FORMULA 1 - 2010

[MIKA27]

Im tipping Kubica takes Monaco. Have a gut feeling, he's driving very well.

Hope Mercedes GP do well. Go Schumi.

[OZCUBAN]

Webber dominates in RBR Monaco 1-2

Mark Webber produced his second stellar performance in the space of seven days to lead Red Bull to a perfect 1-2 result in Monaco as the team finally moved to the top of both championship races.

Fresh from claiming his first victory of the season in dominant style last weekend in Spain, Webber was even more commanding on the tight streets although he saw three comfortable leads wiped out by safety cars – including one that came out for the race’s closing laps.

Sebastian Vettel again had no answer to his in-form team-mate's speed but managed to claim second ahead of Renault’s Robert Kubica after jumping the Pole off the startline.

With Jenson Button retiring early with overheating problems, Webber and Vettel are the new joint leaders of the drivers’ championship on 78 points while Red Bull moves to the head of the constructors' standings for the first time in its history.

Felipe Massa completed a solid Monaco weekend to take fourth position for Ferrari, finishing ahead of McLaren rival Lewis Hamilton after the pair had run in close company all afternoon.

Old Monaco master Michael Schumacher finished sixth on the road after he had appeared to opportunistically take the position away from Fernando Alonso coming out of Rascasse on the final lap, after the day's final safety car had just pulled into the pits.

However while the move, which came just after the first safety car line, would have been legal at any other point in the 78-lap race, the regulations state that should the safety car be out on the final lap then the race will finish under caution conditions – meaning passing is not permitted.

Race stewards – which ironically included Schumacher's former arch-rival Damon Hill this weekend – eventually slapped the German with a 20s time penalty almost three hours after the end of the race, which dropped him out of the points into 12th and promoted Alonso back to sixth.

The Spaniard had started from the pit lane after his practice shunt had forced him to sit of qualifying but made massive progress after taking advantage of a lap-one safety car following a big accident for Williams’s Nico Hulkenberg to make his one mandatory tyre stop to switch to the other compound of tyre.

At the start the front-row starting Kubica suffered from wheelspin off the line and saw Vettel sneak inside him to form a Red Bull 1-2 going into Ste Devote.

While the tight first corner was without major incident, the safety car was soon thrust into action as Williams rookie Hulkenberg suffered a big accident coming through the tunnel.

The German had already lost a host of places from 11th with a clutch problem at the start when he arrived at the apex of the 160mph corner completely off line, the inevitable result being he slammed into the outside barrier and the left-hand side of his FW32 was ripped apart.

Button had also made a poor getaway and he was forced to pull off the road two laps later under safety car conditions just after Ste Devote with smoke billowing from the back of his MP4-25.

A radiator bung had accidentally been left in the car on his way to the grid and Button suspected that, with overheating already an issue, running slowly behind the pace car had cooked the Mercedes engine.

Alonso, meanwhile, had taken the caution period as his opportunity to dive into the pit lane to make his one mandatory stop to switch to the harder compound tyres – a moment that would prove pivotal to his afternoon.

When the racing action re-started on lap seven, Webber immediately set about showing the kind of superiority over Vettel he has displayed since Spain.

By lap 11 the Australian was already 2.9s ahead and had pushed that advantage up to 5.3s three laps later, as Vettel struggled to shrug off Kubica.

Alonso had initially struggled to pass the slow backmarkers on his return to the circuit – particularly Virgin’s Lucas di Grassi – but by lap 16 he was clear and starting to set a pace only matched by the front few.

His progress set alarm bells ringing with teams further up the field and McLaren duly pulled fifth placed Hamilton in on lap 17 and he just about came out ahead of his former team-mate.

Massa also pitted two laps later to hold onto a net fourth, but Hamilton was now the only cars between the two Ferraris – Alonso having managing to jump a host of drivers including Schumacher.

Webber, meanwhile, enjoyed a trouble-free stop and was 15s clear of Vettel and pulling further clear all the time before the safety car came out for second time on lap 31 following a nasty accident involving the other Williams of Rubens Barrichello.

The Brazilian – who had jumped ahead of the Mercedes’s at the start only to slip to 10th through the pit stops – appeared to suffer a mechanical failure at the rear of his car which pitched him violently into the barriers backwards at Beau Rivage, and then hurtling across into the inside barrier, before coming to rest in the middle of the track at Massenet.

That incident would prompt a further safety car 12 laps later when stewards noticed a drain cover had become dislodged at Massenet – Webber this time losing a 4.8s advantage over Vettel.

The near impossibility to pass cars around Monaco meant the final stages of the race took place in processional fashion, with the pecking order of the race now largely set.

However, Webber had to deal with one more safety car three laps from home – the cause of which the Australian got all too close for comfort to.

