Michael Schumacher has been pipped at the post in the race to be the world’s richest sportsman.

According to the Sunday Times’ annual listings, the seven time world champion’s (US) $823 million in career earnings is beaten only by golf legend Tiger Woods.

American Woods has earned $869 million in his own ultra-successful career, the newspaper found.

And the Sunday Times said the pair have each earned hundreds of millions of dollars more than other high-earning sportsmen, including Michael Jordan ($516m), Roger Federer ($316m) and David Beckham ($258m).

F1′s two other representatives, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, were way down the top-twenty list, with their respective earnings at about $161 million apiece.

McLaren’s world champions Lewis Hamilton ($89m) and Jenson Button ($85m), meanwhile, appear only on the list for British sportsmen, and they are both outpaced by the $129m earned by former Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine mainly through property investment.

However, Hamilton and Button have each earned more in their careers than David Coulthard, Nigel Mansell, former BAR boss David Richards (all $80m) and Sir Jackie Stewart ($67m).

Those earnings, however, are all dwarfed by Bernie Ecclestone’s estimated $4 billion, although the 81-year-old F1 chief executive does not appear at all on the list of the world’s richest overall.

That list is headed by mega-earners like Sauber sponsor Carlos Slim, who according to the Sunday Times is worth $71 billion.

Sebastian Vettel celebrated breaking a nearly two-decade-old record with a cheeky dig at its previous holder.
Although the back to back world champion took a couple of races longer to achieve it, Vettel on Saturday raced past Nigel Mansell’s 1992 record of 14 poles in a single F1 season.

The 24-year-old admitted beating “the master” – who 19 years ago set the record in an Adrian Newey-inked Williams – was “very special”.

But he later stuck on a giant orange moustache whilst celebrating with his mechanics; a cheeky nod to Briton Mansell’s 90s look.

Vettel’s Interlagos pole was less than two tenths faster than the Q3 time set by his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber.

“Unfortunately I could not look after old Nigel today,” the Australian joked, “I tried to help him but it didn’t work out, so a good lap for Seb.”

Another consolation prize for Webber this weekend was receiving the DHL Fastest Lap award, with his six fastest laps of the race to be unbeaten by any rival in 2011.

“It’s a lot better than a lot of the trophies we get on the podium; a lot of them are quite boring but it is quite a nice trophy and also a beautiful Rolex,” he said.

 Sebastian Vettel has revealed one of his greatest joys is receiving a “nice trophy” on the formula one podium.
Also a collector of his numerous winning helmet livery designs, the back to back world champion admitted on Monday that taking home a new “cup” from a grand prix is better than mere money.

“I could give up anything, but not the trophies,” said the 24-year-old, who in his 80 F1 races has won 21 times and stood on 35 podiums.

“When you’ve put everything into it for two hours, whether you are rewarded with a big or a small cheque really doesn’t matter — but a nice cup makes a difference,” he told SID news agency.

“When I stand up there (on the podium), I know life for me could not get much better.”

Next month in India, Vettel will once again be presented with the official drivers’ championship trophy — and it’s the one that the German is not allowed to keep.

The only way to keep looking at his name on the most important cup of all, then, is to keep the championships rolling.

“I have to give it back (eventually),” said Vettel, “so it would be great to have it for several years … Michael (Schumacyer) had it for five in a row.

“My ultimate goal has always been to be formula one world champion, and now no matter what happens in the future, it can’t be taken from me.”

The death of Indycar driver Dan Wheldon is making waves even in the world of formula one.
As a Briton and a former track rival of contemporaries including Jenson Button, the 33-year-old was well-known in the F1 paddock and his death has been felt as a big blow.

Not surprisingly, formula one figures suggest Indycar has a lot to learn from F1.

“It is the most dangerous form of motor racing at the moment,” 1979 world champion Jody Scheckter, who wants his son Tomas to quit Indycar, told the BBC.

Also criticised since the crash has been the small size of the Las Vegas speedway, the large number of competing cars, the skills of some of the drivers and the very nature of high speed oval racing.

Former Super Aguri driver Anthony Davidson, a former junior rival of Wheldon’s, said: “The safety record in Indycar is not good and I would never drive there. It’s just not worth it. The cars are agricultural.”

Agreed David Coulthard – who moved to German touring cars after retiring from F1 in 2008 – in his Telegraph column: “I could have moved my family over there and made a life for myself in the United States.

