Franz Tost has confirmed reports that French youngster Jean-Eric Vergne is set to rev up his formula one career with Toro Rosso.

It emerged earlier this weekend that the 21-year-old is set to drive the STR6 on Friday mornings once the Renault World Series wraps up in October.

Alongside Daniel Ricciardo, Vergne is the new cream of Red Bull’s driver development programme, putting pressure on the current Toro Rosso lineup comprising Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi.

The second Red Bull team’s boss Tost confirmed Vergne’s forthcoming Friday programme to autohebdo.fr.

“It’s a chance for him to come on board to develop his experience of F1, to know our team, to work with the press, gain knowledge of the technical aspects — everything he needs to know about being a formula one driver,” said the Austrian.

Red Bull will not decide Toro Rosso’s 2012 driver lineup until after the current season.

“We will only decide who is driving with Toro Rosso next year after this season,” confirmed consultant Dr Helmut Marko to the Swiss newspaper Blick.

Meanwhile, Romain Grosjean on Saturday moved another step towards his return to formula one by sealing the GP2 title at Spa-Francorchamps.

“Now that we are champions, I will have a look at what is going on upstairs (F1), but at the moment, my main concern is to find a good contract for 2012 and nothing else,” he said.

Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund has been named as the likely buyer of the lease of British grand prix venue Silverstone.
The Independent said Qatar Investment Authority – already owning shares in the London Stock Exchange, Volkswagen, Harrods, Miramax and French football club Paris Saint-Germain – is in exclusive talks with owner the British Racing Drivers’ Club.

Due diligence is taking place now and “a final decision is expected in the next six months”, said the British newspaper.

The report said part of the deal is that the 150-year leaseholders will have to maintain Silverstone “to make it suitable to retain the British grand prix” beyond 2017.

Qatar is one of the Arab emirates in the Middle East, located next to South Arabia and across the strait from Bahrain.

Bernie Ecclestone will be trackside on Sunday for the Belgian grand prix.

So far this weekend, the F1 chief executive has been in Rome where he has bankrolled his daughter Petra’s $2 million wedding, which took place on Saturday.

Ecclestone, 80, said the event has actually taken place over three days, but he intends to skip the final lunch instalment in deference to his commitments at Spa-Francorchamps.

“As I said to (new son-in-law) James (Stunt), I shall be there for the practice on Friday and the qualifying on Saturday,” he joked to the Express newspaper.

A group of Russians have scammed former F1 team boss Flavio Briatore to the tune of EUR 86,000.
According to the Unione Sarda newspaper, they got off a superyacht and entered Briatore’s ultra-expensive Billionaire club in Sardinia, charging 90 bottles of EUR 900 Cristal champagne to a Russian oligarch’s account.

Police are now searching for the group.

“We trust our clients and there are some who choose not to settle their bills until the end of the summer,” Briatore’s spokeswoman Patrizia Spinelli told the Daily Telegraph.

“This was a very unfortunate exception.”

Police investigator Giulio Brandanu told The Guardian: “We have seen people here skip out on drinks bills before, but never this much.”

Bernie Ecclestone has admitted he would like to see Michael Schumacher on the pitwall when he hangs up his helmet once again.
Throughout F1′s August break, the seven time world champion and his management had to fend off the latest round of speculation suggesting Schumacher, 42, could or should quit at the end of this season.

“I can not see Michael leaving formula one until he believes that the team is not competitive and he really thinks it’s time to go,” DPA news agency quotes F1 chief executive Ecclestone as saying on the eve of the 20th anniversary of Schumacher’s 1991 debut.

When that time eventually comes, Ecclestone thinks the great German would make an ideal team boss.

“He should run a team,” the 80-year-old Briton continued. “With his experience and his talent, he would be first class.”

Mercedes chief Ross Brawn, however, said Schumacher is not ready to hang up his helmet.

“Michael is a great driver, but what is not seen and what also made him a multiple world champion is his work with the team behind the scenes.

“If we can give him a car with the potential to fight for the championship, then I have no doubt that he will be in a position to win his eighth title,” added Brawn.

Along with Ecclestone’s team boss speculation however is Norbert Haug’s admission this week that a move at some point to the German touring car series DTM cannot be ruled out for Schumacher.

