The FIA appears to have waded back into the ‘F-duct’ debate, indicating that the Mercedes-style solution is fully legal.

We reported on Monday that the saga looked set to continue into China next weekend, with some teams – notably Red Bull and Lotus – questioning the legality of the aerodynamic innovation.

It had emerged that Lotus technical director James Allison has come up with another argument against the technology that will be posed to the FIA’s Charlie Whiting ahead of scrutineering in Shanghai next week.

Christian Horner insists Red Bull and Lotus’ concerns are shared by others.

“Believe me it’s not just Red Bull, I think there’s half the paddock that’s been looking at this,” he told British television Sky Sport’s The F1 Show.

The Red Bull team boss revealed that Whiting left Malaysia wanting “to have a think about it”.

So, the latest development is the re-release via the FIA website of an “edited version” of the technical briefing that Whiting gave to reporters in Australia last month.

It is believed the complaining teams’ main objection to the Mercedes system is that it arguably uses ‘driver movement’ – the pressing of the DRS button – to be activated.

Under the heading “Pressing the DRS button and the issue of ‘driver movement’”, the media briefing quotes Whiting as stating simply: “This is specifically allowed (in the rules).”

Mercedes’ Ross Brawn is quoted by the BBC: “We call it the DRS, because that’s all it is. The purpose of the DRS is to improve overtaking and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Whiting’s stance in China, however, may not be the end of it.

“Then the teams are faced with alternatives,” Horner explained. “Either accept it and get on it and maybe look at your own solution if that fits your car.

“You’ve got the opportunity to protest if we were to feel – or any other team were to feel – that we didn’t agree with Charlie’s interpretation,” he added.

 Rumours are swirling in the Melbourne paddock that Red Bull and Lotus are preparing to lodge a post-qualifying protest.
“I’ve heard something like that,” confirmed Mercedes’ motor sport director Norbert Haug to German Sky television.

They are reportedly unhappy with the new ‘F-duct’ solutions seen on the W03 car.

British television Sky confirmed that team boss Eric Boullier has confirmed that Lotus will protest the outcome of Saturday afternoon’s qualifying result.

“The FIA has its opinion and so do we,” Haug added.

“I remember the noise made about the double diffuser; a noise, incidentally, that came from the same place,” said the German.

A frustrated Felipe Massa is fighting for his Ferrari seat, his former rival David Coulthard said in his latest Telegraph column.
The Scot, now a Red Bull consultant and commentator for British television, wrote about Brazilian Massa’s confrontation with Lewis Hamilton after the pair clashed in Singapore.

Playing down the subsequent media reaction, Coulthard said it was “hardly the Thriller in Manila. The only thing missing from the Scrap in Singapore was some handbags,” he joked.

Brazilian Massa was highly critical of Hamilton throughout the Singapore weekend and on Monday insisted “I have not changed my opinion by one iota” since the fracas.

Coulthard advises Hamilton not to worry.

“I could not imagine a less threatening character than Felipe and I’m sure it will blow over quickly,” he wrote.

“I don’t think Felipe should have done it, certainly not on camera, but I can understand his frustration. He is fighting for his Ferrari seat and the collision during the race, while unfortunate, was certainly Lewis’s fault,” added the veteran of almost 250 grands prix.

Yet more drivers, experts and pundits are crowning Sebastian Vettel the likely 2011 champion after his latest victory in Belgium.
At the German’s rival team McLaren, team boss Martin Whitmarsh insists giving up on the championship would not be right despite Vettel’s huge points lead.

Veteran test driver Pedro de la Rosa however acknowledges that realism could be about to set in.

“Perhaps this is the moment to forget Spa,” said the Spaniard after the Red Bull one-two, “perhaps it is even the moment to forget the drivers’ world championship”, he wrote in a column for formulasantander.com.

“Forgetting the calculator now, and accepting that there is already virtually a winner of this world championship, we can begin to think of 2012 and how to avoid at all costs the domination of Red Bull being prolonged for another season,” added de la Rosa.

Another former McLaren racer David Coulthard, now a British television commentator and Red Bull advisor, agrees that Vettel’s chasers have left their run too late.

“Ferrari and McLaren have the resources and personnel to catch Red Bull, and in fact they have done so,” he wrote in his column for the Daily Telegraph.

