Formula 1's Latest Rumours, Talk: Ferrari, Nico Hulkenberg to Renault and More
So who is responsible for Ferrari's forgettable 2016 Formula One season?
Those behind the SF16-H car, which has been left behind by the Red Bull RB12 and the Mercedes W07? The brains on the prat perch, who threw away potential victories in Australia and Canada with questionable strategy calls?
Or maybe the drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, who have made too many errors for a couple of world champions?
Former employee Luca Baldisserri has offered his opinion on why the Prancing Horse is stumbling, revealing why the gruesome twosome—chairman Sergio Marchionne and team principal Maurizio Arrivabene—are to blame for sucking the life out of Ferrari.
Nico Hulkenberg is set to inject new life into his F1 career by leaving Force India for Renault, with a deal to join the iconic Team Enstone reportedly close to being completed.
But with a contract yet to be signed, Renault have warned they are holding negotiations with a number of drivers, while Force India have suggested they are yet to be contacted by the team regarding the transfer of Hulkenberg.
Felipe Nasr was thought to be a contender for a Renault seat at one stage, yet with F1's annual game of musical chairs edging towards a conclusion—and with his options quickly disappearing—the Brazilian has now declared he would be happy to stay at Sauber for a third season.
Daniil Kvyat is another driver set to stay where he is for 2017, having been forced to deal with questions about his future throughout this season.
With a decision on Toro Rosso's driver lineup imminent, the Russian has explained why he is optimistic of earning a contract extension.
Closing our latest roundup is Williams driver Felipe Massa, who has revealed why Lewis Hamilton's poor starts could cost him in his championship fight with Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.
Luca Baldisserri Believes Fearful Ferrari Are 'No Longer a Team'
1 of 5
Baldisserri believes Marchionne and Arrivabene are to blame for Ferrari's disappointing performances in 2016, suggesting the pair have created "a climate of fear" within the team.
After claiming three grand prix victories with Vettel in 2015, Ferrari were widely expected to challenge for the title this season, but they remain without a win with just four races of 2016 remaining and sit a distant third in the constructors' championship.
Following their poor start to the year, Ferrari made a technical reshuffle ahead of July's German GP, with engine guru Mattia Binotto replacing technical director James Allison, who left the team due to a breakdown in relations with Marchionne and Arrivabene, per BBC Sport's Andrew Benson.
Ferrari have a history of scapegoating their employees, with head of racetrack engineering Chris Dyer losing his job shortly after Fernando Alonso's near-miss in the 2010 title race and Marchionne sacking several senior figures upon his arrival in 2014.
Baldisserri, who left Ferrari at the end of last year, is convinced the high-pressure approach adopted by Marchionne and Arrivabene has prevented the team from realising their potential this year.
He told Italian publication Corriere dello Sport (h/t Motorsport.com's Pablo Elizalde):
"Unfortunately neither Marchionne nor Arrivabene have experience in racing, a culture that the Scuderia of today has lost.
They are no longer a team, but a group of scared people.
There is a climate of fear. The boys don't take risks for fear of being fired in disgrace.
[...]
The chain of command in Formula 1 has to be more than vertical: it must be military.
The number ones are there to show the way, to motivate people, to decide, and if you make a mistake, you should not be fired. This happened to Allison, a great loss.
Mattia knows how to motivate people, he has great experience but he is not a technical director.
He knows he cannot design a car and does not have deep knowledge of the chassis, aerodynamics or mechanical side. He would be a good team principal instead.
"
He also noted that fear of failure appears to have affected the performances of Vettel, who has been frequently challenged by team-mate Raikkonen in recent months and was recently criticised by Arrivabene for a loss of focus behind the wheel.
Baldisserri told the same source: "Raikkonen is doing better than in 2015, Vettel a lot worse. It's important for Ferrari to recover him and to hold on to him, at least in the short term."
Nico Hulkenberg Is 'One of Several Options' for 2017, Reveal Renault
2 of 5
Renault have revealed Hulkenberg is just "one of several options" being considered by the team as a decision on their 2017 driver lineup moves ever closer.
