FORMULA 1 - 2010

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Todt: People should show Schumi respect

FIA President Jean Todt believes people should stop judging Michael Schumacher and show him some respect.

Schumacher, who made his return to F1 this season after three years on the sidelines, has come in for a lot of stick of late after back-to-back disastrous grands prix.

In Canada, the German was in fact involved in no fewer than three incidents with his rivals while in Valencia he slumped to his worst qualifying and race result of his comeback season.

However, Todt, who was in charge at Ferrari during Schumacher's five World titles with the Scuderia, believes the seven-time World Champ deserves a bit more respect for his past achievements.

"You know, it's all depending on the car you drive. Michael is a great person, a great Champion," he told Autosport.

"I mean, I don't know somebody else who has won seven titles, 91 grands prix. Some people when they judge, they must be very careful, very respectful of what he has been doing."

As for this year's F1 Championship, Todt's first in charge of the FIA, the Frenchman says F1 is seeing an "attractive" battle unfold as the McLarens, Red Bulls and Ferraris fight for the titles.

"Considering the Formula 1 World Championship it's very open. It's a big fight, we've had five different winners this year out of nine races.

"It's not yet halfway though the Championship, it will be halfway past next week after British GP, so it's a very attractive Championship."

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Schumi: Difficult to predict Merc's pace

Michael Schumacher is not making any predictions ahead of the British GP after Mercedes GP slumped to their worst result of the season in Valencia.

Neither Schumacher nor his team-mate Nico Rosberg made it through to the final qualifying shoot-out for the European GP while Rosberg just managed to sneak a single point after a few drivers ahead of him were penalised.

It was a dismal showing from the Mercedes GP team, prompting team boss Ross Brawn to admit they are not doing a "good enough" job.

However, whether it will be a different story next weekend at Silverstone, Schumacher isn't saying.

"Silverstone represents a special race for us as it is so close to everyone at our factories in Brackley and Brixworth who are all working like hell to make up the quite difficult start into the season that we have experienced," said the seven-time World Champ.

"We would like to give them and all of our supporters a good performance this coming weekend, even if we seem to struggle a bit at the moment.

"We have to face the fact that we were less competitive in Valencia than we had hoped for which makes it difficult to predict how we can perform at the British Grand Prix.

"Our race pace has been quite promising but our qualifying speed is not yet ideal and we still do not understand the full picture about the tyres. This clearly is something that we will keep working on intensively.

"I have a lot of different and mostly nice memories of Silverstone and therefore I am obviously very much looking forward to travelling there. We will certainly try to do our best there."

Brawn, though, insists the team has lost none of their drive for success.

"Our team has had a challenging time over the recent race weekends in Montreal and Valencia but we retain our motivation and are working hard to improve our performance and maximise the potential which can be taken from our latest upgrades," he said.

"It's a long hard road ahead but we are confident that we will get there."

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McLaren preview the British GP

Jenson Button:

"Racing in front of your home crowd is one of the biggest buzzes for any racing driver. And racing at Silverstone is always an exceptional experience - the crowds are huge throughout the weekend, everybody absolutely knows their stuff, and the motivation and support you get is like nowhere else on earth. I love it.

"The Santander British Grand Prix is a bit of a festival of motorsport – there's a great atmosphere there, a party vibe, and you meet people who've supported you throughout your career, which is always very rewarding.

"Of course, the big unknown for this year is the new track configuration. On paper, it looks to have kept most of the classic corners, which is important. We've lost Bridge, but we've still got Copse, Becketts and Stowe, which is great.

"There's no substitute for actually driving it though, and a new circuit is always great fun to try out and get to grips with, so I can't wait for Friday morning."

"Even though I came to Silverstone last year as the championship leader, I still haven't won this race. I'm second this year, and I can think of nothing better than being able to take a win in front of my home crowd – that would be amazing."

Lewis Hamilton:

"The Santander British Grand Prix is the halfway point in the season, and our whole team is really hungry for success. After spending most of 2009 out of the hunt, I can tell that everybody is really fired up, particularly for this weekend, where we'll be performing in front of a home crowd, and all our friends and families. It would be amazing to score another great result at our home race.

"We haven't raced on this Silverstone configuration before – I've looked at the track map, and I've seen some onboard footage, and I like what I've seen. It still looks fast and sweeping – even the new corners look medium- to high-speed, which is what you want around here.

"To be leading the world championship going into my home race is a fantastic feeling – I know very well the effect of people-power around here – in 2007, when I got pole position, I vividly remember driving around on my slowing-down lap and I could hear the noise of the crowd over the engine. And in 2008, in those terrible, wet conditions, nobody lost heart or faith, and they kept waving their flags and banners for me on every single lap.

"When you see that kind of dedication, you know you've got to repay it. And that's why I go to Silverstone absolutely determined to get a great result; to make 100,000 people proud of our team and our country.

"The Santander British Grand Prix is one of the best races of the year – it's going to be a brilliant weekend. Bring it on."

Martin Whitmarsh - Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes:

"In the past three races, we've scored 119 points from a possible maximum of 129 – an incredible statistic that tells you a lot about our hunger to fight at the front.

