FORMULA 1 - 2010

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Stefan GP to use Cosworth power if successful

Zoran Stefanovic, the man behind the Stefan GP outfit which applied for a belated spot on the Formula One grid for 2010, has confirmed that his team has once again applied for 2011, with the intention of using Cosworth power.

The Serbian businessman refused to give away too many details on his entry before the FIA's August announcement on which entry has been successful in securing the 13th slot.

"We are not going to disclose anything before we know the outcome of the whole process and that’s going to be by the end of August, according to the FIA," he told F1Pulse. "A lot of people are saying that it will be done in a shorter time - by the end of July - but it’s at the end of August."

The decision to go with Cosworth is based on the performance proven by the Williams team, which, along with Lotus, Virgin and Hispania, run the British based engine manufacturer's units.

"We spoke with four different engine manufacturers and we’ll be applying and using Cosworth. We think they are a viable option.

"It has the potential to be in the front of the grid - there is no doubt now, with what Williams has shown."

He then went onto explain that disgraced ex-McLaren employee, Mike Coughlan, involved in the spying scandal of 2007, is no longer with the team - one of the reasons it's thought he was unsuccessful in filling USF1's spot on the grid.

"Mike Coughlan was involved but he is not anymore. He is now working for some American company - I don’t think he is related to motorsport anymore."

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Monaco could be axed from 2011 calendar

Monaco is facing being axed from the F1 calendar as early as 2011 according to Formula One Management boss, Bernie Ecclestone.

With 19 races on the 2010 calendar and India and Texas looking to join for 2011 and 2012 respectively, space has to be made to allow Ecclestone to meet the 20-race cap that himself and the teams have verbally agreed.

Looking at ways to meet the cap, the 78-year old Bilionaire said, "I think we can do without Monaco, they don't pay enough."

The Principality has been on the F1 calendar since 1955 and is the only race that doesn't pay a hosting fee. "The Europeans are going to have to pay more money or we will have to go somewhere else," Ecclestone concluded.

TV companies could also face the prospect of having to pay more to broadcast the sport as it was revealed that track-side advertising revenue has rocketed in the last year.

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McLaren preview the German GP

Jenson Button:

"My most memorable experience at Hockenheim must be back in 2004, when I qualified 13th and raced through the field to finish second - so not too dissimilar to my race at Silverstone last week, then!

"Seriously, though, I enjoy racing at Hockenheim: I miss the long, flat-out straights that made up the circuit at the start of my Formula 1 career, that was pretty unique. But the current track is better for the spectators and has shown itself to be a very good place for both racing and overtaking.

"After two disappointments in qualifying at Valencia and Silverstone, my aim for this weekend must be to make life easier for myself on Saturday afternoon, so that I can maximise my performance on Sunday without needing to play catch-up during the race.

"This will be another busy weekend for all of us as we spend Friday working through the changes we've made to optimise the blown diffuser. Hopefully, we'll have a positive test and will be able to see the benefits of the upgrades in the race for the first time. I'm looking forward to it."

Lewis Hamilton:

"I won the last race at Hockenheim in 2008 – we had a fantastic car, I got pole position and had a great battle through the field after a mid-race Safety Car to win. So I'd really love the same outcome next weekend!

"While there are quite a few low-speed corners that require good traction, I think we'll be on more familiar ground at Hockenheim, and should be able to successfully balance our car to be relatively competitive around there.

"The big question mark surrounds some of the other top teams – they've shown improved performance over the past two or three races, even if they've not fully managed to score the results that their pace suggests.

"So it will be interesting to see just how close things have become up at the sharp end, because this could affect the way the world championship plays out, particularly if more teams start challenging for victory in the second half of the season.

"So I think the Santander German Grand Prix will give us a very good read on form for the second half of the season."

Martin Whitmarsh - Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes:

"We've come off an extremely successful run of recent races, but we're nonetheless under no illusions that we need to bring further performance to the MP4-25 if we are to remain at the forefront of this championship battle.

"I think Silverstone showed that we were in no mood to be complacent – either in our aggressive push to put upgrades on the car or our decision to remove them and put our faith in an older iteration of the car, despite a lack of running compared with our rivals. It's ambition and decisiveness that win world championships, and, on both counts, I think we got that blend just right last weekend, which is pleasing.

"The days since the Santander British Grand Prix have been spent back at the MTC industriously undertaking rig tests, dyno running and development in the wind tunnel to ensure that the future deployment of the blown diffuser gives us a more accurate and beneficial read.

"Of course, that final validation will only come at the circuit. So we're looking at undertaking a major test programme on Friday at Hockenheim. This will involve both drivers running back-to-back evaluations with the T2 and T3 floors.

"And, if these prove positive, we'll then look at the deployment of the new floor for the remainder of the race weekend. But that's a decision we'll only make after a thorough analysis of the inherent risks and benefits."

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Mercedes preview the German GP

Nico Rosberg:

"As a German driver, the German Grand Prix is always a very special weekend, and it will be even better this year to be racing there for Mercedes-Benz. I have great memories from Hockenheim as I won there in all the junior categories that I competed in, including my first single seater race win. There's always a great atmosphere at the German Grand Prix and the fans are very enthusiastic with the huge grandstands in the stadium section creating so much noise!

"It's fantastic to see their support for the German drivers. I love the track itself as it's quite challenging with some good overtaking opportunities and the races here can often be quite exciting. Going into one of the team's home weekends with the podium finish from Silverstone is a real boost for us, and we will be working hard to continue our improvement in performance and have a strong weekend."

