FORMULA 1 - 2010

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Sauber preview the European GP

Valencia marks Pedro la Rosa's second home race and a chance for Kamui Kobayashi to redeem himself after Canada...

Pedro de la Rosa:

"I'm certainly looking forward to my second home race this year, although it will be quite a busy weekend. It is a great achievement for Spain to have two Grands Prix and we do have a fantastic crowd. A little bit of a downer for the spectators is the fact that on both Spanish circuits overtaking is very difficult. Usually you don't see much overtaking in Barcelona or Valencia. Turn two should be the best option for overtaking, but I have not driven the Valencia street circuit yet so there might also be others. In the two races I have finished this year I have been fighting for the points until the last few laps of each race. We will be bringing several new parts for the car so I expect a step forward here."

Kamui Kobayashi:

"From what I have seen so far the Valencia street circuit doesn't seem to be the most exciting track, but I only know it from two GP2 races and racing there in Formula One will be different. I like driving over the bridge, which makes the track quite distinctive. It might not be as hot as last year when the race was two months later, but I still expect rather high temperatures, which is fine for me. It is another race in Spain, and in Barcelona we had one of our better weekends in terms of performance, so I hope we can achieve a positive result."

Technical Director James Key:

"For Valencia we return to a higher downforce level, similar to what we had in Istanbul and a step up from what we had in Canada. The fact that Valencia is a street circuit with small run-off areas can make for an eventful race, so you have to stay away from the walls. The circuit is very stop-and-start, which means acceleration and braking performances are important with relatively slow speed corners in between each straight. We have a new aero upgrade for the European Grand Prix, which should make the car more efficient and a little bit easier to set up. This is the first of our mid season updates. We have to see how we go in Valencia. We are looking to bounce back after a difficult weekend in Canada."

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Hispania preview the European GP

A second home race for Hispania and a circuit known to both drivers, Karun Chandhok and Bruno Senna are looking for an improved performance in Valencia.

Karun Chandhok:

"It is the second home race this year for our team in Valencia and the atmosphere there is normally quite good and very special. I am looking forward to the event on this circuit and I already raced there in GP2 series. The track is not a traditional street circuit as it is very wide and has a lot of run-off areas unlike Monaco or Montréal. There are long straights and low speed corners where you have to jump the kerbs to be quick. You will need good stability on the brakes, compliance on the kerbs and good traction. For Valencia, we hope to show a good performance like we did the races before."

Bruno Senna:

"I am really looking forward to the Grand Prix in Valencia because it is a circuit where I had a good performance in GP2 series in 2008. The circuit is difficult with some very technical corners but the biggest challenges are the bridge, which is very narrow and bumpy, and the last corner, into which you arrive at very high speed. Then, you have to slow the car down turning into the hairpin. On this circuit, it is very important to find the right setup for tight slow corners and good traction. As it is not a very high downforce circuit, we may be able to have a competitive weekend again and I hope we will continue having good races."

Team Principal Dr Colin Kolles:

"There is a special atmosphere at the Valencia Street Circuit because it is situated around the harbour. It is not easy to find the right setup for the car because of the track layout with high speed straights and low speed corners. You need low downforce on the straights but high downforce and traction for accelerating after slow and slippery corners. Due to the coastal location of the circuit, a strong sea breeze can also cause balance problems. The drivers have to be concentrated during the 57 laps of the race and due to normally high air temperatures it is going to be a physically tough race. After our good performance in Canada, we are aiming to fight for positions with other teams again."

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Bridgestone preview the European GP

Bridgestone head to Valencia with their medium and super soft compound tyres available to the teams.

Hiroshi Yasukawa - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport:

"The Valencia Street Course is a good addition to the calendar and it is great to see this race establish itself on the calendar. Spain is one of our most important markets so it is very useful for us to visit here twice a year. Bridgestone Spain utilises motorsport well and this helps with our strong brand image. We are hopeful of an exciting race weekend in this wonderful Spanish city."

Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development:

"From a riverside street course in Canada we now head to a seaside street course in Europe. In common with the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the Valencia Street Course has several high speed sections, however it has more corners. The layout and track surface is more aggressive to the tyres than in Montreal so we do not expect the same challenge for teams to get maximum performance from the medium and super soft compounds as in Canada. This year's European Grand Prix takes place in June, as opposed to the late August date of the first two Grands Prix in Valencia but we don't believe the date change will present us with radically different weather.

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Button: Points justify McLaren move

Jenson Button believes his decision to swap Brawn GP for McLaren has been vindicated by his recent results with the Woking team.

Having claimed two victories already this season, Button has finished the most recent two grands prix, Turkey and Canada, on the podium, right behind his team-mate and race winner Lewis Hamilton.

As a result the Brit is currently second in the Drivers' Championship, just three points behind Hamilton.

"I think it really justifies my decision to join McLaren at the start of the year," the reigning F1 World Champion told his website.

"I know there were some people who were openly questioning that decision, and my motivation for moving, but I think I've shown that it was the right move.

"One of the motivating factors was being able to watch - from the outside - how much performance the team was able to bring to last year's car, transforming it from a backmarker into a race winner.

"That really struck me, because it not only showed how much development power is available to them, but also how hungry they were to chase performance, particularly when it would have been easier to knock it on the head quite early on and focus on 2010. That racer's approach really excited me.

"I always said that I was looking for a new challenge, and that's exactly what I've got: it's exciting to be working and racing alongside Lewis, and it's a real buzz to be the World Champion and to be fighting for the Championship again."

Button is relishing the closely-fought battles - both on the track and in the race for the World title.

"Being in the thick of it is exactly what being a racing driver is all about. This is an incredible season - and we should all really enjoy it.

"And that really struck me after the race on Sunday - in the press conference, you had three World Champions on the podium - when was the last time that happened? And it makes you realise what an incredible field we have this year."

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Hamilton: Mums apply to be my manager

Lewis Hamilton has received several unusual approaches from people asking to be his manager, but is unlikely to have anyone in place until after the end of the season.

Since splitting with father Anthony as his long-term advisor just before the start of the current campaign, Hamilton has appeared to become more comfortable as time has progressed.

Only once has Hamilton seemed in need of someone to look after his interests, and that was following the infamous 'hooning' incident in Australia when he was stopped by police for performing burn-outs in his hire car.

It is widely known Hamilton is keen to promote his image, as other sports stars have done such as Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Wayne Rooney, which has led to him being linked with companies such as IMG.

The 25-year-old's high-profile status has appreciably resulted in a number of offers, some of which have made him smile.

"I've no idea how many I've had, other than it's a lot," Hamilton said.

"I've even had a random parent approach. A woman with kids emailed the team and said 'I think I could be a good manager for Lewis'.

"I've also met fans and they've said 'I'll be your manager', but I haven't sat and had any meetings or spoken to anyone."

As far as Hamilton is concerned, the appointment is on hold, and when it does come, in the short term it will be more a of personal assistant type of figure to keep his every day affairs in order.

"My plan is that when I do involve someone it will only be in preparation for next year to ensure it is a smooth year," added Hamilton.

"I'm not in any rush to have one. I'm not of the opinion that I desperately need a manager.

"It's just that you need help from certain people around you to make things easier.

"I can't sort my apartment, taxes, sponsor deals, emails from this person, that person. I can't deal with that stuff.

"So you do need someone around you, but at the moment I don't need a manager because I'm here for the next three years.

"If I wanted to I'm sure I could sit and negotiate my own deal, but you only really need to hire someone to come in and do the job at that point.

"So at the moment I've no plans. I've really not set in stone what I want to do.

"It's obviously not easy because I've come from having a manager my whole life, so I'm not going to just sign up with someone random and regret it.

"I'm really going to think about that, and it takes time to think of what I want for the future."

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New chassis for 'struggling' Trulli

It seems all is well within the Lotus camp after Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen recently engaged in a bit of 'you first', 'no really you first', 'no I insist, you first.'