"Our home race at Silverstone has a special significance for all of us, and it would make the whole team tremendously proud if either Jenson or Lewis were able to stand atop the podium on Sunday afternoon. Such a result would be the highlight of our season so far.

"As we stand at the halfway mark in the season, I'm incredibly pleased with the way the team is currently operating. There's a real grit and determination at work: you can feel it when you walk in the garage. We've created our own internal momentum, and it's extremely rewarding to see how everyone is pulling together for the greater good. It's the way great teams work, and I've rarely seen the team as single-minded – from factory floor to racetrack – as it is right now."

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Mercedes preview the British GP

Nico Rosberg:

"Silverstone is a great circuit and one of those tracks which provides a real challenge for you as a driver. I think every driver loves to race there. The layout is demanding with the very quick corners and it will be interesting to see the new changes in the Arena complex for this year. The atmosphere and the fans are always fantastic at Silverstone and it will be even better this year with our factories just down the road and the support of everyone at the team. We will be going back to Brackley after the race to see everyone and it would be nice to get a good result to reward their hard work. It's been tough for us over the last few races but we are working hard to improve and I am confident we will get there."

Michael Schumacher:

"Silverstone represents a special race for us as it is so close to everyone at our factories in Brackley and Brixworth who are all working like hell to make up the quite difficult start into the season that we have experienced. We would like to give them and all of our supporters a good performance this coming weekend, even if we seem to struggle a bit at the moment. We have to face the fact that we were less competitive in Valencia than we had hoped for which makes it difficult to predict how we can perform at the British Grand Prix. Our race pace has been quite promising but our qualifying speed is not yet ideal and we still do not understand the full picture about the tyres. This clearly is something that we will keep working on intensively. I have a lot of different and mostly nice memories of Silverstone and therefore I am obviously very much looking forward to travelling there. We will certainly try to do our best there."

Ross Brawn:

"The British Grand Prix is always a very important and special weekend for our team with Silverstone situated between our factories in Brackley and Brixworth and as one of our home races. We are delighted that the British Grand Prix is secure for the foreseeable future and look forward to experiencing the new track layout at Silverstone next weekend. A lot of thought and hard work has gone into the improvement plans and Silverstone will be a venue to be proud of for both the organisers and the thousands of fans who visit over the weekend. Our team has had a challenging time over the recent race weekends in Montreal and Valencia but we retain our motivation and are working hard to improve our performance and maximise the potential which can be taken from our latest upgrades. It's a long hard road ahead but we are confident that we will get there."

Norbert Haug:

"The race at Silverstone is a classic and it is good for Formula One that this traditional Grand Prix has remained on the calendar. After substantial modifications to the circuit, parts of the track layout will be new for all teams and drivers. With the remodelling, there are slower sections added to the predominantly fast layout of the track. Our MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team will have two of our home races in a row this month with the German Grand Prix following just two weeks after Silverstone. It is very important for us to show an upward curve of performance as we did not achieve the best possible results for us in the two previous races in Montreal and Valencia. Our hard working and totally motivated team will be giving their all for these improvements."

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Sauber preview the British GP

Pedro de la Rosa:

"We are all going to a new Silverstone and have to be open minded. 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."

Kamui Kobayashi:

"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. I like going to England, and London is a great city anyway."

Technical Director James Key:

"It's a nice feeling to go back to Silverstone. It's a circuit I know well, and I've always enjoyed being at the track. There's an excellent turnout from the fans as well, so it's got a real atmosphere about it. It's obviously different this year, as several of the old corners we know have gone. However, it will be new for everyone. I'm looking forward to see how the new section affects the track. It was never a circuit that was easy to overtake on. It could be that the new section has some influence on that, but we won't know until we get there. We've been working on what we think we need to do for the new layout.

"We will have a busy Friday to try and cover all the options to find out what is best for the modified track. What's important there is high speed and medium speed stability of the car. The first sector, particularly, is dominated by these kinds of corners. It's important that the car is competitive through Copse and then the winding section afterwards. There's only really two or three places where braking is of high importance. It's not a high braking energy circuit, so braking stability is less of an issue to consider, but we have to see how the new section affects that. I think we also have to keep an eye on the aerodynamic efficiency with the longer straights, so there is a bit to learn but also a lot which is familiar. I'm looking forward to the weekend."

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Hispania Racing preview the British GP

Karun Chandhok:

"I am always looking forward to race in Silverstone because this is my home race since I live in Brackley which is just five minutes away. I used to work at the race school of the circuit and it is nice coming back there with Formula 1. So, I know the track and in Formula 3 and GP2, I could already achieve some podium finishes. But this year, the layout is different after the reconstruction. I went there with my bike to learn the new circuit. The first sector of the lap is pretty amazing: from 'Copse corner' until ‘Stowe' you hardly touch the brakes. The new sector also has a couple of high speed corners and you need a car with good aerodynamics and downforce. We have to do the best we could and show our best performance."