Michael Schumacher:

"There is one thing for sure; no matter how long you are around, it is always something special to race in front of your home crowd. At Hockenheim, I will definitely try my best for my fans who give me such a lot of support, especially over the race weekend. But the German Grand Prix is very special for any German driver. There are very few areas on any race circuit worldwide comparable to the Motodrom, and as a driver you feel that energetic atmosphere when entering.

"It will be the first time for me to come to Hockenheim as a Mercedes driver and I am very much looking forward to the experience. Driving in front of our Grandstand and in front of all the employees, members and friends of Mercedes-Benz will be an emotional moment. I will therefore be extra motivated to give them a weekend to remember. We will have some updates for our car which we hope will give us a step forward so we can look forward to an exciting race."

Ross Brawn:

"The next race at Hockenheim will be our first German Grand Prix as the Mercedes-Benz works team and everyone at MERCEDES GP PETRONAS is looking forward to the occasion. Following two difficult races, we had a stronger weekend at Silverstone where we were able to extract most of the performance from our current package. It was important that we learnt from our experiences and made improvements with Nico's podium finish being a fitting reward for the hard work by the team at Brackley and Brixworth prior to the race. The modifications which we made to our latest upgrades worked well and we will have a further step in Hockenheim which, with careful management, should also prove to be an improvement. Two home races in a row ensures a busy time for our team and drivers and we hope to demonstrate an equally good performance at Hockenheim in front of our German fans and colleagues as at Silverstone last weekend."

Norbert Haug:

"The German Grand Prix at Hockenheim is a classic for Mercedes-Benz, and with particular pleasure we remember the last race in 2008 when Lewis Hamilton won in a McLaren Mercedes. Now, two years later, we will race at home for the first time with our new Silver Arrows works team MERCEDES GP PETRONAS. We cannot assume to repeat our victory from the last Hockenheim race however we want to present our new team in the best possible way. Nico achieved this at Silverstone when he came home in third place for a podium finish, and it would be nice to repeat such a result at the Mercedes-Benz home race. At Hockenheim, we will have many fans who will keep their fingers crossed for Michael, Nico and the Silver Arrows. The 6500 tickets in the Mercedes-Benz grandstand have never sold out quicker than this year and we will have a fantastic programme around the grandstand for all Hockenheim visitors. Driver interviews, test drives with new Mercedes cars at the Safety Driving Centre and live music will all make for an entertaining weekend for our fans. Of course, we do not forget that what counts is what happens on the track and there we want to finish in the best possible way."

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Sauber preview the German GP

Pedro de la Rosa:

"Actually I know the old Hockenheimring better than the new one, but the shorter lay-out definitely makes for very good racing. This is especially down to the great overtaking opportunity before the hairpin. I hope we can carry on with the performance we had in Silverstone, although Hockenheim doesn't offer so many high speed corners. The team has improved the car quite a lot since Valencia, and in Silverstone we were able to get the most out of the car's potential. It was very good on Saturday and, of course, I was deeply disappointed when I could not finish the race and score. But I have to look forward, and I think I can fight for points. The Hockenheim track tends to be hard on the rear tyres and we will have to work around that."

Kamui Kobayashi:

"I know the Hockenheim circuit pretty well as I have raced there in Formula Renault, Formula 3 and GP2. I actually quite like the track. It has some narrow sections, but also a long straight and this combination makes it a very technical circuit. It is not easy to find the right set-up for the car there, and this is an interesting challenge. After two good races recently I hope we can keep our momentum and develop the car further. If the new update we will be getting for the German Grand Prix also works, as the last two did for Valencia and Silverstone, I'm confident of scoring points again."

Technical Director James Key:

"After two good races we obviously want to carry on the momentum as best we can at Hockenheim. It's quite a different track to the last two. It's more a mix of slow speed corners in the final section, where you can gain lap time if you get it right, and to a certain extent quite a bit of straight line running. It's gonna be a tradeoff between downforce and drag. Braking stability will be important to get the best out of the slow speed corners. There are some high speed areas, which we think will suit our car well. "Most interestingly it's a circuit where you have one or two good overtaking opportunities. Tyre compounds are extreme, they are either very soft or very hard, so it will be interesting to see how that works out for qualifying and the race. This will increase the workload on Friday and Saturday to make sure we have a good understanding of both compounds. We will have several aero updates on our C29, including a modified diffuser. It's a package which is again a step in the same direction we've been pursuing for Valencia and Silverstone."

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Hispania Racing preview the German GP

Sakon Yamamoto:

"I have a lot of good memories of the circuit in Hockenheim. I like the track layout with the passing point at the end of the long straight and also the Stadium sector, which is very challenging. There is always a nice atmosphere with the spectators at the grandstands and I am always looking forward to come back to Hockenheim. Compared to Silverstone, I think we are more competitive and we can achieve a good result again. The last race weekend was very exciting for me. Now, the team has given me another chance to race on Sunday and I will do my best to prove that it was the right decision."

Bruno Senna:

"I am looking forward to the race in Hockenheim as I have had a podium finish in GP2 in 2008 and I really like this track. It is a very interesting circuit with a mix of a wide and fast new section and a twisty and technical old part, which makes it challenging to set the car up. The stadium area is extremely difficult to get right and catches the driver on how much speed you can carry and how much of the track you can use. Hockenheim is one of the circuits where downforce is not as important as Silverstone or Barcelona, so I believe we will be slightly more competitive against the other new teams and I hope to have a good battle against them."

Colin Kolles:

"After the solid result we could achieve in Silverstone, we want to go on like this and show a good performance again. The circuit in Hockenheim has a mix of slow and medium speed corners, and it requires strong measures of downforce. Because of this mix, it will be challenging to find the right set-up for the car. About 60% of the track is run under full throttle and it is especially demanding for the aerodynamic efficiency of the car, as well as the engine."

