Formula 1's Latest Rumours and Talk: Fernando Alonso, Mercedes Bonus and More

Fernando Alonso wants to wear silver with his next team, but is yet to commit to McLaren-Honda for 2015.

BBC Sport's Andrew Benson says it's entirely possible he'll sit out next season and hope to land a Mercedes drive the year after.

While Alonso contemplates his future, employees at Mercedes are celebrating their constructors' championship title. It's set to get even better for the boys and girls back at the factory in the coming days—it's bonus time, and Mercedes are not sparing the chequebook.

They are, however, being selfish by refusing to back a relaxation of the engine freeze rules. At least that's what Red Bull's Christian Horner thinks.

Elsewhere, Alain Prost has given an angry assessment of the procedures which led up to Jules Bianchi's crash in Japan, while GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer is now eyeing a promotion to Formula One in 2015.

Read on for a full roundup of the biggest stories from the last few days.

Fernando Alonso Struggling to Decide

Associated Press

Fernando Alonso is struggling to make up his mind between signing for McLaren-Honda in 2015 and taking a year out of F1, according to BBC Sport's Andrew Benson.

The article claims a multiyear McLaren contract has been agreed with Alonso. However, he is holding off on signing it as he weighs up whether or not Mercedes might choose to replace Lewis Hamilton when the Brit's current deal expires at the end of next season.

Benson's report is backed up by comments made by Alonso during the Russian Grand Prix weekend, which appeared to rule out a shock 2015 move to either Lotus, Williams or Mercedes.

Asked by NBCSN's Will Buxton (via NBC Sports' Luke Smith) whether he would have a Mercedes-engined car next season, the Spaniard replied, "I don’t think so. The options are quite clear. As I said in Suzuka, when you know the options, you will say ‘it was so obvious’. Wait and see.”

Taking a year out of F1 would be a drastic move, and one laced with massive risk. Publicly, Mercedes have given no indication they would like to drop Hamilton. Team boss Toto Wolff said quite the opposite when speaking after the Russian Grand Prix. He told press (h/t The Guardian):

"

We have a contract with both our drivers for 2015, and we want to continue with the current line-up.

We have agreed with Lewis we want to concentrate on the championship and leave him alone. We want to give him the same possibilities as Nico, and for him not to get involved in commercial, financial and legal discussions until after Abu Dhabi.

My commitment to him as well is we’re not going to talk to anybody about any terms or contracts until then.

"

If Alonso wants to talk, it seems he'll have to wait until the end of November. By then, he'll almost certainly have missed McLaren's deadline and will be committed to sitting out the 2015 season.

If Mercedes say no at that stage, he'll be left in no man's land.

But a return to McLaren also carries substantial risk, especially for a man approaching the twilight of his F1 career.

Alonso will be 34 next year, and knows time is running out to seal the third world title which would give him a statistical record worthy of his talent. He also knows the best way to achieve this goal is, for now at least, with a Mercedes engine.

Unfortunately for him, McLaren are demanding a multiyear commitment. That would—possible release clauses aside—scupper any chance of a Mercedes switch in 2016.

If Honda and McLaren deliver the goods, that wouldn't be a problem.

But if they don't, Alonso will find himself wasting the few remaining years of his prime in yet another uncompetitive car.

Little wonder he's struggling to decide.

Alain Prost Hits out at Safety Measures After Jules Bianchi's Crash

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Four-time world champion Alain Prost has angrily criticised the manner in which events which led to Jules Bianchi's accident at Suzuka were handled.

Adrian Sutil spun off on his 40th lap and went into the barriers at the exit of the Dunlop corner. One lap later, Bianchi lost control at the same place and his car collided with the tractor being used to remove Sutil's car.

He suffered severe brain injuries and remains in hospital in Japan.

Speaking to Autosport's Jonathan Noble, Prost was asked for his feelings on what had happened. He responded:

"

I don't want to make any polemics with the FIA, because I have a lot of respect for what has been done in terms of safety over the past 20 years.

It is cars and tracks [that have been improved] and there was only one thing left: it was this f---ing truck on the track.

I was furious. I was really shocked by the accident.

You have the procedure, but the weather conditions were getting worse and worse with more and more water, so visibility was very bad.

So you cannot have the same decision according to the procedure if the weather was good or bad. That is why I say I am not convinced. In this condition, especially with all the experience they have in terms of safety, they should have zero risk.

"

Prost's words are among the strongest yet from a prominent figure in the sport, and come as a new safety system is set to be trialled.

James Allen reports that during practice at the United States Grand Prix, a test will take place with drivers given a drastically reduced "delta time" for certain sections of the track.

The speed required to achieve this time (they cannot exceed it) is expected to be around 100 kilometres an hour.

Mercedes Reward Staff with £10,000 Bonus

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Mercedes will reward every member of staff involved in the F1 team with a bonus of at least £10,000 after claiming their first constructors' championship.

The Telegraph's Daniel Johnson reports the cost to the team—which has at least 700 employees—will exceed £7 million.

