FORMULA 1 - 2012

[MIKA27]

FORMULA 1 STORING UP A BIG PROBLEM FOR ITSELF IN 5 YEARS TIME:

The focus on the driver market this Autumn is on Lewis Hamilton and whether he will stay at McLaren or move to Mercedes. The future of 43 year old Michael Schumacher and of Ferrari’s Felipe Massa is also pivotal to whether there will be any vacancies among the top teams or whether things will stay as they are for another year.

But below that there are some worrying signs, as the effects of the global financial crisis are increasingly keenly felt among F1 teams, with the result that drivers who bring money to a team -either family money or corporate backing, are at a premium. Most of the opportunities being given to “reserve drivers” today are in reality opportunities for the teams to earn extra much-needed millions.

These drivers will never rise to the highest levels, but they are taking seat time and opportunity away from the next generation of Alonsos, Hamiltons and Vettels. And in five years from now we will really feel the impact of that.

The situation is not helped by some of the driver development programmes appearing to be failing, with the result that there is a paucity of exciting young drivers coming through the ranks.

And to compound the problem further, the testing ban is creating a raft of problems in terms of young drivers. There is no opportunity for young drivers to get any testing mileage in an F1 car; for example Sam Bird’s two days with Mercedes at Magny Cours were his first seat time for a year.

The only opportunity is the Friday morning practice session at Grands Prix, which is woefully under utilised. Force India and Williams are the only ones using it properly to bring drivers on, but again there are signs that cash strapped teams the length of the grid are now using these opportunities to bring in additional funds.

This is simply not sustainable. If the sport wants superstar drivers to wow and entertain the public as well as talented second tier drivers, it has to nurture them, as it did with the current generation drivers like Hamilton, Vettel and the much-missed Robert Kubica. It will not win over increasingly distracted and sceptical audiences with the Charles Pics and Max Chiltons of this world.

One can envisage a situation, five years from now, when Button and Webber will be retired, Alonso aged 36 will probably be retired, or close to it. So that will leave Hamilton who will be 32 and Sebastian Vettel, who will be 30 and there is no sign of a driver who will rise to challenge them.

And as teams like Williams, Sauber and maybe next year even Force India, look to drivers who bring budget, the scope for the next Hamilton or Vettel to rise is very limited. It will need to be someone from a driver development programme, but the Red Bull programme has largely failed (apart from Vettel) and Renault and BMW are no longer active in F1.

The next few years may offer some opportunities to the second tier drivers, like Di Resta, Hulkenberg, Grosjean and Perez to show whether they have what it takes, but who’s coming up behind them?

The testing ban was brought in to save money and one could argue that if that had not happened, then some of the teams would have run into even greater financial difficulty. There are one or two teams in F1 today that are close to the edge and when the likes of Sauber, Williams and possibly Force India are looking for drivers with budget, we have a major problem brewing.

But the testing ban also hinders driver development and this in turn leads to some of the problems we have had this season, with Grosjean and Maldonado driving with too much desperation because the only chance they get to drive is on race weekends.

They don’t get the track time between events to grow fully conversant with their cars, they don’t haven’t had the 10,000kms of testing that the drivers a generation ahead were able to get which made them rounded drivers and yet they are under equal or greater pressure, so they take risks…

It’s like asking footballers to only play on match days; they could not possibly improve.

The only ray of light in all this is the opportunity offered by Pirelli for a test driver, although this has tended to be a driver who has dropped out of F1, rather than a promising newcomer.

Nevertheless it has merit; the current Pirelli test driver, Jaime Alguersuari, has done a number of tests this year in a 2010 Renault, engineered by Lotus F1 Team, working on 2013 tyres. But he’s been covering 700 kilometres a day and as a result is a far more experienced and complete driver than he was when he was racing for Toro Rosso. He’s now the driver he should have been 12 months ago, far more experienced and rounded.

F1 teams are currently wrapped up in arguing about the merits of an expensive 2014 engine programme, costing three or four times as much as the current units. That will impact budgets far more than a few days of testing would.

There isn’t much thinking going on as regards funding to produce the next generation of drivers, the sport is just relying on them coming through, because they always have.

F1 is increasingly an entertainment business and with annual revenues of $1.5 billion, it’s a successful one.

But it needs to make sure that it has a supply of performers.

[MIKA27]

Ricciardo: Every point helps my future

Daniel Ricciardo is hoping his latest points-finish, which came in Singapore, will go some way towards securing his F1 future.

The Australian brought his Toro Rosso home in ninth place on Sunday night after a thrilling battle in which he held Red Bull's Mark Webber at bay.

It was the 23-year-old's third two-pointer of the season.

"It doesn't hurt," Ricciardo told The Age when asked if the result was 'good for your future at Toro Rosso.'

"Every time I get points it's good and particularly with this team.

"It hasn't been easy to crack the top 10 at the best of times, so every point helps - and to get two is a mini-podium, in a way."

