Latest F1 news in brief

Willi Weber thinks Vettel will choke under the Ferrari pressure

Struggling Caterham in race to send cars to Austin
Perez says new Force India deal 'priority'
Weber doubts Vettel can handle Ferrari 'pressure'
Lotus mourns death of Total chief
Video: Wolff on winning the 2014 Constructors' title
Why McLaren had to drop Mercedes engines
Mercedes and Starwood extend deal
Lotus expects to keep Grosjean for 2015

Struggling Caterham in race to send cars to Austin
(GMM) Caterham's financial troubles appear to be deepening, as it emerges the struggling F1 team may have no cars to race at the forthcoming US grand prix.

Reuters reports that the green cars are scheduled to leave Caterham's Leafield factory bound for Austin this weekend.

But the man appointed to oversee the administration of Caterham Sports Limited, reportedly a separate company to the F1 team but also based at Leafield, is warning he will not be releasing the cars amid a legal dispute.

It’s been a real uphill battle for Caterham in 2014.

It is the latest installment in Caterham's financial troubles following the sale of the struggling team by founder Tony Fernandes to a mysterious consortium represented by advisor Colin Kolles, of HRT and Spyker fame.

"My legal advice is that I own the cars and won't be allowing the cars out of the factory until I reach an acceptable agreement," said Finbarr O'Connell, working for the administrators on behalf of unpaid creditors including Exim Bank of Malaysia.

The team, said to now be in talks with the administrator, insists the troubled Caterham-branded company is not associated with the team, while sources say Caterham's F1 future is therefore not endangered.

But O'Connell hinted that the next step could be the team's expulsion from the Leafield factory, which is already being guarded by private security on behalf of the administrator.

"We are allowing 1MRT (the team) to use our facility while we negotiate a settlement," he said. "They need to reach an agreement with us."

Perez says new Force India deal 'priority'
(GMM) Sergio Perez could be the next driver to secure his place on the 2015 grid.

It appears returning to Force-India is the best option available for Sergio Perez.

Force India made no mention of the Mexican, who is closely aligned with the team's on-car Mexican backers Roshfrans and Claro, when it announced recently that current teammate Nico Hulkenberg is staying put for next season.

But Perez, 24, has told PA Sport this week that sorting out a new deal for 2015 is now his "main priority".

"We're now coming towards the end of the year, and I think in the next week or so it will be done with (regards to) my future," he is quoted as saying.

Perez, who left McLaren after a single season last year, indicated he wants to stay at Force India.

"The only opportunity I had to establish myself in a team was with Sauber in 2012, and I want to do the same here," he said.

One minor setback for Perez, however, is that his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase is moving to Red Bull for 2015, seemingly to work with Sebastian Vettel's successor Daniil Kvyat.

"It's always a blow when you lose an engineer you have built up a relationship with," said Perez, "but I believe I've enough experience to work with anyone."

Perez has scored 29 fewer points than German Hulkenberg so far in 2014.

Weber doubts Vettel can handle Ferrari 'pressure'
(GMM) Michael Schumacher's former manager doubts Sebastian Vettel can emulate the F1 legend's success at rebuilding a beleaguered Ferrari team.

Willi Weber, also known as the lucrative 'Mr 20 per cent' after brokering Schumacher's mammoth Ferrari contracts, is worried quadruple world champion Vettel's personality might not be as suited to the task.

Ferrari is expected to confirm German Vettel's arrival as departing Fernando Alonso's replacement in the days before the US grand prix.

Famously, in 1996, his countryman Schumacher similarly arrived at Maranello as the reigning champion and within five years Ferrari was established as F1's dominant force.

But Weber told Germany's Auto Bild: "Sebastian is much more sensitive than Michael.

"If something is not working well, the pressure at Ferrari is greater than it is anywhere else.

"It is not always 'peace, joy and pancakes', but a lot of politics.

"I think if a Fernando Alonso cannot deal with it, then no one can," Weber said.

Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko, who groomed Vettel from boyhood to F1 stardom but is now losing the 27-year-old to his arch rival, also doubts Vettel can emulate Schumacher's fabled feats.

"Michael benefitted in his time from an unlimited number of test kilometers and close cooperation with the tire partner Bridgestone," said Marko.

"These are advantages that no longer exist today," the Austrian added.

Add Robert Kubica to the list of those who believe Sebastian Vettel will struggle at Ferrari.

Also doubting Vettel's ability to match even Spaniard Alonso's feats at the Italian team is the former F1 driver Robert Kubica, who was close to Alonso.

"I think Vettel is not as strong as Fernando," the Pole told Italy's Sky this week, "as even without a great car, Fernando was still able to win races."

The latest whispers from Maranello are also not positive.

Italy's specialist Autosprint claims Ferrari engineers were unhappy with the first set of aerodynamic figures after wind tunnel testing the 2015 car, whose project is codenamed '666'.

The 2015 car will be the first Ferrari produced under the technical leadership of James Allison.

