Red Bull has been isolated from F1′s other teams, as the FIA is asked to step in and police their cost-cutting efforts.
Last year, there remained suspicions the energy drink owned team – the winner of the past two world championships – flouted the ‘resource restriction agreement’ (RRA).

But the agreement was only an initiative of the teams’ trade union FOTA, which has now essentially collapsed.

Moreover, the agreement includes only financial sanctions for breaches, and Red Bull was never penalised anyway — Ferrari’s Luca di Montezemolo said recently he didn’t push the issue “Because I didn’t want it to be an excuse for our performance”.

A letter has now been addressed to FIA president Jean Todt requesting that the governing body step in and make the RRA an official sporting regulation.

Breaches would therefore carry a sporting sanction, such as the loss of points, or race bans.

“Yes, it (the letter) was unanimous. Most of the teams have signed it,” said Lotus team boss Eric Boullier.

He would not, however, confirm the identity of the teams that did not sign.

But a report in the Kolner Express newspaper claims “only two teams did not sign: Red Bull and the sister team Toro Rosso”.

Two authoritative sources have admitted they doubt Adrian Newey was telling the whole truth about the air inlet in the ‘step’ nose of Red Bull’s 2012 car.
Designer Newey, the pioneer of the now-banned blown diffuser solutions seen throughout last year’s grid, insisted that the mysterious letterbox-slot gap in the RB8 is simply to cool the drivers with air.

But the aerodynamic expert’s explanation was met with some initial scepticism, amid speculation the monocoque air could also be flowing elsewhere for a performance benefit.

“The drivers are going to get their feet wet when it rains,” a suspicious unnamed engineer smilingly told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

Also unconvinced is Joan Villadelprat, a veteran former formula one engineer who has worked at McLaren, Ferrari, Benetton, Prost and – most recently – heading the operations of the sports car team Epsilon Euskadi.

He wrote in El Pais newspaper: “Personally, I don’t believe Adrian Newey’s explanation that the opening is to refresh the drivers.

“If that’s what they need then Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber must drive half-asleep,” the Spaniard joked.

Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport speculates that the RB8′s inlet directs air underneath the floor, as per Ferrari’s innovative nose-slot of 2008.

The unity of the formula one teams association FOTA might be racing into trouble.

AS newspaper reports that neither Red Bull nor Mercedes are fans of the so-called resource restriction agreement, with Ferrari and McLaren on the opposing side of the developing debate.

The report said Red Bull as well as Mercedes, the topic of conversation at Suzuka following the high-profile appointments of Aldo Costa and Geoff Willis, feel “under suspicion for alleged overspending”.

Both teams “seem willing to fight for the elimination of this regulation”, with some sources saying an impasse could lead to Mercedes and Red Bull leaving FOTA altogether.

AS correspondent Manuel Franco said Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali has called upon FOTA, led by his McLaren counterpart Martin Whitmarsh, to resolve the issue this weekend in Korea.

Bernie Ecclestone admitted recently that he does not support FOTA.

“I try not to think of them,” said the F1 chief executive in a joint interview recently with Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, who agreed: “I also don’t spend too much time thinking in that direction.”

F1 chief executive Ecclestone told formula1.com: “It (FOTA) is an unnecessary association of people who should put their sole emphasis on getting competitive cars on the grid.”

An audit by a company called Capgemini has found “discrepancies” in relation to Red Bull’s budget in the context of last year’s resource restriction agreement.
That is the claim of Italian magazine Autosprint, as Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel travels to Singapore where he can wrap up his second consecutive championship this weekend.

Earlier this year, boss Christian Horner denied claims the team flouted the FOTA-governed cost savings agreement by as much as EUR 60 million in 2010.

Autosprint said the suspicion is that Red Bull broke the agreement by filing contentious information about its structure and workforce.

The magazine cited “sources” in claiming Red Bull figures have attempted to stop the Capgemini audit because it is an “invasion of privacy” requiring the release of “sensitive data”.

The report said the teams association FOTA, headed by McLaren’s Martin Whitmarsh, wants a “clarification” at a meeting this week even though “at the moment there is no mention of any penalties”.

Autosprint also questioned the timing of the emergence of the Capgemini story, given that Red Bull is on the cusp of securing both the drivers’ and constructors’ world championships for the second season running.

