Red Bull has hit back at claims the team lied about a technical problem in Malaysia in order to gain a tactical advantage for the forthcoming races.

Near the end of the Sepang race, Sebastian Vettel’s engineer repeatedly instructed the back-to-back world champion to retire his RB8 car.

Team boss Christian Horner said the brake temperatures had risen to a dangerous level, but Vettel nonetheless raced to the chequered flag and finished eleventh, one position out of the points.

Horner explained Vettel did not hear the radio calls due to a “lightening strike”, but photos prove that the German driver was also repeatedly shown pit boards with the same messages.

And the 24-year-old revealed after the race: “Of course you can save the car, but I wanted to see the chequered flag. I think that’s how it should be.”

Moreover, the authoritative Auto Motor und Sport quotes Vettel as confirming: “I heard the command.”

Red Bull has been accused in some media reports of feigning the brake problem in order to retire the car for tactical reasons and therefore install a fresh gearbox for China next month without penalty.

Dr Helmut Marko told Bild newspaper: “After the crash (with Narain Karthikeyan), the temperature of the brakes rose far above the allowed level.

“We called him in purely because the car was no longer safe. It was not a tactical decision,” the Austrian insisted.

It is reported that Vettel will sit with his team bosses this week in Milton-Keynes to discuss the apparently ignored team order.

German racing legend Hans-Joachim Stuck said: “Another driver would be fired, but Vettel has the confidence of being a double world champion.”

According to Welt newspaper, Swiss commentator Marc Surer added: “It was the right decision by Vettel, as the team needs to be careful with commands like that.”

 Giedo van der Garde is set to return to the track with Caterham during the forthcoming Barcelona tests, reigniting speculation about Jarno Trulli’s future with the former Lotus team.
After the sponsor-backed Dutch GP2 driver was signed on as 2012 reserve driver, he was also drafted into the Jerez test lineup at short notice, bumping Italian veteran Trulli from Thursday’s running.

And France’s Auto Hebdo quotes the 26-year-old as revealing he expects to return to the wheel soon.

“It was not easy for me to fully exploit the new tyres and brakes, but it will be better at the next test.

“The team is happy with my performance. I hope to do another test before the season starts,” van der Garde said.

Also reportedly in the running at Caterham is the Renault refugee and Russian-backed Vitaly Petrov, with Sport Bild claiming Trulli’s 2012 place is “probably not safe”.

“For now I’m safe,” Trulli was quoted on Monday by the Italian website Stop and Go.

Also perhaps feeling nervous at present is Marussia’s new signing Charles Pic, who according to Dutch website f1today.nl is grappling with “sponsorship and payment problems”.

The former Virgin team denied the reports.

“I want to prove to everyone that I have the talent to succeed in F1,” he is quoted by French language RMC Sport.

“Timo (Glock) has a lot of experience and has been on the podium — my goal is to learn from him and try to beat him as soon as possible,” added Pic.

Sebastian Vettel has refused to rule out hanging up his formula one helmet long before his thirtieth birthday.
As a 21-year-old rookie three years ago, the German became F1′s youngest ever grand prix winner at Monza at the wheel of a Toro Rosso.

Now, he is cruising to his second consecutive title, having signed up with Red Bull’s premier team for the next three years.

But beyond 2014, he is refusing to commit.

“My contract is until then and I am not really looking much further right now,” Vettel told the German edition of Playboy.

“Maybe in four or five years I will have no more desire for formula one and will want to do something different.

“At the moment I can’t imagine it but you should never say never,” he added.

“The feeling I get when I’m racing is that it’s so much fun and gives me more satisfaction than anything else in life.

“You have the tremendous forces on your body when you step on the brakes and turn the wheel, your brain screams ‘Stop, that’s impossible! But then the car shows you that it can be done.”

The magazine said Vettel, despite his considerable earnings, has inexpensive tastes — like his DVD collection and the fact his favourite vehicle is a VW bus.

Why the VW?: “Because you can do everything with it. You can even plug a freezer into the cigarette lighter,” Vettel laughed. “There is really nothing on which I need to spend very much money.”

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.

Ross Brawn has added his voice to the general feeling in the paddock this weekend that F1 should think hard about rescheduling the Bahrain grand prix in 2011.

With Bernie Ecclestone admitting India could be delayed until early December to make room on the calendar for Sakhir, Renault boss Eric Boullier sounded unenthused.

“The question has to be raised. Does F1 have to go there?” said the Frenchman in Barcelona. “It is maybe too early to go there after the dramas.”

His Mercedes counterpart Brawn, meanwhile, has another reason for not wholeheartedly supporting the idea of extending the calendar beyond its currently-scheduled late November finale.

He told Germany’s motorsport-magazin.com that a December finale would shorten his hard-working staff’s holidays.

