Formula 1's Latest Rumours, Talk: Imola's Italian GP Deal, Valtteri Bottas, More
Formula One could be set to return to Imola for the first time in 11 years next season, with the circuit signing a contract to host the 2017 Italian Grand Prix.
After much debate surrounding the future of F1 in Italy and the troubled Monza track, the revelation of Imola's deal is the first piece of concrete news that the pinnacle of motorsport will continue to visit Ferrari's homeland beyond this year.
But while Imola has put pen to paper on a deal to host the Italian GP, the contract is still yet to be inked by the man who really matters.
With the driver market simmering, contracts are the talk of F1 at the moment as the drivers try to put themselves in the best position to take advantage of the major regulation changes planned for 2017.
One driver who won't be on the move, however, is Valtteri Bottas, whose manager has explained why the Finn is happy to remain at Williams as well as offering an update on Esteban Gutierrez's negotiations with Haas.
Until Kimi Raikkonen's contract extension was confirmed by Ferrari at the British GP, Daniel Ricciardo had flirted with a move away from Red Bull next season.
It is perhaps no coincidence that the Australian suffered a notable loss of form as the speculation surrounding his future intensified, with the three-time race winner beaten by team-mate Max Verstappen in three of the last four events.
Ahead of this weekend's Hungarian GP, where he won in style two years ago, Red Bull have backed Ricciardo to return to his best.
Closing this week's roundup is Force India's Otmar Szafnauer, who has become the latest paddock figure to criticise the restrictions on team radio after the team suffered brake problems in Austria.
Imola Signs Deal to Host Italian GP from 2017
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Imola has agreed on a contract with Formula One Group chief executive Bernie Ecclestone to host the Italian Grand Prix from next season, but the deal is yet to be approved by the nation's sporting authority.
The future of the Italian GP has been the subject of much speculation in recent years, with F1 ringmaster Ecclestone dropping frequent hints about removing the iconic Monza circuit from the calendar.
As reported by Motorsport.com's Adam Cooper, Imola representatives met Ecclestone at the recent British GP to "further their case to hold the race."
Imola has signed its part of the deal, but Ecclestone will be prevented from doing likewise until the Automobile Club d'Italia—whose president, Angelo Sticchi Damiani, "has continued to support Monza's case"—gives the green light.
Cooper noted "one possible scenario could be an alternating deal" with both Monza and Imola hosting the Italian GP in a similar fashion to how Hockenheim and the Nurburgring staged the German GP between 2008 and '14.
Uberto Selvatico Estense, the president of Formula Imola, has warned the future of F1 in Italy could hinge on the ACI's decision, telling Cooper:
"Bernie knows that we are available.
And he sent us a proposal that we signed and sent back to him. We will be very happy to have F1 back in Imola. Our main effort is to achieve this kind of result.
It just depends on Angelo Sticchi Damiani. I think it's a political issue. We have an agreement with Bernie, and we only need the approval of the national sporting authority. If in the future there is not an Italian GP, it is only the problem of Mr. Sticchi Damiani, who didn't allow this agreement.
Stefano Bonaccini, the president of the region Emilia-Romagna, is supporting us.
He is a very pragmatic man and he said if you have the contract, Bernie is happy and the national sporting authority approves this agreement, we support you.
"
Per the same source, Selvatico Estense admitted the Imola organisers are prepared to wait until December for a decision but would prefer to have "one year to promote the race," which traditionally takes place in early September. He added:
"We restructured the company several years ago, and now we're running the company in a good position. We are in a good status. We closed the last three balance sheets positive, with a good result, so we think we are in a strong position to ask for the GP.
We think that in Imola we can have a great success with spectators. We are building up new facilities, we are building up a new press room, we are completing the project of Hermann Tilke that began in 2006. Right now we are moving the medical centre and building up a new one. We are doing a lot.
"
The layout of Imola has been almost unchanged since F1 last visited the former San Marino GP venue in 2006, with the only significant alteration being the removal of the Variante Bassa chicane to create an extended pit straight.
