Sebastian Vettel will certainly win the 2011 world championship, according to Germany.
The SID news agency commissioned market research company Promit to ask Germans if their countryman Vettel is a sure bet to become F1′s first back-to-back world champion since Fernando Alonso five years ago.

An overwhelming 74.4 per cent answered yes, with only 11.8 per cent believing that one of the Red Bull driver’s rivals – like Alonso or the McLaren duo – can win the 2011 title.

Lewis Hamilton, who along with his teammate Jenson Button as well as Ferrari’s Alonso prevented Vettel from winning a single race in July, thinks he still has a chance.

“There are 200 points up for grabs and I will enter all the races believing I can win them,” the Briton told the Daily Star newspaper.

“It is going to be an exciting run down to the last race in Brazil and I can’t wait for the next round in Belgium.

“Our car’s pace is there right now as we have shown with our wins, mine in Germany with the fastest lap and Jenson’s in Hungary.

“The car’s on song because of our excellent qualifying pace at both,” said Hamilton.

The battle between Vitaly Petrov and Robert Kubica would have been much closer in 2011.
That is the claim of Renault’s chief engineer Alan Permane, who acknowledged that Russian Petrov was well off the pace of his Polish teammate last year.

But in his second year of F1 Petrov is much improved, with Permane claiming that had Kubica not sat out the season through injury, he would have faced a good challenge from the sister R31.

“(In 2010) Robert was ahead most of the time, but he (Petrov) did a good race in Abu Dhabi at the end of the year.

“But we found a new Vitaly when we arrived in Melbourne,” said Permane, referring to the performance that culminated in Petrov’s podium. “He was really focused and didn’t make a single mistake throughout the weekend.

“Last year Robert was much faster than him and Vitaly could do nothing about it. He (Kubica) would have been the faster of the two this season but with not such a difference.”

According to Michael Schumacher, “the train has already left” when it comes to fighting for this year’s title.

But the seven time world champion also doubts Mercedes’ next car will be good enough to challenge the leaders.

“It would be presumptuous if one expects us to fight for the title next year. At the moment we are too far behind,” the 42-year-old German said at the weekend during the Mercedes event Stuttgarter Sternstunden.

The German marque’s competition director Norbert Haug made a similar admission.

“Under normal circumstances, you do not go from fourth to first in one jump,” he said.

Mercedes’ board, however, has the patience to wait, according to head of group research Thomas Weber.

“We will give (the team) the time that is necessary to get to the top,” he said.

There is a secret to McLaren’s recent success, according to the German trade magazine Auto Motor und Sport.

With Lewis Hamilton and then Jenson Button winning the most recent German and Hungarian grands prix, the report said a big reason for the erosion of Red Bull’s dominance is a Japanese engineer.

Hiroshi Imai, who until 2009 was former F1 supplier Bridgestone’s chief engineer, is now working at McLaren on unlocking the secrets of the heavily-degrading Pirellis.

“He seems to have made a breakthrough,” said Auto Motor und Sport, revealing that McLaren has worked to better cool the brakes so that the heat is not transferred to the tyres.

Fighting on the edge for winning the pole position at Brno Automotodrom Returning from the (short) summer break, the main players in the top class were found encased in comparison to a handful of milliseconds: 113 to be exact, enough to Dani Pedrosa to mock agitated in a final session, the reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo. At the first pole position of the season (strange to say for a single lap specialist like him well in his career achieved 36 pole, just half in the top class), Pedrosa has stopped the clock sull’1’56 “591 without the stress’ unapproachable step-by-race shown yesterday.

The three-time world champion, already victorious in Brno 125cc (2003) and 250 (2005) with three podium finishes to the Masaryk Circuit in five editions of the Grand Prix of Republic of MotoGP, the reference is still in prospect for tomorrow’s race ( off as usual at 14:00) which will start in the front row alongside, as well as Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner, also from the third to 0 “269 trying to fix those problems yesterday rediscounted riding his factory Honda RC212V.

