Sir Jackie Stewart thinks the only uncertainty surrounding Nico Hulkenberg’s future is that Williams could lose him to a richer team.

Despite the 23-year-old achieving his maiden pole position in Brazil, the British team is reportedly considering replacing the German rookie for 2011 with Venezuelan pay-driver Pastor Maldonado.

But triple world champion Sir Jackie Stewart, who was in the Williams garage when Hulkenberg captured pole at Interlagos in his role with sponsor RBS, doesn’t think so.

Rather, the Scot thinks Hulkenberg will now be in the sights of the bigger teams.

“I would be very surprised if he is not taken. The biggest chance he has now is of being grabbed by a more affluent team, not the risk of not having a drive,” Stewart is quoted by gpweek.com.

“He is never going to be without a job.”

Indeed, there are signs now that Williams intends to keep Hulkenberg. In an official press release, technical boss Sam Michael described his performance in Brazil as “exceptional”.

And in a news report posted on the Williams website on Monday, team founder and principal Sir Frank Williams used the same word to describe Hulkenberg’s latest performances.

Meanwhile, Maldonado has been scheduled for three days of post-season testing with HRT, the back-of-the-grid team that recently became a buyer of Williams’ gearbox for 2011.

Two prominent figureheads of F1′s travelling circus are conspicuously absent at Suzuka.

According to the Swiss newspaper Blick, the sport’s chief executive Bernie Ecclestone – who turns 80 in three weeks – did not want to travel the 9,000 kilometres from Europe to Japan.

And team founder and boss Peter Sauber is not at Suzuka this weekend because he has accepted an invitation to attend a wedding.

The lucky groom is Carlos Slim Domit, the chairman of Sauber’s new major sponsor Telmex and heir to his father Carlos Slim Helu’s many billions.

43-year-old Slim Jr’s wedding is taking place in his native Mexico City.

Team founder Frank Williams and Patrick Head associate themselves with the Austrians took Toto Wolff another partner on board, the former CEO Adam Parr was charged in July with the Presidency of the Formula 1 teams. The generational change at the former World Champion team is thus on track. After difficult times economically, and sporty, it is now to go back uphill.

A key role is played by Parr. The 45-year-old is in the team since 2006 and is now the successor of the now already 68-year-old Frank Williams. Here, Parr has had to painstakingly hineinarbeiten in the Formula 1 world. The Briton had to do until not too long ago with the PS-circus nothing.

“In every single second I think of Williams,” Parr said in an interview with ‘Motorsport-Total.com’. The new Williams-chairman has captured not only within a very short time the Rennbazillus, but in the big business formula one found new challenges elsewhere, it does not exist in this form. “Williams is my life, I love it. I have in my life have made a lot of different things, but now I could not think of anything else.”

The path of the man from Great Britain in the great Formula 1 world is mapped out over many years is anything but. Adam Parr on 26 Born May 1965 in London. “A very special date,” he laughs. “Back then there was the important fight of Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston, who was terminated after just two minutes. My father has watched the fight live at night for two on television.”

The family holds no ready Motorsport genes for the pupil. On the contrary: In the youth Parr is in the course of the separation of their parents rather little disoriented. Young Adam is growing up with his mother and stepfather, is adopted by him and gets the surname Parr. With his “new family”, he moves to Northamtonshire goes in Brackley – where the present-Mercedes Formula 1 factory – is in school.

Parr changes later on the legendary Eton College. “This was a great time, and I also have an interesting year at that time caught,” he says. “Boris Johnson was there with me, who is mayor of London today. Abhisit Vejjajiva was in my class who has managed to become Prime Minister in Thailand. And the current British Prime Minister David Cameron was also there. What a year …”

In June 2009, the next change followed in the Unternehmsstruktur. An Austrian went to the big stage. “Was added as Toto Wolff, we had to restructure something.” The passionate “Petrol Head” from Austria is third partner with Frank Williams and Patrick Head. “Frank has the majority and he has everything under control. Patrick and Toto have compared rather smaller holdings, but even as a minority owner of course they have certain rights.”

