Bruno Senna has admitted it would be “great” to return to Interlagos in the future with a chance of a good result.

The Brazilian rookie, whose uncle Ayrton was revered by the local Interlagos crowd and is buried in nearby Morumbi, will contest his first grand prix at the circuit this weekend in the uncompetitive HRT car.

Recent reports have indicated the 27-year-old is in talks with other teams about 2011, perhaps Lotus where he could be test driver next year before returning to the grid in 2012.

“It would be great to fight for better positions,” he said in a Portuguese language Reuters news report.

Senna’s debut F1 season has been difficult, but he said he is focused on the positive aspects.

“I have learned a lot, I have gained experience in many ways, and I have the opportunity to fight for a place for next year.

“So it’s been a year of learning and growing and it’s giving me the chance to be in formula one next year,” he added.

Senna confirmed there are talks ongoing with other teams about 2011.

“We are talking with other teams and we are opening some doors that were maybe not open before … the prospects are good,” he added.

Formula one teams must close their factories for a mandatory two-week period between last Sunday’s Hungarian grand prix and the next race in Belgium.

The shutdown – commenced at the stroke of midnight after the Hungaroring race by McLaren, Mercedes, Williams and Sauber – is a cost-cutting measure agreed between the teams.

“It still seems odd to me to have a shutdown but it’s probably good for people,” said McLaren’s Martin Whitmarsh.

It had been reported that Ferrari also closed its doors on Sunday, but the Maranello based outfit will in fact commence its shutdown next Sunday, as will F1′s other Italian team Toro Rosso.

Engine supplier Cosworth’s F1 unit closed on Tuesday.  “I think the staff all deserve a break,” said Mark Gallagher.

On Wednesday, HRT will begin its two week closed period, followed by Virgin on Saturday.

And on Monday, Red Bull, Renault and Force India will close their doors.

Lotus Racing has today announced that it is throwing open the doors of its factory in Hingham, UK, for fans to take an exclusive look behind the scenes of the inner workings of the fastest new team in the Formula One™ World Championship. Paying guests now have the chance to take a tour of the team’s Norfolk home in 1½ hour tours, where they will see each of the key areas of the factory, including the Design Office, Composite and Machine Shops, Race Bays and the Race Team workshops – everything needed to build and run a modern F1™ team. In addition, guests will also have the opportunity to see the T127 race car up close and meet the people who make it all happen.

Guests will be shown around by dedicated tour guides, who will ensure that every visitor will be leave with a detailed understanding of all the processes that go into making a modern Formula One™ car¸ as well as a unique gift bag that will add to the lasting memories of their day at the team’s home. The factory is less than ten minutes from the original Lotus factory in Hethel, only 15 miles from Norwich and 105 miles from London, so it can be reached in less than three hours from the UK capital. As they are already experts in travelling to and from their UK base to races around the world, the team can also provide advice and assistance with transfers to and from Hingham, and local accommodation requests, at additional costs.

To ensure the race cars are in the factory, limited dates are available right now, and requests will be accommodated on a first-come, first serve basis. Three tours will take place each day, for groups of ten, and times can be arranged to suit each group. The first dates available now are listed below – more dates from August and through to the end of the year will be announced shortly:

Wednesday June 30th, Thursday July 1st, Friday July 2nd, Monday July 5th, Tuesday July 6th

Tuesday July 13th, Wednesday July 14th, Thursday July 15th, Friday July 16th

Wednesday August 4th, Thursday August 5th, Friday August 6th

Prices are £80 per person, with under-17’s half price at £40, and under-12’s go free – fantastic value for a once in a lifetime opportunity to take a look at the inner workings of a modern Formula One™ team.

Jun.18 (GMM) Luca di Montezemolo has continued his sustained attack on formula one’s new teams.

The Ferrari president thinks the grid should be filled by the bigger teams fielding three cars, rather than by opening the doors to newcomers including Lotus, Virgin and HRT.

Next year, another small team is likely to make its debut.

Spain’s El Mundo newspaper this week claims that the budget of the new Spanish outfit HRT is ten times smaller than Ferrari’s.

“In modern F1 races cars with GP2 levels of performance shouldn’t be allowed to participate — they are supposed to race on Sunday mornings,” Montezemolo is quoted by Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Montezemolo argues that Fernando Alonso’s push for Montreal victory was ruined by the lapping of backmarkers, an apparent reference to his delays behind Jarno Trulli’s Lotus and the HRT of Karun Chandhok.

