Formula 1's Latest Rumours and Talk: David Coulthard, Lewis Hamilton and More
David Coulthard has added his name to the list of Formula One observers to criticise the new FIA Super Licence points system.
The former Williams, McLaren and Red Bull driver feels the new criteria, while sensible in principle, are too rigid and a bit of leeway should be introduced for exceptional talents without the required points.
In other news, Hermann Tilke expects fans to react positively when they see what he has done to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The circuit will host the first Mexican Grand Prix since 1992 this year but needed some serious updating, and of course Tilke was called in to do it.
Elsewhere, reports suggest Lewis Hamilton is set to be offered a new three-year contract with Mercedes, Williams technical chief Pat Symonds accepts his team can't challenge for the title without a larger budget and Qatar is aiming to join the F1 circus.
Read on for a full roundup of the top stories from the past few days.
David Coulthard Criticises New Super Licence System
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David Coulthard has become the latest motorsport figure to criticise the new FIA Super Licence points system.
Speaking at Autosport International, the 13-time grand prix winner suggested more flexibility was needed. He said:
"It shouldn't be locked down and, that's it, we never adjust it. There is a championship in there that doesn't exist right now [Formula 2] that gets many more points that some of the championships that do, so I think that we need to get going and then see how it works out.
Let's say if there was someone that seemed to be exceptional and the sport as a whole gets behind that person, we shouldn't just restrict it to points alone.
Maybe some guys can't do the whole championship so can't win it, yet they have more talent than the one that does win the championship.
"
The Scot also commented on something many fans and observers have highlighted—the slightly unusual weighting of points awarded for certain categories. He added:
"I haven't looked closely at how the points situation plays out but it seems to me that they have created a league that favours some of the lower formulas over others. Personally, having been to a few of the undercard race series, I am not sure the actual points are how I would lay them out.
Some of those championships deserve more than they have been given.
"
No longer a part of the F1 grid, Coulthard is able to speak his mind without a PR representative hovering over his shoulder making sure he doesn't offend anyone. He usually makes a lot of sense and has hit the nail on the head here.
The points system is a good idea in principle—something Coulthard also said—but a degree of flexibility is needed. For example, where a driver does not have the necessary points but without question possesses the necessary talent.
Paul di Resta could not have made the step from DTM to F1 under the new system, and perhaps more absurdly, Michael Schumacher would not have been allowed to return in 2010.
The system is also inexcusably weighted to favour series controlled by the FIA and FOM.
Hopefully the points levels will be modified a little in the not-too-distant future and a few loopholes will be added to let exceptional drivers through.
Hermann Tilke Expects Positive Response to Mexican Grand Prix Circuit
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Hermann Tilke expects his modifications to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez to be well-received when the Mexican Grand Prix returns later this year.
Speaking to motorsport.com, the prolific track architect said:
"There will be a new pit and paddock. But we don't have so much space. And then after the straight we did some new corners, because this is a highlight for the spectators.
We're moving the 'snake,' the very fast corners, to the inside. We're almost copying it, because it was successful, but we had no safety, no run-off.
And there is a big concert stadium, and we'll lead the cars through the stadium. Of course it's slow, but it's for the spectators, and there will be action there.
"
A video, available here with stills on F1Fanatic, was released in July showing the changes.
The basic shape of the circuit remains, perhaps in large part due to its city-centre location and lack of space for larger alterations. The first three corners are tighter, as is the section at the end of the second straight.
The esses are reprofiled slightly, but the biggest change comes at the end of the lap. Rather than going around the magnificent (but sadly too dangerous) Peraltada, the circuit turns right into a baseball stadium.
The drivers are then subjected to a Mickey Mouse "let the crowd take photos" chicane-hairpin hybrid before the circuit returns to the old layout and the start of a new lap.
It's different, but it's still the Autodromo and should still be among the most "organic" circuits on the calendar.
