FORMULA 1 - 2010

[MIKA27]

James Allen's European GP verdict

Source: ITV-F1.COM

Another great win for Sebastian Vettel and another contentious race with yet more discussions about stewards' decisions and safety cars. There have been quite a few of these this season.

Vettel first; his season has been up and down and he’s struggled to get the kind of momentum into it which wins championships.

He was quick at the start of the year, but had reliability issues, which harmed his results.

This was a good win for Vettel, from a strong pole position and it gets him back on track and back ahead of Mark Webber after two races where the Aussie has gone from being championship leader to being 24 points adrift.

It seems that the collision with Vettel and the fall-out from Turkey derailed Webber’s momentum.

Vettel is now striving to take the upper hand and become Red Bull’s point man in the championship fight.

It’s clear from the way Fernando Alonso reacted to Lewis Hamilton’s behaviour behind the safety car that he feels he is in a championship battle with him.

Hamilton took an advantage on Sunday which wasn’t really fair, as he overtook the safety car and gained the time to pit and change the nose of the car, which had been damaged, and even though he was given a penalty, it came so late that he was able to serve it and not lose a position.

The infraction happened on lap nine but it wasn’t until lap 25 that he was given a drive-through penalty and he then had three laps to serve it.

The safety car has caused a lot of problems this year, with the Michael Schumacher incident in Monaco and now this.

It’s important to keep it because it gives a chance for things to get turned on their head, which is good when there is no refuelling strategy any more.

But the safety car rules really need simplifying.

Because Kamui Kobayashi had got himself up to third place by staying out on his original tyres when the safety car was deployed, he held up the field behind to such an extent that Hamilton’s penalty was meaningless, it was a time penalty which meant he was no longer close to Vettel, rather than any positional penalty.

Kobayashi’s performance was spectacular. It was the right thing to do not to pit, as the medium tyres were very durable on the Valencia circuit (unlike in Montreal).

I thought that this was what Schumacher was planning to do to, having made up places at the start, but he pitted under the safety car and lost everything, as he was forced to wait at the pit lane exit.

When Kobayashi pitted he had a few laps on completely fresh tyres to try to regain some places and his passes on Alonso and Sebastien Buemi were fantastic.

Of course he had far superior tyres, but still, it was the kind of racing we love to see and after a disappointing season, it’s great to see him show what he can do.

At the top of the championship little has changed with the two McLaren drivers still looking like the men to beat, but Vettel is now up to third and Silverstone is a massive appointment for him.

He dominated the weekend last year and a repeat performance next weekend would put him in a strong position going into the second half of the season.

This championship is wide open, like the ones in 2007 and 2008 and it’s anyone’s guess at the moment who might win.

[Ozz1113]

Raikkonen to partner Kubica at Renault?

Renault owner Gerard Lopez is reportedly so optimistic about the French squad's future that he could lure Kimi Raikkonen out of F1 retirement.

According to Autosport, Robert Kubica - who has been linked with moves to several teams in the past few weeks - is close to committing to Renault as the team are set to secure a "major title sponsorship deal" in the near future.

With Kubica's future sorted out, Lopez is ready to turn his attention to Raikkonen.

'Autosport understands that the team is so bullish about its financial prospects that team owner Gerard Lopez has informed senior figures inside the team that he may sound out Kimi Raikkonen in the next few months about whether the Finn is interested in a return to F1 with Renault.

'Kubica has insisted that he is not spending too much time worrying about his future at the moment - with it certain he will remain next season - but the financial platform going forward will be key to him opting for a single year deal or committing himself beyond that.'

MIKA: I'd love to see Kimi return, I think renault would be a great team to drive for. If Renault have the financial backing they claim they are hoping for, talking dollars will certainly lure Kimi back to F1 and Renault have demosnstarted they have an amazing car this season which will only get better.

Agreed and Kimi will help improve Renault's image after Briatore & Simmons' crash-gate.

[MIKA27]

F1 forges ahead with 'green' plans

The Formula One Teams' Association has unveiled plans to reduce the sport's carbon emissions by 15 per cent in the next three years.

The FIA's proposed rule changes to reduce CO2 first saw light in 2007 and the teams are now ready to push ahead with those plans following pressure from sponsors who want be associated "green" product.

A statement from FOTA says the organisation "has committed to working to develop new Formula One engine and powertrain regulations that will require all entrants from 2013 onwards to fit their Formula One cars with engines and powertrains that incorporate technologies designed to enhance fuel efficiency."

"The good news is that, in conjunction with the FIA's and FOTA's recent successful efforts to improve efficiencies and restrict resources applied to Formula One, it has already been possible to reduce Formula One's total carbon emissions," Martin Whitmarsh, the FOTA chairman, said.

"Moreover, building on what we have already achieved, and extrapolating what is now being planned, we anticipate that by 2012 Formula One will have reduced its total carbon emissions by 12.4% compared with 2009.

"With the support of all its member teams, FOTA has committed to the continuation of this programme, and has undertaken to maintain continuous and independent analysis and assessment in order to ensure that these carbon emissions reduction targets are met or bettered, and to investigate where further carbon emissions reduction opportunities may exist. Measurement and management, in other words.

