Formula 1 General Chat & Discussion

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News Round Up Part 5 :

Frank Williams against cost control 'interference' :
Williams team founder Sir Frank Williams says he opposes any method of 'invasive' cost controls in Formula 1, while pushing for restrictions on driver salaries. Amid ongoing discussions over the future of F1 spending control, Williams said he did not want to see teams' finances 'interfered' with.
"I am against any kind of interference. I don't want any third-party interference with one's business, to have people sneaking around wanting to check this and that. It's just like waiting for the taxman every day," he told the official F1 website.
"Williams is not pleading for more restrictions. But I have said many times that we have to control driver costs."
He feels people should accept that an element of financial inequality is inherent in F1.
"There are 12 teams and each operates in different circumstances," said Williams. "We have several manufacturer teams. One of them is Ferrari, who seem to have a great deal of money and who are in effect subsidised. But that is fine - they are Ferrari. They are the core of Formula 1 and that is how it should be.
"That is fine with me. Take me, there are so many men in the paddock who have more hair than me and it has always pissed me off, but I live with it! You learn to get on with it."
Williams added: "Well, I am not a unique person, but I know for sure that millions of men would almost kill to be in Formula 1. I am exaggerating, but Formula 1 is so attractive that just to be there and be part of it, people would accept far more disadvantages than being at the far end of the grid."

Lewis Hamilton says Britain would be justified in hosting two Formula 1 races :
Lewis Hamilton believes Britain would be justified in holding two Formula 1 races in the future if ever plans for a London GP took off. With McLaren sponsor Santander unveiling its vision for a potential track around London at an event on Thursday, Hamilton said a possible race around the capital city would not be out of the question as an extra event alongside Silverstone.
"Some other countries have two races like Spain and Germany, and arguably the UK makes an enormous contribution to F1, so I reckon that would be completely justified," he said. "Silverstone is more than just my home race; it is a giant of a circuit, a real racer's track. The idea of a London race presents a completely different possibility and it would be great to reward our home fans with two races, wouldn't it?"

The Santander circuit, which has been created as a CGI video, takes in many of London's famous landmarks including Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament. The start/finish straight and the pits would be on the Mall.
Jenson Button believes that if an event could ever be put on it could help cement London's place as a sporting capital.
"There have been times when I've been sitting in the back of a black taxi and idly thought to myself, 'This would make a pretty good corner on a racetrack.'" He explained.
"If we ever could have a London Grand Prix, I think it would be spectacular and would be such a great addition to the city's status as one of the world's greatest sporting capitals.
"We did an F1 street demonstration on Regent Street a few years ago, and half a million people came out to watch - I remember the sight of thousands of people on rooftops and balconies on every storey of every building along the route.
"There's a mammoth following for Formula 1 in the UK and a race in the city would be at the heart of everything, easily reachable by public transport. It would be a fantastic race for the drivers and the fans alike."

Dani Clos to drive for HRT again in British Grand Prix Friday practice :
Dani Clos will return to the cockpit of the HRT at Silverstone next week after the team announced he will take part in opening practice for the British Grand Prix.
The Spaniard, who had his first outing with the team on home soil at Barcelona last month, will replace Narain Karthikeyan for free practice one. Speaking about his opportunity, Clos said: "I'm very happy to step into the F112 once again in Silverstone, a place where I've got good memories since I've made the podium every time I've been in GP2. After Barcelona I've really been looking forward to this new opportunity.
"The work we're carrying out with the team is positive and I think that I can make a good contribution. I will be able to run in better conditions than in Barcelona because the car was new back then and I had to carry out various aero tests. Now I've got a new opportunity, not to prove anything but to work with the team and evolve as much as we can."

Heikki Kovalainen 'cannot wait' for British Grand Prix given Caterham's progress :
Heikki Kovalainen says the British Grand Prix cannot come soon enough, with the latest batch of Caterham upgrades set to deliver another step forward in performance. The Hingham-based team enjoyed one of its most competitive Formula 1 weekends yet in Valencia as new parts helped Kovalainen make it through to Q2 on merit. And with further developments - including new rear bodywork, a revised exhaust layout and other aerodynamic details – expected to help bring more performance, Kovalainen is eager to find out what his team can achieve this time out.
"Honestly, I can't wait to get back in the car and see what we can do at this year's British Grand Prix," he said. "At the last race in Valencia we clearly made improvements, enough to help me put the car into Q2 on merit and we have more upgrades coming for Silverstone.
"For this race it's important that we carry our qualifying speed and good reliability through into Sunday as issues like the KERS problem I had in Valencia impact all the hard work the team is doing at the factory and in the windtunnel to get us where we want to be. If we can do that I think we can have another very good weekend and I'm really looking forward to giving our home fans something to cheer for."
Team-mate Vitaly Petrov believes that with Scuderia Toro Rosso now in the team's sights, Caterham has been filled with a fresh sense of enthusiasm about the remainder of the campaign.
"As we'll be bringing more new parts to the British Grand Prix I think it's another race where we'll be able to take a step forwards," he explained. "I'm sure everyone else will be bringing upgrades so we need to make sure that we don't just make gains, but we improve more than our nearest rivals.
"That's a big challenge but after seeing the gap to Toro Rosso shrink in Valencia we have a clear target just ahead and that gave the whole team a real boost.
"Hopefully we'll be able to make similar levels of progress at Silverstone – if we do I think the British Grand Prix could be very interesting. The team made great progress in Valencia and I really hope that we will continue in the same manner at the next race."

Marussia to bring first major upgrade to British Grand Prix :
Marussia is optimistic that it will be able to deliver an immediate upturn in performance in next weekend's British Grand Prix when it introduces what it describes as its first proper upgrade package since adopting windtunnel technology. Team boss John Booth said he was pleased both that the car was likely to get more competitive, and that Marussia was proving it could deliver substantial updates.
Last year the team split with original design partner Wirth Research and commenced a new technical collaboration with McLaren, and ended its all-CFD approach and began to use windtunnels for the first time. The upgrades will be tested in a straightline session at Duxford airfield before Silverstone.
"We have a fairly significant upgrade for this race, comprising a new rear wing, exhausts, floor and sidepods," said Booth.
"I would have to describe this as our first proper windtunnel generated upgrade of the season.
"We've had some smaller parts in Malaysia and China, and a few small iterations recently, but this is the first fully developed package that is not just a modification of existing elements.
"That is a big result in itself, aside from the performance step we hope it will bring us, as it means we have caught up with ourselves in terms of the diligent way in which we have approached and developed our technical partnership.
"We look forward to seeing what this brings, both at Silverstone and at Duxford Airfield beforehand, when we will be integrating the developments into our correlation programme."
The Duxford test will also be Marussia test driver Maria de Villota's first outing for the team.

Michael Schumacher open-minded about British Grand Prix chances :
Michael Schumacher says he goes into next weekend's British Grand Prix open-minded about his and Mercedes' prospects of success at Silverstone. Although the seven-time Formula 1 world champion returned to the podium for the first time in his comeback in Valencia last weekend, Schumacher says that with 2012 form so unpredictable he is not assuming that the breakthrough European GP result will mean he is a top-three contender in Britain too.
"I have many contrasting memories of this circuit; good, not so good and some that are even a little strange... as for how things will go this year, I'd prefer to wait and see," said the three-time British GP winner.
"We have already seen plenty of races this year that turned out differently to the expectations before the weekend".
"Of course, we want to take the momentum from our result in Valencia and put on a good show in Silverstone, especially because this is one of our home races. It goes without saying that we want to give everybody in Brackley and Brixworth a result to be proud of this weekend."
Team boss Ross Brawn said Mercedes had been buoyed by Valencia after Schumacher's problems and misfortune earlier in the season.
"Our successful weekend in Valencia has provided a further boost to the team, with a lot of hard work continuing at the factories to further improve our performance, and we look forward to having another strong weekend at Silverstone," he said.

