Latest F1 news in brief

Philippe Bianchi admits son Jules (above) could die from injuries

Father admits Bianchi could die from crash injuries
Engine switch to bring half-second boost – Maldonado
Raikkonen to get new chassis for Austin
Red Bull blocks Vettel's Ferrari test debut in Abu Dhabi
Mercedes working hard on 2015 car – Wolff
McLaren to decide 2015 drivers this season
Infiniti Red Bull Racing to partner with EXNESS
Angry Marussia slams Bianchi reports
Berger surprised Vettel moving to Ferrari
Alonso confident he will be on 2015 grid
Prost angered about Bianchi crash

Father admits Bianchi could die from crash injuries
(GMM) Jules Bianchi's father has revealed the medical condition of his son remains "desperate", more than a week after his Suzuka crash.

Philippe's comments to the Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport preceded an official update from the family of the seriously injured Marussia driver.

In a statement distributed by the F1 team in conjunction with the Mie hospital, the family said "a number of medical challenges have needed to be overcome" since the 25-year-old slammed into a recovery vehicle during the Japanese grand prix.

Germany's specialist Auto Motor und Sport claims the mandatory G-force sensor located in Bianchi's earplugs recorded an incredible 92G impact.

The report said the neck cowling around Bianchi's head was later located near the destroyed car's engine compartment, while the near-indestructible monocoque was cracked from the bulkhead to the cockpit.

Philippe said: "His doctors have told us this is already a miracle — no one has ever survived such a serious accident.

"Everyone keeps asking me how Jules is but I can't reply, there is no answer," he told the newspaper.

"One day he seems a bit better, other days a bit worse. The damage from the accident is very bad but we don't know how it will evolve.

"Every time the phone rings we know it could be the hospital to say Jules is dead," Bianchi's father admitted.

"When Jules gets a bit better we can transfer him, maybe to Tokyo and things will be a bit easier," he added. "But who knows when that will happen — if it will happen. We have no certainties, we just have to wait."

Engine switch to bring half-second boost – Maldonado
(GMM) Pastor Maldonado has admitted he is looking forward to Lotus' switch from Renault to Mercedes power for 2015.

The Venezuelan has said consistently this year he does not regret moving last winter from Williams to the Enstone-based team.

But almost a full season on, while Williams made an impressive leap from the rear of the midfield to the upper grid hatchings in 2014, Lotus' reverse in fortunes has been just as dramatic.

It means Maldonado's best hope now is that Lotus can perform a similar turnaround as it also moves from Renault to Mercedes power.

"Our goal is to come to Williams' level," he admitted to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

The German publication claims Lotus' engine switch will cost owner Gerard Lopez a two-digit sum — the cost of the Mercedes deal plus a separation payment to Lotus.

Maldonado thinks it is worth it.

"We will automatically win half a second compared to the situation now," he said, "and we will also benefit aerodynamically, because the (Mercedes) power unit takes up less space."

The PDVSA-sponsored 29-year-old driver is also expecting "not only more power but more reliability" from the Mercedes, as well as more development options for "cooling".

Raikkonen to get new chassis for Austin
(GMM) Kimi Raikkonen will race a new chassis in Austin and beyond, the Italian publication Omnicorse reports.

After finishing ninth in Russia, the Finn was quoted in Ferrari's post-race statement as saying: "(Austin) is very demanding and interesting and I hope I don't have the same problems I had here".

Omnicorse claims that the normally phlegmatic Raikkonen, who has struggled alongside Fernando Alonso in 2014, "raised his tone of voice" with boss Marco Mattiacci at Sochi.

"He made it clear that he is 110 per cent committed but that he is not able to get the best from the car because something is not working properly," read the report.

Omnicorse said Mattiacci agreed that Raikkonen should switch to a new 2014 chassis for the US grand prix.

Red Bull blocks Vettel's Ferrari test debut in Abu Dhabi
(GMM) Sebastian Vettel will not be able to make his test debut for Ferrari in the days immediately after next month's Abu Dhabi grand prix finale.

