Ticket prices for the Turkish grand prix are too high, according to Mark Webber.
The Red Bull driver’s comments come amid great uncertainty about the future of the event at Istanbul Park, with organisers saying the race next Sunday will be the last due to Bernie Ecclestone’s doubling of the sanctioning fee.

The circuit is popular among the drivers and purists but Istanbul mayor Kadir Topbas said actual attendance has always been low because “Turkish people didn’t give the races recognition”.

FOTA chairman Martin Whitmarsh, however, blames a lack of promotion.

“Go around Istanbul and tell me how many billboards or advertisements you see,” he told reporters in China two weeks ago.

But Australian Webber thinks the locals simply can’t afford tickets.

“Unfortunately I think it’s a pretty expensive race for locals to attend, which means the atmosphere is often not what it could be,” he said on Thursday.

Ecclestone owns the long-term management lease to the circuit at present and insists he has done his bit by “subsidising” the sanctioning fee since the inaugural race in 2005.

And the Mirror quotes him as suggesting the local government could be in a better mood for the future after next weekend’s event.

“When our first agreement was made, they subsidised ticket revenue so everyone was expecting a whole bunch of people to be there and if there wasn’t, the government was going to make up for the missing tickets,” said the Briton.

“It looks very much like the crowd is going to be much bigger this year, so it means the government’s involvement will be considerably less,” added Ecclestone.

Ferrari is F1′s biggest spender, while Hispania boasts the smallest budget, an industry publication has found.
But the latest edition of ‘Business Book GP’ said the teams association FOTA has succeeded in dramatically cutting costs with its resource restriction agreement, according to a report in the Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo.

The average annual team budget has reportedly decreased from EUR 209 million in 2009 to 113m in 2011. It was 119m in 2010.

Ferrari’s (199m) is the highest budget, while HRT’s (34m) is the lowest.

And the reduction in the average figure, whilst apparently impressive, is also due to the arrival of three low-spending new teams, and the withdrawal of big-spenders like BMW and Toyota and the scaling-down of Renault’s operation.

The report also said that despite the success of the cost-cutting, the Martin Whitmarsh-led FOTA wants to further empower the resource restriction agreement.

Reportedly, not every team in F1 has reduced its spending. Business Book GP said Team Lotus is spending much more money in 2011, while Virgin, Sauber and Red Bull also have bigger budgets than a year ago.

Meanwhile, grandees Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Renault are all now spending less, relying on sponsors for more than 50 per cent of their budgets.

A British film writer is working on a script to immortalise the most famous season in F1 great Niki Lauda’s successful career.

The Oscar-nominated Peter Morgan, best known for writing The Queen and Frost/Nixon, is focusing on the 1976 season, when Lauda almost burned to death in a fiery crash but returned six weeks later to battle James Hunt for the title.

The typically-blunt Lauda joked to Vienna radio Oe3 that he is giving some thought to which actor might depict him.

“Anyone who is 25 or 26 with his right ear burnt off and dreams to be made up to look like me can start making plans,” he said.

DPA news agency said Morgan, who is being actively supported by 62-year-old Lauda, is seeking a producer and director for the project.

Lauda won 25 grands prix and three world championships and is also famous for his airline businesses.

He is still a regular in the F1 paddock, appearing as a pundit for German television.

The future of another senior member of Williams’ technical team is reportedly in doubt.

On the back of a near unprecedentedly bad start to the famous British team’s 2011 season, it emerged that chairman Adam Parr is heading a radical restructuring that could result in technical director Sam Michael losing his job.

And Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports that other personnel changes could be implemented, possibly as soon as next weekend’s Turkish grand prix.

The report said Williams’ 38-year-old chief aerodynamicist Jon Tomlinson could be set to leave the Oxfordshire based team.

He entered F1 with Jordan in 2000 and has also worked with Renault.

Auto Motor und Sport also said team co-founder, shareholder and long time engineering director and Patrick Head is looking to step down completely.

“This would start a whole new era for Williams’ technical department,” read the report.

The rumours are reportedly circulating not only in F1 circles but also among those in the know at the Frankfurt stock exchange, where Williams’ shares have been in decline.

The team’s senior driver Rubens Barrichello is quoted by Speed Week as defending Sam Michael, the Australian who turns 40 on Friday.

