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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 |
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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 |
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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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28/06/1984 happy birthday to tamara ecclestone bernie ecclestone's daughter
[hidden link - please register] |
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Adolfo Schwelm Cruz
(Is driven the GP of Argentina 1953) [hidden link - please register] Born : 28th June 1923 - Died : 10th February 2012 |
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2012 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX
[hidden link - please register] 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 |
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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! 
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 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 |
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Driver Standings after the European GP 2012 :
1. Fernando Alonso : 111 2. Mark Webber : 91 3. Lewis Hamilton : 88 4. Sebastian Vette :l 85 5. Nico Rosberg : 75 6. Kimi Räikkönen : 73 7. Romain Grosjean : 53 8. Jenson Button : 49 9. Sergio Perez : 39 10. Pastor Maldonado : 29 11. Paul di Resta : 27 12. Kamui Kobayashi : 21 13. Michael Schumacher : 17 14. Nico Hülkenberg : 17 15. Bruno Senna : 16 16. Felipe Massa : 11 17. Jean-Eric Vergne : 4 18. Daniel Ricciardo : 2 19. Heikki Kovalainen : 0 20. Vitaly Petrov : 0 21. Timo Glock : 0 22. Charles Pic : 0 23. Narain Karthikeyan : 0 24. Pedro de la Rosa : 0 Constructor Standings after the European GP 2012 : 1. Red Bull Racing : 176 2. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes : 137 3. Lotus F1 Team : 126 4. Scuderia Ferrari : 122 5. Mercedes AMG Petronas : 92 6. Sauber F1 Team : 60 7. Williams F1 Team : 45 8. Sahara Force India : 44 9. Scuderia Toro Rosso : 6 10. Caterham F1 Team : 0 11. Marussia Racing : 0 12. HRT F1 Team : 0 Kind Regards Shaky-Schumi |
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(Have just my computer back
 )Here is the official result of todays race : 1. Fernando Alonso : Ferrari : 1:44:16.649 2. Kimi Räikkönen : Lotus : + 6.421 3. Michael Schumacher : Mercedes GP : + 12.639 4. Mark Webber : Red Bull Racing : + 13.628 5. Nico Hulkenberg : Force India : + 19.993 6. Nico Rosberg : Mercedes GP : 1:42.163 + 21.176 7. Paul di Resta : Force India : + 22.886 8. Jenson Button : McLaren : + 24.653 9. Sergio Perez : Sauber : + 27.777 10. Pastor Maldonado : Williams : + 34.630 11. Bruno Senna : Williams : + 35.900 12. Daniel Ricciardo : Toro Rosso : + 37.041 13. Vitaly Petrov : Caterham : + 1:15.871 14. Heikki Kovalainen : Caterham : + 1:34.654 15. Charles Pic : Marussia F1 Team : + 1:36.565 16. Felipe Massa : Ferrari 0:00.000 + 1 lap 17. Pedro de la Rosa : HRT F1 Team : + 1 lap 18. Narain Karthikeyan : HRT F1 Team : + 1 lap Did Not Finish : 19. Lewis Hamilton : McLaren : crash 20. Romain Grosjean : Lotus : technical problem 21. Sebastian Vettel : Red Bull Racing : technical problem 22. Kamui Kobayashi : Sauber 0:00.000 : not yet known 23. Jean-Eric Vergne : Toro Rosso : crash Fastest Lap : Nico Rosberg Pitstop Nico Hulkenberg : 2 D.S.L : 15 Kind Regards Shaky-Schumi |
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