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Bridgestone preview the German GP

Hiroshi Yasukawa - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport: "Germany is one of the biggest and most important automotive markets in Europe, so it is imperative that Bridgestone has a strong presence here. It is interesting for us to alternate between races at Nurburgring and Hockenheim. Our local market works hard in Germany and our tyres have received many accolades in this market. We have recently seen a significant increase in the television audience figures as there are several German drivers this year, and of course the return of Michael Schumacher has had a positive impact. I am also interested to see the effects of bringing the hard and super soft compounds to this race."

Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development: "This will be the first time that we have raced at Hockenheim with slicks since 1997, and the circuit configuration then was very different. The circuit layout features a long left hander before the hairpin where it is important to have good stability. After the hairpin, there are strong traction demands on the rear tyres. Elsewhere, a good overall balance is required. We have a unique opportunity with the nature of the Hockenheim circuit allowing us to bring the softest and the hardest tyres from our range. This should provide a challenge for everyone and should be interesting. The weather will play a factor too. If it is hot then the super soft will be a challenge to manage for stability and durability. If it is cold then ensuring the hard is in its temperature operating window will be a tough task."

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Kimi tight-lipped on F1 return chances

Kimi Raikkonen says he has plenty of options for 2011 as rumours of a return to Formula 1 continue to swirl, but declined to give any hints as to whether he will continue with his rallying career.

The 2007 world champion dramatically quit F1 at the end of last season when a planned return to McLaren fell through, and switched to the World Rally Championship with Citroen's Junior team.

With his rallying programme backed by Red Bull, there was initially speculation that he was being lined up to return to F1 and take Mark Webber's seat next year - but Webber's great form this year and subsequent contract renewal swiftly quashed that story.

There has subsequently been talk of a serious approach from Renault, and gossip linking the 'Ice Man' to Mercedes.

But this week's Autosport magazine carried a report suggesting Raikkonen would spurn any F1 offers and instead commit to at least one more year in rallying, having started to get to grips with the very different sport following an inconsistent start.

However the article said that his deal would be with Red Bull's motorsport programme rather than the Citroen rally squad specifically - leaving the door open to a potential longer-term F1 return with one of Red Bull's teams, or even a move to NASCAR, where the drinks giant also has a squad.

When quizzed about his plans during last weekend's Rally Bulgaria, Raikkonen refused to give anything away, but confirmed that he was facing some tough choices for 2011.

"For sure I’ll let everybody know, when I make the decision," he said.

"There are always options to do many things.

"I have to take the right one for myself."

Raikkonen is currently 10th in the WRC standings, with a fifth place in Turkey his highest finish so far.

But he was impressing on his first asphalt WRC round in Bulgaria last week, running fourth early on and matching some of the leaders' stage times before crashing at the end of day one.

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Vettel: Schumacher hasn't lost it

Sebastian Vettel believes criticism of his countryman Michael Schumacher's performances since returning to Formula 1 is unfair.

The younger German - nicknamed the 'new Schumacher' when he first burst onto the F1 scene - remains convinced that Schumacher can still recapture the form that made him a seven times world champion, even though he has underwhelmed on his comeback so far.

"Obviously he has been criticised a lot lately in Germany, England, everywhere I think," said Vettel.

"I think he does a very good job - I don't think it's easy to stop for three years and then come back.

"I think if anybody can manage it, he can."

Vettel believes everything could click into place for Schumacher if his Mercedes team can make a little more progress.

"Obviously the car he's in at the moment is probably not the most competitive one, and it's always hard from the outside to make a fair judgement about what is going on, if the car is to his liking or not," said the Red Bull star.

"I still think he can play a very big role in this year's championship.

"I think Mercedes will come back, they will have strong races this year and I think they can be able to win races."

The two Germans went wheel to wheel on track in China and Britain in particular this year, and Vettel has no doubts about Schumacher's racecraft.

"You can feel that it's not just anybody racing you," he said.

"I remember the race in China, there was a lot of passing and so on, but you realise he knows how to defend well and he knows how to kill your run, let's say, and to defend his position better than most.

"In some other actions you see, like in free practice, it shows you there's something special going on.

"Obviously the results are not the best, but I think that will change.

"If someone wins seven titles, you'd think he had to be something special."

Vettel also predicted that Schumacher would remain the biggest draw for fans at next weekend's German Grand Prix - despite the rise of the country's new generation.

"I don't think you can take his place, he is still the best known racing driver in Germany," said Vettel.

"Due to him, Formula 1 is a very big sport in Germany.

"I don't think people will forget that quickly, but surely with good results, drivers like Nico [Rosberg], myself and others can get better known, but Michael is still a long way ahead in those terms."

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Chandhok respects rotation policy

Karun Chandhok insists he respects Hispania Racing's decision to drop him for this weekend's German Grand Prix.

The Indian driver will make way for reserve driver Sakon Yamamoto at Hockenheim. This comes two weeks after Bruno Senna was forced to sit out the British Grand Prix.

Besides the trio of Chandhok, Senna and Yamamoto, the team also have Christian Klien with a super licence.

The 26-year-old Chandhok admits it was always going to be difficult to be behind the wheel for all 19 races this season with so many drivers on Hispania's books.

"The team have taken a decision that they're going to rotate drivers between the four of us that are on contract with the team," he told Talksport radio.

"At the end of the day we're not fighting for the World Championship or for points and with the current testing regulations it's quite difficult for them to evaluate drivers during a season.

"Obviously all four of us are super licence drivers, so we can't do the young driver days at the end of the season. And we missed the pre-season testing.

"It's a team decision and I've got to respect that.

"Of course as a driver you want to drive all the time but at the end of the day you have to respect the decision of the team."

