Latest F1 news in brief

Rosberg beat Hamilton for pole for the 10th time on Saturday, but qualifying is not racing. When it come to wheel-to-wheel racing Lewis Hamilton demoralizes Nico almost every time.

Future still clouded for three small teams
F1 money and engine talks stall
Rosberg wins one trophy but eyes another
Mercedes rivals warn 'freeze' could end completely
Ecclestone: Crisis? What crisis?
McKiernan leaves McLaren aero role in wake of Prodromou arrival
Massa says he could have been closer to pole
Rosberg vows to learn from Austin experience, but Hamilton will still beat him
Ricciardo dumbfounded over lost pace in qualifying

Future still clouded for three small teams
(GMM) A week after the boycott threats of Austin, struggling teams Lotus, Force India and Sauber travelled to Brazil apparently close to a 'fighting fund' bailout that would secure their future.

Vijay Mallya, for one, was denying he ever threatened to sit out races.

"Why would we (boycott)?" the Force India supremo told reporters. "I may as well have stayed in England and saved all the expense."

But a meeting at Interlagos late on Saturday broke with no solution in place.

"He (Bernie Ecclestone) just said 'I'll talk to Donald next week and get back to you'," a frustrated Mallya reported.

He is referring to Donald Mackenzie, the chairman of F1's majority owner CVC, who had been in direct talks in the past few days with Lotus' Gerard Lopez.

But Ecclestone, the F1 chief executive, told BBC television on Saturday that CVC is only "the shareholder", and any decisions would have to be made by "Formula One Management".

So with Caterham and Marussia out of business, the next endangered teams are restless.

Bernie Ecclestone: No crisis in F1

Writing in the Financial Mail on Sunday, F1 business journalist Christian Sylt said Force India's ability to continue "as a going concern" is now in doubt amid millions in losses.

But Ecclestone told reporters on Saturday that he has little sympathy for teams like Marussia and Caterham who sunk themselves under unsustainable debt.

"People say F1 is in crisis," he said. "Absolute nonsense. We've had a couple of teams in crisis.

"People come and go. They (the teams) need to know how much is coming in and how much is going out."

So Saturday's meeting ended with no promises of a handout, and Ecclestone advising teams to spend less rather than "hope somebody is going to subsidize you".

It seems plenty, however, was discussed during the meeting, including perhaps the idea of using the collapsed Marussia's $40 million in unclaimed prize money for finishing ninth in the championship and redistributing it.

Even Niki Lauda, the team chairman at dominant and powerful Mercedes, has a proposal.

"In difficult economic times like these, where sponsors are hard to find, we need to help the small teams — this is also in our interest because they also need to spend money on tires and engines," he told German television RTL.

Ecclestone has said contracts forbid him from simply giving more to the small teams, but Lauda proposed: "We should lend them a certain amount until they are in a position to give it back."

But Ecclestone declined to guarantee that the three nervous privateers – Lotus, Force India and Sauber – will all still be on the grid in 2015.

"I wouldn't say that. I hope they are," he said.

F1 money and engine talks stall
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone will meet commercial rights holders CVC in London next week after talks with teams in Brazil on Saturday produced no agreement on giving smaller outfits more money to help them survive.

A separate meeting with manufacturers on the possibility of relaxing an engine 'freeze' for next season ended in stalemate.

"He (Ecclestone) just said 'I'll talk to (CVC Capital Partners co-chairman) Donald (Mackenzie) next week and get back to you'. That's it," Force India team principal Vijay Mallya told reporters at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

"He recognizes that the three smallest teams require to get more money in one form or another," added the Indian entrepreneur.

"We presented our case, he said he'd talk to Donald and get back to us. And I've heard this before. So the option is to just wait and watch."

The season ends in Abu Dhabi on Nov 23, after which date the smaller teams have less leverage on the rights holder with the sport going into a winter break and the 2015 championship starting in March.

Two teams are absent from Brazil, with Marussia folding this week and making all their staff redundant. Caterham remain in administration and are trying to raise enough money through crowd funding to get to Abu Dhabi.

Sauber, Lotus and Force India all want a 'base payment' to be introduced to give the smaller remaining teams the minimum budget required to compete.

Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff said separately that talks on lifting an engine freeze had failed to reach any agreement.

To change the regulations for 2015 at this stage, unanimous agreement is required.

"We offered a slight compromise which we think we can afford to not change the specs (specification) and the price for the customers which we think is essential in the current environment, but it wasn't accepted," Wolff told reporters.

"The situation is unchanged on everything, the money side, engine side," added the Austrian. "That is it for the weekend."

Mercedes have been dominant this season with an engine that is clearly more reliable and better performing than rivals Renault and Ferrari.

The team have won 14 of the 17 races and started all but one on pole position. They swept the front row in qualifying at Interlagos on Saturday with Nico Rosberg clocking the fastest ever pole lap at the Sao Paulo circuit. Reuters

Nico Rosberg: Nothing to lose in the final two Grand Prix

Rosberg wins one trophy but eyes another
(GMM) Nico Rosberg secured a trophy after qualifying on pole for Sunday's Brazilian grand prix.

