BMW’s motor sport boss has refused to comment on speculation Nick Heidfeld could move from formula one to the DTM series next year.

German Heidfeld, 34, was appointed as injured Robert Kubica’s replacement for 2011, but Renault has now dumped him in favour of Bruno Senna.

It is being reported that talks between Heidfeld and his former employer BMW, no longer in F1 but to tackle the German touring car series DTM next year, have already begun.

With Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus already confirmed for 2012, there are still four official BMW M3 cockpits to fill.

“We have always said we would look first at the drivers from our own programme,” Jens Marquardt, who has replaced Mario Theissen as BMW’s motor sport director, told the German news agency SID.

When asked if Heidfeld is a candidate, he answered: “We do not comment on rumours.

“I am confident that we will have a competitive driver lineup in 2012,” he is also quoted by sport1.de, denying that BMW will look specifically for a German driver.

F1 figures have admitted they are not keen on proposals to put a roof above the heads of the sport’s drivers.

After the incidents involving Felipe Massa and the late Henry Surtees in 2009, technical chiefs started looking into the possibility of jet fighter-style canopies or polycarbonate screens for the cars’ cockpits.

The FIA has released a video (http://vimeo.com/26098946) showing a F1 wheel being fired at 225kph at a jet-fighter canopy and a proposed cockpit screen.

“Full scientific results of the firings … have now been presented to the formula one technical working group,” the video revealed.

1992 world champion and occasional F1 steward Nigel Mansell admitted: “I don’t know if I’d like to see that. It wouldn’t really be formula one,” he is quoted by ennstal-classic.at.

Another former driver Marc Surer agrees: “It would be very warm in there, and then the next problem is needing an air conditioner. And imagine if KERS fails and the vapours get into the cockpit.”

Christian Danner said: “The visibility of the drivers will be affected by the reflection.”

Mercedes’ Norbert Haug told Bild am Sonntag newspaper: “We are always interested in the advancement of safety. It’s an interesting experiment but I feel that a single seater cockpit needs to be open.”

Nico Rosberg added: “It sounds good. Anything that increases safety is a step forward.”

Bosses have reportedly dismissed moves to enclose the cockpits of formula one cars.
Technical chiefs began to investigate the possibility of jet fighter-style canopies for the cockpits in the wake of Felipe Massa’s near-fatal crash in Hungary two years ago.

“You can have covers and you can have canopies, but you also have to be able to get at a driver to extract him. There are a lot of secondary considerations,” said Ross Brawn.

According to the Daily Mirror, F1 chiefs have rejected the idea of a roof over the drivers’ heads.

The report said the FIA had considered “poly-carbonate screens” for the cars, but “drivers fear the device could prevent escape in the event of a car overturning or catching fire”, while spectators would be “at danger from flying debris ricocheting off the screens”.

As F1 tries to improve itself with better promotion, more overtaking and a glitzier ‘show’, Mark Webber has rued one element missing from today’s era.

The Australian admitted that he would like drivers to be allowed to hold and wave a national flag from their cockpits after winning a race.

“That was beautiful,” said Webber, referring to the practice that was banned some years ago on safety grounds as well as in deference to the sport’s now strict post-race procedures.

But he argues: “It was always a great moment to watch Ayrton Senna with the Brazilian flag and Nigel Mansell with the Union Jack. It was a good message for the sport and the fans — and it looked great and showed passion.

“Now the winning procedure is to take off the helmet, hurry on to the podium, hurry off the podium – boom, boom, boom – and then we go home,” the Red Bull driver told F1′s official website.

Neither Jarno Trulli or Heikki Kovalainen will have to give up their T128 cockpits on Friday morning in Turkey.

It will be the first time in 2011 that the green-clad team has not appointed a Friday driver for the initial practice session.

Finland’s Turun Sanomat reports that Angolan Ricardo Teixeira, backed by the state oil company Sonangol, is next in line for a Friday outing.

“But he will not be seen in Turkey as negotiations with his sponsor are still ongoing,” said the report.

Team boss Tony Fernandes said he expects Lotus to make its “next step” forwards not in Turkey this weekend, but in Barcelona in two weeks.

“I am not expecting us to have found another chunk of time here as we have been focusing on the Barcelona race for the update package,” he said.

The FIA is proposing to mandate plexiglass windscreens for the cockpits of formula one cars, according to an Italian report.

Autosprint, publishing a photoshopped image of a possible F1 windshield that can be viewed at tinyurl.com/2ew7rf6, claims the innovation would be to protect drivers from being struck on the head.

The exposure of the drivers’ heads made headlines last year, when Felipe Massa was seriously injured by a flying suspension spring, days after F2 driver Henry Surtees was killed when he drove into the path of a stricken wheel.