Michael joined Williams in 2001 and three years later replaced Head as technical director.

“I have known Sam since our days at Jordan,” said Brazilian Barrichello. “The problem is not that he is the wrong man for the job, but that he has too much to do.”

Speed Week said the feeling in the Shanghai paddock two weeks ago was that Williams should not be looking to blame Michael for its current situation, but rather chairman Parr.

The FIA is sticking to its May 1 deadline for the possible rescheduling of Bahrain’s 2011 grand prix.
With the date fast approaching amid reported continuing problems inside the island Kingdom, F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone on Thursday indicated he is now willing to wait for Bahrain until “early June”.

“We need to wait a little bit to see exactly how progress is made,” he is quoted as saying by the Mirror.

Daily Telegraph correspondent Tom Cary said Ecclestone’s new position caught the FIA “off guard”.

“As far as we are concerned a decision is still due on Sunday,” said a spokesman for F1′s governing body.

“Because it’s a weekend it may be Monday morning that we announce the decision, but we haven’t spoken to Mr Ecclestone about any delay,” he added.

Especially as Ecclestone indicated on Thursday that there have been discussions with Jean Todt, the comments are an indication the 80-year-old remains at loggerheads with the FIA president.

The FIA spokesman concluded: “The decision will be a joint one between the FIA, Formula One Management (Ecclestone) and the Bahrain authorities.”

Michael Schumacher has dismissed the latest rumblings about his commitment to his three-year formula one return.

After a disappointing comeback in 2010, it was rumoured the seven time world champion’s commitment to completing the contract depended on his form this year.

And in the wake of the opening three grands prix of 2011, speculation is now re-emerging about 42-year-old German Schumacher returning to retirement at the end of this season — perhaps to make room for Mercedes’ impressive protege Paul di Resta.

But Schumacher has told the German weekly Bunte that he is still planning to fulfil the three years of his original contract.

Schumacher said he feels he is “on a mission” to take Mercedes back to the top of the podium, even though he admits “chasing for tenth place is not fun”.

He insisted however that he expects to be in a much better position soon. “That’s why I’m fighting with Mercedes,” he said.

Observers, however, have noticed key differences with the Schumacher of the past, and even the winner of 91 grands prix admits that “42 (years old) is not the same as 25″.

But he insisted: “I will fulfil my three year contract with Mercedes and afterwards work as a representative of the brand.”

In an interview with Bild am Sonntag newspaper, 25-year-old Nico Rosberg defended his famous teammate.

“Michael performs at a high level, he is strong,” he said. “His current results do not reflect how good he is.

“To beat him I have to get everything right — he’s closer than last year,” added Rosberg.

Officials have played down reports that a second Indian state has begun a formula one project.
As the finishing-touches are being applied to the newly-named Buddh circuit in New Delhi, it emerged this week that an entirely separate project in the southwestern Goa state has been given the green light.

“We have decided to go ahead with it,” the Times of India quoted tourism director Swapnil Naik as confirming, adding that a coastal site for the venue is likely.

But another publication, the Abu Dhabi-based daily Sport360, has quoted Naik as subsequently playing down the project’s prospects.

He said a consortium was shown some potential sites but has not since been heard from.

And tourism minister Nilkanth Halarnkar said the group wanted the government to part-finance the venue, but according to Sport360 he told them “they would have to fund their own project”.

F1 must remain on free-to-air television, Virgin sporting director Graeme Lowdon insists.
With News Corporation looking into buying the sport’s commercial rights, Bernie Ecclestone said he is sceptical because it might make negotiations with other broadcasters difficult.

Another potential issue is News mogul Rupert Murdoch’s famously negative attitude to free media content, with some commentators fearing formula one might disappear behind a pay-wall.

“If you remove the majority of the public, it removes a lot of the spirit of what F1 is about, as well as the ability for the teams to stand on our own two feet without reliance on the commercial rights holder,” Lowdon told the BBC.

“F1 is way bigger than pay-per-view and deserves its place on the global stage with the viewing figures it gets,” he added.

It has also been suggested that Murdoch may want to remove Ecclestone as chief executive in the event of a takeover, but astute observer Sir Jackie Stewart is not so sure.