"In addition, the FIA and FOTA are already working together to tailor the 2013 technical regulations to ensuring that all engines and powertrains used in Formula One by that date will showcase, and provide a platform for the ongoing development of, technologies designed to enhance fuel efficiency.

"This is a very exciting time for Formula One, and I am delighted that our sport has been able to take a global environmental lead in this way."

[MIKA27]

Agreed and Kimi will help improve Renault's image after Briatore & Simmons' crash-gate.

Exactly.

Kubica is already leading the way, I for one quite often forget about Crash gate due to the exceptional way the team has moved on and are looking better than ever. Renault are indeed a fantastic team and I for one am pleased to see them doing so well.

[MIKA27]

Cosworth happy with teams' progress

Cosworth's head of F1 operations Mark Gallagher believes the engine manufacturer has made great strides in recent weeks.

Williams had a positive weekend in Valencia with both drivers making it into Q3 and Rubens Barrichello finishing fourth - his and the team's best position this season.

"It was a strong performance from Rubens and the Williams team and a satisfying race result for all of us," Gallagher is quoted on the officials Formula One website.

"Rubens had a good race and fought well to defend his position from the Renault of Robert Kubica with fourth place a welcome reward for his efforts. The performance of both Williams drivers showed that we have made another step with the overall package and it was good to see both drivers reach the final part of qualifying."

Besides Williams, Cosworth also powers the three rookies on the grid. Virgin and Hispania managed to get both their cars across the finishing line while Lotus had one retirement following Heikki Kovalainen's crash with Mark Webber.

Gallagher believes the five finishers prove Cosworth's engines are reliable.

"Each of the rookie teams again found positives to take away from what was just their ninth race in Formula One," he said. "Virgin Racing established themselves as the top rookie team in the race with a two car finish. It was a shame that Timo Glock was penalised 20 seconds and ultimately lost a place but Lucas di Grassi had a faultless afternoon and was able to show the continued developments of the Virgin-Cosworth package.

"Lotus Racing had a good qualifying but the end to their race was disappointing with both drivers involved in on-track incidents, the most highly publicised of which was the one involving Heikki Kovalainen and Mark Webber. We are thankful both drivers escaped unharmed. It was also great to see the team celebrating the 500th Formula One race for the Lotus name. Cosworth has shared many success stories with Lotus and we are committed to helping them achieve their Formula One goals in their latest guise.

"HRT was also able to celebrate another two-car finish, proving the reliability of their chassis and the Cosworth CA2010, which was particularly important for their home race. The work that Cosworth has carried out with the new teams in these first nine races of the year have been very rewarding and will prove valuable in moving their respective programmes forward."

[MIKA27]

Red Bull to make tweaks for Silverstone

While their major rival McLaren will head to Silverstone with major updates to their car, Red Bull will make only tweaks to the RB6.

Red Bull returned to the top of the podium through Sebastian Vettel at the European Grand Prix after a few disappointing races.

However, they will make only small changes to the front and rear wings for the British GP, according to technical chief Adrian Newey.

"We won't have any large changes for the car at Silverstone, mainly small evolutionary changes to the front and rear wings," said Newey.

"We did make some revisions for Valencia with a new diffuser and updated F-duct which all worked well, the team worked incredibly hard and Sebastian [Vettel] drove a great race.

"He did really well to manage the car through the race after he locked up the brakes and flat spotted the front left tyre when the race restarted after the safety car period. It was a huge relief that Mark [Webber]was OK after his big accident."

Meanwhile, team principal Christian Horner insists there is still a long way to go before the Championship is decided.

"We don't underestimate Ferrari and McLaren, and even Mercedes I am sure will fight back," said Horner. "I am sure there is a long way to go in this Championship. We are not even halfway yet."

[MIKA27]

Sauber puzzled by qualifying woes

Sauber technical director James Key admits the team's engineers are scratching their heads over the C29's qualifying woes.

Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi could only manage a disappointing 16th and 18th respectively in Valencia qualifying. However, it was a different story when it came to the race with Kobayashi claiming a career-best seventh place and de la Rosa just missing out on the points after being hit with a five-second penalty after the race.

Key says they are not sure why the car performs so well in races, but struggles in qualifying.

"The race also showed that the car works when it's in the right conditions, but the question we have and we had for several of the last races is why the car is more competitive in race conditions than qualifying," he said. "The drivers report that the car is easier to drive in the race, and tyre degradation wasn't a problem either, so we weren't particularly hard on the tyres.

"We need to look into the data, now that both drivers delivered a competitive race after a qualifying that was not up to our expectations. We need to pin down the differences in how the car is feeling and handling and see how we can apply that to qualifying."

Despite not have the resources of the bigger teams, Sauber will continue to develop this year's car until later in the season.

"We are currently in the process of splitting our resources as best we can between the current car and the C30," Key said. "We are a private team and we don't have unlimited resources to do everything we want.

"For Silverstone we have some front wing updates and modifications around the middle of the car. Then for Hockenheim we will have a rear end update which includes a diffuser step as well. The numbers in the wind tunnel are progressing well. At the same time we are focusing on Spa and Monza for lower downforce and drag configurations. And there will be further steps towards the end of the year."

