More than half of Michael Schumacher’s German compatriots think the seven time world champion will return to retirement at the end of this year.

After three years of retirement, the 43-year-old returned to F1 in 2010 on a three-year Mercedes contract, which runs out in 2012.

SID news agency commissioned the German market research company Promit to carry out a survey as to whether respondents think Schumacher will quit at the end of this year.

55.4 per cent answered yes, while only 26.2 per cent said they think Schumacher should sign on for at least another season.

The winner of a record 91 grands prix has failed to see the chequered flag in three of the five races so far this year, finishing just tenth in both Malaysia and Bahrain.

In contrast, teammate Nico Rosberg’s three top-seven finishes in 2012 included pole and victory in China, netting him 41 points compared with Schumacher’s 2 overall.

“I don’t think we can write him (Schumacher) off yet,” insisted Telegraph correspondent Tom Cary this week.

“His pace hasn’t been bad and he started the season very well. (He) was unlucky in quite a few races, his wheel fell off when he was running second in China and could have had a big haul of points.

“He is making mistakes in wheel-to-wheel racing though. But if he gets a few decent finishes or even wins a race then we could see him continue (in 2013),” added Cary.

The drama stepped up a notch even after the chequered flag in Barcelona.

A couple of hours after Williams’ first win since 2004, something exploded in the British team’s garage, triggering a major fire.

Team members and fire crews battled the blaze as paddock regulars scrambled away from the heavy smoke and police arrived on the scene.

The Telegraph’s Tom Cary said on Twitter there are “multiple injuries”.

It is believed Williams, Force India and Caterham staff – some of whom bravely fought the fire – are being treated in the medical centre, some for smoke inhalation.

An emergency helicopter will ferry others to hospital.

“Couple of our guys got injuries, burns and maybe one broken wrist, no news on Williams guys I hope they’re ok,” wrote Caterham’s Heikki Kovalainen on Twitter.

Rumours indicated the fire could have been caused by a KERS explosion, or possibly fuel, as a burned fuel rig was pulled from the gutted garage.

With Red Bull the latest to hold a trophy aloft this year, yet another potential 2012 champion has emerged.

In theory, back to back world champion Sebastian Vettel, the Bahrain grand prix winner, was always a contender for a third drivers’ crown this year.

But his RB8 was not a race winner until Sunday, after McLaren, Mercedes and even Ferrari had tasted the first victory spoils so far this season.

It was said that – amid the extraordinary field of 2012 – Adrian Newey’s latest creation was simply in the league of other midfielders including Lotus, Sauber, and perhaps even Williams and Toro Rosso.

But as Dr Helmut Marko remarked at the chequered flag: “Those pronounced dead live longest!”

“We never wrote them off,” McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh insisted to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, “because we knew that they had a good car and that they only needed to find the key.

“This season is really crazy; more exciting than we would like!” the Briton admitted. “And now we have to say Lotus are also contenders.”

German Vettel won in Bahrain from pole, but even he admitted that the weekend was a surprise.

“After Australia it seemed that McLaren had a supercar and it would be difficult to beat them, at least in the short term,” he is quoted by O Estado de S.Paulo.

So even the experts are at a loss after the initial ‘flyaway’ phase of the new world championship.

“We know that we know nothing,” beamed Vettel after his victory, referring to the oddly see-sawing balance of power in 2012, blamed mainly on the Pirelli tyres.

“It is almost impossible to predict in advance how the different tyre compounds are going to behave on race day,” he is quoted by Der Spiegel.

“You have an idea, but nothing more.”

France’s return to the 2013 formula one calendar is not quite at the finish-line.

Many expected prime minister Francois Fillon’s visit to the Paul Ricard circuit last Friday to coincide with an announcement about the revival of the French grand prix next year.

Some think that was indeed the intention, but ultimately a couple of details were missing at the last hurdle.

The first was the identity of the host circuit that will annually alternate the race date, amid reports Belgium’s Spa Francorchamps is not yet ready or able to agree.

“The formula one management has approved the plan without indicating who would be the other country,” Fillon is quoted as saying in local reports.

Another problem is on the financial side, with Fillon admitting that – politically – there can be no direct government subsidy other than a mere “bond”.

The difference between a deal and no deal between Bernie Ecclestone and the Le Castellet organisers, then, is “about two million euros”, Fillon revealed.