Bruno Senna:

"Racing on a historic circuit like Silverstone is always very special. I have good memories in Silverstone as I won here in GP2 in 2008 and also could finish on podium in Formula 3. And now coming back to the circuit in a Formula 1 car feels just great. The track is very challenging for each driver and has a lot of fast corners. You need a car with downforce and aerodynamics is also an important factor. The new "Arena" sector is quite interesting and some new fast corners have been created until you come back to the old track again. I am looking forward to the British Grand Prix and after Valencia, where we could finish the race again with two cars, we want to perform as best as we could."

Team Principal - Colin Kolles:

"We are looking forward to race in Silverstone as the circuit has a long history and there is a special racing atmosphere. It is a quite challenging circuit where overtaking is difficult. So, it is very important to do a good qualifying. One of the biggest challenges is to find the right setup for the car because changing crosswinds could threaten the car's balance a lot. In addition, the weather is also unpredictable in England and you never know how it is going to be like. But we are trying to show a good performance again and we want to go on fighting with the other teams."

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Williams confident over car potential

Williams is confident that it has the potential to make good progress with its car this season, after a morale-boosting fourth placed finish in Valencia last weekend.

Rubens Barrichello delivered the best result of Williams' season at the European Grand Prix, thanks to a step forward in performance and a good strategy call behind the safety car.

With the outfit set to introduce a major upgrade, which will include an exhaust blown diffuser, to its car for next weekend's British GP, Williams CEO Adam Parr is bullish about the extent his outfit can improve.

However, he cautions him optimism by stating that his team will only be able to show it has improved if it does a better job than rival outfits.

"Yes I am confident," Parr told AUTOSPORT when asked whether he was upbeat about Williams getting near the front of the grid. "The thing about F1 is that it is all relative. Am I confident that we can make a car that goes faster consistently? Absolutely - and we have always done that.

"But it depends how capable our competitors are - and they are of course enormously capable. Very few of them are in any sense, less well resourced or less capable.

"So it is a bit naive to say for sure we can move up the grid, but I do feel we have the capability to do better. Right now, when I look at where we are and what we have, I think we can be doing better.

"And as things stand, that will put us up the grid. But when it comes to rolling out new things, other people have the potential to do that as well. It is an incredibly competitive world."

Although Williams has been surrounded by speculation in recent weeks that it could be on the lookout to bolster its technical staff to help it make progress, Parr insists his outfit believes it already has the talent it needs.

"I think we have got the ingredients," he explained. "We just had a very intense internal review of where we are, and why we are where we are, and what we think we need to do that is different.

"I think we have identified two or three different things that we need to focus on – and I can't go in to those because even understanding why you are weak it is a competitive advantage. But I do think we have the resources internally to do that."

Parr said that both the team and engine partner Cosworth were honest about where the performance deficit to the front was coming from - and aware of where improvements needed to be made.

"For sure we have got to improve the car from our side," he said. "Nobody in Williams thinks that the gap between us and the front is predominantly or even half the engine. For sure the larger part of the challenge is on the chassis side.

"But everything counts and we would expect any technical partner we work with to do their utmost to improve our technical performance, just as we have to do ours. I do think there is a mutual understanding of that, so there is no recrimination or pointing fingers because we both need to do better."

And Parr played down talk that the outfit was facing any financial difficulties with a number of sponsors - including Phillips and RBS - due to leave at the end of this season.

When asked if the team had the money needed to maintain its high ambitions, Parr said: "Yes. Absolutely. Next year's car is going to be designed in the next few months and we have tremendous resources, so I think with the right leadership and the right organisation – in terms of people and the way they work together, we can make some serious progress.

"And I think we can see why we are where we are now. It is not an easy situation to be in and it is not an easy situation to solve, but I am optimistic that we can do that."

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Mallya plans Indian talent search

Vijay Mallya says Force India is planning a new driver academy system dedicated to bringing Indian talents into Formula 1.

India's national F1 squad currently runs German Adrian Sutil and Italian Tonio Liuzzi, while Karun Chandhok - the only Indian driver on the grid - is with Spanish squad Hispania.

Mallya is determined to have a homegrown driver in his squad, but thinks he will be better off starting at the grass roots rather than simply recruiting an established driver like Chandhok.

"Let's be clear; motorsport is not that advanced in India for a variety of reasons, to throw up drivers who would ultimately reach Formula 1," said Mallya.

"We have drivers – Narain Karthikeyan, Karun Chandhok, and a couple of others, [Formula 2 driver] Armaan [Ebrahim], and there's a boy called Patel – they're talented drivers.

"Now I must decide whether they suit my requirements in Force India Formula 1 or not.

"I have been very fair, I've given at least one of them the opportunity in the driving simulator and I put four drivers in and I selected the best one of the lot which happened to be Paul di Resta, so it isn't as if I've got a shut mind here.

"But I've got to start looking for somebody really young, and as I have said to you before and to many others, amongst 1.2 billion people [in India] there's got to be a Lewis Hamilton somewhere."

With India lacking motorsport infrastructure, Mallya said he would begin the search among the nation's karters and then coach them in the European racing system.