With the trio used to monopolize the front row and podium finishes this season, there is little room for Ben Spies, fourth and not the best physical condition, but still ahead of Marco Simoncelli (5 °) and Valentino Rossi , who with a real “twist” at the end managed to get on the second row with the sixth fastest time by filing the gap to 7 tithing, best qualifying this season and his adventure with Ducati. There is no room for any kind of illusions, because the situation remains problematic to the red boxes: no way, but they show some small signs of recovery over a single lap at least as evidenced by the 9 th lap Nicky Hayden , over the weekend forced to navigate in the rear with the “old” GP11 (the “Step 1″ will try it until Monday in the post-race test day).

Among the disappointed of these tests include Andrea Dovizioso, 7 °, as Loris Capirossi that goes beyond the 16 th performance in front of Karel Abraham, who fell at the end of the session, in two separate occasions inadvertently emulated even by Randy De Puniet and Cal Crutchlow. Saturday to forget for Suzuki with Alvaro Bautista Friday 14 ° after a convincing KO following the flight this morning instead of John Hopkins : a broken finger on his right hand, farewell weekend action with a view to avoid compromising the title race in the British Superbike.

MotoGP World Championship 2011
Brno Qualifying Standings

01 – Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC212V – 1’56 .591
02 – Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha Factory Racing Team – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0113
03 – Casey Stoner – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC212V – 0269 +
04 – Ben Spies – Yamaha Factory Racing Team – Yamaha YZR M1 – 0587 +
05 – Marco Simoncelli – San Carlo Honda Gresini – Honda RC212V – 0760 +
06 – Valentino Rossi – Team Ducati – Ducati Desmosedici GP11.1 – + 0776
07 – Andrea Dovizioso – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC212V – 0851 +
08 – Colin Edwards – Tech 3 Yamaha Monster – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 1085
09 – Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – 1130 +
10 – Hiroshi Aoyama – San Carlo Honda Gresini – Honda RC212V – + 1193
11 – Cal Crutchlow – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 1206
12 – Toni Elias – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC212V – 1654 +
13 – Hector Barbera – Mapfre Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – 1682 +
14 – Alvaro Bautista – Rizla Suzuki – Suzuki GSV-R – 1683 +
15 – Randy De Puniet – Pramac Racing Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – 2298 +
16 – Loris Capirossi – Pramac Racing Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – 2347 +
17 – Karel Abraham – Cardion AB Motoracing – Ducati Desmosedici GP11 – 2355 +

Rise over the championship, he will soon be the “hare”? For sure in qualifying Marc Marquez is subverting the values ​​in the field of early-season World Moto2 pole at six 125cc world champion Stefan Bradl the fourth responded today with staff in this 2011, after the third consecutive Mugello and Sachsenring. The pupil of Emilio Alzamora, riding Suter MMXI managed by Monlau Competicion (now “Team Repsol CatalunyaCaixa” to the needs of sponsors), the Masaryk Circuit at the end was able to take advantage of the double-wake and West Courses in front of him stopping the chronometers about 2’02 “493, just two tenths ahead of Stefan Bradl on the treasure that he can always boast of 42 championship points.

For tomorrow’s race in Brno (the way to 12:15) aims to repeat and, if possible, improve the podium at the Sachsenring, Alex de Angelis , with one third of JiR Motobi to complete the front row at the expense of Thomas Luthi, traditionally faster on the track of the Czech Republic Appreciable performance of the San Marino rider, but also the overwhelming majority of the Italian riders “middle class”.

The first of this list is Andrea Iannone , good and finally decisive fifth in qualifying with Suter’s Speed ​​Master Team, with Simone Corsi, Mattia Pasini and Claudio Corti on the third row from the seventh to ninth. To forget in Brno on Saturday for Michele Pirro, 22 °, 31 ° and with Alex Baldolini Thomas Lorenzetti 38 ° due to a slip at the beginning of the session.

Same trouble for Julian Simon, who fell in the first few minutes with the risk of having to skip the race tomorrow, not in the best physical shape of the recent fracture of the tibia and fibula of his right leg in Barcelona remedied.