[MIKA27]

Massa implores FIA to look at SC rules

Felipe Massa has joined the list of people who have appealed to the FIA to review the Safety Car rules following Lewis Hamilton's "serious infraction" in Valencia.

Hamilton and the stewards came under heavy criticism from the Ferrari camp after the McLaren driver was handed "just" a drive-through penalty for passing the Safety Car. Fernando Alonso claimed the race was "manipulated" as Hamilton finished second despite his misdemeanour.

Alonso has since admitted he "reacted emotionally" and called on the FIA to look at the matter in a "calm way".

Massa echoed his team-mate's comments, saying it's unfair that someone commits a serious offence isn't punished in "practical terms".

"Unfortunately, this incident affected, in a negative fashion, our race," the Brazilian wrote in his Ferrari blog. "By the time the track was completely under the Yellow Flags, we were already at the last corner of the lap and by the time I saw the 'SC' board, I was out of the final corner and going onto the main straight. At the same time, looking in my mirrors, I saw most of the field going into the pits as they had seen the board before the last corner.

"It was a matter of moments and we were very unlucky in that we had to spend a very long time behind the Safety Car, whereas Vettel was already ahead of the Safety Car before it came on track and Hamilton chose to pass it, thus breaking the rules.

"I don't particularly want to go over what happened after that, because it changes nothing in that our race was ruined. However, what happened needs to be looked into because it is not normal than someone commits a serious infraction like overtaking the Safety Car, when there is a dangerous situation on track and is not really penalised in practical terms. We must talk about this together and do something to ensure a situation like this does not happen again. The team has told me that, next week there will be a meeting of the Sporting Working Group: that's good and it's an obvious indication that the FIA is paying close attention to the matter."

[MIKA27]

'Raikkonen could test Pirelli rubber'

Former F1 Champion Kimi Raikkonen could be called upon to test the new Pirelli rubber ahead of next year's Championship.

With Pirelli set to replace Bridgestone next season, the Italian tyre manufacturer has already revealed that they will most likely conduct their first tests using a GP2 car.

And as for the test driver, that honour could go to former F1 driver Raikkonen as the tyre supplier won't be permitted to use one of the current racers.

"But I don't know whether Kimi Raikkonen would be interested in such a proposal," Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery told Tarun Sanomat.

However, the Finn's manager says he may be.

"Currently Kimi is totally focused on what he is doing (rallying). But if Pirelli do approach us we would, of course, discuss the matter," said Steve Robertson.

"It depends on whether Kimi is interested in the challenge and how it would fit in with his schedule."

[MIKA27]

Boullier: We definitely want Kubica

Renault team boss Eric Boullier is determined to retain Robert Kubica's services despite rumours claiming Merc are interested in the Polish driver.

According to reports from the Valencia paddock last weekend - reports that were quickly denied by Mercedes GP - the team are keen to sign Kubica as Michael Schumacher's replacement for next year's Championship.

However, if there is any truth to the rumours, they will face a tough task as Renault are determined to hold onto their Polish driver.

"We definitely want him and we have spoken - and it is up to us to show that we have the ambition and the means to be ambitious," Boullier told Autosport.

"If we do that, then I am sure he will stay. If he doesn't want to stay then he will leave, it is as simple as that."

Kubica has proven to be one of the stars of this year's Championship as, even though his Renault is not a car capable of winning races, he has already scored 83 points, finishing in the top ten in all but the very first grand prix of the season.

Boullier admits it's his results, coupled with the fact that he only signed a one-year contract when he joined Renault at the start of this season, that have made Kubica "attractive" to Renault's rivals.

"Robert is one of the very highly ranked drivers but, because his contract is supposed to end this year, he has become attractive. It's normal," he said.

[MIKA27]

Sutil 'happy to stay another year'

Adrian Sutil says he is more than happy to sign a new contract with Force India when his current deal runs out later this year.

The 27-year-old made his Formula One debut in 2007 for the Silverstone-based team who will still racing under the Spyker guise then. The team have gone from strength to strength in recent years and the German is 10th in the Drivers' Championship with 31 points.

His contract is up at the end of the year, but Sutil says life is good at Force India and he doesn't really want to change that.

When asked by Manipe F1 if he wants to stay at Force India, Sutil said: "At the moment, yes. I don't see any good opportunity for me to go somewhere else.

"I want to have a great car and the better car than Force India is not available at the moment. We are really, really good. Plus I have the advantage to know all the people. It was my first Formula One team, I'm here a fifth year already, including my test year as the first year. I know the people, I don't need to get used to everything new, I think that's an advantage. I just feel good here.

"At the moment I don't think about changing anything so I would be happy to stay another year here."

[MIKA27]

Mallorca looking to replace Valencia in 2013

Mallorca could be set to host a round of the Formula One championship in 2013.

The Mayor of the Llucmajor municipality of the Balearic Island, Joan Juame Mulet, is backing plans to construct a 5.8 kilometre track just 15km from Palma.

