A formula one team boss has admitted he hopes the forthcoming Bahrain grand prix is called off.

The Times newspaper is reporting that every team is devising contingency plans for the possibility that this month’s race in the troubled island Kingdom might not go ahead.

“I feel very uncomfortable about going to Bahrain,” one team boss, described as a “leading” member of the F1 paddock and with representative views, told the Guardian.

“We’re all hoping the FIA calls it off,” he admitted.

“It seems to me that while there has been some political progress in Bahrain they’re not quite ready.  The best thing would be for the race to be postponed until later in the year, or even cancelled.”

Ultimately, the decision will be made by the FIA, and a spokesman for the governing body has now admitted it is “constantly monitoring and evaluating the situation” in Bahrain.

Interestingly, the Guardian said FIA president Jean Todt will be in China this weekend.  The teams are currently scheduled to travel directly from China to Bahrain for the second leg of a back-to-back double header.

Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, the chief executive of Bahrain’s circuit, sounds confident.

“The FIA and Bernie (Ecclestone) have never shown any doubts about our race,” he told The National.

“I do see there is fear, but I just wish such people would listen to those who have the information — maybe not us, because we as a circuit are perhaps not perceived as an objective voice, but there are other people who know the region and know the situation and they are saying that this race should go ahead.”

Just over a week before the F1 circus is scheduled to congregate in India, Karun Chandhok is still waiting to hear if he will be lining up on the grid.
The Indian is Team Lotus’ reserve driver but boss Tony Fernandes has warned that he will not necessarily decide to replace one of the team’s regulars Jarno Trulli or Heikki Kovalainen so that Chandhok, 27, can contest his country’s inaugural F1 race.

“This is the most asked question to me right now,” Chandhok told the Times of India.

“Honesty speaking I don’t know what the team’s plans are. They haven’t made a decision yet and there are several factors that will govern the team’s decision which I can’t comment on.”

It is believed the hold-up is due to contractual negotiations, with Trulli, who sat out the Nurburgring for Chandhok in July, and Kovalainen signed up to contest every race on the 2011 calendar.

Sponsorship may be another issue.

Chandhok, who admitted the current waiting period is “agonising”, has practiced on Friday mornings ahead of the recent Japan/Korea double-header.

“As far as I am concerned, I have done the duties which the team has entrusted me with so far in the best possible way and have proven my abilities,” he said.

Vitaly Petrov’s future with the Renault team “is in his hands”, according to team boss Eric Boullier.

The comments, made during a team podcast, indicate that recent reports linking Kimi Raikkonen and Adrian Sutil to the 2011 race seat alongside Robert Kubica were not wide of the mark.

Russian rookie Petrov brought substantial funding to the team in the wake of the Genii Capital takeover and the lost ‘crash-gate’ sponsors, but he has also performed solidly.

But as Renault eyes a return to championship contention, Boullier admitted he must find the best possible occupant for the second car.

“His future is in his hands,” he is quoted as saying on Wednesday.

“He did some very amazing jobs sometimes (but) he clearly is lacking some consistency to get the points he deserves. We definitely need to have both cars scoring points, so that’s obviously creating some rumours surrounding his race seat,” added Boullier.

Boullier also confirmed reports that Renault’s own version of the F-duct will debut at a forthcoming race.

There have been suggestions the R30 could be fitted with the downforce-stalling innovation as soon as the Germany-Hungary double header, but Boullier said the F-duct’s introduction is “depending on the production”.

“Maybe we will get it before (Hungary) but very likely right after,” he said.

Sebastian Vettel on Thursday refused to deny that unspecified damage to his chassis caused him to trail his teammate in Spain and Monaco.

It was those back-to-back races that Mark Webber won commandingly from pole, and after which Red Bull decided to replace the sister RB6 driven by 22-year-old Vettel.

“I think it (the damage) explains a lot and on top of that we found also other things that weren’t in proper shape anymore,” he told reporters in Turkey.

Asked to specify how the damage affected his recent pace, Vettel added: “It’s difficult to say.

“Whereas he (Webber) always seemed to be quite happy, I wasn’t.”

Webber was also asked at Istanbul Park about Vettel’s chassis switch, and how the situation might explain the outcome of the Spain/Monaco double header.

“Obviously I wasn’t driving his car, so it’s difficult to know, to be honest.  We’ll see,” said the Australian.

(GMM)

Red Bull may have identified the reason for Sebastian Vettel’s recent struggle to keep up with his on-form teammate Mark Webber.

33-year-old Australian Webber has commandingly won the last two grands prix from pole at the wheel of the dominant RB6.

But according to Germany’s Auto Bild Motorsport, after returning to Milton Keynes from the Barcelona/Monaco double header, the Austrian team has identified damage to Vettel’s chassis.

“We have found a defect in Sebastian’s chassis,” Red Bull Racing principal Christian Horner confirmed, referring to the car superstitiously nicknamed ‘Lucious Liz’ by the highly rated 2009 championship runner-up.

Horner added: “For the next race in Turkey, he will have a new chassis.”

Vettel, initially the stronger of Red Bull’s driver lineup this year, is now equal on points with Webber at the head of the 2010 standings.

Briton Horner said he is confident Vettel can impress again at the wheel of a new chassis.

“Sebastian began the season in great shape and I am sure he will bounce back at the next race.

“In Barcelona and Monaco, Mark was simply stronger, he had more confidence and felt more comfortable in the car.  In contrast, Sebastian complained several times about the balance of the car,” added Horner.

(GMM)

Mark Webber on Sunday took over the lead of the world championship by winning his second consecutive grand prix in the space of a week.

The Australian, who was unchallenged in the Principality despite the appearance of several safety cars, dominated the entire Barcelona-Monaco double-header and is now level on points with his Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel.

Team boss Christian Horner urged Vettel to “relax” if he wants to get back on terms with the sister RB6.

“Sebastian dominated at the start of the season but Mark has really found his stride,” the Briton told the BBC.

“Seb is trying very hard and sometimes you have to relax a little bit and the times will come,” added Horner.

The biggest loser of the Monaco race is the former title leader Jenson Button, whose Mercedes engine overheated during the first safety car period because McLaren mechanics left a bung in his sidepod.

It was a fairly processional but nonetheless incident-packed race, with both Williams drivers crashing, and backmarker Jarno Trulli mounting Karun Chandhok’s HRT right in front of the leader Webber.

There is also a post-race controversy in the stewards’ room, after Fernando Alonso was passed by Michael Schumacher in the short blast between the safety car pulling in and the waving of the chequered flag.

There is some uncertainty as to whether overtaking is allowed in those circumstances on the last lap, with Mercedes’ Ross Brawn and Ferrari’s Stefano Domenicali both telling TV reporters their opposing views.

“Our understanding of the regulations is pretty clear but let’s just see what the stewards say,” said Domenicali.

(GMM)