Martin Whitmarsh is sure McLaren’s recent errors will not affect contract negotiations with Lewis Hamilton.

The British team’s latest mistake not only cost Lewis Hamilton pole in Spain, it put the 2008 world champion to the very back of the grid.

Asked if he worries that the now seemingly constant flow of team gaffes will damage McLaren’s efforts to re-sign Hamilton, Whitmarsh insisted: “No, I don’t.

“He has got to build the support of the team, he has got to feel comfortable doing it, he has got to want to drive and he is in good shape,” British newspapers quote the McLaren team principal as saying.

“I look forward to working with him for a long time to come.”

But Whitmarsh admitted that, given Hamilton’s tumultuous 2011 season, he was worried the British driver might have despaired last Saturday when the team’s refuelling mistake cost the 27-year-old pole.

“I was concerned,” he said, “because it is a pretty tough thing to happen to a driver.

“But I have to say he showed some greatness I had not seen before. By the end of our chat he was consoling me.

“The relationship between Lewis and the team is stronger and better and hopefully we will work together for a long time,” added Whitmarsh.

Lewis Hamilton is rethinking McLaren’s scheduled approach to the rare and crucial in-season test at Mugello next week.

The British team announced last week that both Hamilton and his teammate Jenson Button would sit out Mugello, so that testers Gary Paffett and Oliver Turvey can run over the three-day session instead.

But that was before Bahrain, where McLaren’s early-season upper hand vanished, leaving the drivers and team members scratching their heads over the way the MP4-27 ate rapidly through the Pirelli tyres.

“It (the Mugello schedule) might change,” British newspapers report Hamilton as saying.

“I need to get back in the car. We need to figure out why the tyres are going off.

“If there are other things to test or ways to figure it out, I will be the one to do it, not let someone else do it,” said the 2008 world champion.

A McLaren source indicated that if Hamilton wants to test in Italy, the programme will be altered to accommodate him.

Button, however, appears unavailable to test, as he is scheduled to attend a promotional team event in Budapest early next week.

 Christian Horner has told British newspapers he is not switching to Ferrari.
As Red Bull looks to have its fourth consecutive championship-contending car on its hands for 2012, F1′s most famous team Ferrari has kicked off its new title campaign in stark contrast, with a car not yet fit for the podium.

Designer Adrian Newey has already said no to a switch to the Maranello marque, and now Horner – Red Bull’s 38-year-old team principal – has scotched similar speculation about his own future.

“Ferrari is a great team but my future is committed to Red Bull,” he is quoted by the Sun.

“You can see what the appeal is at Ferrari but you can also see the pitfalls.”

And the Briton is quoted by the Daily Mail: “Dietrich Mateschitz gave me the chance as a 31-year-old to step into formula one and entrusted me to build a team for him.

“I feel very much part of the team and I have no burning desire within me to go and work at Ferrari.

“I am happy where I am. I have a multi-year commitment,” Horner insisted.

Lewis Hamilton has promised to stop partying and focus more on performing, the 2008 world champion has told mainstream British newspapers.
The McLaren driver had a tumultuous 2011 season on and off the track, but the 27-year-old has vowed to bounce back now.

“Last year quite a lot of times I went out and enjoyed myself thinking that these things don’t affect you but in actual fact they do, they have a knock-on effect,” he said.

It resulted in him being beaten by his teammate Jenson Button, even though F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone tips Hamilton to bounce back in 2012 because “he’s faster (than Button)”.

“He (Button) didn’t win the world championship — if he did, it would have been even worse,” said Hamilton.

“Now I’m looking forwards. This year is what matters. Last year has absolutely no bearing on me, I don’t care about last year. It’s what’s ahead of me which will define me,” he added.

Lewis Hamilton has a new day-to-day manager, British newspapers have revealed.
As his on and off-track woes worsened last year, the 2008 world champion insisted he was happy with his management team headed by pop industry agent Simon Fuller.

But Fuller’s company, XIX Entertainment, has now appointed Didier Coton – the famous F1 driver manager who handled Mika Hakkinen’s career – to look after McLaren’s Hamilton.

Formerly with Keke Rosberg’s outfit, Coton now heads his own management firm, Monaco based Aces Group.

“Didier’s appointment builds on the existing strengths of XIX and I am delighted to have him as part of the team,” Hamilton is quoted as saying.

British tabloids also report that Hamilton, 27, has reunited with his girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger.

Bernie Ecclestone had meetings with two key people on the sidelines of the weekend’s Spanish grand prix.
Bild newspaper reports that the F1 chief executive met first with Adrian Sutil.