Organisers have already met with Bernie Ecclestone during the European GP in Valencia earlier this week. The hope is to secure the current contract held by the Valencia street circuit.

The track (Above) has been designed by Spanish architects Mateo Palmer and Biel Arbona. Federico Gastaldi, the man who bought F1 back to Argentina in the mid-1990's, is acting as the mediator to the project.

[MIKA27]

Red Bull pushes for engine equalisation

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner has made a fresh plea to try and get engine performance equalised for next season - with his outfit now set to remain with Renault for 2011.

Horner has made no secret of the fact that he believes the Renault is down on power compared to the benchmark Mercedes-Benz - even though his unit may have advantages in terms of weight, driveability and fuel consumption.

A push last season to make all engines equal did not result in any action being taken, and Horner is now keen for the matter to be looked at again – especially as he believes the importance of power will become more important as rival outfits close in on the chassis advantage that Red Bull currently enjoys.

"I think if you look at basic studies you would say we are about three per cent down on power – which is probably about 30-35bhp," said Horner. "That is as much as four tenths per lap, but until you run all the engines in the same conditions on a dyno and do a fair and proper comparison you can never be sure.

"You often hear Ross Brawn talk about weight distribution, or the centre-of-gravity and cooling efficiency so on, and the more power you have the more heat you generate.

"But you need to look at all the aspects in a collective format. The most important thing moving forward is that chassis will for sure converge, as there is freedom within the regulations, and that is where the engines will become a bigger factor."

He added: "It is getting a bit boring. Through the regulations, there is nothing that specifically deals with engine equality, and that is the problem. I think it is acknowledged that there are differences and there is a format that was agreed last winter to evaluate the engines, which was agreed upon by all the manufacturers, but some of the teams stopped that from happening. We are back in to that situation."

Last season Red Bull Racing chased a deal with Mercedes-Benz hard for 2010, but that move was scuppered when the plans were blocked by McLaren – who had a veto right over Mercedes-Benz expanding its customer supply platform.

And with Mercedes-Benz having said recently that it did not plan to provide an extra team with engines for next year, Red Bull Racing looks set to agree terms with Renault for at least one more season.

"In terms of supply, we are very happy with the relationship we have with Renault," explained Horner. "They treat us very well, and we have a very good partnership with Renault.

"Unfortunately the product, due to the homologation, is frozen and therefore you have a performance freeze.

"Mercedes have made it transparently clear that they will not be supplying any additional teams for next year- so we rely on the FIA and the teams and manufacturers to create a healthy situation. It is not healthy to have a situation where one engine is significantly ahead of the rest."

When asked to respond to suggestions that although the Renault may be down on power, it does have advantages in other area, Horner said: "The Renault engine is a tidy engine; it is a good engine, as is the Ferrari.

"But I think horsepower is such an over-riding element that that would come at the top - you would trade any of those aspects for horsepower.

"In terms of fuel consumption, when you have less horsepower you burn less fuel as you generate less temperature. But if you take more horsepower and you run conservatively, you can end up at the same point, but you've got it for when you need it. It is a key element, absolutely."

[MIKA27]

New push to let young drivers test

Leading Formula 1 figures say the time is now right to relax the testing restrictions to give young drivers more of a chance to build experience.

Speaking at the FOTA Fans' Forum, organised by itv.com/f1 columnist James Allen, Force India test driver Paul di Resta and senior Mercedes engineer Jock Clear said the current situation was deeply unfair on rookies and aspiring F1 drivers.

Since the start of the testing ban last season, race drivers have monopolised the limited mileage available, bar a three-day young driver test in the winter - leaving reserve drivers trying to make the most of simulator time, although di Resta has been able to take part in most Friday practice sessions at grands prix.

While delighted with his own opportunity, di Resta said giving young drivers more mileage chances in the season could also help teams be certain their new parts were working.

"I think the teams are as frustrated as the drivers are, because they want to bring young guys through," he said.

"I think the system that Force India's put in place for me is by far the best that a reserve driver has.

"But it is something that needs addressing because we do need more time in the seat during the winter and during the year, and equally for the development it's a harder process not knowing what a component's capable of doing.

"You could almost say on safety grounds that maybe it would be a bit better if the guys had testing before just putting [upgrades] on in the race and hoping it works."

Clear believes teams have managed to survive perfectly well without testing, but said the cost to young drivers' career chances had been severe - and that this was the main reason the limits should be relaxed.

"I don't have any issue at all with the lack of testing because it's the same for everybody," he said.

"And if you look at the results, the reliability that's come in the last two or three years is actually remarkable - cars are more reliable than they've ever been, and they do less testing than they ever did.

"That's because it's putting an emphasis on the areas where Formula 1's very good: back in the design office, on a thinking level.

"That aside, I think the fact that young drivers are not getting an opportunity to drive Formula 1 cars is dreadful.

"I was involved in young driver programmes a few years ago and it is refreshing to see these guys come through and have the opportunity to do two days' testing at Jerez or Barcelona.

"That is the talent of the future and I think the driver pool we have at the moment is in danger of being a closed shop because there isn't enough pressure from new drivers coming through simply because they haven't had time in the car.

