Formula 1's Latest Rumours and Talk: Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and More
After suffering poor getaways in Australia and Bahrain, Lewis Hamilton's troubled start to the 2016 Formula One season is likely continue at the forthcoming Chinese Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver recovered from a first-corner collision with Valtteri Bottas to finish third last time out, but damage to his gearbox in the Sakhir, Bahrain, race has forced the three-time world champion to accept a five-place grid penalty in Shanghai.
Another race in damage-limitation mode is to be expected, but Hamilton has insisted he is not yet ruling out a third successive Chinese GP victory.
While Hamilton will start no higher than sixth, Fernando Alonso will be grateful just to make the grid on Sunday.
Following his crash at the season-opening Australian GP in March, the McLaren-Honda driver is ready to return to the cockpit after Stoffel Vandoorne's assured stand-in drive in Bahrain.
But the FIA have announced that a final decision on Alonso's participation in the Chinese GP will not be made until the first free-practice session has been completed, with the governing body understandably taking no risks with the two-time world champion.
In their efforts to catch Mercedes, meanwhile, Ferrari have taken quite a big risk by sacrificing their previously impeccable reliability record, with Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel retiring in Australia and Bahrain, respectively.
And while the Prancing Horse appear to have made progress over the winter, Raikkonen believes Ferrari have plenty of room for improvement.
Elsewhere, Felipe Nasr has explained how Sauber's financial problems are affecting the race team. Closing this roundup is former F1 driver John Watson, who has criticised the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.
Lewis Hamilton Still Aiming for Chinese GP Win Despite Grid Penalty
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Lewis Hamilton believes he could still win the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday despite entering the third round of the season with a five-place grid penalty.
The three-time world champion claimed podium finishes in the first two races of 2016, but is without a win since last October and sits 17 points behind Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in the drivers' standings following the German's victories in Australia and Bahrain.
With four wins, Hamilton is the most successful driver in the 12-year history of the Chinese GP, but the British driver's chances of securing a fifth victory were harmed on Thursday when Mercedes' official Twitter account confirmed they are set to change his gearbox, incurring a five-place penalty.
Despite admitting the gearbox change has altered his approach ahead of the Shanghai race—and made Rosberg's weekend much easier—Hamilton has insisted he could still register his first win of 2016.
Per Motorsport.com's Adam Cooper, he said:
"Of course when you hear on the Wednesday morning that you're arriving at the weekend with a penalty already, of course that changes the approach to the weekend, that changes the mindset.
For me a challenge is an opportunity to rise, so I'm really excited about the opportunity, from where I'm going to start hopefully in the best possible position with the penalty.
I love racing, and it's a race this weekend, rather than be at the front and have less of a race.
It is going to be an easy weekend for Nico for sure. Most likely it will be an easier weekend for him.
But it doesn't mean I can't give him a good run for his money from wherever I start. I'll be pushing as hard as I can...It doesn't mean I can't win the race still, which is my thought process, rather than damage limitation.
"
Hamilton has an outstanding record when it comes to making progress through the field, recovering from ninth to finish second in the 2014 Austrian GP and claiming third in that year's Hungarian race despite starting from the pit lane.
And Rosberg believes his team-mate will still be "a big threat" in China, telling Sky Sports' William Esler how Hamilton's penalty won't necessarily make his race "an easy one."
Meanwhile, three-time world champion Sir Jackie Stewart has told Brazilian publication O Globo (h/t Inautonews.com) that Mercedes should withdraw from F1, saying it "would be good not only for Mercedes but also F1" despite predicting the Silver Arrows will retain both championships in 2016.
Fernando Alonso Faces Further Test Before Being Allowed to Race in China
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A final decision on Fernando Alonso's participation in the Chinese Grand Prix will not be made until the first free-practice session has been completed, it has been confirmed.
The two-time world champion walked away from a frightening crash at the season-opening Australian GP, where he rolled into a gravel trap after colliding with Haas' Esteban Gutierrez. He was ruled out of the next race in Bahrain, having suffered a broken rib and a pneumothorax, as he told an FIA press conference.
Alonso's absence saw McLaren-Honda call upon the services of 2015 GP2 champion Stoffel Vandoorne at Sakhir, with the Belgian scoring a point—the team's first of the season—with 10th place on his grand prix debut.
The ongoing uncertainty surrounding Alonso's condition meant it was unclear whether Vandoorne would again be required to partner 2009 world champion Jenson Button in Shanghai.
As reported by Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble, however, the FIA is willing to allow Alonso to participate in FP1 before deciding on his "eligibility to take part in the remainder" of the Chinese GP weekend, with the Spaniard to "undergo a further examination" immediately following the opening practice session.
Prior to the FIA's announcement, Alonso told reporters how his condition had improved substantially over the last fortnight. Per Noble, he stated:
"I feel good. I feel OK. Honestly, in Bahrain I was mentally 100 per cent ready to race, but physically I had a lot of pain in Bahrain and I was ready to try at least and see if the pain was manageable or not with the rib broken. Now the situation has improved a lot.
I am mentally 120 percent now and physically I am 100 percent with no pain. At least in the last couple of days I have been training with a more or less normal routine for the last two weeks, running, bicycle, golf and tennis—many sports that are a big change in approach for this race a bit more ready and fit.
I did sleep OK for the last two weeks as well which was quite a good thing because in the first 10 days after Australia I could not sleep on one side, which was not very comfortable. As I said from Bahrain to here a big improvement. I feel good.
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According to Sky Sports, Alonso indicated he "will be the first not to race" if he feels any discomfort in FP1, saying "the priority is to score points and to be 100 per cent in the race."
Kimi Raikkonen Acknowledges Ferrari Still Have 'A Bit of Work' to Do
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Kimi Raikkonen believes Ferrari still have plenty of room for improvement after a relatively promising start to the 2016 season.
