FORMULA 1 - 2012

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HOW PEREZ GOT SECOND PLACE AND THE BIG GAMBLE TEAMS TOOK IN MONZA: ANALYSIS:

The Italian Grand Prix was one of the most exciting races of the 2012 season so far, which is unusual for Monza. The track has a high-speed character and opportunities for overtaking, but doesn’t always provide excitement.

However this year’s race was brought alive by the strategy decisions made by some of the teams and the bold gamble taken by many of them to try to do the race with only one pit stop. It was marginal in terms of tyre life. Some of the tyres that came off the cars at the end had no more than a lap of life left in them.

Meanwhile Sauber, which has a far smaller strategy department than the F1 front runners with far less sophisticated tools, managed to play a blinder and sent its driver from 12th on the grid to 2nd at the flag thanks to a brilliantly planned and executed strategy and to an outstanding performance by the driver, Sergio Perez.

Pre-race expectations

Unlike recent Grands Prix, the teams were able to do extensive mileage on Friday in practice and learned a lot about the tyres. Before the race the simulations showed one stop to be faster than two by 10 seconds. However one notable limiting factor was the wear on the inside shoulder of the right front tyre. This was showing signs on some cars of wearing down to the nylon, so managing that was crucial.

Nevertheless most teams set out with the intention of stopping only once. The choice of medium and hard tyres by Pirelli was pretty conservative, by recent standards, something of a shift in approach. This may have been influenced by some lobbying earlier in the season by teams who were struggling to get the tyres to last and by some problems encountered last season at Spa and Monza, which Pirelli did not want to repeat.

The two cars with the best tyre wear this season are the Lotus and the Sauber. Here they had another chance to use this to their advantage as the others would be very marginal on tyre wear at the end of the first stint and in the last laps of the race. Lotus did not have the pace to exploit this in Monza, but Sauber did.

Perez turns the tables

Sauber did a similar strategy in Monza to the one which had brought Perez a podium in Montreal from outside the top ten on the grid; they took a new set of the harder tyres at the start, ran a long first stint and then stopped once.

Starting in Monza with Perez in 12th place on the grid, Sauber knew that many cars aiming to do one stop would be struggling to get to a stage in the race for the first stop, which would leave them a manageable number of laps to do on the hard tyre at the end. So at the end of the first stint and in the final laps of the race they would be vulnerable. Perez used the hard tyre at the start and had very good pace on it. He also helped his cause by passing Senna and Rosberg in the opening laps. He picked off Di Resta on lap six, Kobayashi a lap later and then waited in 8th place behind Raikkonen.

Once the cars in front, who were pushing to make it beyond lap 20 for a stop, started to struggle, he was able to capitalise and pick up places. Raikkonen had to stop on lap 17, as the tyres were going off, but Lotus knew that they could get to the finish without problems on the hard tyre.

Massa stopped, then Vettel and Alonso together, then Button and finally Hamilton. Perez was now leading on lap 24. He was aiming for lap 28 to make his stop, but was told that the wear was good so the new stop time was “Target plus 4” which would be lap 32. Sauber changed that, however, as it became clear that the tyres had gone, so he pitted on lap 30 for a new set of medium tyres, rejoining behind Raikkonen, who was 13 laps into a 36 lap stint.

Perez’ pace on the mediums was astonishing, once past Raikkonen; he was able to run a second per lap faster than the leader Hamilton. This continued into the phase Sauber had anticipated, where 10 laps from the end the Ferraris, which had stopped on laps 19 and 20, were two seconds slower than Perez. He passed them easily to take second place.

He was not able to catch Hamilton however. The McLaren driver had been taking it fairly easy in the second half of the race, as illustrated by the fact that from lap 39 onwards he was running on the same pace as Raikkonen, whose Lotus on worn tyres didn’t have much pace. Raikkonen, incidentally, did a very good job to manage the car with its ultra-low downforce set up for a fifth place finish.

Why Mercedes stopped twice

It was clear before the race started that one front running team was planning to do two stops. The Mercedes drivers had both saved a set of new medium tyres from qualifying, which would only be worth doing if you planned to stop twice, as the rules state that you must use one set of each compound and they were starting on the medium tyres from qualifying.

Sometimes the call between one stop and two is marginal, but here with one stop being 10 seconds faster than two stops, that was quite a lot to give up unless you had to. Once again Mercedes were concerned with tyre wear.

Also they had a painful experience in Spa, which they did not want to repeat, whereby they attempted to one-stop but found that they couldn’t and lost track positions after the forced second stop. To do that at Monza would mean losing any chance of points, so they had to do two stops. The Mercedes was fairly competitive in Monza, certainly with Schumacher, and he was in the hunt for fourth place, but had to settle for sixth with the track positions he lost by stopping twice. That said he was catching Massa and Raikkonen at the end and another lap or two he would have passed them both for fourth place, perhaps he might have achieved that had he made his second stop a lap earlier..

ITALIAN GP TYRE CHOICES

M= Medium; H=Hard; N= New; U= Used; DT= Drive through penalty

Hamilton: MU HN (Lap 23) 1 Stop

Perez: HN MN (29) 1

Alonso: MU HN (20) 1

Massa: MU HN (19) 1

Räikkönen: MU HN (17) 1

Schumacher: MU HN (15) HN (37) 2

Rosberg: MU HN (14) HN (38) 2

Di Resta: MU HN (21) 1

Kobayashi: MU HN (20) 1

Senna: MN HN (24) 1

Maldonado: HN MN (13) MN (35) 2

Ricciardo: MN HN (24) 1

D’Ambrosio: HN MN (27) 1

Kovalainen: MN HN (17) MN (39) 2

Petrov: MN HN (19) MN (40) 2

Pic: MN HN (18) HN (35) 2

Glock: MN HN (7) HN (32) 2

De La Rosa: MN HN (22) 1

Kartikeyan: MN HN (23) 1

Webber: MN HU (21) 1 DNF

Hülkenberg: HN MN (27) 1 DNF

Vettel: MU HN (20) DT (34) 2 DNF

Button: MU HN (22) 1 NC

Vergne: MU 0 NC

RACE HISTORY GRAPH(courtesy of Williams F1)

Perhaps the most revealing one yet: look at Perez pace on the medium tyre in the second stint. Look also at how he had to stop on lap 30 as his tyre performance had suddenly fallen off a cliff. Also see how close Schumacher came to catching Massa and Raikkonen at the end. See the difference in pace between Alonso and Massa once Alonso passed his team mate.