Kimi Raikkonen increasingly frustrated by his lack of wins on return :
Kimi Raikkonen has admitted he is increasingly frustrated at still being winless eight races into his Formula 1 comeback as his and Lotus's strong form has raised his expectations.
The 2007 world champion, back in F1 in 2012 after a two-year sojourn in the World Rally Championship, is sixth in the points at present and has taken three podium finishes.
Raikkonen said that while he would have been delighted at the prospect of those results before he rejoined F1, the fact that he feels better results have got away is leaving him discontented.
"If you asked me before the start of the season whether I would be happy with podiums I would have said yes, but now I've had some good results, I want more," he said.
"In the last few races the results haven't been as strong as I've wanted. We've finished well but I'm disappointed not to have a win yet.
"We just have to get everything together and I'm sure it can come."
The Finn finished second in the European Grand Prix last weekend, but did not think it was one of his stronger grands prix.
"I think we've been closer to the win at other tracks, but if we see everything going right for us over a race weekend we're not far off," said Raikkonen. "We're certainly getting there."
He added that it would be particularly pleasing if his first triumph with Lotus came at Silverstone next weekend.
"When you win in Silverstone, it gives such a good feeling. You have to get everything exactly right," Raikkonen said. "I won there in Formula Renault and then with Ferrari in 2007.
"It would be fantastic to win again there, especially with the factory just down the road. I'm sure we would have some fantastic celebrations."
The Enstone team's last Silverstone win came in its Renault era, with Fernando Alonso in 2006, while Raikkonen's most recent F1 triumph was for Ferrari in the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix.

Romain Grosjean says Lotus has proved it is a front-running team :
Lotus has now proved it is a 'big team', according to Romain Grosjean, and is capable of consistently going head to head with what team boss Eric Boullier called its 'corporate monster' rivals.
Although the Enstone squad is not among the five teams that have won races in the 2012 Formula 1 season, drivers Grosjean and Kimi Raikkonen have now taken five podium finishes and been victory contenders on several occasions, putting Lotus third in the constructors' championship at present, just 11 points behind McLaren. In Valencia last weekend Grosjean was challenging Fernando Alonso for the lead before retiring with alternator problems, and Raikkonen finished second.
"We made a real step forwards in Valencia, understanding some performance considerations which will help us for the rest of the season," said Grosjean. "I can't wait to put them into practice at Silverstone.
"Ultimately, we didn't finish, but through no fault of our own. I was as sad as the team. The win was there for the taking, but it just got away. I have to be patient. I didn't achieve my first win in Valencia, but I am convinced that it will come.
"It's great to fight with world champions, proper big teams. We are now a big team."
Boullier said Lotus's progress in recent weeks had made the atmosphere at Enstone better than at any time under the current regime.
"One year ago, I felt like everyone was motivated like never before; that every single member of the staff was ready to go the extra mile to see us do well on the track. Well... 2011 doesn't even compare to 2012, as I think we have made another step," he said.
He added: "Recent results have boosted everybody's hopes and commitment in Enstone. The team is united, the expectations are high. The spirit from the late 2009 season is far, far away."
Boullier also believes Lotus's ethos is paying dividends in its on-track performance, suggesting the team has a different approach to its rivals. "Corporate speeches and political games are not for us," he said.
"We've got nothing to do with the corporate monsters we're fighting against on the track. This is probably why Romain's and Kimi's personalities are expressing themselves so freely at the wheel."
Although Valencia was tipped to be the ideal circuit for the Lotus E20's strong points, Grosjean sees no reason why the team's form in Spain cannot carry over to Britain.
"I think we head to Silverstone with more confidence," he said. "We understand a few more things with the car. It was good to have a really hot weekend all the way through at Valencia as we were able to work on the car and really analyse things.
"Silverstone is very high speed; I'm confident we'll have strong pace and that should lead to a good race."

Lewis Hamilton: Valencia clash with Pastor Maldonado won't change approach :
Lewis Hamilton says his late-race incident with Pastor Maldonado in Valencia will not have any impact on how he goes racing in next weekend's British Grand Prix. The McLaren driver was trying to fend off Maldonado's Williams as his tyres faded in the closing laps of the European GP in an incident that left Hamilton in the barriers and resulted in a penalty for Maldonado.
After the race Maldonado suggested that Hamilton should not have fought so hard given his tyre situation, while McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh intimated that Hamilton should have made more allowances for Maldonado's aggressive reputation.
"I am sure in hindsight you have to say that dealing with someone like that you have to take a different approach, but you cannot anticipate it," Whitmarsh said.
But Hamilton said that while losing a podium in those circumstances in Valencia was disappointing, it did not leave him feeling he should do anything different.
"Sometimes you have to accept when things don't go your way in racing," he said.
"Obviously it was frustrating to lose out so close to the finish, but that's motor racing: you put it behind you and move on to the next race - which, happily for me, is at my home circuit of Silverstone.
"It doesn't really alter the way I go racing because I race to win, and that's what I'll be doing, especially at my home grand prix."
The 2008 Silverstone winner said he was as determined as ever to provide another home triumph for the British fans.
"I know we can count on the fans to bring a totally unique atmosphere," said Hamilton. "We're going to give it everything we've got, put on a great show.
"This is an incredible summer of sport for Britain and I want to play my small part in bringing some joy to fans. I will be doing everything possible to get a win for my country on home soil."

Jenson Button keen to prove he's back on form in British Grand Prix :
Jenson Button is optimistic that he can prove he is fully back on form in next weekend's British Grand Prix, as he reckons circumstances in Valencia masked his progress.
The McLaren driver has struggled for pace since April's Chinese GP, but felt he made a breakthrough in Spain last weekend, although a tyre issue in qualifying and the way the race and strategies unfolded left him a low-key eighth at the finish.
"We've been making progress in a lot of areas and while I wasn't able to show that in terms of the result at Valencia - mainly because I got boxed in at the start, then wasn't very lucky with the safety car – our strategy was fine and the car improved throughout the race," said Button.
The 13-time grand prix winner and 2009 world champion has never finished on the podium in his home race, but said that did not diminish his excitement about racing at Silverstone.
"I always enjoy racing at home because the atmosphere is unbeatable, and while the race itself hasn't always been too kind to me, I come here every year knowing I can count on the support of the many thousands of fans," Button said.
Although Button is upbeat about his British GP chances, McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh was unwilling to make a firm prediction about Silverstone form given this season's fluctuations so far.
"We have to keep an open mind from the minute we arrive to the moment the chequered flag is unfurled," said Whitmarsh.
"The team that best manages the performance delta of the tyres is the one best placed to win, and to do that you have to take every opportunity to gather data and learn from it quickly and effectively. Today, grands prix are no longer sprint races that are won or lost on the first lap.
"While that means hard work for us and for our rivals, it is excellent news for the fans in the grandstands and for those watching at home. It means excitement from beginning to end, and that is what Formula 1 must continue to offer."

