Alain Prost has revealed he has no desire to see the highly-lauded feature film about his former nemesis Ayrton Senna.
The award-winning ‘Senna’ movie focuses strongly on legendary Senna’s on and off-track rivalry with Frenchman Prost, who was portrayed as the politicking villain.

“I haven’t seen it and I don’t want to see it,” the 57-year-old told the Russian website F1News.

“I definitely don’t agree with how they went about it,” Prost explained. “I spent a lot of time trying to explain to the makers that they are wrong.”

The Frenchman was also asked about the late Ayrton’s nephew Bruno, who in 2012 will race for Williams-Renault, a combination that in 1993 powered Prost to the last of his four titles.

“Bruno is a great guy and I mean that sincerely,” he said.

“I cannot judge his ability as a driver, because it’s premature to talk about that, but he is a good person.”

Jean-Eric Vergne has revealed he will try to keep the “tension” down to a minimum inside the Toro Rosso garage in 2012.
Team owner Dietrich Mateschitz this week has admitted that, beyond Mark Webber’s 2012 contract, “Our primary goal is to put one of our juniors” alongside Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull.

With Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari ousted by the energy drink’s Faenza based secondary team after 2011, those most eligible juniors are now French rookie Vergne and his new Australian teammate Daniel Ricciardo.

At Jerez last week in the new STR7 car, their rivalry got off to a fascinating start.

By the end of the four days of running, their fastest laps were separated by no more than one hundredth of a second — with Ricciardo enjoying the miniscule edge for the moment.

With a Red Bull seat up for grabs, 21-year-old Vergne admitted to RMC radio that the stakes are high.

But “There was not too much tension,” he insists. “You have to forget about all those different aspects when you think about the work you need to do.

“We had four good days of testing. The engineers are working now for the next test in Barcelona at the end of the month.

“There is a competition with my teammate but at the same time we can’t (let it) go in the wrong direction.

“You always want to beat everybody but my teammate is also the only other person who is working on the very same car as me,” added Vergne.

Red Bull its paying its entire staff – about 550 people – a healthy championship bonus.

Media reports say the bonus for the workers at the team’s Milton Keynes headquarters is 10,000 British pounds each.

“I’ve had a load of texts saying ‘Thanks for the new kitchen’,” joked team boss Christian Horner.

The bonuses, costing the team almost $9 million, will be paid out of Red Bull’s extra FOM prize-money for winning the constructors’ world championship.

“Championship bonuses are in every contract,” Horner is quoted by The Independent. “I guess we can afford this.”

The other piece of news emerging from the new F1 champions is the apparent thawing of relations between teammates Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.

“He (Webber) came to congratulate me (after Abu Dhabi) and showed me a lot of respect which was one of the most important things that happened,” world champion Vettel revealed.

“We talked about some things that got in our way a little bit this year.”

Webber is quoted by Swiss newspaper Blick: “The rivalry was maybe a bit too much sometimes. It is important that you can shake hands afterwards.”

Team boss turned 37 on Tuesday.

“I got a message from Bernie which said ‘You’ve already had your gift from Ferrari so you won’t need anything else from me’,” he is quoted by the Telegraph.

As the 2010 world championship battles heats up, so too is the competitive rivalry between Red Bull’s teammates.

Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel are openly not friends, but with just two races to go this season and 14 points between them, some believe Vettel should now be helping his Australian teammate to the title.

“I am not giving up,” 23-year-old German Vettel said on Thursday in an interview with the DPA press agency.

“It would be stupid to give up the belief in the title. I will continue to fight,” he promised.

Vettel was asked whether he has a cooperative “deal” in place with Webber as the season winds down.

“That is too far away,” he answered. “I must just concentrate on my performance.”

Earlier this week, Webber indicated Vettel is only regarded as the team’s “superstar” because of his young age.

Vettel’s apparent rejoinder is a barb about the pair’s exits from the recent Korean grand prix, with Webber crashing and Vettel retiring with an engine failure.

“Let’s put it this way: I would have been far more disappointed if I had thrown away the car over a personal fault,” said the German.

He said he is not worried about losing the support of his team in deference to Webber.

“I know that my team supports me and that I don’t have to be worried,” answered Vettel.