“Our boys, by the end of January, are back to work completely and very busy. And because of the resource restrictions we can’t put any more people on or employ a second race team,” said Brawn.

The Renault cars did not immediately run in Friday afternoon practice while the team investigated the technical failures of the initial session at Sepang.
Team boss Eric Boullier confirmed at the Malaysian circuit that neither Nick Heidfeld or Vitaly Petrov would return to their R31s until the problem is understood and rectified.

“Best to be on the safe side,” the team said on its official Twitter.

Heidfeld had returned to the pits in the first session with a blocked wheel, before Petrov spun into the gravel after a catastrophic failure on his left corner.

It was initially believed the problem was related to brakes, but the later theory was that the fault was in the suspension upright.

Half-way into the second session, it is believed the problem has been found and the cars will return to the track shortly.

Meanwhile, Boullier confirmed that German Heidfeld sat out some pre-weekend events this week with a throat infection.

“It’s not serious,” he told Bernama news agency. “He wanted to rest and be ready for free practice.”

(TMS) Williams test on Thursday for the first time be KERS – rewinds from Pastor Maldonado easy 101 rounds and gets to know the FW33
After Williams had had on the first two of the three days of testing at Valencia technical problems with its new KERS, Pastor Maldonado was on Thursday over a hundred laps with the system. The rookie was the seventh fastest lap time of the day (1:14.299 minutes), with which he was also much faster than his experienced team-mate Rubens Barrichello during the day before.

“I now feel much more comfortable in the car,” said the man from Venezuela, who tried out on Thursday next KERS also the new, adjustable rear wing. “I work better with the team and develop the car both in long runs than short stints. I feel better from time to time I get in the car.”
Maldonado was in high spirits on Thursday, after he received an important visitor at the racetrack: the Venezuelan ambassador to Spain, looked over at the Williams box and inquired of the largest motorsport hope of his country after the recent progress. “It was the first time that I met the ambassador, and for me it is great that he came here and supported me personally.”

“To know people like the ambassador behind me is very important to me. This shows that Venezuela supports me and the sport is very strong,” said Maldonado, who in the form of the state oil company PDVSA a sponsor in the back, prominently this season visible on the rear wing of the FW33 is.

Williams technical director Sam Michael was the last day of testing at Valencia also satisfied. While Barrichello was on the first two days of KERS still brake and electrical problems, Maldonado was able to try out all the systems of the new car extensively. “He did a good job you were to know all the control systems,” said Michael.
“There is a lot, think about the driver’s cockpit must now, with KERS, the rear wing, the brakes and the tires, which must be maintained at temperature,” gone, drove the experienced engineer. “We have made several changes to the vote to get to know the car, and some long runs down to temperature checks carried out.”

Christian Horner on Wednesday said it is “ridiculous” to suggest Mark Webber tried deliberately to take out his rivals after crashing in Sunday’s Korean grand prix.

Former grand prix winner Gerhard Berger said on Tuesday that the Australian “could have hit the brakes” after crashing out of second place during the rain-hit race in Yeongam.

“Yes, I think that’s very clear,” said the Austrian. “It’s very obvious, you can see his wheels are not locked up.”

Webber actually collected the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg, but – according to Berger – he “would have preferred” to wipe title contenders Fernando Alonso or Lewis Hamilton out of the race.

Red Bull team boss Horner responded: “As with every incident in formula one, opinions will always be made without all the facts.

“Just to be absolutely clear — Mark’s intention was not to take out another driver after his crash and it’s ridiculous to suggest otherwise,” he told the Telegraph.

Horner admitted that Webber’s RB6 was “badly damaged” after his initial contact with the wall, but his attempt to keep the car going was a “natural and immediate instinct” to get back into the race.

“It’s absurd to suggest that Mark would ever deliberately take out another driver,” added Horner.

Gerhard Berger has accused Mark Webber of wanting to take out a championship rival after crashing in Sunday’s Korean grand prix.

Australian Webber, who at the time was leading the world championship by 14 points, spun on a wet kerb whilst running second at Yeongam and struck the wall.

But his Red Bull then rolled back across the circuit, collecting the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg.

“I don’t understand why Webber didn’t hit the brakes,” said Rosberg. “It was crazy to roll back across the track like that.”

Former grand prix winner Berger said on Monday: “He could have hit the brakes and stopped the car at the wall.

“He took out Rosberg, but it was the wrong one. I think in his mind he would have preferred Alonso or Hamilton,” the former Ferrari and McLaren driver told Austrian Servus TV.

Asked to clarify whether he thinks Webber’s move was deliberate, Berger – a former co-owner of the second Red Bull team Toro Rosso – added: “Yes, I think that’s very clear.

“He goes off and he knows it’s over. In this moment you’re frustrated and a thousand thoughts go through your head.