As he came up to lap the Hispania and Lotus of Karun Chandhok and Jarno Trulli respectively, the pair were embroiled in their own battle and Trulli tried a do-or-die lunge down the inside of his rival at Rascasse – a move which would only send him scarily skywards over the top of the Indian’s car.

Webber had to slow dramatically to avoid the two cars, but the resulting safety car meant his fully deserving victory was finally secure.

Schumacher's penalty meant his team-mate Nico Rosberg moved up to seventh in the sister Mercedes, but that was still scant consolation from a weekend which he felt had promised so much in qualifying.

The German had dropped behind his legendary team-mate at the start and failed to get ahead thereafter despite a longer run than most on the super-soft tyres before his first pit stop.

Force India, meanwhile, can finally celebrate its first two-car points finish after Adrian Sutil and Tonio Liuzzi both drove solid races to what became eighth and ninth respectively.

Sebastien Buemi was the main beneficiary of Schumacher's demotion as he was prompted to the final point, the young Swiss's first of the season.

Monaco Grand Prix result (78 laps)

1 WEBBER Red Bull

2 VETTEL Red Bull +0.4s

3 KUBICA Renault +1.6s

4 MASSA Ferrari +2.6s

5 HAMILTON McLaren +4.3s

6 ALONSO Ferrari +6.3s

7 ROSBERG Mercedes +6.6s

8 SUTIL Force India +6.9s

9 LIUZZI Force India +7.3s

10 BUEMI Toro Rosso +8.1s

11 ALGUERSUARI Toro Rosso +9.1s

12 SCHUMACHER Mercedes +25.7s*

R PETROV Renault +5 laps

R CHANDHOK HRT +8 laps

R TRULLI Lotus +8 laps

R KOVALAINEN Lotus +20 laps

R SENNA HRT +20 laps

R BARRICHELLO Williams +48 laps

R KOBAYASHI Sauber +52 laps

R DI GRASSI Virgin +53 laps

R GLOCK Virgin +56 laps

R DE LA ROSA Sauber +57 laps

R BUTTON McLaren +76 laps

R HULKENBERG Williams +78 laps

Fastest lap: VETTEL 1m15.192s (lap 71)

* 20-second penalty

OZ Another stellar performance by Mark who is really at the top of his game at the moment good on ya mate

[OZCUBAN]

Mercedes appeals Schumacher penalty

Michael Schumacher has been given a 20s time penalty after the stewards ruled that his last corner pass on Fernando Alonso in Monaco was illegal.

The former champions had battled over sixth place into the Anthony Noghes turn after the safety car came in at the end of the last lap.

Mercedes believed that the rules allowed overtaking moves to take place from the 'restart line' onwards as soon as the safety car came in, whereas Ferrari was adamant that this did not apply on the last lap.

The stewards agreed with Ferrari's interpretation, citing rule 40.13: "If the race ends whilst the safety car is deployed it will enter the pit lane at the end of the last lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking."

Schumacher therefore had 20s added to his race time rather than the drivethrough penalty that would have been awarded had the race still been in progress - dropping the Mercedes star from sixth to 12th in the final results.

Mercedes revealed on Sunday evening it would appeal the decision meaning an FIA International Court of Appeal hearing is now set to be convened in the forthcoming weeks.

Earlier, Schumacher had initially been confident that because the official timing screens said the safety car was coming in, the usual rule regarding passing from the restart line applied, rather than the unique last-lap regulation.

"I think there is either this message, or the message that the safety car is in and the track is clear - that was the message that was given to all of us," said Schumacher.

"And when this message is out, it's quite clear, it's back to racing.

"Maybe we missed something that we weren't aware of.

"The team told me that the track was clear and if there was an opportunity to go for it."

OZ A bit unlucky i thought ,on what was a great opportunistic move by the old master ,would not have anything to do with the fact that Damon Hill was the the F-1 driver adviser

[MIKA27]

Mercedes appeals Schumacher penalty

OZ A bit unlucky i thought ,on what was a great opportunistic move by the old master ,would not have anything to do with the fact that Damon Hill was the the F-1 driver adviser

This is ridiculous!

Schumacher and Brawn are correct and I hope the appeal will go through though, I have never known Stewards renegging their decisions. This is Damon Hill being a royal prick.

[MIKA27]

Kubica: Super result, excellent weekend

Robert Kubica is an extremely proud driver after bringing his Renault home on the podium in Monaco on Sunday afternoon, a surprise result for many.

Kubica put in a solid performance throughout the 78-lap race, avoiding the barriers, something many of his rivals failed to do as only 12 of the 24 runners actually crossed the finish line.

"Finishing third in Monaco is a super result for us after an excellent weekend," said the Polish driver.

"Nobody was expecting us to finish on the podium here, but we were up at the front all weekend and the whole team really deserves this result.