Moto2 World Championship 2011
Brno Qualifying Standings

01 – Marc Marquez – Team Repsol CatalunyaCaixa – Suter MMXI – 2’02 .493
02 – Stefan Bradl – Viessmann Kiefer Racing – KALEX Moto2 – + 0211
03 – Alex De Angelis – JiR Moto2 – Motobi – 0232 +
04 – Thomas Luthi – Interwetten Paddock Moto2 – Suter MMXI – + 0355
05 – Andrea Iannone – Speed ​​Master Team – Suter MMXI – 0450 +
06 – Aleix Espargaro – 40 HP Pons – Pons KALEX – 0968 +
07 – Simone Corsi – IODA Racing Project – FTR Moto M211 – 1004 +
08 – Mattia Pasini – IODA Racing Project – FTR Moto M211 – 1030 +
09 – Claudio Corti – Italtrans Racing Team – Suter MMXI – + 1052
10 – Randy Krummenacher – GP Team Switzerland – KALEX Moto2 – 1113 +
11 – Jules Cluzel – NGM Forward Racing – Suter MMXI – 1134 +
12 – Dominique Aegerter – Technomag CIP – Suter MMXI – 1169 +
13 – Kenan Sofuoglu – Technomag CIP – Suter MMXI – 1209 +
14 – Pol Espargaro – HP Tuenti Speed ​​Up – Speed ​​Up S-11 – 1222 +
15 – Max Neukirchner – MZ Racing Team – FTR Moto M211 – 1256 +
16 – Bradley Smith – Tech 3 Racing – Tech 3 Mistral 610 – 1351 +
17 – Yuki Takahashi – Gresini Racing Moto2 – Moriwaki MD600 – + 1356
18 – Tito Rabat – Blusens STX – Motorcycles FTR M211 – 1405 +
19 – Valentin Debise – Speed ​​Up – Speed ​​Up S-11 – + 1512
20 – Scott Redding – Marc VDS Racing Team – Suter MMXI – 1532 +
21 – Ratthapark Wilairot – Singha Thai Honda SAG – FTR Moto M211 – 1589 +
22 – Michele Pirro – Gresini Racing Moto2 – Moriwaki MD600 – 1660 +
23 – Jordi Torres – Mapfre Aspar Team – Suter MMXI – + 1685
24 – Mike Di Meglio – Tech 3 Racing – Tech 3 Mistral 610 – + 1827
25 – Robertino Pietri – Italtrans Racing Team – Suter MMXI – 1858 +
26 – Ricard Cardus – QMMF Racing Team – Moriwaki MD600 – 1995 +
27 – Axel Pons – Pons HP 40 – KALEX Pons – 2081 +
28 – Carmelo Morales – The Desguaces Tower G22 – Suter MMXI – 2093 +
29 – Yonny Hernandez – Blusens STX – Motorcycles FTR M211 – 2130 +
30 – Mika Kallio – Marc VDS Racing Team – Suter MMXI – + 2330
31 – Alex Baldolini – NGM Forward Racing – Suter MMXI – + 2422
32 – Kenny Noyes – Avintia STX – Motorcycles FTR M211 – 2464 +
33 – Xavier Simeon – Team Sports RTL – Tech 3 Mistral 610 – + 2727
34 – Anthony West – MZ Racing Team – FTR Moto M210 – 3220 +
35 – Steven Odendaal – MS Racing – Suter MMX – 3498 +
36 – Santiago Hernandez – SAG Team – FTR Moto M211 – 3856 +
37 – Al Naimi Mashel – QMMF Racing Team – Moriwaki MD600 – 5012 +
38 – Tommaso Lorenzetti – Aeroport de Castello – FTR Moto M211 – 5764 +

As the F1 world slumbers in August, some of the sport’s figures have reacted in horror to the situation on the streets of London.

Swarms of English youths this week have been violently rioting, vandalising and looting, triggering Pirelli boss Paul Hembery to call for a “tough” response.

“It’s overwhelming the level of anger and disgust from so many people irrespective of race, religion or class. Everyone wants tough action,” he said on Twitter.

Also angry is former McLaren driver Mark Blundell.

“Why – if these people are so tough and riot and thieve – do they cover their faces? It’s because they are cowards of the first order. Shame on them!” he said.

F1′s BBC anchor Jake Humphrey told his Twitter followers: “Keep your heads down, stay safe and remember it’s a minority. Most people are decent.”

