FORMULA 1 - 2010

[MIKA27]

Mercedes GP to start focusing on 2011

Mercedes GP are set to stop work on their current car and switch their focus to the 2011 model.

The team have endured a disappointing season, collecting only 132 points thus far - way off the pace of the front runners and only just ahead of Renault.

In light of the poor performance the team will only introduce one more upgrade package this season but focus will switch to next year's car as early as after the summer break.

"I think there is one more step we want to do before the end of the year to take full advantage of the low exhaust position, that is something we will target for Singapore," explained team boss Ross Brawn.

"That was coming through already but clearly after the break our priority will be the new car."

Brawn admits that the team's performance this year has been a disappointment and that there was no point flogging a dead horse.

"There were another set of regulations this year with no refuelling, and one or two other things," Brawn said of reasons for the team's poor showing.

"We didn't perhaps hit the sweet spot with the current car, so I don't think we will throw much more resource at it.

"We understand what we need to do next year and that is where we are putting our major efforts," he added.

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Ferrari bosses praise improvements

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo and team principal Stefano Domenicali have expressed their delight at the team's upturn in fortune.

The Italian team suffered a poor start to the European season, scoring only four points in Valencia and failing to add to their tally at Silverstone. At the time the team remained confident that they could turn things around, and the last two races have seen this come to fruition.

A one-two in Germany was followed by second and fourth place finishes in Hungary, a situation that has seen Fernando Alonso rejoin the title race in earnest and Felipe Massa pass Nico Rosberg in the standings to claim sixth spot.

"It was a very busy July, which ended in a very nice way for us," di Montezemolo told Ferrari's official website.

"Especially when you look at where we are today, compared to one month ago. For this, I wish to thank our entire workforce, because they put in so much effort to achieve these results.

"The engineers put their heads down and worked on improving the car and the drivers did a great job: Fernando got an amazing start and very nearly managed to take the lead at the first corner, while Felipe brought home a significant points haul, in what was a special race for him, one year on from his accident."

Domenicali echoed the sentiments of the Ferrari boss, praising his driver's performance in Budapest.

"After such a focus on us this week, it is great to see the performance of our drivers, It is very good," he said.

"Fernando did a fantastic race he was able to keep a car that was faster for a long time of the race, and Felipe did a fantastic race, he was able to have a great performance and able to show how he is as a man, as a driver after such a crash and that he is really deserving to be part of our Ferrari family.

"For sure we have seen a Red Bull that was on another planet today, it was too strong for us and in the second and third sector they were flying, considering the gap in performance we have seen this weekend it was really the maximum result that we could have obtained," he explained.

However, both men remain realistic, fully aware of the work that still lies ahead.

"This is the Ferrari I like to see and the one our fans want to see: a team that can fight and deliver the results," said di Montezemolo.

"We must continue like this and then see where we are at the end. We know we must work even harder and with determination on the development of the car, but our people don't need me to tell them that."

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Horner tells Vettel to stay positive

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner has urged Sebastian Vettel to stay positive despite the dark cloud he has lived under this season.

Vettel has endured countless issues, part of the reason why he has only won once despite starting from pole on seven occasions.

Despite complaining of radio gremlins during Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix, Vettel's latest failure to convert pole into a race win was predominantly of his own making.

At the end of a safety-car period the 23-year-old was caught asleep as he allowed team-mate and eventual winner Mark Webber to get too far ahead at the restart.

It was beyond the permissible 10 car lengths, which resulted in a drive-through penalty and a disappointing third place come the end.

Vettel again let his emotions overwhelm of him as he clenched his fists in anger as he drove through the pit lane when serving his penalty, before later remonstrating with FIA race observer Herbie Blasch.

Defending Vettel, Horner said: "Part of the emotion is what makes him so strong, and he obviously has to channel that into the car.

"But he wears his heart on his sleeve, and you could see he was desperately disappointed to have lost a certain victory.

"Unfortunately it didn't go his way, but he's had this black cloud following him for most of the year, although it would be premature to blame the radio for this one.

"But we have to consider ourselves very fortunate we've two very committed, very charged drivers, and that's one of the strengths of this team.

"Unfortunately Seb got a penalty, and when he looks at it he will see why, and it will be very difficult to argue against that.

"But it's all about the points at the end of the year. We've Mark leading, Seb right up behind Lewis (Hamilton), and the target is to get both ahead and to try and stretch our lead in the constructors'."

The positive for Vettel is he is only 10 points behind Webber, which is minimal in relation to the new system this year.

But it is that kind of positive Horner knows he has to get Vettel to also see.

"We have to get him thinking positively because he was obviously frustrated after the race," added Horner.

"But it's all part of a learning curve. There are seven races to go, he's scored a lot of points compared to some of his rivals in this race, and it was a great team result.

"First and third has given us great points going into the summer break."

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Webber: Nothing wrong with RB design

Mark Webber has warned his rivals to stop trying to find fault with Red Bull and concentrate on resolving their own issues.

Red Bull's latest design concept, the front wing, has come under considerable scrutiny given its flexibility at high speed when it is supposed to remain static.

Ferrari have also developed their own version, and although no team has lodged a protest there have been many complaints, despite the wings passing the FIA tests as they currently stand.

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn has, however, claimed the tests are "not correct", and so ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix at the end of the month they are to be improved.

But after Red Bull's innovative exhaust blown diffuser was also frowned upon before rivals caught up, championship leader Webber feels the criticism is all a lot of hot air.

"Our guys have broken their balls to design a car in the spirit of the regulations, and every time we are tested by the FIA, we pass," said Webber.

"The car has always been passed by the FIA, so when people don't like what they see on the stopwatch, they have to justify their own positions sometimes.

"When there's pressure on people to perform and they're getting destroyed, that's how it is.

"Some teams have done certain things, other teams have done other things. McLaren incorporated the F-duct, which is a sensational idea.

"We've turned the world upside down to try and do that which is not without resource difficulties, but that's Formula One.

"We're more than happy with what we have on the car, and we're sleeping well at night.

"You should never penalise things that are ingenious, and people who are doing a good job, and that's sometimes the case.

