Latest F1 news in brief

Hamilton to re-sign by Monaco

Hamilton promises contract 'news' in Monaco
Mercedes to change pitstop philosophy – Lauda
Alonso defends Button after 'negative' slip
Jorda says McLaren 'impatient' with Honda
McLaren wants helmet 'tear-off' rethink
Red Bull 'drivers not our problem' – Horner
Teams survived FIA fuel flow checks
Ferrari criticized for Barcelona test lineup
Audi could prevent Red Bull exit – Marko
F1 cars 'too complicated' now – Prost

Hamilton promises contract 'news' in Monaco
(GMM) Lewis Hamilton has promised that the long delay over his new Mercedes contract will finally end at the next race.

The repeatedly-delayed deal has triggered rumors of a switch to Ferrari, or that the Briton is demanding an exorbitant amount of money.

But Hamilton, 30, said most of the estimates of the value of the contract are "bullsh*t", while suggestions the talks have broken down are "boll*cks".

"You'll see it (an announcement) in Monaco," he is quoted by British newspapers. "I will have some news for you in Monaco."

Apart from the help of a trusted lawyer, Hamilton has negotiated the deal without a manager, which he says has been a "pain in the ar*e".

The latest suggestions are that the deal is held up for approval in Stuttgart because of the pay increase, and the fact Hamilton wants to keep his trophies, a car at the end of each season, and the rights to a forthcoming fashion and jewelry range.

Meanwhile, Hamilton dismissed suggestions teammate Nico Rosberg might now be set to go on a run of wins, after the German won from pole in Barcelona.

German Rosberg has won in Monaco for the past two years.

Agreeing with Hamilton, team boss Toto Wolff told DPA news agency: "In Monaco, everything will be reset again."

Mercedes to change pitstop philosophy – Lauda
(GMM) Mercedes will change its philosophy regarding pitstops ahead of Monaco, team chairman Niki Lauda has announced.

Although the German team extended its performance advantage over Ferrari in Barcelona, it is the Italian outfit that is now clearly the fastest in the pits.

"Mercedes has had the strategy of leaving a few tenths on the table to ensure the wheels are changed securely," Lauda is quoted by Welt newspaper.

"But I think we need to change it a little so that we can be quicker in this area," he added.

"As we have seen," Lauda was also quoted by Kleine Zeitung newspaper, "our competition never sleeps."

Also determined to improve in Barcelona was Nico Rosberg, who finally broke teammate Lewis Hamilton's run of poles and wins.

The German admitted: "It's hard to drive the best car on the grid and not be the one winning, but experience has taught me how to manage these difficult situations.

"I've always believed in myself and my ability."

Alonso defends Button after 'negative' slip
(GMM) Fernando Alonso has defended his teammate Jenson Button, after the British driver let his positivity slip after the Spanish grand prix.

McLaren-Honda's drivers and team management have been the epitome of positive energy so far in 2015, despite their disastrous level of performance and reliability.

But after the Barcelona race, Button admitted it had been the "scariest" grand prix of his life due to the evil handling of his MP4-30.

"After today I don't expect points at all this year," he said.

It was the very first sign of public negativity from the 'graphite grey'-colored camp in 2015, but Spaniard Alonso said his teammate should be forgiven.

"It was a tough race for us," he told Spanish media on Monday.

"Since February, we have sent a thousand positive messages, and yesterday he gave a small negative phrase that had a lot of impact. So we need to understand that," said Alonso.

"For both of us it was a hard, uncomfortable race but then in the team meeting Jenson was much more constructive in his views," he insisted.

Alonso might also be forgiven for expressing his frustration five races into 2015, particularly as he could have been racing Ferrari's resurgent car this year.

But the 33-year-old insists he still has no regrets about leaving Ferrari, as he believes beating the likes of Mercedes requires a project like McLaren-Honda's.

"To beat them (Mercedes), you need to take an innovative and aggressive approach because their advantage is great," said Alonso.

"Mercedes is still winning everything except the race (Malaysia) won by Ferrari due to the circumstances," he added. "So we decided to go this way, but it needs time."

As for Button's claim that McLaren may go the entire season without a single point, Alonso said he doesn't necessarily agree.

But he also said: "To me, in this part of my career, to be sixth or seventh in a race doesn't change my life. What matters is to win, I just want to win, and for that you need a solid long-term plan.

"Do I miss fighting for wins? Of course I do, but I have to live with that for now.

"I've been here (in F1) for years, in December of last year I was voted the best driver of the decade, so I am missing a trophy or two at home but I have other more satisfying recognition," Alonso added.