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Heikki: We've done better than expected

Heikki Kovalainen believes Lotus Racing have done a lot better than expected during the first half of their debut season.

Although the Norfolk-based squad haven't scored points so far this year, they've outperformed the other two rookie teams on the grid. Kovalainen's best performance to date is a 13th place finish at the Australian Grand Prix at the end of March.

The Finn admits their reliability woes have been frustrating, but is happy with how things have gone so far.

"I think it's gone better than I was expecting but perhaps the reliability problems have been worse than I thought they would be," he told GPUpdate.net in an interview.

"We had some initial problems and then at the end of winter testing it looked better. Then we got the second lot, which in a way is quite normal once you get a car running... you get a second lot of problems; once you clear them, the car is quite reliable, but we've had them for quite a long time and perhaps not enough testing to get rid of them quickly.

"I think it's also fair to say that the hydraulics have been letting us down too many times, so I don't think the supplier has done a good enough job, but in the last few races that has been improved.

"In terms of performance, in terms of developing the team and the car, moving away from the other new teams and catching the cars ahead of us, I think we've done better than expected.

"We look cool; we have a new motorhome, the team looks professional. It looks cool and it runs like any other professional race team, so that's very good."

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Petrov: I still need to improve

Vitaly Petrov admits he needs to work more closely with the team and improve further in the remaining races of the season.

Rookie Petrov is reportedly finding it difficult to hang onto his Renault seat and seven drivers are in line to replace him.

Team principal Eric Boullier recently had encouraging words for the Russian saying "we have not been disappointed by him - he clearly is the best rookie in the paddock, but also warning that "his future is in his hands" and the team "need to have both cars scoring points".

The 25-year-old Petrov concedes he still has a lot of work to do.

"I'm looking forward to the rest of the season and using the experience that I have gained so far," he said. "I know that I still need to improve, but I'm doing my best to work more closely with the team and Robert to improve the car. I feel that I have a really good relationship with the team and we know each other pretty well by now. We spend a lot of time together, we go to dinner together and I spend a lot of time at the factory. Being very close with them will help me get the most from every weekend."

Looking ahead to this weekend's German Grand Prix, Petrov says his main target is to keep up with team-mate Robert Kubica.

"As always the first target is to be close to Robert's pace," he said. "Then I need to qualify in the top ten and finish the race. I think that qualifying is my number one priority for the weekend because we know how it important it is for the outcome of the race."

Kubica on the other hand has outperformed expectations this year, claiming two podiums in his points haul of 83. However, he struggled during his last outing at Silverstone where he was forced to retire.

The Pole predicts it will be another tough weekend for them in Germany.

"As usual, I will try to do my best and to extract the maximum from the car," he said. "Most of the teams we are racing now have both the F-duct and the blown floor, so I think it could be quite a tough weekend, and we need to make sure that our pace is more competitive than at the last race. But if it's what we call a tough weekend for us is like in Silverstone, when we still could have finished P4 or P5, then I'll take it straight away."

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McLaren not ready to make Lewis No 1

McLaren have made it clear that they are not ready to hand the number one status to Lewis Hamilton just yet.

Hamilton is leading the World Championship by 12 points from team-mate Jenson Button with nine races to go in the season.

Their main rival for the Championships Red Bull have already indicated that they will give preference to the points leader when it comes to new equipment, but McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh says they won't be doing the same.

"I'm sure Jenson hasn't given way to Lewis's Championship charge," he said during a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team phone-in. "He'll want to win this weekend, he'll want to move that momentum back in his favour - and that's how it should be.

"Jenson is second in the Drivers' Championship and has had two great wins this year.

"He's proven he's a great racing driver, a great reader of the race and also someone who can recover from 14th to fourth [at Silverstone] is a phenomenally quick and adept racing driver and someone who has a lot of determination."

Whitmarsh also warns it's too early to dismiss Ferrari and Mercedes' challenge in the World Championships.

"I'd love to believe that but experience has told me you can't write Ferrari off," he said. "They're a strong team, technically capable, with fantastic resources. They've got a former world champion and one other top-line driver.

"Mercedes similarly have another multiple world champion and a very good driver in Nico as well."

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Renault preview the German GP - Q&A

Robert Kubica, Silverstone was a tricky weekend for you, culminating in your first retirement of the year. Talk us through it…

RK: In the end, we were struggling with the general grip of the car and our feeling on the performance side was that we were less competitive than we had been at the previous race. Everything was looking grey until the final part of qualifying, but I managed to qualify sixth which I think was quite surprising looking at our performance up to that point. It was even more surprising to be third in the first stint, after a good start and a good first lap, but our pace wasn’t great in the race and, even before the driveshaft problem, the car didn’t feel like it usually does. I think much of it was down to circuit characteristics because our least competitive circuits this year have been Barcelona and Silverstone, both of which have a lot of high-speed corners.

Looking to Hockenheim, do you expect the R30 to better suit this circuit?

RK: It’s a more normal track with a more normal mix of corners. There are two very high-speed corners, at turn 1 and turn 12, and the rest are low and medium-speed. The track surface is very smooth, so you have to get the absolute maximum out of the car’s mechanical grip, and there is also one very long straight, where you have to make sure the car is competitive on top speed. All the cars we are racing already have an f-duct system, and this makes our life harder because we may have to reduce downforce to be competitive on top speed, which could cost us in the corners. We will have to evaluate the best compromise for us on Friday.

For this race, there will be a bigger gap between the tyre compounds, with Bridgestone bringing the super-soft and the hard tyres. What challenges will that present?

RK: At first sight, the super-soft may struggle to do even one lap in qualifying and the hard compound could go on forever! The weather and the track conditions will have a big influence on how they perform: from experience, it will be tricky to make the super-soft tyre work properly, while the hard tyre should be okay. The other factor is that we may see a big balance shift between compounds, and that may make the weekend quite tricky and interesting from the tyre point of view.

