Charles Leclerc should not feel that there is any rush to get himself into Ferrari, says Sebastian Vettel, despite ongoing speculation suggesting he could replace Kimi Raikkonen as early as next year.

On the back of some impressive showings this season, Leclerc has emerged as the prime candidate to line up alongside Vettel in 2019 if Ferrari decides that Raikkonen is not worth keeping.

Speaking ahead of the German Grand Prix, Vettel said that he felt both men would be a good fit for Ferrari – but was clear that time was clearly on Leclerc's side if a move did not happen now.

Asked if he had a strong preference to keep Raikkonen as his teammate, Vettel said: "I would be happy to continue like that but it is not for me to mention, or to decide.

"I think Charles, one way or the other, will have a great career. He is a great guy, he is fast and has everything. He has no rush. He is young, but if you are young you are always in a rush with everything!

"I don't know when or what and ultimately who [my teammate will be]. But...it doesn't really matter to me. For me it is clear where I am next year but I think both of them would suit into the team."

Vettel says he has no complaints about the way his partnership with Raikkonen is working, even though they have sometimes had on-track tangles.

"I like Kimi," explained Vettel. "We get along, and we have never had any issues. Sometimes on track I remember I drove into him and crashed into him, but the way we handle things is very similar and very straightforward."

Leclerc himself insisted he was fully focused on his Sauber role and not paying attention to speculation.

"Obviously it's always a pleasure to see when there are some articles about me going to Ferrari, because obviously it's a dream since [I was a] child.

"But on the other hand, it's not so difficult for me to come to the race weekend and to switch to the racing mindset and to be fully focussed on the job I have to do.

"When I'm at the track I definitely don't think about any rumours or anything at all."

Lance Stroll has been strongly linked with a move to Force India next season, with the Canadian admitting his Formula 1 future may not be with Williams.

On the back of his current team’s struggles in 2018, Stroll is known to have been evaluating his options in a bid to land himself the most competitive seat possible.

Sources have now suggested that Force India has emerged as the leading contender should the Canadian decide that his F1 future is better served away from Williams.

A move to the Silverstone-based team should give him a more competitive seat than he has had this year, plus Force India could benefit from any potential financial injection that the Strolls can bring.

A cash boost could come alongside a move by Force India to try to firm up closer ties with Mercedes, in a similar way to what Sauber is doing with Ferrari, both on the technical front and in terms of running junior drivers.

Speaking ahead of the German Grand Prix, Stroll said that his future was currently uncertain, but there was a clear hint that his place at Williams was pretty much dependent on the Grove-based outfit making a recovery soon.

“I would like to see us improve and get to where we want to get to as a team,” he said, when asked if he wanted to stay at Williams next year.

“I also want to do what’s best for me as a driver, so we will come to all the conclusions at the right time and figure out what’s best for the future.”

He added: “I don’t know yet what I’m doing or where my future is going. I’m still focused on where I am right now, what I’m doing today and we’ll see what the future holds.”

Although there have been suggestions that a deal with Force India could be completed in a matter of weeks, Stroll said that for now his focus was on sorting Williams.

“I’m not going to comment in detail on all that kind of stuff, I’m really just focussing on every weekend - where I am right now, the racing. There is plenty going on.

“Right now, I think there is a lot of unfinished business in Formula 1. I got to experience some amazing highlights as a rookie last year and some difficult times as well, which I expected coming into my rookie year but all in all a great rookie season.

“And this year, I think we are all quite surprised, shocked by the performance of the package and where we are. So I don’t think it’s time to end it on this kind of note.”

Haas has decided to skip the two-day test scheduled to take place in Budapest after the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The team will skip the Hungaroring days -- the last in-season test of 2018 -- due to the hectic schedule which has seen Formula One contest five races in six weeks. Haas also stayed on at Silverstone after the British Grand Prix for two days of Pirelli tyre testing.

By skipping the tests, Haas will gain extra time off ahead of the two-week summer shutdown which follows.

"Instead of participating in the test in Hungary, Haas F1 Team is using the time to analyze the data it received from its recent Pirelli tire test at Silverstone, from past grands prix and from our simulator work," Steiner said. "Between the data our drivers have been able to gather that is directly applicable to their driving styles in our cars, and this current run of five races in six weeks, we determined our time was best spent at the factory."