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Button welcomes di Resta to his stable

Jenson Button is refusing to speculate on Paul di Resta's future, but admits he is someone he "could work with".

Di Resta confirmed over the weekend that Sports Partnership, the company Button helped set up with his manager Richard Goddard and PR guru James Williamson, will take care of his business affairs in future.

Button admits he is delighted to have someone he trusts in the team.

"We talked about that scenario," he is quoted as saying by The Telegraph, "about having another driver in the Sports Partnership. I completely trust Richard and James and everyone who is involved in the company.

"For me it is a great idea, it is great to have another driver involved. It had to be someone that I trusted but also thought was very talented and who I could work with...in a way."

Di Resta has been touted as a possible replacement for Lewis Hamilton at McLaren should the former World Champion decide to move on, but Button is not interested in speculating.

"That is not for me to say, that is for his management to say. I am not managing him. That is not the right thing to say and I don't think he would like that either," he said.

"I spend a lot of time with Paul. We train a lot together; we spend a lot of time cycling in the south of France together. I think he is very, very talented and he has got his head screwed on. That is the important thing.

"If the company wanted to manage somebody who I didn't think had their head screwed on it would be a bit more of an issue.

"But with Paul I think it is great. He is like a sponge; he is always willing to learn. It is scary from my point of view, but it is exciting I think.

"It is great for him as well. He needs someone who is experienced in this business and is also very human in the way they do business. He has definitely got that in Richard. And James."

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Whitmarsh: No plan B if Lewis quits

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has admitted that the Woking squad have no back-up plan yet should Lewis Hamilton decide not to renew his contract.

The 27-year-old's current deal with the team runs out at the end of the season and both parties indicated that they would sort it out during the summer break, but nothing came of it.

Although many feel it is only a matter of time before he re-signed with McLaren, the build-up to the Italian GP was dominated by talk that Hamilton will join Mercedes next year. His management company and McLaren, though, were quick to pour cold water over the fire.

The rumours are likely to continue until an announcement is made, but Whitmarsh appears to be very relaxed about the negotiations.

Asked if the team have a back-up plan if Hamilton decides not to sign a new deal, he replied: "I haven't given plan B any thought.

"We want Lewis to stay, and we want him to stay if he wants to stay.

"But in terms of when you are trying to win a Championship, I've a number of priorities.

"You divide your time, energy and focus on those things - one of them is making the car faster, better; another is dealing with all the operational issues to make sure you don't make mistakes, and the other is dealing with your own drivers.

"But rightly or wrongly I haven't spent a lot of energy on that (plan subject."

Whitmarsh hopes to hold discussions with Hamilton's management company, Simon Fuller's XIX Entertainment, during the next fortnight.

"As you know we deal with management companies, not directly with drivers, which is the way of the world - or the way of the drivers - so I'm sure we'll be having those conversations very shortly," said Whitmarsh.

"I can imagine we'll have some conversations before Singapore."

XIX Entertainment has held talks with Mercedes and Whitmarsh admits he is aware of what's going on behind the scenes.

"I'm aware of quite a lot of things," he said.

"It's a small paddock and they (XIX) have to be seen to do their due diligence, as you can imagine, so I'm not surprised.

"I have some knowledge, in fact, of what's been going on."

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Sauber 'close to first win' says Kaltenborn

Sauber believe they're close to winning their first race of the season following a strong showing at the Italian Grand prix last weekend.

Sergio Perez managed to finish second despite starting 12th, handing him his third podium of the year [twice 2nd and once 3rd], which has filled the entire Swiss outfit with confidence as they head to the final flyaway races.

CEO Monish Kaltenborn says victory is close, but everything must come together perfectly if they're to realise the result.

"It's very difficult to say [if we' will win], because so many things have to be right to win a race," said the Indian. "I think we are very close to it, and all we can do is just make sure that we don't make mistakes on the track and then I'm sure it will work out."

The team have a number of upgrades coming in the remaning races which it hopes will allow it to keep pace with the leading outfits.

"I think we've been seeing throughout the season that this car actually is a very good car," added Kaltenborn. "And of course when you bring these sorts of results home then it proves it even further, so for us we continue to be convinced that it's a very good car and now we hope that the packages we still have for the overseas races are going to kick in the way we expect them to and then I think we can still keep our level of competitiveness quite high."

Whilst the team seek that elusive win, speculation surrounding Perez's future continues to mount, but Kaltenborn insists she isn't worried.

"I've always told you we announce for one season and we will in due course announce for the next season. But I'm still relaxed as I was months ago."

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Black and gold dreams: celebrating Emerson Fittipaldi's 1972 World Championship 40 years ago

It is not every day that one can claim the chairman of his company was Formula One World Champion 40 years ago. This is our case today and this is why I would like to take a few minutes to celebrate Emerson Fittipaldi, and look back at the 1972 Italian GP, the race that saw him win his first of his two World Championships.

Going to Monza during this first week of September 1972, Emerson already had a massive 25-point lead in the championship standings with only three races left. Remember that back in those days, a race win was worth 9 points, so his closest challenger (Denny Hulme) would have had to basically win the last three Grands Prix of the season to take the title. All Emmo needed to seal the deal was two small points. This is how dominant the Brazilian and his legendary Lotus 72D were in 1972, in his second complete season only in F1.

Other than Emmo's domination, the big news at Monza in 1972 was the modification of the legendary track. Following the 1971 Italian GP that saw a substantial increase in speed and slipstreaming cars, it was decided in the interest of safety to build two new chicanes, one between the pits and Curva Grande and the other one at Curva del Vialone.

Being the great tactician that he was, the Brazilian took advantage of this new track configuration and waited for his moment to take the lead, which happened with nine laps to go when Jacky Ickx had to retire with engine problems.

