Latest F1 news in brief

Tight Hungary is always exciting. Lauda knows the borefest will continue at Spa with a Mercedes runaway using their HP advantage

F1 critics 'look stupid' after Hungary thriller – Lauda
'Angry' Arrivabene ducks Kimi questions again
Sainz admits anger with Toro Rosso
Force India eyes curbs after 'B' car failures
Renault racing towards future without Red Bull
Button future 'not priority now' – Boullier
Ecclestone denies Ferrari in TV 'boycott'
Hamilton drove like he'd had eight pints

F1 critics 'look stupid' after Hungary thriller – Lauda
(GMM) "Whoever said formula one is boring looks stupid now," declared F1 legend Niki Lauda after a thrilling Hungarian grand prix.

Sunday marked the end to Mercedes' impressive and – to some – tedious run of dominance, as it was the first race in the new 'power unit' era not featuring a set of silver overalls on the post-race podium.

Team boss Toto Wolff acknowledged it was a "great race for formula one" but joked to Bild newspaper: "Now I'm going to lock myself in the toilet and cry."

Even Bernie Ecclestone, the F1 'ringmaster', gatecrashed Wolff's media rounds to mischievously declare: "Thanks for making it interesting but you didn't have to go overboard!"

World champion Lewis Hamilton thinks it was his worst personal performance since Fuji 2008, even apologizing on the radio long before the checkered flag.

He denied the poignancy of the pre-race focus on Jules Bianchi's death – culminating in the late Frenchman's family joining the minute's silence on the grid – had got to him.

"It was nothing to do with that," said Hamilton, although he did admit he struggled to sleep on Saturday night and had begun the race with a "strange" feeling.

Jonathan McEvoy, the Daily Mail correspondent, said Hamilton's driving belonged in an episode of 'Wacky Races', while Mercedes' Lauda agreed that the Briton had been "too aggressive".

"Do I deserve any points? By the grace of god I got some," Hamilton said afterwards. "When you make a fool of yourself — sometimes you just have to laugh it off and know you can do better," he added.

Teammate Nico Rosberg also admitted he was "gutted" the events of the race conspired against him, resulting in a second win of the season for Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and the two Red Bull drivers flanking him on the podium.

Arrivabene tells Lauda he does not like spaghetti

'Angry' Arrivabene ducks Kimi questions again
(GMM) Maurizio Arrivabene has denied he will now spend the summer break thinking about Kimi Raikkonen's future.

"It's called the summer break because it's a break," the Italian declared, after another race weekend full of speculation about Ferrari's 2016 lineup.

Some believe Hungary was Finn Raikkonen's last chance to prove to his Ferrari boss that he should be retained next year alongside Sebastian Vettel.

And Vettel, who won on Sunday, said the race had proved Raikkonen still has the speed.

"It's not my job (to say it) but all the bullsh*t that's been going around recently, I think we deserved a one-two today. I think that's a couple of answers to some questions," the German insisted.

Indeed, Ferrari apologized to Raikkonen for the reliability trouble, while boss Arrivabene said: "Kimi drove a terrific race today."

Pressed on the 2007 world champion's future, however, he said: "I want to focus on the car. The driver issue has time."

Raikkonen was also asked if his performance on Sunday proved he still has the speed necessary to drive for Ferrari, and answered: "If I didn't have the speed and the passion then I would not be here. I would be at home.

"What will happen next year is not in my hands, but the team knows already that I want to stay."

Finally, Arrivabene fired a barb at F1 legend, former Ferrari driver and now Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda, who had suggested recently that the Maranello marque's flagging form meant it was better at making "spaghetti" than cars.

"Last night I had a pizza Arrabbiata as I do not like spaghetti so much," he said. Arrabbiata, literally meaning 'angry' in Italian, is a hot and spicy sauce.

Sainz Jr.

Sainz admits anger with Toro Rosso
(GMM) Carlos Sainz Jr. admitted he was angry with his team after Sunday's Hungarian grand prix.

