Australian F1 fans are this week rejoicing in local hero Mark Webber even more than usual.

Pressure applied by the Red Bull driver was reportedly instrumental in returning the sport to the live television airways in Australian capital cities.

Fans were outraged with Australian broadcaster Ten’s decision to take formula one from its high definition channel One, which in turn meant viewers in Perth and Adelaide had no live coverage at all.

Angry fans bombarded Ten’s Facebook and Twitter pages with criticism abuse, and urged Webber to help their cause.

Webber obliged.

“Come on (Ten), I hear our great Australian motor sport fans are not happy with rescheduling of timings of the GPs,” he wrote on Twitter.

“Let’s go live.”

Within an hour, Ten reinstated Perth and Adelaide’s live broadcasts — and in full HD.

“The next time Ten wants to tangle with its motor sport audience, perhaps they should ask Mark Webber first,” read a report at The Australian newspaper.

Nico Rosberg has announced he would be happy if Michael Schumacher stayed at Mercedes beyond 2012.
Seven time world champion Schumacher’s current contract runs out this season, and there has been speculation he could either stay or be replaced possibly by McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton.

Rosberg knows Hamilton well from their karting days, but the German indicated he would be happy to stay alongside Schumacher.

“It is quite possible that he will stay, and that would be a good thing,” he told the DPA news agency.

“Technically, we complement each other well, which of course for the development of the car is always helpful,” added the 26-year-old.

Rosberg, meanwhile, has received a ringing endorsement by F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.

“He’s very talented and is capable of winning races. Let’s hope he does this season,” said the Briton.

43-year-old Schumacher, however, is not sure.

“Victory (in Australia) to me is unlikely,” he said on his official website. “I see Red Bull in front.

“Behind them it will be tight, and you can be either hero or zero very quickly.”

 With his second consecutive title now wrapped up, Sebastian Vettel is continuing to impress the international media.
The Red Bull driver secured his crown recently in Japan with a third place but quickly returned to the top step of the podium in Korea last Sunday.

“He is now chasing after Schumacher’s record of 13 wins in a season,” said Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“The celebrations at Suzuka did not rob Vettel of his determination,” added the report.

Other publications were also impressed with Vettel’s determination to win even without the goal of a championship.

“He is hungry for more success and never satisfied,” praised Corriere dello Sport.

Agreed Tuttosport: “Vettel is a cannibal, like his hero Schumacher.”

The German’s will to keep his foot on the throttle even with the title wrapped up was demonstrated by his unprecedented pace on the last lap in Korea.

“I think they (the team) will kill me now,” joked Vettel afterwards. “They came on the radio and said ‘idiot, you got it (the fastest race lap)’.

“It’s a small thing; it’s probably more to do with the ego because there are no points (for it) so it’s really stupid from my side but now I’ve got it, I’m happy.”

Nico Hulkenberg has revealed he knows just how Rubens Barrichello feels.

A year ago, the young German was enjoying a solid debut season in formula one but waiting to know if he would get a new Williams contract for 2011.

Ultimately, despite putting the FW32 on pole at Interlagos, Hulkenberg was overlooked by the famous British team apparently because Pastor Maldonado was offering millions in Venezuelan backing.

Now, it is Hulkenberg’s former teammate Barrichello – the highly rated Brazilian veteran – who is waiting to know if he will be replaced for 2012.

Reportedly in the running for the seat is Adrian Sutil, who would presumably move his personal sponsors Medion and Capri-Sonne from Force India to Williams.

Ironically, the move would probably see Hulkenberg, 24, return to the race grid next year in Sutil’s place.

But referring to Barrichello’s predicament, Hulkenberg said: “It’s exactly the same as me last year. You get to the end of the season without a contract and with no alternatives.

“That’s how fast it can change — last year Rubens was the hero of the team,” he told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

Narain Karthikeyan is “trying” to secure a seat for one of the three races leading up to next month’s Indian grand prix.
The Indian is still an official driver of the Spanish team HRT, but he was replaced in the racing role mid-season by Red Bull-sponsored Daniel Ricciardo.

Karthikeyan, however, will be back in the car in his native India thanks to a new long term sponsorship with the Hero automotive group, which is controlled by the Indian billionaire Munjal family.

And he told the Indo-Asian News Service: “I am trying hard to get myself a race before Delhi. It will be a good warm-up for me heading into the home race.”

HRT’s driver lineup has already been announced for Monza, but before the inaugural race at the new Buddh circuit F1 will travel to Singapore, Japan and Korea.

As well as his new deal with Hero, 34-year-old Karthikeyan is also still sponsored by Tata, India’s largest multinational.

“I want to drive in F1 as long as possible,” he is quoted as saying by Reuters. “How and when, that will come up in due course.”

After a double championship defeat to Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel in 2010, Lewis Hamilton insists he is not tempted to switch to the energy drink-owned team.