Haas has told ESPN the decision has nothing to do with the recent antics of development driver Santino Ferrucci, who has been dropped by his Formula 2 team Trident and handed a four-race ban in that series for intentionally driving into Haas' other development driver, Arjun Maini, after a race at Silverstone. As Haas ran its two regular race drivers at the post-Spanish Grand Prix test days, the regulations require the American team to run a young driver in Budapest.

Haas is still taking its time to make a decision on Ferrucci's future.

"I don't really want to explain anything because we are looking into what actually happened and what the story is, because we need to listen to all the parties," Steiner said when asked about the Connecticut local. "For us to make a comment or do something, it is too early.

"At the moment my time is better spent working on this race and the next race before the summer break and then I will have time to look into it. It's not at the top of my priority list, but obviously we are not ignoring it by any means. But it is still too early to make any comment and I would like to leave it at this for the moment until we know more and we have a clear picture of it."

Formula 1 is making a fresh attempt to ban tyre blankets from 2021, as the FIA opened the tender process for the next supply contract that will include a move to low-profile 18-inch rims.

The next single supplier contract will cover the four seasons from 2020 to 2023, the first of which will be run with current tyre sizes and blankets.

From 2021, the front tyres are set to be narrower, dropping by 35mm to 270mm. The rears will stay the same, at 405mm, while diameters will increase from the current 670m to “700-720mm.”

That means if anyone other than Pirelli wins the bid, it will have to develop tyres from scratch that will be used for only one year before the major package of rules changes comes on stream in 2021.

That will clearly make it very difficult for someone like Michelin – which wanted F1 to switch to low profile tyres when the last bid process took place.

The loss of tyre blankets will be one of the biggest technical challenges that the winning bidder will face.

The subject has been discussed and attempts have been made to introduce it, but the plans were always canned on safety grounds.

The FIA has noted, however, that it believes there is a way forward that will not require a change of heart this time.

"Tyres should provide safe performance when leaving the pits cold," said the official FIA tender document.

"The glass transition temperature must be chosen so that the tyres are never in a ‘glassy state’ when either the ambient or the track temperature is above 10 degrees centigrade.”

Intriguingly it adds that “for winter testing a specific low temperature tyre will be required. This will form the bulk of supply to the teams for European winter testing with a limited number of race compounds available,” while confirming that “wet and intermediate tyres should also be capable of running without the need for pre-heating.”

The FIA makes it clear that the “improvement of the show” is a the number one priority, and that the process should start with the final year of the current tyre sizes: “The provider should commit to achieving this in 75 percent of circuits in 2020, and to improve their performance with respect to this objective throughout the whole period of the tyre supply.”

In addition, “in order to stabilise at a pressure that provides peak performance, the tyres must be capable of commencing running at cold pressures compatible with achieving suitable stabilised pressures.”

There will be three compounds at each race, as expected, with the simplified hard, medium and soft names. The FIA characterises the tyres as follows:

- Hard compound: 2s degradation achieved at 22% race distance Base lap time

- Medium compound: 2s degradation achieved at 18% race distance 1.2s/lap quicker than Hard compound

- Soft compound: 2s degradation achieved at 10% race distance 2.2s/lap quicker than Hard compound

The FIA hopes that there will be more strategic variety, saying that “the intent is to create the maximum number of race strategies yielding race times such that multi-stop strategies provide just enough potential of a beneficial outcome to encourage the greatest variety in the racing spectacle.”

For a typical circuit it wants the following:

- 1x Medium Compound + 1x Hard Compound = 1-Stop Race

- 1x Soft Compound + 2x Medium Compound = 2-Stop Race

- 3x Soft Compound + 1x Medium Compound = 3-Stop Race

Regarding tyre wear, the FIA says it is “considered desirable both for its impact on race strategies and to ensure tyres are not run to a point of excessive wear. A non-linear performance gradient change (‘cliff’) at a certain percentage of tyre wear would achieve this. It is suggested that an underlayer of low performance is designed below the tread compound to achieve this.”

The FIA also wants tyres that can recover, noting “it is expected that aggressive driving or close following will incur higher tyre degradation per lap than gentle driving or driving in free air. Once a period of aggressive driving or close following ceases, the tyre should rapidly recover the lower level of degradation per lap associated with the more benign conditions.”

On the matter of performance it adds: “In terms of absolute lap time, the performance of the tyres fitted to 18” wheels should, when at operating temperature, be at least as good as the 2019 tyres.”