“It’s quite possible that Schumacher is being offered a ‘voluntary’ departure so that he can save face,” said Austria’s Sportwoche magazine.

But with 20 years now on the F1 odometer, might Schumacher also celebrate a quarter-century at the pinnacle of motor racing in a few years’ time?

“With Michael, you can never say never,” said his manager Sabine Kehm.

Charlie Whiting has moved to allay fears that India could falter at the final hurdle in organising its inaugural formula one race.
With observers recalling last year’s Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, it has been rumoured that the grand prix might suffer the same shambolic preparations.

“Luckily, we don’t have the government involved,” motor racing official Vicky Chandhok is quoted as saying by Bloomberg.

However, the FIA’s final inspection for the mandatory homologation of the new Buddh circuit has been delayed until September, amid reports some parts of the venue will not be finished even by the scheduled late October race date.

The September inspection will be carried out personally by Whiting.

“I don’t want to offend the people in South Korea, but compared to that I definitely get a good feeling (about India),” the Briton, recalling his most recent visit to the site and comparing it with last year’s first event at Yeongham that was almost called off, is quoted by German press.

24 hours before the drivers file into the Spa-Francorchamps paddock, there is no confirmation about Nick Heidfeld’s apparent loss of his Renault race seat.
Multiple media sources are unofficially confirming Heidfeld’s former boss Eddie Jordan’s claim this week that Bruno Senna will be in the black R31 alongside Vitaly Petrov this weekend in Belgium and possibly beyond.

Germany’s Bild newspaper said Renault is not denying the story.

“We do not want to comment on speculation,” a spokesperson is quoted as saying.

And Auto Motor und Sport said 34-year-old Heidfeld’s management is also not commenting.

Finland’s Turun Sanomat said the situation is complicated, with Renault apparently already behind in its scheduled payments to the German driver.

The newspaper also said Renault is unable to drop Heidfeld without compensating him, with his contract to replace Robert Kubica in 2011 “skilfully” negotiated by his manager.

It is also reported that Senna will only be given the official green light when his Brazilian sponsors sign on the dotted line.

And with the Genii-linked Romain Grosjean rumoured to be in line for the seat once he has wrapped up the GP2 title, Turun Sanomat said those sponsors “are not so eager to put up money for only two grands prix”.

Michael Schumacher’s home town is not planning an official celebration this weekend.
At Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, the seven time world champion will mark the 20th anniversary of his meteoric formula one debut.

But 70 kilometres away in Kerpen, Germany, Schumacher’s home town will be quiet as usual, mayor Marlies Seiburg told the DAPD news agency.

“We have not planned any events because we have found that the interest of the spectators is no longer on the same scale,” she said, comparing Schumacher’s return to F1 with his ultra-successful initial career until 2006.

Schumacher’s first F1 boss Eddie Jordan has featured prominently in the German media this week; not only revealing Renault’s apparent plans to drop Nick Heidfeld but also calling 42-year-old Schumacher an “old fart”.

The Irishman also contradicted Schumacher’s claim that his manager Willi Weber only accidentally lied about the fact he had never raced at Spa prior to his 1991 debut.

“I asked him (Schumacher) and Weber if Michael had ever been to Spa. Both said yes. Taken literally it might be true but actually it was an outright lie,” said Jordan.

“Had they told the truth, I would not have let him race,” he added.

Jordan also admitted that he only signed Schumacher as jailed Bertrand Gachot’s one-off replacement because “I just needed the money”, referring to the $150,000 paid by Schumacher’s Sauber-Mercedes sports car team.

Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehm told Bild newspaper: “It is good if Eddie keeps Michael in the media constantly.”

Nick Heidfeld could sue Renault if the team confirms its reported plans to drop him for the rest of the 2011 season.

Enstone based Renault on Tuesday released its usual pre-race quotes ahead of the Spa-Francorchamps race weekend but did not mention the proposed driver lineup.

The development comes amid rumours Bruno Senna, apparently with millions in potential Brazilian sponsorship, is set to replace German Heidfeld in Belgium and beyond.