"It's not that the talent isn't there, but unfortunately unless you get time in a Formula 1 car, you're not going to be on the pace."

He said Michael Schumacher's tribulations this year showed that even an experienced but rusty driver was finding the lack of running tough.

"You look at the situation for Michael this year where he didn't have much testing time because of the regulations and it's taken him time to get back up to speed," Clear noted.

"And this is a guy with 17 years' experience and seven world championships under his belt.

"How difficult is it going to be for the [GP2 leader Pastor] Maldonados of the world to get in a Formula 1 car next year and make an impression?

"Unfortunately the people who are making the decisions on who's driving, who's getting the salaries and who's getting the seat are not very patient with the young talent.

"They get half a season and then it's 'you're no good, we want someone else' - and talent takes longer than that to come through."

McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh agreed that teams had to co-operate on a way of solving the young driver mileage issue and to put self-interest aside.

"I think [the testing ban] was the right thing to do at the time, but we do need to ease it back now," he said.

"The problem is that teams don't want to see other teams getting more testing opportunity than them.

"We've got an opportunity at the moment with someone proposing to run Formula 1 cars and leasing them from us for young drivers, and the majority of the teams don't want to see that happen because they're worried that there would be some advantage gained [by McLaren].

"We've got to change our approach and to encourage young drivers."

[MIKA27]

Petrov prepares for Moscow demo run

Russian fans will get a taste of F1 next month when local hero Vitaly Petrov heads to Moscow for a series of F1 demonstrations on the streets of the Russian capital on 18 July.

The team will take its three-seater F1 car to the Moscow City Racing event, giving Vitaly the first opportunity to drive an F1 car in his home country. And with two passenger seats up for grabs, some lucky guests will also get the rare chance to experience the thrill of F1 power.

The event will take place on a temporary 4.5km circuit built around Red Square, near the walls of the Kremlin, in the heart of Moscow. With excellent viewing opportunities, it's a rare chance for Russian fans to experience the sight and sound of an F1 car being put through its paces.

What's more, one lucky Russian fan will be able to win the chance to accompany Vitaly in the three-seater. Full details of the competition can be found on the Russian-language version of the team's website and official website of Vitaly Petrov, while entries can be made through the team's official page on vKontakte, Russia's largest social network.

Russia's only F1 star will be making several appearances around Moscow in the build up to this spectacular event. Vitaly will try his hand at sushi making at a Bridgestone event on Friday 16 July before heading to Red Square on Saturday for an autograph session at GUM, Moscow's biggest department store. It is there that the lucky winner of a ride in the three-seater F1 car will be announced.

On Saturday afternoon there's a chance for the media to test their driving skills against Vitaly in a special go-kart challenge in Volgogradsky Prospect. The event will also be open to aspiring Russian racing drivers, giving them the opportunity to race against their F1 hero. Before leaving Russia, Vitaly will pay a visit to Lada's headquarters in Togliatti on Monday 19 July.

Looking ahead to this exciting event, Vitaly Petrov said: “I'm really excited to be going to Moscow. It will be my first chance to drive an F1 car in Russia and the first time on the streets of a city. The Russian fans don't usually have the chance to see an F1 car up close so I will do my best to put on a special show. It's also a good chance for me to thank the fans for all the support they have given me this year.”

The Moscow City Racing event marks the third time the Renault F1 Roadshow has visited Russia. In 2005 the team took its cars to Moscow for one of the very first Roadshow events, while just last year the team staged a spectacular show on the streets of Sochi.

With the simple philosophy of making the sport accessible to the fans, it's the chance to see the world's fastest cars up close and personal in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

[MIKA27]

Feature: How the 2011 rear wing will work

There has been much commotion about the proposed 2011 moveable rear wing (MRW), with drivers and fans alike joining together to largely oppose its introduction. While fans are fearful the new wing will make overtaking too easy, drivers are worried about safety, with Mark Webber's enormous accident in Valencia last weekend once again highlighting the danger of excessive closing speeds. On Saturday in Valencia, Manipe F1 attended Williams technical director Sam Michael's media briefing to get the low-down on the 2011 rear wing and to find out exactly how it will work.

Put simply, the wing will enable drivers to overtake with greater ease by reducing drag and increasing straightline speed, much like the current F-duct. By only allowing chasing drivers to use it during the race, it ensures that, unlike the F-duct or KERS, only those who are looking to overtake will be able to benefit from it. The driver in front, who is already disadvantaged on the straights by not having a slipstream, will essentially be a sitting duck for any rival close enough.

In qualifying, there will be no restriction on the use of the MRW, it will be free to use whenever and wherever a driver chooses. It will therefore act as an F-duct, used whenever the driver is on full throttle to increase speed, before the wing returns to normal when the driver brakes. This will force teams to gear their cars with the MRW in mind, meaning they won't be reaching the 18,000 rev limiter when it is used during the race.

At the start of the race, the MRW will be disabled in its default position for the first two laps of the race. This is to stop pole position being a disadvantage, as otherwise the polesitter would be the only person not allowed to use the MRW on the first lap, a significant disadvantage. The MRW will also to be disabled for the first lap or two following a safety car period, for the same reason that the lead driver would be unfairly disadvantaged.