"There's always something new to bring out of the cupboard."

Webber feels if the critics want to harp on about parity, then Red Bull should be allowed to equalise their engines in line with other teams.

At present the Renault powerplant is down on horsepower compared to the likes of Mercedes, as used by the German manufacturer, McLaren and Force India.

Webber added: "We've been looking for engine parity for the last few years because we know we don't have the most powerful engine.

"When we go to a track where there are not many straights, the car is good because we've had to try incredibly hard to get the car performing on those circuits.

"Other teams sometimes want everything, but we need parity on the engine and then it would be a fair game.

"That's all we want, similar horsepower to other teams. It's not a one-way street with this stuff you know."

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Warwick: I wanted Schumi black flagged

Former Formula One driver Derek Warwick, a steward at the Hungarian Grand Prix, has revealed he wanted to disqualify Michael Schumacher from the race.

Warwick believes showing the German the black flag would have sent a better message to young drivers that such behaviour would not be tolerated.

The Mercedes veteran received a 10-place grid penalty for the next round of the championship in Belgium for the dangerous move which saw him almost edge Williams' Rubens Barrichello into the pit wall at 180mph during the closing stages of Sunday's race.

After initially defending his move, Schumacher on Monday issued an apology to Barrichello, who partnered him at Ferrari from 2000 to 2005.

Warwick, who competed in 162 grands prix for the likes of Toleman, Renault, Arrows and Brabham, was on the stewards panel in Budapest as part of the FIA's decision to introduce former drivers to adjudicate on incidents during races this season, and the 55-year-old would have liked to have taken a stronger course of action.

He told BBC's Five Live Breakfast: "I believe we had three laps to disqualify him from Budapest, and throwing a black flag would have shown a better example to our young drivers that we will not tolerate that kind of driving.

"But by the time we got the video evidence we ran out of time and we had to do it retrospectively.

"We inteviewed Rubens and Michael and it was kind of disappointing how Michael handled it, and we had no option but to give him a 10-place penalty. If we had enough laps (we could have disqualified him) but you have to have video evidence and make sure all four stewards are in agreement."

Although he would have liked to have been able to take stronger action, Warwick reckons the penalty in place for the next race at Spa-Francorchamps still sends the right message.

"You have to view the evidence you have and you could disqualify him from the next grand prix, or two grands prix," he continued. "But we felt a 10-place penalty is a big penalty to carry for Spa. It kind of puts him out of the race at Spa, and hopefully he will learn from that and remember that the new stewards will not tolerate that driving."

After reviewing the incident, Schumacher said on Monday: "I have got to say that the stewards are right with their judgment: the manoeuvre against him was too severe,.

"I obviously wanted to make it difficult for him to overtake me and I also showed him clearly that I did not want to let him past, but obviously I did not want to endanger him with my manoeuvre. If he feels this way, then sorry, that was not my intention."

Following the race Barrichello, who spent six years in Schumacher's shadow at Ferrari, was far from amused, claiming the 41-year-old had resorted to "a go-kart manoeuvre".

Barrichello added: "If he wants to go to heaven - in the event he is going to heaven - I don't want to go before him."

The race was won by Red Bull's Mark Webber, with Schumacher finishing 11th and Barrichello 10th.

The penalty marks the latest disappointment of Schumacher's difficult return to the sport after three years in retirement. The seven-time champion had high hopes of challenging for an eighth crown with Mercedes, but he has been off the pace and failed to match team-mate Nico Rosberg.

Warwick thinks the 41-year-old is already looking towards next season.

He said: "He has been disappointed with the Mercedes and its performance. He is a winner and all he cares about is winning races and winning the world championship. I think his mindset is already looking to 2011 and winning his eighth world championship. This year will become a long season for him.

"I think his legacy is tainted with some of the moves he has had over his career but let's not forget he has won 91 races and seven world titles and he is a great champion, a legend, and is up there with the greatest and we need to give him time.

"He has been three years out of the car and come back alongside Nice Rosberg who has done a great job."

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Q&A with Lotus driver Heikki Kovalainen

Heikki Kovalainen, the personable 28-year-old Finn, has known life at both ends of the F1 spectrum. He came from the architectural splendour of the Sir Norman Foster-designed McLaren Technology Centre to Lotus’s empty shell factory containing Mike Gascoyne and a telephone.

He talks about his first six months with Lotus Racing and looks forward beyond 2010.

Q: How did you find the McLaren/Lotus contrast?

Heikki Kovalainen:

It was obviously a big change but things improved quickly. There was a big difference from the first time I went to the Lotus factory to the second. And now our base looks like a Formula 1 team. It’s not as big as McLaren but it’s a good facility, we will have about 200 people eventually and we can do many things in-house. It wasn’t a big issue for me and I felt a good, racing atmosphere and I’m able to have close contact with all the personnel, so there’s also positives comparing to McLaren.

Q: What persuaded you to join Lotus?

The other options I had did not seem as clear. Lotus had a budget and a clear vision of how they wanted to go forward. The meeting with Mike Gascoyne and Tony Fernandes was very convincing and it felt like a good opportunity to be with the team from the beginning. Hopefully we’ll make progress relatively quickly and I’ll be in a position to take advantage. Maybe other teams would have given me better shorter term options and a quicker car but I liked the idea of being involved from the start. So far I have no regrets. I like it here and there’s a lot of good stuff planned for next year. We should improve in every area and be a stronger team.

Q: How is progress?

I think that concentrating on next year now is the right thing to do. We have pretty much stopped developing this year’s car, it’s just set-up work and some reliability things that we can carry over to 2011. The new car is starting from scratch to be honest, so it will be totally different. It’s a compromise, of course, but a case of trying to maximise next year.

Q: Was your incident with Mark Webber in Turkey an illustration of where you are compared to the leading teams, in terms of things like downforce?

No, I think the incident was just a mistake by Mark! Even if there’s a road car ahead you need to make sure you don’t run into it. It caught Mark by surprise and he obviously didn’t do it on purpose, but I think the performance levels on a short circuit like Hungary shows where everyone is. Even the other leading teams are struggling to match Red Bull. It’s a huge difference in the cars. It’s not ideal but it is what it is.