"It's also a great performance by Renault engines to fill the top three steps of the podium."

Speaking about his race, Kubica admits it was not the best start from second place on the grid, something Renault have struggled with of late, especially as a bit of wheelspin caught him unaware.

That meant he lost a position to Sebastian Vettel and although he tried his best to catch the Red Bull racer, it was not to be and he had to settle for third place, best of the non-Red Bulls.

"At the start of the race I lost a place to Sebastian, but I knew it was always going to be difficult starting from the dirty side of the track.

"Normally I would have defended the position, but Mark got quite a slow pull-away from the line and I thought I might have a chance to overtake him.

"Unfortunately I got some wheelspin and it was too late to close the door to Sebastian, and I also had to defend from Felipe.

"In the race we had excellent pace and I think I was a bit quicker than Sebastian on the prime tyres, especially after the restarts, which shows the progress we continue to make as a team and is very encouraging for the next few races."

Team boss Eric Boullier was equally proud of his driver and his achievement around the streets of Monte Carlo. "To get a podium here in Monaco is a great result for Robert and the team," he said.

"Starting on the front row we certainly had high expectations and we are all very happy with this third place.

"Robert drove a fantastic race and the performance of the car was very strong, which allowed us to keep the pressure on Red Bull and stay ahead of the other teams.

"I'd like to say a big well done to the whole team who can be very proud of their hard work recently, which has contributed to this result."

[MIKA27]

Trulli: Just one of those things

Jarno Trulli says his accident with Karun Chandhok, which left his Lotus parked on top of the Hispania driver, was just a "racing incident."

And although it was, it was a rather spectacular one.

Three laps from the end of another slow and difficult grand prix in Monaco, Trulli tried to overtake Chandhok in a bid to finish second from last.

However, the move did not go according to plan and instead of passing the Indian driver, he parked on him.

"This wasn't a great weekend for me," said Trulli.

"After we had a problem with the wheelgun in the pitstop I was stuck behind the HRTs and trying to find room to overtake - in the last lap Karun seemed slow through the second and third sector, and I'd seen he was leaving room at Rascasse, so I tried to get through but we touched and that was that - the end of the race.

"It was one of those things - a racing incident, but I still feel like we're going in the right direction as a team, and I want to put the bad luck behind me when we get back on track in Turkey."

[MIKA27]

Williams to investigate Monaco crashes

Williams will launch an investigation into the failure that caused both their drivers to crash out of Sunday's Monaco GP.

Nico Hulkenberg was the first casualty of the grand prix, as he shunted in the tunnel in what initially looked to be a driver error. However, on closer inspection it became apparent that his front wing had failed, sending him hurtling into the wall.

And Williams' woes did not end there.

On lap 31 of the 78-lap race the team lost Rubens Barrichello as something appeared to break at the rear of his FW32, putting him into a spin and into the barriers.

A very upset Barrichello threw his steering wheel to the ground, where it was destroyed by another driver as he made his way past the accident.

"That was not a good day for the team after a promising start for Rubens," said tech boss Sam Michael.

"Nico had a problem with the clutch paddle on the steering wheel during the formation lap. He then had a failure with the front wing mounting on the first lap of the race.

"Rubens had a fantastic start and was running in sixth when he started to experience poor handling after his stop. 11 laps after his pitstop, he had a failure at the rear end of his car.

"We need to get all the parts back to the factory in order to identify correctly what components on both cars caused the failures.

"We have quite a bit of car damage to repair, but we're making progress with performance and look to further that in Istanbul."

[MIKA27]

'Webber linked to Massa's Ferrari seat'

Mark Webber is being linked to Ferrari for the 2011 Championship after Renault made it clear that they are determined to hold onto the Italian team's first choice, Robert Kubica.

There is nothing quite like Formula One's silly season rumours as less than two months ago there was speculation that Webber was on his way out, set to retire from the sport at the end of this year's Championship.

A few weeks later, the mill claimed that Felipe Massa, who is out of contract at the end of 2010, was only a signature away from extending his stay at Ferrari.

Those reports, though, were followed by reports that Kubica would in fact replace Massa next season, having already signed an "option" to race for Ferrari.

Now the latest claim that Kubica won't be leaving Renault, who are determined to hold onto the Polish driver, Massa is not about to sign a new contract and his seat will in fact go to Red Bull racer Webber.

At least those are the rumours this weekend in Monaco.

Webber, though, has refused to comment on reports of his future.

"Certainly haven't come to any agreements yet but there's still a long way to go in terms of what to do for next year," he said when asked if he was on the verge of signing a new deal with Red Bull.

"We've worked very hard over the last few years, Red Bull and myself to get into this situation.

