Latest F1 news in brief: Saturday

• Vijay Mallya (L) with Nico Hulkenberg

  Force India plays down absent boss Mallya's troubles

• F1 Commission seat for driver 'would be nice' – Button
• Ecclestone set for more Monza future talks
• McLaren angry with FIA over Alonso injuries – reports
• Rosberg saved drowning child in Monaco
• Hamilton defies paddock 'Snapchat' ban
• Renault hits out at 'huge' Magnussen penalty
• Mercedes working to catch Ferrari on race starts
• Austria secures lower fee for F1 TV rights
• Kvyat not worried Verstappen could derail F1 career
• McLaren admits Alonso return talks 'ongoing'
• Vettel: Ferrari cautious over reliability

Force India plays down absent boss Mallya's troubles
(GMM) Force India deputy Bob Fernley has moved once again to play down the high-profile legal and financial problems surrounding Vijay Mallya.

Mallya, the Silverstone based team's co-owner and boss, was absent from the paddock not only in Australia but now in Bahrain.

The latest news suggests he is offering to repay $600 million of his huge debts amid the collapse of his airline Kingfisher.

Asked if the problems will affect Force India, a midfield F1 team with a modest budget, deputy Fernley said: "Vijay's issues are well publicized but I think there's been a bit of a media overreaction, especially from India.

"I've been in and out of India for over 30 years and the only thing I've learnt is how little I know about India, so I think you've just got to let that flow and for Vijay to deal with it," he added.

Fernley suggested Force India's recent successes in the constructors' championship, finishing a strong sixth and fifth in 2014 and 2015 respectively, have boosted the team's coffers.

"I think today we are realizing some of the best returns the team has ever had from the payments side of things, even though we complain about the disparity — which is a separate issue," he said.

"We also have a very good commercial team, and I think it is allowing Force India to pretty well stand on its own feet, whilst the shareholders are always there to help us — and Vijay's been the main person doing that over the last nine years.

"It's not a short term, nine years, to be keeping a formula one team going, so I don't think there's any concerns for Force India," Fernley insisted.

Jenson Button

F1 Commission seat for driver 'would be nice' – Button
(GMM) Jenson Button has admitted a seat on the F1 Commission representing the drivers would be "nice".

After the Grand Prix Drivers' Association published its open letter with the support of the entire field of active drivers, paddock rumors swirled that GPDA president Alex Wurz is eyeing a future in F1 politics and a place on the decision-making F1 Commission.

The letter was signed off by Wurz but also Sebastian Vettel and Button, and Button has now confirmed: "I think if we had someone at the decision-making table, it's always nice having another opinion and one from a different background to the decision-making group.

"But I don't think it's entirely necessary, no," he told NBC Sports in Bahrain.

Button's final comment might be a bid to prevent any repercussions, as the 2009 world champion admitted the drivers would never openly criticize individuals.

"An individual or individual driver will never have an opinion on another individual in formula one," he is quoted by the Telegraph. "You might not be on the grid in the next race!" he joked.

Indeed, a fiery F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is in Bahrain in the wake of the GPDA letter, and he made clear that the drivers complaining the loudest are "windbags".

"Some of them are," said the 85-year-old. "Which ones? The ones that are."

Ecclestone specifically chided his former ally Vettel, who has been particularly outspoken on his views about F1's governance in recent days.

One soundbite that caught Ecclestone's attention was Vettel's about fans being ordered to eat vanilla ice-cream when all they want is chocolate.

"He should go to his boss and tell him the same thing," Ecclestone hit back. "They (Ferrari) have been running an ice cream shop for a few years now.

"The drivers can say what they like," he added. "They can't do anything. They haven't got any strength. They've got an opinion.

"And they're only saying what their teams have told them to say," Ecclestone charged.

The F1 teams deny that, insisting they do not back the move to have a driver put on the F1 Commission.

