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Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff insists he maintains an "optimistic" outlook for Esteban Ocon as 2019 Formula 1 seat options for the Frenchman reduce.

Set for the Force India exit, potentially as soon as before the Singapore Grand Prix, as Lance Stroll readies to make the switch to his father's new purchase from Williams, recent announcements have also worked against Ocon.

McLaren's confirmation of Lando Norris is one such example as is a claim by Red Bull's Helmut Marko that the 21-year-old's link to the German manufacturer rules him out at Toro Rosso.

Sauber is another option, though Ferrari would likely have a say, as is Haas, but the situation regarding Kimi Raikkonen and Charles Leclerc could be decisive there.

Even before the Force India situation, however, the key moment came after the Hungarian Grand Prix in July.

“Obviously with Esteban, it looked like we had a deal with Renault and within 48 hours, things changed," Wolff told Crash.net.

“Agreements suddenly were not agreements any more but I can understand the rationale of Renault getting Ricciardo on board.

“It’s just the way that things panned out was not ideal for Esteban, and it would be really a shame if a timing issue or intransparent communication would be a reason for such a kid with ability not to find the right seat for next year.”

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Admitting the situation is "really complicated", the Austrian insists the current uncertainty will only be a blip.

“My long-term perspective on him [Ocon] is still very optimistic," Toto added.

“He can drive, and he has a great personality, and eventually he’s going to be in a car that wins races and maybe a championship.”

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Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has suggested the Austrian drinks giant will leave Formula 1 if their Honda partnership doesn't result in success.

The Milton Keynes outfit will end a 12-year association with Renault at the end of this season and switch to the Japanese manufacturer believing their engines offer more potential for the future.

While many have been sceptical, given the problems faced by McLaren the past three years, it appears this is a final attempt by Red Bull to become a genuine championship-contending team again.

“We are pleased with the great cooperation with Honda for the coming years, and if this cooperation, for whatever reason, does not work as expected, then Red Bull will leave F1,” Marko told Speedweek.

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Of course, this is not the first time that Marko has put Red Bull's future in doubt, but at a time when all teams are wondering exactly how the sport will look in 2021, with new regulations both sporting and financial expected, the situation is a little more serious.

This year, junior team Toro Rosso took on Honda after McLaren opted to switch to Renault, however, the Austrian revealed the Japanese company wasn't sure about their own future this time last year.

"We really had to convince the Japanese in intensive conversations that they could resume with us to start,” he claimed.

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The FIA has confirmed they will look into ways that kerb the growing number of "alliances" being formed between manufacturers and smaller Formula 1 teams.

Since Haas joined the grid in 2016 thanks to a close technical partnership with Ferrari, the topic has become more prevalent and particularly this year as their competitiveness has vastly improved, leading to claims they are essentially a 'B-team'.

During the summer break, McLaren, Renault and Williams intervened in efforts to help Force India out of administration, voicing their concerns over a growing Mercedes influence at the Silverstone-based squad.

"I’m very concerned," McLaren CEO Zak Brown said. "I think that’s exactly what would happen if the FIA and F1 don’t get involved, as you’ll ultimately see the big teams working more closely with the small teams to figure out a different way to spend their money.

"That needs to be addressed and I’m glad that the FIA and F1 are well aware that that’s the direction the sport would head if they don’t do something about it.

"We were given assurances that B-teams are going to be dealt with because it’s ultimately getting away from what we believe Formula 1 is: everyone being a constructor, then you buy power units, and now it’s just going to the extreme and that needs to be unwound from the future of F1," he concluded.

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Race director Charlie Whiting responded to the concerns, insisting some measures have already been taken and more will be coming as the governing body investigate.

"It’s something that we should be concerned about and it’s something we will be discussing," he said.

"The [Haas/Ferrari] relationship started it. We knew exactly how that was possible in the beginning, and there was a loophole which has been closed to new entrants, which is what [Haas] was able to do, a lot more work than a current team, before they were established as a proper entrant.

"But the sort of things we’re hearing about are alliances between existing teams. I think that needs to be looked at very carefully."

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Haas has confirmed they will appeal Romain Grosjean's exclusion from sixth place at the Italian GP on Sunday.

The Frenchman had survived early contact with Sergio Perez to go and beat both Force India's and finish as the top midfield runner at Monza.

However, after the race, Renault issued a protest questioning the legality of the floor on the VF-18 which the FIA duly responded to and agreed it didn't meet the regulations.

Aware of the possible situation, which was caused by a technical directive issued by the governing body's head of aerodynamics Nikolas Tombazis, Haas wrote a letter explaining their situation.

“Given the forthcoming summer break, we will endeavour to introduce this upgrade for the Singapore GP, but will be somewhat at the mercy of our suppliers so we would request some flexibility in this matter," the American team wrote, with all cars meant to be compliant by this past weekend.

It appears that flexibility has not been granted, however, resulting in the exclusion from the Monza race.

“We do not agree with the Stewards’ decision to penalise our race team and we feel strongly that our sixth-place finish in the Italian Grand Prix should stand. We are appealing the Stewards’ decision,” team boss Guenther Steiner said.

