Felipe Massa has acknowledged being beaten by Fernando Alonso this year but the Brazilian insists he is not afraid of his teammate.
In the Ferrari drivers’ qualifying battle so far in 2011 – off the back of Brazilian Massa’s difficult 2010 season – Massa has outpaced Spaniard Alonso just three times out of twelve.

“Well, it’s simple,” Massa said during an interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais. “Fernando has been far better than me in that area.

“I am working to turn around the situation and, in any case, I have not exactly been slow,” he insisted.

Massa, 30, so nearly won the 2008 championship against Lewis Hamilton but since then he has struggled with Ferrari’s 2009 car, returned from a near-fatal crash and welcomed his first child into the world.

And since Brazil 2008, he has failed to add a single win to his tally of 11.

So what has changed? “Nothing. I am exactly the same,” insists Massa. “It is true that I have not got the results since then but I have the same ambition and determination.”

Asked if his fatherhood and his struggle for survival after Hungary 2009 affected him, Massa admitted: “Both things give you a lot of experience. But none of it affects me when I get into the car.

“Then, you do not remember anything. In the car I forget about my son, my wife, my father and mother. Michael (Schumacher) won many titles as a parent, so people talk about it too much.

“Although it is true that these two years have been the most intense of my life.”

In the 2011 standings, Massa is a massive 185 points behind Sebastian Vettel’s lead, meaning that even mathematically he can no longer win the title.

But it remains “important to focus on the present,” Massa said. “We hope to do better.

“Also we are not expecting many changes in the regulations (between 2011 and 2012) so it is crucial to finish the season with a competitive car.

“Next year the position of the exhaust changes but not the (other) aerodynamics, so the cars will be an evolution of these ones. So it’s worth it to stay focused.”

And Massa insists he is still a winning driver.

“Of course. If I didn’t think that I would go home.”

Renault is still in “big” financial trouble and David Richards has expressed interest in buying into the Enstone based team.

That is the claim of the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, adding that one of the richest Dutch entrepreneurs Marcel Boekhoorn has been asked to support Prodrive chief Richards’ interest.

“I’ve heard about it but I do not know what to think of it,” said Jan Paul ten Hoopen, who is Dutch GP2 driver Giedo van der Garde’s manager.

The link with van der Garde is that the 26-year-old driver is married to Boekhoorn’s daughter.

Ten Hoopen continued: “I think it is pretty much a mess within that team (Renault). Put it this way, it is clear in terms of Lotus-Renault that many things remain unclear.

“Certainly if there is any more to it, we should see if there are any opportunities for Giedo,” ten Hoopen is quoted by NUsport.

Richards, also the former BAR boss, was the team principal at Enstone based Renault when the team was known as Benetton in the late 90s.

GP2 frontrunner Giedo van der Garde’s manager has revealed talks about the 2012 season with three formula one teams.

Last weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, where the Dutchman emerged in second place behind the new GP2 champion Romain Grosjean, 26-year-old van der Garde was linked with the 2012 Williams seat currently occupied by Rubens Barrichello.

Media reports said he has “the most” sponsorship money to offer a potential F1 employer.

“That (F1) is the goal, yes,” NUsport quotes van der Garde as saying. “My management is in talks with three teams, so there are possibilities. There is no plan B.

“So there are some free places but it (F1) is a strange world.”

Van der Garde’s case is indeed unique, with his manager Jan Paul ten Hoopen doubling as the commercial director of the F1 sponsor McGregor, a Dutch fashion house.

And van der Garde’s father-in-law is billionaire Marcel Boekhoorn.

The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reports that Boekhoorn may be interested in buying into the Renault team, and van der Garde has also been linked with Virgin.

“The real conversations (with teams) don’t take place until October, or at least after the Italian grand prix,” said manager ten Hoopen.

Red Bull will travel to high speed Monza next week with less-than-expected levels of trepidation.

The championship leading team was expecting its Renault engines to suffer on the long straights of Spa-Francorchamps, but Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber – with blistering tyres – delivered a one-two finish instead.

