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The Japanese GP grid was shuffled around on Sunday morning when both Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button took penalties.

Raikkonen, who was in third place, tumbles down to eighth with a five-place gearbox penalty. With his team mate Sebastian Vettel already put back three places the Red Bull drivers, who qualified fifth and sixth, now both start on the second row. Sergio Perez and Romain Grosjean also gain.

Meanwhile Button goes to the back of the grid thanks to a 35-place penalty after a “strategic change” by Honda, having taken his sixth example of all six power unit elements.

This gives him a fresh set of equipment and specification parity with Fernando Alonso. The team felt that he had little to lose from 17^th.

Seven F1 teams have now signed a letter to the FIA in support of moving next year’s pre-season testing from Barcelona to Bahrain to avoid what Mercedes technical boss Paddy Lowe says could be a repeat of the 2005 US GP tyre fiasco.

Pirelli has indicated that it wants to test its new, wider tyres in a hotter climate on definitive 2017 cars, which will feature much higher levels of downforce than the mule cars currently doing the prototype testing. Pirelli believes that, despite the higher loadings seen at Barcelona, it has to run its new tyres in hot conditions in order to fully explore the limits.

The teams had booked Barcelona for the two four-day tests, but Mercedes has been pushing for a move to Bahrain, with Niki Lauda personally lobbying rival teams.

Cost issues meant that Mercedes originally had limited support, but several teams have now come out in favour of the Bahrain option. One source told Motorsport.com that Bahrain provides “more bang for the buck,” with the obvious extra benefits of being able to test cooling systems in hotter conditions, and a guarantee of dry running.

Under the FIA regulations a majority of teams have to back any plan for a test outside Europe, and the teams who want Bahrain have signed a letter to Charlie Whiting confirming their support. It’s understood that those now supporting Mercedes are Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, Force India and Haas, with Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Williams and Sauber those still standing firm on Barcelona.

The letter from the former group reads: “We the undersigned agree to the two pre-season team tests for 2017 according to Article 10.6(g) of the F1 Sporting Regulations (Testing of Current Cars) to be conducted at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC). Since the BIC is outside Europe we submit our request agreement according to Article 10.6(d). We make this agreement in support of the request from Pirelli for more representative track testing of the new tyres for 2017.”

Originally a straight choice between the two venues was being discussed. However, although in theory the rules don’t allow it the FIA is now also open to the possibility of two parallel tests running and the teams deciding which venue to attend, and that Whiting said at tonight’s drivers’ briefing that those are the three options. A first test in Barcelona followed by one in Bahrain is not thought to be on the agenda.

With the tests running in parallel that could open up the possibility of seven new cars running for the first time in public at 9am local time in Bahrain on February 27th, with the other four appearing later the same day in Barcelona – leaving the world’s media with a choice of which venue to attend.

It’s understood that Whiting will discuss the Bahrain plans further with Pirelli boss Paul Hembery tomorrow, before a meeting of team bosses on Sunday.

Paddy Lowe is adamant that the teams have to support the tyre company’s request to run in Bahrain.

“The situation is that we have the biggest change in tyre regulations probably for one or two decades, and Pirelli have asked the FIA if they would support testing in Bahrain, which is outside Europe,” said Lowe.

“So by regulation it requires a process to get there. So as I understand, a majority of teams support that request. For me, the important point that Pirelli were asking for is some hot condition testing of the compounds particularly. The structure of the tyre is created and tested in the lab, but the compounds they can only evaluate in real circuit conditions.

“And unfortunately the mule car programme which is running at the moment has delivered three cars which are very helpful to the process, but they are not delivering the level of aerodynamic load that will be seen next year.

“So for me it’s a matter of supporting Pirelli’s request to contain the risk of arriving at the first race as being the first event with hot conditions and there’s real risk to the show. We’ve seen what can happen, for example, in Indianapolis 2005. We mustn’t forget that we need to put on a show, we need to run a 300kms race with sensible numbers of tyres, so that’s not an inconsiderable risk and should be covered. So that’s why we particularly support that request.”

Meanwhile Pat Symonds of Williams made it clear that his team is still opposed to the idea.

“The cost of doing a test outside of Europe is vast,” said Symonds. “Depending on exactly how you do it and how much you have to ship back to the UK, how much you can ship on to the first race – we’re talking of a minimum of £300,000, probably a maximum of £500,000 so a likely figure sitting in the middle of that.

“Now to a team like Mercedes, I’m sure that they can put contingencies in their budgets to cover things like that. A team like Williams simply can’t, it’s a significant amount of our budget, it is unaccounted for and therefore I think it is the wrong thing to do.”

The fallout of Max Verstappen’s eventful Belgian GP dominated conversation in Monza today, with both Ferrari drivers reiterating their views about the Dutchman’s defensive driving.