That was his 5th Grand Prix win of the season, on 10 races. This epic performance at such a young age showed to the world and to Lotus' team boss Colin Chapman that he was not only World Champion material, but one in the same stratospheric league than the legendary drivers he was replacing at Lotus: Jim Clark and Jochen Rindt.

This is how great Emmo was in 1972, and how great it is to have him as chairman of Motorsport.com in 2012.

Go back in time and see a vintage video from the 1972 Italian GP:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67gWHoqHAI8

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Governor Perry of Texas meets Ferrari Chairman Montezemolo

Rick Perry, current Governor of Texas, accompanied by his wife Anita, arrived at the Ferrari Works in the afternoon after he had cheered for the Scuderia Ferrari drivers in Monza last Sunday. In Maranello Perry met Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemolo for a long and friendly conversation. The Governor congratulated Montezemolo for what the Company from Maranello represents in the world, especially in the USA, where Ferrari is the leading edge of “Made in Italy”.

During his visit of different departments the Governor was especially impressed by the work environment, the light and the plants inside the buildings and around them.

After a short visit at the Scuderia department, Perry went to the Fiorano track, where a 458 Italia and a F12berlinetta were ready for him to experience the emotions the home track in Maranello has to offer.

Governor Perry and Montezemolo bid goodbye and made an appointment in Austin, where, on the 18 November, the 19th and penultimate race in the Formula 1 Championship will be held.

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Sergio Perez at Ferrari this week

After his second place at Monza, all eyes are on Sergio Perez's next move.

So the rumour-mongers will have a field day to learn that Sauber's Mexican will be at Maranello this week.

However, Ferrari insisted that Perez - Ferrari's leading driver 'academy' member - has been scheduled to visit the team in mid September "for months".

And Felipe Massa will also be at the team's headquarters later this week, to drive the simulator.

The Brazilian is struggling to hold onto his race seat for 2013, but a surge in form lately moved the influential La Gazzetta dello Sport to observe that Massa has "extended his claws", including a solid run to fourth at Monza.

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Domenicali: I'm sure Sebastian didn't intend to jeopardise Fernando's race

There is barely time to draw breath in this very busy season of Formula One, the longest in the history of the sport and the team is already at work preparing to the minutest detail for the next round, in Singapore.

After Monza, Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo had a long meeting with Team Principal Stefano Domenicali both to take stock of the immediate future the final leg in the championship and to discuss the mid-term, examining the Scuderia's plans for development and moving forward on all fronts.

For Scuderia Ferrari the weekend of the Italian Grand Prix was like a rollercoaster ride. It was a relentless flow of emotions, difficulties, disappointments, hopes and, in the end, satisfaction with a team result that was the best of the day.

There was also satisfaction regarding the situation in the two championships that on one side the drivers, has returned more or less to how it was ahead of the summer break (but with two more grands prix completed) and on the other the constructors, has been completely opened up again thanks above all to Red Bull's failure to score and the reliability problems that affected other title contenders.

It was in fact the duel with one of the Red Bulls, that of Sebastian Vettel, that led to one of the most crucial moments of Fernando's race yesterday afternoon.

Domenicali said, "It was a hard battle and I believe the Stewards' decision was right, above all given the clarification that was given out by the FIA after the last Bahrain Grand Prix. I'm also sure that Sebastian didn't have any intention of jeopardising Fernando's race: the German is a driver who is firm but fair."

The chief of the Maranello team continued: "This will be a very intense week because there will also be action on track at Magny-Cours, where there is a young drivers' test going on. For us there will be Jules Bianchi and Davide Rigon, who will take turns at the wheel of the F2012. One of the priorities of the test will be to fine-tune the correlation between the simulator and the track, a crucial aspect of modern-day Formula One."

While the sound of the V8s returns to France for the first time in more than four years, the work will continue unabated in the simulator and on the test benches at Maranello.

One man who will be getting used to the surroundings inside the Sporting Department tomorrow will be Sergio Perez, who will be making a visit to Maranello in accordance with an appointment that has been planned for months as part of his programme of work as a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy. Then on Thursday and Friday it will be Felipe Massa's turn to proceed with the 'virtual' development work on the F2012.

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Vettel: Our biggest problem is a lack of speed on the straights

Sebastian Vettel is expecting to get back in the game next time out in Singapore, after the Spa-Monza double header, where Red Bull's RB8 struggled on the high speed straights, which left the reigning world champion 39 points behind Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

"Our biggest problem is a lack of speed on the straights," he is quoted by Brazil's O Estado de S.Paulo, after seeing the gap blow out by a factor of 15 points at Monza.

"We were always among the slowest. Fortunately the tracks for the next races have [fewer] long straights, which should allow us to fight for victories," added Vettel.

But some members of the international press are now saying Vettel hass little more than an outside chance to defend his two consecutive titles this season.

Team owner Dietrich Mateschitz told Salzburger Nachrichten: "As long as we have a mathematical chance, we continue to believe."

A pragmatic Helmut Marko added: "It is going to be difficult. Alonso has to be our model, scoring podiums or at least points in every race. It's still possible."

The immediate hurdle, however, is to solve the alternator problems that left Vettel at the side of the track both in practice and also the race at Monza.

The Renault/Magneti Marelli units are failing in higher ambient temperatures, and the conditions in Singapore this week are already in the low-30s.

Renault's Remi Taffin ruled out Vettel as a cause of the failures, insisting, "It's nothing to do with him."

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Raikkonen king of consistency hunting his first comeback win

Ultra-consistent points scorer Kimi Raikkonen has moved stealthily up the Formula One standings to a healthy third place and the Lotus driver could become even more of a contender now that the championship has turned its back on Europe.

Lotus team principal Eric Boullier made no secret of the fact that Monza, the fastest track on the calendar and a power circuit with long straights and few corners, did not play to his car's strengths on Sunday.

"We knew here would not be easy," he said after Raikkonen finished fifth at the Italian Grand Prix, the last European race of the year with the focus now on the Far and Middle East before the season ends in the Americas. We look forward now obviously to the next races because it should suit our car much better."

Scoring regular points has been key in this most unpredictable of championships and Raikkonen and Ferrari's championship leader Fernando Alonso have been the 'kings of consistency'. Raikkonen has scored points in his last 10 races and, although the Finn has yet to enjoy a win in his comeback season after two years in the World Rally Championship, he has been on the podium six times in 13 races.

