Formula 1's Latest Rumours, Talk: Renault's Kevin Magnussen, Sergio Perez, More
Renault were thought to have secured a major coup when they signed Kevin Magnussen on the eve of the 2016 Formula One season, but are the team set to drop the Dane already?
Even when he was released by McLaren-Honda in the closing months of last season, Magnussen was widely regarded as a potential world champion, but his reputation has been battered behind the wheel of an uncompetitive, underdeveloped car this year.
And with the team openly flirting with other drivers in the paddock, he has called for Renault to make a swift decision over their 2017 lineup.
The leading contender to replace Magnussen is Sergio Perez, who despite holding a valid contract with Force India remains a significant player in the driver market.
With four top-three finishes in less than three seasons, the Mexican has played a significant role in transforming Force India from midfield runners into podium contenders, and team-mate Nico Hulkenberg has urged Perez to stay put.
If Renault are unable to persuade Perez, they may turn their attention to Valtteri Bottas, who was strongly linked with Ferrari just 12 months ago.
The Finn has made no secret of the fact that those rumours had a detrimental effect on his performances, but Williams believe Bottas is driving better than ever after finding his focus.
While he may not drive for the Renault team in 2017, Carlos Sainz Jr. will drive with Renault power next season after Toro Rosso decided to end their experiment with year-old Ferrari units.
Sainz has competed with some sort of power deficit ever since he arrived in F1 at the beginning of 2015 and believes the need to overcome a shortage of straight-line speed has made him a better driver.
Closing our latest roundup is Felipe Nasr, who has explained why Sauber are not particularly bothered about beating Manor to 10th place in the constructors' championship.
Kevin Magnussen Wants Renault 2017 Driver Decision 'As Soon as Possible'
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Magnussen has pleaded with Renault to make a quick decision on their 2017 driver lineup, insisting he is desperate to secure a second season with the team.
After being released by McLaren-Honda toward the end of last season, Magnussen earned a reprieve at the beginning of February, when he was confirmed as Pastor Maldonado's replacement.
Despite registering the team's only points finish of 2016 in Russia, the 23-year-old has often struggled with the underdeveloped R.S.16 car, with Autosport (h/t Eurosport) reporting Renault intend to replace Magnussen and team-mate Jolyon Palmer with Perez and Esteban Ocon for 2017.
Team principal Frederic Vasseur recently told the official F1 website how Renault are searching for a "super-motivated" driver who is "capable of leading a team," suggesting they will "probably" reach a decision "at the beginning of September."
And Magnussen—who has admitted the prospect of eventually leading Renault back to the summit of F1 has kept him motivated in 2016, per ESPN F1's Lewis Larkam—has urged the team to make a swift decision.
He told Motorsport.com's Pablo Elizalde and Jamie Klein:
"Of course I want to be part of the team. I want to stay here. This is a team that I believe will be successful in the future, and I want to be a part of that success.
Of course there is talks, but there's nothing certain yet.
I don't know [when to expect a decision]. As soon as possible, I hope.
"
The Dane told the same source how Renault are making "encouraging" progress in terms of building the team back up again following the takeover of Lotus, describing how new machines and new buildings "are coming to the factory."
Meanwhile, Palmer has argued he deserves another season with Renault in 2017, telling Autosport (h/t Eurosport) he is currently driving as well as he did when he won the GP2 feeder series in 2014.
The British driver added he "turned a corner" after the Monaco GP, where he crashed on all three days of running, and is now "doing a good, consistent job."
Nico Hulkenberg Pleads for Sergio Perez to Stay with Force India for 2017
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Hulkenberg has urged Perez to remain with Force India for next season amid mounting speculation that the Mexican could leave the team at the end of 2016.
As reported by Autosport (h/t Eurosport), Perez has a valid contract with Force India for 2017, but an "escape clause" within his deal could see his personal sponsors move him to a rival team, with Renault and Williams holding discussions with his representatives.
