Ross Brawn should be firing on all cylinders as he returns to the pitwall in Monaco this weekend.

Mercedes’ team principal sat out the recent Spanish grand prix due to illness, but a scarcity of extra information triggered speculation.

One rumour was that he is seriously ill, whilst another was that his absence may in fact be due to his German employer’s high-stakes spat with Bernie Ecclestone.

The latter theory gained traction since Barcelona, with acting team boss Nick Fry taking a much higher than usual profile, including naming Paul di Resta as a possible 2013 successor for Michael Schumacher.

Explaining his absence, Brawn told Bild newspaper: “On the Tuesday before Barcelona I felt unwell so I went to the doctor and then stayed a night in hospital for some tests.

“When I got home, I decided on the advice of doctors to give myself a weekend off, to be sure that I am fit for Monaco,” the Briton said.

Partly because of Brawn’s deputy Fry’s recent comments, and also due to his paltry points tally and his crash with Bruno Senna, rumours about Schumacher’s future have intensified since Spain.

“A lot has been said and written,” acknowledged Brawn, “but we should not forget that we – the team – have let him down in three of the fives races, not delivering the job we should have.

“We must do better,” Brawn, who worked closely with Schumacher during the seven time world champion’s ultra successful Ferrari era, added.

“We saw Michael’s real quality again in the first race, so it’s for that reason that I believe we will see him on the podium this year.”

As for a possible contract extension for the 43-year-old, Brawn insisted: “When the time comes, we will sit down together and talk about the future.

“I’m sure it will become clear very quickly in what direction we will go.”

Jenson Button reportedly received an “offer” from Ferrari before re-committing last year to the McLaren team.

The Brazilian news agency Agencia Estado said the Briton held talks with Ferrari prior to October last year, when his new ‘multi-year contract’ with his famous British employer was announced.

Estado said Ferrari courted Button, 32, as a potential replacement for struggling Felipe Massa, who is now tipped to be succeeded in 2013 by Sergio Perez.

Asked to comment, Button said: “I was happy to know that my work was respected.

“I had a listen to what some of the other teams could offer me.”

The revelation in the Brazilian press follows Button’s comments last week about Fernando Alonso.

“If Lewis (Hamilton) wasn’t in formula one, I personally feel it would be exciting having Fernando as a teammate,” he told the Daily Mail.

“Is he the fastest in the sport? Probably not, and he would probably say the same, but he is very intelligent.

“One of the ways in which we are (similar) is in terms of wanting a team of people around us. We need that support to really achieve.

“So yeah, he’d be exciting to work with, to work with and to be an enemy, which I’m sure he would be,” added Button.

Kimi Raikkonen’s managers have revealed they only now take a back seat in the career of the 2007 world champion.
Britons David and Steve Robertson have guided the famous Finn throughout his motor racing career.

But Steve told Finland’s Turun Sanomat that they only intervene now when the 32-year-old driver requests it — such as when he needed to negotiate last winter with Williams and his ultimate 2012 employer, Lotus.

“We came to the end of the road really in late 2009,” he said.

That is when Ferrari bought out the rest of Raikkonen’s contract, and he headed to world rally.

“We can’t honestly say that we are real rally fans — it’s alien to us, while we know F1 through and through.

“When Kimi wanted to go back to F1, he turned to us for help with the agreement. After a few months Kimi got what he wanted.”

Robertson, however, explained that the father-son duo are no longer involved in the “day to day” running of Raikkonen’s career.

“I have known Kimi for 11, 12 years, and he has become really close to us. When he asks for help, he knows that we are always ready to give it,” he continued.

“I was delighted when he wanted to come back where he really belongs (in F1),” said Robertson. “There is so much nonsense about Kimi’s problems with motivation.

“The truth is that he wanted to come back for one reason only — because he is super-motivated to race in F1 again.

“By taking Kimi, it shows the (Lotus) team’s desire to succeed. I think Kimi and Romain Grosjean are a good combination.

“By changing the drivers the team has showed that it was not satisfied with the level of last year and that they want to come back to being among the big teams,” he concluded.

 Red Bull is not yet one of F1′s ‘big two’ teams, according to Pedro de la Rosa.
The HRT driver admits his own Spanish employer is the “worst” in the field at present, but at the other end of the grid, he insists the “best” – Red Bull – is not yet one of the greatest.

“Formula one is in that respect very similar to the Spanish football league,” he is quoted by Marca sports daily.

“There are two big clubs, Madrid and Barcelona, and (in F1) I would say they are Ferrari and McLaren.

“Red Bull, not yet. They are one of those teams that can win the cup, but I would dare to predict that in 20 years the big two will still be the big two,” added de la Rosa.

