French GP2 driver Charles Pic’s manager has confirmed talks about securing a place in formula one next year for the 21-year-old.
Pic, fourth in this year’s GP2 championship, has been linked recently with a Toro Rosso test in Abu Dhabi next month, and possibly a race seat with Virgin in 2012.

His mentor and manager Olivier Panis, however, indicated that a role as a “third driver” for Pic is most likely.

“We have had discussions mainly with Team Lotus and Virgin Racing,” said the former grand prix winner, working with Pic’s management Lagardere.

“There are two other possibilities that Charles will be in F1 next year, as a third driver, but nothing is signed yet and the discussions are continuing,” Panis told the French daily L’Equipe.

He admitted that the first step for Pic is a seat in November’s young driver test in Abu Dhabi.

“It is important he takes part in the rookie days in order to gain experience,” said Panis.

Sebastian Vettel’s father insists his son deserves his recent success in formula one.
The 24-year-old is on the cusp of becoming the sport’s youngest ever back-to-back world champion.

But some observers still question the young German’s wheel-to-wheel talents and give more credit to Adrian Newey, the designer of the dominant Red Bull cars of the last few seasons.

“I hear it over and over again, ‘Vettel only wins because he has the best car’,” his father Norbert told the Swiss Sunday newspaper Sonntagsblick.

“But first you have to get into the best car, and Seb worked hard for it.”

The Cologne tabloid said that, despite Vettel’s superstitions, Red Bull has manufactured special caps and t-shirts to mark his title victory at Suzuka this weekend.

Jenson Button has laughed at reports linking him with a move to Ferrari in 2012.
The speculation was triggered by the British driver’s protracted talks with McLaren over next year and beyond, and spurred on last week by a report in the Brazilian press.

It is said Button wants to be contractually free at the end of next year so as to be available when Felipe Massa comes out of contract.

“It’s hilarious because it’s not true,” Brazil’s Globo Esporte quotes the 2009 world champion as saying.

“I don’t know who put it out but it wasn’t us and it wasn’t Ferrari,” said Button.

The Briton admitted that the rumours are only gaining wings because of his lengthy talks with McLaren.

“Hopefully it will be sorted out as soon as possible. I hope it is anyway because I don’t want to be talking about it for too long and I don’t want to leave people hanging,” Button is quoted by PA Sport.

“I actually don’t mind being asked about it (the Ferrari story) because I find it quite fun,” he smiled.

At Ferrari, meanwhile, Brazilian Massa said he is determined to stay beyond next year.

“I have a contract until the end of 2012 and after that we’ll see,” he told the Singapore newspaper Today. “I hope to stay here a long time.”

Fabio Leimer could be a formula one race rookie in 2012.
The Sonntagsblick newspaper reports that the 22-year-old Swiss’ career is backed by Rainer Gantenbein, who says he has spent more than $17 million already.

Leimer is currently ranked 14th in the GP2 championship.

The Swiss newspaper said Gantenbein is in “intensive negotiations with several F1 teams” about the 2012 season.

“If Virgin demands five million (Swiss) francs, then that is what I will raise,” he said at Monza.

The first step for Leimer will be his debut F1 drive during the young drivers’ test session in Abu Dhabi after the penultimate grand prix of the season.

England’s Court of Appeal has reversed the High Court decision of last year ordering sponsors to pay millions in damages to Force India.

The Abu Dhabi companies Etihad Airways and Aldar Properties were ordered to pay $4.7m to the Silverstone based team late last year.

They agreed a three-year deal worth $20m in 2007 when the team was known as Spyker, and were found to have breached contract by switching a year later to Ferrari.

But the court of appeal this week ruled that the companies were entitled to cancel the deal.

Etihad argued that the promotion of a rival airline – Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher – was not allowed in the contract, and Aldar argued that Mallya’s promotion of an alcohol brand was a breach.

And both companies were contractually guaranteed the status as the team’s most prominent sponsors, appeal judge Sir Bernard Rix ruled.

“In my judgment … Force India rode roughshod over all these rights and protections,” he said.

