Fernando Alonso has some fond memories of his single season alongside Lewis Hamilton in 2007.

The duo’s championship scrap at McLaren was billed as a highly tumultuous one, but Spaniard Alonso – now at Ferrari – insists that his only argument was with the British team’s then management led by Ron Dennis.

“If we were teammates at another team it would be a much cleaner struggle, and a real one,” said Alonso, who finished the season equal with Hamilton and a single point shy of Kimi Raikkonen’s title.

Recalling 2007, he explained to Spanish sports newspaper Marca: “You always learn lessons in tough times.

“That year was good overall, both Lewis and I learned many things. When you share a team with a top driver you learn to grow together.

“You improve in terms of preparing for a race and even from his driving style, because you share telemetry, so it was a great experience,” added Alonso.

As for 2011, Ferrari is now switching its focus to 2012, with Alonso admitting chasing down Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel will be almost impossible.

“Ferrari can not go to races not thinking about winning, but we are realists and know how difficult it is. We need Vettel to have failures,” he said.

The Spaniard is therefore much more confident about 2012.

“Of course we can catch them (Red Bull),” insisted Alonso. “The rules have changed, the blown diffusers will be forbidden, so the philosophy in the development and in the wind tunnel has to change.”

He said Ferrari’s recent structural changes have already made a difference.

“I have noticed more desire and general optimism, more speed in decision-making, more courage in the development. Yes, we have improved the structure and how we work.”

The union of formula one drivers, the GPDA, revealed in Korea last weekend their push for more influence in the sport’s decision-making processes.

According to the German magazine Speed Week, the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association – now headed by president Rubens Barrichello – met at the Yeongam circuit with FIA president Jean Todt.

“We want a permanent dialogue with the governing body,” Brazilian Barrichello, accompanied to the meeting by fellow GPDA directors Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa, is quoted as saying.

According to another German language report in motorline.cc, Barrichello and his colleagues believe some of the problems in Korea – like troublesome kerbs and the dangerous pit entry – would not have been encountered if the drivers were more seriously canvassed.

“It was ok,” Barrichello said after the meeting with Todt.

“We discussed three or four things and he was very open. All we want is for the GPDA to be able to contribute more to the future of the sport,” he added.

McLaren has developed this season with the F-bay system with a simple but effective innovation that brings more top speed on the straights, without cost pressure in the turns. Almost all the teams now move to and also develop such systems, but from 2011 these will be banned.

Martin Whitmarsh could not prevent, because the veto has been abolished for individual teams to accelerate decision-making. “Would the F-shaft Vetocarte play one if I had one? Yes, I would. I’m disappointed that the situation is now so? Is yes, I am, I personally,” said the McLaren team boss. The right of veto was abolished, but in the interest of the sport makes sense, because then no one can block improvements from self-interest.
The F-bay system keeps Whitmarsh for “great. It cost no money, is a neat technology, it is clever. We have all the means to build shafts and carbon fiber wing, because it has no complex electronics, no fancy materials, no complicated systems. Anybody can build it – and will continue to do so, of course. And if we want to talk about ‘green’: The F-shaft reduces the air resistance, so is the positive. ”

“But there are inevitably people, particularly in the small teams that say, ‘We are focusing rather on the basics, want this additional challenge not. So must we accept that there is a compromise. That is the nature of the situation, that we have to find compromises that are in the best interest of the sport, “said the Briton. That was not before the veto was the case.

(TMS)

Robert Kubica’s manager has hinted that the Polish driver is not likely to change teams ahead of the 2011 season.

The 25-year-old moved from BMW to Renault this year, but amid his strong performances it has been rumoured he could switch to Ferrari to replace Felipe Massa.

But it is believed Massa is now close to extending his contract.

Speaking in Turkey last weekend, Kubica insisted it is “not the time” to be contemplating “whether I will be staying with Renault or not”.

When asked about the Ferrari gossip, his manager Daniele Morelli told Finland’s Turun Sanomat: “It appears that is a desire perhaps by some journalists rather than actual news.”

Kubica is a healthy sixth in the world championship, ahead of rivals including Massa and both of the Mercedes drivers.

“Robert does not make mistakes.  His results are the best he is able to do when he does not have a winning car,” said Morelli.