Until now, de la Rosa was McLaren’s highly-respected reserve driver, with a new long-term contract.

“I thought (boss) Martin (Whitmarsh) was going to shout at me, so I found it difficult to tell him and he cut me short, saying ‘Pedro, what do you mean?’

“I told him I wanted to go to HRT, that I wanted to race again — there was a long silence and he said ‘You must be mad, but I love that my reserve driver is that way — it means we had the right guy’.”

De la Rosa, 41, will drive the 2012 car for the first time on Friday, in Melbourne. His teammate Narain Karthikeyan managed a few laps during a filming shakedown.

“When he got out, I asked him what it was like and he looked at me with his eyes sparkling and said ‘It is better than last year’,” beamed de la Rosa.

After an inconclusive and perhaps even worrying performance at Jerez, the faces in the McLaren garage are looking happier as the second group test progresses this week in Barcelona.
“We’re in a much better position than we were this time last year,” confirmed Lewis Hamilton after Wednesday’s running in the MP4-27, “and also better than we were two weeks ago in Jerez.

“We have learned a lot; the car is much better balanced now. I can say that we have a stronger base than last year,” added the 2008 world champion.

According to Britain’s Mirror newspaper, Hamilton’s teammate Jenson Button agreed: “There are no excuses this year. I feel we have everything.

“We’re on target,” said the 2011 championship runner-up. “There’s nothing to say we’re one and a half seconds quicker than anyone, but then there’s also nothing to say we’re not fast.”

Red Bull’s reigning back to back world champion Sebastian Vettel is quoted by the Telegraph as saying he thinks McLaren will be “strong straight from the beginning of the season”.

Added Mercedes’ team boss Ross Brawn: “Red Bull will have a strong car again, and so will McLaren.

“Ferrari seem to be having a few difficulties,” Auto Motor und Sport quotes him as saying, referring to his former Maranello based employer.

Red Bull reserve Sebastien Buemi, having watched from a trackside position on Wednesday, said Fernando Alonso looked uncomfortable with the handling of the F2012.

“I think we are probably not the quickest today,” Spaniard Alonso agreed, “but neither are we the slowest.

“At the moment we are not where we want to be, nor where we want to be in Australia, but I remain optimistic.

“We just have to hope that we have completed this learning process we are going through with a very complex car by the time the season starts,” Spanish reporters quote the former two-time world champion as saying.

Adrian Sutil on Thursday confirmed reports he looks set to stay another season with Force India in 2011.

The German had flirted with moves to Renault or Williams but admitted at Interlagos that he is now leaning towards signing a new deal with his long-time employer.

“The tendency is to (stay at) Force India,” Sutil is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.

“We are currently in close talks. I am definitely ready to stay here for another year. The trend is with this team, but it’s not signed yet,” he added.

Sutil said it will take at least another two weeks before the deal is sealed.

“The final decision won’t be made until after the season unfortunately,” he revealed. “I would have wanted it sooner, but it didn’t happen.”

The news is a blow for Nick Heidfeld, who had hoped to move to Force India. The Silverstone based team already has a contract for 2011 with Vitantonio Liuzzi.

“If Sutil is staying there, probably I have no chance with Force India,” confirmed Heidfeld, who is being replaced at Sauber by the Telmex-backed rookie Sergio Perez.

There might be a vacancy at Renault, but the Enstone based team is thought likely to re-sign its well-funded Vitaly Petrov.

Meanwhile, Nico Hulkenberg’s place at Williams is under threat by the Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado, who is backed by state petroleum company PDVSA.

Sir Frank Williams last week spoke highly of Hulkenberg, but the young German pointed out that “with praise I can buy nothing”.

“Williams have told me that there is still a chance (of staying in 2011),” added Hulkenberg.

He is disappointed at the thought of being ousted by his GP2 teammate of 2009.

“In qualifying, I beat him I think 10-0,” noted Hulkenberg.

McLaren or Force India have been earmarked as possible new employers for Bob Bell.

The 52-year-old Ulsterman has left Renault after a long post as technical boss, and having acted as team principal amid the crashgate scandal.

According to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, some insiders think he might soon reappear in Force India colours.

The Silverstone based team has been struggling recently, with some experts pointing as an explanation to the departures of James Key to Sauber and Mark Smith to Lotus.

The report also said a return to McLaren is possible, where Bell worked for 15 years as an aerodynamicist before moving to Enstone based Benetton/Renault.

“He’s certainly a very capable guy,” said Williams chairman Adam Parr at Suzuka.  “I hope he will get a job very soon.”