To end the (serious :blush ) News Round Up ..here is a vid simulation of how the London Grand Prix would look like !



Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

News Round Up Part 4 :

McLaren thinks 2012 Formula 1 development race will be 'fiercest ever' :
McLaren sporting director Sam Michael believes Formula 1's 2012 development war will be the fiercest ever as the incredible closeness of the field forces teams to push for tiny gains that might not have been considered worthwhile in less competitive seasons. The 2012 F1 season has so far seen seven different winners from five different teams in its first eight races, and reached new heights of competitiveness in Valencia where just 0.3 seconds covered the top 13 cars in Q2. Michael reckons that with the potential for an improvement worth just a few thousandths of a second to transform a team's qualifying result, the pressure on development will reach a new intensity.
"There's a lot of development still to come and that's going to be the story of the rest of the year," he said. "Every team is going to be bringing it, including us, more and more over the next few races.
"The development rate this year is going to be really fierce. Because in the past there have been things that maybe for half a tenth, you would have lumped it for something else. But 50 milliseconds is one place, so you are going to be bringing gains that are tinier and tinier.
"It would be interesting to look at what the top 10 to 15 is like from the start of the year because it feels like it is getting tighter and tighter". He feels this is leading to a fundamental change to teams' development priorities.
"The funny thing is that it probably puts more onus on mechanical items because the aero stuff comes no matter what," Michael suggested. "Everyone's aero programmes are massive and they are developing the car aerodynamically".
"Normally the things that are compromised in the short term for aero are mechanical items because you look at something [mechanical] and it's only worth a tenth whereas you can get two and a half or three tenths from aero, but it won't be like that now. It puts the onus on mechanical items".
"Aero is still key, aero is first order, but it just means that you've got to find time to do the rest of it."
Michael added that this focus on time gains from fine detail was also influencing teams' approach to pitstop improvements.
"It's why things like pitstops get a lot of focus because they are differentiators now," he said. "If you dropped a second on a pitstop previously, it didn't matter did it because the gaps were so big you had covered them because car performance was dominant".
"So every tiny little thing is becoming important and it's becoming a very well-refined show. To make a mistake, and it's no different for McLaren, if we make a mistake we pay for it and I guess that's why we put a lot of focus on not making mistakes. The year is going to be about that."

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo 'worried' about team's chances :
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has warned his team against complacency in the wake of Fernando Alonso's European Grand Prix victory - saying the pace of Red Bull in Valencia should "worry" his squad.
Last weekend Alonso came through from 11th on the grid to become the first man to claim a second race win in the ultra-competitive 2012 Formula 1 season, in the process pulling out a 20-point world championship lead. But Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel had been dominating before the mid-race safety car and his later alternator problem, and in an address to Ferrari personnel at its Maranello base, di Montezemolo said he feared a run of difficult races ahead.
"I am worried and all of us should be," he said. "Yes, I am worried, because I expect three very tough races at Silverstone, Hockenheim and Budapest and because we have seen that Red Bull is very strong, having had four tenths in hand over everyone in qualifying and in the race it was flying away, at least until the safety car. If we want to achieve our goals then we must make a step forward."
Although Ferrari has made great progress since its troubled winter testing period, di Montezemolo echoed team boss Stefano Domenicali's belief that it needs to find more space to defend its championship position.
"Now we must ensure we do everything as well as possible because winning depends solely and exclusively on us," he said. "It would be a big mistake to think the win in Valencia means we have done enough: today we have a competitive car, but to win, we must do even more."
He added: "I don't want outsiders to think that one win is enough for us to put on a fireworks display. I know how much you are working, how many sacrifices have been made, but I am the first to know that that all of us, without exception, must still give something more."
Di Montezemolo paid tribute to Domenicali's handling of the criticism Ferrari faced during its difficult start to 2012.
"Stefano Domenicali has never shirked his responsibilities, even acting as a lightning conductor for all the criticism, protecting his people, while at the same time knowing how to demand the maximum effort, how to build a team and look to the future in a positive way and with the right sense of realism," he said.

Formula 1 case banker Gerhard Gribkowsky sentenced to eight and a half years in prison :
Gerhard Gribkowsky, the banker at the centre of the corruption case relating to the sale of Formula 1, has been sentenced to eight and a half years in prison by a Munich court. Gribkowsky was convicted of tax evasion, bribery and breach of fiduciary trust. In his role as chief risk officer for German bank BayernLB, Gribkowsky had been involved in the sale of the bank's stake in F1 to CVC.
During the trial, Gribkowsky alleged that F1 commercial rights-holder Bernie Ecclestone paid him 45 million euros in bribes to smooth the CVC sale.
Ecclestone admitted making payments to Gribkowsky, but said he did so because he had been threatened with blackmail.

Bernie Ecclestone not ruling out facing further legal action over Gribkowski affair :
Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone says he cannot rule out German authorities taking further action against him over the Gerhard Gribkowsky affair - even though he insists he did nothing wrong. Gribkowsky was jailed for more than eight years on Wednesday for taking £28 million in bribes during the sale of F1 – with Ecclestone implicated as a 'driving force' in the matter.No charges have been levelled at Ecclestone, however, who told the courts that instead he was the victim of coercion by Gribkowsky.
Although Gribkowsky confessed to the courts last week that he had been bribed, Ecclestone has stood by his claims – and reckons there is no reason why he should be investigated further.
"They based their decisions on what he told them. I told them the truth," Ecclestone was quoted as saying by Reuters. "I think Mr Gribkowsky told them what he thought he had to tell them. I don't think I should [face further action] but you don't know, do you?" .Britain's tax authorities have been in contact with Ecclestone as a result of the matter too.
Speaking about that, Ecclestone said: "After all this, I'd have been surprised if they didn't contact me".

Bernie Eccletone would consider funding potential London Grand Prix :
Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone says he would consider throwing financial weight behind any attempt to stage a grand prix in London in the future - ahead of a promotional event by sponsor Santander on Thursday evening to unveil its idea for a track around the city.
Just a week after it was revealed that one option being considered for the London Olympic stadium is to turn it in to a grand prix venue, Ecclestone has reiterated his belief that the British capital is the perfect venue to hold an F1 race. Santander is ramping up interest in the British Grand Prix, which it is title sponsor of, by hosting an event that will reveal how a grand prix in London could look – having commissioned a proper evaluation of a potential venue and commissioning a CGI film of how the race would appear on television.
The plans will suggest a three-mile route around some of London's famous landmarks which could play host to more than 120,000 spectators.
Although it is not thought that there has been any serious discussion about turning the idea in to reality, Ecclestone has suggested that he thinks it makes financial sense – and would be willing to fund it himself.
"With the way things are, maybe we would front it and put the money up for it," he told The Times newspaper. "If we got the okay and everything was fine, I think we could do that.
"Think what it would do for tourism. It would be fantastic, good for London, good for England – a lot better than the Olympics."
Any future grand prix in London would have to be in addition to the British GP, as Silverstone has a long-term deal in place.

