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Marussia Formula 1 team driver, Briton Max Chilton has confirmed in Monza that his race seat is secure and safe until the end of the 2014 season.

Chilton's place at Marussia seemed to be in jeopardy when the small team announced in Belgium two weeks ago that American Alexander Rossi was to drive Chilton' car.

Lengthy negotiations led Chilton back in the seat of the Ferrari-powered car for the race however.

Now in Monza, Chilton declared that his position is safe for the final seven Grands Prix of the year.

"What happened was a commercial decision which got changed, and we are now back to normal.

"It's all been sorted out and it's now in the past. We're now looking forward as we're still in an amazing position as a team.

The best thing we can do now is focus on staying ahead of Sauber,” Chilton told the journalists in the paddock of the Monza circuit.

"We are now back to normal and moving on. I am definitely in for every single race, although FP1 sessions are open - and that is the team's decision.

"As long as I get informed the week before that I am missing FP1, it is not a problem,” the Briton said.

Max Chilton, Marussia MR03-Ferrari, Spa-Francorchamps. (Photo: WRi2)

The driver is convinced that what happened in Belgium has not endangered his standing or position in the team.

"No, not at all," insisted Chilton.

"At the end of the day it was a commercial decision made by both parties, something that was agreed.

"From the outside it looked like it was a bit messy, but from the inside we knew what was going on. It hasn't changed anything on our side,” he explained.

From GMM

Ferrari will have an all-new car for 2015 but it still might not be enough to match Mercedes, technical boss James Allison has admitted.

After the departures of team boss Stefano Domenicali and engine chief Luca Marmorini, Marco Mattiacci has pinned Ferrari's recovery hopes on Allison, the former Lotus designer.

The 2015 car, which will succeed the disappointing F14 T, will be the Briton's first full Ferrari project, and Allison reveals that it will be completely different.

He said it is simplistic to say the biggest problem with the 2014 car is the underpowered V6 engine.

"Mainly, we are behind our rivals Mercedes in terms of power, but also when it comes to aerodynamic downforce," said Allison.

"Every part of the car has to be improved so that it can become more competitive next year," he added, revealing that the 2015 machine will be different "in every area".

The two Ferrari F14 T at Spa-Francorchamps. (Photo: WRi2)

Allison said he is not worried the so-called engine development 'freeze' will hinder Ferrari's ability to recover, as the rules allow manufacturers to change 48 per cent of the 'power unit' for 2015.

"Our problem is not the rules, it's the time needed to close such a big gap," he explained.

"But as I said at the start, it's not just the engine which has to improve, the chassis needs to also, as does the suspension and every part of the car. I don't know if we can close the gap in just one year," Allison admitted.

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari's top driver who despite intense speculation has now committed to Ferrari for 2015, has a similar view.

"What's certain is that we must reduce the gap over the winter and much more than in other winters, because it's a gap of around one and a half seconds (to Mercedes)," said the Spaniard.

"I don't know if it's possible to do that in six months."

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Photo: Subaru

Caterham Formula 1 Team has confirmed that Japanese Kamui Kobayashi was to drive the No. 10 Renault-powered Caterham at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend.

Kobayashi will race alongside Marcus Ericsson in Italy while Spaniard Roberto Merhi to drive in free practice 1 Friday morning.

Merhi started his single-seater racing career in 2007, competing in the Italian Formula Renault and Formula Renault Eurocup. In 2009, Merhi stepped-up to the Formula 3 Euro Series, winning the championship in 2011.

He currently races in Formula Renault 3.5 series and is second in the standings, challenging for the title.

Andre Lotterer, who replaced Kobayashi in Belgium, was proposed to drive again in Monza but he turned down the offer.

"When Colin Kolles told me on Tuesday that Merhi would take my place for the first practice session, I changed my mind and told them I would not participate”, said Lotterer.

Kamui Kobayashi, Caterham CT05-Renault, in Malaysia. (Photo: WRi2)

Toyota Division plans to make active safety technology -- including anti-collision systems -- available throughout its entire lineup in the United States by 2017, said Bill Fay, Toyota Division's general manager.

CarMax said it is recruiting for more than 1,000 positions to fill across the country. The used-car retailer said in a statement Wednesday it is offering full- and part-time permanent positions.

Toyota, in a move to expand its digital media marketing efforts, began sponsoring a new entertainment Web program that debuted Wednesday.

Riding strong U.S. demand for crossovers and big pickups, automakers sold almost 1.6 million light vehicles in August, up 6 percent from a booming year-ago period. In August 2013, auto sales jumped 17 percent.

Tesla Motors is expected to announce Thursday that it has selected Nevada to be the site of its "gigafactory," the large-scale lithium ion battery manufacturing plant estimated to cost up to $5 billion to build.

Ford of Canada said today that it was the country's top seller of new vehicles in the month of August, as sturdy truck demand helped it maintain leadership for a fifth consecutive month.

Mazda revealed the new MX-5/Miata, which will go on sale next summer. The new generation of the roadster has more responsive handling and is more fuel efficient.

Mazda, which has staked its future on making its cars lighter, more efficient and more fun to drive than their competition, on Wednesday revealed the purest execution of that strategy: a redesigned MX-5 Miata built with Mazda's full suite of...

Daimler has bought Mytaxi and RideScout, two smartphone applications that will help the maker of Mercedes limousines provide services to people who do not own cars.

Since the landing of the first Chinese-made vehicle in 2008, the Changhe M100, the Brazilian market has been reasonably receptive but the mood has changed with time.

Nissan Division reported rising U.S. demand in August across its product portfolio. The division sold 125,224 cars and light trucks last month in the United States, up 15 percent from August 2013.

With Ford beginning the prolonged shutdown and changeover to the 2015 aluminum F-150, the company's F-series sales dropped 4 percent to 68,109 units in August.

GM's August sales were bad for market share but good for the bottom line.

New models fueled double-digit sales gains at Volkswagen Group of America's Audi and Porsche luxury brands, but not enough to offset ongoing weakness at the VW brand and buoy the German automaker's overall U.S. sales in August.

Car market leader Maruti Suzuki India sold 110,776 units in August 2014, including 98,304 units in India and 12,472 exports. The automaker sold 87,323 units in August 2013.

Truckmaker Navistar International has announced a third quarter 2014 net loss of $2m, or $0.02 per share, greatly reduced compared to Q3 2013's net loss of $247m, or $3.06 a share. Revenues in the quarter were essentially flat at $2.8bn.