Sebastian Vettel was slightly limping in the puddle-strewn Hockenheim paddock on Thursday.

On Wednesday night, the Red Bull driver sat out the traditional pre-German grand prix football game — which the F1 drivers’ team nonetheless won.

It emerges the Red Bull driver fell whilst jogging last week.

“It is a little bit of a strain of the muscle,” he confirmed, “but I can drive, no problem.”

Vettel was reserved when questioned about the Silverstone front wing furore, but acknowledged that the affair will not be hurting his employer’s bottom line.

“As far as I know, we are selling enough cans!” he grinned.

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In the FIA press conference, Michael Schumacher played mediator by sitting in between at-war Red Bull duo Vettel and Mark Webber.

The seven time world champion admitted he is barracking for his countryman to win the title.  “Sorry, Mark,” he meekly apologised to the Australian Webber.

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At a media event aptly demonstrating the driving of trucks, and after sitting out Silverstone for mainly unexplained reasons, HRT driver Bruno Senna said his arrangement is to stay in the F110 for the rest of 2010.

But with his regular teammate Karun Chandhok on the sidelines in Germany, the Brazilian acknowledged: “I hope I am racing for the rest of the season but nothing in life is a guarantee.

“I have a job today but maybe not tomorrow,” said Senna.

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Lotus technical boss Mike Gascoyne recently indicated the Italian had done enough to retain his seat for 2011, and on Thursday Jarno Trulli agreed: “I’m very motivated to stay because I have paid my dues this year, next year I want to see the results.

“I’m really excited to carry on and see where I can take this team,” added the veteran of 225 grands prix.

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Mercedes reserve driver Nick Heidfeld was spotted inside the Renault motor home on Thursday afternoon.

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The FIA’s Charlie Whiting arrived in Germany after a visit to the site of the inaugural Korean grand prix.

There has been ongoing speculation about the circuit’s readiness for its late October race date, but Briton Whiting said the venue is of “the highest standards”.

“I was fully satisfied with the inspection,” he added, despite English journalists last week finding the actual track layout devoid of asphalt.

“There is still work to be done,” acknowledged Whiting, “but the circuit should be ready in good time for the first grand prix.”

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)

Ferrari intensifies for the decisive phase of the Formula 1 World Championship in the technician field. The Italian team of the Spanish world champion Fernando Alonso Ex-bound former McLaren chief engineer Pat Fry and hoped for, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport ‘by the British also had a decisive impact for the season 2011th

Fry had dissolved his contract with Ferrari rivals McLaren recently after more than eight years. His career in the premier class of the 46-year-old had started in 1987 with Benetton. Alonso shows in the World Cup driver standings after eight of 19 races as the best Ferrari driver in fourth place, while the team from Maranello in the constructors’ standings to third place is.
Pat Fry was brought to his departure from McLaren, with several Formula 1 teams as possible. Among their tasks, even Red Bull and Mercedes have been interested in the 46-year-old British. When the renowned engineer will take up his duties at the new employer in Maranello is as yet unclear.

For Timo Glock, the trip paid to Montreal in the past for ever. The 28 year-old made his debut in 2004 for Jordan as a substitute pilot for Giorgio Pantano. In the qualifying Glock was only one place behind team-mate Nick Heidfeld. In the race, he captured his seventh first championship points and thus belongs to a small group of riders, who succeeded, at the debut. In 2005 Glock would have won by a hair, the race of the Champ Car Series at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The last appearance in 2008 conquered the German his first points for Toyota.

The presence at the moment does not look rosy. The Virgin was too slow on Friday and was even beaten by HRT. Points lie outside the range, but with a crazy race and the happiness could Montréal for the weekend, Glock nor the conciliatory. “Every time I’ve driven in Canada, is something special happened in the race,” says Glock recalls in an interview with ‘Autosport’. “Hopefully it will be another crazy weekend and we can benefit from it.”
Ideally, the new team plays the fight for third place from 19th Nevertheless, it is difficult to motivate Glock not himself, “I just hide from the 20 cars ahead of me. I have never been so hard fought for a 19th place as recently in Turkey. The battle to win under new team is our only option get a sense of victory. If you’re not even a goal, you will lose power. The duel with Lotus is a way to motivate yourself. ”

Glock only twice in the seven races so far has seen the checkered flag. Despite the difficult season, he is convinced of Virgin: “I am very satisfied. It’s easy to say that I or anyone at Renault would have to wait still can, but you never know what happened, so I made the right decision. Virgin developed in the right direction. The problem is that you only see number 20 and nothing more. We have, however, improved a lot. ”
“The car is more difficult to drive than the Toyota is missing. Especially in medium and slow corners us contact pressure. Then we placed our focus.” It can also bring his experience from Glock recent years. “In discussions I am now a little more aggressive. The team can respond very well, but unfortunately we have not had the capacity as Toyota, where new parts were produced very quickly.”