With only one new chassis available for next weekend's European GP, Kovalainen was scheduled to get the new car before the team opted instead to give it to Trulli due to his struggles with his existing chassis.

However, in a bid to ensure there were no fears of favouritism, Trulli insisted that it go to Kovalainen, who himself insisted that Trulli should get the new car.

"Jarno has been pretty unhappy with the balance of his car and has been struggling," tech boss Mike Gascoyne revealed to Autosport. "We have a new chassis scheduled to come for Valencia, and that was due to go to Heikki.

"But, because of Jarno's troubles, I made the call to change it to him. But Jarno, when he was told, said, 'No, I don't want Heikki to feel that I am being favoured, please feel free to give it to Heikki.'

"So I went up to Heikki and told him. Then he said, 'No, Jarno is struggling, give it to him!'

"It's a situation that sums up the great feeling within the team - that they are both trying to help each other. In the end we are going to give it to Jarno, but the two drivers are open to swapping it around afterwards."

Lotus experienced their best race of their debut season last time out in Canada, prompting Gascoyne to say it's now time for them to get up amongst the established team instead of just focusing on being the best newcomer.

"From the whole of the Canada weekend, the message is that it is time we stopped looking at being the best of the new teams and looking behind us," he said.

"This is now about trying to outqualify a Sauber - trying to race the Williams and the Renault cars. It is about being a midfield team not just the best of the new boys. I think that is the statement we have made this weekend."

But despite having said that he does concede that Lotus still have to make up some time out on track before they can regularly challenge the established outfits.

"I would say in reality we are probably seven or eight tenths away from them, and the Silverstone upgrade might bring us half a second closer.

"Will we nick places off people consistently? Probably not, but with the two drivers we have got, with their experience - if anyone drops the ball or doesn't get the right lap then I think we can start nicking some odd places.

"What we said at the start of the year was that we wanted to end up challenging the back end of the midfield group and I think that is exactly where we will be. You would like to be beating them, but in reality that was always going to be too much of a step, especially as we are concentrating on next year's car now.

"But I think we will still end up exactly where we said we would be. We had one employee this time a year ago, so for the performance we did in Canada everyone in the team can hold their head up. It is a statement from the new teams - you can come in and do a hell of a good job and be racing, and I think that is very good news for F1."

[OZCUBAN]

Button: Points justify McLaren move

Jenson Button believes his decision to swap Brawn GP for McLaren has been vindicated by his recent results with the Woking team.

Having claimed two victories already this season, Button has finished the most recent two grands prix, Turkey and Canada, on the podium, right behind his team-mate and race winner Lewis Hamilton.

As a result the Brit is currently second in the Drivers' Championship, just three points behind Hamilton.

"I think it really justifies my decision to join McLaren at the start of the year," the reigning F1 World Champion told his website.

"I know there were some people who were openly questioning that decision, and my motivation for moving, but I think I've shown that it was the right move.

"One of the motivating factors was being able to watch - from the outside - how much performance the team was able to bring to last year's car, transforming it from a backmarker into a race winner.

"That really struck me, because it not only showed how much development power is available to them, but also how hungry they were to chase performance, particularly when it would have been easier to knock it on the head quite early on and focus on 2010. That racer's approach really excited me.

"I always said that I was looking for a new challenge, and that's exactly what I've got: it's exciting to be working and racing alongside Lewis, and it's a real buzz to be the World Champion and to be fighting for the Championship again."

Button is relishing the closely-fought battles - both on the track and in the race for the World title.

"Being in the thick of it is exactly what being a racing driver is all about. This is an incredible season - and we should all really enjoy it.

"And that really struck me after the race on Sunday - in the press conference, you had three World Champions on the podium - when was the last time that happened? And it makes you realise what an incredible field we have this year."

I have to agree with Jenson on this one ,at the beginning of the season ,there were a lot of nay sayers,and to be honest myself included,why would any one who had won a drivers championship and in a championship winning team want to leave

But i concluded that he obviously knew a lot more than we the public did.

Then there is the Rivalry issue,while Lewis may have the upper hand at the moment ,i thing Jenson has performed very good ,only really just behind Lewis and held it together whilst under pressure.