Q: Lewis Hamilton was obviously strong, and now Jarno Trulli, renowned as super-quick over one lap is your team mate, so how is the comparison?

It’s very good. I get on with him, he is very quick, especially in qualifying, but I beat him in Monaco (the first time a team mate ever had) and I think I’ve beaten him as many times as he’s beaten me. It’s a close battle and in a way it feels good, being able to match and beat Jarno. I think I can take something away from that. But this year I have also worked hard on my race performances. Last year quite often I had tyre problems, dropped off and some of the results were not as strong as they should have been. This year though, I’ve had no problems whatsoever with tyres and I think my race performances have been stronger. That has been the best outcome for me this year. It’s progress and it should help in the future.

Q: Where do you put Cosworth relative to the other engines?

I think they have done a strong job and we have had no reliability problems. In terms of power we’re not far away from the best. It’s not a main issue. I think they’ve done a good job and work hard to cure any issues.

Q: Did you expect the margin to the established teams to be as it is?

It takes time to get used to. You have to drive the car slower, you can’t carry the speed because you don’t have the grip. We have just put it behind us, tried to make the most of it and on a couple of occasions we’ve done really well and been quite close to the cars ahead of us. Red Bull and Ferrari seem to be in a different league, even compared to McLaren. We have a lot of work to do but I think it’s realistic to catch the middle group next year.

Q: So how confident are you that you will race the Force Indias, Toro Rossos, Saubers and Williams in 2011?

That has to be the target and I think that if we don’t do that, then it’s a disappointment. The team is working hard to have a package capable of doing it and I’m pushing hard because I know what we need to do and where we need to improve. You can never be sure but I’m more confident than I was at the start of the season. We also need to learn to do things like better pit stops, because we are always losing 2-3s at every stop. Next year, if the car is quicker, we can’t afford those mistakes. We also need more facility to develop the car through the season but, yes, I’m reasonably confident.

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Renault ready to debut F-duct at Spa

Renault has confirmed it will be ready to finally introduce an F-duct onto its R30 for the Belgian Grand Prix at the end of the month.

The Enstone-based outfit has been the only one of Formula 1’s major teams not to race with the McLaren-pioneered device which helps increase straightline speeds, most of its main rivals having had the system since the early European rounds.

Team technical director James Allison says the F-duct is set to appear on the Renault for the first time at Spa, although he acknowledges it will be a challenge to get the concept working properly straight away.

“We should have that available in Spa,” he said in Renault's post-Hungary podcast.

“Clearly, we’ve seen team after team bring it and noticed the step up in their fortunes once they’ve got it working, but we’ve also seen it isn’t necessarily as easy as falling out of bed to make it work so we’ll have our work cut out in Spa to make sure that we get it working from the off.”

Once the benefits of the F-duct on the McLaren MP4-25 became clear in the opening flyaway rounds, the majority of its chief rivals made the development of their own versions of the device one of their top priorities.

Allison, however, said he made the decision at the time to prioritise developments already in the pipeline at Enstone as he was sure that combined they were going to produce a big step forward in performance.

But while there are just seven rounds remaining in the season, he thinks introducing the F-duct at this stage of the year still makes sense.

“It was very clear from the moment we saw the McLaren in pre-season what they’d done,” he said.

“It was also very clear that it wouldn’t be trivial to emulate it. I think it took most teams three or four races before they had their first versions of it, and some teams longer still.

“We’re the last significant major team to put it on our car and that was a deliberate policy of mine.

“Whether right or wrong, I knew we had a lot of good stuff coming through [in the development process] of a more conventional nature, [and] knew that that was going to tie up a lot of our design capacity and manufacturing capacity, but was very confident that I could get a lot of performance on the car that way.

“Whilst we were pressing on with that, we started to work in the background on trying to figure out how to do an F-duct on our car.

“We had one stillborn attempt that should have debuted two races ago which didn’t work out for us aerodynamically and we had to put it back a couple of races.

“But better late than never.”

With the rear-wing stalling device set to provide a timely straightline speed boost for the flat-out challenges of Spa and Monza, Allison is confident Renault will be ready to attack the final phase of the season in competitive shape on the back of its strong showing last weekend in Hungary.

Indeed he reckons the team may be able to give McLaren a run for its money over the Belgian weekend.

“We’ve no reason to think that we shouldn’t be running I would say strongly up with the McLarens,” Allison predicted.

“So I would hope that we can be ahead of the Mercedes’ and the other [midfield] guys and maybe giving the McLarens a hard time.”

[MIKA27]

Bernie gives Korea the thumbs up

Bernie Ecclestone has again dismissed suggestions that preparations for the Korean Grand Prix are not going according to plan.

The race in South Jeolla is set to take place on the weekend of October 24, but there are concerns that the venue, which is being developed at a cost of over £200 million, will not be ready.

FIA safety delegate Charlie Whiting recently visited the track and said he "found the work carried out to date to be to the highest standards and was fully satisfied with the inspection".

And now F1 supremo has come out and reassured everyone that the circuit will ready.

"They're getting on with it," he told SPEED.com. "Like all new events, until it happens, it's a new event, and people won't believe it. Even when I went to Abu Dhabi three months before the race, I thought, 'This isn't going to happen.'"

Ecclestone, though, admits that the political tension in the region is a cause for concern.

"That's been going on for a long time. You mean if they started a war? It's not good," he said. "It would probably be difficult, the spectators wouldn't come to the race if there's a war, which wouldn't be good. But I shall be there."

MIKA: It is a little risky seeing the US have been running a joint war games test with South Korea of late and North Korea have been threatening both parties to dessist as it could cause more tensions and war.......?

Not a great venue IMO.

[MIKA27]

Button: Consistency is essential

Jenson Button insists McLaren's World title hopes are far from over following a dismal Hungarian Grand Prix weekend - and that their consistency will pay off over the remaining seven races.