“When he led the championship two years ago, we were firmly attached contractually to BMW, and then his car was weaker last year when we were finding a new team.

“Right now, we do not need any interest in Robert except from within his own team, so that the car can be developed to be even more competitive,” he added.

Morelli said Kubica feels much happier with the Enstone based team than he was with BMW.

Kubica confirmed: “Many people, when I signed for Renault, told me I was wrong, that it was a bad move.

“But I’m pretty happy with my decision and I hope I can rely on my decision-making for the future.”

(GMM)

Note from the Editor: There were two titles for this piece, “Schumacher’s Karma catches up with him” or “Have FIA bungled with Schumacher penalty?” Either would have been appropriate, we chose the one we did because in the end it is perhaps more apt…

Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix was overshadowed by an incident involving old sparring partners Michael Schumacher, and Fernando Alonso.

Due to the spectacular crash between Karun Chandhok and Jarno Trulli at Rascasse corner, the Safety Car was called upon 3 laps from the end. The flash point came when the German veteran slid up the inside of Alonso at the final Anthony Noghes corner after the Safety Car had peeled into the pitlane for the last time.

The Formula One paddock now finds itself in the situation where Schumacher has been given a retrospective 20 second penalty and dropped to 12th position in the final classification. Fernando Alonso was reinstated to his 6th position, and we head to Turkey with the Spaniard still in touch with the seemingly untouchable Red Bull duo of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.

However, the justification for this penalisation is hard to distinguish. It is true that Article 40.13 states: “If the race ends while the Safety Car is deployed, it will enter the pitlane at the end of the last lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking”. The clarity of this rule is not in question.

There have been previous examples of this rule being enforced. The Australian Grand Prix of 2009 being one such example, where the Brawn cars of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello led the field across the line after the Safety Car had pitted following an accident between Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica. In this case, the job of the trackside marshals was to signal to the drivers that there was to be no overtaking and that they were to stay in formation. This was signified by the continued use of yellow flags and Safety Car boards at each marshal post until the Start/Finish line.

Fast forward a year and five races, and we find ourselves in a similar situation. What seems incomprehensible is that following the end of the Safety Car period, green flags were waved and a green light was shown on the overhead light gantry of the last corner. Such a contradiction in actions seems confusing to say the least.

Under FIA Sporting Regulations, a green flag signifies “that any previous danger has been attended to. The track is now clear, and drivers may proceed at racing speed and may again overtake”. Why was this signal given? The green flag completely contradicted Article 40.13, and Schumacher acted accordingly.

Based on principle alone, a driver that sees a green flag or a green light is perfectly entitled to proceed at racing speed and make an attempt at an overtaking manoevre. It is worth noting that the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg also attempted an overtake after Alonso slid on the kerbs of the final corner, but was unable to.

Such a baffling decision decreases the credibility of the FIA stewarding panel, which had proved itself to be more than capable with a string of sound decisions so far in 2010. The accusation that Damon Hill was central to the decision-making procedure does not work, as his responsibility was to ensure a fair conclusion to any racing incidents. This was a decision based on the law of the FIA.

Neither is the common misconception that the stewards could have put Schumacher back into 7th position, as under Article 16.3 of the Sporting Regulations, only three possible sanctions are legally allowed; a drive-through penalty, a grid drop for the following race, or a ten-second stop and go penalty.

It appears that Schumacher has been penalised for a communication mix-up, which is why Mercedes have attempted to appeal the decision.
Based on the precedent set by the Lewis Hamilton decision at Spa in 2008, time penalties cannot be appealed. The only conceivable outcome for Mercedes is that they can lodge a protest of the result to the FIA. A 2,000 Euro fee is attached to this and is the only option that resembles an appeal procedure in this instance.

The two underlying themes are that the large reaction to this incident reflects more on the bland nature of the race itself, and that the nonsensical decisions taken by those working in this arm of the FIA are still commonplace. Perhaps if there was no need to interpret so widely the rules that are put forth by the FIA, decisions like this would not cause such debate. With the spectacle provided by the racing being put on the backburner, the spectacle of events off track have reared their ugly head once again.

Those who believe in Karma, your time has come.

(James Rossi)