"I'm actually in no real rush to make any big decisions myself; also I think both of us are very happy with each other, a lot of trust with each other, so let's see how it goes, there's plenty of time."

[MIKA27]

Teams expected to make tyre choice today

Teams are expected to make a decision regarding tyre supply for the 2011 season and beyond later today.

Meetings have been scheduled for Sunday to discuss several offers from multiple suppliers including: Michelin, Cooper Avon and Pirelli.

Ross Brawn hinted at Pirelli possibly being the favourite option as they have offered supply at a more competitive rate than Michelin and are also willing to commit to trackside sponsorship.

"I think we had a very good proposal from Pirelli which needs looking at seriously, so we are in a better position than we were several months ago," Ross Brawn explained. "F1 has now got some serious proposals, whereas a few months ago we had nothing."

Teams are keen to finalise a deal so they can begin to design their 2011 cars. Different tyres can mean big changes to the design as seen this year when Mercedes GP were caught off guard by the narrower front tyres.

-- Update --

Teams failed to come to an agreement at Sunday's meeting, however Williams CEO Adam Parr told Autosport that a decision isn't far off.

"We are making very good progress, but haven't made a final decision," Parr said.

"We have a couple of good proposals on the table and each one has its own merits. There are a couple of details, but we have to make a decision soon.

"We are days rather than weeks [away]. It is down to two or three options on the table and we are close to deciding which way we go."

[MIKA27]

Schumi defends his Monaco move:

Schumi insists: We were back to racing

Michael Schumacher has defended his passing move on Fernando Alonso in Sunday's Monaco GP, insisting "we were back to racing conditions."

With the Safety Car coming in on the very last lap of the Monte Carlo race in order to allow Mark Webber to take the chequered flag, the message 'Safety Car in, track clear' was displayed and the green flags were waved. Schumacher took advantage of a somewhat sedate Alonso, passing him at the final corner to take sixth place.

However, the German's move was immediately called into question by the stewards, who after three hours of deliberation ruled that it was illegal based on Article 40.13, which states that "if the race ends whilst the Safety Car is deployed it will enter the pit lane at the end of the last lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking."

Schumacher was handed a 20-second penalty, which saw him drop out of the points and down into 12th place.

Mercedes GP are appealing the decision, a move that Schumacher agrees with as he firmly believes that the message of 'track clear' meant he was allowed to race in the metres between the Safety Car line and the finish line.

"My race would have been pretty normal without the decision of the stewards afterwards," he said.

"The result in the very end, which put me back to twelfth place for now, was obviously disappointing for me and I can fully understand that we are appealing the decision.

"Our understanding was that the 'safety car in, track clear' message meant we were back to racing conditions, so I went for it and overtook Fernando."

Team boss Ross Brawn added that in his opinion racing was allowed because the grand prix was not finishing behind the Safety Car, which meant Article 40.13 was not valid.

"With regard to the penalty given to Michael, we believed that the track had gone green and the race was not finishing under a Safety Car when article 40.13 clearly would have applied.

"The reason for the SafetyCcar had been removed, the FIA had announced 'Safety Car in this lap' early on lap 78 and the track had been declared clear by race control. This was further endorsed when the marshals showed green flags and lights after safety car line one.."

Meanwhile, Damon Hill, an old time nemesis of Schumacher's who took the role of drivers' representative for the race, insists he made the right call, denying claims that it was a bit of revenge for their 1994 collision.

Hill told BBC Sport: "Believe me my only concern was that the right thing was done, if that was the case consistently things would be better.

"But there was a wry smile from Michael. Slightly ironic you could say."

[MIKA27]

'Red Bull in no hurry to re-sign Webber'

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner insists he is in no rush to sign Mark Webber to a new contract, despite suggestions over the weekend a new deal had been agreed.

Webber's management team were seen entering into discussions with Horner ahead of the 33-year-old Australian's Monaco Grand Prix triumph, which propelled him to the top of the Drivers' Championship standings, and later emerging with beaming smiles.

But Horner maintains Webber's future has yet to be discussed, although if that is the case, he has certainly done himself the power of good with his back-to-back wins over the past two weekends.

"The team and Mark are very relaxed about the situation," said Horner.

"He is an important member of the team and he is driving fantastically well at the moment. He enjoys driving here, and we enjoy having him.

"But we have not spoken and have no real interest in speaking with any of our drivers, so when the time gets to it, we will sit down and look at the paperwork."

Horner acknowledged Webber is in the form of his career, underlined by the fact he has won in Spain and Monaco from pole to flag, a total of 144 consecutive laps in the lead.

"I said to Ann (Neal), his partner, 'I don't know what you have been giving Mark for breakfast, but please keep giving it to him'," joked Horner.

"His form has been exemplary in the last 10 days, and at two very different tracks. You can tell he is completely at one with his car and his confidence is high."