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Lewis Hamilton believes Kimi Raikkonen would be missed by Formula 1 when he finally retires from the sport.

During the Italian GP weekend, that possibility does seem to have increased with the news former Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne had signed Charles Leclerc to a race seat contract for next season.

More recently it has been suggested some compensation could be given to the Monegasque to delay his promotion until 2020, but whenever that day comes, Hamilton does think it would be a sad day for F1.

“Would I miss Kimi? I think it’s always a difficult question to say if you miss someone,” he said. “I think the sport would naturally miss him, yeah.

“I made it no secret that before I even got to F1 I was always playing the PlayStation and I was always Kimi in the McLaren, imagining that was me.

“And then I remember the first car [I drove] at McLaren which was Kimi’s set-up and the suspension that he would use, which was… I remember it like it was yesterday.

“It was an amazing experience and it was cool because I think our driving style was kind of similar, which meant that I ended up being quite comfortable with the set-up that he used back then."

Raikkonen's nonchalant attitude is what has endeared him to many fans and even today he remains one of the most popular drivers on the grid, with the four-time world champion also full of respect for the 38-year-old.

“He’s had an incredible career and it’s been a real honour to race against a great Finn such as him – but he looks like he’s just ice-cold," Hamilton said.

“He’s just got plenty of years left in him. He’s not seeming to age. I don’t know what it is about Finnish people. I think it’s the sauna and the ice thing.”

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McLaren has announced that junior driver Lando Norris will replace Stoffel Vandoorne from the start of 2019.

The Belgian has been under increasing pressure at the Woking-based team after struggling for results and pace alongside Fernando Alonso since joining at the start of last season.

This year, he has just five points to his name, with his last top 10 coming at 10 races ago in Baku, although he was on course for points in Hungary before retiring with gearbox problems.

Rumours of his exit have been swirling for a while, however, when the news was made official, he spoke with respect to the team that had helped get him into Formula 1.

"I’m very grateful to McLaren for investing their faith in me over the past five years," said Vandoorne on Monday.

"I joined McLaren as a young driver and have since seen my career progress within the team from Test and Development Driver to Reserve Driver and then to full-time race driver.

"While we haven’t achieved the success we’d all hoped for, I’ve really enjoyed the past two seasons racing for McLaren and I have a great relationship with everyone in the team.

"I intend to give it my all for the remaining seven races of this season, and will announce my plans for next season in due course."

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Replacing him will be current F2 racer Lando Norris, who only joined the team's development program in 2017 and impressed hugely on his first outing at the post-Hungarian GP test.

That earned him a promotion to reserve driver for this year and now the 19-year-old is ready to follow in the footsteps of Lewis Hamilton, Kevin Magnussen and Vandoorne before him.

"To be announced as a race driver for McLaren is a dream come true," he admitted. "Although I’ve been part of the team for a while now, this is a special moment, one I could only hope would become reality.

"I’d like to thank the whole team for this amazing opportunity and for believing in me. I’m also extremely grateful for the commitment McLaren has already shown in my development, allowing me to build my experience in an F1 car in both testing and on Fridays during the past two race weekends.

"I’ll also be working closely with McLaren at every opportunity to learn as much as possible from the drivers, engineers and mechanics to give myself the best preparation ahead of next year."

The announcement continues what has become the silliest silly season for many years and also appears to put more pressure on Esteban Ocon's future, with McLaren considered a possible destination for the Force India driver that exits to accommodate Lance Stroll.

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McLaren CEO Zak Brown has recommended Toro Rosso sign Stoffel Vandoorne for 2019 after being ousted this week.

On Monday, the British team confirmed junior driver Lando Norris would get the nod over the Belgian, forming an all-new line-up alongside Carlos Sainz for next season.

However, the American chief has claimed he will help Vandoorne continue his Formula 1 career and believes one of the likely two empty seats at the junior Red Bull squad would be ideal.

“I definitely think he’s an F1 calibre driver and if I was Toro Rosso – who appear to have two open seats – I’d put Stoffel in, in a heartbeat,” he told reporters at Woking.

Brown also concedes that the former GP2 champion hasn't had it easy in his two years with McLaren alongside Fernando Alonso and in the midst of the team's lack of competitiveness.

“I think we’ve had a very poor race car for two years," he acknowledged.

“Someone like Fernando can adapt quicker, he’s got so much experience. Stoffel was very close to Fernando, a lot closer than some other team-mates as Fernando commented.

“Stoffel is an outstanding race car driver. Ultimately we look to the future and feel Lando’s a future star. I think in a different environment Stoffel may excel more, and with a better race car.”

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As for the Norris promotion, the McLaren chief admits one reason for his early promotion was to counteract interest from elsewhere.

“We were fully aware that if he wasn’t going to drive for us next year, he’d be driving for someone else,” Brown claimed.

Asked where he added: “I assume it would be Toro Rosso. I think based on the phone calls I got, more than one team was interested in him.”

