FORMULA 1 - 2013

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Have Ferrari thrown in the towel and conceded defeat in the title effort?

Ferrari have all but thrown in the towel in the Formula 1 title challenge. After the latest demonstration of strength by Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull, the Maranello squad is now apparently devoting all efforts towards developing a competitive car for the next season.

Vettel’s latest win Sunday in Singapore, a massive 32 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, saw him increase his championship lead to 60 points en route to a fourth world title, with six races left.

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said Monday that Ferrari will still aim to be ready to take advantage of any mishap by Vettel, but that their focus is now fully shifting to 2014, which will see several major changes including a V6 turbo engine in place of the current V8 model.

“Now it’s clear that 99 per cent of our energies will be concentrated on the 2014 project, as complicated as it is important,” Domenicali told the Ferrari website.

“Ahead of the summer break we were striving hard for a performance gain in Singapore, on a track with characteristics that are particularly unsuitable for our car. Instead we lost even more ground, despite the fact that the F138 has improved in certain ways.

“We still have some new parts for the car that we will bring to the coming races but, above all, we will now try to make the most out of what we already have.”

Acknowledging the superiority of Red Bull and Vettel, Domenicali called for an improved effort from everyone involved at Ferrari next year when Kimi Raikkonen, the last man to win the title for them (in 2007) joins Alonso in place of Felipe Massa.

“I don’t think for a minute that the people we have are less capable than those working in other teams, indeed I’m convinced of the opposite. But it’s a fact that the others have worked better than us and this must work as an incentive for us,” he said.

Domenicali also criticised those who booed Vettel again at the victory ceremony Sunday, which has become an issue in latest races. It has been suggested that they are Ferrari fans disgruntled by Vettel’s regular victories.

“I wasn’t happy to hear that Vettel was booed [on] the Singapore podium as well. The German driver was perfect and he was helped out by a car that was as quick as it was reliable. This should be acknowledged,” he said.

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Raikkonen: I am not sure I will race in Korea, we have to see

Kimi Raikkonen, who raced in Singapore with an injured back, has not ruled out skipping the next round of the F1 World Championship, the Korean Grand Prix.

Although mounting the podium after starting just 13th, he almost had to sit out qualifying.

Many paddock cynics made a link between the ‘injury’ and the driver’s now tense relationship with Lotus, after Raikkonen announced that he is leaving for Ferrari next year because he hasn’t been paid.

But McLaren doctor Aki Hintsa, who like Raikkonen is Finnish, confirmed to Turun Sanomatnewspaper that he treated the 2007 World Champion in Singapore.

Hintsa said he injected Raikkonen with cortisone, ”I am glad we were able to get him in a condition so that he could drive.”

Hintsa said Raikkonen has a damaged joint between a rib and the spine, causing “a lot of pain”.

Raikkonen refused to say if he will definitely be ready for Korea in two weeks.

“Not for sure,” he was quoted by AFP when asked if he will be recovered. “We have to see.”

As ever in Formula 1, however, the cynics and the rumour-writers are connecting the dots, recalling that earlier in Singapore, Raikkonen had hinted that technically, he is free to sit out the rest of 2013 due to Lotus’ contractual breach.

“I like to race, obviously that’s the only reason why I’m here,” he had said.

Undoubtedly, the tension between Raikkonen and Lotus is building.

After the Ferrari-bound Raikkonen finished third, chief engineer Alan Permane said: “Of course it’s good for the team and good for Kimi.

“But without Romain [Grosjean]‘s problem, he would have beaten Raikkonen. So that’s good for us to know,” he told Turun Sanomat newspaper.

Auto Motor und Sport said that Raikkonen is now only communicating with his bosses via text message. Team owner Gerard Lopez has said that Lotus “didn’t deserve” Raikkonen’s revelation about his unpaid salary.

“I like Kimi,” he told Spain’s Marca newspaper, “as a driver he’s brilliant, but if he’s really only going to Ferrari for the pasta [money?], I think it’s Ferrari who need to be asked the questions, not us.”

If Lopez sounds a little sensitive, it’s because Raikkonen’s comments coincide with rumours that Lotus is in severe financial distress.

Lopez told AM&S that reports about dozens of similarly unpaid engineers also being in the job market are simply wrong.

“Five have gone, but we are also getting Nicolas Hennel from Ferrari, and a few more as well,” he said.

“We are the only team that built a longer-wheelbase car, which is basically half a new car, costing a seven-figure sum. We showed to Kimi that we are serious.