“But the risk-reward ratio was simply too high for me. Formula one, I felt, was at an acceptable level but Indycar was, and is, probably 20 years behind F1 in terms of safety.”

Added 1992 world champion Nigel Mansell: “Formula one does an exemplary job.”

Coulthard added: “With any luck it (Wheldon’s death) will spur on the IRL to improve its safety record. Say what you like about Max Mosley but one thing that we in formula one must all thank him for was his response to (the deaths at) Imola in 1994.”

Sir Jackie Stewart agreed: “I think there needs to be more discipline by the (Indycar) governing body. If drivers do consistently collide with each other, there should be heavier penalties.”

British Racing Drivers’ Club president Derek Warwick said: “They need to understand the quality of the drivers that are in the field as well.

“With formula one the drivers are all great drivers who have won championships from working their way up from formula 3 to GP2 before they get a super licence to be able to race.

“I sometimes question the depth of talent in Indycar races and that will lead to inexperience and the inexperienced generally end up having accidents. They need to tweak what they’re doing a little bit,” said the 162 grand prix veteran.

Former McLaren driver Mark Blundell, who has also raced in America, added: “These kinds of cars shouldn’t have been running on these kinds of circuits.”

Stewart told Sky Sports: “It was such high speed on such a small track with too many cars together and not that many top racing drivers in there.

“It may be that we have to have smaller engines with smaller horsepower and slower speeds in Indycar racing.”

But Johnny Herbert, who flirted with a switch to America after retiring from F1 in 2000, thinks Indycar fatalities are inevitable.

“They will continue as long as this extreme form of motor sport exists,” the Briton wrote in his column for The National.

“The tremendous speed at which the cars travel, while separated by inches on those steep oval tracks, means you will likely see more deaths, no matter what safety measures are implemented.”

Sebastian Vettel was sworn at by Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso after winning the Italian grand prix at Monza two weeks ago.

That is the unconfirmed claim of the German daily Bild-Zeitung, who said Spaniard Alonso whispered in the ear of championship Vettel before the Monza podium: “F*ck you, my boy”.

Earlier, to the passionate Tifosi’s chagrin, Vettel had passed Alonso to lead the race, a move the Red Bull driver described as “very hard but fair”.

Afterwards, the team’s outspoken Dr Helmut Marko said it was “good to show Alonso how the wind blows”.

Double world champion Alonso however denies Bild’s claim that he insulted Vettel.

“We chatted briefly but it was quite normal and friendly,” said the Spaniard.

Bild said Vettel would not comment.

But in an interview with the German broadcaster RTL, he talked about having the respect of his rivals.

“It’s important to me that I can feel it,” said the 24-year-old, “even if you have had an extremely tough race.”

Should Vettel extend his huge lead by another 13 points in Singapore, he will be crowned champion with five races still to run in 2011.

An analysis by Financial Times Deutschland said that with 27 per cent of the calendar to go, Vettel’s achievement will rank among the best in F1 history.

But Jim Clark (1963 and 1965), Jackie Stewart (1969 and 1971) and Nigel Mansell (1992) actually secured those championships in an even more rapid manner.

And the record is held by Michael Schumacher, who won the title with more than 35 per cent of the 2002 calendar still to run.

At least Red Bull figures are now starting to admit the inevitability of Vettel’s 2011 triumph.

“In many ways it’s more of a challenge to defend a title,” said Vettel’s boss Christian Horner. “It’s one thing to win a title, another to stay up there,” he told Die Welt newspaper.

“Sebastian just gets stronger and stronger.”

Sebastian Vettel is likely to break an almost twenty year old formula one record this year.
In 1992, Williams’ Nigel Mansell started from the front of the grid no fewer than 14 times, and Vettel has already won 10 poles in 2011 with six races left to run.

The 24-year-old German, however, admitted that even if he does capture Mansell’s record, he would not consider himself the best qualifier in F1 history.

“I think it (the record would be) nice to hear but I think the most impressive one – and it will probably always be – is Ayrton Senna.

“The amount of poles he got during a year and then for three or four years in a row, I think that’s the real benchmark,” said Vettel.

In addition to the pole record, Vettel could also become F1′s highest ever scorer of points, according to an analysis by Brazil’s Globo Esporte.

So far in 2011, Vettel has won just over 87 per cent of all the points available to him, with the all-time record for an entire season being Michael Schumacher’s 84.71 in 2002.