While it is unknown if Toro Rosso will consider Vandoorne, another warning has been sent to their current driver Brendon Hartley as he approaches one year since his F1 return.

“There has to be a big improvement in the last few races of the season,” Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko told Speedweek.

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Kimi Raikkonen has admitted he was in a somewhat of a lose-lose situation as he looked to fend off Lewis Hamilton during the Italian Grand Prix.

The Finn was left as the Scuderia's only hope after teammate Sebastian Vettel spun out of contention following contact with the Mercedes driver on the opening lap.

Retaliating to a first attack at the safety car restart, Kimi held the lead until his tyres gave up in the closing laps allowing Hamilton to make the move into the first chicane and take the win.

“I tried but it was impossible in the end, unfortunately," Raikkonen said afterwards. “It is hard to take but we tried and we had great support from a lot of people.

“At least we take second place and we’ll keep fighting," he told the Tifosi on the podium. "Thank you and sorry for not winning. Next time.”

The crucial stage came around the pit-stops when Ferrari pitted the 2007 world champion in response to Mercedes coming out into the pit-lane before later retreating.

That left him having to use all the grip of his Soft compound Pirellis in the initial laps before getting caught behind a block in the form of the other Mercedes driven by Valtteri Bottas.

"That's what happens sometimes. It's a very normal game that is being played by all the top three teams. Sometimes it works and sometimes not," he claimed.

“I think for sure we had the speed, but unfortunately our rear tyres went. There was nothing left on the rear-left tyre.

"Luckily it lasted until the end of the race," he added. "It was a losing battle after that point."

In reflection though, Raikkonen believes there was nothing he could have done differently to avoid the tyre situation.

"It's always easy to say afterwards, but it wasn't really much that we could have relaxed," he said. "Well you can, but then you let him past.

"There was no moment we just could take it easy and relax. It wasn't really a case of, 'Let’s just go around and save the tyres for the last moment'.

"There are so many little things that make you push that there's no chance to save much. We had to go, and unfortunately it didn’t pay off today."

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FIA race director Charlie Whiting has clarified why Mercedes was not penalised for the use of so-called 'phantom' pit-stops during the Italian Grand Prix.

During what became a very tactical battle for the victory at Monza, the German manufacturer entered the pit-lane first in anticipation of Lewis Hamilton, drawing the Ferrari crew out in response.

When the Scuderia did go ahead with their stop for Kimi Raikkonen, the Mercedes team went back in as the Briton continued, going a further eight laps before eventually changing tyres.

Some have pondered why that doesn't breach a regulation which states a crew can only be in the pit-lane when a car is imminently due, but Whiting admits there is a grey area.

"My feeling is that it is all part of the game," he said.

"We don’t like teams hanging around in the pit lane if they are not actually doing a pit stop, but if they come out as if there are going to do one … if they did it every lap I think we would have something to say.

"But they may well have been thinking about doing one and then changed their mind, so unless someone does something overtly incorrect I don’t think we will do anything about it."

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While it may have ultimately defined the race, as Raikkonen later ran out of rear grip allowing Hamilton to pass for the win, motorsport boss Toto Wolff also defended Mercedes' actions.

"It wasn’t a phantom stop," the Austrian said. "You need to be prepared if you undercut or overcut.

"We didn’t know if Kimi was coming in so the message was to do the opposite. Doing the opposite means you need to have the pit crew prepared."

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Valtteri Bottas believes there was no negative in Mercedes' decision to use him to benefit teammate Lewis Hamilton during the Italian GP.

After Sebastian Vettel had fallen to the back after contact with Hamilton on the opening lap, the race became a straight duel between the Briton and Raikkonen for victory at Monza.

When the Ferrari driver had pitted, however, he found himself stuck behind his fellow countryman, who extended his own first stint to allow Hamilton to catch up.

"I wouldn’t call it sacrificing my race because the pit window here is so big with the tyres we had this weekend," Valtteri explained.

"We opted to go for a very long first stint because the tyres were holding on well and it was good for me to have fresh tyres to attack in the end.

"But it was also good for Lewis that I could keep Kimi behind and slow him down a bit," he added. "I think we did good teamwork today."

Such was the frantic pace of the race, particularly in those eight laps between Raikkonen and Hamilton pitting, it meant the Ferrari driver wrecked his tyres, allowing the reigning world champion to make the pass for a record-equalling fifth win at Monza.

As for Bottas, he would re-ignite his race-long battle with Verstappen claiming third by default after the Red Bull driver was penalised five seconds for causing contact between the pair under braking for the first chicane.

“First my mission was to hold up Kimi for a while, but then to end up on the podium," the 29-year-old declared. "I was really trying to do everything I can to get to the podium.

"It's good to be back on the podium, it's been a tough period of races," he added with his last coming three races ago in Germany. "It wasn't an easy race for me today."

Bottas may have to get used to that kind of race, however, with the 97-point gap between Bottas and Hamilton making it all-but-certain Mercedes will be employing team orders to help the latter go on and take his fifth world title.

 

         

 

 

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