Paul di Resta has hinted he would leap at the chance to replace Michael Schumacher at Mercedes.

The German marque’s Brackley based chief executive Nick Fry this week earmarked impressive Force India driver di Resta, earlier a Mercedes protege, as an ideal successor should Schumacher not stay beyond his 2012 contract.

Asked about Fry’s comments and the media speculation on Wednesday, di Resta said in Monaco: “It’s always nice to have the press interest and people looking out for you, but I need to stay focused on doing the best job I possibly can.”

He told Sky Sports News: “It’s no secret that I want to be a race winner and world champion — and to do that, I need to be in a great car.”

Ross Brawn revealed on Wednesday he missed the recent Spanish grand prix to have checks on his heart.

After handing over to his Mercedes deputy Nick Fry in Barcelona, fellow Briton Brawn is back in action as the team boss in Monte Carlo.

Rumours hinted there was more to the story, but Brawn insisted to a German newspaper earlier on Wednesday that he was simply advised by doctors to take the weekend off after a night in hospital for checks.

He then told reporters in Monaco his symptoms had been “arrhythmia”, or an irregular heartbeat, insisting he is “back to normal now”.

Brawn, 57, joked the heart problem was triggered by watching an exciting football game on television.

Ross Brawn should be firing on all cylinders as he returns to the pitwall in Monaco this weekend.

Mercedes’ team principal sat out the recent Spanish grand prix due to illness, but a scarcity of extra information triggered speculation.

One rumour was that he is seriously ill, whilst another was that his absence may in fact be due to his German employer’s high-stakes spat with Bernie Ecclestone.

The latter theory gained traction since Barcelona, with acting team boss Nick Fry taking a much higher than usual profile, including naming Paul di Resta as a possible 2013 successor for Michael Schumacher.

Explaining his absence, Brawn told Bild newspaper: “On the Tuesday before Barcelona I felt unwell so I went to the doctor and then stayed a night in hospital for some tests.

“When I got home, I decided on the advice of doctors to give myself a weekend off, to be sure that I am fit for Monaco,” the Briton said.

Partly because of Brawn’s deputy Fry’s recent comments, and also due to his paltry points tally and his crash with Bruno Senna, rumours about Schumacher’s future have intensified since Spain.

“A lot has been said and written,” acknowledged Brawn, “but we should not forget that we – the team – have let him down in three of the fives races, not delivering the job we should have.

“We must do better,” Brawn, who worked closely with Schumacher during the seven time world champion’s ultra successful Ferrari era, added.

“We saw Michael’s real quality again in the first race, so it’s for that reason that I believe we will see him on the podium this year.”

As for a possible contract extension for the 43-year-old, Brawn insisted: “When the time comes, we will sit down together and talk about the future.

“I’m sure it will become clear very quickly in what direction we will go.”

A lack of official information has triggered speculation about Ross Brawn’s health.

And another rumour is that his absence in Barcelona could be connected with Mercedes’ billion-dollar dispute with Bernie Ecclestone over the next Concorde Agreement.

The German squad announced on Thursday that Bob Bell is leading the team in Barcelona because regular boss Brawn is back in Britain on doctor’s orders.

Bild newspaper said the 57-year-old was given the advice in hospital earlier this week, following a dizzy spell at his home in England.

“It’s more than the flu,” chief executive Nick Fry is quoted as saying, “but I can assure you that it’s nothing life threatening.”

Indeed, a spokeswoman told us on Thursday that Brawn will be back to work at Monaco in a fortnight.

For Spain, Brawn will watch the action on television.

“We will still keep in touch,” Michael Schumacher revealed. “Ross cannot be replaced. That’s simply impossible.”

F1 needs to resolve its dispute with Mercedes before the sport’s multi-billion dollar floatation plans can go ahead.

That is the warning of the German team’s chief executive Nick Fry, as Mercedes refuses to sign up to the new Concorde Agreement because rival top teams Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull have been offered better deals.

Fry is quoted by The Times newspaper as admitting that the progress of talks with Bernie Ecclestone are “not as strong as I would like”.