Italy's Omnicorse claims that, even though the Maranello team is yet to officially confirm that the German will be wearing red in 2015, it wanted Vettel to drive the F14-T at the post-Abu Dhabi test.

It is at the Yas Marina circuit that Ferrari would have been able to directly compare Vettel in the same car raced just days earlier by the departing Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen.

Also in Abu Dhabi, Pirelli will test its proposed 2015 tires for the first time.

But when asked by Speed Week when Vettel will be released, Red Bull team owner Dietrich Mateschitz answered: "Five days after the last race, he is free."

That will be November 28 — immediately after the end of the Abu Dhabi test.

Not only that, reigning quadruple world champion Vettel is already being frozen out by the team and energy drink company that groomed him from boyhood.

"In every way concerning development for next year, Vettel is no longer involved and is receiving no information," Dr Helmut Marko told Kleine Zeitung newspaper.

And the Austrian also told Bild newspaper: "That goes from cockpit design to the aerodynamic configurations of the car for next season."

Mercedes working hard on 2015 car – Wolff
(GMM) Mercedes is already hard at work on the championship-winning 2014 car's successor.

"The departments have already changed over," said team boss Toto Wolff, after the Brackley based team celebrated its constructors' championship triumph in Russia with three full grand prix weekends still to spare this year.

"For the past two months they no longer work on the current car, but are instead busy with the new one," the Austrian is quoted by Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper.

McLaren to decide 2015 drivers this season
(GMM) McLaren is aiming to decide its 2015 driver lineup before the checkered flag waves in Abu Dhabi next month.

That is the claim of boss Eric Boullier, after the Woking team's lead driver Jenson Button revealed that as recently as the Suzuka race he was "annoyed" McLaren is leaving its decision so late.

"It is getting so close to the end of the season, it is actually getting funny (now)," the 2009 world champion added in Russia.

It is not only 34-year-old Button's future that remains unclear, but also that of his rookie teammate Kevin Magnussen, as McLaren obviously negotiates with Fernando Alonso.

"It's true that it's taken a bit more time, but it (the 2015 lineup) is still on course to be announced before the end of the season," Frenchman Boullier told reporters during a team phone-in on Tuesday.

He acknowledged Button's frustration but insists the Briton – easily the most experienced active driver in F1 – does not have to prove he deserves a race seat in the remaining three races of 2014.

"We know the value of Jenson," said Boullier. "He is a world champion, and a world champion class driver.

"We don't need him to deliver next time on track to, let's say, save his job."

Infiniti Red Bull Racing to partner with EXNESS
Infiniti Red Bull Racing is pleased to announce a new partnership agreement with EXNESS, one of the world's largest retail Foreign Exchange Brokers. The association will formally begin on 1 January 2015 and the logo of our new team partner will feature prominently on the cockpit surrounds of the RB11.

"We are very proud to become a Team Partner with Infiniti Red Bull Racing," said Petr Valov, director of EXNESS. "Red Bull and Formula One are two of the strongest and most exciting brands in the world, and our philosophy is very similar to that of Infiniti Red Bull Racing – we are both young teams and very ambitious, and we share the same values of freedom and drive."

"We are delighted that EXNESS is joining our team next year," added Infiniti Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner. "Our approach as a team is to do things differently, with a strong commitment to quality and excellence. These are principles we share with EXNESS and we greatly look forward to our partnership during the upcoming season."

This announcement by EXNESS follows a period of outstanding growth by the company and expansion across the globe. In September this year, EXNESS' trading volumes exceeded US$190 billion. Over the past two years, EXNESS has won awards for the best broker in Asia, Russia, the Middle East, and the UK.

Angry Marussia slams Bianchi reports
(GMM) Marussia on Wednesday hit back at media reports suggesting the team and Jules Bianchi were to blame for the Frenchman's life-threatening crash at Suzuka.

The reports had suggested Bianchi, who is still fighting for his life in hospital in Japan, did not slow down for the double waved yellow flag zone before losing control and violently striking a recovery vehicle.

