Peter Sauber on Saturday played down rumours linking his Hinwil based team with Nicolas Todt.

Spanish reports on Friday said Frenchman Todt, the 32-year-old son of FIA president Jean Todt, could merge his GP2 team ART with Sauber rather than go it alone in F1 next year.

El Mundo Deportivo said Peter Sauber’s ambition for his struggling former BMW-owned team is to “find a strong and stable partner and again retreat into the background”.

It is also rumoured that Todt recently visited the Swiss team’s headquarters.

But Sauber told the Swiss newspaper Blick: “I am not selling my team!”

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A car defect has prevented Sebastian Vettel from scoring pole position for the Turkish grand prix.

Instead, his on-form Red Bull teammate Mark Webber netted his third consecutive qualifying triumph, and on Sunday could complete a hat-trick of wins from pole.

But Vettel, with his new ‘Randy Mandy’ chassis at Istanbul Park, was actually quicker in Q1 and Q2, and on course for a much faster lap when his front wheel began locking under braking.

“The chassis change has paid off, if only they had changed this braking part too,” Niki Lauda said wryly to Motorsport-Magazin.com after qualifying.

The problem translated to a half-second deficit to Webber for Vettel, allowing McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton to slip between them on the grid.

“It was a tight fight with all of us and I think Seb had a bit of a problem with his car,” admitted Australian afterwards.

The disappointment clearly told on 22-year-old Vettel’s face, having come so close to bouncing back to top form after two races clearly behind his teammate.

“It should easily have been a lot quicker,” said the German.  “I’m not the type of guy who says ‘the car is broken, that’s it’.”

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko described Vettel’s problem as a “pity”, but for the energy drinks brand, its run of pole positions in 2010 remains unbroken.

“One and three is not so bad,” said the Austrian Marko.

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Red Bull has abandoned the F-duct innovation for the rest of the Turkish GP weekend.

Sebastian Vettel’s RB6 was fitted with the McLaren-style rear downforce stalling solution on Friday in Turkey, but although promising he also reported that it had not worked “100 per cent”.

According to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, the team has decided not to use its hand-activated system for qualifying and the race.

“There are undesirable side effects,” confirmed Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko. “We are going to check the data and try again in Montreal,” he added.

Meanwhile, it emerges that after Ferrari used a hand-activated system in Spain, it is believed the developed version in Turkey is controlled by the drivers’ left foot.

“We have solved the problems of Barcelona,” said Fernando Alonso, referring to the fact that downforce was also leaking in the corners. “Our system is not yet perfect. We need to keep working on it.”

It had been reported that Force India’s hand-activated F-duct test on Friday had been a success, but Adrian Sutil said the team still has “a lot to learn” about the concept.

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Mark Webber had another reliability scare during the final practice session before Saturday’s qualifying.

After his engine failure on Friday at Istanbul Park, the back-to-back winner and joint championship leader lost a third of the 60-minute morning session.

The Australian’s Red Bull crawled back to the pits on engine tickover, after his electronic throttle stopped communicating to his replaced Renault powerplant.

And when he returned to the track, Webber – whose teammate Sebastian Vettel topped the session – was among the several drivers who spectacularly spun at the notorious Turn 8.

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton was another driver having trouble with the four-apex bend, spinning and – like Felipe Massa on Friday – cutting all the way to the canvas of his tyres.

Force India’s Adrian Sutil failed to set a laptime due an hydraulic problem.

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Ferrari insists it would only “waste time” to respond to Max Mosley’s latest controversial claim.

As Ferrari celebrates its 800th grand prix in Turkey this weekend, the former FIA president is quoted by British newspapers as saying Luca di Montezemolo last year urged him to abuse his power and fix the outcome of the double diffuser appeal case.

“He was on the phone every day saying, ‘you have got to sort the Court of Appeal out and make sure we win’,” Mosley, referring to Ferrari’s charismatic president, is quoted by the Daily Mail.

“He didn’t put it as baldly as that but that is what he said.  I said, ‘Luca, I’m sorry, but first of all they wouldn’t take any notice and secondly I am not going to do it’,” he added.

A spokesman for the famous Maranello based team responded: “We don’t want to make any comment.  It is better to look ahead and not waste time talking about what is – luckily – old and gone.”