Sunday's race in Budapest saw Button finish a lap down in eighth after qualifying back in 11th place, while team-mate Lewis Hamilton failed to finish due to a gearbox problem and lost his World Championship lead to race winner Mark Webber.

The result also saw McLaren fall behind Red Bull at the top of the Constructors' Championship.

Hamilton had said in the aftermath of his retirement that his title hopes were "hanging by a thin thread" given the staggering pace shown by Webber and Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel, while Ferrari's recent resurgence has brought Fernando Alonso back into the title picture.

But Button, a winner in Australia and China this season, remains optimistic that the Woking team can match the pace of their rivals when the season resumes after the summer break with the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa and the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, circuits which should suit the MP4-25's characteristics.

"Clearly we have some work to do to close the gap to the front," Button said in a Q&A on his website. "I know how hard everyone is working back at the MTC (McLaren Technology Centre) to make that happen, and I'm confident that we'll be back in the hunt sooner rather than later.

"That's why I joined this team. Lewis and I are still very much in the hunt, even if the last few races haven't seemed to favour our car as much as they did earlier this year.

"But I know the strength of this team, and our determination and ambition to hit back. We know what we've got to do, and I'm confident that we'll be more competitive in both Spa and Monza, with more to come once we head off for the flyaways.

"As we've seen before in the fight for the World title, consistency is essential, and I think we've probably been the most consistent team over these 12 races.

"Obviously, we'll be looking at raising our game, but it's still valuable that we're able to maintain that consistency - to be able to score good points even when luck's not on our side - so we can continue to fight for the title until the very end of the season."

Despite his tough outing at the Hungaroring, Button remains only 14 points behind the Championship leader, although that mantle has passed to Webber following Hamilton's retirement in Hungary.

Hamilton, meanwhile, is only four points behind the Australian and, having had more time to reflect on the weekend's events, shares his team-mate's optimism that McLaren can recover.

"I know we can come back even stronger in the final seven races," he said on lewishamilton.com. "We have some very promising developments in the pipeline, and we're making progress in lots of other areas, too. We have dug deep before, and I know absolutely that we will dig deep once more.

"With the championship so closely balanced, this is the perfect time for a break. In effect, we'll resume the season as if it's the start of the year again: with everything to play for, and none of the top three teams lagging behind on points. That's really exciting!"

[MIKA27]

Alonso: It's time deliver

Fernando Alonso has warned his four main rivals that they will "all start from zero" when the Championship resumes after a three-week summer break.

The top five drivers in the standings are separated by just 20 points with Red Bull's Mark Webber leading the way on 161 points and Alonso in fifth place on 141.

Alonso, though, knows Ferrari need "to be the best" in the last seven races of the season if they want to walk away with the silverware come the end of the season.

"I think we have to be happy with our Championship so far," the Spaniard said during in an interview on the Ferrari website.

"We've had some good races and some disappointing races as well, but overall I think we are in a position now really close to the leader, a very short distance. We are five drivers fighting for the Championship so we are there.

"There are seven races to go now, so anything can happen. We all start from zero so we need to be the best in this last part of the Championship if we want to win.

"I think we all start from zero. I think no one feels the leader of the Championship and no one feels fifth in the Championship. We all feel a group and it's time to deliver now."

Alonso had to settle for second place behind Red Bull's Mark Webber in Hungary. The Spaniard, though, isn't too upset with the result as he is confident about Ferrari's package for the remainder of the season.

"That was a perfect circuit for Red Bull and we knew that and we need to remain calm," he added. "The Championship is 19 races and therefore the overall picture I think Ferrari has a competitive package.

"We are in a position in which we can take the lead of the Championship if we win one race, so we have to remain calm."

[MIKA27]

Briatore tips Webber for title

Flavio Briatore believes Mark Webber will win this year's world championship, following his victory in Hungary on Sunday.

The former Benetton and Renault team boss, who is Webber's manager, says the Australian has upped his game this season and can fight off the challenger of team-mate Sebastian Vettel, and the McLarens and Ferraris.

"Watch out, Webber is on his way to win the title: what he has done in Hungary on Sunday was phenomenal," Briatore told Gazzetta dello Sport. "But I'm not tipping Webber just because he is one of my drivers, I only state what everyone has seen from home.

"Mark is a driver capable of exceptional feats. He has now reached a maturity and inner calmness that can take him really far. In Hungary he was the first one understanding that he could take a risk in running for three-quarter distance on the soft tyres he had at the start. That was the winning move, but it also demonstrated how much he uses his brain, unlike many others."

Webber's victory lifted him back into the championship lead, but just 20 points cover from his lead to Fernando Alonso in fifth place.

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Renault: Kubica instilling success in team

Renault team boss Eric Boullier believes the team is enjoying improved fortunes this year primarily because of the positive attitude Robert Kubica instills throughout the organisation.

The Polish driver's arrival at the team this year has coincided with its rise from eighth in last year's constructors' standings to fighting Mercedes for fourth this year.

"The biggest strength is the devotion of the people," he told AUTOSPORT. "Competence, devotion and team spirit - this is very important, because it's when you can get the best from the people.

"The key for me is that the driver pushes the team because he wants to win, he clearly wants to do the best he can. That will change the scenario completely. For me that was the biggest weakness of the team last year, drivers not committed."

When talking about the team's slide from world title winners in 2005 and '06, Boullier was critical of Renault's previous management and of double world champion Fernando Alonso.

"We knew on paper the team was capable of winning championships, but also to be eighth last year," he said. "We started to understand where we could put the team back in a better position - and this is what we are doing now.

"I think there was a lack of management, a lack of guidance from the top management, a lack of clear objective. It's difficult to say, because I don't want to criticise anybody. [but] the drivers' situation... Alonso back at Renault after the McLaren situation, and being signed for Ferrari... a driver is a key asset for the team and if the driver is not motivated, not pushing the team enough... because he knew he was moving on.

"That was a key thing for me, and this is what Kubica did. He brought a lot of freshness and a lot of motivation. The lack of results was bringing the team down, because they are very devoted - so no results was clearly very demotivating for them. No management to guide the team, and drivers which were not easy to work with, very arrogant and not pushing the team in the right way. That was clearly the main two components of what was wrong."

