Sports Mole rounds up all of the latest news regarding Formula 1 on Sunday, November 1.
Sunday morning's Formula 1 news roundup:
Ferrari boss Binotto to skip next race in Turkey
© Reuters
Laurent Mekies will step up and serve as Ferrari's acting team boss at the next race in Istanbul.
The rumour at Imola was confirmed by team boss Mattia Binotto, who said he will stay at Maranello instead of travelling to Turkey before missing "a few more" of the remaining four races after that.
It is not clear why Binotto is sitting out Turkey, but it is almost certainly simply a move to focus on factory-based issues in preparation for 2021.
Ferrari has struggled notably this year, but sporting director Mekies says the trend of the last few races has been in the upwards direction.
"Of course it has been a very difficult season for us," said the Frenchman. "For many races in a row our results were declining and we realised that there were serious problems with our car.
"It took a lot of time to deal with them, find the causes and find the solutions, but now we would like to think that the most difficult part is over.
"If we look at the last three or four races where we brought some technical innovations, it is clear that we are gradually improving."
Also looking more competitive at Imola is Sebastian Vettel, who had even hinted after Portimao that he might not be receiving equal machinery compared to his teammate Charles Leclerc.
But the German, who will switch to Aston Martin for 2021, now insists that Ferrari treats him fairly.
"It is I who cannot get the most out of the car," he said at Imola. "I've always been able to do it my career, but not this year."
However, Mekies confirmed that Vettel is "much more comfortable" this weekend, even if he is only 14th on the grid compared to Leclerc's seventh.
"But if you analyse the results, Vettel is already closer to his teammate than in the previous weekend," he said.
"Sebastian and his team did not give up, they tried to understand why he was losing his former confidence, and they tried to find some solutions.
"We know that our car is more capricious than last season - more difficult to find the right approach - but the situation has started to improve a little," Mekies added.
Haas asked Alfa Romeo to delay driver news
© Reuters
It is now obvious that Mick Schumacher will step up to Formula 1 next year with Haas.
Earlier, it appeared that the 20-year-old German and F2 points leader would indeed get his promotion for 2021, but it had not been decided whether it would be with Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo or Haas.
At Imola, Alfa Romeo announced that both Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi - another member of the Ferrari academy - are staying put next year.
"I asked Fred (Vasseur) to wait with his announcement until after this race, but it apparently did not work," Haas team boss Gunther Steiner told Ekstra Bladet newspaper.
However, he stopped short of confirming the now open secret about Schumacher's Haas seat.
"Mick is a Ferrari driver," said Steiner. "A lot is going on, but he is their driver and not mine.
"My plan is still that we do not announce our drivers until the season is over. Of course the fans want to know, but it also applies internally. The drivers are the most important people on the team.
"To ensure a good team spirit, we need to tell the people as quickly as possible what is happening," he added.
More news from Formula 1:
Lewis Hamilton frustrated with "p***-poor" performance in Imola qualifying
Lewis Hamilton was beaten by 0.097 seconds by his Mercedes team-mate. Read more.
Result: Lewis Hamilton fastest in Imola practice
Lewis Hamilton finished three tenths clear of Red Bull's Max Verstappen with Valtteri Bottas third. Read more.
Todt 'concerned' about F1's ongoing corona crisis
Jean Todt admits he is "very concerned" about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Read more.
Result: Valtteri Bottas beats Lewis Hamilton to Imola pole
Red Bull's Max Verstappen was third. Read more.
'Definitely' no F1 race seat in 2021 - Kubica
Robert Kubica says he will "definitely" not be returning to Formula 1 as a race driver in 2021. Read more.
Todt admits to seeing Schumacher 'regularly'
FIA president Jean Todt says he still goes to visit Michael Schumacher "regularly". Read more.
Marko all but confirms 2021 exit for Kvyat
Dr Helmut Marko has all but officially confirmed that Daniil Kvyat will not keep his seat at Alpha Tauri beyond the end of 2020. Read more.
Kvyat slams 'bulls**t' track limits at Imola
Daniil Kvyat has slammed the strict enforcement of 'track limits' this weekend as Imola makes an otherwise highly popular return to Formula 1. Read more.
Renault hopes FIA allows 'young driver' test for Alonso
Cyril Abiteboul is hoping the FIA might step in to allow Fernando Alonso to take part in the end-of-season 'young driver test' in Abu Dhabi. Read more.
Ferrari, Renault reject Red Bull engine freeze
Both Ferrari and Renault say they will not support Red Bull's push to see engine development frozen from 2022. Read more.