With 70-year-old Mosley indeed departed and the sport generally enjoying Jean Todt’s new regime, one team boss in Turkey insisted that the good work of the former FIA president is not forgotten.

As Williams’ Adam Parr told reporters that the Grove based team recorded a small profit in 2009, he credited Mosley for the team’s mere survival.

Referring to rule changes including the testing ban and long-life components, he is quoted by The Times: “Whatever you say about Max, the only possibility of an independent formula one team existing is because of what he did.”

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Team boss Ross Brawn in Turkey said he hopes Mercedes lines up with an identical driver lineup in 2011.

Both Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher have contracts that extend beyond 2010.

But while Rosberg has been facing rumours that the German team is favouring Schumacher, some have predicted that the seven time world champion might not be willing to prolong what has been a difficult return to F1 so far.

When asked at Istanbul Park if the pair are staying on, Brawn answered: “I hope so.

“Do you know something I don’t?  We’re pleased with the drivers, they’re both enjoying themselves, so yes,” he added.

As for whether 41-year-old Schumacher is tiring of the struggle to regain his dominance of past years, Brawn is quoted by Germany’s Die Welt as saying the famous German “knew it would be an enormous challenge”.

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Adrian Newey has revealed he is unlikely to ever switch from Red Bull to another formula one team.

Red Bull’s highly paid and respected chief technical officer was recently reported to have removed a clause from his contract that set a definite end-date.

The 51-year-old contemplated retirement almost ten years ago, before recommitting to McLaren but then switching to Red Bull in 2006 on an estimated $10m per year retainer.

Newey admits to the Guardian that when he does leave F1, he is not sure what he will do.

“I’ve looked at (designing) yachts but that seems the only sport more anti-social than motor racing.  I don’t know.

“I can’t see myself staying in this in my 60s but I can’t see myself lying on a beach either.  At the same time I can’t see myself moving on to another formula one team,” he said.

When Newey initially joined Milton Keynes-based Red Bull, the infrastructure essentially put in place by Jaguar was not on the level of the top teams.

Now, Red Bull is F1′s pacesetter, and the Briton said: “We’ve managed to create a very good working environment here.  It’s a good, honest, engineering-based team that goes about its task.”

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F1′s governing body on Friday insisted it has “no concerns” about the ear studs worn by Lewis Hamilton during free practice in Turkey.

The 2008 world champion had his ears pierced last week, while in Los Angeles to see his girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger perform on a dance television show.

But when he pulled his balaclava and helmet over the studs on Friday morning, some sections of the media recalled article 2.2.1 appendix L of the sporting regulations.

The section prohibits drivers from wearing jewellery for safety reasons.

“The wearing of jewellery in the form of body piercing or metal neck chains is prohibited,” reads the rule.

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Only two teams are still holding out for a supply of Michelin tyres for the 2011 season.

It has been reported in recent days that an announcement about Pirelli becoming the sport’s new tyre supplier is imminent.

Bernie Ecclestone said on Friday that he hopes the situation is clearer by the end of this Turkish grand prix weekend.

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport claims that ten of the 12 teams are clearly in favour of Pirelli’s proposal.

Some time ago, Ferrari, McLaren, Renault and Mercedes were voting for Michelin.

But Mercedes and McLaren have since switched camps, meaning that if a poll was held today, only Ferrari and Renault would still be holding out for the French marque.

“I think we are getting there.  We are getting organised now,” F1 chief executive Ecclestone told reporters in the Istanbul media centre on Friday.

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Mark Webber on Friday played down the significance of his engine failure in afternoon practice.

Towards the end of the second session at Istanbul Park, the Australian’s RB6 stopped on track with a failed Renault V8.

But although Red Bull has suffered several reliability problems in 2010, the joint championship leader said the engine fitted to his car was high on mileage.

Drivers are allowed to use any of their allocation of eight engines on a Friday, with one engine only needing to be used consecutively on Saturday and Sunday.

“We were expecting it to be right on the edge,” said Webber.

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Red Bull’s new F-duct system in Turkey did not function “100 per cent” on its Friday practice debut.

Sebastian Vettel’s RB6 was fitted with the McLaren-style innovation for the 180 minutes of practice, while teammate Mark Webber’s was not.