Tyre suppliers have until August 31 to submit their bids. A decision on technical and safety compliance will be made by September 14, and then after the commercial aspects of any ‘Approved Bidders’ will be considered.

Liberty will then make its choice, which then has to propose prior to official approval by the FIA.

Sauber to halt 2018 car development

Sauber will stop development of its 2018 Formula 1 car next week, the team having decided to make an early switch to focus on next year's challenger.

Although the team is making rapid progress this season, and is just three points behind Toro Rosso for eighth in the standings, the outfit feels its long-term future is better served in doing as much as it can for 2019.

Team principal Frederic Vasseur believes that the aerodynamic rule changes coming for next year, which include a heavily revised front wing, means there is a chance of making good gains if it gets a head-start over the opposition.

"At one stage, and that stage is next week, we will stop the development of the car because the new regulations are an opportunity for us," said the Frenchman.

"At least I consider the new regulations an opportunity, and we have to be fully focused on next year."

[...]

Force India admits it would be willing to consider allowing Esteban Ocon to sign for Renault for the 2019 Formula 1 season.

Ocon is contracted long-term to Mercedes, and is currently on loan to Force India. It’s understood that the agreement states that for next season he can only be called back by the Stuttgart manufacturer to drive for the works team.

However in recent weeks it’s become increasingly clear that Mercedes is keen to place him at Renault for 2019, in order to enhance his career development, with some sources suggesting that an option has already been agreed.

Renault in turn would reap the obvious benefits of having a French driver, even if he still belongs to a main rival.

However Ocon could only go to Renault if an accommodation is made with Force India, with a deal that would have to be brokered by Toto Wolff steering his junior driver away from one of his customers, and into a seat with a rival works team.

When asked by Motorsport.com Wolff insisted that Ocon’s future was still being discussed: “We don’t know. We can’t comment. It’s tricky, the situation.”

Force India has made it clear that a commercial deal would have to be done if Ocon was to to any team other than Mercedes.

“We try not to disclose the details of our driver contracts, but it’s safe to say that we would have to release him,” team COO Otmar Szafnauer told Motorsport.com.

“If circumstances made it the best thing for us to do, we’d have to look at it. We like Esteban and he’s done a great job for us. At the end of the day, it’s our call. If Renault want to pay a bunch of money, I’ll consider it!”

The Renault situation is further complicated by its current driver Carlos Sainz being contractually tied to Red Bull, which is expected to retain Daniel Ricciardo in the coming weeks.

Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul confirmed Sainz remains in the frame.

“One thing that is very public that is holding back a decision is the decision of Ricciardo,” Abiteboul told Motorsport.com.

“I guess with the announcements this weekend from Mercedes [new deals for Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas] I expect some domino effect, and in particular for Ricciardo, so that it clarifies a number of things for us.

“One thing I can say is our position is clear to a number of drivers who have expressed an interest in joining us.

“So we have options which we will review in the next few weeks, and we’ll make a decision. Once there is certainty on that, I guess there is no reason to delay a decision.

“Carlos is bringing stability, commitment, team spirit, pace, and indeed the fact that he will be a free agent [if Red Bull lets it option on him lapse].

“Having said that we need to take the time and look at all the options, and see what’s best for Renault, not just next year, but in the next two to three years.”

Szafnauer insisted that no decisions have been made about 2019 at Force India, insisting that there’s no hurry to secure a deal with Sergio Perez, who has been linked to other teams.

“We haven’t started throwing the balls up in the air,” he said. “It’s too early. It’s genuinely all wide open.

“With Checo [Perez] the time frame is to start speaking with some of his backers and supporters on what they want to do next year. It’s usually around the Mexican GP that we face that, so it’s way premature for Checo.”

Regarding reports of Lance Stroll heading to Force India, he added: “We need a seat to be able to do that. But if I were looking for a drive, I’d consider Force India just because of our performance.”

Formula 1 race director Charlie Whiting says there was no exact precedent for the pit entry offence committed by Lewis Hamilton in the German Grand Prix.

Hamilton escaped with a reprimand after changing his mind and abandoning the pit entry and cutting across the grass and back onto the track.

The FIA stewards explained that the penalty was a light one mainly because the incident happened under the safety car, and there was no danger to other drivers.

In that respect, Whiting says it was not the same as an incident in Azerbaijan in 2016, where Kimi Raikkonen was penalised.