F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, meanwhile – an owner of the London football club Queens Park Rangers – is concerned the riots will affect the beginning of the Premier League season.

“It (postponing matches) would send a terrible message to the rest of the world,” he said.

“The Premier League is watched everywhere I travel. I always see Manchester United on the TV wherever I am. So it’s a very bad message for England, and we’re going to have the Olympics soon.”

Hundreds of angry Indian farmers have threatened to sabotage the new Buddh circuit.
With the New Delhi venue scheduled to host the inaugural Indian grand prix in October, over 300 farmers on Wednesday staged a protest near the site.

DNA India said they are angry at how their lands were acquired to make room for the project.

Calling themselves the Bhartiya Kisan Union, they are threatening to “dismantle the racing track with force if necessary” if their demands are not met.

They reportedly drafted a letter to authorities demanding money, educational placements and the establishment of industries to generate employment.

“We are warning you that if our demands are taken casually, we will be forced to launch an agitation,” the farmers wrote.

Paul Hembery has taken time out of the August break to confirm rumours that qualifying tyres are on the agenda for the future.
We reported in June that ultra-fast and sticky qualifying tyres, designed to last only one flying lap, are among Pirelli’s many ideas about how to maximise its new role as official F1 supplier.

“In the end for something like that the decision is with the teams. They might say no,” the Italian marque’s British motor sport director said.

A British magazine on Thursday said Pirelli is offering to supply qualifying tyres to the teams as early as 2012.

“(There are) many discussions (but the) teams decide, not us,” Hembery said on Twitter when asked about the qualifying tyre rumour.

Asked how much quicker the tyres would be compared to the current ‘super softs’, he added: “Not sure yet but up to 2 seconds a lap.”

Hembery, however, said that there are “no immediate plans” either for 18-inch wheel rims of extra-wide 15-inch tyres: “(The) teams (are) not keen and we would need a test car.”

But he did confirm that he is enjoying his summer break.

“Mega, just lazing, reading and drinking beers and cocktails. Just what I needed,” said Hembery.

Rubens Barrichello has admitted he is not likely to sample the sounds and power of V6 engines from the cockpit of an F1 car.
The Brazilian is the longest-serving driver in the sport’s history, notching up approaching 320 grands prix since 1993 and keen to re-sign with Williams for the forthcoming 2012 and 2013 seasons.

In 2014, F1 is scheduled to switch from its normally-aspirated V8 engines to turbo V6 power, where silent electric motors are touted to propel the cars in the pitlane.

Barrichello, 39, in his native Sao Paulo for the August break, was asked about the change in engine formula by Globo Esporte.

“It is a very big internal war; it was going to be four cylinder and now it’s V6. We’re not exactly sure what will happen,” he said.

In mid 2014, Barrichello will be 42; the current age of his former Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher, the oldest racer on the grid.

Referring again to the V6 formula, he laughed: “That’s for three years from now. At that time, I will not be in formula one but at Disneyland, eating hamburgers and riding the rollercoaster.”

More seriously, the 11-time grand prix winner is hoping to stay at Williams in 2012.

“In formula one there are always surprises; you can never guarantee that something is fixed,” said Barrichello.

“From what we can see, only the top seats are pretty much decided. For the teams in the middle of the field it depends on other factors and anything can happen until the end of the year.”

Paul di Resta’s manager has hinted Mercedes could be interested in signing the rookie Scot for 2012.

The comments by Anthony Hamilton on Tuesday follow Michael Schumacher’s reported admission in the Italian press this week that he is not sure “if my mindset is right for this team”.

“At some point we will evaluate whether I continue or stop,” said the seven time world champion.

Should the German return to retirement, di Resta – impressive on his F1 race debut with Mercedes-powered Force India this year – is considered the favourite for the seat.

He won the DTM championship with Mercedes last year and remains close to the German carmaker.

Said di Resta’s manager Hamilton, the father of 2008 world champion Lewis: “I’d like to think that there is an interest — Paul is a Mercedes protege.

“I’m proud of him. He will make a great replacement for someone at a top team.”

Robert Kubica is making significant progress in his quest to return to formula one.
That is the claim of the recovering Pole’s friend Mikolaj Sokol, who writes for the Polish broadsheet Rzeczpospolita.