Qatar Hoping for Lusail Street Race as Early as 2016
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Qatar is bidding to join the F1 calendar, but not at the circuit we might have expected.
The Gulf state currently hosts an annual MotoGP event at the Losail International Circuit, close to the city of Lusail. Reports carried by motorsport.com claimed plans were afoot for F1 to visit the circuit too.
However, this no longer appears to be the case. New reports in Autosport state any Qatari Grand Prix would take place on a street circuit in Lusail. Government support is in place and the race could happen as soon as 2016.
The glittering city of Lusail has sprung up from scratch in recent years and is described by its developers as a "self-contained and comprehensively planned city signifying Qatar’s progress on a grand scale."
Though yet another street race isn't really what the sport needs, on paper it looks like a reasonable location for a grand prix.
But there's one snag. Lusail is only 70 miles away from the Bahrain International Circuit and the organisers there would not welcome the competition.
Bahrain F1 CEO Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa told Autosport:
"The thing with Mr Ecclestone is how he values friendship. He appreciates the step we took [in hosting F1]—as we were the first people to take a chance [in the Middle East]. But I wouldn't read too much into [reports of an official veto].
I think F1's culture is growing [in the Middle East], and we can see it slowly coming about. But my personal opinion of having another race—wherever it is—I don't think we are ready for that.
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One expects it'll end up coming down to money, but Qatar hosting a race may also be opposed by some fans. The treatment of migrant workers in the richest country in the world is a frequent topic of debate.
The Guardian reported in May on the appalling conditions faced by the workers. The paper later revealed one Nepalese migrant worker dies every two days on average.
In March 2014, the International Trade Union Confederation released a damning report which estimated 4,000 more migrant workers will die in Qatar before the country hosts the World Cup in 2022.
Let's hope reforms are made and the construction of a racing circuit doesn't add to that number.
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Lewis Hamilton Set to Be Offered a New Mercedes Deal?
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Reports from Italy suggest Mercedes are set to offer Lewis Hamilton a new three-year contract. The deal would tie him to the German team until the end of 2018.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t grandprix.com for the English translation) claims the team "has prepared a three-year renewal (of the deal) for a fixed €20 million (£15.65 million) per season."
The publication adds the deal may contain a €1 million (£780,000) bonus for each race win and €5 million (£3.91 million) should the Brit win another world title. It's less than the £25 million per year Sky Sports reported Fernando Alonso's McLaren deal to be worth, but still keeps the world champion in the big league of F1 earners.
If the report is true and the deal is offered, Hamilton will probably make the decision by himself. He is not currently represented by a manager, having cut ties with Simon Fuller's XIX Entertainment toward the end of last season.
Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo both deal with their own affairs.
Perhaps Hamilton, having been around long enough to know exactly what he's doing, will do the same.
Williams Acknowledge Need for Greater Spending
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Williams chief technical officer Pat Symonds believes the team will need to up their budget if they want to challenge for the top honours.
Speaking to Autosport, he said:
"I think the step from third to first will be harder than ninth to third, I really do. The potential has to be to win the world championship and there is no point in doing anything else.
What will it take to do that? It will take a lot of hard work and it will certainly require a larger budget than we have now.
I don't think it is necessary to have a budget like Red Bull or Ferrari's—I believe you can do better with less—look at the fact we are operating on a budget half of Ferrari's and we beat them.
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A higher budget would allow Williams to hire more staff, acquire better equipment and most importantly put more work into more potential improvements at once. BBC Sport's Andrew Benson estimates their current budget at around £100 million, less than half that of biggest spenders Ferrari and Red Bull.
Those big teams have the staff and money to put a lot of both into simultaneous research and development work on, for example, the front wing, rear wing, sidepods, floor, engine cover and diffuser.
Williams, with their smaller budget, would need to either put a reduced number of staff and less resources into each, or choose three or four areas to work on.
It's possible to still compete with such constraints—Williams proved that in 2014 and Lotus did well in 2012 and 2013—but in the long-term the big boys will always come out on top.
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