Some teams have admitted they do not support Jean Todt’s proposal to allow some in-season testing in formula one next year.
The FIA president and former Ferrari boss said in Turkey that he will push for the teams to agree to change the severe test limitations, or simply impose the new regulations for the 2013 season.

“We are not interested in the idea of allowing private testing during the season,” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said bluntly, according to Autosprint’s Italian-language website.

“We consider the current situation to be well balanced. To change it would raise costs, inevitably,” added the Briton.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo told CNN last week that F1 is the “only professional sport in the world” that does not allow “training”.

“It is true that some teams favour more testing during the season,” said McLaren and FOTA chief Martin Whitmarsh, “but we must also safeguard the interest of the smaller teams, who do not have great financial means.”

Timo Glock has expressed concern that simply qualifying for races might soon be difficult for the Virgin team in 2011.

The German was openly disappointed when significant elements of a major upgrade for the MVR-02 car did not work effectively in Turkey just over a week ago.

He said the team needs to get to the bottom of the problems or risk falling way behind the progress of its rivals.

“If our development packages do not work, it will soon be difficult for us to qualify for the race,” Glock, referring to the newly reintroduced 107 per cent qualifying rule, is quoted by Speed Week.

He insisted, however, that he is not so disillusioned that he is losing patience with the Virgin project.

“I stand behind the team,” insisted the former Jordan and Toyota driver. “We need to solve our problems and change only a few things and then we will make progress.”

It is not all plain sailing for hopeful formula one hosts in India, Greece and the United States.
Even though the Buddh circuit near New Delhi, scheduled to host its inaugural grand prix in October, is reportedly almost completed, there has been violence in the surrounding area resulting in some deaths.

Farmers in the villages around the circuit are angry about the land acquisition compensation offered to them by the government and have threatened to disrupt the race and its preparations.

The state government has therefore increased the security and police presence at the track, which must be completed for homologation by the FIA in July.

Villagers are also angry about access to a temple being blocked. “When all our pleas fell on deaf ears, we had no option but to seek court intervention,” said one village official.

“Hurting the religious sentiments can turn things ugly,” added village resident Sunder Singh, according to the Hindustan Times.

Responded track boss Sameer Gaur: “We are talking to the people concerned and are confident a solution would be found.”

There is also anger in Texas, where the state government is committing $25 million per year for a decade to support the scene of Austin’s 2012 US grand prix.

“The developers should find the money through private sources,” insisted republican senator Dan Patrick, according to Bloomberg.

And the Independence Party in Britain has condemned news that Greece is pushing ahead with a partly government-subsidised project for a F1 circuit.

Greece’s embattled economy received a EUR 110 billion European bailout, contributed to by British taxpayers.

Referring to the F1 plans, UKIP spokesman Winston McKenzie said: “We should not pay a brass penny to the bailout while this sort of irresponsible spending continues.”

Paul di Resta on Friday admitted he can see himself wearing silver overalls in the near future.
The Force India rookie has impressed so far in 2011 and his existing links with Mercedes have triggered rumours he could replace the struggling Michael Schumacher.

“I certainly would not mind a Mercedes. It would make me happy but there is currently no agreement,” the 25-year-old reigning DTM champion with Mercedes told Germany’s Sport Bild.

“I still feel a part of the Mercedes family and I certainly wouldn’t mind being a full member again one day,” added di Resta.

“At the moment I have a contract with Force India and I am giving that my full attention.”

Given his impressive performance so far in 2011 alongside the very experienced Adrian Sutil, it is an interesting side-note that in 2006, di Resta beat his teammate – a certain Sebastian Vettel – to the Formula 3 Euro Series championship.

He insists it doesn’t mean he is better than Vettel, the reigning world champion and runaway 2011 championship leader.

“That (2006) was then,” said di Resta. “You can never compare the present with the past, so I am not going to say that I am better than the reigning world champion.”

Luca di Montezemolo on Friday said there is “no question” Felipe Massa will keep his seat at Ferrari in 2012.
The Brazilian already has a contract for next year, but after his disappointing 2010 season there had been rumblings Mark Webber or Nico Rosberg could be drafted in to replace him.

30-year-old Massa has however had a better start to 2011 and team president Montezemolo told CNN he will still be alongside Fernando Alonso next season.

“Yes. He has a contract with us for this year and for next year. So absolutely yes, no question about it,” answered the Italian.

