BAR founder Craig Pollock’s new 2014 engine supply venture, Pure, is setting up camp in Cologne.
A German-language report at motorsport-total.com said Jacques Villeneuve’s former manager has struck a deal with former F1 team Toyota.

The report said Pure, to move shortly, needs better facilities than it currently has at its Paris headquarters.

“We have signed an exclusive agreement with TMG (Toyota Motorsport GmbH),” Scotland-born Pollock is quoted as saying.

He said the deal involves office space, a workshop and engine test stands.

Pollock explained that time and cost factors explains why Pure did not set up its own factory.

But he said there is plenty of time left to find at least two F1 team customers for 2014.

Pollock also said Pure will retain its French headquarters as a business base.

Valtteri Bottas has given some insight into Williams’ decision to switch to Renault power for this year.
For the past two years, the famous British team has been independent UK marque Cosworth’s highest profile customer.

But for 2012 the Grove based team has switched to Renault, the maker of world champion Red Bull’s engines, as well as fellow customers Lotus and Caterham.

“The Renault engine is more powerful,” revealed Williams’ test driver Bottas.

“It is also smaller in size, which is good for the aerodynamics, and has a lower fuel consumption,” he told the MTV3 broadcaster.

The 22-year-old Finn, who is managed by Williams co-owner Toto Wolff, will drive the FW34 on Wednesday at the Barcelona test.

He will also contest 15 of this season’s Friday morning practice sessions.

“This season will definitely be better than the last,” said Bottas, “when it was Williams’ poorest in history.”

Cosworth still supplies the struggling Marussia and HRT teams.

The engine to be used by Sebastian Vettel in Brazil this weekend has already contested two grands prix, it has emerged.

The German was heading for the lead of the world championship two weeks ago when the Renault unit in his Red Bull suddenly failed.

Renault’s customer programme boss Fabrice Lom revealed on Thursday that the unit to be fitted in Vettel’s RB6 this weekend has contested two previous races.

“It is the engine from Italy and Singapore,” confirmed the Frenchman to Auto Motor und Sport.

“It has a mileage of 1066 kilometres,” he added.

The failed engine in Korea had completed about 1600 kilometres of its projected 2000 life.

Lom said the failure was a connecting rod in cyclinder 4.

The struggling HRT team has emerged as a likely customer for technical support by Williams in 2011.

Last month it was reported that famous British team Williams could be set to supply its hydraulic systems and gearboxes to one or more of the sport’s small new teams.

In 2010, the standard Xtrac systems have proved outdated and unreliable, and Lotus broke ranks to arrange of a supply of Red Bull’s technology for 2011.

“We’ve had enquiries for our hydraulics and gearbox, we’re open to supplying it, but nothing has been agreed at this point,” a Williams spokesman told us in September.

The Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat believes Hispania Racing (HRT), the back-of-the-grid Spanish team, has been in talks with Williams about the systems.

Vodafone has extended its title sponsorship of McLaren through to the end of 2013, the British F1 team announced on Thursday.

“Formula one is a strong platform from which we can engage our customers with unique experiences and events,” said Morten Lundal, group chief commercial officer of the UK based telecommunications giant.

The Vodafone/McLaren relationship began in 2007.

Red Bull is reportedly closing on a deal to be equipped with Mercedes engines for the 2011 season.

The German newspaper TZ reports that the move would involve the currently Mercedes-powered Force India team switching to Red Bull’s current engine supplier Renault.

Red Bull has been pushing for a Mercedes deal for some time, or minimally an allowance amid the engine development ‘freeze’ to bring the underpowered Renault V8 up to speed.

The report said Mercedes may be amenable to ending its relationship with Force India due to the Silverstone based team missing scheduled payments.

It is said that F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone is involved in the negotiations, as McLaren remains in a position to veto Mercedes’ alliances with customer teams.

Championship leader Mark Webber said on Thursday that the weakness of Red Bull’s otherwise dominant RB6 is its engine power.

“We know that running on long straights is not a strength of the car and hasn’t been for quite a few years and we know why,” said the Australian.

“We can still keep up at these tracks, but I think if we had to have 17 races in a championship, we wouldn’t choose Spa and Monza to have races at,” added Webber.