Pressed as to whether he was confident of remaining in Formula One next season, he said: "Put it this way, if I can keep a few more of these results coming, I think so.

"It's definitely on the right path to secure a seat. It isn't a podium, but realistically, it's good.

"I still want to keep improving. I wasn't particularly happy with qualifying, to be honest.

"I still want to get that perfect, perfect weekend, but this was definitely one of the ones that came close."

[MIKA27]

Allegedly the Daily Telegraph are reporting the switch for Lewis Hamilton to Mercedes is imminent and an announcemnt will be made shortly...?

This is of course unconfirmed. I hope its not true.

[rckymtn22]

Not sure why Hamilton would want to leave a winning team to on that is mid pack and doesn't look like it going to win anytime. If Schumacher isn't able win with that team don't Hamilton will. This move is looking like the foolish move Jacques Villeneuve a few years ago leaving Williams.

[MIKA27]

'Schumi out, Hamilton in'

Lewis Hamilton will "cut ties" with McLaren at the end of this season with the announcement that he's off to Mercedes nothing more than a formality.

At least that's according to one report in Britain, the Daily Mail.

The newspaper is claiming that Mercedes will announce on Friday that Michael Schumacher is stepping down at the end of this season to make room at the Brackley-based squad for Hamilton.

'Sources in Germany indicated that the car giants will announce Schumacher's second retirement at their headquarters in Stuttgart on Friday morning, leaving the way clear for Hamilton to accept a deal worth up to £60million, including win bonuses, over three years,' the report said.

The article continued, citing the lure of working with Ross Brawn, who has secured eight Drivers' Championship titles with Schumacher and Hamilton's current team-mate Jenson Button, as well as the switch to smaller engines in 2014 as the driving forces behind Hamilton's decision to leave McLaren, who sponsored him from when he was a 13-year-old karter.

'The question is whether Mercedes, who have support at board level in Germany but are run from Brackley, Northamptonshire, are better equipped to deliver. They have only been back in the sport as manufacturers since 2010, though in their previous guise as Brawn won the title through Jenson Button,' claimed the Daily Mail.

'Ross Brawn, the engineering svengali behind all seven of Schumacher's titles, remains team principal and his presence is sure to have been a major lure for Hamilton with significant changes to the engine regulations due for the 2014 season.

'Brawn exploited a previous revamping of the technical blueprint in 2009, allowing Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Button to waltz to his championship success. With Mercedes as engine makers, Brawn is well placed to conjure another trick.'

However, other reports from the UK are saying something rather different with Hamilton's decision immanent but not yet made. And when it is made it will have him staying at McLaren.

According to Press Association Sport the 27-year-old 'is to make a decision on his Formula One future before next weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.

Hamilton's answer, on whether he remains with McLaren or opts to move to Mercedes, could potentially come as early as Friday, although it is understood the situation is not 100 percent finalised.'

PA claims that a 'source close to McLaren after the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday that a contract to stay loyal to the Woking-based marque was "85-90 per cent" resolved.'

As for what really is happening F1 fans will only know for sure when the announcement comes...

[MIKA27]

FIA confirms optional 'stepped nose' covers for 2013

Teams will be able to cover the unseemly 'stepped noses' on their 2013 cars, it has emerged.

We quoted the FIA's Charlie Whiting as saying in July that the governing body "is aware of the dissatisfaction of the fans in relation to the appearance of this year's cars".

A rule tweak for 2012 caused the conspicuous height discrepancy between the top of the monocoque and the nose cone, resulting in the 'step' on most of this year's car designs.

Also in July, we reported that teams were discussing a rule tweak for 2013 that would allow the step to be covered by a "structurally irrelevant" laminate.

That rule tweak has now been enshrined in the technical regulations for 2013, F1's official website reports.

"The fairings will not affect the car's aerodynamics or impact-protection properties," the report said.

The regulations refer to the step nose cover as "an optional, single piece, non-structural fairing of prescribed laminate".

The 2013 rules have also banned the so-called double-DRS that has appeared on the Mercedes this year, although it is understood the new regulation will not apply to Lotus' interpretation.

Meanwhile, Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports that the teams have written a letter to the FIA, pleading with the governing body to refrain from dramatically increasing the entry fees for 2013.

The FIA reportedly wants to scrap the current flat EUR 309,000 entry fee in order to charge EUR 500,000 plus 7,000 per championship point.

If the regime was already in place, Red Bull would have paid more than EUR 5 million simply to enter the 2012 world championship.

[MIKA27]

Hi all. I will not be posting any F1 news over the weekend and as far up until mid next week as I am heading away on a short break with my wife and kids.

We're heading up to a place called Golden Beach in Victoria where we have the pleasure of using my Wifes uncles holiday home which is along the beach.

Unfortunately, no internet to post from...

I'll return and make up for the missed days.