Alonso's focus has been mostly on Red Bull's world champion Sebastian Vettel and McLaren's Monza race winner Hamilton so far this season but the Spaniard may have to take his Ferrari predecessor into account as well now. Both Red Bulls failed to finish at Monza but Raikkonen banked points as usual.

Alonso will need no reminding of how Raikkonen took the 2007 title against the odds, mounting one of the sport's great comebacks by winning three of the last four races of that season to pip Hamilton and the Spaniard, at the time McLaren team mates, by a single point.

"It's good to go into third position," said Raikkonen, just one point behind Hamilton and 38 adrift of Alonso despite the top two having each won three races this year.

"It was a difficult weekend as we were too slow in a straight line. We came into the race looking for sixth or seventh so fifth is the maximum we could have done here this weekend."

Nobody has won more than three races this year and Raikkonen has plenty of time to clamber to the top of the podium before the year is out. Japan's Suzuka circuit, which comes after next week's Singapore Grand Prix, is a particular favourite.

Raikkonen was Lotus's sole points scorer on Sunday, with regular French team mate Romain Grosjean banned for the race after causing a pile-up at the start in Belgium and replaced by Belgian reserve Jerome D'Ambrosio, whose hopes were hit by a KERS problem.

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YOUNG GUNS TEST DAY 2: HIGH MILEAGE ALL ROUND AS SCHUMACHER COMES TO TOWN:

Jules Bianchi continued to lead the way for the young drivers in action at Magny-Cours on day two of the test, although it was the appearance of a driver at the other end of the age spectrum that caught the attention today.

With Mercedes using the test to try out some key developments for the remainder of the season – namely Coanda-style exhaust and passive double DRS system – Michael Schumacher arrived in the paddock in the morning to assess the upgrades first hand and speak to the team’s test driver Sam Bird, who remained in the W03 for the second day of running.

Assessing the performance of the car at the end of the day, Bird said: “We’ve had a second very positive day at the test and successfully completed our planned schedule, including the evaluation of the performance items that we wanted to achieve.

“We’re happy with the results that we’ve seen so far and there is a lot of information to go through to hopefully help improve the car. It was a great experience to be back behind the wheel of a Formula One car this week, and to help with the development programme, and I would like to thank the team for giving me this opportunity.”

Bird, who completed 125 laps in a best time of 1m17.482s, finished second on the times to Bianchi, who was back in the Force India having set the pace on the opening day for Ferrari. As is usually the case on the second day of a test, the best times came down considering with Bianchi improving by 1.5s in the Force India with a best lap of 1m16.467 by the end of the morning session. He went on to clock up a mammoth 117 laps in total himself on a day of generaly cool conditions in Nevers.

Bianchi will move back along the pit lane to Ferrari for the final day taking the F2012 over from Italian Davide Rigon who got his first taste of contemporary F1 machinery outside of a simulator more than a year on from his nasty accident in GP2 in Turkey.

Ferrari had assessed a new higher-downforce front wing on Tuesday and, after an electronics glitch slightly curtailed running then, Rigon and the car ran reliably on day two to notch up an impressive 165 laps in a fastest time of 1m17.925s, set during the afternoon.

All three teams will run with different drivers on the final day with Rodolfo Gonzalez taking over the Force India with New Zealand’s former Red Bull youngster Brendon Hartley to make his return to F1 testing duties with Mercedes.

YOUNG GUNS TEST, Magny-Cours – Day two

1. Jules Bianchi Force India 1m16.467s

2. Sam Bird Mercedes 1m17.482s

3. Davide Rigon Ferrari 1m17.925s

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THE GREAT PROF WATKINS PASSES AWAY:

One of F1′s greatest figures has died yesterday evening; Prof Sid Watkins, who was 84, passed away in a hospital in London.

The neurosurgeon from Liverpool, who was brought into F1 by Bernie Ecclestone to improve safety and medical standards, did more than anyone else in that field, getting F1 to the stage where it is today: a highly dangerous sport where accidents are survivable.

Prof Watkins was for 26 years the FIA medical delegate and introduced correct extraction techniques for getting drivers out of cars after accidents, led moves to improve crash structures and other safety measures and saved the lives of many well known F1 names. He attended to serious accidents for Gerhard Berger, Martin Donnelly, Nigel Mansell and Mika Hakkinen among others as well as the fatal accidents of Gilles Villeneuve and Ayrton Senna, who was a close personal friend.

The Prof features prominently in the documentary film “Senna”, released last year. He appeared late last year along with the film makers on the panel which met with BAFTA voters and had a major hand in the film winning the 2011 BAFTA for best documentary.

But he also saved less well known people. In the early 1990s, I was on a long haul flight back from a Grand Prix when a man unconnected with racing collapsed in the downstairs deck of a BA 747. A group of us went in search of the Prof, finding him upstairs on the Business Class deck. Sid woke up immediately, came downstairs and performed a tracheotomy on the man, saving his life.

He began work in F1 in 1978, with the death of Ronnie Peterson one of the first tragedies he encountered which made him push for better medical facilities.

The 2000s were the first decade of the sport where not a single F1 driver died and the Prof had a big hand in that.

Watkins founded the Brain and Spine Foundation and was the first president of the FIA Foundation, which is dedicated to research in motorsport safety.

Since news of his death broke, tributes from the F1 community have poured in for the Prof with McLaren chairman Ron Dennis saying: “Today the world of motor racing lost one of its true greats: Professor Sid Watkins.

“No, he wasn’t a driver; no, he wasn’t an engineer; no, he wasn’t a designer. He was a doctor, and it’s probably fair to say that he did more than anyone, over many years, to make Formula 1 as safe as it is today.

“As such, many drivers and ex-drivers owe their lives to his careful and expert work, which resulted in the massive advances in safety levels that today’s drivers possibly take for granted.

“But, more than that, Sid was a dear friend of mine, and I’ll miss him bitterly. To his widow Susan, and to his family, I extend my sincerest condolences. He was a truly great man, and the world of motor racing simply won’t be the same without him.