Less face it Mclaren have definitely closed the gap in development to RBR but in my opinion they have been lucky as i think RB have dropped the ball in the last two races .

Looking forward to the Race in valencia,I think it will be down to the Tyres again,and i think the safety car will make more than one appearance as it was meant to be a factor in Canada but wasn't .

Great posts as usual Mika "THE NUMBER ONE F-1 STOP"

Now trying to look at something that hasn't been posted

Cheers

Oz

P.S Come on Webber

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'McLaren will be a threat everywhere'

Martin Whitmarsh has warned McLaren's rivals to expect a fierce challenge from the Woking team at the majority of this season's remaining tracks.

After a topsy-turvy start to the campaign, in which McLaren showed pace but made too many errors, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have come good of late, claiming successive 1-2 finishes in Turkey and Canada.

Their Turkish domination saw McLaren move into the lead of the Constructors' Championship while their Canadian result put Hamilton and Button first and second in the Drivers' standings.

"I think we've shown in the past two races that we lack nothing in terms of hunger and motivation," said Whitmarsh. "And with our car being constantly developed, I believe we can continue to be a threat at the majority of remaining races on the calendar.

"Of course, we're no strangers to relentless development - it's one of the team's greatest strengths - and we're absolutely committed to maximising every last component in the search for performance.

"Nothing is too small to be overlooked, and it's that holistic approach that really brings rewards, allowing us to eke out performance in every single area of the car.

"It's also an approach we're increasingly focusing on with the team, too: we're looking at pit stops, engineering, strategy - and we're seeing practical and material benefits in those areas, too."

Meanwhile, Button is eagerly anticipating next weekend's European GP, confident that the Valencia street circuit will play into the hands of his MP4-25.

"As a team, we've taken maximum points in the last two races and it feels like we've really gathered considerable momentum," said the reigning World Champ.

"The team really is functioning as a single unit, so I think we head into Valencia next weekend hopeful of being able to once again capitalise on that determination and ambition.

"Even though it's a street circuit, it's got quite a different feel to other street tracks like Monte-Carlo or Singapore.

"For a start, it's quite a bit faster - there are some low-speed corners with some fairly unforgiving walls at the apex, but there are also some high-speed changes of direction and some long straights, so it's quite an interesting place set-up-wise.

"It's not as if you completely rely on downforce, there's a trade-off, and that should suit our package."

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Schumi relishing a new challenge

Michael Schumacher is eagerly anticipating his first opportunity to race at the Valencia street circuit, confident that it won't take him long to adapt.

Valencia played host to the European GP for the first time in 2008, which means seven-time World Champion Schumacher has yet to race on the street circuit.

However, the German firmly believes it won't take him long to get up to speed.

"Valencia is a track which I have never raced on before so it will be another new experience for me but one which I am very much looking forward to," he said.

"I always have been quite good in adapting quickly to new situations and I strongly expect that to be the case in Valencia. I like going into new experiences like this and having detailed discussions with my engineers about the challenge.

And with his team heading into the European Grand Prix with several upgrades to their W01, Schumacher believes a good result could be on the cards.

"We will bring further updates for our car which should help to improve the performance," the 41-year-old said.

"We have already seen that the car has improved steadily over the last few races and in Canada, the pace was better even if unfortunately that did not show in the results.

"That's why I look forward to travelling to Spain a great deal."

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JJ Lehto injured in boat crash

Former F1 driver JJ Lehto was reportedly injured in a boating accident in which a friend tragically died.

According to reports in the Finnish press, Lehto and a friend crashed into a bridge support in Tammisare, in Finland's Southern Coast in the early hours of Friday morning.

The two men were reportedly alone on the small boat and were thrown out by the impact.

Lehto, who previously raced for Benetton, Sauber, Scuderia Italia and Onyx, suffered broken ribs and injuries to his head while his friend tragically lost his life.

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Bridgestone: No Canadian repeat in Valencia

Unfortunately for F1 fans, Bridgestone are not expecting tyre degradation in Valencia, which means there won't be a repeat of the Canadian GP excitement.