Italian grand prix venue Monza, meanwhile, is an even higher speed venue, and without many of the kinds of corners seen in Spa’s sector two that suited Adrian Newey’s RB7.

“In the last two years it (Monza) has not been a good track for us, so we’ll see,” Briton Newey is quoted as saying by Autosprint after accepting the constructors’ trophy on the Belgian grand prix podium.

Runaway points leader Vettel is happier with the prospect of racing at Monza after winning last Sunday.

“The car felt so fantastic (at Spa) and the balance was fabulous so it (Monza) should be manageable,” said the German.

Team boss Christian Horner admitted the Belgian result was a surprise.

“In many respects it was, yes, because power is a dominant factor and we thought it would perhaps favour some of our opponents more,” he said.

The RB7 was wearing a noticeably thin rear wing profile at Spa and the bespoke item will return to the car next weekend.

“I think that if we want to get close to certain engines on the straight we have to run a bit less wing,” confirmed Horner.

Yet another member of the formula one paddock believes Sebastian Vettel is “definitely” cruising to the 2011 title.
After a victory drought that extended throughout July, the Red Bull driver returned to the top step of the podium at Spa-Francorchamps, extending his lead to 92 points with just seven races to go.

“I think he definitely has the title,” Force India driver and German compatriot Adrian Sutil told Auto Motor und Sport in an interview.

“In the next races he really only needs to take points, so I don’t see there is any danger for him.

“Behind him it is still exciting but the world champion is for sure,” added Sutil.

Mathematically, however, the title is still on, with Mark Webber needing to score over 13 points more than his teammate per race to beat Vettel at November’s finale.

For comparison, the difference between first and third places at grands prix is only 10 points, so a string of mere victories will not be enough for Vettel’s chasers.

“Let’s be realistic,” La Stampa quotes Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso – who is a further ten points behind Webber – as saying. “It (the championship) is not in our hands.”

The Spaniard’s boss Stefano Domenicali added: “I can not hide the fact that our heads are already turning towards 2012.”

But his Red Bull counterpart Christian Horner refuses to celebrate just yet.

“We don’t alter our approach, absolutely not, and I can assure you Mark still has a free run at it,” The Sun quotes him as saying.

“There will be no complacency. We’re heads down (and) focused on the next race and not thinking anything is done and dusted at this point in time,” added Horner.

Reports that Qatar is the likely buyer of the $400m lease of British grand prix venue Silverstone have been denied.
A British newspaper this week said the Arab emirate’s sovereign wealth fund is in exclusive talks for the 150-year lease with track owner The British Racing Drivers’ Club.

But the Gulf Times said the Qatar Investment Authority rejected the “authenticity of press reports … that it is a close to a deal” over Silverstone.

And an official source told the Qatar News Agency that there are “no relevant negotiations, currently nor in the past, in this respect”.

Jenson Button is pushing McLaren to trigger the one-year option the British team has on his services for 2012. The Daily Telegraph said the 2009 world champion would be happy with that solution for now, with the 2012 option expiring next month, “rather than hurrying into” a new longer-term deal. “All Martin (Whitmarsh) has got to do is say ‘yes’ and I will say ‘yes’ because I want to be here next year,” the Briton, who on Monday was demonstrating the Woking based team’s single seater in Manchester, said. Team boss Whitmarsh said after Sunday’s Belgian grand prix that Button’s was a performance “that marks out a true champion”. It is possible that Button, 31, is happy to stay at McLaren in 2012 whilst leaving his options open for a change of teams – maybe Ferrari – in 2013. Putting the pressure on McLaren amid other teams’ interest next year could also mean Button can “cut down the number of PR days and sponsorship activities he must perform” beyond 2012, according to Telegraph correspondent Tom Cary. Button edged ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the 2011 points standings at Spa-Francorchamps. But he told the Mirror: “Neither of us will remember where we finish if we don’t win the championship.”

Emotions were running high on Sunday between Red Bull and Pirelli, amid the situation at Spa-Francorchamps over blistering tyres.
Pirelli chief Paul Hembery was spotted in a row with Sebastian Vettel, after the German driver and Mark Webber were told they could not start the Belgian race with new tyres.