Vettel was the quicker of the pair in the morning, but even with his engine failure in the afternoon, Webber had sped up to be two tenths quicker by the end of Friday’s running.

When asked about the F-duct debut, 22-year-old Vettel said: “It did not work 100 per cent and still needs some fine-tuning.

“We will look at it again, but it looks promising,” he is quoted by Germany’s Motorsport-Magazin.com.

Vettel said he believes McLaren, fastest in both sessions, is taking a significant advantage from its F-duct on the Istanbul layout.

He therefore refused to confirm that Red Bull will not keep its initial prototype on the RB6 for qualifying and the race.

Vettel was also happy with his new chassis, after damage was found to its predecessor in the wake of the Spain/Monaco double-header, won by his teammate Webber.

“It feels more natural and it was a good step to make the change,” he said.

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USF1 will not launch a renewed bid to debut in formula one in 2011.

The American team failed to be ready for its 2010 debut, but the recently quiet principals Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor had reportedly not ruled out trying to secure the final 13th berth on next year’s grid.

The news emerged by way of a statement issued by engine supplier Cosworth, who said its contract with USF1 has been terminated.

Cosworth said it has taken the action “following the (USF1) team’s decision to liquidate its assets as notified by its announcement to creditors dated 19 May 2010″.

Cosworth said that until USF1 decided to liquidate, the British marque had supported the team “over the last few months” in preparing for “a proposed entry for the 2011 season”.

The statement added: “Cosworth is a significant creditor of USF1, and will therefore join the other creditors of the team in seeking settlement of outstanding debts from the managed disposal of the remaining assets of the team.”

Bernie Ecclestone on Friday scotched renewed rumours about the future of the Turkish grand prix.

It had been reported that the poorly-attended Istanbul Park event could drop off the calendar after its sixth running this weekend.

But on a visit to the media centre, the F1 chief executive told reporters in Turkey not to believe everything they read.

In fact, Briton Ecclestone said talks are already underway for a proposed 10-year extension to the current deal.

According to Germany’s Motorsport-Magazin.com, he was also asked about whether Monticello might join Austin for a second US round on a future F1 calendar, and he would not rule out the prospect.

And amid rumours an announcement confirming Pirelli as F1′s next tyre supplier is now imminent, Ecclestone admitted the sport is edging closer to a decision.

He also said F1 might have to call off this year’s inaugural South Korean grand prix if the armies of the rogue North roll in.

Meanwhile, the latest accounts for F1′s owners CVC Capital Partners were issued on Friday, showing Ecclestone is paid $5.8 million per year.

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As the F1 calendar looks set to expand, the sport should consider culling Friday’s 180 hours of free practice.

That is the belief of Williams’ chief executive Adam Parr, who revealed he has proposed to have the traditional race weekend format condensed to just Saturday and Sunday.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone visited the media centre at Istanbul Park on Friday, and smiled broadly when a reporter said he had heard rumours about 24-race calendars in the near future.

But according to Germany’s Motorsport-Magazin.com, the 79-year-old Briton wants F1′s three-day weekend to remain in place.

Parr, however, questions the entertainment value of the current Friday format, and is quoted by The Press Association as suggesting that cutting out Fridays will mean less equipment for the teams to transport.

“I can see the calendar going to 24 over the next two to three years, and I’m not sure whether logistically, with these longer weekends, it will be easy to do,” he said.

Parr said he raised the issue recently in Barcelona, and teams including Ferrari, McLaren and Renault did not baulk at the idea.

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Christian Klien on Friday said he is expecting to be back at the wheel of HRT’s F1 car in Valencia.

Although fellow reserve driver Sakon Yamamoto was in regular Bruno Senna’s car at Istanbul, the Austrian had said 24 hours ago that he expects to appear again in free practice sessions in 2010.

Klien, 27, drove in Karun Chandhok’s F110 in Barcelona, but he will be unable to travel to the forthcoming Canadian grand prix due to the clashing Le Mans 24 hours.

“I had a very good debut in Barcelona, where I was immediately faster than Bruno Senna, who has been sitting in the car all season,” Klien is quoted by German Sky television.

“It is expected that I will sit again in the car in Valencia, and then we will see.  As they say, step by step.”

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