Even with his former employers after two years, many ideas in the Glock-2010s construction of the model incorporated. The 28-year-old has seen the Toyota for the current season and is convinced of the merits: “The car would have been very fast. Everyone laughed when I said that we want to fight for the title. We were constantly in the top 5 been. But unfortunately the car is never driven on the track. It is a pity, but that was precisely the decision. There were few details on the car, where I could see my signature significantly. It would have been nice, the fruit of hard work to harvest. ”
(TotalMotorSport)

Jun.12 (GMM) Robert Kubica has admitted he is not too bothered about suggestions he is the key to the 2011 driver market.

Before Mark Webber and Felipe Massa were re-signed by their respective Red Bull and Ferrari employers, it was rumoured the Pole might shake up the grid by switching camps.

But McLaren and Mercedes are also expected to keep the same drivers for 2011, meaning 25-year-old Kubica will almost certainly stay at Renault for another season.

Amused, he is quoted by Swiss newspaper Blick: “If you are the subject of constant speculation, then your market value only increases.

“I’m feeling really comfortable at Renault. Here, the team and I can build ourselves up, and that is a great satisfaction.”

Renault team boss Eric Boullier admitted in Montreal that he is happy F1′s top teams are set to field unchanged lineups next year.

“We can now sit down and discuss properly with Robert his future with us,” he said.

Kubica revealed he is not in any talks with rival teams.

“I was looking, after the difficult season I had last year, not only for a quick car but for a team where I feel comfortable and welcome. And I got it so I am happy with the decision I made,” he said.

Having arrived with a dominant car and leading both world championships, Red Bull has departed Turkey in crisis.

“They step on their tails too often,” said BBC commentator Martin Brundle, after Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel crashed while running one-two at Istanbul Park.

Crash and loss of tempers aside, the team’s management then misled the media about Webber’s fuel-saving engine setting and gave the undoubtable impression that it is the young German Vettel who they want to win the 2010 title.

Compounding the team-induced mess is that the isolated Webber, 33 – who had been in the midst of contract negotiations about 2011 – is now the clear leader of the world championship.

Even Webber’s race engineer Ciaran Pilbeam has been put offside.  When asked why Webber was not told that Vettel was much faster, Marko told Auto Motor und Sport: “We told his engineer but he did not pass on the information.”

Dr Helmut Marko, believed to be leading the German-speaking faction of the Austrian-owned team, denied that Red Bull is poisoned by an internal division.

“That’s not true.  We are handling our team and both drivers in the same way.”

The speed of the crisis is marked out by the memories of just two weeks ago, when Vettel and Webber exaltedly leapt off the motor home into the Monaco harbour.

“I’m sure they are not going to be going out for dinner in the coming days,” Marko said when asked if Sunday had destroyed their relationship.

For many in the paddock, despite their apparent media-savvy humour, Red Bull has never been the friendliest team in the paddock.

“They were always trying to squeeze (tension) between Fernando (Alonso) and Felipe (Massa) and at the moment they are facing this situation on their side,” said Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali.

Referring to his Maranello employer, Fernando Alonso said: “It shows that there is a united team in the paddock.”

“The important thing is to have respect,” Felipe Massa added.

Team boss Christian Horner insists he will sort out the mess before Canada, after a patch-up job in the Turkey paddock proved impossible because Vettel had stormed out of the circuit.

“One of our drivers has gone,” Marko confirmed when asked by the press late on Sunday.

Mark Webber has indicated he is in no rush to sign a new contract with Red Bull.

In the wake of his two wins within a week in Spain and Monaco, the Austrian team has indicated it is keen to re-sign the 33-year-old for 2011.

But Australian Webber has also been linked recently with a switch to Ferrari, and he told Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper that he is not certain who his employer will be next year.

“I’ve just won two races, back-to-back, and people are asking me where I’m going to drive next year,” said the joint championship leader.

“I’m very close to the guys at Red Bull, we’ve been through a lot, and I have a great relationship with them. Yet things happen and change very fast in this business, and you never know what’s around the corner,” added Webber.

Interestingly, after boss Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko commented on Webber’s situation post-Monaco, team owner Dietrich Mateschitz is now quoted as wading in on the status of Sebastian Vettel’s current teammate.

“They have different personalities, but when they go into battle they are winners,” the Austrian billionaire told Germany’s Bild am Sonntag.

Mateschitz also described Webber as a “stereotype of the fair, athletic sportsman”.
(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)