[MIKA27]

Lewis moves on from Hungary setback

Lewis Hamilton has shrugged of the disappointment of failing to finish last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, saying that his second place in the standings remains the perfect foundation from which he can claim this year’s title.

Hamilton’s retirement from the race at the Hungaroring with gearbox failure – only the second time this year he’s ended a weekend without points on the board – has allowed Red Bull’s Mark Webber to take the championship lead.

However, the 2008 world champion still trails the Australian by just four points, with seven races of the 2010 season left to run.

“Hungary was a disappointment, but you have to put it behind you,” Hamilton said. “You should never think too hard about the ‘what ifs’ or the missed opportunities. It happened and we move on – it’s that simple.

“Despite it being a difficult race, I can take some positives away from Hungary. I was able to pass a car on track, and the guys once again pulled off a perfect pitstop to put me ahead of Felipe Massa.

“I know we can come back even stronger in the final seven races. We have some promising developments in the pipeline and we’re making progress in lots of other areas too. We’ve dug deep before, and I know absolutely that we’ll dig deep once more.

Hamilton added that he’s looking forward to a closely-fought battle between McLaren and its rivals at Red Bull and Ferrari over the remaining seven races of the year.

“We’re extremely fortunate to have built a car that has not only enabled Jenson [button] and myself to win races, but that has also been competitive at pretty much every grand prix we’ve been to.

“We’ve had some difficult weekends at places like Monaco and the Hungaroring, but on the whole we’ve been consistently fast, made very few mistakes and have usually scored the points we’ve deserved on Sunday – which hasn’t been true of every team.

“I’m pleased with what we’ve achieved so far, but we know that this is really only the foundation for the championship battle, and that what waits ahead of us will truly decide the title. We’ve been here before, we know how to win and we’ll be doing everything we possibly can to make sure we’re a fully competitive force as soon as the championship restarts at the end of August.

“With the championship so closely balanced, this is the perfect time for a [summer] break. In effect, we’ll resume the season as if it’s the start of the year again – with everything to play for and none of the top three teams lagging behind on points.”

[OZCUBAN]

James Allen on flexible front wings

Red Bull’s alleged 'flexible' front wings have been increasingly the talk of the paddock in recent races and the FIA has now responded to the complaints of rival teams by imposing stricter load tests on all wings from the Belgian Grand Prix.

So, with some having claimed the performance advantage from them could be as much as one second; could the clarification be a gamechanger in the title race? Not so, says itv.com/f1 columnist James Allen who writes that, while RBR will likely have to make some changes to its front wing, the secrets of why the RB6 is such a potent force will very much remain.

The FIA has responded to lobbying from McLaren and Mercedes in particular and has decided to beef up the tests they carry out on the flexing of front wings.

On the face of it this will oblige Red Bull and Ferrari to stop their wings from flexing as much as they do now and this will cost them lap time. But let’s look more closely at this and establish how much we think this will slow the cars down relative to the opposition.

The FIA is allowed to change the test as it sees fit thanks to a rule which says: “In order to ensure that the requirements of Article 3.15 are respected, the FIA reserves the right to introduce further load/deflection tests on any part of the bodywork which appears to be (or is suspected of), moving whilst the car is in motion.”

Current rules allow the tips of the wing to flex by 10mm when a load of 50kg, which is 500 Newtons, is applied to them.

But rival teams estimate that Red Bull’s wing is flexing by up to 25mm at high speed and on board TV footage at the weekend in Budapest clearly showed the wing rising up at the end of the straight when the driver braked.

The FIA has indicated that it is likely to double up the test load, with up to 100 kilogrammes onto the wing – and it will only allow a linear increase of deflection up to 20mm, which would appear to rule out the current Red Bull wing.

Now, the key to this is what the FIA technical delegate, Jo Bauer, is physically going to do in Spa to test the wings. And in all likelihood the answer is that he and his boss Charlie Whiting won’t tell the teams what the test will consist of before Spa scrutineering, they’ll have to guess and beef up their wings accordingly.

But this also matters because the linear flexing might only be a part of what the Red Bull nose is doing.

There is a theory among engineers, based on looking at the whole front wing when it’s loaded up, that there is some kind of spring loaded device in the crash structure to deflect the whole wing down, over and above what the wing tips do.

This theory was given some added impetus when Sebastian Vettel’s wing snapped in practice at Silverstone.

This theory goes beyond grabbing a bit of extra downforce from wing endplates being close to the ground, it brings a gain of lowering the front of the car, which is very attractive under the 2010 rules.

So it will depend on how Bauer tests the wing as to how much it slows down the Red Bull car.

How will Red Bull respond? They will look again at the rule and will have to think through whether the new test will be on the wing itself or the wing relative to the chassis, in which case they may have to do more.

With a two week compulsory shutdown, Red Bull will struggle to make anything up for Spa, so although they are likely to stiffen the current wing when time allows, a short-term fix might be to go back a step or two on the front wing.

But the new FIA test loading extra weight on the wing isn’t necessarily going to catch the whole of what Red Bull’s wing is doing.

Most teams, when they think up some brilliant new device, run it past the FIA’s Charlie Whiting first to get a view on whether it’s legal.

It’s the way the FIA like things to be done and the Brawn double diffuser and the McLaren F-duct are examples of that.

But Red Bull Designer Adrian Newey doesn’t tend to work that way and neither did Rory Byrne on the winning Ferraris of the early 2000s. Newey puts things on the car and then waits to see if they get picked up.

Whiting tends to like to keep things out of the public domain and so when he and Bauer pick something up, he marks a team’s cards that he doesn’t want to see it again at the next race.

In this way Newey’s cars can have a few wins under their belt before something is spotted and has to come off.

There is a belief among engineers that some of the ‘all-nighters’ the Red Bull mechanics have done this year have not been simply due to adding last minute parts flown out from England, but because Bauer and Whiting have knocked them back on some new device.

The modification to the slot on the blown diffuser, spotted by McLaren’s Paddy Lowe, is a case in point, but there are likely to have been others.