F1′s harsh spotlight of the international media is shining on Ferrari and Fernando Alonso, but also the regulation prohibiting team orders.

In a frosty post-race press conference at Hockenheim, some reporters warned Spaniard Alonso he now risks winning a “dirty” championship, comparing his win at the hands of an illegal team order to his victory at Singapore in 2008.

“That’s your opinion,” the Ferrari driver told them.

Team orders, of course – dating back to the gentleman racer’s days when number two drivers would pull into the pits to hand over their cars – are nothing new.

“This was just handled very badly,” said Lotus’ Mike Gascoyne.

And Ferrari’s handling in Germany, with Felipe Massa ordered aside by way of a coded message from apologetic engineer Rob Smedley, fuelled the media’s fire.

“I am glad that the media in the paddock are kind of like our police,” remarked Alex Wurz.

But according to Spain’s Marca sports daily, “the English press showed no mercy” for a driver who clashed so memorably with Lewis Hamilton back in 2007.

The Sunday Express called Alonso and Ferrari “dirty, thieving cheats”, while even the milder Daily Telegraph admitted that the World Motor Sport Council could in theory disqualify the famous team from formula one at an August meeting.

“A suspension for a number of races is another possibility,” said the Daily Mail.

Triple world champion Niki Lauda scolded Alonso for blatantly denying he had won the race thanks to a team order.  The Independent newspaper said “nobody was fooled” by Alonso’s argument that he wasn’t aware of the fix.

“I’ve never heard a driver talk such bullshit.  He has no character,” said Austrian great Lauda.

Dr Helmut Marko, under fire for some recent decisions at Red Bull, revelled in the change of fortune.

“It is unbelievable how awkwardly they demonstrated who is their number one.  The FIA must react with a drastic punishment,” he is quoted by Blick.

The Swiss newspaper’s correspondent agreed: “There are different ways for Alonso to return to the throne.  Lying and cheating should not be one of them.”

Even the usually partisan AS newspaper remarked: “Alonso deserved to win the German grand prix, but not like this.  Domenicali has confirmed his true ineptitude by giving Massa obvious team orders that are prohibited by the rules.”

Said Brazil’s Folha de S.Paulo: “It was an insult to the sport.”

Rio de Janeiro’s Lance added: “We regret writing it, but from Massa it was a lack of courage.”

Rubens Barrichello, whose move for Michael Schumacher in 2002 motivated the team order ban, said: “I will speak to Felipe myself.  Nothing has changed at Ferrari.

“I think you can read my opinion better from my face,” he stormily told Brazilian radio Jovem Pan.

Said French newspaper Liberation: “Ferrari is a team unlike another; when not undermined by political intrigue, they shoot themselves in the foot.”

La Libre wondered how the FIA is going to react at the World Motor Sport Council: “Would Jean Todt dare punish his old team for a practice he applied himself?  We honestly doubt it.”

Another side of the story is what Renault’s customer engine boss Fabric Lom described on Europe 1 radio as the “hypocrisy” of the current regulations.

Agreed Italy’s Corriere dello Sport: “It is fair to recognise that the problem is in the regulations.”

Rome daily Il Tempo said Ferrari “did the right thing in the wrong way”, and Spain’s El Mundo said the team order ban is “a regulation that penalises team interests”.

Italy’s Autosprint marvelled that Ferrari was “fined for teamwork!”

Said Britain’s Telegraph: “Ferrari were caught and they must pay.  But the rule is unenforceable.  To pretend otherwise is deluded.”

Mercedes’ Norbert Haug does not quite agree: “We need to think of the spectators.  They want to see fights on the track, not these actions.

“The different teams have different attitudes about team orders.”

To the Spanish press, Alonso argued: “The ones who pay us are the team, not the newspapers or anyone else, and now Ferrari is taking 43 points back to Italy.

“And that is what we have to do — what is best for the team.  On Friday I was faster, I was second in qualifying and faster than Felipe in the race.  I don’t think the slower driver won this race,” he added.

Sauber has not decided whether or not to run KERS in 2011.