But Daily Telegraph correspondent Tom Cary on Tuesday said Heidfeld, 34, would likely tackle those plans with legal action.

“The (newspaper) understands that … Heidfeld … is prepared to use legal channels to hang on to his race seat,” said Cary.

He added that Heidfeld “may argue that it is unreasonable to replace him on grounds of performance” given that he has actually scored more points than teammate Vitaly Petrov so far.

Construction of the 2012 US grand prix venue in Austin has stopped, according to the local American Statesman newspaper.
Reporter Eric Dexheimer said he has received “several anonymous phone calls” informing that no work has been taking place at the site of the Circuit of the Americas for the past few days.

One caller reportedly said “the project’s general contractor, Austin Commercial, had called a meeting of subcontractors last week and instructed them to go home for a couple of weeks; there was no money to pay them.”

But circuit spokesman Jeff Hahn said that information is wide of the mark, insisting that the project is still alive.

Hahn said good weather had meant the initial construction was ahead of schedule and therefore contractors “now must wait a few days for the next instalment.”

“We’re matching the (bank) draw schedule to the construction schedule,” he added.

Meanwhile, contrary to reports last week, David Coulthard’s demonstration of the Red Bull show car did go ahead in Texas at the weekend.

The events took place not only at a ranch owned by Circuit of the Americas backer Red McCombs but also in front of the Texas State Capitol Building and at the dusty grand prix site.

Also on Coulthard’s agenda was showing Hollywood actor Tom Cruise how to drive the F1 car at the Willow Springs track in southern California.

Red Bull confirmed that Cruise hit almost 300kmh with competitive lap times, impressing Coulthard.

“I was surprised that he picked it up so quickly and is such an accomplished driver,” he said.

Sebastian Vettel’s rise to the top of formula one has been meteoric, but three other grand prix drivers achieved even more in their first 73 races.
That is the finding of the veteran Swiss correspondent for Blick newspaper, Roger Benoit.

Vettel, 23, is the youngest ever race and title winner in F1 history and very likely to add a second consecutive championship to his impressive tally in 2011.

But in terms of how much he has achieved in his first 73 grands prix, Sir Jackie Stewart ranks slightly higher with his 18 race wins and two titles in the same period.

Vettel, by comparison, has only one title and 16 wins.

Achieving even more than Stewart in the 73-race period was Michael Schumacher, who had 19 wins and two titles.

And Damon Hill tops that list, amassing a single championship but no fewer than 21 wins within 73 races — an almost 30 per cent strike record.

However, Vettel has achieved more in his career so far than had Alain Prost, Lewis Hamilton, Niki Lauda, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen in the same period, while the great Ayrton Senna in his first 73 races won just 13 times and had failed to secure a title.

Nigel Mansell, meanwhile, only won his first grand prix at the 72nd attempt, while Mika Hakkinen was approaching his 100th race before he finally broke through at Jerez in 1997.

Michael Schumacher has pointed the finger at his first formula one boss Eddie Jordan as he recalled his grand prix debut 20 years ago.
At Spa-Francorchamps this weekend, the seven time world champion is marking the passing of two decades since he burst onto the scene with Jordan.

It was a one-off event as Schumacher, then 22, was snapped up after Belgium by Benetton after qualifying in seventh place.

But his actual race lasted less than a lap when he retired with a broken clutch.

“The story is that we had problems in the warmup,” Schumacher, now racing with Mercedes, wrote in a celebratory column for Auto Motor und Sport.

“I pointed it out at the de-briefing and we talked about whether we should change the clutch or not, but Eddie said that would cost too much money. Then it broke,” added the German.

Schumacher also recalled how he and his then manager Willi Weber had stayed in a hostel that weekend.

“I remember I was surprised because I had thought ‘Yes, I am now in formula one, the premier class’. I was not particularly bothered with the hostel except that it was cold and the heater didn’t work,” he said.

Weber had negotiated his charge’s F1 debut after Jordan regular Bertrand Gachot was jailed for attacking a London taxi driver.

Weber told Jordan that Schumacher knew Spa well.

“I have to clarify the story that we lied about it,” Schumacher said. “Eddie had asked Willi if I had raced there before and Willi said yes, because he could not imagine that I had never been there.”