But even if he does go conservative, which is not in Newey’s nature, rival teams are kidding themselves if they believe that any new flexi wing test will bring the Red Bull within striking range.

Frank Dernie, the veteran aerodynamicist observed to me this week that “The difference in performance between the Ferrari and the McLaren, is probably mostly down to the front wing. But the difference between the Red Bull and the Ferrari is elsewhere.”

The Red Bull in Hungary was another full second faster than the Ferrari, which is therefore about far more than the front wing.

One of the secrets of the Red Bull car is the interaction of the front end aerodynamics of the car with the rear end and how they work together.

No other car comes close to balancing out the front and rear so well and in generating overall downforce and it seems that the other teams are still scratching their heads about how it works.

Looking at – and even copying – something like the front wing in isolation isn’t going to give them the answer. To match the Red Bull they would have to replicate the way the aero devices work with each other and that will take a long time.

By the time they’ve figured that out, next year most likely, Red Bull will be well on with the next thing.

They have built an advantage it will take far more than a flexi wing test to cut down.

But if Adrian Newey has a weakness, it is that he cannot resist the temptation to add extra little things to the car to boost performance – hence the ‘all-nighters’ – and it is often these things which lead to reliability problems.

There will be factions within the team, race operations people most likely and hopefully Christian Horner too, who will now be arguing for Newey to play it more conservative in this respect in the final run-in to the championship and not take risks with too many trick new parts.

They have a big advantage and no doubt some more major upgrades coming, so it is vital that they just harvest maximum points from now to the end of the season and this will bring them both the constructors’ championship for the team and the drivers’ title to one of their drivers.

They have dropped quite a few points through some unreliability niggles, especially on Vettel’s car (although not necessarily ones which have stopped the car) and through driver politics. These remain the two areas where the team can still lose both championships.

[MIKA27]

Great post OZ.

It is a little 'dodgy' that RBR and Ferrari do not inform Charlie Whiting of new designs or changes to their racers until they are spotted and told by Whiting to remove them or alter them to fully comply with the regulations compared to the teams like Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and Mercedes GP.

Having said that, Adrian Newey is a legend with aero and its clear that the RBR car this season is pure genius.

Take into consideration the RBR power train/engine is lower on HP compared to Mercedes engines yet RBR is miles in front. Remove the Felxi front wing or alter it will shave say 1 sec off the overall lap time BUT they will still be way ahead and in the end, it comes down to the aerodynamicists' pure skill in their craft which is why Adrian Newey is so sought after by many teams.

[MIKA27]

Valencia casts doubt over leaked calendar

Doubts have been raised over the dates of an unofficial 2011 calendar that was leaked, with Valencia insisting they're down for a June race.

Earlier this week, Germany's sport1 published an unofficial 2011 calendar, featuring Bahrain as the season-opener and Abu Dhabi as the finale, which is in keeping with this year's schedule.

There were several changes, though, with Valencia's European GP moving from June to August while the Turkish and Monaco races swapped around.

However, an unnamed source at Valmor Sport, the organisers of the Valencian event, insists that the European GP will take place in June.

"Even though it is not yet official, we believe it (the race) will be in June," the source told Spanish news agency EFE.

"After the discussions we had with Ecclestone and the FIA during the grand prix, it is planned that next year's race will take place on a similar date in June."

[MIKA27]

Massa: Ferrari are returning to form

Felipe Massa is happy to be heading into F1's summer break with a couple of good results under his belt after a trying period for Ferrari.

Despite leading the Championship after the opening three races, Massa results suffered as Ferrari's form slumped due to a lack of pace and too many errors.

The Scuderia, though, fought back in recent races, resulting in a 1-2 finish in Germany followed by both cars finishing in the top four in Budapest.

As a result, Ferrari are back in the hunt for the World titles and Massa is feeling a lot more confident about their chances for the remainder of the season.

"It is good to be home after what was one of the busiest months I can remember in my time in Formula 1 and thankfully, it ended with a couple of good results that suggest Ferrari is returning to the form that we expect," he told Ferrari's official website.

However, there is some concern for Ferrari after Red Bull destroyed them in Hungary and would have claimed the 1-2 had it not been for the nature of the track making overtaking difficult.

"In Germany we and they qualified in much the same time and then we were quicker in the race, but in Hungary they were 1.2 seconds faster, which suggests to me that in Hockenheim they underperformed," he said.

The Hungarian GP weekend was also an "important weekend" for Massa on a "personal level" as the Ferrari driver returned to the track that almost cost him his life a year ago.

"Going back there after what happened a year ago and meeting the people in the circuit medical centre, who did such a fantastic job of getting me out of the car, in the ambulance and then into the helicopter was a great feeling," he said.

"On Thursday I had dinner with the surgeon who operated on me and did an excellent job and all of this was something really special in my life.

"On track, I never thought about it when I was going through that corner, although I appreciated seeing the banners that some of the fans had in the grandstands with messages like 'Welcome Back Felipe.' That was a nice gesture.

"Now we have a long break, which means three weekends without racing and even though the momentum has picked up for Ferrari in the last couple of weeks, Felipe is happy to have this break.

"It is important for us drivers to have a rest after such a busy schedule in recent weeks and it is especially important for everyone in the team, who have worked so hard."

[MIKA27]

'Alonso To Blame For Poor '09 Season'

Boullier critical of Alonso

Renault team boss Eric Boullier has lashed out at Fernando Alonso and the team's previous management following their disastrous 2009 campaign both on and off the track.

Despite having double World Champion Alonso on their books, the Enstone outfit finished eighth in the Constructors' Championship last year with just 26 points.

Away from the track things were much worse for the team as they were slapped with a suspended ban and lost major sponsors for fixing the result of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. The team also had to deal with the "will he or won't he leave for Ferrari saga" involving Alonso.

Boullier, who took over as team principal at the start of this year following Flavio Briatore's ban, says the Alonso situation and drivers being "very arrogant" were some of the reasons for their poor showing last year.

"We knew on paper the team was capable of winning Championships, but also to be eighth last year," Boullier is quoted on Autosport.