But it's not the one he really wants. That one was packed into a box last week by outgoing world champion Sebastian Vettel and sent back to the FIA.

The next name engraved on it will be either Rosberg's, or championship leader and favorite Lewis Hamilton, his teammate at Mercedes.

German Rosberg is 24 points behind with only Sunday's race and then the double-points bonanza in Abu Dhabi left to run.

Told he now has 'nothing to lose' in his chase to catch Hamilton before the checker, Rosberg insisted at Interlagos: "I wouldn't call the title 'nothing to lose'!"

It is why he is not overly fussed at having secured F1's inaugural pole position trophy, awarded to the driver who completes a season with the most qualifying triumphs.

In 2014, with his impressive tenth pole of the year secured in Brazil, the winner is Rosberg.

He secured the prize in style with the fastest ever qualifying lap of Interlagos, thanks to a new asphalt and the fact the new turbo engines are not affected by Sao Paulo's high altitude.

"In this moment it means nothing to me," Rosberg said coolly on Saturday. "Maybe in ten years I will look back on it (the pole trophy), but right now my focus is somewhere else."

He is referring to the big trophy Vettel just sent back in a box.

In truth, however, the biggest pressure now is probably on Hamilton, who is tantalizingly close to wrapping up his second career drivers' title.

Told that he needs to win the last two races of 2014 to win from 24 points down, Rosberg insisted: "Not true."

The meticulous 29-year-old is right, as even if he does win in Brazil and Abu Dhabi, a pair of second places will be enough for Hamilton.

So another hope for Rosberg is mechanical trouble for his British rival.

"I don't like to talk about it," Rosberg was quoted earlier in Brazil by Spain's El Confidencial, "but I don't want Lewis' engine to break."

He then joked: "I would prefer that mine breaks here in Brazil and his in Abu Dhabi!"

With controversial double points on offer, that scenario would in fact probably hand Rosberg the title.

He admitted: "I know that for me to win (the title), something has to happen. It's not just in my hands. But in this sport, so much can happen.

"I need Lewis' help to win the title," Rosberg acknowledged to Bild newspaper. "I need to chase him until he makes mistakes."

Toto Wolff not too keen on lifting F1's engine freeze

Mercedes rivals warn 'freeze' could end completely
(GMM) With progress also having stalled over the small teams' touted 'fighting fund', Toto Wolff emerged from a big team bosses meeting at Interlagos on Saturday with little news.

"Nothing was agreed on anything," he told reporters.

"The situation is unchanged on everything, the money side, engine side."

As ever, there is always more to it in formula one.

The recent history of the engine 'freeze' saga is that while dominant Mercedes has been making noises of potential compromise, the German camp is still at loggerheads with disgruntled rivals Ferrari and Renault.

The latter two are railing against the current engine homologation rules, or the so-called 'freeze' that is designed to keep speeds and costs down by limiting the amount of performance development engine makers can do within a season.

But that rule is also threatening to freeze in Mercedes as the likely championship favorite for years to come.

But even between 2014 and 2015, the engine suppliers are allowed to change a maximum of 48 per cent of their current designs, which is then re-'frozen' in February.

Until now, Renault and Ferrari have argued that the development deadline should now be extended until July.

But in the last day or two, it has emerged that they also want the percentage of possible changes – represented by a complex 'token system' – increased by almost a further 20 per cent.

"It's too expensive," argue Mercedes' Wolff and team chairman Niki Lauda, according to Auto Motor und Sport.

For now, Mercedes' lack of agreement simply means nothing will change for 2015, as warned by Wolff as he departed the Interlagos meeting.

But more serious games are at play.

It emerges that while unanimity is required for 2015, a simple majority vote is enough for a year later — and Mercedes, Renault and incoming supplier Honda obviously have the numbers on their side.

"Mercedes' opponents are threatening that engine development will be completely opened up (in 2016)," Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports.

An insider declared: "Then there will be war."

With Caterham and Marussia already gone, and struggling Lotus, Force India and Sauber now complaining loudly about costs, opening up engine development would be a major move for F1.

"The fact is that with the new (V6) engine, which from a technology perspective is a great thing, the costs were passed on to all the teams," Lotus' Gerard Lopez argues.

He says Lotus alone spent up to $60 million on buying a Renault engine in 2014 and developing the complex systems around it.

"If we unfreeze the engines now, which is the next topic that is coming up … at the end of the day not taking decisions has had an immediate impact on the sport in the last couple of weeks with two teams disappearing," Lopez warned.

Ecclestone: Crisis? What crisis?
Bernie Ecclestone denied that Formula One is facing a financial crisis after the loss of two teams, the sport's supremo accusing the failed outfits for bad financial management.