“The formula one organisers’ proposal is reasonable enough,” he said, “but we have to make them remove the ‘enough’,” he added.

“Symbolically it would not be acceptable (for the government) to subsidise a grand prix,” he insisted, “as was the case in the past with Magny Cours.”

Magny Cours, the former French GP venue, reacted with shock and anger, accusing the prime minister of “bias in favour of Le Castellet”, where temporary grandstands will have to be erected to host spectators.

On the other hand, Magny Cours has “all the facilities, infrastructure and expertise needed to organise such an event”, insisted Patrice Joly, president of the conseil general of the Nievre department.

“Contrary to what you would expect from the head of government, the prime minister strives to implement a solution based on partisan considerations and personal issues away from the general interest,” he added.

Two former champions have admitted they are impressed with how Kimi Raikkonen has re-adjusted to formula one after two years off the grid.

Niki Lauda, the plain-speaking triple world champion, hailed F1′s 2007 title winner for driving “as though he had never been away” in the early phase of his return this season, according to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

Emerson Fittipaldi, the double champion of the 70s, agrees.

“I am surprised that it has taken no time for Kimi to be back at the top of his form,” said the Brazilian.

“Michael Schumacher is on form this year too, but it took him two years to get back in the groove. Kimi was on it from the very first test,” he added.

Fittipaldi, meanwhile, had some advice for Raikkonen’s Lotus teammate Romain Grosjean, who despite showing promise is yet to see the chequered flag in 2012 after a collision in Melbourne and a spin in Malaysia.

“(It’s) the same advice I’d give any driver, especially a young one: first you have to finish, then you can finish first,” he said.

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.”

Two experts have tipped Lotus to shine this weekend at Sepang.
The black and gold E20 car was a standout of the winter pre-season, but Kimi Raikkonen qualified poorly in Australia while Romain Grosjean was punted into early retirement by Pastor Maldonado.

Seeing the chequered flag first in Melbourne was McLaren’s championship leader Jenson Button, but he said he is expecting a “strong fight” this weekend.

“Of course we’re not relaxing,” said the Briton.

“Both Red Bull drivers were very quick in the race (in Australia), and I think we can expect further strong challenges (in Malaysia) from Mercedes and Lotus,” added Button.

Also anticipating a Malaysian push by Lotus is team ambassador Jean Alesi, the former Ferrari race winner.

“The car should suit Sepang well,” said the Frenchman.

“In testing in Jerez and Barcelona it was particularly good in the fast turns, which is what defines the Malaysia track.

“Lotus appear to be quicker than everyone except McLaren,” added Alesi.

He is worried, however, that the former Renault team might not be able to keep up its pace throughout 2012.

“Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari have much bigger budgets,” said Alesi.

“They have a brilliant team at Enstone but it is really tough to match the development pace of the biggest teams, and I think that will be Lotus’ challenge this year.”

 Despite not collecting a single point in Melbourne, the Williams team will travel from Australia to Malaysia in upbeat mood.
The famous British outfit’s slide from its race and title-winning days hit rock bottom in 2011, scoring just five points all season and only finishing ahead of the three struggling new teams in the constructors’ championship.

But Oxfordshire based Williams has restructured for the 2012 season and is now led technically by former McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan, and in Australia the newly Renault-powered FW34 qualified comfortably in Q3.

In the race, Pastor Maldonado was pushing Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso for fifth place when he crashed heavily on the very last lap.

If he had made it round to the chequered flag, Williams would have scored more points in one hit than it managed all last season.

“The car was considerably better than anything I have seen in recent years,” said team chairman Adam Parr.

Referring to Maldonado’s crash, the team’s new driver mentor Alex Wurz told Austrian ORF television: “Of course nobody is happy.

“The bad news is that we have to leave with no points, but the team has made a huge leap forwards.”

Jaime Alguersuari, the former Toro Rosso driver turned radio co-commentator, called Williams’ step compared to 2011 “giant”.

“No doubt about it, Williams are the big surprise,” the Spaniard told Mundo Deportivo when asked about the new field of 2012.

“Last year their car was really, really, really bad, and so they have taken an exceptional leap.”

Red Bull can afford to let its huge points lead over McLaren drop this weekend and yet still wrap up the constructors’ world championship with three races to spare.

Last weekend in Japan, Sebastian Vettel needed a single point to beat Jenson Button to the 2011 drivers’ crown, and duly scored 15 with his podium place.

