Italian Grand Prix talking points

03 September 2015 08:46

The Italian Grand Prix plays host to round 12 of the 2015 Formula One season this weekend.

Here, Press Association Sport dissects five big talking points heading into Sunday's race.

Sebastian Vettel was incandescent at Pirelli following his penultimate lap tyre blow-out at Spa. What is the latest?

Yes, Vettel is usually a calm and collected individual, but he let rip at the tyre supplier after his puncture. The four-time world champion claimed he could have been killed in an expletive-laden interview with the BBC and in a small statement released on his website shortly after the race he then backed Ferrari's aggressive one-stop strategy.

Pirelli, the sport's sole tyre supplier, had suggested that the decision to stop Vettel only once was the likely reason behind the failure. But the full results of its investigation are expected this weekend and it is reported it will reveal an external factor, such as debris or a kerb, actually caused the problem.

Nico Hulkenberg signed a two-year extension to his current Force India deal at the beginning of the week - what does that mean for the rest of the driver market?

Hulkenberg, winner at Le Mans this year, had been in talks with American outfit Haas who are to make their grid debut in 2016. But in truth, his decision to stay at Force India does not come as a huge surprise. What is surprising is the length of the deal given Kimi Raikkonen signed only a one-year extension to his Ferrari contract. That would appear to rule Hulkenberg out of moving to Ferrari in 2017.

All eyes will now turn to Jenson Button and McLaren. The British team have an option on the 2009 world champion for next year, but that clause expires at the end of September. McLaren young guns Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne are waiting in the wings. Where Button drives next year, if anywhere at all, will be the last key piece in the driver market jigsaw.

And what of the other Nico? Rosberg became a father for the first time this week.

Yes, Rosberg's wife Vivian gave birth to a baby girl in Monaco on Monday. It will be interesting to see if it has any impact on Rosberg's performance in a race car. The German is 28 points adrift of Lewis Hamilton and is desperately in need of a strong result on Sunday if he is to take the title challenge to his Mercedes team-mate.

Lotus sound like they are in a bit of bother financially - will they be racing this weekend?

It does look that way. Bailiffs who are working on behalf of the French driver Charles Pic - reportedly demanding a settlement of £550,000 after being denied a race seat - have released their cars and trucks ahead of the grand prix.

Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One's ringmaster, is said to have stumped up in excess of £1million to keep the team afloat. Quoted in the Times, the 84-year-old said: "I thought I should cover the wages of the people there to make sure they were all right and so that Lotus would at least get to Spa and, hopefully, to Italy."

Renault is in the process of buying out Lotus and a takeover deal could be announced imminently.

Monza is a great track, but is it facing the circuit scrapheap?

The circuit has played host to all but one Italian Grand Prix, a race which has been an ever-present on the calendar since Formula One's inception in 1950. But its future beyond next season is in doubt. The circuit is struggling to raise the cash to stage the race, and Ecclestone has already said he will not offer them a cut-price deal.

Damon Hill, a two-time winner at the Italian Grand Prix, told Sky Sports: "I think that Formula One would be very, very unwise to lose a venue like Monza." And his view is one which is shared by many. But, as ever in this game, money talks.

Source: PA