Sebastian Vettel’s rise to the top of formula one has been meteoric, but three other grand prix drivers achieved even more in their first 73 races.
That is the finding of the veteran Swiss correspondent for Blick newspaper, Roger Benoit.

Vettel, 23, is the youngest ever race and title winner in F1 history and very likely to add a second consecutive championship to his impressive tally in 2011.

But in terms of how much he has achieved in his first 73 grands prix, Sir Jackie Stewart ranks slightly higher with his 18 race wins and two titles in the same period.

Vettel, by comparison, has only one title and 16 wins.

Achieving even more than Stewart in the 73-race period was Michael Schumacher, who had 19 wins and two titles.

And Damon Hill tops that list, amassing a single championship but no fewer than 21 wins within 73 races — an almost 30 per cent strike record.

However, Vettel has achieved more in his career so far than had Alain Prost, Lewis Hamilton, Niki Lauda, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen in the same period, while the great Ayrton Senna in his first 73 races won just 13 times and had failed to secure a title.

Nigel Mansell, meanwhile, only won his first grand prix at the 72nd attempt, while Mika Hakkinen was approaching his 100th race before he finally broke through at Jerez in 1997.

Carlos Slim Domit has confirmed efforts to revive the Mexican grand prix.
On a visit to Mexico last week, and before touring the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit, FIA president Jean Todt said it is “possible” the country will return to the F1 calendar.

“It is being studied,” businessman Carlos Slim Domit, the son of the world’s richest man Carlos Slim Helu, is quoted by the Europa Press (EP) news agency.

The report said Slim Domit, whose father controls the Sauber and Sergio Perez sponsor Telmex, is on the FIA’s ten-member senate.

He reportedly said officials of the sport are working on the project to end Mexico’s 20-year F1 absence along with the Mexican entertainment company CIE.

CIE is the operator of the Hermanos Rodriguez track in Mexico City, the scene of the last Mexican grand prix in 1992 won by Nigel Mansell.

Slim Domit said the circuit is one option for future Mexican grands prix, but EP said the facility would require “large investments” for improvements.

He said another option is a street circuit in the western city of Guadalajara.

Europa Press said CIE did not immediately comment.

F1 figures have admitted they are not keen on proposals to put a roof above the heads of the sport’s drivers.

After the incidents involving Felipe Massa and the late Henry Surtees in 2009, technical chiefs started looking into the possibility of jet fighter-style canopies or polycarbonate screens for the cars’ cockpits.

The FIA has released a video (http://vimeo.com/26098946) showing a F1 wheel being fired at 225kph at a jet-fighter canopy and a proposed cockpit screen.

“Full scientific results of the firings … have now been presented to the formula one technical working group,” the video revealed.

1992 world champion and occasional F1 steward Nigel Mansell admitted: “I don’t know if I’d like to see that. It wouldn’t really be formula one,” he is quoted by ennstal-classic.at.

Another former driver Marc Surer agrees: “It would be very warm in there, and then the next problem is needing an air conditioner. And imagine if KERS fails and the vapours get into the cockpit.”

Christian Danner said: “The visibility of the drivers will be affected by the reflection.”

Mercedes’ Norbert Haug told Bild am Sonntag newspaper: “We are always interested in the advancement of safety. It’s an interesting experiment but I feel that a single seater cockpit needs to be open.”

Nico Rosberg added: “It sounds good. Anything that increases safety is a step forward.”

Ferrari is closing in but Red Bull has nothing to fear, according to 1992 world champion Nigel Mansell.
The winner of 31 grands prix was the driver steward at Silverstone last weekend, where Fernando Alonso seemed to break through Red Bull’s dominance at the half-way point in the 2011 world championship.

Some commentators saw the Spaniard’s win as the turning point for the season, despite Red Bull leading McLaren by more than 100 points, while Sebastian Vettel is almost the same margin ahead of Alonso in the drivers’ standings.

“The result (in Britain) was great for Ferrari and good for formula one,” Mansell is quoted by Germany’s Speed Week.

But he warned: “Red Bull was as strong as ever, second and third, which with its clear lead in the world championship is no problem.

“Red Bull are still going to be very, very difficult to beat,” added the Briton.

Alonso’s Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa agrees.

“My experience in 2008 (against Lewis Hamilton) and Kimi’s in 2007 shows that anything can happen,” said the Brazilian, “even if this year (winning the title) will be difficult.

“Vettel would have to make a lot of mistakes,” added Massa.

