Sebastien Buemi has revealed surprise and disappointment with Toro Rosso’s reaction, after the Italian team performed a clean sweep of its driver lineup for 2012.
The Swiss and his teammate Jaime Alguersuari were given their marching orders just before Christmas, leaving the aforementioned Spaniard without a role this season.

Buemi has at least kept his F1 career alive with the Red Bull reserve role, but the 23-year-old has expressed disappointment with comments made recently by his former team boss Franz Tost.

“Of course I would prefer to race for myself,” he told the Blick newspaper, “but maybe this new role is the opportunity of my life.”

At the same time, he takes issue with Austrian Tost, who is appointed to head Red Bull’s rookie team Toro Rosso.

He said recently: “We are talking about a double world championship-winning team (Red Bull), which means that drivers who get elevated there must have the ability to win races and championships.

“And it was from that perspective that second thoughts set in when it came to Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari,” said Tost.

Buemi responded: “After we were put out, Alguersuari and I said not a single bad word about Toro Rosso, we were always loyal.

“So I am amazed that from the boss there comes suddenly such negative comments.”

 Lewis Hamilton appears to have lost patience with Felipe Massa in Korea, as their spat in the wake of recent collisions rumbled on.
After their latest crash in Japan, the beleaguered McLaren driver changed his tone to an inward-looking conciliatory one, insisting he has high respect for his 2008 championship rival.

Hamilton, 26, even issued apologies in the media, but La Gazzetta dello Sport quotes Massa as saying on Thursday: “He has not apologised to me.”

And as for the claim that the mirrors in F1 are not good enough, Massa is quoted by Autosprint: “I think mine are ok.”

In light of the latest developments, Hamilton kept his cool but indicated it is the Ferrari driver who needs to start looking inwardly now.

“I think I’ve always had respect for Felipe and I still do today regardless of the negative comments that he is coming out with,” he told reporters.

“If he doesn’t want to be a grown-up about it, then that’s fine,” added Hamilton.

He openly admits 2011 has been the worst season in his recent motor racing career, and sounded pessimistic about turning around his form any time soon.

“It will take a lot to finally put aside all the difficulties I’ve had this year,” said Hamilton.

“When things go badly they get worse, just like dominoes. At some stage it will stop and things will get better. I will keep pushing and bouncing back until it happens.”

Lewis Hamilton on Saturday hit back at Nigel Mansell, after his fellow British world champion dismissed him as a “manufactured” driver.

1992 title winner Mansell is quoted as criticising the fact that some drivers like Hamilton are backed as karters from a young age, disadvantaging those who cannot secure such lucrative support.

“How many people from seven years of age have been given 2.5 million pounds to go karting?” he said.

Mansell, 56, also said Hamilton “didn’t handle” the tough times in his F1 career so far because it was “the first time ever in his life he’s had a tough time”.

After qualifying on the front row in Turkey, three tenths faster than his teammate and reigning world champion Jenson Button, Hamilton was unimpressed when he heard about Mansell’s comments.

“Clearly Nigel either has not been reading the right stories or he has not got his facts right,” said the McLaren driver.

“I was not signed up until I was 13 so I would love to see where the rest of that money was since I was seven,” added Hamilton, insisting that until he was signed by McLaren, his parents did it tough financially.

“I wouldn’t have expected that from him but that’s the way it is.”

And team boss Martin Whitmarsh added: “I just hope that Nigel is being misquoted. It often happens apparently.”

(GMM)