Per F1 Fanatic's Keith Collantine, meanwhile, Monza is planning a range of significant changes for 2017, with the first chicane being removed along with the iconic Curva Grande kink, which is to become a left-right chicane.
Valtteri Bottas Has an 'Unfinished Story' with Williams, Says Manager
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Bottas' manager, Didier Coton, has insisted his client remains committed to Williams for 2017, suggesting the Finn has unfinished business with the team.
After making his F1 debut with the British outfit at the beginning of 2013, Bottas established himself as a potential world champion in 2014 by claiming six podium finishes and guiding Williams to third place in the constructors' standings.
The team repeated the result in 2015, but Bottas has found podium results increasingly hard to come by having been restricted to just three top-three results over the last 18 months.
Williams are open to changing their driver lineup for next season, with deputy team principal Claire Williams telling Sky Sports' Pete Gill and Craig Slater how they are "talking to a lot of drivers in the paddock."
As reported by Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble, however, it is "thought to be a formality" that Williams will activate an option to keep Bottas for 2017, leaving team-mate Felipe Massa's place under threat from 2009 world champion Jenson Button.
Coton has insisted Bottas is excited by what Williams can achieve under the 2017 regulation changes, telling Autosport (h/t Eurosport):
"Valtteri has been very adamant about his commitment towards Williams since the beginning of this season, especially because of the change in the regulations for next year, and the trust he has in them.
There is a bit of an unfinished story between those two, and he wants to commit as much as he can to the team.
He is in F1 to win, the team, of course, has the same objective, and both are working hard to achieve it.
Williams is a great team, with a lot of potential.
They have demonstrated in the past two years what they can do, and there is more to come.
And if I look at Valtteri's commitment towards the team, the team should be happy to have him.
"
According to the same source, Bottas recently revealed he is "keen to be a bit more involved" in future contract negotiations having previously left those dealings to his management team.
Coton has played down the significance of his client's new approach, adding: "He has taken a lead on that, and he knows we are behind him at all times. There is no rush [in terms of 2017 negotiations]. It's not for me to predict."
Haas Delay 2017 Contract Talks with Esteban Gutierrez After Troubled Comeback
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As well as managing Bottas, Coton also oversees the progress of Gutierrez, who will be made to wait before being offered a contract extension with Haas for 2017.
After two largely unsuccessful seasons with Sauber in 2013 and '14, the Mexican joined the American outfit at the beginning of this year having spent 2015 as Ferrari's reserve driver.
While team-mate Romain Grosjean sits in 10th place in the championship having scored 28 points, Gutierrez is among the five drivers yet to get off the mark having finished no higher than 11th in the opening 10 races.
Having suffered a number of technical problems in the first half of 2016, Gutierrez has publicly criticised Haas, explaining how those issues were making him "look very bad to the outside as a driver" and disguising "the f--king great job" he is doing behind the scenes, per Autosport (h/t Eurosport).
Following the recent Austrian GP, meanwhile, the 24-year-old revealed he had a "very strong meeting" with the team to "put the facts on the table, very directly," per ESPN F1's Nate Saunders.
According to Autoweek, Haas team principal Guenther Steiner revealed the team will not begin discussions about their 2017 driver lineup until the end of the European leg of the season in September.
And Coton has revealed both parties have agreed to delay negotiations to ease the pressure on Gutierrez, who was replaced by Ferrari junior driver Charles Leclerc in the opening practice session at the recent British GP.
He told Autosport (h/t Eurosport):
"I had an initial discussion with Gunther recently, and we decided to concentrate first on getting more results for the team, but also for Esteban who deserves some.
So we have decided to let things roll along until a certain point.
Esteban trusts the team. Yes, he had some hiccups technically, but the team has worked pretty hard to try to erase that, and it's starting to show.
The team knows what they have, other people in the paddock know the potential of Esteban, and he has shown his talent when he's not had any problems.
He is being very calm about everything, very mature in his approach, and he knows his time will come because he is pushing hard.
"
Prior to the Austrian GP, Steiner insisted the Haas drivers have received equal treatment in 2016, telling the official F1 website how Grosjean and Gutierrez have been provided with "the same car, the same equipment" and, with them, "the same chances."