What are your performance expectations for the weekend?

RK: As usual, I will try to do my best and to extract the maximum from the car. Most of the teams we are racing now have both the f-duct and the blown floor, so I think it could be quite a tough weekend, and we need to make sure that our pace is more competitive than at the last race. But if it’s what we call a tough weekend for us is like in Silverstone, when we still could have finished P4 or P5, then I’ll take it straight away.

Vitaly Petrov, let’s look back to Silverstone - another promising race ruined by a puncture…

VP: I enjoyed the race but, of course, I was disappointed with the outcome. I was almost in the points when I had some bad luck with the puncture, so we could have got a much better result. But what is done is done, and it was still good to finish all 52 laps of the race. This gives us lots of information about the car and the track, which was especially important with Robert’s race ending early.

You now have ten races behind you, what is your frame of mind as we enter the second half of the season?

VP: I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and using the experience that I have gained so far. I know that I still need to improve, but I’m doing my best to work more closely with the team and Robert to improve the car. I feel that I have a really good relationship with the team and we know each other pretty well by now. We spend a lot of time together, we go to dinner together and I spend a lot of time at the factory. Being very close with them will help me get the most from every weekend.

As a rookie, each race is a big learning experience. Where do you feel you can still improve?

VP: I think that the information and feedback I give the team is something that is very important. When we have a new upgrade, we need to have a good understanding of how it works and how it improves the car, and it’s down to me to give the team the right information. Being accurate with my feedback is also important for improving the set-up and getting the most from the car so this is where I am working hard.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s race in Germany, what are your views on the Hockenheim circuit?

VP: I know the circuit because I’ve raced there before in GP2. It’s quite a difficult track and there is usually close racing so you need to be quite tactical with your driving. There are some corners where you can overtake, like the hairpin at the end of the long back straight. Overall I think it should be a good circuit for our car.

What are your objectives for the weekend?

VP: As always the first target is to be close to Robert’s pace. Then I need to qualify in the top ten and finish the race. I think that qualifying is my number one priority for the weekend because we know how it important it is for the outcome of the race.

Robert’s guide to Hockenheim:

I enjoy Hockenheim and I’m looking forward to going back there for the first time since 2008. It’s an interesting track, although I feel the old Hockenheim circuit had much more character, but I never raced it. It’s a track where sometimes you are very quick and you don’t know why, and sometimes you are slow and you don’t know why. I find it quite tricky to find the right balance and optimum performance, but it’s a track where you can find a good rhythm.

In terms of the set-up, it’s the kind of track where you need everything. There is a long straight so you need quite a good top speed, but you also need downforce for the final sector. So there are two different ways to approaching Hockenheim: some cars are very quick in the first and second sector and then struggle in the final sector, where you need the downforce. Other cars do the opposite, sacrificing their top speed, but doing very well in the third sector, the stadium complex.

The current track has a couple of corners that are quite interesting, especially turns one and 12 – which are both high-speed. When you look at turn one from outside of the car, you would not imagine that you would go so quickly through this corner because it’s so short, but you can carry quite a lot of speed actually. Turn 12, the entry to the stadium, is also a nice corner, although lately you are not able to use so much of the outside kerb because there is some artificial grass and that makes it quite a tricky place.

All the other corners are medium to low-speed corners and are quite tricky. Turns 16 and 17, for example, which make up a double right-hander just before the start-finish line create quite a lot of understeer. It’s a long corner and a bit off-camber and it’s a bit like a double-apex corner.

Turn 13 is quite interesting. There’s a lot of camber so you can go very deep into the apex and get quite early on power. Of course, you have to watch that you don’t lose the car out of the camber in the exit of the corner.

The best overtaking opportunity is the big braking zone before turn six, which is a really low-speed hairpin after the long straight. It’s a first gear corner and we have seen lots of action there in the past.

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Lotus Racing preview the German GP

Heikki Kovalainen:

"Germany's always a good race - Hockenheim's usually hot and the fans make sure there's a great atmosphere around the whole circuit. The stadium section in particular is amazing – with all the horns blowing, the flags flying and the odd flare being set off, it feels like you are in a football stadium or something. That makes it a great place to watch from if you're a spectator, and for the drivers it's cool - we can see all the fans packed into the stands and it looks pretty hardcore.

"The circuit itself is pretty good. You can overtake at the end of the long straight at the hairpin but there aren't many other places where you can get past. It's relatively hard on tyres and in the past the heat has made the tyres blister, but we shouldn't get any of those problems with this year's tyres. Bridgestone are bringing a super soft and a hard, so there should be a clear performance difference between the two – we'll see how that shapes up over the weekend."

Jarno Trulli:

"Hockenheim has some real history and in its old guise it demanded a lot from the drivers, in terms of setup, driving and in getting all the little details right. However, now it's a more conventional circuit, and while I like it, I preferred the old layout. I was on the podium there a while back, and I won the German F3 Championship there many years ago, so it does hold a lot of good memories for me. It's always hot when we go there, and the fans are very passionate, so I hope we can put on a good show for them, and show what Lotus Racing is all about."

Dieter Gass, Lotus Racing Sporting Director:

"We're all looking forward to Hockenheim. Obviously the circuit is quite different now from how it used to be in the past - then, it was an extremely difficult circuit on which to find a decent set up – long straights that took you into the forest and then slow corners in the Motodrom stadium section meant it was hard to find a suitable compromise between downforce and grip – you don't have to make such a big compromise anymore because the straights simply aren't as long now. But, you still don't run maximum downforce here – you take a bit of wing off to take account of the straight, and give the driver the chance to overtake at the end of that, in turn six.

