Latest F1 news in brief

Promoter insists Sochi will be ready for race
Schumacher still in waking process – manager
New era risks 'destroying' F1 – Villeneuve
Easier F1 could suit smoking Raikkonen

Promoter insists Sochi will be ready for race
(GMM) The promoter of the all-new Russian grand prix insists the Sochi venue will be ready for the inaugural race in October.

With the questionable readiness of the facilities for the winter olympics currently in the media spotlight, concerns have also been expressed about the new F1 venue.

A double-asterisk on the FIA calendar means the Autodrome Sochi's October race date is "subject to the homologation of the circuit".

And a report by the Reuters news agency this week described the track as a "fenced-off building site", littered with "lines of skips and diggers" and "rubble-strewn fringes".

The pitlane, detailed correspondent Alan Baldwin, "is roughly surfaced, the staircases and corridors above the garages littered with building materials and detritus.

"Wires dangle from the ceilings, empty shafts await their elevators," Baldwin explained, adding that the grandstands and VIP suites "are empty shells".

But promoter Oleg Zabara insists: "Construction of the autodrome in Sochi keeps moving forward.

"All works are being carried out according to the schedule. The racing track is 91 per cent complete.

"Everything is according to plan, and there aren't any problems during Olympic period," said Zabara, adding that the team buildings and medical centre are already complete.

Schumacher still in waking process – manager
(GMM) Michael Schumacher's manager has denied rumors the seven time world champion is back in a critical condition.

It was reported this week that, with doctors having tried to wake the F1 legend from his long coma, 45-year-old Schumacher is in fact now suffering from pneumonia.

Manager Sabine Kehm did not confirm those reports, but it had been suggested the new illness might have forced doctors to abandon the waking process for now.

But Kehm said in an official statement late on Thursday that the former Ferrari and Mercedes driver "still is in a waking up process".

"The family is thankful for one's understanding that they would not wish to disclose medical details in order to protect Michael's privacy," she added.

"As assured from the beginning we will continue to communicate any decisive new information on Michael's health state. We are aware that the wake up phase can take a long time.

"The family continues to strongly believe in Michael's recovery and place all their trust in the doctors, nurses and nursing auxiliaries team," said Kehm.

"The important thing is not the speed of the recovery but that Michael's heal process progresses in a continuous and controlled way."

New era risks 'destroying' F1 – Villeneuve
(GMM) F1's all-new era risks "destroying" the sport, according to outspoken 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve.

The French-Canadian, often referred to as an F1 'purist', admitted he is no fan of the radical new rules, featuring energy recovery-bolstered V6 engines.

"I think personally the rules are too restrictive; it's not formula one," he told the Telegraph.

42-year-old Villeneuve, whilst announcing his participation in the FIA world RallyCross championship this year, said the rules are even a step back from 2013, when drivers often nursed fragile Pirelli tires to the flag.

Now, the major challenge will be getting a limited amount of fuel to the finish, but the former Williams and Sauber driver said: "It's not even the driver who determines how much fuel he's saving — it's all done electronically.

"I don't see the point. I know it's the concept of trying to make it look 'greener' because people will be happier, but ultimately it's not greener.

"It's not F1. It's just a perception, that is destroying formula one a little bit."

Villeneuve also said the recent Jerez test showed that the new technology is too complex, while the cars are too slow.

"The lap times (at Jerez) were barely faster than what we did in 1997 in Jerez … that's 17 years ago. I'm not sure why it has become so important to keep going slower," he said.

Villeneuve was also scathing of the unpopular 'double points' innovation for 2014, designed to keep spice in the title fight until the very end.

"It's turning F1 into a non-epic show, or a game, instead of a proper sport," he said. "In a way it's saying, 'We're losing fans, how can we make it fakely more exciting?'"

Amid all the speculation about F1's new era, however, Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali thinks it is too early to draw any dramatic conclusions.

The Italian insisted "a propensity for self-destruction serves no purpose".

"We have only had one test so far when there were never more than four or five cars on track at the same time. Let's wait until we see all 22 together before saying that everything's gone wrong," said Domenicali.

"Once a path has been chosen, one has to move forward in a constructive manner," he added.

Easier F1 could suit smoking Raikkonen
(GMM) Of F1's eleven teams, only Mercedes and Marussia are heading into the 2014 season with unchanged driver pairings.

Undoubtedly, however, it is Ferrari's shakeup that has triggered the most discussion.

Many disagree about which former champion, Fernando Alonso or the Ferrari returnee Kimi Raikkonen, will get the upper hand this season.

Felipe Massa picks Alonso, because the Spaniard "combines talent with brains", but Mika Hakkinen thinks Raikkonen's smoother style is "perfect" for the high-torque turbos.

Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 world champion, is also betting on the Finn — but for a different reason.

There are a few, older photos of Raikkonen smoking cigarettes circulating on the internet, but the latest series has been dated as 2014, and depicting the 34-year-old with his newest girlfriend Minttu.

The magazine images can be seen here.

So in the era of super-fit drivers like triathlon lover Jenson Button, Villeneuve thinks the 2014 rules might level the playing field for Raikkonen.

"With the new rules, where basically the drivers won't have to drive on the edge the whole time, it won't be too physical, it could suit Kimi," he told Sky Sports.

Villeneuve also thinks Raikkonen could capitalize on the relationship between Alonso and Ferrari, which was undoubtedly tense at times last year.

"Last year Alonso wasn't the golden boy of Ferrari anymore, the energy wasn't good anymore," he said. "They were all fighting internally and that's why they put Kimi in there.

"But if we remember a few years ago it ended in tears with Kimi as well, so who knows what will happen," Villeneuve added.