With the car weight limit increasing next year and the weight distribution to be fixed, Force India’s chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer said this week that there is “no other option” than to use the energy recovery technology.

But Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport had said that while the bigger teams are all planning to go with KERS, the new teams are almost certainly not.

And the publication said it is not clear if middle of the grid teams like Sauber and Toro Rosso will use KERS next year.

Hinwil based Sauber is still developing the C29, but work has also begun on the team’s 2011 car.

But technical director James Key said the KERS decision has not yet been taken. “It is certainly a possibility,” he said, “but we are still weighing it up and will decide later on.”

Team boss Peter Sauber said recently that Sauber will definitely not be using the system developed and raced in 2009 by former owner BMW because it is “air-cooled with far too many disadvantages”.

If Sauber was to opt for KERS in 2011, it is believed the team would buy a Magneti Marelli system for 1 million euros through customer engine supplier Ferrari.

The press round of Stefano Domenicali after the race began in Valencia because of the late decision of the stewards was later than usual, but very rewarding. For Ferrari had just made the website a controversial review online, in which the Grand Prix of Europe as a “scandal” was called.

Earlier, Fernando Alonso has indicated that he thought the race had been manipulated. But Ferrari back row: On the website you have not published the opinion of Ferrari, but the Ferrari fans around the world, Alonso had made his statement “in the heat of battle.” Team boss Domenicali attempted to clarify this point in discussion with media representatives from around the world.
Question: “Stefano, on the Ferrari website, the race today called scandal, Fernando said that it has been manipulated …”
Luca Colajanni (Ferrari spokesman): “The speech by the voice of the fans – you should have read the message carefully!”
Stefano Domenicali: “I am the official voice of Ferrari. Ask me, I then answer that.”
Technical progress made

Q: Can you explain why you are so angry today? ”
Domenicali: “Naturally we are very angry because we did not get the points we have in this race because of our performance really need to do. If I analyze this weekend even from the technical side, we have but one step forward, even if he is still not large enough to catch Red Bull. In the first round we saw that things were in the right direction. ”

“The frustration is so great because we made the right move, but still less points than in the most difficult race of the year. This is very frustrating. Do I have to say from the sporting angle that we had bad luck today. The only four cars on the home straight were when the safety car was on, were Vettel, Hamilton, Fernando and Felipe. Vettel stopped before the safety car, Hamilton had ignored the yellow flags and the yellow light, but we had a full lap behind the Safety- Car driving. In the meantime, took the field that was in the pits, back on us, so we fell behind when we came into the pits. The plan you can not. ”

“Before some decisions are made, you should be sure they are right and wrong. If we now know, however, that the date of a decision affects the race, then they must be taken quickly, otherwise the consequences of unfair have. Today, the Ferrari has affected quite badly, so we must make sure that something like this happen again. More I would say not really. also ran against a lot of cars still an investigation. That I think is not good. ”

Question is: “When the FIA driver got into the race management – today it was Heinz-Harald Frentzen – first of all were happy, but in the last race there were many contentious decisions. How do you comment that?”
Domenicali: “had the present situation to do with the driver Commissioner nothing, I think. They had indeed nothing to do with the fact that a driver knows that there is slowed down or this and that is in the cockpit. I think that was the day a normal thing for the Commissioners.
“But I want to say something else. First of all, I am very pleased that Mark Webber doing well, because that is the most important thing. In life, have possible priorities. Today he had a very tragic accident, so I am happy that He’s healthy. But the accident has clearly shown that the large performance difference between the cars can be very dangerous. We’re talking about for some months, but today we were fortunate that we have not seen play. As braked different and there are different lines driven. Furthermore, we need to think about. ”

Q: If the safety car not normally catch the leaders and all others to pass through? ”
Domenicali: “I know that the race management, the safety car rausschickt regardless of what happens on the track, if it is necessary. I think correctly. The cars should also be waved through to the leader as quickly as possible behind the safety car is. This as I understand it, they wanted to now the medical car to protect the safety car to prevent the cars rushing around the track. ”

Q: You just said something about the big speed difference and that is dangerous. If the by the adjustable rear wing does not get worse? ”
SD: I think we need to examine carefully. When the leader must not press the button and Hintermann already created a difference in speed. Today we have seen, this can lead to.