"I think our car will suit the circuit well. You have a different speed profile than Silverstone, which didn't really suit our car, but in Hockenheim I think we'll be better off. We had a big update package in Silverstone which we couldn't exploit fully as we were lacking running and setup time, so we'll be looking to get the best out of that in the Friday and Saturday practice sessions. We'll be able to play with the ballast a bit more here as well, which will help us find a better balance, and the team have spent some time in the factory this week practicing pitstops, so we should see the times come down in Germany. All in all it should be a good weekend."

Riad Asmat, Lotus Racing CEO:

"Firstly it was great to see Fairuz in the car in Silverstone on Friday; testing is obviously extremely limited so it was good for him to get some experience and practice in the car. He certainly deserved his time in the cockpit but mechanical problems unfortunately meant he didn't get as much track time car as he could have – we are running him in FP1 in Hockenheim instead of Hungary, so he's getting another chance to show what he can do a week early and it'll be good to see him back on track again in Germany.

"I was in the car with Tony on the way to Silverstone on Saturday when he reminded me that it was at the British Grand Prix in 2009 that he first met Mike and the Lotus Racing dream began. He was quite nostalgic and was telling me that a year ago he couldn't drive in certain places around the track without the sticker on his car, whereas now he is a Team Principal he can go everywhere! Well, almost... He has built so much out of the dreams he has pursued, with success of course, and he believes that Lotus Racing is another opportunity that will be a success. Last weekend was a year to the day that this adventure began, and now we're already looking five years down the road and how far we can go."

[MIKA27]

German Grand Prix preview

With six of its own in the field, Germany has the biggest contingent of any nation in the 2010 Formula 1 entry - and five of them can aim for points at the very least on home turf this weekend.

And given some of the events of this season, there have been times when Germany has been pretty dominant in the headlines too.

The combination of the return of German legend Michael Schumacher and the rise of the 'new Schumi' in the form of Sebastian Vettel was always going to make this year's Hockenheim race a very special affair.

Vettel and Schumacher are central to two of the sub-plots of this fascinating championship tale: the Red Bull team status rows, and the speculation over whether Schumacher will come to regret his comeback.

The Hockenheim organisers perhaps hoped that their race might see a head to head battle for victory between the two national heroes, but that appears highly unlikely.

Schumacher has yet to set foot on the podium for Mercedes, or really even look like doing so.

Getting back into the swing of things after three years away was never going to be a quick or easy process in an era of limited testing.

But the worry for Schumacher's fans is that rather than edging closer to his old form, he appears to be flat-lining.

He briefly got on top of the intra-team battle with Nico Rosberg around Spain and Monaco, then slumped again.

Part of this was due to Mercedes falling off the pace, but it was Rosberg who led it back to the podium when it came good at Silverstone.

Schumacher's racecraft is as tough as ever - but rather than pulling off spectacular passes for the lead, he's now having to use all his experience to try and fend off drivers and teams who would never have imagined racing wheel to wheel with the seven-time champion in the old days.

And more often than not, they're still getting past him.

Will racing at home help him turn things around? The majority of the crowd will certainly hope so.

Schumacher never really had the Nigel Mansell experience of finding extra speed from being at home - though he won four times at Hockenheim and six times at the Nurburgring during his incredible career, most of those were 'business as usual' victories, bar his incredible late pursuit and pass of Jean Alesi in the 1995 Nurburgring race.

But the tens of thousands of adoring fans letting off their fireworks in the stands will be desperately urging him on, hoping for a few sparks of the 'real Schumi' and maybe even the start of a turnaround.

It's certainly a massive weekend for Mercedes, which is so keen to establish itself as Germany's national team, but realistically on present form it's going to be Rosberg who will be leading its challenge - and Vettel who offers the best opportunity for a home win.

Vettel was left pretty battered by Silverstone. Webber's fury at the controversial front wing switch was clearly directed at the team, but it still impacted on Vettel, who came across as the unfairly favoured driver.

Though he won't lose too much sleep over the dents to his paddock reputation (remember when he was nicknamed both the 'new Schumi' and the 'nice Schumi'?), dropping back to fourth in the points again having only managed seventh thanks to the first lap puncture will really hurt - and has added further pressure to get things back on course this weekend.

The best way for Vettel to move the story on is to win, beating Webber fair and square with equal equipment and no controversies, and put the whole saga behind him.

Unless McLaren hits the sweep spot immediately with its reintroduced blown diffuser in practice, or Mercedes, Ferrari or Renault has found something spectacular in the last fortnight, Red Bull ought to have the benchmark car again at Hockenheim - which is now a rather average track that at least allows for potentially good racing on the run down to the back hairpin.

There are no fast corners for the RB6 to really stretch its legs on, but it didn't need those to win in Monaco or Valencia - it is simply the car to beat on any kind of track these days, albeit not by much, which is why Red Bull can ill afford to let 'internal issues' drag it into the clutches of the chasing pack.

German fans know heading to Hockenheim that a dream result is possible this weekend: a Vettel victory, Rosberg on the podium, Schumacher turning things around, the ever more impressive Adrian Sutil getting in the top six, Nico Hulkenberg scoring again and Timo Glock topping the new teams group.

Any or all of those things could happen, which makes this perhaps the most exciting home GP for German fans ever - the first time they have had so many homegrown talents capable of achieving great things.

But equally it could all go horribly wrong for the two men most of the attention will be focused on, for if Schumacher disappoints again or Vettel doesn't get back on top in his battles both with his team-mate and the rest of the title-chasing crowd, then the pressure on Germany's top men will get even heavier.