Jordan reportedly wanted to draft in the experienced Stefan Johansson, but Schumacher’s Sauber-Mercedes sports car team – headed by Peter Sauber – offered $150,000 in sponsorship.

“That was a pretty penny for a single grand prix,” Sauber told the SID news agency this week.

The Swiss believes that Mercedes’ other hotshoe, Heinz Harald Frentzen, “had a similar amount of talent and perhaps even a little more”.

But Schumacher was “a hard worker, very ambitious, mentally strong and also so well prepared physically. It soon became apparent that he was a very special talent”, added Sauber.

“You also need talent and technical knowledge and if you get all these factors close to 100 per cent, you get Michael Schumacher who wins seven titles.”

Sauber said Schumacher or Weber never repaid the $150,000.

“He didn’t have to,” Sauber explained. “He was under contract to us and it was quite normal that we allowed him to have his first race.

“Ultimately it didn’t work for us because Mercedes didn’t come in as a works team and so we could not keep him.”

Schumacher retired from F1 at the end of 2006 but returned three years later with Mercedes, where he is under contract for next year and even considering prolonging his comeback.

Eddie Jordan told The Sun this week: “Michael really is an old fart. He’s had his time.

“I don’t think his legacy has been affected yet by what has happened in his comeback. But he has to make sure he gets the timing of his exit from F1 right.”

Nick Heidfeld will not be racing this weekend in Belgium and is unlikely to return to the Renault cockpit.
That was the claim on Monday of the German’s 2004 team boss Eddie Jordan, who is now an expert pundit for British television the BBC’s television coverage.

Earlier this week, the Irishman said he considered the recent criticism of 34-year-old Heidfeld’s performances this year by Renault bosses as “bullying”.

He wrote in a BBC column on Monday that Heidfeld “has been dropped by the Renault team in favour of Brazilian Bruno Senna for this weekend’s Belgian grand prix”.

Jordan said the move will save Renault money because reserve driver Senna, who is also “expected to race for Renault in the eight remaining races this season, has “several million pounds of sponsorship”.

27-year-old Senna raced most recently in the Abu Dhabi finale last year, at the end of his rookie season with the struggling Hispania team.

He has been Renault’s reserve driver in 2011, and in Hungary last month replaced Heidfeld in Friday morning practice.

As reported earlier this year, the ‘DRS’ overtaking system will be banned completely at Spa-Francorchamps’ fearsome Eau Rouge this weekend.
The BBC on Monday night reported that the governing FIA has informed the teams of the ban on safety grounds through the famous up-and-down, left-and-right sweeper.

At other circuits, drivers are free to trigger the adjustable rear wing in order to increase top speed throughout practice and qualifying sessions.

For the Belgian grand prix, there will be only one DRS overtaking zone, just after the Eau Rouge section through to the braking zone for Les Combes.

The BBC said the Eau Rouge ban will apply at all times from the entry to the La Source hairpin to the end of the Eau Rouge/Raidillon sequence.

“You really don’t want to be going off there, even with the increased safety we have these days,” said Red Bull driver Mark Webber.

The Spanish website motor21 quoted Pastor Maldonado’s race engineer at Williams Xevi Pujolar as saying it is “a pity” the FIA has designated just one DRS zone for the race.

He said a second zone at the end of the lap to the Bus Stop chicane would have been a good idea.

The HRT team has admitted it is looking around for a Spanish driver.

Despite Thesan Capital taking over recently and dropping the Hispania moniker and flag logo, the back-of-the-grid team said it is still committed to upping its Spanish identity.

Recently, young Spaniard Javier Villa was linked with a potential 2012 seat.

“The possibility of incorporating a Spanish driver for next season is something that the team would like,” HRT said on its website. “But there is a big step from that to actually having a deal with a driver.”

The team defended its decision to drop the Hispania name and Spanish flag logo.

“Hispania was the name of the business group belonging to the previous owners, so the change in direction meant that the team name had to change too,” it said.

“HRT was chosen because it is the name of the chassis. The flag was part of the logo so when we changed the logo the flag went too. But don’t worry, it will be back on the car at some stage.”

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