Q: Just to clarify again: On your website is a scandal of the speech. If you say that this is not the Ferrari’s opinion? ”
SD: You were here all the time. Did I say scandalous? ”
Only the opinion of the fans

Q: No. But it is on the Ferrari website. ”
Domenicali: “The text there is the opinion of all Tifosi against the world. But I am the official voice of Ferrari and I have never said that.”

Q: Fernando, says the race was manipulated. ”
Domenicali: “We need him to admit that he has said in the heat of the moment, but I can understand him, because the race was broke by factors that were beyond our control. That is why he said that.”

Q: Will you bring this matter to the FIA or discuss with the teams? ”
Domenicali: “We have submitted the topic already in the FIA. That is completely incorrect.”

Q: What does this mean? Could it even be a different race result?
SD: No. The outcome is certain, but we are concerned about the future. We want to talk about it, so something in the future can not happen. ”
Q: You had prior to this Grand Prix a PR day of shooting, on some team bosses have complained. Must be made clear what a day of shooting and what is a test? ”
Domenicali: “It is not my style, something the public unsubscribe, but if there is something to discuss, then I pick up the phone. That’s my style. The shooting day was clear. If people want to change the wording of the rule We have no problem with that. ”

Q: one hand, you walk the day of shooting on a very fine line when it comes to the limits of the rules to explore the other hand, the rules today against you … ”
Domenicali: “One can not even compare it. To day of shooting, we have the allowed 100 kilometers used to supply our customers, our network and our dealers with material. Under such conditions it is difficult to learn about the car . But as I said: If someone has a problem, he can talk to us, then we explain it. ”

Q: Let’s auspicious on a topic. Pat Fry moves from McLaren to you. Can you describe his area of responsibility?
Domenicali: “When we found out that he has been on the market, we immediately realized that he was a great technician with much experience. I know that he also had offers from other teams, but we saw this as a good opportunity to join our team. He works as vice-head of technology. This is a very important task, not only for this year, but especially for the future. ”

Q: Do you find it okay that the drivers who have violated the safety car rule were punished only with five seconds? ”
Domenicali: “The danger of today’s decision is, I think that one might be tempted in future to violate the rules against better knowledge, to have an advantage. This is dangerous.”

Jaime Alguersuari is happy with the performance of his formula one employer.

Toro Rosso is just eighth in the 2010 world championship with 8 points, ahead only of Sauber and F1′s three new teams.

But rookie Alguersuari, who made his debut at short notice to replace the struggling Sebastien Bourdais mid last year, insists the Faenza based outfit is the “best team of people”.

After four years of using a customer car designed by Red Bull, Toro Rosso built the STR5 and Alguersuari calls it a “miracle”.

“Toro Rosso has a budget that is barely 80 million euros but they have built the car without relying on (owner) Red Bull and achieved a more than acceptable outcome,” he is quoted by the EFE news agency.

Alguersuari also thinks the 2010 season is the “best and most dramatic at least in the last ten years”.

“The FIA has a lot to do with it,” he states, “because the common electronics, the single tyre brand and the unfortunate lack of testing has led to no one having a dominant position.”
(GMM)

Although the German carmaker pulled out of the sport at the end of last year, Peter Sauber’s once-again independent team retained the official title BMW Sauber F1.

It is believed the reason was so that the commercial rewards due from Sauber’s participation in the 2009 world championship, resulting in sixth place in the title, were not jeopardised.

However, the situation means the C29 has been known officially and awkwardly as the BMW Sauber-Ferrari, due to the use of a Ferrari customer engine.

But although initially using clearly visible signage, the team has increasingly moved away from even mentioning BMW, now running a red ‘S’ logo and Sauber Motorsport branding.

According to Germany’s motorsport-total.com, the F1 Commission met on Monday ahead of a Geneva meeting of the World Motor Sport Council on Wednesday.

Sauber reportedly lodged a request with F1 Commission members – among them key stakeholders including FOM, fellow teams, promoters and sponsors – for a name change.

The next step is the approval of F1′s governing body.