Red Bull Certain Daniel Ricciardo Will Bounce Back from Recent Misfortune
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Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, has expressed his confidence that Ricciardo will "respond positively" to his recent bad luck and the challenge posed by team-mate Verstappen.
Ricciardo was arguably the standout driver of the opening two months of 2016, but he has been unable to hit those early-season heights after missing out on potential victories in Spain and Monaco, where Red Bull made costly strategic and pit-related errors.
In the four races since the Monte Carlo event, Ricciardo has finished no higher than fourth, while Verstappen has claimed two consecutive podium finishes in Austria and Britain.
Despite contesting the first four races for the Toro Rosso junior outfit, Verstappen is just 10 points adrift of his team-mate ahead of this weekend's Hungarian GP.
Horner has insisted the Australian, who claimed his second career victory at the Hungaroring in 2014, will soon recapture his best form. Per Autosport (h/t Eurosport), he explained:
"Daniel is dealing with it very well. It's just the run of the green.
He's going to have a couple of Sundays come up where everything will fall his way, I'm sure. It's swings and roundabouts.
Daniel is a class driver, he has demonstrated already this year that he is at the top of his game.
No team-mate likes being the second of the cars to finish. I'm sure he'll respond positively.
We have two very strong drivers in the cars, they are pushing each other hard which is great to see.
It's a positive thing in the team and there is no animosity or anything—it's just two guys going flat-out going for it.
It's very healthy for us.
There is a confidence in the team that you can see is growing, the car is improving.
"
After a "frustrating" race at Silverstone, where he could only recover to fourth place after an ill-timed pit stop, Ricciardo admitted "things haven’t really gone in [his] favour the last while" but was adamant he doesn't "believe in luck or any of that crap," per Motorsport.com's Cooper.
Meanwhile, Red Bull technical boss Adrian Newey has insisted he is excited about the "hugely different" and challenging 2017 regulation changes, per ESPN F1's Laurence Edmondson, having previously told the National's Ahmed Rizvi the new rules are "not that different to what we have now."
In a separate Edmondson article, Newey paid tribute to the "really good progress" Renault have made since the beginning of 2016, suggesting the French manufacturer may soon be matching the power output of two-time world champions Mercedes.
Force India Criticise 'Ridiculous' Radio Rules After Austrian GP Brake Failure
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Szafnauer believes F1's controversial pit-to-car radio restrictions are "ridiculous" after Force India were unable to warn Sergio Perez of brake problems prior to his Austrian GP crash.
The 2016 radio rules hit the headlines after the recent British GP, where Nico Rosberg became the first driver to be penalised for a communications breach as his Mercedes team helped him nurse a gearbox glitch to the chequered flag.
In the previous race at the Red Bull Ring, Force India were prevented from warning their drivers about mounting brake issues.
Although the team were able to withdraw Nico Hulkenberg, who was running down the order at that stage of the grand prix, they did not do the same for Perez, who was pursuing Romain Grosjean for seventh place when he was unable to slow his VJM09 car and crashed at Turn 3 on the final lap.
Chief operating officer Szafnauer has likened the current radio debate to the uproar surrounding the changes to the qualifying format at the beginning of 2016, which were reversed after just two rounds, telling Motorsport.com's Noble:
"I personally think it is ridiculous to say you have a gearbox problem, but you cannot say you have a brake problem.
The brakes slow you down, the gearbox makes you go. Usually making you go doesn't get you in trouble, it is not being able to slow down that gets you in trouble.
These radio rules, they are new, but we should take an educated approach about what should be able to be said and what shouldn't, now we are all learning from it.
And things like brake problems, we should absolutely be able to tell the driver. ...
I can remember not so long ago we thought, 'let's change the qualifying rules, they will be much better.'
We kind of looked at it and thought, 'that is not right,' and perhaps with other rules we should have the same approach.
"
Meanwhile, Force India team principal Vijay Mallya has insisted the Silverstone-based outfit can beat Williams to fourth place in the 2016 constructors' standings, but he told Autosport (h/t Eurosport) they will not compromise their 2017 program in order to secure their best-ever championship result.