“We gave him a good car and a good environment, so the fact that he says these things now, neither us nor he deserves,” added Lopez.

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Marko says Vettel boo-brigade is annoying but explainable

Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko thinks that fans of Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso were among those booing Sebastian Vettel on the podium in Singapore.

As the reigning triple world champion’s dominance continues, so too has the apparent disapproval of some Formula 1 audience members.

It has raised interesting questions. Vettel thinks the ardent Ferrari fans are simply “emotional” that Alonso is being beaten. Others think the German’s dominance but also his personality are starting to bite hard.

“The booing is increasingly annoying,” Red Bull’s Marko told the German newspaper Bild, “but explainable.”

“In Singapore, Alonso and Webber have many fans who do not like Seb,” he insisted.

Webber’s fans feel betrayed by Vettel’s actions in Malaysia, which became known as the ‘Multi 21′ affair.

“Forget the track stuff,” Webber told the Guardian newspaper this week.

“We’ve had some private discussions and we weren’t super-happy with how they went and how we felt about each other. It’s tested the relationship to the maximum,” he revealed.

But according to some, the aversion to Vettel’s personality is not just limited to Australians and the ‘tifosi’.

Indeed, Marko was asked about Vettel’s controversial statement after the Singapore Grand Prix, whilst considering his and Red Bull’s domination of F1.

“Whilst there’s a lot of people hanging their balls in the pool very early on Fridays, we’re still here working very hard and pushing very hard,” Vettel had said.

But Marko insisted: “I find what he said great and pithy and anyway it’s true.

“Seb wants to keep the workload just as high in the team as it has been. That’s why we are bringing in Daniel Ricciardo, a young, hungry driver who will continue to push. Not Kimi Raikkonen,” he added.

Marko has yet another theory.

“Sebastian is not as transparent as a Fernando Alonso or Lewis Hamilton,” he said, “who tweet their thoughts all around the world.

“Sebastian sacredly protects his private life wherever it is possible,” added Marko.

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Ecclestone: I’m trying to help Massa stay in F1

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has revealed that he is working hard to ensure thatthe last Brazilian driver on the grid does not drop out of Formula 1.

Currently, Felipe Massa is the only Brazilian on the grid, but he has lost his Ferrari seat.

Manager Nicolas Todt is working hard to tap into the Brazilian sponsor market to ensure Massa is in contention for the rides at Lotus, Williams, Force India or Sauber.

It is rumoured that Brazilian broadcaster Globo could also play a vital role.

Brazil and South America are important markets for F1. The sport’s chief executive Ecclestone told O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper: “I am trying to help; it’s not easy, but we’re working on it.”

The 82-year-old Briton admitted that Massa’s career could depend on his ability to take an attractive sponsorship package to his next Formula 1 team.

“If Felipe gets some sponsors, everything will change and Brazil should have a driver on the grid in 2014,” Ecclestone said.

“A strong economy like the one in Brazil is in a good position to invest in a driver,” he added.

Also in the running to tap into that support is the GP2 frontrunner Felipe Nasr, but Toro Rosso recently quelled speculation he might replace Red Bull-bound Daniel Ricciardo.

“It will be difficult to sign as a race driver in 2014,” Nasr, who is managed by Kimi Raikkonen’s manager Steve Robertson, said in Singapore.

“So I see [the opportunity] more as third driver, driving the car in practice on Fridays and some of the private testing,” he added.

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Caterham boss says Van der Garde possible for 2014 race seat

Rookie Giedo van der Garde is still in the running to stay at Caterham beyond the 2013 season.

That is the claim of team ‘supremo’ Tony Fernandes, who is keen to bring Heikki Kovalainen back into a race seat next season.

“I do not want to start another season with two ‘pay drivers’,” the Malaysian entrepreneur told the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.

“Kovalainen has a good chance of getting one of the two seats,” Fernandes revealed.

Currently, Caterham’s drivers are van der Garde, who has struggled at times in 2013, and Frenchman Charles Pic, whose 2014 seat was considered safe due to his strong backing and existing contract.

But Fernandes has now said that van der Garde is also in the running.

“He’s come back well after a difficult start. Canada was the low point, when I was thinking I had made a big mistake.

“But he’s had a good recovery; the two times he got through to Q2 were the highlights. And with his sixteenth place in Singapore he performed optimally again.

“We’ll have to see how the situation evolves,” added Fernandes.

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Alonso’s purchase of professional cycling team collapses

Fernando Alonso’s plans to buy Spanish cycling team Euskaltel-Euskadi have collapsed, sponsors Euskaltel said in a statement on Monday.

