Formula 1's Latest Rumours and Talk: Renault Cash Talks, Sauber, Bianchi, More
Renault look set to join the quintet of teams receiving additional "bonus" funds from Formula One's commercial revenue if they return as a full constructor.
Bernie Ecclestone has revealed that, providing they make sufficient investment with a view to becoming a genuine top team, it's only right and proper they receive the extra money.
Renault welcomed his comments; the smaller teams are unlikely to do the same.
The French manufacturer may not be the only new name heading to F1 in the near future. The FIA has decided to extend its deadline for prospective entrants to make formal declarations of interest, though any bid at this stage would more likely be for a 2017 entry.
Elsewhere, Ferrari's James Allison says Kimi Raikkonen is just as fast as Sebastian Vettel, Sauber have announced they will keep the same driver lineup for 2016 and a minute's silence will be held ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix in memory of Jules Bianchi.
Read on for a full roundup of the top stories from the last few days.
Minute's Silence Planned for Jules Bianchi
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A minute's silence will be held ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix in memory of Jules Bianchi, reported the official F1 website. The former Marussia driver died on Friday, nine months after suffering severe head injuries in a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The silence will take place at 1:45 p.m. local time, 15 minutes before the start of Sunday's race.
Bianchi was just 25 years of age, had the backing of Ferrari and looked set for a successful career in F1. Joe Saward revealed in March the Frenchman was set to drive for Sauber in 2015; the drive would have been financed by Ferrari, the team Bianchi looked destined to one day drive for.
Indeed, former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo recently told Sky Italia (h/t Sky Sports) the Scuderia planned to call him up when their deal with Kimi Raikkonen ended.
Many of Bianchi's fellow drivers attended his funeral on Tuesday, and a number made personal comments following his death.
Jean-Eric Vergne, who organised the stickers reading "Tous avec Jules" that were carried by all the drivers at last season's Russian Grand Prix, paid tribute to the man he called a "true friend in the paddock," while Jenson Button tweeted poignant pictures from the wake.
Fernando Alonso, Pastor Maldonado, Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Massa and Romain Grosjean were among others tweeting in response to the news.
Though some on the grid knew the Frenchman better than others, he was clearly well-respected and well-liked by all.
It will be an extremely difficult weekend for everybody involved.
Renault Return Edges Closer as Talk Turns to Money
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Renault appear to be edging closer to a return as a full constructor with details over their revenue-sharing arrangement now under discussion.
The French manufacturer last raced as an independent entity in 2010 before ending a nine-year stay that brought two drivers' and constructors' championships. The team was taken over by Genii Capital and became what is now known as Lotus.
Autosport reports Renault are currently looking at buying the Enstone-based team back, and discussions have turned to what share of the sport's revenues they would receive. Per BBC Sport's Andrew Benson, Ferrari, Mercedes, Williams, McLaren and Red Bull all receive annual bonus payments on top of their shares; Renault, because of their own rich history in the sport, want the same.
And it looks like they'll get it—providing they are willing to invest what is necessary to become a front-running team.
Speaking to Autosport about such a payment, Formula One Group chief Bernie Ecclestone said: "Yes. If they take over Lotus and do exactly what Mercedes and Red Bull did, that would be it, so yeah, sure. [Renault] have talked about perhaps taking over Lotus, so there is a way in for them, and we'd love to have them on board."
Renault Sport F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul, speaking to the same publication, responded:
"We know the sport well enough—we've been a part of it for 38 years—that without proper funding in place there is no story, no performance. One thing we need to be mindful of, and is part of the evaluation we are doing—which is a constant evaluation—is to make sure there is sufficient financial resources in place to satisfy the expectations at the top level.
We have absolutely no intention of participating, like we are doing now, of making up the numbers on the grid. Given the legacy we have in the sport, any project of Renault in Formula One, would have to be a top-performing one.
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Regarding the revenue-sharing package, he added:
"Any financial recognition of the value of Renault in Formula One, not just as an engine supplier but more specifically as a team, is clearly going to assist.
It's not just money which is a crucial element in Formula One, because there are always other issues to deal with, but certainly money is necessary. So this type of comment from Bernie is obviously a positive one.
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Renault's links with F1 stretch back to the 1977 season, and having them back as a proper constructor would be great for the sport.
Their reputation has been damaged a little over the last two seasons, as they have struggled to get to grips with the new engine regulations, so if they do enter, we can expect a huge push to become competitive as soon as possible.
It's just a shame talk has turned to bonus payments. These cause immense damage to the competitive order and serve only to keep the big teams at the front and the small teams at the back—or put them out of business entirely.
If the other big teams deserve them, Renault do as well. But in an ideal world, they wouldn't exist at all and the money would be split more equally with every team on the grid.
Sauber Announce Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson for 2016
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Sauber have announced they will retain drivers Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson for the 2016 season.
