Pirelli is keen to carry out pre-season testing at a warm weather venue such as in Bahrain to gain better data on its new tyres in 2017.

The 2017 regulations will see increased downforce levels as well as wider tyres in order to provide faster cars, with Pirelli already having started its tyre testing program at the beginning of this month. Motorsport boss Paul Hembery wants pre-season testing to take place in the Middle East – as it did in 2014 – in order to avoid potentially unrepresentative temperatures in Europe.

“We would love to but that’s out of our hands,” Hembery told F1i when asked if pre-season testing could take place in Bahrain. “We have suggested that that’s what we’ll do but we will see what the teams decide.

“Cold temperatures could give limited data and we would obviously like to understand better where we are before we actually get in to a race.

“That’s something that would be ideal from our point of view and I would think from the teams point of view but there’s still a number of concerns regarding costs and the cost of replacing parts during a test period. So it might not yet happen.”

And Hembery says the new tyre sizes could lead to Pirelli supplying different versions of each compound next year, despite currently planning to stick with the five specifications ranging from ultrasoft to hard.

“It depends on which philosophies we use for different types of circuits and that’s something that we are simulating at the moment. If we carry on with the three compounds per race it’s how that would work with the circuits that we go to.

“If you can imagine the middle compound which might get used on a street circuit or vice versa there are sometimes street circuit compounds being used on the bigger circuits that maybe next year doesn’t quite work as well. So I think from a public’s point of view there will be five compounds.”

F1i Classic – Mayhem, monsoon and the mother of all Belgian Grand Prix

Breakfast with … Alan Jones

Max Verstappen interview: Destined to be a champion?

From Sauber to Ferrari – Exclusive interview with Kimi Raikkonen on F1’s evolution

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Click Here: liz claiborne perfume

Williams F1 development driver Alex Lynn will make his FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) debut during next month’s 6 Hours of Fuji with Manor.

The Briton will drive the #45 LMP2-entered Oreca 05 alongside former F1 racer Shinji Nakano and fellow countryman Tor Graves.

Currently competing in his sophomore GP2 Series campaign with DAMS, Lynn has already tested several times in F1 for Williams since joining the Grove-based outfit in the wake of his 2014 GP3 Series title.

A four-time race winner in the official F1 feeder series, the 23-year-old has been somewhat eclipsed in the running for Felipe Massa’s vacant seat at Williams, with fellow development driver Lance Stroll reportedly groomed for the promotion.

Lynn’s sportscar experience amounts to a run in last year’s Toyota TS 040 HYBRID LMP1 charger during a test organised in Bahrain last November.

Click Here: liz claiborne perfume

Chris Medland’s 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix preview

TECHNICAL: F1 telemetry: The data race

FEATURE: When F1 team-mates fight for the title

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Sebastian Vettel has apologised for making contact with Nico Rosberg in the first corner of the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday, which spun the Mercedes around causing Rosberg to drop all the way back to the rear.

Vettel had initially put the matter down as a racing incident, while also pointing the finger at Max Verstappen who squeezed him down the inside in the three-wide incident at Sepang.

Vettel was subsequently handed a three-place grid penalty for next weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix after the race stewards concluded that Vettel had made “a small error entering to the inside of turn 1 that led to the contact,” and that the indiecent had been “predominantly the fault of the [Ferrari] driver.”

After the race, Nico Rosberg revealed in his latest YouTube video blog that Vettel had subsequently contacted him to apologise for the costly contact.

“Sebastian just called me actually,” Rosberg said. “He apologised, which is nice. It doesn’t get me back the points that I lost, but it’s still nice to hear that.”

Rosberg himself had received little advance warning about being spun out.

“The start was good – I was just on the outside of Lewis and felt a massive hit on the rear which spun me around. For me I was sure that was it, I was sure the car was broken.

“Of course I spin turned it as quickly as possible and got going, and surprisingly the car was still okay. The thing is, it got a bit damaged but still more or less okay to drive it. I was really surprised.

“Then of course, full attack – that was all I could do. It was quite enjoyable at times to fight through the pack like that and pass left, right everywhere.

“Got through all the way and then fighting Kimi, my move was a bit for sure very aggressive and I accept to get a penalty for that, and that’s it

“Thankfully it didn’t hurt my result, so P3 – which of course was good damage limitation today even though I set out to win the race so not idea, but okay. That’s how it is.”

Rosberg still expected to lose ground in the drivers championship to his team mate Lewis Hamilton, but a late engine failure put the Briton out of the race and meant that Malaysia ended up proving a big boost to Rosberg’s title hopes.

