A lack of official information has triggered speculation about Ross Brawn’s health.

And another rumour is that his absence in Barcelona could be connected with Mercedes’ billion-dollar dispute with Bernie Ecclestone over the next Concorde Agreement.

The German squad announced on Thursday that Bob Bell is leading the team in Barcelona because regular boss Brawn is back in Britain on doctor’s orders.

Bild newspaper said the 57-year-old was given the advice in hospital earlier this week, following a dizzy spell at his home in England.

“It’s more than the flu,” chief executive Nick Fry is quoted as saying, “but I can assure you that it’s nothing life threatening.”

Indeed, a spokeswoman told us on Thursday that Brawn will be back to work at Monaco in a fortnight.

For Spain, Brawn will watch the action on television.

“We will still keep in touch,” Michael Schumacher revealed. “Ross cannot be replaced. That’s simply impossible.”

Bahrain, the controversial island Kingdom, could have been central to McLaren’s decision to agree the terms of the next Concorde Agreement.

Bahrain’s ruling family, through its investment arm Mumtalakat Holdings, owns half of the famous British team.

The Times’ F1 correspondent Kevin Eason quoted a source as saying the link “pushed (McLaren’s) Concorde deal over the line”.

In return for signing up, Bahrain reportedly received a “pledge” that last month’s highly contentious grand prix would go ahead.

Eason also said it is possible that one of McLaren’s two Bahraini directors, rather than the obvious choice Ron Dennis, could be appointed to the F1 board once the sport is floated on the Singapore exchange.

Bernie Ecclestone denied the 2012 Bahrain grand prix and the Concorde Agreement deal were linked.

“It was nothing to do with the Bahrain race (going ahead),” the F1 chief executive insisted. “But McLaren liked the deal.”

Intriguingly, however, F1′s post-stock market floatation chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe has defended the controversial decision to push ahead with Bahrain last month.

“The race was exploited by the opposition in Bahrain, not vice versa,” he told the Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung. “That was not interpreted correctly by the media.

“If groups want to exploit sporting events for their interests, then the worst thing you can do is give way.”

Brabeck also compared Bahrain to England.

“In what countries are there no riots?” he asked rhetorically. “A year ago there were riots in London — should the Olympic Games now be cancelled?”

HRT’s team boss has admitted installing KERS is an unlikely goal for the struggling Spanish team this year.

Luis Perez Sala said the new F112 was designed to accommodate the energy-recovery technology, but qualifying comfortably within the 107 per cent rule is a better target for now.

“We have a car we are yet to discover,” he told El Confidencial.

Indeed, HRT travelled to Australia last month having hardly run its new Cosworth-powered car, and failed to qualify for the season opener.

“It is designed to carry KERS but in the short term we will not (use it). We don’t think we’re going to race with it this year,” he added.

“So, in this respect, it’s not perfect. Right now, we have assembled the car in a hurry and so the private testing at Mugello, just after Bahrain, will be very important to us.”

Sala, having rebuilt HRT following the departure of team boss Colin Kolles, was speaking from HRT’s new headquarters at the Caja Magica (Magic Box).

“After Bahrain, we will have the cars here. From the Spanish grand prix, we will begin to function more effectively.

“In China and Bahrain we will improve things in the car and the team, but it is a slow process that will last all year.

“As I sit here (in Madrid), some people are in Valencia, others in Germany, England … the cars are flying to China and we need to address issues of reliability, not just performance.”

It is a tough situation for HRT, but Sala concedes that the ‘paddock perception’ of the team is that it has gone backwards since debuting in 2010.

“It is really our first year,” he insists.

He reveals that Bernie Ecclestone, once a staunch critic of the struggling backmarkers, is “quiet”.

“We have not had any problems, I think he is calm,” said Sala.

It is also a busy time off the track for HRT, as many rival teams are busily signing the new Concorde Agreement for 2013.

“There are teams that are more advanced than others; for us, the negotiations are still at the beginning,” he said.

The most obvious goals right now, Sala insists, are to have “a team that works together, has a reliable car and a small team that can develop it, and we’re around 105pc off the pole”.

 Former boss Colin Kolles and his Greding-based company is no longer involved, but there remains a strong German input with the struggling team HRT.
A report in the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper reveals that the new Cosworth-powered F112 car, which failed to qualify in Melbourne last weekend, was designed and built in Augsburg, a city in the south-west of Bavaria.