“There is not one bit of me that feels I will ever want to drive for Red Bull,” the Briton is quoted by the Mirror as saying in Abu Dhabi.

“It doesn’t have the character, the history or the appeal to me that McLaren has,” added the 2008 world champion.

Hamilton, 25, finished the 2010 standings in fourth place, behind both Red Bulls and also his former McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso, who now drives for Ferrari.

But he insists that McLaren is his team of choice.

“My hero Ayrton Senna drove for this team and I have always wanted to,” he said.

“Red Bull have done a fantastic job and huge congratulations to them for winning the constructors’ championship.

“Of course, I want my car to be as good as that. I could be here for the next 10 years in this team,” added Hamilton.

“I believe they have got the most potential out of everyone.”

Fernando Alonso on Thursday insisted he would accept not winning in Brazil this weekend so long as he finishes ahead of his championship rivals.

With two races left to run, the Spaniard is 11 points clear of Red Bull’s Mark Webber, meaning that both Alonso and Ferrari will be happy if local hero and Interlagos specialist Felipe Massa wins on Sunday.

“He (Massa) will want to show his fans what he can do so I expect him to be very much up for the fight,” said team boss Stefano Domenicali this week.

“He will be very quick, which is exactly what we need right now to reach our goals,” added the Italian.

Alonso told reporters on Thursday that the important thing for him in Brazil is a strong result ahead of his title rivals, not necessarily the race win itself.

“I think the best thing for us will be to have Felipe winning the race because he takes 25 points from everybody else,” he said.

F1 indulged in a piece of rare nostalgia on Thursday by recreating a famous scene.

As the 1986 world championship fight came to a head in Adelaide, the four title protagonists – Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet – posed on the pitwall with Bernie Ecclestone for a media photograph.

Two and a half decades later, there are still five drivers in the running for the 2010 crown, so the ever-present F1 chief executive was back on the pitwall for the same sort of photograph.

This time, the scene of the photo – featuring Ecclestone and drivers Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber, Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel – was the brand new Yeongam barrier.

“It was good to do the photo with all the guys,” championship leader Webber said afterwards, “going back all those years with some of our heroes obviously in those (1986) photos.”

When everything is rosy red, with black and silver one looks for Red Bull Hockenheim is not brilliant. The Grand Prix of Germany was the great show of Ferrari. Fernando Alonso put in a hard battle over 67 rounds through with difficulty, hardship, great determination and the kind assistance of the team to his stable mate Felipe Massa. Sebastian Vettel was in third place in the fight for victory do little.

Massa had laid the foundation for a beautiful duel by a rocket launch. When the box was sent to the great journey, Vettel and Alonso blocked in the battle for the top one another, the Brazilian shot by loosely at his side. The Heppenheim also got second place even to his Spanish rival, the Ferrari-train could pull away again.

Behind the leading trio, Lewis Hamilton had the better top speed may push past the McLaren in the first round to Mark Webber. The Briton made his Australian opponent in the braking zone before the hairpin, no chance. For Webber, the already difficult race was later complicated. Even Jenson Button came through a better strategy yet by him.

Front left Alonso in the fight for the victory of patience in the meantime. On lap 20 his efforts culminated in an attack on Massa, who fought but successful. “This is ridiculous”, sparked fury of Asturias to the pits. He had hoped that one on him vorbeilotst Brazilians – but not yet. Alonso was unnerved to fall back to three seconds later to start a new hunt.

With fast laps he pushed himself up again to Massa. It was clear who is the faster Ferrari man. About 25 laps later Alonso finally got his way. With a few well-concealed position request to exchange Massa was slowed, the ostentatiously went to the hairpin on the gas and pull Alonso did. “Sorry,” were the words of Massa engineer Rob Smedley to his protege sad.

“Adjutant” Massa had the remaining 15 laps, only one job: controlling Vettel. The Red Bull Local Hero had been able to conserve his tires for a long time and threatened to catch up to the top. While Alonso was able to free forward well, made the German more and more pressure on Massa. Vettel was the last Rendrittel many fast laps, but was again thrown back lapping at something. Massa thus saved second place before the Germans.
While the British silver arrows drove into Hamilton ahead of Button in order to Paarflug places four and five, the concerns of the German Silver Arrows were clearly visible. Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher caught behind Mark Webber (Red Bull) and Robert Kubica (Renault) in the stands while eight and nine points, but were overtaken both! Mercedes was in phases two seconds slower than the top.

The last point landed Renault rookie Vitaly Petrov at number ten. could do little, the two Williams drivers Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg, both of which fell back immediately at the start and were later able to make little impression. Adrian Sutil had to make three pit stops and ended up in 17th place, Timo Glock was with his rank behind Virgin’s best driver of the three new teams. The Swiss Sébastien Buemi (Toro Rosso) was eliminated early after a collision with his teammate Jaime Alguersuari.
TMS