Jenson Button tweeted: “Rest in Peace Sid Watkins…Motorsport wouldn’t be what it is today without u. Thank you for all you’ve done, we as drivers are so grateful,” as did Rubens Barrichello who wrote: “It was Sid Watkins that saved my life in Imola 94.great guy to be with, always happy…tks for everything u have done for us drivers. RIP.”

Martin Brundle also paid his own personal tribute: “Motor sport has lost a true visionary +character with death of Prof Sid Watkins, 84. Great man, funny too.Saved my left foot being amputated.”

The FIA has also issued an official statement with its president Jean Todt hailing the legacy Watkins leaves behind. “This is a truly sad day for the FIA family and the entire motor sport community. Sid was loved and respected in equal measure by all those who knew and worked with him. We will always be grateful for the safety legacy that he has left our sport.”

Gérard Saillant, FIA Institute President, added: “Sid was a true gentleman of our sport and always a pleasure to work with. He will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him, from doctors and drivers to officials and fans. Sid’s influence will live on for many years to come.”

Anyone wishing to learn more about the life of the Prof should read “Life at the Limit: Triumph and Tragedy in Formula One.”

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YOUNG GUNS TEST DAY 3: BIANCHI COMPLETES MAGNY-COURS CLEAN SWEEP:

Jules Bianchi nothced up a hat-trick of fastest times at the Magny-Cours young drivers’ test as he returned to the Ferrari cockpit for Thursday’s final day.

Having had a unique chance to directly compare the Ferrari F2012 and Force India VJM05 over the course of the first two days, Bianchi was back in the former’s title-chasing challenger on day three and wrapped up an encouraging week for both himself and Ferrari mileage-wise with 138 more laps to bring his personal test total to over 300.

The 23-year-old was able to top the century again despite rain hitting the former French GP circuit in the morning, meaning the three drivers present completed their early ventures on the circuit on intermediate and wet tyres. The skies over Magny-Cours gradually improved thereafter into the early afternoon and Bianchi came under slightly more pressure for the fastest time than hitherto in the week with Force India debutant Rodolfo Gonzalez hitting the top of the timesheet mid-way through the second session with what turned out to be his best lap of the day, 1m18.018s.

Bianchi, however, reasserted his dominance with a later superior lap of 1m16.985, which although the best lap set in a Ferrari this week, fell over 0.4s short of his overall quickest effort of the week set on day two in the Force India.

Gonzalez, whose Force India team packed up earlier than either of their fellow two teams, therefore finished second on the timesheet and the Venezuelan was pleased with his 348km-worth of mileage.

“Today has been a great experience. The conditions were quite difficult to begin with because of the wet start to the day, but it was good to try out the wet and intermediate tyres,” he said. “The other main task was getting used to the control systems and building my speed and feel for the car. I’m quite happy with my pace today, although I think there was more to come because it was my first time driving at Magny-Cours and my first time in the car. The team did a great job of making me feel welcome and comfortable, and I really hope to get another chance to drive a Formula One car soon. ”

The third man in the field, former Red Bull-backed junior Brendon Hartley, has had previous F1 test experience in 2008-2009 and once the rain had cleared he was able to complete some long hard-tyre runs in the upgraded Mercedes, clocking a best time of 1:18.671 after 87 laps. Aside from giving two young drivers vital F1 track time, the test has been particularly key for Mercedes which has tried a new exhaust and Lotus-style double DRS, and team chief Ross Brawn said the team now had plenty of data to analyse ahead of Singapore.

“This was an important test, allowing both drivers [Hartley and Sam Bird] some important track time in a Formula One car, and enabling us to continue our development programme with the evaluation of our new upgrades,” Brawn said.

“Both Sam and Brendon have driven very well, providing good and consistent feedback, and I would like to thank them for their efforts and diligence over the last three days.

“We now have a wealth of data from the test to study back at the factory over the next few days and in advance of the forthcoming race in Singapore.”

The remaining six teams who have yet to complete their permitted days of young driver testing – Red Bull, McLaren, Lotus, Sauber, Toro Rosso and Caterham – will, as has traditionally become the case, now use the days after the Abu Dhabi GP in November to give their respective young drivers a run-out around Yas Marina.

Marussia already completed their young guns running at Silverstone in July by today confirmed the identity of one of the drivers who will get track time in the corresponding sessions in 2013, Cypriot Tio Ellinas to be rewarded for finishing the GP3 season as the highest-ranked Marussia Manor Racing driver. The 20-year-old finished eighth in the championship but capped his debut season at that level in fine style by finishing second and then first in the final races at Monza last weekend.

YOUNG GUNS TEST, Magny-Cours – Day three

1. Jules Bianchi Ferrari 1m16.985s 138 laps

2. Rodolfo Gonzalez Force India 1m18.018s 79

3. Brendon Hartley Mercedes 1m18.671s 87

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Kovalainen on Ferrari and McLaren's radar for 2013 season

Heikki Kovalainen is reportedly being lined up by both Ferrari and McLaren as a potential driver for the 2013 season.

The Finn failed to impress during his years at both Renault and McLaren, more often than not being overshadowed by his team-mates at the time. However he has caught the eye of many in the paddock during his tenure at Caterham where he has openly admitted to regaining his confidence.

It's believed Ferrari are eying the 30-year-old as a potential Felipe Massa replacement, someone who can score consistent points but not to the extent that he interferes with Fernando Alonso.

A meeting purportedly took place between Kovalainen's management and Ferrari, according to Finland's MTV3 - with many in the paddock believing he is the leading candidate to replace the underperforming Brazilian.

McLaren may also be looking to secure Kovalainen's services for a second time should Lewis Hamilton opt to leave the team following rumours he has agreed terms with Mercedes for 2013.

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Ma Qing Hua to take part in Singapore FP1

Ma Qing Hua will get his second opportunity to get behind the wheel of HRT's F112 after taking part in the first practice session of the Italian GP last weekend.

The Chinese driver impressed HRT team principal Luis Pérez-Sala and will therefore take part in FP1 for the Singapore GP.

