There is a secret to McLaren’s recent success, according to the German trade magazine Auto Motor und Sport.

With Lewis Hamilton and then Jenson Button winning the most recent German and Hungarian grands prix, the report said a big reason for the erosion of Red Bull’s dominance is a Japanese engineer.

Hiroshi Imai, who until 2009 was former F1 supplier Bridgestone’s chief engineer, is now working at McLaren on unlocking the secrets of the heavily-degrading Pirellis.

“He seems to have made a breakthrough,” said Auto Motor und Sport, revealing that McLaren has worked to better cool the brakes so that the heat is not transferred to the tyres.

The addition of Bulgaria to the F1 calendar could mean the end of the sport’s Hungarian and Turkish rounds.

That is the claim of organiser and Bulgarian motor racing official Bogdan Nikolov, who said this week that a contract for a debut race in 2012 could be signed as soon as next month.

The news follows a scandal earlier this year, when Abu Dhabi investors reportedly reacted furiously to funding claims about the Bulgarian event.

But Nikolov insists the Arab investors are still interested in the project, suggesting that the scandal was more due to “competitive” interests.

“If there is formula one grand prix in Sofia, there won’t be races on Istanbul Park (in Turkey) and (the) Hungaroring. We will be the only grand prix in eastern Europe,” he told the Sofia news agency Novinite.

The sports information service has for the Hungarian Grand Prix calculated that Sebastian Vettel are gone because of the numerous mishaps this season 128 World Championship points through their fingers.

But the Red Bull driver still has every chance of winning his first world title, he just ten points missing on the leading in the standings Mark Webber.

This objective can not Vettel during the four-week summer break, the Formula 1 in mind. “Nothing in the world counts for me as much as winning the World Cup”, the Heppenheim quoted by the ‘world’.

For this he had waived at a young age to many things.
While his friend had spent the summer, usually in the pool, he was himself in karting been away. “How I wish I’d been there, but I had to work hard and train. I already was working for my goal in life,” said Vettel. However, that has always been part of his job. “One is forced to live with some form of unfairness.”

The Williams driver is angry at the brutality of holding against Michael Schumacher in his overtaking the Hungarian Grand Prix
In the final stage of the Grand Prix of Hungary passed Rubens Barrichello’s pit stop, came by with fresh tires back behind Michael Schumacher back on track. It took a few laps and then daring the racing driver from Sao Paulo, the first attack, which could fend off Schumacher, however.

A few laps later allowed the Williams drivers to have to suck on the long start-finish straight and into the wind shadow of the Mercedes driver. At the height of the pit wall, he sat next to the seven-time Formula 1 world champion. The response was hard and pushed Barrichello down towards the pit wall, so that only a few centimeters square remained. Only when Barrichello at the end of the pit lane exit road ran out, Schumacher made a little space.
“I like fair duels, but I do not think this was a fair fight,” said Barrichello to ‘RTL’. “It was such a go-cart maneuvers. If he wants to come before me in the sky, then from me. I would not be the first to be up there in front of him. So I will back down in such a situation, but never will. It is difficult for me to leave a comment. I’m happy for the team that we have, in the not so good qualifying got a few points. ”

“I have a lot of experience, and a crazy guy like this I would normally have gone from the gas, but not today, absolutely not,” Barrichello told the Spanish television. “I think it was one of the best maneuvers I’ve ever made, and one of the most horrible for him. Finally, we need such a thing. To make three year break, then return and something to do, we do not need . I mean, that this was not necessary. “

Not even at the press conference the technology currently makes what Michael Schumacher will. On the podium before the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend in Budapest, the world champion several times unsuccessfully pressed the button labeled, to be heard. But only as a Mercedes sports chief Norbert Haug intervened game was Schumacher’s lead free.

“If Norbert touches, works for you too,” Schumacher said, adding with a grin: “Maybe he should touch it my car, it would also work again.” His humor is not the seven-time world champion has lost also. In the 41-year-old experienced so far the most frustrating phase of his already so disappointing first year after the sensational comeback.
Of all the home race at Hockenheim on Sunday he had been lapped. Actually, a humiliation, especially since the Kerpener then even the “best result” spoke. The young team-mate Nico Rosberg drives more successful than he. And the race in Budapest for Schumacher can not be more than one test run under competition conditions.

“In that situation there is only one directive: to work more hard,” says Schumacher and assured: “We did not get nervous. We just have to attempt to understand the car better. We must remain calm, view all the details exactly and everything closely . Analyze Why Schumacher, at least outwardly so calm remains is obvious. This season he has accepted as a learning year. The title of 2010 he had checked weeks ago, but the 2011 quite briskly re-issued as a target.
Results, times and points this season are now secondary. That Schumacher forages possessed as of old values and data. Even now he is working on the project “World Cup title in 2011,” it comes to knowledge for the construction of the new car. A strategy to his team chief Ross Brawn as early as 2009, the year before to the end at the World Cup crown struggling competitors by surprise.

For the Formula 1 scene Schumacher is either way a gain. The TV ratings rise, ‘RTL recorded’ on average over a million viewers more than last year. And the ticket to many places. In Budapest, currently at almost ten percent compared to 2009. “We have to thank to Michael Schumacher,” said Vice President Tamas Frank Hungaroring.

The audience favorite in honor they even have an audience rank in “Michael Schumacher stands renamed. “A great idea,” says Schumacher. He has visited “his” stand still, “but I will pass this weekend so more times.”

For a long time it looked like it, as if Fernando Alonso at Hockenheim a bit faster than Sebastian Vettel, but at the crucial qualification was the German finally in the lead – albeit with a possible margin of only 0.002 seconds ahead.

“I think we have to be happy. We are now for the first time this season in the first row, which for us is definitely a step forward ‘ , the Ferrari driver, who can start the last time at the Hungarian Grand Prix last year from the first row.

“We were competitive all weekend, I have very great confidence in the car. I was the first, second and third qualifying round with the car very happy. At last we’ve managed a perfect Saturday.”

“Of course we have the pole position quite narrowly missed, but the points are not there tomorrow, Saturday. We must therefore focus on the following day. Following is a good day today, the aim is also a good day tomorrow to have. We will try to get some points tomorrow. ”

He had “not quite expect,” to be tuned as close to Red Bull: “We always expect that Red Bull in the third qualifying round is a bit more. We have already seen that it is in free practice approaching a very short, but third qualifying round, they are then far away. We were surprised that we were so close and could ultimately fight after ten races at one pole position. It took a little longer, but now we are very close. ”

And team-mate Felipe Massa was satisfied with his third place: “That was one of us a good performance. There was a very tough qualifying. In the third qualifying round, I could not get all the sectors together. I’m happy that I was back in third Qualifying round-am, and I now focus more on the race tomorrow. I hope we do well, and for the team and myself can get many points. “

Heikki Kovalainen has admitted he feels more comfortable at Lotus than he did in the last two seasons with McLaren.

The Finn took a big backwards step down the grid with the new Malaysian backed team in 2010, but he told Holland’s formule1.nl magazine that he is not complaining.

“Here at Lotus everything feels better,” said the 28-year-old, who in 2008 and 2009 was Lewis Hamilton’s teammate.

Kovalainen left McLaren late last year declaring that he was not always treated equally by the famous British team.

“I have much more of a feeling that I have things under control now compared to when I was at McLaren,” he explained.

“At virtually every race I am 100 per cent sure what setup I need, and the engineers understand me and believe in me,” added Kovalainen.

He would not go into detail about his misgivings with McLaren.

“I don’t like to complain, but if I knew then what I know now, I would have done a number of things differently,” said the winner of the 2008 Hungarian GP.

It is clear that Lotus will field an unchanged driver lineup next year, with Kovalainen again alongside fellow grand prix winner Jarno Trulli.

Technical boss Mike Gascoyne said Lotus decided to pay for two experienced drivers in the quest to unlock the commercial benefits of finishing the 2010 championship in tenth place.

“If there is a crazy race with a big start crash with rain or something,” he said, “then Heikki and Jarno are more likely to score than inexperienced, young drivers,” he said.

(GMM)

Bridgestone is taking a radical approach to next month’s German grand prix.

After extreme degradation and graining was credited for spicing up the recent Canadian grand prix, many paddock regulars suggested that it is the sport’s approach to tyres that that should be targeted for producing more exciting races.

F1′s sole tyre supplier announced on Monday that for the Hockenheim round late next month, the compounds on offer will be vastly different.

Both supplied compounds must be used at least once during grands prix, and in Germany, they will be the Montreal-spec ‘super soft’ as well as Bridgestone’s hardest tyre.

It is the first time there have been two hardness steps between the supplied compounds.

“The characteristics of the Hockenheim circuit allow us to bring the compounds from the extremes of our softness range,” confirmed head of development Hirohide Hamashima.

“This will give us very good data for evaluation and will be interesting for those who have called for a bigger difference between the allocated tyres.”

He explained that a similar approach was not possible for the subsequent Hungarian, Belgian, Italian and Singapore rounds.

“The Hungaroring requires a softer allocation as finding grip is always a target there.  Spa and Monza are high speed tests for cars and tyres, needing a harder allocation because of the heat durability requirements.

“Singapore is a high-speed street course where the softer allocation is suited,” said Hamashima.

Bridgestone said the compound allocation for the final five rounds of 2010 will be made later in the year.

(GMM)

During today’s presentations, the Ferrari pilots, Fernando Alonso and the Brazilian, Felipe Massa seemed confident that the new F10 will allow them to be competitive and fight for the World Championship.

The pilot from Asturias, admitted to be excited.  “This is my first presentation with Ferrari and I’m very moved.  I wish to thank all the team, because they have worked very hard during the last months to create this dream, this new car.  And I also want to thank the sponsors for their hard work and because there’s great passion;” he indicated.

The twice-champion perceives the team as one of the strongest.  “We’re prepared to face this challenge and to take the car to a 100% of its potential.  And I hope that fans worldwide will be very proud to witness this car win the World Championship;” he stated.

The Brazilian, Felipe Massa, said it was a pleasure to attend to another Ferrari launching, after a “very difficult”  2009, as he recalled his accident in the Hungarian Gran Prix classification.

“I’m proud, very happy and I feel I want to work harder than ever.  I hope this is a very competitive car and that we can fight for the World Championship.  Also, that our Ferrari, the red car, is in pole position,” he concluded.

This way, Ferrari has shown his hobby horse for the 2010 season.  Other “Scuderias” and pilots have already commented on their first impressions.  See Schumacher, for instance, who in an interview to the German newspaper ‘Bild’, said he prefers Felipe Massa more than Fernando Alonso, because Massa is like his younger brother

The Spanish pilot, Pedro Martinez De la Rosa will be the BMW Sauber ‘Scuderia’ second official pilot in the 2010 Formula One World Championship, as confirmed this Tuesday through a press release by the team based in Switzerland.
38 year old, De la Rosa, who has been a McLaren-Mercedes test driver for the last seven seasons, will partner in his new racing-team with the Japanese, Kamui Kobayashi.  Hence, the pilot from Barcelona makes his comeback to the ‘Great Circus’ as official pilot and does so with 71 Grand Prix under his belt and 29 points in the World Championship.  With his signing, he will become the championship’s second most veteran after Michael Schumacher (41).
At 17 Pedro De la Rosa began competing in 1988 in Karting and from that moment on, and thanks to the support of the Spanish Automobile Federation, he was able to go up through the categories until he reached Formula One.
Until 1991, he competed in Spain where he won the Formula Ford British Championship.  The following year, he went to Great Britain to win the Formula Renault, the European Series of that category and the ‘Privilege Formula 3 Festival’.
From there he jumped to Japan, being decisive stage for De la Rosa –from 1995 to 1997—since he won all the championships in which he competed, Formula 3 (1995), Formula 3000 (1997) and Great Tourism (1997).  For this reason he received the nickname of ‘Nippon Ichi’, that means ‘Japan’s Number 1.’
The Catalan’s first contact with a Formula 1 car took place in 1998, as Jordan’s test driver, a year before his definitive jump, becoming Arrows’ official pilot, where he challenged 16 races and added a point, ending the championship in 18th position.

A year later, still in Arrows, he added two more points in 17 tests, before signing with Jaguar for the 2001 season.  In this racing-team, the Spaniard, could not shine due to the not very competitive single-seated he drove, attaining only fifth (Italy 2001) and sixth positions (Canada 2001) as his most outstanding performances.

JUMP TO MCLAREN AND PODIUM IN HUNGRY.

From 2003 on, De la Rosa he becomes McLaren’s test driver, and two years later he gets the chance to dispute a race with the Anglo-German racing-team, the Bahrain Grand Prix, where he finished on fifth position.
But the best moments for the pilot from Barcelona in McLaren would come a year later, in 2006, where he challenged eight races as substitute of the Colombian, Juan Pablo Montoya.  De la Rosa added a total of 19 points and for the first time in his career, managed to take a podium place by finishing second in the Hungarian Grand Prix, even ahead of Michael Schumacher.

Even though there was much speculation around De la Rosa’s jump to an official wheel –specially as a result of Fernando Alonso leaving McLaren-, finally the Finish Heikki Kovalainen closed the doors on him and the last three seasons he has not been able to challenge any Grand Prix.

During the last months everything seemed to indicate that the Catalan –who has been President of the Pilot Association for two years-, would come back to the competition by the hand of the Spanish debutant team, the Campos Meta, negotiations with the Adrian Campos’ racing-team were interrupted so it will finally be the Sauber team which takes in the veteran pilot.

PETER SAUBER VALUES HIS “EXPERIENCE.”

“Pedro has worked during the last years for one of the best teams of technical level athletics.  We, as a team, want to take advantage of his experience, as we would like Kamui to do,” stated in a press release Peter Sauber, Principal of the team.

Likewise, the team principal of the Catalan’s new ‘Scuderia’ underlines that “the combination of an experienced pilot with a bright young hope usually renders good results.”  He seemed “sure” that in this case, “it’s what’s going to happen next season.”

“Of course, it’s essential that we can give them a good car and I have a very optimistic view of the evolution we can achieve at our factory.  We’re capable of continuing our work with the 2010 car, just as we had programmed, despite of the recent uncertainty period”, Peter Sauber pointed out.