But while it is true that, earlier this year, the small teams were vastly off the pace, all of the six cars were faster by multiple seconds than the entire GP2 field in Turkey recently.

And in Canada last weekend, Heikki Kovalainen’s Lotus qualified just two tenths behind the Ferrari-powered Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi, while Virgin and HRT runners were also easily within 107 per cent of the pole time.

The new teams’ laptime deficit in Canada was between 3 and 4 seconds, compared with Giancarlo Fisichella’s 2.2 second qualifying deficit in a Ferrari-powered Force India at the same circuit two years ago.

A report at Italiaracing said: “It should be noted that the only complaints this season about the smaller teams have come from Ferrari.”

A formula one foray for Volkswagen would probably see the Audi or Porsche names above the garage doors.

It has been reported for some time that the German carmaker giant is interested in entering the sport as an engine supplier but only if the FIA green-lights the touted ‘world engine’ for 2013.

As for the branding of the project, VW’s motor racing boss Kris Nissen said: “Within the group, for sure, it could be Audi, it could be Porsche and might also be Volkswagen.

“I think it would not suit so well Skoda or Seat or Bentley,” he is quoted as saying at last weekend’s Nurburgring 24 Hour race by the Brisbane Times.

Toyota, however, is not interested in returning to formula one any time soon, after failing to win a single grand prix during its more than $3 billion F1 foray between 2002 and last year.

“There is a big gap between formula one and Toyota’s actual car users,” former team principal Tadashi Yamashina is quoted by Automotive News.

“F1 remains the pinnacle of auto racing, but its image grew too elitist,” he added.

(GMM)

Dr Helmut Marko doubts Sebastian Vettel would consider switching to Ferrari any time soon.

Vettel, 22, has said recently he sees the famous Maranello based team as a possible future employer.

The German is believed to be under contract to Red Bull until the end of 2011, but the energy drink company’s motor racing advisor Marko is not sure a move to Ferrari soon would be a good idea.

“Ferrari is something very special for each driver,” the Austrian said in an interview with APA news agency.

“But you only have to look at the situation.  Why should he go there to be with Alonso when he’s doing more than well with us?”

Interestingly, however, Marko said Red Bull would not sign an agreement that binds Vettel to the Milton-Keynes based squad for the rest of his formula one career.

“That’s something we wouldn’t want.  He needs to feel at home and that he wants to be driving with us,” said the former grand prix driver.

Marko added that “talks” to retain the current Vettel/Mark Webber lineup are “in progress”, but warned that Red Bull is in a good negotiating position.

“We no longer have to go knocking on doors (for drivers),” he said.

(GMM)

This season start is on its way to become a real soap opera drama.  Even though, last week, Adrián Campos, angry with all that was being published hit the table with his fist assuring the Monday everything would be worked out, today the opposite was confirmed.

The Valencian is trying to save the Spanish team, but days go by without a solution to his financial difficulties –in spite of the time extension granted by Dallara until nest Wednesday-, and everything gets more and more complicated.

Even so that the agreement between the South African manager and Adrian Campos might be forgotten.

According to close sources, Tony Teixeira, has not been able to have the necessary liquidity to close the deal, thus leaving the Campos Meta 1, almost without options.  And if we say, ‘almost without options’ it is because those same sources have mentioned a possible purchase of the complete team, but with the condition that Adrian Campos would not lead the ‘scuderia.’

With this purchase, the team would leave Spain and the team’s personnel would not have a sure job position any longer.

Petrov needs a loan?

To continue with the soap opera, at Renault ranch, there are problems also, because if the French ‘scuderia’ initially officialized, Vitaly Petrov due to economic interests, the 15 million Euros per season that the Russian was supposed to contribute with are nowhere to be seen, at least that is what his father Alexander gave to understand, when he declared that Vitaly’s position is in jeopardy: “If we do not pay the first quota before March 1^st he may be substituted by another pilot.”

The 15 million Euros were supposed to be paid in two dates: one on March 1^st and the second on July 1^st.  However, it seems that his country’s sponsors were not aware of that.  The problem being that the manager of the Russian pilot has been knocking on the doors of 500 companies and getting the same answer: “He has been rejected every time,” confessed the pilot’s father indicating that: “Fortunately, a friend of mine, responsible for a bank in Saint Petersburg has given me a credit for 7.5 million Euros, but the bank has requested time to evaluate the guaranties.”

“Our hope is Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin who has received letters asking for help from the Russian Motor Federation, from the motoring sport and from the Sport Minister and the Parliament.”