“We could not reach a definitive agreement. Euskaltel is now obliged, regrettably, to return to the process of an orderly and responsible closure of the project,” they added.

“For Euskaltel and the team this is sad news after the hope generated by the initial agreement reached at the end of August and public declarations at that time by Alonso and his representatives.”

Ferrari driver Alonso, a keen bike rider, had been set to purchase the company that owns the Basque team’s World Tour licence to enable them to continue racing in professional cycling’s top league in 2014.

In a statement released on his Twitter account, Alonso also expressed regret about the deal’s collapse.

“We’ve tried it until the end but it’s just been impossible to have a cycling team in 2014,” he said.

“My passion for the sport remains intact so this is only the beginning of the future. From tomorrow morning we are going to work on building, if needs be from scratch, a team we can be proud of.”

Led by Spain’s Samuel Sanchez, the 2008 Olympic road-race champion, they face closure at the end of the season after 17 years of activity.

No financial details were given of Alonso’s offer but Spanish media had reported that the double world champion had some six million Euros ($8.11 million) available to spend on the project.

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New Jersey back on new 22 race 2014 F1 calendar

New Jersey is apparently right back in the running to host a grand prix in 2014.

Earlier, the new street race amid the New York skyline was the subject of constant ‘on again, off again’ speculation, culminating in an early draft of next year’s calendar omitting the famous name.

But El Mundo Deportivo, a Spanish sports newspaper, has now published a new, tentative 2014 schedule, based on information that was doing the rounds in the paddock at the weekend in Singapore.

The new calendar boasts no less than 22 races, with Monaco, New Jersey and Canada all set to take place back-to-back-to-back in the middle of the year.

Asked, however, how many of the 22 races will really take place next year, Formula 1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone told Auto Motor und Sport: “Let’s say 20 or 21.”

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Ecclestone: ‘Two or three teams’ in financial strife

Two or three teams on the grid are facing financial difficulties, according to Formula 1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.

Told by veteran Swiss correspondent Roger Benoit that ‘half the field’ is struggling to survive amid the economic crisis and spiralling costs, Ecclestone answered: “That’s not quite right.

“We are talking about two vulnerable teams at the moment,” the 82-year-old told Blick newspaper.

“Perhaps there’s a third with a question mark,” added Ecclestone.

Asked, however, if he is confident the ‘vulnerable’ teams will be on the 2014 grid, the Briton insisted: “If you had asked me a year ago, the answer would be no.

“But now, suddenly, most of the teams find money somehow from somewhere. I don’t know how they do that,” added Ecclestone.

He would not name the ‘vulnerable’ teams, or even admit that the one at the top of the list is surely Sauber.

“We’ve known each other long enough that you know I have nothing to say!” Ecclestone told Benoit.

He ruled out intervening with personal loans, after admitting to the New York Times at the weekend that Sir Frank Williams regularly used to borrow money.

“I’m not allowed to do that anymore,” said Ecclestone. “We have an agreement with the teams that it would be unfair to the others.

“They’re the ones who wanted [the agreement]!” he told Blick.

Ecclestone has, however, reached new financial deals with the big teams that give them more income than their smaller, struggling rivals.

Surely that’s not fair?

“It’s because the big teams have promised that they are staying until 2020 – they’ve given us a bank guarantee,” Ecclestone revealed.

“The distribution was always the same – the only difference these days is that we distribute a lot more money,” he told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

Meanwhile, Ecclestone insisted that he is sleeping well despite the fact that prosecutors in Munich are considering sending him to trial over bribery.

He rejects their main argument.

“First, I had no shares to sell, so I had no personal interest,” said Ecclestone.

“My job was not in danger – no matter who the shares were sold to, the FIA had to agree.

“But the FIA wanted to ensure that I still ran the business; because they’re familiar with me and know how I work,” he insisted.

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Hamilton doesn't want to dominate like Vettel

Although Lewis Hamilton wouldn't mind a few more race wins and World titles, he says he doesn't want to dominate the sport like Sebastian Vettel.

Vettel romped away with the race victory in Singapore on Sunday night, easily outpacing the field to cross the line 33 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso.

His victory meant the Red Bull racer extended his advantage in the Drivers' Championship which he now leads by 60 points with six races remaining.

It's fair to say that baring a disaster, Vettel is on the cusp of winning a fourth successive World title.

And although Hamilton admires the German's success, he says he wouldn't want to be so far ahead that it's no longer a competition.