“Bernie knows Rupert Murdoch,” the Scottish former triple world champion told the Telegraph. “If they (News) take over they may turn around and say ‘why try to fix a wheel if it’s not broken?’

“After all F1 has never been more popular than it is now, which considering the economy is pretty impressive whichever way you look at it,” he added.

The occupants of two key seats at top formula one teams may be under pressure, but finding alternatives is the real issue.
That is the view of outspoken former triple world champion Niki Lauda, who was asked in a German-language interview with spox.com about the looming fates of Felipe Massa and Mark Webber.

Both have had tumultuous recent periods – Massa throughout 2010 at Ferrari and Red Bull’s Mark Webber at the opening races of 2011 – although the pair’s most recent outings marked notable improvements.

“I want to tell you that I’m happy to be alongside you,” Massa’s teammate Fernando Alonso wrote in a recent 30th birthday message to the Brazilian.

Australian Webber, meanwhile, emerged from his championship challenge of last year into a difficult start in 2011, with his team boss Christian Horner saying his pace and motivation will be the key to a new deal for next season.

The 34-year-old driver then suggested his relationship with Sebastian Vettel is still not right by admitting it was “good” the German was beaten in China two weeks ago.

“That was quite a normal reaction,” Austrian legend Lauda said, defending Webber.

“If Vettel had won again, his lead would have grown even more, and Webber wants to be world champion as well. Of course you’re in a team, but if you want to be successful, you also have to be selfish,” he added.

But also true is that if Webber and Massa are once again beaten by their respective teammates in 2011, their teams might need to look at their options.

“On a consistent basis, Webber and Massa can not go on the level of Vettel and Alonso,” said Lauda.

“But for the two of them to be replaced, they (the teams) would first have to find two who are better,” he added.

As Daniel Ricciardo admits there is a chance he could make his F1 debut in 2011, Sebastien Buemi insists he is not losing sleep.

“Compared to my teammate I’ve never done badly,” Swiss Buemi, referring to Jaime Alguersuari, is quoted as saying by the British newspaper The Sun.

The pair have both been told to up their game in order to keep their seats at Toro Rosso this year, but rumours suggest it is 22-year-old Buemi who is first in the firing line.

Australian Ricciardo now appears in the Ferrari-powered STR6 each Friday morning at grands prix, with Buemi well aware of his presence.

“Red Bull gives young drivers a chance to get into F1, so you always know that besides you there are other guys that try to show their abilities and aim to drive for the team.

“If you give up, it’s over for you,” said Buemi.

Ricciardo, 21, was asked by motorline.cc about the rumours a race seat could open up before the end of this season.

“That would be great,” he admitted, “but my focus is on the Formula Renault 3.5, and for the rest we will see.

“I want a fixed place in formula one in 2012,” the Australian clarified.

Another young Red Bull-backed charger close to his F1 debut is Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne, who denied the next step for him after 2011 is a season in GP2.

“Definitely not,” he insisted. “I want to do a good job in Formula Renault 3.5 this year and have an F1 cockpit for 2012. At the moment, for me, that’s the only goal.”

Another way for Buemi and Alguersuari to look at the situation is that if Ricciardo does arrive at Toro Rosso in 2012, and Mark Webber moves on, they might be staring at the vacancy at Red Bull’s senior team.

“From my point of view I know that if I do my maximum and get important results, then my value can increase and I can have a chance,” Buemi said.

“I focus on this. The rest is just gossip.”

Nico Rosberg is set to test a DTM car this weekend.

The event will be a showpiece at Hockenheim as the 2011 German touring car championship kicks off.

According to Bild newspaper, the 25-year-old German will be appearing for Mercedes, for whom he races in formula one.

The report said the outing will be Rosberg’s first proper run in a DTM car.

“As a racing driver I grew up in the DTM, on the programme with the Formula BMW Junior and Formula 3 series,” he said.

“But I’ve never driven a DTM car, except from a few metres at the end of last season for the victory party for Paul di Resta’s championship in Stuttgart,” added Rosberg.

Meanwhile, F1 engines were firing on Wednesday at Duxford (UK) aerodrome, where alongside the Caterham announcement Team Lotus test driver Ricardo Teixeira was straight-line testing the T128.

