Formula 1's Latest Rumours and Talk: Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and More
For the third year in succession, Jenson Button is set to play a lead role in Formula One's driver market.
The 2009 world champion survived two near-misses in 2014 and '15, but this is likely to be the season Button's time at McLaren-Honda comes to an end, with the team's excitement about reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne common knowledge.
Should Button lose his seat alongside Fernando Alonso, a place at Williams could allow him to postpone his retirement, and the British driver has admitted a return to the place where his F1 career started could be an option for 2017.
With his McLaren contract not due to expire until the end of next year, Alonso is almost certain to drive for the team in 2017, but he has once again been discussing his eventual exit from the sport.
The two-time world champion, who has already revealed the success of the 2017 regulations will determine his future, believes he will know exactly when to walk away from F1, suggesting he has no intention of outstaying his welcome in the same way as Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa and Button himself.
A potential rival to Button for a 2017 Williams seat is Felipe Nasr, who also began his F1 career at the British team in a test-driver role.
Sauber's lacklustre start to 2016 may count against the Brazilian in the race for a competitive seat, but Nasr has revealed he is treating the team's struggles as a valuable, if unwelcome, learning experience.
Carlos Sainz Jr.'s emergence as Toro Rosso's lead driver since Max Verstappen's ascension to Red Bull has also seen the Spaniard linked with a move away.
But team principal Franz Tost has expressed his confidence that Sainz will complete his three-year apprenticeship with Toro Rosso, while offering a glimmer of hope to Daniil Kvyat.
Closing our latest roundup is Sebastian Vettel, who—despite his support for increased cockpit safety—has explained why F1 must retain an element of danger.
Jenson Button Welcomes Williams Interest, Determined to Enjoy Life in F1
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McLaren-Honda's Jenson Button has hinted he would be open to a return to Williams in 2017, admitting he has "other possibilities" for next season.
Button has won eight races since joining McLaren at the beginning of 2010, but his place at the team has frequently come under threat in recent years.
With racing director Eric Boullier insisting the team will make no decisions regarding their driver lineup until September, Button seems likely to lose his place to highly rated reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne, whose contractual option is set to expire around that time, per Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble.
Over the European GP weekend, Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams confirmed the British outfit are "talking to a lot of drivers in the paddock at the moment," telling Sky Sports' Pete Gill and Craig Slater how Button—who began his F1 career at Williams in 2000—is "an attractive proposition."
She added: "'Button back at Williams is a great headline. He started his career here, he's a world champion and extremely intelligent when it comes to building a team around him and helping the engineering side develop the car."
And Button has admitted he is flattered by Williams' comments, telling Slater:
"We would all like someone to say that about us, so that was very nice of her. I don't know what l am doing next year. I want to be enjoying myself again and be in a position whether l can fight for good results, whether it's a building year, a podium year or a winning year. That's what l need.
Hopefully McLaren will be strong and competitive next year but I'm sure there are other possibilities as well.
"
Per the same source, the 36-year-old insisted simply "enjoying" F1 is crucial to him at the moment, suggesting he still feels like "a big part" of McLaren and is taking much pleasure from helping the team progress up the pecking order.
However, Button admitted the team's lack of competitiveness will eventually "get too much," with McLaren still without a win since November 2012.
The signing of Button would mark a significant change in approach at Williams, and technical boss Pat Symonds previously insisted the team would continue to prioritise the development of their car over accommodating "a superstar driver," per Autosport (h/t Eurosport).
Fernando Alonso Wary of Outstaying His Welcome in F1
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Fernando Alonso has revealed he is wary of outstaying his welcome in F1, with the two-time world champion admitting he is "coming to the end" of his dream.
Despite failing to win a title since 2006, Alonso is still widely regarded as one of the most complete performers in F1, having missed out on a third championship by a matter of points in 2007, 2010 and 2012.
The Spaniard is without a grand prix win since May 2013 and has been restricted to just four points finishes since joining McLaren-Honda from Ferrari at the beginning of last season.
Alonso recently told ESPN F1's Laurence Edmondson and Kate Walker how the success of the major 2017 regulation changes will determine his future in the sport, with his current McLaren contract set to expire at the end of next season.
And he has admitted he has no intention of lingering in the sport in the way Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa and Jenson Button—who have a combined age of 107—have done, telling French publication L'Equipe (h/t F1i.com):
"When time has come, I’ll leave F1, I know it. When you are no longer fast enough, when you don’t like it anymore, when you cannot cope with the demands, you know [it’s time to move on].
Still, when you look at drivers like Raikkonen, Button, or Massa, it feels like these guys could go on for ever, but I probably won’t be like them.
At the moment, I feel like I’m coming to the end of my dream. When I was a little boy, my dad built a go-kart that had a livery inspired from the McLaren-Honda. Now, I am driving a McLaren-Honda. I have the feeling to come full circle in a romantic way.
