Latest F1 news in brief

F1 a money-loser for Sepang

Malaysia undecided over F1 contract extension
'Calm' Williams sparked Massa revival
Alonso waiting to set McLaren-Honda goal for 2015
Williams plays down Ferrari link for Bottas
Horner plays down early 2015 troubles for Red Bull

Malaysia undecided over F1 contract extension

(GMM) Talks to renew Malaysia's F1 contract are still ongoing.

Last month, Sepang circuit boss Razlan Razali travelled to London to discuss the expiring deal with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

"I am very confident this year's F1 (race) won't be the last," he said.

Three weeks on, a deal for 2016 and beyond still has not been struck.

Indeed, Sepang chairman Mokhzani Mahathir said on Wednesday that the talks with Ecclestone are still taking place.

"The talks are centred on an agreeable price for organising the prestigious race for the next three years," he is quoted by the Bernama news agency.

"We also have to take into consideration the current economic volatility. For now we have not made any decision yet."

The report said the outcome of the talks will be known by March 29, when Sepang hosts the second round of the 2015 world championship.

Meanwhile, organisers of the former Korean grand prix have received a bill for cancelling its grand prix, with the news agency AFP claiming the penalty might be double the $43 million annual race sanctioning fee.

"We plan to visit London for talks with the FOM," a Korean official said.

'Calm' Williams sparked Massa revival

(GMM) A "calmer" environment may have contributed to the return to form of former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa.

In 2008, the Brazilian went wheel-to-wheel with Lewis Hamilton for the world championship, but a year later he was fighting for his life after the qualifying accident in Hungary.

Massa admitted to Spain's El Confidencial that when he returned in 2010, he entered a period of form that was the "worst" in his entire racing career.

"A lot of people thought 'well, ok Felipe, what a shame'," revealed Pat Symonds, the technical boss at Massa's new team, Williams.

"What we found at Williams is that we have awakened him," he told F1's official website, revealing that the Massa of late last season was "a Felipe that we haven't seen in years".

Some believe the reason for Massa's resurgence is that while he struggled to deal with the pressure of being Fernando Alonso's teammate, life at Williams is much calmer.

"Life at Williams is calmer, for sure," the 33-year-old and 11-time grand prix winner admitted.

"You have to work as hard as at Ferrari, but it is simpler," Massa explained.

"Only the racing matters; the other stuff not so much. So you have the mindset only to make the car better, to think about the racing.

"Ferrari is fantastic, strong, great, beautiful, but with so much pressure and so many things that are not important that all comes together at once.

"Here (at Williams), the only thing that matters is the work," he added.

And Massa said he is not the only driver who has been struggling at Ferrari in recent history.

"I think the biggest problem was the mental side," he admitted.

"I suffered a lot for a while, but eventually it got better, I improved that side and people have seen that Kimi (Raikkonen) struggles even more than I did.

"So maybe they (Ferrari) found someone who suffers (with it) even more."

Massa hopes that, after he and Valtteri Bottas shone in the 2014 Williams, race wins and even a title bid might be possible this year.

"I hope," he admitted.

"It is possible, but the car is still new and we have to see where all the others are — if there is a team that has invented something amazing.

"But with the work and the mentality of our team, who knows if this year I can fight again for wins and, who knows, for the championship," said Massa.

Alonso waiting to set McLaren-Honda goal for 2015

(GMM) McLaren-Honda is beginning to play down its chances of bursting off the grid at the very start of the 2015 season.

After its almost two decades with Mercedes power, the British team has struggled for laps and pace in the early phase of its new works partnership with returning Honda.

Until now, McLaren has been talking up its chances with the so-called 'size-zero' MP4-30 car and the innovative turbo V6, but team figures now admit that Australia might be looming too soon for the new British-Japanese project.

"With a new concept and engine partner, obviously the less we run the more difficult it's going to be to catch up, or let's say, the later we will be ready to compete," team boss Eric Boullier told Press Association.

"Every time we can't achieve all our targets in terms of mileage or development we push back the date where we are able to exploit 100 per cent of our car and our power unit to fight for the win," he added.

Indeed, McLaren-Honda was the least reliable and the slowest car on track at Jerez last week, the first four-day test of just three similar outings before Melbourne.

Star recruit Fernando Alonso was the slowest overall, his aggregate laptime no less than 15 seconds behind the pacesetting Ferraris.