From lap three onwards, any driver who is one second or less behind a rival will be able to use the MRW. The time gap will be measured at various timing loops scattered around the track (not just the sector timing positions) and once the computer recognises that a chasing driver is within one second of a rival he will be given a notification on his steering wheel through the standard ECU that the MRW is available for use.

The MRW will only be activated upon the driver pressing a special button in his steering wheel, and the wing will stay in its low-drag position until the driver presses the brakes. The MRW will also return to default if the driver crosses another timing loop having already passed his rival on-track (at which time the overtaken driver will have the MRW available for use).

From a technical point of view, the MRW was proposed by the Formula One overtaking working group to give a chasing car 15km/h top speed advantage on the straight. This is similar to the top speed advantage drivers get when slipstreaming, so in combination with each other it should be more than enough to successfully pull off an overtaking manoeuvre on any long straight.

Rear wing regulations at present require there to be a minimum 10mm slot gap between the two main planes of the rear wing. The regulations governing the MRW will allow a maximum 50mm slot gap between the two main planes when the MRW is activated. However, unlike the moveable front wing that was unsuccessfully introduced in 2009 to improve overtaking, the MRW will have just two settings, 'on' (at 10mm slot gap or more) and 'off' (at 50mm slot gap or less).

If, as is feared, overtaking becomes too easy next season, it's likely that the wing will be changed, simply by reducing the maximum 50mm slot gap measurement. This will require just a small change to the operating mechanism, by reducing its range, whereas had the working group been shortsighted and needed to increase it to a greater slot gap to make overtaking easier, teams would have had to almost entirely redesign their control systems. It's therefore logical to aim for a larger than required slot gap and reduce it at a later stage if necessary.

Undoubtedly the MRW will be implemented with the tremendous safety standard we have grown to know in Formula One, but whether it will produce the desired effect or not is another matter entirely. Nevertheless, FOTA must be admired for attempting something new. The fans asked for more overtaking and it looks like they'll get just that.

[MIKA27]

Willis: Test ban is a 'mistake'

Hispania technical boss Geoff Willis has called Formula One's ban on in-season testing a "mistake".

As of last season, all Formula One teams were banned from testing during the season in a bid to cut the costs of competing in the sport.

The ban, though, recently caused heated debate in the Valencia paddock with some teams accusing Ferrari of circumventing the rules during a day of promotional testing.

Willis believes this issue could have been resolved by teams agreeing to a few days of testing during which they would also conduct any commercial activities that involve their cars being out on track.

"I believe that the test ban a mistake," said Willis. "It would have been better to find a balance between certain fixed days of testing for all the teams during which they could cover their commercial activities."

Asked about the recent decision to re-introduce the 107 percent qualifying rule, a regulation that could cost F1's newer teams the chance of racing, Willis surprisingly supported the idea.

"One expects a Formula One team to operate at a certain level," he told Motorsport-Magazin, adding that he would even support a 105 percent rule.

"Sure such a rule could not help HRT in its current situation but I would not be surprised if we had such a rule in the future. That is the nature of Formula One."

MIKA: I think the FIA need to re-evaluate this ban on testing. The smaller teams really need to test their cars, even the larger teams need this.

[MIKA27]

Horner again calls for more power

Christian Horner has reiterated his call for Renault to be allowed to bring their engine's power up to scratch with the likes of Mercedes ahead of next season.

With Red Bull set to remain with Renault next season, Horner is determined to ensure that his team is not at a disadvantage compared to the likes of Mercedes GP and McLaren, both of whom are powered by Mercedes.

According to the Red Bull team boss, at present Renault's engine is 30-35bhp down on Mercedes's and he's determined to ensure that his team is not at a disadvantage compared to Mercedes GP and McLaren, both of whom are powered by the German manufacturer.

"I think if you look at basic studies you would say we are about three per cent down on power - which is probably about 30-35bhp," Horner told Autosport.

"That is as much as four tenths per lap, but until you run all the engines in the same conditions on a dyno and do a fair and proper comparison you can never be sure.

"You often hear Ross Brawn talk about weight distribution, or the centre-of-gravity and cooling efficiency so on, and the more power you have the more heat you generate.

"But you need to look at all the aspects in a collective format. The most important thing moving forward is that chassis will for sure converge, as there is freedom within the regulations, and that is where the engines will become a bigger factor.

"It is getting a bit boring. Through the regulations, there is nothing that specifically deals with engine equality, and that is the problem.

"I think it is acknowledged that there are differences and there is a format that was agreed last winter to evaluate the engines, which was agreed upon by all the manufacturers, but some of the teams stopped that from happening. We are back in to that situation."

As for the decision to retain Renault as their engine supplier, Horner admits it's partly because Mercedes have made it clear that they will not be taking on another customer next year.

"In terms of supply, we are very happy with the relationship we have with Renault," Horner said. "They treat us very well, and we have a very good partnership with Renault.

"Unfortunately the product, due to the homologation, is frozen and therefore you have a performance freeze.