It is a balancing act between being a team needs two strong drivers who drive each other to the limit in order to develop the full potential of the car. On the other hand, an excessive stable rivalry affect extremely destructive, as the Red-Bull-collision between Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel showed in Istanbul.

Curiously, it was said before the season benefit that Red Bull from the stable driver pairing and it will be at McLaren with two world champions in the team only a matter of time before the great crash between Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton is. But it can not be said – that proved the two in Turkey, as she fought a tough, but risked no collision.
Jenson Button believes that a competitive situation Ohata has a fertilizing effect: If one were to make Sebastian Vettel is now the number one, “would be detrimental to both.” A prime example is called the world champion his own team: “I know one hundred percent that we will be treated equally. And by that I mean not in terms of material, but how people behave in a team.”

An interesting statement, especially since it was precisely in this respect prior years at McLaren massive potential for conflict. 2007, the then-McLaren team boss Ron Dennis confirmed any cases that Fernando Alonso, the same material as team’s Lewis Hamilton get, but the proud Spaniard felt particularly reprehensible human left in the lurch.

A situation that is Jenson Button in a team match with Lewis Hamilton a stranger, “My mechanic want me to win, and his wish that he wins. This internal struggle is really exciting, but it does not go too far. So it should be – and It works well for us. ” The fact that the Briton at McLaren after seven races so relaxed look to the future, can go quite well on his cap. Alex Wurz had predicted before the season: “Put it in the first six races Jenson not enough to beat Lewis Hamilton, then his time is up.” That he is now in the World Cup standings ahead of his teammate, would probably hardly anyone expected.

World Cup chances are even buttons for more than a third of the season completely intact. We amount at the end of a title duel with Lewis Hamilton? The 30-year-old dismisses: “You can not safely say that this may be between Lewis and myself will decide so much happen. If they had with Red Bull after the race in Monaco said, they would have expected to walk, because the distance was so great. In Turkey, we have shown that we are equally fast if not faster, although we have to improve in qualifying. ”
Button expects Material Battle for World Cup crown

Also at the Grand Prix of Canada, the McLaren drivers are to assess strong – the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is contrary to the equipped with the F-bay system silver cars. It also knows Button: “We should be here soon. The course is very fast, but that is no place that forgives even the smallest error, because the concrete walls are so close. That is why this weekend, always unpredictable.”
(MotorSportsTotal)

Red Bull will not favour one of its drivers over the other, team owner Dietrich Mateschitz has insisted.

With the dominant RB6 car, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel are currently tied for points at the top of the world championship.

Vettel, 22, is seen as the Austrian team’s star and long-term hope, but his experienced teammate Webber has won the last two grands prix from pole.

“We will have no team orders, instead the better one or the luckiest one should win,” billionaire Mateschitz told Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

Moreover, Red Bull’s F1 advisor Dr Helmut Marko said the rivalry between Vettel and Webber is crucial.

“Neither of them would be where they are today without the strong competition within the team,” he told Austria’s APA news agency.
(GMM)

Hamilton was part of the FIA drivers Thursday press conference, marking the start of official activities at the Shanghai International Circuit ahead of this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix. Here are highlights of Lewis Hamilton’s answers to questions posed to him during the media session.

You have been out and about in Shanghai. You were at the Expo?
Lewis Hamilton: Yeah, this morning before we went to the track we stopped by the Expo and I got to see a little bit of it and I just have a small tour around the UK’s Expo. It was quite a cool and special building they have created there. But it was just a quick stop and I did a bit of a press conference and that was it.

We are three races in to the so-called rivalry between you and Jenson Button. How is it going?
Lewis: We are doing well. We are scoring lots of points for the team. He is a doing a fantastic job and we are getting on really well. He brings nothing but positiveness to the team and I think he is a very well balanced and well-rounded guy. We get on really well and it is working well for us.

How much of a worry is Red Bull’s pace and your team having to abandon your McLaren ride height system to counter development?
Lewis: We have not had to abandon much. There are so many different things in the pipeline and one of those was to go in a similar direction as perhaps some other teams have done. But it is clear everyone cannot do that now. I don’t know how that affects others but it doesn’t really affect us. We still have updates that we are working on and should be coming in the course of the next few weeks or months. I am looking forward to seeing the updates come but I know the guys back at the factory are flat out. We try to make as many improvements as we can. Last weekend we seemed to be very competitive with them through practice but in the race the Red Bulls pace was a little bit… I don’t know if they were pushing that much, but we have just got to keep our eye on the ball and keep pushing.

