Formula 1's Latest Rumours and Talk: Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and More
On the evidence of his first year of Formula One in 2015, Max Verstappen isn't the type to hang around.
The teenager established himself as one of the stars of last season by completing a range of stunning overtaking manouevres—passing Felipe Nasr around the outside of Blanchimont in the Belgian Grand Prix, for instance, and muscling past Sergio Perez in Brazil.
And Verstappen is eager to be on the move in career terms, too, admitting he would prefer not to spend a third season at Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2017, when seats at Red Bull Racing, Ferrari and Mercedes could all be up for grabs.
Indeed, come this time next year, Verstappen may find himself alongside Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes and preparing for his first shot at the F1 title.
By that stage, Hamilton could stand as a four-time world champion and one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport. But on the eve of the 2016 season, former grand prix driver David Coulthard has aired his concerns that the 31-year-old may struggle to balance his personal and professional lives.
Hamilton recently caused controversy by criticising the "halo" cockpit-safety measure, which is set to be implemented next year.
Having lost his son to an open-cockpit accident almost seven years ago, 1964 world champion John Surtees is all too aware of the necessities of increased head protection and has asked Hamilton to reconsider his stance.
Elsewhere, Felipe Massa has explained why Williams are aiming to take on Hamilton and Mercedes this season, and closing our latest roundup are Sauber, who after resolving their latest financial issues could be set for a sponsorship boost.
Max Verstappen Not Planning to Stay at Toro Rosso in 2017
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Max Verstappen has admitted he is reluctant to remain at Scuderia Toro Rosso for a third season in 2017, claiming he would rather progress to the next level in Formula One.
At the age of 17, the Dutchman made his grand prix debut at the beginning of 2015 and made an instant impression, claiming two fourth-place finishes in Hungary and the United States and demonstrating excellent racecraft along the way.
With Toro Rosso switching from Renault to year-old Ferrari units in 2016, Verstappen is expected to star once again and is almost certain to emerge as a significant player in the driver market.
Red Bull, who have supported his career since August 2014, will not only face pressure to promote Verstappen to replace either Daniel Ricciardo or Daniil Kvyat in 2017, but to prevent the youngster being lured away by the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari.
Although Verstappen has insisted he enjoys life at Toro Rosso alongside Carlos Sainz Jr., who is also regarded as a potential world champion, he has hinted he would prefer to switch to a more established team in time for the start of next season, by which point he will be months away from his 20th birthday.
Asked whether he could spend a third season with the Faenza-based outfit, he told Motorsport.com's Valentin Khorounzhiy:
"[It] can be. [But] it's not my aim.
I want to go forward. I mean, it's a great thing [being at Toro Rosso]—I have a lot of fun and it's a great family.
But at one point you want to win races and you want to go forward and you want to go to the top of the top.
The future looks very positive, for next year as well. I'm just enjoying this season, trying to gain a lot of experience and we'll see where we end up next year.
"
Per the same source, Verstappen spoke of his satisfaction over being linked with the leading teams in F1, adding: "It's always nice to see that your name is up there, even though, I mean, nothing is happening. I am happy where I am at the moment."
Meanwhile, Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost has insisted the team will not switch to current-specification Ferrari engines during the 2016 season, per Motorsport.com's Erwin Jaeggi.
David Coulthard Questions Lewis Hamilton's Commitment to Winning a 3rd Title
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David Coulthard, the former grand prix driver, has questioned whether Lewis Hamilton has the commitment to win a third consecutive world championship in 2016, suggesting the Mercedes driver's personal life may "take its toll."
Since Mercedes emerged as Formula One's dominant force at the beginning of 2014, the team have won 32 of a possible 38 races, with Hamilton standing on the top step of the podium on no fewer than 21 occasions and claiming the '14 and '15 world championships.
After matching the title tally of his boyhood hero Ayrton Senna at last year's United States Grand Prix, Hamilton told BBC Sport's Andrew Benson how he had no clear goal for the remainder of his career and was subsequently outclassed by team-mate Nico Rosberg in the final three races of 2015.
Coulthard, who made a total of 246 grand prix starts for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull between 1994 and 2008, suspects the true all-time greats of F1—including Senna, Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell—wouldn't have allowed their form to slide so dramatically after sealing the crown.
And the Scot believes Hamilton must prove he can effectively separate his on-track exploits from his off-track activities in 2016, telling MailOnline's Joe Downes:
"There’s no question that Lewis is fit and focused when he’s at the racetrack. But he does have a full-on social life away from racing. Is this the year that’s going to take its toll? I hope not.
You have to ask where his energy is going. He splits his time between F1 and being a global star—his car and his music. We're all waiting to see when the album will drop.
Nico has been able to beat him, especially at the end of last season. Did Lewis mentally lift off? Is he only about championships or will he fight for every single victory? There were fewer questions about Senna, Prost, or Mansell. You knew they were going to fight for every single opportunity.
With Lewis it’s never easy to understand if he’s saying he’s shattered because he feels it or because it’s part of his global strategy.
He’s gone beyond being just a sports guy. He’s a David Beckham-esque global icon. There’s a strategy to the image that we see of him standing on top of the Eiffel Tower or being in LA. It’s not by accident that that has happened. It’s all part of his business strategy.