"It's like trying to pick a needle from a haystack, but we are now going to launch a nationwide programme in India to identify young talent and this is a pretty complex exercise," he said.

"It involves several karting tracks all over the country, a whole organised method of getting people to enter, a competitive environment, a competitive programme and then we will probably take those with exceptional talent, bring them to either England or Europe, pay for them, pay for their education, pay for their karting and literally mentor them through until they can sit in a Formula 1 cockpit, and we are absolutely committed to doing that."

Mallya emphasised that this was a long-term project, as he was in no hurry to oust Sutil or Liuzzi.

"I've got a pretty good line-up of drivers now. I'm quite happy with them," he said.

"They're not at the end of their careers, in fact they are at the prime of their careers.

"But I'd rather identify a good Indian going forward."

MIKA: No offence, but good luck with that endeavour....

[OZCUBAN]

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Mateschitz denies A1-Ring's return

Red Bull team owner and Austrian businessman Dietrich Mateschitz has rubbished reports that the A1-Ring circuit is set to return to the F1 calendar.

According to rumours in the Valencia paddock last weekend, the Austrian Grand Prix, which dropped off the calendar in 2003, could yet return after the A1-Ring underwent major reconstruction work, which is expected to be finalised midway through next year.

The work on the circuit, which includes new pit buildings and grandstands, cost an estimated 70 million Euros and was backed by Mateschitz.

However, the Red Bull boss insists there's no talk of the Austrian GP making a comeback into Formula One.

He told the Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper: "This is unbelievable nonsense. Unfortunately, such stupidity was disseminated and adopted by numerous media.

"All I can say is that Bernie (Ecclestone) knows nothing about it, and neither do I. There is nothing to it."

MIKA: But then why the 70 Million euro spend!?

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Willis: Progress down to the drivers

Hispania tech boss Geoff Willis has praised his two drivers, saying they are almost solely responsible for the progress that the team has made.

Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok faced a tough task at the start of this season, as the two rookies joined the Formula One grid with a brand new team that failed to take part in a single test in the pre-season.

As such it was always going to be difficult for the team to catch even the midfield outfits, however, slowly but surely that is what Hispania are doing as they close the gap.

And Willis believes that's down to his drivers.

"Good," he told grandprix.com when asked about the progress of his two drivers.

"You can clearly see we have been maintaining pace and if anything compared to the leading cars, closing up. We were 6.5% off the pace and now we are typically 4.8-5% off with qualifying time.

"The car is fundamentally the same, so I think that has come from the drivers. Both of them have worked well with the team and have a good working relationship."

MIKA: IMO, HRT are not in the F1 league. They are below standard and really need to develop their cars to keep pace as well as ensure the safety of their own drivers and cars that are double lapping them!

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Hamilton invites dad to British GP

Lewis Hamilton is set to be reunited with his father this weekend at Silverstone as the pair continue to rebuild their fragile relationship.

Anthony Hamilton, who had previously attended all his son's races, has not been to a grand prix this season after being sacked by Lewis as his manager shortly before the start of the campaign.

But Lewis expects him to be cheering him on at the British Grand Prix on Sunday.

"I think he's coming, yeah - I've invited him. It will be good that he's there," he said in The Sun.

"I've got grandstand tickets so I said you can choose whether you want to be in the paddock or the grandstand.

"I said he should go into the paddock but then he should go and experience something different because he's always watched it either from TV or in the paddock."

The pair did not speak for several weeks after Lewis' shock decision and their relationship remains fragile.

However, the 25-year-old, who leads the Championship standings by six points, nevertheless believes it was the right decision.

He added: "Everything is not 100% but we're definitely continuing to build on the relationship and things are moving slowly.

"We're letting things take their time and move naturally rather than forcing things.

"He's always sending me positive messages before the race. But it has given me space. I've just grown.

"Bit by bit I've focused on things, working in certain areas that I didn't necessarily understand or know about before.

"Sometimes it takes longer but it's going well."

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'Alonso should have stayed at McLaren'

Fernando Alonso would have come out a stronger person had he remained at McLaren after his tension-fraught season with Lewis Hamilton, according to Steve Nielsen.

Alonso's one and only season with McLaren saw the double World Champion partnered with Hamilton, who was in his rookie campaign. However, the latter's results were by no means that of a rookie.

Hamilton took the fight to Alonso out on track, causing a great deal of tension within the team as the Spaniard was not given the number one status that he had been guaranteed at his previous team, Renault.

The on-track feud soon turned into off-track drama with reports of in-fighting and favouritism making headlines as did McLaren's involvement in the Stepneygate spy scandal.

The end result was that Alonso left McLaren at the end of that one season to return to Renault. However, if he had been the Spaniard's manager, Renault's sporting director Steve Nielsen says he would have told Alonso to stay and fight Hamilton.

"Fernando was clearly our No1 driver. I think he liked that. And when he joined McLaren, I'm sure he expected the same thing," Nielsen told eurosport.fr.

"But McLaren treat their drivers equally and Lewis, even though in his first year in F1, was very fast. Fernando was shocked at having been denied No1 status and surprised by Lewis's speed. It was an uncomfortable situation for him.