"I don't think there is a specific precedent," said Whiting. "Kimi a couple of years ago in Baku got a five-second penalty, you may remember.

"But that was quite a lot different, that particular scenario. I can't think of any other precedent – a direct precedent, anyway.

"I think there were two cars close to each other at extremely high speed, so I think that's what separates it from this one."

One of the unusual aspects of the case was that Hamilton did not actually contravene the regulation about staying to the right of the bollard when entering the pits – he simply changed his mind after correctly passing it.

"The rule that most people were talking about was the one in the event notes, which says if you are entering the pits you must stay to the right of the bollard there.

"Lewis was entering the pits, and he did stay to the right of the bollard, but then he changed his mind, obviously.

"It's to make sure drivers don't enter or leave the pits in a dangerous way.

"Coming into the pits, we don't want drivers diving in at the last minute – that was the reason for the bollard – but it's less clear whether it's dangerous if a driver decides to abort having already gone past a bollard which is more or less the point of no return, and crossed back the other way."

He also contrasted the Hamilton incident to one in the 2017 Spanish GP, where Pascal Wehrlein earned a five-second penalty for missing the bollard after a late call to stop.

"That was coming into the pits. He came into the pits. Lewis didn't come into the pits. He was going to, but he didn't actually."

Hamilton himself received a reprimand for a bollard offence in FP2 at the 2013 British GP.

Whiting explained that at Hockenheim a section of the FIA's International Sporting Code, rather than the bollard requirement, had led to the stewards calling Hamilton and Mercedes.

"There is another rule in the sporting code which says the line separating the pit entry from the track may not be crossed in either direction by any car entering the pitlane. So that's why the stewards decided to call them, having thought about it carefully."

One example where a driver was specifically penalised under that ISC rule also involved Raikkonen, in FP3 at the 2012 Canadian GP.

The Finn received a modest €2500 fine for "crossing the line at pit entry."

Felipe Massa received a drive-through in his final race for Ferrari in Brazil in 2013 for crossing the entry line when he made a stop in the race, while in another scenario Sergio Perez also received a drive through in the 2012 Monaco GP, although on that occasion the stewards cited a "late pit entry and impeding another driver".

Whiting said the delay in the summons for Hamilton and Mercedes was because the stewards had a lot on their plates during the race, and waited until after the flag to fully consider the matter.

"It just takes a little bit of time to make sure that if you're going to call a team, that you have good reason for calling them. Obviously we wanted to wait until after the race to have a look at it, because we were getting quite close to the end.

"Then with all the rain and thunderstorms, and everything like that, by the time everything had calmed down we needed to have a good look at it and the stewards decided that they should in fact discuss it with the team."

Formula 1 teams are in talks over moving 2019 pre-season testing from Barcelona to Bahrain, although final arrangements have yet to be agreed.

Bahrain was used for pre-season testing in 2006-’9, and again in 2014, but this was always complemented by sessions in Europe.

The difference on this occasion would be that, other than initial shakedown or filming days in Europe, all the running will be at Sakhir.

Teams have always preferred to stay in Europe for testing, for obvious logistical and cost reasons.

However, extremely cold weather and an unrepresentative new track surface meant that for many Barcelona was unsatisfactory this year.

In addition, Pirelli having had to switch to a thinner tread for the Spanish GP to prevent the blistering seen in testing is something that could create complications for next year’s pre-season running.

Significantly Liberty is open to the idea of contributing to freight costs, and that has tipped the balance in favour of going to Sakhir, where good weather and thus lots of mileage will be guaranteed.

The downside is the extra time required to fly personnel back and forth, and to ship in new parts.

It’s understood that F1 sees Bahrain as potentially a media-friendly place to start the season, and that teams will be asked not hide their cars with screens or close garage doors, which is the usual behaviour outside of race weekends.

The first test is provisionally set to start eight days earlier than this year, reflecting the earlier start to the season in Melbourne.

Testing is to take place across February 18-21 and February 26-March 1st, with four days of rest in between.

As previously reported, a move to only one in-season test in 2019 is also on the cards, with the August Hungary session set to be abandoned

Having gone three events in a row finishing inside the points, Charles Leclerc goes back-to-back races without picking up a point. This weekend Leclerc claims he was frustrated with the teams wet weather tyre choice.