"No, I've not spoken to any of the drivers on that," said Force India's Bob Fernley. "I think the drivers have got a role to play but it's very difficult to have a member of the GPDA on the F1 Commission."

F1 legend and Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda agrees, insisting Austrian Wurz is acting alone.

"Mr. Wurz got together and spoke in the name of all the drivers," he said. "It's all bull—-. This is Wurz alone. He was the master of this. We had nothing to do with it."

Ecclestone will talk and Monza authorities will listen

Ecclestone set for more Monza future talks
(GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has kept hopes alive that Monza might retain the Italian grand prix beyond September's 2016 race.

In the past week, reports have suggested the negotiations might be close to collapse, but F1 supremo Ecclestone said on Friday that talks will resume "in a couple of weeks".

"There will be another meeting in a couple of weeks to discuss the future of Monza," he told the Italian broadcaster Sky Sport in Bahrain. "So you'll have to wait."

But the 85-year-old repeated his warning that F1 could live without the iconic venue.

"Can I imagine a future for F1 without Italy? It's funny because I could never imagine the future without France but here we are," Ecclestone said.

He confirmed reports that a potential replacement on the calendar for Monza could be a second US grand prix in Las Vegas.

"I am going to be talking to them in ten minutes," Ecclestone told reporters on Friday. He said Las Vegas could happen "in a couple of years I suppose".

"We'd keep Austin and have another race."

Finally, Ecclestone was asked about the qualifying debacle, admitting his preferred successor for the hated 'musical chairs' format might include a ballot to determine the grid, or a system where time penalties apply for success.

"Let's wait and see," he told Italy's Sky. "We'll see tomorrow (Saturday) and we'll see what happens. This (format) was never my idea, it was the FIA."

A poll conducted by the German broadcaster RTL said 91 per cent of fans are in favor of scrapping the current system.

Ron Dennis mad at inept FIA doctors

McLaren angry with FIA over Alonso injuries – reports
(GMM) Ron Dennis is reportedly angry with F1's governing body for not detecting the injuries that have sidelined Fernando Alonso in Bahrain.

Just after his enormous Melbourne crash, the Spaniard was given a clean bill of health to take the long haul flight from Australia and commence his preparations for Bahrain.

But Alonso said that when he arrived home in Spain, "The pain was similar or a little bit more, so we decided to do a proper check — a CT scan."

According to Spanish newspapers, Alonso was urged to get the checks done by his sister Lorena, who is a doctor.

The scan found not only rib fractures but also a small pneumothorax, or partially-collapsed lung.

He reportedly took those scans and a follow-up scan with him to Bahrain, where the FIA ruled out him out of contention for Bahrain and possibly also China.

Diario Sport, as well as other specialist Spanish publications, say the episode his angered the McLaren camp.

Dennis, the team supremo, met with Bernie Ecclestone and FIA doctor Jean-Charles Piette in Bahrain late on Friday, where a bid was made to reinstate Alonso for the race weekend even though Stoffel Vandoorne did the driving in practice.

"He (Alonso) has slept well and asked doctors to look at the possibility that he can resume physical activity," the Spanish broadcaster Movistar declared.

The FIA turned down Alonso and McLaren's request, but the reports say there are concerns the FIA should have been more thorough in its examinations of the 34-year-old driver.

Adding to Alonso's pain is that McLaren-Honda looks surprisingly competitive in Bahrain, with Jenson Button declaring Friday was "our best day in two years" after going third quickest in practice.

"They seem to be very quick," agrees Renault driver Jolyon Palmer.

Is Ferrari out to lunch in Bahrain, or did they learn how to sandbag from Mercedes

Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen agrees: "I saw Jenson when he was on a fast lap and I can say that the McLaren is very good in the first sector. It is obvious that they have made progress."

And Daniel Ricciardo, of Red Bull, added: "Even if he was on 5 kilos of fuel, it was still a pretty decent laptime."