But he warned: “If CVC wish to float F1, I think they need this resolved fairly quickly — possibly more than we need it resolved.”

At the same time, he played down speculation Mercedes is on the verge of quitting F1.

“The mindset is absolutely in capital letters: Mercedes-Benz wishes to be in F1,” Fry insisted. “I would add that F1 also needs Mercedes-Benz.

“I am completely convinced in my mind that if CVC wish to sell some or all of F1, the value they can derive from that would be severely diminished if Mercedes was not a participant.”

But a senior executive of Mercedes denied the spat is about money.

“It is about fairness,” the unnamed official told The Times’ Kevin Eason.

“We are facing a situation in which three teams will between them decide some of the biggest issues in formula one. That cannot be right.”

F1 team bosses turned out in force as officials insisted next month’s Bahrain grand prix is definitely on.

The sport’s chief executive Bernie Ecclestone joined Sir Frank Williams, Martin Whitmarsh, Christian Horner, Mercedes’ Nick Fry and Pirelli’s Paul Hembery at a media lunch in London.

“Talk about heavy support,” wrote Reuters correspondent Alan Baldwin on Twitter.

The self-described ‘PR offensive’ to promote the forthcoming Bahrain grand prix followed reports earlier this week that said the FIA had decided to cancel the race due to ongoing unrest in the island Kingdom.

“It’s all nonsense. We’ll be there as long as they want us,” said Ecclestone.

“Seriously, the press should just be quiet and deal with the facts rather than make up stories.”

If it was up to the drivers, though, they might give it a miss. Timo Glock is a brave lone voice: “Why should we expose ourselves to unnecessary risk?” he asked rhetorically.

“If it was up to me, we wouldn’t go there,” he told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

Bahrain circuit boss Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al-Khalifa, however, dismissed the risk of violence.

“These incidents can happen anywhere,” he told AP news agency. “It’s not going to stop our grand prix.”

Ecclestone added: “I don’t need any personal security, but whatever’s necessary will be looked after.”

According to a poll in popular British magazine F1 Racing, 60,000 of the 100,000 F1 fans polled internationally said it is “not right” for the race to go ahead.

Looking forward to the event, however, is the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights.

Nabeel Rajab, the president, is quoted by the Telegraph: “(F1) is helping dictators and we are going to protest.

“We are going to use the opportunities that a lot of journalists are there and we are going to protest everywhere.”

Omnicorse.it claims that on Friday in the Valencia paddock, a member of the German team made an offer to accommodate Kubica, 25, in 2011.

Kubica currently drives for Renault, and it had been expected he would remain with the team after Ferrari re-signed Felipe Massa for next year.

But Omnicorse said it is possible Kubica will replace Michael Schumacher at Mercedes, even though the seven time world champion has a three year contract.

According to the rumour, Kubica is being offered a generous retainer for three years, including the option of a further two-year deal.

The report follows hot on the heels of stinging criticism of Schumacher’s lacklustre return to F1 this year after a three-year retirement.

“From inside the team we see things in a totally different perspective,” chief executive Nick Fry said in response to the criticism.

“We’re very comfortable with Michael’s performance and I can’t see any reason why he won’t come good.”

(GMM)

Michael Schumacher on Thursday accused British pundits of exaggerating their criticisms in the wake of his performance in the Canadian grand prix.

His former teammate Martin Brundle had said the seven time world champion drove “appallingly badly” in Montreal, while fellow BBC commentators Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard also criticised Schumacher.

“I don’t take them seriously because there are different elements to formula one, and one part is showbusiness,” the 41-year-old is quoted by PA Sport in Valencia, a street circuit on which he has never raced.

Schumacher said he is “quite happy” with his return to F1 so far, and Mercedes team chief executive Nick Fry said he is doing “an excellent job despite what I understand has been said about Michael”.

“All in all,” argued Schumacher, “I don’t think there are many guys around the world who, at 41, come back after a three year break and compete at this high a level.”
(GMM)

Mercedes, McLaren and Renault look set to become the next formula one teams to emulate the unique exhaust layout of Red Bull’s 2010 car design.