Jorda says McLaren 'impatient' with Honda
(GMM) Carmen Jorda, the female development driver for Lotus, says she has heard whispers of discord at McLaren-Honda.

Spaniard and former GP3 driver Jorda, 26, is attending all the grands prix this year with the Enstone team.

Regarding McLaren-Honda's run of disappointing form at the beginning of the new works alliance, she revealed: "A couple of races ago I was talking to one of the (McLaren) engineers and they told me they were impatient with the Japanese.

"They said the Japanese want to try everything two or three times, but the McLaren engineers tell them they know it will not work and it's better to go another way," Jorda said on Spanish radio Cadena Ser.

"But the Japanese continue with their ideas. That's what is making them lose so much time," she claimed.

Meanwhile, former long-time McLaren driver David Coulthard admitted he is also worried about the famous British team, as pulling out of a "rut" is difficult in formula one.

"As McLaren are," he told the Telegraph, "you try to attract a new major corporate sponsor at a rate which you are used to historically, but no one wants to be associated with a company which is losing so badly.

"The lack of television exposure makes it even worse. And then, if you are not careful, you do not have the finances to move the team forward," added Coulthard.

McLaren wants helmet 'tear-off' rethink
(GMM) McLaren has called on F1 to consider a rule tweak about the disposal of drivers' helmet visor tear-offs.

The Honda-powered team found that Fernando Alonso's brake failure in the Spanish grand prix, which caused him to almost run over the front jack-man in the pits, was caused by one of the disposable plastic strips.

Drivers begin each race with a few layers of the 'tear-offs' on the visor, so that when visibility becomes poor, one can be pulled off and discarded.

But a tear-off on Sunday became stuck in one of Alonso's brake ducts, leading to overheating and failure.

A team spokesman told Germany's Bild newspaper: "We could not tell if it was his own or another driver's as it was melted and charred."

McLaren boss Eric Boullier added: "Obviously the drivers need them.

"But we should consider where and how they are discarded. Maybe we need to come up with something for the future," he said.

Christian Horner

Red Bull 'drivers not our problem' – Horner
(GMM) Christian Horner has leapt to the defense of Red Bull's drivers.

Amid the Renault-powered former champions' deep crisis, team official Dr Helmut Marko warned Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat after the Spanish grand prix to "look out".

"Paradoxically, the more inexperienced ones did the better job," he said, referring to the sensational rookie pairing of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz over the Barcelona weekend.

The implication is that Red Bull might now be badly missing the input of its Ferrari-departed quadruple champion Sebastian Vettel.

Would Red Bull have been able to avoid its current crisis if the German was still at the wheel?

"No, not at all," team boss Horner insists to Kleine Zeitung newspaper.

"Sebastian could not have done much with the car we have at the moment either. We also can't forget that Daniel showed well enough last year what he can do.

"The drivers are not our problem. Our real problems are car handling and power," the Briton, who will marry former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell on Friday, added.

As far as Red Bull is concerned, another big problem at present are the F1 rules.

They will be discussed on Thursday during a crucial meeting of the Strategy Group, which will also vote on the proposal to increase this year's engine allocation from four to five 'power units' per driver.

"You know that I'm not allowed to talk about that. The content of those meetings is secret," Horner is quoted by Speed Week.

"So maybe you should ask Toto (Wolff) instead."

Horner's biting jibe aimed at the Mercedes chief could be because Wolff and Niki Lauda have been openly talking to the media about the 'fifth engine' proposal.

Wolff has also been talking about other potential rule tweaks for the future that will be discussed at Biggin Hill on Thursday.

"We want to bring the costs under control for the small and the big teams," he told APA news agency, "and still have a set of attractive regulations.

"We want cars with plenty of power, spectacular races and faster laptimes."

Asked if Mercedes is prepared to give up some of its current dominance for those things and the good of F1, Wolff answered: "You have to keep reinventing F1 and improve the product for the fans."

Teams survived FIA fuel flow checks
(GMM) Teams escaped the ire of F1's governing body following a spate of post-race fuel systems checks after the Spanish grand prix.

Just after qualifying in Barcelona, the FIA told teams it was clamping down harder on the 'fuel flow' rules, amid suspicions some top teams had found a loophole.

Immediately, amid Niki Lauda's claims some teams could be running an 'extra tank', conspiracy theorists connected the story with Ferrari's mysterious drop of pace in Barcelona.

Speed Week reports that after the race on Sunday, scrutineers did indeed inspect the fuel systems aboard cars powered by every engine manufacturer on the grid: Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull-Renault, Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari, Jenson Button's McLaren-Honda and the winning Mercedes driven by Nico Rosberg.

This time around, every car passed the checks.