Kimi Raikkonen suggested that the FIA should be more consistent.

“I think it’s quite clear what they are,” said Raikkonen of the rules. “And obviously sometimes you feel it’s not correct what happens on circuit, but obviously I think the biggest problem is it’s not always the same. I think as drivers we always discussed it and it’s a bit up and down and I think that could be improved.

“Personally I have nothing against Max. He is doing a good job and he’s fast. It’s not a personal thing but certain things, at least in my feeling, were not correct if you have to slow down or brake under full speed but those things are never ending discussions but let’s see what happens.”

“I think the thing that we’ve spoken about before and has come up again in Spa was the bit that is the moving under braking,” said Vettel. “Which obviously, as the lead car, is the wrong thing to do. The following car can react but there are situations where you can’t react any more and it will end up in a crash which has been something that we’ve talked about.

“I think he understood when we spoke about it so we obviously need to maybe have another chat. But as I said in Spa, I’m not a big fan of running to the stewards and complain there. I think it’s much better if we do it face to face. Unfortunately we haven’t done that yet but I’m sure we will.”

Meanwhile both men gave their views about the first corner accident.

“Obviously it was an unfortunate thing,” said Raikkonen. “Not really an awful lot to discuss except probably he said sorry and I said OK and you know we go forward. It wasn’t ideal for us or any of the three to be involved, but that’s how it goes sometimes. So next time we try to give a bit more room but it’s done now.”

“It’s clear what happened,” said Vettel. “Obviously I thought there was Kimi on the inside but as it turned out there was three cars. The room that I gave was for Kimi, it was not for three cars because I think Max had a bad start and was out of that fight, but decided not to, so in the end we had three cars with not enough room.

“From my side, it’s clear. Obviously if I know that – I can’t see much in the mirrors, I could see that Kimi was there and I was slightly ahead – if I had to do it again, knowing that, I would give a little bit more room, at least I make I don’t know about the cars on the inside then, but I think it was a pity for all three to be involved and not to come out of the corner being able to race for the podium after that.”

Renault says that Kevin Magnussen will be fit to race in Monza this weekend following further medical checks since his big crash in the Belgian GP.

However the final call will be made by the FIA in Italy on Thursday.

A statement from the team said: “After initial checks at the circuit’s medical centre, Kevin was referred to a local hospital in Verviers for further routine examinations.

“Kevin had heavily bruised his left ankle but the tests showed no fracture or serious injury and he was released from hospital the same day and returned home to Denmark. He has since undergone further checks in Denmark that indicate he is able to race at the Italian Grand Prix in six days. The FIA will confirm Kevin is fit to compete following a final assessment on Thursday in Monza.”

“I’m feeling much better, which is very good news,” said the Dane. “I’ve had several checks that show I am fit to race in Monza and I am sure I will be in the car this weekend. We were running in the top ten in Belgium and I’m very motivated to repeat this again in Italy.”

McLaren boss Eric Boullier says that the team is not letting up in its quest to make further progress over the rest of 2016, adding that anything learned will pay off next year, despite the rule changes.

Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button showed improved form in the races before the summer break, regularly making Q3 and recording top 10 finishes.

“The whole team has had a well-deserved break after the gruelling schedule of 12 races since the start of the season,” said Boullier. “We are now just over halfway through, and ready to fight again to achieve our end-of-season goals.

“The midfield pack is particularly close, and each team is stronger on different circuits, so there’ll be no let-up in in how hard we push or the developments we bring to the car in our bid to continue our progress through the rest of the season and into next year.

“Together, McLaren-Honda is continuing to push hard, and everything we bring to the car – be it on the chassis or power unit side – is valuable learning for next year. We’ve enjoyed a couple of weeks away from Formula 1, but our ambition is as strong as ever, and we’re definitely ready to go racing again.”

Meanwhile Honda F1 boss Yusuke Hasegawa expects the Japanese manufacturer to continue to make progress.

“Though the long and power-hungry nature of Spa won’t suit us, our target for the remainder of the season is clear: to aim for championship points and take further steps forward with each race. We hope that we can continue our positive momentum that we had before the summer shutdown and look to another strong weekend in Spa.”

The F1 Strategy Group has today voted to not introduce the Halo in 2017, despite a strong case for it from the FIA, and the majority support of the drivers.

The Strategy Group, which is compromised of Bernie Ecclestone, Jean Todt, Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and Force India, decided that the device needs more work.

It remains to be seen whether the FIA decides to try and force it through on safety grounds, which is technically possible, although sources have suggested that Todt will not do that.

An FIA statement said: “The Strategy Group agreed unanimously that the 2018 season will see the introduction of frontal cockpit protection for Formula One cars in order to significantly enhance the safety of drivers.