With Bridgestone's softer tyres degrading around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, F1 fans were given a treat as drivers opted for different strategies in qualifying and were also forced to pit more than once.

However, the Japanese manufacturer says their tyres will hold up better in Valencia, due to the nature of the track and the milder temperatures.

Bridgestone's director of motorsport tyre development Hirohide Hamashima said: "The layout and track surface is more aggressive to the tyres than in Montreal so we do not expect the same challenge for teams to get maximum performance from the medium and super soft compounds as in Canada.

"This year's European Grand Prix takes place in June, as opposed to the late August date of the first two grands prix in Valencia but we don't believe the date change will present us with radically different weather."

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Chandhok wants a chat with Alonso

Karun Chandhok is eager to have a talk with Fernando Alonso after perhaps costing the Ferrari driver a chance at victory in Canada.

Alonso, who was fighting the McLarens for the race win, put in a blistering lap in free air before coming up behind Chandhok and losing a massive two seconds that lap alone.

Ferrari later argued that the lost time behind the Hispania Racing backmarker cost Alonso the Canadian GP victory, prompting Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo to launch yet another scathing attack on F1's newcomers.

Chandhok, though, has revealed that he was all set to apologise to the Spaniard but wasn't able to talk to him.

"Towards the end of the race, Fernando Alonso lost time behind me," he told the Daily Telegraph.

"That was a real shame for him but I did not know that lurking behind him and Sebastien Buemi was Jenson Button.

"I tried after the race to have a talk to him but it didn't work.

"There (in Valencia) I will definitely talk to him."

MIKA: I hope Chandhock approaches Alonso with a box of Kleenex!

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Rosberg: Not your typical street circuit

Buoyed by his Canadian GP points, Nico Rosberg is hoping for further improvements next weekend in Valencia.

A difficult weekend in Montreal, where Mercedes GP struggled to match their rivals' pace, saw Rosberg finish P6, moving him up to sixth place in the Drivers' standings.

However, after eight races, the German trails Championship leader Lewis Hamilton by a massive 35 points and is still seeking his first-ever grand prix victory.

And although Rosberg is by no means predicting a win at the next race in Valencia, he is hoping that Mercedes GP's updates will at least take him a step closer to achieving that feat.

"The last race weekend in Canada was quite a tough one for us but I was pleased to finish in sixth and score decent points after being in thirteenth place on the first lap," he said.

"Our pace was quick in the race and I hope that the upgrades we have for Valencia will bring further improvements.

"This will be Formula One's third visit to Valencia and I'm really looking forward to the weekend.

"Valencia is a really good track and not what you would usually expect from a typical street circuit.

"There are a lot of corners but it's quite fast and flowing which combined with the barriers that line the circuit means that you have to keep your concentration levels high."

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Massa looking to repeat his '08 win in Valencia

Felipe Massa is expecting a much more competitive race in Valencia for the European GP, a race he took victory in in 2008, however didn't take part in 2009 due to his Hungarian crash.

Massa has had some poor finishes in recent races which means the Brazilian now holds eighth position in the drivers' championship, behind Renault's Robert Kubica. His deficit to leader Lewis Hamilton stands at 42 points.

A resurgence in Canada for the Ferrari team saw Fernando Alonso on the podium, whilst Massa struggled in 15th, however the Italian team have promised major upgrades for this race which have boosted the 29-year-olds confidence.

"The car was much more competitive in Canada than in Turkey, which is a good basis on which to go to Valencia for the next race," Massa told the official Ferrari website.

"The street circuit there is not so different in terms of its characteristics to the Montreal track and on top of that, we expect to have some more updates for the F10 to make it even more competitive with those ahead of us in the championship.

"Valencia has not produced very exciting races so far, but I enjoy the track, as the only time I have raced there, in 2008 - it was one of the races I missed last year after my accident - I won. It would be nice to think we could be in with a chance of doing the same again this time."

He added: "With the unpredictable nature of this year's championship anything can happen and I am sure we can be in the fight for the top places come Sunday in Spain."