“His current condition is a miracle,” said Sokol, according to sport10.at.

“After I saw him in Pietra Ligure (hospital) some hours after his surgery nearly half a year ago, I would not have expected it.”

The report said Kubica is now able to walk independently as he awaits a further operation to improve the functionality of his elbow later this month.

Sokol said Kubica’s will to recover has been remarkable.

“When he was weakened in the hospital bed with many painkillers he was still up for a joke. Every free second he was training the parts of his body that he could move.

“When he was allowed to leave the bed, he withstood any amount of pain and loaded his right leg as much he possibly could,” he said.

Mark Webber, who prior to the 2009 season recovered from a badly broken leg, said recovery and rehabilitation is “very frustrating”.

“You can have three days of progress and then three days with none,” the Australian told the Polish portal onet.pl.

“The daily exercises are tedious — it’s like building a big wall one brick at a time.”

Carlos Slim Domit has confirmed efforts to revive the Mexican grand prix.
On a visit to Mexico last week, and before touring the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit, FIA president Jean Todt said it is “possible” the country will return to the F1 calendar.

“It is being studied,” businessman Carlos Slim Domit, the son of the world’s richest man Carlos Slim Helu, is quoted by the Europa Press (EP) news agency.

The report said Slim Domit, whose father controls the Sauber and Sergio Perez sponsor Telmex, is on the FIA’s ten-member senate.

He reportedly said officials of the sport are working on the project to end Mexico’s 20-year F1 absence along with the Mexican entertainment company CIE.

CIE is the operator of the Hermanos Rodriguez track in Mexico City, the scene of the last Mexican grand prix in 1992 won by Nigel Mansell.

Slim Domit said the circuit is one option for future Mexican grands prix, but EP said the facility would require “large investments” for improvements.

He said another option is a street circuit in the western city of Guadalajara.

Europa Press said CIE did not immediately comment.

Nico Rosberg has admitted he has had to delay for now his hopes of becoming a grand prix winner.

The German driver, who contested his 100th formula one race in Hungary, said in an interview with Spain’s El Pais: “No one could win with my car.

“There are three teams – Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren – who are ahead of the others. I need to wait to get a better car.

“Later this year or early next year I will start to think about winning,” said Rosberg.

Mercedes GP entered the 2011 season with high hopes, but Auto Motor und Sport reports that the Brackley based team has now acknowledged that key technical aspects were flawed.

For instance, the W02 car has recently switched to a Red Bull-like exhaust/diffuser layout, while boss Ross Brawn admitted that for 2012 “we will build a longer car”.

Rosberg’s goal for now, then, is to finish just behind the aforementioned three teams at grands prix.

“With this car, to me seventh place is like winning,” said the 26-year-old.

Asked which areas of the car need to be improved, Rosberg added: “Everything. In general it’s the aerodynamics, mechanically in terms of reducing weight.

“The engine is fine,” he continued, “but the blown exhaust system, which is a very important part of the aerodynamics now, can be improved a lot. We’re working on it.”

Fourteen years ago, Jacques Villeneuve won the title after Michael Schumacher was found to have deliberately driven into him at Jerez.
But now the French Canadian, on a visit to Brazil at the weekend to race stock cars, has defended the seven time world champion amid criticism of his return to F1 in the last two seasons.

“It makes no sense to criticise him,” Villeneuve is quoted by O Estado de S.Paulo.

“He was a tenth of a second faster than Rubens and Eddie (Irvine) at Ferrari and now he’s a tenth slower than Nico Rosberg, so not much has changed.

“The criticism is bad for the sport and the young drivers. It would be better to say he is very good and he is being beaten than to say he is bad and that’s why he loses now.”

Villeneuve added that “It can always happen when things do not fit together perfectly as a driver for a season or two”.

A staunch critic of “artificial racing” produced by deliberately degrading tyres and DRS, he admitted that he no longer sets “an alarm clock” in order to watch grands prix on television.

“My father held at bay four drivers for the whole race at Jarama (1981) and everyone remembers that race as the most spectacular,” said Villeneuve, in a rare reference to his late father Gilles.