The next step is the teams’ crown, with Red Bull’s lead of 130 points over McLaren able to drop to 129 points in Korea and yet still ensure a winning lead by the time of the chequered flag at Interlagos late next month.

“It is unlikely that it will elude us, but you still have to get it,” said team owner Dietrich Mateschitz, according to the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.

And boss Christian Horner is quoted by Austria’s Kleine Zeitung: “The drivers’ title was the first part, now we want to retain the constructors’ title.

“As a team it’s almost the most important one, relating to the prestige in the pitlane and, of course, the bonus payments,” said the Briton, referring to the revenue distribution tables in the commercial Concorde Agreement.

Lewis Hamilton’s troubles continued on Saturday after missing out on pole position at Suzuka.
Even though Red Bull has utterly dominated qualifying in 2011, Jenson Button dominated the practice sessions at Suzuka and the sister McLaren was holding provisional pole until the closing seconds of Q3.

As Vettel and Button went quicker on their final attempts, however, Briton Hamilton failed to start his flying lap before the chequered flag flew.

He looked gutted in parc ferme and the television unilaterals, insisting he still had a couple of tenths of pace in store for his last attempt.

Hamilton said he was “attacked” at the end of the out-lap by Mark Webber and Michael Schumacher, describing their moves as “dangerous”.

“We told him not to back up and let so many cars by. Unfortunately he got hussled at the last corner,” McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh said on BBC 1.

A defeat for Red Bull in the 2011 world championship will no longer require a “miracle”, according to Pedro de la Rosa.
McLaren’s veteran reserve driver admitted the mood had been pessimistic leading into the British grand prix, because Silverstone is a circuit “which appeared to have been designed for the Red Bulls”.

McLaren ultimately had a disappointing weekend, but Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were both beaten to the chequered flag by Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.

“Perhaps this has been the most convincing victory of the whole season,” he wrote in his column for formulasantander.com.

“The mistake with Vettel’s pitstop and Red Bull’s need to issue team orders to protect their number one invites us to think that the comeback is now not a miracle, it is a possible reality, difficult but possible,” added the Spaniard.

Alonso meanwhile said that while his win is a big morale booster, Ferrari’s new approach – more aggressive than in the recent past – will remain.

“Maybe it will happen that we pay a high price for that (approach) but there is no alternative,” he said.

“We are definitely not giving up, but we must not think about the championship — as Montezemolo said, we are keeping our feet on the ground.”

Lewis Hamilton is still in the fight for the 2011 world championship.
That is the insistence of his father Anthony Hamilton, who after splitting with the McLaren driver as manager now handles the career of Force India rookie Paul di Resta.

Even before crashing out of the recent Canadian grand prix, 26-year-old Hamilton said of Sebastian Vettel’s runaway points lead: “He’s gone, he’s on his way.”

Then, in the Montreal race, Hamilton’s retirement dropped him behind his teammate Jenson Button and also Mark Webber in the drivers’ standings, a full 76 points shy of Vettel’s lead.

“For me, Valencia will be a weekend of consolidation after two disappointing results in Monaco and Canada,” said the Briton.

But Hamilton’s father thinks a merely solid result is an underestimation of his son’s true potential, tipping him to take the chequered flag by the time of the season finale in late November.

“If I were a gambling man, I’d put some money on Lewis winning the championship this year,” Hamilton snr told the Daily Mail. “You’ll get some great odds. He can do it.”

At present, 2008 world champion Hamilton is about 14/1 to win his second title in 2011, while Red Bull’s Vettel is the overwhelming odds-on favourite.

Said Lewis Hamilton: “We’ve arguably had the fastest race car in the last three races, and that’s really encouraging because I know that, when it’s put to best use, I should be able to finish at the front.”

He had a long face on the Montreal podium but Sebastian Vettel might still be cruising to the 2011 title.
The Red Bull driver was gutted after handing his Canadian grand prix lead to McLaren’s Jenson Button almost within sight of the chequered flag.

“If you have got it in your hands and you give it away, it’s not the sweetest feeling,” admitted the German.

But in actual fact, because his closest challenger Lewis Hamilton did not finish, Vettel actually extended his championship lead in Canada,
now over the sister McLaren.

“Vettel is only counting down the time before his new world championship comes,” wrote Italy’s Tuttosport, while Marca said the outcome in 2011 is “practically decided”.