“I’m not saying we need to cover (the cockpit) completely,” Ferrari driver Massa said after recovering from his skull injuries. “But maybe there are some other things we can do to the car to stop a wheel hitting your head.”

After those incidents last year, Bernie Ecclestone said Professor Sid Watkins – the president of the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety – had been commissioned to “deal with” the issue.

The renewed push for driver head safety also comes just six weeks after the nose of Vitantonio Liuzzi’s Force India rode up and almost struck Michael Schumacher’s head during the 2010 season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Autosprint said the proposed protective structure, whilst not impeding driver visibility, would be designed to withstand the impact of a flying wheel and the full 640kg weight of an F1 car.

The report said the solution would also need to take into consideration its aerodynamic impact, including the flow of air to the engine airbox and the wings.

Daniel Ricciardo has been appointed Toro Rosso’s reserve and ‘Friday’ driver for the 2011 season.

The 21-year-old will alternate between the cockpits of the Italian team’s regular drivers Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi in the initial practice session at grands prix next year.

“I have to say thanks to Red Bull for this great opportunity,” said the Australian in a statement.

Ricciardo is now the leading driver of Red Bull’s junior driver programme, and comfortably led the pace at the recent young driver test at the wheel of the title-winning RB6 in Abu Dhabi.

“I am sure that having a hungry youngster on the books will keep our current driver pairing nice and sharp,” said Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost.

Ricciardo will also contest the Formula Renault 3.5 championship in 2011.

“My ultimate aim is to be a full time formula one driver and this new role has to be the best step toward achieving that ambition,” he said.

F1′s globalisation has made it harder for drivers from the sport’s traditional markets to find places on the grid.

That is the claim of Austrian Christian Klien, who raced a few times with the struggling new team HRT in 2010 and is hoping for a full season next year.

But with pay-drivers now wielding more power than in the recent past, Klien admitted the task is tough.

“Nico Hulkenberg’s case shows that there are no guarantees,” he is quoted by Vorarlberg Online.

“He had a great debut year with a pole position in Brazil, and he’s out,” said Klien.

“In my own case, I have some options,” he revealed.

“The most obvious one of course is HRT, who are on the verge of establishing themselves as a serious competitor, even if there are some setbacks from time to time.

“In February there was not much of a team and I would not have believed I would contest three grands prix this year. And there’s still some time until March (2011),” added Klien.

He thinks part of his difficulty in establishing a strong full-time return to F1 is geographic.

“It is pretty hard when you are from central Europe,” said Klien, 27.

“F1 has internationalised very quickly and previously as a Briton, an Italian, a Frenchman, you had a good chance,” said the Austrian.

“Today there are more cockpits from before, but the driver market is being fed from many more countries; Russia, India, the southeast Asian region, and now probably Korea and China.

“And if you’re the eighth German, then it is very difficult. Look at France and Italy — 20 years ago there were ten of each. And today?”

The other problem is the economic climate, and the power wielded by drivers who carry substantial commercial backing.

“Even a big name like Kimi Raikkonen in the world rally championship is relying on sponsors to get his cockpit,” said Klien.

“And in F1 the teams are under enormous cost pressure,” he added.

Nick Heidfeld’s manager is confident the German will find a race cockpit on the 2011 grid.

One race after the 33-year-old secured his return with Sauber for the last rounds of 2010, the Swiss team announced it has signed Mexican rookie Sergio Perez for next season.

It is a blow for Heidfeld, but his manager Andre Theuerzeit insisted there are talks with other teams about 2011.

He told the German news agency SID that Heidfeld was “not unprepared” for the Perez news.

“There are still cockpits available in formula one for next season,” said Theuerzeit.  “At the moment we are in negotiations and we are confident there will be a positive outcome.”

The best potential cockpit for 2011 is Renault’s, but the Enstone based team’s French boss Eric Boullier has played down suggestions Heidfeld’s recent role with Pirelli gives him an advantage.

“That Nick Heidfeld should be first choice?” he mused in interview with F1′s official website.

“Because he sits on important information and would without doubt give them to his new team?  I think that Pirelli will inform all the teams in due course,” said Boullier.

Even with the top cockpits locked out for 2011, formula one’s silly season continues to run.

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Renault’s Robert Kubica have signed new contracts to stay with their respective teams not only next year but also in 2012.

But Televisio de Catalunya has reported that the respectively Brazilian and Polish pair could swap race seats for 2011.

The move would see Massa, who has had a difficult season so far with Ferrari, race for Renault next year, freeing up Kubica to be Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari teammate.

Two more race cockpits for the 2011 season are locked out, according to reports.

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport claims that Vitantonio Liuzzi is already under contract with Force India for next season, while Kamui Kobayashi is set to stay at Sauber due to the existence of a 2011 deal.

