The FIA has dismissed the latest rumours about next month’s Bahrain grand prix.

Some publications this week said F1′s governing body was in the process of drafting a statement announcing that the Sakhir race has been cancelled due to security concerns.

But the FIA’s director of communications Norman Howell angrily denied those reports.

At the same time, Sheikh Abdullah bin Isa al-Khalifa, Bahrain’s motor racing federation chief and also an FIA world council member, admitted he could not guarantee the safety of F1′s travelling personnel next month.

“There are no guarantees in this world,” he is quoted by PA Sport, after admitting “disturbances” in Bahrain are still taking place.

“You could be (in danger) anywhere, even Silverstone.

“All I can guarantee you is you will be as safe as at any other grand prix.”

Asked if there will be extra security measures in place, Khalifa answered: “No, absolutely not. It will be life as normal.

“We’ve never had any violence towards foreigners simply because they are foreigners or in F1.”

F1 industry monitor Formula Money has found that the Bahrain grand prix is more commercially successful for teams and trackside advertisers even than Monaco, Spa and Monza.

The publication also said that if the 2012 race is cancelled, “the teams could lose $44.7m of prize money”.

Sauber’s Monisha Kaltenborn has admitted the Swiss team will return to Bahrain this year if F1 officials say so.
She is referring to the fact that, despite the island Kingdom’s scheduled return to the calendar in April, there are reports the situation inside Bahrain is not yet stable.

“We are not in a position to judge it too well,” Sauber’s managing director is quoted by Europa Press, “so we have to trust the FIA and the commercial rights owners.

“If they believe it is right to go there, we definitely will.”

Agreed Lotus team boss Eric Boullier: “It is not an easy topic. We are currently awaiting comments from the FIA about whether or not to go there.”

Team owner Gerard Lopez added: “What I have heard is that there are a number of guarantees in terms of what will happen, so if things look good there is no reason why we shouldn’t go.”

There could be two Russian drivers on the 2011 formula one grid.

With the country set to organise a grand prix in the future and its president Vladimir Putin recently testing a F1 car, Vitaly Petrov now looks set to renew his deal with Renault.

“It is more positive for Vitaly than negative,” team boss Eric Boullier said recently.

And Mikhail Aleshin, the new Renault World Series champion, could be F1′s second Russian driver in 2011.

He recently tested Renault’s R30 in Abu Dhabi, admitting he needs EUR 10-15 million in sponsorship to secure a seat with a small team.

In a new interview with Russian news website gzt.ru, he said he has agreed a deal with an unnamed team. Recent reports linked him with Force India, Lotus and Virgin.

“We are considering options and there are some very interesting proposals,” said 23-year-old Aleshin.

“I’m not allowed to talk about it, so I’ll try for it to be a surprise. In fact, the issue of my participation (in F1) is resolved.

“But it is not guaranteed, because there are no guarantees in formula one,” he added.

Among Aleshin’s sponsors are state-owned Gazprom and Cordiant tyres.

Peter Sauber has admitted his ideal driver constellation would be a promising young rookie alongside a steadier hand.

Presently, the Swiss team’s lineup is fiery Japanese newcomer Kamui Kobayashi next to the dependable veteran of 169 grands prix Nick Heidfeld.

But the latter German is currently searching for a job for 2011, after Sauber signed the Telmex-sponsored Mexican GP2 driver Sergio Perez.

“We think he has great potential and is very fast,” Sauber said at his team’s Hinwil headquarters this week, where the 20-year-old Perez was having his first seat fitting.

“But of course there are no guarantees,” admitted the 67-year-old.

According to the Swiss daily Blick, Sauber was asked whether sitting two young newcomers in next year’s C30s is too great a risk for the team still recovering from the loss of BMW ownership.

“It would be better to have an experienced driver beside a younger one,” he admitted, “but Kobayashi has matured and next year can take over the role of team leader.”

Work began on Thursday to lay the final top layer of asphalt at Korea’s new Yeongam circuit.

