The Bahrain International Circuit and the FIA have confirmed reports the troubled island Kingdom’s postponed race date has been rescheduled for 2011.
Although the governing body is yet to issue a statement to the wider media, sources said the FIA is now confirming October 30 for the Bahrain grand prix.

That means India will need to move its inaugural race, but the precise date is yet to be decided, with teams most unhappy at the prospect of prolonging mechanics’ holidays until mid December.

“On behalf of Bahrain, I would like to thank Bernie Ecclestone, Jean Todt and the FIA and the rest of the motor sport community for the support and understanding they have extended to us this year,” said Bahrain circuit head Zayed R Alzayani.

Earlier, former FIA president Max Mosley said there was no way he would reschedule Bahrain this year if he was in Todt’s shoes.

“Formula one would go to Bahrain over my dead body,” he is quoted by Arabian Business. “It cannot happen.”

All signs point to ‘yes’ on Friday after the FIA sat in Barcelona to deliberate a new date for the 2011 Bahrain grand prix.
Amid logistical and political concerns up and down the pitlane, a Bahraini government official ‘Tweeted’ that the World Motor Sport Council is in the process of rubber-stamping a new date for a race this year in the troubled island Kingdom.

“FIA finalising date now,” said Sheikh Fawaz al-Khalifa, head of the information affairs authority.

The news is not yet official but Bernie Ecclestone denied as he arrived in Spain in the morning that the decision will be about the $40 million race fee.

“Nothing to do with money at all. Nothing, in any shape or form,” the 80-year-old told Reuters.

He may not have reprised his earlier successes since returning, but Michael Schumacher is still the highest-earning driver in formula one.

That is the finding of business magazine Forbes, according to its latest annual ranking of the world’s 50 highest paid athletes.

German Schumacher, 42, appears at number 9 on the list with a reported US $34 million in earnings.

The number takes into consideration not only his Mercedes retainer but, according to Forbes, an athletes’ “bonuses, prize money, appearance fees, licensing and endorsement income”.

Schumacher is therefore two places higher than Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, with $32 million.

Lewis Hamilton ranks 15th with his $30 million, two places behind MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi, with $31m.

NASCAR drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson also appear in the top 50, with Earnhardt ranked highest of the trio with his 17th.

Forbes said the world’s highest earning athlete is Tiger Woods ($75m), with the average earnings of the top 50 being $28m — 11 per cent down on 2010.

Six races into his 2011 campaign in injured Robert Kubica’s Renault, the spotlight on Nick Heidfeld is growing brighter.
It has been suggested boss Eric Boullier believes the veteran German has underperformed, amid rumours the Gravity-managed Romain Grosjean might be a candidate to replace him.

German magazine Speed Week quoted the Frenchman as saying Heidfeld’s season has been “good, but not good enough”.

“Nick starts at the pace of Vitaly Petrov but there is always a drop,” Boullier added. “We need to sit down and I need to understand what Nick’s concerns are.

“On Sunday he is good, very good indeed,” he said.

To the French sports newspaper L’Equipe, Boullier admitted that Renault is missing the leadership of Kubica, who will likely sit out the entire season – and possibly longer – as he recovers from a horror rally crash.

“Robert was able to manoeuvre into a leadership role,” he acknowledged. “He is demanding and knows in himself what he wants from the team.

“If he sees that things are not going well, he hits his fist on the table hard. But Robert is not here now.”

The other side of Renault’s current driver lineup is Petrov, whose seat is believed safe due to his substantial backing, but Boullier’s assessment of the improving Russian is also not rosy.

“Vitaly needed someone who could tell him what time at the track he is expected in the morning so he’s not late for meetings, how to organise his day and how to behave off the track,” he said, apparently scotching suggestions the 26-year-old is ready to step into the vacant leadership role.

Bahrain is the buzzword in F1 circles at present, on the eve of the FIA’s decision about the resinstatement of the troubled island Kingdom’s 2011 race.
Indian motor racing chief Vicky Chandhok, the father of Lotus reserve driver Karun, stirred the nest on Thursday by suggesting India is keen to move its scheduled inaugural date to make way for the Bahrain rescheduling.

“The weather would be great,” he told PTI news agency, referring to the controversial December 11 date that has been proposed.

Bahrain has embarked on a charm offensive ahead of the FIA’s Friday meeting of the World Motor Sport Council; the deadline for the race’s possible rescheduling.

The move is unpopular in F1 circles but Bernie Ecclestone is keen given the reported $40 million race fee on offer.

“Let’s bring Bahrain formula one back. Together we can,” read signposts in Bahrain’s capital Manama on Thursday.

The Bahrain International Circuit did not return two phone calls.