According to Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble, it emerged over the Japanese GP weekend that Hulkenberg is close to agreeing a deal to join Renault for next season, with discussions between team and driver "at a very advanced stage."
Should Hulkenberg join the team, he will almost certainly be partnered by Mercedes protege Esteban Ocon, who spent the first half of 2016 on loan at Renault before joining Manor at the halfway stage of the season, with current drivers Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer both set to be dropped.
With a deal for Hulkenberg yet to be concluded, however, team principal Frederic Vasseur has said the German is just one name under consideration by Renault, who have been linked with several drivers—including Stoffel Vandoorne, Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Carlos Sainz Jr. and Nasr—at various stages of 2016.
On Hulkenberg, he told French television station Canal+ Sport (h/t Motorsport.com's Elizalde): "This is one of several options, but nothing is done yet. So many drivers are announced as joining us that if we had all of them, we'd rather have a football team than an F1 team! Hulkenberg is an option, like another two or three."
Renault's pursuit of Ocon is thought to stem from the team's desire to have a French driver behind the wheel of a French car, but Vasseur has suggested a driver's nationality will be a minor factor in their decision.
Asked if Hulkenberg and a French driver would represent a perfect partnership for Renault, he told the same source: "It could be an interesting option. Just like a Finn with a Belgian or a German with a Russian. There are many options."
As reported by Noble in a separate Motorsport.com article, Force India have hinted they will not block Hulkenberg's move to Renault, despite the German being contracted to the team until the end of 2017.
However, deputy team principal Bob Fernley has said Force India are yet to receive an approach from Renault regarding the signing of Hulkenberg. He told the same source: "There is nothing. It is purely conjecture."
Felipe Nasr Wants to Stay with 'Solid' Sauber for 2017
3 of 5
Nasr has revealed he now wants to stay with Sauber for next season, having previously hinted he could leave the team at the end of 2016.
The Brazilian enjoyed an impressive debut campaign in 2015, claiming two top-six finishes to help Sauber secure eighth place in the constructors' standings, but he still remains without a point with four races of this season remaining.
Following Longbow Finance's purchase of the team in July, which secured the Swiss outfit's long-term future, Nasr told Autosport (h/t Eurosport) how Sauber represented a "very attractive option" for 2017, but he stressed the need to keep his options open with potential vacancies at Williams, Renault and Force India.
Sauber have made a number of technical appointments in recent months, signing the likes of former Toro Rosso engineer Xevi Pujolar and strategist Ruth Buscombe, once of Ferrari and Haas, and Nasr is convinced the team will be a good place to be next season.
Per Crash.net, he said:
"Oh yes [I want to stay], I see this team on the way up and I see a lot of positives happening. A lot of good people have come on board and they are looking for more to the end of the year. It has really taken a step up here.
I see the team forming a structure behind and in terms of development it will be totally different to this year the way we have the car and performance. We are not precisely in time with the car for 2017 but we can see the team working on it, they are all going in the right direction.
It is a different position to where we were at the beginning of the year. Since the takeover a lot has been happening, a lot has changed and this is all positive. We need time for things to fall into place and to see the development curve coming up. In terms of what I can see this year, you can see things progressing.
Next year, having a solid base and a solid structure, it won't stay like this Sauber has always been a point-scoring team. If we are back in the points next year in terms of in a more frequent way, that will be a good step forward.
"
As reported by Motorsport.com's Noble over the Japanese GP weekend, Sauber have confirmed they will run 2016-specification Ferrari power units next season, with team principal Monisha Kaltenborn explaining the strategic decision will allow them to focus more on the development of their chassis.
Toro Rosso have competed with year-old Ferrari engines in 2016 and—after scoring points in nine of the first 11 races—have claimed just one top-10 finish in the last six races.
And Carlos Sainz Jr. believes Sauber will struggle badly next season, when the removal of the controversial token system will allow the four engine manufacturers—Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Honda—to develop their powertrains with greater freedom.
Per Motorsport.com's Valentin Khorounzhiy and Noble, he warned Sauber "will end up being two steps behind" the rest of the field due to a lack of engine development.