Also alleged is that, at the time of Adrian Sutil's crash, Marussia officials urged Bianchi to drive faster in order to keep Caterham rival Marcus Ericsson behind.

In a statement on Wednesday, Marussia said it is "shocked", "angered" and "distressed" by the reports, particularly when Bianchi is still "critically ill".

The team insists the allegations are "entirely false".

"Jules did slow down under the double waved yellow flags," said Marussia. "That is an irrefutable fact, as proven by the telemetry data, which the team has provided to the FIA."

The team also says recordings of the radio traffic between the pitwall and Bianchi make "quite clear" that engineers did not make "any comments" suggesting the driver should "drive faster".

"The team sincerely hopes that, having clarified these facts, it can now avoid any further distractions to its primary focus at this time, which is providing support for Jules and his family," the Marussia statement concluded.

Berger surprised Vettel moving to Ferrari
(GMM) Former Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger says he is surprised world champion Sebastian Vettel is joining Ferrari.

The great Austrian told Germany's Sport Bild he thinks the long-time Red Bull driver's chances of repeating his recent successes at the beleaguered Italian team in the coming years is "50-50".

"The challenge Sebastian is taking on is one of the biggest you can have in formula one," said Berger.

"Even Fernando Alonso, one of the best in the business, has not become world champion there," added the 55-year-old, who had two stints at Ferrari in the 80s and 90s but is also close to Red Bull mogul Dietrich Mateschitz.

Berger continued: "In my opinion, the situation at Ferrari at the moment is a little too turbulent. I simply would not have believed that Vettel would go there at this time."

Alonso confident he will be on 2015 grid
Fernando Alonso says it is unlikely that he will be forced to take a sabbatical in 2015.

Sebastian Vettel will leave Red Bull at the end of the year and is understood to be on his way to Ferrari, with Alonso and the Scuderia having agreed to end their relationship two years early.

It means the Spaniard will need a new home if he is to continue in Formula 1 next season and, while a move to McLaren-Honda has been rumored, other destinations are thought possible, including Lotus-Mercedes.

"Probably not a big risk," said Alonso, when asked at the Russian Grand Prix if there is a genuine threat of him being left out in the cold.

"I am not in any hurry [to get anything confirmed]," he added.

"As I said in Suzuka, I understand the curiosity and the fans wanting news, but do not worry. Relax, enjoy and when it is time to know it you will know it.

"My mind has been set for the last two or three months. When you know you will understand that probably it was very obvious what I will do.

"I will do the best for my future, the best for the future of Ferrari as well because it has been my priority for some time to help this really fantastic team."

Prost angered about Bianchi crash
Four-time Formula 1 World Champion Alain Prost says he has been left feeling "furious" regarding the circumstances which led up to Jules Bianchi's horrifying accident at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Bianchi remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital after suffering a severe head injury in a collision with a recovery vehicle, which had been retrieving Adrian Sutil's crashed Sauber from a previous incident.

Although double waved flags are usually waved for the removal of cars, Prost says governing body the FIA should have acted differently in response to the worsening weather conditions during the Suzuka race.

"I don't want to make any polemics with the FIA, because I have a lot of respect for what has been done in terms of safety over the past 20 years," Prost explained to Autosport, when asked for his view on the events.

"It is cars and tracks [that have improved] and there was one thing left: it was this f**king truck on the track."

He went on to explain: "I was furious. I was really shocked by the accident. You have the procedure, but the weather conditions were getting worse and worse with more and more water, so visibility was very bad.

"You cannot have the same decision according to the procedure if the weather was good or bad. That is why I say I am not convinced. In this condition, with all the experience in terms of safety, they should have zero risk."

While Prost admitted that the crash was unlucky, he says it is the FIA's responsibility to avoid such a scenario.

"It was safe in the beginning when it started with the Safety Car, because it was a difficult decision to stop the race and start again," he said. "That is why I was shocked, because you take the right decision at one stage.

"It is huge bad luck, but you should not judge the cause of the accident, you should judge the consequence. If it was my son, I wouldn't want this type of accident with a truck on an F1 track. That is what I cannot accept."