Frank Williams, Martin Whitmarsh and Ross Brawn on panel for next FOTA fans' forum :
Frank Williams, Ross Brawn, Pastor Maldonado and Martin Whitmarsh are among the guests who are now confirmed for next week's FOTA Fans' Forum at the Williams factory.
The event, which takes place at the Conference Centre at Grove on Tuesday, will also feature appearances on a 'Legends' Panel' with Patrick Head and John Watson in attendance.
The FOTA Fans' events offer a chance for followers of the sport to ask question to some of F1's biggest names - with those lucky enough to get tickets for the Williams event being given the added bonus of being able to view the team's famous museum as well.
Maldonado and Williams will be interviewed on stage, before the panel of team bosses discuss F1 matters with fans.
FOTA has already held events in London, Woking, Montreal, Milan and New York - with further forums scheduled for later this year too.
Only a few tickets are still available for next week's event, with details of how to apply for a place available on the FOTA website.

Overheating caused Renault's Valencia failures on Sebastian Vettel and Romain Grosjean's cars :
Sebastian Vettel and Romain Grosjean's retirements from the European Grand Prix were both caused by an overheating alternator, engine supplier Renault has confirmed, but the French car manufacturer is still uncertain about why the parts got too hot in the first place.
Renault has conducted a detailed examination of the Red Bull Racing and Lotus engines that failed in Valencia, and its conclusion points to the overheating parts cutting the electrical supply to the power units and forcing both drivers out. But despite knowing what caused the engines to shut down, Renault is conducting further tests this week to work out why the overheating issue reared its head in the first place.
Renault Sport F1 deputy managing director Rob White said: "We've checked over the parts thoroughly now and it seems that there were no obvious reasons for the failure, so we are conducting further tests on the dyno at Viry to replicate conditions and double checking the findings."
White said that investigations had concluded that the failures were not related to the mid-race safety car period - and in fact Vettel's engine actually lasted longer than it would have done because it had a few laps running slower than normal.
"We had evidence that the alternator on Sebastian's car was showing signs of overheating before the safety car period, but the slower speeds prolonged its life expectancy slightly," he said.
"Of course, when Sebastian went back up to racing speed the problem stepped up again and the result is now well known. With Romain's car, the problem occurred very suddenly some laps after the safety car had been withdrawn " .Renault plans to implement some changes to the alternators for the next race at Silverstone, as well as using another supply batch in case that was a factor in the problem.
"We are looking at several solutions," explained White. "The first is to use another batch of alternators for Silverstone across all our clients, or a slightly modified design.
"We are also looking at returning to an older specification of alternator from 2011. Then we are working across all our partner teams to potentially introduce some mechanical and cooling solutions, or changing a few settings on acceleration maps so the running is less severe.
"All of these will be in evaluated between now and Silverstone, plus we will also look at everything after Friday running and see what additional measures we may need to take."

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

News Round Up Part 3 :

Whitmarsh reckons Hamilton could have been more cautious against Maldonado :
McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh believes Lewis Hamilton should have been more cautious in handling his battle with Pastor Maldonado in the closing stages of the European Grand Prix. Hamilton crashed out of the Valencia event after a clash with the Venezuelan driver as they battled for third on the penultimate lap - losing him vital points in the world championship standings.
Although the stewards said that Maldonado was to blame for the incident, and handed him a 20-second time penalty in lieu of a drive-hrough for what happened, that brought little consolation to Hamilton or his McLaren team. But judging by the difficulties that Hamilton was having at the time of the incident with his tyres, and knowing how aggressive Maldonado is as a driver, Whitmarsh suspects that his man would have been better off giving his rival more room than other rivals he had fought with earlier in the event.
When asked if he thought Hamilton should have defended so hard, Whitmarsh said: "Clearly not, but you are dragging me into the conversation. "In my mind, you saw him defend with [Romain] Grosjean and with [Kimi] Raikkonen, and he didn't do anything different with Maldonado. It was a different outcome, but he didn't do anything different with those drivers.
"My own view is that it was Maldonado's fault, and it is deeply frustrating – but he is a racing driver and that is it. I am sure in hindsight you have to say that dealing with someone like that you have to take a different approach, but you cannot anticipate it."

McLaren bullish about pitstop performance after record Valencia stop :
McLaren has no doubts it is on the right path with its pitstop performances in 2012, even though a problem in the Valencia pits overshadowed the team's delivery of the fastest Formula 1 pitstop in history earlier in the day. After much focus on the team's performances in the pits this year, the McLaren pit crew completed a 2.6-second stop at Lewis Hamilton's first stop in Valencia to set a new benchmark in F1.
However, that achievement was followed shortly afterwards by Hamilton losing time at his second stop when the front jack failed after its release mechanism was triggered by the car hitting it.
Although that latter problem was a disappointment - and the team will implement equipment modifications for the next race at Silverstone - McLaren's sporting director Sam Michael says the timing data shows that the crew are doing a better job than the critics suggest.
"The guys are ignoring all the criticism, because they know they are good and we already had the fastest stationary time in Montreal before the Valencia performance," Michael told .
"The job they are doing at the moment is spot on, and I have felt it coming for the last two or three races. We've done a lot of work internally on the procedures and equipment, and we've been pushing them on a lot.
"And now we are in a world where we are dealing with milliseconds, rather than tenths. It is as competitive as the aero game now."
SPORT understands that the time to 'green' - the moment the driver is signalled to go - for Hamilton's first stop in Valencia was just 2.32s. This was 0.11s quicker that what is believed to have been the previous benchmark set by Mercedes in Korea last year for Michael Schumacher's first stop.
But despite the pit crew delivering the record time in Valencia, Michael says the target still remains being consistent – and ensuring that every stop is good.
"It has always been like that, but it just so happens that we have managed to get more pace than our original target," he said. "Our target is not to do a 2.3s stop before the driver reacts – it is to be sub three-second on average. If you look at the areas where we have had mistakes and issues in recent races, they are no longer because we are pushing to try and improve time."
McLaren will have to restructure its pit crew for the British Grand Prix after the right-hand rear gunner cut himself on a wing endplate during the Valencia stops. He will be replaced for the Silverstone weekend.

Formula 1 team bosses admit it's now pointless trying to predict 2012 form :
Formula 1's incredibly tight fight at the head of the field has left its main contenders admitting that there is now no point in trying to make predictions about how the remainder of the season is going to pan out.
Fernando Alonso became F1's first double-winner of 2012 with a great victory in the European Grand Prix in Valencia on a weekend when many had expected Lotus to be the team to beat. But with form appearing to be so variable, and a number of teams all making good of opportunities that have come their way, McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh says that everyone is now changing their approach to the campaign.
"It is very, very difficult," he explained. "Everyone has given up predicting this season, so we have to accept that you have to turn up at each event and do the best job you can. That is what we will seek to do at Silverstone". Red Bull Racing says that even it cannot take for granted that the improvements to its car that helped Sebastian Vettel dominate the Valencia weekend before his retirement will allow it to repeat that form at any future races.
Vettel made full use of a heavily revised RB8 at the European Grand Prix to take pole position by four tenths and then run comfortably clear at the head of the field before he was forced out with an alternator failure.
But team principal Christian Horner says that with things impossible to predict, the outfit needs to be on its toes to ensure that it has done everything it can to improve performance.
"Silverstone is a completely different nature to this track, and it will probably be wet," he said.
"I think the car is pretty strong in most conditions now, so we just need to keep pushing and keep trying to put performance on the car.
"Hopefully we can be strong at Silverstone, but Fernando was quick there last year, particularly in the second half of the race. We are not halfway through this championship yet and it already feels that we have done an awful lot of racing up until this point."