The Mercedes driver told BBC Sport: "I tried to imagine (when I saw him on the podium) what it would be like if I was winning races as easy as he has been winning them.

"It's every driver's dream to have a car to be able to fight. Me, I don't want to be that far ahead. I want to be able to fight with him, or whoever.

"But this is the way it is. It's definitely not a positive thing to hear he has been booed.

"He's on his way to his fourth World Championship, and he needs all the credit he deserves."

In the wake of another round of booing aimed at Vettel while he was on the Marina Bay podium, Hamilton denied that Vettel's success is leaving him dispondent despite having finished 50 seconds behind on Sunday night.

"It's not depressing. It's nothing new," said the 2008 Champion.

"I look at his laps on the on-board camera and it doesn't appear as though he is on the limit like some other drivers.

"When you have that much in hand it makes it that much easier to do so. At the end of the day he does the job he needs to do.

"They've also made a step somewhere on the car this weekend, but I still feel like we can fight at some point through the weekends for the rest of the season."

Weighing in on the booing that has dogged Vettel of late, Hamilton said: "No-one should be booed for their success, no matter how easy or hard it has been for them to get there.

"Booing is so negative, especially when someone works so hard to be a success."

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Lauda: Don't blame Vettel

Niki Lauda says it is "ridiculous" to boo Sebastian Vettel as it's not his fault that he's destroying the competition.

Not for the first time this season the Red Bull racer was booed by a section of the crowd as he celebrated his latest grand prix victory on the Singapore podium.

The German won the race by a massive 33 seconds over Fernando Alonso in what was more of a procession than a contest. But, as Lauda pointed out, that's not Vettel's fault.

"It's ridiculous, these people don't understand what the guy is doing," the triple World Champ told Sky Sports.

"I take my hat off to his performance because the guy was leading the race from the first lap onwards, could have lapped everybody and if I could choose I would give him the World Championship for this drive.

"For me he was outstanding. Vettel did nothing wrong.

"The same happened in Italy because they love Ferrari. But if Ferrari was better they wouldn't have to boo the other guy, it's very simple."

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Wolff: Merc can be proud of season

Toto Wolff insists Mercedes have reason to be proud despite being soundly trounced by Sebastian Vettel in Singapore.

The reigning World Champion was in a league of his own on Sunday night, winning the grand prix by 33 over Ferrari's Fernando Alonso while Kimi Raikkonen completed the podium.

The Mercedes drivers finished fourth and fifth with Nico Rosberg ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Both drivers were 50 seconds behind the race winner.

But despite being thrashed, Wolff firmly believes that Mercedes have no reason to be ashamed.

"That dominance is something we are aiming to achieve over the next few years," said the team's executive director.

"We are looking forward so there is no reason to be depressed because the step we have made in the last 12 months is something we should be proud of.

"If you look at the race, immediately afterwards we were disappointed to finish third and fourth, but then you return to your hotel and say 'Well, that was fine'.

"Obviously, we are all here to win the World Championship one day, and it's good we have raised the bar.

"Equally it's dangerous to do so because the level of satisfaction is much more difficult to achieve."

The Austrian, however, admitted that he had some concerns that Vettel and Red Bull could be unbeatable in the final six races of the season.

Asked if he feared a clean sweep from Red Bull, he said: "Yes.

"In Singapore, the kind of performance he showed by going two seconds per lap faster was absolutely stunning, and if they don't have any DNFs...

"I don't know if he will have a clean sweep, but if anybody deserves the World Championship, then it's him."

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'Grosjean would have been on the podium'

Lotus were "annoyed" in Singapore on Sunday night as one driver's retirement resulted in the other achieving a podium finish.

Romain Grosjean had a strong start to his Singapore Grand Prix and had looked to be incontension for a top-three result before an engine issue resulted in his retirement.

The visibly frustrated Frenchman was called into the pits for engine partner Renault to refill his compressed air reservoir only for him to park his E21 laps later.

Grosjean's demise, though, meant when the 61 laps played out, his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was on the podium.

"We've never been so annoyed to get a podium," Lotus trackside operations director Alan Permane told Autosport.

"Romain had a perfect day pretty much. He didn't have a great first lap, but I defy anyone to keep Fernando behind them on the first lap. He was just doing his first lap and would have been third without a doubt.

"It was an engine air leak in the end. It is somewhere inside the engine with the air valve system.

"We tried to fix it. There was a bit of hope in trying to top it up, but after that it got worse and we had to stop him."