"From there his relationship with McLaren deteriorated and everything about it has been published (in the Stepneygate scandal). We know what happened and he came back (to Renault).

"In fact, I think - and I do not know if he agrees with me on this but he knows I love him - that return to us was probably a mistake.

"If I had been his manager at the time, I would have said: 'Listen, you have to do this, stay and beat this guy.

"Firstly because you have the best car now, secondly because your best chance of being Champion next season is by still driving for McLaren.'

"I think he would have come out stronger."

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Mateschitz expects nothing less than the title

Dietrich Mateschitz has told his Red Bull team that he will settle for nothing less than winning this year's World titles.

Despite having arguably the quickest car in the field and dominating qualifying with eight pole positions from nine races, Red Bull have claimed just four victories this season.

As a result they find themselves trailing McLaren in both Championships. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber are third and fourth in the Drivers' race while Red Bull are 30 points behind McLaren in the Constructors' standings.

"First of all, I am satisfied with drivers and car all around," team owner Mateschitz told Salzburger Nachrichten.

"What I am not satisfied with is the score because on paper we should have a head start instead of having a deficit.

"Now we have to make up lost ground."

Asked point blank if he's expecting his drivers to come home with the World titles, Mateschitz said: "Of course, expecting anything less would be absurd.

"If someone with our potential cannot expect to win the World Championship, then who?"

[sje]

Small world this is MR Mika, just ask Chris Gibb and a certain Pipe smoking friend of yours

spiro

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Hamilton and Alonso clear the air

Lewis Hamilton is adamant he and Fernando Alonso are "cool" after their old rivalry simmered again last week.

Alonso was incensed following the European Grand Prix in Valencia after watching Hamilton claim second, despite overtaking a safety car deployed in the wake of Mark Webber's spectacular accident.

Hamilton was given a drive-through penalty, yet served it 17 laps after the Webber smash due to circumstances, whilst Alonso trailed home eighth.

Alonso, who had been running third in his Ferrari behind Hamilton when the safety car incident occurred, later claimed the race had been "manipulated" and the Briton had disrespected the rules.

For his part, Hamilton claimed Alonso's comments were sour grapes as old wounds, initially inflicted from their torrid time as team -mates at McLaren in 2007, were re-opened.

To ensure, though, there was no lingering animosity between the duo heading into this weekend's British Grand Prix, Hamilton opted to contact Alonso.

"We messaged the other day and things are cool," Hamilton told Press Association Sport.

"I messaged him to see how he was doing. He said everything's cool, that he knows how the racing world works and this is a tough year."

If Alonso was indeed positive, that will at least add to Hamilton's relaxed mood going into the busiest week of his year.

The 25-year-old last week spent a few days on holiday in the south of France followed by a paintball day on Friday with team-mate Jenson Button, a few team personnel and several British media.

"I'm relaxed as can be," added Hamilton.

"But I had such a great week. I had my first few days holiday for a good year, so I feel really good.

"I spent most of my days in Monaco, and it was cool to be there. I was in a really private place nearby.

"We drove there at night, went to dinner, to the casino and had some fun. It was really cool.

"But this is going to be a tough week. It gets so busy. It's just trying to maintain all the energy you have."

Hamilton, though, appreciates he has to start enjoying his life a little more as his three years in Formula One have so far flashed by in a blur.

"I am trying to put things in place where I have more time to rest and relax," said Hamilton.

"I'm 25, and before I know it I'll be 30. Time is just going to blow past so I really, really want to make sure I enjoy.

"When some racing drivers, like Jenson for example, got into F1, he went and had fun.

"He splashed out, really enjoyed life, which was rightly deserved whether people criticised it or not. He did it right I think.

"I didn't do any of that stuff, which I also think was right in its way because I was just focused and winning.

"But there is a balance, and it's trying to find that because it's sometimes too safe and too quiet.

"I'm enjoying the racing more than ever, and I want to enjoy doing other things."

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Small world this is MR Mika, just ask Chris Gibb and a certain Pipe smoking friend of yours

spiro

It is indeed Spiro.

Have you recently purchased some 'car parts' have you?

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Hill believes Button has the edge over Hamilton

Damon Hill, president of the British Racing Drivers' Club which is hosting the British GP this weekend reckons Jenson Button has the edge over Lewis Hamilton, thanks to his calmer approach to the sport.

"I think Lewis has got a little bit more to learn tactically than Jenson," Hill said about the McLaren team-mates. "He is still very young and learning but his approach is more impetuous, which works sometimes and doesn't at others.

"Whether Lewis will mature or not… he is bound to be maturing all the time but whether he learns to be circumspect when he needs to be, I don't know if that is his style. I don't know if he will do that."

The 1996 world champion said of Hamilton, he is always on 'maximum attack' which often leads to 'hiccups'. Whereas the 2009 world champion takes a more relaxed approach.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Jenson won the championship again," he added. "He will absorb more as a competitor and maintain his equilibrium perhaps better than Lewis. I think it would be wrong to assume either would be that easy [to race against] but I think Jenson has perhaps got the slightly more relaxed approach."