The next episode of this soap opera “The Life of the F1″remains to be seen soon.

In spite of learning that the opportunity for participating in the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship with Renault has vanished with the confirmation of the Russian, Vitaly Petrov, the Spanish pilot, Andy Soucek is far from giving up. “For the time being, there’s nothing closed.  Negotiations have taken place and we have opened new options.  The two vacant seats are USF1 and Campos, but there are other alternatives that are also tempting me quite a lot, and all in Formula 1″, said Soucek.

“To be the first-team pilot is something that attracts all pilots –regardless of the team-, because what we want is to be in the grid.  But to be a reserve pilot is more important than being a test driver, because if something happens to the first-team pilot you take his place.  So this is something I have in mind if it would be a large team.  It would help me a lot and give me time to prepare for 2011, with one more year of experience in Formula 1.  It’s a role one should not rule out;” declared the Spanish pilot.

“I think I deserve the position of third pilot and I don’t think I have to pay for it.  That’s what interests me.  As a first-team pilot you have to have a big sponsor behind you, but as third pilot you can have a small sponsor or not even that, because they’re counting on you since you’re going to contribute with something to the team,” assured the Spaniard-Austrian pilot.

The thing being that more doors are closing every time, and more so with the possible arrival of Adrián Vallés to the USF1 team, which has a vacant seat.  Soucek said: “I don’t know if he has signed; I understand he hasn’t.  But, Adrián has always been ahead; he has raced very fast in all the championships he has participated.  He has been my team-mate and cannot say anything bad about him.  He’s very fast and he deserves it.  We haven’t talked and I cannot give more information.”

This way, it is confirmed that there is contact with USF1.  “Yes, there have been conversations, but this is like everything else: at the end, everybody talks with everybody else, and much more in a moment like this, when the teams are desperate for a pilot, as well as the pilots for a team.”

“I’m not going to allow desperation to get to me, and if I sign I want it to be something that helps me in my sport career; not that jeopardizes it.  So, whatever step I take is going to be well thought out, and I’ll see that the team with whom I sign gives me a guarantee of playing a decent role within the Formula One,” the pilot pointed out.

And what about Campos Meta 1 which has only confirmed the Brazilian, Bruno Senna? “For a month I’ve been in very advanced negotiations with Campos.  As has been announced in all media, Adrian is going through a very difficult moment.  I thing the same indecision and uncertainty we all have is what he’s experimenting, too,” Soucek reflected.

Based on Adrián Campos statements, today we have confirmed, that before next Monday, he will take care of the financial problems.  “Right now, he doesn’t know what’s going to happen.  He’s wishing that his team succeeds.  We all do.  It’s a Spanish team and it would be very important for motoring, but unfortunately there’s an economic problem with all the new teams, and besides, maybe the media is taking it out on him a bit too much.  Let’s hope he can solve the problem and then, it will be known who his second pilot will be,” he explained.

Ferrari’s chairman, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, left a door open to the future incursion of the motorcycle pilot, Valentino

Rossi in the Formula One.

The nine-times world champion has two days of training last week in a Ferrari at the Montmeló Circuit and the Italian ‘Scuderia’ was impressed with his presentations.  ”He’s a friend and an indisputable champion.  He’s a great Formula One fan and of the engines, and a potential champion,” he assured during the new single-seater’s presentation, the ‘F10′.

This way, the highest person in command of the ‘Cavallino Rampante’ made it clear that there’s a possibility that Rossi will be given the opportunity to drive in Ferrari in 2010.  ”If he can train and adapt to the F1, why not?” he added.

On the other hand, he declared that Mercedes is not a real manufacturer and that Michael Schumacher is back in the competition thanks to Ferrari.  ”Let’s not talk about Schumacher,” Montezemolo suggested in a press conference, before he was forced to point out the differences between Ferrari and the new Mercedes ‘Scuderia’ which bought Brawn GP, the world champion.

“I have great respect for Mercedes.  I have said and repeat that it’s good to see its total participation in the F1.  But it’s a different kind of participation from ours,” he said, at a building located in the “Piazza Michael Schumacher”, spiritual home of Ferrari, in northern Italy.  ”Its participation is based in Great Britain.  They bought Brawn,” he clarified.

Montezemolo is proud of the Ferrari’s Italian “heart,” of the fact that it’s one of the few car manufacturers left and the only team which has competed in the 60 Formula One seasons.