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Button sues Mercedes over title winning car

Jenson Button will be the proud owner of his own 2009 championship winning F1 car after suing his former team, then Brawn GP, now Mercedes.

Reports suggest the 30-year-olds contract with Brawn GP included a contractual obligation, that, if he won the drivers championship, he would be rewarded with one of the BGP-001's he drove to title glory.

However, as the team was almost immediately bought out by Mercedes, the contractual obligation became theirs. The German manufacturer said it couldn't meet the demand due to the limited number built, thought to be six, thanks to the limited budget at the time.

Instead, the Brackley based team would create a replica car in August of this year, when F1 hibernates for two weeks.

Button, now driving for McLaren-Mercedes, refused the offer, stating a replica wouldn't have the same emotional value as the real deal.

He decided to launch legal action against the team, however, his spokesperson recently confirmed that the two sides had come to an amicable agreement which would see Mercedes hand-over an original 2009 car to Button.

"We have arrived at an amicable resolution, and so there will no longer be any court action over this," they told the Daily Mail.

The car, worth £1 million, will be added to Button's growing car collection which includes a Ferrari Enzo, and a Bugatti Veyron which is currently on the market for £900,000.

MIKA: A deal is a deal....

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Brawn says Mercedes can still win title

Mercedes team principal, Ross Brawn, is still confident of closing the gap to the front-runners and fighting for the championship come the end of the season.

The Mercedes team, which took the title in 2009, has struggled to keep up with Red Bull and McLaren in recent races, however the team has been able to challenge Ferrari and Renault in the races.

Brawn is hoping a raft of new updates to the car will enable the team to take another step forward.

"We have an upgrade package which will be another good step in our development towards competing at the front of the field."

The team currently stands fourth, 118 points off championship leaders, McLaren. While that may sounds like a massive deficit, the new points system which awards 25 points for a win, now means it's just four race wins and a second placed finish off the lead.

"With the new points system this year, we are still within striking distance of the Championship leaders and we will continue with our efforts to become more competitive," added Brawn.

"We have a number of the basics right and the difference between winning and losing is small. We need to close that difference."

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Aleshin tries Renault F1 car

Formula Renault 3.5 championship leader Mikhail Aleshin had a run in a 2009 Renault R29 Formula 1 car at Magny-Cours today.

The Russian has been given the opportunity as a reward for leading the FR3.5 standings at the mid-way point of the season.

He will demonstrate the car during this weekend's World Series by Renault meeting at the former French Grand Prix venue, and had his first opportunity to try it during the lunchbreak in today's FR3.5 test.

"I did between 10 and 15 laps, and I felt I got used to the car as much as I could have done in the time I had," said Aleshin. "The engineer told me I was the fastest learner they had ever had.

"The lines I used were similar to those from the Formula Renault 3.5 car, but you can be more confident with [the R29]. The track was quite dry, but a little bit dirty, so you needed to know how hard to go on the brakes.

"Perhaps there will be some reaction in Russia after I have done the proper run tomorrow, but I hope to get the most notice this weekend from my results in the races."

Aleshin went on to set the fastest time in the day's FR3.5 test. The Carlin driver currently leads the championship by three points over Red Bull F1 reserve Daniel Ricciardo.

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Alonso gets first Fiorano F1 run

Fernando Alonso drove a Formula 1 car at Ferrari's legendary test track Fiorano for the first time on Friday.

Prior to the testing ban, Ferrari's race and test drivers racked up countless miles around the private venue at the team's factory, but its use has been severely restricted since testing was limited at the start of last year.

Until this week, all Alonso's mileage in Ferrari F1 cars had been at other circuits, but on Friday he took to the Fiorano track in this year's car for a short piece of filming work.

The footage will be used for both features on Ferrari's website and for team sponsor promotions.

Limited promotional runs for filming are still permitted under the testing ban.

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Sauber eyes Valencia turnaround

Sauber believes changes being introduced for Valencia next weekend could mark an important turning point in its troubled season.