"I'm very happy to drive the F112 for a second time in a row and I really appreciate the opportunity HRT is giving me," Ma said. "It will be very exciting to drive a F1 around the streets of Singapore. It's a very demanding track for all of us, but it will be even more of a challenge for me as this is only the second time I will be driving the car at a race weekend.

"But I am looking forward to it and the laps that I added to my tally at the last grand prix in Monza have given me plenty of confidence. I have prepared myself in the simulator as well as doing some specific exercises to be used to driving at night. This is yet again another step in my career and I look forward to getting more experience at the wheel of a Formula 1 car as well as doing my best to help the team to prepare for the race".

Team principal Luis Pérez-Sala added: "Ma will step into the car once more for the first free practice session and the objective is for him to continue learning and improving as he did in Monza, where we were very happy with his work and performance."

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Vergne still sore after Italian GP accident

Jean-Eric Vergne says he is still feeling the effects of his Monza crash which launched his car into the air before it landed back on the surface with some force.

The Frenchman complained of a sore back immediately after the accident and says it, along with his neck, remain stiff, but he doesn't think it'll have an impact on his Singapore preparations.

"The kerbs are quite high at Monza, so when the car hit the kerb I was thrown in the air," he said. "I was a little worried that the car might flip, so the fact that it didn't is something to be grateful for. It could have been a lot worse than it was. Having said that, it was still quite a big impact and it took me a minute to get myself together once the car had stopped.

"I felt a bit of pain, so I stayed where I was for a few moments, just to get everything straight in my head, but then I felt okay and climbed out. I went with the medical car and that was the end of my Italian Grand Prix."

He revealed that it was indeed a suspension failure at the rear which caused his car to spin under braking for the turn one chicane.

"After the race, we established it had been a failure with the rear suspension," he added. "In the end you just have to put it down as one of those things that happen when you go racing. I do feel pretty stiff across my back and neck but I think that will go away over the next day or so and I'll get on with what is going to be a pretty busy schedule until Singapore."

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F1 'Aggressiveness has ramped up'

Mark Webber believes Formula One's improvements in safety have resulted in drivers becoming too aggressive as they "usually" walk away.

Earlier this month, safety in Formula One made headlines when Romain Grosjean was handed a one-race ban for causing what could have been a horrific accident at the start of the Belgian GP.

Fighting for track position at the start, the Frenchman cut across the track, hitting Lewis Hamilton's McLaren before being launched into the air over the back of Kamui Kobayashi's Sauber.

Airborne, Grosjean came crashing down on Fernando Alonso's Ferrari but thankfully missed hitting the Spaniard's head.

It was Grosjean's seventh accident of the season, putting him up there with Pastor Maldonado in heading the numbers in incidents for 2012. Neither has yet been injured.

Ironically, though, Webber reckons it's Formula One improved safety that has permitted drivers to attack so hard - or aggressively - without any thought to the potential consequences.

"The drivers have to take some responsibility," Webber wrote in his BBC column. "In the last 10 years, the level of aggressiveness has ramped up a bit just because guys know that usually they'll be able to walk away from a crash.

"But you can be aggressive and safe or aggressive and unsafe. I've always said F1 is not a finishing school when it comes to racing.

"Most of the youngsters who have come in have gone pretty well. This year, Pastor Maldonado and Grosjean have both had a few incidents.

"If Grosjean's crash in Belgium had happened in open racing, it would have been fine. But there were lots of cars around, the track is narrow there and very quickly it became a nasty accident.

"The nature of F1 has changed with the Pirelli tyres and DRS - overtaking is easier now - so you don't have to be so desperate at the start. That is why it is a surprise to see some of the things that are happening on the first lap.

"You do need to get involved but some guys are having more incidents than the others and they need to take that on board.

"We should be the best at what we do, racing in all conditions on all kinds of tracks, and driver etiquette has to match that."

As for steps that could be taken to prevent head injuries from airborne cars, the Red Bull racer reckons Formula One should look more towards wheel protection than cockpits or cages.

"The FIA has been doing some research on driver head protection and at the moment it looks like some form of forward protection, probably a kind of roll-bar, is going to be introduced in the not-too-distant future," said the 36-year-old.

"Head protection is a controversial subject and, unusually for me, I'm still on the fence on it.

"Open-wheel, open-cockpit racing is what most racing drivers want to do - it requires incredible precision and they are the best racing cars in the world.

"You don't want to lose that, so we have to get this decision right. It's a big step for the sport.

"People are saying things like 'it's going to be ugly'. But you have to park that stuff. The tricky thing is to decide what exactly you are protecting against.

"The Grosjean incident, and a similar one involving David Coulthard and Alexander Wurz in Australia in 2007, happened because of cars climbing over each other and being launched into the air.

"That also happened to me when I flipped in Valencia in 2010.

"So should you shut off that option somehow by enclosing the wheels but leave the cockpit open? Or leave the wheels open and create more cockpit protection?

"Personally, I feel stopping cars launching is a bigger priority, if only because I think that happens more often. Cockpit intrusion is rarer, but it still has to be taken seriously.

"In both cases, we have been lucky and we all know that luck will run out one day."

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Mallya intent on retaining drivers

Vijay Mallya has poured cold water over rumours his Force India drivers are leaving, saying he will do "whatever" he has to do to retain both.

In recent weeks Nico Hulkenberg has been linked to Ferrari are Felipe Massa's replacement while Paul di Resta could replace Lewis Hamilton at McLaren should he head over to Mercedes.

But, according to Mallya, neither move will be happening as he intends holding onto the German and the Scot.

"I have confirmed to both my drivers that I want to retain them, and that's it," the team boss told F1 journalist Adam Cooper.

"I will do whatever I have to do to retain my drivers.

"I've not been approached by anybody, contrary to all the speculation.

"The fact that their names are mentioned only shows that my trust and faith in them is not misplaced."

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Heidfeld chasing F1 comeback

Nick Heidfeld is keen to return to Formula One racing but not if he is just making up the numbers.

Heidfeld, who was released from his contract by Lotus in the middle of last season, told dpa that he had not given up hope of returning to the sport.

"I am not yet at a state where I would say I will try something else. For that I love the sport too much," the 35-year-old said.

He however added that he was not interested in joining a team that was not competitive. "I need to have the perspective of being able to be successful.