It is there that, since November 2011, the Holzer-Gruppe company has been frantically building up the Cosworth-powered cars for Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan.

“Under our management almost everything has been made here in Bobingen,” said Gunther Holzer.

“For the wind tunnel we used the Mercedes facility in Brackley (UK),” he added.

Eight of F1′s 12 teams are based in England, with the others either in Italy (Ferrari and Toro Rosso) or Switzerland (Sauber).

HRT uses Williams’ gearbox.

“We wanted to go our separate way, not like almost everyone else who are all within a few miles of Oxford,” said HRT chief executive Saul Ruiz de Marcos.

The team’s longer plan is to be solely based in Madrid, but for now Holzer will lead the development of the F112.

“For the start of the European season in Spain we are planning the first improvements to the car,” said Marcos.

Holzer explained: “The car is designed first for safety and so is heavy compared to the competition. For the future we are focused on making it lighter.”

Before the lighter car debuts in Barcelona, HRT faces three more challenges – Malaysia, China and Bahrain – at which the sport’s 107 per cent rule will be a major hurdle.

“The goal is to qualify, there is no other,” admitted de la Rosa. “Race reliability is something else we need to work on, but first we have to qualify.”

Lewis Hamilton has won his bid for a breather this week after complaining at Silverstone about his busy off-track schedule.

At the end of an arduous media and sponsor regime ahead of his home grand prix, the Briton had warned that McLaren “are going to be shocked” when they hear his demands for a new contract beyond 2012.

“I will be doing a lot less work. There is definitely a danger of burn-out,” said the 2008 world champion.

Hamilton then revealed on Monday that he refused to do two additional days of appearances early this week.

“I was supposed to be working today and tomorrow but I said ‘no way’ because I’ve been in England for the last week or so and it has been quite busy here.

“It’s great to get home and put my feet up and watch the telly,” he said.

Team boss Martin Whitmarsh admits Hamilton is feeling overworked.

“I think Lewis has done too much coming into this grand prix,” he said.

“We’ve managed to organise a bit of a break for Lewis before Germany, which I know he wants,” added Whitmarsh, who said F1 drivers also get “a big break” during the factory shutdown in August.

It appears one of Hamilton’s cancelled appearances was a scheduled trip on Wednesday to India, with Calcutta’s Telegraph reporting that the Briton’s “visit is off”.

“I was supposed to be flying to India for a day on Wednesday, in and out within a day. Fortunately, for some reason, it got cancelled,” said Hamilton. “So that’s good.”

Jarno Trulli rewinds on Thursday T128 with the new Lotus only from a few installation laps – private test on Friday
Without power steering, but with plenty of optimism for Jarno Trulli completed the test program on Thursday of the Lotus team. The Italians, after all, turned 38 laps at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, without, however, to set a lap time.

An assessment of the potential of the new Lotus T128 Trulli also dares not reason. “But I have no power steering feels good, and therefore it is the car can not really try, ” the veteran told Autosport. ”

Apart from the problems with the steering but the car had gone well. “Of course we’ll soon find out how good this car in terms of lap times and where we stand in terms of performance, ” admitted Trulli. “A few parts on the car are missing, of course, and we can not really work in the vote. In Jerez, we will come down on the car properly and learn to understand.”
Before the team from next week to pitch his tent in southern Spain, Trulli and team-mate Heikki Kovalainen on Friday will complete a further day of testing at Valencia. Lotus expects the power steering back then, which had meanwhile sent for repair the team headquarters in England.

Vitaly Petrov on Thursday confirmed he is relocating from Spain to England.
Before the Russian secured a new contract with Renault for 2011, team owner Gerard Lopez insisted the 26-year-old needed to “move to the UK” to be “close to the factory” and in an “English speaking environment”.

At the Autosport International show in Birmingham, Petrov confirmed he has moved.

“First of all I’m now closer to the factory, and if I need to I can go any time,” Petrov, whose new residence is reportedly near Renault’s Enstone headquarters in Oxfordshire, is quoted by the Press Association.

Petrov, who previously lived in Valencia, admitted he was worried recently that he would not be retained by Renault after his rookie season.

“I was a little bit nervous. It was my rookie year and I knew I had made mistakes, but I also had some good races, so it was 50-50,” he said.

Red Bull should not take the title, many expect a release Horner as team boss.