Force India’s Sutil is engulfed in a scandal that endangers his entire formula one career, with Renault team co-owner Eric Lux threatening to press criminal charges.

Bild said Ecclestone summoned Sutil in Barcelona because he “wanted to hear from Adrian the truth about the nightclub incident”.

Sutil was then photographed shaking 80-year-old Ecclestone’s hand.

Also in Barcelona at the weekend was Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, according to British newspapers the Telegraph and Guardian.

He was a guest of McLaren, which is part-owned by a Bahraini state-controlled company, even though the Telegraph’s Tom Cary said the British team “kept their royal visitor under wraps”.

It emerges that as Ecclestone admitted in Spain that the 2011 calendar could be extended into December to make room for a rescheduled Bahrain race, the 80-year-old Briton had a “brief chat” with the Crown Prince.

Bernie Ecclestone has reportedly bought Flavio Briatore’s share of Queens Park Rangers and now owns the “majority” of the London football club.

It was earlier believed that both Briatore and Ecclestone were keen to sever their ties with QPR, with Force India boss Vijay Mallya close to buying the club.

But British newspapers quote F1′s 80-year-old chief executive as confirming that he has increased his stake to more than 60 per cent.

“I haven’t bought the club to see my name in the papers, I have bought it to support (QPR manager) Neil (Warnock),” the Daily Star quotes Ecclestone as saying.

“Neil tells us how to kick the ball and now our aim is the Premier League,” he added.

The Mirror said the club’s departed chairman Briatore is believed to still hold a nominal shareholding.

“I now own about 62 per cent of the club,” said Briton Ecclestone.

“I’m not thinking about competing with Manchester United or Arsenal. It is just something that I enjoy doing and we will just see what happens,” he added.

Bernie Ecclestone was kicked unconscious by his muggers and on Saturday was sporting a very badly bruised eye.

The 80-year-old F1 chief executive told British newspapers his minor injuries are “painful” but he is “ok” after a group of men attacked him whilst outside his office with his girlfriend in London.

“I’m feeling it now, bit painful, it was a good whacking,” said Ecclestone.

“When I was on the ground I could hear Fabiana (Flosi) screaming for help and I took a kick or two in the head and went unconscious,” he revealed.

“When I came to there was blood everywhere from my head wound but I was lucky.

“It was completely stupid and uncalled for. If they had confronted me and asked for everything we had, I would have handed over everything in my pockets, my wallet, anything,” said Ecclestone, adding that the muggers “ripped” the earrings from his girlfriend’s ears.

He said reports that the Hublot watch taken from his wrist was worth more than $300,000 is “bollocks”.

Ecclestone’s daughter Tamara condemned the “hideous” attack but said her dad has already returned to work.

“It takes a lot to throw my dad off,” she told the Evening Standard. “I spoke to him this morning and he is in good spirits.”

With just under two weeks until the action resumes in Korea, F1′s title contenders have reverted to the media to step up their sparring.
Lewis Hamilton said recently that “mind games” towards the end of a championship battle is entirely “normal” in formula one.

But it is his own McLaren teammate Jenson Button who fired the first salvo, with help from most major British newspapers who faithfully reproduced his comments.

Most columnists see the Briton’s prediction of a win for Sebastian Vettel over his Red Bull teammate and championship leader Mark Webber as an obvious piling of pressure on the pair.

“Vettel has to beat Mark twice more to be on the same points,” he said. “And going into the last race with equal points, I’d say Vettel has the legs (on Webber) in qualifying,” said Button.

In the Spanish tongue, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso – who like Vettel is 14 points behind Webber – is also deviating from his usual style of defensive media management to fire a few quotes in Red Bull’s direction.

“They are the favourite for all the remaining circuits and all the ones beforehand,” he is quoted by El Pais newspaper.

“But in 16 races they have only managed three doubles (one-twos), so I doubt they can do three more,” added the Spaniard.

Alonso, a two-time world champion already, is therefore stacking the odds in his favour.

“The most important thing is that the points situation has been coming my way. Now it has to continue.

“There are still three races to go and I know I can do it,” he said.

Italy’s La Stampa quotes him as adding: “Three more podiums should be enough.”

The Ferrari-loving Italian press at large is also in on the action, sensing a tension at Red Bull and noticing that Webber was only present for Vettel’s team victory photo in the form of a cardboard cut-out.

Corriere dello Sport said their apparent reluctance to fight one another at the head of the Suzuka field revealed a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ had been reached.