The blown exhaust clampdown, taking effect this weekend at Silverstone, could blow the wind out of Red Bull’s sails.

That is the suspicion of Nick Heidfeld, who admits to wondering why the team’s management has been so publicly outspoken in its criticism of the FIA’s mid-season move.

“Maybe they suddenly found that they will lose more than they thought at first,” the Renault driver is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.

The German report said Red Bull, as well as its engine supplier Renault, have fought tooth and nail with the governing body over the issue, arguing until mere hours ago about just how comprehensive the FIA clampdown should be.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso sounds more resigned than Heidfeld.

“I do not expect much, really,” the Spaniard is quoted by Diario Sport. “They (Red Bull) have a very elaborate the efficient package that will go well on all tracks and in all conditions.”

The Gribkowsky corruption affair is expected to return to the F1 headlines on Wednesday.
F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone was questioned by Munich prosecutors in April on suspicion of being involved in the mysterious $50 million payment to the jailed German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky.

The affair surrounds the sale of formula one’s commercial rights to CVC some years ago, with 80-year-old Ecclestone insisting that he will ultimately be “exonerated” of “any wrongdoing”.

But it is only on Wednesday that the Briton will learn whether he has been charged and summoned to court, according to the Guardian.

The Times quotes him as saying: “I have done nothing so I have no idea what charges they could bring.

“I have done what I had to do at all times during this investigation and I have cooperated fully with the people in Germany. As far as I am concerned there are no problems.”

If a charge is brought, it would likely relate to ‘aiding and abetting’ the deliberately wrong valuation of the commercial rights by Gribkowsky, who was then the chief risk manager of BayernLB bank.

London’s Telegraph said it believes Ecclestone has been asked to cooperate by supplying evidence about Gribkowsky on the promise of a lighter sentence such as a monetary penalty.

“As long as it’s not too much. I’m only joking,” he said.

The newspaper also asked Ecclestone if he was aware Tuesday was the six-month deadline for either releasing or charging Gribkowsky: “I’ve not heard anything,” he answered.

Two days have passed after the contested races in Valencia and Fernando Alonso’s mood has been heated then cooled. In his blog on the official Ferrari site now he regrets his remarks, which he angrily criticized immediately after the race the stewards and the FIA accused of manipulation. Meanwhile, he sees what happened now with a clear head.

“We had the date on which the safety car came out, a special pitch. Only a few seconds earlier or later and the race would have been very different for us,” recalls Alonso. to ruminate about what has happened then bring, not much, “but I’m much calmer now than immediately after the race.”
“It certainly was not the Sunday, we were expecting us,” he explains. “The safety car is on for us came out worst possible time and ruined our race completely. On Sunday evening I was very angry is about all that has happened. But the anger is now transformed into positive energy that drives me the desire, I fight back, .

“At the time I reacted emotionally and in such a situation is all too quick to propose a sound and says things can be misinterpreted and may give cause to suspicion – something that was not my intention at all,” admits the Ferrari Star one. “I understand of course that the race has a difficult job and that they must make decisions that are not easy.”

was “What I wanted a driver who respects the rules as we were at a disadvantage in this situation, unfortunately, more than those who have broken, even if they were given a penalty,” continued Alonso. He refers here not to a specific driver (Lewis Hamilton, editor’s note), says the Spaniard, “This is a basic thing and I think we should talk about it calmly, to ensure that such something does not happen again. ”

He was delighted that the FIA also reacted promptly and an extraordinary meeting of the sporting working group meet as Alonso added: “I am confident even sure that all the contentious issues can be addressed in detail here.”
For Alonso, the subject is checked to a large extent. Its concentration is now the next race at Silverstone. “There we will try to get all the energy accumulated in our car and us to repeat what was denied us in Valencia, for any reason whatsoever. Even though we know Silverstone is theoretically not a route that our car is. ”

Even if the result of Valencia was not what Ferrari had hoped for, “it has left no irreparable damage,” Alonso continued. “It is true that our backlog is at the top now grown to 29 points, but we have not even reached the mid-season. We lack only a little more than a victory, is therefore still open to everything.”
We have been able to catch up with the updates for Spain on the top teams, he stressed: “I am glad, I’m well aware that we have to enter in the development of the F10 on the gas. Because we need a car, we at the Pole and we can fight as soon as possible before our rivals brings. If we now lie 29 points behind the leader, it means that we need to bring in the next ten races at least 30 points more than the leader. ”

was one of the main points of the race from Sunday, however, that Mark Webber his serious accident, “the fear was spectacular and scary”, has survived virtually unscathed, says Alonso: “This shows once again that the work initiated by the FIA at the Security is absolutely essential and that in this field of sport should never be complacent. “

Italian police have handed back Flavio Briatore’s luxury yacht.