And the MP4-30 was also dead last on the mileage list, with its 79 laps utterly dwarfed by the 516 racked up by 2014 champions Mercedes.

When asked to set a target for 2015, Alonso was quoted on Wednesday by Spanish media: "First we need to see how competitive we are.

"In the first test we could not run with maximum power," he revealed.

"Once we have all the power, once we are in the second or third race of the championship, and we see how fast we are, then we will get a target for this first year," said Alonso.

Alonso, who has returned to McLaren after a five-year stint at Ferrari, is famous for his love of Japanese tradition, has a big Samurai tattoo on his back and often 'tweets' from old Samurai texts.

"I love Japan," he admitted, "Japanese culture, tradition … Honda has always been very attractive after the successful partnership they had with McLaren in the 80s and I feel very privileged."

His target for the future, therefore, is clear.

"The goal is to win the championship; we want to win, I came here to win," said Alonso.

"I do not know if it will be in the first year, second year, third year, but I hope it is as soon as possible," he explained on a visit to Japan this week.

"I saw many talented people when I visited the facilities at Sakura. I saw many advances compared to the other teams; scientific, technological advances.

"I saw a lot of passion and discipline at the first test, all the engineers and mechanics of Honda and McLaren working together.

"That's something that is part of the DNA of Honda and I am very happy to be a part of it," he added.

Williams plays down Ferrari link for Bottas

(GMM) Williams is not taking seriously reports star driver Valtteri Bottas is looking to replace Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen next year.

The seat occupied by fellow Finn Raikkonen, who struggled at the Maranello team last year, is technically open for 2016 due to the existence of a contract 'option'.

"If it goes badly and I don't sign it then I don't sign it," Raikkonen said at the recent Jerez test.

When asked about the potential vacancy, Bottas – who last year marked himself out as a champion of the future with his six podiums – answered last week: "I don't know anything about Kimi's contract.

"All I know is that I want to be in the quickest car available. That's all I can say," he told F1's official website.

When faced with the comments, which might be interpreted as Bottas putting Williams on notice that he is eyeing a move elsewhere, deputy boss Claire Williams said she thinks her driver was "taken out of context".

"We were the team that brought him into formula one and he feels hugely comfortable within our team," she told British broadcaster Sky.

"Of course, he's a racing driver and wants to have the fastest car. I think those comments were taken out of context.

"At the moment we're providing him with a competitive race car that finished the season probably the closest to the Mercedes on the grid, so why wouldn't he want to stay with us?" added Williams.

"I spend a lot of time with him and I talk to him a lot and I know that where he wants to be at the moment is Williams."

Horner plays down early 2015 troubles for Red Bull

(GMM) Christian Horner has played down reports Red Bull is entering a second consecutive season amid early troubles.

Although ultimately the championship runner-up, the formerly title-dominant team went into 2014 in technical crisis as engine partner Renault struggled at the start of the new turbo V6 era.

Renault subsequently underwent a sweeping restructuring and significantly upgraded its 'power unit' for 2015, but new number 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo was just twelfth fastest on aggregate after the first four-day test at Jerez last week.

New teammate Daniil Kvyat fared even worse in the camouflaged RB11, outpaced only by the stuttering McLaren-Hondas, while even the initially-absent Lotus managed more laps than Red Bull in southern Spain.

Team boss Christian Horner, however, is putting a brave face to reports Red Bull might once again be in trouble.

"It (Jerez) was a test that was much more positive than a year ago," he is quoted by Italy's Autosprint.

"We had some problems, it's true, but they were nothing compared to what we faced in 2014, when either we didn't run or it went up in flames."

Most of the problems last week were reportedly connected to Renault's upgraded turbo V6, and Horner confirmed: "The biggest changes we have are in the power unit.

"Renault has worked hard on this, but there will always be things that can go wrong in testing, that's normal."

Autosprint correspondent Roberto Chinchero, however, claims that the story runs deeper behind closed doors at Renault-powered Red Bull.

F1 engine guru and Mercedes title winner Mario Illien has been drafted in at Red Bull's behest to work on the Renault V6, as has AVL, a renowned Austrian powertrain company.

The report said Illien's upgrades could be ready to try at the final Barcelona test, when "it will be the time to choose between the Renault Sport power unit or Illien's".

Chinchero said bringing in Illien "could be the first step towards the creation of a structure able to produce a complete power unit, putting Red Bull on par with Mercedes and Ferrari as teams producing the entire car".