Spanish media reports say the 20-year-old was running ahead of his high-profile teammate Max Verstappen when the Dutchman was given the preferential pitstop strategy.

"I'm angry because I was doing a very good race," he was quoted by Marca sports newspaper.

Sainz ultimately retired with a technical problem, but he admitted to being most upset and baffled at why his team appeared to favor Verstappen.

Ultimately, Verstappen finished fourth.

Writing in the Spanish daily AS, correspondent Manuel Franco sensed favoritism.

"It's not the first time," Franco said. "It's difficult to fight on equal terms with a driver that they have called the 'new Senna'."

Sainz said: "It has not been explained to me why they didn't stop me first. Imagine the anger that I have. I stopped later than the others, Max did 'the undercut' and passed me in the pits. That's what I cannot understand."

Force India eyes curbs after 'B' car failures
(GMM) Fingers were being pointed at the Hungaroring's curbs after Force India suffered a second failure of the weekend with its new 'B'-spec car.

The Silverstone based team was buoyed by the early promise of the heavily modified machine, until Sergio Perez suffered his spectacular roll-over shunt in Friday practice.

As a precaution, teammate Hulkenberg then also sat out the second session while the apparent suspension problem was investigated.

Then on Sunday, it was German Hulkenberg's turn to have a terrifying crash when the front wing folded underneath his car, spearing him into the barriers at full speed.

Force India technical boss Andy Green furrowed his brow.

"It was the same wing design as in Silverstone," he told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. "The wing itself was brand new.

"But if it was ok at Silverstone then it should also have been ok here."

Green acknowledged that it had been a structural failure, but fingers were also being pointed at the Hungaroring's curbs.

"They are the most aggressive on the whole calendar," said Hulkenberg.

Officially, Force India is still investigating, but it is true that Ferrari also had a front wing failure in practice.

The FIA's Charlie Whiting insisted: "The curbs have not changed since last year."

No more Renault power for the Red Bulls. They will likely have Ferrari engines next.

Renault racing towards future without Red Bull
(GMM) Renault appears to be charging towards a future without Red Bull.

With the French carmaker's next move a hot topic in the Hungaroring paddock, boss Cyril Abiteboul fired a barb at its ever-complaining team partner.

"When we read that Red Bull loses money with Renault, that (comment) is completely unacceptable," he told RMC Sport.

"Combining all the money they were paid directly, the amounts that Total paid to them and Infiniti paid to them, as well as prize funds, we are talking about half a billion euros," said Abiteboul.

And suddenly, both Renault and the Enstone team Lotus are openly admitting that talks about a new works alliance are taking place.

Indeed, the pieces of the puzzle seem now to be falling into place.

L'Equipe reports that Renault has decided to pull its support from the Formula Renault 3.5 category; a highly-regarded series that nonetheless does not have the profile of GP2.

"60 per cent of the current F1 drivers were trained in Formula Renault," said Abiteboul, referring also to the 2.0 liter series, "yet nobody knows. We cannot continue to do everything in isolation."

Reportedly, a final decision about the entire Renault program, including F1, will be taken in September. Abiteboul admitted there will be a "clarification".

"We have been thinking about our strategy for nearly a year," said Abiteboul.

He admitted that buying Lotus "is one of the opportunities we are considering", but said Renault is also determined "not to repeat past mistakes".

Jenson Button

Button future 'not priority now' – Boullier
(GMM) Jenson Button looks set to be retained by McLaren-Honda in 2016.

Recently, when team supremo Ron Dennis was asked about the 2009 world champion's future, he answered: "Jenson Button has a two-year contract with McLaren.

"We are not even thinking about drivers at the moment."

While some took that to mean he is staying put, others noticed the ambiguity of the answer given that Button's contract is a one-year deal plus a 2016 'option'.

A source confirmed that McLaren's decision must be made by a certain date, after which Button will either be retained or free to move to another team such as Williams.

McLaren has two promising juniors, Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne, waiting in the wings, but it is believed the Woking team has been impressed with Button's determination and performance this year alongside the equally highly-experienced Fernando Alonso.