Although Webber and Vettel are tied on 78 points at the top of the Championship - the former ahead on countback by two victories to one over the latter - and Red Bull now lead the Constructors' title race, Horner is fully expecting a backlash from their rivals.

"It's very early in the Championship, and it's foolish to underestimate your opposition, especially quality teams like Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes," said Horner.

"They are teams with great pedigrees, and there is still a long way to go."

Horner is also expecting it to be a nip-and-tuck battle between his two drivers, with no advantage given to one over the other at any stage.

"The best situation is to have both the drivers at the front of the field," added Horner.

"We treat them fairly, with the priority to beat everybody else, although I am sure between the two of them we will see the ebb and flow from now until the end of the season."

[MIKA27]

Button: We all made mistakes

Jenson Button is refusing to hand blame to the unnamed mechanic who left a transport cap over his left radiator intake at the start of the Monaco GP.

Button's grand prix came to an end on the second lap of the race after the cap caused his engine to overheat, pretty much cooking it. His retirement from the Monaco GP saw him drop from the very top of the Drivers' standings down to fourth place.

But despite the blow, the reigning World Champ has taken a pragmatic attitude, conceding that yes mistakes were made, everyone makes them at times.

"I am sure the guy involved is gutted and I feel sorry for him," Button told The Times.

"We all make mistakes and we just have to make sure we don't do that again. As soon as I saw the flames and fire from the back of the car, I knew we weren't going any farther.

"It is a human error and I am not going to blame anyone because we all make mistakes."

And it just so happens that Button wouldn't have a leg to stand on if he did start throwing the blame around after he made a mistake in qualifying.

The Brit, who could only manage eighth place on the Monte Carlo grid, drove off with the television remote control still in his cockpit

"That was my fault. I hung on to it. At Rascasse there is a little opening in the fence and I threw it through there. It still works!" he told the Mirror.

And although one can only assume that Martin Whitmarsh was left fuming, the McLaren team boss still managed to bite his tongue.

It is disappointing to everyone in the team and devastating to the person responsible.

"I know these things happen but it is just hard to accept when it does. Inevitably he is devastated. The car went to the grid with no airflow so it was cooked.

"You do what you can but you cannot recover from that. These cars don't have fans, they rely on airflow so if you deny that you are not going to survive very long. We will sit down and talk about it."

[MIKA27]

Chandhok: It looked worse than it was

Karun Chandhok insists his Monaco GP accident with Jarno Trulli was not as bad as it looked - and it did look really bad.

Three laps from the end of the grand prix, Trulli tried to overtake the Hispania Racing driver through the Rascasse corner. But instead of pushing ahead of him, he landed on top of him in a rather frightening accident.

Chandhok escaped unharmed as Trulli's wheels luckily did not hit his helmet.

"Jarno just tried something silly really," the Indian driver told Reuters.

"I don't think he would have even had enough steering lock to get around the corner from the angle he was coming at. He would have done the old Schumacher 2006 parking move.

"He has apologised... I quite like Jarno, he's a nice guy and I think when he apologises he knows he's screwed up.

"Fortunately I was a bit lucky as I ducked and he went over my head.

"It didn't actually touch me but it looked worse than it actually was.

"But it was very frustrating because that was probably my best race of the year in terms of pace and we were racing the other two new teams."

[MIKA27]

'Avon Cooper out of the running'

Stefano Domenicali has ruled out Avon Cooper's bid to supply the F1 teams will tyres, saying there are "only two possibilities".

The teams met in Monaco on Sunday with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone to discuss next year's tyre situation, needing to find a replacement for Bridgestone, who are set to leave the sport.

No decision was reached, though, Domenicali revealed that have narrowed it down to two of three with Michelin and Pirelli the "only" candidates being considered.

"No decision has been taken yet," said Domenicali. "I think another week and maybe by next weekend hopefully we will be able to find a solution.

"There are still only two possibilities - Michelin and Pirelli. I don't see any other option."

Meanwhile, Renault team boss Eric Boullier is hoping for a solution ahead of the next grand prix in Turkey.

"It has to be, because I think there is a technical issue that if we wait too late then nothing will be ready for next year. It has to be done by Turkey."

[MIKA27]

Vettel hopes for Ferrari move "in a few years"

Sebastian Vettel has, once again, hinted that he is looking for a possible move to Ferrari and has given us a time scale of just "a few years."

Whilst it it rumored that F1 supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, is doing everything he possibly can behind the scenes to make the move happen, Vettel insists that he will be the one to make the final call.

"I don't think [the rumors are] true," the 22-year-old told Spanish Newspaper, El Pais, "I have a good relationship with Bernie, but fortunately I will decide my future."

Talking further on the topic of a possible move, the German admitted that although happy at his current team, he feels that a Ferrari will get him the championship he so badly wants.