The Abu Dhabi companies will follow up their court victory with a claim for damages.

A second is that as a victory for Dani Pedrosa. Speaking of those seven points are recovered against Lorenzo Aragon in Motorland, they can still hope for a comeback difficult but not impossible in the next five races, when to give his best to recover as many as 56 points …

“I’m quite satisfied with second place though, obviously, I would have liked to win in front of my home crowd, “said Pedrosa. “I took a big risk at the first corner, I lost several positions and it took me a while to recover and find myself behind Stoner. Then between us was a “5 and the race pace was the same as it was difficult to overcome this disadvantage.

Towards the end, unfortunately I started having problems with the tires started to lose grip at this point I said to myself “Okay, okay.” On the weekend we had more problems than others to regard the tires, but in any event the second place is good and the championship is still open although it will be difficult to recover on Lorenzo.

Now we are ready to race at Motegi, Honda’s home race, I thank them and my team because they’re working very hard and now we fast every weekend. “

The outline of F1′s new technical direction for 2013 and beyond has been essentially decided.

According to Autosprint’s Italian-language auto.it, the sport’s cars of the future will feature so-called ‘ground effect’ aerodynamics and be powered by 1.6 litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engines.

The report said the package has been agreed by the majority of the teams.

A working group, featuring a group of engineers from F1 teams, has been in charge of defining the basic outline of the 2013 regulations, Autosprint said.

The four-cylinder turbo engines will reportedly produce 650 horse power, with drivers to be limited to using just five separate units per season.

Ground-effect aerodynamics, meanwhile, could improve overtaking by having the majority of the downforce generated underneath the car, rather than by the wings and top bodywork which greatly disturb the airflow onto following cars.

The technology was pioneered in F1 in the late 70s, but banned shortly afterwards because while producing immense cornering grip, ground effects made the cars unstable at high speed and relied on ‘sliding skirts’ that often broke.

At the weekend where it will be officially unveiled its future, Valentino Rossi started in the best way. In Brno in the opening round of tests appeared immediately in command of the standings, finishing with the 3rd time without being able to replicate, because of the rain, the reference of Jorge Lorenzo. The six-tenths of a disadvantage not worried, partly because his physical condition has improved considerably since the last race.

“Overall I’m happy, it was a good session and I found myself immediately at ease with the bike,” says Rossi. “I must say that after a few laps I felt some pain in the shoulder and right leg, but overall I’m happy because compared to Laguna Seca my physical condition has improved, so that I can do more forcefully on the shoulder cornering and braking .

Fitness (almost) OK, how his Yamaha YZR M1? To answer must wait until tomorrow hoping for good weather and two rounds of tests on asphalt completely dry.

“I was leading for most of the session working on the development of the bike. I am only sorry for the rain, we could do that final step to further improve, but hopefully it will be possible tomorrow, “concluded the nine-time World Champion.

Lotus will reportedly confirm its switch to Renault engine power for the 2011 season during the August break.

The new Malaysian-backed team is currently equipped with Cosworth engines, but Italia Racing believes a team announcement is due within two weeks.

But just a week ago, Renault engine technical director Rob White said an announcement about the French marque’s plans for 2011 is not imminent.

“We have the capacity to supply additional teams in the future and would be willing to do so if it was good for Renault and for the sport as a whole,” he said.

“There has been speculation in the press, with different teams mentioned from time to time, but no announcement is imminent,” added White.

The original Lotus team was powered by Renault engines between 1983 and 1986.

Williams will run its own battery-powered KERS system in 2011, technical director Sam Michael has announced.

The Grove based outfit runs its own hybrid systems company, and developed an unique flywheel system that is now used by Porsche in GT racing.

But Sir Frank Williams revealed recently that the flywheel system is so big “it would make our (F1) car like a London double-decker”.

So in 2011, with KERS returning to formula one, Williams Hybrid Power is working on a more conventional electrical version.

“Everything is being done in-house,” Michael confirmed.  “Only the battery cells are being bought from outside.”

(GMM)