I seriously hope Hamilton stays at McLaren and Schumacher stays at Mercedes at least another season.

[MatthewB]

Thanks for all the updates

Have a great week off.

[Bartolomeo]

Hamilton to Mercedes announced today.......boo!

[MIKA27]

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER DECIDES TO RETIRE FOR GOOD:

[updated] Michael Schumacher has called time on his second coming in F1, the seven times world champion announced today that the Brazilian Grand Prix will be his 306th and last.

At 43 years 277 days, Schumacher is nearly twice the age he was when he made his F1 debut at the 1991 Belgian GP (22 years 235 days) and he holds the record for the longest period between his first and last GP starts.

Schumacher, 43, was forced into retirement for the second time by Mercedes’ decision to hire Lewis Hamilton, which followed a period of indecision from Schumacher about whether to sign on for another year. It follows his decision in 2006 to quit, which led to three years on the sidelines before his dramatic decision to come back with Mercedes in 2010.

“Although I am still able to compete with the best drivers, at some point it is good to say goodbye,” he said in Suzuka on Thursday.

“During the past month I was not sure if I still had the motivation and energy which is necessary to go on. It is not my style to go on if I’m not 100% with it but with today’s decision I feel relieved.

“In the end, it is not my ambition to just drive around but to fight for victories; and the

pleasure of driving is nourished by competitiveness.

“I said at the end of 2009 that I want to be measured by my success, and this is why I had a lot of criticism in the past three years which partly was justified.

“It is without doubt that we did not achieve our goals to develop a world championship fighting car. But it is also very clear that I can still be very happy about my overall achievements in the whole time of my career.

“In the past six years I have learned a lot about myself. For example, that you can open yourself without losing focus. That losing can be both more difficult and more instructive than winning. Sometimes I lost sight of this in the early years. But you appreciate to be able to do what you love to do. That you should live your convictions and I was able to do so.”

This last paragraph is a nod in the direction of some of his mistakes in his early career, where he crossed the line of what is and is not acceptable in the pursuit of winning in sport. It’s the closest he will come to apologising for events like Monaco 2006 and others.

Schumacher’s comeback has indeed yielded precious few results and a lot of disappointments. There was one pole position, in Monaco, which was taken away with a grid penalty carried over from Spain for causing a collision.

There was no win and just one podium, from his race in Valencia, while he scored four fourth places among his results in the 52 races since his comeback. He scored points on 30 of those 52 races, but also had some bad luck with mechanical failures, especially this year, where he has retired five times with reliability issues. In total he has retired 7 times in 2012, the most in the field.

He averaged 3.6 points over the three years, which is the equivalent of an eighth place at every race.

In comparison to team mate Rosberg, who hasn’t had a great season since his win in China in April, (apart from P2 in Monaco) Schumacher scored 191 points compared to Rosberg’s 324 in the 52 race period since the start of 2010. Rosberg’s average is 6.2 points per race.

In qualifying, Schumacher is ahead of his team mate this year, averaging position 7.7 on the grid, compared to 8.5 for Rosberg.

In 2011 Rosberg was on average P7.6 on the grid and Schumacher P10.5, so there has been a marked improvement in his qualifying performance this year.

He’s outqualified Rosberg 8-6 this season. The last occasion that Schumacher led a Grand Prix was on this track in Suzuka in 2011.

In Spa Bernie Ecclestone said that it was a shame that Schumacher would be “leaving us without a win” on his comeback and he and Mercedes will feel the same way. In reality the car wasn’t particularly close to it, except for the China weekend this year which Rosberg capitalised on and Monaco.

Had Schumacher not made that mistake in Spain, crashing into Bruno Senna, he would have started from pole in Monaco and that could have given him the win, given how competitive Rosberg’s car was in the race (notwithstanding his car let him down in the race)

The timing of the Hamilton announcement and Schumacher’s statement today is particularly cruel, given that it comes after one of his worst mistakes in the last three years; rear ending Jean Eric Vergne in Singapore, for which he was given another grid penalty carried over to this weekend in Japan.

It is a real low note on which to conduct the business of losing your seat and subsequently stepping down and it comes after a period in which he has rediscovered his groove.

Many fans that will be disappointed that he has not been taken up by Ferrari or Sauber, but F1 is an unsentimental business and the sport is moving on, like a train, leaving the 43 year old behind on the platform for good.

It’s hard to see him reinventing himself in a team management role, given the changes that have happened at Mercedes with Niki Lauda coming in. If there was a role for Schumacher, that was probably it, although Ross Brawn did say in Monza that Schumacher’s expertise in engines would be very valuable to them in development of the 2014 engines. But that was before they hired Hamilton.

Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche said in Bild newspaper this week, “I hope that when Michael stops driving, he will remain a partner of Mercedes.”