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Villeneuve clarifies funding rumours\

Jacques Villeneuve has moved to distance himself from reports that the son of controversial Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi is an investor in his new team.

As Villeneuve looks to strengthen his bid to have his team join next year's grid, there has been some speculation as to whom the team's financial backers are, with Gaddafi's son named as a possibility by sections of the Italian press.

However, the former World Champion has moved to quell such reports, reiterating that 'Villeneuve Racing' is a partnership between himself and GP2 outfit Durango, with their sponsorship all of a corporate nature.

"There are a number of rumours circulating at the moment and I wanted to clarify a few things before this gets out of hand," the Canadian said in a statement.

"The team will be a joint venture with Durango, and based out of Italy. To be clear, right now all the money comes from corporate sponsorship, and not from personal investors," he added.

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Barrichello aiming for another points haul

Having qualified and finished in the top ten at both the British and European Grand Prix, Rubens Barrichello is looking to continue his good form in Germany.

After an indifferent start to the season Barrichello and Williams have come on in leaps and bounds, with the experienced campaigner finishing fourth in Valencia and fifth at Silverstone.

The Brazilian is well aware of the difficulties presented by the Hockenheim track, a circuit where it can be tough to get the car's set-up right.

"Hockenheim is a very challenging track, particularly for setting up the car," Barrichello explained.

"Despite the revisions a few years ago, the circuit still has a longish straight, but if you set up specifically for that you just lose time in the infield area. It's quite a high speed course, and you need straight line speed in order to attack into the corners."

Williams will be aided by the implementation of further developments in Germany, and Barrichello is hopeful that they will aid his charge for a points finish.

"The team are still working hard to bring more improvements to the car. It would be positive to continue our recent run of form at Hockenheim and stay within the top ten."

Hockenheim holds special memories for Barrichello as it was the site of his first GP victory, and he's not the only Williams driver who will be feeling sentimental this weekend, with Nico Hulkenberg participating in his first home GP, a moment he's relishing.

"Racing in front of a home crowd is a different experience to going to any other Grand Prix," explained the youngster.

"I know that the German fans are really looking forward to their race and they'll create a really buzzing atmosphere. Everything will be a little more focused on the German drivers, so it will be a busy weekend," he added.

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Report: HRT to sign Toyota deal

Hispania Racing are set to take over Toyota's former F1 setup, according to reports in Italy.

Having split from Dallara who built their chassis for this season, the future of HRT has been uncertain with speculation regarding their future rife.

However, a deal with the Cologne-based outfit would secure the Spanish team's immediate future.

According to Italy's 422race the team will not just make use of the technical facilities provided in Cologne, but also the team's staff and the designs of what would have been Toyota's 2010 car.

Stefan GP had looked to buy Toyota's operation as they scurried to try and secure a spot on this year's grid, but with their efforts in vain and the team now surprisingly quiet it seems plausible that should HRT boss Jose Ramon Carabante be able to front the cash that they could make Cologne their new home.

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Vettel happy to be heading home

Sebastian Vettel is relying on home comfort this weekend to provide him with an edge in the German Grand Prix.

Just as title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button employed the support of the British fans to fuel their ambitions 10 days ago at Silverstone, so Vettel will do the same around Hockenheim.

The 23-year-old, whose home town of Heppenheim is just 30 minutes away, heads into his home race with the latest furore surrounding Red Bull Racing still reverberating around Formula One.

Vettel maintains, however, he is a driver far from burdened by the weight of expectancy that will be brought to bear over the next few days.

"Hockenheim is only half an hour from my home town so I get to see family and friends as they are very close," said Vettel.

"It's definitely something special, so I don't feel pressure from it.

"It adds an extra bit of motivation and then hopefully you find this extra tenth (of a second) going around the track.

"So I am really looking forward to it, and with six Germans in Formula One now, it's good to go to Germany."

Vettel is still enthused by memories of the old Hockenheim circuit that underwent a considerable revamp ahead of the 2002 race.

Although the track was dramatically shortened and the famous forest section dispensed with, it has lost none of its appeal to Vettel.

"I remember seeing the cars going around the track as a kid," added Vettel.

"I went once with my father to see a free practice of Formula One in 1993 or 1994.

"It was raining like hell so it was not the most enjoyable day, but to hear the cars at the old circuit, coming down the forest, it was amazing. I got goose bumps straight away.

"I have since been there many times with my family, usually with a camper, and it was always a good experience.

"But I like the new circuit and have had good races there, so fingers crossed."

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Daniel Sullivan joins stewards for German GP

1988 IndyCar Series champion Danny Sullivan has been confirmed as the driver/steward for this weekend's German Grand Prix, becoming the tenth experienced driver to become an F1 steward this year. Although Sullivan raced unsuccessfully in Formula One with Tyrrell in 1983, scoring just two points, he enjoyed a long and successful career in the United States.

After working his way through the ranks of junior motorsport, including the British F2 and Formula Three championships, Kentucky-born Sullivan made his IndyCar debut in 1982, racing for Forsythe Newman, before switching to Formula One the following year. He raced in all the 15 Grands Prix of 1983, scoring just two points, before returning to his native America in 1984. After moving to Penske for 1985, Sullivan won the 1988 IndyCar series title with four victories, before retiring in 1995 due to injury.

Sullivan will be joined on the stewards' panel by regular stewards José Abed and Paul Gutjahr, along with national steward Waltraud Wünsch representing Germany.

