With the 2012 season now just weeks away, the most serious doubts yet about April’s returning Bahrain grand prix have emerged.
Reports claim that, on the eve of the one year anniversary of the bloody ‘Day of Rage’ protests that led to the cancellation of the race and test in early 2011, violent clashes involving tear gas-firing police have broken out.

“Formula one is monitoring events there”, a report in the Guardian newspaper said.

“Formula one’s governing body is keeping a low profile because it doesn’t want to be part of the mounting pressure and speculation,” added journalist Paul Weaver.

International news agencies including Reuters and the Associated Press reported this week’s clashes involve protesters trying to reoccupy the symbolic scenes of the 2011 violence.

“Traffic came to a standstill on the main thoroughfare into the capital (Manama), and teargas canisters, rubber pellets and rocks littered the highway,” said Reuters, adding that elsewhere “youths threw petrol bombs, iron bars and rocks” and police returned fire with “stun grenades”.

The New York Times, meanwhile, referred to numerous

Red Bull insists the champagne is not yet on ice, but the team’s owner has already decided what present he will be giving Sebastian Vettel for winning the 2011 world championship.
“The same as last year,” Dietrich Mateschitz said in an interview this week with the German news agency DPA. “His championship-winning car.”

In 2010, when German Vettel became F1′s youngest ever title winner, Mateschitz delivered the Adrian Newey-inked RB6 to his home in Switzerland.

Red Bull’s team management are coy over the 24-year-old’s chances of wrapping up a second consecutive championship in Singapore this weekend, but billionaire Mateschitz is more honest.

“We anticipate that, once again, we will achieve both of the titles this year”, said the famously low-profile Austrian, 67.

He has high praise for Vettel, who enters this weekend’s Singapore night race with a lead so big that his only championship rivals have already given up the fight.

“The fact that Sebastian is highly capable, we knew,” said Mateschitz. “That he would be able to deliver it so consistently over a long time has surprised many people.”

Bild newspaper said Vettel’s championship present, the RB7 chassis that he has unofficially dubbed ‘Kinky Kylie’ – but minus a EUR 200,000 Renault engine – is worth almost a million euros.

“Slowly, his garage in Switzerland is becoming too small,” confirmed Red Bull driver manager Dr Helmut Marko.

So what does Vettel think about his championship present?

“I am not thinking about that because I haven’t won anything yet,” said the driver at Zurich airport before boarding a flight to Singapore.

Vettel told the German-language Eurosport that he is not counting on celebrating his second title this weekend.

“When it happens does not matter. As long as we are still first after the final race, that will be ok,” he said.

The RB7′s designer Newey insisted that Vettel will not be playing a points-counting game under the Singapore lights.

“Seb doesn’t want to cruise to the world championship, he really wants to earn it,” the Briton told The Sun newspaper.

Ferrari and Sauber brought an end to the exhaust blowing saga that marred the British grand prix weekend.
The teams rowed at Silverstone about the FIA’s clampdown and how it could be equitably applied to the four engine manufacturer’s distinct V8 engines.

Ultimately, Charlie Whiting proposed to scrap the clampdown and simply revert to the Valencia setup, where changing engine settings between qualifying and the race were banned but off-throttle blowing was unrestricted.

Williams initially opposed the reversion but eventually signed the letter of unanimity, leaving Ferrari-powered Ferrari and Sauber yet to agree.

“We thought primarily of the image and the fans of formula one,” Sauber managing director Monisha Kaltenborn told Auto Motor und Sport, explaining the Swiss team’s eventual change of heart.

“We are glad that we now have an agreement,” she added.

In the pages of La Stampa, Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali agreed: “These stories, with everyone thinking only of what advantage they can get, are not good.

“For this reason we kept a low profile. Without thinking about what we will or will not lose, we have signed the agreement to return to what we had before Silverstone,” he confirmed.

Jun.7 (GMM)  Pirelli has won the race to become F1′s new sole tyre supplier beginning in 2011.

The same news was reported by multiple sources prior to the Turkish grand prix, but Michelin then made a last-ditch attempt to woo the teams by calling a meeting in the paddock of the Istanbul Park circuit.

Once again, after yet another non-grand prix week of negotiations, it is believed that Milan-based Pirelli has secured the deal.

As was also the case prior to Turkey, it is more than one source within the Italian media that is hinting at the latest development.

The authoritative daily La Gazzetta dello Sport, for one, claims that the finishing touches are being made to a contract that will be signed by the end of the week.

Prior to Turkey, it was reported that the Pirelli deal for 2011-2013 was to cost teams 1 million euros apiece per season, in exchange for identical attention and service and a range of just three compounds: soft, medium and hard.

At least initially, the tyres will be in a similar 13-inch specification to the current Bridgestone product, with a longer-term ambition being a move to a low profile.

It had also been reported that Pirelli, already the supplier of the new GP3 series as well as world rally, is likely to also supply GP2 next year.

Pirelli was last in F1 in 1991.

Italian media sources are reporting that Pirelli will be F1′s sole tyre supplier in 2011 and beyond.

Autosprint and Italiaracing say the Milan-based marque has been selected by the teams and F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone to replace the departing control supplier Bridgestone.

Reportedly also in the running had been Michelin as well as minor contenders Avon, Kumho and Hankook.

When asked to nominate his preference, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said this week: “As an Italian I prefer Pirelli, but experience tells me Michelin.

“In the end it will be the same for everyone,” he said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Autosprint said Pirelli will be paid 1 million euros per team per season in 2011, 2012 and 2013, in exchange for identical attention and service and a range of just three compounds: soft, medium and hard.

At least initially, the tyres will be in a similar 13-inch specification to the current Bridgestone product, with a longer-term ambition being a move to a low profile.

The decision is set to be confirmed shortly by the World Motor Sport Council.

Spain’s El Mundo Deportivo reports that Pirelli, already the supplier of the new GP3 series as well as world rally, is also likely to supply GP2 next year.

Pirelli was last in F1 in 1991.
(GMM)