In a statement on the Mercedes website, team boss Toto Wolff said of the title win:

"

Today, our team won the first ever Formula One Constructors’ title for Mercedes-Benz and I feel proud and honoured to be part of this group. The foundations of this success were built by Ross and he played such an important role in the team to prepare this success.

We have been able to continue that work, making the right decisions, putting the right resources in place and putting the team on an upward slope; today’s achievement is the result of that.

Well done to every single member of the team in the UK and Germany for this world championship.

"

It's great to hear Mercedes are rewarding their staff in this way.

History will tell future generations that Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg drove the cars, scored the points and stood on the podiums.

Toto Wolff, Paddy Lowe, Bob Bell, Niki Lauda and—as the man who laid the foundations—Ross Brawn will be listed as the key figures who masterminded the team's incredible year.

But behind every successful driver or manager stands an army of ordinary workers. Engineers, mechanics, aerodynamicists, press officers, caterers, cleaners, chefs, trainers, programmers and many more.

They're never seen on TV, never named in the media and live in the same world as the rest of us, with normal salaries and mortgages. But each has a key role to play in turning their team into winners—without them there would be no poles, fastest laps and race wins.

A bonus like this tells each and every one of them how important and valued their contribution has been.

Jolyon Palmer Aiming for F1 After GP2 Title Triumph

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Jolyon Palmer hopes to enter F1 next season after winning the GP2 series championship.

He claimed the title after winning the feature race at Sochi on Saturday.

Speaking on the series' website in an interview to celebrate his victory, Palmer said:

"

The first priority was to win GP2 and I was always confident that if I did win GP2 I was going to be in Formula One. Now that’s done and I’m confident I’ll be in Formula One. I’m not saying it is going to be easy, but this title is a big help.

We’re going to have to wait for a few weeks and see what happens. I feel ready for it. I’m driving at the top of my game right now.

I know the tyres thanks to GP2. It is the perfect Series to feed into Formula One: it is the same tyres, the same tracks, the cars are even now a similar speed especially into the corners. I feel absolutely ready for it and I am confident it can happen.

"

Being the title holder will certainly count in Palmer's favour, as will the manner of his victory.

He scored points in every one of the opening 19 races, won four of them, sat on pole three times from 10 attempts (only one of the two races each weekend has a proper qualifying) and set the fastest lap six times.

But it's unlikely he'll be promoted to the big league unless he can make a significant financial contribution to a back-marking team.

Had he performed this way in his first or even second season, the temptation for a team to take a punt on him based on talent alone would be greater. But Palmer has been in GP2 since 2011, and this is the first season in which he has beaten a team-mate in the final standings.

Josef Kral beat him 15 points to nil in 2011, Marcus Ericsson scored 124 points to Palmer's 78 in 2012 and Felipe Nasr came out on top by 154-119 in 2013.

Given his record, a reserve driver slot and the opportunity to show what he can do may be a better option than trying to secure a race seat for 2015.

Christian Horner Asks Mercedes to Act for the Good of the Sport

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Christian Horner has called on Mercedes to back an easing of the current engine development freeze.

His Red Bull team have fallen out of contention in 2014, their Renault power unit no match for the dominant Mercedes effort. Ferrari too have struggled. Four of the top six teams in the constructors' championship are Mercedes-powered; all the bottom five have Renault or Ferrari engines.

The current rules, introduced in an effort to cut costs, prohibit engine suppliers from making unlimited modifications to their units from one season to the next, and in-season development for performance gain is frozen entirely.

Ferrari, Renault and the teams they supply want this eased a little—specifically in the area of in-season upgrades—to give them the opportunity to catch up.

Autosport's Jonathan Noble reports a partial lifting of the freeze allowing this was agreed by majority vote at a Strategy Group (made up of the six biggest teams, Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA) meeting over the weekend in Sochi.

Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, Ecclestone and the FIA outvoted Mercedes and their two represented 2015 customers, Lotus and Williams.

But because an unfreeze would require a change to the 2015 Sporting Regulations, it must now also be agreed by the F1 Commission. All the teams get a say here, and only unanimous support will be enough.

Mercedes saying "no" at this stage would kill the proposal.

Horner believes they should change their mind for the good of the sport. Speaking after the Russian Grand Prix, he told press (h/t Adam Cooper):

"

I think for F1 it’s important. We saw today Nico’s performance—the true performance is that they can drive through the field, and I think it’s too out of kilter, five Mercedes-powered cars in the top five. The immaturity of this technology is still quite raw, and I think Mercedes shouldn’t be afraid of competition.

They are doing a super job but I think it’s healthy for F1 that Ferrari, Honda, Renault should have that ability to close that gap, otherwise we’re going to end up in a very stagnant position.

I think it’s a bigger issue than just about the teams. It’s about what’s right for the sport, what’s right for the fans. It’s easy to take a self-interest position, but when you look at what is the right thing for F1, I think it’s to have competition.

"

It's a reasonable argument to make, but one has to wonder. If Red Bull possessed a similarly substantial advantage, would Horner be campaigning for his team to give it up?

Mercedes did the best job under rules which were set and agreed upon a long time ago.

Yes, it would be nice for their rivals—and for us viewers—to see closer fields, but the Germans have every right to refuse to budge.