Monisha Kaltenborn has revealed she has “very big plans” for Sauber.

Named by founder and team principal Peter Sauber as his forthcoming successor, the 41-year-old Indian is in effect already leading the Swiss team at grands prix.

She will take over in earnest at some point in the foreseeable future, thus officially becoming the first female team principal in the sport’s history.

“I have very big plans for the team,” she told the APA news agency in Barcelona.

“I am very happy with the trust that has been put in me,” Kaltenborn, whose current title is chief executive officer, added.

She said she is not bothered that she is not yet the team boss in title.

“For me, it’s never been important,” said the lawyer. “There are more important things.”

 BAR founder Craig Pollock’s new 2014 engine supply venture, Pure, is setting up camp in Cologne.
A German-language report at motorsport-total.com said Jacques Villeneuve’s former manager has struck a deal with former F1 team Toyota.

The report said Pure, to move shortly, needs better facilities than it currently has at its Paris headquarters.

“We have signed an exclusive agreement with TMG (Toyota Motorsport GmbH),” Scotland-born Pollock is quoted as saying.

He said the deal involves office space, a workshop and engine test stands.

Pollock explained that time and cost factors explains why Pure did not set up its own factory.

But he said there is plenty of time left to find at least two F1 team customers for 2014.

Pollock also said Pure will retain its French headquarters as a business base.

Even amid the latest speed-bump, organisers insist they are still on schedule to host Austin’s inaugural US grand prix late this year.
Circuit of the Americas backer Bobby Epstein is being sued by race founder Tavo Hellmund, but he did not want to talk about it whilst giving the Culturemap Austin publication a tour of the construction site.

“I’m not going to do that,” he said.

What he was willing to do was insist that the circuit is pretty much “on schedule” for its mid November grand prix date.

“It’s not so much a question of whether the construction will be complete,” said Epstein. “It’s really a matter of deciding whether to add another shift of workers and get onto a 24 hour schedule.

“We’ll need to do that if we get a lot of rain. If it stays dry, we’ll be fine.”

In an official statement, Circuit of the Americas added: “Our focus remains positive.

“We are creating the most incredible entertainment and racing venue in the world, construction is on schedule and seat license and suite sales are very strong.”

 2012 US grand prix founder Tavo Hellmund is suing the Austin event’s backers.
The latest speed-bump in the Circuit of the Americas project is Hellmund’s lawsuit against Bobby Epstein and Red McCombs, claiming he would have made $500,000 per year as chairman for the next decade.

Hellmund also wants “access to the … books” and “declaration that he cannot be removed as a manager”, the lawsuit claims according to the local Austin American Statesman.

Hellmund did not immediately comment, while Epstein said the former promoter no longer works on the project.

“This is just a latest step in a pattern of behaviour,” said the Circuit of the Americas in a statement.

“Mr Hellmund uses negative press to try and create an advantage for himself at every turn.”

Sir Frank Williams has stepped down from the board of his own formula one team.
Earlier this week, the Grove based team’s 69-year-old founder, major shareholder and team principal named chairman Adam Parr as his future successor.

“If for whatever reason I couldn’t come in to do my job, Adam would fill the gap,” he told the British magazine F1 Racing.

On Friday, a team statement read: “Sir Frank Williams, founder and team principal, announced his decision to step down from the board.”

He explained: “I turn 70 in April and I have decided to signal the next stage in the gradual but inevitable process of handing over the reins to the next generation.

“This is not as dramatic a move as it may appear: I shall continue to work full-time as team principal and I shall continue to attend all board meetings as observer,” added Williams.

He will also have a Williams family member on the board, as his daughter Claire steps up to be director of marketing and communications.

Frank Williams said: “I am proud to say that she has fought hard to earn this appointment and of all the battles she has had to fight, the prejudices of her father were not the least challenging.”

Late last year, the team’s co-founder Patrick Head also stepped down.

 Sir Frank Williams has named Adam Parr, the Oxfordshire based team’s current chairman, as his obvious successor.
69-year-old founder Williams remains the major shareholder and team principal, but he has already handed over the day-to-day running of the once-great outfit to fellow Briton Parr, 46.

“If for whatever reason I couldn’t come in to do my job, Adam would fill the gap,” Williams told the British magazine F1 Racing.

“He’s not a racer but, in a way, that’s probably an advantage in these distinctly commercial days,” he added.