Do you think that the F-duct is going to give you the big advantage that many of your rivals suspect or do you see Red Bull as the main team to beat you?
Lewis: I still see Red Bull and Ferrari as the teams to beat here. You don’t know what Mercedes have brought either, so I think it’s the same as every race.

It’s quite tight at the top of the drivers’ standings after three races. Are you expecting it to remain such a tight battle between maybe six or eight drivers as we continue, or do you expect, when we get to Europe, when the development race kicks in in earnest, that we will see people leaping ahead? Sebastian (Vettel) could have won all three races so far.
Lewis: Yeah, you’re right, Sebastian could be quite a bit ahead at the moment, but I think at the moment it is very close, and I’m hoping that it stays like that for some time but undoubtedly, at some stage during the season, whether or not Red Bull continue to have not such great reliability, as Michael was saying, anything can happen and it can happen to any of us. We just have to try and stay as consistent as possible. You cannot afford too many DNFs, so I think that is probably what every team is trying to maintain, try and stay as consistent as possible.

You obviously had a great win in 2008, but in 2007 you remember what happened then, when you came off the track. Do you think that you’ve matured as a driver, that that sort of situation wouldn’t happen today? That you would insist that you should pit rather than stay out on bald tyres?
Lewis: Well, I know where the gravel trap is now, so I don’t think I would be in that position again. Of course, having the experience and being a few years down the line, I think I’m able to understand and make calls for myself, but I don’t think that we as a team would put ourselves in that position again. I’m confident that we won’t be there again.

To speak of a duel between Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) and Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) may sound exaggerated, but the truth is that again they will be the center of attention during the four pre-season test days in Jerez de la Frontera Circuit.

It was only a few days ago that we saw them rolling with almost a difference of a second in favor of the pilot from Asturias, but none of them mentioned the other, making it more than evident that there is rivalry between them.  To stress this point, it would be sufficient to ask the child to whom Schumacher denied an autograph… and all because he was wearing a Ferrari cap.

Even though the “Kaiser” tried to clarify this incident, it is apparent that “it is not the right moment.”  Schumacher’s appetite has returned and according to a statement by Ross Brawn, they are showing up at the circuit with some changes to improve their presentations and performance in the racetrack.

The two pilots will only concur in the circuit of Cadiz on Thursday, because Alonso will roll tomorrow and day-after-tomorrow, while the ‘Kaiser’ on Thursday and Saturday, according to the provisional plan submitted by the circuit’s press department.

For these second unveiling events, ten teams will roll the first week: McLaren, Ferrari, Sauber, Renault, Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Williams, Force India, Mercedes GP and Virgin GP -.

Together with them, the news at Jerez during these days will be the presentation of the new Red Bull and Force India single-seaters, as well as the first car presented by the new Virgin GP ‘scuderia.’

The ticket prices for these events are five Euros general admission and 10 Euros in VIP grandstand –exactly in front of the boxes-.  The audience will be able to access the circuit from 10.00 AM onwards.  Tests finish at 5:00 PM.

The Toro Rosso’s pilot, Jaime Alguersuari is already at the Ricardo Tormo, where he assured he has not yet talked with the team about the season’s objectives.  Anyhow, , “it’s all the same to me whomever has to make demands on me, because I’m concentrated on my own business and know where I have to be at,” he explained.

The Catalan is optimistic.  “This year I’m running because I have the tools to do it,” he pointed out with relation to the poor experience prior to his debut in the race.  “As the season advances, I’ll have more tools,” he added..

Alguersuari established as his main “personal” goal to be ahead of Buemi” his Toro Rosso’s team-mate.  “One has to be realistic and know where he is at, but I’m in no hurry to be ahead;”, he assured.  Regarding him being ahead of Buemi, he stated that the Swiss “is racing with advantage until the first half of the championship,” because he didn’t make it last year.