"I am very happy with Red Bull, I am not going anywhere else. In the future, I want to fight for the world championship, and if you look at the past, Ferrari has always designed very competitive cars."

"Ferrari is unlike any other team - it's a legend. There are other brands that achieve great success, but Ferrari is special. Why not go there in a few years?"

It has been just over a year since the sport's youngest ever race winner admitted that it would be his "dream come true" to driver for the Maranello-based team.

[MIKA27]

Webber fined €2,200 for speeding

Monaco race-winner, Mark Webber, has been fined €2,200 (£1,880) for speeding in the Monte Carlo pit lane.

The Red Bull driver was clocked driving at 70.9km/h down the pit lane before driving the reconnaissance lap to line up on the grid - the pit lane speed limit is just 60km/h in Monaco because of how tight it is.

No further action is expected from either the FIA or Red Bull Racing.

MIKA: Its a wonder how he got away with just a small fine. Anyone else (Schumacher) would have been penalised with a drive through penalty.

[MIKA27]

Williams confirms Monaco crashes' cause

Williams has confirmed the causes of the separate accidents suffered by Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg during Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.

Barrichello hit the barrier at the top of Beau Rivage when something broke at the rear of his FW32, while Hulkenberg crashed into the wall in the tunnel on the opening lap.

The team initially said that it wanted to investigate the causes of the incidents back at the factory, but technical director Sam Michael today confirmed that Barrichello's crash was caused by a rear suspension failure and Hulkenberg's by his front wing, which was damaged at the first corner of the race.

"Rubens had a rear suspension failure," said Michael. "We have a good idea which part is suspect, but to be completely sure we need to await the results of materials tests back at the factory. However, it won't be an issue going forward.

"Nico had a clutch paddle sensor failure on the grid. He then touched the back of the HRT car in Turn 1 and this damaged the front wing mounting pillars. When he entered the tunnel, the front wing eventually failed and he understeered off into the wall."

Michael also confirmed that the failures were not on new parts added with the team's latest upgrade.

"The parts that failed in the race were not new designs and they have been on the car since the start of the season," he said.

He added that the accidents should not stop Williams from pushing forward with another evolution of the FW32 for the next race in Turkey in two weeks.

"Of course we have a significant amount of workload to replace the damaged parts such as the diffusers and the front wings. However, both chassis were undamaged, which is positive," Michael said.

"The FW32 was good in Monaco, certainly an improvement on the previous race, but we acknowledge that we have still got work to do to be more competitive. I am confident that our relative race pace will be an improvement on Barcelona, but as ever much depends on how the other teams manage to move forward too.

"But I can be confident that our direction of development is moving the right way. We have an upgrade plan for Istanbul, but our first priority at the moment is to consolidate the repairs on both race cars."

[MIKA27]

Kubica: Canada our next big chance

Robert Kubica still thinks it will be hard for Renault to win races in 2010, despite his sensational Monaco form, but reckons there are several races where the team can fight for podiums - starting with Canada next month.

The Pole was the star of the Monte Carlo weekend, thrusting Renault into the lead battle from the start of practice, qualifying on the front row and then finishing third, having chased Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull all afternoon.

He played down suggestions that Renault was now on the brink of winning again, suggesting Monte Carlo was just a particularly good track for the team.

"I think for this year winning races will be extremely difficult," Kubica insisted.

"In reality, I think the gap to the Red Bulls, especially, is much bigger than it was here this weekend.

"I think Monaco was one of the tracks which suited our car best."

Kubica highlighted Montreal - scene of his only F1 win to date when he broke BMW Sauber's duck in 2008 - as his next big chance.

"I think that today, on normal race tracks, we are not in the position [for podiums] but some nice tracks are coming like Hungary, like Canada," he said.

"I think we can be strong in Canada, it will suit our downforce level better.

"So we hope to be at least as competitive as we were here."

He underlined that he was delighted with the resurgence Renault was mounting in 2010 after its turbulent recent times.

"The team is somehow building up again with a bit of a different mentality, bit of a different approach and I think it's working," said Kubica.

"Nobody, before the start of the season, would put one euro on us.

"We've managed to finish on the podium twice, we showed good pace, especially here in Monaco.

"We are bringing quite a lot of new bits on the car.

"All the guys in the factory are really working hard to improve the car.

"I think we are getting better direction than maybe in the past and it seems to be giving results."

MIKA: Indeed Renault are comming back and deservedly so after previous years which have tarnished their reputation.

I hope Kubica sticks with Renault long term, or should I say, I hope Renault stick with Kubica long term and make it worth his while to stick around. RK is a great driver.

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Ferrari: Red Bull not getting away yet

Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali is confident that Red Bull Racing can still be pegged back despite starting to turn its speed into victories in recent weeks.