[MIKA27]

HAMILTON WANTS TO EMULATE SCHUMACHER, TURNING AROUND A STRUGGLING TEAM:

Lewis Hamilton has spoken today of his desire for a fresh challenge in Formula 1 and admitted that he has felt that way “for some time now”.

The 27 year old underlined that he relishes the challenge of trying to turn a “struggling” team around, rather than “cruise” in one of the best cars in the field.

Hamilton announced his move from McLaren to Mercedes last week and faced the cameras in Suzuka today. Speaking to the BBC, he said,

“To stay would be easy, I had two similar offers on the table. To stay in a great car didn’t really suit me. I wanted to have a challenge. I want to try working with new people. I want a challenge of taking a car that’s not very successful and and the exciting journey of trying to take that to be as successful as the car I’m in now.

Asked if he wanted to emulate Michael Schumacher who went to Ferrari in 1996 when it was uncompetitive and helped to turn the team around Hamilton said,

“That’s it exactly. I don’t feel like any of the drivers are doing that nowadays. I could take the easy route and stay here and cruise on with a great team, a great car, making decent money. But that’s not what I want to do. I want to go and struggle. I want to go and help a team that is struggling, to get to the top and start winning. That’s going to be the coolest, the most satisfying feeling if we do get there.

“And if we don’t, I’ll only be 31 at the end of it (3 year contract)…so keep the door open for me (he would say to McLaren)

“I’ll always have McLaren at heart, because that’s how I’ve grown up, it’s my home.

“Next year is going to be tough, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. ”

Hamilton also said that he had spoken to McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh about his reasons for leaving, but had not been able to speak yet to Ron Dennis, who mentored Hamilton since he was 13 years old.

He said he would visit him in person after the Korean Grand Prix in the factory at Woking.

UK readers can watch the video Here

Meanwhile Hamilton’s new team-mate Nico Rosberg has said that he spoke to Hamilton about Mercedes when it became clear that he might be doing a deal,

“We spoke about it a little before, when the possibility was there,” said Rosberg. “We were laughing about it!

“And we spoke about it when we were 14 years old in go-karts. ‘Imagine if, one day, we’re team-mates in F1, how cool would that be?’ Now, all of a sudden, that’s happening, which is unreal.

“I didn’t necessarily talk him into it. I tried to stay quite objective. Yes, I mentioned the positives but he asked me a few things and I gave honest answers.”

[MIKA27]

"FIRST ALONSO SHOULD WIN THE TITLE, THEN WE WON'T HIRE A TEAM MATE WHO BOTHERS HIM"

Last Friday, somewhat lost among all the furore over the announcement of the Hamilton-Mercedes transfer, there was an important note made by Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo in a Q&A session at the Paris Motor Show. It was the session where he confirmed that Ferrari would need to shut down its wind tunnel in either December or January for calibration checks, which has had reasonably wide coverage.

In the same session, Montezemolo talked about Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa and there were a couple of important lines to note, for better understanding the full picture when the time comes for the team to announce who will drive alongside Alonso in 2013.

The first point was that he described Alonso as “the strongest driver Ferrari has ever had,” which is quite some claim.

But then he responded to Alonso’s line from Singapore that, “If the team decides to change Felipe, anyone who arrives has to be better than Felipe. I’ve seen a lot of names written, and I don’t know if they have been written with the head or the heart. With all the names you hear, if you compare what Felipe has done in Formula 1 and what these little names have done in Formula 1…”

Montezemolo said, “He’s right that there aren’t any “phenomenons” in circulation. But first Fernando should win the world title and then we will certainly not put anyone alongside him who would bother him. It is the case that the decisions on drivers are taken by us, obviously sharing them with him. Massa has been very strong in the last two races. I’m taking a few days to reflect.”

This is interesting on a couple of levels; first by agreeing with Alonso that the possible candidates for the seat are “little names” it makes for some uncomfortable questions if and when then should hire a Di Resta or a Hulkenberg. Also the use of the word “share” is interesting. In Italian he says that of the decisions “ovviamente condividendole con lui”, which literally means “obviously sharing them with him.” I take that to mean that they will share their decisions with him, rather than that he would have a share in making the decision, but there is a slight ambiguity there which is intriguing.

Meanwhile Massa said this week, “The best way to deal with this situation is to race without thinking about the future. My future is important, but now what counts are results. I feel good. At Suzuka we can be very competitive because there are plenty of fast corners which suit the F2012.”

There is a feeling that one of the two Force India drivers has a shot at the Ferrari drive. There’s been a suggestion at large for a few weeks now that one of them is on some sort of option for a one year deal, a kind of “prove yourself” opportunity.

The team seem to be in no hurry to decide, but the market is now shifting into gear with the log-jam of Hamilton/Schumacher/Perez having been cleared, so it may not be too long before we learn what Ferrari plans to do.

Ferrari is rallying in the Constructors’ championship thanks to 26 points from Massa in the last three races. They are now in third place, 14pts ahead of Lotus and 16 behind McLaren.