Agreed Joan Villadelprat in his El Pais column: “Make no mistake, the Red Bull is still the best car and Vettel extended in Canada. I’m guessing it’s going to be very difficult to beat him in the coming races.”

Red Bull, meanwhile, said all weekend that Canada is perhaps its “weakest” race of the season with the RB7.

“He should not be too disappointed,” said boss Christian Horner afterwards.

Der Spiegel quotes Vettel as agreeing: “It’s annoying to lose a race because of a moment of distraction just before the finish.

“But when I look at the world championship standings after the seventh race, I am quite satisfied.”

Long-time McLaren team boss Ron Dennis, however, said before leaving Canada that the race had proved “Vettel is not invincible”.

And the RB7′s dominance might be affected by the forthcoming restrictions on blown exhausts.

“The rule changes are going to spice things up,” Lewis Hamilton predicted, according to The Independent.

In the Telegraph, Montreal winner Button agreed: “There’s a lot happening this year in terms of the regulations. It could go our way, it might not. We’ll have to see.”

Many race-goers walked out of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve during the Canadian grand prix’s excruciatingly-long rain delay.
“Stay or go? That was the question that haunted the soaked audience on Sunday afternoon,” wrote La Presse.

The Montreal rain caused the F1 world and its global television audience to wait more than two hours for the rain to stop.

But spare a thought for the drenched local spectators who had nothing to watch but the rivers running down the track.

“I never thought about leaving,” one spectator, who travelled from New York with his brother, said. “We came too far to give up that easily!”

A Montreal local added: “I have waited for this all year. It’s the biggest sports event in Canada.”

The press office for the race promoters would not speculate upon the percentage of the crowd that remained until the late chequered flag, but spectators guessed that between 25 and 50 per cent went home.

“It was just common sense,” said one departee, who had come with his 10-year-old son. “It was like a flood and not at all fun in those conditions.

“But we still had a great weekend in Montreal,” he added.

A spectator from New Jersey also left: “It was like being in the centre of a typhoon, with the rain so strong I dared not move from my seat. I can understand why they had to suspend the race.”

Another couple had attended every Canadian grand prix since 1978 but decided to leave when the red flags were waved.

“Anyway, Vettel is going to win,” said the woman at the exit.

The FIA is keeping a close eye on the aftermath of Lewis Hamilton’s Monaco grand prix.

After the McLaren driver’s two penalties for crashes in the Principality, he returned to the track late on Sunday to explain his ‘Ali G’ remark to the stewards.

It is believed the British team feared Hamilton, 26, was in danger of being charged of contravening Article 151c by bringing the sport into disrepute.

Indeed, the FIA told the Telegraph on Monday that it was “gathering all the relevant information” about the incident.

So also on Monday, the 2008 world champion appeared in British newspapers with further explanations of the Monaco aftermath, and apologised to Pastor Maldonado and Felipe Massa via his Twitter account.

In his post-race tirade, Hamilton had labelled the pair “ridiculous” and “stupid”.

“Hey guys,” he wrote. “I wanted to apologise for last weekend’s performance and also my comments after, I never meant to offend.”

The Briton said he had “respect” for some of the “angry messages” he had received since Sunday.

“To Massa and Maldonado, with the greatest respect I apologise if I offended you. Both of you are fantastic drivers who I regard highly.

“To my fans lost and my fans won, I wish you nothing but love and happiness,” he tweeted.

Quoted by British newspapers, meanwhile, Hamilton explained that his loss of temper was a reflection of his racing style.

“I don’t do it to offend people or to hurt anyone. I do it because I love racing. I feel like I can do it better than others,” he said.

He also said his desire to succeed in Monaco, the past playground of his hero Ayrton Senna, is higher than ever.

“In my heart of hearts I believe I can own this circuit,” said Hamilton. “I feel like I can be the fastest here. I was, and not with the fastest car.”

Fascinatingly, he also revealed that his defiance began long before he spoke with reporters after the chequered flag on Sunday.

“I got hit (in the race) and my rear wing was hanging off and I was asked to come in and retire, and I refused,” said Hamilton. “The first pitstop I was asked to pit and no one was there. So all the tension just boiled up.”

Perhaps tellingly, Jenson Button declined to comment on his teammate’s weekend, and when told he is aware of Hamilton’s character he responded: “No, I don’t.”