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Di Resta: I did nothing wrong

Paul di Resta insists his Marina Bay DNF was not a driver error but rather a problem with his VJM06.

The Force India driver suffered his fourth retirement in as many races when he crashed out of the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday night.

Fighting for a top-ten result, di Resta appeared to make a mistake with seven to go that sent him into the barriers at Turn Seven.

The Scot, though, is adamant he did nothing wrong.

"For whatever reason something went wrong," he told Press Association Sport.

"I did nothing different, but the car didn't stop, it locked the outside front wheel.

"So there is a big question mark over what exactly went wrong. It would appear to be something mechanical.

"If it is something I've done wrong then I'll stick my hand up and take the blame for it, but it doesn't look like I've done anything wrong at the moment.

"The team are looking into it."

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Ferrari F1 team ready to re-open its windtunnel in October

Ferrari's windtunnel will be ready to re-open at the end of October, a move the team believes will wipe out a significant part of its disadvantage to Red Bull.

The windtunnel was shut down for a comprehensive upgrade after Ferrari discovered correlation problems, meaning it has been using Toyota's ex-Formula 1 facility in Cologne in the interim.

While the tunnel is coming online too late to have any influence on Ferrari's 2013 car and work on next year's machine is already well-advanced, team principal Stefano Domenicali believes it will remove a major weakness relative to Red Bull.

"Yes," Domenicali said when asked by AUTOSPORT if this will wipe out part of its disadvantage to Red Bull.

"It is like playing basketball with one hand behind your back. You can do that for training, but when you have to play it's better to use two hands.

"We should be back with two hands [when the windtunnel is back in use].

"It is crucial for us. We have been suffering for two years, because we had problems with correlation [before the tunnel was closed].

"So we are looking forward to open it up again because it will be a massive tool to use."

While not having its own on-site windtunnel in operation over the past 18 months has hindered Ferrari's progress, deputy chief designer Simone Resta believes the decision to shut it down for upgrading was vital.

"Under Stefano Domenicali's direction, the team has invested a lot in upgrades of the tunnel and operation," he said.

"In our world, everything moves so quickly without any breaks and you need to take a long time to make a major upgrade.

"If not, you are just doing incremental upgrades.

"Toyota's is a good facility and is being used not only by us but also other teams.

"This has given us the opportunity to be ready at the end of October with our facility, which will be much better than before."

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Nico Hulkenberg says Sergio Perez battle ruling unfair

Nico Hulkenberg believes it was wrong for race control to order him to give away a position to McLaren driver Sergio Perez during the Singapore Grand Prix.

The Sauber driver, who went on to finish ninth, one place behind the Mexican, was running 11th after his first pitstop when he exceeded the track limits at Turn 7 while battling with Perez and Pastor Maldonado.

He was subsequently advised to give the position to Perez on the grounds he had gained an unfair advantage.

But Hulkenberg believes he gained no such advantage, and only ran wide because he had to give Perez room on the inside of the corner.

"I haven't seen the footage yet and I have to look at it, but I don't agree," Hulkenberg said.

"I had Pastor there in front and I chose to take the outside. I knew Sergio was going to dive inside, therefore I left him space otherwise we would have collided.

"So I was squeezed a bit onto the exit kerb. Unfortunately, the car bottomed a bit right away and once you bottom on these high kerbs, it pulls you right across and there is no chance.

"It [running beyond the edge of the track] did happen but I was in front of him coming into the corner and didn't gain any advantage coming out of it."

Hulkenberg now expects to be more cautious in situations like this where he is forced to exceed track limits.

"Every race is different and this was one specific incident but obviously now I have that in mind.

"I will keep it in mind for the next races if I have a similar situation again."

The German spent the rest of the race behind Perez and believes he would have finished one place higher had he not had to cede the position.

"Eighth would have been the ideal position without giving the place to Sergio.

"We also benefited from [Mark] Webber and [Romain] Grosjean dropping out as these two would have been in front."

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Sergio Perez accepts he needs to improve for McLaren

Sergio Perez has admitted he is unhappy with his performance in the 2013 Formula 1 season amid question marks over his McLaren future.

The Mexican has scored 18 points this year compared to team-mate Jenson Button's 38 and his place at the team is being evaluated even though boss Martin Whitmarsh has said the squad will "in all probability" retain the same driver line-up.

Perez accepts he must get the best out of the car at every opportunity to fulfil his potential even though McLaren has also struggled with an uncompetitive design.

"I have to say that I am not happy with my performance at all," said Perez when asked to analyse his season.