“It’s very obvious, you can see his wheels are not locked up. Perhaps he had a brake problem, but I don’t think so.”

Michael Schumacher failed to 0.008 seconds at the touch of moving into the top 10: “That we must accept so”

“One must remember that our weapons were somewhat blunter than expected and as predicted,” says Michael Schumacher, who failed in the time hunting only 0.008 seconds on entry into Q3. “In free practice it was quite reasonable with fifth and sixth place. But for qualifying, we are then something has been passed. If Nico Hulkenberg have succeeded in a normal round, then we would have been even at the end on position ten and eleven.”

Schumacher’s team-mate Nico Rosberg Mercedes to beat the Williams rookie in the last section. “We are in the stands nine and eleven, thus the better side. So we can target at the start maybe a little,” says the 41-year-old. “People must also be realistic. There is no reason to believe that tomorrow we can go much faster in order to achieve our targeted podium.”
At Hockenheim, not the exception as the tires to the special Mercedes-problem had been. “We were simply not competitive,” explains Schumacher. “I had on my car a few problems with the brakes, which have caused some vibration. But even that would not see me as the reason why we lacked the time.”

Schumacher appealed to the fans: Press the “thumb and may do a rain dance!” The podium is hoped, however, out of reach. “Whether we can take a different strategy, we must analsieren yet,” the world champion. “Our two cars were within a hundredth, it was not more. We must now acceptable. But who knows me, knows that I fight to the end.”

And last year, succeeded the “red bull” on the course in Northamptonshire a double victory. The signs are so good, but is happy not only because of technical director Adrian Newey to forward to the next Grand Prix at Silverstone (July 9 to 11).

For the team headquarters of Red Bull Racing in Milton Keynes is 30 minutes away from Silverstone. “So many of our employees the chance to see the race immediately,” said Newey. Whether they will experience a strong performance of the team, the design guru but can not promise yet: “There are so many variables such as the track temperature, so many things that can affect the performance of the team.”
Unlike in Valencia Red Bull will be at Silverstone have no major upgrade here, but only minor modifications, mainly at the front and rear wings. “We were in Valencia with a new diffuser and another F-shaft a few innovations here, all of which have worked well,” says Newey.
“The team has worked incredibly hard and Sebastian drove a great race,” continues Newey. “He brought the car really well through the race, after he blocked during restart after Safetycarphase the brakes and made the left front tire was flat. And it was a great relief that Mark was after his big crash in order.”

Meanwhile it had become difficult to find under the new regulations still tricks that bring a big step forward with it, continues Newey, but he added with a grin: “It is interesting to see how popular our exhaust systems along the pit lane has become! ”

Newey is now but once the first rounds of the Red Bull looking forward to the new section of the Silverstone course. “Like all other teams, we got the floor plan map and simulated,” he says. “But we have to address details such as bumps and Gripwechsel, we know only when we are driven there. It looks good in any case and as I noted at the MotoGP race there, the drivers loved it.”

The race director said after yesterday’s Grand Prix of Canada from Montreal in no penalty against Michael Schumacher, even though his friend Felipe Massa had just pushed very hard. But the duel of the two ex-teammates remained interpersonal consequences.

On the part Ferrari, there was certainly no allegation in the direction of seven times world champion: ‘I think Michael was perhaps a bit slow earlier because his tires not so great were. He braked much earlier than Felipe had expected it, and therefore, Felipe went back purely in it, “said race engineer Rob Smedley, Massa, the only angry about the potentially lost championship points.
Massa was in the final stages of the race to Schumacher minded and wanted to overtake the Mercedes chicane before the finish but Schumacher blocked until the inside line and then moved back to his racing line. He urged from Massa, who was at that time still on the road at full speed. The race stewards at Emerson Fittipaldi said, but made no speech.

Rightly, as Schumacher’s team boss Ross Brawn thinks: “Felipe was there perhaps a bit too ambitious, because Michael had no grip anyway,” said the Briton. “I see no sin upon him. It may be true that he has slowed down earlier, but that was just at the time and the place with his tires, brakes where he had to. I do not think there malicious intent behind it.”

(totalmotorsports)

The tires play in the return of the Canadian Grand Prix in Formula 1 are probably the biggest role. On Friday, the Montreal track was extremely slippery, the tires were no liability on the slopes, heavy graining was the result. Even if Renault was one of them is not spared, though the times of Robert Kubica again could augur well.

“The track is very demanding on the tires, especially with the new coating. It is very slippery, you get no energy in the tires,” says Kubica. “Today, the tires have reduced greatly. The tires are simply not in the correct work area. For tomorrow we need to improve. All had trouble with the tires and a new surface – or a combination of both.”
“Added to that the track and the brakes heavily burdened, because there are many straight lines, is delayed to the end,” he continues. “Care must therefore also on its brakes. We must find the right compromise between speed and reliability.”
Despite the good times would not comment on Kubica estimate for the rest of the weekend. “I had the training on Friday has never been an expectation, because that can be quite confusing,” he explains. “We hope that we will qualify in the top ten. We see that all are very close.”