[MIKA27]

PEREZ: SOMETIMES WE JUST HAVE TO MISLEAD THE MEDIA:

Sergio Perez has a bit to learn about dealing with the media when he steps up to a top team with McLaren next year.

Today in Suzuka he essentially admitted that he lied in the press conference in Singapore two weeks ago when he was asked very clearly if he had been approached by any top teams.

“Questioner: But have approaches been made?

Perez: No.

Questioner: From major teams, no approaches?

Perez: No.”

A week later he was confirmed as a McLaren driver for 2013, replacing Lewis Hamilton. Sources suggest that the negotiations were already well advanced in Monza.

But today in the FIA press conference in Suzuka, Perez was picked up on this. He responded by saying that he had decided to say “No” in Singapore because it made his life easier that weekend,

“No, there has been some talks before but I didn’t want to give too much information about my opportunities, my options,” he said. “So the question doesn’t come that often because if I say at that time ‘yes’, then I will be full of questions. So it’s better to…

“I wanted to keep it in low profile, focussing always in my team, giving my hundred per cent to my team that I’m very thankfully they give me this opportunity. We have six races with a strong car to go and I want to leave on a very high from this team.”

Of course he is within his rights to be economical with the truth in the middle of a delicate negotiation and of course he was caught on the hop speaking in a second language, but he has been busted here and it’s embarrassing for him. This is Formula 1, a very high profile sport and all public figures have to learn how to deal with a direct question such as the one put to him in Singapore and know how to elegantly swerve it, if necessary.

Perez will have to learn how to deal with that. At McLaren the level of scrutiny will be much higher.

[MIKA27]

NEWEY REGRETS THE LACK OF CREATIVITY UNDER CURRENT F1 RULES:

Red Bull technical boss Adrian Newey has spoken of his frustration that the current rules in F1 stifle creativity, but recognises that without tight regulation F1 would become an arms race,

“I think it is a shame that they (the rules) are so tight in a way, there’s no doubt that it stifles some of the creativity,” he said. “But that’s the world we live in…. It would be fantastic to not have them, but with the size and resources of the teams an arms war would result, which would mean a tremendous leap in performance for the cars.

“Teams are building components for smaller and smaller gains. That’s a reflection of the competition, which rolls back to the tightness of the regulations.”

Newey is one of the most innovative and creative engineers working in F1 today. His recent cars for Red Bull have shown him to be in a rich run of form, after some less competitive years with McLaren in the mid 2000s. He has set a benchmark in design ideas which the other teams have largely followed over the last three years, since the banning of the double diffuser at the end of 2009.

During that period the rules have been largely stable, which has led to smaller gains, as he says, especially with the outlawing of ideas like the F Duct wing and the Exhaust Blown Diffuser. This year, without those things, the field is one of the most competitive we have seen with teams like Sauber, Williams and Force India regularly able to challenge the leading teams for the top placings.

The rules are set to stay largely the same next year before major change in 2014.

Newey’s talk of an ‘arms race’ is ironic; Red Bull has been reluctant this year to follow the rest of the teams on the latest ideas for restricting costs in F1. It is nervous about other teams, particularly Mercedes, “dumbing down” chassis regulations in order to have a bigger advantage from its new engine in 2014.

And with the latest proposals from Bernie Ecclestone for just the leading six teams to join representatives of promoters, FIA and the commercial rights holder on a new F1 Commission as a new rule making body, the whole subject of regulation and framing regulations is going to be very hotly debated over the coming months and years, with a trade-off between innovation and cost control at the heart of the process.

Newey acknowledges that the 2014 chassis regulations are still to be fully defined.

He has also spelled out the reasons why Red Bull has taken its time to find competitiveness this season; despite wins for Sebastian Vettel in Bahrain and for Mark Webber in Monaco and Silverstone, the Red Bull car has struggled compared to last season and has only recently come good with the updates introduced at Singapore

“Mainly this year has been understanding the ban on the exhaust system that we enjoyed last year,” he said. “Not only the exhaust position, but the mapping. We changed the car a lot over the winter; we lost a lot of performance, perhaps more than our rivals, as we had been on that system (exhaust blown diffuser) for two years.

“A lot of our effort has focused around trying to stabilise the car after we lost that exhaust effect. I think this season we have gained at least half a second, perhaps nearer one second.”

[MIKA27]

Barrichello: Drivers costing Williams

Rubens Barrichello reckons Williams would be better off in the standings if they had more experienced drivers instead of Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna.

Although Maldonado claimed a race victory this season for Williams that has proven to be one of only two occasions in which the Venezuelan has finished inside the top ten.

His team-mate Senna has managed the feat seven times, however, his best result has been a P6.

As such Williams are only eighth in the Constructors' Championship with 54 points.