Spain’s EFE news agency quotes boss Stefano Domenicali as talking up Ferrari’s title chances.

“If we do a better job than them in qualifying, we can beat them on race pace. We knew Suzuka was a difficult circuit for us so it was good to see the result,” he insisted.

“Now the world championship is very, very open. We have three races left in which anything is possible,” added the Italian.

Lewis Hamilton’s father has not yet accepted an invitation to attend his first race since their professional split.

Anthony Hamilton was the McLaren driver’s ever-present manager for his first three seasons in formula one, but 25-year-old Hamilton told his father he wanted to go it alone in 2010 and beyond.

Hamilton Snr has therefore stayed away from every race of this season, with Lewis recently revealing they are only now putting their personal relationship back together.

British newspapers reveal that Hamilton has invited his family, including his father, to Silverstone this weekend.

“I think he’s coming,” he is quoted as saying, confirming that their relationship is “not yet” back to 100 per cent.

“I have invited him.  I’ve invited all my family.  I think he’s going on Saturday night.

“I have got grandstand tickets so I said you can choose whether you want to be in the paddock or you can go in the grandstand.

“He should go into the paddock, but then he should go and experience something different because he has always watched it either from TV or in the paddock,” added Hamilton.

But the 2008 world champion said he does not regret seeking a new manager, because being without his father this year has allowed him to develop.

“It really has, it really has,” he confirmed.  “I’ve just grown.  I’m still learning so many things and I’m pretty much managing myself now — taking the reins and controlling things.

“I feel quite proud that I’ve not just rushed into this or that (new) management and that I’ve told people to be patient,” said Hamilton.

(GMM)

Red Bull’s clear-the-air meeting, to be attended by both Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, will take place at the team’s Milton-Keynes headquarters on Thursday.

The meeting comes amid new developments in the wake of last Sunday’s collision of the two RB6 cars whilst they led the Turkish grand prix.

While team figures have backed away from pointedly blaming Webber for the incident, isolated as a scapegoat could be his race engineer Ciaron Pilbeam.

Already heavily criticised by Dr Helmut Marko, Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport claims that Pilbeam not only failed to pass on information about the charging Vettel, but actually told Webber to use his overtake button to repel the attack.

Red Bull has said Webber was – unlike Vettel – in a fuel-saving engine mode at the time of the contact, and was also struggling with tyre wear.

And in quotes published by British newspapers The Independent, the Mirror and the Telegraph, boss Christian Horner revealed that Webber asked the team to advise Vettel to back off the lap before the crash.

“There was no way you could do that because of the McLarens being right there,” said the Briton.

And team advisor Marko told Bild newspaper: “Mark had radioed the pits to say he was having problems and was slow.”

Also slow was his pitstop, 33-year-old Webber claimed after the race, joking that his crew “put fuel in, I think”.

According to some German reports, video footage exists of Horner mouthing “pass!” on the pitwall in the moments immediately before Vettel’s overtaking attempt.

Niki Lauda thinks German Vettel, 22, is clearly the team’s number one driver.

“Whoever thought previously that Webber is the number two was well informed,” the triple world champion is quoted by German-language spox.com.

“It was only because the team wanted to influence the race that it got messed up,” the Austrian continued.

Red Bull insists that Webber and Vettel are treated equally, but Marko is quoted as saying appointing a number one would be an “easier” strategy.

“But that is not in the spirit of our team,” he insisted.

Added Lauda: “In terms of the team, Webber is to blame (for the crash) because they wanted him to wave Vettel past.  But that would be team orders and not allowed.”

He also points out the current difficulty, with Vettel apparently favoured but Webber leading the world championship and 15 points clear of the sister car.

“I would be logical for the team to focus on one driver, but usually that would be the one who is in front,” said Lauda.

Webber wrote on his Twitter on Wednesday: “Bloody hell guys, thank you for your support.  Sport can be amazing sometimes, huh, that’s why we love it!

“Head down for Canada,” he added.

(GMM)

Ferrari insists it would only “waste time” to respond to Max Mosley’s latest controversial claim.

As Ferrari celebrates its 800th grand prix in Turkey this weekend, the former FIA president is quoted by British newspapers as saying Luca di Montezemolo last year urged him to abuse his power and fix the outcome of the double diffuser appeal case.

“He was on the phone every day saying, ‘you have got to sort the Court of Appeal out and make sure we win’,” Mosley, referring to Ferrari’s charismatic president, is quoted by the Daily Mail.

“He didn’t put it as baldly as that but that is what he said.  I said, ‘Luca, I’m sorry, but first of all they wouldn’t take any notice and secondly I am not going to do it’,” he added.