After impressing in winter testing following its return to Peter Sauber's ownership, the team proved to be the biggest disappointment of the opening rounds - getting stuck in the midfield and rarely reaching the ends of races.

Kamui Kobayashi's 10th place in Turkey is the only points finish Sauber has managed all year so far, leaving it ahead of only the new teams in the standings.

Pedro de la Rosa is yet to score at all, but is optimistic about Valencia.

"We will be bringing several new parts for the car so I expect a step forward here," he said.

Technical director James Key, who recently joined from Force India, says the upgrades being brought to Spain should specifically address some of the issues that have made the Sauber such an awkward car.

"We have a new aero upgrade for the European Grand Prix, which should make the car more efficient and a little bit easier to set up," said Key.

"This is the first of our mid season updates.

"We have to see how we go in Valencia.

"We are looking to bounce back after a difficult weekend in Canada."

Though points have remained hard to come by for Sauber, the car's pace has started improving in recent weeks, with Kobayashi breaking into Q3 in Spain and Turkey.

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'Ex-McLaren man Fry is Ferrari bound'

Former McLaren chief engineer Pat Fry could be on his way to Ferrari in 2011, according to reports in the Italian media.

Earlier this year Fry, who worked for McLaren for 18 years and played a vital role in the design of their F1 cars, left the Woking team.

At the time of his departure in May there was no word on where he would be heading to or if he would even remain in Formula One.

However, reports in the Gazzetta dello Sport now claim he is in fact Ferrari bound, having signed a deal to join McLaren's traditional rivals in 2011.

Neither Ferrari nor McLaren have commented on the reports.

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Bernie: To retire would be to die

Bernie Ecclestone says he has no plans to retire as the head of Formula One, saying quite clearly he "cannot" stop.

The Formula One supremo, who came into power in the 1970s with former FIA President Max Mosley by his side, will be turning 80 later this year.

Ecclestone's reign has seen many changes in the sport, most notably of late the move out of Europe and into Asia and the Middle East.

And although many a fan is keen for the Brit to quit, he says it's not going to happen any time soon.

"I cannot stop," Ecclestone told the Bild.

"For me, to retire means to die.

"I tell you, when I wake up in the morning and have no worries and no more problems, then it will be no longer worth waking up."

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Richards won't 'risk' livelihoods on F1

Dave Richards will definitely not be applying for a place on next year's F1 grid, saying it's too much of a "risk" for those working for Prodrive.

Richards has in the past expressed an interest in entering F1 with his Prodrive outfit, even going as far as to apply for a place on this year's grid when the FIA started the application process in 2009.

Prodrive were denied entry in favour of Lotus F1, Virgin Racing, Campos Meta (now Hispania Racing) and USF1. However, the latter never made it to the grid, meaning the FIA is again seeking a 13th team for next year's Championship.

Richards, though, won't be applying for the position.

"I wasn't prepared to risk everyone's livelihoods," he told the Independent.

"It was quite interesting to watch the reaction of everybody when I told them. The biggest fear people at Prodrive had is that we were going to risk everything on one throw of the dice by entering F1."

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Force India: Like a shark attacked it

Force India team manager Andy Stevenson has hit out at Felipe Massa and Robert Kubica, accusing them of costing his drivers vital points in Canada.

Starting fifth on the grid, his best qualifying position of the season, Tonio Liuzzi was involved in a bit of argy-bargy with Ferrari's Massa, the duo colliding no fewer than three times through the first corner alone.

As a result, the Italian had to pit for a new front wing, dropping him down the order. He did, however, manage to work his way back up to ninth place.

His team-mate Adrian Sutil also found himself being knocked around, this time by Renault's Robert Kubica, resulting in a puncture and another unscheduled stop for the team.

"I'm personally very disappointed in the standard of driving in Canada because it did ruin what could have happened to us," Stevenson told GPWeek.

"You only had to go down to the stewards room - there were a few drivers in there having to explain away their actions."

He added: "Massa was very unfair into the first corner and left no room at all for Tonio, actually pushed him onto the grass.