The man from Monaco summed his day up to the Formula 1 channel following the German Grand Prix. It was obvious the young driver was not best pleased.

“It was a hugely disappointing day. I had such a good start and could keep my position because the speed was very good in the car. The rain came and I was immediately called in,” said Leclerc.

“It rained too lightly for rain tyres, which made them wear too hard. After a few rounds, I was able to go back to the pits, which meant was race was over. Now we have to take a look at Hungary to achieve something in the last race before the summer break.”

Perhaps making matters worse, his team-mate Marcus Ericsson picked up two points in the Grand Prix. The gap between Sauber and Toro Rosso is now just two points.

Renault have confirmed Artem Markelov will feature in the post-Hungarian Grand Prix test next week. He signed with the team as a development driver and is currently racing in Formula 2.

Nico Hulkenberg will drive the Renault car in the first day of testing. The German will hand over the ropes to Markelov in day two. All teams except Haas are expected to take to the track for the Hungary test. Haas are missing out due to their extensive programme with Pirelli.

Force India will also use their development driver Nikita Mazepin on day two. Nicolas Latifi, who featured in FP1 last weekend, will drive the Pink Panther on day one.

The post-Hungary test will take place on July 31 and August 1.

The Formula 1 organisation has announced that it has postponed its efforts to launch the Miami Grand Prix until 2020.

The news means next year's calendar is expected to feature just 20 races, with Germany dropping out.

Paddock sources have been suggesting for some weeks that it was becoming increasingly difficult to ensure that contracts for the Miami event would be signed off in time for 2019.

It is apparent that F1 owners Liberty Media didn't want to put the race on the calendar with provisional status, only to lose it.

At the same time it means the back end of the 2019 schedule can be optimised at an early stage, instead of races like Austin, Mexico and Brazil having to work around a space left for Miami.

One of the issues has been opposition from local residents, and Miami politicians are keen to take their views into account, rather than fast track approval through.

A decision was scheduled to be made at a City Commission meeting this week, but that discussion has been postponed until September.

The fan festival scheduled for October will go ahead as planned, and it could be a key element in promoting plans for the race to sceptical locals.

"In the last few months we have worked diligently alongside our promoter Stephen Ross of RSE Ventures, the City of Miami and Miami Dade County, to realise our ambition to bring a Formula 1 Grand Prix to Miami," said F1 commercial boss Sean Bratches.

"And we have made significant progress. However, these are complicated negotiations. Whilst our preference would have been to race in Miami in 2019, there was always a point by which delivering the best possible wheel-to-wheel racing experience for our fans, drivers and teams wouldn't be possible in the time available.

"We have now reached that point as far as racing in Miami in 2019 is concerned. However, we are taking a long-term view and as a result, we have decided, in consultation with the Miami authorities, to postpone sign-off until later in the summer, with the aim of running the first Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix in the 2020 season.

"We have always said that we wouldn't compromise on delivering the best possible race, for the people of Miami, our fans and the 1.8 billion people who watch F1 globally every year, and if that meant waiting until 2020, then that was far more preferable than signing off on a sub-optimal race track, just to do a deal."

Bratches said that F1 had enjoyed full co-operation from Miami authorities, and that F1 was listening to feedback.

"At every stage of this process we've enjoyed positive collaboration and co-operation with the City of Miami, Miami-Dade County, Port of Miami, Bayfront Parks Management, residents and businesses.

"As a result of these discussions, we have listened and adapted our plans, including elements of the track layout.

"We are committed to expansion in the US and to Miami in particular and we will be bringing our fantastic sport to this iconic city in October with the Formula 1 fan festival, where we look forward to engaging and exciting fans."

Red Bull say Daniel Ricciardo will avoid grid penalties at this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix despite his retirement in Germany on Sunday.

The Australian was given a penalty in Hockenheim for using excessive replacement engine parts.

His retirement with an engine problem in Germany then raised questions as to whether he would receive a further penalty at the Hungaroring.

But a Red Bull spokesman said the team did not expect to be taking penalties.

He said the part that failed - which he refused to specify - would be "replaced with one of our quota", which means a used part that still has life in it, thus avoiding the need for a new part and an additional penalty.

Ricciardo took in Germany what is known in F1 as a "tactical penalty".

This means a team who are already on the limit of the number of engine parts permitted per season - and who know that they will need to take new ones that will mean penalties at a point in the near future - take the penalty at a race where they expect to be less competitive, to put themselves in a better position at a track where they could score more points.