The two McLaren drivers will go head-to-head at their home grand prix at Silverstone this coming weekend, with both having expressed their desire to win - it'll be an exciting battle with some tough competition from the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari.

MIKA: Is that the REAL Damon Hill at the top or a Madame Tussauds wax statue!? Looks really animated.

On a serious note, I disagree with Damon.

Jensen can not afford to be more relaxed just because he won last seasons WC. He should be more like Hamilton and push hard IMO. I dont mind Jensen but I think Hamilton really is a driving prodigy who will only become better as he matures. If anyone can come close to Schumachers records, it will be Hamilton.

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Williams to develop new KERS for 2011 car

Williams will use their own KERS system on their 2011 car, technical director Sam Michael has confirmed.

With the FOTA agreement not to use the system in 2010 coming to an end shortly, the larger teams are all looking to install the system for next season. Currently Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Renault are expected to use the energy recovery system on their 2011 cars.

The Grove-based Williams team developed its own flywheel system in 2008/09 when it established its own hybrid systems company. However that system, currently being used by Porsche in the GT series, won't be used on the F1 car as it's too large and heavy.

Sir Frank Williams recently said: "it would make our car like a London double-decker [bus]".

The team will now work on a battery system, similar to that developed by Mercedes and ran by McLaren in 2009.

"Everything is being done in-house," Michael is quoted by ESPN-F1. "Only the battery cells are being bought from outside."

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Bridgestone preview the British GP

Formula 1 hits the halfway mark of the season at a familiar but significantly revised venue as Bridgestone’s hard and soft compound Potenza tyres take on the challenge of the new configuration Silverstone circuit for the British Grand Prix.

Now longer than before at 5.90 km, making it the third longest track on the calendar, the new configuration Silverstone is expected to be one of the fastest tracks of the year. The high speeds and high lateral forces caused by the circuit layout and the abrasion from the track surface mean that it will be a severe test for Bridgestone’s tyres.

Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport: "The British Grand Prix is one of the most famous on the calendar and we are pleased to be visiting Silverstone once more. Bridgestone Motorsport is based in Langley, near Heathrow, so this is a home Grand Prix for us. I am happy that Formula 1 will experience the new circuit layout that Bridgestone recently enjoyed with the British MotoGP race. Bridgestone UK is a very supportive market of our F1 programme and will enjoy a range of activities there."

Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development: "We know Silverstone very well from so many races here in the past, however now we have the challenge of a new layout. The track was previously one of the most severe for the tyres in terms of layout and circuit roughness on the calendar. The new layout, if anything, makes it more punishing, and certainly too severe to bring our super soft compound. The additional straight means that the average speed should be higher than before. Entering the new section, the right hand turn at Abbey should create high lateral forces. With Bridgestone’s unique position of supplying both Formula 1 and MotoGP we were able to validate a lot of our predictions of this new layout at the recent British MotoGP round so we are quite confident looking to this race. We are hopeful of a good spectacle with the soft and hard compound tyres and certainly will learn a lot from the new configuration."

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Renault preview the British GP - Q&A

Q. Robert Kubica, Silverstone is one of the classic circuits in the F1 season. How much fun is it for the drivers?

It's an exciting circuit, a very challenging track, especially the first six or seven corners which are just amazing with current F1 cars. Most of them are nearly flat out, or perhaps even flat - it depends on the wind direction - and as soon as you exit one, you're into the next one straight away: it's just amazing how much speed you can carry through them. Of course, there is the new section this year, as well, which I've seen on the internet and on TV when MotoGP raced there: it looks quite bumpy, and different to the previous version of the circuit, but I think overall that Silverstone is a place where all the drivers are happy to drive, because it really shows 100% of the potential of an F1 car in the high-speed corners.

Q. How do you think the R30 will perform at Silverstone?

It's very difficult to judge. Silverstone is normally quite a tricky place for the set-up and for finding a good balance, because you have a big difference between the low-speed and high-speed corners, and there are not really any medium-speed corners in between. Downforce is a key point and with the changes we made to the car last race, it will be interesting to see if they bring us an advantage in the high-speed stuff. It will be a good test on Friday to see and feel the differences with the new package.

Q. In terms of overall competitiveness, where do you think Renault stands at the moment?

A lot of it depends on the circuit characteristics and if you get everything right or not. We were very close to Ferrari in qualifying in Valencia, even though we were not 100% happy about how it went - but I think most people were struggling a bit in qualifying there. In the first stint of the race, I was behind Felipe and we had a slightly slower pace than him, but things might change. Mercedes struggled in Valencia, too, and we saw some cars having big ups and downs in performance during the weekend, so it's very, very difficult to judge. Silverstone has a completely different character to Valencia or even Canada, and the last time we raced at a similar circuit was in Istanbul. Since then, people have made big updates to their cars, including us, so we really will have to wait and see.

Q. Silverstone marks the halfway point in the season, and you're sixth in the championship. Has the first half of the year exceeded your expectations?