Parr began his career with the investment bank Barclays de Zoete Wedd, and later worked for Rio Tinto.

He practiced law until the late 90s, meeting Williams in 2000.

Lotus team owner Gerard Lopez insists he is delighted with Kimi Raikkonen, despite earlier negotiations to secure the Finn’s services having foundered.
After a two year break to drive rallies and in Nascar, the 2007 world champion is back in formula one this year with the former Renault team.

“We had some contact with Kimi in 2010,” revealed Lopez, according to Finland’s Turun Sanomat newspaper.

Reports in 2010 linked Raikkonen with the Enstone based team, but the talks apparently soured after becoming public knowledge.

“I think (in 2010) he was still enjoying the challenge of rallying, giving the impression that he wanted to do it and F1 at the same time,” said Lopez.

He also hinted that 32-year-old Raikkonen considered money as a crucial element in the 2010 talks.

“This time everything was different,” he said. “I can assure you that Kimi came back because he wanted to race and that money was a side issue.”

Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel, meanwhile, joked on Thursday when he was asked if he had seen his friend Raikkonen at Jerez after the Finn’s two days of running.

“I haven’t. I think he went straight to the bar,” Vettel laughed to the MTV3 broadcaster.

Peter Sauber has indicated he will move early to secure the Swiss team’s current driver lineup for 2012.
The Hinwil based team’s founder, principal and owner told Blick newspaper he is happy with Kamui Kobayashi alongside Mexican rookie Sergio Perez.

“We almost never talk about the future of our drivers,” said Sauber. “What I am saying is that we are more than satisfied with our two drivers.”

Blick said Sauber has learned from the past, when Felipe Massa moved to Ferrari after a strong season with the Swiss team in 2005, and when Kimi Raikkonen was snapped up by McLaren after his sterling Sauber debut in 2011.

“We want to exploit for ourselves the potential of these two young drivers,” said Sauber.

Sir Frank Williams sounds unlikely to oust German rookie Nico Hulkenberg for the 2011 season.

It has been suggested the 23-year-old could make way for Venezuelan pay-driver Pastor Maldonado.

But in an interview with the BBC, the Oxfordshire based team’s founder, boss and biggest shareholder Williams heaped praise on Hulkenberg.

“It was a little disappointing, maybe, in the first few races, perhaps because he was being over-cautious,” he said.

“But lately he has become very competitive and we have just seen the beginning of something exceptional.”

And when asked if F1 spectators will be seeing more of Hulkenberg, Williams added: “Absolutely. We do hope so yes.

“He won all the way up to Formula 3 and GP2, he has won every single championship and in the right team, hopefully us one day, he will win the world championship as well in formula one.”

The latest rumour is that it might instead be Rubens Barrichello moving aside for Maldonado, but Williams also had praise for the veteran Brazilian.

“He has enormous experience. He is now, without doubt, the most experienced driver in the pitlane and he does demonstrate that very frequently,” said Williams.

“His technique is very understated, he’s a very smooth driver. He likes to be mollycoddled emotionally a little bit, and he likes being told how good he is, but we don’t have any problem in telling him, we believe strongly in him.

“He’s good fun and very experienced and that is a great value to any team,” he added.

Peter Sauber has denounced members of the Ferrari and McLaren teams for displaying “unsporting” behaviour during Sunday’s Korean grand prix.

Hinwil based Sauber’s founder and boss said he was upset to see team members of the rival teams celebrating jubilantly when Red Bull’s Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel retired from the front of the inaugural Yeongam event.

In terms of the championship fight, it was indeed Ferrari and McLaren who benefitted most from Red Bull’s problems, but after he saw their celebrations on the pitwall monitors, Sauber said: “They were scenes that didn’t please me at all.

“Very unsporting,” the 67-year-old told Swiss daily Blick.

Meanwhile in Korea, Bernie Ecclestone helped veteran Blick correspondent Roger Benoit celebrate his 600th grand prix.

Christian ‘Toto’ Wolff has admitted he might increase his minority stake in the Williams team to 49 per cent in the future.

It emerged last week that, alongside founders and long-time owners Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head, the stake bought by Austrian entrepreneur Wolff in 2009 was 10 per cent.

“I can confirm it is 10 per cent,” he is quoted by the German-language motorline.cc.

“But I have an option to increase my minority stake to a strategic investment.”

The publication said Wolff’s share could increase to as much as 49 per cent, also quoting him as saying he would consider exercising the option “in time”.