The Board will be filled in July 2010 new. From now Parr leads the race team – at least nominally. He bears the responsibility as Chairman mixes, but by no one in all areas of daily operations. “My job was from the beginning rather the financial, legal and the political side of the business. We have the new division of responsibilities clearly communicated because it is in my view, very important that people know who they are dealing with us have. ”

“There must be outward always clear who has what skills. When quick decisions are required, then you know to whom you have contact,” said the businessman. “When I spoke with Frank very beginning, I asked him, ‘Frank, you’ve worked with huge companies such as Canon or Renault. Where these companies the biggest difference to your team?” He then said: ‘Obviously: the decision-making. The are outlined more clearly in such companies. ”

At that time the Williams decision paths were difficult to follow. This should change quickly under the leadership of Parr. “If you have even a comparatively small Formula 1 team such a confused decision-making authority, then that is bad. It is bad if people know how Jean Todt or the media does not know who has what to say.” Therefore quickly clear boundaries were installed.
On the level of world champions

“Frank is certain things I’ll never learn. This is true for Patrick or Michael for Sam as well. Everyone has his Department, who is with us now defined very clearly,” says Parr, the new division at Williams. “I had to provide as chairman that the company is pursuing the right strategy. I have to implement this strategy alone, but because all are involved. But I must ensure that all necessary means for implementation are available. We need the right people the right tools. “

May 15 (GMM)  Peter Sauber has denied recent rumours and reports suggesting the seats of his Swiss team’s drivers are in doubt.

With Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi failing to score a single point so far in 2010, it was rumoured Sauber could replace them with drivers who at least bring sponsorship to the mostly blank-liveried car.

But team founder and boss Sauber, 66, is quoted in Monaco by the EFE news agency: “I do not understand why this (claim) is repeated again and again.

“The Spanish grand prix was the first time we were able to give the drivers a competitive car, which is very important for their confidence.”

After a dismal start to the season, the Swiss believes Sauber’s fortunes are now beginning to turn.

“I think that in Spain we made significant progress and took two steps forward; something that was necessary,” he said.

Sauber also revealed that, after several steps of development, the C29′s F-duct system is now “working well”.

Apr.30 (GMM)  Drivers’ and constructors’ championship leaders McLaren are also winning the race as F1′s most reliable team.

The British outfit, whose Jenson Button leads the drivers’ table by 10 points over Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg, completed every single lap with both MP4-25 cars at the initial Bahrain, Australian, Malaysian and Chinese grands prix.

In second place, a 100 per cent record for Ferrari was tarnished only by Fernando Alonso’s engine failure in the closing stages in Malaysia.

Red Bull is third with a 92.4 per cent finishing record in 2010, despite the RB6 appearing to have suffered from several reliability glitches so far.

In fact, Sebastian Vettel’s wheel nut problem in Melbourne was the team’s only DNF, while teammate Mark Webber has completed all four races within the top 9.

Similarly, only one Mercedes car – Michael Schumacher’s in China – has failed to reach the chequered flag, but the German team is fourth in the list with a 89.2 per cent record due the stoppage occurring early in the race.

Williams’ single DNF culminates in a 86 per cent reliability record because Nico Hulkenberg was taken out on the first lap in Australia.

Renault is sixth of the ten teams with 75.1 per cent, for while Robert Kubica has finished every race with the R30, rookie Vitaly Petrov’s first race finish was in China.

In Bahrain the Russian damaged the suspension by hitting a kerb too hard, in Melbourne he spun into the gravel, and in Malaysia he had to stop with a gearbox problem.

Impressively, the new team Lotus also has a 75 per cent finishing record, even though Jarno Trulli was not actually a classified finisher at Sepang because he was ten laps behind.

And in Melbourne, the Italian’s T127 was not even on the grid due to a pre-race hydraulics problem.

Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari has finished all the races, but teammate Sebastien Buemi was taken out on the first lap in both Australia and China — first by Kamui Kobayashi and then Vitantonio Liuzzi.

Force India is now increasingly mentioned as a serious F1 competitor, but its reliability record so far in 2010 is just 65.9 per cent.

Liuzzi crashed in China and had a throttle problem in Malaysia, while Adrian Sutil had a Ferrari engine problem in Melbourne.

HRT’s F1 career started badly with only one car crossing the line in the opening two races.

But the Dallara-built cars of Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok both finished in Malaysia and China, giving the Spanish team a 65.2pc finishing record.

Virgin and Sauber are at the bottom of the pile, with Virgin achieving a mere 33.8pc reliability record with only Lucas di Grassi able to cross the line in Malaysia by aggressively saving fuel.

Sauber is last, with only Pedro de la Rosa recording a race finish in Melbourne for a reliability record of just 25.5 per cent.

“We’ve suffered too many reliability issues on both the chassis side and with our engines,” team founder Peter Sauber said on Thursday.

“That’s very unusual — we’ve always been one of the best teams in this respect over the years.

“We’ve closely analysed all the chassis-related problems and already put measures into effect.  Our engine partner Ferrari is doing the same,” he added.