As for Alonso, Montezemolo said he hopes to keep the Spaniard for “a long time”.

“He is one of the best drivers I have seen in my career, very strong in the mind, pushing with the team in a constructive way, very close to the team. So I want to have Alonso for a long time,” he insisted.

Nico Hulkenberg has split with his famous manager Willi Weber.
With the 69-year-old German, Hulkenberg made his promising grand prix debut at Williams last season but lost the seat for 2011 to the well-backed Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado.

He is now Force India’s Friday test driver and hopes to be promoted to the race seat for 2012.

A statement on Hulkenberg’s website said he will “from now on take management matters in his own hands”, supported by his former PR advisor Timo Gans.

“Both sides are currently working on a smooth changeover and on a satisfying solution for everyone,” the statement added.

German Weber also brought the Schumachers into formula one but he no longer works with the brothers.

Mercedes is reportedly set to introduce a Renault-like approach to its 2011 car’s exhaust layout for debut in Barcelona next weekend.
It was already rumoured that the German team is perhaps now closer than any other to imitating Red Bull’s flexible front wing.

“For Barcelona we have some aerodynamic developments that should bring us a step in performance,” team boss Ross Brawn told Auto Motor und Sport.

AS newspaper said the main feature of Mercedes’ Spanish upgrade is side-exiting exhausts, with Red Bull’s Adrian Newey admitting recently that innovation has been the most impressive of the season so far.

Said team driver Nico Rosberg: “Most teams are bringing new things, but I think ours could be better than the others to bring us a little closer to the top.”

Meanwhile, Italy’s Autosprint said McLaren is set to move forward in Barcelona in the crucial new area of engine mapping settings for the blown exhaust.

“For Turkey we’d planned to introduce a couple of useful upgrades, but for several reasons we weren’t able to get them onto the car,” revealed Jenson Button.

Ferrari is already working on the fundamental elements of its 2012 car, according to a report.
The Spanish sports daily Marca said the Italian team is still developing the 150 Italia car in parallel, particularly the floor, diffuser, exhausts and the engine mapping.

But the chassis, gearbox, suspension and cooling systems for its successor are also on the drawing board at Maranello, with the report saying the approach for next year “will be more aggressive”.

Ferrari is just third in the constructors’ championship behind Red Bull and McLaren, with Fernando Alonso achieving the team’s first podium of the season last weekend in Turkey.

As for the 2012 car, chief designer Nikolas Tombazis said it is underway in May “because otherwise it will be too late”.

“For this development we have spoken about the problems of this year to have more aggressiveness in the project,” he added.

Jean Todt has scrapped his earlier plans to appoint a commissioner in charge of formula one.
Upon being elected as new FIA president, the former Ferrari boss has as promised appointed commissioners for many of the federation’s series including world rallying, touring cars and GT.

“Firstly, I still respect the principle of what I said I would do,” he is quoted as saying by the French-language autohebdo.fr.

“The election was a new experience for me. My advisors suggested I create a commission for all the disciplines of the FIA.

“Except in F1, where the president of the commission owns the commercial rights – Bernie Ecclestone – we have committees in all disciplines.

“I think in the case of F1, you would end up with two separate commissions. That’s why I abandoned the idea,” explained Todt, who has been at loggerheads with Ecclestone over several political matters of late.

The 65-year-old also said it is too early to commit to standing for another term as FIA president.

“I’ve been here for 18 months. It has gone quickly but I still have 30 months as president to go. I can still accomplish many things before I take a decision,” insisted Todt.

Timo Glock has admitted he would enjoy stepping up the formula one grid with a grandee team.
After switching to the startup team last year, the German has been openly disappointed with Virgin following Toyota’s withdrawal at the end of 2009.

A reader of Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport asked the 29-year-old where he would go if granted the freedom to move now to another team.

“Normally, you would just go to the team that is leading the world championship,” said Glock.

“But the teams with the big names also appeal to me: Ferrari, that would be something, or of course as I am German, Mercedes.”

Nico Rosberg insists he is not getting complacent after proving stronger than his famous Mercedes teammate in the past two seasons.
Ever since seven time world champion Michael Schumacher returned from retirement in 2010, it has been 25-year-old Rosberg regularly setting the pace at the wheel of the Silver Arrows.

Calls for Schumacher, 42, to quit have intensified since his performance in Turkey, where after the race the German admitted he is missing the “big joy” of F1 at present.