Damon Hill has urged formula one to take the moral high ground and resist the urge to take Bahrain’s money and reschedule the 2011 Bahrain grand prix.

The FIA will meet in Barcelona on Friday to discuss reshuffling the inaugural Indian grand prix to December to squeeze the troubled island Kingdom into this year’s F1 calendar.

Martial law in Bahrain ended on Wednesday, but reports of violence continued to emanate and Hill, the 1996 world champion and president of the British grand prix organiser BRDC said F1 should not go there this year.

“You can’t just base your decision to hold a race in a country on that country’s ability to pay,” he is quoted by the Daily Mail.

“Formula one cannot put its head in the sand concerning the Bahrain grand prix because it is a very volatile situation out there and F1 is involved,” said the Briton.

Hill scolded F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone for taking a flippant approach to Bahrain so far.

“I think sometimes Bernie doesn’t express himself in the way that he really means. You can’t always talk about serious issues in a light hearted way,” he concluded.

Virgin on Thursday confirmed reports Nick Wirth has left the struggling team.
Chief executive Andy Webb told us in a statement that the decision followed a “comprehensive review” in the wake of Russian carmaker Marussia’s arrival as title sponsor and investor.

The statement said “it is readily apparent that the team must take major steps in order to accelerate its rate of improvement”.

“Consequently, the decision has been taken that the team will take greater control of its own destiny,” added Webb, revealing Virgin has therefore been “obliged to terminate our relationship” with Wirth and his company Wirth Research.

“Looking ahead, we will now be pursuing an alternative technical path and look forward to announcing our plans in more detail over the coming weeks,” he said.

Webb however denied suggestions the split with Wirth means the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach has proved a failure, but left the door open to new options.

“At this stage I would like to underline our continued commitment to a cost-efficient commercial model,” he said.

“We maintain our absolute belief in CFD as a technology, especially since it continues to become more cost-effective with every year.

“Naturally, we will continue to use every means at our disposal to improve the aerodynamics of our car with immediate effect.”

On the eve of the decisive World Motor Sport Council meeting, Bahrain looked unlikely to return to the 2011 formula one calendar.
Martial law in the troubled island Kingdom ended on Wednesday, just two days before F1′s governing body sits in Barcelona to consider a new race date for the postponed season opener.

Bahrain officials insist they are now ready to host a grand prix, but F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone had warned in Monaco that the event will only take place “If there’s peace”.

As the state of emergency ended on Wednesday, reports suggested there is still turmoil on the streets of Bahrain.

Al Jazeera television said police used tear gas against continuing protesters, arresting and injuring several of them.

“With the end of the emergency situation, the security should not be here but they still are,” said an eyewitness.

Reuters said the interior ministry denied the reports, while the Bahrain Shura Council’s deputy president Jamal Fakhro insisted formula one can return.

“The end of the national security law and announcement of dialogue are both positive. It will be a shame if anyone is negative about it,” he said.

“Bahrain will welcome formula one, and any other event. There’s nothing wrong with that because life is back to normal now and it will be excellent to have it back.”

Norbert Haug has laughed off a joke made by Mercedes mechanics about Michael Schumacher’s advancing years.
A Dutch website this week revealed that the mechanics had pasted a ‘photoshopped’ photograph of the 42-year-old German to the garage toilet at Monaco depicting Schumacher as wrinkled, grey and bald.

“On the wall there are many funny photos,” Mercedes’ motor racing vice president Haug explained to Bild newspaper.

“Even those who love each other must never forget how to laugh at themselves,” he insisted.

Haug defended the right of the team’s hard-working mechanics to have a laugh.

“If our boys did not have a sense of humour, they wouldn’t have been able to repair a badly crashed car in half an hour,” he said.

Flavio Briatore addressed the media, proudly strolled the paddock and grid and appeared for the popular British motoring show ‘Top Gear’ as F1′s most prestigious grand prix took place last weekend in Monaco.
But also in the Principality, another former member of the F1 circus was making a much lower profile visit.

Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion and now rally and NASCAR driver, rushed from a Nationwide race in the US late on Saturday to be harbourside in his yacht in time for Sunday’s Monaco grand prix.

In his entourage were ‘The Dudesons’, a ramshackle group of friends known on Finnish television for their highly popular and extreme Jackass-style show.

Raikkonen, 31, was seen with the group as they relaxed in his yacht’s open spa, and they also ventured to Briatore’s ‘Billionaire’ nightclub — but were refused entry.

The bouncers, apparently, failed to recognise the winner of 18 grands prix, and – enjoying his anonymity – Raikkonen failed to rebuke them and the party moved elsewhere.

“Maybe it was just time to sleep,” Spanish AS newspaper reporter Rafa Paya speculated.