As reported by F1i.com's Julien Billiotte, Marcus Ericsson has admitted he was initially concerned by Sauber's decision to use year-old engines but is now convinced it is "the best way for the team to go next year."
He denied the move has been made for financial purposes.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Daniil Kvyat 'Feeling a Lot More Comfortable' About 2017 F1 Prospects
4 of 5
Kvyat has revealed he is optimistic about remaining with Toro Rosso in 2017 following his recent return to form.
After a scruffy start to 2016, Kvyat became the first driver in Red Bull's history to be demoted by the team ahead of May's Spanish GP, raising serious doubts over his F1 future.
With Red Bull junior Pierre Gasly in contention to win the GP2 feeder series, it had been thought Toro Rosso would release the Russian at the end of this season to create a space for the French youngster, but the team have been eager to allow Kvyat to prove he deserves another chance in 2017.
The 22-year-old has performed strongly in recent weeks, claiming an assured ninth-placed finish in the Singapore GP and outqualifying highly rated team-mate Sainz in Malaysia and Japan.
During September's Italian GP, Red Bull adviser Dr. Helmut Marko told Sky Sports' television coverage how Toro Rosso planned to finalise their driver lineup in mid-October.
And with a decision imminent, Kvyat believes he has done enough to remain with the team for 2017, telling Autosport (h/t Eurosport):
"I think I am outperforming the car at the moment, to be honest, so if this is not enough then I don't know what is.
I'm feeling a lot more comfortable than a couple of months ago, that's for sure.
I have to create my own comfort and it feels quite good.
The start of every weekend is more enjoyable.
Sometimes we know before coming to the race that it won't be easy but we keep fighting and I enjoy doing my work regardless of my position. Every day is a joy.
A few months ago, of course I had a few doubts but now everything is clear to me.
I love what I do and I want to do this as long as I can.
"
Per the same source, the Russian admitted an announcement will be made very soon, arguing his two podium finishes during his time with Red Bull—at Hungary 2015 and China 2016—could persuade Toro Rosso to sign him instead of Gasly.
Felipe Massa Reveals Reasons Behind Inconsistent Starts in 2016
5 of 5
Massa has explained why F1 drivers are struggling to make consistently strong starts in 2016 following Hamilton's latest lacklustre launch at the Japanese GP.
Hamilton started from second on the grid at Suzuka but fell to eighth at the first corner after struggling to get off the line.
It was the latest in a long line of poor starts for the three-time world champion, who made similar getaways in Australia, Bahrain, Spain, Canada and Italy this season, with Mercedes team-mate Rosberg also experiencing problems off the line in Hungary and Germany.
Massa, who is renowned for making strong starts, believes a regulation change at the beginning of 2016—which has forced drivers to make single-hand, single-clutch starts—has contributed to the more varied launches this season.
In his Motorsport.com column, the Williams driver explained:
"One area that continues to look really decisive is the race starts, and we have seen how important that is in the world championship battle between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.
These days it is much easier to make mistakes—because in the past we had two clutch pedals and the ability to make adjustments on the formation lap. The engineers would be reading the value of the real-time traction from our practice getaway, and then would tell us over the radio what settings needed to be used.
Since the technical regulations changed this year, the procedure has become more delicate, because it is the driver who needs to work out how to adjust the settings himself.
At Monza, for example, I made the classic burnout prior to lining up for the start and I knew that there was very low grip—judging by the great amount of smoke that had been generated by my rear tyres.
So because of that I decided to be very cautious in releasing the clutch, and when the lights went out it worked really well. I saw several of my opponents get wheelspin.
One of the other difficulties is that after doing so many practice starts at the exit of the pitlane over a race weekend, you find that the grip level is different on the asphalt on the grid.
It is why drivers still make mistakes, and I think this year every driver has got it wrong as least once. Rosberg has done well, and there are drivers who can manage and understand a little better the grip levels that are out there.
And as the start in Japan showed you, it is an element of the race weekend that can make all the difference.
"
Former grand prix driver Martin Brundle recently expressed his concern that starts "are playing an overly important part in races," telling Sky Sports it "doesn't feel right" that leading drivers are losing several positions at the first corner and spoiling the fight at the front.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