Since becoming team-mates at the beginning of 2014, Hulkenberg and Perez have established one of the most productive partnerships on the grid, helping Force India to a best-ever result of fifth place in the constructors' championship last year.
The Silverstone-based outfit stand a chance of bettering that result in 2016, with Force India just 15 points behind Williams in the battle for fourth place with just nine races remaining.
And Hulkenberg, who signed a two-year contract extension in September 2015, wants to extend his alliance with Perez into a fourth season in 2017, telling Autosport (h/t Eurosport): "I don't know what Checo's going to do. As a team we're working together pretty well, pushing each other hard to the team's benefit. It's a good, competitive, tough environment, but in a positive way so I would very much like to see him stay."
Hulkenberg has been frequently linked to front-running teams in recent years, but he has spent his entire F1 career in the midfield. When asked if he still has ambitions of joining a leading outfit, he told the same source:
"Definitely, but it's all about timing.
You've got to be in the right place in the right moment, and so far that hasn't been the case.
Many people have had to wait a long time to get their opportunity, so there's no point in giving in.
I've learned in all my years in F1 that as a driver you are relying on a lot of other people making decisions that go your way or go against you, so I'm not breaking my head about that too much at the moment.
What is important for me is that I'm enjoying what I do and that I'm having fun, which is the case.
I love what I'm doing, and in that respect I'm comfortable and in a good situation. I'm a very happy man.
"
Per GPUpdate.net, Perez recently admitted that while Force India will "always be in [his] heart" for rescuing his F1 career at the end of 2013, it is "going to be difficult" for him to achieve his goal of winning the world championship with the team.
Williams Insist Valtteri Bottas Is Still Improving After Finding Focus
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Williams have warned there is still more to come from Bottas after the Finn enjoyed a strong first half to the 2016 season.
After making his grand prix debut with Williams at the beginning of 2013, Bottas emerged as a future star in 2014, when he claimed six podium finishes and guided the team to third place in the constructors' standings.
Those results saw him strongly linked with Ferrari in 2015, but the Prancing Horse ultimately decided to retain Kimi Raikkonen, leaving Bottas to complain the rumours surrounding his future were "unnecessary" and "not fair," per Sky Sports' Pete Gill.
Following a poor start to 2016, which saw him hit Lewis Hamilton at the first corner in Bahrain, Bottas has produced a number of solid performances and secured Williams' first podium finish of the season with third place in Canada.
The 26-year-old is the highest-ranked driver behind the Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull drivers in the championship, and deputy team principal Claire Williams feels Bottas is operating better than ever, telling Autosport (h/t Eurosport):
"Valtteri has improved and improved.
He has really matured into a driver that can build a team around him and galvanise people.
We saw he lost a bit of that focus last year with the Ferrari rumours, but he has reset.
We've seen a very different Valtteri this year, an even better version of himself.
I knew him when he was our development driver and you can see the trajectory has gone upward and I don't think he has stopped going up.
He still has a huge amount to prove and I hope we can one day give him the race car to prove that he is a championship-worthy racing driver.
"
Per the same source, Williams admitted her team take the partnership between Bottas and Felipe Massa "for granted sometimes because they just get on with the job and do it and do it in a very nice way," referring to the pair as "a dream combination."
Bottas has reportedly attracted interest from rival teams for 2017, with Finnish commentator Oskari Saari recently telling Danish publication BT (h/t Planet F1) how the Finn has received a concrete offer from Renault.
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Carlos Sainz Jr. Believes Toro Rosso's Power Shortage Has Made Him 'Stronger'
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Sainz feels Toro Rosso's perennial power deficit has made him a better and more consistent driver since entering F1 last year.
Sainz spent his debut campaign competing with Renault's underpowered and unreliable engine in 2015 before Toro Rosso switched to year-old Ferrari power units for this season.