Ferrari test driver Marc Gene has denied the team supplies superior equipment to Fernando Alonso.
Spaniard Alonso, with a new long-term contract, is widely regarded as the famous Italian team’s number 1 driver, particularly with Felipe Massa struggling to keep up over the past two seasons.

But Gene, also a Spaniard, told El Mundo newspaper: “I can confirm 100 per cent that both Felipe and Fernando have the same materials at their disposal.

“If the results of Fernando have been superior it is because of his very high level.

“I cannot judge what he did in his time at Renault and McLaren but I have worked with world champions Schumacher, Villeneuve and Raikkonen and Fernando is the one who impresses me the most,” said Gene.

“Before he arrived at Ferrari I had great expectations, and now that I’ve seen and studied and worked with him, I can say he has exceeded all of the expectations.”

Gene, meanwhile, said he does not believe it would be the right move for Ferrari to abandon work on the 150 Italia car in order to ensure a more competitive start to 2012.

“It is true that the gap to Red Bull is significant, even if there are many races left. But no gap is unbridgeable, especially for a team like Ferrari.

“Also, if it is right that the regulations for next year do not change much, it is still useful to develop the current car because these improvements can also apply to the next one.

“Ferrari’s philosophy is to not give up while the maths do not prove otherwise,” concluded Gene.

Fernando Alonso is among the best in formula one but his situation at Ferrari is unique.

That is the view of Lewis Hamilton, who clashed memorably with Alonso as they were teammates at McLaren in 2007 as the pair reportedly tussled for elusive ‘number 1′ status.

Alonso decided to leave the British team and is now at Ferrari, where he has just signed a new five-year extension to his existing contract.

Asked by Spain’s El Pais newspaper who he regards as the best in F1, Briton Hamilton answered: “We all believe we are the best and that’s what you have to do, unless you like to finish second.

“(The best) are Alonso, Vettel and Rosberg, who I’ve known since I was 13. He (Rosberg) is about to burst through and he will at any time.

“Sebastian is in a great period with Red Bull and has a lot of confidence.

“Fernando is very talented and is fully supported by his team,” continued Hamilton. “The whole (Ferrari) team supports and follows him. It is he who leads Ferrari.

“I’m not saying it’s good or bad, it’s just the route they have chosen,” he added.

Aldo Costa has become a very highly-paid member of Ferrari’s road car design department.

The Italian was stepped down as technical director of the Maranello based marque’s formula one team after a disappointing start to the 2011 season.

According to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, he has been moved to the road car division to sit out the remainder of his two-year contract — at full F1 pay.

The move is expensive for Ferrari, but it will ensure he is not easily snapped up by a key rival.

On the subject of money, the magazine overheard a fascinating exchange between Williams’ Patrick Head and Bernie Ecclestone in Monaco, in which the former was certain the latter could not possibly be eyeing buying back F1 “with your own money!?”

As for what Ecclestone would do if he does buy back F1, the 80-year-old joked to Head: “Give it to the teams.”

Sebastian Vettel’s dominance this year is not comparable to 2009.
That is the view of Jenson Button, who won the championship two years ago after a start to the season similarly as meteoric as Vettel’s this year.

But Briton Button, now with McLaren, claims the situation at Brawn GP in 2009 was vastly different to Vettel’s at Red Bull.

“We had no money,” he is quoted as saying by f1today.nl. “We had a good car at the start of the season but could not develop it. Red Bull can keep it up.”

According to laola1.at, Vettel’s start to 2011 is not just as meteoric as Button in 2009, but also Jim Clark in 1965, Jackie Stewart in 1969, Nigel Mansell in 1992 and Michael Schumacher in ’94, 02 and ’04.

On every occasion, the driver went on to be champion.

“He is in great form in a great car and a team behind him so that only abnormal things can stop him now,” former driver Alex Wurz told Kleine Zeitung newspaper on Tuesday.

“The title for him is at hand.”

Virgin is in talks with McLaren and Mercedes about a technical collaboration for 2012.
That is the claim of the Italiaracing magazine, saying the situation could be similar to Force India’s current McLaren/Mercedes alliance.

The report said struggling Virgin’s package would include the engine, transmission, KERS and rear suspension.

It is the latest rumour suggesting the team is seeking a change of direction after two years with Nick Wirth leading the technical strategy.

It would also be a big blow to Virgin’s current engine supplier Cosworth, who it is rumoured could also lose Williams to Renault power.

“The reality is, competition on the track technically is always matched by competition off the track commercially,” said the British supplier’s Mark Gallagher.

“We are well used to that at Cosworth and we believe we have an extremely good product and we don’t really fear competition from anyone.”