All eyes will now be on this week's post-race Barcelona test, and then in Monaco, particularly to see if Ferrari's earlier resurgence continues to wane.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says he is expecting the Italian team to bounce back from the Spanish grand prix.

"Ferrari is closer to us than Red Bull was last year," he told APA news agency. "The world championship fight will definitely not be easy."

Wolff therefore warned the Brackley team not to rest on its laurels, even though the silver cars driven by Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were dominant in Spain.

"We have learned that your competitors can always bounce back quickly when you are not ready," he is quoted by Italy's Autosprint.

"So that is what we have done in recent weeks: not looking to the left or right, but focusing on our own work to improve the car."

Ferrari criticized for Barcelona test lineup
(GMM) The only team missing from the post-race Barcelona test this week is Manor.

"There is nothing to test," Britain's Times newspaper quoted deputy boss Graeme Lowdon as saying before the struggling backmarker left the Spanish grand prix venue.

The two-day test, at which every team present must field at least one rookie, kicked off on Tuesday morning.

For Ferrari, it will be an especially crucial hit-out, after the Italian team's run of resurgent form appeared to hit reverse in its 2015 title fight with Mercedes.

"Ferrari needs to work hard, as Mercedes is much stronger," said the Italian daily Tuttosport after the Spanish grand prix.

Italy's influential La Gazzetta dello Sport, therefore, criticized Ferrari's decision to send both of its race drivers home after Sunday's race.

At the test this week, Mercedes is fielding Nico Rosberg alongside reserve Pascal Wehrlein, while other top teams are also pairing their rookies with a regular race driver.

Ferrari, however, is giving Mexican reserve Esteban Gutierrez a run in the SF15-T, alongside the cream of Ferrari's development program, Raffaele Marciello.

"It is really difficult to understand why Ferrari is not fully exploiting this chance to test," said correspondent Andrea Cremonesi.

"(Sebastian) Vettel and (Kimi) Raikkonen's experience would have made an important contribution in this phase of development.

"It is all the more a wasted opportunity when you see that Mercedes, Williams, Red Bull and McLaren will have Rosberg, Massa, Kvyat and Button.

"The only plausible explanation is that Ferrari's choice is determined by the contracts of its reserve driver (Gutierrez)," he added.

Audi could prevent Red Bull exit – Marko
(GMM) Audi could stop Red Bull from quitting formula one.

That is the sensational claim of the former world champion team's Austrian official Dr Helmut Marko, adding even more fuel to rumors the Volkswagen-owned German carmaker is considering entering formula one.

Indeed, even Audi chief Rupert Stadler is no longer issuing blank denials, telling Auto Express on Monday that, regarding F1, "Wait and see.

"It's an option for Audi. Not at this moment, perhaps. But it is still an option."

As far as Marko is concerned, however, the situation is urgent, as Red Bull struggles in the new 'power unit' era with its current engine partner Renault.

"If we don't have a competitive engine in the near future, then either Audi is coming or we are out," he sensationally told the BBC on Monday.

However, Marko said formal talks with Ingolstadt-based Audi have not taken place.

"Officially there was no request or talks," he insisted. "The VW Group first has to sort out who will be the new chief of support, who will run the brand of VW, and when they have sorted all these things maybe then they can think about what they are doing in motor sport.

"I was on the phone but not to the people you think," said Marko.

F1 cars 'too complicated' now – Prost
(GMM) Alain Prost, once nicknamed 'The Professor' in F1 for his famously intellectual approach to racing, has admitted the sport is now too complicated.

F1's controversial rules are a hot topic at present, as spectator, sponsor and television numbers decline and major stakeholders like Bernie Ecclestone and Red Bull argue stridently for urgent reform.

"The cars today have perhaps become a bit too complicated," Frenchman Prost, the quadruple world champion and former teammate to legend Ayrton Senna, told Austrian Servus TV.

But the 60-year-old said that does not mean he thinks driving today's cars is therefore too easy.

"The most difficult thing is always extracting the last tenth," said Prost.

"But from the perspective of the audience, it is a bit different today," he admitted.

Prost said one obvious problem is that the drivers receive so much information over the radio about how to operate the highly-sophisticated cars, giving a "false impression" of their contribution at the wheel.

Another example, he said, is that DRS made overtaking look easy in Barcelona.

But "The task of the drivers remains difficult, as they have to think about so many things at once," insisted Prost.

"We do need to change a few things," he agreed.

"Personally, I am disappointed not by the engine itself, because technically it is fantastic," said Prost.

"But as a formula one fan it's not a matter of how much fuel is being saved — they want a loud engine and for it to be the pinnacle of motor sport in terms of performance."