Hungary is one of three main tracks where Red Bull hope their car's characteristics - specifically high levels of aerodynamic downforce - will offset the lack of performance of their Renault engine compared with those of Mercedes and Ferrari.

One was Monaco, where Ricciardo won; Hungary is another, and the third is Singapore in September.

Lance Stroll could be off to Force India next season with reports claiming his father is, or will soon be, Force India’s new owner.

According to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, Force India are holding the key to the midfield driver market as the team’s future could determine that of several drivers.

Journalist Michael Schmidt reports that there is “speculation that Force India will file for bankruptcy” with Stroll stepping in as their saviour.

Auto Bild is reporting something similar, although they go as far as to question “whether he has secured a majority stake or if the team now belongs completely to him.”

Should the reports of Stroll’s investment in Force India prove to be true, his son Lance is then expected to make the move over from Williams.

The silly season rumour mill suggests he will partner Sergio Perez with Esteban Ocon off to either Renault or McLaren.

Should the Frenchman swap to McLaren, that could put Stoffel Vandoorne out of a drive while if he moves to Renault, Carlos Sainz will head to McLaren, and Vandoorne will again be out of a drive.

Nothing has been confirmed.

See that perfectly nice, well-lit living room? How there are books and nice plants in the background? And on the glass coffee table, some reading glasses, magazines, an iPhone and a, um, bigass tire? Is this really working with the aesthetic of this room?

There is no shortage of car-branded crap for sale and this tire speaker is just the latest one, if not the oddest. It’s called the Pirelli P Zero Sound. Pirelli, a tire company, met up with IXOOST, an Italian audio company with a name I’m not even going to attempt to pronounce, and decided to make a Bluetooth speaker together. This speaker that looks like a tire is the result.

The tire is a mini replica of a Formula One tire that the teams use to conduct wind tunnel testing with. From the press release:

The speaker comes in nine different colors, none of which I’m convinced would match any room aesthetic unless it’s a literal Formula One pit. No pricing was included in the release.

Whatever. You’re welcomed to try it out for yourself. It’s perfect for the enthusiast who delights in confusing his houseguests as to where his soft jazz is coming from.

If it wasn’t going to be hugely expensive I’d have one in the garage to provide wrenching music, but the wording of that press release might as well said “You can’t afford this”.

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Vijay Mallya's Force India Formula One team may have to go into some form of administration as part of a process to put it on a sounder footing, chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer said on Friday.

A Companies Court winding-up list, published on the justice.gov.uk website, had scheduled a hearing for the Force India Formula One Team Ltd at the London High Court last Wednesday, July 25. Asked about the risk of administration, Szafnauer told reporters at the Hungarian Grand Prix that another hearing was being held on Friday.

"Within a week or at the most two, our financial future will become more clear and I believe much more secure," he said.

He gave no details on the hearings and the team would not comment.

There has been speculation within Formula One that Lawrence Stroll, the billionaire father of Canadian driver Lance, is willing to invest in Force India as part of a move for his son from Williams. Stroll has not commented on the reports.

Szafnauer said he did not know what the outcome would be but acknowledged administration could be one of two potential ways out and "whichever route it is, I think the team will be fine. More than fine, actually".

Force India's Mexican driver Sergio Perez had described the situation as 'critical' on Thursday, recognising also that his own future remained uncertain. Asked whether Perez was speaking in sporting terms or financial, Szafnauer said there was "a high correlation" between the two.

"The more money you have in this game, usually the better you do. But hopefully that will be solved soon and we'll get back to operating in the normal manner that we are used to," he added. "We are just in this critical period, which might last a week or two. We have to keep our heads down, do the best we can here, go enjoy our break, after the test, and then come back fighting thereafter."

Sunday's race at the Hungaroring, and a following mid-season test, is the last F1 action before the August factory shutdown.

Force India's problems are well-documented, with co-owner and team principal Mallya fighting an attempt by India to extradite him from Britain to face charges of fraud, which he denies. A group of Indian banks are seeking to recover more than $1 billion of loans granted to his defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

Mallya has decried a "political witchhunt" and has said he is seeking to sell assets worth about 139 billion rupees ($2.03 billion) to repay creditors. Szafnauer told Reuters in June that the team suffered a cash squeeze through the European winter months but had suggested that was easing.