Force India's Vijay Mallya believes fifth in championship achievable after Valencia :
Force India team boss Vijay Mallya says his squad's Valencia performance proves it is still capable of finishing fifth in the 2012 Formula 1 constructors' championship despite its low-key start to the year.
While Force India's regular 2011 rivals Sauber, Williams and Lotus have all had moments of headline-grabbing success this year, the Silverstone-based squad is yet to make it onto the podium.
But Nico Hulkenberg and Paul di Resta's fifth and seventh places in the European Grand Prix brought Force India to within one point of seventh-placed Williams in the teams' battle.
"We are only one point shy of Williams right now and 16 points away from Sauber, who have had podium finishes. So we are getting there," Mallya told the official F1 website.
"We are definitely on target. I want to finish fifth in the constructors' championship this year and - fingers crossed - it looks like we're getting there". Current fifth-placed team Mercedes is 48 points ahead of Force India at present. Mallya is certain that Force India's Valencia form is sustainable, as he reckons the team could have produced the same performance two weeks earlier in Canada had it handled the tyres better.
"Speaking frankly, we should have had the same or a similar result in Canada. But there we completely miscalculated the tyre behaviour," he said.
"We ran the tyres too hot and subsequent analysis confirmed that this was a mistake on our part. We all agreed that it was a mistake and without it we would have left Montreal with a better result, possibly even a double points finish. But that is Formula 1. There is always an element of unpredictability.
"We now have our sights set on Silverstone and we go there with a great deal of confidence, knowing that our car is competitive."
Asked what result he was aiming for in Britain, Mallya replied: "We want to be on the podium. I think we're close to it now."

Vijay Mallya says an agreed Resource Restriction Agreement is vital for F1's future :
Force India team owner Vijay Mallya has called for Formula 1's teams to agree on the framework for a Resource Restriction Agreement in order to safeguard the future of the sport.
Discussions between the teams continued over the weekend to agree on cost-cutting measures with the FIA, with the sport currently going through a period of consultation aimed at keeping finances in check.
The sport's governing body announced after the recent World Motor Sport Council meeting that it hoped to finalise the implementation of cost-control measures for 2013 by the end of June - including an FIA-regulated RRA.
"I think that the RRA is something that everybody agrees to, in principal," Mallya said in an interview on the official F1 website. "The concept of the RRA is a must-have if F1 is to survive in the long term.
"Even when FOTA was together – and active – all the teams agreed with the concept of resource restriction," added the Indian billionaire. "In fact I would go one step further and say that the RRA was one of the reasons why FOTA was created.
"And then one by one, teams went in their own directions so we never had the chance to agree."
Mallya, whose team scored it's highest one-race points haul in Valencia (16) with Nico Hulkenberg and Paul di Resta finishing fifth and seventh respectively, reckoned that as well as controlling costs, an RRA would go some way to ensuring that mid-budget teams would be able to continue challenge the big teams – as has been the case for much of 2012.
"It also must provide a level playing field," he said. "Look at the amount of excitement this season. We have had seven winners and only one repeat victor, which is fantastic. The big four teams are dropping down and the midfield teams are getting on the podium.
"For fans across the world this is fantastic compared to a predictable season where one team or one driver is always winning. A level playing field will ensure this tendency stays. So resource restriction is important and the FIA has now taken it upon itself to create regulations aimed at restricting resources.
"At the last World Council meeting it was agreed that we will have a fax vote at the end of June. We at Force India are completely committed to the concept."

Mercedes team chiefs tip Michael Schumacher for more podiums after Valencia success :
Michael Schumacher has been tipped to deliver more podium finishes by his Mercedes team bosses, but they insist his Valencia achievement does not change the timetable for sorting out his future.
The seven-time champion turned the corner on a frustrating run of reliability problems this season to charge through the field in the European Grand Prix and finish behind race-winner Fernando Alonso and runner-up Kimi Raikkonen.
It was the first time that Schumacher has finished on the podium since he returned to F1 at the start of 2010, and Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug reckoned that the result was vital going forward.
"It is important and more podiums will come when we give him the car he needs in terms of speed and reliability," Haug said in an exclusive interview .
"His lack of results this season are not down to the driver, and in fairness to him he could have definitely had in excess of 60 or 70 points if we would not have had technical issues - which would have been good for him and good for us in the constructors' championship. We did not get it because we got it wrong.
"But I think we have the right to push, and if you push you are more in the risk zone than if you are slower and reliable. So in the third year we are still learning. But considering we have quite a limited budget compared to the others, all in all the job we have done and the direction is good."
Schumacher had scored just two points this season before the European GP, having seen good results in Australia, China and Monaco slip from his grasp through no fault of his own.
Yet with his growing competitiveness pointing towards him electing to sign a new contract with Mercedes, Haug says that plans to wait a while before sorting matters out are unchanged.
When asked if the podium altered the timetable for sorting out the future, Haug said: "No, not really. It is a separate story and we will talk later about it with him.
"We should not be described as being over the moon, but scoring 23 points in Valencia [with Schumacher and Nico Rosberg] is a good result."
He added: "Michael is a great sportsman, and this is even more demonstrated in his second career that he is really open, and open to critical questions. He is a really balanced guy, and a guy who everybody who could look up to because he did not criticise us, did not make any public noises, and he was genuinely pleased in Valencia.
"He could have said: 'I won 91 races, why should I be happy?' But he was genuinely pleased and it was wrong to say it was inherited. With one lap to go he was fifth, but I can tell you a lot of stories where he was fifth and things went against him. What we could see in Valencia was that the genuine speed was there."

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

News Round Up Part 2 :

Alonso, record stats. Never this good before at Ferrari :
The Spaniard has claimed 111 points in 8 Grand Prix, beating his points tally at this stage in his 2 previous seasons. It’s his 20th consecutive race in the points, including the last 12 of last season: no one has been as consistent as him.
A bolt of red lightning. That darts past, focussed, with hands placed firmly on the steering wheel. Only after the race does he let himself go, even shedding a tear or two on the podium. We’ve never seen an Alonso like this before. An Alonso who managed to overtake 10 cars in his climb from 11th on the grid to the top step on the podium, something that even moved this cool Spaniard to tears. "My best ever victory," he said. A win in the European Grand Prix at Valencia that could not only be the turning point in the season, but also the turning point in Alonso's career. The Drivers’ Championship sees Fernando sitting at the top, in 1st place. There’s nothing new about that: even in 2010, in his debut season at Ferrari, the driver from Oviedo spent much of the season at the top of the championship, before the final, dramatic Grand Prix of the season, when Sebastian Vettel managed to pip him to the title. The number of points Alonso has won this season is also striking, in every single way: 111 – or, "No1" three times, as if to tempt fate, as, should Alonso be crowned World Champion this season, it would be his 3rd title after the 2 consecutive Championships he won at Renault; but, putting omens aside and keeping to the facts, Alonso has never before claimed so many points 8 Grand Prix into the season. Not even in his very positive 2010 season, when, after Montreal, he lay 4th in the Drivers’ Championship, on 94 points and having won only one race, the opening race of the season; last season, he was on 87 points after the race at Valencia, 5th in the Drivers’ Championship, 99 points behind eventual Champion, Vettel. After managing to get past 10 cars to win the race yesterday, Alonso even surpassed himself. But the 111 points per se don’t mean much, Or rather, they could mean everything or nothing. Had Alonso had this many points at this stage last season, he would have been in 2nd place in the Drivers' Championship, but still a huge distance behind Vettel. But what's important is how his rivals are doing. Today, Alonso has a 20 point advantage over Webber. He's never been able to open up such a big gap to his rivals before in all his time at Ferrari. Not even in 2010, when he wasn’t able to manage the gap he did actually build up. And, obviously, it’s the biggest gap he’s had this season. He’s already starting to open up a lead, despite having won just 2 of the Grand Prix so far this season and finished on the podium 4 times. What is therefore making the difference is his continuity: following the withdrawal of Hamilton in Valencia, Alonso is the only driver to have finished in the points in every single Grand Prix so far this season. Including last season, the Ferrari driver has finished in the Top 10 in all of the previous 20 Grand Prix. An incredibly consistent run of results. And now, to Silverstone, the only race Alonso actually won in 2011. "We’ll try to take another small step forward with the car," Ferrari Team Principal Stefano Domenicali said. If the car is good enough, Alonso will drive it like the indestructible robot he appears to be. A robot that, every so often, will lose the odd drop of water - but they will actually only be tears of joy.