With the RB6 proving the most consistently competitive chassis of the 2010 season so far, it has emerged that Ferrari’s Valencia-spec upgrade features low-mounted engine exhausts.

Rival engineers believe the layout, pioneered by Adrian Newey, allows air to be channelled more efficiently into the downforce-producing double diffuser.

The benefit, with also the fast-moving exhaust fumes channelled through the diffuser, is believed to be up to half a second per lap.

“We have a reasonably big upgrade that we are fighting to have for Silverstone, and if that is there then I would be disappointed if it is not a much bigger step than that,” said McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh.

And on the Auto Plus blog of the respected French journalist and commentator, Jean-Louis Moncet said Mercedes’ W01 car will also be modified for the new exhaust philosophy by the time of the British grand prix in July.

It is believed that, while the new Mercedes might even be ready for the streets of Valencia this weekend, a similar upgrade by Renault is also in the works.

Mercedes GP chief executive Nick Fry admitted that the Brackley based team is focusing on improving its F-duct system as well as implementing “the special exhaust system” seen on the Red Bull.

“If we can get both of those things on the car then we’ll be in a lot better position,” he said.

Team boss Ross Brawn has also admitted that “aspects” of Red Bull’s RB6 car will appear elsewhere in pitlane “over the next races”.

“For instance, I know that everyone is looking with interest at their exhaust system,” he confirmed.

(GMM)

With formula one between grands prix, many familiar faces spent their weekends in a slightly different racing environment.

Sports lover Mark Webber was F1′s most recognisable face in the paddock of premier motorcycle racing MotoGP’s Silverstone round.

But also at the British circuit was Mercedes’ Nick Fry, HRT driver Karun Chandhok, commentator Martin Brundle and occasional steward Johnny Herbert.

“I like to watch bike racing on TV,” Australian Webber told sport1.  “I don’t live far away, I have seen many friends here, and there are also many Australians working in MotoGP.”

Elsewhere, despite the ban on in-season testing, more serious business was taking place.

At the UK’s Snetterton circuit, the Classic Team Lotus Festival was taking place, but among the cars in action was the brand new T127 ‘Chassis 4′, to be debuted by Jarno Trulli at Valencia next weekend.

And at Ferrari’s own Fiorano test circuit, Fernando Alonso was driving the F10 for the “promotional and filming” reasons as permitted by the test ban.

But, as confirmed by Italian media sources, the 2010 car was in its full Valencia specification, including Red Bull-style low exhausts, designed to channel more air to the double-diffuser.

“You have to make the most of any opportunity in this era of the testing ban,” the Italian team said.

(GMM)

On Wednesday in Monaco, Mercedes confirmed that it has concluded a sponsorship deal with Deutsche Post.

We reported in March that the German logistics giant, who through its subsidiary DHL is already an official partner of the world championship itself, is in talks about backing the Brackley based team.

It was rumoured that the deal could be ready to debut in Spain last weekend, but in fact the logos will be added to the livery and front wing of the grey W01 car in Monaco.

“The team has been very successful in attracting new partners over the past months and Deutsche Post is a very welcome addition,” said team chief executive Nick Fry.

(GMM)

Mercedes will revert to its original 2010 car for the Monaco grand prix this weekend.

The Brackley based team unveiled a car with a longer wheelbase in Spain last weekend, which is tipped to have helped Michael Schumacher get the upper hand over his teammate Nico Rosberg for the first time in 2010.

But according to German media sources, the pre-Barcelona package – which in Rosberg’s hands was driven to the podium twice in four races – will be up and running again in Monaco because it better suits the slow and twisty curves of the unique street layout.

The shorter-wheelbase car will however be fitted with the latest aerodynamic innovations in Monaco, including the knife-like rollover structure and engine cover air inlets.

“I am very optimistic that we will be more competitive than in Barcelona,” team CEO Nick Fry is quoted as saying by Germany’s RTL.

(GMM)