Latest F1 news in brief

Caterham seeking investment, not sale – Fernandes
Hamilton behavior 'sub-standard' – Hakkinen
Whiting moves to stop Monaco-style qualifying sagas
Vettel denies throwing post-Monaco tantrum
Pirelli undecided about F1 future beyond 2016
Alesi tells Sauber to ignore Jordan's quit call

Caterham seeking investment, not sale – Fernandes
(GMM) Tony Fernandes has denied he is selling Caterham, admitting instead that he is seeking new "investment" in the struggling backmarker team.

"Despite press rumors to the contrary, Caterham Group is not for sale," the company said in a media statement.

"It is, however, true that the group is actively searching for additional investment as it seeks to fulfill ambitious plans to develop," it added.

Fernandes, who has not attended a grand prix in 2014, "remains wholly committed" to Caterham, the statement insisted.

"We love what we build," the Malaysian entrepreneur is quoted as saying, "and we are always looking for further investment.

"Yes, we are constantly challenging ourselves and making decisions on everything from the structure to projects within the group. That is normal business. That does not mean we are selling," Fernandes added.

Earlier, Caterham had been linked with F1's newest entrant, Gene Haas, who according to speculation may now be looking to buy an existing team rather than start from scratch.

But the very latest reports about Haas indicate that technical agreements with Dallara and Ferrari are set to be signed, while plans to headquarter the team in America are going ahead.

"I don't think that we tick their boxes," Caterham team boss Cyril Abiteboul told Britain's Sky.

After Monaco, where Marussia's Jules Bianchi finished ninth, Caterham is now the only team in F1 never to have scored a single point.

Germany's Auto Motor und Sport claims that Marussia's points feat could mean a $47 million pay-day for the struggling team at the end of the season.

Still, Marussia investor Andrei Cheglakov said: "Formula one needs a fairer system of payments. Money must be distributed in a way that everyone can survive."

Hamilton behavior 'sub-standard' – Hakkinen
(GMM) Mika Hakkinen says Lewis Hamilton's behavior was "sub-standard" in Monaco.

2008 world champion Hamilton accused his Mercedes teammate of deliberately sabotaging his push for pole position, afterwards refusing to acknowledge his race win.

"I appreciate Nico's patience in this situation," double world champion Hakkinen told Finland's Ilta Sanomat newspaper, when asked about the falling out.

"I do not like the idea of what Lewis did. It was quite sub-standard behavior," said Hakkinen.

Even now, it is believed Hamilton and Rosberg have not spoken a word since Monaco.

"They are in different places," team boss Toto Wolff is quoted by DPA news agency. "So it's not unusual."

Hamilton indicated after Monaco that he had seen evidence that convinced him that Rosberg had acted deliberately under braking for the Mirabeau corner.

That same evidence did not, however, convince the Monaco stewards, including former F1 driver Derek Warwick.

"I don't want to give him (Hamilton) advice really," Warwick told the Daily Mail. "He has won umpteen races and a world championship.

"But if I were to say anything it would be to man up and concentrate on the next race in Canada."

Indeed, Rosberg is showing signs of wanting to move on.

"It was one of the more difficult weekends," he said on a visit to Italy where the German football team is preparing for the world cup.

"But I think after a break we will, as always, talk about it," added Rosberg.

"I make an effort for teamwork and for the atmosphere in the team."

It seems less likely that Hamilton is similarly ready to move on.

Indeed, Gerhard Berger – who hosted the Mercedes bosses and drivers for a dinner on his yacht in Monaco – thinks the duo are set for an "explosion".

"Clearly it's just starting now," he told Austrian Servus TV.

"I think Hamilton must do his homework better. He is currently the fastest man in formula one, but he still focuses too much on trivialities. Rosberg is the perfect package," added Berger.

A clear 'number 1' and 'number 2' situation is easier for a team to manage, but team boss Wolff said he believes one of the secrets of Mercedes' dominance this year is a pair of drivers who spur each other to great heights.

But that doesn't mean he was overjoyed in Monaco.

"I was the bad guy after qualifying," said Wolff. "I told them it is absolutely unacceptable to have to spend the afternoon with the media talking about whether one of them cheated or not. I have other things to do."

He was particularly unhappy about Hamilton's suggestion that he will deal with the situation just as Ayrton Senna did, sparking rumors of a deliberate crash.

"We had our board members in Monaco, our partners — I will not have our team and our brand made a fool of. I think they (the drivers) understood," said Wolff.

"They can have fun with their toys so long as they don't break them," the Austrian is quoted by Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"It will never come to the level of the Prost-Senna relationship," Wolff promised.

"Clearly there is no hugging, but this is a job, not a holiday. It is wonderful to have two drivers at this level."

Whiting moves to stop Monaco-style qualifying sagas
(GMM) Charlie Whiting wants to prevent a repeat of the Monaco qualifying scandal.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have fallen out spectacularly, after Hamilton accused his Mercedes teammate of making a deliberate mistake in the dying minutes of their fight for pole on Saturday.

The FIA looked into whether Rosberg triggered the yellow flags on purpose in order to ruin the sister Mercedes' run, but found no evidence of a foul.

Many, including Monaco steward Derek Warwick, found it hard to believe Rosberg 'did a Schumacher'.

"I know there are conspiracy theories," he told the Daily Mail, "but you will not find a more honest driver in grand prix racing than Nico."