But he rejected British reports that the Oxfordshire based team is in financial trouble and struggling with losses and debt.

“If you look at the last 12 months, 2009 for us was a good and very profitable year,” Wolff insisted.

Sunday at Valencia finally vindicated his decision to sign rookie Kamui Kobayashi, according to team boss Peter Sauber.

The Japanese impressed with his feisty debut drives at the end of last year, when Toyota was on the way out of formula one and Timo Glock was recovering from injury.

On the strength of those brilliant flashes, Sauber signed the 23-year-old to complement the veteran Pedro de la Rosa for 2010; the Swiss team’s first season in the wake of BMW’s departure as owner.

Kobayashi’s Valencia weekend did not get off to a great start when he was out-qualified by de la Rosa, but his name featured prominently throughout the race.

He leapt towards the front because he started on the harder tyres and didn’t pit with the bulk of the field, but when he was running prominently his laptimes were fully competitive and he comfortably held off the reigning world champion Jenson Button.

He made his mandatory pitstop with only four laps to run, famously overtaking first Fernando Alonso and then Sebastien Buemi within sight of the chequered flag.

“Kamui was absolutely amazing,” said founder Sauber before leaving Spain.

“The lap times which he put in while he was in third were stunning.”

And Sauber added on Wednesday: “Signing a rookie is always something of a risk; on Sunday Kamui delivered confirmation that we made the right decision.”

The controversial events surrounding the current safety car period at the European Grand Prix in Valencia at Ferrari make for great excitement. For Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso drove directly behind the other, as Hamilton was violating the safety car rule, but afterwards he gave his improper behavior, the much better result.

For while Alonso bravely behind the safety car was and as accurately as team-mate Felipe Massa was passed back when he had to come in the next round to the pits, could Hamilton up a lead that was enough, even after the pit stop to stay in second. When he came back after his drive-through in second place on the box, you felt at Ferrari naturally treated unfairly.
Ferrari published on the website of the team, a report in which the race was called the “scandal”. Later we rowed back: This was the opinion of Tifosi around the world, not the official line of the racing team. But the anger is great, the fact that has been specially published a statement by Piero Ferrari, who usually logs in Formula 1 matters rarely speak out.

“I am incredulous and bitter, not only for Ferrari, but for the sport as a whole, because this is not something you would expect of professionals,” criticized the son of the legendary company founder Enzo Ferraris. “I have been following now for a long time trials in several U.S. Championships, where the safety car is used very often, but there I have never seen anything like what is now happening on the course in Valencia.”

The fact is that Hamilton, who has violated the rules was punished by the conditions less harsh than Alonso, whose conduct was entirely legal. It comes naturally to discussions on the current Safety Car rules. Ferrari, it also considers it “more than appropriate” to speak about the circumstances that have now led to a “wrong race.” An official complaint with the FIA has already deposited the team.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has added weight to recent reports that an American team could soon be a reality in formula one.

In the wake of the USF1 debacle, scepticism accompanied the recent news about a US-based outfit called Cypher Group submitting a “letter of interest” about obtaining the last spot on the 2011 grid.

But a few days later, USF1 backer and YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley’s aide Parris Mullins admitted to Autosport that “I would be lying if I said that I haven’t been exploring other ways of entry into this sport”.

“I am part of a project right now that is trying to enter the sport,” he added, admitting that he sees a customer car as a viable initial route.

And Montezemolo, who has been pushing hard for a rule change to allow three-car team entries, told Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport: “I dream of a third Ferrari managed by an American team, with the stars and stripes flag.”
(GMM)

Renault could supply its V8 engines to another team in 2011.

Currently, the French marque powers not only the team that bears its name, but also the sport’s dominant Red Bull Racing.

Confirming its bid to debut in F1 next year, GP2 team ART’s co-founder Frederic Vasseur admitted he has “good relationships with Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault”.

And Renault’s head of engine operations Remi Taffin told Auto Hebdo: “Today, nothing has been done but it is quite possible that Renault will power another team next season.”

It is possible that the new deal will replace Red Bull, whose owner Dietrich Mateschitz said in an interview mere days ago that he thinks the Renault is “30 to 40 horse power” less powerful than Mercedes’ engine.

But Taffin suggested that the new deal could be in addition to Red Bull and Enstone-based Renault.

“It would not be a problem: we have the capacity both in terms of technology and production.”

(GMM)