"
Despite his concerns, Coulthard told the same source that Hamilton "still has enough energy and enthusiasm for racing" and could race in F1 for another decade.
Coulthard's comments come after Ron Dennis, Hamilton's ex-team principal, told MailOnline's Jonathan McEvoy in late 2015 that his former driver "wouldn't be allowed to" behave "the way he is" had he remained at McLaren, where the three-time world champion raced for six seasons between 2007 and 2012.
John Surtees Urges Lewis Hamilton to Change Stance on F1's 'Halo' Concept
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John Surtees, the 1964 world champion, has pleaded with Lewis Hamilton to reconsider his views on the "halo" cockpit-safety concept following the three-time title winner's criticism of the device.
At the final pre-season test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Ferrari became the first team to conduct an on-track evaluation of the halo, which is set to be introduced in Formula One in time for the 2017 season, with Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel trialling a prototype design.
After testing the halo, Vettel spoke of his support for the device, telling Motorsport.com's Pablo Elizalde how it would have saved the lives of Justin Wilson, the IndyCar racer who died after colliding with debris in 2015, and Surtees' 18-year-old son, Henry, who was struck on the helmet by a loose wheel in a Formula Two race in 2009.
Hamilton, however, was among those who questioned the need for the halo to be fitted to F1 cars, referring to it as "the worst looking mod in Formula 1 history" and claiming he would remove it from his car if the halo is not made mandatory, per Sky Sports' James Galloway.
Surtees' personal experience of the dangers of open-cockpit machinery means he is in full support of the halo and, while understanding of Hamilton's concerns over aesthetics, the 82-year-old has asked the Mercedes driver to alter his stance, telling the Telegraph's Daniel Johnson:
"Lewis could perhaps think a little more about the halo and think about the responsibility he does have as a world champion. He could actually consider this and, if possible, give the maximum input into making certain that it is as less intrusive as possible.
[...]
Henry was hit by a wheel that weighed 28 kilograms so there would have been a chance there [had the halo been on the car].
I can appreciate those initial reactions that Lewis has got because if I'd still been racing I think I would have been the same. But in turn with these sort of things you need to sit down and think carefully about all the ramifications of going along and just ruling it out of hand.
I suffered the tragedy of losing Henry which certainly could have been prevented by a development like this.
"
Per the same source, Surtees added that while Hamilton is "speaking from a traditional point of view" and that his "input his valued," he feels the FIA "will have no option but to impose these regulations."
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Williams Have 'Ambition' to Take the Fight to Mercedes, Claims Felipe Massa
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Felipe Massa has claimed Williams are determined to challenge the all-conquering Mercedes team in 2016, but he is unsure whether they will be capable of doing so.
Williams have finished third in the constructors' championship in the last two seasons and, following two weeks of testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, appear to have maintained their position in the pecking order ahead of the upcoming campaign.
Despite claiming 13 podium finishes since the beginning of 2014, Williams are without a race victory since the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix, with the team missing a number of opportunities to return to winning ways, most memorably at the 2014 Austrian GP and last year's British GP.
In January, deputy team principal Claire Williams told GPUpdate.net how the team are facing "hardest piece of the puzzle" in their effort to make the transition from regular podium appearances to grand prix and championship victories.
And while Massa has acknowledged the team may not yet be in a position to compete at the very summit of F1, the Brazilian feels Williams are certainly going to try, telling Motorsport.com's Jamie Klein:
"We have ambition, for sure. We want to fight with Mercedes and all the other teams on track.
We don’t know if it will be possible, but we need to believe it, and to try everything we can. Everybody starts from zero, so I hope we can do a better job than the last two years.
But we know we have to keep our feet on the ground. Some teams are really strong—even Ferrari, a team that grew more last year.
So we know it’s not easy, but we will try everything we can.
"
Meanwhile, Massa's team-mate Valtteri Bottas has told Motorsport.com's Pablo Elizalde that winning a race is "a good goal" for the team in 2016.
Sauber Pay Overdue Salaries, Closing in on Title Sponsor?
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Following the news that Sauber were facing financial troubles on the eve of the 2016 season, the team have successfully managed to pay the full salaries of their staff for the month of February.
Almost a year since the Hinwil-based outfit were taken to court by former reserve driver Giedo van der Garde, team principal Monisha Kaltenborn recently told Swiss publication Blick (h/t Inautonews' Mircea Serafim) that Sauber were struggling to pay the wages of their 300-strong workforce.
The news came after Sauber delayed the launch of their 2016 car until the second and final pre-season test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, leaving the team with a maximum of four days to evaluate their new, Ferrari-powered C35 chassis ahead of the upcoming campaign.
Kaltenborn's admission raised doubts over Sauber's participation in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, but Autosport's Lawrence Barretto has reported that the team have confirmed "a solution had been found to ensure every employee had received their salary."
Per the same source, Barretto also claims that Sauber's financial situation may be set for a welcome boost, with the team "said to be in the advanced stages of securing a title sponsor, though an agreement has yet to be signed."
Since the beginning of 2015, Sauber have competed in the blue-and-yellow colours of Banco do Brasil, the personal backer of lead driver Felipe Nasr, who along with team-mate Marcus Ericsson provides the team with "in excess of £15 million" in sponsorship funds, per Sky Sports' William Esler and James Galloway.
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