(GMM)

The new Ferrari superstar Fernando Alonso has spent nearly two eventful days in Maranello. Like team-mate Felipe Massa, the Spaniards began on Thursday in the simulator of the Italians to be able to zero in on the next Grand Prix in the streets of Valencia. Same time, we simulated the latest updates on the Ferrari F10.

In view of the extensive remodeling of the Formula 1 car the Italians arrived just in that shooting was planned in Fiorano. After Alonso Ferrari for some customers as well-known “driving instructor” on the test track on the way, he was allowed to rise in the better cars. It was the first time that the two-time world champion moved a Formula 1 car at the Ferrari home track.
According to the team Alonso completed only a few laps with the F10, because you can not because of the planned shooting could get too many free rounds. For a shakedown of the B-version of the Formula 1 racing car but it was enough. Ferrari had timed the film shoot for sponsors and new video content from your own website perfectly.

Rides with current Formula 1 cars are also in times of current test limits for the purpose of filming permits. Interesting still, published by the Alonso-Ferrari at Fiorano more precisely a single photo. It shows the F10 from the front. The most extensive changes to the B version will be found, however, at the rear …

Jun.18 (GMM)  There could be more Renault-powered cars on next year’s formula one grid than any other engine supplier.

Although the French marque currently supplies its 2.4 litre V8 only to the team that bears its name as well as Red Bull, it is reported that Williams is now close to agreeing a deal for 2011.

There have been reports that the Grove based team is less than fully happy with the returning supplier Cosworth this year, while at the same time Renault has confirmed it is looking to add a team to its customer engine roster.

Also linked with a switch to Renault has been the currently Cosworth-powered new team Lotus, while Cosworth’s business director Mark Gallagher recently said he suspects equipping the sport’s 13th team for 2011 will be “a Cosworth/Renault competition”.

A report by France’s Auto Hebdo said it is likely that eight cars on the 2011 grid will be fitted with Renault engines.

“An agreement with Williams is almost done,” said the magazine.

Jun.16 (GMM)  Ross Brawn claims he was mistranslated in suggesting Mercedes should not supply engines to Red Bull next year.

The Italian magazine Autosprint quoted Brawn, Mercedes GP’s team principal, as saying the German marque should think “long and hard” before adding another customer team to its 2011 stable.

The comments were interpreted as Brawn not wanting the best engine in the field to be mated to Red Bull’s arguably best chassis.

“I was asked by an Italian journalist whether Mercedes could cope with a fourth team,” Brawn explained to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

“I replied that Cosworth should supply any vacancies, because that’s the way it was planned by the FIA — that they (Cosworth) should be in business so that in an emergency there is not the reliance on the manufacturers.

“In the translation from Italian into English someone has added one and one together and come up with Red Bull.”

However, competition director Norbert Haug told German reporters in Turkey that it would be “definitely very difficult” for Mercedes to supply a fourth team with engines in 2011.

Jun.16 (GMM)  After a dismal Montreal weekend for the Swiss team, boss Peter Sauber admitted the C29 car is not a good one.

But the 66-year-old has also been quoted indicating that he is not happy with the ongoing poor reliability of the customer Ferrari engine.

“Five problems with the Ferrari engine in eight races is unacceptable.  At this rate we will need more than eight engines per driver for the season.

“We need better reliability,” he is quoted by the Swiss newspaper Blick.

In Canada, Pedro de la Rosa’s race ended with an unspecified engine failure.

Earlier in 2010, both Sauber and the works team were struggling with poor reliability, but Maranello based Ferrari were given FIA clearance to implement a fix.

“Ferrari has solved its problems with the engines but Sauber has again had a failure,” Ferrari test driver Marc Gene wrote in his post-Canada column for the Spanish newspaper El Mundo.

“It is an issue that will be analysed thoroughly by the team,” he added.

“Two months ago there was a basic reason, but now … it is very strange,” wrote Gene.  “They will need to work to analyse it with Ferrari.”

The Spaniard seemed to indicate that Sauber’s ongoing engine problems are probably related to the C29 car.

“It is surprising that (Ferrari powered) Toro Rosso have never had a problem,” said Gene.