“McLaren probably had the quickest car in Belgium at the weekend. They just didn’t get the job done.

“Seb’s lead … has almost certainly assured him of a second successive world title,” agreed the Scot.

Also succumbing to the eventual mathematics of the current points standings is ten time grand prix winner Gerhard Berger, who thinks Red Bull is right to keep its optimism under wraps for the moment.

“As long as it (defeat) is still theoretically possible, it is bad luck in sports to celebrate in advance,” he told Red Bull-linked Austrian television Servus TV.

“But for me there is no question; barring a disaster for him, this year’s world champion is Sebastian Vettel,” said Berger.

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.

Eddie Jordan suspects Renault team management are guilty of “bullying”.
The former F1 team owner and boss, now a pundit for British television, is referring to Eric Boullier and Gerard Lopez’s outspoken criticism of Nick Heidfeld’s results and leadership qualities.

German veteran Heidfeld replaced injured regular Robert Kubica this season, but now Renault test drivers Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean are being linked with the seat.

Irishman Jordan told Sport Bild he has a theory about the pressure being put on Heidfeld.

“It could even be described as bullying,” he said.

“They probably want to wear him down so he throws in the towel voluntarily.”

Jordan, however, has a high opinion of 34-year-old Heidfeld.

“For me, he is Mr Consistency. I know this because Nick drove for me for a year. 2004 was a very difficult year for Jordan financially, and we could not give him the car that he deserved.

“The same is true also at the moment of the Lotus-Renault,” he added.

Jarno Trulli should vacate his seat completely if he is no longer enjoying formula one.
That is the view of the veteran Italian’s contemporary David Coulthard, who today travels to the grands prix as a consultant to Red Bull and commentator for British television.

Team Lotus boss Tony Fernandes this weekend admitted Trulli, 37, had been “extremely accommodating” in agreeing to step aside for the Nurburgring weekend so that Karun Chandhok can have a full weekend in the car.

It is suggested that Trulli is happy to wait until Hungary for a new power steering system and in order to guarantee a contract for 2012, but Scot Coulthard said the Italian should consider whether he is still enjoying the sport.

“If Jarno is not enjoying it any more it would be better if he made way for someone who did,” the former Williams, McLaren and Red Bull driver wrote in his Telegraph column.

“I don’t see his results, and by extension his motivation, improving significantly from this season to next.”

David Coulthard can keep his job as a consultant with Red Bull even though he is the new full-time F1 commentator for British television.
The 39-year-old Scot saw out his grand prix career with the Austrian team until 2009, when he retired and became a BBC pundit.

For 2011, he is moving alongside fellow former driver Martin Brundle into the race commentary box, raising suggestions his contract with Red Bull might be a conflict of interest.

“David Coulthard will not be asked to drop or suspend his ties with Red Bull in the interests of impartiality,” a BBC spokeswoman told the Scottish newspaper Daily Record’s Sunday edition.

“We take steps to ensure that none of the off-air relationships that our talent may have can compromise on-air activity,” she added.

Red Bull and Coulthard declined to comment.

According to the latest rumour in the F1 paddock, Karun Chandhok may be in talks with Lotus about joining Tony Fernandes’ team for 2011.

The rumour was aired on British television on Saturday morning from Korea, with pit reporter Ted Kravitz saying the Indian driver could become reserve driver before moving into the race cockpit in 2012.

Kravitz quoted a Lotus team member as admitting that the 26-year-old Indian, who made his debut with HRT this year before being sidelined by the better-funded Sakon Yamamoto, is a “great guy”.

Chandhok said this week that he is hopeful his F1 career has not floundered permanently after just half a season.

“There is a lot to discuss for next year with the HRT team, but also with other teams to see what other options are available for me, but I do feel good about my prospects,” he is quoted by The National newspaper.

UK-based Chandhok has not attended the most recent Japanese and Korean grands prix.

Charlie Whiting will be poised to begin qualifying as scheduled at 2pm local.

But under the pouring Suzuka skies and with rivers of water running down the sloped pitlane, British television BBC reports that if the FIA race director believes the conditions are not safe at 2pm, he will delay the start of the session for 15 minutes.

These 15 minute delays could then continue for up to 2 hours — when the Japanese sun will be too low in the sky for the session to conclude in sufficient light.