I think there are two ways to look at it. Of course, as a driver you're always hoping for a winning car but, in reality, myself and the team went to the first race hoping to get into the top ten in qualifying and we felt this was our potential, after doing a good job to improve the car during winter testing. Until now, we've qualified in the top ten at every race, and apart from Bahrain, my worst finish has been seventh. All in all, we can be happy with the job we've done. Of course, we had more room for improvement in the beginning, but we managed to close the gap to the top teams, and the guys in the factory have worked really hard to keep up the pace of improvements. Now, the last few tenths to the front will be very difficult to find, but I think we can be happy and really proud of what we have achieved so far after starting quite far away. I don't think anybody was expecting us to achieve these kinds of results.

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Q. Vitaly Petrov, at the last race in Valencia you had a mixed weekend. What did you learn from it?

We had a lot of new upgrades to the car in Valencia and so the car felt very different and I had to adapt my driving style quite a bit. I was happy to get a good result in qualifying and make it into the top ten, but unfortunately I had no new tyres left for Q3 so I couldn't improve on tenth place. In the race I didn't want to risk too much at the start and I was lucky not to crash with the Force Indias, which were attacking hard. But the important thing is that I was able to finish the race, learn about the car, and get some more experience. Everybody knows how difficult it is to overtake in Valencia so I followed De la Rosa and was waiting for a mistake. He made one mistake in the race, but unfortunately I was not close enough to get by.

Q. After nine races, how do you look back on the first half of the year?

It's difficult to sum up my feelings because so much has happened to me in the last six months. I'm still learning about Formula 1 and I feel that I'm improving at each race and working better with the team and my engineers. I've seen just how competitive Formula 1 is and it still amazes me to see how much effort goes on by the team to improve the car at each race. For the rest of the season I know that I must work hard with Robert if we are to beat Mercedes before the end of the year, and this is our clear objective.

Q. You've raced at Silverstone before in GP2, but the layout has changed for this year. Do you think the new arena section will add an extra challenge?

Until we get there and drive the lap it's difficult to know what the new section will be like in an F1 car. My feeling is that it will just make the lap a bit longer because the main characteristics of the track have not changed. It was always difficult to overtake at the old Silverstone because of the quick corners and I think that will still be the case this year. There are some extra straights, but I don't know if they are long enough to allow overtaking.

Q. How will you approach the British Grand Prix?

The first thing we need to do is to see how our upgrades work at Silverstone because it's a very different circuit to Valencia and much more high-speed. And because it's difficult to overtake, I know how important it will be to get the maximum from the car in qualifying. So I must try and avoid any mistakes over the weekend and aim to qualify inside the top ten so that we can get the most from the race. It's a local race for the Enstone factory so it would be extra special to get a good result for the team.

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Robert’s Guide to Silverstone

Silverstone is one of the most historic places we visit. It’s a high speed circuit – especially the first sector – and a lot of the corners offer a number of options for different racing lines.

The ideal set-up requires you to have a lot of high-speed stability because you need to have a good balance for a quick change in direction, particularly around the high-speed Maggotts and Becketts section of the lap. The key there is to get on the power as soon as possible to carry as much speed as you can down the Hangar straight.

Heading into Stowe, sometimes it can be tricky because the wind can play a big role on your car and have an effect on the overall grip and balance. Also, overtaking is not that easy at Silverstone because it’s so difficult to follow another car around many of the high-speed corners – you lose so much downforce that it’s very hard. But maybe with this new section, which has introduced a few slower corners, it might be a bit easier to overtake.

The first corner, Copse, is taken in seventh gear at about 290 km/h. It’s not quite flat, but it depends a lot on your speed and wind direction as you approach the corner. I remember a test in 2006 when there was a big head wind on the main straight and so Copse was flat out because we were about 10 km/h down on top speed because of the wind. I would be surprised if it’s flat this year.

At the moment I don’t know a lot about the new section that has been modified for this year’s race. To prepare for the race I will search for some videos of the track on the internet and, of course, I’ll walk the track on Thursday. It’s always quite interesting and challenging going through new corners when you have to discover the grip levels and the best line so the first few laps we do there on Friday morning will be very interesting.

The last corner, turn 17, is quite slow, taken in second gear at about 110 km/h. It tends to create quite a lot of understeer in the car, but it’s crucial to get a good exit. The danger is that sometimes you get snap-oversteer mid-corner, but because of the long nature of the corner you can gain a lot of lap time here. It’s quite tricky and depending on the traction of the tyres and balance you can adapt your line during the race in order to extract the maximum from the corner.

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Webber to use Vettel's 'Luscious Liz' chassis

Mark Webber won't get a new chassis for the British GP this weekend, but instead he'll use Sebastian Vettel's old chassis.

The Australian driver suffered a spectacular crash in Valencia last week when his RB6 was launched over the rear of Heikki Kovalainen's Lotus, resulting in his car somersaulting through the air.

Although the damaged chassis is repairable, Red Bull have taken the option of giving Webber chassis 3, or Luscious Liz as Vettel referred to it before switching to a newer chassis, Randy Mandy, as he was unhappy with how the previous chassis felt.