The race organisers only have three days to complete the job before the FIA’s Charlie Whiting begins a two-day inspection on Monday.

“Work on the final surface layer will probably be done by Friday,” confirmed spokesman Kim Jae-ho.

But the looming inspection deadline means the fate of the event, scheduled for October 24, could rest on as little as the local weather forecast.

According to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, F1′s governing FIA and commercial body FOM have covered their tracks by requiring the organisers to sign a letter.

The letter guarantees that the asphalt will be properly cured and ready to accommodate F1 cars later this month.

Grand Prix Drivers’ Association chairman Rubens Barrichello said on Thursday: “We are not worried, because we know that the FIA only approves a circuit if all the safety requirements are met.

“I am looking forward to the inspection next week and hearing if it’s a green or red light,” added the Brazilian.

The French GP2 outfit ART Grand Prix has withdrawn its application to complete the formula one grid in 2011.

In a statement, the team said it worked on the project for “several months” and had “forged strong bonds with several technical and financial partners”.

“But with unfavourable economic conditions (the team) could not gather the necessary guarantees to ensure the stability of the project in the long term,” said ART.

The team said it has postponed the project to “a later date” and “remains completely focused and dedicated” on its other activities.

Headed by Nicolas Todt, the son of FIA president Jean Todt and manager of the Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, ART also races in the F3 Euroseries and GP3.

Renault has proposed a deal that would see Robert Kubica stay at Renault in 2011, according to a French publication.

Auto Hebdo said the matter could be finalised shortly after this weekend’s British grand prix due to the imposition of a mid-July deadline.

And Italy’s Autosprint believes Kubica could even stay with Renault beyond 2012, but the 25-year-old reportedly “wants guarantees” about the Enstone based team’s funding.

“We are determined to have Robert with us,” team boss Eric Boullier is quoted as saying.  “He knows our ambitions and our potential.”

(GMM)

This Saturday Kevin Harvick won Budweiser Shootout at Daytona for second consecutive time, but even though he’s very happy, he’s aware that this victory does not guarantee his success in the 2010 race at Daytona 500

Last year, Harvick almost won the Daytona 500 race where he finished in second position after Matt Kenseth.  However, his overall performance during the whole season was far from what he expected.  Still he had to admit he’s excited after winning Saturday’s non-points event behind the wheel of his No. 29 RCR-powered Chevrolet for the second consecutive year.

Although he said there are no guarantees that things improve this year, he hopes that the rest of the season is much better than the last. He declared “he is painfully aware of the fickle nature of races at Daytona International Speedway. What he accomplished Saturday night was great, but in the long run of Speedweeks at DIS it may not mean a whole lot, or even anything at all.

“I’ve been here enough times to know this can be a funny week,” Harvick said. “It can mess with you time after time. Hour by hour can bring something that’s unexpected, just like getting sick to start the week. I mean, that’s not something that you plan for or can plan for.

“Getting sick … having the car wrecked in the first practice with someone else driving it … there are just so many variables that can get thrown at you this week, you just have to stay even keel. This is great that we won this race. We’re all really excited about what we want to do. But the big picture is on Sunday. It’s just taking it hour by hour, one day at a time, and stay concentrated.”

‘Pechito’ Lopez has been confirmed as official driver USF1 team for the 2010 season. After several days of meetings between the sponsors of the pilot and the U.S. team, an agreement was reached to be unveiled at an event this coming Monday.

“Everything is agreed and on Monday will be the official announcement” the spokesman said the pilot. Delaying the decision had to do with the guarantees of the eight million that Lopez needed to secure a seat.

According to Argentine press releases, some of the money will come from a group of companies working with Lee since the beginning of negotiations and the endorsement of the Argentine government made late on Friday.

Thus, Lopez will be the first Argentine driver to participate in Formula 1 since Gaston Mazzacane ran in the San Marino Grand Prix 2001. The skill of ‘Pechito’ Lopez is tested by the Renault team where he played as a tester after passing through the GP2 Series for the DAMS team and SuperNova. The U.S. team still has confirmed its second seat.