Since the last Canadian show, things have changed in Formula 1: Nachtankverbot, the slicks are back and a heavily revised aerodynamics. To major changes on the route led the not. “The track is indeed the same,” said Kubica. “Two years ago we had problems with it, that set off the asphalt. This year the surface is good, but very slippery. The cars are already very different from two years ago. But all the characteristics of the track is still the same.”

(MTS)

Fernando Alonso surprised by yesterday’s free practice in Montreal with the second fastest time, just 0.086 seconds behind Sebastian Vettel. Ferrari has recently been completely in Istanbul of the role, but the quick stop-and-go course on Île Notre-Dame seems to the one equipped with F-bay system F10 meet.

Although the Ferraris were on the straights, the fastest ever in terms of the measured top speed, but Alonso still went fastest in the final sector, which contains the longest full throttle part of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. In winding the first sector he lost two tenths of a second to Vettel, but: “We have been preparing for the race and not taken on the lap times,” he attaches such number games no meaning.
The visor he had something else: “The brakes are very important because we know how much you can win at this track in the braking zones. We have been working all day on the brakes, tried different materials and cooling stages to the car be tuned for Sunday. Sometimes the car was too slow but easy, but I hope that tomorrow we have found the right settings, “said Alonso.

The Montreal-winner from 2006 was seen yesterday a few times off the track, had once even lucky that he does not turn four sliding into the wall. But it was more like the Bremstüfteleien than on the track, which is torn up in 2008 in part. Alonso: “The track is in good condition. There was now no problems, no bumps. I think it will remain so. There is certainly no negative signs.”
Also regarding the Bridgestone tires, which threatened on several other disintegrating almost want to sue the Ferrari driver does not: “The Supersoft is faster, graint but, but we know that on Sunday usually better if the track is catchy “presumed Alonso, who does not share the fears of some colleagues:” I do not think there will be problems on Sunday, even if today had some graining. ”

Ferrari for a successful event in Montreal would be important, because Alonso is currently missing 14 points on championship leader Mark Webber. Last ran the race not on track, but that is about to change thanks to new parts soon: “In Valencia we will be stronger and at Silverstone again,” announces the 28-year-old. “Between now and Abu Dhabi is also off the track a race to see who can develop the fastest.”

(TMS)

For Michael Schumacher is the Canadian Grand Prix is always something very special hopes – team-mate Nico Rosberg on other Mercedes-progress

For Michael Schumacher is the Canadian Grand Prix “is really one of the highlights of the year. That is not because he is the most successful driver on the Cirucit Gilles Villeneuve. But the Mercedes star cites two other reasons: “One is that he always gives me the opportunity to do outside of Europe, something unusual, something entertaining.”

“The other reason is that one senses here that the whole city the Grand Prix. The emotion and the fans – this is very spectacular. This makes it so special,” said Schumacher. The track itself is not so demanding: “In a way it is a stop-and-go course. But the mood and the track characteristics to allow overtaking, ensure that there is something else.” For Mercedes, the goal is to continue the upward trend heralded in Canada.

“We find ourselves with the team in a construction process that is extremely good. I’m very pleased with the way we work and how we move forward,” said Schumacher. “We have not yet the package to be very front. After the winter testing we had not expected. But when I see where we are moving, which is very good.” The new aerodynamics package that Mercedes was in Turkey this has brought the silver arrows from Ferrari. But Schumacher a limit, “But that does not mean that this will be the case here.”

“We have seen how a team was in front and then back again – it’s sometimes a bit difficult to understand and strange, why is this the case,” says Schumacher continued. “We hope that we stay at the front end and so far we could always get the most from the package. Nico Rosberg did a fantastic job, as he has brought the podium.”

And this weekend, a podium is there? “In a wet race there are many opportunities,” replies Schumacher.

Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg agrees, that the “development process” comes on, the silver arrows, even if it is his opinion, still not gone quite according to plan: “We could close the gap still not quite what we had hoped,” says he. “But we really make good progress. In Turkey, we had the F-shaft, which has brought us a long way forward.”

Rosberg hopes that in Montreal goes even further ahead: “Here we have another route. I am confident that we can cut a little bit better and have a good chance at many points. With any luck, could even a podium or something in there a little. They also depends on the weather. I think it will be an interesting weekend. ”

A strength of the Mercedes, the braking performance. Rosberg sees this as an area that could meet the Silver this weekend, finally, the brakes will be charged in Montreal was stuck above average. “I personally really like the track, hence, I think it may be good,” he concludes.