Red Bull argued that the tyre blisters that appeared in Q3 was a safety issue, with F1′s official supplier hitting back that the phenomenon was the team’s own fault.

“Frankly at the end of the race I was very relieved that both our drivers were safe,” car designer Adrian Newey told the BBC.

Der Spiegel quotes a Pirelli spokesman as saying the Italian marque would have to “think about” whether Red Bull’s intimation about the basic safety of the tyres was a case of defamation.

“Had Red Bull done like everybody else (and followed) to our specifications, they would never have got into trouble,” the spokesman added.

Pirelli said in a statement that the problem was caused as “a consequence of some car setups”, believed to be tyre camber and pressure.

“We are confident that a similar scenario will not arise again, provided that our usage recommendations are followed,” said Hembery, insisting it was “never a safety issue”.

McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh agreed that Red Bull had pushed the boundaries too far.

“It’s about the safety of drivers,” he is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport. “We lose a little performance, but that’s the safe way. Some other teams seem to have a different attitude.”

France on Sunday made another clear step towards returning to the formula one calendar.
The L’Equipe sports daily said race-day at Spa-Francorchamps was a “great day for French motor sport”, after Bernie Ecclestone apparently agreed to reinstate a French date on the 2013 calendar.

The report said the plan is for France, probably with a race at the Ecclestone-linked Paul Ricard circuit, to alternate a single annual date with Spa.

“We have a contract until 2013,” said Belgian grand prix organiser Etienne Davignon, “and we feel that there is a strong tendency at present for an alternation (in future).

“So we went to see who might be interested and we found a public interest group,” he added, referring to French prime minister Francois Fillon’s delegation.

Davignon said on French TF1 television that the plan is “with the knowledge of the authorities”, and that Bernie Ecclestone “has agreed”.

“It looks like a concrete proposal,” he added.

Niki Lauda has scoffed at Spa winner Sebastian Vettel’s claim that the fight for the 2011 world champion is still on.
“Things can change quickly, two races you are out and others have good races,” the Red Bull driver said after extending his runaway points lead into the 90s with now just seven races to run.

Vettel has now scored more points in 2011 than he did to win his first title last year.

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, who crashed out heavily on Sunday, acknowledged the near-impossibility of the task.

“Everyone should forget about the title because it is not going to happen,” said the Briton.

Triple world champion and now German-language pundit Lauda agrees.

“It’s certainly all over,” he said. “No question about it, the only question is when. It (Vettel’s title) could happen theoretically in Singapore. It could easily happen in Japan but for sure in Korea if not before.”

McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa told Spain’s Europa Press that Vettel’s win on Sunday was a “brutal lunge” for the German “towards the championship”.

The veteran said the 24-year-old would “have to do very badly” to fail to win now.

“He already has more points than he scored in total last year, which indicates the alarming situation for the championship with a clear dominance,” added de la Rosa.

Spaniard Fernando Alonso, the lead Ferrari driver with a more than 100-point deficit to Vettel, agreed that “there are cars that are normal and one car that is a bullet”.

“The earlier the work we can do on the car for next year,” he added, “the better.”

British tabloid The Sun called the McLaren driver ‘Lewis Whamilton’ after another bad day at the office for the 2008 world champion.
On Saturday, Hamilton was reprimanded at Spa-Francorchamps for his bizarre qualifying crash with Pastor Maldonado, and the Williams driver said after Sunday’s grand prix: “He did the same today … I think he needs to be more focused on his race”.

Rookie Maldonado was referring to Hamilton’s race-ending crash with Kamui Kobayashi.

Sauber’s Kobayashi said: “I don’t know what I needed to do — maybe go into the gravel for him?”

Niki Lauda, speaking to Germany’s motorsport-magazin.com, was unequivocal: “He takes things to extremes. He’s only got himself to blame.”

But Hamilton initially refused to take the blame, telling reporters afterwards: “As far as I was concerned, I was ahead of whoever I was racing and then I was hit by them.”