The broadcaster also reported that the stewards’ driver advisor this weekend, Alex Wurz, thinks the session should be called off altogether, with 10am on Sunday already pencilled in by the FIA as a potential delayed timeslot.

“We are not sure of the merits of running in these conditions,” said Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn.  “It will be too dangerous.

“I will be disappointed if we start qualifying.  We could have the grid decided by championship order, that’s happened before,” he added.

If another driver had lurked beneath Michael Schumacher’s red helmet in 2010, boss Ross Brawn has admitted Mercedes GP might have ousted him.

British television pundit Eddie Jordan, Schumacher’s first ever F1 boss, said in Singapore after the German’s incident strewn run to 13th place that he “would sack him”.

“He’s clearly not good enough on this performance we’ve seen,” the Irishman charged.

Asked a similar question by F1′s official website, Mercedes GP chief Brawn admitted on Wednesday that – if Schumacher was not the famous seven time world champion and record-setting legend – the struggling occupant of this year’s car number 3 might have been shown the door.

“To be honest, probably not,” said the Briton when asked if he would have persevered with a different driver showing Schumacher’s current level of performance.

“But because we know Michael, we know that there is still a lot to come because Michael is in many fields more talented than others — in driving and in the cooperation with the team,” insisted Brawn.

“The team are very happy with the way Michael is contributing. If he were a rookie we surely would have asked ourselves if he has the capacity to advance. With Michael we know that he has,” he added.

Brawn rubbished suggestions Schumacher is on the verge of returning to retirement, and also that he might instead switch to a management role for 2011.

“I have never talked to him about such an option,” he answered.

“He is a very intelligent man with a balanced family life. I don’t know if he really wants to do that to himself.

“As team principal you don’t get the same adrenalin rush as when you are driving a car. What you get is a 10 to 12-hour working day and I am not sure if that would satisfy or motivate him,” said Brawn.

There have also been rumblings of discontent within Mercedes and particularly between Brawn and Norbert Haug, but Brawn insisted he is not about to give up.

“Of course I will retire one day, but I want to step down when I’m successful and not in a situation like I’m facing now,” he said.

“It’s sad that such rumours always get around. But let’s be clear — none of us are happy with the performance this year, and of course Mercedes want to know how and when we will improve.

“But nobody needs to tell me that it is important to win. And probably we can still improve the relationship between Brackley and the Mercedes engine factory, but Mercedes is very open to all suggestions,” continued Brawn.

“So at the moment there are no problems whatsoever. They will come if we are not able to improve in the future.”

He was asked if 2011 is the deadline for Brawn and Schumacher.

“Next year would probably be too early (to give up),” said Brawn. “I like this team. We have gone through many things together. I would never leave the team in an unclear situation.”

Michael Schumacher’s first formula one team boss remains unimpressed with his 2010 return.

Eddie Jordan, who gave the then young pay-driver Schumacher his first cockpit in 1991, has been among the 41-year-old German’s staunchest critics so far this season.

But in Singapore the former team owner ramped up his attack.

After Schumacher’s incident-strewn race to finish 13th and a lap down, Jordan – now a pundit for British television – told the BBC: “Let’s ask this question.

“If Michael Schumacher was not Michael Schumacher, driving as he is currently, would he be in the seat next year?

“My guess is no,” the Irishman said.

“I’m sorry, I’m going to be controversial this time,” Jordan continued.  “I would sack him, he’s clearly not good enough on this performance we’ve seen today (Sunday).”

He said Schumacher is risking his “legacy and his reputation” by struggling this year at the wheel of a Mercedes.

Schumacher is under contract for the next two seasons, but there are rumours he might move into a management role for 2011, to be replaced by countryman Adrian Sutil.

“I was very surprised when I heard about Michael’s return,” Fernando Alonso, who beat Schumacher to the title before the German originally retired in 2006, told German language spox.com.

“He could be relaxing at home.  But our life in racing is so intense that it’s difficult to lead a normal life,” added the Ferrari driver.

“So if you get the chance to try it again, then it’s hard to say no,” Alonso said.

Asked where he will be in his 40s, the double world champion insisted: “I will be sitting comfortably on my sofa!”

With only four races to run after Sunday’s Singapore grand prix, Red Bull appears no closer to making championship leader Mark Webber its number 1 bet for the world championship.