The existence of Japanese rookie Kobayashi’s ongoing contract was also reported recently by Finland’s Turun Sanomat.

It is a different story, however, with the other Sauber seat, currently occupied by Pedro de la Rosa.

The Spanish veteran had an awful weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, crashing into the barriers during qualifying and then losing a points-scoring position with another incident in the race.

In the post-race statement, Peter Sauber did not even mention the 39-year-old.

It is rumoured that former BMW-Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld is a candidate for the 2011 place, and his attractiveness for next year has been boosted by his new Pirelli testing role.

The German was not seen in the Spa paddock at the weekend, and it is believed he has been asked by Pirelli not to speak to the media in the midst of the 2011 tyres’ development.

With 67 points from seven races and sixth place overall World Cup Robert Kubica is perhaps the biggest surprise this season. The Pole has breathed Renault after the end of the era Alonso / FB / Symonds new life and is in the points standings of the last six races even before Sebastian Vettel and Alonso fourth.

“We must be happy with the start of the season, since Canada is only the eighth race, but we already have quite a few points in the account” is delighted Kubica. “We hope that the second half of the season as well or even better.” Lastly, we must put a good basis for 2011, because as Felipe Massa at Ferrari and Mark Webber at Red Bull have extended the most hotly sought-after alternative seem cockpits to be awarded.

At Renault, Kubica feels well, “It is no secret that I was not always satisfied in the past with the decisions of my former teams, but that had nothing to do with my crew, with which I had to work immediately,” he plays on BMW. “I am very happy at Renault, as the atmosphere is good and I respect the people who work for me, and people respect me. This is very important.”

Now he would like to stay ahead of Ferrari, as was the case in Istanbul: “Ideally we would be in front, but we must remain realistic,” said the 25-year-old. “The reality is that I’m faster in the last four of five qualifying as Massa was. We were faster not only in Turkey than they, but even before that. This speaks for our further development, but Ferrari will increase certainly soon . then billed after the last race will be. ”

(MotorSportsTotal)

Jun.10 (GMM)  Virgin still has no plans to give its test and reserve driver Andy Soucek some laps on the Friday of a grand prix weekend.

We reported in April that the reigning F2 champion is contracted to do some driving in 2010, but he said the new British team “currently have other problems than to be thinking about the third driver”.

The 24-year-old Austrian-Spaniard now tells laola1.at: “I have a contract that states I will test at the end of the year for two days.”

As for the possibility of a Friday practice session outing, Soucek adds: “I believe it would be interesting for the team to have a third opinion about the car, but at the moment they do not see it the same way.

“Every week I’m putting pressure on the CEO by sending emails,” he said.

With Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi in the race cockpits this year, Soucek is not sure he sees a future at Virgin for 2011.

“It’s hard to say,” he answered.  “I have a one year contract with a clause for renewal.  There is a chance of a (race) cockpit, but there are other options,” he added.

Asked if he has a plan-B for 2011, Soucek answered: “It’s simple — I want to make money with my racing.  After almost 14 years I think it’s time!

“Indycar is definitely a possibility and I would go to another series if I would get paid for it.  Already this year I am making money with my job.”

Nico Hulkenberg insists he is not yet under ‘negative’ pressure from his bosses to up his game in formula one.

The German rookie has outqualified Rubens Barrichello twice so far in 2010, including in Barcelona, but he has generally been outshone by his more experienced teammate.

Williams, although having groomed the reigning GP2 champion with test seats in both 2008 and 2009, is famous for not having a lot of patience for tardy or struggling drivers.

But Hulkenberg, 22, said he doesn’t feel under pressure, even though the British team’s overall performance has not been good in 2010.

“No, not at all,” he told the May print edition of Germany’s Motorsport-Magazin.

“Quite the contrary, I have the full support of Frank, Patrick and Sam.  They have not said a negative word, everything is good.

“We are in this situation together and we must come out of it together.”

But admitting he is “well prepared” for F1, Hulkenberg insists he cannot be compared with successful past rookies like Lewis Hamilton, who made his debut in 2007 with “15-20,000″ kilometres under his belt.

“I had just seven days this winter,” said Hulkenberg, who is managed by the famous Willi Weber.

“Even though I had very good results in F3 and GP3, I cannot be expected to have my teammate – who is now in his 18th season – immediately under control.

“Or if it was so, then Rubens would probably stop immediately,” he added.

Although not unduly pressured by his bosses, Hulkenberg said he is aware of the “responsibility” of occupying one of the Grove based team’s two cockpits.

“As a driver, you bear a responsibility for the whole team, for the 500 people behind it, the sponsors, all the money involved.

“It is not going quite as planned, but I am in formula one, with the best drivers in the world … give me a little time,” he said.