However, Barrichello, who was dropped by Williams at the end of last season, reckons they would have done much better if only the team has two different drivers.

According to Autosport, Barrichello was asked by Brazilian station Radio Jovem Pan how he believes he could have done if he'd been driving for Williams this season.

He responded: "This kind of thought cannot exist, because I am not driving the car and I cannot think what could be or couldn't be with me there.

"But the truth is that the car proved to be very competitive. They [Williams] made a good job with that to put the car many positions ahead on the grid [of where they were last year].

"And it is a shame, because I believe that they should have, at least, double the number of points that they in fact have.

"This happens of course because of the inexperience of the drivers - who are fast, but don't know how to get the chances that the equipment they have in their hands provides them."

[MIKA27]

Alonso says title win would be a 'miracle'

Fernando Alonso believes it will be a miracle if he wins the championship with Ferrari this season, considering how poor their car was in the opening races.

The Spaniard currently leads Sebastian Vettel by 29 points, but a lack of race wins has seen that gap gradually close as his rivals begin to take advantage of Ferrari's lesser pace.

Alonso is optimistic that they can hold on for another six races, but admits it would amount to a miracle if he were to do so.

"It's a little miracle that we are leading the championship at the moment," claimed the 31-year-old.

"We have come a long way since the first six races, when we were not even getting to Q3 and were 1.5 seconds slower than the best. Now the car has improved and we are more regularly on the podium and we are more optimistic, but we have to see what we can do from now to the end."

Alonso praised his team for delivering "14 perfect races", but called on them to continue their current form.

"If we win the title, it will be a miracle, but if we don't we will have done our best, because I believe that up to this point, we have had 14 perfect races," he added.

"So we must make no mistakes in the last six, keep calm and bring home as many points as possible on Sunday: sometimes we will be fourth, sometimes second.

"Depending on the race, depending on which rivals are doing what, we will see if we are aggressive or defensive in the races. In Singapore for example, we were aggressive at the start to make up for a bad qualifying, but in the final stages Button and Vettel were too far ahead so there was no point taking risks anymore."

[MIKA27]

Schumacher the greatest driver claims Brawn

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn claims Michael Schumacher is the 'greatest Formula One driver' as the 43-year-old announces he will retire at the end of 2012.

Brawn, who has worked with Schumacher for many years at Benetton, Ferrari and Mercedes, thanked the German for his contribution to F1 and his own career.

"Having worked with Michael for so many years, it is an emotional day today as he announces his retirement from Formula One for the second, and final time," said Brawn.

"We have enjoyed so many experiences together during our time at Benetton, Ferrari and Mercedes, and I feel very proud, honoured and privileged to have had the opportunity to work with Michael so closely.

"In my opinion, he is the greatest Formula One driver, and the records which he holds in our sport speak volumes for his success and commitment. On behalf of everyone at our Silver Arrows team, we wish Michael all the best with his future plans and extend our sincere thanks to him for his commitment, passion and hard work during our three years together.

"We have not achieved the results that we would have wished during this time; however Michael's contribution to our development and the future of our team has been significant. Whatever Michael decides to do next, I am sure that he will be keeping a close eye on our progress in the years to come."

His team-mate for the next six races, Nico Rosberg, described his retirement as a "big loss for our sport," adding, "Michael did a huge amount to make Formula One so popular in Germany, and lots of fans switched on their TV sets because of him. He achieved so much. It has been and continues to be something special and a great experience for me to drive with him and against him.

"In the last three years we pushed the team hard together which will help us in the years to come. I wish him all the best for the future."

[MIKA27]

Button handed Japanese GP grid penalty

Jenson Button will drop five-places on the Japanese Grand Prix grid after McLaren confirmed the 2009 champion will require a new gearbox for the event.

The Woking outfit discovered an issue with Button's gearbox during a post-race inspection following the Singapore GP. The issue is identical to that of Lewis Hamilton's, which forced him to retire from the lead of the race.

Both drivers will therefore get new gearboxes, though because Hamilton's failed during the race, he will not get a grid penalty.

McLaren are confident the issue which has hit both cars has now been resolved and won't strike again.

[MIKA27]

Kimi Raikkonen not expecting big upturn in form at Suzuka

Kimi Raikkonen is not expecting a dramatic upturn in Lotus' form before a major update package arrives at the Korean Grand Prix.

Although the Finn is still gunning for the world championship, Raikkonen is cautious about what he can achieve in Japan this weekend judging by the recent form of his team.

"We have not been even close in the last races, so hopefully we can stronger but I'm not really hoping that we are suddenly going to be fastest," explained Raikkonen.

"We saw what happened in the last races, but maybe I am wrong. I hope so..."

As AUTOSPORT revealed last week, Lotus is planning to introduce a raft of aerodynamic developments to its E20 for next week's event in Korea.

Raikkonen hopes that those new parts lift the pace of the car at a time when he needs to start closing the 45-point gap deficit to Fernando Alonso.