In a statement on the team website, team principal and part-owner Monisha Kaltenborn said:
"We are pleased about the extension of the contracts with Marcus and Felipe. This early point in time shows that the drivers and the team are sure they are heading in the right direction. We have full confidence in the talents and skills of Marcus and Felipe. Both have shown solid performances, gained experience and learnt quickly.
We enjoy having them in the team and they give it a positive boost. Despite their young ages, they work very professionally—on as well as off the track. Marcus and Felipe are already involved in a very dedicated way with the development of next year’s Sauber C35.
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As Kaltenborn indicated, it's a relatively early point in the year for a midfield team to announce their drivers. Even the big teams are holding off—only Mercedes appear to have a set-in-stone lineup for 2016.
However, it may have been important for Sauber to get Nasr in particular pinned down for another 12 months.
The Brazilian has impressed in his rookie year, comfortably outperforming Ericsson. He finished fifth on his F1 debut in Australia and lies 11th in the championship standings with 16 points.
He also packs an impressive financial punch, courtesy of his backing from Banco do Brasil, making him a very attractive rarity—a driver who brings both speed and money to his team.
Corriere dello Sport (h/t Grandprix.com for English reporting) said Nasr could be on his way to Williams in 2016 to replace the Ferrari-bound Valtteri Bottas, while a Grandprix 247 article mentioned Force India as a potential destination.
Such rumours can now be put to bed.
Ericsson has been less spectacular in his second F1 season, but holding onto him also makes sense from a financial point of view. Ian Parkes, writing in the Daily Mail, reports the Swede brings between £10 million to £12 million in exchange for his drive.
With his and Nasr's money secured, Sauber can start to properly prepare their budget for next season.
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FIA Extends Deadline for New Entries
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The deadline for applications from teams hoping to become a part of the F1 grid from 2016 or 2017 onward has been extended by the FIA.
In a statement released in May, the FIA stated the deadline to make a "formal expression of interest" was June 30. However, Motorsport.com reports the deadline has been moved to July 23—the Thursday before the Hungarian Grand Prix.
There is as yet no indication that either the deadline for full and final applications, September 1, or the date applicants will discover whether they've been successful, September 30, have been changed.
The FIA did not say why the deadline had been moved, but it's difficult to believe they would have done it without at the very least a strong expectation someone would be making a bid.
Realistically, this would be to enter in 2017. While it's possible a very well-organised team could put a car together ready to race in 2016, it would almost certainly be uncompetitive and not really worth the trouble in light of the sweeping regulation changes set for 2017.
Unless, of course, the sport decided to allow customer-car teams. Hopefully that isn't going to happen, but Autosport reported in May that the larger teams were conducting studies into this area.
If it happened, a customer-team arrangement would allow for a 2016 debut.
James Allison: Kimi Raikkonen Is as Quick as Sebastian Vettel
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Ferrari technical director James Allison believes Kimi Raikkonen is just as quick as team-mate Sebastian Vettel but errors have cost the Finn results.
Vettel is currently third in the championship standings with 135 points. The four-time world champion has won a race and stood on the podium a further five times. Raikkonen is fifth in the championship with 76 points—he has only been on the podium once.
At a glance, the difference between the pair looks significant, but Allison says the truth is they're very evenly matched. Speaking of the pair to Autosprint (h/t F1i's Phillip van Osten), he said:
"Sometimes Kimi is quicker, other times it's Seb.
The difference is Sebastian never, or almost never, makes mistakes. This year only in Bahrain have we seen him make a few mistakes. But besides that weekend, he has practically never made any errors. Kimi instead, especially in qualifying, has had a few more slip-ups.
I'd say the same thing if Kimi was here, and I think he would accept it. Sometimes you just need a small mistake to ruin a weekend, but the speed is there. Kimi knows that too.
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After a woeful 2014 season, when he was soundly beaten by Fernando Alonso, Raikkonen needed to perform well this term to secure his seat in 2016.
But regardless of whether he is as quick as Vettel—and in qualifying at least, he certainly isn't—results are what matter. Raikkonen hasn't been getting them, and reports from Italy suggest the decision on whether he will stay at Ferrari has already been taken.
Corriere dello Sport reported last week (h/t Sky Sports) that Ferrari had agreed a deal with Williams to buy out Valtteri Bottas' contract.
This remains unconfirmed, but at his current level of performance, it's hard to find justification for Raikkonen to stay at a top team.
Earlier in his career, he was without question one of the best drivers in the field; some of his driving with McLaren was truly outstanding, and the potential was there for him to become one of the all-time greats.
But the Raikkonen of then and the Raikkonen of now are two very different beasts. Brilliance, once the rule, has become the exception.
With a host of cheaper and probably quicker alternatives available, it's hard to find a rational reason for Ferrari to keep him.
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