Sebastian Vettel has broken yet another record.
The Red Bull driver, already the sport’s youngest ever race and title winner, broke Rubens Barrichello’s lap record whilst appearing on the popular British motoring programme Top Gear.

The flying lap, called ‘Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, takes place at the BBC show’s UK test track with F1 drivers at the wheel of a Suzuki Liana.

Last year, Barrichello leapt to the top of the times by beating previous laps set by mystery Top Gear driver The Stig as well as the likes of Nigel Mansell, Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber.

But a few days before the British grand prix, Vettel broke that record by 3 tenths.

“Why are we all surprised,” host Jeremy Clarkson joked, “that he’s faster than a 62-year-old Brazilian?”

Rumours about the health of the team currently known as Renault refused to disappear at Silverstone.
Boss Eric Boullier recently dismissed the rumours, hinting that they were triggered mischievously at Monaco by his predecessor Flavio Briatore.

But six weeks later, there was once again similar talk in the paddock of the British grand prix, not long after Williams was announced as engine supplier Renault Sport’s newest partner team for 2012 and beyond.

Apart from the continuing naming connection, a customer engine contract and their historical links, the French marque is no longer involved with the Lotus-sponsored Renault team.

And Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports that the team might even be powered by Cosworth engines next year.

“This is fiercely denied by those in charge,” the magazine acknowledged.

However, the Williams situation is perhaps relevant, particularly with the fanfare of the Renault engine announcement involving former works champions Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve at the team’s Grove headquarters last week.

As for Lotus Renault, “poor results and apparently still pending payments for the engines do not make things any better”, Auto Motor und Sport added.

A vague regulation was cleared up at Silverstone after Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber were summoned by the stewards.
The pair were seen using their ‘DRS’ adjustable rear wings during rainy Friday practice, even though the innovation cannot be used on a wet track.

But McLaren, testing a new rear wing configuration ahead of the British grand prix, exploited a loophole in the rules that makes no mention of DRS being banned when the car is fitted with slick tyres.

“The stewards just wanted to understand so that they could tighten the wording of the regulations for the next race,” Hamilton confirmed.

The stewards, including 1992 world champion Nigel Mansell, took no action against the 2008 world champion or Red Bull’s Webber.

Nigel Mansell thinks the debut this weekend of the full FIA clampdown on off-throttle engine exhaust blowing will be “intriguing”.

“It is going to be very intriguing to see who is affected the most, and who can move ahead on the grid,” the 1991 and 1992 Silverstone winner, who will be the driver steward this weekend, said.

Many of Red Bull’s rivals are hoping the dominant RB7 is the car most affected by the clampdown.

“I hope not, although our car was designed to be more effective with the blown diffusers,” team boss Christian Horner told AS newspaper this week. “We trust in our solutions.”

The car’s designer Adrian Newey is openly worried.

“Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari copied our solution,” he told O Estado de S.Paulo.

“It’s impossible to predict what will happen at Silverstone, but it may well be that they lose less than us because they had to adapt their cars to it while our car was conceived entirely for it (the blown exhaust),” added Newey.

Another hope among the pitlane’s non-Red Bull contingent is for bad weather at Silverstone.

“Realistically, Sebastian Vettel would need to do a really crazy job to lose the title,” admits Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, “but we can’t give up and this situation changes nothing in our approach.”

Agreed Vettel’s teammate Mark Webber: “For someone to outscore him by 80 points will be a phenomenal effort so you have got to keep boxing and hang in there.”

There will only be a single ‘DRS’ overtaking zone at Silverstone this weekend.
In Canada and again at Valencia two weeks ago, there were two overtaking zones but only a single detection point — a system that arguably worked too well in Canada, and not well enough on the streets of the Spanish port city.

For Silverstone, the FIA has reverted to the formula of the first six races of 2011, with a single detection zone at the new Village corner (turn 3) and eligible drivers able to trigger the rear wing after turn 4.

This weekend is the F1 debut of Silverstone’s new Wing pit and paddock complex, but the only real changes for the drivers is the pitlane and the location of the new Turn 1.

“The (pit) entry is shorter than staying on the circuit, so we will have to ensure that drivers don’t use these changes to the pits to their advantage,” said race director Charlie Whiting.

On the stewards’ panel this weekend is 1992 world champion Nigel Mansell.

“As for the (pit) exit,” continued Whiting, “this is now quite a steep uphill into an extremely fast corner, so it’s certainly going to be different. It’s going to be quite significant in terms of strategy as there’s not too much cost in changing tyres.”