It’s still too early to talk about what I’ll do after F1. The life of a grand prix driver is very demanding. I am focused on F1 365 days a year, whether it is driving the car or training. Once I retire from the sport, I think I’ll enjoy returning to a more normal life. At first.
Then, I’m sure I’ll miss the drive of competing as well as the adrenaline rush. That’s what my life has been all about. It’s very likely that I’ll keep racing in another series, albeit one less time-consuming. Le Mans would be perfect, as you don’t have to be away from home all year long.
"
Honda F1 chief Yusuke Hasegawa has admitted the Japanese manufacturer was pleasantly surprised by McLaren's performance level at the European Grand Prix having expected to be "very much in trouble" on the Baku City Circuit's long main straight.
Per Autosport (h/t Eurosport), Hasegawa explained the revised turbocharger introduced in Canada has improved McLaren's fuel consumption and energy recovery, with racing director Eric Boullier suggesting McLaren are "now in the ballpark of the other cars" in terms of deployment.
Meanwhile, incoming chief executive officer Jost Capito has confirmed he will finally begin work with McLaren in September at the latest, having initially agreed to join the team in January, per Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble.
Capito led Volkswagen to three consecutive World Rally Championship triumphs with Sebastien Ogier between 2013 and '15, with team and driver likely to retain their titles this season.
Felipe Nasr Treating Sauber's 'Bad Times' as a 'Learning' Period
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Felipe Nasr has expressed his disappointment with Sauber's start to 2016, referring to the team's current situation as a "tough learning period."
The Brazilian excelled in his debut campaign in 2015, scoring points in six races—including two top-six results in Australia and Russia—to help the team recover to eighth in the constructors' standings after a scoreless 2014.
However, Sauber's financial problems—which saw the team miss the first of two pre-season tests—have prevented Nasr from carrying that form into 2016, with the Brazilian and team-mate Marcus Ericsson, who collided during May's Monaco GP, yet to score a point in the opening eight grands prix.
After struggling with the handling of his C35 car in the first three races, Nasr's performances have improved since he received a new chassis in time for the Russian GP and secured his best finish of the season, 12th, at last weekend's European GP.
Nasr has revealed Sauber knew they would be in for a tough season when they first tested the Ferrari-powered C35 in March, admitting he is learning more about F1—and the people within it—as a result of the team's problems, telling the official F1 website:
"Right now the situation is not easy—not easy for myself, nor for the team. Last year already it was not easy—and, of course, the plan was to improve the car for 2016.
But when we came to winter testing we already could see that we were going to struggle. Looking at the grid right now everybody has made a huge step forward and we found ourselves fighting at the back. Unfortunately that is the reality.
So looking back at the same time last year, we had a package that was competitive. This year I don’t feel we had that to begin with, and I also struggled with the car I was driving at the first three races.
Then at round four, in Russia, we changed the chassis and things started to move into the "brighter" region. But strangely enough I also had the impression—even with the car that I was struggling with—that we could have had chances to score a point or two, but it just wasn’t meant to be. ...
I look at the big goals. But sometimes drivers have to go through tough learning periods—and guess I am in the middle of one. And believe me, you learn a lot more in bad times.
When the pressure comes you see the true colour of people. I had quite a lot of it so far this year given the races I have done. I’ve had a lot of experiences that I easily could have done without!
"
Nasr's dissatisfaction with Sauber's situation has led to him looking for a change of scenery in 2017, with the 23-year-old recently telling Brazilian television station Globo (h/t Crash.net) he has several "options" for next season.
One of those options could be a return to Williams, where he held a reserve-driver role and participated in five free-practice sessions in 2014, with Felipe Massa increasingly likely to be dropped at the end of this season.
As reported by Italian publication Corriere dello Sport (h/t GrandPrix247.com), Nasr was linked to a Williams seat in mid-2015, when Valtteri Bottas seemed set to replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari.
Per Autosport (h/t Eurosport), Sauber are set to introduce "minor" aerodynamic upgrades at July's British GP at Silverstone, where the team are expected to run Ferrari's revised turbocharger for the first time, before new front and rear wings arrive in time for the following round in Hungary.
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Toro Rosso Confident of Keeping Carlos Sainz Jr. for 2017
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Team principal Franz Tost is confident Toro Rosso will be able to keep Carlos Sainz Jr. for 2017, and he also hinted that the Red Bull B-team may offer Daniil Kvyat an F1 lifeline.
Having been evenly matched alongside former team-mate Max Verstappen since the pair arrived on the grid at the beginning of last season, Sainz is regarded as a future grand prix winner and has been linked to a switch to Ferrari.
Since Verstappen's promotion to the senior Red Bull team in May, the Spaniard has embarked upon a career-best run of form—scoring points in three of the last four races, including a sixth-place finish in his home event.
Sainz recently told Sky Sports' Matt Morlidge of his desire to remain, and ultimately win world championships, with Red Bull, and Tost has revealed a contract extension is on the horizon.