"Mercedes have made it transparently clear that they will not be supplying any additional teams for next year- so we rely on the FIA and the teams and manufacturers to create a healthy situation. It is not healthy to have a situation where one engine is significantly ahead of the rest."

[MIKA27]

Whitmarsh praises Todt's FIA

Martin Whitmarsh has praised Jean Todt's FIA for the new stewarding system that has perhaps saved Lewis Hamilton's races a few times this season.

Hamilton has already made friends with the race stewards, who are backed by a former driver, no fewer than four times this season.

In Malaysia he was warned for weaving, in China he was reprimanded for his pit lane race with Sebastian Vettel, in Canada the team was fined for him running out fuel after achieving pole position while in Europe he was handed a drive-through penalty for overtaking the Safety Car.

The latter incident, though, was the one that really made headlines after Fernando Alonso slammed the FIA for a "manipulated" race due to the fact that Hamilton was second when he took his drive-through and yet still emerged in second place.

But while Alonso was furious with the decision, Whitmarsh believes the FIA and the race stewards have done a great job in their decision making.

"We are racing more naturally now," said the McLaren team boss. "There always will be goals that were not goals, and those sorts of things - they happen in sport and you have to accept it.

"In fairness now, to Jean and the FIA, even from where I am sat, things happen in the race and you think that is going to cause so much aggravation - but it doesn't. And even drivers are thinking that now."

As for Alonso's reaction to Hamilton's penalty, Whitmarsh insists he's not fazed by the former McLaren driver's ranting.

"There is a fine line: you want it to be safe, to be fair, and you want decisions to be instantaneous, but you want drivers to have a go," he said.

"And when you have a go in racing cars, you are going to get incidents, you are going to get controversy and you are going to get two drivers who see an incident from completely different perspective.

"Alonso was fairly outspoken but actually people want a bit of that, and it doesn't worry me.

"In the past you have not been able to question. There has to bea limit, some fine lines, but not being able to question a referee's decisions, or umpire's decisions or stewards' decision? And frankly you have not been able to do that.

"People complained about a sterility of conversations and debate within the paddock, but there was a regime where you were not even allowed to question whether we had got it right? As that would bring the sport into disrepute.

"Now I don't think it is reasonable for any of us to go on a blast and criticise the FIA over anything, there have to be some limits and we have to be respectful to the FIA, but I think it is acceptable for people to display their passion, enthusiasm and agreement in the sport. It is a healthy thing."

MIKA: Looking at that photo of Whitmarsh, it looks like he REALLY likes Hamilton!

[MIKA27]

Newey gets his Red Bull RB5

Red Bull's technical guru Adrian Newey has a new F1 car of his own after the team presented him with an RB5 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Newey, who designed last year's RB5, which finished second in the Championship after claiming six victories, was presented with the car as a 'a sign of the team's appreciation for what the talented aerodynamicist has contributed since joining Red Bull at the start of 2006.'

"I'm overcome actually. The guys have obviously put a tremendous amount of effort into preparing the car for me," said Newey, who immediately put the car through its paces at Goodwood on Friday.

"You can see it - the paint and the lines are absolutely perfect, the work that's gone into doing the helmet and everything else is incredible. Also, the fact that the guys have given up a weekend to come down here and run it for me is fantastic.

"I was nervous before my first run, as I'd never driven a car with a hand clutch before and had never left-foot braked expect in a go-kart - but it's really fantastic to drive. A slight fright was that I wasn't prepared for how long first gear is, so as I was pulling out of the paddock it was pushing me on a lot.

"I was saying to myself 'hand clutch, hand clutch', but the automatic reaction is to go for the left foot! We went up the hill on wet tyres, so it was a gentle drive. It's just so great to be in the car and it's such a great noise from the inside.

"The plan now is to club together with some other guys I know who are lucky enough to have cars and hire a circuit, preferably a modern one with a bit of run off where I can enjoy driving the car without worrying about having a spin in front of a crowd!"

Team boss Christian Horner added: "I was delighted to hand over this RB5 on behalf of Red Bull to Adrian today. It's a really significant car for us, as it's the first model type that won six races for Red Bull Racing last year.

Adrian's made a mess of his lawn with several different cars from his collection, but this one will definitely tear the grass up! Hopefully he will look after it carefully and enjoy driving it up the hill at Goodwood today.

"We're happy to hand it over with the relevant crash helmet and overalls to make sure he's safe; we've also given him a set of spares, just in case!"

[MIKA27]

Sauber: Silverstone should suit the C29

Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi are confident of more points at Silverstone, insisting the track's characteristics should suit their C29.

After a dismal start to the Championship, Sauber have finally started to reap rewards for their hard work with Kobayashi scoring their first point in Turkey.

That was followed two races later by both drivers finishing in the top ten in the European GP before a post-race penalty saw de la Rosa drop out of the points.

However, it was still an encourage sign for the team, who are intent on following their Valencia result with another strong showing at next weekend's British GP.

"We are all going to a new Silverstone and have to be open minded," said de la Rosa.

"The changes to the track look very nice and I expect its character, with plenty of medium and high speed corners, has remained unchanged, and this should suit our car more than the Valencia circuit did.