After the double failure of Red Bull team boss Christian Horner in Korea is coming under fire. British media speculation already has the replacement of the British should not Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel still get the title. Many find that Horner, not on sympathy, but a lack of assertiveness. The fact is that Red Bull but the strongest and fastest car in the field has, however, this advantage could not always convert into the necessary results.

“Red Bull has shown time and again in 2010, that they can not consistently enter the results that they are with the car actually able to get,” said Andrew Benson criticized in his blog. Mark Webber is currently eleven points behind new championship leader Fernando Alonso. Sebastian Vettel is in the Drivers’ Championship in fourth with 25 points behind. Said the renowned F1 journalist Mark Hughes told the BBC in terms of a stable direction, “Red Bull has to meet two races remaining difficult decisions.”

England’s Court of Appeal has reversed the High Court decision of last year ordering sponsors to pay millions in damages to Force India.

The Abu Dhabi companies Etihad Airways and Aldar Properties were ordered to pay $4.7m to the Silverstone based team late last year.

They agreed a three-year deal worth $20m in 2007 when the team was known as Spyker, and were found to have breached contract by switching a year later to Ferrari.

But the court of appeal this week ruled that the companies were entitled to cancel the deal.

Etihad argued that the promotion of a rival airline – Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher – was not allowed in the contract, and Aldar argued that Mallya’s promotion of an alcohol brand was a breach.

And both companies were contractually guaranteed the status as the team’s most prominent sponsors, appeal judge Sir Bernard Rix ruled.

“In my judgment … Force India rode roughshod over all these rights and protections,” he said.

The Abu Dhabi companies will follow up their court victory with a claim for damages.

Allegedly is a highly talented young Alan Scott Hoo pilot, it might create the first drivers of the Caribbean island in the formula one

Scott Alan Hoo is according to the ‘Jamaica Observer’ the new racing hope the Caribbean island of Jamaica. The stated aim of the 17-year-old who has lived ten years in the U.S. in Florida, is to get a cockpit in Formula 1. His idol is former world champion Lewis Hamilton. For the Briton has as Hoo Caribbean roots. Hamilton’s paternal grandparents left in the 50s Grenada their home and found their new home in England.

Hoo will now start from Florida the great racing career. With twelve years when he discovered his love for karting motorsports. Currently, he attended the Skip Barber Racing School in Sebring. There he presented his talent to the test. He has therefore been recognized with an award as rookie of the year. He recently signed with the team, “Boys Will Be Boys,” which is traveling in a NASCAR-junior class, a contract for two years.
Up until his first deployment to keep fit by Hoo training simulator at home. “It’s like driving a race car. I drive it every day, including weekends, and go to the gym after school,” said the 17-year-old, who impressed in his model Hamiltonian the following things: “I like his personality as always helping others and, above all, because he has fought out of nowhere to the top. “

Adrian Newey was hospitalised after a racing crash in England at the weekend.

Red Bull’s famous technical boss, whose RB6 car has won six grands prix so far in 2010, was contesting the Ginetta support-race during the British touring car round at Snetterton.

Competing in a guest car, the 51-year-old was tipped into a spin before being struck side-on by another competitor.

Briton Newey was removed from the car on a stretcher and taken to hospital for precautionary checks.

Reports said he was talking in the ambulance on the way to hospital but in some pain, and the Ginetta series’ boss Lawrence Tomlinson confirmed he had escaped serious injury.

“It’s testament to the strength of the G50 roll cage that the car withstood heavy impact and there were no serious injuries,” he said.

Jul.6 (GMM)  Williams will decide whether to race a Red Bull-like blown rear exhaust layout at Silverstone this weekend after Friday’s practice sessions.

With official confirmation on Tuesday, the British team will become the third team to emulate on track Red Bull’s low-exhaust concept, with engine gases diverted through the double diffuser to boost downforce.

“We’ll evaluate the exhaust during the practice sessions on Friday and will make a final decision as to whether we race it that night,” said technical director Sam Michael.

In the hands of Finnish test driver Valtteri Bottas, the new package made its debut on the runway at England’s Kemble airport on Tuesday.

A warm weekend of weather might be expected at Silverstone for the forthcoming British grand prix.

The weather has been nice in England so far this week, with the mid-twenties temperatures forecast to persist through to the formula one event on July 9-11.

But there has also been some cloud in the skies, and more possibilities of light rain are predicted for next weekend and an event that is so often blighted by bad weather.

“I’m sure when we go racing the clouds will come in like every year, and it will start to rain,” laughed German driver Adrian Sutil, who drives for the locally-based Force India.