In addition, he does not believe that Mercedes will be able to reproduce that special atmosphere, even though Schumacher might have taken some information with him.  ”Honestly, I’m no longer worried about the secrets that filtered with Schumacher.  I was the one who planted in this head the idea of coming back to the Formula One,” he concluded.

The Spanish pilot, Pedro Martinez De la Rosa will be the BMW Sauber ‘Scuderia’ second official pilot in the 2010 Formula One World Championship, as confirmed this Tuesday through a press release by the team based in Switzerland.
38 year old, De la Rosa, who has been a McLaren-Mercedes test driver for the last seven seasons, will partner in his new racing-team with the Japanese, Kamui Kobayashi.  Hence, the pilot from Barcelona makes his comeback to the ‘Great Circus’ as official pilot and does so with 71 Grand Prix under his belt and 29 points in the World Championship.  With his signing, he will become the championship’s second most veteran after Michael Schumacher (41).
At 17 Pedro De la Rosa began competing in 1988 in Karting and from that moment on, and thanks to the support of the Spanish Automobile Federation, he was able to go up through the categories until he reached Formula One.
Until 1991, he competed in Spain where he won the Formula Ford British Championship.  The following year, he went to Great Britain to win the Formula Renault, the European Series of that category and the ‘Privilege Formula 3 Festival’.
From there he jumped to Japan, being decisive stage for De la Rosa –from 1995 to 1997—since he won all the championships in which he competed, Formula 3 (1995), Formula 3000 (1997) and Great Tourism (1997).  For this reason he received the nickname of ‘Nippon Ichi’, that means ‘Japan’s Number 1.’
The Catalan’s first contact with a Formula 1 car took place in 1998, as Jordan’s test driver, a year before his definitive jump, becoming Arrows’ official pilot, where he challenged 16 races and added a point, ending the championship in 18th position.

A year later, still in Arrows, he added two more points in 17 tests, before signing with Jaguar for the 2001 season.  In this racing-team, the Spaniard, could not shine due to the not very competitive single-seated he drove, attaining only fifth (Italy 2001) and sixth positions (Canada 2001) as his most outstanding performances.

JUMP TO MCLAREN AND PODIUM IN HUNGRY.

From 2003 on, De la Rosa he becomes McLaren’s test driver, and two years later he gets the chance to dispute a race with the Anglo-German racing-team, the Bahrain Grand Prix, where he finished on fifth position.
But the best moments for the pilot from Barcelona in McLaren would come a year later, in 2006, where he challenged eight races as substitute of the Colombian, Juan Pablo Montoya.  De la Rosa added a total of 19 points and for the first time in his career, managed to take a podium place by finishing second in the Hungarian Grand Prix, even ahead of Michael Schumacher.

Even though there was much speculation around De la Rosa’s jump to an official wheel –specially as a result of Fernando Alonso leaving McLaren-, finally the Finish Heikki Kovalainen closed the doors on him and the last three seasons he has not been able to challenge any Grand Prix.

During the last months everything seemed to indicate that the Catalan –who has been President of the Pilot Association for two years-, would come back to the competition by the hand of the Spanish debutant team, the Campos Meta, negotiations with the Adrian Campos’ racing-team were interrupted so it will finally be the Sauber team which takes in the veteran pilot.

PETER SAUBER VALUES HIS “EXPERIENCE.”

“Pedro has worked during the last years for one of the best teams of technical level athletics.  We, as a team, want to take advantage of his experience, as we would like Kamui to do,” stated in a press release Peter Sauber, Principal of the team.

Likewise, the team principal of the Catalan’s new ‘Scuderia’ underlines that “the combination of an experienced pilot with a bright young hope usually renders good results.”  He seemed “sure” that in this case, “it’s what’s going to happen next season.”

“Of course, it’s essential that we can give them a good car and I have a very optimistic view of the evolution we can achieve at our factory.  We’re capable of continuing our work with the 2010 car, just as we had programmed, despite of the recent uncertainty period”, Peter Sauber pointed out.