Kovalainen says Vergne crash a "rookie error" by the Frenchman :
Heikki Kovalainen described his race-spoiling collision with Jean-Eric Vergne in the European Grand Prix as a "rookie mistake" by the Frenchman, after a race in which both Caterhams were involved in contact with Toro Rossos. Kovalainen and Vergne both sustained punctures when they clashed as Vergne tried to pass the Caterham for 17th on lap 12.
Later on, their respective team-mates Daniel Ricciardo and Vitaly Petrov came together while battling for 12th. Ricciardo continued intact despite an airborne spin and finished 12th, while Petrov required a new nose but still came home 13th, one place ahead of Kovalainen. Vergne had to retire with damage from his incident.
"My pace was good but then Vergne made what looks like a rookie mistake, hit me and I had to come in for a new nose," said Kovalainen. "From that point I was just trying to get to the end of the race."
Vergne felt the collision was "just a racing incident", but that he had been in front.
"I felt I was ahead and as I started to turn into the corner, we collided and his front wing clipped my rear wheel," said Vergne. "There was too much damage to the floor and it was impossible to change the damaged rear wheel so there was no way for me to continue." Ricciardo blamed Petrov's 'aggression' for their tangle.
"I had Petrov going quite slowly in front of me, I went to get around him and he defended by going a bit wide," said the Australian. "So I tried to switch back and I feel I gave him some racing room, but we still made contact because perhaps his move was a bit too aggressive."
Shortly before the clash, Petrov had been running 10th and looking like he might manage to give Caterham its first point. But the Russian was then passed by eventual top-four finishers Michael Schumacher and Mark Webber before being caught by Ricciardo, and said he had never felt scoring was realistic anyway.
"Even though we were running 10th at one point I'm not sure a point was quite within reach today, but it's really encouraging to see how we've progressed here," said Petrov.

Romain Grosjean certain he could have passed Fernando Alonso for European Grand Prix victory :
Romain Grosjean is confident he would have had a shot at victory in the European Grand Prix if not for a mechanical problem. The Lotus driver was running in second position having been passed by Ferrari's Fernando Alonso on the restart following a safety car, when he slowed down after his car's alternator failed. By that time erstwhile leader Sebastian Vettel had retired and elevated Alonso and Grosjean to a close first and second. Grosjean said his race had been perfect until that point, and he was hoping the tyre degradation from the Ferrari in front would have given him a chance to get his maiden victory.
"The car stopped, the engine stopped," said Grosjean, who retired on lap 41. "Basically we had an alternator problem and we need to have a deep look into it.
"The race was almost perfect until that point. I had a good start, a good strategy and we pushed when we had to. We had a good performance today.
"It could have been the first win but maybe in the future. I'm sure we are showing good performance and we are getting experience." The Frenchman was convinced his pace was stronger than that of eventual winner Alonso ."I think I was looking not too bad and we knew we were quicker than the Ferrari. We just had to wait a little bit to see if their tyres were going away then try to push. But we couldn't get to that stage."

Nico Rosberg has admitted it was wrong for him and his Mercedes to try to one-stop in the European Grand Prix :
Nico Rosberg believes it was wrong for him to try to go for a one-stop strategy in the European Grand Prix at Valencia. The German was one of a few drivers who started the race with the idea of pitting just once, but the high tyre degradation made it impossible and Rosberg dropped down the order.
Eventually, Mercedes decided to call him in to put new tyres on near the end of the race, and Rosberg charged back to sixth position setting the race's fastest lap in the process.
"The first lap didn't go to plan and I just lost a lot of places, so that was really not ideal," said Rosberg in a video blog after the race. "But still, we had planned a one stop (strategy) so I was still very hopeful and I thought it could go really well. "But it became quite clear soon that one stop wasn't going to work ".
"There was no way. We were miles off. Then the safety car came at the absolute wrong time for me. Restarting after the safety car I had really worn tyres and I couldn't get the temperature back again, and I lost a lot of places.
"In the end it was a great strategy call from the team to call me in and put some new options on because then I was flying and I made up a lot of positions. In two laps I took like four or five guys and finished sixth, which is a decent result in the end."Despite his disappointing race, Rosberg is still convinced Mercedes has the car to win again this year following his maiden victory in China.
"I want to win a race again soon and we have the car to do it, so we are pushing for that," he said.
And the German said he believes that Formula 1's current mixed up nature is great for fans and drivers after yet another thrilling race, despite criticism from some quarters that the sport is too random at the moment.
"I'm sure it was a spectacular race with so much happening," he said. "A lot of people are saying F1 is too random, but I think it's great. Great for racing, and the same people are still winning.
"The picture is becoming clearer on who is going to be favourite for the championship, so I think it's not completely random. It's just very exciting."

Domenicali says Ferrari still needs to be more competitive despite European GP win :
Ferrari still cannot be satisfied with the job it is doing in Formula 1 this year, despite Fernando Alonso's sensational victory in the European Grand Prix that has helped him edge clear in the championship fight.
That is the view of Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali, who believes the fact that the Valencia triumph owed more to his driver's stunning efforts to charge through the field than having a dominant car needs to be taken as a sign that things still need to improve at Maranello.
"The car is at another level from what we were seeing at the beginning of the season, but it is not yet the car that is the quickest," explained Domenicali, who saw Alonso become the first double winner of the 2012 campaign.
"In my view Red Bull, or the Red Bull that I have seen this weekend, is the quickest in terms of pure performance. In the race it was leading comfortably, the pace was very strong. That is something that we need to look at,
"We know what our target is at the end of November, so we know that, in my view, they did something very good this weekend, and they improved the car. They had problems with reliability, but we are not, in my view, at the level that we should be in terms of the performance".
"So we have a lot to do, but we are leading the championship and that is something that will be very helpful for the people at home to keep working with more creativity and ideas."
Red Bull Racing introduced a dramatic update to its RB8 in Valencia - with the car featuring a heavily revised sidepod, diffuser and rear suspension configuration.
Those improvements helped Sebastian Vettel take a dominant pole position, and seize control of the race before being forced out with an alternator problem.
Vettel's retirement left the way open for his rivals to take advantage, and it was Alonso's great efforts – which included a brave move past Romain Grosjean after a safety car restart – to take an emotional victory.
When Domenicali was asked if Alonso ever surprised him, he replied: "We know he is the number one driver. That's the reason why he is here with us.
"I am very happy for him because he had such a pressure. Certain feelings you have just watching the eyes of a man that you know. So I was really so happy from my heart to see him fight like this. And I am also happy for the team because they were working in terms of the right strategy and the right calls; this is the strength of our team.
"But as I said, we need to stay cool, calm. This victory is very important because our main rivals in the championship had some problems. Reliability is a key factor this year, and you need to score points every time."