Briton Lewis Hamilton won his home race in 2008 but last year, like the rest of the field, was annihilated by the dominant Red Bulls.

And despite leading the world championship, the 25-year-old is expecting Red Bull to again lead from the front.

Hamilton, whose British countryman Jenson Button also drives for the British team McLaren, said: “It’s going to be tough.  We can’t go into it thinking we’re the favourites because the Red Bull, as it stands, is definitely the fastest car.”

After separation from HRT Dallara driven the development of their own design team is continuing. Under the leadership of the new technical adviser of the team, Geoff Willis, will soon begin work on next year’s car. “The team would like to get there, to hold its own destiny in hand,” Willis said in an interview with ‘MotorsportTotal’.

“We are currently putting together a small technical group,” said Willis on. This also forces in Britain would be committed. “There are a few people, I want to buy that are there at short notice.” Basically, it was but the goal of the team, its basic long-term rearing in the Hispanic space. In the short term but we must also avoid even the UK.
“In the current Formula 1 world, it is obviously a little easier to carry out such a program in the UK because there is now even a larger group of people living and working,” says Willis. By setting the rules whereby the number of employees per team will be limited further in the future, are especially available in the UK market appropriate staff.

The fixed strain on employees but would rather remain within manageable limits. “In terms of design, so of course we want to do everything themselves in the long term. In the short term but it does not matter at first, if many people are employed, or whether one takes freelancers under contract.”
When the program will definitely start, is still not fixed. “The decisions as to look like the design strategy of the team for 2011 but needs to be made soon,” said Willis. “I’m probably a little uneasy if you have not ordered until the end of July. Ideally, I would like to get on with an aero program, but I think we still have a few weeks time.”

“We are in the fortunate position that we will not build one way or our own gear. The gearbox and the engine is provided by third parties. Coupled with the fact that we have the rules for the coming year in relation to the size of fuel tanks and know the weight, we do not have to play some games in the wind tunnel. This saves us some time so start. If we were to design and build our own gear and we had to have in April. “This season is taking HRT a Cosworth engine and an Xtrac gearbox back.
While striving so in terms of design and development for more personal responsibility, the manufacturing of the parts will continue to accepted by third parties. “For teams of our size, it becomes more and more the norm to leave the actual production done outside the home,” said Willis. In the past we have tried to manufacture as much yourself as you could meet only as certain quality standards.

Meanwhile, it highlighted a considerable number of reliable formula-one suppliers, including in Austria, Germany, England, and Italy. “Now we can say pretty directly, you can do everything external. At least that is certainly our model. But we would certainly not give the complete program to third parties. One way or HRT will have in many ways, the technical control.”

Sebastian Vettel declared on the radio he is “back on track” after winning Sunday’s European grand prix.

“Germany one, England nil,” grinned third-placed Jenson Button, before leaving the FIA press conference to watch Germany score the first goal for real as the countries battle for World Cup survival in South Africa.

With his win, pole sitter Vettel snatches third place in the world championship – behind both McLarens – from his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber, who escaped unhurt from a frightening backflip crash.

Caused by the Australian striking the rear of Heikki Kovalainen’s Lotus, the crash mirrored one during the earlier GP2 race, in which Josef Kral was hospitalised.

Some figures, including David Coulthard, slammed Kovalainen’s decision to race Webber’s much faster car, but Lotus technical boss Mike Gascoyne said on Twitter that the Finn was “pissed off with Webber”.

“For all those saying we should not have defended from Webber, when it is for position on track we race,” Gascoyne insisted.  “Always.”

The race was also controversial for other reasons.  Hamilton finished second after a drive-through penalty for overtaking the safety car, while Fernando Alonso did not make the illegal pass and finished just ninth.

“It is really unfair, it is like no penalty,” Alonso’s race engineer Andrea Stella told the angry Spaniard by radio during the race.

And nine drivers – Button, both Williams, both Renaults, both Force Indias, Sebastien Buemi and Pedro de la Rosa – are under investigation by the stewards for driving too fast on their pitstop in-lap while the safety car was out.

If penalised, Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi – finishing behind four of the investigated drivers – could be the big winner, after finishing seventh with an unique race strategy that saw him make a very late single pitstop.

By performing impressive late-race passes on Fernando Alonso and Buemi, meanwhile, the Japanese also rekindled memories of his stirring late debut for Toyota last year.

Provisional Race Result -  27 June 2010