The former Renault boss’ 60-metre boat ‘Force Blue’ was seized a month ago on suspicion of tax fraud.

But according to a report in the Spanish newspaper Diario Sport, Briatore has taken back possession with two conditions.

The first is a deposit of 5 million euros, and the promise that the boat will not leave Mediterranean waters.

The Sunday Times said in May that the evasion of millions in taxes could cost Briatore, expelled from F1 for the 2009 crashgate scandal, EUR 40 million in fines or a six-year prison sentence.

The 60-year-old denies any wrongdoing.

“It was a big television production by the police and completely unfair, so we are fighting them now,” he told the Telegraph.

“That boat was a commercial boat with a 50 million euro turnover in the past four years, but the police seem to think that was all for me.”

Briatore does not deny using the boat, and claims he is supported by seven Italian MPs who have written to the government “to find out what happened”.

“Of course, I use the yacht, because if you are going to own a business, it may as well be one you can enjoy — otherwise, I would have bought a funeral home.”
(GMM)

Jun.10 (GMM)  Mark Webber on Thursday insisted he can still work at Red Bull alongside Dr Helmut Marko.

Two weeks ago, it was the team’s Austrian consultant Marko who began blaming Australian Webber for the crash with his teammate Sebastian Vettel in Turkey.

It raised the suspicion that the team’s powerful German-speaking faction favours youngster Vettel over Webber, but all parties sat down for a clear-the-air meeting at Milton-Keynes last week.

“I had a good chat with Helmut at the factory.  He’s fine,” Webber, 33, told reporters at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

He was asked what he thought about Marko immediately blaming him for the crash, while many pundits within the paddock believe it was Vettel’s fault.

“Helmut wasn’t fully up to speed with all the facts at the time.  He went pretty quick with his comments, which he’s learned from and will move on,” said Webber.

Also revealing that he had a “very positive” phone conversation with team owner Dietrich Mateschitz since the incident, Webber said he understands Marko’s tilt towards 22-year-old Vettel’s side of the garage.

“He brought Seb along, he speaks the language, so you can expect a bit of emotional support that way.  But I’m fine with that.

“Helmut has been … there are a lot of things that have happened with this team through his support, and I’ve been off the back of that as well,” added Webber.

Vettel’s media scrum on Thursday was an uncomfortable one for the 22-year-old, with some reporters pushing the German hard to issue an apology.

When it became clear that no apology would be forthcoming, one questioner asked him if, like his countryman Michael Schumacher, he finds it difficult to admit his mistakes.

“The way that I grew up and the way that I am, honesty is something that is very important to me.  You can ask anybody in the garage, if I make a mistake in qualifying then I am the first to raise my hand and blame myself.

“I am open for self-criticism and I try to improve myself.  I’m not jumping out of the car and saying this is a shit car if I couldn’t do better,” said Vettel.

“If from my side something isn’t right I raise my hand and stand up.  I have no problem with that and it’s one important thing in life otherwise it will always come back to you,” he added.

A week after the banned former Renault boss hosted Bernie Ecclestone on the 60-metre Force Blue on the Monaco harbour, police boarded it on Thursday.

They had followed the yacht with high speed boats to the port of La Spezia, near the northern city of Genoa, with the 60-year-old Italian, his wife Elisabetta and new son Falco all on board.

Local prosecutor Walter Cotugno ordered the boat be impounded on the suspicion it is improperly registered as a charter.

Investigators suspect Briatore has registered it in the Cayman Islands, with a hire price of 275,000 euros a week, in order to obtain a tax break and to avoid paying sales tax when anchoring in European harbours.

They suspect the yacht is not chartered at all and in fact is used only by Briatore’s family.
(GMM)