When asked about the likely composition of McLaren's 2016 lineup, team boss Eric Boullier told Speed Week in Hungary: "The driver question has no priority at the moment.

"Both drivers are under contract for 2016," he added in an answer eerily similar to Dennis' earlier in July.

What's that you say?

Ecclestone denies Ferrari in TV 'boycott'
(GMM) Bernie Ecclestone and Ferrari have denied wild claims the television broadcast of Sunday's Hungarian grand prix amounted to a 'boycott' of the fabled Italian team.

The accusation was made by Gianfranco Mazzoni, a commentator for Italian television Rai, who suggested that the Ecclestone-controlled Formula One Management had arranged that images of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen's cars be kept to a minimum during the race.

According to Mazzoni, F1 supremo Ecclestone is having a disagreement with Ferrari team management, led by Maurizio Arrivabene.

Mazzoni said the apparent boycott was "shameful" and invited viewers to "Complain to FOM" (Formula One Management) directly.

Arrivabene, however, was quoted by the Roman newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano as calling the accusation "absurd".

"Let's stop this nonsense," the Italian insisted, saying the cameras will have been focusing on the wheel-to-wheel battles through the field even though Vettel was racing towards victory.

And Ecclestone added: "I did not notice a boycott of Ferrari. Certainly on my part there was nothing. I will have to calmly look at the recording again."

Hamilton wasn't smiling after the race on Sunday

Hamilton drove like he'd had eight pints
Lewis Hamilton’s error strewn display in the Hungarian GP was the subject of scrutiny on Monday’s back pages, with the Daily Mail’sheadline ‘It’s Lewis in Blunderland’ summing up the general consensus of opinion.

‘Lewis Hamilton raced around the Hungaroring like a man driving back from the Dog and Duck after eight pints,’ wrote an unimpressed Jonathan McEvoy. ‘He was self-destructive, a danger to others and weaving willy-nilly.’

The Telegraph’s Daniel Johnson was equally scathing in his report declaring that Hamilton had ‘raced more like a rookie than a two-time world champion’.

‘Hamilton produced the kind of rash performance which holds back his elevation to the status of a true great,' he declared.

The papers picked up on Hamilton blaming his poor performance on a restless Saturday night followed by an adrenaline rush ahead of the race, but The Times’ Kevin Eason feels there was more to it than that.

‘There is an odd thing about this Mercedes squad: when their car is at its searing fastest, life is a breeze,’ he wrote.

‘When the screw is turned, they can fade and fold. This was one of those folding days.’

Aside from the criticism of Hamilton, there was praise for race winner Sebastian Vettel whose drive was declared ‘serene’ and ‘determined’ by Eason.

The Telegraph’s Johnson was also impressed commenting that: ‘The German was supreme again yesterday, reminiscent of his hero Michael Schumacher behind the wheel of a Ferrari in his pomp.

‘More and more, Vettel’s woeful 2014 is proving to be a blip’.

But after a difficult week for Formula 1 following the passing of Jules Bianchi, it was Vettel’s victory dedication that caught the eye of The Guardian.

‘After a wild and unpredictable race packed with drama and penalties, Sebastian Vettel’s first thought was to dedicate his surprise success in the Hungarian Grand Prix yesterday to the memory of Ferrari’s late protege Jules Bianchi,’ wrote Giles Richards.

Just off the podium, meanwhile, was Max Verstappen whose stock continues to rise after a dramatic rise to F1 from karts after just a solitary season of F3.

'Max Verstappen, only 17 and taking his driving test in September, took an astonishing fourth place. What a talent,’ declared Eason in The Times.

Verstappen finished just ahead of McLaren’s Fernando Alonso who recorded the team’s best finish since Brazil last year.

‘And look who was in fifth: gosh almighty, Fernando Alonso, followed by Jenson Button, his McLaren Honda team-mate, who finished ninth,’ Eason added.

‘That was double points for the first time this season for the team has been the target of more gallows humor than the Labour Party’. Sky Sports