"I think we are falling off a little bit from the others, who have improved a bit," explained Raikkonen. "So we have some small parts, new parts here, and hopefully it will get us back more where we have been before.

"But we have to do the best we can here, and hopefully in Korea we should get some bigger improvements. If they work that should improve things even more."

Raikkonen will test the Lotus double-DRS in Friday practice at Suzuka, with his team hoping it can get it to work effectively enough to be raced for the first time.

And although Raikkonen's season-long consistency means he remains in with a shout of winning the title without actually winning a race, he says he does not care about anything other than the championship.

"If we could win it [the title], I don't care how it comes," he said. "If we win it, we win it and that is it.

"But at the moment it doesn't look very good. We have been in a worse situation, but we keep trying. As long as we have a small chance we keep trying and hopefully we can improve our position."

[MIKA27]

Williams seat not a certainty for Pastor Maldonado

Pastor Maldonado says there are no guarantees that he will stay at Williams next year.

The Venezuelan had been thought to be guaranteed to stay at the outfit in 2013 thanks to his close ties to team sponsor PDVSA - whose deal could be worth as much as £30.8 million next year.

But despite having previously stated that Williams was his first option for the future, Maldonado said in Japan that he was now less clear about his future plans.

"I don't want to talk about that now," he explained. "The team is still looking for the next year, for the drivers, so I prefer to not answer your question about the drivers.

"But for sure there is still a market, it is moving a lot, so I hope to be in the best place I can."

He added: "Williams is a bit early to talk about. We are always waiting until the end of the season and we are fully focused on the championship. We are fighting the championship with Force India. We are doing all of our best to be ahead of them."

Maldonado's options for a competitive drive elsewhere appear quite limited, with Sauber the only realistic alternative if he is looking to move.

The Swiss outfit, which is looking for a replacement for Sergio Perez, has been most strongly linked with Felipe Massa, Jaime Alguersuari and Esteban Gutierrez in recent days however.

Maldonado's uncertainty about his future may also be fuelled by the fact that an election is taking place in Venezuela this weekend – which could have an impact on the PDVSA F1 sponsorship.

Under the terms of its Williams tie-up, the oil company must pay its sponsorship by October 31 of the preceding year.

[MIKA27]

Heikki Kovalainen confident of new Caterham deal

Heikki Kovalainen is confident of agreeing a new deal with Caterham before the end of the season.

The Finn's contract expires at the end of 2012 and he admits that he has not had any "serious talks" with a bigger outfit despite tentative contact from Ferrari, among others.

"Hopefully before the end of the season," he said when asked by AUTOSPORT what the timescale was for agreeing a new contract with Caterham. "Hopefully something this month."

"At the moment, I'm talking to Caterham and seeing what we can come up with.

"I can still see a lot of potential here and the team is doing the right things to move forward.

"If there is anything else available, you have to look at it, but I haven't had serious talks with anyone else."

Question marks over the Finn's Caterham future arose in Singapore two weeks ago, when team principal Tony Fernandes criticised Kovalainen's management on Finnish television.

AUTOSPORT understands that Fernandes was unimpressed by Kovalainen becoming distracted by the possibility of a move to a bigger team.

Despite that, Fernandes also said that he was keen for the Finn to stay on.

Kovalainen is confident that any friction between the two parties is now behind them, adding that the problems were not caused by money.

"We haven't had issues with the money, it has been other issues," said Kovalainen. "Whatever issues there have been with the team and with my management, hopefully in Singapore we put them all behind us.

"It's obviously a different situation now to before when I was on my own.

"The whole reason for me getting IMG on board was to take that management aside away from myself. I didn't really enjoy that and didn't feel I was very good at it and I wanted someone professional doing it.

"But it's not about money. That's not the issue. We're not asking salaries from this team that we would be asking from a top team because it doesn't work like that.

"What I really want at this stage of my career is a car that is performing well. I feel that I have a lot of potential that I'm not able to show.

"I'm certainly a much strong driver now than I was before when I was in a good car so obviously I have a lot of motivation to try to show that. Money is a secondary issue."

Caterham has been in talks with a number of drivers capable of bringing money to the team, including Marussia's promising rookie Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde, who drove Kovalainen's car in morning practice at Suzuka on Friday.

But Kovalainen is not fearful that he could end up without an F1 seat despite his status as a paid professional driver.

"I haven't thought that I would end up with no seat," said Kovalainen. "I still believe that there will be a seat for a good driver.

"Of course, it has changed. A lot of drivers have come in [to F1] with a lot of money and the teams need that. But I'm still confident of finding a place."

[MIKA27]

Sebastian Vettel: Michael Schumacher quitting is a big loss for F1

Michael Schumacher's retirement from Formula 1 is a big loss to the sport according to reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel.

