Force India still smarting over Hulkenberg’s penalty
Force India are incensed over Nico Hulkenberg's lack of penalty, at least as they see it, in Abu Dhabi, saying he was "rewarded" for passing Sergio Perez off the track.
Force India are incensed over Nico Hulkenberg's lack of penalty, at least as they see it, in Abu Dhabi, saying he was "rewarded" for passing Sergio Perez off the track.
Nico Hulkenberg believes his five-second penalty was a just punishment for passing Sergio Perez off the track in Abu Dhabi.
Force India's chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer was incensed with the five-second penalty given to Nico Hulkenberg, saying it "makes a mockery of the sport".
Sergio Perez has said Nico Hulkenberg "should have given the position back" after an illegal overtake was punished by just a five-second penalty.
Nico Hulkenberg clinched P6 in controversial circumstances, while Felipe Massa secured the final point on offer in his last-ever Formula 1 race.
Nico Hulkenberg is hoping to finish Sunday's Abu Dhabi GP where he starts it, P7, as that would give Renault a good chance of finishing sixth in the Constructors' Championship.
Nico Hulkenberg beats Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon to P7; Felipe Massa knocks out Fernando Alonso in Q2.
Next season Formula 1 will introduce the Halo with Nico Hulkenberg worried that it will disadvante the sport's heavier drivers.
The final team principals' press conference of the season took place after FP2 in Abu Dhabi, with the top trio taking part in the first half.
Force India's Sergio Perez tops the midfield in FP2 as Nico Hulkenberg gets above both McLaren and Williams.
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner is hopeful the American outfit can pounce if Renault's struggles continue in the battle for sixth in the Constructors' Championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Blighted by problems in recent races, Renault's F1 chief Cyril Abiteboul says he felt a "bit bitter" as they have been forced to give up speed in favour of reliability.
Carlos Sainz has said he is "starting to feel at home" with Renault; Nico Hulkenberg eyes a strong result at Abu Dhabi for a fourth year in a row.
Franz Tost says he "had to say something" in Brazil after Renault put the blame on Toro Rosso's engine failures on the F1 team.
Stoffel Vandoorne is buoyed by Red Bull's recent results, hoping that it means with Renault also powering McLaren next season, they can return to winning ways.
Renault development driver Oliver Rowland is in talks over a seat with Prema Racing in the Formula 2 Championship next season, according to Planet F1 sources.
Felipe Massa finished best of the rest in his final race in Brazil, holding off Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez in the dying stages.
Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has tried to calm the escalating row between Toro Rosso and Renault, saying they've always been "treated fairly".
Felipe Massa and Carlos Sainz have pointed fingers at each other for blocking after the retiring Brazilian was forced to abort his lap of Q3.
Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso catch the eye in P5 and P6 respectively after penalties are applied; Felipe Massa accuses Carlos Sainz of deliberately ruining his qualifying.
Renault advisor Alain Prost has tried to cool the war of words between themselves and Toro Rosso and promised that the Red Bull junior team will have engines for the season finale.
Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost insists he won't apologise for implying that Renault could be deliberately hampering Toro Rosso in an attempt to beat them in the standings.
Toro Rosso have responded to Renault's accusations that their recent engine failures are because of the way they run the engine, saying let's not forget who Renault are fighting.
Renault believe some of the issues Toro Rosso are currently suffering with their engines are specific to the team and the way in which they run the engine.
Nico Hulkenberg has downplayed claimed that Renault will run an all-new car in 2018, saying it will instead be a progression of this year's RS17.
There were top ten times in practice at for the Brazilian Grand Prix for Esteban Ocon, Felipe Massa, Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso.
Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley have all been hit with 10-place grid drops at the Brazilian Grand Prix due to taking on fresh power unit elements.
Carlos Sainz has said he is fully focused on his job at Renault and is not thinking about the prospect of replacing Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull.
Renault have all-but conceded defeat on finishing fifth in the World Constructors' Championship and are instead setting their sights on sixth-placed Toro Rosso.
Although Nico Hulkenberg has special memories of the Interlagos circuit, it is not a favourite with his new team-mate Carlos Sainz.