"The car and the year have been very difficult, we are still learning about the car so it makes things difficult.

"[in Singapore I went] from being P7 in practice three, looking quite good, and we went a little bit in the wrong direction, we lost two tenths and we are P14.

"My season looks worse on paper than it has been in terms of speed but I know very clearly that I have to improve and I am working to improve because once we get the car we have to be right in every single detail.

"Even though the car has not been there, we haven't been good enough all together to maximise every single detail."

MCLAREN LOOKING FOR MORE

Although he accepts the Mexican has faced a tough challenge, Whitmarsh wants to see more from Perez.

"It is not easy coming into a team and beating someone like Jenson who doesn't often make mistakes, gets it right, is quick, knows how to work with the team very well," said Whitmarsh.

"He has set himself ambitious targets, he will want to go further, we want him to go further.

"This is a year of learning for him. I am sure we haven't seen the best of him yet, I am sure he strives to be up there and wants to beat Jenson."

As well as suggesting there is more to come from Perez, Whitmarsh also said there was no possibility of junior driver Stoffel Vandoorne racing for the team next year.

"Yes, I think I can," said Whitmarsh when asked whether he could rule out, absolutely, that Vandoorne would be one of McLaren's race drivers in 2014.

SERGIO PEREZ IN 2013

Starts: 13

Points: 18

Best grid position: 8th

Best finish: 6th

Qualifying record versus Button: 5-6

AUSTRALIA

Start: 15th Finish: 11th

Misses out in rain-hit qualifying but race pace is similar to team-mate Button's as he finishes two places behind him.

MALAYSIA

Start: 9th Finish: 9th

Has a poor qualifying, ending up a second off Button, but turns in a solid race drive despite having to abandon a planned three-stopper.

CHINA

Start: 12th Finish: 11th

Crashing in the pit entry in FP1 kicks off a dire weekend in which he's slower than Button. Clashes with Raikkonen in the race.

BAHRAIN

Start: 12th Finish: 6th

A couple of tenths off Button on Saturday, he drives well in the race, although incurs the ire of his team-mate and Alonso after clashing with both.

SPAIN

Start: 8th Finish: 9th

Outqualifies Button for the first time, but can't match his team-mate's tyre management and ends up following him home.

MONACO

Start: 8th Finish: Retired

Shows a good turn of speed and qualifies well and while there are some good, on-the-limit, moves he also overdoes it on occasion, leading to his race unravelling.

CANADA

Start: 12th Finish: 11th

Outqualifies Button but should have made Q3. Has a solid, if unspectacular race and while he doesn't score, he is the first McLaren to take the chequered flag.

BRITAIN

Start: 13th Finish: 20th

Has a wild weekend at times and starts down the grid, but a blowout while trying to fight his way to a point leads to him pulling out of the race close to the finish.

GERMANY

Start: 13th Finish: 8th

Struggles a little in qualifying, but his race pace is good and he finishes not far behind Button, with only the recovering Webber between them.

HUNGARY

Start: 8th Finish: 9th

Has one of his strongest weekends, making Q3 unlike Button. Struggles with his tyres in the first stint, but shows decent race pace thereafter despite finishing behind his team-mate.

BELGIUM

Start: 13th Finish: 11th

Poor timing means he doesn't get a proper run in Q2. A needless squeeze on Grosjean in the race earns him a penalty and costs a points finish.

ITALY

Start: 8th Finish: 12th

His raw pace is similar to Button's and he shades him in qualifying. But proves not to be as formidable in combat in the race, slipping out of the points late on.

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Wolff: In three years I want to already have the Formula 1 title in the bag

Ferrari’s 2014 pairing is not quite a match for Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, claims Mercedes’ Toto Wolff, who told Sport Bild that he is hopeful that the Brackley based team will be charging for the title very soon.

Asked what he hopes for within the next three-year period, he told the German magazine: “That we would have justified the advanced praise and are serious candidates for the World Championship.

“No, actually in three years I want to already have the title in the bag,” added Wolff.

It has been said that the task for Formula 1′s top outfits, including the dominant Red Bull, has been made more difficult by the new ‘dream team’ driver lineup fielded by Ferrari in 2014.

“I still think we have the strongest driver pairing,” said Wolff, when asked to compare Hamilton-Rosberg with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen for 2014.

“It’s because our drivers have known each other for so long that they are able to compete fairly despite their many differences,” he added.

“I do not see that Ferrari’s [lineup] could be as harmonious as ours,” said Wolff.