He later apologised to Japan’s Kobayashi via Twitter.

“After watching the replay, I realise it was my fault today 100 per cent.

“I didn’t give Kobayashi enough room, though I thought I was past. The team deserves better from me,” said Hamilton.

Mark Webber had already signed his new contract for 2012 before the summer speculation stepped into its highest gear.
Throughout the August shutdown, it was not certain whether the Australian would be staying alongside Sebastian Vettel next year, or giving way to a youngster like Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi.

In fact, Blick newspaper said Swiss Buemi was “disappointed” with Saturday’s official news because he had “secretly expected” Webber’s seat.

But birthday boy Webber, 35, said he has known about 2012 for weeks.

“(It was) signed not long ago, I think it was the last race (Hungary), actually, on the Sunday,” he said after qualifying third at Spa.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner insisted Webber is once again guaranteed equality with Vettel in the new deal.

Webber, meanwhile, was asked whether it is his preference to always sign one-year deals, or the team’s.

“Little bit of both, I think,” he answered. “The one year extensions are not too bad for me, and also I think it suits them as well. Bit of 50-50.”

Sebastian Vettel returned to the top step of the podium and extended his championship lead on Sunday by winning the Belgian grand prix.
But the German was sporting an angry face before the Spa-Francorchamps race, after rival teams refused to allow the Red Bulls to change their qualifying tyres due to blistering.

Pirelli had reacted to the situation by rushing spare tyres to the fabled circuit, but ultimately the likes of McLaren and Ferrari – and FIA chief Charlie Whiting – made Vettel and the sister RB7 start on their damaged tyres.

“We had a lot of concerns,” Vettel said after extending his points lead to 92 points over his teammate Mark Webber. “We didn’t feel too comfortable and we both had to stop pretty early.”

The Red Bulls finished one-two ahead of McLaren’s Jenson Button.

“No wonder Ferrari and Mclaren objected to them wanting to change them (the tyres) before the race,” said BBC commentator Martin Brundle.

Mercedes is investigating how a rear wheel fell off Michael Schumacher’s car during qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps.
Wearing a special golden helmet to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his F1 debut, the famous German will start the race last because he crashed during his outlap in Q1.

“How embarrassing for Mercedes, to destroy his anniversary race because the wheel fell off,” Sky commentator Marc Surer is quoted as saying by Bild newspaper.

20 years ago, Schumacher’s first-ever F1 race ended within half a kilometre because the clutch in his Jordan failed.

And in 2011? “We’ve looked at the data. It happened suddenly, within a second,” Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn said.

“We are still looking into it. There is a locking mechanism and we had a few problems last year but not with the new system this year.

“We have developed the system with our DTM team. There must be an explanation and I’m sure we will find it.”

To many in F1 circles, Bertrand Gachot is arguably best known for vacating his Jordan seat in 1991 for a then unknown youngster by the name of Michael Schumacher.
Just before Schumacher’s meteoric F1 debut 20 years ago, Gachot was jailed in England for spraying a taxi driver with CS gas some eight months earlier.

“The taxi thing happened in December (1990),” Gachot, who now manages his energy drink company Hype, told the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag.

“Eight months later, in August 1991, I was summoned to court. The lawyers told me it’s a small thing.”

It was the week before the Spa-Francorchamps race, but the judge refused to release the French-Belgian driver even on a multi-million pound bond.

“I was a danger to the English population,” he marvelled. “Eight months later!

“I was sentenced to two years in prison and I had to serve two months. And because the gas was considered a weapon, they put me in a cell with a murderer.”

It was, however, good news for Eddie Jordan, who had already collected from Gachot’s sponsors in 1991 and was now receiving $160,000 from Mercedes for the one-off Schumacher debut.

Gachot doesn’t directly accuse Jordan of pushing the CS gas case to court in order to collect more sponsorship money.

“I don’t want to put that name in my mouth. I don’t mean Michael, who is a great guy, a great racer. My bad luck was his good fortune. His career might have been very different if I had not gone to prison.”