Team boss Eric Boullier says Lotus can't be disappointed about European GP form :
Lotus boss Eric Boullier thinks there is no reason for his team to feel disappointed that its drivers did not have the pace to win the European Grand Prix - despite its high hopes before the race.
The Enstone-based outfit had gone in to the weekend as favourites to deliver an eighth different victor in F1 this season, and its best qualifying performance lifted hopes it could achieve that target.
But in the race, Romain Grosjean struggled to match the pace of leader Sebastian Vettel before both men retired, and later on Kimi Raikkonen lost time trying to get past the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton - leaving eventual winner Fernando Alonso clear at the front. Raikkonen still managed to finish second though and Boullier said that ultimately he thinks the weekend was a positive one for his team.
"You cannot be disappointed with the pace," he told AUTOSPORT. "Everybody has improved their car, so everybody is improving their pace as well. I think it was a good outcome from the weekend.
"We were able to qualify better, and ignoring retirements we had the pace fast enough to have both our cars in the top five in the final result.
"It was disappointing that Romain could not finish the race, because he had a good start, a good qualifying and a good race - but all in all it is very positive."
Raikkonen's podium finish has helped Lotus hold on to its third place in the Constructors' Championship – albeit Ferrari has closed down its deficit - and Boullier thinks there remains plenty of opportunities for it to score victories this year.
"We need to keep pushing to do a very nice result because we can do it," he said. "It is good to be a regular podium finisher - and it is good for the team that we have recovered the ground we lost last year.
"I am disappointed for Romain and disappointed that there were some big points that we missed, but in the end McLaren and Red Bull did not score as much as they wanted. Okay now Ferrari is chasing us, but that is good."

Lotus team boss Eric Boullier says F1 should consider all possible cost cuts very carefully before implementing any :
Formula 1 teams must not be rushed into agreeing cost-cutting changes simply for the sake of it - despite a deadline looming in the next 48 hours to get new regulations in place for the start of 2013.
That is the view of Lotus team principal and FOTA vice-chairman Eric Boullier, who thinks more damage than good will be done if teams are too hasty in coming up with plans that do not work.
The FIA has laid down a June 30 deadline for agreement on a raft of rule changes – including further restrictions on testing, new personnel limits and the governing body getting involved in the policing of a Resource Restriction Agreement. Although Boullier is encouraged by the fact that all the sport's major players are intent of pushing through cost cuts, he is also wary that bad decisions now could be damaging.
"It is good that everybody in the paddock understands that we need to be thinking carefully about the future of F1," he told . "But we definitely need to take the right decision, and we definitely do not need to rush into a decision that we might regret.
"We made some decisions already in the past which cost us money now; and may cost us more money in the future. So we need to make sure that we go the right way and don't rush."
The June 30 deadline is important because it is the last date by which rule changes can be made for 2013 without the need for unanimous approval from the teams.
Currently, Red Bull and Toro Rosso are not in line with other teams over the scope of the RRA – meaning that either could block any changes for 2013if matters are not sorted before July 1.
Boullier is well aware of the importance of a swift resolution to the matter, but thinks that the speed by which the matter needs to be resolved should not be viewed as more important than doing the right thing.
"There is the June 30 limit in terms of the voting system, but it is not because we have to close the debate in a few days. It's that we have to take a decision that has not been carefully thought through," he said.
"We are all in favour of making F1 better, more sustainable and having a long term plan. Cost-cutting is part of the strategy, but we need to do it consciously."

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

30/06/1975 happy birthday to ralf schumacher former f1 driver
[Versteckter Link - Registrierung notwendig]

News Round Up Part 1 :

Cost control set to be written into F1 rules for first time :
Formula 1 is poised to have cost control written formally into its rules for the first time next year.
Governing body the FIA said that it was having "active discussions with teams regarding cost control". FIA and teams are working on an agreement that will enshrine a form of cost control over car design into the regulations. An FIA statement said the "intention is to help all teams participate in a fair and equal manner".
The teams are all concerned about F1's costs in the context of continuing global economic problems, particularly in the Eurozone. Sources say an agreement on how to limit spending on chassis is "not very far off", but emphasise that talks are still ongoing. This deal will most likely not take the form of a formal cap on budgets, but rather adopt a form of restriction on the way the teams can commit their resources.
The F1 teams are already working to a Resource Restriction Agreement, but it has been fraught with difficulties, with accusations that various teams are breaching its terms.
Despite that discontent, all the teams recognise that restricting expenditure is crucial and it has been agreed by most that the most effective way to police it is for it to be detailed in the FIA technical regulations.
"The expectation is there will be something," said a source close to the negotiations. "There has to be something. All parties are committed to it. There is a concerted philosophy towards cost reduction."
A statement from the FIA following a meeting of its World Motorsports Council (WMSC) - effectively the organisation's legislative body - said that "any amendments to the technical regulations resulting from a further limit on expenditure on the chassis will be submitted to the WMSC via a fax vote before 30 June".
However, this date is understood to be a target with the intention of focusing minds rather than a firm deadline and talks could stretch beyond that date. The FIA is also looking at finding a way of restricting resources - and therefore cutting costs - on engines. The subject of the change in engine formula due for 2014, when 1.6-litre V6 turbo engines will replace the current 2.4-litre normally aspirated V8s, was not discussed at the World Council. The potential expense of the engines is causing concern among the F1 teams. But FIA president Jean Todt said that he was working to keep costs down.
"It is true that the [2014] package will be more expensive, but it is also true that the FIA has been in consultation with the engine suppliers in order to reduce the cost increase," he told before the World Council meeting.
"For example we have already agreed to a reduction in the number of power units. From eight per driver per season in 2012, we will reduce this to five per driver in 2014 and to four per driver per season in 2015."
The FIA also said that it was having "constructive" discussions with F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone over the renewal of the Concorde Agreement - the secret contract that binds the teams, the FIA and the commercial rights holder, which Ecclestone represents, together.
There was "the intention of finalising an agreement in the coming weeks", the FIA said.
The statement added that the deadline for entries for next year's world championship had been deferred from 15 July until 30 September.

Alonso and Vettel could co-exist as team-mates, say Ferrari :
Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali believes Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel could drive as team-mates without problems. His comments come after it was revealed that Vettel, the 2010 and 2011 world champion, has a pre-contract with Ferrari for 2014.
Domenicali said: "I think they are both intelligent guys and they could easily co-exist together."
F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone claims the arrangement "wouldn't be a problem".
Domenicali and Ecclestone were interviewed by German magazine Sport Bild, and Ferrari published extracts on their website. Ecclestone said: "All drivers want to drive for Ferrari at least once in their career, don't they?" .Domenicali responded: "In life one should never say never!"
Their remarks, as well as Ferrari's decision to highlight them, will add weight to claims that Vettel could join Alonso at Ferrari in 2014. Some F1 Sport magazine reported last month that Vettel had a pre-contract with Ferrari, believed to be two-way and performance-related.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner denied the claims, saying they had Vettel under contract in 2014.
But Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko, the right-hand man of the company's owner Dietrich Mateschitz, admitted that the double world champion's contract contains performance clauses.
German Vettel has said he cannot imagine driving for a team other than Red Bull.
Vettel, Alonso and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton are widely regarded as the three best drivers in the world.
The best drivers tend to avoid racing for the same team, but Ecclestone said of Alonso and Vettel: "Both are drivers who are always looking for a new challenge, and to be in the same team would be a new and big challenge. "They would both think they can beat the other one, as they are sure of themselves and Stefano would do what was required to so that they were treated equally". "It would be a case of doing what I did at Brabham in 1979 with Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet. I told them, 'guys it's simple: whichever one of you is quickest is the team number one'."
A source close to Ferrari says Alonso has vetoed the idea of Hamilton joining him at the team but given his approval to Vettel.