Although that move was expected to improve the team's straight-line speed, the 2015-specification Ferrari engine was identified as the weakest on the grid by Mercedes' Paddy Lowe after just two races of 2016, per ESPN F1's Laurence Edmondson.
Toro Rosso have continued to score consistent points, with Sainz securing a career-best sixth place finish in May's Spanish GP, but the 21-year-old recently admitted the team are beginning to struggle "a bit more" with their ageing engine, per Motorsport.com's Elizalde.
But Sainz believes the need to minimise the effect of his team's biggest weakness has made him a more complete performer, telling Autosport (h/t Eurosport):
"I have done two seasons now with the least top speed of the whole grid and I must say it has made me stronger.
[Compared to] the beginning of last year, I'm not the same driver at the races.
I have learned how to manage many things in the race and I think my results lately prove it.
I'm able to extract that tiny bit more that maybe I was not expecting to extract.
This situation has made me a stronger driver and a more consistent driver in the races.
You are allowed to do less mistakes and you have to make sure that when you do get the chance to overtake, you make it stick.
It can be the one and only chance in the whole race to overtake a Renault, when you do your stop and they are on old tyres—even if you don't have top speed, you have to make it work.
It's these kinds of situations that I'm sure are making me stronger and more experienced and helping me go forward.
"
Toro Rosso technical director James Key recently explained Sainz's growth in maturity has allowed him to "come a long way" in 2016, telling Autosport (h/t Eurosport) how he has been "very focused" and "more relaxed" since Max Verstappen's promotion to Red Bull.
And Key has revealed Sainz's use of Friday practice "to very good effect" has been behind his impressive qualifying and race performances this year, per Autosport (h/t Eurosport).
Meanwhile, team principal Franz Tost has admitted the second half of 2016 will "not be easy" for Toro Rosso due to the several power-sensitive circuits still to come, telling Motorsport.com's Valentin Khorounzhiy, Jon Noble and Oleg Karpov the team can still finish fifth in the constructors' standings.
Felipe Nasr Admits Sauber Are Not Desperate to Beat Manor to 10th Place
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Nasr has insisted it is not "that critical" for Sauber to beat fellow backmarkers Manor to 10th place in the constructors' championship as the team are already focusing heavily on their 2017 program.
As the only team yet to score a point, Sauber sit at the foot of the standings after the opening 12 races of 2016, with Manor a single point ahead courtesy of Pascal Wehrlein's 10th-place finish in July's Austrian GP.
After Longbow Finance S.A.'s purchase of the team was completed ahead of the Hungarian GP, Sauber are expected to make significant progress in the second half of the campaign having been forced to delay several aerodynamic updates.
A top-10 position in the constructors' championship is worth millions in prize money to teams, but Nasr believes Sauber's decision to prioritise the development of their 2017 car means it is not too important if the team are beaten by Manor this year.
But the Brazilian feels their best chance of scoring points could come in the upcoming races at high-speed, low-downforce circuits in Belgium, where Sauber are set to introduce a major upgrade package, and Italy.
He told Motorsport.com's Khorounzhiy and Klein:
"Although we are giving this a shot to bring an update package in Spa, there is a lot already focused on the '17 car, which is sensible considering where we are.
But I still feel, you know, we still have plenty of races to try and score a point, and if we make the car work, perfect.
I don't think it's that critical [to beat Manor]. But I'm not giving up, the team is not giving up, we do want to score points. We'll do what we can.
We've got Spa, Monza... if the package is working, it'll bring us in a much more profitable situation, to take advantage, it [scoring points] could be anywhere.
But, for a place that we don't need as much downforce, maybe Monza.
"
Meanwhile, Nasr's team-mate Marcus Ericsson has insisted it is "very important" that Sauber "get back in the points," telling Autosport (h/t Eurosport) how the team can "take bigger steps" than their closest rivals by introducing several updates in quick succession.
After a revised rear wing was raced for the first time in Hungary, a new front wing and floor is expected to be fitted to the C35 car from the Belgian GP.
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