteri Bottas had appeared a shoo-in for a Ferrari seat, but Williams ultimately refused to sell his 2016 deal to the Maranello team.

"I don't think you can put a price on someone like Valtteri," said Claire Williams on Thursday, after the Grove team also announced that Felipe Massa is staying.

Bottas, however, may become available again for 2017.

"It's maybe one year or two. Or five or ten," he laughed to the Finnish broadcaster MTV, when asked to name the duration of his latest tenure at Williams.

"It will become clear at some point," the Finn smiled again.

Mika Salo, a former F1 driver, surmised that when the Ferrari door closed, Bottas essentially had nowhere else to go.

Lotus, for example, could become the Renault works team for 2016, but it appears Romain Grosjean is keeping his seat there, while Pastor Maldonado has a firm contract.

If it is deemed that Maldonado's PDVSA millions do not mesh with the presumably Total-sponsored Renault, he may be in the running to switch to Force India.

The Silverstone based team has already locked down Nico Hulkenberg for the next two years, even though he had been linked with the new Ferrari-linked Haas team.

"Why should he have taken the risk with a new team if he already sits in a good car?" former driver Marc Surer, now a pundit for German television Sky, said on Thursday.

"Force India has made progress and should be good here at Monza, so I think Hulkenberg has made a good decision," he added.

The other seat at Force India, however, remains unconfirmed, even though Sergio Perez's Mexican backers reportedly take EUR 20 million to the team per year.

Maldonado's backing, on the other hand, is estimated at $50 million a year.

But Perez said at Monza that his Force India deal could be all wrapped up by Singapore, telling reporters: "As you know, I have a group of sponsors and we're trying to make the announcement all together.

"So from that respect it's all clear."

Maldonado, therefore, is expecting to stay at Enstone, whether the cars are colored black or yellow — and even though it is rumored Lotus' serious financial strife has been made even worse by PDVSA holding back a payment.

"That's totally false," he said at Monza.

"We (the driver and his sponsors) have a contract until the end of next season so it should be ok whether Renault comes or not," Maldonado added.

Romain Grosjean

Grosjean not treating Monza as last Lotus race
(GMM) Romain Grosjean has not denied paddock speculation that, if the Renault deal now falls through, Monza could be Lotus' final appearance at a grand prix.

On the one hand, the Enstone team appears tantalizingly close to being bought and therefore rescued by the French carmaker, whose divorce from the Red Bull teams also appears almost complete.

But on the other, Lotus is now desperately out of money, with the last round of wages paid by Bernie Ecclestone and the black and gold cars arriving at Monza late after the court bailiff saga of Spa-Francorchamps.

Trying to put his characteristic smile on the worrying situation and rumors of more court trouble in London, Romain Grosjean said: "We are here, we are ready to race.

"The cars arrived a little late but that's because they liked being in Belgium so much," he grinned, according to RMC Sport.

According to the latest rumors, however, the dim reality is that Monza could be the last gasp for Lotus.

"The group of people who are here are passionate and they are here to focus on the car setup and getting the best possible result," Grosjean insisted.

"The atmosphere is pretty good, especially after the podium in Belgium. "We are putting the financial aspect to the side."

When asked to contemplate the fact that Monza will be his last race of the season, the Frenchman answered: "I do not think about it. We are here at a grand prix.

"We're here to do the job. I am focusing on that."

Teams win tire pressure argument with Pirelli
(GMM) F1 teams have won an argument with Pirelli over tire pressures at Monza.

After the blowout saga of Spa-Francorchamps, F1's official supplier informed teams on Thursday that they wanted an increase of 5 PSI in pressure for the similarly high-speed Monza.

Lewis Hamilton predicted that would be a "disaster". "I hope they don't put 5 PSI more," he said. "A couple is ok."

An unnamed team engineer told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport: "If the cause for the Vettel blow was a puncture, then putting up the pressures is not the right answer.

"None of us have experience with that. The highest we have used is 21 PSI."

Indeed, Pirelli's original recommendation for Monza was an increase from the 18 PSI used at Spa to 23 PSI this weekend.

It emerged shortly before first practice at Monza on Friday that Pirelli has agreed to a compromise, with the 5 PSI recommendation dropping to 3 on the front (21 PSI) and 1.5 (19.5) on the rear.

Pirelli, however, will reportedly analyze the results after the first practice session and could alter its recommendations.

And Bernie Ecclestone has warned the teams to heed Pirelli's advice.

"Pirelli provides strong guidance to competitors about any performance limitations of the tires supplied," a statement issued by FOM said.

"Competitors should heed Pirelli's expert advice when setting their race strategy and tactics, and if they do not, it is at their own risk."

Gastaldi admits Lotus dramas not over yet
(GMM) Federico Gastaldi has admitted Lotus' legal dramas are not over yet.

Ultimately, the embattled Enstone team managed to escape the court bailiffs at Spa-Francorchamps and get to Monza just in time.

But when it comes to the action brought by disgruntled former reserve driver Charles Pic, it is not over yet.

"No, the hearings and meetings are going on," confirmed deputy team boss Federico Gastaldi.

"It will take some weeks and months until the court closes the case," he told Speed Week.

Gastaldi said the Pic complaint came completely out of the blue — and he is furious.

"Imagine," he said, "we have our first podium for almost two years, and after the race we had to deal with this. In the end we are all just people and I think this whole thing is crazy and unfair," he admitted.

"I had not expected this person to give us these problems, as my calls all week were not accepted and then two minutes before the race he phones to apologize.

"I think some people do not realize the damage they cause, and to the 550 families who depend on our work at the factory in Enstone. Some people in the paddock just want to see blood and have negativity," said Gastaldi.

"Our employees are naturally now nervous, just like the sponsors. It will take a while until the whole thing calms down again," he added.

Ecclestone tells Italians to pay up or Monza is gone

Ecclestone says Monza deal unlikely
Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is not anticipating the latest round of talks with Monza and Italian Grand Prix officials this weekend to yield a positive outcome according to Autosport.

The future of the fabled race at Monza is currently up in the air as its contract is due to expire after next year's event, and with negotiations that have been ongoing for more than two years failing to find a resolution.

It is understood there is currently a 10 million euro difference in opinion, with Ecclestone seeking 25 million euro per year compared to the 15 million euro being offered.

The F1 commercial chief is adamant Monza must pay the same going rate as other European events.

"This has been going on for two and a half years, and it's up to them to make up their mind," Ecclestone told AUTOSPORT.

"The bottom line is we've got something to sell and they have to decide whether they want to buy it.

"The price we are asking for is the same as the other people in Europe are paying.

"It shouldn't be a drama, but they haven't been able to make it work, probably for lots of reasons."

Asked whether he felt a deal was unlikely, Ecclestone said: "At the moment I'd probably say yes, based on the fact they don't want to pay.

"They had a very good deal which went back years before and they'd like to continue, but maybe it doesn't suit certain people.

"Maybe something they've enjoyed in the past they won't be enjoying [in the future]."