Another surprise was the seemingly big gap between Mercedes and Ferrari on Friday, with Sebastian Vettel's troubles compounded by a practice stoppage.

"I thought we'd be closer here," the German admitted to Brazil's Globo.

Teammate Kimi Raikkonen, however, is not giving up hope.

"You guys (the media) always look at lap times, but we did our program and everything worked. The times are one thing but what really matters is what happens tomorrow (Saturday)."

Rosberg saved drowning child in Monaco
(GMM) Nico Rosberg was the hero of the day when he rescued a distressed child from waters on the coast of Monaco recently.

Bild newspaper reports that the German, the winner of the last four grands prix and quickest on Friday in Bahrain, leapt into action two weeks ago after spotting a distressed five-year-old at sea while playing with his daughter on a jetty.

The report said a fully-clothed Rosberg, a strong swimmer and past triathlon competitor, jumped into the sea and dragged the youngster to shore.

Rosberg, 30, would not comment, but his management confirmed the incident.

He was a very bad boy again

Hamilton defies paddock 'Snapchat' ban
(GMM) On the very same day he acknowledged the ban, world champion Lewis Hamilton defied Bernie Ecclestone by filming inside the F1 paddock.

Fiercely protective of the sport's exclusive rights, the Ecclestone-led Formula One Management had reportedly noticed that Hamilton often films footage on his iPhone for 'Snapchat' videos.

"The team (Mercedes) got a message and told me to stop," said Hamilton in Bahrain. "You have to pay money for that and I accept that."

But British tabloids The Sun and the Mirror say the triple world champion immediately defied the ban by filming himself inside the Bahrain paddock.

Indeed, the 'Snapchat' video summary posted by Hamilton on Friday depicts him arriving at the track, walking in the paddock and inside the team garage.

Kevin Magnussen excluded from quals today

Renault hits out at 'huge' Magnussen penalty
(GMM) Renault has hit out at Kevin Magnussen's exclusion from qualifying in Bahrain.

The Dane has been ordered to start Sunday's grand prix from the pitlane, after going through a red light signaling a routine weighing during Friday practice.

"For something that is quite frankly a routine check, it's a huge penalty," Renault chief engineer Alan Permane told the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet.

"I would not even call it a mistake, it was a misunderstanding. I think it's very, very hard," he added.

The FIA's penalty follows a meeting with the stewards involving the team and Magnussen, who has returned to F1 this year after a one-season break.

"We took the video and tried to prove there was enough confusion and that it was done unintentionally. He was convinced that the red light was not for him but for the Red Bull," Permane added.

Permane revealed that the nature of the penalty means it is pointless for Magnussen to even take to the track for qualifying on Saturday.

"There's nothing for us to do in that session," said Permane. "We're not going to burn tires for nothing. We need to spend the time looking at a plan to make the most out of where we are."

Rosberg happy the Mercedes 1-2 parade is back

Mercedes working to catch Ferrari on race starts
(GMM) In one area at least, Mercedes is working hard to catch up with Ferrari.

The Maranello team's strong challenge to the dominant world champions in Melbourne was significantly boosted when both silver Mercedes were overtaken at the start.

The technical rules have changed for 2016, with drivers now allowed only one clutch lever rather than the more accurate two.

"It's more of a challenge this year," Melbourne winner Nico Rosberg admitted in Bahrain. "It's made it more difficult and it's definitely an area we are focusing on a lot."

When asked about Australia, the German told Auto Bild: "My start was ok, Sebastian (Vettel) and Kimi (Raikkonen)'s were just great."

The report said Ferrari's head-start is in the area of engine management, in collaboration with electronics partner Magneti Marelli.

Lewis Hamilton commented: "Already in the second half of last year Ferrari was making very good starts. So it needs to be right at the top of our list to ensure they aren't getting better starts all the time."

Austrian GP

Austria secures lower fee for F1 TV rights
(GMM) F1 is staying on free-to-air television in Austria, after the broadcaster ORF renewed its deal with the sport.