Lotus mourns death of Total chief
Lotus says it has been left "shocked" and "deeply saddened" by the death of Christophe de Margerie, Chairman and CEO of team partner Total.

De Margerie, 63, died when his private jet collided with a snow plough at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow on Monday night. All three crew members were also killed.

"Lotus F1 Team is shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the death of Christophe de Margerie, Chairman and CEO of Total," read a Lotus statement.

"Total has been a long-standing partner of Lotus F1 Team with Christophe a friend and supporter of the team as well as a close personal friend of Team Principal and Chairman, Gerard Lopez.

"The thoughts of Lotus F1 Team are with the families of Christophe de Margerie and the other three victims of yesterday's plane crash."

Local authorities have opened a criminal investigation to determine if safety standards were breached.

Video: Wolff on winning the 2014 Constructors' title
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff discusses the brand's maiden Formula 1 Constructors' success.

Why McLaren had to drop Mercedes engines

McLaren will get Honda engines in 2015

McLaren chief Ron Dennis says customer teams will never be able to win a Formula 1 championship under the current engine regulations because the 'works' team has such a huge advantage, hence why McLaren had to drop Mercedes engines and go with Honda as the factory team.

"The one thing that jumps at you, if you look at all the qualifications this year, is the time difference between the Mercedes-Benz works team and other teams.

"And by and large it is always in excess of one second, putting aside the pace that they can generate in a grand prix when they are on their back foot.

"My opinion, and it is an opinion held by many people within our organization, is that you have no chance of winning the world championship if you are not receiving the best engines from whoever is manufacturing your engines.

"And a modern grand prix engine at this moment in time is not about sheer power, it is about how you harvest the energy, it is about how you store the energy."

"Effectively, if you don't have the control of that process, meaning access to source code, then you are not going to be able to stabilize your car in the entry to corners etc., and you lose lots of lap time.

"Even though you have the same brand of engine that does not mean you have the ability to optimize the engine."

"You have to start by putting yourself in a position where you have the best engine available.

"That is what we have done over I would say over the approaching years – read into that what you want. It is not months.

"We have had a great partnership with Mercedes but we intend to hit the ground running with Honda and that is the first step."

Mercedes and Starwood extend deal
The MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team is pleased to confirm the extension of its team partnership agreement with Starwood Preferred Guest, the award-winning loyalty program from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

This unique partnership began in 2012 and the two-year extension will allow Starwood to continue to offer its Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) members unique access to Formula One experiences with MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS in destinations around the world. The brand is also the preferred hotel partner for the team, who stay at its resorts in locations such as Barcelona, Monaco, Singapore, Brazil and Abu Dhabi.

The free-to-join SPG program allows members to register for their chance to redeem their Starpoints for 'Access Like No Other' Experiences which offer unparalleled access to the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS team. To date, these experiences have ranged from exclusive events with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at Starwood Hotels over the race weekends, to simulator and behind-the-scenes experiences at the team's Operations Centre in Brackley, UK. Such experiences have proved highly popular, with a 250 percent growth in SPG members redeeming their points to participate since the launch of the partnership in 2012.

Toto Wolff

Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, Toto Wolff, commented: "We are delighted to have extended our partnership with Starwood Preferred Guest for a further two years. Not only have our team enjoyed the benefits of staying in some wonderful Starwood properties as we follow the Formula One calendar around the globe but we can see the tangible benefits reflected in the excitement and enthusiasm of the SPG members who join us over the race weekends for their exclusive experiences. Knowing that our association with SPG has helped to drive the success of their membership program is very satisfying and we look forward to more successful seasons together."

Mark Vondrasek, Senior Vice President, Distribution, Loyalty and Partnership Marketing for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. said: "From one-of-a kind views of the pit lane to meeting the drivers in incredible destinations, the unique and exclusive experiences we have offered as a result of this partnership have helped drive SPG Members' excitement for the popular sport of Formula One. Our extended collaboration with the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team enables us to continue creating memorable moments for our SPG guests, feeding their passion for this world-class sport."

Lotus expects to keep Grosjean for 2015
Lotus team owner Gerard Lopez says he expects to retain Romain Grosjean for the 2015 season, despite admitting that the Frenchman is free to depart.

Having recorded just two top 10 finishes this season, totaling eight points, Grosjean's performance clause would allow him to leave at the end of the year.

But with a lack of front running options, plus Lotus' impending switch from Renault to Mercedes power, Lopez is confident that Grosjean will stay put.

"I don't expect any changes," Lopez told Autosport, when quizzed over his team's 2015 line-up.

"Romain has a clause that enables him to leave the team based on results not being achieved by the team. It's the case this year – we're not within the boundaries fixed by his contract. He would be free to go if he wants to go.

"I've known Romain long enough to know if he were to go it would be for a team that can fight for wins and so on. I think at this stage he's well-advised to stay here given the changes we're doing for next year.

"We'll see, but I don't think there's going to be any change. I would strongly suggest it will stay the same. It's going in that direction."

Lotus announced a new deal for Pastor Maldonado at the German Grand Prix.