A spokesman for the famous Maranello based team responded: “We don’t want to make any comment.  It is better to look ahead and not waste time talking about what is – luckily – old and gone.”

With 70-year-old Mosley indeed departed and the sport generally enjoying Jean Todt’s new regime, one team boss in Turkey insisted that the good work of the former FIA president is not forgotten.

As Williams’ Adam Parr told reporters that the Grove based team recorded a small profit in 2009, he credited Mosley for the team’s mere survival.

Referring to rule changes including the testing ban and long-life components, he is quoted by The Times: “Whatever you say about Max, the only possibility of an independent formula one team existing is because of what he did.”

(GMM)

Damon Hill is no longer sure former drivers should be acting as full FIA stewards at grands prix.

The 1996 world champion said he has been receiving “hate mail” ever since he and the three regular stewards signed off on a 20-second time penalty in the wake of Michael Schumacher’s late pass on Fernando Alonso at Monaco.

In 2010, a new initiative by new FIA president Jean Todt has seen former drivers including Alain Prost, Alex Wurz, Derek Warwick and Johnny Herbert act as stewards.

Hill’s duties were at Monaco, where he admitted his former title nemesis Schumacher had a “wry smile” when he walked into the stewards room in the wake of the Monaco incident.

The 49-year-old told British newspapers he has been receiving “stinging emails” accusing him of prejudice ever since.

“I was uncomfortable being put in that position of being a full FIA representative.  My expertise is as a driver rather than a lawmaker or interpreter of regulations,” said Hill.

“Partly my discomfort was because I was called on to make a ruling on an incident involving Michael.

“I know most people will believe me when I say I acted entirely properly and correctly, but perhaps it might be more appropriate for drivers to act as consultants to the stewards rather than as stewards,” he added.

Schumacher said he believes Hill would have acted appropriately.

“I know Damon.  He is a good guy,” said the German.

(GM)

Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he intends to leave formula one with a better legacy than Michael Schumacher’s.

Despite showing a reluctance to wade into the rekindled ‘Rascasse scandal’ of 2006, the McLaren driver admitted in Monaco that Schumacher’s reputation as a cheat is not one he wants to emulate.

“When I think about history, it is not just about me, it is about how my family raised me, where we came from,” British newspapers quote the 25-year-old as saying in Monaco.

“For that to be tainted by something like that would devastate me.”

When asked if he wants to be thought of in a better light than seven time world champion Schumacher, the 2008 world champion admitted: “Absolutely.

“I want to be remembered as a fair driver, a clean driver, one who always drove with his heart, who battled through thick and thin to score the points and the championships I will hopefully earn.”

He also denied he is now desperate to get back on terms with his teammate Jenson Button, who despite not always looking as quick as Hamilton has won two races and is leading the world championship.

“I don’t feel I’m at the point where I need to ‘turn it around’ because what needs turning around is just my fortunes,” insisted Hamilton.

(GMM)

Backmarkers will make the Monaco grand prix “very tough” for F1′s faster cars, according to Lewis Hamilton.

The 2008 world champion’s car-to-pit radio was broadcasted live last Sunday when he said Virgin’s Lucas di Grassi did a “terrible job” being lapped.

“I don’t know what the hell he was doing there,” Hamilton later expanded in comments reported by British newspapers.  “It wasn’t very safe.”

The reporters asked the Briton if he thought the slow Virgin, Lotus and HRT runners would “screw” the pacesetters this weekend in Monaco, a twisty circuit confined by Armco barriers.

“It’s just very difficult when there is such a big (speed) difference,” said Hamilton, who was one of the drivers who had called for Q1 qualifying to be split into two groups for the fabled event.

“I lapped di Grassi four times in Spain.  That’s one of the biggest gaps I’ve had in formula one.

“You catch them so quick, it’s unreal.  When you see them you are second guessing where they will move out of the way, and then they move into the wrong position.

So far, fortunately, there have been no incidents and it has been ok, but Monaco will be very tough.  It could be a disaster,” added the McLaren driver.

His teammate Jenson Button agrees that traffic in Monaco will be “a nightmare”, as BBC commentator Martin Brundle describes the six slowest cars as “mobile chicanes”.

“Expect complaints and contact aplenty” in Monaco, Brundle added.

David Coulthard wrote in his latest Telegraph column that it is up to the teams to use their sophisticated GPS technology to help backmarkers let the faster cars through.

“They should be well able to get straight on the radio warning them that a faster car will be with them within a few seconds,” said the Scot.

(GMM)