It's thought chassis 3 sustained damaged during a race rather than a manufacturing fault. Red Bull have, according to Autosport, re-paired such damage and will use Webber's Valencia chassis as a spare.

Webber, currently fourth in the drivers' standings, is looking forward to returning to Silverstone, where he hopes to add another win to his two so far this season.

"I'm looking forward to getting back on the horse after a non-finish in Valencia," he told the BBC.

"Silverstone's been a good track to me in the past, I've won there in most categories, except Formula 1, so I'm looking forward to trying to add a Formula 1 victory to my other victories there."

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Alonso: 'Silverstone won't suit our car'

Fernando Alonso is hoping Ferrari's intense development program will start producing results in the coming races as the Italian team are set to introduce yet more updates for the British GP.

The team bought a massive upgrade to Valencia which included a blown-rear diffuser, however the results didn't put them ahead of title-rivals McLaren and Red Bull.

"It is a crucial moment in the season, with three races coming up in the space of four weeks," Alonso said in his blog.

"We are ready, both on the technical front and physically. In Valencia, we introduced significant updates on the F10 and there will be more in Silverstone and the races after that.

"The development programme is intensive and I think we will see it produce results."

With F1 experiencing the new Silverstone layout next weekend, Alonso says the team have been studying the new corners in great detail.

"At Silverstone, we will discover a circuit whose final section has been modified. Along with the engineers, we have spent these few days studying all the characteristics of the new track layout, analysing the available information, including watching the motorcycle races held there a few weeks ago.

"On Thursday morning, again with my engineers, we will inspect the track to see everything in detail, looking especially for bumps on the racing line," added the Spaniard.

The 28-year-old isn't expecting the new layout to suit the F10, but he remains optimistic of a positive result.

"The track seems reasonably similar to the way it was, with a lot of very fast corners, which will not suit us that much," he said. "However, it’s a fact that the configuration of the F10 seen in Valencia should give us a boost in these quick corners, so it is best to wait and see where we will be: I remain optimistic.

"Then, there is always a chance of rain playing its part at Silverstone. I would be very surprised to have a completely dry weekend and we will be ready to tackle any situation that comes our way."

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Arena layout a challenge for F1 tyres

Sliverstone's new Arena circuit layout will be even tougher on tyres than the old configuration - but Bridgestone is confident it has the situation under control.

The new infield section, which will include a flat-out right-hander at Abbey, could help Silverstone become the fastest track on the calendar.

And although the speeds will be a challenge in terms of tyres, Bridgestone's director of motorsport tyre development Hirohide Hamashima thinks the knowledge his company gained from the MotoGP event at the venue last month gives him confidence for a positive weekend.

"We know Silverstone very well from so many races here in the past, however now we have the challenge of a new layout," he said.

"The track was previously one of the most severe for the tyres in terms of layout and circuit roughness on the calendar. The new layout, if anything, makes it more punishing, and certainly too severe to bring our super soft compound.

"The additional straight means that the average speed should be higher than before. Entering the new section, the right hand turn at Abbey should create high lateral forces.

"With Bridgestone's unique position of supplying both Formula 1 and MotoGP we were able to validate a lot of our predictions of this new layout at the recent British MotoGP round so we are quite confident looking to this race.

"We are hopeful of a good spectacle with the soft and hard compound tyres and certainly will learn a lot from the new configuration."

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Webber not writing off Ferrari yet

Mark Webber thinks it too early to write-off Ferrari's world championship chances this year - even though the Maranello outfit has not won since the season opener in Bahrain.

Victories have been evenly shared between Red Bull Racing and McLaren for much of the campaign, and many observers believe the title fight is boiling down to a straight head-to-head contest between those two outfits.

And although a major upgrade Ferrari introduced in Valencia did not deliver the kind of step forward the team had hoped for, Webber thinks the team is still too strong to be ruled out yet.

"Ferrari, you can still never discount them," Webber said in an interview with the BBC. "They are a very, very strong team. Fernando is a very solid driver so those guys will be there week in, week out as well.

"It is a sensational battle. I am enjoying it, and there are many drivers that can win races. A lot of us are on a couple of victories each, and it would be nice to be the first driver to get on to three and four – and get a bit of momentum. It is a good fight."

Webber sees no reason to panic about his own title prospects – despite two difficult outings in Canada and Valencia.

"Yeah, we are still pushing very hard to get every single point we can at every race," he explained. "I had a rough weekend in Valencia, but the form has been good. Okay Canada we finished fifth but it was a very interesting GP for everyone.

"Turkey was another podium, so not a bad weekend at all. The signs are good to continue having good weekends and keep fighting."

And talking about his relationship with team-mate Sebastian Vettel, which has been under scrutiny since they crashed in Turkey, Webber said: "Seb and I had a very competitive relationship last year and nothing has changed this year.

"There is clear respect both ways, and we are driving the team forwards. Some weekends he is struggling with me, and some I am struggling with him – which is great for the team.

"We are not putting sugar in each other's teas but that is to be expected. There is quite a bit at stake and we are pushing each other on to be successful in our own right.

"But if he is an ocean and drowning I will save him – it is not that I hate him. It is a competitive rivalry."