Former two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen, who spent most of his McLaren career alongside David Coulthard, agrees with those who think Alonso-Raikkonen could spell trouble.

“The presence of two champions could create a strange pressure in a team of 1000 people,” the Finn told Speed Week. (GMM.)

Subbed by AJN.

“There are a lot of positives, but it’s also unpredictable,” Hakkinen added.

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Stuck: Vettel’s a great guy but lacks the charisma of Alonso and Raikkonen

German motor racing legend Hans-Joachim Stuck has questioned Sebastian Vettel’s charisma (or the lack thereof) after the reigning world champion was booed during recent Formula 1 podium ceremonies, including most recently in Singapore.

He told Munich’s Abendzeitung newspaper that the dominant Red Bull driver doesn’t deserve the scorn simply for winning, or that he’s not “cool” or “cute” like Kimi Raikkonen and Nico Rosberg respectively.

“All I can say is, dear Sebastian, don’t worry about [it],” said Stuck.

Stück said that he was sometimes booed as a driver, although the situation is not comparable to Vettel’s because the 26-year-old “doesn’t really know what he did wrong”.

Stück, 62, said that Vettel “does not have the charisma of an Alonso or a Raikkonen”.

“Either you have it or you don’t,” he insisted. “He’s still a great guy.”

Stück said that Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton fit much more with the “typical racing driver cliche”.

“One has women, the other is often drunk under the table. And drivers with corners and edges are more loved by the fans at certain times than a slick one who only wins,” he added.

Asked what Vettel can do to stop the booing, Stuck joked that the championship leader could stop winning.

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Lopez believes Raikkonen’s return to Ferrari is all about the money

Lotus team owner Gerard Lopez believes that Kimi Raikkonen’s decision to return to Ferrari was all about money, which took him by surprise.

“I thought Kimi did not return to Formula 1 for the money, but it is clear that the opposite is actually true,” Lopez told Auto Hebdo.

“From now on, it’s no longer our problem. In the end, we are not able to compete with teams that are willing to do anything to get a contract with a driver.”

Indeed, Kimi Raikkonen revealed in Singapore that he is only leaving the team because he has not yet been paid.

“He had it all,” said Lopez. “A competitive car, the support of the team, unparalleled comfort.

“Like last year, not everything was paid on time, but he did receive all of his money in the end [in 2012]. We do not have a budget like some of the other teams, so we have to have prioritise.”

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Lotus owners not ruling out name change to Renault

Lotus team owner Gerard Lopez has confirmed that his team is hoping auto giant Renault offers works-style support to the Enstone based outfit from 2014 onwards.

In an interview with Formula 1′s official website, team boss Eric Boullier this week also alluded to a tie-up with the French engine supplier.

“I do believe in the concept of Renault having two teams they count on – Red Bull and us,” he said.

Lopez said that taking the next step is in fact crucial for Lotus.

“Ideally, we need to get the support of an automaker,” he told Auto Hebdo.

“It gives significant weight in the political arena of Formula 1, and in the relations with investors and shareholders,” said Lopez.

“I would not mind if the team has to change its name,” he revealed. ”It doesn’t matter whether it’s called Genii, Lotus, Renault or something else.”

Undoubtedly, amid reports of high debt and financial strife, Lotus could also do with the money.

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Is UAE motorsport boss Bin Sulayem the next FIA presidential candidate?

A name has now emerged, amid rumours that a third candidate for December’s FIA presidential elections is looming.

That name, mentioned not only by Auto Motor und Sport but also separately by Speed Week; Mohammad Bin Sulayem.

He is known as the highest ranking motor racing official in the United Arab Emirates, and was formerly a strong supporter of Max Mosley.

The 51-year-old, a 14-time Middle East rally champion, became the first Arab named as Vice President of the FIA, and the first to be elected to the FIA World Motor Sport Council. In his FIA role he has pioneered teaching, research and knowledge-transfer initiatives in motor sport.

Mohammed bin Sulayem drives a Ford Focus WRC during the 2001

FIA Middle East Rally of Lebanon

Speed Week quoted an insider as saying: “He would be a dangerous rival for Todt and Ward, because there are many out there who would support him more than the Frenchman and his (British) challenger.”

Briton David Ward has already entered the race to dethrone Jean Todt, but Formula 1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone this week hinted that a third contender might be waiting in the wings.

“Maybe [Ward's candidature] has opened the door for other potential candidates,” he told Auto Motor und Sport.