After Sebastian Vettel's three victories allowed Ferrari to claim a comfortable second-place finish in the 2015 constructors' standings, the team is widely expected to challenge Mercedes for the championship this year.
Although the Prancing Horse remain behind the Silver Arrows in qualifying conditions, Ferrari appear to be close to Mercedes on race pace, with Vettel and Raikkonen leading the opening phase of the Australian GP and the latter recovering from a slow start to finish 10 seconds behind Nico Rosberg in Bahrain.
However, Ferrari's reliability record is a major concern; Raikkonen was forced to retire in Australia and Vettel failed to even start the Sakhir race after suffering an engine failure on the formation lap, leaving him 35 points adrift of Rosberg after the first two races.
While Raikkonen feels Ferrari can be encouraged by the start to the season, the 2007 world champion has admitted the team must improve the reliability of the SF16-H car, per Motorsport.com's Andrew van Leeuwen:
"We are still positive about what the team has built over the winter.
It hasn't been ideal first two races for the team, we had two podiums, but to not score and not finish isn't what we wanted.
There is still a bit of work to be done on that side, but the speed is there; if you take qualifying for the last race it was OK. ...
We have a good package but we need to improve it and make it better.
The car has improved in all areas. It is brand new—it is the team work that has brought a better package.
It is still not as good as we want to be, but this is a fairly good car and we go from there.
If there is something I prefer more, we prefer to have a better and faster car, and things we know happened last year we try to improve. There are always things to improve and do things better.
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Vettel will use a new engine at the Chinese GP, but the four-time world champion has insisted he is concerned by Ferrari's unreliable start to the season, saying the team will be "very strong [when they put] all of the ingredients together," per Autosport's Ben Anderson and Lawrence Barretto.
After his victory in Bahrain, Rosberg said Mercedes "need to be careful," adding "we haven't seen the real Ferrari yet," per Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble,
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Felipe Nasr Insists Sauber Are Unaffected by Doubts over Future
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Felipe Nasr is adamant Sauber are operating as normal despite mounting concerns over the team's financial situation.
As reported by Autosport's Lawrence Barretto, Sauber's participation in the Chinese Grand Prix was only assured after the team received an advance payment from Marcus Ericsson's personal sponsors, having struggled to pay the salaries of their staff in February and March.
That revelation came after the team approached F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone for an early payment of their championship prize money to aid cash flow at the end of last year, with Sauber also delaying the introduction of their 2016 car until the final winter test.
Although the future of the team remains uncertain, Nasr has insisted the financial concerns are not affecting Sauber's work at the circuit, per Motorsport.com's Adam Cooper:
"At the end of the day that's my job, to drive, whatever the situation is.
I know that everyone involved here is giving everything they can to put the team in the best position possible. The things we cannot control, we cannot get involved in.
I'm here to drive, I love what I'm doing here. Every time I'm on track I'm giving everything I can. Of course there's a question mark on the back of the team about what's going to happen.
As I said everybody when they come to a race weekend they are giving everything they can.
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At the beginning of 2015, Nasr achieved the best result by a Brazilian driver on their grand prix debut in Australia, where he finished fifth.
Although he has admitted "a number of things have to come together" for Sauber to score points, the 23-year-old also said, per the same source, how the early races could still present the team with "good opportunities" despite his problems with the handling of the C35 car.
According to Autosport's Ben Anderson and Glenn Freeman, Nasr said his troubles have stemmed from a lack of stability, "especially under braking into the apex of the corners, when you're trying to carry speed."
He added that Sauber will run identical car setups for both Nasr and Ericsson in China, with the former set to be given a new chassis for the Russian GP if his problems persist.
John Watson Dismisses the GPDA's Open Letter as a 'Joke'
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John Watson, the former F1 driver, has criticised the Grand Prix Drivers' Association's efforts to have more influence on the direction of the sport.
Led by Alexander Wurz, who made 69 grand prix appearances for Benetton, McLaren and Williams between 1997 and 2007, the GPDA has become increasingly vocal in recent months.
In January, Wurz told BBC Sport's Andrew Benson of the drivers' desire for increased head protection and stronger, stickier and more durable tyres from Pirelli, and the organisation published an open letter in the aftermath of the season-opening Australian GP.
The document—signed by Wurz, 2009 world champion Jenson Button and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel—referred to the sport's decision-making process as "obsolete and ill-structured," saying recent rule changes are not only "disruptive" but risk jeopardising the "future success" of F1.
Despite its good intentions, the move was widely criticised, with 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve telling Autosport's Lawrence Barretto how the drivers "should just shut up" and "get on with their jobs," saying their public complaint was "terrible for F1."
And Watson, who won five grands prix in a career spanning 12 seasons between 1973 and 1985, supported Villeneuve's view, telling Sky Sports' F1 Report (h/t Sky Sports' William Esler):
"Frankly grand prix drivers are lazy, all they do is work on a weekend.
They put together a letter, Alex Wurz is now the president of the so-called GPDA, stating the obvious. What Jacques has said in his comments is basically right.
I just want drivers to do what they are good at doing and leave the other bits of Formula 1 to the people who manage it very well. ...
If they want to get involved, instead of going to the tattoo parlour to get another tattoo or going out with some model, then get involved.
Maybe try to find a way to have driver representation on the World Motor Sport Council for example where they can make a proper contribution.
But constructing a letter like that, sending it to Bernie [Ecclestone], it was a joke.
"
Ahead of the Chinese GP, the GPDA tweeted an image of several drivers dining together in Shanghai.
Williams driver Felipe Massa said how the group meal was "really nice," saying the drivers should meet on a more regular basis to "push for the better of the show, the better of the sport," per ESPN F1's Nate Saunders.
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