The Australian, 24 points ahead of Sebastian Vettel, has struggled relative to his front row-sitting teammate in Singapore, qualifying three paces behind the sister RB6.

“We have two drivers competing for the world championship and we will continue supporting them until for one of them it is not mathematically and practically possible for them to win the championship,” team boss Christian Horner said in Singapore.

But Webber, 34, answered “yes” after a long pause when asked by British television BBC if he would accept preferred status for the balance of the season.

“For me it’s an unique opportunity that I might never get again,” he also said in an interview with Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper.

“But I can’t yet say ‘Hey Seb, let me have this opportunity because you might have the chance for another ten years or more’,” added Webber.

At the same time, he concedes that – despite some earlier ructions within the Austrian camp – Red Bull would be happy if he wins the title.

“It was rumoured that Helmut (Marko) would prefer Vettel, because they might have a closer relationship.  But he would be very happy if I won the world championship today,” the Australian insisted.

“If we did it, everyone would have a headache from the party, no matter which of us is champion.  The team situation is completely neutral,” added Webber.

He also played down rumours he is disaffected at Red Bull, revealing that when he decides to stop driving, he will probably continue to work with the energy drinks company.

“What Red Bull did when I broke my leg was impressive and I’ll never forget it,” he said.

“They backed me when I was totally in the shit.  Yes, maybe we can continue to do something together,” added Webber, who is under contract only until the end of 2011.

After Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel looked set to walk pole position in Singapore, it was Fernando Alonso who mastered the street circuit on Saturday night.

The Ferrari driver, having won from pole position two weeks ago in Italy, left Vettel and his team boss Christian Horner bemused by outpacing the fastest RB6 by half a tenth.

Vettel, 23, called his Q3 effort “messy”, as Horner told British television BBC: “He touched the barrier on his final lap and that was the difference today.”

In the sister Red Bull, championship leader Mark Webber qualified fifth, having not looked comfortable between the walls of the city layout so far this weekend.

The Australian, also behind the two McLarens for the start of Sunday’s race, admitted he has had “trouble getting a rhythm around here”.

“We underperformed,” admitted Horner. “We should be two or three tenths up the road.”

In contrast, it was a notably focused session for Alonso, who grappled with having to change some settings from the cockpit following teammate Felipe Massa’s earlier gearbox failure.

“We made some safe changes in the car to avoid any risk,” said the Spaniard, whose team initially believed Massa’s problem was engine-related.

Alonso told his team on the radio: “No words, fantastic job today.”

He will have a clear run to turn 1 on Sunday at 8pm local time, alongside fellow front row sitter Vettel.

“I think we had the car to be on pole but we have a very good car for tomorrow,” insisted the German.

Bernie Ecclestone has backed Karun Chandhok to return to the formula one grid next year with a “better car”.

When the Indian rookie signed up for his debut season with HRT this year, he thanked F1 chief executive Ecclestone for being “a superb pillar of support to me and my family”.

However, it is now expected that Chandhok, 26, will sit out the remainder of the season in deference to the Japanese pay-driver Sakon Yamamoto.

But crucially, one of Chandhok’s sponsors is Jaypee Sports, who are bringing formula one to India next year at the circuit currently under construction 40 kilometres southeast of New Delhi.

Ecclestone in 2010 described India as one of “the most important and powerful players in the world of business, culture and sport”.

The Briton is now quoted by the Times of India: “Having an Indian team (Force India) is obviously a big help. An Indian driver will be an even better deal.

“I definitely want to see Karun in a better car next year,” said the diminutive 79-year-old.

Ecclestone said of Chandhok, who now travels to the grands prix to commentate for British television: “He served his apprenticeship in a car that he could do nothing about.

“He really needs to be in a team where he can show his potential because I think he can be very, very good if he gets the right car,” added Ecclestone.

He said he plans to visit the site of next October’s inaugural Indian grand prix after the forthcoming race in Brazil.

“The rains would’ve stopped by then (November),” said Ecclestone. “Work has really suffered I heard.”

On a PR visit to India last weekend, Lewis Hamilton also backed Chandhok to shine at the wheel of a better car.

“Karun is a very good driver,” said the 2008 world champion. “He understands the nuances of the sport very well and if he is able to get a better car, he would be able to make a big difference.”