The seven-time champion announced on Thursday that he was leaving Formula 1 at the end of the year, in what is his second retirement following the first one in 2006.

Red Bull driver Vettel, who had said in the past that Schumacher was a childhood hero to him, admitted he would have preferred for Schumacher to continue racing.

"I think it's a big loss. It's a shame," said Vettel at Suzuka. "There's a lot of people who wanted him to continue, including myself.

"Hopefully he'll be around in some other function so that at least we get to see him from time to time."

[MIKA27]

Nico Rosberg claims Hamilton's arrival at Mercedes is not a worry

Nico Rosberg insists that he is "not worried" by the prospect of taking on new team-mate Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes next year.

Rosberg has been the most successful Mercedes driver over the past three seasons, but the arrival of the 2008 world champion is expected to threaten his position.

But the 27-year-old is relishing the challenge of taking on his former karting team-mate with the German marque.

"I'm looking forward to it because I enjoy these sorts of challenges," said Rosberg. "I'm confident I will do well and I'm pushing hard to do well.

"[How I] compare with my team-mate remains to be seen. I'm not worried.

"At the moment, my team-mate is a seven-times world champion, so the challenge I'm up against is very high.

"I remember racing him [Lewis] in go-karts, so I now it's tough up against him. He's very very quick and one of the best out there at the moment."

Rosberg admitted that he did talk with Hamilton, who he has been friends with since their karting days together, about the possibility of a move before the deal was struck.

But he denied talking Hamilton into the move, insisting that he only gave his honest appraisal of the potential of the team.

"We spoke about it a little before, when the possibility was there," said Rosberg. "We were laughing about it!

"And we spoke about it when we were 14 years old in go-karts. 'Imagine if, one day, we're team-mates in F1, how cool would that be?' Now, all of a sudden, that's happening, which is unreal.

"I didn't necessarily talk him into it. I tried to stay quite objective. Yes, I mentioned the positives but he asked me a few things and I gave honest answers.

"My answers are all positive because I am positive about the team. I believe in this team fully."

But despite the pressures of the pair lining up together in a sport where your first rival is said to be your team-mate, Rosberg has no doubts that their relationship will stand up.

"Comparing [yourself] to your team-ate is very important," said Rosberg. "In general, we aim to separate the things out a bit - friendship outside and racing competitively against each other.

"We managed that very well in go-karts already so I don't see any issue or concern there. We were team-mates for two years and we even shared hotel rooms. It went very well."

[MIKA27]

FIA revises F1 flexi wing test to stop teams using trick designs

The FIA has moved to ensure that no teams are using trick designs to get around flexi wing restrictions in Formula 1.

On the back of suggestions that McLaren and Red Bull Racing could have been using a concept that allowed their front wings to pass deflection tests but rotate backwards on their axis at high speed for a straight-line speed boost, the governing body has revised its procedures for the Japanese GP.

Sources have confirmed that for the Suzuka weekend, the FIA has moved where a test load is applied to the wing.

Before this weekend, a 1000N (approximately 102kg) load test was applied to an area of the front wing 790 mm forward of the front wheel centreline, and 790mm from the car centre line. The wings are allowed to deflect just 10mm.

Aware of the possibility that some teams could be using designs that passed the old tests but still rotated at high speed, the FIA tweaked its approach so that the area being tested is now 675mm forward of the front wheel centreline.

This new test should ensure that any attempt by teams to utilise the rotating wing principle would be exposed.

AUTOSPORT understands that all teams passed the tests that were conducted at Suzuka. However, it is unclear whether or not modifications had been made from previous designs that some teams had been running, as the outfits were pre-warned about the new tests.

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh had said ahead of the weekend that he did not expect there would be any problems for his team with the new tests.<br style="line-height: "I think the regulations require the wings to be rigid, but of course no wing or aerodynamic surface is infinitely rigid," he explained. "From time to time questions and disputes arise between teams, who feel that other teams are too flexible or whatever. I don't envisage any particular problems for McLaren in that regard, and consequently I don't think that it is anything that will harm us."

[MIKA27]

Schumacher to consider non-driving Mercedes role

Michael Schumacher is not ruling out taking up a non-driving role with Mercedes.

The seven time world champion announced at Suzuka on Thursday that, after a three-year comeback with the German squad, he is once again returning to retirement.

After retiring for the first time after 2006, the great German returned to the paddock as a trackside consultant for Ferrari.

And Mercedes chiefs Dieter Zetsche and Norbert Haug have now offered Schumacher a similar non-driving role for 2013 and beyond.

Schumacher said on Thursday he is not ready to decide what to do next.

"It was the same with my first retirement," he is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.

"Once the season ends, I'm going to ask myself what I want to do with my time.

"There are ways for me to continue to work within the group," Schumacher added.

He dismissed the speculation he could have kept racing with Sauber or Williams.

"I have not thought about it," said the record winner of 91 grands prix, "because I didn't want to do that."