Speaking at the FIA Sports Conference, the 60-year-old also expressed his desire for Kvyat, who swapped seats with Verstappen following his first-lap meltdown in the Russian GP, to remain within the Red Bull setup.
Per Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble, he explained:
"I always am talking about a three-year programme. I don’t see any problem there, because it depends always what’s going on at Red Bull Racing, and for next season it is full with Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen.
It looks like, and I personally hope that this is the case, that Carlos Sainz will stay with Toro Rosso. I think this will be confirmed soon.
It’s also a good possibility for Carlos to show his talent and I hope that our car next year is very competitive, and that he will not find any disadvantages compared to another team. ...
The driver line-up at Toro Rosso for next year is not 100 per cent decided yet. I expect Carlos will stay with us. Personally I would hope that also Daniil Kvyat will stay with us, because he is a really good driver. But he has to feel well. Then we will see what the future holds.
"
After becoming the first driver to be demoted from Red Bull to Toro Rosso, Kvyat suggested he may have to leave the team at the end of 2016 to keep his F1 career alive, admitting he was looking for "a change of situation" and "help outside of Red Bull," per Crash.net's Ollie Barstow.
But the lack of progress shown by young Frenchman Pierre Gasly, who is yet to win a GP2 race despite competing in the junior category since late 2014, may see the Russian offered a chance to remain at Toro Rosso.
Per Noble, Tost appeared to question whether Gasly would be ready for a Toro Rosso seat in 2017, stating: "At the end it is a decision from Red Bull Racing to bring in a driver which shows the best possible performance for the team and for Red Bull."
Red Bull may also have an influence on the driver signings of rival teams, with the team reportedly encouraging engine suppliers Renault to sign Sebastien Buemi for 2017, according to F1 journalist Tobias Gruner.
The Swiss made 55 grand prix appearances for Toro Rosso between 2009 and 2011, with Buemi balancing his role in Toyota's World Endurance Championship program with a place at the Renault e.dams Formula E team in recent years.
Sebastian Vettel Believes F1 Must 'Remain Dangerous' to Genarate Interest
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Sebastian Vettel has insisted F1 must retain an element of danger in order to appeal to spectators, despite being one of the biggest supporters of increased head protection.
After the deaths of Jules Bianchi and IndyCar's Justin Wilson in 2015, F1 teams have experimented with a range of cockpit-safety devices this year, with Vettel's Ferrari team evaluating an interpretation of the "halo" concept in testing in March.
That was followed by Red Bull's trial of the canopy-style "aeroscreen" device in practice at the Russian Grand Prix, with both solutions receiving mixed reviews.
Red Bull's recent decision to suspend their development of the aeroscreen means it is likely a halo-style device will be implemented in time for next season, with Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble reporting "confirmation of its introduction" is expected around the time of July's British GP.
After testing the halo in pre-season, Vettel admitted the device didn't "look very good" but insisted the aesthetic appeal would count for nothing if "it helps save lives," per Sky Sports' James Galloway.
But while the four-time world champion believes single-seater racing must be as safe as possible, Vettel has acknowledged a sense of danger is at the heart of F1's appeal.
Speaking at the FIA Sport Conference, he said, per Motorsport.com's Kate Walker:
"The fact that the cars have become a lot safer, obviously it’s a lot nicer for us, because knowing a little bit of the history and reading a little bit [you learn] that many years ago the drivers weren’t as lucky, the cars weren’t as safe as they are now, so I think you need to find the right compromise.
The ingredients for passion, speed, danger [and] noise are very important. Equally, we want to make the sport safer—we can’t shut our eyes if bad things happen—[and] I think we need to react. I think we have [learned] over the last years and still [do] now and I think that is the right approach.
It is [a difficult balance], and ultimately it might sound wrong initially, but I think the sport in some way has to remain dangerous because that is what is appealing to people. [If] you lose that ingredient people don’t sense anymore that it’s something out of their reach [or] out of this world and it becomes less exciting. ...
What fascinated me as child was speed, and I think racing should keep the core pillars and speed is one essential one. I think the passion for speed—you have it or you don’t, it’s exciting.
The sensation of speed [and] the cornering speeds we can do is incredible and I think that has remained one of the main pillars throughout [motorsport history].
Speaking to drivers such as Sir Stirling Moss, at the time a Formula 1 car was the best car you could drive and the most exciting one. I think to some extent the ingredient danger as well, that makes it exciting.
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Despite the threat of the halo, Ferrari technical director James Allison has revealed the new-for-2017 regulations will go some way toward making F1 cars "both unbelievably quick and also beautiful," insisting the "proportions of next year’s cars are very appealing" and "look nice," per Noble.
In a separate Motorsport.com article, Noble quoted team principal Maurizio Arrivabene as saying Ferrari could introduce "some surprises" in terms of aerodynamic upgrades in the coming weeks as they help Vettel rejoin the 2016 title fight.
Vettel sits 45 points behind championship leader Nico Rosberg, having failed to win a race since last September.
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