Speaking to reporters at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Saturday, the 84-year-old Briton who is commercial ring-master for the sport said teams come and go and criticized Caterham's plan to raise cash through crowd funding.

The Marussia team folded on Friday and Caterham are in administration. Both teams failed to show up for the United States or Brazilian Grand Prix.

"People say F1 is in crisis, he said. Absolute nonsense. We've had a couple of teams in crisis."

People come and go they need to know how much is coming in and how much is going out.

He added that he also hoped three more struggling teams – Force India, Lotus and Sauber – would survive and take part next year.

"Maybe the major four or five teams can make a contribution – for one year only," Ecclestone said, adding that the creation of a fund could also use the prize money that might have been paid to Marussia this year.

McKiernan leaves McLaren aero role in wake of Prodromou arrival
McLaren's erstwhile head of aerodynamics Doug McKiernan has left the team in the wake of the arrival of ex-Red Bull man Peter Prodromou from Red Bull.

Prodromou, who fills the same role, was given the generic title of ‘chief engineer,' although presumably this will now change.

McKiernan is not part of the restructured technical organization, and is now on gardening leave.

"We are working extremely hard to get McLaren back to where it belongs – at the very front of the grid," said a team spokesman.

"To achieve that we have carefully reviewed everything we do and have recruited some very talented individuals.

"Now, to ensure that we do not have duplication of roles, and that we have the right people doing the right jobs, we have begun discussions with a small number of people who unfortunately do not have a role in the new structure. We are determined to give as much support as possible to anyone affected." Adam Cooper

Massa says he could have been closer to pole
Williams driver Felipe Massa says traffic prevented him from getting closer to the Mercedes duo in the final stage of qualifying at Interlagos.

The Brazilian qualified third fastest in front of his home crowd, just over two tenths of a second behind pole-sitter Nico Rosberg.

But he reckons the session could have been even tighter if he had been released in a better window for his final Q3 attempt.

"It's very emotional to be here in Brazil with a competitive car, starting in the top three," said Massa.

"I didn't use everything I could from the car. I got a lot of traffic in my last run and there were also problems in the garage so I couldn't improve my lap time.

"Everyone was improving a bit on the second set. I was not going to improve enough to beat them but maybe to get close."

Massa will be joined on the second row by team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who was just half a tenth slower.

"It was very tight between team-mates but that's the good thing," Massa added.

"I'm so happy. I hope it's just the beginning for a good result tomorrow."

Rosberg vows to learn from Austin experience, but Hamilton will still beat him
Nico Rosberg has vowed to learn from the disappointment of losing out to Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton in the United States Grand Prix.

Rosberg qualified on pole for last weekend's event at the Circuit of The Americas, only for Hamilton to overhaul him during the race.

Having secured the top spot again in Saturday's tight Interlagos qualifying session, Rosberg is determined to this time convert it into victory.

"It's only the perfect job if it works out tomorrow," Rosberg commented after qualifying.

"Up to now it's been going well. It's the best place to be, but I need to make it happen, unlike in Austin.

"The pressure is pretty much similar. I'm here, I'm going for it and staying optimistic all the time. I want to learn from Austin."

Hamilton says he lost time with lock-ups at Turn 1 and Turn 10, but was quick to congratulate his teammate, knowing that come Sunday he will smoke him for the win yet again.

"Nico did a great lap," said Hamilton, who missed out on pole by three hundredths of a second.

"I lost time at Turn 1 and Turn 10 but it was great having to go out and keep fighting – that's what it's all about."

Although he has been slower than Rosberg in all sessions so far this weekend, Hamilton is hopeful that he can pull off a repeat of his race day performance in Austin.

"Pole is the best place to be but it's a long race tomorrow. It should be exciting with the pit-stops and the weather," he explained.

"I want to win like everyone else. I hope we get to have a race."

Ricciardo dumbfounded over lost pace in qualifying
Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo was left to rue a loss of pace after he managed only ninth during qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Ricciardo was fifth quickest in the final practice session earlier on Saturday but dropped to the tail-end of the top 10 in Q3, equaling his least-competitive qualifying performance of the season.

"The day was going alright up until qualifying and then we lost a lot of pace," he said.

"I went out quite early in Q1 and there was a bit of stuff on the track, so I thought it would get better and better but we didn't find the pace we were after.

"I was surprised to get into Q3 after my lap in Q2. I felt better in Q3, but I was only a tenth or so faster; it's bit frustrating.

"We should have finished better than ninth, we hoped to be in the top five after the pace we had in practice, but hopefully the car will be better in the race."

Outgoing World Champion Sebastian Vettel struggled during practice but was able to jump up to sixth during the final shootout.

"I got happier with the car as qualifying progressed and we're in a solid position to start the race tomorrow," said Vettel, twice a victor at Interlagos.

"It's hard to beat the Mercedes and Williams from where we are, but this is Brazil and anything can happen; weather can play a big role, it was supposed to rain today and it didn't, but that's Interlagos for you."