"If that it not realistic, I do not need it," he said.

He admitted that he was still angry at the way in which he was dismissed by Lotus last year. "It takes a while to work through all of that.

"It is a process that has not yet happened," said Heidfeld, who competed in 183 grand prix races. "It was a very difficult time when that happened."

After competing in different race series this year, Heidfeld has not yet made any concrete plans for 2013. "I am starting to hold talks, to think about things.

"There are a lot of possibilities, I will just have to see which way it develops."

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Rigon: That was incredible

Davide Rigon was delighted with his F1 debut with Ferrari, saying the experience was "incredible."

Making his debut with Ferrari at the official Young Driver Test at Magny-Cours, Rigon completed 700 kilometres at the wheel of the F2012.

A member of Ferrari's Young Driver Academy, the Italian worked on aerodynamic measurements and set-up testing with a best time of 1:17.925.

"I've already been to Magny-Cours twice in other categories, but driving a Formula 1 car here was incredible!" said Rigon.

"At the start I was very excited, but after ten laps I was able to concentrate completely on the day's busy programme.

"Doing so many laps gave me the opportunity to improve my feeling at the wheel and to understand the difference between the work on the simulator and being on track in a real car.

"It was also useful that, technically, this track is very complete."

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Sauber looking to overtake Merc

Sauber continue to go from strength to strength in 2012 and the Hinwil squad are determined to keep pushing until the end of the season in order to finish fifth.

The team started the campaign with a bang with Sergio Perez finishing second at the Malaysian Grand Prix and Kamui Kobayashi qualifying P3 in China.

However, many expected them to fall away slightly once the so-called big guns got into their stride in terms of development, but that hasn't been the case as Perez picked up a P3 at Canada and then claimed another second-place finish at this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

After finishing seventh in the Constructors' standings last season, the team hope to move up to fifth this year and that would mean replacing Mercedes, who are currently 26 points ahead of the Hinwil squad, in the pecking order.

"After our strong start to the season, many people were predicting that the wheels would come off for us, so to speak, as the season progressed," team CEO Monisha Kaltenborn said.

"The reality, though, is we're getting stronger all the time, and I'm anticipating that we'll continue to deliver good performances through the final third of the season.

"Before the season got under way we said we wanted to significantly improve our position in the World Championship. Taking our seventh place in the Constructors' standings in 2011 as a starting point, that would mean finishing fifth this year. That's an ambitious target, but you have to set your sights high. And I have every confidence in our team."

Kaltenborn believes the pace and efficiency of develop throughout the season have played major roles in their success.

"We are working extremely efficiently. The extensive package of upgrades we introduced for the races at Barcelona and Silverstone were successful," she said.

"Our progress at the race track has met our expectations and calculations in full, which is a major feather in the cap of our engineers. And there's still more to come from the C31.

"We'll be bringing another series of upgrades to the upcoming races in Asia, at the same time as pushing ahead with the development of next year's car, of course.

"So it's not only a question of the pace of development, but more particularly efficiency. Here, the issue of costs clearly plays a critical role. The greater the resources at your disposal, the more intensively you can develop the car, and that is reflected directly in performance."

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Team-Mate Wars: Monza

Because in F1 the first person you have to beat is your team-mate...

Red Bull Racing

Race: Vettel

Season: Sebastian Vettel 9 - Mark Webber 4

Neither Red Bull had a storming race, but that was true of all the Renault-engined cars - Lotus and Williams were further back than they had been of late, with Maldonado further back in the car park and Grosjean back in Enstone. Vettel made the most of the equioment he had but looked powerless to resist Alonso for long. Most F1 drivers are funny when they're angry but with an airy little wander of his RB8 through Curva Grande, Sebastian managed to turn Fernando into Maria Callas. A right old diva. After the race when the drivers are sauntering between interviews in 'the pen' and affect an air of "I wasn't really bothered" do they not realise we've heard them screaming into race radio?

Vettel took his retirement with a certain sangfroid, but the increasingly cadaverous-looking Mark Webber is beginning to be a worry. He looks constantly resigned to not getting a good outcome - an attitude he's backed up with results. Singapore is just what both drivers need.

McLaren

Race: Hamilton

Season: Jenson Button 4 - Lewis Hamilton 9

Lewis Hamilton was in control at Monza. It may well be that Button's fuel pick-up problem was brought on by barrelling his MP4-27 just a little too excessively over the punishing Monza kerbs. They might also have been responsible for doing in Fernando's anti-roll bar (rarely a victim of fatigue) on Saturday. Lewis steered clear of all this and finished the race with time in hand, plus life in his tyres. His win made for an awkward post-race scenario with him having to give out the traditional love to his team - oh and by the way I might be buggaring off to Mercedes.

Mercedes

Race: Schumacher

Season: Michael Schumacher 7 - Nico Rosberg 6

With Mercedes going their own way on strategy - and all the top teams not copying them - you began to think that this was another one of those afternoons where Ross Brawn's team goes from bad to worse. Except it all came right and Schumi and Nico came roaring back through the field on their new tyres with a vengeance. Most significantly, Michael has now taken the TMW lead over Nico, which is a first in his three-year return. What a way to do it - in front of his beloved former tifosis. And what's more he looked good for it, pushing pushing pushing through Saturday qualifying, a slide here, a wheel off the edge at the Lesmos and qualifying in P4. Even if the rumours are contrary, he's not driving like a man contemplating retirement.

Ferrari

Race: Alonso

Season: Fernando Alonso 13 - Felipe Massa 0

Alonso beat Massa. We knew that Fernando would find a way past Felipe the minute he got behind the Brazilian, what was interesting was the language Rob Smedley used to prepare his man for the moment when (continuing the opera analogy) the fat lady was going to sing. They should maybe think about entertaining the worldwide TV audience by using different phrases other than "Felipe, think about how you're going to manage your tyres". How about "Felipe, check out Fernando's great new rear wing paint job."

Lotus

Race: Raikkonen

Season: Kimi Raikkonen 10 - Romain Grosjean 3

A relatively low-key race for Kimi who was never going to be challenged by Jerome D'Ambrosio, whose biggest challenge, apart from the heavily telegraphed custard jokes from the Sky team, was staying reasonably near the Finn. It was his bad luck that this was one of the few races of 2012 where the Lotus wasn't a genuine podium contender.