“They’ll say ‘If he can, I can too’. So we don’t know how many [candidates] there will be in the end. There’s still time to submit a nomination,” Ecclestone added.

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Lotus to bin passive DRS system for rest of 2013

Lotus have revealed that they will no longer use the passive DRS system that has often appeared on the black and gold E21 in 2013.

“No, it probably won’t be seen again this season,” said the team’s trackside boss Alan Permane.

“We have not given up on it, but it still doesn’t work perfectly,” he told Auto Motor und Sport.

“And we simply don’t want to spend any more time on it. Our technical department is now working more or less exclusively on the car for next season,” Permane revealed.

Meanwhile, the Spanish sports newspaper El Mundo Deportivo reports that, after an 18 month shutdown, Ferrari will finally reopen its own wind tunnel in late October.

The great Italian team has been using Toyota’s Cologne facility since identifying correlation faults with the Maranello tunnel, which has also been upgraded.

“Not having your own wind tunnel is like playing basketball with one hand, while your opponents use two,” team boss Stefano Domenicali is quoted as having said earlier.

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Brazilian TV station to show live F1 even without Massa

Brazilian TV broadcaster Globo has announced that it will continue to televise live Formula 1, even if Felipe Massa is not on the grid beyond 2013.

Earlier, there were fears Massa’s potential exit from the sport, after losing his Ferrari seat, could spell the end of Globo’s interest.

But the company has now announced that it has sold the available advertising space for its coverage in 2014, with the existing sponsors staying put.

Revealing that he is trying to help Massa stay in Formula 1 beyond 2013, chief executive Bernie Ecclestone told O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper last weekend: “The [brazilian] media has an important role in trying to keep having a [brazilian] driver in Formula 1.”

Brazil, a hugely important market for the sport, has had a driver on every Formula 1 grid since Emerson Fittipaldi in 1970.

But Lotus’ Eric Boullier said that Massa’s hunt for Brazilian sponsors will have no impact on the team’s choice of successor for the departing Kimi Raikkonen.

“It would have zero effect on our decision,” he told F1′s official website.

“I want to choose the driver on merit and not on money.”

Boullier admitted that German Nico Hulkenberg is also in the running.

“The question is do we want to be conservative and work with an experienced driver, especially with the new engine and powertrain next year, or do we gamble on a youngster?” he said.

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Button: The buzz is still there

Jenson Button insists he is still as excited as ever when the lights go out in F1 despite McLaren's struggles this year.

The Woking squad have had a torrid time this season and Button's P5 in China is their best finish to date. If the team fail to finish in the top three in the final seven races then it will be the first time since 1980 that they have gone an entire season without a podium.

Naturally it has been a long season for Button, but he insists the motivation is not lacking even though he is not able to challenge at the front of the grid.

"The motivation is definitely still there because you still want to do a good job in the races," he told Press Association Sport.

"You don't drive around waiting for next year. You still want to get the best result you can, do the best job you can, and get the most out of yourself for yourself and the team. That doesn't change.

"But obviously when you get out of the car and you are seventh it's not where you want to be, and it's not what gets you excited after a grand prix.

"But when you get in the car, the lights go out and you are racing, the buzz is still there, and you still want to do the best job you can."

Button finished seventh in Singapore, but he was running in third place during the latter stages of the race and was hoping to claim that elusive podium.

However, once his tyres went he was a sitting duck and quickly slipped back.

He added: "I did actually think about a podium because I didn't know what was going to happen with the tyres.

"The problem was that I had the engineers on the radio saying 'This is good. We can do this. Keep fighting, but look after the tyres'.

"I was like 'Well, I can't do both', and to be fair, having Kimi (Raikkonen) shoved up behind me didn't really help me look after my tyres.

"He was so much faster, and he proved that when he got past because he was three seconds per lap quicker.

"In the end we didn't have the pace, and there was never a podium on the cards when you look at the result. We were 40 seconds off that, or something like that, by the end of the race.

"But we gave it a go - it's just that the race needed to be 10 laps shorter."

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Raikkonen will be fit for Korean GP reveals personal trainer

Kimi Raikkonen’s personal trainer has played down reports that the Finn could sit out next weekend’s Korean Grand Prix due to injury.

The Lotus driver struggled with pain throughout the recent Singapore weekend, and it emerged afterwards that Raikkonen is suffering an injury where a rib meets his spine.

Subsequently, rumours emerged that the 2007 world champion will have to undergo surgery.

But Raikkonen’s trainer Mark Arnall told the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat: “Kimi will be back in full running order next week in Korea.”