According to Speed Week, Bruno Senna was also in action for Renault with a similar aerodynamic test at Duxford, and the Brazilian will now travel to Spa-Francorchamps to demonstrate the team’s F1 car during the World Series event.

“I will have the 2010 car on Saturday and Sunday,” Senna confirmed to Globo. “The basic idea is to entertain the crowd but it’s also a chance for me to keep in action.”

Japanese carmaker Mitsubishi has revealed its interest in F1 governing body the FIA’s plans to create a global racing series for electric cars.

Recent reports said FIA president Jean Todt, who thinks the new category can be set up for 2013 and be run on formula one circuits, has been asked to create the series by the European Commission.

There is some resistance within F1 to the sport’s own greener initiatives including smaller engines and hybrid technology, but Japan Today quoted president Osamu Masuko as saying Mitsubishi Motors is “very interested” in the electric series.

“Our employees are saying that we should definitely do it,” he added.

“The development costs for electric vehicles seem much lower than for gasoline cars and it would also contribute to the technological development of cars that are already on the market,” said Masuko.

Mitsubishi’s motor sport heritage has been predominantly in rallying, but it withdrew from its main focus – the off-road Dakar rally – two years ago.

Said Masuko: “I’m said to be unenthusiastic about motor sports but with electric vehicles, I want to promote them.”

The Renault might be more efficient but Norbert Haug says he is happy with the perception that Mercedes’ is the most powerful engine in F1.
Renault Sport F1, powering the Renault team as well as Red Bull and Team Lotus, claimed recently that the RS27 is “extremely good” in the area of consumption, saving 10 per cent more fuel than usual to burn through customer teams’ blown exhausts.

The boast was a counter to the general perception in F1, pressed by Red Bull who have in the past coveted the German power, that it is Mercedes’ V8 that is the best on the grid overall.

“I don’t know the numbers of our competitors,” said the Stuttgart marque’s motor racing chief Norbert Haug, “but our engine as well as our KERS are repeatedly referred to as the yardstick in the industry.

“We haven’t claimed this ourselves, but many have argued it,” he told Auto Motor und Sport.

“That our competitors do highly competent work, whether they are called Ferrari, Renault or Cosworth, there is no doubt,” he said.

But Haug then moved to counter Renault’s claim that it is the most efficient engine that might be described as the best in F1.

“Using less fuel than your competitor is generally because you have less power.

“I think that in specific consumption, we look very good. In absolute consumption, for the reason I gave, maybe I prefer if we are not the very best,” he insisted.

One of Ferrari’s key problems is a lack of imagination, according to a specialist Italian magazine.
The new 150 Italia car fell in line behind Red Bull and McLaren in the early races of 2011, and it threatens also to be outclassed by Mercedes and Renault.

The problem has been identified as aerodynamic in nature, with rumours suggesting development of the car will be moved to the Toyota wind tunnel in Cologne as a recalibration of the Maranello facility is undertaken.

But even before Ferrari’s current problems became clear, some commentators had observed that while the other top teams had obviously pushed the envelope for 2011, the Italian-made single seater appeared too conservative.

Autosprint said: “When was the last time another team took advantage of a Ferrari development? It was 2008, when the Ferrari had the hole in the nose.

“Since then, no one has even tried to emulate Ferrari’s ideas,” the analysis added.

Autosprint also said Ferrari has suffered ever since – due to the sport’s efforts to cut costs – it was no longer able to take advantage of its ownership of two private test tracks.

Four teams are using an innovative method to maximise the driver’s ability to efficiently deploy KERS in 2011.
That is the claim of Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, describing the novel method as ‘kickdown’.

‘Kickdown’ refers to the additional pressure that a driver must deploy beyond full throttle to activate the KERS power-boost.

It means the driver, who is already at full throttle when he needs to use KERS, must do nothing other than press even harder on the right-foot pedal to trigger the energy-recovery system.

Nick Heidfeld confirmed that he made the ‘kickdown’ suggestion for KERS when he joined Renault this season.

“I had the idea to use kickdown when we had traction control,” the German is also quoted as saying. “We did that at BMW.”

Another clever innovation in 2011 is in the Mercedes footwell, where Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg rest their foot on a third pedal to the left of the brake to activate the DRS rear wing.