Formula 1 teams are considering a ban on tyre warmers for 2013 :
Formula 1 teams are considering a ban on tyre warmers from as early as next year as part of a package of cost-saving measures.With the FIA and teams currently involved in a consultation period to frame new regulations aimed at keeping finances in check, sources have revealed that one proposal being given serious thought is to outlaw tyre blankets. Such a move, which was also considered a few years ago before being dropped because of safety concerns, would save teams money in both equipment expenditure and in freight costs. Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery told that his company would be happy to produce tyres that would work well without pre-heating, but said it would need some advance warning.
"It needs planning and you have to do it well, so it is something that if they want to do they have to do it very quickly," he explained.
"What we have found in the past, when we have tried to discuss it, is that the drivers have tended to be worried about such a move, as they feel that it can create a safety issue. From our point of view, yes we can do it but we need time to do it - because it changes completely the compounds that you use."
Hembery believes that because of the time constraints - as well as the limitations imposed by it not having access to a 2012 car for private testing – it could be better for F1 if such a ban was imposed over two seasons.For 2013, he suggests, it could be possible to ban tyre warmers on wet tyres before a full-on ban on heating slicks for the following campaign.
"There might be some midway of being able to get rid of them on the wet tyres because, by the time you get down the pit straight and it is raining, you have lost your temperature anyway. So possibly we could get halfway there quickly and progress to something different for 2014."


Montezemolo on the strange 2012 season "The title depends entirely on us" :
The Ferrari President sets out the team’s next objectives: "We’ve made massive strides forward, but we need even more. In Canada, we witnessed a team that tried everything in a bid to win. That’s what I want and that’s what the fans want.” On spending: "We need to change things. The situation is starting to spiral out of control." "The current world economic situation, in particular in Europe, is starting to cause a lot of concern and F1 can’t afford not to take stock." That’s what Ferrari President, Luca di Montezemolo, told the official Ferrari website." We can’t afford to lose any more time. We need to take drastic decisions with determination, especially on the question of costs. Ferrari share the view of FIA that drastic action is required. As I’ve always said, we’re absolutely convinced that teams and the commercial rights holder must work together with the Federation on this front. This isn’t a time to get bogged down with sterile discussions or the meandering opinions of team engineers, who usually are only concerned in defending the shuffling for position of someone else: the question has to be tackled right from the top, without further delay,” said the head of Ferrari. These are hot times for Formula 1, especially as, in the next few weeks, a lot of crucial issued will have to be discussed and ironed out, not least the Concorde Agreement.
Regrets — During a long meeting this morning at Maranello, Montezemolo also made it clear to Stefano Domenicali just what he expects from the team in next few races of the 2012 season. "I’m not used to crying over spilt milk. I much prefer to look forward,” Montezemolo went on. “In Montreal I saw a team with a tremendous desire to win and a team that tried everything possible in a bid to win, perhaps even taking one risk too many. Seeing a Ferrari battling for the lead right down to the finals laps is what I want to see and it’s what our fans want to see. I’m happy with the progress we’ve made over the last few races, and I’m already looking ahead to, and the team is completely focussed on the race in Silverstone, where we have to continue to improve. We have to continue along this path, knowing I have to stress, that our success this season will entirely depend on us and us alone.”

Massa all smiles "F2012 more suited to me now" :
The Brazilian driver: "I’m much more at ease now. The modifications are paying off. Compared to Alonso, I’m going down a different direction." "We’re getting better at warming our tyres quicker and in terms of race line speed"
"I’m much happier now, as I can drive the F2012 the way I like to. I’m much more at ease now with the driving and the balance of the car. And the pace is good." Felipe Massa can’t hide the fact that, finally, something on his Ferrari has finally turned in his favour. After a start to the season that was, to say the least, complicated, the Brazilian driver is finally developing “a feeling” with the F2012. "And, when that happens, everything feels good," Felipe told the Cavallino’s official website.
Set up — "All the modifications and changes we’ve made to the car have helped. But what was also important was the way we worked on the set-up of the car with my engineers: we changed a lot of things in terms of the balance and found a direction that suits me,” Massa said, adding that he’s going down a different direction [when it comes to his set-up and development] than team-mate Fernando Alonso. "I think so, yes. But not completely. We’re certainly working in a different way,” he admitted. “Every driver has his own style, the way he holds the steering wheel, or the way he uses the throttle. If you don’t feel comfortable for whatever reason, that doesn’t help. As with every sport at the highest level, even in Formula 1 it’s important to work on even the very smallest details. When something doesn’t work, it’s easy to go off at a tangent and lose performance, as you can’t give 100%."
Tyres and top line speed — But what has changed compared to the start of the season? "We’ve made a lot of changes since the start of the season, when, yes, we were a long way from where we are now with the car’s development. In the last three races things have started to move in the right direction, as the right level of development has seen a lot of improvement in terms of performance. This season the tyres are much softer compared to last season, but the F2012 struggles to get the tyres up to the optimum temperature quickly enough. But, this weekend, with the two options of tyre available - medium and soft – we shouldn’t have any problems.” Even the top line speed is better: "In Canada we were able to overtake other cars easily, cars that earlier in the season we’ve struggled to overtake, even using DRS. This shows that other teams have changed their approach, but that we’ve improved in that respect too."

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi

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I liked this video because of Mansell!

28/06/1984 happy birthday to tamara ecclestone bernie ecclestone's daughter
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Adolfo Schwelm Cruz
(Is driven the GP of Argentina 1953)
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Born : 28th June 1923 - Died : 10th February 2012

Nico Rosberg 27th June 1985
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Happy Birthday to your 27th anniversary

2012 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX
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Fri 06 July 2012
Practice 1 10:00 - 11:30
Practice 2 14:00 - 15:30
Sat 07 July 2012
Practice 3 10:00 - 11:00
Qualifying 13:00
Sun 08 July 2012
Race 13:00

25/06/1964 happy birthday to johnny herbert british f1 driver
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Spain and Italy is celebrating! England in mourning! Too many crashes and quits for one race! Because of its adherence to principles of Hamilton could come third! As a result of 0! Michael Schumacher - finally podium! Alonso-house walls help!
Kyke - nice town!

I will post the results of the " Formula 1 "Top 3 + addings Voting" season 2012 " game & " Saturday - Sunday Combined Game Championslist" tomorrow ....because otherwise it will get too late for me ...because it almost take me 2 hours ( if i'm lucky with it all ) to get everything in order and right .....because with my computer problem that i had ( ) i have fallen behind with everything ...i must fill also my files of all the games that have bin playd this weekend ..and i would like too see/enjoy the beautifull nice sexy natural looking beauty " G " also a bit before i go to sleep !!!
hope that you all can understand it

Sorry

Kind Regards
Shaky-Schumi