Late last year, we reported that ORF, a long-time F1 broadcaster, had not taken a decision about the future amid claims it was no longer willing to pay a speculated EUR 15 million per year.

But a report from Bahrain by the Austrian news agency APA said ORF has now renewed its contract for three more years.

The report claimed the public broadcaster had successfully negotiated its fee down to EUR 10 million.

"I am pleased that we will continue to have formula one," said ORF director general Alexander Wrabetz.

"The price of the rights is in line with our reasonable expectations, as there was understanding of the changing conditions on the part of formula one," he added.

Amid declining interest in F1 among the German-speaking world, the German broadcaster RTL also recently negotiated down the price of its broadcast deal.

Daniil Kvyat has proven he can beat Verstappen last year and aims to do it again this year

Kvyat not worried Verstappen could derail F1 career
(GMM) Daniil Kvyat says he is not worried he might be the victim of the next step in Max Verstappen's meteoric F1 career.

Mercedes and Ferrari have both now admitted interest in the 18-year-old teen, putting pressure on Red Bull to promote Verstappen from Toro Rosso or risk allowing an exit clause in his long-term deal to be triggered.

We reported on Friday that Ilta Sanomat, a Finnish newspaper, had claimed Red Bull might relegate Russian Kvyat from the senior team back to Toro Rosso for 2017, freeing up a seat for Verstappen alongside Daniel Ricciardo.

So amid those reports, Kvyat was asked in Bahrain by the official F1 website if he is worried about the next step in his career.

"To be honest I don't see that there is anything to worry about," said the 21-year-old, who played down Verstappen's performance in Melbourne including his feat of qualifying 'best of the rest' behind Mercedes and Ferrari.

"I think there is a lot more to consider in terms of who to put into a cockpit than just the last result," said Kvyat. "And Max was also not shining in Melbourne.

"So the best advice I give myself is 'Boy, focus on your own business!' If I do a good job then everything will fall into place," he added.

McLaren admits Alonso return talks 'ongoing'
(GMM) McLaren has confirmed talks with the FIA about getting injured Fernando Alonso back into his McLaren-Honda are "ongoing" in Bahrain.

We reported earlier that, after Stoffel Vandoorne filled in for the Spaniard in Friday practice, McLaren supremo Ron Dennis met with FIA doctor Jean-Charles Piette in a bid to get Alonso back to work for Saturday and beyond.

Alonso, 34, has been sidelined following a partially-collapsed lung and with rib fractures, but according to Spanish reports Dennis is unhappy about the process by which the FIA arrived at the decision to sideline the driver.

When asked about Dennis' talks with FIA officials, a McLaren spokesman told us early on Saturday: "Dialogue between McLaren and the FIA is ongoing and to be expected.

"It remains our, the FIA's and indeed Fernando's intention to prioritize his health and wellbeing whilst optimizing his chances of returning to the cockpit as soon as possible," he added.

Vettel

Vettel: Ferrari cautious over reliability
Sebastian Vettel says he stopped his Ferrari SF16-H on-track during the second practice session in Bahrain in order to prevent further damage to his car, with the team investigating the precise cause of his problem.

Vettel appeared to lose power exiting Turn 4 with 15 minutes remaining in the evening session and cruised to a halt a few corners later, before inspecting a suspected loose left-rear tyre.

Vettel ended the day in sixth place overall, having failed to improve on his Super Soft tyre run after running wide at the final corner.

"We don't know 100 per cent what happened," Vettel explained after the session.

"I felt out of Turn 4 that I lost drive, so I decided to stop. Obviously we don't want to take a risk at this stage, damaging the car or the engine.

"It's a shame because I would have loved to cover more laps, but that's what it is.

"Obviously, it was incredibly important to do the mileage today and get the information on Friday.

"But it's even more important to make sure that the car is in good conditions for the whole weekend and for the whole season."