Even so, the FIA investigated the incident for hours.

"It was not black and white," said Warwick. "It took a long time. We wanted to be sure and thorough.

"I have been around a long time and seen people try to pull the wool over my eyes. Did I have doubts in my mind? Of course I did. But he gave me the answers I needed," he added.

But Hamilton suggested he saw data late on Saturday that convinced him that Rosberg had acted maliciously.

The FIA was not convinced, concluding from detailed telemetry that Rosberg braked only 10 meters later than he had on his pole lap, and was travelling only 6kph faster, according to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

FIA race director Whiting said: "And both Mercedes drivers braked 8 meters later at Ste Devote than they had before. They were just going flat out."

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff commented: "We will never know if Nico acted deliberately or not. But we give him absolutely 100 per cent the presumption of innocence.

"When you are pushing to the maximum, mistakes can happen."

Nonetheless, Whiting has an idea that would stop this sort of controversy from recurring in the future.

He said: "Why don't we extend qualifying by one minute when a yellow flag is shown in the last three minutes?

"It would give affected drivers the chance to try again."

Vettel denies throwing post-Monaco tantrum
(GMM) Sebastian Vettel has denied throwing a tantrum after Sunday's Monaco grand prix.

It was in the glitzy Principality that the reigning quadruple world champion's 2014 hit a new low, with problems not only in qualifying but also the race.

"I heard that I kicked my helmet in the corner and shouted at the team!" the German said at the Red Bull Ring on Tuesday.

"I have no idea where that comes from. I prefer to find constructive solutions.

"Of course it's not going perfectly at the moment and I was not very happy when I got out of the car, but at the same time the boys were cheering for Daniel (Ricciardo).

"I have to say he is doing a really good job, which I respect and say 'Chapeau'."

On the other hand, it seems obvious that Vettel has also already said 'Au revoir' to a fifth title in 2014.

"Red Bull can forget about the championship," Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda told Austria's O3 radio.

But Vettel insists he is not giving up yet.

"As long as everything is still mathematically possible, I keep fighting. We are still having blips but I think we are on the right track generally," he said.

Part of the reason the maths are still working out for Red Bull is because, at the Abu Dhabi finale, double points will controversially be on offer.

"At the beginning we saw it differently," Dr Helmut Marko smiled on Tuesday, "but now we are thrilled by this new rule!"

Meanwhile, Vettel said he sees nothing sinister in the fact that all of the 'bad luck' is concentrated on his car in 2014, rather than Ricciardo's.

"Generally I don't really like the word 'luck'," said Vettel. "There is always a reason when something goes wrong."

And Vettel said that every problem is another lesson for the team. Marko insisted Red Bull is not giving up on 2014.

"After the shock of the winter, we have established ourselves as the second strongest team behind Mercedes," Marko said. "It is not over yet."

Vettel agreed: "We are the second force. But it would be wrong to compete with the goal of coming second to Mercedes."

Pirelli undecided about F1 future beyond 2016
(GMM) Pirelli has answered "we'll see" to the question of staying in formula one beyond its current contract.

After an often tumultuous and controversial opening three-year stay as F1's official supplier, the Italian marque signed on for another stint starting in 2014.

"Formula one is part of our lives," president Marco Tronchetti Provera is quoted by Tuttosport, "to highlight our people and our technologies.

"It's a continuous, travelling laboratory," he added.

But what about the future? Is Pirelli looking for a long-term stay on the grid?

"We have a contract until 2016," Provera answered. "Then we'll see."

After the tire-exploding controversies of 2013, Pirelli took a step backwards for the new turbo V6 era.

Now, the tires are being called too hard and slow by the likes of Fernando Alonso, Romain Grosjean and Sergio Perez.

"We have heard the criticisms," said Pirelli's F1 chief Paul Hembery.

"Too aggressive last year, too conservative this year," he shrugged to France's L'Equipe.

But Hembery said Pirelli is constantly thinking about how to improve. One proposal to ease the conservativeness of 2014 might be to combine compounds, he suggested.

"We plan to test different compounds on the back and on the front (of cars)," said the Briton.

"This will increase the performance without compromising the stability."

Hembery said a hard compound at the rear would "reduce the sliding caused by the high torque" of the new engines, while a softer front increases the "possibility of returning to two or three stops" to spice up the show.

Alesi tells Sauber to ignore Jordan's quit call
(GMM) Former F1 driver Jean Alesi has urged Peter Sauber to ignore Eddie Jordan's advice.

Earlier, after the struggling Swiss team dropped behind backmarker Marussia in the 2014 constructors' standings, Jordan said 70-year-old Sauber should acknowledge reality and join him in retirement by selling up.

When asked about Sauber's situation, Frenchman Alesi – who drove for the Hinwil outfit in the late 90s and also for Jordan before retiring in 2001 – said: "I don't think Peter Sauber needs advice.

"But I think that for Eddie Jordan, formula one was a business, but for Sauber, above all it is a passion," he told the Swiss newspaper Blick.

"And you don't just quit after more than twenty years. So I think he needs to keep pushing," said Alesi, 49.

However, Alesi thinks part of Sauber's problem in 2014 is sitting behind the wheel of the grey cars.

"Each team that has to go with pay-drivers for financial reasons eventually will have serious trouble," he said.

"Peter needs to find the right balance, because in 2013 there were still great results when (Nico) Hulkenberg was driving," added Alesi.