“It was decided that owing to the relatively short timeframe until the commencement of the 2017 Formula One season it would be prudent to use the remainder of this year and early next year to further evaluate the full potential of all options before final confirmation.

“This will include undertaking multiple on-track tests of the ‘Halo’ system in practice sessions during the rest of this season and during the first part of the 2017 season.

“While the Halo is currently the preferred option, as it provides the broadest solution to date, the consensus among the Strategy Group was that another year of development could result in an even more complete solution. Halo remains a strong option for introduction in 2018.”

Red Bull’s Christian Horner, who had backed the Aeroscreen alternative that has been tested and rejected by the FIA, said last weekend that it was too early.

“We’re really waiting to hear from the FIA and at the next Strategy Group there will be some discussion,” he told this writer. “As a team we’re not fans of the Halo system. I think it’s an inelegant solution, and I’m not so sure it is a complete solution. Rather than do half a job it’s better to take a bit more time and do it properly.

“I think something has to be done, but rushing it through isn’t the right thing. You look at a MotoGP rider, they are far more exposed than an F1 driver, and you look at the steps that have been made in F1, it’s been astronomic over the last couple of decades. I think we’re on the right trajectory.

“I just think this concept needs further investigation and research and development. For us for ‘17 it’s already last minute, because it obviously has an impact on aerodynamic performance etc. We also don’t know what effect it’s going to have at tracks with big undulations.”

The issue that the technology exists and the sport may now face is that if there is a serious accident in 2017 where the Halo could have protected a driver legal repercussions may follow.

Nico Rosberg has finally agreed his two-year contract extension with Mercedes.

The team announced it by posting a video showing the German signing his contract alongside a smiling Toto Wolff.

Negotiations have been ongoing for some time, with Gerhard Berger working as an advisor and helping Rosberg to get a better deal.

Yesterday when referring to the drawn out discussions Rosberg noted: “Of course you need to be careful, because it can influence and take some energy away, but I think from my side with the experience that I have now I know how to handle it, and in my part I have Gerhard Berger who is handling it for me, specifically to make sure that I don’t lose any focus on the racing and to get the best out of it.”

The troubled Sauber team has finally secured a deal to safeguard its future with a sale to Swiss investment company Longbow Finance.

The team admitted some weeks ago that a “solution” was at hand, but no details had been forthcoming. Since BMW pulled out at the end of 2009 the team has been owned by founder Peter Sauber and team principal Monisha Kaltenborn.

Sauber, who has always been reluctant to sell, will retire and leave his role as chairman, and will be succeeded by Longbow’s Pascal Picci. Kaltenborn will stay on a team principal.

In a statement the team said that it is Longbow’s “clear intention to stabilise the group and create the basis for a competitive and successful future. This transaction also secures the continuation of the brand Sauber in Formula One and will open opportunities to further grow the engineering activities of the group. There will be no changes to either the company or the team name.”

“We are very pleased that by reaching an agreement with Longbow Finance S.A., we can secure the future of Sauber at the pinnacle of motorsport,” said Kaltenborn. “We are convinced that Longbow Finance S.A. is the perfect partner to again make the team competitive and successful in Formula 1. At the same time the new structure will allow us to finally further expand our third party business in which we commercialise our know-how.

“This solution is in the best interest of our employees, partners, loyal suppliers, the base in Hinwil and for the Swiss motorsport. We are very grateful that Longbow Finance S.A.believes in the competences, efficiency and capabilities of Sauber Group, and we look forward to a new exciting future.”

Peter Sauber added: “Monisha Kaltenborn and I yesterday signed an agreement which secures the future of the Formula 1 Team and the Sauber Group. I am very happy that my courageous investment to buy the team back, which I made six years ago, with the intention to secure the base in Hinwil and the place in Formula 1 has proved to be correct.”

Mercedes has lodged an intention to appeal with the FIA regarding the decision that saw Nico Rosberg docked 10 seconds in the British GP results, and which dropped him to third place behind Max Verstappen.

In effect the team has bought itself time to assess the situation, and it can now decide whether to proceed with the appeal or withdraw it. Had it not appealed the results would have been final today.

The key to the decision was the team telling Rosberg how to deal with his seventh gear problem.

Nico Rosberg has been given a 10 second penalty for a breach of the radio communication rules in the British GP.

He thus drops to third behind Max Verstappen.

The FIA deemed that he had breached Article 27.1 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations, and noted that: “Having considered the matter extensively, the Stewards determined that the team gave some instructions to the driver that were specifically permitted under Technical Directive 014-16. However, the Stewards determined that the team then went further and gave instructions to the driver that were not permitted under the Technical Directive, and were in Breach of Art. 27.1 of the Sporting Regulations, that the driver must drive the car alone and unaided.”