"We started to understand where we could put the team back in a better position - and this is what we are doing now.

"I think there was a lack of management, a lack of guidance from the top management, a lack of clear objective. It's difficult to say, because I don't want to criticise anybody.

"[but] the drivers' situation... Alonso back at Renault after the McLaren situation, and being signed for Ferrari... a driver is a key asset for the team and if the driver is not motivated, not pushing the team enough... because he knew he was moving on.

"That was a key thing for me, and this is what [Robert] Kubica did. He brought a lot of freshness and a lot of motivation. The lack of results was bringing the team down, because they are very devoted - so no results were clearly very demotivating for them.

"No management to guide the team, and drivers which were not easy to work with, very arrogant and not pushing the team in the right way. That was clearly the main two components of what was wrong."

Renault are performing much better this season and are fifth in the standings with Kubica a podium visitor twice this year.

Boullier has nothing but praise for the Pole.

"The biggest strength is the devotion of the people," he said. "Competence, devotion and team spirit - this is very important, because it's when you can get the best from the people.

"The key for me is that the driver pushes the team because he wants to win, he clearly wants to do the best he can. That will change the scenario completely. For me that was the biggest weakness of the team last year, drivers not committed."

[MIKA27]

Buemi 'confident' of securing Red Bull seat

Sebastien Buemi is 'confident' of securing a seat at Toro Rosso's sister team, Red Bull, sometime in the future.

The Swiss driver joined the Red Bull 'B' team in 2009 and has impressed team owner Dietrich Mateschitz with his consistent outscoring of team-mate, Jaime Alguersuari.

The 21-year-old aims to stay with the Austrian owned empire 'for as long as he can' with his ultimate goal to secure a seat in what is currently the quickest car by some margin.

"Red Bull has helped me so much in the past and is still helping me so I want to stay with them as long as I can," he said in a video interview.

"I want to be scoring points, I want to win races and championships. This is I think pretty clear for most of the drivers."

He did admit that this is unlikely to happen at Toro Rosso as the team resources are just a shadow of those at Red Bull's Milton Keynes factory.

"Now we’ve got to stay realistic, it’s not really easy with what we have [at Toro Rosso].

"But we work really hard and I’m confident in the future I’ll be able to step in the Red Bull which is now the fastest car."

[MIKA27]

Korean GP organisers unveil new logo

The organisers of the inaugural South Korean grand prix have revealed their new logo as the event draws nearer.

The fairly simple logo is said to reflect tradition and high-octane excitement. It was inspired by the Korean national flag as well as the chequered flag seen at races.

"The design is inspired by the Korean flag, or ‘Taegeukgi’, and incorporates motorsports’ most recognisable symbol, the chequered flag," read a statement from the organisers.

“The ‘Taegeukgi’ incorporates the four Taoist philosophical ideals of harmony, symmetry, balance and flow, and its swirling treatment on the KIC emblem depicts both the energy of motorsport and the flow of the circuit."

Mr Yung Cho Chung, the Chief Executive Officer of the Korean Auto Valley Operation (KAVO), said about the logo: "The Yin and Yang elements of the Taegeukgi represent perfect balance and give our emblem a local aesthetic, while the modern design reflects our technologically-advanced new motorsport facility, the only one of its kind in the country and set to become the heart of the sport in South Korea.

"The emblem will be a symbol of motorsport excellence here."

[MIKA27]

Haug: No doubt Mercedes will win again

Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug is convinced the German car maker will return to winning ways following a disappointing 2010 Formula 1 season.

Mercedes took over world championship winner Brawn GP to race under its own name again this year, but the results have not been what the team was hoping for.

Nico Rosberg has scored the team's best results with three third places, as Mercedes is 180 points behind championship leader Red Bull.

Having won last year's championships under the Brawn GP banner, this year's results have been disappointing, but Haug is adamant the team has all the ingredients to bounce back.

"Of course, as we have often explained, we are not where we want to be, but in a way that's the name of the game in Formula 1 very often," said Haug. "I've been here for quite a while and Ross [brawn] has been here longer but most of the time you spend improving and chasing the others.

"And this team has the expertise, having won the world championship last year. Currently we certainly not good enough, that is very clear, but I'm absolutely convinced that we need some time and that we can really improve and make the best out of the situation.

"All of us want to win rather than make up the numbers, that's for sure. But if you look at our history since our first victory in the new era of Formula 1, we've almost won every third race so far and we are going to come back to that rhythm, I'm sure.

"Ross and the team know what they are talking about. It's very clear that they had a world championship campaign last year and they very much concentrated on that and still we do not have a bad car but things don't always fit together always 100 per cent, that's my view. Sometimes you get it better, sometimes you don't achieve your targets.

"It's still not good enough. It's not satisfying for us not to get to the leaders but we have been there before. We have the ingredients, we have the team, we need to concentrate, focus and we are sticking together as a team. And if you are not doing that you are very soon history."

Haug insisted that, despite the lack of results, the team had the full support from Mercedes, who believes Formula 1 is still a good investment.

"We have cut down our budget dramatically," he said. "We are still in Formula 1, while other manufactures are no longer in Formula 1, so we still think this is a great platform, so things are positive. The results are not positive.

"Sometimes a third place like at Silverstone is a little consolation, not when you want to win. But all in all I can say that we can get the job done."

The Mercedes boss also reckons the team can be inspired by how the German car maker has worked its way through the recent crisis.

But he admitted that the team may need to go through some changes if success does not arrive in the future.

"Should after time not get the job done then you will change people," Haug added. "That's the name of the game for everybody. Look how good our company is again in the meantime.

"There was a crisis in the automobile industry and we came out out that crisis. We have record sales, we have better products than ever and I think that's a good example.

"We can use that to come back, to develop in a better way, in a stronger way. And the guys inside the team know how to get the job done, and I think that's important.

"If you've won championships and races before you know how to do it, and the most important thing you have to stick together, and that's what we are doing."

[MIKA27]

Schu’s most controversial moments

After Schumi hit the headlines for the wrong reasons in Hungary, we look back in pics at his darker moments.