“Points-wise a good day for me of course even though not for the right reasons because I want to get them on merit,” said Rosberg.

“I can understand Lewis’ situation of course because I’ve been there as well and it’s just horrible when you deserve to win a race and the technology lets you down. I’m sure he’s really, really gutted – that’s very understandable of course.”

“Now I’m just flying to Japan, going to have a few days off there,” he added. “A few days in Japan relaxing and then off to Suzuka, of course a great opportunity there again to win in Suzuka.”

F1i’s driver ratings for the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix

FULL REPORT: Ricciardo wins in Malaysia as Hamilton retires from lead

Breakfast with… Gianni Morbidelli

Silbermann says … Bugged by Liberty

Romain Grosjean exclusive column: Haas can build momentum for 2017

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Click Here: juicy couture perfume

The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) has put forward a series of rule changes for the 2017 Formula One season, which includes the closing of the loophole in the power unit regulations that allows drivers to get big engine penalties at a same event all the while securing extra engine parts.

Current 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged power units are made up of six main components – the internal combustion engine (ICE), MGU-K, MGU-H, energy store (battery), turbocharger, and control electronics.

Each driver can use five of each of the above components during a championship season and any combination of them may be fitted to a car at any one time. The first time a driver uses a sixth of the above six elements a 10-place grid place penalty will be imposed. Every sixth part of the remaining elements used after that point means a five-place grid penalty.

Teams have tended to accumulate penalties during the same grand prix weekend in order to minimise the impact of taking new components. This was for instance the case of Lewis Hamilton in Spa-Francorchamps at the end of summer break.

Following a meeting of the WMSC on Wednesday in Paris, a statement reads that “during any single event, if a driver introduces more than one of a power unit element that is subject to penalty, only the last element fitted may be used at subsequent events without further penalty. This is to prevent the stockpiling of spare power unit elements”.

Another significant change concerns the tyre regulations, as official supplier Pirelli has already mandated the compound allocations for the first five events of the 2017 season.

With wider tyres set to be introduced next year and teams having to pick their compounds before pre-season testing takes place, it has been accepted that each driver will receive “two sets of the hardest compound specification, four sets of the medium compound specification and seven sets of the softest compound specification to each driver”.

The topic of launching a race in rainy conditions has also been raised. Following the backlash triggered by starting this year’s British Grand Prix behind the Safety Car due to the track being wet, a new procedure has been agreed upon.

“If a safety car is deemed to be required for the beginning of a race due to wet weather, a normal standing start will occur once the track is deemed safe to race. The process will see the safety car return to the pit lane and the cars assemble on the grid for the start.”

The FIA has also eased its ban on F1 drivers changing their helmet design during the course of the season.

“Drivers must continue to present their helmets in substantially the same livery at every event of the FIA Formula One World Championship for easy recognition of the driver in the car, however a driver will now be allowed one event (such as a home race) for a special livery (at the driver’s choice). Drivers will also be allowed to change their helmet liveries if changing teams during the season.”

Chris Medland’s 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix preview

TECHNICAL: F1 telemetry: The data race

FEATURE: When F1 team-mates fight for the title

F1i Classic: Sepang 2001 – Ferrari pulls off a masterstroke

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

McLaren’s Fernando Alonso and Williams’ Felipe Massa had very different views of their clash at the Circuit of the Americas in the last few laps of the 2016 United States Grand Prix on Sunday.

Alonso barged past Massa at turn 16 with four laps remaining in the race, and the two cars bumped wheels on the exit of the corner. The incident was investigated by the stewards after the race who decided that no further action was required, but Massa remained furious with the two-time world champion’s driving.

“Fernando dived into the corner I was taking, hit my car and I got a puncture because of it.

“I was just going through the corner and he just dived completely inside,” Massa explained. “I was already entering the corner and he just hit my car and I had a puncture.

“Just destroyed the opportunity I had at that moment,” he complained. “I think yes for sure, it’s his responsibility.”

Naturally, Alonso had a very different view of the incident.

“To get past the Williams today you needed to overtake them in different places, like tight, slow-speed corners, and quite forcefully, and it was tough but hopefully enjoyable for the fans.

“I think that I was side-by-side with him, it’s not like I was coming from behind or any crazy thing, I was already side-by-side so there was no space for him to turn in,” adding that he saw it as a racing incident

REPORT: Hamilton takes crucial Austin win from Rosberg

2017 driver line-ups so far

Silbermann says … Taylor should take over F1

Romain Grosjean column: 100 races, now for the wins

PREVIEW: 2016 United States Grand Prix

TECHNICAL – Turbulent Jet Ignition: In the antechamber of F1 power

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter