Contrary to recent speculation, McLaren does not yet have a Mercedes-style new F-duct on its dominant 2012 car.
When boss Martin Whitmarsh said in Melbourne that he would not be joining a theoretical protest against the Mercedes innovation, many suggested it was because the MP4-27 is already hiding something similar.

Not yet, although the FIA did take a long look at the silver car in Melbourne.

“If they were looking for an F-duct, we don’t have one,” Whitmarsh smiled to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

In fact, the scrutineers were checking and then re-checking the height of the MP4-27′s front wing.

But the F-duct might be coming.

“All the teams are going to be trying to extract the maximum within the permitted regulations,” confirmed managing director Jonathan Neale in a media teleconference this week.

But he also revealed that McLaren doesn’t yet “understand well enough” how the Mercedes system works.

Melbourne winner Jenson Button and his teammate Lewis Hamilton will therefore race a basically unchanged McLaren this weekend in Malaysia.

But Hamilton’s downbeat mood has been picked up with the news that he was beaten by Button from pole last Sunday due to a minor clutch issue.

“It wasn’t my fault,” said the Briton, “but we now understand and know how to improve in the future.”

As for their differing race performances, Hamilton insists he now understands “the reasons” for Melbourne “and it puts me in a really positive frame of mind” ahead of this weekend’s Malaysian grand prix.

The promoter of F1′s newly announced New York round has denied doubting the separate US grand prix in Texas will ever take place.
Austin is scheduled to host the sport on a purpose-built circuit late next year, but there has been speculation construction is seriously delayed and that state funding may be in danger.

New Jersey’s 2013 race, however, will take place on existing roads alongside the Hudson river, and the event is being funded privately.

“There’s not a yard of dirt being moved,” promoter Leo Hindery told a New York Times blog. “We’re pennies on the dollar compared to Austin.”

The column also quoted Hindery as saying: “I wouldn’t bet on Austin making it.”

But in a telephone interview with the Austin American Statesman newspaper on Wednesday, Hindery denied making the latter statement.

The NY Times author Jonathan Schultz insists however that Hindery was quoted accurately.

But Hindery told the local Austin publication: “I have no scepticism about Austin.”

The American outfit Cypher Group on Thursday confirmed it is vying for the final place on the 2011 formula one grid.

A flutter of activity on Twitter earlier this week revealed that the hopeful outfit is in talks with 22-year-old Indy Lights driver and American Jonathan Summerton.

“They (Cypher) have applied and (I’m) pretty sure things are looking good,” he said.

With the withdrawn application of the GP2 team ART, it is expected that Cypher is in contention for the 13th team place with Epsilon Euskadi and Stefan GP.

“We aspire to bring America’s red, white, and blue back into formula one,” said part of Cypher’s Thursday statement.

The group also confirmed that it will potentially collaborate with Summerton.

Jul.7 (GMM) McLaren has urged formula one against making a knee-jerk reaction to the safety car rules.

Although Ferrari cried foul after Lewis Hamilton’s drive-through penalty in Valencia – where multiple drivers were also penalised for transgressions – Mark Webber said this week that Red Bull saw the events of the race as “normal”.

And although the Sporting Working Group is looking at the rules as a response to the Ferrari-powered controversy, McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale said on Wednesday: “I would be wary of knee-jerking.

“There wasn’t a lot wrong with last weekend (Valencia) and I don’t think we should be doing instant rule-making,” he told reporters during a teleconference.

Meanwhile, after Williams said it will test a blown rear exhaust for its car early this weekend, Neale confirmed that a similar approach will be taken by McLaren at Silverstone.

“If the drivers think it’s good it will stay on and we’ll run it,” he said, after the upgrade for the MP4-25 was tested during a straightline session.

“If not, we’ll continue to develop it.”

Neale also backed Red Bull boss Christian Horner’s view that the effect of the exhaust concept has been overstated.

“I would tend to agree that it’s not a case of bolt on your blown diffuser and then blow everybody into the weeds,” he said.

The reaction has been mixed since F1 announced it is heading to Austin, Texas, for 10 consecutive United States grands prix beginning in 2012.

Britain’s Sun newspaper quoted Williams chief executive Adam Parr as saying: “We are a global sport and not having a race in America has been a big hole in the calendar. Our partners will be thrilled.”

But the announcement was short on detail, including where in the Texan capital the venue will be built, and why Austin can succeed where the likes of Donington failed.

McLaren’s managing director Jonathan Neale said in a teleconference on Wednesday: “I’d say it is fantastic news if it turns out to be true and if we can make it happen.”

One sceptic is Kevin Eason, correspondent for London’s The Times.

“This is one old formula one dog who was once bitten by Donington and is twice shy.”

And a blogger at former US GP host city Indianapolis’ Indy Star newspaper read: “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

The German news agency SID said the news had triggered “joy and doubt”.

Even the major Austin daily American-Statesman found the surprise news, which came hot on the heels of claims New York was closing on a deal, hard to swallow.

“Monte Carlo. Istanbul. Barcelona. Montreal. Austin? Maybe,” read a report.

The report added that “significant details” are yet to come, including the cost, the source of the funding, “and why would an Austin project succeed where others haven’t?”

The fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosted F1 between 2000 and 2007, and spokesman Fred Nation said: “Some years we had the largest crowds of the year for formula one.

“From a spectator point of view, it was a success. At the end of the day, we could not make a business deal that made sense to us.”

The promoter of Austin’s F1 race is Tavo Hellmund, whose company Full Throttle Productions is largely unknown outside of Austin, and he admitted that land has not been bought but three sites are being considered.

A local race venue owner thinks Hellmund’s task is a huge one.

“I can tell you this facility cost about $250 million,” said Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage, referring to the venue used for NASCAR races.

“(An F1 track) would exceed that,” he added.

Three teams, three places. Can you imagine an advertisement poster like this aiming to get money?  This is Formula One’s scenario a week prior to the beginning of the first tests of the season.  Three teams: Renault, USF1 and Campos Meta have not yet confirmed a place for their single-seated cars.

Subsequent to Pechito López’ signing in and Jaime Alguersuari’s confirmation as Torro Rosso’s second pilot, there are three vacant seats.  The thing is that the three ‘Scuderias’ (Renault, Campos Meta and USF1) are selling their seats through sponsors that each pilot might attract.

SCUDERIAS AND CANDIDATES

Renault

Things seem to indicate the beginning of a 15 million euro agreement of the Russian, Vitaly Petrov with Renault, even though it has not been confirmed, yet.

According to Autoblid, 800.000 Euros for each Grand Prix he would fight for would be the money put forward by his sponsors, coming primarily from the Moscow bank, Sberbank and from Gazpron.  If this is confirmed, the German Nick Heidfeld’s option who stated to be in the best disposition to take a wheel this year, would be canceled.

Campos Meta

Robert Doornbos -who ran in the IndyCar last year, and previously with Minardi and Red Bull-, has been requested by Campos Meta and USF1 ‘Scuderias’ more than 3.5 million Euros for occupying one of the seats.

Hence, the pilot declared that “… there were talks with USF1 and Campos Meta, but they asked for 5 million dollars, just in sponsors,” declared a Doornbos who seems to indicate he will not move from the IndyCar this 2010.

That being so, the Spanish ‘Scuderia’ has two options: the Venezuelan

Pastor Maldonado, who ran the GP2 last year with ART Grand Prix and Andy Soucek who seems a more remote possibility.

USF1

The US team will give a press conference today, Monday to confirm the signing up of ‘Pechito’ López, their boss, Peter Windson.  However, who is going to occupy the other seat of the ‘Scuderia’ is yet unknown.

The US media speculate with two possibilities: the US, Jonathan Summerton and the Canadian, Jacques Villeneuve, who is determined to return to Formula One.

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