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Virgin Racing preview the German GP

Timo Glock:

"As always, I'm really looking forward to my home Grand Prix at Hockenheim, which is around 30 minutes from my front door, so it really is a home race for me. It is especially good that this race comes just two weeks after the team's home debut at Silverstone, so this will be the second race in a row where we will have experienced a lot of support from the fans and this always helps to boost everyone just that little bit more. I raced here a lot in the junior formulae when I was starting out in my career and it has a lot of very special memories for me. With so many German drivers competing in F1 this year - six in total - the feeling we will get from the crowd will be incredible I'm sure. It goes without saying that I aim to achieve the best result possible and with the progress we have made in terms of the mechanical and aero upgrades to the car over the last two races I am feeling optimistic."

Lucas di Grassi:

"Our team's home Grand Prix two weeks ago was shaping up to be a very positive weekend for us, so it's disappointing that we encountered the hydraulic problem which ended my race early on. As always though you have to look at the positive and up until that point we had every reason to feel optimistic about the step forward we have made with the car, which is significant. Obviously there is a lot more to come and we have to keep pushing, but to know we are heading in the right direction has given us all a lift for the second half of the season. I really like the Hockenheimring and have raced here many times before in other categories. It's a circuit that requires good braking stability and traction and is quite challenging. I am pretty confident in our car and expect us to be able to prove ourselves as the best of the new teams here again like I did in Valencia."

John Booth, Virgin Team Principal:

"It's hard to believe it but this weekend marks the start of part two of our debut season. However, it is reassuring to be entering into that phase with the knowledge that we have a stronger car, which we intend to keep improving all the way to the end of the season. The next two races, being back to back, present a logistical challenge in terms of moving our trackside infrastructure from Germany to Hungary in the space of three days, but it's a process we are now pretty well-rehearsed at. The next race is an important one for Timo and we look forward to seeing him enjoy the much-deserved support of his many fans and supporting him by doing everything possible to ensure we have the best weekend possible."

Nick Wirth, Virgin Technical Director:

"The successful delivery of the step in performance that we demonstrated in Silverstone has lifted everyone involved with Virgin Racing. Since then, the aero group has been working hard on developing the car, so we'll be adding a host of new aero parts to both of the cars again as we deploy yet more of our digitally-developed downforce. In particular, we were delighted at Timo's positive reaction to our Silverstone upgrade, and we all hope that this next step will make this a happy home race for him in front of the fantastic German fans. The track itself has different chassis requirements to those of Silverstone, but we're confidant of demonstrating more progress. The difference in dry tyre compounds will be a challenge to deal with, and also it looks like we may have the fun of wet conditions thrown in. So all in all, we have plenty to look forward to in our first German Grand Prix."

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Germany: Weekend weather forecast

Welcome to Germany for the build-up to round 11 of the 2010 Formula One World Championship, where the F1 circus could be in for an unsettled weekend weather-wise. Conditions in Hockenheim are clear, sunny and hot at the moment, but thing are forecast to deteriorate from later tonight.

After a day of rain on Thursday, the track action is due to kick off on Friday morning under darkened skies. Although temperatures will rise to a high of 28°C, there is a 60% chance of rain during the day, with the skies forecast to be overcast throughout.

Qualifying-day Saturday will see the intensity and frequency of rain lessen to a few showers, but the track action could still be affected. Temperatures will plummet to a high of just 22°C, making it highly unlikely for teams to qualify on the hard compound tyre.

Conditions are expected to improve again for Sunday, although temperatures will remain relatively low. The skies should clear almost entirely, giving way to plenty of sunshine, but ambient temperatures are only due to reach 23°C.

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Unhappy Massa expects to improve

Felipe Massa says he is far from happy with his season so far, but believes that recent improvements to the Ferrari will help him move up the grid.

The Brazilian began the year brightly with podium finishes in Bahrain and Australia and briefly held the championship lead.

However since then he has finished in the top six only twice and has slipped to eighth in the world championship - over 30 points behind his team-mate Fernando Alonso.

"For sure I'm not happy," said Massa. "The beginning of the season was not like I expected. The first two races were okay, we did two podiums, and then we didn't have good races, especially in the last three.

"When you have three races in a row where something happens in the race and you cannot score points, and you go from being in a good position to suddenly last because something has happened, these things are not nice.

"It was the case in Canada because of the accident at the first corner, and in Valencia because of the safety car, and at Silverstone because I had a tyre issue and went from fifth to completely last."

Massa believes that recent exhaust upgrades to the Ferrari have already helped the team close in on the pace setting Red Bulls and McLarens.

"I would say in the last two races, we brought some new parts on the car which I think was a good improvement," he added.

"Compared to the previous races I think we made a step forward and we had a competitive car. I think it is important to keep your motivation that the car is growing [in pace], and hope that for the next race we have an even better car.

"I think it gives even more motivation to keep pushing and looking for a good result in the next race."

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Tyres tipped to spice up Hockenheim

The German Grand Prix could be spiced up by Bridgestone's decision to allocate super soft and hard tyre compounds, according to Williams technical director Sam Michael.

Bridgestone has opted to supply its softest and hardest tyres for the race in the hope of creating a more exciting contest. Tyre degradation played a key role in making the Canadian Grand Prix a multi-stop, and therefore unpredictable, race and there is hope that the German GP could produce a similar spectacle.

"It will be good for the racing," Michael told AUTOSPORT. "It's possible that there will be more than one pitstop. We've seen that happen at other tracks, so it could definitely happen.

"It has got the potential to throw things up in the air. It's a long time since we've seen tyre blistering on the Bridgestones, so that's probably not going to happen, but it's going to be interesting."

Michael added that the capacity to make differing strategies work is key to making the races more unpredictable.

He pointed to the long first stints on prime tyres that several drivers used to good effect at last week's British Grand Prix as an example of how strategic alternatives can influence the results.

"That's what was good about Silverstone; you could make something different work, which is what Jenson Button and Nico Hulkenberg did. That's pretty rare though. I'm not sure that's going to happen again."