"I'm very much looking forward to the British Grand Prix."

Kobayashi added: "I have a very good feeling for the race in Silverstone. I like this track a lot and I'm looking forward to seeing the new parts. The high speed corners make it one of my favourite circuits.

"Also there is always a good crowd, and I think this time with their fellow countrymen leading the Championship they will be very excited."

[MIKA27]

Whitmarsh: 20 races are enough

McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh believes the Formula One calendar should not go beyond 20 grands prix.

Already this season there are 19 races on the calendar as the Canadian Grand Prix made its return while Korea will host its inaugural event later in the season.

Next year there could be as many as 20 races with India scheduled to join the F1 circus while the following season should see the return of the United States GP with Texas having been named as the new hosts.

However, the teams are keen to ensure that the calendar does not extend beyond 20 races.

"I think 20 races is a lot in my opinion," Whitmarsh said during a FOTA Fans' Forum earlier this week.

"I don't think we should go more than 20 races. Twenty races is three-day events at 60 days of the year and I don't think our product is one that you want greater exposure than that.

"There were a lot of people who said 18 was too many; a lot of people are now saying 20 is too many.

"I don't think we should grow certainly beyond 20."

MIKA: I'm an F1 fan and the more races the better, however realistically, 20 races is enough as the calendar is quite full on and one must be aware that the F1 drivers themselves have families etc. From a safety perspective also, the drivers need a break between races.

[MIKA27]

Rosberg: This is a disaster

It is going from bad to worse for Mercedes GP as Nico Rosberg has labelled the team's 2010 car a "disaster."

Switching from Williams to Mercedes GP at the end of last season, many expected Rosberg to be up there fighting for pole positions and even his first race victory.

But it was not to be.

Although he achieved two podium results in Malaysia and China, the German's results have subsequently slumped, although by no means as badly as his team-mate Michael Schumacher's.

With just 25 points in the last five grands prix, Rosberg has fallen to seventh in the Drivers' standings and there is little sign that things are coming right as the team suffered their race the last time out in Europe.

And Mercedes GP's fall from the top - the team having won the World titles under the Brawn GP banner in 2009 - has left Rosberg rather frustrated with his W01.

"This is a disaster," he told the Cologne Express.

"The problem with the tyres is well known within the team. For weeks, we have said we would move forward but nothing happened - in fact it we're going backwards."

Adding insult to injury, Rosberg also found himself trailing his former team Williams in the Europe GP.

"If you start in twelfth behind both Williams, who were nowhere weeks ago, what can you expect from there? I went from Williams to Mercedes because I thought I'd have a car capable of winning."

Meanwhile, team boss Ross Brawn admitted that time is running out for the team to salvage this year's Championship.

"We have not done our job well enough," admitted Brawn.

"First we have to bring our new aero package up to scratch. Depending on how the results look, we will then decide if we will focus early on next season."

[MIKA27]

Magny-Cours wants F1 return

Magny-Cours is keen to make a return to the F1 calendar but only if the price of staging the grand prix is within reason.

Magny-Cours dropped off the Formula One circuit at the end of the 2008 season due to financial and access reasons.

However, circuit chairman Serge Saulnier is intent on having the French GP back on the calendar, and is looking at both access to the venue and negotiating a "reasonable" contract with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

"It is necessary to negotiate the price to a reasonable level," Saulnier told Auto Hebo. "We know that the state or the local authorities will not put in five or six million Euros to cover a loss.

"If there is a chance of having the race back, the negotiation - as it was for the Canadian GP - must be done to be on a reasonable basis.

"We are going to work on it discreetly, and without haste."

[MIKA27]

Brawn backs moveable rear wings

Mercedes GP team boss Ross Brawn has given his backing to F1's decision to introduce moveable rear wing for next year's Championship.

Ahead of the Valencia GP, the FIA announced a spate of new regulations for next season, including moveable rear wings, which may be "activated by the driver at any time prior to the start of the race and, for the sole purpose of improving overtaking opportunities during the race, after the driver has completed two laps."

The decision has been met with mixed reactions as while some are in favour others believe it is an idea that will not work in Formula One.

Brawn, though, believes it can, adding that the safety concerns have already been addressed.

"There has been quite a bit of work done by several of the teams, CFD work, and the wing is being configured so that if there was a failure it would fail in its full loaded position," Brawn told Autosport.

"The way it works is that the front of the flap lifts up, it is not the back of the flap going down. So the main plane and the flap will be horizontal and, if there is a failure, the wing will drop back into its fully loaded position."

The one side, though, that still needs to be worked on is when a driver may use it and by how much the gap in the wing will extend to as, Brawn points out, they don't want to make it too easy to overtake.

"The amount that we said we are going to lift the wing - we set a target which we think is adequate, and maybe a little bit more than is needed, but then we will have the scope to reduce that if the effect becomes too strong.

"What we now have to define carefully is when you are allowed to use that facility.

"The idea is for some sort of calculated proximity based on the section times and loops in the track - so when a car is close enough he will have the message that he is close enough and he can use it for the next period, part of the lap or a complete lap, and reduce the drag on the straight."