"It looks like Massa had another couple of bites at him as well and if you see the car, it looks like a shark attacked it."

Massa, though, wasn't the only rival to face Stevenson's wrath.

He labeled Kubica's move on Sutil as "one of the most ridiculous moves" he had ever seen. "It was crazy and it ruined Adrian's race."

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Fry 'surprised' by Schumi criticism

Merc GP CEO Nick Fry has yet again jumped to Michael Schumacher's defence, saying he's "surprised" by the amount of criticism being leveled at the German.

Schumacher, who has failed to set the stage alight in his comeback season, came in for his worst spate of criticism after a disastrous Canadian GP.

Starting P13 on the grid and finishing outside the points, Schumacher's grand prix was labeled a "shocker" by the BBC's Eddie Jordan while Martin Brundle said if Schumacher was a new boy he would not be deemed "ready for Formula One, he's not good enough."

Fry, though, has been quick to come to his driver's defence, insisting that Canada was not as bad as it looked. In fact he says, it was a "pretty good race" for the seven-time World Champ.

"The drivers I think have both done an excellent job despite what I understand has been said about Michael," Fry told Reuters.

"It's not something I or any of us would subscribe to. He's been an absolutely fantastic team member, he and Nico work very closely together, he pushes the team very hard and he's a great influence on the team.

"We thought he drove a pretty good race (in Montreal) and I was somewhat surprised to hear that he got a bit of a pasting because that certainly wasn't our view."

He added: "Michael has continued to improve and it's been a fascinating experience inside the team to see the evolution of Michael.

"Obviously he was a bit rusty when he started at the beginning of the year and every race he grows in confidence.

"The nice thing is how well he's fitted into the team. I think we've got a very harmonious team attitude and approach and he's contributing towards that. The guys absolutely love him and I'm optimistic for the future."

As for Mercedes GP's chances of winning this year's titles with Schumacher, who has just 34 points, and his team-mate Nico Rosberg, who has 74, the CEO insists it is not out of the question.

"I think the points difference is reasonable, there's a more generous allocation of points for each grand prix now and we are certainly not giving up," he said.

"We've got some improvements for Valencia and other improvements beyond that and if nothing else we need to continue to improve so that we are in a good position next year.

"I think catching McLaren and Red Bull will be difficult but not impossible and I think we are in with a chance with Ferrari.

"If we are not in the top three in the Championship this year we are going to be very disappointed because the team has got the capability and the skill to do that."

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Kubica: It's not just Merc we must beat

Robert Kubica insists Renault's goal for the Championship is not to beat Mercedes GP, it's to "beat everybody".

With McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari ahead of the chasing pack, Renault'sclosest rivals in this year's title fight are Mercedes GP, who currently hold a 29-point advantage over Kubica's outfit.

The two teams have traded blows with Kubica and Nico Rosberg the main antagonists in a battle that currently sees Rosberg hold a one-point lead over the Renault driver having finished sixth to his seventh in Canada.

Now, looking ahead to this weekend's European GP, Kubica admits the goal is not to just beat Mercedes, it's to beat everyone to the chequered flag.

"It would be good to beat everybody, not just Mercedes!" Kubica said.

"The gap to the front of the field is not so big, but we still have to gain a lot of ground, and we can only do that if we keep pushing andkeep working.

"We will have a new package on the car this weekend, and we hope that will bring us another step forward. But every team will be bringing updates, so it will depend how much they bring and how much they improve.

"In Valencia, anything could happen, and we need to wait and see if the order is shuffled and how we will perform compared to Mercedes."

Kubica also is a fan of the Valencia circuit, something he acknowledges many of his rivals are not.

"I know a lot of other drivers don't think the same way, but I enjoy driving there. It's quite an interesting circuit because it's half-street circuit, half-modern circuit.

"The characteristics are quite similar to Canada, because most of the corners are slow speed, so you concentrate on braking stability and good traction - which should suit our car because we are strong in these areas.

"We run a higher level of downforce than in Canada, but you still need good aerodynamic efficiency because the speeds are high at four points of the lap."