However, he did not venture any clear results. “When the tests are over, I’ll say the position we’re in.  It will not be easier than last year.  As a matter of fact, I think it will be quite complicated,” he announced in advance.

In spite of the difficulties he assured he’s “ready.”  “It’s complicated to win because we don’t have the economic resources that others do –Ferrari or McLaren–, but we’re trying to do our best.”  The pilot recognized he thinks that it will be possible to “get pole positions” and even win a race.  Why not?”, he inquired.

Alguersuari thinks that in the Valencia’s tests it will be possible to see “who goes fast and who doesn’t.”  “The target is that the car does not have any problems, that it’s reliable and that it does not break down, allowing it to finish the race.  Once that is achieved, we’ll expect it to go fast,” he declared.

“IT’S A POSITIVE THING THAT THERE ARE SO MANY SPANIARDS.”

The pilot described as “positive” that there are “so many Spanish pilots in the F1 grid: himself, Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) and De la Rosa (BMW Sauber).  “The rivalry will be among all the pilots and not only between the Spaniards.”  The pilot indicated that he’s glad that Pedro Martinez de la Rosa “has a wheel, because its something he wanted for a long time,” he recalled.

Alguersuari analyzed the fact that next season it will not be possible to refuel the cars during the race.  “This way we’ll see a different type of Formula One.  From the fans’ point of view, it’ll be more fun,” he predicted.  The pilot believes there will be “more surprises” and that there will not be strategic games.”  “There will be a real  ‘pole’ in the ranking and not a fictitious one, because the quantity of fuel is the same for everyone.”

The pilot thinks the new single-seater ‘STR5′ is a “longer and higher car in its front, but the base is similar to last year’s.”  “A good base is the safest thing for everybody,” he added.  The idea of the team is to do 500 kilometers by day so to arrive to Bahrain with a good base.”

The Spaniard was asked about Michael Schumacher’s comeback to the competition.  “His presence is important at technical level and as a professional athlete,” he answered.  In addition, he’s a man with “passion for this sport and very few pilots like this can be found.”

The long-awaited time of having Fernando Alonso answer questions in a press conference as Ferrari member has arrived today.  The man from Asturias has high hopes of ending his sport career in the Italian team, and did not hesitate to describe the Italian racing team as a “unique” team in Formula One.  “It’s almost impossible to find the motivation to race in another team after racing in Ferrari, because you’ll never find the same atmosphere or the same sensation.  It’s a legendary team.  Now, that I have reached one of my goals I’m happy,” he added.
“I’ve felt comfortable since the very first day.  The team has received me like a family member.  I think that Ferrari is something unique in the Formula One.  You all have dreamt of driving non-racing Ferrari cars and I’m not an exception.  I’m sure this is going to be my last team.  I want to finish this career with good taste in my mouth,” he said during his first press conference as Ferrari pilot.
For Alonso, the team’s atmosphere is “friendly” and in the factory “one breaths passion for races.”  As is well known by those who know Alonso, this things are vital for him, so he has not hesitated to admit that the “way of working” has surprised him.”  ”I was used to working with people who sent emails to someone who was only a few feet away, he declared.
“I work a 110 percent for the team, but if the team does not do the same, things are not well,” he asserted.
Nevertheless, Fernando was cautious and believes that its almost impossible to emulate the seven titles of the ‘Kaiser’.  “There is much equality in Formula 1, and rules are very strict.  Currently, the competition is in two or three tenths.  This is why winning five World Championships in a row or four, as Michael did, is something very difficult to repeat,” he stated.
As has been usual for me during the last year, I avoid talking about his stage in McLaren-Mercedes and his presumed rivalry with Lewis Hamilton. “I lost a lot of time talking about that.  I never asked to be the number one, but I don’t want to be number two, and that’s something that happened a few times in 2007″, he said when asked.
He did want to make clear that his relationship with his new mate, Felipe Massa, is “very good,” despite of the Germany incident.  ”In 2007, we were participating in a race, we’re competitive, but that belongs to the past.”
Getting back to his current status as Ferrari pilot, he’s convinced that he’s “more prepared” than ever to face the challenge of being a Ferrari pilot.  “Now, I’m more prepared for this challenge, that is not easy because Ferrari is known worldwide and a lot is expected of me “, he concluded.