Force India

Race: DiResta

Season: Paul DiResta 7 - Nico Hulkenberg 6

Having deserted him in Belgium, the squirming cliché of Lady Luck evened up the score in Italy, blighting Nico Hulkenberg's qualifying, and leaving the field free for Paul to impress. Which he duly did. Despite the gearbox penalty Paul kept his car in the Top Ten and his name at the top of the possible Schumi replacement list

Sauber

Race: Perez

Season: Kamui Kobayashi 4 - Sergio Perez 9

Yet again Kobayashi was convincingly ahead of Perez on Saturday, but it was Checo who had the almost-winning strategy on Sunday. Luca Montezemolo says he's not ready for a Ferrari drive...? Smoke and mirrors - the last thing he needs is a demotivated Massa.

Williams

Race: Senna

Season: Maldonado 4 - Senna 9

With Pastor enjoying "10 places of penalty" for the Italian GP Bruno was left on his own to get mugged by every passing driver who came his way. He had incidents with Nico Rosberg, Paul Di Resta and Mark Webber and it was a case of Bruno being more sinned against than sinning. But still he managed to bring his car home in the points.

Torro Rosso

Race: Ricciardo

Season: Daniel Ricciardo 7 - Jean-Eric Vergne 6

Daniel Ricciardo was already in front of the man they have shortened to "Jev" on Toro Rosso team radio when Jean-Eric's car had its R.Kelly moment at the first chicane. Backs take a long time to heal and it wouldn't be a surprise if Vergne had to miss the bumps of Singapore.

Caterham

Race: Kovalainen

Season: Vitaly Petrov 6 - Heikki Kovalainen 7

Heikki and Vitaly were evenly matched at Monza and finished together, with the little hobbit taking the TMW points.

Marussia

Race: Pic

Season: Timo Glock 7- Charles Pic 6

Those two happy-go-lucky Czech puppets Pic and Glock swapped it all around at Monza. In Belgium it had been Glock, then Pic. In Italy it was Pic then Glock. Poor old Glock was in for a long afternoon the moment he lost his silly front wing going through Turn 1. 'Never mind', thought Glock, 'it'll be my turn to pick up another meaningless 16th place.'

HRT

Race: De la Rosa

Season: Narain Karthikeyan 2 - Pedro de la Rosa 10

There was an earth-shattering moment on Saturday when Narain outqualified an F1 team-mate for the first time since 2005. Blimey, thought the entire grid, that's a long time to wait, even David Coulthard has bought a round of drinks since then.

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Pirelli tyre nominations for Japan, Korea and India grand prix events

Pirelli has announced the tyre nominations for Japan, Korea and India: rounds 15 to 17 of this year’s FIA Formula One World Championship in October.

In Japan, drivers will use the P Zero Silver hard tyre and P Zero Yellow soft tyre, delivering both performance and durability at the fast and challenging Suzuka circuit.

For Korea, the P Zero Yellow soft and P Zero Red supersoft has been nominated: a combination that also proved extremely effective on Pirelli’s debut last year in Mokpo.

At the Indian Grand Prix, new to the calendar in 2011, the drivers will have the P Zero Silver hard and P Zero Yellow soft at their disposal, which should be well-suited to the hot weather in Delhi.

Japan contains a combination of high speed as well as slower and more technical corners, meaning that the tyres have to work effectively within a wide range of parameters and potential weather conditions. By combining the hard with the soft compound, every eventuality is catered for on a favourite circuit for all the drivers, on account of the high g forces experienced through flat-out corners such as 130R and Spoon.

Although temperatures in Korea can be high, the tight and twisty nature of the track, as well as the exceptionally low tyre degradation it presents, make it a good choice for the two softest tyres in Pirelli’s range. These provide plenty of mechanical grip but do not compromise on durability, as shown by the other races in which this combination has been used such as Monaco and Canada.

With India being new to the calendar last year, Pirelli’s engineers faced the challenge of accumulating as much simulated data as they could about the Buddh circuit. This year, the tyre nomination has been made with real data, and as a result the hard and the soft compounds have been selected to provide the best spectacle on one of the longest straights in Formula One, as well as some complex multi-apex corners that put plenty of energy through the tyres.

Each team will normally receive six sets of the harder compound and five sets of the softer compound for the race weekend, which can be used at any point from free practice one onwards. Pirelli will also bring its Cinturato Green intermediate tyre for damp track conditions (four sets per car) as well as the Cinturato Blue rain tyre (three sets per car) to each race.

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Ferrari using foot-activated 'DRS' pedal

Ferrari is using a clever foot-activated switch to trigger the drag-shedding 'DRS' system in 2012, it has emerged.

Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said drivers for most other teams trigger the rear wing flap with a button on the steering wheel.

But renowned F1 technical illustrator Giorgio Piola has learned that, when Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa are between corners and therefore not braking, their left foots can trigger 'DRS' with a switch to the left of the brake pedal.

When they want to stop the car, their left foot is therefore automatically taken off the 'DRS' pedal - therefore returning the wing to its normal position - when they apply the brake.

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Ecclestone happy with sound of V6 engine - report

Bernie Ecclestone is now happier with the prospect of F1's V6 engine rules switch.

Until now, the F1 chief executive's main worry has been that the new 1.6 litre turbo units will not sound as good as the current normally-aspirated V8s.

But just ahead of last weekend's Italian grand prix, he travelled to Maranello to meet with Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo as well as FIA president Jean Todt.

While at the famous Italian team's HQ, Ecclestone visited Ferrari's engine department and heard a live V6 running on the dynomometer, Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports.

"Even Bernie Ecclestone was pursuaded by the sound of the engine," the report read.

Meanwhile, Auto Motor und Sport also reports the risk that Vitaly Petrov will lose his Caterham seat perhaps even before the 2012 season is out.

The magazine said that, with Petrov's funding running out, Dutchman Giedo van der Garde is a candidate for 2012, with the well-funded Marussia driver Charles Pic in the running for next year's race seat.