The 2008 NASCAR Racing Sprint Cup season was dominated by a small circle of teams that have ingeniously advanced their entire programs over the past four or five years. Most NASCAR fans will agree the Roush Fenway Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, and Joe Gibbs Racing are at the zenith of the sport when it comes to on-track performance and achievements. Take a glimpse at the driver roster for each of the above mentioned teams. Roush Fenway Racing boasts a blend of talented personalities in Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, David Ragan, and Jamie McMurray. Hendrick Motorsports owns perhaps the most star-studded lineup in NASCAR history with Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Mark Martin. Richard Childress Racing possesses perhaps the most consistent trio of drivers with Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer. He added former Hendrick Motorsports driver Casey Mears to his driver roster for the 2009 season. Joe Gibbs Racing has the youthful vigor of Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and rookie Joey Logano, with their ages ranging from 18 to 28. Logano replaces the two-time champion Tony Stewart. In 2006, the four teams made up eight of the ten drivers in the Chase for the Championship. In 2007, they occupied ten of the twelve slots in the ten-race championship chase. In 2008, the entire Chase for the Championship field was drivers and teams from the ‘big four’. Clearly, it is no surprise that other teams may tremble at the thought of having to compete with these juggernauts. However, there are a few teams out there with drivers and personnel capable of giving the big four a run for their money.

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing: Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates were separate entities prior to the merger in November of 2008. Remember the Coors Light Dodge battling the Budweiser Chevrolet in the early 2000’s? Now they are one operation, combining their resources with the intention of competing at a higher level. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing has their share of critics, but they have two talented drivers with solid sponsors. Martin Truex Jr qualified for the Chase for the Championship in 2007 after winning his first race at Dover. Truex Jr quickly became a popular driver with his laidback outdoorsmen demeanor. Juan Pablo Montoya is not one of the more popular drivers in the Sprint Cup garage, but no one can say that he is not talented. Montoya and Truex Jr are both capable of winning a race in 2009 with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing equipment. In fact, the organization is practically depending on it. Aric Almirola is expected to compete in all thirty-six races in 2009 in the No. 8 car. Stewart Haas Racing: Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman are significant upgrades from Johnny Sauter and Scott Riggs, but how will they stack up against the big four? Stewart Haas Racing will use engines and chassis supplied by Hendrick Motorsports, but they are no Hendrick Motorsports, at least not yet. In due course, this team will flourish with Stewart and Newman as the drivers. Stewart is a two-time champion and Newman is a Daytona 500 champion so they do not lack credentials. Stewart and Newman winning a race in 2009 is not that far-fetched, especially on the restrictor plate tracks as well as the road courses. It would come as a surprise if they are fast enough to contend at the 1.5-mile and 2-mile tracks.

Richard Petty Motorsports: Like Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports is fresh off a merger and name change. Formerly Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Enterprises, they are now one team with four drivers. Kasey Kahne is the star, the driver that will likely produce the best results. Elliott Sadler is the veteran who has struggled in recent years, but hopes to turn the corner. Reed Sorenson and A.J. Allmendinger are hungry young drivers itching to earn a trip to victory lane. Kahne provides the only real threat to the big four. Allmendinger may emerge as a pleasant surprise if he has the opportunity to compete in the full slate of races. Penske Racing: Kurt Busch is the only driver in Penske Racing’s three-team shop that can really threaten the big four. Busch qualified for the Chase for the Championship in 2007 after winning two races. Ryan Newman won thirteen races in Penske Racing equipment, but bolted after three sub par seasons. David Stremme replaces Newman, but you get the feeling that Penske settled for his test driver. Sam Hornish Jr is comparable to Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson when he is driving in the Indy Racing League, but his results in NASCAR Racing have been downright awful. Hornish may begin to show signs of potential in 2009.

Yates Racing: Yates Racing has made some bold moves this off-season. After forming an alliance with Hall of Fame Racing, they were able to use the Ask.com sponsorship to lure 2000 champion Bobby Labonte to their neck of the woods. Labonte joins Paul Menard and Travis Kvapil. Menard and his sponsor, Menard’s, fled Dale Earnhardt Inc, joined Yates Racing, meaning that the team has two fully sponsored cars. Travis Kvapil may not compete in all races unless sponsorship is found. Labonte may contend on the restrictor plate tracks, and possibly the short tracks. Menard still has a lot to prove in NASCAR’s highest level of competition. Red Bull Racing: Red Bull Racing has a couple of young drivers that will put it all on the line. Brian Vickers owns a Sprint Cup victory and had shown considerable progress in his two years at Red Bull Racing. Scott Speed is a rookie, and it may take a few banged up race cars before he fully catches on to this NASCAR Racing thing. Michael Waltrip Racing: David Reutimann is Michael Waltrip Racing’s strongest driver based on his result over the 2008 season. He ended the season on a high note with solid performances at Texas and Homestead. Michael Waltrip has yet to show any signs of contending in his own equipment. Marcos Ambrose will be a contender on the road course tracks, but he may struggle on the ovals.