From the first weeks of his Formula 1 career Schumacher and controversy seemed to go hand-in-hand. After announcing himself with a scintillating debut performance with Jordan at Spa, a fortnight later he had been poached by Benetton

Schumacher’s first title-winning year of ’94 was full of controversy. At Silverstone he was black-flagged for failing to serve a stop-go penalty after overtaking polesitter Damon Hill on two separate formation laps. A two-race ban followed

The Benetton driver sealed his maiden title in hugely contentious circumstances at the final round in Adelaide as a collision with Hill forced both out of the race, Schumacher having started the race with a one-point advantage in the standings

The Schumacher v Hill battle continued into 1995. At Spa, amid a storming race-winning drive from 16th on the grid, Schumacher’s aggressive blocking moves while trying to hold the lead on dry tyres on a wet track earned him a suspended race ban (Great driving tho!)

Title decider number two and Schumacher is caught red handed as he unsuccessfully tries to ram Jacques Villeneuve off the track at Jerez in '97. Vilified by fans and the press, he’s stripped of second in the drivers’ standings and his image is in tatters

Heinz-Harald Frentzen shakes his fist as he flies off the track in Montreal in 1998 after being forced off the road by Schumacher as the Ferrari man exited the pits. Michael claimed he hadn’t seen his compatriot, but stewards gave him a stop-go penalty

David Coulthard was another driver to feel the need to send hand gestures to Schumacher at Magny-Corners two years later. Squabbling over the lead, DC was frustrated by his rival's robust defensive moves for several laps before finally getting past to win

Schumacher’s legendary battles with Mika Hakkinen were largely clean and amicable. But at Spa in 2000 even the mild-mannered Finn made it clear to his rival that he was far from impressed at being put on the grass at the top of the hill at 200mph (Legendary battles indeed!)

Around the turn of the century Schumacher’s start-line ‘chops’ were being roundly criticised by rivals. At the Nurburgring in 2001 Michael proved even family, in the form of his brother Ralf, were not exempt from the squeezing tactic

Schumacher was a central figure in Ferrari’s original team orders outrage in 2002 in Austria when team-mate Barrichello was forced to give away a hard-earned victory. Schumacher said he was only following instructions too, yet the mud still stuck to him

Whether repaying Rubens for Austria or trying to engineer a near-impossible dead heat, Schumacher chose the wrong time and place to get clever on the finish line later that year at Indy amid a TV viewing figure-killing run of five straight Ferrari 1-2s

Michael managed to infuriate both his team-mate and brother during a late-race charge at Monaco in 2005. Rubens described the risk involved in a bold move on him at the chicane as being “too great”, while Ralf called his brother “crazy” after a late lunge

All the old criticisms of Schumacher’s racing ethics resurfaced at Monaco in 2006 after he ‘parked’ his Ferrari at Rascasse in a bid to safeguard his provisional pole. Cue condemnation from virtually the entire sport and relegation to the back of the grid

Schumi is pushed into retirement in Hungary in ‘06 after contact with Heidfeld following an increasingly desperate bid to hold off rivals on badly worn tyres. Several drivers, notably de la Rosa, accused him of disregarding all agreed driver etiquette

Three years in retirement may appear to have blunted some of the great man’s skills, but Michael has showed this year that, even at 41, he remains as ruthless and determined as ever. In Canada he had several run-ins with other cars, but escaped censure

MIKA: What memories!

Love or hate Schumi, in the end, he tarnished his own name on occasion but regardless, he is a legend winning 7 DWC's and so many poins, podiums and records that still stand and many may never be broken.

The positives as a fan were Mika Hakkinen and Schumi battles, they were the very best IMO.

[MIKA27]

Sutil yet to decide his future

Adrian Sutil says he has yet to decide his future amidst rumours that he is in line for a 2011 Renault race-seat.

In recent weeks, the Force India driver has been rumoured to be on Renault's short list for next season should they opt to replace rookie racer Vitaly Petrov.

However, for now Sutil is refusing to say where his future may rest, wary that a wrong decision could prove costly.

"I'm happy at Force India but I want to move forward," the German driver told grandprix.com "The top teams are pretty much closed, so it's hard to find a better seat than here.

"Scoring points regularly was my goal for this season and next year I want to improve again, whether it's somewhere else, or here."

He added: "It's a tough decision to make right now.

"If you are signing up for something like three years and you're not confident the team is better, then you shouldn't do it."

[MIKA27]

Austin track to cost $200m

America's new Formula One race track will cost an estimated $200 million to build while creating 1,200 temporary jobs.

According to Austin American-Statesman, confidential papers relating to the track, which were released to the newspaper after a request to open records, details several of the figures relating to the new F1 venue.

The track, which should have the capacity to 400,000-plus fans, will be 'built for an estimated $200 million' with the construction employing 1,500-plus workers.

Added to that, a further '1,200 temporary workers would be hired over Formula One race weekends. About 40 employees would work year-round at the track.'

As for money brought in to the economy, Full Throttle Productions, the company that is bringing F1 back to America, reckons the race weekend should generate $300 million for the local economy.

Austin is expected to host its inaugural grand prix in 2012.

[MIKA27]

Todt: F1 awaits Maldonado and Bianchi

Pastor Maldonado's manager, Nicolas Todt, believes his driver is ready to make the move into Formula One next season.

Todt, who is in charge of Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, also manages drivers in feeder series, namely Maldonado and Jules Bianchi.

And although the Frenchman concedes the latter has very little experience in open-wheel racing, he reckons both his drivers could make the move into F1 next season.

"I think Pastor is ripe for F1 right now so next year it will be the right time," he told 422race.com.

"Jules is still young, with only two years of open-wheel experience, which is very few, but he is a great talent and if he has a chance to enter F1 next year will take it.

"The goal is to get into Formula One as soon as possible."

Asked about rumours that Maldonado, who is leading the GP2 title race having claimed five race wins, could be on his way to Sauber next season, Todt said: "I will not go into detail, but obviously I'm talking to some teams about next year for both drivers."