Red Bull has been on pole for every race so far this year but initially struggled for consistency.

However Mark Webber's win in Spain and Monaco - backed up by team-mate Sebastian Vettel taking second on the streets last weekend - have thrust Red Bull and its drivers to the head of the field.

Domenicali admitted that the onus was now on Ferrari and McLaren to stop Red Bull getting away.

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Renault confident Kubica will stay

Renault team principal Eric Boullier believes Robert Kubica will remain at Renault next year even if he is offered a drive with Ferrari.

Kubica and Renault have been the surprise package of the season thus far, with the Polish driver claiming three podium finishes and only once failing to finish inside the top ten.

The 25-year-old's performances have led to suggestions that he will replace Felipe Massa at Ferrari when the season concludes, but Boullier is confident that this will not be the case.

"For him, he is working very well with the team and likes the team spirit as well," Boullier told Autosport.

"I think the new packages we plan to bring and the ambitions we have for the future, everything looks very positive.

"We have kept him very informed, and I am pretty sure it is enough to make him happy to stay."

The Frenchman reveals that the secret to Renault's success this season has been a synergy between driver and team.

"That is the key thing in racing," he said.

"Obviously back in the old days, Alonso was fitting well with the team and it is the same thing we want now. It is key that the driver fits well with the team.

"The team had a big drama in recent times, and having a restructuring of the team - it was definitely very good for the team morale.

"This team has been winning championships so they know how to race and how to be successful and make a good car. Then the chemistry with the drivers, plus the results, have been a boost and brought out the best," he added.

Kubica is currently sitting in sixth place in the Driver's standings with 59 points, 19 points behind Championship leader Mark Webber.

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Barrichello: I had to throw the steering wheel

Rubens Barrichello has defended his decision to fling his steering wheel onto the Monaco track after crashing, claiming he was looking to get out the car as soon as possible.

On lap 31 of the race the Brazilian's FW32 suffered a rear wing failure, putting him into a spin and into the barriers.

The experienced driver then threw his steering wheel out the car before getting out of the car and off the track.

Drivers are required to re-connect their steering wheel - which costs roughly $50,000 - after abandoning their car, but Barrichello has defended his actions, claiming it was a matter of safety.

"I threw the steering wheel because I wanted to get out of the car as soon as possible," he explained.

"After the shunt I was facing the wrong side of the track and the car was on fire."

Barrichello's competitors were less impressed, with the Hispania car of Karun Chandhok driving over the steering wheel soon after, before abandoning the debris further down the circuit only for his team-mate Bruno Senna to drive over it once more.

"What was he doing?," Chandhok asked.

"Charlie [Whiting] actually asked me about it. You see on the video that he just throws it," he added.

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Spare cars to return to F1?

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali has revealed that he would back the return of spare cars.

As a cost-cutting measure spare cars were scrapped from F1 at the end of 2007 but Domenicali is now looking to have the ban overturned.

While teams are no longer allowed to carry spare cars they are able to bring the basic shell of the car to a race, and re-build whatever needs to be added to the original car.

Having heavily-damaged his car during practice on Saturday, Fernando Alonso was unable to compete in qualifying at the Monaco GP, with the Ferrari mechanics unable to repair his car sufficiently.

Domenicali believes that such an event is to the detriment to the fans.

"You cannot leave the spectators without the possibility of enjoying one of the biggest stars in qualifying," he told Spain's Diario AS newspaper.

"We will discuss it with the other teams to see if we can change it [the rule]."

MIKA: I think this is a root cause of F1's demise in some small way in that they are focussing on cost cutting despite the fact Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport.

IMO, if 'a' team can not afford to be in F1, they shouldn't be there and as harsh as that is, its the way it is. If you cant afford to keep spare parts or a 'T' car in the garage for an emergency, then tough luck. I always liked the days of old when a vehicle was faulty or problematic, so teams would use the spare.

Bring back the spare car I say!

Look at any sport, NFL, AFL, Premier League, whatever, they all compete, some have lesser salaries, but they still compete at the same level.

The three smaller teams just can not keep up or compare to F1 standars as far as I am concerned.

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Hill shaken by hate mails

Damon Hill has revealed he has suffered hate mail in the wake of adjudging Michael Schumacher guilty of breaking the rules when he overtook Fernando Alonso in Monaco.

Hill was the driver representative on the panel of stewards at Monte Carlo and was thus part of the quartet of judges who meted out punishment against Schumacher.

Such has been the abuse he has suffered since that Hill has even begun to question whether former drivers should be included in the process.

"It was a fascinating experience but I wonder whether it is right that drivers are put in the position of interpreting the regulations," Hill has told The Times. "I imagined I would be there as a consultant providing driver insight to the stewards, who would then make the decisions. My expertise is as a driver rather than a lawmaker or interpreter of regulations.