But Rosberg has defended Schumacher, insisting he still respects the winner of an unprecedented 91 grands prix.

“He is and remains the most successful racing driver of all time,” the German told Auto Motor und Sport.

“It is still very difficult to be faster than him and I must work hard in every session. Everything needs to fit together for me to stay ahead.

“I’m happy that it has worked well for me against him so far, but I also know that at the next race it may be difficult,” added Rosberg.

The next race on the calendar is in Barcelona, where at the final test of the pre-season the W02 car seemed right on the pace.

But Rosberg warned: “The tests are far in the past and therefore now basically meaningless. In the last few races we have seen exactly where we stand.”

One of the next pitstops made by Adrian Sutil could be in court, it is reported.
The German driver this week apologised after it emerged he injured Renault team owner Genii’s chief executive Eric Lux during a private nightclub party for Lewis Hamilton’s win in Shanghai.

Lux was wearing a bandage on his neck in Turkey last weekend amid rumours Sutil attacked him with a broken champagne glass.

It has also been rumoured Lux required more than a dozen stitches, that he has suffered hearing problems since the incident, and that Force India driver Sutil may have been drunk.

The French-language sport24.com website said Lux “has lodged a complaint and the German driver will have to explain himself in court”.

Rubens Barrichello on Thursday sounded reluctant to sign up for a third season at Williams in 2012.

The famous British team has had its worst start to a new championship in its illustrious history, prompting technical director Sam Michael and chief aerodynamicist Jon Tomlinson to lose their posts for next year.

And Barrichello, the most experienced driver in F1 history, told the British magazine Autosport that he could be the next high profile departure.

“Williams must improve a lot for us to reach an agreement for next year,” he said.

“Things are standing still. It’s not worth going on this way. I need the team to start to shake up and I need to see differences,” insisted the 38-year-old.

Timo Glock has denied he might throw in the towel, also playing down suggestions his patience with Virgin is running low.
Updates to the German’s MVR-02 car failed to work properly in Turkey, and he then did not even make the grid due to a gearbox failure that could not be fixed in time.

“Every weekend we seem to start at the beginning,” Glock was quoted as saying in Istanbul by Die Welt newspaper.

“I somehow have the feeling that we could save all the test driving and just have a coffee instead,” he added.

But in an interview with Sport1, Glock denied that his ‘coffee’ comment was a stark criticism of the struggling team.

“It had nothing to do with the team,” he insisted.

“I had told a journalist that it was difficult to understand why we had so many problems with the deterioration with the tyres, but the issue looked very different for the actual race,” said Glock.

“I was commenting generally on the tyre situation, but it was neither a criticism of the team or of Pirelli. I read the (coffee) comment but it was never explained what I meant.

“That’s why I was surprised that it was portrayed so clumsily,” explained Glock.

However, he does not hide the fact that he is disappointed, after joining the start-up team following Toyota’s withdrawal from formula one.

“I knew it would be a difficult first year but we all hoped to make a big step forward and we didn’t quite make it. We need to ask ourselves and understand why we are not on par with Lotus,” said Glock.

As for whether he has considered throwing in the towel, the 29-year-old insisted: “No, never. We must keep going together as a team.

“It’s going to be difficult but we have to do all we can to come forward. That’s the only goal we can have at the moment.”

Virgin will attempt to get to the bottom of its problems with the Turkey upgrade during a straightline test at the Idiada facility in Spain this weekend.

Dietrich Mateschitz has repeated his recent claim that formula one’s return to Austria in the near future is a “more than minor” chance.
The Red Bull mogul was speaking as the former grand prix venue at Zeltweg, previously called A1-Ring but now re-christened the Red Bull Ring, is ready to re-open.

Mateschitz has rebuilt the facility, having been demolished following its last F1 event in 2003, at the cost of a reportedly nine-figure euro sum.

It has obtained F1 homologation status, moving the likes of Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel to admit they would like to see the Red Bull Ring added to the calendar.

Bernie Ecclestone said in Turkey that a return to Austria is “possible”.

But Austrian billionaire Mateschitz told Kleine Zeitung: “If you look at the new F1 circuits, the ones that came recently and the ones that are coming, one has to say the probability of formula one returning to Spielberg is more than minor.”

Triple world champion and Austrian Lauda agrees that the chances are small, but he said: “There are several obstacles to overcome, but, firstly, no one knows what Mr Mateschitz is planning.”