"Partly, of course, my discomfort was because I was called to make a ruling on an incident involving Michael. I acted entirely properly but I have already received some stinging e-mails accusing me of prejudice."

MIKA:

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Merc decide against Schumacher appeal

Mercedes GP have decided not to appeal Michael Schumacher's 20-second penalty for an illegal overtaking move in Monaco.

The seven-time World Champion was slapped with the penalty for passing Fernando Alonso in the final moments of the Monaco GP after a Safety Car had been deployed for the final three laps of the race following Jarno Trulli collided with Karun Chandhok.

The Safety Car was called in for the final lap, leaving only moments between the Safety Car line and the chequered line. Schumacher saw an opportunity to pass the fifth-placed Alonso and took it, but was later penalised under article 40.13 which states "if the race ends whilst the Safety Car is deployed it will enter the pit lane at the end of the last lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking".

While Schumacher and his Mercedes team maintain that other sections of the FIA's rules suggest the move would have been legal the team have decided not to appeal the decision.

"On the final lap of the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix, Mercedes GP Petronas instructed our drivers, Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg, to race from Safety Car line one until the finish line as permitted under articles 40.7 and 40.11," the team said in a statement.

"Mercedes GP Petronas were fully aware of article 40.13 which states that no overtaking is permitted if the race finishes under Safety Car conditions.

"However we believed that the combination of the race control messages 'Safety Car in this lap' and 'Track Clear' and the green flags and lights shown by the marshals after safety car line one indicated that the race was not finishing under the safety car and all drivers were free to race.

"This opinion appears to have been shared by the majority of the teams with cars in the top ten positions who also gave their drivers instructions to race to the finish line.

"It was clear from our discussions with the stewards after the race that they understood the reasons for our interpretation and acknowledged that this was a new and previously untested situation but ultimately disagreed with our interpretation."

The team went on to say that despite the difference of opinions they fully supported the stewards decision, and the presence of a former driver on the panel. The final point being pertinent considering the criticism leveled at Damon Hill who was the former driver on the stewards panel in Monaco.

"Mercedes GP Petronas would like to emphasise that we fully support the inclusion of past drivers on the stewards panel and are completely satisfied that the Monaco Grand Prix stewards acted professionally, impartially and properly in this matter."

The team added that they had agreed with the FIA that the rule ambiguity be discussed at the next Sporting Working Group.

"The FIA has agreed to include article 40.13 on the agenda of the next Sporting Working Group for discussion and to consider the scale of post race penalties. We believe that the 20 second penalty imposed on Michael to be disproportionate in the circumstances.

"Whilst we cannot be happy with the outcome, we are pleased that the FIA has recognised the reasons for our interpretation. Therefore in the best interests of the sport, Mercedes GP Petronas will not be submitting an appeal," the statement concluded.

MIKA: So, the stewards could understand why MercedesGP took that interpretation, and its to be raised at the next WSC meeting.If this is the case, isn't the penalty a little harsh? Surely, moving Shumi back to 7th and allowing Alonso to keep 6th would've been a fairer outcome?

This was not 'Someone - Schumacher' being sneaky, it was a driver going by team orders, green lights, flags (The rules) as well as his own understanding of the rules which the top 10 teams mostly agree with. The FIA need to clarify this rule so this does not occurr again.

As such, the penalty does not fit as there was no crime made, in fact, its the FIA that should apologise to the teams, especially Mercedes GP.

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McLaren and Hugo Boss extend sponsorship

McLaren and Hugo Boss have announced that they will extend their sponsorship deal, now in it's 30th year.

The deal has been hailed as the longest sporting association of its kind.

Hugo Boss and McLaren began working together in 1980, when the brand appeared on the McLaren cars and team overalls.

McLaren Team Principal Whitmarsh commented on the occasion: "We're proud and delighted to be able to announce this extension today, not least because it takes our partnership with Hugo Boss into record-breaking territory.

"Hugo Boss is a fantastic partner and has been with McLaren throughout our most successful years - sharing in and contributing to the many World Championship triumphs we've achieved with legendary drivers such as Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen and Lewis Hamilton."

Claus-Dietrich Lahrs of Hugo Boss added: "Hugo Boss has been associated with McLaren for 29 years already, and it gives me great pleasure to confirm the extension of our partnership into a 30th year and beyond: a milestone in sports sponsorship.

"As a result of our long-term partnership with McLaren, Hugo Boss has been associated with some of the finest drivers in the history of Formula 1. This year we’re working with, and supporting, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, two of the most internationally recognised sportsmen in the world today. Their appeal reaches not only Formula 1 fans but also a far wider lifestyle audience, too. As a leading global fashion brand, that extra reach is very important to the growth of our business."